Source: SKY_Sports
Strength in numbers
It's been a difficult period for Middlesbrough football club. Relegation has hit the club hard and a new financial era is upon us; an era of lower wages and a smaller transfer budget.
Chief executive, Keith Lamb, has done a fair bit of talking in the press over the last few weeks. He released a statement last week reiterating the clubs "steadfast ambition" and on Friday he gave a radio interview which left me in no doubt that the days of big spending are over.
One of Lamb's more telling statements in the radio interview suggested further cost cutting. "When we were relegated in May, we had a wage bill of £33m, we needed to reduce that considerably and probably half it to make the club viable for this season," he said, before adding: "we've made great inroads into that; we're not where we want to be yet but we're not far off it."
More mixed messages then from the chief executive. Is it going to be cost cutting or ambition? It seems the club is hoping to achieve both. Perhaps 'low budget ambition' is the name of the game at Middlesbrough. Clearly any new players we sign are not going to be paid large salaries and that will have an obvious impact on the type of players we bring in. It looks like a heavy reliance on youth development is the plan.
All this recessionary talk sounds rather depressing when taken at face value but something else is going on at the Boro. Something strange is happening: Middlesbrough are once again winning football matches! I'd almost forgotten what it was like to wake up on a Sunday morning with that winning feeling, to get up with a smile, to pick up the Sunday papers with anticipation and look at the league table without fear. That feeling's been gone for a long time but I'm starting to get used to it; winning is becoming a habit!
Our latest victory came at home to Ipswich Town. A comfortable 3 -1 win, inspired by two classy goals from Jeremie Aliadiere, of all people! Like most Boro fans, I had long since given up on the pacey Frenchman whose inability to hit the back of the net has become legendary. Could it be that he will finally find his shooting boots at this level? Gary O'Neil was back from injury, running the show from midfield, Adam Johnson is still on fire, creating numerous chances including Aliadiere's first goal, and even Julio Arca seems to be back on form, picking out team mates with some fine passing.
Despite the good start to the season I do have my concerns. The squad is rather thin and very young; I wonder how well it will stand up to the rigor of a long season in this tough league. One of the more positive things to come out of Keith Lamb's interview was the management's desire to bring in some loan signings to bolster the team, having failed to sign anyone in the last days of the transfer window. A couple of decent - if cheap - signings would be a timely boost. They could help cement our place at the top end of the league, help Gareth Southgate continue to regain the confidence of the fans, and most importantly, they could help to keep the winning feeling alive.
Do you agree with Dan's concerns over squad depth? Can Middlesbrough's squad maintain their push for an immediate return to the Premier League?
The views expressed are not necessarily those of skysports.com