Middlesbrough FC imo not only represents the town of Boro it represents the rest of Teesside big chunks of North Yorkshire and swathes of South Durham including the Teesside parts of it. The Blue Lion is representative of the De Brus family which connects all that area under their heraldic symbol , for me it has to go on the badge, as a wooly back Boro supporter it connects me to the town of Middlesbrough. The Tees Transporter is not only a globally iconic symbol of the Town of Boro but also Stockton which is the Borough on the other side river, it also represents our engineering history and alludes to the River Tees which is so important to the wider area, in my mind it also symbolic of the bridge between Yorkshire and Durham which we find in our club, with supporters coming from both sides.
I don't know how we have the present club crest but with a momentous milestone coming up in a couple of years it might be time to reassess what represents us.