Others may laugh It off now but at the time it was pretty nasty stuff…..
The reason for the acrimony was a series of statements made by Merson directly, and indirectly through friends, in which he questioned Middlesbrough's ambition and the players' attitudes towards alcohol and gambling. Merson's problems with both of those are well known.
After the problems with and subsequent departures of Fabrizio Ravanelli, Emerson and Juninho, Middlesbrough have been outraged by Merson's comments, and Lamb said: "Everyone connected with Middlesbrough has been let down by Paul Merson: the fans, the players, his friends.
"Paul Merson knew how the club had been treated by other international players and when he came here he went on record saying that he would never treat the club that way. He has just treated the club in exactly the same way and I hope he treats his new club better.
"If he takes a moment to reflect, I hope he will remember how everybody bent over backwards to accommodate him and his family's particular problems, how the club baby-sat his children.
"If this is his way of repaying us I find it strange, and to say the club lacks ambition is a nonsense. We've built a new stadium, a new training ground and Bryan has spent over #50 million on players - all in the last four years.
"And to say his fellow players are drinkers and gamblers is a slur and a libel. All the other players at the club are suffering because of this and people will read his comments and again be calling Middlesbrough a Mickey Mouse club."
As if his initial tirade was not sufficient, Lamb added: "To say Paul Merson was driven out is a lie."