Middlesbrough’s club history dates all the way back to November 1876 as one of the oldest football clubs in England and emerged with humble beginnings.
Founded by some cricketers, the club now boasts a rich history, winning numerous trophies. Middlesbrough have played in the Championship since the 2017/18 season.
Club name
The club were formed by a group of cricketers from the Middlesbrough Cricket Club. These men were aiming to keep fit during the winter months.
Middlesbrough then played their first game in 1877 and turned professional twice. Once in 1889 before reverting to amateur status in 1892. They then returned to professional status in 1899.
Their nickname ‘Boro’ has been steadily used more as years have gone on. It has now been in use for decades, deriving from a shortened version of ‘Middlesbrough’.
Middlesbrough badge
Middlesbrough adopted their current badge in 2007. It is the fourth unique design in their history so far. The newest design depicts a lion inside a shield with the words ‘Middlesbrough Football Club 1876’ written underneath.
Previous badges have widely differed from this. Initially, it was the town club cress. However, this was changed in 1973, with the club opting solely for a red lion with the words ‘M.F.C’ underneath.
The badge was adapted again in 1986 following the change of company the club underwent due to financial difficulties. This added a circular crest around the lion with the words ‘Middlesbrough Football Club 1876’ put inside the badge.
Kit history
Middlesbrough are now synonymous with its red kit colour which has covered much of the club’s history. But Boro actually played in a white home shirt with red shorts upon their election into the Football League in 1899. They had previously played in multiple different shirts, including one that had a polka-dotted collar white and blue collar.
In 1899, Middlesbrough adapted the first version of their iconic red shirt. It was simplistic in design, containing a red shirt, white shorts and red socks. This had mainly stayed the same since then, with the club sometimes opting to wear red shorts or white socks.
However, a white strip was added to the kit for a period in the mid-70s. The popularity of this design saw it return multiple times throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Middlesbrough then turned to the fans in the late 2000s asking them to vote on whether to keep the white strip or stick with just red. The white strip won and it stayed on the kit throughout the majority of recent seasons.
League history
Upon their move into the Football League, it did not take Middlesbrough long to get into the top flight. After three seasons, they won promotion to Division One, where they would remain for the next 22 years.
After a brief stint back in the second tier in the mid-1920s, Boro returned to Division One in the 1927/28 season before going straight back down. The club were immediately promoted back into the top flight the following year and stayed there until 1954.
Their relegation in the 1950s saw the club stranded outside of the top division for 20 years. This period even saw the club relegated to the third division in 1966 for the first time in their history.
However, Middlesbrough would resurge. The club were immediately promoted back into the second division and in 1974, Jack Charlton guided them back into the top flight. For the next 10 years, the club were relatively successful until it hit a huge financial crisis.
Middlesbrough on the brink
In the early 1980s, the club suffered huge financial difficulties that saw them drop out of the top division in 1982. The club would drop again back into the third tier in 1986 and Middlesbrough went into liquidation due to its massive debts.
As a result, it seemed as if the club would come to an end with Boro locked out of Ayresome Park and unable to register with the Football League. However, at the 11th hour, a consortium including future chairman Steve Gibson saved the club and formed Middlesbrough Football and Athletic Company (1986) Ltd.
From here, the club’s revival begins and back-to-back promotions see Middlesbrough return to Division One in 1988 thanks to victories over Bradford and Chelsea in the playoffs.
Boro then became a bit of a yo-yo club between the first and second tiers before finally establishing themselves in the Premier League in the early 2000s. Middlesbrough then went down once again in the 2008/09 season and apart from one brief return, have remained in the Championship ever since.
Middlesbrough’s trophies
Middlesbrough have won numerous trophies in their history but the mid-1990s to mid-2000s saw their biggest success. In 2004 the club won its only major cup as they beat Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup Final. Middlesbrough had been close before to major cup success, finishing runners-up in the FA Cup and League Cup in the 1996/97 season and again in the latter competition in 1998.
Middlesbrough were also close to European success. The club reached the UEFA Cup final in 2006, losing to Spanish side Sevilla 4-0.
Boro have won the English second tier four times in their history, last lifting the title in 1995. They have also won the third tier twice. Other minor trophies include their Full Members Cup in 1990 and the Anglo-Scottish Cup in 1976.
Players and managers
With the club’s history dating back to 1876, Middlesbrough naturally have multiple legends since its formation. Wilf Mannion was arguably the club’s greatest player. He scored 110 as an inside forward despite his career being disrupted by World War Two.
Brian Clough was another fantastic player for Middlesbrough. Despite being well known for his managerial abilities later on in his footballing career, Clough had a highly successful playing career. This saw him score 197 goals in 213 games for Middlesbrough.
Then in modern times, Steve McClaren oversaw the club’s most successful period between 2001-06. Here, he would win the League Cup as well as finishing runners-up in the UEFA Cup as manager of Middlesbrough.