Ray Parlour moved to Middlesbrough from Arsenal in the summer of 2004 on a free transfer, and quickly settled in well during his time at the Riverside.
Having played his entire professional career at Arsenal and just become an Invincible under Arsene Wenger, Parlour arrived at Middlesbrough to play for Steve McClaren.
The Romford Pele made 33 appearances in the 2004/05 Premier League season to help Boro finish seventh and qualify for the UEFA Cup, a competition they had competed in during Parlour’s first season at the club thanks to their League Cup success prior to him joining.
Ray Parlour reflects on Middlesbrough experience fondly
He reveals that he enjoyed playing for Boro, which culminated in a UEFA Cup final against Sevilla in 2006, though he was an unused substitute in the 4-0 defeat.
“Steve was good,” Parlour exclusively tells FourFourTwo. “Middlesbrough did so well: they put the money down for Mark Viduka, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and some other really top players, and to get to a UEFA Cup final was unbelievable.
“I came to the end, he departed, Gareth Southgate got the job and I wasn’t going to play, so I moved on. But I really enjoyed living in Middlesbrough.
“My daughter went to nursery there and had a Middlesbrough accent. We had to try to change that! My mum was going, ‘What’s she saying?’ She came out of it in the end! I enjoyed my time there.”
For Parlour, getting to interact with “genuine” people also helped make his time on Teeside extra special.
“The fans were very genuine,” he adds. “I find northern people a lot better than southern people because you know where you stand.
“In a bar one day, I said, ‘Lads, I’ll get the drink’, and they said, ‘No, put your £20 in like everybody else.’ Everyone was the same level. Playing football doesn’t mean I’m bigger than you. I liked that.”
In total, Parlour made 60 appearances in two-and-a-half seasons at Middlesbrough, though he failed to score a goal.
