| Full name | Middlesbrough Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Boro | ||
| Founded | 1876 | ||
| Ground | Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough (Capacity: 34,988[1]) |
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| Owner | Steve Gibson | ||
| Manager | Tony Mowbray | ||
| League | The Championship | ||
| 2010–11 | The Championship, 12th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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| Current season | |||
Middlesbrough Football Club ( /ˈmɪdəlzbrə/), also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995,[2] their third ground since turning professional in 1889. Their longest-serving home was Ayresome Park, where they played for 92 years, from 1903 to 1995.
They were one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992. The club's main rivals are Newcastle United and Sunderland.[3] The club also take part in Yorkshire derbies with several other Yorkshire clubs, most notably Leeds United.[3]
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.[4] 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 later chairman Steve Gibson.[5] 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.[6] They were promoted the following season and spent eleven consecutive seasons in the top division before relegation.[5] Middlesbrough won the League Cup in 2004, the club's first and only major trophy.[7] They reached the 2006 UEFA Cup Final in May 2006 but were beaten by Spanish side Sevilla. On 24 May 2009, Middlesbrough were relegated to the Championship, failing to extend their 11-year stay in the Premier League.[8]
The club's traditional kit is red with white detailing. The various crests throughout the club's history, the most recent of which was adopted in May 2007,[9] incorporate a lion rampant.
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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.[4] They turned professional permanently in 1899.[10] After three seasons, they won promotion to the First Division, where they would remain for the next 22 years.[4]
In 1903, the club moved to Ayresome Park, their home for the next 92 years. In 1905, the club sanctioned the transfer of Alf Common for £1,000, a record fee.[11] 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.[12] The First World War soon intervened and football was suspended.
Before league 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[4] 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.[15] 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.[13] 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.[16] 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.[17]
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.[4] 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.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]
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.[21] Despite constant promotion and relegation, Middlesbrough were founder members of the FA Premier League for the 1992–93 season.[22]
Player-manager Bryan Robson, from Manchester United, took charge in 1994 and Middlesbrough were brought back into national attention.[23] Following promotion to the Premier League and high-profile purchases like diminutive Brazilian Juninho, many considered Middlesbrough were on the way up.[24] 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.[6] 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. Despite being in the second tier they were again runners up in the League Cup final the next year.[20]
Despite losing high profile players Fabrizio Ravanelli and Juninho 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 mid-table 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 Bokšić.
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. During McClaren's reign, Middlesbrough achieved their highest Premier league placing of 7th in the 2004/5 season.
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.[7] 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.[25]
Middlesbrough reached the 2006 UEFA Cup Final in Eindhoven, following two comebacks from 3–0 down in the rounds preceding it,[26][27] but lost 4–0 to Sevilla.[28] 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.[29] During the 2007–08 season, Southgate broke Middlesbrough's record transfer fee, paying £12 million for Brazilian striker Afonso Alves.[30] Southgate's first two seasons saw the club finish in 12th and 13th places. He oversaw the club reaching the quarter finals of the FA Cup for three seasons, but the club was relegated to the Football League Championship on the last day of the 2008–09 season. Southgate was sacked in October 2009, and replaced by Gordon Strachan.[31] At the time of Southgate's dismissal, Boro were fourth in the Championship and only four points away from the automatic promotion spot, but their form under Strachan was significantly worse and they finished mid-table.
Despite starting the 2010–11 campaign as promotion favourites, the club endured a disappointing start to the season securing only 1 point in 5 away games. Having slipped to 20th in the Championship following a home defeat to rivals Leeds, Strachan resigned on 18 October. A week later, Tony Mowbray was confirmed as the new manager. Having staved off the threat of relegation, Mowbray successfully transformed Boro's fortunes, eventually guiding them to a top-half finish. Boro ended the season top of the form table after four consecutive league wins, the first such run since 1998. Middlesbrough have carried that good run of form on and on the 17th of December 2011 they are currently 3rd in the league, 2 points off an automatic promotion place.
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| Early Middlesbrough F.C. kit[32] |
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.[33] 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.[34] 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.[35] 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,[36] of which the winner was announced on 7 May 2008.[37]
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.[9] The club stated that this was to reflect the club's long history and not just their post-liquidation status.[9]
Since the 2009–10 season, Middlesbrough's kit has been produced by adidas, replacing the previous deal with Errea which had lasted for 15 years.[38] The kit is only available in the UK from the official club shops and Middlesbrough's online store.[39] The club's shirt sponsor was announced on 20 July 2007 as satellite navigation device manufacturers Garmin.[40][41] This contract was extended until the end of the 2008–09 season in a deal described as "the biggest in the club's history".[42] For the 2010–11 season, due to struggling to find a season long sponsor, the shirt sponsor will be different every month. Each month a company can purchase the shirt space for that month. The replica shirts will be sold without a sponsors name across the middle.As of the start of the 2011/2012 season Middlesbrough will be sponsored by Ramsdens pawnbrokers.
1976–1977 – Bukta
1977–1983 – Adidas
1984–1987 – Hummel
1987–1992 – Skill
1992–1994 – Admiral
1994–2009 – Errea
2009–present – Adidas
1980–1982 – Datsun Cleveland
1982–1984 – McLean Homes
1984–1986 – Camerons
1986–1988 – Dickens
1988–1990 – Heritage Hampers
1990–1992 – Evening Gazette
1992–1994 – ICI
1994–1995 – Dickens
1995–2002 – Cellnet/BTCellnet
2002–2004 – Dial a Phone
2004–2007 – 888.com
2007–2010 – Garmin
2011–present – Ramsdens
Ramsdens – Official Sponsor
Adidas – Official Partner
Jaguar – Official Partner
Teesside University – Official Partner
FCBETZ.com – Official Partner
Carlsberg – Official Partner
BBC Tees – Official Partner
SG Petch – Official Partner
Dickinson Dees – Official Partner
Rockliffe Hall – Official Partner
Tees Valley Coach Travel – Official Travel Provider
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.[43]
With the club's growing size, and entry to the Football League, they had to move to a new ground in 1903, Ayresome Park.[5] 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.[43] The club now trains at a £7 million complex at Rockliffe Park, in Hurworth, on the outskirts of Darlington.[44]
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.[45] It was originally a 30,000 seater stadium, constructed at a cost of £16 million,[46] before it was expanded in 1998 to a capacity of 35,100 for an extra £5 million.[2] The capacity of the stadium has since been reduced slightly to its current level of 34,988.
Average attendances at Middlesbrough matches have fluctuated over the past several years, moving from a 2004–05 high average of 32,012 to a low of 26,092 in 2006–07, then up again to 28,428 in 2008–09. Following relegation to the Championship attendances have dipped, although the crowd of 23,451 which saw Middlesbrough's first Championship game against Sheffield United represents far higher gates than is usual for the division, and indeed larger than those of many Premier League clubs such as Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers. Steve Gibson was quoted saying that in the next 5 years he would like to extend the Riverside's attendance to 40,000.
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%.[47] A survey at the start of the 2007–08 season found Middlesbrough supporters were the seventh loudest set of fans in the Premier League.[48] Middlesbrough Official Supporters Club, which features their own team in the local football league,[49] has links with supporters' clubs across the globe. The largest supporters' clubs include the Official Supporters' Club, the Middlesbrough Disabled Supporters' Association, Yarm Reds, Red Faction and Middlesbrough Supporters South.[50]
Middlesbrough supporters' main rivals are Newcastle United (with whom they contest the Tyne–Tees derby), Sunderland (with whom they contest the Tees–Wear derby), and Leeds United, a fact confirmed by planetfootball.com's 2004 survey,[3] where Newcastle and Sunderland fans also considered Middlesbrough to be amongst their top three rivalries. Carlisle United see Middlesbrough as their biggest rivals, but Middlesbrough supporters have not reciprocated, as they do not see Carlisle as a top three rival.
The nickname Smoggies was first used as a derogatory term by opposing supporters;[51] it relates to the industrial air pollution (smog) that has been ever present since the Industrial Revolution, but it 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".[52] Middlesbrough fans were notably praised by UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson after their behaviour during the 2005–06 UEFA Cup campaign.[53] 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 for their behaviour in previous rounds, particularly in the light of aggravation prior to and during the match at Roma.[54]
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.[55] Boro TV ran through NTL cable television until July 2005.[56] The club now show match highlights through a subscription-based scheme on their official website.[57]
Middlesbrough's official matchday programme, Redsquare, was Programme Monthly's 2006–07 Programme of the Year.[58] 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 him by my side".[59]
Middlesbrough Football Club in the Community (MFCIC) was founded in 1995 by club chairman Steve Gibson[60] and is the largest community-based football scheme in the United Kingdom.[61] 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.[62]
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.[63]
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.[64] They were in the top two for community appearances again in 2007–08, with 374 – a 17% increase on the previous season.[65]
Middlesbrough's mascot is Roary the Lion. The club runs Roary's Children's Charity Fund which purchases items for local children's charities.[66]
In 2009, steel producer Corus Group announced the possibility that it would mothball its Teesside plant, with up to 4,000 employees and contractors facing redundancy, after a consortium of steel magnates walked away from a 10-year deal. Middlesbrough Football Club helped with the "Save Our Steel" campaign by hosting dozens of steel workers and their families as they marched around the ground, promoted the campaign via the stadium's PA system, scoreboards and in match day programmes, while players wore t-shirts during warm-ups promoting the campaign.[67] Chairman Steve Gibson said:
"Middlesbrough Football Club exists for the community, for the people of Teesside—and the closure of the steel plants threatens to rip the heart out of our community. We cannot stand by and allow that to happen. We want the steelworkers and their families to know that we are behind them and will help their campaign in any way we can ... We like to think that the football club is the flagship of Teesside. Well this is our town and these are our people and we have to do what we can to help them."[67]
As of 18 May 2011[update]
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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These ten players were voted for by fans as part of a campaign with the Evening Gazette.[76]
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.[77]
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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.[77]
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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.[78]
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.[79]
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The following former Middlesbrough players and managers have been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.
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The following players were chosen to represent their country at the World Cup while contracted to Middlesbrough.;
The following are all the full time Middlesbrough managers since the club turned professional in 1899.[80]
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| Preceded by Liverpool |
Football League Cup 2003–04 Runner up: Bolton Wanderers |
Succeeded by Chelsea |
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