Bernie Slaven scored 223 goals in 567 league and cup appearances throughout an 18-year career and earned seven caps for the Republic of Ireland.
49 Facts About Bernie Slaven
1.
2.
Bernie Slaven started his career in his native Scotland with Greenock Morton in 1980 before moving on to Airdrieonians, Queen of the South, and then Albion Rovers in 1983.
3.
Bernie Slaven was twice named the club's Player of the Year and scored 146 goals in 381 appearances during his eight years at Ayresome Park.
4.
Bernie Slaven took a free transfer to Port Vale in March 1993 and helped the club to lift the Football League Trophy two months later.
5.
Bernie Slaven returned to the North-East in February 1994 after joining Darlington on a free transfer.
6.
Bernie Slaven helped the club to avoid finishing bottom of the English Football League at the end of the season before he announced his retirement in May 1995.
7.
Bernie Slaven went into radio after retiring as a player, presenting shows and providing commentary on Middlesbrough matches with Ali Brownlee for Century Network and Real Radio.
8.
Bernie Slaven presented television programmes on Boro TV and published two autobiographies.
9.
Bernie Slaven was born on 13 November 1960; he was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire but grew up in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow.
10.
Bernie Slaven joined Partick Thistle Amateurs at 14 and played at left-half.
11.
Bernie Slaven went on to play for Eastercraigs and again played left-half as their centre-forward was future Everton player Graeme Sharp.
12.
At the age of 18, Bernie Slaven rejected an approach from Scottish Second Division club East Stirlingshire and instead joined junior league side Johnstone Burgh.
13.
Bernie Slaven soon fell out with manager Benny Rooney after demanding more game time.
14.
Bernie Slaven joined Scottish First Division club Airdrieonians on a one-month contract after manager Bill Munro needed short-term replacements during an injury crisis.
15.
Bernie Slaven then spent three months without a club before signing with Dumfries side Queen of the South.
16.
Bernie Slaven played two Second Division matches for the club before again becoming a free agent.
17.
Bernie Slaven was a nice enough guy but he wasn't one of the more rowdy ones.
18.
Bernie Slaven went on to be named as both the club's and the division's Player of the Year.
19.
Bernie Slaven refused to play for Rovers, and was contacted by a reporter from The Sunday Post, who wrote to 54 English and Scottish clubs on his behalf.
20.
Bernie Slaven responded well to the criticism, and scored all three goals when Blackpool returned to Ayresome Park in the FA Cup the following month.
21.
Bernie Slaven played in all the club's 58 league and cup games that season, scoring 22 goals, to help Middlesbrough to secure promotion as runners-up to AFC Bournemouth.
22.
Bernie Slaven handed in a written transfer request, which was turned down by manager Colin Todd, and Slaven agreed to a new contract and withdrew his transfer request.
23.
Bernie Slaven returned to the starting eleven the following week and went on to claim a goal in his next five appearances.
24.
Bernie Slaven was dropped from the first team altogether after telling the media that "if the manager is not going to play me in the middle, then he should drop me".
25.
However, Bernie Slaven picked up a calf strain in pre-season and lost his first-team place to Stuart Ripley.
26.
That season Middlesbrough had reached the semi-final of the League Cup; in the second leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford Bernie Slaven equalised to send the game to extra time, before Ryan Giggs scored the winning goal.
27.
Bernie Slaven again requested a transfer, and Lawrence said he would listen to any offers the club received.
28.
In March 1993, Bernie Slaven signed for John Rudge's Second Division Port Vale on a free transfer.
29.
Bernie Slaven went on to provide the cross for Martin Foyle to score the winning goal past Stockport County in the play-off semi-finals.
30.
Bernie Slaven was punched in the face by Peter Swan in a training ground incident, though the pair would eventually make up and become friends.
31.
Bernie Slaven wanted to return to the North-East to be with his wife Karen and new-born son Dominic; however, manager John Rudge was reluctant to lose Bernie Slaven despite being unable to promise him a contract for the following season.
32.
Bernie Slaven joined Darlington in February 1994, who were struggling at the bottom of the Third Division.
33.
Bernie Slaven made the move to be closer to his young family.
34.
Darlington avoided dropping into non-League after Bernie Slaven scored the winning goal against Chesterfield that moved Darlington above Northampton Town and off the bottom of the table.
35.
Bernie Slaven decided to retire from professional football after a consultant advised him that a troubling back injury would only get worse with further stress.
36.
Bernie Slaven took the decision to represent Ireland after being consistently overlooked for the Scotland team by manager Andy Roxburgh, and stated that: "if I'd been scoring for Celtic or Rangers I'd have walked into the side, there are people getting in the team that can hardly play the game".
37.
Bernie Slaven made his international debut in a friendly on 28 March 1990, and scored the only goal of the game against Wales from a rebound after Kevin Sheedy had a penalty saved by Neville Southall.
38.
Bernie Slaven won a second cap as a substitute against Finland on 16 May, before he was named in the Ireland squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
39.
Bernie Slaven did not feature in the tournament however, and suffered from homesickness.
40.
Bernie Slaven was a forward who scored many goals due to his excellent first touch, anticipation and finishing skills.
41.
Bernie Slaven was criticised for his defending and heading skills, as well as his habit of frequently standing in an offside position.
42.
Bernie Slaven was granted a testimonial match by Middlesbrough against Hereford United at the Riverside Stadium in 1996, but was embarrassed by a low turnout of 3,537.
43.
Bernie Slaven went into radio after retiring as a player, and co-hosted Century FM's coverage of Middlesbrough matches with Ali Brownlee from 1996 to 2007.
44.
Brownlee tended to be positive and optimistic about Middlesbrough, whereas Bernie Slaven would be more critical and realistic.
45.
In 1999, Bernie Slaven bared his buttocks in Binns department store window in Middlesbrough after telling Brownlee on Century FM that if Middlesbrough beat Manchester United at Old Trafford, he would perform the dare.
46.
Bernie Slaven went on to recreate the moment on television for They Think It's All Over's "Feel The Sportsman" round.
47.
Bernie Slaven announced his intention to stand for the newly created post of Mayor of Middlesbrough in October 2002, but withdrew from the race before the election as his candidacy was a publicity stunt for Century FM rather than a serious attempt to enter politics.
48.
Bernie Slaven went on to present Legends Football Phone-In for Real Radio North East and later Koast Radio from 200 to 2014, alongside him were Malcolm Macdonald and Eric Gates who was replaced later by Micky Horswill.
49.
In 2015, Bernie Slaven became a Patron of Sporting Memories, a charity that supports former players and older fans living with dementia, depression or loneliness.