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Middlesbrough F.C.
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Middlesbrough Football Club, also known as 'The Boro', are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Premier League. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889. Their longest-serving home so far was Ayresome Park, where they played at for 92 years (1903-1995).
They were founding members of the Premier League in 1992.
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Encyclopedia
Middlesbrough Football Club, also known as 'The Boro', are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Premier League. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889. Their longest-serving home so far was Ayresome Park, where they played at for 92 years (1903-1995).
They were founding members of the Premier League in 1992. The club's main rivals are Newcastle United and Sunderland.
The club's highest league finish to date was third in the 1913–14 season and they have only spent two seasons outside of the Football League's top two divisions. The club came close to folding in 1986 after experiencing severe financial difficulties before the club was saved by a consortium led by then board member and current chairman Steve Gibson. Middlesbrough were controversially deducted three points for failing to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn Rovers during the 1996–97 Premier League season and were subsequently relegated. They were promoted the following season and are now in their eleventh consecutive season in the top division. Middlesbrough won the League Cup in 2004, the club's first and only major trophy. The manager is former captain Gareth Southgate who was appointed on 7 June 2006.
The club's traditional kit is red with white detailing. A white band across the chest, initially introduced in the 1970s, has returned following a vote by the fans. The various crests throughout the club history, the most recent of which was adopted in May 2007, incorporate a lion rampant.
History
The football club was originally formed by Middlesbrough Cricket team players so they could stay fit during the winter. They won the FA Amateur Cup in 1895 and again in 1898. The club turned professional in 1889, but reverted to amateur status in 1892. They turned professional permanently in 1899. After three seasons, they won promotion to the First Division, where they would remain for the next .
In 1903, the club moved to Ayresome Park, their home for the next . In 1905, the club sanctioned the transfer of Alf Common for £1,000, a record fee. Over the next few years, their form fluctuated greatly, rising to sixth in 1907–08 before dropping to seventeenth two seasons later. The club rose to their highest league finish to date, third, in 1913–14. The First World War soon intervened and football was suspended.
Before competitive football resumed, Middlesbrough won the Northern Victory League, but the team were unable to maintain their previous form and finished the 1919–20 season in mid-table. They remained in the First Division for the next few seasons, but were relegated in 1923–24 after finishing bottom, ten points adrift of their nearest rivals. Three seasons later, they won the Division Two title. During that season, debutant George Camsell, who had signed from Third Division North side Durham City the previous season, finished with a record 59 league goals, which included nine hat tricks. He would continue as top scorer for each of the next ten seasons. Their tenure back in the top flight lasted only one season, and the club were relegated. They were promoted at the first attempt in 1928–29, winning another Second Division title. The club remained in the First Division until 1954.
The decade before the war saw the emergence of Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick, both of whom would go on to become England internationals in the years ahead. Middlesbrough climbed to fourth in the last full season before the Second World War and were expected to challenge for the title next season, but the war intervened. After the war, the club was unable to recover the form of the previous seasons and hovered around mid-table and exited in the early rounds of the FA Cup. Soon afterwards the team began to falter, eventually suffering relegation in 1953–54. This was the start of a 20-year spell outside the top division, but saw the emergence of one of the club's top goalscorers, Brian Clough, who scored 204 goals in 222 games, before he left for Sunderland. Over that period, Middlesbrough maintained reasonable progress in the Second Division but were never serious contenders for promotion. After a fourth place finish in 1962–63, the club endured a steady decline and were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history in 1966.
New manager Stan Anderson returned the club to the second flight at the first attempt. Middlesbrough would not finish below ninth during the next eight seasons. By 1974, Jack Charlton had taken over as manager and guided the team back to the top flight. They ensured promotion as early as 23 March, and with eight games of the season left, they became runaway champions, finishing with a record 65 points. Middlesbrough won their first silverware as a professional side in the 1975–76 season, lifting the Anglo-Scottish Cup in its inaugural season after a two-legged final win over Fulham.
The club experienced severe financial difficulties during the mid-1980s. Middlesbrough were dropping down the table, and finished nineteenth in the 1984–85 season. In April 1986 the club had to borrow £30,000 from the PFA to pay wages. The final game of the season saw Middlesbrough relegated to the Third Division once more. That summer, the club called in the Provisional Liquidator and shortly afterwards, the club was wound up and the gates to Ayresome Park were padlocked. Without the £350,000 capital required for Football League registration, a new rule, it seemed inevitable that the club would fold permanently. However, Steve Gibson, a member of the board at the time, brought together a consortium and with ten minutes to spare before the deadline, they completed their registration with the Football League for the 1986–87 season. Following the registration came both a change of club crest and a change of the official company name to Middlesbrough Football and Athletic Club (1986) Ltd.
Over the next two seasons, Middlesbrough gained successive promotions into Division Two and then into Division One. The next season though, they came straight back down to Division Two, and with it came the then British transfer record move of Gary Pallister to Manchester United for £2.3 million. Despite constant promotion and relegation, Middlesbrough were founder members of the FA Premier League for the 1992–93 season.
Player-manager Bryan Robson, from Manchester United, took charge in 1994 and Middlesbrough were brought back into national attention. Following promotion to the Premier League and high-profile purchases like diminutive Brazilian Juninho, many considered Middlesbrough were on the way up. However, a difficult 1996–97 season was compounded by a deduction of three points imposed just after Christmas, as punishment for the club's failure to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn, which ultimately resulted in relegation. Without the points deduction, the club would have had enough points to avoid relegation. At the same time, the club managed to reach both the League and FA cup finals for the first time, but lost out in both. They were again runners up in the League Cup final the next year too, despite being in the second tier.
Despite losing high profile players Fabrizio Ravanelli, Juninho and Nick Barmby due to relegation, Middlesbrough were promoted back to the Premiership at the first attempt in 1998. The following season saw them settle well and they enjoyed a 12-game unbeaten run midway through 1998–99, including a 3–2 win at Old Trafford in January during which they took a 3–0 lead. It was United's only home defeat during their treble winning season. They continued to stay secure in midtable the following season, thanks mainly to the goals of Hamilton Ricard and the signings of big name players such as Paul Ince and Christian Ziege. In 2000–01 they had a brief relegation scare that was solved with the arrival of Terry Venables as co-manager, and a 3–0 win away at Arsenal in March was the team's best result. The trend of buying European stars continued with the acquisitions of Christian Karembeu and Alen Boksic.
Bryan Robson left the club before the start of 2001–02 season, having served as manager for 7 years, and was replaced by Manchester United assistant coach Steve McClaren. The following seasons saw Premiership security maintained as Middlesbrough slowly improved and were seen as a tough side to beat when playing at the Riverside Stadium.
The 2003–04 season was the most successful in the club's history as they finally won a major trophy after beating Bolton 2–1 in the League Cup final under manager Steve McClaren. This success also ensured that Middlesbrough would qualify for Europe — the UEFA Cup — for the first time, in which they reached the last 16. UEFA cup qualification was achieved for the second consecutive year after a dramatic 1–1 away draw with Manchester City thanks to a late penalty save from Mark Schwarzer in the last game of the season.
On 27 April 2006, Middlesbrough reached the UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven, following two comebacks from 3–0 down. However, the team lost 4–0 to Sevilla. Following the cup final, McClaren left to head up the England team, and captain Gareth Southgate took over, despite not having the coaching qualifications, but he was allowed to continue after receiving special dispensation. During the 2007–08 season, Southgate broke Middlesbrough's record transfer fee, paying £12 million for Brazilian striker Afonso Alves. Southgate's managerial career so far has seen the club finish in twelfth and thirteenth places, while twice reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Colours and crest
Middlesbrough's original home kit upon election to the Football League in 1899 was a white home shirt with blue shorts and they did not adopt their colours of red and white until later that season. Previous kits included a white shirt with a blue and white polka dotted collar from around 1889. The Middlesbrough kit has remained broadly the same over the years with a red shirt and socks and either red or white shorts. The distinctive broad white stripe across the chest was introduced by Jack Charlton in 1973 (following an attempt to change the home shirt to a Leeds United-style white shirt) and brought back for a one-off in 1997–98 and then again for the 2000–01 and 2004–05 seasons due to popular demand. The club subsequently announced in December 2007 that the club would allow the fans to decide via an online and text vote whether the white band should return for the following season. On 8 January 2008 the club announced that the white band was to return, with 77.4% of voters voting in its favour, with the fans to choose the final shirt design from a selection of three designs, of which the winner was announced on 7 May 2008.
The Middlesbrough crest has gone through four changes since the formation of the club. Initially, the badge was simply the town of Middlesbrough's crest with a red lion instead of a blue lion in order to fit in with the club's colours. Following the adoption of the white band on the shirts in 1973, only the red lion remained with the letters "M.F.C" underneath in red. This was further adapted following the reformation of the club in 1986 to a circular crest with the lion in the middle and the words "Middlesbrough Football Club 1986" around the circle in order to reflect this new era. In 2007, Middlesbrough changed their crest once again, this time with the lion inside a shield and the words "Middlesbrough Football Club 1876" underneath. The club stated that this was to reflect the club's long history and not just their post-liquidation status.
The kit is produced by Errea and is only available in the UK from the official club shops and Middlesbrough's online store. The club's shirt sponsor was announced on 20 July 2007 as satellite navigation device manufacturers Garmin. This contract has since been extended until the end of the 2008–09 season in a deal described as "the biggest in the club's history".
Stadia
After formation in 1876, and with the club still amateurs, Middlesbrough's first two years of football were played at Albert Park in Middlesbrough. After seeing the damage being caused by players and supporters, the Park Committee ordered the club to find an alternate venue. The club moved to Breckon Hill, behind the present-day Middlesbrough College, after agreeing to rent the land from its owner. However, two years later in 1880, the owner increased the rent and the club decided to move. They moved into the Linthorpe Road Ground in 1882, home at the time of Middlesbrough Cricket Club. The cricket club departed in 1893–94 to move to the Breckon Hill field, and Middlesbrough Football Club became sole users of the ground.
With the club's growing size, and entry to the Football League, they had to move to a new ground in 1903, Ayresome Park. It was designed by Archibald Leitch and would be the club's home for the next 92 years. Following the Taylor Report in 1990, the ground either needed modernising or the club needed a new stadium. The club decided on the latter, and moved out at the end of the 1994–95 season. It was used as a training ground during 1995–96, before it was demolished in 1997 and a housing estate built in its place. The club now trains at a £7 million complex at Rockliffe Park, in Hurworth, on the outskirts of Darlington.
The Riverside Stadium, named by the supporters of the club after a vote, became the club's home in 1995. It was the first stadium to be built in line with the Taylor Report's recommendations on all-seater stadia for clubs in the top two divisions of the English football league system. It was originally a 30,000 seater stadium, constructed for a modest fee of £16 million, before it was expanded in 1998 to its 35,100 capacity for an extra £5 million.
Attendances at Middlesbrough matches have steadily declined over the past several years, and a survey by Deloitte showed Middlesbrough to have the second lowest stadium utilization in the Premier League at 76.3%, with average attendances approximately 8,000 below full capacity. A low-price children's season card for 2008–09 saw a rise in season card sales for the first time in four years.
Supporters
Traditionally supporters come from Middlesbrough itself and towns in the immediate area. Middlesbrough have one of the highest proportions in Britain of locally-born season ticket holders at 80%, and one of the highest proportions of female fans at 20%. A survey at the start of the 2007–08 season found Middlesbrough supporters were the seventh loudest set of fans in the Premier League. Middlesbrough Official Supporters Club, which features their own team in the local football league, has links with supporters' clubs across the globe. The largest supporters' clubs include the Official Supporters' Club, the Middlesbrough Disabled Supporters' Association, Yarm Reds, and Middlesbrough Supporters South.
Middlesbrough supporters' main rivals are Newcastle United (with whom they contest the Tyne-Tees derby), Sunderland, and Leeds United, a fact confirmed by planetfootball.com's 2004 survey, where Newcastle and Sunderland fans also considered Middlesbrough to be amongst their top three rivalries.
The nickname Smoggies was first used as a derogatory term by opposing supporters, but was later used by Middlesbrough fans in a somewhat self-deprecating manner before finally being adopted as a badge of pride by supporters of the club. An example of this can be seen on the banners carried to away games stating "Smoggies on Tour". Middlesbrough fans were notably praised by UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson after their behaviour during the 2005–06 UEFA Cup campaign. He commended that:You have the satisfaction of knowing that, although your team did not win the game, your supporters present in Eindhoven proved to the world that football fans can turn a match into a friendly, violence-free celebration. Middlesbrough fans had also been praised by Cleveland Police force for their behaviour in previous rounds, particularly in the light of aggravation prior to and during the match at Roma.
Media relations
Middlesbrough were the first English football club to broadcast time-delayed full-match footage of their league games on their own channel, "Boro TV", in August 2001. Boro TV ran through NTL cable television until July 2005. The club now show match highlights through a subscription-based scheme on their official website.
Middlesbrough's official matchday programme, Redsquare, was the 2006–07 Programme Monthly Programme of the Year. There are numerous other fanzines available, most notably Fly Me To The Moon, formed in September 1988 following Bruce Rioch's quote to Tony Mowbray, stating "If I had to go to the moon I'd want you by my side".
Community
Middlesbrough Football Club in the Community (MFCIC) was founded in 1995 by club chairman Steve Gibson and is the largest community-based football scheme in the United Kingdom. It is run separately from the football club but receives support from both the club in terms of providing players, staff, stadium facilities and PR in the matchday programme and other publications, as well as support from other local organisations.
Since 2002, the club and MFCIC have also run the Middlesbrough Enterprise Academy, a scheme which helps local children improve their entrepreneurial skills and increase their awareness of business planning and finance. In March 2008, plans were announced by the Premier League to roll out the scheme nationally amongst all Premier League clubs.
It was announced in December 2007 that Middlesbrough football club had carried out more community work during 2006–07 than any other Premier League club, rising from second place the previous year, with the club making 318 appearances – almost twice the Premier League average of 162. They were in the top two for community appearances again in 2007–08, with 374 – a 17% increase on the previous season.
Middlesbrough's mascots are Roary the Lion and Mark Wilson. The club runs Roary's Children's Charity Fund which purchases items for local children's charities.
Honours
Domestic
League
- Champions 1926–27, 1928–29, 1973–74, 1994–95; runners up 1901–02, 1991–92, 1997–98
- Runners up 1966–67, 1986–87
- Champions 1893–94, 1894–95, 1896–97; runners up 1890–91, 1891–92, 1897–98
Cup
- Winners 2004; runners up 1997, 1998
- Runners up 1997
- Winners 1894–95, 1897–98
- Runners up 1990
International
- Runners up 2005–06
- Winners 1976
- Winners 1980
Club staff
As of 23 July 2008.
Players
Current squad
- As of 12 February 2009.
- For recent transfers, see List of English football transfers Summer 2008.
- For appearance details for the current season, see Middlesbrough F.C. season 2008–09.
- For career statistics relating to the squad, see List of Middlesbrough F.C. players.
Players out on loan
- As of 12 February 2009.
Reserves and Academy
- For the team's reserve and Academy squads, see Middlesbrough F.C. Reserves and Academy.
Notable players
There have been many notable players, these have been classified as below. The Halls of Fame and top record holders are noted below.
Middlesbrough Legends
These players were voted for by fans as part of a campaign with the Evening Gazette.
George Camsell
George Hardwick
Wilf Mannion
Brian Clough
John Hickton
Willie Maddren
Tony Mowbray
Bernie Slaven
Juninho Paulista
Gareth Southgate
Top appearances
These players made more than 430 appearances during their time at the club. The number in brackets indicates the number of appearances in all competitions.
Tim Williamson (602)
Gordon Jones (532)
John Hickton (499)
John Craggs (487)
Jim Platt (481)
George Camsell (453)
Jacky Carr (449)
Mark Schwarzer (446)
David Armstrong (431)
Top goalscorers
These players scored more than 140 goals during their time with the club. The number in brackets indicates the number of goals scored in all competitions.
George Camsell (345)
George Elliott (213)
Brian Clough (204)
John Hickton (193)
Micky Fenton (162)
Bernie Slaven (146)
Alan Peacock (141)
Football League 100 Legends
The Football League 100 Legends is a list of "100 legendary football players" produced by The Football League in 1998, to celebrate the 100th season of League football. Alf Common
George Camsell
Wilf Mannion
George Hardwick
Nobby Stiles
Graeme Souness
Bryan Robson
Paul Gascoigne
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at The National Football Museum in Preston, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of top English Footballers and Footballers who have played in England. These players appeared for or managed Middlesbrough at some point in their careers.
Paul Gascoigne (2002 inductee)
Brian Clough (2002 inductee)
Viv Anderson (2004 inductee)
Wilf Mannion (2004 inductee)
Jack Charlton (2005 inductee)
Bryan Robson (2002 inductee)
Managers
The following are all the full time Middlesbrough managers since the club turned professional in 1899.
External links
Official websites
- Official club website
- at the Premier League official website
News sites
General fan sites
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