Yer Joking Aren't Ya?

The bizarre and unforgettable story behind Middlesbrough's epic 1996/97 season when a huge cash injection brought world-class stars to the North-East club. They reached two cup finals and played breathtaking football, but the egos in the team caused their season to spiral out of control. It's one of the craziest stories in Premier League history.

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Yer Jokin' Aren't Ya? is the bizarre and gripping story behind Middlesbrough's epic 1996/97 season. When the Premier League ushered in a bright new era of English Football, a Middlesbrough businessman named Steve Gibson asked a daring question. Why couldn't an untrendy team from a bleak North-East town join the elite of world football? With Bryan Robson at the helm, Gibson set out to prove it could be done. Gibson built a state-of-the-art stadium on the banks of the River Tees, and spent millions so the pitch would be graced by superstars. Robson helped attract Fabrizio Ravanelli, Emerson and the Brazilian maestro Juninho. For an ephemeral moment Boro's breathtaking football captured the nation's imagination. But chaos followed as Boro's season spiralled out of control. The book begins in the summer of 1996 and traces month by month how Boro's season unravelled due to the egos and excesses of this crazy team. It ended in tragedy, but for those who took part - and for the fans who witnessed it - it was a truly unforgettable time.