Gazetteboro

Colin Cooper is something of a Middlesbrough legend.A member of the team that rose from the ashes to win back-to-back promotions in 1987 and 1988 under Bruce Rioch, the 50-year-old is now an England Under-21 coach.He was a Boro player when they were at their lowest ebb – 1986’s liquidation – and when they were at their peak – the 2004 League Cup final in Cardiff.He’s worn the red shirt at a crumbling Ayresome Park and in the modern surroundings of the Riverside Stadium.Cooper has been a reserve and first team coach at Boro and was even, briefly, the caretaker manager when Gareth Southgate was sacked in 2009.So, it’s fair to say there was plenty to talk about when he sat down with Gazette Boro Editor Philip Tallentire to record an exclusive podcast.Cooper is an engaging and honest interviewee so why not hear what he has to say about his career so far and his plans for the future?He talks about leaving Boro in 1991, returning seven years later after successful stints with Millwall and Nottingham Forest.He revea