This past week, it has been the turn of Middlesbrough. Boro boasted some legendary names during the 20th century, many played for England and other countries, and more recently there were players who went onto win a first major cup final in 2004 as well as reach the UEFA Cup final in 2006.
We asked readers to vote on who deserves a place in the club’s greatest line-up? We selected a shortlist of goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards – and asked you to pick a team in a 4-3-3 formation.
Voting has now closed and the winning team will be published in The Northern Echo on Saturday, July 8, 2017, and here on The Northern Echo website.
Tim Williamson
1902-1923
Appearances: 602
Goals: 2
Holds the record of all-time appearances for the club, of which a staggering 130 were consecutive. He was England’s youngest and Boro’s first capped keeper when he played against Ireland in 1905.
Rolando Ugolini
1948-1957
Appearances: 335
Italian-born and raised in Glasgow, Ugolini went onto become one of Boro’s greatest every keepers during his eight seasons with the club. Earned admiration for his flamboyant style.
Jim Platt
1971-1983
Appearances: 481
The 23-time Northern Ireland international’s career at Ayresome Park spanned five managers and left him fifth in the all-time appearance list. Also played for Hartlepool and managed Darlington.
Stephen Pears
1983 & 1985-94
Appearances: 424
Scored the final goal at Ayresome Park in his very own testimonial. He became a fans favourite after moving from Manchester United back to his native-North-East where he was born in Brandon, County Durham. He was also a coach with the club.
Mark Schwarzer
1997-2009
Appearances: 445
During his 11 years at Middlesbrough he helped them to cup finals, cup glory and promotion. Arguably his finest hour was bouncing back from an error in the 2004 Carling Cup final to help Boro triumph, while he also made a late penalty save at Manchester City to secure a UEFA Cup spot.
Jacky Carr
1910-1930
Appearances: 449
Goals: 81
A tee-totaller and non-smoker whose ability to skip past challenges, cause problems and deliver brilliant through passes made him a real fans’ favourite, particularly as a defender. His displays at club level earned him England recognition too.
George Hardwick
1937-1950
Appearances: 166
Goals: 1
Dubbed ‘Gentleman George’ for his behaviour off the pitch rather than his style on it, where he delivered exceptional performances. There’s a statue of him at the Riverside to highlight the impact he had during his time at the club when he was England and Great Britain captain.
Gordon Jones
1960-1972
Appearances: 532
Goals: 5
The Sedgefield-born full-back made more post-war appearances for Boro than any other player has and is second only to Tim Williamson in the club’s long history. He was left-footed, never sent off and captained the team for six years and won player of the year twice.
Willie Maddren
1968-77
Appearances: 354
Goals: 21
A wonderfully cultured centre-half even though he also played in seven other positions for Middlesbrough. He formed a formidable partnership at the back with Stuart Boam and helped deliver promotion in 1974 by 15 points.
Stuart Boam
1971-1979
Appearances: 393
Goals: 16
Became a reliable and dependable skipper for Boro after moving from Mansfield in a £50,000 deal. He captained Boro to the Division Two title and was rarely out of the side, winning the player of the year award in his first and last season with the club.
John Craggs
1971-1982
Appearances: 488
Goals: 14
The County Durham full-back cost a then club record £60,000 when he moved to Teesside from Newcastle. He eventually moved back to Tyneside and then onto Darlington but only after passing the 400 appearances milestone.
Tony Mowbray
1982-91
Appearances: 424
Goals: 29
Saltburn-raised Mowbray was named captain at the age of 22 and led the club to back-to-back promotions after liquidation in 1986. Bruce Rioch famously said ‘if I had to fly to the moon I would take Tony Mowbray with me’ because of how reliable he was.
Gary Pallister
1984-1988 & 1998-2000
Appearances: 249
Goals: 7
Pally was the ball-playing half of an exceptional defensive partnership with the steely Mowbray. Pallister went onto secure a move to Manchester United and become one of the best English defenders of his generation.
Gareth Southgate
2001-2006
Appearances: 224
Goals: 4
Steve McClaren’s first signing in 2001 turned out to be one of his finest moves. The England manager, who also had a spell in charge at the Riverside, went onto become the only Boro captain to lift a major trophy in 2004.
Jonathan Woodgate
2006-2008 and 2012-2016
Appearances: 112
Goals: 2
Injuries have always prevented the Nunthorpe-born centre-back from becoming the success he could have been. Nevertheless he showed the sort of quality which made him a Real Madrid player when he played and was exceptional when he did get going.
Lindy Delaphena
1950-1958
Appearances: 270
Goals: 93
Played on the wing or as an inside forward. He was the first Jamaican to play in England and his career took off at Boro, where he was also the first black player to represent the club. His rocket-like shot helped him to 90 goals during his eight years making a name for himself on Teesside.
David Armstrong
1970-81
Appearances: 431
Goals: 77
Durham-born Armstrong played an astonishing 358 consecutive matches between March 1972 and September 1980, so he was an ever-present in the promotion winning 19973-74 side. A gifted left-footed midfielder who went on to play for Southampton and England.
Graeme Souness
1972-1978
Appearances: 216
Goals: 27
The Scotland midfielder was integral to the team that won the Second Division under Jack Charlton in 1974 and during his time on Teesside he showed everyone how good he was. His displays earned a move to Liverpool where he won domestic and European titles.
Bobby Murdoch
1973-1976
Appearances: 125
Goals: 9
Went on to be the manager, but during his final years playing he was the pass master alongside the younger Graeme Souness in the midfield which got Jack Charlton’s side into old Division One. Many felt he was at Ayresome there for a pay-day after arriving from glorious Celtic years, but he shone like the star he was.
Craig Johnston
1977-1981
Appearances: 77
Goals: 16
The Aussie was invited to stay over at Middlesbrough by Jack Charlton as a schoolboy and made his first team debut aged 17. He caused problems as both a midfielder and forward and his quality caught the eye of Liverpool where he won the double in 1986.
Craig Hignett
1992-1998
Appearances: 196
Goals: 48
Etched his name in the club’s history by scoring the first goal at the Riverside in 1995 and that arrived right in the middle of an exciting time in his career. He helped Middlesbrough to League and FA Cup finals under Bryan Robson too having moved from Crewe for £500,000.
Bryan Robson
1994-1997
Appearances: 26
Goals: 1
Before retiring ten days before his 40th birthday he had enjoyed two-and-a-half years as Middlesbrough’s player-manager. He didn’t play that much later on, but initially he showed why he was such a force at Manchester United to lead the team he managed to promotion.
Emerson
1996-1998
Appearances: 71
Goals: 11
The Brazilian didn’t spend as long as fans would have liked at Middlesbrough, but he showed his quality and class during his time there. The all-action midfielder scored and created goals, as well as won the ball regularly in the middle. He will also be remembered for going AWOL after interest from Barcelona.
Stewart Downing
2001-2009 & 2015-2017
Appearances: 380
Goals: 27
The Pallister Park-raised winger was one of the country’s hottest young talents during his first spell at the Riverside, having graduated from the club’s academy. His left-foot and ability to deliver a brilliant cross also earned him England call-ups and a World Cup outing.
George Boateng
2002-2008
Appearances: 223
Goals: 9
The Dutchman was one of Steve McClaren’s best pieces of transfer business when he agreed to pay Aston Villa £5m. He went on to make Middlesbrough tick in in the centre of the pitch, driving them on to Carling Cup glory and a UEFA Cup spot in 2004 and 2006.
George Elliott
1910-1923
Appearances: 364
Goals: 213
A magnificent centre-forward who scored goals for fun. He was Middlesbrough’s leading scorer for seven out of nine seasons and is second in the club’s all-time list of scorers. He also holds the record of hitting the most in one game after scoring 11 in a 14-1 reserves win over Houghton Rovers.
George Camsell
1925-39
Appearances: 453
Goals: 345
During his prolific years at Middlesbrough after a £500 move, the Framwellgate Moor-raised Camsell banged in goals in spurts like the time he hit 18 goals in nine matches. He also hit 11 in eight in another spell, while his physical presence and quick acceleration was a worry for defenders.
Wilf Mannion
1936-54
Appearances: 368
Goals: 110
He was the golden boy of Middlesbrough in the immediate post-war years because he was a complete inside-forward. He could cut through defences and score with a sudden burst of pace. He might have only been 5ft 5in but he was sturdy and powerful.
Alan Peacock
1954-1964
Appearances: 238
Goals: 141
Peacock scored 141 goals in Middlesbrough colours and finished as the top scorer in two seasons having been Brian Clough’s foil for a number of years before that. He played at the World Cup in Chile in 1962 after scoring 24 in 34 games following Clough’s move to Sunderland.
Brian Clough
1955-61
Appearances: 222
Goals: 204
The locally produced centre-forward was a supreme goalpoacher and his record speaks for itself. Even though he is renowned even more nowadays for his managerial career, Clough had determination, strength and pace … but most of all he could finish in the penalty box.
John Hickton
1966-1977
Appearances: 499
Goals: 193
Only two have played more games for the club and just three have scored more goals than him. Stan Anderson turned him from a defender to a free-scoring centre-forward who was famed for scoring penalties after a 20-yard run up.
Micky Fenton
1971-1979
Appearances: 296
Goals: 162
Fenton smashed enough goals to make him the fifth highest scoring player in the club’s history, despite the outbreak of World War II. He stayed at Middlesbrough despite interest from Everton and he was regarded as one of the most natural goalscorers of his generation.
Bernie Slaven
1985-1993
Appearances: 390
Goals: 146
Willie Maddren, the manager, bought him for just £25,000 from Albion Rovers and he went onto become on the club’s most legendary strikers, on and off the field. The Ireland international has stayed around on Teesside, having been worshipped for his predatory instincts in the box.
Fabrizio Ravanelli
1996-97
Appearances: 50
Goals: 32
The White Feather stunned the world when the hottest striker in Europe opted to swap Juventus for Middlesbrough. After scoring a hat-trick on his Premier League debut in 1996, he went on to fire them to League and FA Cup finals. Relegation saw him move on too soon.
Juninho
1995-97, 1999-2000 & 2002-04
Appearances: 152
Goals: 34
The little fella, as he is affectionately known at the Riverside, lit up Teesside and the Premier League with his performances. His trickery and heart drew affection from supporters, with his size not preventing the World Cup winner from becoming one of the Premier League’s best players of his era.