By Ian Smith

“Emerson does the Samba!!”

There comes a time every now and again when I give Boro’s 1997 FA Cup Final track a listen (whatever happened to them?), and following Bob Mortimer’s hilarious non-story on Would I Lie To You? involving him, Chris Rea and a bath, I was prompted to hammer ‘Let’s Dance’ into the YouTube search bar once more.

The pure unbridled joy in Ali Brownlee’s voice as he yells those aforementioned words never fails to raise a smile, a moment of private nostalgia in my head taking me back to a time of Boro/Brazil crossover shirts, Samba bands, afro wigs, Brazilian flags and just all round excitement.

In the years that have passed we have often eulogised over those cup runs, the impact Juninho had and the divisive nature of Fab Rav’s time on Teesside. However, perhaps celebrated less so (although celebrated nonetheless) is a midfield powerhouse who, but for a proclivity for dancefloor action and a questionable attendance record, might have gone on to be a Club legend.

Encapsulation

Emerson Moises Costa arrived at Boro in the midst of one of the most exciting times the Club has ever experienced. Following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Juninho and Branco, ‘Emo’ was convinced to join the seemingly everlasting ‘Robbo Revolution’ as he signed for around £4.5m from Porto.

Having played under Bobby Robson in Portugal, it’s hard to imagine his namesake Bryan hadn’t leaned on his old England boss for the inside track on the Brazilian. As Bobby left for Barcelona Bryan pounced, using his incredibly influential name to snare one of Europe’s hottest properties, a player who only a few months into his time with Boro was to be the subject of a big bid from a Spanish giant.

Such was the impact Emerson had in his early days that his star was one that would burn bright yet also suffer its fair share of flickers as the 96/97 season progressed. He was the absolute encapsulation of that campaign; fun, madcap, frustrating, thrilling to watch but ultimately anti-climactic.

Even though the season offered so much promise, much like Emerson, it failed to fully deliver on such potential. Not that we didn’t have fun along the way, of course.

Right from the moment he stepped onto the pitch in a Boro shirt for the very first time, Emerson oozed class. His larger than life character shone, as well as his man mountain physique. Players appeared to bounce off him, the ball would be sucked towards him and then stick to his feet, and for a stocky bloke he had a decent turn of pace.

Watching those flowing locks flap around as he bombed about, patrolling the midfield with menace and relative ease, he looked every inch the world class midfielder. Throw into the mix a hammer of a right foot, one that threatened to rip the net of whatever goal he unleashed his latest venomous strike into, what you had was almost the complete footballer in his position.

Whether it was West Ham, his first goal for the club, Hereford, Sunderland or Chesterfield, everyone has their favourite Emerson howitzer, and I’m no different.

For me it was his effort against The Spireites in the FA Cup Semi Final replay at Hillsborough. Not hit anywhere near as cleanly or as powerfully as some of his other efforts, all the same it was a strike of the highest quality.

As the ball is played back to him on the edge of the penalty area (where else?), he proceeds to cut across the moving ball with the outside of his right boot, the ball curling ever so satisfyingly to the ‘keepers far left. As the net swelled at the ball’s impact, he wheeled away with pure joy, the face of a man who just genuinely enjoyed his football. Of course, he also found to time to showcase his trademark Samba celebration, his expressions of footballing ecstasy being just as colourful as the nation he represented.

Every goal, every barnstorming run, every opposition midfielder bamboozled and bullied only served to frustrate however, as these obvious qualities were often tempered by dips in form and most notably – unauthorised absences, or AWOL for the lovers of a good old fashioned acronym.

Selfish streak

Whether it was rumours of failing to settle (something that almost seemed expected given how far removed Teesside was from what he would normally be accustomed to), with his wife finding the prospect of living in Middlesbrough rather depressing, his love for partying or the possibility his head had been turned by outside interest, Emerson would miss games through nothing other than sheer unprofessionalism.

His previous manager at Porto, Bobby Robson – now at the Camp Nou with the Catalan giants, came calling. Alleged to have demanded his bosses to “get me Emerson”, the understandable lure of one of the biggest clubs in the world would’ve surely been hard to ignore. That being said, the interest came so early on in his time with Boro that the idea of him already being prepared to leave provided a glimpse of the sort of character they had on their hands.

Loveable though he was, he had a selfish streak running through him.

Whilst he may have stayed on for the entirety of the 96/97 season, talk of his refusal to return to Boro in the close season leading up to the campaign back in the old Division One surfaced, holding out for a move that would never come.

Remarkably, and it’s something that never fails to surprise me to this day, is that of all the personalities, talents and egos that flew around Boro throughout that topsy turvy period, it was Emerson who would be the one to remain (although given the above, one suspects it wasn’t through choice).

And while he eventually got his move, to Spanish club Tenerife in a £4.25m deal in the second half of the season, he still managed to make enough of an impact for it live long in the memory.

Ridiculous as it was for someone of his quality to be playing at second tier level, it was no less a joy to see him quite literally be head and shoulders above all those around him. Yet, it was tinged with a little sadness as this was a player who only a year earlier had been courted by Barcelona, and now here he was playing against the likes of Huddersfield.

Although it was against the Terriers that we finally got to see an almost Emerson-lite appear, the cousin – Fabio.

Many suspected he was only around to keep Emerson happy, he actually played a number of reserve games before finally making his full league debut. And though it was a decent enough bow, one would probably agree that years of myth and legend have likely romanticised his one and only appearance, adding bits to stories given who he was and the short-term nature of his time in the limelight.

But it was pure intrigue, pure bonkers, pure Emerson.

“I made a mistake”

As he hammered home his obligatory away goal against Sunderland, this time at the newly opened Stadium of Light, there was a small glimmer of hope that this was a man who might well just end up doing the unthinkable and stay on. However, it wasn’t to be as we know, but in the time passed since then there’s actually an admission from the man himself that he possibly should’ve stuck it out.

Acknowledging fault for some of his indiscretions on Teesside he said;

“I did cause problems for the club but I was young and it is different now (speaking in 2002 when at Atletico Madrid)”.

“I was shocked when they got rid of me, but I realise I gave them no choice”.

“I made a mistake and should’ve stayed”.

Easy to say after the event, but not hard to believe in some ways as here was a man, who even though he may have disappeared from time to time, frustrating club and fans, he looked to be someone who genuinely enjoyed pulling on the red of Middlesbrough Football Club.

There will always be a case of ‘what if’ with Emerson, as a quick look at his list of clubs after Boro shows what appears to be a journeyman like existence. He even made a Boro return in the UEFA Cup with Skoda Xanthi, but he was still only 33-yrs-old at this point, and you have to feel that had he fulfilled his obvious promise then he’d have been dominating the midfields of the big leagues well into his 30’s.

And whilst that wasn’t to be, despite all the drama, the bouts of unprofessionalism and actual disappearing acts, we can at least be thankful that for some part we got to witness one of the best midfielders in the world at the time, playing at the top of his game for our club.

I’m off to do “the Samba down Wembley away again” – well, in my head anyway.

Emerson: Boro's Barnstorming, Bamboozling Brazilian

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By Nathan Rayner

Throughout the season so far, Boro fans have grown increasingly frustrated and concerned about their team’s performances, style of play and also the way in which the club is being ran. After only picking up one point from a possible twelve in the last four games, the Boro faithful’s frustration looks to be reaching boiling point.

During pre-season, Boro fans had aspirations of finishing in the top two and gaining automatic promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking. Tony Pulis had brought the playing staff back into training a lot earlier than the rest of the league which furthered optimism around the club as well as the belief that they were really going to go for it this season.

For a while, it seemed that the team was following suit, with Boro sat in and around the automatic promotion-chasing pack up until mid-December. They had the best defensive record in the Championship (and still do), with only nine goals being conceded until the turn of the year. However, the forward line was far from as effective, and continues to be a major problem.

Having only scored 40 goals from 37 league games this term, Boro’s strikers have not been firing at all this term. Much of the fan-base do not pass blame onto the frontline though, but rather to Tony Pulis’ style of play. It is evident for everyone to see that Pulis has not been able to find the correct blend of fluid, attacking football and defensive prowess that proved to be such a success under the hands of Aitor Karanka from 2014 to 2016 in the Championship. In key areas of the pitch, Boro lack what has worked for the promotion-winning teams of recent Championship seasons, something which is at least partly down to the manager.

One of these key areas is the rigidness of Boro’s wing backs. A centre-back by trade, Ryan Shotton has been a fantastic pro for Boro; however, I don’t believe he has the pace needed to run the channel or consistently deliver the ball into the box with accuracy. Similarly, fan’s favourite George Friend struggles to cope, in some games, with the intensity of those who attack him. In recent years, top Championship sides have utilised their wing-backs, in order to create and defend, and these are immensely important to their systems.

Take Wolves last season as an example. With Barry Douglas (now of Leeds) at left wing-back and Matt Doherty at right wing-back, Wolves had two incredibly agile players who had the ‘legs’ to control their respected channels. Together, these two players chipped in with 9 goals and 19 assists between them (Douglas 5G, 14A, Doherty 4G, 5A). This is something that will not be seen at the Riverside under Pulis due to his belief in employing tall, strong full-backs in wing-back roles which they are not suited to.

The success of utilising agile, ‘nippy’ players as wing-backs has continued to be shown by the top-three sides this season. At Norwich City, academy products Jamal Lewis and Max Aarons have proven to be mainstays in a domineering back four, whilst Leeds have utilised winger Ezgjan Alioski in the left wing-back role in the place of the injured Barry Douglas, with the Macedonian claiming numerous goals and assists for Marcelo Bielsa’s men. And, arguably, the most successful team using a three-back system, similarly to Boro, is Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United. The Blades employ Enda Stevens and George Baldock as cavalier-type wing-backs who are vital in making their system tick.

You may argue that Boro don’t have the players to play in these roles but Cyrus Christie and Fabio da Silva, two players let go by Pulis, would no doubt suit its responsibilities had they stayed at the club.

Boro’s failure to utilise more athletic players in the wing-back roles leads onto the overall issue of what means of creativity we have on the flanks. Pulis has explained from pre-season, and all the way through the first half of the season, that Boro needed wingers. With Stewart Downing and Marcus Tavernier on the books, it begs the question as to why Pulis wouldn’t start both of them on opposite wings.

However, in early January, tricky Huddersfield Town winger, Rajiv van La Parra, was brought to the Riverside on a loan deal until the end of the season. Since then though, RVLP has only featured in five games and never for the full ninety minutes. Van La Parra has cut a rather frustrated figure as a result, with the Dutchman posting a series of cryptic messages on his social media, perhaps evidencing a strain in his relationship with Tony Pulis.

The issue of creativity has been at the forefront of Boro’s problems and another one of the reasons for this is the saga of Stewart Downing. The Boro academy graduate has been at the centre of contractual problems since December, amid speculation that he could not start another Championship match without a clause in his contract being triggered that would increase his wage packet.

The loss of Downing has somewhat coincided with Boro falling away from the automatic promotion places and into the sights of the play-off chasing pack, with his last start in the league being against Ipswich Town on the 28th of December. Downing is a player who makes the team much better with his quality and experience. The former England international provides a calming influence to the rest of the side, and this, coupled with his passing ability helped Boro massively in the first half of the season.

Despite not being fully appreciated by small minorities of the Boro faithful, it is evident to see that the Teessider is still one of the club’s best players, as was shown when he was substituted on at Villa Park. Despite only playing an hour, Downing was Boro’s shining light in a below-par performance, with lots of attempts to create chances, come deep to collect the ball and play it forward. With his contract set to expire in the summer, it is in the hands of the club and Downing’s representatives whether or not they can agree a compromise and give Downing the chance to start for Boro again.

A lot of the players looked rather dejected and subdued after the full time whistle at Villa Park last week. Watching on from the stands, the team were far from the unit that was portrayed in the huddle in front of the away end before kick-off. Many players sat on the turf, overlooked by the Holte End, dazed and seemingly out of ideas. They rose to their feet and trudged towards the corner to applaud a, now, rather empty away end. John Obi Mikel apologised to the small section of Boro fans still inside Villa Park as the gap to the chasing pack grew increasingly shorter.

Now, with a tough run of fixtures against Norwich City, Bristol City, and Swansea City to come after the international break, is it time for Pulis to make a switch in his rather rigid system? Or is it in the best interests of the team, or even the club’s hierarchy, to force change?

A Case of Shattered Expectations: Explaining Boro’s Attacking Frailties

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By Tim Sigsworth

When Tony Pulis was appointed as Middlesbrough’s manager in December 2017, few expected a finish in the top-two. Boro had spent nigh-on £50m in the summer yet languished underwhelmingly in 9th place; it was always going to be a stretch to jump at least seven places and overtake two of the three sides leading the way at the top of the table, Wolves, Cardiff, and Bristol City, when there was no chance of any permanent signings arriving in January.

However, it was expected that Pulis would get to know his expensively-assembled squad during the remainder of the season, achieve a play-off finish, strengthen in the summer and win automatic promotion in the 2018/19 season.

Things haven’t gone to plan.

With nine games of the regular Championship season to go, Boro sit in fifth place with a game in hand on the teams around them, one position higher than they did at this point last season.

However, hot on their heels are Aston Villa and Preston North End, two sides who are one point behind, have won four of their last five league games and have beaten Boro in the Teessiders’ last two games. Following closely behind them are Derby County, Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest.

Automatic promotion is out of the question. It’s not possible for Boro to make up a sixteen-point gap in nine games. What is possible, however, is for Boro to finish outside of the play-offs.

With just four points separating fifth and eleventh, the race for the play-offs is tight. With just seven points from a possible eighteen in their last six games, Boro’s promotion chances hang ever so delicately in the balance. With the likes of Norwich City, Bristol City, Swansea City, Hull City, Stoke City and Nottingham Forest still to play, is a play-off finish out of reach?

Well, regardless of current form and who we have still to play, Boro remain in a play-off position. Admittedly by a small margin, but the opportunity is still there to shake off our poor form and get back to winning ways.

Moreover, the international break has come at probably the best possible time. It offers a chance to Pulis and his players to rest, refocus and re-energise. Two of our most influential players, John Obi Mikel and Lewis Wing, have looked a tad jaded in the last few games, especially against Villa. The break, then, should benefit them massively.

The break also allows Pulis and his staff to mark a line in the sand and work on weaknesses.

Let’s face it, Boro do not need a short-term tactical overhaul. They dominated Preston for an hour before Ayala’s wrongful dismissal and bossed Brentford after opting to go for two-up-top, a high press, a dynamic midfield and advanced wing-backs. There were more than enough chances in both of those games to seal a comfortable victory and that should be a sign of encouragement, especially in comparison to the no-show drubbing at Villa when Pulis reverted to type and opted for a rigid 5-4-1.

The Norwich game may be a step too far for the more adventurous system given the Canaries’ prowess in front of goal but, with a little bit of tactical tweaking and the correct in-game substitutions, it could help overcome Boro’s attacking inaccuracy and defensive uncertainty for the run-in.

Morale, in and of itself, will be another crucial factor in Boro’s fight to achieve a play-off place. There’s no doubt that the 3-0 drubbing away at Villa will have been one of the lowest moments of the season for the squad. Boro hadn’t lost two in a row this season until the Preston game, and then extended that unwanted record still further in a slapstick display at Villa Park.

Pulis has to pick his players up off the ground and ready them for the biggest nine games of his and, in most cases, their Boro careers. He has to make them believe that a play-off finish and a play-off winners’ medal are achievable ambitions. There are no two ways about it.

Without those winners’ medals, lucrative contracts and futures in the Premier League will be thrown out of the window. The players’ futures will be far from certain when Boro’s pre-tax revenues drop to £23m next summer if promotion isn’t achieved. Let’s not beat around the bush, few of them have performed well enough this season to warrant an extended period at the club, apart from the likes of Darren Randolph, Ryan Shotton, Dael Fry, Lewis Wing and John Obi Mikel.

Us supporters have to feel this pressure too. If we don’t achieve promotion, there will be no big name signings, it’s likely that we’ll have to sell to buy and there’s no guarantee that the aforementioned fantastic five will stay at the club much longer. It’s paramount that we buy into Pulis, the team and the club for this crucial period, no matter how tough it has been this season and no matter how tough our run-in may appear in the context of current form.

The club are trying their best to get us on side. They’re attempting, whether you like or loathe the Captain James Cook Stadium, to drum up quasi-patriotic support ahead of the Norwich game this Saturday. You may point towards season ticket price increases as a counter-point but a minor increase is absolutely necessary when revenues are set to halve next summer if promotion isn’t achieved.

Vocal, vociferous support goes hand-in-hand with team morale. If players see that fans are on their side, it gives them confidence to take a risk, beat their man, find the bottom corner. Likewise, when fans see that their men in red are committed and prepared to give their all for the shirt, they’ll lend their full support. It’s a symbiotic relationship which is dependent on both parties.

I’m not trying to argue that supporters being prepared to support is the sole factor governing whether Boro will achieve a play-off place or not. Tactics, substitutions, morale and luck will also play their part, arguably, especially in the case of the latter, to a greater degree.

What I’m arguing is that it is a significant factor and the most significant factor which supporters have the ability to influence. Calls for Pulis’ head, to change tactics and to throw the kids in help no one in the situation we’re in and are not likely to be heeded. This season has proven that time and time again.

No matter how distant they may seem, the play-offs and promotion are still there to be achieved. We have to get behind the lads, lend them our full support and channel the spirit of Teesside, the spirit of ’86, the spirit of – dare I say it – 2014/15 and 2015/16.

Are the play-offs out of reach?

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By Ian Smith

When I was asked by @boropolis to do a piece on Juninho my initial feeling was one of caution. Not that I wouldn’t want to look back and put something together on quite simply the best player we’ve ever seen in a Middlesbrough shirt, my worry was how do you even add to what’s already a well told story (a magical one at that, too)?

His genius is well known.

Yet, despite this, I really wanted to write something a little more personal about how his arrival impacted me.

With that then, I set about sending myself back in time, back to the day when school playgrounds and Premier League sticker books were a big part of my life. Looking back to posters on bedroom walls and football just being everything to me – and how Juninho’s arrival sent my excitement levels up a fair few notches.

Sore Thumb

Growing up in Doncaster, the playground could be a lonely place when it came to footballing allies. With Liverpool and Manchester United dominating my fellow peers’ attention, and the likes of Sheffield Wednesday/United being quite well supported in the area too, for a Middlesbrough fan in this South Yorkshire town I had the feeling of being a very sore thumb sticking out in the crowd.

My Dad, born and bred in the Boro, had moved to Doncaster in the late 70’s. His separation from his roots only served to intensify his support for his beloved team, so much so that he managed to convert my Mum, who when they meet had been a Leeds fan!

Anyway, on the 29th December 1984 I came along, the second of two boys (my brother was born in 1982), and at this point it will have been decided – we were born into a religion.

That of course, was the religion of football, and more specifically Middlesbrough Football Club.

The ceremonial presentation of the shirt when I was barely old enough to string a sentence together (the Heritage Hampers years) confirmed my allegiance. From that day on there was no other club for me.

As years progressed through school, I had to endure many a baffled mate in the playground questioning my choice of player to shout loudly as I smashed a screamer home (or a window). You know, you pretend to be your heroes so you exclaim their name as you imagine yourself as them. There was a roster of players if you like, a number of whom were my favourites, and no doubt the sort of names you’d have heard regularly in the playgrounds of Middlesbrough.

Slaven, Hendrie, Ripley, Wilkinson, Moore, Mustoe to name but a few – they were my ‘go to’ names. Legends to me, but to everyone else they were nobodies. My mates were too busy with the likes of Rush, Fowler, Kanchelskis, Cole, Cantona and McManaman.

I was too consumed with my Ayresome Park favourites.

I’d even day dream about being a pupil at the school that resided next door to the old Boro ground as I walked down the cobbled road to those famous gates.

“Why can’t I go there, Dad? I bet they all love The Boro”

“Because we live about 90 miles away, son” – would come his reply.

Fair enough.

To be honest, by the time I’d reached the latter stages of primary school I kind of enjoyed being different to others and had grown to relish sticking up for my team when the predictable teasing from my classmates came. I’d got over feeling slightly put out, upset even, when doing swapsies in class, nobody valuing the Boro ‘shiny’ or getting excited when they received Curtis Fleming in their latest pack of stickers.

And what was about to follow changed everything.

Osvaldo Giroldo Junior

Having watched the most prestigious of international cup competitions, The Umbro Cup, I became aware of a player who would go on to be someone I’d be seeing a hell of a lot more of in the coming months.

Everybody loved watching Brazil. If it wasn’t the skills and goals of Romario or Bebeto, it was the pragmatism of Dunga or the wand of a left foot Roberto Carlos possessed that had kids idolising them.

I was no different.

USA ‘94, despite England’s lack of involvement, remains to this day one of my favourite World Cups. Partly because it’s the first one I can remember properly, but mainly down to watching the boys in yellow.

And on one day, the 11th June 1995 at Wembley, it was a little No. 10 that caught my eye.

Juninho was his name, and the free kick he put away against England as they ran out 3-1 winners was delightful. Even more so was the look of glee on his face.

He was being talked about in glowing terms. The current Brazilian Player of The Year, some accolade given the competition for such an award, it seems he’d caught the eye of a fair few scouts too, and one particular manager who was there that day sat on the England bench – Bryan Robson.

Part of Terry Venables coaching set-up, Robson had clearly seen enough at close quarters to be convinced that ambitious Boro should make a move. Riding the crest of a wave, Robson’s star was alluring to almost any player on the planet, and it seemed from that moment he was determined to get his man.

And so, it transpired.

Osvaldo Giroldo Junior (to give him his full title) arrived. I can still see the images now of him stepping off the plane at Teesside airport, the excitement palpable. Fans greeted him with Brazilian flags (such flags were soon to become commonplace amongst Boro fans in the coming years), and at the stadium there were dancers, people playing Samba music and even more fans in the West Stand cheering the signing of a new hero.

This was all new to us.

The unveilings you see nowadays, the likes of which Real Madrid are famed for, were an unfamiliar event to us on these shores, but here was Middlesbrough, fast becoming a club that was willing to break through barriers and be an unlikely trailblazer.

I’ll be honest, I couldn’t contain myself. I was just ten when he signed and when I thought bringing in Nick Barmby was pretty special, I clearly hadn’t anticipated us not only trumping that but absolutely smashing it out of the park.

This was huge, this was momentous. Ok, so he was new to England, he might take some time to adjust, but from that moment forward we all knew we were onto something quite magnificent. I couldn’t wait to see him in action.

Leeds United, at home, would provide me with my first glimpse of the man we’d soon come to adore. Clutching my Brazilian flag and trying to get my tongue round the motto on it (Ordem e Progresso), I took my usual match day position and waited for kick off. My Dad, not one to get himself too excited over such things, did his best to try and dampen the occasion:

“He’s too small, he’ll get kicked all over the place, we’ll see how long he lasts” – or words to that effect.

Well, having seen him look an absolute class apart on his debut, I think my Dad may have secretly been swallowing his words somewhat. The defence splitting pass for Jan Aage Fjortoft to run onto and finish beautifully was a real joy. From that moment on we all knew we had a superstar on our hands.

As the season went on, he showed signs of real, genuine world class talent, though this was tempered with natural signs of fatigue as he got used to the rigours of English football. Still, I’d seen enough to know that when I was on the playground at school, I now had a player in my armoury that could rival anything my mates could offer.

‘Second Team’

Whilst I didn’t abandon the more modest and perhaps less celebrated players within the squad, the fact was that this was a Boro team fast becoming something new, something special. People were starting to take notice, my friends would ask questions, query how a “team like Middlesbrough” managed to sign players like Juninho and Barmby.

There were the predictable comments that he was “shite” or “not that great”, purely based on the fact he didn’t play for anyone inside the top six, but that was inevitable. I’d put up with that sort of ignorance for years. My skin thickened, I enjoyed the eventful arguments in class about the teams we supported.

However, attitudes would eventually change when the likes of Fabrizio Ravanelli and Emerson joined the party in the summer of ‘96.

Almost overnight Middlesbrough became many people’s ‘second team’. The 3-3 draw on the opening day of the 1996/97 season seemed to catapult Boro into many football fans’ minds. Mates of mine would be happy to pull out a Boro player in a pack of stickers! (Well, as long as it was Juninho, Rav or Emerson)

I’d just started at secondary school at this point, not knowing what to expect as I met new pupils, made new friends. The support for certain teams continued, however there were the odd exceptions, such as the Leicester fan who would go on to give me so much stick I almost got upset following the League Cup Final. But in a funny sort of way I enjoyed the fact that there was someone else who supported an ‘unfashionable’ club. Kind of felt like I was no longer a lone target for teasing!

As the enthusiasm grew for a team from a small town on Teesside, The Little Fella was front and centre of everything that was positive emanating from the Club.

Now at this point it would sound incredibly harsh of me to suggest that we now suddenly had players we could be proud of because that would simply be untrue. That had always been the case for me. However, for a child growing up in an area where he had to battle to get his team noticed and talked about, having a player of Juninho’s obvious class certainly made my task that little bit easier.

I had to unsurprisingly deal with, and to a degree accept, reminders from friends that as soon as big team cam sniffing that Juninho would be off, but in a way I didn’t mind that, it showed that we’d arrived on the biggest of stages.

Demigod

As a kid, you didn’t care about tactics, systems and the like, all you wanted was entertainment, and watching Boro in that 96/97 season was just that – pure theatre.

With Juninho on our side it always felt like we had a chance of beating anyone. Watching him skip past players, nutmeg them, take them on again and again until they’d seen enough of him and they’d attempt to chop him down – but of course they rarely could. Even when they did, he would bounce back up, often giving his much larger opponent a stern talking to (just ask Phillipe Albert).

He was a maverick, a one off. And of course, when anyone thinks about that season, almost always their mind is catapulted to a moment of Juninho magic.

Whether it’s his goal at Nottingham Forest, or the way he brought the ball down from the air and pushed it past his opponent in one simultaneous movement against Newcastle in the FA Cup, a game where he was (like many others) the man of the match.

His header at home against Chelsea, the superb chipped finish in the cup at Derby. You could spend all day listing the moments that got you off your seat.

All this built him up to be some sort of demigod, and that’s what he truly felt like to me. I’d never seen anything like it. Which is why, when the horror of relegation came at Elland Road on that fateful afternoon, it wasn’t just Juninho who was shedding tears.

Sat there in my parent’s living room, willing us to do something to save the day, even the best efforts of our Brazilian maestro weren’t enough. Despite him getting on the scoresheet, he couldn’t inspire a result that would see us stay up. And as he sat, slumped in the centre circle, I cried too.

I was of course upset that my team had been relegated in the cruellest of fashions, the three point deduction condemning us. But I also saw how much it meant to a player who prior to joining us had had no connection, no knowledge of who we were, but here he was sat down inconsolable at the realisation that a team he’d grown to love were suffering.

I was also gutted because I knew he would likely be leaving.

My Dad, who can be the least understanding person at times when it comes to the feelings of a player and how they think, was pretty damning in his assessment of the situation.

“Ah that’s it then, I guess he’ll be off. If he were that bothered he’d stick around and help us get back up”.

He was right, he would be off, but you couldn’t deny him the opportunity of a big move. After all, it was the World Cup the following season; he needed to be playing at the highest of levels.

Such was the impact he had on us; I think we all felt the pain and anguish of a player who’d then be sidelined for the tournament following a terrible blow. A broken fibula was the result of a challenge on him by Celta Vigo’s Michel Salgado, Atletico Madrid’s big money signing now injured for the best part of six months.

That impact though, has lasted for over twenty years, and shows no sign of abating.

Boyish Enthusiasm

His two further spells at The Boro, on loan from Atletico in the 1998/99 season, as well as his permanent move back in 2002, have helped keep that fire burning, his love for our Club, a place he calls his “second home”, ensuring he’ll always have a place in our hearts.

He might not have been quite the same player, but there was still enough quality on display for him to stand out most weeks.

In fact, by the time he came back for his third spell I almost didn’t want him to return, such was the feeling that he’d fail to live up to expectations, his reputation somehow tarnished. I needn’t have worried.

Despite another cruel injury soon after joining, he went on to have a major role to play in the fortunes of the club. A comeback game in the reserves saw him play in front of a 20,000 crowd. Make no mistake, they were there for him.

And when success finally came, something he’d strived for so much in his first spell but ultimately missed out on, it was almost worth it just to see his face as he fell to his knees in Cardiff, but this time it was sheer joy, not agony.

Unlike the Coca Cola Cup Final in 1997, my face might not have been adorned in Juninho themed face paint, but that same boyish enthusiasm was still there. By 2004 I was a fully-fledged adult, but there was just something about Juninho that brought out the kid in me.

And it still does to this day. Naturally, you would think it’s because watching his first spell transports me back to being a 10/11 year old kid, and you’d be right. But those feelings of excitement, anticipation (even though you know what’s going to happen, you’ve seen the highlights a million times), it’s all still there.

I get giddy when I see him talk about Boro, I love to read his quotes on his time with us, and how he still looks out for our results every week.

I was there when he came back for ‘one final game’, almost a testimonial if you like. Sat in the crowd I knew I was watching a Juninho now well into his late 30’s, but I still couldn’t help getting those pangs of unbridled joy every time he got the ball at his feet. PSV, our opponents that day, didn’t quite read the script, but he still showed us flashes of the old magic.

Mates of mine have often joked that he’ll be back once more, mocking our relationship with one of our favourite adopted sons. It didn’t take long after he left for Boro in ‘97 for us to go back to being a team to be teased for supporting, and still to this day I have arguments and debate with friends on all things Boro, although these days they’re a lot more civilised and informed (mostly).

That all being said, his legacy lives on.

In a time where Middlesbrough are back on the periphery of the neutral conscience, it only takes a mention of Juninho for them to be reminded of the time Boro took their place among the very best this country has to offer.

If I’m ever asked who I support, be it by colleagues at work, or people I meet socially, they always turn the conversation to the Juninho era. And for those briefest of moments, I’m back there, back in the playground extolling the virtues of my team, playing my trump card which is of course The Little Fella. On those occasions it’s like I’m on a level playing field once more.

Much like Juninho often made it when we came up against the big boys.

Osvaldo Giroldo Junior - How Juninho became my Playground Trump Card

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