Best Boro left-back of the modern era

It's close between a few, but I'll go for French Frank, he gets the nod for scoring against Sunderland on his home debut and being part of the cup winning team (y)
 
Ziege has to make it into most peoples all time 11. What a player he was. As alluded to already, he was bossing games from the left to a point where it seemed a waste that he was out there and provisions were made to include him more centrally. You can't say that about any other left back who has played for us surely.

Played against Dean Gordon a few times when he dropped down into the Northern League. (I think he played for Norton). Seems a nice fella but he was spent by then...great player for Boro though.
 
As for left backs, as much as I loved Franck and as class as Ziege was, prior to his injury I thought Gordon was the best left back I'd seen in a Boro shirt as he was as good going forward as he was in defence. His all round positional awareness was consistently very good I thought. The other two did have defensive lapses now and then.

Yeah as I've said previously Ziege wasn't really a left back for me, not good enough defensively. Memory plays tricks but don't really recall him playing left back in a 4 for us. Assume he must have done a bit but would love to see the stats.

As for Gordon. Absolutely essential to our first season back in the Prem along with Ricard. We must have been fairly lopsided because I think most of our attacks went through him as our best outlet. It worked though. Shame he got that bad injury when he did, was on the verge of an England call up and kind of finished him as a top flight player. Didn't play much after that I don't think.
 
Had a soft spot for Dean Gordon and also Ian Bailey (not had a mention yet?) but got to agree about Queudrue. One of my top 5 Boro players ever tbh (favourite, not best)
 
Yeah as I've said previously Ziege wasn't really a left back for me, not good enough defensively. Memory plays tricks but don't really recall him playing left back in a 4 for us. Assume he must have done a bit but would love to see the stats.

As for Gordon. Absolutely essential to our first season back in the Prem along with Ricard. We must have been fairly lopsided because I think most of our attacks went through him as our best outlet. It worked though. Shame he got that bad injury when he did, was on the verge of an England call up and kind of finished him as a top flight player. Didn't play much after that I don't think.

I'd go as far as to say that Ziege was fairly poor as a left back in a 4 as he struggled against any sort of quality wide man. As a wing back or midfielder he was top quality, more so in the midfield as the left of a 3. Definitely one of the better players of the modern era, but as a left back, and as an important member of a great team, it has to be Franck Q for me.
 
Didnt Gordon score one his Boro goals, a screamer at home to Chelsea in Terry Venables time as manager, we won 1-0
 
Ziege was the best. His left peg was absolutely incredible. One of the best freekick takers I've seen us have. Just a shame we never kept him longer than 1 season.

Franck was my favourite though. Won me over the moment he scored against the mackems.
 
Jimmy was a proper steady champo fullback, nothing flash, but did his job with little fuss. Seemed a great guy too, glad someone else liked him
 
Ziege without doubt the best, but certainly not my favourite which would be a toss up between Coops and French Frank. I also quite liked Jimmy Phillips!
Yes Jimmy Phillips is a good shout, recall his last minute winning freekick away at Tranmere, Friday night
 
Seeing as we are struggling for quality at left back, I thought I’d depress us all some more by thinking of some of the great Boro full backs.

Since the PL came into existence the best full back is surely Franck? Ziege was truly class bit would consider him as a wing-back more than a full back. Honourable mention in that department to Dean Gordon too. Could have been a Boro great were it not for his shocking injury. Excellent player though.
would Agree with Dean Gordon :-D
 
If the modern day era means the Riverside and we're talking full backs not wing backs then Frank Quedrue by a country mile for me.

Ziege was a great wing back but his attitude was awful & I could never say I liked him.

Best in my life time? Terry Cooper without a doubt.
 
Frank for me - I'm thinking Riverside era... super competitive, athletic & a very decent player too, just how I like my defenders..
Dean Gordon was also very good...
Ziege was much better for us in midfield or as a wing-back... tons of ability, one of the best players to play for us in that regard... however exposed as an out & out defender (after his injuries) & not the best attitude...
 
Terry Cooper for me, he was like a one man show at times down the left wing, a very very entertaining player.

Ziege, undoubtedly, was a top quality German international but a different style to Cooper and as others have mentioned above he left a bit of a bad taste and in my view you can’t have that if you want to be regarded as ‘the best.’
 
Terry Cooper for me, he was like a one man show at times down the left wing, a very very entertaining player.

Ziege, undoubtedly, was a top quality German international but a different style to Cooper and as others have mentioned above he left a bit of a bad taste and in my view you can’t have that if you want to be regarded as ‘the best.’
Cooper still should have played for England while at the Boro, he was certainly good enough
 
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