Nearly Managed Middlesbrough..

If we’d got Clough in 1977 (I am sceptical how close this came as I have read all the biographies and autobiographies about him and his “love” for Boro was basically non-existent during this spell, even if he thawed a little as time went on), could WE have been league champions and double European winners?

We’d never have had Archie Stephens though.
 
jonny_greenings_sock said:
Wait, I thought the “Middlesbrough on the Rhine” manager wasn’t Magath, who would have been a bullet and a half dodged, but Ottmar Hitzfeld. That’s always been the strong rumour anyway.

He won absolutely everything, including Champions Leagues with both Bayern and Dortmund, and turned down the Germany job. German Ancelotti, if not the German Fergie.

That moment in time, whoever it was though, will always be our ‘nearly managed Boro’. With that squad, having just come out of a European final, the profile of the club having never been higher, the academy players and a young manager getting his step to the England job, we have never - and probably will never be - in a position to attract a better manager, and I’m sure we got some incredible offers.

Little did we know at the time that the money had run out, but clubs have been in that position and pushed on to the real elite before. Real sliding doors moment.
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You beat me to it. I always thought it was Hitzfeld who was linked, I don't recall Magath at all to be honest.
 
jonny_greenings_sock said:
Wait, I thought the “Middlesbrough on the Rhine” manager wasn’t Magath, who would have been a bullet and a half dodged, but Ottmar Hitzfeld. That’s always been the strong rumour anyway.

He won absolutely everything, including Champions Leagues with both Bayern and Dortmund, and turned down the Germany job. German Ancelotti, if not the German Fergie.

That moment in time, whoever it was though, will always be our ‘nearly managed Boro’. With that squad, having just come out of a European final, the profile of the club having never been higher, the academy players and a young manager getting his step to the England job, we have never - and probably will never be - in a position to attract a better manager, and I’m sure we got some incredible offers.

Little did we know at the time that the money had run out, but clubs have been in that position and pushed on to the real elite before. Real sliding doors moment.
Click to expand...
I think you're right there y'knarr!
 
Everyone thought (hoped) it was Hitzfeld *at the time*. Purely as Gibson had talked about a German manager and he was available and proven.

But it seemed far fetched, given his record. I think people got a little carried away.

A few years later Gibson came out and said it was Magath, not Hitzfeld. Hence, you can understand why we went with Southgate!
 
Bill Shankley 1954–1974
Brian Clough 1974-1993

Interesting to see where we would have went from there..

Back to Bryan Robson and reverting to type?
 
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atypical_boro said:
Everyone thought (hoped) it was Hitzfeld *at the time*. Purely as Gibson had talked about a German manager and he was available and proven.

But it seemed far fetched, given his record. I think people got a little carried away.

A few years later Gibson came out and said it was Magath, not Hitzfeld. Hence, you can understand why we went with Southgate!
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Yeah, that’s mad that Gibson said that. I remember reading it in The Times, like 5 years later when you assume the true truth can come out. Who knows!
 
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