Football Season Review

Middlesbrough eventually secured a top half finish for their 2013/14 Championship season in what was a very turbulent 12 months for the Teessiders. The departure of former boss, Tony Mowbray early on in the campaign was unsurprising, but the appointment of Jose Mourinho's former Real Madrid assistant, Aitor Karanka was quite the opposite. The Spaniard has taken some time to acclimatise and get to know the Boro squad, but there were signs in the last couple of months of the season that they were heading in the right direction. The squad has been riddled with injuries to key players in recent seasons and 2013/14 was no exception, with Rhys Williams, Jonathan Woodgate, Jason Steele and Mustafa Carayol. Loan signings such as Danny Graham, Nathaniel Chalobah and Jacob Butterfield helped take the strain however, with Graham in particular impressing in attack. Veteran keeper, Dimi Konstantopolous also rose to the challenge of deputising for the injured Steele, with the Greek stopper offered a new deal for 2014/15 as a result. With the club's overall playing budget now greatly reduced, keeping hold of star men such as George Friend, Rhys Williams and Grant Leadbitter will be key to mount any kind of promotion push next term.

Player of the Season: George Friend