Despite last night’s unexpected defeat to Charlton Athletic, these are exciting times for Middlesbrough, as they are currently second in the Championship, only behind leaders Coventry City, with the team playing some exciting football under head coach Kim Hellberg.
There had been some concern when the young Swede replaced Rob Edwards in November after his somewhat acrimonious move to Wolves, but the team has continued to flourish in its latest promotion campaign.
League Position
Clearly, every club in England’s second tier is desperate to secure promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, but Middlesbrough have a more realistic chance than most, given the backing of owner Steve Gibson.
They were last promoted in 2015/16, but only lasted one season in the top flight. Since then, they have twice qualified for the play-offs and finished just outside the top six on three occasions, but have not quite managed to get over the line.
However, last season was fairly disappointing, as they only finished tenth, which led to Michael Carrick’s dismissal. They also went out early in the FA Cup, losing to Blackburn Rovers in the third round, and the Carabao Cup, eliminated by Stoke City in the second round.
Profit/(Loss) 2024/25
Middlesbrough’s pre-tax loss slightly reduced from £12.4m to £11.4m, thanks to profit from player sales improving by £9.2m from £17.1m to £26.3m.
Revenue was also a little higher, rising £0.3m (1%) from £32.2m to £32.5m, though there was a steep increase in operating expenses, which rose £7.9m (13%) from £62.5m to £70.4m, while net interest payable more than doubled from £0.5m to £1.1m.
The loss after tax also narrowed from £9.6m to £8.2m, after taken into consideration a £3.2m tax credit.
The only revenue stream that grew was broadcasting, as the uplift in the central TV rights led to a £2.5m (26%) increase from £9.7m to £12.2m. However, match day fell £1.5m (14%) from £10.9m to £9.4m, while commercial dropped £0.8m (7%) from £11.7m to £10.9m.
Investment in Middlesbrough’s squad led to steep increases in both wages, up £5.0m (16%) from £31.4m to £36.4m, and player amortisation, up £2.2m (24%) from £9.2m to £11.4m.
Depreciation rose £0.5m (19%) from £2.8m to £3.3m, while other expenses were also higher, up £0.2m (1%) from £19.1m to £19.3m.
Almost half of the Championship clubs have now published accounts for 2024/25 with only one of them managing to generate a profit – and that was just £0.3m at Plymouth Argyle.
In fact, Middlesbrough’s £11.4m loss was actually one of the better results, compared to some of the hefty losses reported elsewhere, e.g. Cardiff City £35m, Coventry City £22m and Norwich City £21m, though Millwall’s loss was just £0.3m.
