Middlesbrough: Steve Gibson rolled the dice in 2001 and reaped the rewards - View | OneFootball

Middlesbrough handed Steve McClaren his first managerial role in 2001, and he would leave five years later as Boro's must successful ever manager.

Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson rolled the dice by handing Steve McClaren his first managerial role in football back in 2001, and what the future England boss would go on to achieve on Teesside would ensure his gamble would pay off.

In the years leading up to McClaren's hiring, Boro had been basking in the rewards of handing a first managerial position in football to former Manchester United legend Bryan Robson. The footballing icon led the club to three Wembley finals and two separate Premier League promotions since his appointment in 1994.

The late Terry Venables joined Robson at Middlesbrough in 2000 as head coach, taking over team selection duties whilst Robson was relegated to his assistant, and together they kept the club in the Premier League.

But after Robson left the club in the summer of 2001, Gibson needed to find a replacement who could propel a talented Middlesbrough side back towards the top-end of the table. So, when it was announced that he would be handing that responsibility to McClaren, many saw it as a risky move to hire a first-time manager over an experienced gaffer.

McClaren would go on to remain in his post at the Riverside Stadium for five years, forging a legacy as Middlesbrough's most successful manager of all-time in the process.

Football League World takes a look back at McClaren's time on Teesside, what he and the club would achieve, and why Gibson's gamble well and truly paid off.

McClaren steadily builds star-studded Boro team

Expecting instant success from McClaren's Middlesbrough side was probably unfair. Handing a coach - albeit an already established one with England and Manchester United - his first taste of management, comes with the territory of requiring patience on all fronts.

The Boro boss needed not only time to get to grips with the intricacies and responsibilities of being a Premier League manager, but to also put his stamp on the playing squad.

Making Gareth Southgate your first signing as a manager isn't a bad start at all, before adding the likes of Jonathan Greening, Szilard Nemeth and Franck Quedrue (loan).

After an up and down 2001/02 league campaign, McClaren would guide the club to a 12th-placed finish, in a debut season which also saw the club reach the semi-final of the FA Cup.

It would be the following summer when the Middlesbrough manager really stamped his authority on the squad, however. Massimo Maccarone, Juninho, George Boateng, Franck Quedrue (permanent) and Geremi (loan) all made moves to Teesside in the summer of 2002.

An 11th-placed finish would be their reward, with these slight improvements threatening to not quite be enough to quench the thirst of Middlesbrough's ambitious owner, and supporters. McClaren needed a big third season in charge to secure the trust of the town...

McClaren's reds reach heights the likes of which Middlesbrough had never seen before

That's exactly what McClaren would deliver. Aided by the additions of Malcolm Christie, Gaizka Mendieta, Doriva, Danny Mills and Bolo Zenden to name a few, Middlesbrough's 128-year wait for silverware would come to a glorious end in the 2003/04 season.

Boro would once again finish 11th in the Premier League, but a run in the Carling Cup (now Carabao Cup) would take them all the way to the final, which was to be contested against Bolton Wanderers in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

A 2-1 victory ensured the club would enjoy one of their finest hours that day, and was the catalyst for Middlesbrough supporters to rally behind their manager, as the doors to European football swung open for the very first time.

If McClaren's side were to compete across all fronts, even more firepower and quality would have to be added in the summer of 2004. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Mark Viduka, Michael Reiziger and Ray Parlour would all join the Boro brigade.

Defeat in the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup appeared to have ended Middlesbrough's European adventure, but a Mark Schwarzer penalty save on the final day of the 2004/05 season against Manchester City sealed Boro a seventh-placed finish, and booked their tickets for another UEFA Cup campaign for the 2005/06 season.

Yakubu, Emmanuel Pogatetz, Fabio Rochemback and Abel Xavier were all added to the squad that year, in what was to be McClaren's most testing season in charge at the Riverside Stadium.

Disappointing performances in the league included a home defeat to local rivals Sunderland, and an even more embarrassing 7-0 routing at the hands of Arsenal. Boro would only be forced into an FA Cup replay with then Conference North side Nuneaton - a tie which Middlesbrough would progress from after a 5-2 win in the replay.

It even got to a point in which, during a 4-0 home loss to Aston Villa, a disgruntled Middlesbrough fan ran towards the home dug out and proceeded to throw his season ticket towards McLaren, in a now infamous display of discontent with Boro's manager and his team's performances.

McLaren would eventually guide the club to a 14th-placed finish, but an unforgettable UEFA Cup adventure saw Boro go all the way to the final, before falling short on the night in a 4-0 loss to Sevilla.

Gibson took a huge gamble on McClaren, and he won

With the late Sven Goran Eriksson vacating the England manager's post in 2006, McClaren would leave Middlesbrough to take up his ill-fated role as England manager in the summer of 2006.

His first signing as Boro boss, Southgate, would replace him in the Riverside dug out, as Gibson once again handed the manager's job to a first-time gaffer.

Southgate would preside over a fairly sharp decline on Teesside over the following years, culminating in the club's relegation to the Championship in 2008/09.

McClaren left a legacy of success from his time with Middlesbrough, as he became the club's most successful manager of all-time.

He was the first English manager to win a major trophy since 1996, and the first to reach a European Cup final since 1985. Boro's seventh-placed finish in 2004/05 remains the club's highest league placing since 1975.

So, despite having his critics - predominantly from the time - over his perceived defensive-minded tactics, Gibson's gamble on McClaren absolutely paid off for the Middlesbrough chairman.

Under him, the club were able to lift their first piece of silverware, achieve their highest league finish in modern history, attract some of the biggest names in the game to Teesside, and enjoy two unforgettable European campaigns that almost saw the club lift the UEFA Cup.

McClaren's record and what he was able to achieve as Middlesbrough manager is hard to argue with, and make no mistake, he played a leading role in helping bring the best of times to the Riverside Stadium.