‘Everybody in Middlesbrough was my friend’

THE sad passing of former Middlesbrough manager Jack Charlton was confirmed yesterday.

Charlton, who was 85, had been diagnosed with lymphoma in the last year and was also battling dementia.

Charlton is a Boro legend after taking Boro into Division One for the first time in 20 years in 1974.

It was Charlton’s first job as manager and Boro had swept all before them in Division Two, winning the title by a record margin of points.

Back in 2014, Charlton was back on Teesside for a reunion event and told our sister title The Gazette how “everybody in Middlesbrough was my friend”.

He said of the reunion: “I knew every player that was there – it was lovely to see them.

“All the lads came in and they all came and said hello and shook hands. Everybody in Middlesbrough was my friend.

“I’ve never had anybody saying something they knew would hurt me, there was nothing of that.

“They all turned up for the games, we entertained them and they kept coming back.

“Even now, if I park my car and walk to go into the stadium, I get a queue of kids with books, and grown men with sheets and programmes, saying ‘will you sign this Jack?’”

Charlton was asked what was key to the success of his Boro side.

“Once you get good players, it’s just how you organise them and I organised them quite well,” he said.