Are we ready for the big kick-off? Talking Boro.

developing to do yet. And after that the rest of them either want to be out or aren't fit.

after the of either want to out aren't Marvin again marks. good won't he? And Marvin Emnes, again there's question marks. Will he be good enough or won't he? knows he to do, the window until of it's hard to I think Gareth knows what he wants to do, but with the transfer window being open until the end of August it's hard to plan.

He's complained about this already, rightly so in my view. How can you build a team for a campaign when you know that perhaps two or three of your most important players may be moving on? this rightly in my How can team a campaign know two three your important may moving on? And, given the finances of the club, there's nothing to say that if they get a And, the of the to say that they get

BORO embark on their critical Championship campaign on Friday.

To discus the club's prospects in the coming months and this summer's on and off-field activities, the Gazette's Talking Boro panel of experts has reconvened.

Over the next five days the panel debates all the hot topics starting with Part One, when we ask: Are Boro ready for the Championship?

ERIC PAYLOR: I think they'll be ready in terms of fitness, but I think Gareth Southgate's already said he hasn't got the squad together he envisages taking the team into the whole of the season.

It's been very difficult to dislodge some of the players he wanted to get rid of, ie. the better paid ones and those who don't want to be at the club, which means the bulk of the side which took them down are still there, and you would assume are likely to be selected on a regular basis.

So yes, in terms of fitness they'll be ready and in terms of preparation, organisation and everything else.

But I think they are still probably three players short.

JOHN BROOKES: They're probably physically fit, but my concern is are they mentally fit for this league? I think the games we've seen, they seem to be all right.

We've got wins under our belt, but have we got that strength in depth. We've picked up a few injuries already.

My personal concern is have we got that ability to compete week-in, week-out when there's points at stake against strong clubs. I personally don't.

We've struggled to offload our high wage earners and, as a Boro fan, I'm still worried how things will turn out.

GARY GILL: I think the strike department is a huge concern.

I think there's a good spirit and feeling of togetherness among the players that want to be here.

I think the kids who are coming through will play a big part in the season. I think that's good. I think you'll get that little bit extra from these guys.

The key is the strikers. We didn't score any goals last season. Had we scored more goals we'd still be in the Premier League.

Tuncay's going to go and it's a shame because he's done the right thing by the football club.

But we need him out quick, that's going to happen, we need the money from that because we need a striker.

Mido has to happen quick and Alves, if it's going to happen, it's got to happen quick.

So we all feel like we've got targets lined up, but we can't get them until we get rid of these guys, and that's a concern.

Also we know that we need a target man. And if they were all to stay, none of them are that target man. So that's the concern I have.

I think fitness levels are good. The game at Oldham was very good for them because it gave them a little kick up the backside to let them know what we're going to be facing in the Championship and it is week-in, week-out, it is twice a week, so get ready for that one.

PHILIP TALLENTIRE: I think Gareth would accept just about everything that everybody's said so far.

He wants the players out, he wants to get people in. Finances are such that he can't bring people in until somebody else goes out, and that's worrying in itself that Boro can't even make free transfer signings until somebody moves on.

He's also said Boro need to be physically stronger and mentally tougher in that division. But is the evidence here on the pitch? I think back to the first half against Macclesfield and when Oldham got stuck in - when Boro had to fight and battle they struggled. I think they were too easily bullied in those kind of games, and they're going to regularly come up against opposition like that in the Championship.

Gary's dead right about the striking situation. Something's got to happen because Aliadiere isn't going to get you goals.

I like the look of Jonathan Franks, but he's certainly not the guy you can hang your hat on this season.

He's only a teenager. He's got loads of strong enough bid they won't lose David Wheater or Adam Johnson, because if money's tight you take the money when you can.

JEFF WINTER: The one thing I look positively about the Championship is that it's such a competitive league. Normally you'd say well if you lose your first five or six games you're written off, you're struggling, but the Championship has got a history of teams coming from way off the pace. Sunderland did it, Watford did it, everybody can beat everybody.

In any other league you might be thinking Boro have got to get off to a good start, they need that settled team at the start. If everybody can be patient and give the players a chance to come in and settle, even if we're mid-table or even lower half of the table come October, it's not the end of the world.

The new players, whoever he gets in, will take time to gel. So echoing what the other boys have said, no, we're in a terrible position to where we want to be, but in this division, because it's so competitive, I don't think you're ever going to get fully written off.

If you can put together a run of six or seven games where you're winning the majority of them, you can pretty quickly get from bottom half to play-off position.

Nobody usually runs away with this division, and you can take that as a plus or a minus, because every game is going to be bloody competitive and we need some battlers, we need some ball winners and we need some big people in terms not only of stature but mentally and physically as well to get stuck in. ANTHONY VICKERS: Well obviously we're nowhere near because last year's problems, when the squad was thin and lightweight and bristled under pressure, and the profile of the team hasn't changed at all which is a disappointment.

Obviously it's going to be brinkmanship right up until the transfer window and the club will know which positions they need to strengthen and they'll have targets, but until we can get a departure lounge three actually on the plane and out of here and release that money, we're right up against it.

On the plus side I do think in various departments the squad is as good as anything in the Championship.

In terms of the defence, I don't think there's going to be a better set-up in the entire division. Also in midfield they've got bodies and options but they are lacking a mean, cynical, battle-scarred midfielder who's going to put his foot in.

Up front, at the minute, I think it's a disaster zone. We don't have the options, we haven't got the physicality, we haven't got the penetration in the box, we haven't got someone who's a natural goalscorer, so that's obviously the area where we're least prepared.

But I do think that the money will become available because I do think the three of them will go, but it might be a question of going right up to the transfer deadline. So although I don't think we're there yet, I do think the pieces are potentially in place, and come the start of the campaign once it really warms up, I think we can have a good squad there. GARY GILL: But the key thing is to try and make sure the deals are done before the first game.

ANTHONY VICKERS: It's not going to happen. We know that because we're dependent on other people's actions.

We need someone to sign Tuncay. We need someone to take a chance on Mido, and until that happens to release the funds, we're stuck, our hands are tied, we know that.

So we're relying on what we've got right now, which is a youthful team, technically in some areas very, very good, but lacking the option of playing route one football, which we're going to need in this league because it's a tough league.

We struggled last year in terms of bodies and fitness levels. There's eight extra games this year, and those extra games are going to be against the sort of teams that are going to be well organised and they're going to try and stop Boro fighting, and that's where we're lacking. * DON'T miss tomorrow's Gazette when the panel discus whether Southgate has made the right backroom changes.

CAPTION(S):

KEY ROLES: Jonathan Franks (far left) has impressed Gazette sports editor Philip Tallentire, but there is a fear that winger Adam Johnson (left) could be temped away if the right offer comes in ATTACKING FORCE? With Tuncay (above, left) and Mido (above, right) set to leave, Jeremie Aliadiere (main image) could well need to increase his strikerate if Boro are to make the hopedfor impact in the Coca-Cola Championship this season