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ComeOnBoro.com MAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2006
Stuart Ward, Toby Higgins & James Bassett
Welcome to the ComeOnBoro.com Man Of The Year awards. Now in their third year, the Man Of The Year awards pay tribute to the men and women - although just men really - who have been the most synonymous with Boro's rather lunatic achievements over the last twelve months. There's little doubt that 2006 has been one of the craziest years in Boro's already barmy history, and hopefully our countdown reflects this.
Our criteria run thus: who did the most to further the Boro cause in the last year? However, because it'd be boring to award Steve Gibson the prize every year, he's ineligible. The club manager is also disqualified from the rundown, but other members of the backroom staff and club hierarchy are eligible.
Enjoy the awards and be sure to join us on the New Holgate Message Board to discuss our choices.
10. Alastair Brownlee
Everybody round his house for a parmo...
It somehow feels wrong to draw a distinction between Alastair Brownlee and his commentary partner, the estimable Bernie Slaven, but for the purposes of this award we must. After all, it was Brownlee not Slaven who uttered the years' most memorable piece of commentary:
"Yakubu raises his arm. Boateng lifts in towards the direction of Yakubu, chests it down. Hasselbaink, edge of the area. It comes away, Rochemback shot. the goalkeeper saves it. Maccarone... IT'S IIIIIINNNNNNNNN! The greatest comeback since Lazarus... Massimo Maccarone. El Gladiatoreeeeeee. Magnificent. Magnificent. Magnificent. My eyes do not believe what I'm seeing, but the Boro have come back from the dead and they're leading here four-one. Oh, goodness gracious me."
Given that it was Boro v FC Basel in a Uefa Cup Quarter Final, it's a piece of commentary unlikely to rival Kenneth Wolstenholme's "they think it's all over" in the public consciousness, but Brownlee's uncontrolled yelps were so perfect that we can forgive his clearly pre-planned botched attempt at repeating the feat a fortnight later against Steaua Bucharest.
9. Guidoni Junior Doriva
He scored at Meadow Lane, he never scored again
In his four seasons on Teesside, Doriva almost redefined the term 'cult hero'. Initially brought to the club on the recommendation of Juninho, it would've been easy to believe that Doriva's sluggish presence at the Riverside was merely being used to disguise the fact that two knee operations had substantially slowed the little fella down. However, useless footballers are rarely included in Brazilian World Cup squads.
So with a rugged determination, a no-nonsense approach to tackling and a haircut you could set your watch to, Doriva began to win the crowd over. His passing was lateral or, more often than not, backwards. But if there was a shot to be blocked, Doriva was never far away.
As Steve McClaren began to be seduced by the potential of a central-midfield partnership of George Boateng and Fabio Rochemback, and with Lee Cattermole starting to mature into a first-teamer, Doriva's presence on the pitch became rarer and rarer. But despite the paucity of opportunities given to him in his final season, it remained difficult to look at the clock, see the 60th minute tick over and not expect it to be 'Dave Doriva time' at the Riverside. The last instance of which was in Boro's 1-0 win over Birmingham on the 4th March, when, in a typical substitution, he replaced Gaizka Mendieta in the 68th minute.
However, as McClaren's focus fell on the Uefa Cup, Doriva strung together a series of starts that would be his last for the club. His final game came in a 1-1 draw against Bolton on 3rd May. With more heart than football ability, Dave Doriva embraced Teesside and Teesside embraced him in turn.
8. Gareth Southgate
He ain't got no stinking badges
Yes, we know managers aren't allowed on this countdown, but Gareth Southgate is included for the service he offered the club before he became Steve Gibson's surprise choice as first-team manager.
On the pitch, Southgate's year began in disastrous fashion, as he handled in the area to concede a last minute penalty which allowed Gez Murphy to equalise and force the 3rd Round FA Cup tie with Nuneaton Borough to a replay. However, it was Southgate who appeared most interested in addressing the slump that nearly saw Boro relegated. When the club appeared happy to keep a lid on the unrest that saw Ugo Ehiogu and Mark Schwarzer request to leave the club, Southgate broke ranks and spoke to reporters about the trouble in the dressing room.
An injury saw the then Boro captain limp out of the Uefa Cup semi-final, and have his place taken by that night's saviour, Massimo Maccarone. Southgate returned for the final but his ageing legs were powerless to stop the speed, skill and strength of Sevilla from tearing Boro apart, in what would prove to be his last ever game.
Despite rumours that Steve Gibson was keen to promote someone from the existing setup to replace Steve McClaren, Southgate's appointment still came as a complete surprise. Having been given special dispensation by the Premier League to remain as manager until at least the end of the season, the fans have little choice but to give one of the club's greatest ever defenders their full support as manager.
Southgate may have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but if he applies himself with the same class, determination and intelligence he did as a player, he'll eventually make a very good manager.
7. James Morrison
No longer undiscovered
Gareth Southgate has already acknowledged something that Steve McClaren never did: Gaizka Mendieta no longer has any business appearing in the Boro first team. The main beneficiary, of course, has been James Morrison, and the 20-year-old is making the most of this opportunity.
Goals against Manchester United and Arsenal, when he was marked by Gabrielle Heinze and William Gallas respectively, prove his ability to provide more than a match for the best full backs the Premiership has to offer. Having signed a new deal this year that will keep him at the club until 2009 and playing for a manager who recognises his talent, Morrison should have the chance to mature into a good top-flight winger.
Surpassing Stewart Downing and Yakubu as Boro's most effective direct runner, Morrison's hardworking displays this year have given Teessiders the opportunity to see what they like to see most: one of their own doing very well.
6. Lee Cattermole
The Catt's whiskers
If watching Lee Cattermole blubbing on the Riverside pitch after a 4-0 defeat by Aston Villa in January took him to all to our hearts, seeing him smash into Simone Perrotta in the 7th minute of Boro's clash with AS Roma in the Stadio Olimpico reminded us that he probably doesn't care what anyone thinks of him.
Since that night in March, Cattermole has become the club's youngest-ever captain and a regular first-team fixture at just 19-years-old. He also appears to have harnessed his temper and aggression, preferring now to thunder into well-timed tackles than to get into random scuffles for no reason. And it's not just Boro fans who admire the midfielder, this year Cattermole has become the second youngest member of the current England Under-21s squad, with only Theo Walcott his junior.
With raw passion and spirit and a transparent desire to improve as a footballer, Cattermole is a firm favourite at the Riverside and a player who could easily become the fulcrum of the team for years to come.
CLICK HERE FOR PART TWO...
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