Riverside Dream Team #6 Decided

After Mark Schwarzer was voted into the Riverside Dream Team earlier in the week, the second poll was to find the first of two centre backs.

There were 10 choices and 4 of those, Steve Vickers, Ugo Ehiogu, Chris Riggott and Emmanuel Pogatetz never received a single vote.

2 current Boro players, David Wheater and Robert Huth, received 4% and 2% of the voted to come 5th and 6th in the vote. These 2 will hopefully be a big part of Boro’s future and in 10 years time could well pick up more votes if a similar poll was carried out.

Gianluca Festa, yes that name brings back memories of the Old Trafford own goal, picked up 10% of the votes. The the likeable Italian was on Teesside for 5 years and made 136 appearances, scoring 10 goals.

In joint 2nd came Nigel Pearson. Pearson is currently manager of Leicester City and picked up 12% of the votes. At £750,000 he was a bargain and made 115 league appearances, scoring 5 goals but keeping a whole load more clean sheets. During his stay on Teesside (1994-1998), Pearson captained the club to promotion twice and 3 cup finals. He was a no nonsense, brute of a central defender…..but a really good brute at that.

Gary Pallister also picked up 12% of the votes and was another bargain buy. It is well documented that ‘Pally’ arrived for a set of strips from Billingham Town and he made 211 league appearances for the club in 2 seperate spells, scoring 6 goals, also winning England caps along the way.

In first place, and therefore the second player voted into the Riverside Dream Team, is current gaffer and Boro legend Gareth Southgate. Southgate picked up a staggering 60% of the votes, 5 times more than his nearest rivals. Arriving in 2001, Southgate made 160 league appearances for Boro and, scoring 4 goals and picking up the Player of the Year award in his first season. In 2002 he was made captain and then the biggy came in February 2004, he was the first ever Middlesbrough player to captain his side to major tournament success – winning the Carling Cup. His final appearance came in May 2006 when he played for Boro in the UEFA Cup Final versus Sevilla, although we lost the game it was a sign of the success he and the other memebers of the club had acheived since his arrival in 2001. This was his final appearance because he was appointed Steve McClaren’s successor in the summer of 2006, making the step up into management straight away. He has continued to impress the Boro fans with the way he goes about his business and the way he wants to take the club forward.

The poll to find the second of the 2 centre backs is now open so get voting!

Riverside Dream Team:

1. Mark Schwarzer (1997-2008)


2.

3.

6. Gareth Southgate (2001-2006)