Anyone that thinks we don't struggle because of location is a bit deluded. If you are from the NE then you have experience of living there so see ti differently but the rest of the country sees it as a desolate wasteland. Young players especially don't care about the Dales. Has nobody met a 20 year old, never mind one earning thousands per week? They don't care about going for a walk. The social side of things is important to them. Most of those other places listed are as bad as Middlesbrough in terms of a young player's desirability to live there but the majority of them have the advantage of being near somewhere that players would want to live. All those NW teams are close enough to Manchester that the specific towns being undesirable doesn't matter.
Players towards the end of their career and bored of the partying might appreciate somewhere quieter like our surrounding areas and players might move here not being too enthusiastic about living here but decide they do actually like it once they have experienced it but it doesn't make the sell any easier and that is the important part. Fact of the matter is that most people from the south wouldn't entertain the idea of moving to Teesside. Footballers are no different in that respect. The big house thing isn't really a big deal. Footballers earn enough that it doesn't make much difference. If they are getting £20k+ per month they can afford a nice house in any area of the country, even London.
Players towards the end of their career and bored of the partying might appreciate somewhere quieter like our surrounding areas and players might move here not being too enthusiastic about living here but decide they do actually like it once they have experienced it but it doesn't make the sell any easier and that is the important part. Fact of the matter is that most people from the south wouldn't entertain the idea of moving to Teesside. Footballers are no different in that respect. The big house thing isn't really a big deal. Footballers earn enough that it doesn't make much difference. If they are getting £20k+ per month they can afford a nice house in any area of the country, even London.