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.Middlesbrough players: UEFA Cup 2006

Discipline Disciplinary records for 2005–06 league and cup matches. Players with 1 card or more included only. No.Nat.Player Yellow cards Red cards1 102 303 804 015 616 107 908 109 8010 7012 11014 3015 4017 5118 6019 1020 Yakubu 1022 1024 1026 6029 1030 1033 1036 1039 70

Transfers

In DatePlayerPrevious clubFeeRef 28 June 2005 Emanuel Pogatetz Bayer Leverkusen£1.8 million 1 July 2005 YakubuPortsmouth£7.5 million 31 August 2005 Fábio Rochemback BarcelonaUndisclosed 31 August 2005 Abel Xavier A.S. RomaFree

Out For departures of players out of contract at the end of 2004-05 see 2004–05 Middlesbrough F.C. season. DatePlayerNew ClubFeeRef31 August 2005 Michael Reiziger PSV EindhovenUndisclosed23 January 2006 Abel Xavier-Contract terminated26 January 2006 Szilárd Németh StrasbourgNominal7 May 2006 Colin CooperMiddlesbrough (as coach)Retired6 July 2006 Doriva América-SPOut of contract11 July 2006 Jimmy Floyd HasselbainkCharlton AthleticOut of contract19 September 2006 Joseph-Desire Job SedanOut of contract

Loans out DatePlayerClub AtPeriodRef5 July 2005 Andrew DaviesDerby CountyTo 30 January 20066 July 2005 Andrew TaylorBradford CityTo 3 January 20062 August 2005 Ross TurnbullCrewe AlexandraTo 23 April 200631 August 2005 Joseph-Désiré Job Al-IttihadTo end of season 24 November 2005 Danny GrahamDerby County3 months31 December 2005 David KnightDarlingtonTo 8 January 200610 February 2006 David WheaterDoncaster Rovers2 months23 March 2006 Danny GrahamLeeds United2 months

Notes Pogatetz' fee could rise to £1.8 million. Davies' loan was initially intended to last the full season. Taylor's loan was initially intended to last the full season. Turnbull's loan was initially intended to last six months. The deal was extended further, but he was then recalled. Knight was injured during a game and returned to Middlesbrough after one week. Wheater's loan was initially intended to last one month, but it was extended for a second month after good performances. Graham's loan was initially intended to last one month, but was extended for a second month.

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.

Results

Results per matchday

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

League Cup

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

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

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

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

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