2006–07 Middlesbrough F.C. season

During the 2006-07 season, Middlesbrough participated in the Premier League.

Team kit and sponsors

Middlesbrough's kits were once again produced by Errea, and sponsored by 888.com for the third season running. The club retained the white band of the previous two seasons.

Home colours

Away colours

Search for a new manager

On 4 May 2006, Steve McClaren was chosen to take over as the manager of the England national team after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.^[1] Managers linked to take over as new Boro boss included Terry Venables,^[2] Martin O'Neill, Tony Mowbray and Alan Curbishley,^[3] with Steve Gibson expecting whoever took over to achieve a Champions League place in the near future.^[4] Venables declined the job offer citing an unwillingness to return to full-time management.^[5] Venables subsequently joined McClaren as England's assistant coach.^[6]

Gibson then looked within his own club and decided to name club captain Gareth Southgate as manager. Southgate signed a five-year contract and decided to finish his playing career, at the age of 35, to focus entirely on his new job. His appointment was controversial as he did not possess the coaching qualifications required to manage a Premier League football club.^[7] However, at a Premier League meeting on 22 November 2006, Southgate was granted a dispensation to continue in his role until the end of the season, during which time it was announced that he will study for the Uefa Pro A Licence.^[8]

Transfers

Summer transfer window

Several players, including Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink^[9] and Doriva^[10] left the club at the end of the previous season, and Franck Queudrue was sold to Fulham for £3 million.^[11] Argentinian left-back Julio Arca was signed from local rivals Sunderland for a fee of £1.75m,^[12] and young Frenchman Herold Goulon was signed from Olympique Lyonnais on a three-year deal.^[13]

Southgate signed two international defenders to strengthen up his backline following the second game of the season. England international Jonathan Woodgate joined his home-town team on loan from Real Madrid, while Chelsea's German international centreback Robert Huth signed for a fee of £6 million.^[14] Charlton Athletic's Jamaican international striker Jason Euell was signed on the final day of the transfer window.^[15]

January transfer window

Lee Dong-Gook arrived from Pohang Steelers in the January transfer window, while Ray Parlour,^[16] Ugo Ehiogu^[17] and Massimo Maccarone^[18] all left the club for free.

Summary

In

Date	Player	Previous Club	Fee	Ref
12 July 2006	Herold Goulon	Olympique Lyonnais	Undisclosed	[13]
26 July 2006	Julio Arca	Sunderland	£1.75 million	[12]
30 August 2006	Robert Huth	Chelsea	£6 million	[14]
31 August 2006	Jason Euell	Charlton Athletic	£300,000	[15]
31 January 2007	Lee Dong-Gook	Pohang Steelers	Free	[19]

Loans in

Date	Player	Club from	Period	Ref
30 August 2006	Jonathan Woodgate	Real Madrid	Full season	[14]

Out

For departures of players out of contract at the end of 2005-06 see Middlesbrough F.C. season 2005-06.

Date	Player	New club	Fee	Ref
27 July 2006	Franck Queudrue	Fulham	£3 million	[11]
5 January 2007	Kevin Burgess	Darlington	Free	[20]
25 January 2007	Ugo Ehiogu	Rangers	Free	[17]
30 January 2007	Massimo Maccarone	Siena	Free	[18]
9 February 2007	Ray Parlour	Hull City	Free	[16]
14 May 2007	Malcolm Christie	-	Out of contract	[21]
15 May 2007	Abel Xavier	Los Angeles Galaxy	Out of contract	[22]
1 June 2007	Stuart Parnaby	Birmingham City	Out of contract	[23]
6 June 2007	Danny Graham	Carlisle United	Out of contract	[24]
7 June 2007	Mark Viduka	Newcastle	Out of contract	[25]
3 July 2007	Daryl Robson	Galway United	Free	[26]

Loans out

Date	Player	Club at	Period	Ref
2 August 2006	Danny Graham	Blackpool	1 month	[27]
4 August 2006	Brad Jones	Sheffield Wednesday	3 months	[28]
25 August 2006	David Knight	Oldham Athletic	1 month	[29]
28 September 2006	David Wheater	Wolverhampton Wanderers	To 16 November 2006[A]	[30][31]
16 October 2006	Adam Johnson	Leeds United	1 month	[32]
27 October 2006	Tom Craddock	Wrexham	3 days[B]	[33]
3 November 2006	Jason Kennedy	Boston United	3 months
13 November 2006	Matthew Bates	Ipswich	1 month
23 November 2006	Ugo Ehiogu	Leeds United	To 2007-01-01
1 January 2007	Danny Graham	Carlisle United	To 2007-04-22
8 January 2007	David Wheater	Darlington	3 months
2 March 2007	Jason Kennedy	Bury	3 months
9 March 2007	Josh Walker	Bournemouth	1 month

Notes

^A Wheater's loan was initially intended to last three months, but he was returned to Middlesbrough after making only one appearance.

^B Craddock's loan was initially intended to last one month, but he was injured in his first game and returned to Middlesbrough.

Squad

Senior squad

Appearances and goals

Appearance and goalscoring records for all the players who were in the Middlesbrough F.C. first team squad during the 2006-07 season.^[34]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Mark Schwarzer	42	0	36	0	6	0	0	0
2	DF		Stuart Parnaby	21	0	9+9	0	1+1	0	1	0
3	MF		Julio Arca	28	3	18+3	2	7	1	0	0
4	DF		Ugo Ehiogu	1	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
5	DF		Chris Riggott	7	0	5+1	0	1	0	0	0
6	MF		Gaizka Mendieta	8	0	4+3	0	0	0	1	0
7	MF		George Boateng	41	2	35	1	6	1	0	0
8	DF		Jonathan Woodgate	36	0	30	0	6	0	0	0
9	FW		Mark Viduka	37	19	22+7	14	6+1	5	1	0
10	MF		Fábio Rochemback	22	2	17+3	2	1+1	0	0	0
11	FW		Malcolm Christie	17	2	4+9	1	2+2	1	0	0
12	DF		Emanuel Pogatetz	42	2	35	2	7	0	0	0
14	DF		Robert Huth	14	1	8+4	1	0+1	0	1	0
16	FW		Jason Euell	20	0	9+8	0	0+2	0	0+1	0
17	DF		Abel Xavier	20	1	14	1	6	0	0	0
18	FW		Lee Dong-Gook	11	0	3+6	0	0+2	0	0	0
19	MF		Stewart Downing	42	2	34	2	8	0	0	0
20	FW		Yakubu Aiyegbeni	45	16	36+1	12	8	4	0	0
21	GK		Ross Turnbull	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
22	GK		Brad Jones	4	0	2	0	2	0	0	0
23	FW		Massimo Maccarone	8	1	1+6	1	0	0	1	0
24	DF		Andrew Davies 21+2	0	3	0	2+1	0	0	0
25	MF		James Morrison 15+13	2	8	2	2+5	0	0+1	0
26	DF		Matthew Bates	2	0	0+1	0	0	0	1	0
27	MF		Lee Cattermole	39	2	22+9	1	7	1	1	0
28	MF		Adam Johnson	16	0	3+9	0	1+2	0	1	0
29	DF		Anthony McMahon	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
30	FW		Danny Graham	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
31	DF		David Wheater	2	1	1+1	1	0	0	0	0
33	DF		Andrew Taylor	42	0	34	0	7	0	1	0
38	DF		Seb Hines	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0

Discipline

Disciplinary records for 2006-07 league and cup matches. Players with 1 card or more included only.^[34]

No.	Nat.	Player	Yellow cards	Red cards
1		Mark Schwarzer	1	0
2		Stuart Parnaby	2	0
3		Julio Arca	3	0
5		Chris Riggott	1	0
7		George Boateng	8	2
8		Jonathan Woodgate	5	0
9		Mark Viduka	2	0
10		Fábio Rochemback	6	0
11		Malcolm Christie	1	0
12		Emanuel Pogatetz	12	0
14		Robert Huth	3	0
16		Jason Euell	3	0
17		Abel Xavier	3	0
19		Stewart Downing	4	0
20		Yakubu Aiyegbeni	2	0
23		Massimo Maccarone	2	0
24		Andrew Davies	3	0
25		James Morrison	0	1
27		Lee Cattermole	12	0
28		Adam Johnson	1	0
33		Andrew Taylor	3	0

Academy squad

Academy players for 2006-07 season.^[35]

Nat.	Position	Player	Academy year
	GK	Atkinson, MatthewMatthew Atkinson	1
	DF	Bennett, JoeJoe Bennett	1
	FW	Franks, JonathanJonathan Franks	1
	MF	Hillerby, DavidDavid Hillerby	1
	DF	McCardle, LewisLewis McCardle	1
	DF	Walsh, GavinGavin Walsh	1
	FW	Porritt, NathanNathan Porritt	1
	MF	Saiko, ShaunShaun Saiko	1
	GK	Steele, JasonJason Steele	1
	DF	Walker, LewisLewis Walker	1
	FW	Fisher, NathanNathan Fisher	2
	DF	Honeyman, JasonJason Honeyman	2
	DF	Johnson, JohnJohn Johnson	2
	DF	Langthorne, RichardRichard Langthorne	2
	MF	Robson, DarylDaryl Robson	2
	FW	Thompson, StephenStephen Thompson	2
	MF	Walker, JoshJosh Walker	2
	FW	Watling, PeterPeter Watling	2
	DF	Burgess, KevinKevin Burgess	3
	MF	Cattermole, LeeLee Cattermole	3
	MF	Goulon, HéroldHérold Goulon	3
	DF	Hines, SebSeb Hines	3
	FW	Hutchinson, BenBen Hutchinson	3
	MF	Owens, GraemeGraeme Owens	3
	DF	Williams, RhysRhys Williams	3

Pre-season

Results

  Win   Draw   Loss

Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first.

Game	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result F–A	Attendance	Boro Goalscorers	Report
1	22 July 2006	A	Rangers	0–1	31,544		Report
2	22 July 2006	A	Darlington	0–1			Report
3	25 July 2006	A	Barnsley	3–1	3,971	Yakubu (2), Maccarone	Report
4	25 July 2006	A	York City	1–0	1,342	Morrison 55'	Report
5	28 July 2006	A	Doncaster Rovers	0–2	3,452		Report
6	29 July 2006	A	Sheffield Wednesday	2–1	5,684	Christie, Yakubu	Report
7	3 August 2006	N	Athletic Bilbao	0–1			Report
8	3 August 2006	A	FC Cologne	0–2			Report
9	6 August 2006	A	Feyenoord	0–2			Report
10	8 August 2006	A	Heerenveen	0–4			Report
11	12 August 2006	H	Chievo	0–0	8,647		Report

Premier League

Southgate's managerial reign started with a 3–2 defeat at newly promoted Reading,^[36] but was followed up by a 2–1 win home victory over reigning Premier League champions Chelsea.^[37] Boro were brought crashing down to Earth straight afterwards though with a 4–0 home defeat to Portsmouth.^[38]

Overall, Middlesbrough's form in 2006–07 was indifferent. Promising results such as the surprising home victory over Chelsea were coupled with the team losing away from home to all three newly promoted Premiership sides.^[36][39][40] It took until mid-January for Boro to register their first away win of the season, at struggling Charlton Athletic, their first away win since April of the year before.^[41] They comprehensively beat Bolton Wanderers 5-1 at home in January, their biggest victory of the season.^[42]

Middlesbrough ultimately finished 12th in the table with 46 points, winning twelve, drawing ten and losing sixteen matches - slightly better than last season, but their dismal form in the early and late part of the season prevented them from attaining an even higher position and at one time put them in danger of being relegated. The fact that they were 8 points away from a UEFA Cup spot and 8 points away from getting relegated neatly summed up their season.^[43]

Results

  Win   Draw   Loss

Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk.

League progress

This chart shows the league position of Middlesbrough F.C. over the course of the season. The green area represents the UEFA Champions League positions (positions 1 to 4), the yellow area represents what turned out to be the UEFA Cup positions (positions 5 to 7) and the red area represents the relegation places (positions 18 to 20). The lowest position in the league that Middlesbrough reached during the course of the season was 18th, prior to the home game versus Charlton Athletic on 23 December 2006 (an early kick-off result had knocked them down from 17th), and their highest placing was 9th, after the second game.

League Cup

Boro suffered an embarrassing home defeat in the League Cup to Football League Two side Notts County in the second round, losing 0-1 with a weakened team - albeit one featuring debutant Robert Huth.^[44]

Results

  Win   Draw   Loss

Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk.

FA Cup

Middlesbrough's FA Cup run was significantly longer than their League Cup run - partly due to them being taken to a replay in every round they played. They drew 1–1 at Hull in the FA Cup, with the replay resulting in an exciting 4–3 win. A 2–2 draw with Bristol City followed, setting up another replay. It was a nerve-wrecking 2–2 draw, with Boro winning 5–4 on penalties, presenting them with a tie at the Riverside with former player Tony Mowbray's West Brom. That game also ended 2–2, and the replay resulted in a Middlesbrough victory via penalties, after a 1–1 draw in normal time. Middlesbrough were eventually knocked out by champions-elect and eventual FA Cup runners-up Manchester United at Old Trafford in the quarter finals. The 2–2 result at the Riverside set up another replay, as Middlesbrough came from behind to lead 2–1, before George Boateng conceded a penalty for handball. Cristiano Ronaldo struck from the spot to force a replay, won by Manchester United 1–0 and ending Boro's run.

Due to every possible match going to a replay, Middlesbrough actually played more FA Cup games than Liverpool had in the competition the previous season, when they emerged as winners.^[45]

Results

  Win   Draw   Loss

Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk.

Off the pitch

Staff changes

First team coach Steve Round left the club on 15 December 2006 following a "difference in philosophy and ideas" with Gareth Southgate, and was replaced by Colin Cooper.^[46] Chief European Scout Don Mackay left the team at the end of the year moving to Leicester City as part of their new management team.^[47]

References and notes