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2015/16 Ins & Outs


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He kept us in the gane about 5 or 6 times with great blocks you dick

Don't rise to it. Leave sourpuss to it. Ripley is probably our player of the season, certainly one of the best keepers in the league. Saying that, our record with keepers from down south is tremendous. Hopefully this continues next season.

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What's Ripleys contract situation? He seems to be getting better as the season goes on and I would be more than happy for him to stick around next season. He looks to have a good attitude and seems to be enjoying his time here. Can't imagine it too difficult to convince him to stick around if the option was there.

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What's Ripleys contract situation? He seems to be getting better as the season goes on and I would be more than happy for him to stick around next season. He looks to have a good attitude and seems to be enjoying his time here. Can't imagine it too difficult to convince him to stick around if the option was there.

Signed a new 3 year deal with Boro last summer IIRC.

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Yeah, that was my recollection also when he signed.

 

I would be pleasantly surprised if Middlesbrough would consider sending him back to Scotland for another season. If they still have a development route in mind for him, as it not staying with them as backup for their existing keeper, I would suspect they would prefer to see how he fared with a full season at an English Championship side.

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Ripley is in a situation where, if everyone is honest, it would be a no brainier that another season here would be in everyone's best interests.

For himself, he is a young player with promise who is getting the necessary game time at a reasonable standard which he is unlikely to get elsewhere at present. He is by no means the finished article but the improvement seen over this season is obvious.

For Middlesborough, he is a young player getting the chance to develop further in an environment that has, so far, done him a lot of good. He is getting valuable game time and is also not costing them so much as we will be paying a proportion of his wages(not that this will be a factor if they go up to the EPL). I trust that they will also have access to him, in an emergency, if required.

For us, we get the use of a good young keeper who is improving and better than anything else that we have at the moment. The fact that he will go at the end of the season is the nature of loan signings and a bit of a bugger but it is something clubs like ourselves will have to live with in this day and age.

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Im not saying i entirely agree with Dewell but im miles away with agreeing with this

 

I think if you look at the season as a whole, rather than just McGhee's time in charge, Ripley has been one of the more consistent performers - even when we were dire early on.

 

Given it's his first real crack in the first team, and given his young age (especially for a keeper), I'd be happy to see him back next season.

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He's done well and improved however I fear the trap a lot of you have fallen into the the usual one we see on here time after time, go (or settle) with what we know. See it time again when someone who graced the C&A 5 years ago becomes a free agent.

 

Long and short, he's not our asset and we're a selling club so taking away 9% of our starting line up (a position almost guaranteed to get a start every game of the season - barring injury) to increase Middlesbrough's does not feature (and shouldn't) in the long term feasibility of our club. 1 season sure, but 2 is not the way I wish to see the club managed.

 

I'm all for loan signings to compliment or enhance a team, but I don't rate Ripley as good as Ruddy or brings more to the team compared to a Jutkiewicz. He does however, eclipse a Gomis or Taylor.

 

We've attracted a higher caliber loanee in the past and should aspire to in the future, but the emphasis should be on bringing our own talent through. We haven't developed our own keeper(s) for as long as I can remember. What's going wrong there?

 

The thing from watching football through the years is a guy 6'3" up built like a brick shithouse is the way forward.

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I have said this before, but don't mind saying it again - the nature of the goalkeeping position makes it a rare event that any club brings one through the ranks. Typically, they don't peak until later than outfield players.

 

Off the top of my head, the only keeper I can think of that graduated from a youth team outside Ally Maxwell is Richard Wright when he was at Ipswich. They tend to be the exception rather than the rule.

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Ripley seems a fairly confident guy, if Boro do go up then I'd imagine he'd want to be around their place next season and try to push for a place on their bench/starting spot in their cup team.

 

His season here has benefitted all parties and he's improved markedly and that's a credit to both himself and in particular, Jim Hollman. However being up here for a season gets him experience, any longer than that then if I were him I'd be a bit worried about being out of sight, out of mind (for want of a better phrase).

 

I suppose it depends on a number of factors:

- who else is available?

- what he wants?

- what we want?

- what Boro want?

 

(not necessarily in that order).

 

I can imagine from our point of view that it'd probably be preferable to the club to have our own (permanent) goalkeeper, however as weeyin points out it's such a specialised position & a good goalkeeper can make a huge difference to the side then it's probably worth making an exception or being flexible with your options in a way you possibly wouldn't with a full back or midfielder.

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They do come from somewhere. They play in youth and reserve teams then, frustrated at the lack of opportunities, drop down a level or two for first team action.

 

After that, it seems, they then go and sit on the bench at a better club and hope they get a chance.

 

We got Ruddy on loan for that very reason. And Randolph is a classic example of hoping he can advance his career by sitting on the bench.

 

It's a tough career as there is no opportunity to play anywhere other than between the sticks.

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Ben Hall: whats happening with his contract offer?

 

 

Probably nonsense, but heard a bit of chat when leaving on Saturday that his absence from the team since the Aberdeen game relates to him not committing to a new deal. Agent has some other clubs interested apparently, Hibs were mentioned.

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