Read on Twitter
Aside from the 3 years that Karanka was manager, which signings have improved at Middlesbrough over the last 10 years? Signings specifically, not academy players.
Traore is the obvious one. Randolph maybe. Anyone else? Because I'm racking my brains
Traore is the obvious one. Randolph maybe. Anyone else? Because I'm racking my brains
When you're a Championship club with a modest crowd (pre-covid, obviously) and no parachute paypents, the main income to improve the team is going to come from player sales. And you can't bank on a Ben Gibson coming through and bagging you £15m every season.
So you need to recruit smartly, and either get the most out of their players for the amount you paid (Friend, Ayala, Clayton etc), or you need to improve them to a level at which you can sell for a profit.
Obviously this is a bit of a golden goose, and it's easier said than done, or every club would be doing it. But we've been systematically led to believe over a number of years that there is a very advanced framework of a scouting network at Middlesbrough FC
Adrian Bevington, who had a senior position at the FA as recently as 2014, was brought in as 'Head of Recruitment Operations' in May 2018. He left 19 months later.
From what I can tell, his main impact in that time was to give a job that everyone knew was going to Jonathan Woodgate, to Jonathan Woodgate.
Here is what Bevington has on HIS OWN LINKEDIN PAGE about what his job was at Middlesbrough
Here is what Bevington has on HIS OWN LINKEDIN PAGE about what his job was at Middlesbrough
So I think it's safe to assume that scouting matters largely fell to him. The 'golden thread' (strangely, it's been a little while since anyone from the club has used that phrase, can't think why) also looks like it was down to Bevington.
Obviously the capitulation of a club can't be solely down to one man, particularly as when Bevington joined in 2018 the wheels had been well and truly loosened, but it seems that our main issues this season (underqualified manager and terrible recruitment) fall under his domain
Look at the list of Bevington's responsibilities again. Gibson (I'll come to him in a sec) is the man with the money. Bauser is a businessman. Let's assume for now that neither is involved in footballing matters. Pulis was manager, but he and we all knew that was short term.
That means it's fair to say that for those 19 months, Bevington was the most important person in the club, as far as the forward momentum of the team went. His responsibilities were, in short 'be across everyone involved in the football'.
Hindsight's a wonderful thing, but it is plain to see he dropped two massive galactic bollocks by emplying Woodgate and by most if not all of the players recruited in his tenure.
So (I'm almost done), by employing Bevington into a role in which he failed spectacularly, Steve Gibson has driven us upto this cliff edge. Which, happens, nobody's perfect, employes hire the wrong person all the time.
But the elephant in the room here, of course, as you all know, is that Bevington is from Middlesbrough, a Boro fan and it's probably fair to say, someone who Gibson was at least friendly with before he got the job.
In May 2018, Middlesbrough Football Club were at a crossroads. Pulis couldn't undo the distastrous Monk tenure and get us promoted, and the alarm bells were ringing.
And Gibson had two choices: a) Get in someone to have a root & branch overhaul of the club. Someone disconnected, uninvolved, objective.
b) Give his mate a job.
His decision, and the 'jobs for the boys' culture that many deny exists at MFC, looks like it's buggered us all.
b) Give his mate a job.
His decision, and the 'jobs for the boys' culture that many deny exists at MFC, looks like it's buggered us all.
Still, you never know, we might stay up.
Incidentally, if you're wondering what qualities, aside from being born in a TS postcode, convinced Gibson that Adrian Bevington was the man for the job, the man himself has that nugget right there on his LinkedIn page....
Watch this video of Bevington from a few years back discussing Arsenal potentially spending £50m on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, then dropping the shit-hot bomb "I expect him to start" https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/11221611/break-the-bank-for-aubameyang/more/5
