3 Regrets and 3 Ultimate highs of your time following Middlesbrough Football club

Uksake

Uksake

Active member
I'll start....

1. Missing Eindhoven
2. Missing Chesterfield game at old Trafford
3. Not getting Gary Hamilton's autograph in Stewart's park when I was 6


1. Attending millennium stadium 2004
2. THAT Liverpool game with Marco Branca. Atmosphere was off the scale.
3. Wembley FA Cup final. Unreal day out regardless
 
Can't think of any regrets really... Maybe not attending more of the Europe away games...

Highs.

Cardiff
Rome
Eindhoven (would be top if we'd performed lol)
 
3 regrets-

Losing to Cardiff in FA Cup.

Losing the replay to Leicester at Hillsborough Cup Final replay.

Losing to Wolves FA Cup replay- the start of our downfall

highs-

Cardiff Cup Final - never to be forgotten.

Promotion game v Oxford 67 - a magical night.

Brighton promotion game- great day brilliant atmosphere
 
Regrets
Not being at the Basle or Steua games as I'd just moved to the North West
Play off final defeat vs Norwich not capping off one of the best seasons and times in my life I've had following Boro
Leicester replay defeat in 97. I didn't go, watched it on telly but felt like a massive pin had been stuck in a balloon.

I didn't attend the FA Cup final but never felt like a regret. Was great to see Boro being front and centre of all the pre-match build up on BBC

I didn't go on any of the European trips either but due to tickets and what was happening in my life at the time it was never on the cards, so I never missed it at the time

Highlights
Being at Cardiff 2004 with my family
Being at all those early big cup games under the floodlights at the riverside (Newcastle, Liverpool, Stockport County, Liverpool again)
Being at the Brighton game with lots of mates from various walks of life
 
Regrets:
Not going to the Basel match because I was ill
Leaving a stag do early to fly home and watch THAT Cardiff FA cup match
And generally not going to more london away matches these days

Highlights:
Boro v Leicester in 1988. Not most peoples choice but my first game and you never forget!
Chesterfield at old Trafford was just something else
The league cup win, no question
 
Regrets:

1. By the far the biggest is not being a football fan when I was younger, I missed the Carling Cup win, the European runs, and what is likely to be the most iconic period in our history.

2. Not going to a single away match in our most recent promotion season

3. A very minor one in the grand scheme of things, but missing our FA Cup match against Brighton a few seasons ago, it's the only home match I've ever missed since I got in to it and it was for my partner's grandparent's wedding anniversary. I'd only been with her for a few months at the time.
We lost 1-0 in the 90th minute, so I didn't miss much, but I would have liked an unbroken streak.

Highs:

1. Brighton promotion match, by far the best atmosphere I've ever experienced, belting out chants non-stop for the full 90 minutes. My head was splitting and voice was gone by the end of it.
Brilliant day.

2. Tough to pick one of the two big last minute winners in 15/16, but I'll have to go for Nugent's header against Hull, a promotion rival and beating them with virtually the last kick of the game, nearly fell down the stands celebrating.
Honourable mention to Forshaw v Reading.

3. Absolutely demolishing Brentford in the play-off semi final home leg in 14/15, it was barely a contest and I really thought promotion was on the way.
 
Regrets:

1. Not getting to either Ostrava or Roma away due to finances. I attended Villarreal and Sporting but wished I’d been to these two games.

2. Missing 8-1 v Man City. I’d just moved south with a new job and although I would later be able to continue to drive up for each game still I was only a week and a half into the job and felt unable to request moving an appointment date to another game so soon. I remember completing my work and getting home to scores coming through and on seeing we were 4-0 up I was gutted I missed it. That feeling only got worse with every goal thereafter.

3. Not enjoying the UEFA Cup Final. The biggest game in our history, will probably never get to a European final again and I hated it. On getting to the final my group of 4 booked our travel and hotels. Firstly despite having an A prefix Season Card i was only called by the club and informed I got my ticket 3 days before the final. This despite others in the group including the one non-A Prefix getting told 5 days earlier. I also knew of other non A Prefixs getting one before me. I mentioned this to the lady on the phone but she just said it was a struggle to get everyone sorted. Don’t get me wrong, i am very lucky and feel privileged to get one but as many found out I still cannot believe the number of A Prefix who missed out to others. The club massively messed up on this yet it felt swept under the carpet. DID WE LEARN LESSONS? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I also feel the scramble for Wembley tickets for the Play-off Final was a joke. I just could not get through on the phone or in the online queue. After seeing a thread on FMTTM I am still grateful to someone who put a number for Ticketmaster directly who sorted me out with superb tickets as again even though I have an A-Prefix / Gold Card I feel I would have missed out due to the clubs incompetence.
Secondly, the behaviour of our supporters in Eindhoven and our supporter square was an embarrassment. Were those lucky people who got tickets for the Final grateful? I was maybe unlucky to enter the town of Eindhoven by having to walk through the Sevilla supporter square and it felt like an occasion to celebrate. Spanish music, drinking in the sun for enjoyment and people shaking my hand and offering to swap shirts/scarves. Then we walked into the Boro square. It was basically a Slum estate in the sun. People bouncing to dreadful club music or pig bag, people with tops off sunburned and off there heads on drink/drugs, people passed on in the roads and streets, people peeing off down side streets. Our square compared to Sevilla’s was Chalk and Cheese and showed up the mentality of Brits abroad.
On entering the stadium I had quite a few around me who could barely stand so they won’t remember attending the biggest game in our history. The final 10 mins just finished me off. The biggest Boro game but the worst Boro game for me.

Highs

1. Carling Cup Final - Never thought I’d see Boro win a cup. From the minute we scored the pen I was clock watching and my god did it drag. When the whistle went, the mixture of joy and relief was palpable. Best Boro moment ever.

2. Steaua - A mixture of witnessing another amazing comeback, in the exact same circumstances as a couple of weeks earlier, to reach a European final. Unbelievable.

3. Promotions - I was too young to remember Bruce Riochs but all of the ‘sealing promotions’ have been special. Wolves in 1992, winning away when down to 10 men. Beating Luton in last game at Ayresome did not seal the deal on the day but with Tranmere losing 5-1 it felt we were as good as up. Oxford was special as it meant we went up ahead of the Mackems and the celebrations after Armstrong’s quick fire double at start of second half were amazing. The second half was enjoyable as it felt like a formality. Brighton was special as it felt like a play-off final on home soil. This was the least enjoyable due to the pressure of the occasion but Dimi’s catch and the relief of the whistle are in the top 10 Riverside moments.
 
Highs

Carling cup final
Steau game
Man City 8-1 at homes

Regrets
Boro not fielding a team against Blackburn
Not appointing an established manager after SMAc left
Norwich play off final
 
High point

Playing Port Vale @ Hartlepool in 1986 (we had only just survived death and the now the only way was up), without this there would be no Cardiff or Eindhoven or Riverside.

Low point

reading 7 weeks earlier that Middlesbrough FC no longer existed. I had no access to local NE media and in 1986 there was no Sky Sports or the Internet.
 
Lows:
1. Missed every single European game including the Steaua match, as I had paid a fortune upfront to do an evening college course, which has ended up serving no purpose in my life whatsoever! :mad:
2. Missed the Man City 8-1 drubbing
3. Why can't we ever win at Wembley???

Highs:
1. Carling Cup Final - whole weekend was superb, flew to Bristol and stayed in fantastic hotel and that win 🏆
2. Brighton game - absolutely unbelievable scenes! The fans, the team, the manager and the town just became one. Who remembers the lads celebrating in the Dickens?
3. Trafalgar Square before both 97 finals, total party atmosphere! I don't think that experience will ever happen again, not in this day and age with H&S etc.
 
Regrets; losing to Orient in 1/4 of cup, Peter Davenport, going away to Liverpool and Everton 12 times and never seeing us win.

Pluses: Signing Ravenelli, going to Ostrava, taking my Dad to a game with my son.

Can I cheat and put the Oxford promotion night.
 
Regrets

1) Not going to any of the European away games.

2) Cardiff in fa cup

3) Not sticking with Karanka and giving him the chance to take us back up.

Highs

1) Carling cup final

2) Steaua semi-final

3) Brighton promotion game
 
Highs

Cardiff final and winning the cup
Eindhoven
The quarter and semi before Eindhoven

Lows

Chelsea FA cup final
3 points
Losing to Cardiff in the FA cup that time
 
Uksake said:
I'll start....

1. Missing Eindhoven
2. Missing Chesterfield game at old Trafford
3. Not getting Gary Hamilton's autograph in Stewart's park when I was 6


1. Attending millennium stadium 2004
2. THAT Liverpool game with Marco Branca. Atmosphere was off the scale.
3. Wembley FA Cup final. Unreal day out regardless
Click to expand...
1. Not seeing Brian Clough in a Boro shirt
2. Not seeing Wilf Mannion in a Boro shirt
3. Not seeing George Camsell in a Boro shirt
 
My only major regret...i had a bump in my car in 2003 and i weighed up the cost of travelling to the match plus the repair vs the cost of my season ticket and worked out that i couldn't afford to renew (I was on a low wage back then and i lived in Manchester). I was about to get a red book at the time...

Because of this i ended up missing out on tickets For Cardiff and the UEFA cup final. The funny thing is that i got a pay rise after the season started so i ended up going to most of the games anyway, and i got a half season season ticket in early 2004. Now i have a glory hunters patron number... 😭

I've had a season ticket since! :)

The highs?
Some of the midweek European games.
The day we got promoted under Karanka... (Booking into the hotel at Wetherby services the night before to make sure i made the early kick off, then standing in the north stand at the end trying not to blubber like a complete idiot!)
Seeing TLF in a Boro shirt.
 
Last edited:
1) Not getting a ticket for Eindhoven
2) West Ham f.a.cup semi at Villa park, we tortured them but lost
3) Boro 1-2 Leicester - 1988 - broke my heart as a 12 year old (typical Boro as the old man used to say)

1) Beating Chelsea in the play offs to nullify number 3 above
2) The whole Cardiff weekend including the night out the day before and the night out after we won the cup
3) Maccarone v Steau ..I’m sure the ground shook
 
Highs
1. Watching Sir Gareth lift the trophy in Cardiff
2. Watching Boro walk out in a European Final at Eindhoven
3. 1973/74 season and us destroy the league leaving Luton Carlisle and the rest trailing in our wake

Lows.... where to begin 😱
1. 1986, I thought we were gone
2. Birmingham quarter final and Bob friggin Hatton
3. The League Cup final of 97. When lard ar£e equalised I felt like my heart had been torn out.
 
Regrets that I didn't keep all my memorabilia stuff with bits which I disgarded over the years, certainly in 86 when I got married & stopped collecting cuttings etc for a couple of years

Lows - Relegation to the third division in 86 followed by going in to voluntary liquidation on the 21st May 86

Highs - 1973-75
Coming out of liquidation, going to Hartlepool to see us play Port Vale on the 23rd August 86, Bury & Hartlepool 1st home games, Rioch era, Carling triumph, UEFA final, just 11 days short of 20 years since liquidation, meeting former players at reunions & receiving letters off John Hickton for my upcoming daughters wedding & my 60th

Very lucky Boro fan 👍
 
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