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BRYAN ROBSON LEAVES
MIDDLESBROUGH F.C.
Steve Gibson has announced
the departure of Boro manager Bryan Robson. The two faced a press conference at  the
BTCellnet Riverside Stadium
early on the morning of June 5th. Assistant manager Viv Anderson and first team
coach Gordon McQueen are also leaving.
Robson was appointed in May,
1994 and immediately smashed Boro's transfer record by paying £1 million for
full back Neil Cox. Influential captain Nigel
Pearson also arrived, and Boro won promotion to the Premier League at the
first attempt, leaving Ayresome Park behind in the process. Robson then pulled
off a major signing, taking Nicky Barmby from Tottenham
in time for the start of the new Premier League season, the first at the
Riverside. October 1995 saw the one and only Juninho
arrived at Middlesbrough, followed the following season by Fabrizio
Ravanelli and Emerson. This though, was the
remarkable year in which Boro had 3 points deducted for failing to put out a
team against Blackburn in December, which ultimately led to relegation. It
also saw Boro appear in both major Wembley Cup Finals - the Coca-Cola Cup and
the FA Cup for the first time ever. Boro left empty handed on both occasions.
Relegation saw the Little
Fella and the White Feather leave, but another Robson coup happened before the
start of the First Division season - Paul Merson signed
from Arsenal. Another League Cup Final beckoned, but before the semi-final
against Liverpool, Boro were short on fire power. So Robson signed three
strikers - Alun Armstrong, Marco
Branca and Hamilton Ricard, plus some bloke called Paul
Gascoigne. Boro lost out again at Wembley, but re-gained their place in the
Premier League after just one season away.
Merson
didn't hang around for long after the start of the season, leaving for Aston
Villa. Robson bolstered the defence by signing old boys Gary
Pallister and Colin Cooper. In December, Boro went
to Old Trafford, where Robson masterminded the first victory there by a Boro
team in over 80 years. Middlesbrough were at one stage 3-0 ahead. The season
after, Paul Ince signed from Liverpool, German
international Christian Ziege arrived and Juninho
returned on loan, but the footballing year faded into mediocrity. The 2000-2001
season looked full of promise when signings  were
unveiled on a regular basis. Noel Whelan, Joseph-Desire
Job, Australian captain Paul Okon, World and European
Cup winner Christian Karembeu and star striker Alen
Boksic all signed with the hope of pushing for a European Cup place.
However, when Boro found themselves bottom of the Premier League, Robson and
Gibson decided to act. They brought in former England manager Terry Venables as
Head Coach and between them kept Boro in the Premier League for another season.
* Manchester United assistant
manager Steve McClaren has been unveiled as the new Boro boss.
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