You Are My Boro: The Unlikely Adventures of a Small Town in Europe

by Christopher Combe

No-one chooses to support the Boro; you are born to it.

Many in Middlesbrough might well tell you this, but it’s not entirely true. Some people did choose, even if success isn’t exactly a word associated with the team from Teesside. Maybe we were seduced by something; something mystical and intangible. I’m hoping it’s wasn’t all the chemicals in the atmosphere.

I couldn’t have chosen a better time to follow Middlesbrough Football Club, just as they struck out with new ambition, signing glamorous players and moving to a new stadium. There was no way I could know where this journey was going to take us.

But take us it did, and we were swept along on a ride like no other, down a path that was never straight or smooth, to places we would never have dreamt of. Not many people dream about places like Cardiff and Eindhoven, to be fair.

This is the story of Boro’s Golden Decade and a bit, from the emotional goodbye at Ayresome Park, through the cup finals and relegation fights, to the unlikely adventures of a Small Town in Europe that would take us to places no Boro fan had gone before…

Genres: Nonfiction

122 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2011

About the author

Christopher Combe is a 41-year-old writer and frustrated rock star who surveys quantities to pay the bills. He lives just north of the ancient city of York, is married, and has two bloody smashing children. He has been fortunate enough to travel to various places around the world through his work, including the USA, the Middle East, the Far East and much of Europe. He has had an interest in writing since he was a child, and still harbours an ambition to be a bona-fide published author. His first full-length (self-published) book, "One Year In Wonderland", draws on his experience as an expat in Dubai in the UAE.

Reviews

[Bill Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A present from my daughter, Gillie, and a good gift. I started reading it over the summer and got to the final season and held back. Today, there being no game due to the international break, seemed to be a good time to go into that extraordinary season. To be honest, I'm not a great supporter, I haven't been to a game in decades, but Boro have always been my team, despite all the failings and disappointments. Christopher Coombe captures all these feelings and more. Just because you don't go and stand/sit with a lot of other people doesn't mean you don't feel the pain. I've listened to many of the games over the Internet and from time to time on TV. I remember sitting in an apartment watching the UEFA cup semi final on TV occasionally glancing out the window at the stunning Cornish coast were we stayed. A wonderful memory. The great thing about Coombe's book is that it brings all these memories back. It is a trip down memory lane, both wonderful and sad. I wish he'd had more confidence to build the book with more personal reminiscences, rather than, at times, just the scores. He has the humour and style. Because it's the Boro, 4 stars, but I feel it needed more commitment to take it to another level.

[Mancman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to start with this review?
Unless you're a Boro fan, you're unlikely to read this. If you are a Boro fan then none of the factual content will come as news to you.

This is a potted history of the achievements and failures of Middlesbrough Football Club over the most turbulent decade in their history.

It's set in a context of the personal life of the author. I could relate to it in many senses: I'm a Boro fan not originally from Teesside, and I became a father during the period covered.

However there wasn't the insightful dissection of the events that I expected. I liked the cultural references at the start of each chapter which reminded me of the events taking place outside the arena of football. But I was left wanting more.
I enjoyed this gift from my son, I've warped his mind into being a Boro fan too, despite living in Manchester.
It truly is character building I think.

In summary, it's a nice read, but I didn't really learn anything new.