3. Afonso Alves
Not since the times of little Juninho had the Teesiders been so excited - the arrival of another Brazilian in Alfonso Alves had Middlesbrough buzzing. In 2007/2008 Chairman Steve Gibson splashed out on a new striker, giving Heerenveen from Holland a tidy profit for their Brazilian who had been prolific in Holland. Sadly for Boro, 10 goals in his 42 appearances was all the return for Gibson's money, and following their trend of poor luck with strikers they cut their losses in 2008/09 and let him leave in their relegation season. It wasn't just his poor goal record either: Alves seemed to snatch at chances, missing the finesse and mentality of a top striker, despite what was a tidy price tag. Boro accepted a bid from Al Sadd in the Qatari League and Chairman Steve Gibson was no doubt just pleased to be getting 'something' back from his huge investment, which had been a major gamble for a club like Middlesbrough, where cash is not as readily available as at bigger clubs.
Ray McCartney
Contributor
I'm a long suffering Newcastle United supporter. MMA fan who is born and bred Newcastle. I write for a few sites , including my own. Quite possibly spends a little too much time on the Playstation and generally being productive.
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Ray