This day 1982 the start of a very dark period in our history

Erimus74

Erimus74

Well-known member
28th September 1982 at home to Grimsby Town, following relegation from the top flight after 8 years in the 1st division, now PL, life back in the 2nd divison couldn't have started off any worse
Ironically, our 1st division 2 match since big Jack blew the 2nd divison away & built a team to challenge the best was the manager faced when we started life back in the 2nd tier of english football, with an opening day 3-1 defeat away to Jack Charltons Sheffield Wednesday, we then went on to lose both of our home games to Burnley & then Fulham, to the same scoreline 4-1
Again, ironically, the player big Jack brought to the club as the final piece of the jigsaw that blew the rest of the 2nd division away in 1974 was our Manager Bobby Murdoch, who continued to struggle with trying to build a team good enough to take us forward

Our dismal record so far in the 2nd division was played 6, won zero, drew 2, both away, lost 4, goals scored 5, goals against 16 with our latest defeat a 3-0 loss away to Palace, bottom of the league

This day we faced Grimsby Town at Ayresome Park, an evening kick off with Ray Hankin making his debut following his transfer from Vancouver Whitecaps, what could possibly go wrong, an attendance of 5,927 seen Ray Hanking don the No9 shirt

Boro took the lead after 10 minutes when Dave Shearer scored his 4th goal of the season, things were looking up then, wham, the Boro self distruction button was hit, the late Mick Kennedy, our £100k signing from Huddersfield Town, who I loved seeing in a Boro shirt, in his 7th game, received his marching orders when handling a goal bound shot in the box, we were now down to 10 men & Grimsby were awarded a penalty, which they 'sadly' scored from & then went on the rampage, with 12 minutes remaining debutant Ray Hanking then received his marching orders, resulting us been down to 9 men, Grimsby run out worthy winners & another 4-1 home thumping, our 3rd such home score on the trot

Bobby Murdochs team

Jim Platt
Colin Ross
Joe Bolton
Heine Otto
Mick Baxter
Darren Wood
Tony Mowbray
Dave Shearer
Ray Hankin
Mick Kennedy
Stephen Bell
Sub
Terry Cochrane

We've seen the lot at the Boro, we certainly can't be labelled as glory hunters
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Erimus74 said:
28th September 1982 at home to Grimsby Town, following relegation from the top flight after 8 years in the 1st division, now PL, life back in the 2nd divison couldn't have started off any worse
Ironically, our 1st division 2 match since big Jack blew the 2nd divison away & built a team to challenge the best was the manager faced when we started life back in the 2nd tier of english football, with an opening day 3-1 defeat away to Jack Charltons Sheffield Wednesday, we then went on to lose both of our home games to Burnley & then Fulham, to the same scoreline 4-1
Again, ironically, the player big Jack brought to the club as the final piece of the jigsaw that blew the rest of the 2nd division away in 1974 was our Manager Bobby Murdoch, who continued to struggle with trying to build a team good enough to take us forward

Our dismal record so far in the 2nd division was played 6, won zero, drew 2, both away, lost 4, goals scored 5, goals against 16 with our latest defeat a 3-0 loss away to Palace, bottom of the league

This day we faced Grimsby Town at Ayresome Park, an evening kick off with Ray Hankin making his debut following his transfer from Vancouver Whitecaps, what could possibly go wrong, an attendance of 5,927 seen Ray Hanking don the No9 shirt

Boro took the lead after 10 minutes when Dave Shearer scored his 4th goal of the season, things were looking up then, wham, the Boro self distruction button was hit, the late Mick Kennedy, our £100k signing from Huddersfield Town, who I loved seeing in a Boro shirt, in his 7th game, received his marching orders when handling a goal bound shot in the box, we were now down to 10 men & Grimsby were awarded a penalty, which they 'sadly' scored from & then went on the rampage, with 12 minutes remaining debutant Ray Hanking then received his marching orders, resulting us been down to 9 men, Grimsby run out worthy winners & another 4-1 home thumping, our 3rd such home score on the trot

Bobby Murdochs team

Jim Platt
Colin Ross
Joe Bolton
Heine Otto
Mick Baxter
Darren Wood
Tony Mowbray
Dave Shearer
Ray Hankin
Mick Kennedy
Stephen Bell
Sub
Terry Cochrane

We've seen the lot at the Boro, we certainly can't be labelled as glory hunters
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View attachment 6977View attachment 6978
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That season was like the club lifting itself into a coffin and pulling the lid over.
With the bright young promising side built by john Neale only a few seasons before - all gone - we were left with the threadbear remains of whatever we could muster.
Tony mowbray - just a bairn, had a baptism of fire and dispair!
No wonder he became known as Captain Courageous - he needed balls of steel and a suit of armour with no decent midfield or attackers in front of him.
I remember Tony Mac looking ten years older by the week - like a lord looks out over his estate - all we had left were ruins.
I dont know how you felt Erimus - but that period and up to the locked gates was like watching a close relative or friend dying of an incurable disease - knowing the end was coming, but not knowing when.
Just as the last breath seemed to have been drawn - the club groaned and lived a little longer.
It was agony - those three or four final seasons were painful.
We just hoped in hope that something
someone
somewhere
would come and save us.
I hope we never have to go through that ever again.
UYMB(y)
 
r00fie1 said:
That season was like the club lifting itself into a coffin and pulling the lid over.
With the bright young promising side built by john Neale only a few seasons before - all gone - we were left with the threadbear remains of whatever we could muster.
Tony mowbray - just a bairn, had a baptism of fire and dispair!
No wonder he became known as Captain Courageous - he needed balls of steel and a suit of armour with no decent midfield or attackers in front of him.
I remember Tony Mac looking ten years older by the week - like a lord looks out over his estate - all we had left were ruins.
I dont know how you felt Erimus - but that period and up to the locked gates was like watching a close relative or friend dying of an incurable disease - knowing the end was coming, but not knowing when.
Just as the last breath seemed to have been drawn - the club groaned and lived a little longer.
It was agony - those three or four final seasons were painful.
We just hoped in hope that something
someone
somewhere
would come and save us.
I hope we never have to go through that ever again.
UYMB(y)
Click to expand...
Cracking post roofie & so right
 
We also lost 1-5 at home to Blackburn that season, and 1-6 away to QPR.

As roofie says, only 2 years earlier we had a cracking young team that should have won the FA Cup and gone on to challenge for a euro place with a little more investment. Instead Amer cashed in and the rest is history.
 
It just got worse and worse, there didn't seem any hope in sight over the next few seasons, we clutched onto any hope we could.
The despair we felt as the crowds just dwindled from relegation from Div 1 to the padlock, but from somewhere inside I wouldn't give in.
Quite remarkable what happened 86/87 until 2009 , I couldn't have written the script in my wildest daydreams.

One of the best stories any football club has ever had.

One thing still stands as an everlasting memory was filling up with tears as we ran onto the pitch v Wigan.
The pride restored and telling all the doom mongers to stick it where the sun dont shine.

My closest cousin passed away yesterday tea time and was told last night at 9.30, bad old day today.
 
ticker_tape said:
It just got worse and worse, there didn't seem any hope in sight over the next few seasons, we clutched onto any hope we could.
The despair we felt as the crowds just dwindled from relegation from Div 1 to the padlock, but from somewhere inside I wouldn't give in.
Quite remarkable what happened 86/87 until 2009 , I couldn't have written the script in my wildest daydreams.

One of the best stories any football club has ever had.

One thing still stands as an everlasting memory was filling up with tears as we ran onto the pitch v Wigan.
The pride restored and telling all the doom mongers to stick it where the sun dont shine.

My closest cousin passed away yesterday tea time and was told last night at 9.30, bad old day today.
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Sorry to hear about your cousin Ticker, please accept my condolences

My like is regarding your post about the demise & back from the Ashes not your final piece
 
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GazBoro said:
We also lost 1-5 at home to Blackburn that season, and 1-6 away to QPR.

As roofie says, only 2 years earlier we had a cracking young team that should have won the FA Cup and gone on to challenge for a euro place with a little more investment. Instead Amer cashed in and the rest is history.
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Whilst I agree that Charlie Amer is undoubtedly the villain of the piece it is worth remembering that even with that cracking team that John Neil had we were only averaging about 17-18000 in the league.

Our attendances at that time always puzzled me as to why they were so low when we had such an exciting team who seemed to get to cup qfs for fun and even got very close to Europe in the league in 1980 (before late season slump)
 
junos_boots said:
Whilst I agree that Charlie Amer is undoubtedly the villain of the piece it is worth remembering that even with that cracking team that John Neil had we were only averaging about 17-18000 in the league.

Our attendances at that time always puzzled me as to why they were so low when we had such an exciting team who seemed to get to cup qfs for fun and even got very close to Europe in the league in 1980 (before late season slump)
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Yes John Neal came in & after following our best manager in big Jack changed the way we played, brought in some excellent signings while the youth players were emerging & put together a very young, exciting team & yes, the Middlesbrough people should have got off their backsides & backed the club
Amer as behind Neal with money available, at the end of 80-81 John Neal was aware the clubs picyvsas starting to change & with the exception of cup runs with big crowds the people of the Boro were not coming through the gates & the board were going to cash in on our exciting youngsters, John Neal resigned & the rest is history
 
Dont forget Charlie Bell an Billy woof.
We were bluddy awful.
With the steelworks on the way out, cuts in the mines and decline in petro-chemicals - the football club going under was the last gasp....the final nail in the coffin.
We used to sit in the Empire and talk about WTF we would do come Saturdays - none of us could dream of feeling passion or love for any other club.
It was like a fish without water.
NO BORO!!!!!!!
WHAT????????
NO WAY:mad:(y)
When we came back, we all realised how we took our team for granted and realised just how much it meant to the whole of Teesside.
Thats why the passion, the noise and the crowds came back.
The Holgate roof had to be held down to stop it taking off in those Rioch Phoenix Boro Years!:giggle::giggle::giggle:(y)

Forgive the sound quality.

 
r00fie1 said:
Dont forget Charlie Bell an Billy woof.
We were bluddy awful.
With the steelworks on the way out, cuts in the mines and decline in petro-chemicals - the football club going under was the last gasp....the final nail in the coffin.
We used to sit in the Empire and talk about WTF we would do come Saturdays - none of us could dream of feeling passion or love for any other club.
It was like a fish without water.
NO BORO!!!!!!!
WHAT????????
NO WAY:mad:(y)
When we came back, we all realised how we took our team for granted and realised just how much it meant to the whole of Teesside.
Thats why the passion, the noise and the crowds came back.
The Holgate roof had to be held down to stop it taking off in those Rioch Phoenix Bro Years!:giggle::giggle::giggle:(y)

Forgive the sound quality.

Click to expand...
Only time I ever was part of a pitch invasion
 
r00fie1 said:
Dont forget Charlie Bell an Billy woof.
We were bluddy awful.
With the steelworks on the way out, cuts in the mines and decline in petro-chemicals - the football club going under was the last gasp....the final nail in the coffin.
We used to sit in the Empire and talk about WTF we would do come Saturdays - none of us could dream of feeling passion or love for any other club.
It was like a fish without water.
NO BORO!!!!!!!
WHAT????????
NO WAY:mad:(y)
When we came back, we all realised how we took our team for granted and realised just how much it meant to the whole of Teesside.
Thats why the passion, the noise and the crowds came back.
The Holgate roof had to be held down to stop it taking off in those Rioch Phoenix Bro Years!:giggle::giggle::giggle:(y)

Forgive the sound quality.

Click to expand...
Cracking post roofie 👍
 
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