2005–06 Middlesbrough F.C. season

December 2019 March 2015 Middlesbrough 2005–06 Steve McClaren Steve Gibson Premier League 14th FA Cup Semi-final League Cup Quarter-final UEFA Cup Runners-up Yakubu (13) Yakubu (19) 31,908 v LiverpoolAway: 69,531 v Man Utd 10,791 v Crystal PalaceAway: 6,000 v Nuneaton _whitehorizontal FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 _thindkbluesides 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 2004–05 2006–07 Middlesbrough participated in the Premier League during the 2005–06 season, where they finished in 14th place. Middlesbrough had qualified for the UEFA Cup via the league the previous season, and this season saw them make a dramatic run all the way to the final where they lost 4–0 to Sevilla. Meanwhile, they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the semi-final by losing finalists West Ham United and out of the League Cup in the quarter-finals by Blackburn Rovers. The end of the season saw the departure of manager Steve McClaren after five years and 250 games in charge as he went on to become manager of the England national football team. Team kit and sponsors During this season, Middlesbrough's kits were once again sponsored by 888.com and produced by Errea. The club retained the white band of the previous season, however, this season, the white band swept down the right hand side of the kit and followed down the shorts. The away kit was plain blue with navy panels red piping. A white third kit was required for the away tie at FC Basel, to avoid a clash with their red-and-blue home kit. Squad Senior squad Appearances and goals Appearance and goalscoring records for all the players who were in the Middlesbrough F.C. first team squad during the 2005–06 season.http://www.soccerbase.com/squad_season.sd?teamid=1697 Middlesbro 2005/2006 player appearances Soccerbase 22 December 2007 3 March 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090303153113/http://www.soccerbase.com/squad_season.sd?teamid=1697 dead Middlesbrough players: UEFA Cup 2006 Premier League FA Cup League Cup UEFA Cup 1 Australia GK Mark Schwarzer 27 0 6 0 3 0 11 0 2 Netherlands DF Michael Reiziger 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Portugal DF Abel Xavier 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 France DF Franck Queudrue 26+3 3 3 0 2+1 0 9+5 0 4 England DF Ugo Ehiogu 16+2 0 2+1 0 2 0 4+3 0 5 England DF Chris Riggott 22 0 5 1 2 0 13 1 6 England DF Gareth Southgate 24 0 6+1 0 2 0 9 0 7 Netherlands MF George Boateng 25+1 2 4 0 2 0 12 1 8 Slovakia FW Szilárd Németh 1+4 0 0 0 1+1 1 2+2 0 9 Netherlands FW Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 12+10 10 5+1 3 3 1 12+1 4 10 Brazil MF Fábio Rochemback 22 2 5 1 3 0 5+1 0 11 England FW Malcolm Christie 3+3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Austria DF Emanuel Pogatetz 21+3 1 5 0 2+1 0 9 0 14 Spain MF Gaizka Mendieta 15+2 2 6 1 0 0 6 0 15 England MF Ray Parlour 11+2 0 0+2 0 0 0 2+2 0 16 Cameroon FW Joseph Desire-Job 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 Brazil MF Doriva 19+8 0 2+1 0 3 0 8 0 18 Italy FW Massimo Maccarone 6+11 2 0+3 0 0+2 0 3+5 5 19 England MF Stewart Downing 11+1 1 5 0 0 0 9 0 20 Nigeria FW Yakubu 29+5 13 7 4 1+1 0 5+9 2 21 England DF Stuart Parnaby 19+1 2 8 1 2+1 0 9+2 1 22 AUS GK Brad Jones 9 0 2+1 0 0 0 4 0 23 England DF Colin Cooper 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 ENG DF Andrew Davies 4+8 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 25 ENG MF James Morrison 21+3 1 2+1 1 1 0 7+2 0 26 England DF Matthew Bates 12+4 0 4 0 1+2 0 5 0 27 England GK Ross Turnbull 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 England DF Anthony McMahon 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 30 ENG FW Danny Graham 1+2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 England DF David Wheater 4+2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 ENG GK David Knight 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 ENG DF Andrew Taylor 7+6 0 4 0 0 0 1+2 0 34 ENG MF Jason Kennedy 1+2 0 0 0 0 0 1+2 0 36 Australia FW Mark Viduka 19+8 7 3+2 2 2 1 8+1 6 37 ENG MF Adam Johnson 8+5 1 1 0 1 0 2+1 0 39 England MF Lee Cattermole 10+4 1 4+1 0 0 0 3+2 0 41 England MF Josh Walker 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 42 England FW Tom Craddock 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |} Discipline Disciplinary records for 2005–06 league and cup matches. Players with 1 card or more included only.http://soccernet-akamai.espn.go.com/team/squad?id=369&season=2005&cat=starts&view=1&cc=5739 https://web.archive.org/web/20110711102907/http://soccernet-akamai.espn.go.com/team/squad?id=369&season=2005&cat=starts&view=1&cc=5739 dead 11 July 2011 ESPNsoccernet: Middlesbrough Squad Statistics 23 December 2007 ESPNsoccernet No.Nat.Player10px Yellow cards10px Red cards1 Australia Mark Schwarzer 102 England Stuart Parnaby 303 France Franck Queudrue 804 England Ugo Ehiogu 015 England Chris Riggott 616 England Gareth Southgate 107 Netherlands George Boateng 908 Slovakia Szilárd Németh footballer 109 Netherlands Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 8010Brazil Fábio Rochemback 7012Austria Emanuel Pogatetz 11014Spain Gaizka Mendieta 3015England Ray Parlour 4017Brazil Doriva 5118Italy Massimo Maccarone 6019England Stewart Downing 1020Nigeria Yakubu 1022Australia Brad Jones Brad Jones (footballer) 1024England Andrew Davies Andrew Davies (footballer) 1026England Matthew Bates 6029England Anthony McMahon 1030England Danny Graham Danny Graham (footballer) 1033England Andrew Taylor Andrew Taylor (footballer born 1986) 1036Australia Mark Viduka 1039England Lee Cattermole 70 Transfers In DatePlayerPrevious clubFeeRef 28 June 2005 Austria Emanuel PogatetzGER Bayer Leverkusen£1.8 millionPogatetz A Ahttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4091574.stm Middlesbrough seal Pogatetz deal 28 June 2005 22 December 2007 BBC Sport 1 July 2005 Nigeria YakubuPortsmouth£7.5 millionhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4552089.stm Middlesbrough agree Yakubu deal 23 May 2005 22 December 2007 BBC Sport 31 August 2005 Brazil Fábio RochembackESP BarcelonaUndisclosedhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4199286.stm Transfer deadline day round-up BBC Sport 31 August 2005 22 December 2007 31 August 2005 Portugal Abel XavierITA A.S. RomaFreehttp://www.soccerbase.com/transfers_by_team.sd?teamid=1697 Middlesbro's transfers in 2005/2006 Soccerbase 23 December 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20071229220016/http://www.soccerbase.com/transfers_by_team.sd?teamid=1697 29 December 2007 live Out For departures of players out of contract at the end of 2004-05 see 2004–05 Middlesbrough F.C. season. DatePlayerNew ClubFeeRef31 August 2005Netherlands Michael ReizigerNED PSV EindhovenUndisclosedhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4196780.stm Ball makes move to PSV Eindhoven BBC Sport 1 September 2005 23 December 200723 January 2006Portugal Abel Xavier-Contract terminatedhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4640062.stm Middlesbrough end Xavier contract BBC Sport 23 January 2006 23 December 200726 January 2006Slovakia Szilárd NémethFRA StrasbourgNominalhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4643392.stm Nemeth makes Middlesbrough exit BBC Sport 25 January 2006 23 December 20077 May 2006England Colin CooperMiddlesbrough (as coach)Retired6 July 2006Brazil DorivaBRA América-SPOut of contracthttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/5153858.stm Doriva released by Middlesbrough BBC Sport 6 July 2006 23 December 200711 July 2006Netherlands Jimmy Floyd HasselbainkCharlton AthleticOut of contracthttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/5168142.stm Hasselbaink not given Boro deal BBC Sport 4 July 2006 23 December 200719 September 2006Cameroon Joseph-Desire JobFRA SedanOut of contracthttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/5360750.stm Desire-Job joins Sedan BBC Sport 19 September 2006 23 December 2007 Loans out DatePlayerClub AtPeriodRef5 July 2005ENG Andrew DaviesDerby CountyTo 30 January 2006Davies B Bhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/4651691.stm Derby snap up Davies on loan deal BBC Sport 5 July 2005 23 December 20076 July 2005ENG Andrew TaylorBradford CityTo 3 January 2006Taylor C Chttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bradford_city/4646659.stm Taylor agrees Bantams loan switch BBC Sport 6 July 2005 23 December 2007https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4581798.stm Taylor recalled by Middlesbrough BBC Sport 5 January 2006 23 December 20072 August 2005ENG Ross TurnbullCrewe AlexandraTo 23 April 2006Turnbull D Dhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4741171.stm Crewe nip in for keeper Turnbull BBC Sport 3 August 2005 23 December 2007https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/crewe_alexandra/4942548.stm Middlesbrough recall Crewe keeper BBC Sport 25 April 2006 23 December 200731 August 2005Cameroon Joseph-Désiré Job Saudi Arabia Al-IttihadTo end of season https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4201182.stm Job moves to Saudi Arabia on loan BBC Sport 31 August 2005 23 December 200724 November 2005ENG Danny GrahamDerby County3 monthshttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/4467834.stm Derby sign Boro striker on loan BBC Sport 24 November 2005 23 December 200731 December 2005ENG David KnightDarlingtonTo 8 January 2006Knight E Ehttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/darlington/4594280.stm Quakers hit by injury to keeper BBC Sport 23 December 2007 9 January 200610 February 2006England David WheaterDoncaster Rovers2 monthsWheater F Fhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/doncaster/4781428.stm Rovers extend duo's loan spells BBC Sport 23 December 2007 23 December 200723 March 2006England Danny GrahamLeeds United2 monthsGraham G Ghttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/4837268.stm Leeds complete Graham loan deal BBC Sport 23 December 2007 23 March 2006 Notes Pogatetz A A Pogatetz' fee could rise to £1.8 million. Davies B B Davies' loan was initially intended to last the full season. Taylor C C Taylor's loan was initially intended to last the full season. Turnbull D D Turnbull's loan was initially intended to last six months. The deal was extended further, but he was then recalled. Knight E E Knight was injured during a game and returned to Middlesbrough after one week. Wheater F F Wheater's loan was initially intended to last one month, but it was extended for a second month after good performances. Graham G G Graham's loan was initially intended to last one month, but was extended for a second month. Premier League 2005–06 FA Premier League Following their 7th-place finish the previous season, Boro fans were cautiously optimistic for the upcoming season. Despite losing Bolo Zenden (who left on a free to join Liverpool), the signings of Yakubu, Abel Xavier and Emanuel Pogatetz bolstered the squad and made it appear a lot stronger. These signings, along with the promise of another season in the UEFA cup promised a season to look forward to for the fans. However, things didn't go as planned for Boro, and they only won 2 of their first 7 games in the league. Remarkably, one of the two games they won was against Arsenal, and this set the tone for the season. During the course of the season, Middlesbrough lost to all three promoted clubs, yet somehow managed to beat Manchester United 4–1, Arsenal 2–1 and Chelsea 3–0. The season stuttered as Boro progressed in both the FA Cup and UEFA Cup. This resulted in poor league form, and following a dismal 4–0 home defeat to Aston Villa, a fan ran onto the pitch and threw his season ticket at Steve McClaren in sheer frustration at the lack of coordination the team seemed to have. He was given a standing ovation from the crowd. No one picked up the season ticket. The lack of depth in the Boro squad, combined with the two cup runs took their toll on the league position and Boro eventually finished 14th – a bitter disappointment for the fans who expected the club to build on last years success. The final position was put down to the team playing 64 games in the season (a record for a Premier League club) and a lack of depth in the squad to cover the injuries and fatigue that occurred from this number of games. A positive for the Boro fans was the final Premier League game of the season against Fulham, where 15 of the 16 squad members were from the local area (the exception being Malcolm Christie). When Josh Walker replaced Malcolm Christie after 62 minutes the 11 players on the field were all born within 30 miles of Middlesbrough and all graduates of the club's academy. Lee Cattermole captained the team for the match and became Boro's youngest ever captain. It was also the first all English line up in the Premier League since Bradford City in 1999, the first all English match squad since Aston Villa in 1998 and the youngest starting line-up in Premier League history. https://everythingmfc.co.uk/articles/boro-youngsters-fulham/ Fulham vs Boro: The youngest team in PL history – where are they now? Tom Flight 12 January 2018 everythingmfc.co.uk 5 December 2019 Results Results per matchday table b Matchday Ground H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/H/A/A/H/A/H/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/A/A Result D/L/W/L/W/D/L/W/D/L/W/L/W/D/L/L/D/L/D/D/L/L/W/L/W/W/W/L/L/W/W/L/L/W/L/D/D/L Position 11/15/7/12/7/8/11/10/10/12/10/13/11/10/10/13/13/13/14/16/16/17/16/17/16/16/15/15/15/14/14/14/14/13/15/14/13/14 Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss gold silver bronze green1 blue1 lavender red1 #CCFFCC Win 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFFFCC Draw 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFCCCC Loss 1px solid #AAAAAA Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk. GameDateVenueOpponentResultF–AAttendanceBoro GoalscorersMan of the Match113 August 2005HLiverpool0–031,908 Boateng220 August 2005ATottenham Hotspur0–235,844 Southgate323 August 2005ABirmingham City3–027,998Viduka (2) 14', 45', Queudrue 71'Viduka428 August 2005HCharlton Athletic0–326,206 Viduka510 September 2005HArsenal2–128,075Yakubu 40', Maccarone 59'Maccarone618 September 2005AWigan Athletic1–116,641Yakubu 14'Southgate725 September 2005HSunderland0–229,583 Boateng82 October 2005AAston Villa3–229,719Yakubu (2) 33', 88' (pen.), Boateng 64' Yakubu915 October 2005HPortsmouth1–126,551Yakubu 54'Boateng1023 October 2005AWest Ham United1–234,612Queudrue 87'Riggott1129 October 2005HManchester United4–130,579Mendieta (2) 2', 78', Hasselbaink 25', Yakubu 45+6'Mendieta126 November 2005AEverton0–134,349 Mendieta1320 November 2005HFulham3–227,599Morrison 64', Yakubu 76', Hasselbaink 84'Yakubu1427 November 2005HWest Bromwich Albion2–227,041Viduka 12', Yakubu 66' (pen.)Németh153 December 2005AChelsea0–141,666 Rochemback1610 December 2005ALiverpool0–243,510 Southgate1718 December 2005HTottenham Hotspur3–327,614Yakubu (2) 30', 43', Queudrue 69'Viduka1826 December 2005HBlackburn Rovers0–229,811 Riggott1931 December 2005HManchester City0–028,022 Mendieta202 January 2006ANewcastle United2–252,302Yakubu 54', Hasselbaink 87'Cattermole2114 January 2006AArsenal0–738,186 Parnaby2221 January 2006HWigan Athletic2–327,208Hasselbaink 56', Yakubu 66'Downing2331 January 2006ASunderland3–031,675Pogatetz 19', Parnaby 31', Hasselbaink 71'Cattermole247 February 2006HAston Villa0–427,299 Cattermole2511 February 2006HChelsea3–031,037Rochemback 2', Downing 45', Yakubu 68'Yakubu2626 February 2006AWest Bromwich Albion2–024,061Hasselbaink (2) 17', 44' Hasselbaink274 March 2006HBirmingham City1–028,141Viduka 45'Cattermole2812 March 2006ACharlton Athletic1–224,830Viduka 81'A. Johnson2918 March 2006ABlackburn Rovers2–318,681Viduka 16', Rochemback 62'Morrison3026 March 2006HBolton Wanderers4–325,971Hasselbaink (2) 8' (pen.), 47', Viduka 30', Parnaby 90+2'Viduka312 April 2006AManchester City1–040,256Cattermole 42'Rochemback329 April 2006HNewcastle United1–231,202Boateng 79'Viduka3315 April 2006APortsmouth0–120,204 Bates3417 April 2006HWest Ham United2–027,658Hasselbaink 41', Maccarone 57' (pen.)Parlour3529 April 2006HEverton0–129,224 Wheater361 May 2006AManchester United0–069,531 Bates373 May 2006ABolton Wanderers1–122,733A. Johnson 47'Turnbull387 May 2006AFulham0–122,434 The whole team Classification MID League Cup Football League Cup 2005-06 Middlesbrough were reasonably successful in the League Cup, beating Everton and Crystal Palace. However, they lost 1–0 in the quarter-finals after a poor performance at home to Blackburn Rovers. Results #CCFFCC Win 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFFFCC Draw 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFCCCC Loss 1px solid #AAAAAA Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk. RoundDateVenueOpponentResultF–AAttendanceBoro GoalscorersMan of the MatchReport326 October 2005AEverton1–025,844Hasselbaink 38'QueuedrueReport430 November 2005HCrystal Palace2–110,791Viduka 52', Németh 55'BoatengReportQF21 December 2005HBlackburn Rovers0–114,710 RiggottReport FA Cup FA Cup 2005-06 One of the highlights of Boro's season was their FA Cup run. Despite making hard work of seemingly easy matches, the team reached the semi-final where they lost 1–0 to West Ham. The run started in the 3rd round against non-league outfit Nuneaton Borough. Nuneaton had exceeded all expectations to even reach the 3rd round and it seemed a comfortable win on paper for Boro. However, Nuneaton had different ideas, and after Boro had scored an early goal through Gaizka Mendieta, they dominated the match. They equalised through Gez Murphy and had a penalty appeal turned down in the final minutes. The match went onto a replay at the Riverside where Middlesbrough ended up 5–2 winners, but credit went to Nuneaton for a spirited display. The 4th round drew Middlesbrough away at Coventry, were again they were held to a draw by lower league opposition, again the score was 1–1. The replay was a tense match which Boro eventually won 1–0 with a goal from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The 5th round was away at Preston North End and proved to be slightly more straight forward with Boro winning 2–0. Yet another away draw came in the quarter-finals, this time against fellow Premier League side Charlton Athletic. A tedious match ended in another replay. The replay at the Riverside was a total opposite to the first match, and a fantastic display of attacking football by a Boro side inspired by Mark Viduka led to a 4–2 win and a place in the semi-finals. The semi finals drew Middlesbrough against West Ham United. The number of matches the team had played in the season had caught up with them by this point and this proved a match too far for the team. They lost 1–0, with Marlon Harewood scoring the winner. More bad news for Boro was that they lost Mark Schwarzer, who received a fractured cheekbone after an elbow by Dean Ashton. Results #CCFFCC Win 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFFFCC Draw 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFCCCC Loss 1px solid #AAAAAA Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk. RoundDateVenueOpponentResultF–AAttendanceBoro GoalscorersMan of the MatchReport37 January 2006ANuneaton Borough1–16,000Mendieta 15'MorrisonReport3R17 January 2006HNuneaton Borough5–226,255Riggott 34', Yakubu (2) 42' (pen.), 58', Parnaby 50', Viduka 63'CattermoleReport428 January 2006ACoventry City1–128,120Hasselbaink 46'SchwarzerReport4R8 February 2006HCoventry City1–014,131Hasselbaink 20'SouthgateReport519 February 2006APreston North End2–019,877Yakubu (2) 52', 77'RiggottReport623 March 2006ACharlton Athletic0–024,925 EhioguReport6R12 April 2006HCharlton Athletic4–230,248Rochemback 11', Morrison 26', Hasselbaink 73', Viduka 77'SchwarzerReportSF23 April 2006NWest Ham United0–139,148 QueudrueReport UEFA Cup 2005–06 UEFA Cup The UEFA Cup campaign was a rollercoaster ride for Boro fans, which ended up with a loss in the final to Sevilla. However, to get that far in only the club's second ever season in Europe and the manner in which they did it means that the campaign will go down in the club's history. First knockout stage Boro's long cup run began in September with a home game against Xanthi of Greece. A 2–0 win, followed by a 0–0 draw away from home resulted in Boro reaching the group stages for the second year in a row. Results #CCFFCC Win 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFFFCC Draw 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFCCCC Loss 1px solid #AAAAAA Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk. RoundDateVenueOpponentResultF–AAttendanceBoro GoalscorersMan of the MatchReferee1 Leg 115 September 2005HGreece Skoda Xanthi2–014,191Boateng 28', Viduka 83'Maccarone Stefan Messner (Austria)1 Leg 229 September 2005AGreece Skoda Xanthi0–0(2–0 agg)5,013 Doriva Knut Kircher (Germany) Group stage 2005–06 UEFA Cup group stage#Group D Middlesbrough made light work of Group D, finishing top of the group by beating Grasshoppers, Dnipro and Liteks Lovech and drawing away at AZ Alkmaar. The only low point of the group campaign was the fatal stabbing of a Boro fan before the Alkmaar match. Results #CCFFCC Win 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFFFCC Draw 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFCCCC Loss 1px solid #AAAAAA Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk. DateVenueOpponentResultF–AAttendanceBoro GoalscorersMan of the MatchReferee20 October 2005ASwitzerland Grasshoppers Zürich1–08,500Hasselbaink 10'Riggott Espen Berntsen (Norway)3 November 2005HUkraine Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk3–012,953Yakubu 36', Viduka (2) 50', 56'Mendieta Bertrand Layec (France)24 November 2005ANetherlands AZ0–08,461 Jones Gianluca Paparesta (Italy)15 December 2005HBulgaria Litex Lovech2–09,436Maccarone (2) 80', 86'Maccarone Serge Gumienny (Belgium) Group table Group D MID Second knockout phase They were drawn against Stuttgart in the next round, a tough match for this stage of the competition. Middlesbrough produced a fantastic 2–1 away win in the first leg, but had to endure a nervy second leg where they lost 1–0 to progress on away goals. In the next round Boro faced Roma, another difficult match. However, despite two very close matches, Middlesbrough again drew 2–2 over the two legs, and again progressed on away goals. Boro faced F.C. Basel in the quarter-finals. The first leg didn't go to plan, seeing Boro lose 2–0 and facing a tricky task in the home leg. They made the worst possible start in the return leg, conceding an early goal, and needed four to go through to the semi-finals. This sparked an amazing comeback and goals from Viduka(2) and Hasselbaink brought Boro level, but they were still losing on away goals. With time running out, Massimo Maccarone scored the winner to send a jubilant Boro team through to the semi-finals. The semi final against Steaua Bucharest proved to be just as close and exciting as the quarter-final. The first leg in Bucharest finished 1–0 to Steaua, leaving Boro with a good chance of progressing if they put in a good performance in the home leg. Things didn't go to plan though and Middlesbrough conceded 2 early goals, and go down 3–0 on aggregate. This meant that Boro again needed four goals to progress in the competition. Amazingly, Boro drew level through goals from Maccarone, Viduka and Riggott. Somehow Middlesbrough managed to get the goal they needed, in the last minute of added time a cross was met with a diving header from Maccarone to go 4–3 up on aggregate and seal the tie for Middlesbrough. This meant a place in the final against Sevilla waited for the team on 10 May 2006. The final didn't go to plan though, and a very tired performance from team gave Sevilla a 4–0 victory. Despite the loss, the cup run was an incredible experience for the fans and it will stay in their memories for a long time. Results #CCFFCC Win 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFFFCC Draw 1px solid #AAAAAA #FFCCCC Loss 1px solid #AAAAAA Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to mfc.co.uk. RoundDateVenueOpponentResultF–AAttendanceBoro GoalscorersMan of the MatchReportReferee3 Leg 116 February 2006AGermany VfB Stuttgart2–121,000Hasselbaink 20', Parnaby 49'BoatengReport Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)3 Leg 223 February 2006HGermany VfB Stuttgart0–1(2–2a agg)24,018 SouthgateReport Eric Braamhaar (Netherlands)4 Leg 19 March 2006HItaly A.S. Roma1–025,534Yakubu 12' (pen.)CattermoleReport Alain Sars (France)4 Leg 215 March 2006AItaly A.S. Roma1–2(2–2a agg)32,642Hasselbaink 32'SchwarzerReport Tom Henning Øvrebø (Norway)QF Leg 130 March 2006ASwitzerland FC Basel0–223,639 VidukaReport Roberto Rosetti (Italy)QF Leg 26 April 2006HSwitzerland FC Basel4–1(4–3 agg)24,521Viduka (2) 33', 57', Hasselbaink 79', Maccarone 90'VidukaReport Yuri Baskakov (Russia)SF Leg 120 April 2006ARomania Steaua Bucharest0–141,000 SchwarzerReport Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)SF Leg 227 April 2006HRomania Steaua Bucharest4–2(4–3 agg)34,622Maccarone (2) 33', 89', Viduka 64', Riggott 73'VidukaReport Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)Final10 May 2006NSpain Sevilla FC0–436,500 RochembackReport Herbert Fandel (Germany) The end of the McClaren era The end of the season also brought about the end of Steve McClaren's spell as manager of Boro – his final match in charge being the 4–0 UEFA Cup final loss to Sevilla. After Sven-Göran Eriksson announced he would resign as England manager after the 2006 World Cup, the FA began their search for a new coach. After a prolonged and controversial search for the new manager, the FA appointed Steve McClaren as manager with Terry Venables as his number two. Middlesbrough fans saw this as a blessing in disguise, as it seemed like McClaren had taken Boro as far as he could and the time was right for a change. The fans experienced highs and lows with Boro under McClaren, including their first ever trophy and a UEFA Cup final. However, their league position had suffered as a consequence. McClaren left Middlesbrough with the following record:https://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=1657 Steve McClaren's managerial career Soccerbase 23 December 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20071225015254/http://www.soccerbase.com/managers2.sd?managerid=1657 25 December 2007 live Played Won Drawn Lost Points/Max All competitions 250 97 60 93 Premier League 190 64 50 76 242/570 (42.46%) References and notes 2 Category:Middlesbrough F.C. seasons Middlesbrough