The Southgate Scandal: A Middlesbrough Story

[Aannddyy]

[Quick Note - My Sunderland story died purely because most of my posts were deleted by the evil database error that killed a whole day worth of posts, after that I just couldn't be bothered to update any more, I did complete the season but I think I need a new approach, and fingers crossed there won't be another deletion of my posts! Hope you enjoy]
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The Southgate Scandal: A Middlesbrough Story
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Yesterday it became public knowledge of what has been dubbed the "Southgate Scandal". This first came to the attention of most after the resignation of Gordon Strachan earlier this week, the Scott had only been at the club a couple of months and had been building a squad ready to challenge for the Championship title, however his sudden departure came earlier this week came as a shock to most. It was reported Strachan was being harassed by former manager Gareth Southgate, and was quoted as saying the job was too unsafe, not only for himself, but also his family. As for what Southgate was doing is unclear although according to a statement released by the Middlesbrough Press Office - Southgate hid in pieces of furniture [such as cupboards and under desks] in Strachan's office waiting for the 'Boro boss to leave the room before sitting on his desk pretending he was the manager again. Southgate even made phone calls from a phone box outside Stranchan's house in the early hours of the morning offering tactical advice and potential transfers targets. He was often spotted in the Riverside stands wearing a kilt and a Middlesbrough top with "Strachan 1" On the back, holding a sign saying "I love you Strachan". It is believed there are more serious accusations surrounding the sexual side of this so called stalking, however until investigations are complete; Southgate has been banned from being within 1 mile from The Riverside Stadium or Gordon Strachan and has been tagged for the foreseeable future. Follow the story on twitter @SouthgateScandal2010

Key Players

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Gary O'Neill
Club Captain

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Scott McDonald
Key Signing

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David Wheater
Hot Prospect

Analysis

Middlesbrough are considered one of the strongest sides in the Championship and should certainly make the top 6 this season. Even with some very serious injury problems they are currently suffering with it's expected they will be challenging alongside West Brom and rivals Newcastle come the end of the season. The Boro will look towards Scott McDonald to provide the goals, he is a proven striker in the SPL and somebody Andy Burns will want to keep around if he is to have any success. As it stands 'Boro do not look like they have the depth necessary to compete in the cup competitions as well as the league so we may see a very young side fielded in the domestic cups. I'm sure they will put the turmoil of the last few months behind them and will take the relegation in their stride, aiming to be champions come May. The only negative Middlesbrough will take into this season is the loan debt they hold, the club is currently paying in excess of £400,000+ interest which means promotion is a necessity for the future of the football club. Follow Middlesbrough's progress on twitter @MiddlesbroughProgress2009/2010
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[lfc2datop]

Sounds good, Southgate the stalker made me lol

 

[DMF]

LOL, loving that OP Aannddyy.

Looks good so far, good luck.
What happened to your Sunderland story?

 

[Aannddyy]

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Transfer Update: July 2009

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Middlesbrough are clearly trying to save their money as they approach this season. Bringing in four young players from Premier League clubs. Most surprisingly Fabrice Muamba, which has upset many of the Bolton players as he was considered a first team member last year and at 21 already has 3 full seasons under his belt. Zavon Hines and Frederico Macheda have been brought in to add that much needed fire-power alongside Australian international Scott McDonald, and both will be battling for that second striker spot with Leroy Lita, Chris Killen and Lee Miller. The sales of Aliadiére, Riggot and Emnes have seen positive responses from the fans. Aliadiére was moved on after Andy Burns brought in the young Hammers striker, mainly down to his high wage and very low goal output and work rate. Injury prone Chris Riggot's move to Ipswich will see Middlesbrough relieve £41,000 each month for the next four years, even though he has only signed a three year deal with The Tractor Boys. Marvin Emnes moves to Italy, signing with Serie A outfit Livorno, the Dutch youngster was surplus to requirements as Andy Burns plays a very narrow formation in the centre of the field. We expect to see more from Middlesbrough through August and a swap deal with Coventry could see Aron Gunnarsson moving to The Riverside in exchange for full-back Tony McMahon.

In

Zavon Hines
West Ham - Loan

Fabrice Muamba
Bolton - Loan

Frederico Macheda
Manchester Utd - Loan

Rodrigo Possebon
Manchester Utd - Loan



Out

Jérémie Aliadiére
Sunderland - £1,500,000

Chris Riggot
Ipswich - £2,000,000

Marvin Emnes
Livorno - £1,500,000

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[Deleted member 79730]

Good luck AAndy, mcdonald usually scores over 40 goals on my saves, hes too good for that league

 

[EvertonianChriss]

Good start & I like the layout, I'll follow, good luck!

 

[DeanMcDonnell]

Nice like it, i'll be following, hope Skippy does for you what he did at Celtic

 

[SamScfc]

Thought you had a 'From Russia With Love' story?

 

[Aannddyy]

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Season Update: August 2009

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Well it's been a decent start to the season for Middlesbrough, managing to stay unbeaten in their first 6 games of the year, only conceding 2 goals which is an excellent achievement considering Boro's starting line-up consisted of 19 year old Jason Steele in goal, as well as having first team players Emanuel Pogatetz, Stephen McManus and David Wheater all out injured. They also completed the capture of Aron Gunnarsson from Coventry in a swap deal involving Full Back Tony McMahon. Despite only dropping 4 points Middlesbrough still find themselves in fifth position.
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Results

Middlesbrough 2 v 0 Sheffield United
Willow Flood/ Federico Macheda
Debut goals for Flood and Macheda got 'Boro off to a flying start in a game they dominated from start to finish. Kyle Naughton took a knock in this match.

Swansea City 0 v 0 Middlesbrough

Scunthorpe United 1 v 4 Middlesbrough
own goal/ Scott McDonald/ Seb Hines
Two goals for Skippy and man of the match topped of an excellent away performance, putting any fears that Middlesbrough couldn't score to bed.

Middlesbrough 1 v 0 Doncaster Rovers
Rodrigo Possebon
A 92nd minute goal from Italian loanee Possebon saved Middlesbrough's dignity against a weaker Doncaster side.

Middlesbrough 2 v 0 Leeds United [League Cup 2nd]
Josh Walker, Scott McDonald
Two goals in the first ten minutes of the game was enough for 'Boro to secure the win, with Leeds always being the chasing team. This result certainly pleased the fans.

Bristol City 1 v 1 Middlesbrough
Scott McDonald
Another weak performance from Middlesbrough being saved by another late goal, this time coming from Australian hitman McDonald for his fourth of the campaign.

Player of The Month

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[Dan]

I like your laout so far Andy but it would be nice to see maybe a bit of colour and some screenshots. Maybe include a pic or a video of player of the month and that would really add dimensions to your layout.

 

[DaSiimM]

Just read it all, and it seems very interesting. I'll follow

 

[Aannddyy]

Sounds good, Southgate the stalker made me lol

LOL, loving that OP Aannddyy. Looks good so far, good luck. What happened to your Sunderland story?

Good luck AAndy, mcdonald usually scores over 40 goals on my saves, hes too good for that league

Good start & I like the layout, I'll follow, good luck!

Nice like it, i'll be following, hope Skippy does for you what he did at Celtic

Just read it all, and it seems very interesting. I'll follow

Thought you had a 'From Russia With Love' story?

Thanks guys I hope you will all enjoy the story
@ DMF I've added why I'm not continuing my Sunderland story to the top of the OP, basically it's because of the database error deleting it :|
@ Sam Yeah I decided against that story because it was too much work and I don't really have that much time to dedicate it, I hope you will follow this one :]

I like your laout so far Andy but it would be nice to see maybe a bit of colour and some screenshots. Maybe include a pic or a video of player of the month and that would really add dimensions to your layout.

Aha thanks Dan, I'll consider adding a bit more to it but I like my layouts to be neat so I might keep it the same for now and add more to it for special updates, thanks for the input though mate. I'll definitely be adding screenshots to the next update though.

 

[Danny]

It's looking good so far Andy, I like the layout, but like someone did say, some Screenshot's would make it look even better.

 

[Aannddyy]

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Season Update: September 2009

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A stunning run of form has seen us rise to the top of the table and with a run of this magnitude going on I think automatic promotion is a certain possibility. Also this month Frank Merida joined us a 3 month loan deal, hopefully he can provide cover if O'Neil is out and we need a bit of inspiration. It's a miracle we got through this month with so many injuries, and with the Under 20's World Cup we lost a lot of midfield players.

Results

Middlesbrough 3 v 1 Ipswich Town
Scott McDonald(2), David Wheater

Sheffield Wednesday 0 v 3 Middlesbrough
own goal(2), Zavon Hines

Middlesbrough 4 v 0 West Brom
Willo Flood, Federico Macheda, Gary O'Neil, Zavon Hines

Everton 0 v 1 Middlesbrough [League Cup 3rd]
Leroy Lita

Coventry City 0 v 1 Middlesbrough
own goal

Middlesbrough 3 v 0 Leicester City
Zavon Hines, Julio Arca(1+Pen)

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League Table
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Manager of the Month
Andy Burns

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Player of the Month
Gary O'Neil

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Young Player of the Month
Jason Steele

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Top Scorers
Scott McDonald 7
Own Goals 4
Zavon Hines 3
Julio Arca 2
Willo Flood 2

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[Scott]

well done Andy brilliant start mate.

 

[Aannddyy]

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Season Update: October-November 2009

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We've found it difficult to continue our run of form, taking our first defeat of the year, against a weaker side, Preston. Other than that we have managed to get three points from most games and have had excellent results in the League Cup. These past months Lee Miller has also pick up some great form, bagging crucial goals in replacement of injured striker Scott McDonald. We managed to agree stunning deals with two youngsters: Argentine international Nicolás Otamendi [£3,300,000] & Charlton wonderkid Jonjo Shelvey [£1,200,000] who will both join January 1st. The signing of Otamendi has also signalled the end of Austrian centre-back Emanuel Pogatetz's career at the Riverside, he will join AS Saint-Etienne in a £1,000,000 switch.

Results


Reading 0 v 0 Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough 2 v 1 Watford
Gary O'Neil, Lee Miller

Middlesbrough 2 v 1 Derby County
Lee Miller, Rodrigo Possebon

Preston North End 1 v 0 Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough 1 v 0 Portsmouth [League Cup 4th]
Julio Arca

Middlesbrough 0 v 0 Plymouth

Crystal Palace 0 v 3 Middlesbrough
Scott McDonald, Federico Macheda, Josh Walker

Middlesbrough 3 v 0 Nottingham Forest
Gary O'Neil, own goal, Julio Arca

Peterborough United 0 v 1 Middlesbrough
Julio Arca

Middlesbrough 2 v 0 Bolton Wanderers [League Cup Quarter-Final]
own goal, Scott McDonald

Queens Park Rangers 2 v 2 Middlesbrough
Rodrigo Possebon, Scott McDonald

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League Table
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View attachment 58196
Manager of the Month
Andy Burns 3rd [October]

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Player of the Month
Josh Walker 2nd [November]

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Young Player of the Month
Josh Walker 3rd [November]

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Top Scorers
Scott McDonald 9
Own Goals 6
Julio Arca 5
Federico Macheda 3
Zavon Hines 3

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[Aannddyy]

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Transfer Update: End of the Season 2009/10

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Sorry I haven't updated for a week or so, so here is the end of season update. It's been a stunning season for us, winning the league with only three defeats all season. Stunning performances all round this season, with new signings Otamendi, Gunnarsson & Shelvey all showing some great potential. However with us relying on 9 loan players to help us up it will be tough to replace them on such a tight budget.

Competition Analysis

Coca-Cola Championship
1st - Winners

FA Cup
6th Round Replay vs Liverpool

Carling Cup
Semi Final vs Chelsea
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League Table
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Manager of the Year
Andy Burns - 1196 Manager Points

Manager's Player of the Year
Gary O'Neil
O'Neil has been a vital part of the squad this season and despite his £40,000+ per week deal he has certainly performed, helping the club get promoted with 7 goals and 19 assists.

Top Scorer
Scott McDonald - 16
Despite being injured for 19 games of the season, Skippy managed to bag 16 goals for the club in his first season, and is more than capable to take the step up to the Premier League next season.
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Transfer Analysis
Zavon Hines - He's played great as a back up striker, playing when necessary and bagging 3 goals
Federico Macheda - Consistent performances from the 18-year old scoring 14 goals in his first season as a first team player, fortunately we managed to extend his loan for 12 months in January 2010.
Rodrigo Possebon - He played as a back-up midfielder but always performed when called upon.
Aron Gunnarsson - This guy has bags of potential and I'm delighted with the deal we managed to bring him in on, he may be one of the highest paid players [£16,500] however he certainly showed his worth this year.
Nicolas Otamendi - Pogatetz's replacement this season and has immediately became a first team player alongside Wheater.
Jonjo Shelvey - This guy has had an amazing season, joining in January he played 16 games and performed on average a 7.11, an excellent achievement for someone so young.

Other Transfer
Fran Merida, Nemanja Matic, Armand Traore, Jay Rodrigez:
These four guys came in for short spells of 3 months each, all performed very well especially Armand Traore who came straight into Left Full-Back despite being a natural Left Midfielder, and Jay Rodrigez who grabbed 3 goals and 4 assists in his time at the Riverside.

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[Aannddyy]

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Transfer Update: Pre Season 2010/11

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Well I was left with a very tough challenge, survive relegation with a budget of £525k. Due to the fact the club was about £8,000,000 in the red meant that it would be very difficult to bring in anybody of any real quality, and surviving relegation could be an uphill struggle. Fortunately I had Macheda for another six months which meant I could hold the minimal funds I had on cheaper positions.

July 1st
Today saw the exit of three strikers, Chris Killen & Mido [Released] and the sale of Leroy Lita [£2,600,000] to Bolton. The club really needed to get in the black before buying players, so it looked like a fire sale could be on the cards.

July 10th
Julio Arca [£1,500,000], Danny Coyne [£100,000] and Lee Miller [£500,000] all followed Lita out of the door in a bid to bring in funds for fringe players and Arca who is one of the most overpaid players in the squad.

End of July
I was desperate to free up Matthew Bates' £8,000 per week wages and was willing to send him to Southampton on a FREE transfer. The same day we saw the exit of Andrew Taylor [£250,000] who joined our old friends Coventry City in their promotion fighting season. I decided to bite the bullet late in the month and offer David Wheater out to any club, this was a mixture of the fact his contract had 12 months left and he really wanted to move on, managed to bag a cool £7,250,000 which put us in the black and meant there was a few million in the transfer kitty. John Johnson [£100,000] also left to sign for League 2 Bradford.

August 10th
The start to August was very positive, finally being able to bring in some new faces. We managed to bring in two massive names, Vladimir Stojkovic [£80,000] the Serbian national keeper and the legendary Vágner Love [£1,500,000 Loan] a man who could potentially bag more goals than all the strikers I sold this season put together, however only time will tell. I decided Brad Jones' time was up and offered him out, however the only club interested were Reggina who offered £375,000 to take the Aussie on loan for a year, which was too good to turn down. I added to the spending with Slovenian Bojan Jokic [£350,000 Loan] a decent left back who could fight for a first team place, he joined 24 hours before Valencia's Hedwiges Maduro [£375,000 Loan] another loan deal but on a tight budget it is to be expected.

End of August
5 more players joined before the deadline, Johan Djourou [£300,000 Loan] a promising Arsenal centre back who we have the option to sign for only £1,700,000 next July. Jan Kromkamp [£60,000 Loan] a former Liverpool player who will fight Hoyte for the right back position. James McCarthy a promising Wigan youngster who I swapped in exchanged for Jonathan Franks. James Chester, released by United he seemed like a player who could provide solid back-up cover across the back four. And Roberto Hernandez [£3,500,000] a young Almeria regen striker who already has a great first touch and finishing ability at only 17 years old. A few reserve players were sold to make way for the big signings; Jone Bennett [£250,000] a young full back who could never make it in the first team so it seemed right to cash in on him. Barry Robson a great Championship [FREE] player but way overpaid for what little contribution he can provide this season, he joins Championship outfit Derby Country. Seb Hines, a good back up player last year but for £625,000 I feel he will be better off at Barnsley.

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Predictions
Well coming into this season on such a tight financial budget means it's going to take something special this season to acheive anything, as long as we survive relegation I will be happy although with players such as Vagner Love, Didier Digard, Jonjo Shelvey and Nicolas Otamendi anything can happy. Please leave your feedback on any or all of my signings.
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[Aannddyy]

Okay due to the fact my brother saved over this [Not on purpose but because of the **** way autosave works] I can't continue this, although I was a few years behind..

In my first season in the Premiership we finished 9th and won the FA Cup, which is surprising considering how weak the team was.

In the second Premiership season we finished 9th again, this time winning the Europa league 1-0 against United and the FA cup on penalties against Man City. The squad was a lot stronger this year and had players such as Keita and Vagner Love.

I was enjoying this game but I can't continue, I hope you all follow my 'From Russia With Love' story as I will be updating it tonight at 9-10PM