Home
Uncategorized

Middlesbrough are dreaming!

Boro's Chief Executive, Keith Lamb has apparently blasted Daniel Levy for bidding in the region of £6 million.

Can I ask why?

Stewart Downing is clearly not worth more. Just because Middlesbrough state that he's worth at least double that, doesn't make it so.

“It is a derisory offer! Who on earth do Spurs think they are?” blasted Boro chief executive Keith Lamb.

Mr. Lamb is a chartered accountant and a fairly astute businessman. That's why I am astounded by his remarks.

Downing clearly wants to join Tottenham Hotspur, therefore, keeping a player against his will, especially because the club in question want to make more money off his and the approaching clubs' back, is the wrong way to go.

If we are to trust reports, then Downing won't be the only left-side midfielder that Harry Redknapp wants to sign, therefore, Middlesbrough will have to sanction the sale, or risk having a player that just doesn't want to play for them.

The ball is in your court Keith. Please Mr. Levy, do the right thing and stick to your guns.

We promise to post any additional hilarious comments made by Middlesbrough's management.

35 comments

  1. WTF is this site on about??????

    You obviously haven't watch Downing play regularly. I am a season ticket holder down at the Riverside and he is going nowhere.

    Watch him first and then comment. You southern fairies think that you can get away with anything you want.

    Stewart is worth at least 13-16 million in todays market.

    Get your facts right.
  2. Dear Brian,

    Thank you for your comment.

    Both myself and three other editors at THBN have watched Stewart Downing play live on many occasions.

    He is a decent player, of that, there is no doubt. But a £13-16 million player?

    Is the Northern air thinner up where you are? Word of advice, don't drink too much tap water as it seems to be affecting you.

    Please state the reasons why you think that he's worth as much as you say he is so that all of us can fully understand your train of thought.


    Kind Regards

    THBN Team
  3. Brian, couldn't agree more.
    If David Bentley is worth what Spurs paid, Downing is worth more for 2 reasons:

    1) - He has more England caps
    2) - Left footed English players are at a premium.

    Also, Capello singled out Downing as a rare talent when he took over.

    That is why an offer of about a third of what Spurs paid for Bentley is derisory.

    Look forward to more 'hilarious' comments from Spurs fans.
  4. £6M is a very generous offer for an average player and that's all Downing is, average.
  5. Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing is set to hand in a transfer request after the club rejected a bid from Tottenham Hotspur.
  6. Your kidding right?? 13-16 million, maybe if Man City are buying. I agree 6 million is low but theres no way he's worth more than 10 million, he's just not that good.

    Dumb Northern Monkey.
  7. We paid at least £9-12 million more for Bentley than we should have.

    We did the same for Bent, but it looks like the Tottenham Hotspur management have learnt their lesson and are attempting to pay what the actual player is worth.
  8. David Bentley was hugely overpriced. That doesn't mean they have to pay over the odds for Downing.
  9. At the end of the day Spurs are entitled to offer what they think he's worth and Boro are entitled to reject it. The fact we probably overpaid for Bent and Bentley under different management/market conditions doesnt mean he is worth the same. Boro could have just told Spurs dont bother making an offer or just quietly turned the offer down but instead have made it public which is discourteous to Spurs, who have kept things discreet. I think Lamb's comments are all the more likely to make Downing feel his future lies elsewhere.
  10. I've also seen Downing play and personally I can't see what the fuss is all about.

    We've already been tucked up by paying over the odds for Bentley, we're probably gonna end up biting the bullet to get Defoe back too, so for me Downing simply isnt worth that sort of cash.

    Not sure why its "obvious" that he wants to join either
  11. For me, Downing is worth no more than 10 million. If Boro recieved that much for him, then I think they should take it.

    We had this situation in reverse with Berbatov in the summer, so I can understand Boro's chief exec doing all he can to protect his club and show some ambition. However, we always knew that Man Utd would pay the money for Berbatov, whereas I don't think Spurs would ever pay the 15 mil that Boro are supposed to be asking for Downing. He's simply not worth it.

    As a Spurs fan, I've watched Downing closely the last two years due to all the linkage in the transfer markets. I see a good player, with good crossing ability, but he has little else in his locker (particularly the sort of pace you expect in a winger).

    To pay over the odd would be a mistake. I would offer 8mil, and be done with it if they said no.
  12. no matter what he is coming to the lane he will hand in a transfer request :D
  13. I'm a Spurs supporter and don't get this article at all. I'd say Downing is worth more than £6m on what we've recently aquired and we can't really go on about Lamb, especially with the Berby saga. Every club are out to get what they can and all equally want to get the most they can for the benefit of the club. So don't slate other teams (Boards/Managers/Fans) as we are all the same.

    COYS
  14. All clubs make the mistake of paying over the odds for players (apart from Arsenal as they have no money and so they don't count).

    Even Middlesbrough paid well over the going rate for Afonso Alves.

    We will probably end up getting him as we've been after him since 2005 and it looks as though he'll be joining now.

    Let's just hope we get him at what I believe is already a premium fee in £6 million.

    He is worth between £5-7 million tops. Sorry if that disillusions at Boro fans.
  15. Dear Anon 2:06, I agree that all club's are the same, but the difference between the Downing vs. Berbatov scenario is that Berbatov was worth the £30 odd million that Manchester United paid for him.

    He is a world-class player, while on the other hand, Downing is not.

    I remember all the hype when Downing first broke into the Boro side. All the pundits were claiming that he had an abundance of potential. Unfortunately, he hasn't improved.

    I would be upset if we got him at £8 million, as I believe him to be worth no more than £6 million.

    It looks like Harry and Levy believe the same thing.
  16. Harry and Levy can believe what they want in realtion to Downing's value.

    They are perfectly entitled to bid whatever they think he is worth.

    Boro are perfectly entitled to laugh in Spurs faces.

    Why are all you Spurs fans getting so wound up? You made a derisory offer and it was rejected. Spurs don't have a divine right to sign anyone, and quite frankly we're only interested in offloading player surplus to requirements to you.
  17. I don't know where the 6 mil came from because it is believed to be 10 mil offered. Keith lamb said the same thing a while ago, he seems to feel insulted when Spurs put in a bid for Downing, he can say yes, no or negotiate??
  18. Let's put Lamb's comments in context shall we.
    Tottenham have stated numerous times over the past 3 years that Stewart Downing is a player they are interested in. Putting to one side the morality of publicly propositioning another team's player (to paraphrase Mr Levy), they have made their interest in the player perfectly clear.

    Downing may not actually be worth the £15M that was paid for Bentley or the silly money that was paid for Bent. The thing is neither Bentley nor Bent are actually worth that amount. None-the-less Spurs paid it in recompense for the club's best player.
    The amounts paid, were the monetary equivalent that the selling team put on the points return for the contribution of that star player.

    Downing is Middlesbrough's star player. His contribution is (conservatively) worth around 15 points a season to the club (9 league goals last season, numerous assists and a cross completion ratio of 25% - similar to Bentley's).

    When you look at the league Boro…
  19. les from boro

    you say hes not worth the money ,yet you lot have coveted him for the last 3 years,!!!!! you will pay the going rate for a current england international end of!if bentley is worth what you lot paid ,then downing is simply worth more,get real lads,quite why he would want to go to london is beyond me anyway!
  20. My point is that he's infuriating his player. His agent has already fallen out with Keith Lamb and will be advising Stewart to hand in a transfer request.

    Lamb shouldn't have made his thoughts public. I can understand why he did; thinking that if any other clubs are interested, they can table an increased offer.

    Unfortunately, I feel that his strategy will backfire this time round.
  21. Anon at 2:01Boro could have just told Spurs dont bother making an offer or just quietly turned the offer down but instead have made it public which is discourteous to Spurs, who have kept things discreet.

    Redknapp mentioned he was after Downing in a press conference last week - heck even Martin Jol made the interest in Downing public knowledge.

    At no time have Spurs kept their interest in Downing discreet. Even after Boro made it clear an offer would not be welcome. The initial cash bid was flatly turned down in discussion between the clubs.

    After this rejection, Spurs like Man Utd with Berbatov (and other clubs I'm sure) have used the media and other intermediaries to unsettle the players involved. It is no doubt this which has infuriated Boro.
  22. "After this rejection, Spurs like Man Utd with Berbatov (and other clubs I'm sure) have used the media and other intermediaries to unsettle the players involved."

    Rubbish. The media hates Spurs whereas they LOVE Man Utd. They would not go along with us.

    And besides, Downing is not worth 16p let alone 16 million
  23. If you were to offer 10 mill for him I'd bite yer hands off. As far as 6 mill is concerned, he may not be worth more than that to Spurs, but he is to the Boro.

    On a side note - Downing and Woody back together again - couldn't think of anything more damaging to their respective careers
  24. Re: "Boro could have just told Spurs dont bother making an offer or just quietly turned the offer down but instead have made it public which is discourteous to Spurs, who have kept things discreet."

    At no point have Spurs been "discreet" over the continuous persuit of Downing.

    Boro have repeatedly informed Spurs he is not for Sale.

    Can you blame Boro for making the cheeky £6m bid public after Redknapp went public in his interest despite Boro saying he wasn't for sale.

    He is Boro's player, is under contract for another 4 years, and if Spurs want him they have to pay top dollar. Put up, or shut up.

    For a 'big club', the grass is actually zero points greener.
  25. If Downing is so "Average" then why are you chasing after him so vigorously. . Truth is you know fine well what his value would be to the Spurs team, and are just trying to steal him with a salty first bid. The bid IS derisory, and spurs have been very sneaky by using the national media to court Stewart Downing.

    He is the best left winger in the country, thats why you want him. . Boro love him, Harry clearly loves him, Fabio loves him. . most prem teams would love him. . and you Muppets are still calling him "average" to try and get him on the cheap. . Wake up and smell the coffee, he has just signed a five year deal so unless you cough up a fair market valuation for him then forget it and go for Ryan Babel at liverpool. . he's not in Downings league and you know it. .
  26. As a Boro fan, I'd say £15m for Downing would be cheap. He is the best crosser in the Premier League - bar none.

    As for the muppet who says he has no pace... well, you're a muppet.

    If the big 4 or maybe at a push Villa were in for him then I would understand Downing leaving (if the price was right).

    But I can't imagine why Downing would want to leave for a club that is less successful than Boro - even when it has tens of millions of pounds more to waste.

    Let's get real. He isn't leaving Boro for anything less than £12m and quite probably more than that. If Spurs don't feel he's worth that it will be their loss and Boro's gain.
  27. less successfull than boro?!!! you need a check up from the neck up mate
  28. in his interview after the barrow game downing talked about shooting practice, not transfer requests. I have never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life. These stories come straight from shite nohart lane and they will not affect mr gibson one iota. You have no idea who you are dealing with if any of you think that a wee piece of paper saying "please sell me" is going to affect a financial transaction that he is involved in. This one will run and run but the bottom line is, how much do spurs want him? If its not enough to meet the asking price, then he doesn't leave. Then watch have a couple more good games for england and you will wish you paid 12-15 million when it was on offer.
  29. Downing is better on the ball than *any* current Spurs player bar none.

    He is a sublime talent and a joy to watch.

    $14MM plus Gareth Bale, nothing less.
  30. If Downing stays or goes doesn't bother me. If he stays and boro play well it is usually downing who stands out. He is a top class player but only tends to play well when the team does. On his day he is outstanding and there isn't any other left sided player who can offer what he does at the moment. He also has a great right foot (did giggs ever) and is versatile in his positioning. £15m is a good deal for both clubs. If you don't pay it no problem!
  31. sorry but you write about holding player against his own wil and hollding out for the biger money, well im sure spurs did that with the berba deal so stop contradicting please. Also if he isnt rated that higgly why are spurs allways looking to take him of us. And is there any need to be childishy about air thinging up here in the nort, thougtyou silly jewish wankers had abit more credability about yourselves!
  32. If you think downing is only worth 6 million why does harry rate him so much, spurs have been chasing him for 2 years, everytime a transfer window opens spurs unsettle downing, don,t you guys remember berbatov's atitude when man u came calling.
    I think he will go but not for 6 mill and not to spurs, wait for liverpool and man city have money to burn, he is remember englands left winger
    A bid of 11 plus add ons might do a deal but if gibbo says no believe me your stuffed
  33. All I've got to say is if Milner is worth £12m and Bentley £17m then Downing is definately worth £15m.
  34. The problem Tottenham have is they have been paying too much for players, because of this Boro will demand an inflated price. As did Blackburn with Bentley and Charlton with Bent.
  35. Spurs fans need to realise that they are not dealing with a board at boro. There isn't one. They are dealing with Gibson. He's no mug. He got millions in compensation from Liverpool when they tapped up Ziege years ago. Gibson owns Boro, what he says goes. It's his decision. If he says no, it's a no. Not a man to mess with. I hope he takes the same stance Villa did with Barry. Spurs, Liverpool and United are the worst in the country for doing these dirty deals.