Middlesbrough haven’t recorded a win over Everton since 2006.
Middlesbrough welcome in-form Everton to the Riverside this weekend in desperate need of points to pull away from the relegation battle. However, history is not on Boro’s side having failed to beat the Toffees in their last eight meetings.
So let’s catch up with the last Middlesbrough team to take three points off Everton back in October of 2006.
Stewart Downing is the only member of this XI to still be playing for Middlesbrough. The winger left in 2009 and had spells with Aston Villa, Liverpool and West Ham United, before returning to his hometown club six years later.
Last season, Mark Schwarzer and Robert Huth were part of Leicester City’s incredible Premier League winning side. Schwarzer retired at the end of the campaign after becoming the first player to win the league in consecutive seasons with different teams. Huth remains a regular in Claudio Ranieri’s starting eleven, who are now fighting it out with Boro to avoid relegation.
Middlesbrough’s ‘nearly signed’ XI; featuring Nemanja Matic
The only other player from this XI to still be at a Premier League club is Lee Cattermole. The tough tackling midfielder was sold to Wigan Athletic in 2008 before moving to Sunderland just a year later. Cattermole remains with the Black Cats but has missed most of this season due to a hip injury.
Andrew Davies and Emmanuel Pogatetz have since taken their talents to other leagues. Davies plays for 7th place Scottish Premiership side Ross County, while Pogatetz features for Bundesliga 2 promotion-chasers Union Berlin.
Middlesbrough favourite Julio Arca, a 90th minute substitute for Downing in the win over Everton, continues to ply his trade in English football. The Argentine, now 40 years old, plays for Northern League Division One side South Shields and recently scored a 40-yard stunner in their FA Vase win over Team Solent.
Andrew Taylor is currently on-loan with League One promotion contenders Bolton Wanderers. The left-back, one of five Boro academy products in this XI, spent three years at Cardiff City following his departure from the Riverside in 2011. Taylor helped Wigan win League One last season and is now attempting to repeat that feat with Wanderers.
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Taylor might be joined in League One by Yakubu. The powerful forward, who scored the opener against Everton back in 2006, has been training with Football League Trophy finalists Coventry City in recent weeks. The Sky Blues would be Yakubu’s eighth team since leaving Boro in 2007.
Yakubu’s strike partner and scorer of the winning goal against Everton, Mark Viduka, is one of four players involved on the day to now be retired. The Australian striker brought his illustrious career to a close in 2009 after playing for Newcastle United.
Three years later, Jason Euell and George Boateng also decided to hang up their playing boots. Both men have stayed in the game, as Euell helps out with Charlton Athletic’s youth teams, while Boateng recently joined Bechem United as a foreign scout.
Stuart Parnaby, an 83rd minute substitute for Cattermole, has also remained in the game following his retirement in 2015. The former fullback was appointed Hartlepool United’s pre-rehabilitation and conditioning coach last year after his own career was blighted by injuries. He remains in the role despite a change of management which has seen Dave Jones take charge at Victoria Park.
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