Phil Stamp played for four different Boro managers and they all clearly rated his natural ability.Yet, despite enjoying 10 seasons either in, or on the fringes of the first team squad, he only made 116 appearances before joining Hearts in 2002.
There were three reasons for that. Firstly, he was incredibly young when Lennie Lawrence gave him his debut as a promising 17-year-old in October 1993.
Secondly he suffered more than his fair share of injuries and, thirdly, he was battling for a place when the club were spending big money on glamorous internationals in the Bryan Robson, Terry Venables and Steve McClaren eras.
In the latest GazetteLive podcast, Stamp tells Philip Tallentire all about his life so far, starting in the early years as a football-mad kid kicking a ball around the streets of Berwick Hills.
He was courted by the nation’s top clubs, including Liverpool, but chose his hometown team.
Fearing that he’d be homesick, Stamp rejected the chance to attend the FA’s prestigious School of Excellence at Lilleshall as a talented 14-year-old.
He was capped at England youth level, though, and was one of the most highly-rated young players in the country.
He’s certainly got some incredible stories to tell. Find out what it was like to share a room with Gazza, play under his hero Bryan Robson, work with Terry Venables and train with Steve McClaren.
Find out what really happened when Gazza took the team coach for a drive and, when he was at Hearts, when the Edinburgh house he was renting was ‘trashed’ in his absence.
Now a coach with the successful Premier Player Football Academy, Stamp, 41, is a larger than life character and a great storyteller so have a listen as he tells his incredible tale. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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