As we prepare to entertain Middlesbrough on Wednesday evening, YNWA looks at the careers of some of those who have represented both Boro and the mighty reds.

Current double agents
Bolo Zenden spent two seasons on Teesside, one on loan from Chelsea before signed a one-year deal following his departure from Stamford Bridge. He helped the club to claim its first major piece of silverware in February 2004, converting a penalty as they won the Carling Cup in Cardiff. Bolo grabbed a total of eight goals in 49 games for Boro, and was voted their best player of last season. He has so far made forty reds appearances following his arrival on a free transfer in July of last year, notching twice to date. He has already helped us to claim the UEFA Super Cup and FA Community Shield in his brief time with the reds.

Abel Xavier played six times for Boro last season, following his free transfer from Roma. He was then banned from football by UEFA for eighteen months for failing a drugs test, and was sacked in January, although he re-signed for the club last November, so far playing a further twenty times for them. He arrived at Anfield from across Stanley Park for £800,000 in January 2002 and netted twice in 21 reds games, of which we only lost three.

In the middle
Graeme Souness joined Boro in December 1972 for £30,000 from Tottenham Hotspur. He struck 22 times in 176 League games, before coming to Anfield for £352,000 in January 1978. He became an inspirational skipper, scoring 55 times in 359 reds games as he helped us to a plethora of honours. Aussie midfielder Craig Johnston signed from Middlesbrough for £575,000 in April 1981 for whom he had bagged sixteen goals in 64 League outings. He netted forty goals in 271 reds games, helping us to five League titles, the European Cup, two League Cups and the FA Cup.

John Wark spent a year at Second Division Boro in between spells at Ipswich Town, signing for £50,000 in August 1990, and scoring twice in forty games. He had arrived at Anfield for £450,000 in March 1984 from Portman Road, netting an impressive 42 times in 108 reds games, and winning a League title medal. Michael Thomas spent nearly seven years at Anfield, playing 163 reds games, and scoring twelve times, including the 1992 FA Cup Final opener. He spent two months on loan at the Riverside in early 1998, playing ten First Division matches. Paul Ince made 81 reds appearances before Gérard Houllier offloaded him to Middlesbrough for £1m in July 1999, after two largely disappointing years at Anfield. He played more than a hundred times in three years with Boro.

Recent double agents
Nick Barmby moved to Boro from Tottenham Hotspur for £5.25m in August 1995, netting ten times in 49 games. He joined the reds for £6m from Everton in July 2000, striking eight times in 58 games, and helping us to claim the UEFA Cup, League Cup and Charity Shield in 2001. Christian Ziege joined Middlesbrough from AC Milan for £4m in July 1999. After seven goals in 34 games in his one season at the Riverside, he joined us for £5.5m in August 2000, sparking a row over alleged ‘tapping up'. He moved to Tottenham Hotspur for £4m in July 2001, after just 32 reds games in which time he had netted twice and won a Worthington Cup winner's medal.

Up front
David Hodgson signed from Boro for £450,000 in August 1982, having grabbed sixteen goals in 125 League appearances. He struck ten times in 49 reds games and won a League title medal in 1983. He later had a loan spell back at Boro that lasted just two games. Phil Boersma netted thirty times in 121 reds games, winning League title and UEFA Cup winner's medals in 1973. He moved to Teesside for £72,000 in December 1975, making 47 League appearances for them before joining Luton Town.

Inside-left Andy McGuigan was the first red to score five times in a game. He bagged fourteen in 37 reds games before joining Middlesbrough in 1902. He later returned to Anfield, helping to coach our title-winning sides of 1922 and 1923. Jimmy Nicholl was another reds inside-left, who signed from Boro in January 1913. He scored fourteen times in 59 games for the reds, in two years at Anfield.

Behind the scenes
Stephen Pears signed on a free from Boro in summer 1995, having played 339 League games in three spells for them as perhaps their finest ever keeper, having signed from Manchester United for £80,000 in June 1985. He never made our first team, and returned to Teesside as goalkeeping coach in 1998. Joe Corrigan has also been goalkeeping coach at both clubs. Harry Bell played football and cricket for Boro, and was later a scout at Anfield.

Other double agents
Tony Cousins was signed in October 1990 from Dundalk for £75,000. He never played a senior game before joining Boro on a free transfer in summer 1993. Left-half Jimmy Stott bagged fourteen goals in seventeen reds games, including our first ever treble, as we won the Second Division title at the first attempt in 1894, after signing from Boro in August 1893, to whom he later returned for a second spell. Turn of the last century double agents include Tom Green, who only played seven times, Scottish inside-forward Andrew McCowie who struck eleven times in 35 games, and forward Willie White, who only made six reds appearances. Other double agents include Allenby Chilton, Jim Gallagher and Charlie Hewitt, who netted six times in sixteen reds games in the 1907/08 season.