2007–08 Middlesbrough F.C. season
During the 2007–08 season, Middlesbrough participated in the Premier League. The season saw them play their 4000th league game, versus Reading on 1 March 2008. They reached the third round of the League Cup, where they were knocked out by eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur, while in their FA Cup campaign they were knocked out by Championship side Cardiff City.
| 2007–08 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Steve Gibson |
| Manager | Gareth Southgate |
| Premier League | 13th |
| FA Cup | Sixth round |
| League Cup | Third round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Stewart Downing (9) All: Stewart Downing (10) |
| Highest home attendance | Home: 33,952 v Man Utd Away: 75,720 v Man Utd |
| Lowest home attendance | Home: 11,686 v Northampton Away: 6,258 v Mansfield |
| Average home league attendance | 26,707 |
| All Competitions | ||||
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 5 | 8 | 40.9% |
| Away | 5 | 8 | 10 | 21.7% |
| Both | 14 | 13 | 18 | 31.1% |
| Premier League | ||||
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 7 | 5 | 7 | 36.8% |
| Away | 3 | 7 | 9 | 15.8% |
| Both | 10 | 12 | 16 | 26.3% |
Gareth Southgate continued as manager under chairman Steve Gibson. George Boateng retained the captaincy from the previous season, until being replaced at the beginning of 2008 by Julio Arca. Arca's poor form saw him dropped in March, and Emanuel Pogatetz was handed the captaincy in his absence, and later retained it upon Arca's return to the side, though any permanent decision was put off until the following season.
January saw Middlesbrough smash their transfer record to pay a fee of around £12 million for Brazilian striker Afonso Alves.