WHAT on earth is going on at Feethams?
David Hodgson has gone and so has half the team. It seems chairman George Reynolds is trying to change the face of football by capping the wage and bonus structure.
The club has sold a lot of talent without replacing it, apart from a couple of players on free transfer - Elliott from Newcastle and Dutch striker Kaak (let's hope he's not as bad as his name suggests).
Mr Reynolds is obviously a brilliant businessman - you only have to look as his position in the list of wealthiest people to know that.
But when it comes to football, the goalposts move.
George seems to be against the "buy better players, get better results" theory. He appears to believe that if the players work hard and want promotion bad enough it'll happen.
That's not the way it works, George. Just look back to last season - nobody wanted promotion more than the players and it just wasn't to be.
It won't end there. We'll be seeing some huge changes for the Quakers in the next couple of weeks - and I don't mean work starting on a new stadium.
UPSTAIRS in the Premiership, the transfer merry go round has been spinning furiously.
Former Boro target Robbie Keane has gone from Coventry to Inter Milan for £12m, David Ginola has obviously come to some arrangement over the houses, cars, cuddly toy, etc, with John Gregory and moved from Spurs to Villa for £3m, and former world player of the year George Weah didn't manage to come to any agreement with Gianluca Vialli so he's secured a free transfer from AC Milan to join Joe Royle's Maine Road boys at Manchester City.
At the Boro, true to form, Robbo's gone for experience - and very expensive experience at that.
Noel Whelan's arrived, along with Joseph Desire Job and, work permit hopeful, Alan Boksic.
The headlines have focused in on Boksic's wage packet.
Funny old game isn't it - Steve Gibson forks out a reputed fortune for a 30-year-old, and George Reynolds digs his heels in over paying a similar figure for a year.
POOR old Coventry City are losing money hand over fist.
Firstly, Mustafa Hadji changes his squad number and has pledged £20,000 to pay for new shirts for fans.
The club has also said if anyone has bought Robbie Keane shirts in the last couple of weeks they'll be offered cut-price replacements.
I wonder if Middlesbrough will do that for fans who have forked out for Ziege shirts?
AT last . . . Nick Faldo has finally offered to kiss and make up with Mark James.
The most tedious row in sport may finally be coming to an end. Nick, annoyed about the nasty remarks Mark had written about him, says he's willing to shake his rival's hand now he's resigned as Ryder Cup vice-captain.
Thank God for that - I think most of us would have accepted them knocking seven bells out of each other with their three irons if it stopped them grumbling like a couple of kids.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article