Middlesbrough – Unreliable History, Club Records and Information

It all started so differently.  There are even disputes about how the club came about.  One story goes that they formed in a local gym at the Albert Park Hotel, while a more prosaic tale tells that the club got together over a tripe supper at the Corporation Hotel … and from the way the club progressed the latter might have more than a ring of truth to it.

In their early years, they won two Amateur Cups, one of which in 1898 was achieved despite having to play the semi-final miles away from their home ground, because of a smallpox outbreak in Cleveland at the time.  Funnily enough, illness hit the club again in 1997, when the club could not put a side out to play Blackburn Rovers and lost three points.  Three points that lost them their place in the Premier League.  Maybe it was travelling that did it, as once they went four and a half years without an away win (33 games).

Innovation is not anything new to Boro.  In 1902, they had the first half-time scoreboard, which involved a man with some chalk, making lots of dots to produce the latest scores for the crowd on a blackboard.  Alf Common was signed in 1905 for £1,000, a record at the time and you can see that even then, Boro were throwing big money after common players.  Just a couple of years later, Brian Average was bought for £1,500.

They really came into their own in the late 20s, when in 1927, Middlesbrough took the Second Division title, with George Camsell scoring 59 goals, among them 8 hat-tricks, still a record.  Unfortunately, they were relegated straight away (another phenomenon that was to be repeated much later), but won the championship the following year to get back to the First Division.

With the gates locked at Ayresome Park in 1985-86, the club looked like slipping out of business.  They had offered the use of the ground to Hartlepool United, who were being forced to rebuild two of their stands, but Boro ended up playing their first game of the season at Victoria Park, as it was they who were without a ground !!  But they were rescued by forming a new company and then chairman Steve Gibson started pumping lots of money from his personal fortune to fund a new ground at the Riverside and also in buying big name players in the twilight of their careers. Again, this helped and hindered their progress, because many of the players were here only to line their pockets and left as soon as the going got tough.  That happened in a weird season, when in 1997 Boro lost in both major domestic cup finals and were relegated from the Premiership, while still managing to fit in a defeat in the League Cup final for the second year running.  Echoing the 1927-29 years, they bounced back with promotion straight away.

Now established in the Premiership, Steve McClaren has taken over the reins from Bryan Robson and Boro are seeking some stability rather than the roller-coaster years of the late 90s.  The achievement of winning a trophy at Cardiff in 2004 by McClaren’s side would have been welcomed by Robson, who was known to enjoy taking part in the Carling Cup.

A 2006 UEFA Cup final loss was a fitting finale to McClaren’s time at Boro, where he left to take over the England job, while former England international Gareth Southgate took over the hot seat and struggled to match his predecessor’s efforts in the first season as manager, but as crowds became smaller and the money injected by Chairman Steve Gibson similarly reduced, the managers came and went as Boro were the only constant in staying in the Championship.

After a couple of attempts, Aitor Karanka, the former Real Madrid player, took Boro up as champions and a new top flight era began.  It was a false dawn, lasting only one season, ending with the club turning to the old guard of Dad’s Army managers to get them out of The Championship, with Tony Pulis and Neil Warnock sandwiching an attempt to grow Boro’s own as Jonathan Woodgate was give the chance.

Famous Players : – Wilf Mannion; Ian Hoe Jnr.; Stuart Boam; John Craggs; Juninho; Rocky Outcrops; Brian Clough; Malcolm “Bunny” Warren; Alf Common;

Famous Fans : – Bob Mortimer (Comedian & Actor “Reeves & Mortimer”, “Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)”; Chris Kamara (Sky Sports commentator); Chris Rea (Musician); David Shayler (Former MI5 spy); Jet (Former star of “Gladiators”); Derek Thomson (Channel 4 Racing presenter)