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November 2005

30/11/05 Downing set for an early return
MIDDLESBROUGH'S assistant manager Steve Round has pencilled Stewart Downing in for a January return - a month ahead of schedule.

30/11/05 Defence is the best form of attack for Southgate
GARETH SOUTHGATE believes Middlesbrough must rein in their 'gung-ho' style if they are to become serious contenders for trophies and break into the Premiership's top six.

30/11/05 Xavier launches drug appeal
Abel Xavier has formally appealed against his 18-month ban imposed for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.

29/11/05 We must be right in the had, says Mad Dog
EMANUEL POGATETZ has pinpointed mind games as the real reason why Middlesbrough have struggled to string a series of wins together that would propel them towards the top six.

28/11/05 Don't let opportunity pass you by, McClaren tells squad
DOWNBEAT Steve McClaren last night warned his Middlesbrough players to cut out defensive errors or risk ending the campaign wondering what might have been.

25/11/05 McClaren sings praises of back five after clean sheet
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren paid tribute to the "whole back five" after a resolute and commanding display from an unfamiliar defence kept the clean sheet needed in Holland last night.

24/11/05 Players told to ignore Xavier drug scandal
MIDDLESBROUGH were last night doing their best to remain focused on the latest UEFA Cup fixture after defender Abel Xavier was left facing the sack when he was handed an 18-month suspension for drug taking.

24/11/05 Jimmy has point to prove
JIMMY-FLOYD Hasselbaink doesn't mind admitting that when he returns to AZ Alkmaar tonight the Dutch supporters are going to see a much better player than the one who was left on the football scrapheap.

24/11/05 Southgate's pride tempered by cup doubts
GARETH Southgate insists leading Middlesbrough to UEFA Cup glory would be the proudest moment of his career but feels the competition has been devalued by the ease in which teams can now qualify.

23/11/05 Comment: The more things change, the more they stay the same
What has changed following confirmation of Steve McClaren's new four-year deal at the Riverside? In reality, not a lot.

23/11/05 McClaren pledges his heart and soul to Boro
STEVE McClaren last night claimed that, by signing a new four-year deal, he had underlined his "whole-hearted commitment" to Middlesbrough.

22/11/05 New contract finally signed by McClaren
STEVE McCLAREN has finally pledged his future to Middlesbrough by penning a new-four year deal at the Riverside Stadium.

21/11/05 Yak attack has McClaren purring as striker turns on the style
A DELIGHTED Steve McClaren last night hailed summer buy Aiyegbeni Yakubu as 'awesome' after the Nigerian turned on the style to lead a Middlesbrough revival.

19/11/05 Saturday Spotlight: Football saved me from a life of crime - Hasselbaink
THREE days ago, Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, used the high-profile Dimbleby Lecture to outline the myriad of ills currently affecting his force.

19/11/05 McClaren weighs up move for Keane after United exit
STEVE McClaren last night claimed there would be "a queue" of managers wanting to sign Roy Keane - and the Middlesbrough boss will spend the next week deciding whether or not he should join it.

16/11/05 Hasselbaink wants to stay at Riverside
JIMMY-FLOYD Hasselbaink last night revealed that finishing his career with Middlesbrough was his "biggest remaining ambition in football".

11/11/05 Mendieta flies flag for Spaniards
WHILE recapturing the form which established him as one of Europe's most cultured midfielders, Gaizka Mendieta has provided further evidence that Spanish footballers can cut the mustard in the Premiership.

10/11/05 Boro relief at Boateng's lucky escape
MIDDLESBROUGH are hugely relieved after influential midfielder George Boateng returned to training with Holland, erasing fears of him spending months on the sidelines.

09/11/05 World Cup is Viduka's priority
MARK Viduka wants to forget about his new role as a Premiership substitute and concentrate on helping his country end 32 years of World Cup heartache.

09/11/05 Gibson takes 'zero tolerance'drugs line
TOUGH-TALKING chairman Steve Gibson has insisted Middlesbrough will continue to take a zero tolerance stance on drugs after Abel Xavier's B sample failed to clear his name.

08/11/05 Xavier could call it a day
ABEL XAVIER is facing a worldwide ban from football of up to two years when he appears at a UEFA disciplinary hearing next week to answer a charge of taking a banned performance-enhancing drug.

08/11/05 Franck wants more fire
FRANCK QUEUDRUE last night delivered a frank assessment of Middlesbrough's inconsistency by highlighting a lack of fire as the main reason for a failure to win two Premiership games in a row.

07/11/05 We need to be ruthless, declares McClaren
A FRUSTRATED Steve McClaren last night illustrated that Middlesbrough's ineffectual forward play was the major factor in his side's failure to continue a recent turnaround in fortunes.

04/11/05 Watching Brief: Striker stakes his claim for more action
MARK Viduka has always claimed he gets a special thrill out of European football and, at the moment, it is just as well. If it wasn't for the UEFA Cup, the Middlesbrough striker wouldn't be getting any football at all.

04/11/05 McClaren: We're the entertainers
A SATISFIED Steve McClaren last night claimed Middlesbrough were the Premiership's new entertainers after their 3-0 win over Dnipro took them to the brink of the UEFA Cup's knockout phase.

03/11/05 More to 'Mad Dog' Pogatetz than his bite
AS MIDDLESBROUGH aim to take another step towards the last 32 of the UEFA Cup tonight, Emanuel Pogatetz has insisted there is more to his game than the 'Mad Dog' style for which he is renowned.

03/11/05 McClaren steps into unknown
A CAUTIOUS Steve McClaren insists Middlesbrough would be wrong to underestimate one of the UEFA Cup's unknown quantities tonight.

02/11/05 Mendieta aims to be central figure for Boro
AFTER Saturday's heroics against Manchester United, Gaizka Mendieta is hoping to play a central role in Middlesbrough's season in more ways than one.

01/11/05 Viduka hoping to gain from pain
FIVE years ago, former MARK Viduka is hoping the memory of his most painful moment in football will inspire him to fire Australia into the World Cup finals later this month.