THE English Premiership is being educated in the 'three Rs' this season: Robson's Riverside Revolution. And the learning process is proving to be quite painful for some teams as Middlesbrough attempt to establish themselves in the upper echelons of English football - not just for this season but the foreseeable future. Under a young, multi-millionaire chairman, Steve Gibson, and a respected, forward-thinking manager, Bryan Robson, Boro have assembled a team which is packing the new Riverside Stadium to capacity match after match. The two big stars from last season, Brazilian Juninho and England's Nick Barmby, have been joined in the line-up by Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli and a made-in-Portugal Brazilian midfielder, Emerson. These four add up to GBP21 million-worth of talent and spell Middlesbrough's ambition to join the New Order of English football. The so-called 'Big Five' of Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham are being challenged (and, in some cases, have been overtaken) by the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Middlesbrough as the Premiership develops at a furious pace. While manager Robson is well-known throughout the football world as the former England and Manchester United skipper, chairman Gibson, 38, is the man who has united the industrial Teesside area of the Northeast behind his 'Boro Boys. Gibson, 38, has made his millions in bulk haulage and is one of the world's leading importers-exporters of hazardous materials. In keeping with his business, Gibson's footballing imports are proving to be just as lethal as Ravanelli (GBP7 million from Juventus), Juninho (GBP4.75 million from Sao Paulo) and Emerson (GBP4 million from Porto) make their mark in the Premiership alongside Hull-born Barmby (GBP5.25 million from Spurs). Gibson, Middlesbrough-born and bred, has been a director of the club for over 10 years, experiencing liquidation and re-birth in 1986. He became chairman in November 1993 and presides over a board of exactly two members. Speaking to Premier Soccer this week, Gibson said: 'I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress so called a meeting with ICI, as a shareholder, to see where we wanted to go. 'We said if we're going to do it, let's do it right. This would mean a new stadium and a new manager who could attract the best players; if this happened then we would make money available to him. So far everything's going to plan. 'Bryan Robson has been the magnet. It's all right having the money but you need someone who knows how to spend it. Bryan has the power of authority in football matters and I sign the cheques.' Ayresome Park had been Middlesbrough's home since 1903 but the new Cellnet Riverside Stadium opened in 1995. 'The ground holds 30,000 and, under Premier League rules, we must allocate 3,000 tickets for away supporters,' continued Gibson. 'The remaining 27,000 seats went on sale on May 1 and we had sold out in season tickets by May 14.' Although the signs are promising, Gibson knows there is a lot of hard work ahead before Middlesbrough break into English football's elite. 'Our target is to get up there alongside the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United but to do that you must be consistent over a number of years. Many clubs have ambition but you must also have the ability to deliver on that ambition. 'We are determined to keep things going here and not come and go,' he added. Although Ravanelli, known as the 'Silver Feather' by the Juventus fans, has been grabbing all the headlines with his goals in league and cup and shirt-over-the-head celebrations, powerful midfielder Emerson, 24, is the focal point of the team. He left Brazil as a teenager after being rejected by several top clubs and headed for Portugal, where he eventually joined Porto and, last season, was voted Portugal's Footballer of the Year.
