Boro team had we not been relegated in 97

BoroMart said:
We never lost a league game when we had our first choice CBs in 96/97....we just took too long to get Festa in after Nadal messed us about and then Pearson got injured which was a real killer for us as we needed his leadership and he was hard as fook

Festa & Pearson partnership:

Boro 6-1 Derby
Boro 2-1 Blackburn
Boro 1-0 Chelsea
Boro 1-1 Forest
Boro 3-2 Villa
Man U 3-3 Boro
Blackburn 0-0 Boro
Leeds 1-1 Boro

If we kept those two together we would have stayed up.
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I loved festa
 
The biggest what if moment in our history this.

Premier league was a lot different back then, with some quality signings in the summer we would have finished top six the next couple of seasons. Minimum. Maybe top 4. Man Utd and Arsenal were out of reach but Newcastle were on the decline under Dalglish, Chelsea were coming good under Gullit and Vialli. Liverpool were messing about under Roy Evans. We would have been right in the mix.
 
wilkos_perm said:
Well it was Robson in the article I was referring to rather than Gibson.
And the quote is:
"I said ‘what about the left-back Roberto Carlos?’ But they said ‘Mr Robson, you are too late, we just sold him to Inter Milan last week.’”"
That doesn't constitute nearly signing someone. "Bryan Robson reveals he almost signed Roberto Carlos for Middlesbrough"
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I thought we were linked with him after he'd signed for Inter? So it's possible both are true.

Asked about him at the same time we signed Juninho but also stayed interested and would've have been in for him if we'd stayed up?

He fell out with Hodgson at Inter so was definitely available. Not sure we'd have beat Madrid to his signature mind!
 
festa5 said:
I thought we were linked with him after he'd signed for Inter? So it's possible both are true.

Asked about him at the same time we signed Juninho but also stayed interested and would've have been in for him if we'd stayed up?

He fell out with Hodgson at Inter so was definitely available. Not sure we'd have beat Madrid to his signature mind!
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It's possible but the gazette doesn't mention that. I just have a feeling that a lot of these links are fun, but pretty tenuous. As you say he went to Real Madrid from Inter, so the idea we were ever in for him seems a little hard to believe
 
Wasn't Ibrahim Ba meant to be close to signing around this time. Possibly at the start of the season when TLF and Rav came?
 
wilkos_perm said:
Well it was Robson in the article I was referring to rather than Gibson.
And the quote is:
"I said ‘what about the left-back Roberto Carlos?’ But they said ‘Mr Robson, you are too late, we just sold him to Inter Milan last week.’”"
That doesn't constitute nearly signing someone. "Bryan Robson reveals he almost signed Roberto Carlos for Middlesbrough"
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Just listened to the Quickly Kevin interview with Robbie. He said this was at the same time that we signed TLF.
 
newyddion said:
I wonder what Robbo was cooking up for us. I’d love to see one of those ‘evening with’ things where robbo sets out his team of who he should have played against Blackburn.. then in the 2nd half do who he would have signed the season after!


in an interview with the Gazette, he selected his best ever XI..

Bryan-Robson-dream-teamJPG.jpg
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Thats a title challenging team. if, of course, you disregard the fact that most of them were past their best when they played for us.
 
I wwonder what we might achieve in the current climate under wilder after a couple of seasons at the top . I know wages are a joke now but you never know 😉👍
 
r00fie1 said:
Im fairly certain that was the case(y)
He was pinched off us.:mad:
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It was but where are mclaren working before he joined us and where did the scouting take place I think he tried to pull a fast one on Fergie after all we didn’t exactly complain too much did we.

But yes we paid for the flight only for man to take him at the airport but as I say I don’t think it was as it seemed.
 
Forlan had been heavily scouted by Middlesbrough over the course of the previous year, and was set to sign for the Teessiders when United swooped. Having flown to London from Buenos Aires with a Boro representative, the striker was informed by his agent that Independiente had received a new proposal. United had offered to pay the transfer fee in one lump sum, rather than the instalments Middlesbrough had agreed, so Forlan had a choice to make. He cancelled his connection from Gatwick to Newcastle, flew to Manchester instead and quickly agreed a £6.9 million transfer.

“It was a massive blow to the club,”
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admitted Boro chief executive Keith Lamb, while manager Steve McClaren said: “When we first initiated negotiations with Independiente for the player we did realise that there was an awful lot of competition throughout Europe for his services. Nothing is over until everybody has signed on the dotted line.”

I guess we’ll never know I just think we were incredibly naive over the whole thing.

I do think he’d have thrived here mind as he’d have been the main man.
 
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