Middlesbrough facing injury crisis ahead of Peterborough United clash as EFL chairman Rick Parry issues stark warning over Championship finances

Neil Warnock is facing a selection headache when his Middlesbrough side return to Championship action this weekend.
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Boro welcome Peterborough United to the Riverside hoping to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Hull City before the international break but boss Warnock has a defensive crisis on his hands.

Boro could be without up to five defenders for the visit of Posh as centre backs Dael Fry and Grant Hall join fullbacks Anfernee Dijksteel and Darnell Fisher in the treatment room as Lee Peltier misses out through suspension.

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The Teessiders have won just three of their 11 games this season and know they face an important week with fixtures against three of the Championship’s bottom five clubs.

Rick Parry has had his say of the EFL's finances (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)Rick Parry has had his say of the EFL's finances (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Rick Parry has had his say of the EFL's finances (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Here, though, we round-up some of the things you might have missed from the Riverside and around the Championship throughout the day.

EFL should rethink finances

EFL chairman Rick Parry has launched an attack on the Championship and its finances insisting parachute payments must be addressed with financial fair play rules in order to help clubs become sustainable.

It comes after clubs continue to go beyond their limits financially with Derby County and Reading both being punished for financial implications.

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“This is absolutely not about the EFL looking for charity from the Premier League, nor is it the EFL versus the Premier League,” Parry told PA.

“It’s absolutely about the sustainability of every club, the purpose is making clubs sustainable and that needs two things – redistribution of revenues and better financial regulation, it’s a very simple recipe.

“Really the clue is in the name – nobody ever needed a parachute for falling off a step. You need a parachute because clubs are falling off a cliff,” he said.

“Well, let’s address the cliff – and then parachutes won’t be necessary.

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“We need to think of one pyramid and a seamless transition, where relegation isn’t a catastrophe and where promotion doesn’t present enormous challenges.

“There’s no doubt, we’ve got to be realistic, the economics of the Championship are broken.”

Peterborough clash selected for broadcast

Middlesbrough’s return to the Championship sees them welcome Peterborough to the Riverside this weekend and the game has been selected for international broadcast.

This means that fans in overseas countries will only be able to purchase a video match pass if they are in unsold markets or territories where there is not an EFL broadcast agreement in place.

Posh skipper confident

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Peterborough skipper Mark Beevers is in line to make his first appearance since August 17 when the Posh visit the Riverside this weekend.

Beevers has been out since suffering a hamstring injury in the opening month of the season and has been made to watch on from the sideline as his team struggles with life in the Championship.

But ahead of a crunch clash with Boro, Beevers believes he has seen enough from his teammates to suggest they are good enough to compete at this level.

“I’ve been at most of the games home and away and I’ve seen enough to know we have players that are good enough for the Championship,” he told the Peterborough Telegraph.

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“We performed well and more then held our own against two top sides in West Brom and Bournemouth and that tells me we will cope once we sort the finer details out.”

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