So, Lee Cattermole has gone,  how did things look when he was here?

Lee Cattermole joined the Boro academy in the summer of 2004. Just 18 months later the tenacious midfielder was making a spectacular full Premiership debut at St James Park. He produced a man of the match display which quickly made him a fans favourite. He got stuck in, he wasn’t over awed and he had the look of a man determined to do something, all the better agaisnt the Barcodes, it brought back memories of Jamie Pollocks radio gaff “I hate geordies me” (well something very like that).

The Stockton teenager became the clubs youngest ever Premiership goalscorer when netting the winner at Manchester City in April 2006. A cross from the left (from Downing) and a late arriving Lee got a great head on the ball. Goal.  He also became Boros youngest ever captain when at 18 years and 47 days he took the armband against Fulham at Craven Cottage. The Fulham match also saw Colin Coopers last run out as a player.
Cattermole also starred in Europe, producing an inspirational display at the Stadio Olympico as Boro drew with Roma 2-2 on aggregate advancing to the next round via the away goals rule on the way to the UEFA Cup Final. Over the next 2 seasons Lee played 90 times, scoring 4 goals in all competitions despite never holding down a regular role. He also broke into and impressed when playing for Stuart Pearces England U21 side.

He demonstrated his softer side when he ended up in tears after Villa took Boro to the cleaners, leaving the pitch in tears. However his tendency to collect yellow cards as freely as appearances started to frustrate the Boro faithful, a booking waiting to happen.  He, like Pollock before him, had the ability to get every Boro fan looking through their fingers when he went into a tackle that could be vaguely thought of as “a touch tasty”, thats tasty as in “theres a bit of leg hanging off me boot”. Finally in July 2008 Wigan Athletic came calling and offered a fee of £3.5m rising to £4m depending on appearances, and Cattermole was gone.

That is an excellent price for what is essentially a young and unproven player.

Whats he got to look forward to at Wigan?

On the pitch he may, may, get a run at Centre Midfield, the position he never held down for anything like a stretch at Boro. Some feel this is why he failed to develop, others that the reason he never got the run was because he failed to develop. Eyes were raised at his off field behaviour, nothing proven, just the usual gossip and tittle tattle. Still, if you were his age and on his money etc etc. But lets put this into context, he never got arrested and he never stubbed a cigar in a colleagues eye.

Wigans not Yarm, it’s more Bluehall than Norton. The town is famous for pies (”stick it in a crust and they’ll eat it in Wigan” is an oft repeated comment, this may explain the high sales of short crust under crackers and the shortbread thong industry is huge). There is a large Teesside connection with the area, many people having worked at the chemical works over the years.

I don’t think anyone thinks the worse for Lee taking the opportunity.

Good luck, just don’t score against us please.

<many thanks to Shaun71 for the background info for this article>