Get the latest Boro stories straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter Enter your email Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Gazette readers recently voted Uwe Fuchs as their favourite ever Boro loan signing.

The German striker finished ahead of the likes of Juninho and Shay Given in a poll of fans conducted on GazetteLive.

After an online search we found the much-loved frontman and he spoke to Anthony Vickers.

Uwe Fuchs admits his prolific promotion sealing spell at Boro was a case of being in the right place at the right time.

“For me it was the perfect club,” explained the German striker.

“When I first came to see Boro before I even signed I knew it would be a very good fit.

“It was at the back end of January for a draw against Grimsby. It was cold, it was raining and the game was poor.

“But you could see that they were a good team they just lacked some confidence and a bit of extra power up front.

“But you could also feel from how the supporters reacted to the game that they loved a player who showed some passion and energy and strength.

“I saw how the fans cheered if a player made a mistake but chased and fought to get it back and I loved that spirit.

“Straight away I knew it would be a good place for me, that I could play here. I knew it would suit me.

“And when I joined and started to play I found quickly that it was a good team too and that made it easy for me to fit in.

“And when I started scoring and the team started to play well and win games again it was exciting to be part of it.

“It was a very good feeling. Everything was right. It was perfect timing for me. It was one of the best times of my career.”

Previously unseen pictures from Uwe's sole Boro hat-trick

The German frontman arrived at Ayresome Park at the end of January 1995 to give Bryan Robson’s faltering promotion push a timely boost.

The long-time leaders were going through the traditional Teesside January jitters and in the six games after Boxing Day Boro won just one, lost two - at Swindon and at home to Reading - and looked nervous in three tentative draws.

They needed a kick-start and a boost in the penalty box. Enter Uwe.

He scored on his debut, bagged nine crucial goals in 13 games and picked up a straight red. He was an instant cult hero.

Ungainly Uwe was an unlikely saviour. He had been a journeyman striker in the Bundesliga before joining on loan from Kaiserslautern after being recommended as “an English style centre-forward” by Robbo’s former England team-mate Tony Woodcock.

It was a good call.

“I knew nothing about Middlesbrough the team or the town before I arrived here,” said Uwe.

“But I did know Tony Woodcock. I had played with him at Koln. After that he had become a successful coach in Germany and then an agent and he called me and said Middlesbrough were looking for a centre-forward as they had injuries.

“He told me that Boro were a club with a big vision, a big plan and a big future but I wasn’t really looking to the long term future, just for a good experience now.

“It appealed to me to play in England. I had always had a strong feeling for English football.

“My father had been a footballer and I would go to games with him and when we drove home we would listen to all the English results and reports on the radio so I knew all the teams.

“Fans in Germany have great respect for the history of the English game and English teams have done very well in Europe - although we think the national team is not so good,” he laughed.

“But I did not know of Boro and in those days it was difficult to find out things. There was no internet.

"They were not in the top division so were not in the German newspapers or TV. So I was going into the unknown.

“But of course I knew of Bryan Robson. He was a huge name in football all over the world and it was an attraction to play with him and for him.”

Get more Boro news and nostalgia - like our Facebook page!

Uwe, a former West Germany Under-21 international, was back at his hometown club after spells at Stutgart Kickers, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Fortuna Koln and big boys FC Koln.

But he had fallen down the pecking order at Kaiserslautern after just three goals in 19 games in the first half of the season.

The striker was looking for a chance to prove his credentials

“Middlesbrough turned out to be a fantastic move for me,” said Uwe.

“It was a good time to be at Boro as big things were starting to happen.

“Bryan Robson was a very impressive and very determined personality and gave all the players a lot of confidence. I think he was a born winner.

“And the squad was very strong. I was surprised at exactly how strong they were for a second league club.

“There were some very experienced players who were all excellent in their positions like Alan Miller in goal, Clayton Blackmore and Neil Cox at full-back and a very strong defence and some good forward players too, like John Hendrie who was also a very funny guy.

“And Nigel Pearson was a very important person in the group.

"He was not only a very good defender but he was a fantastic captain, a strong character and a great leader on and off the pitch.

“But it wasn’t just the team that made it a good experience for me.

“There was a great atmosphere around the club and the stadium and the Boro supporters were very optimistic and got behind the team and were very passionate.

“And for me personally, the fans were great. They were very friendly to me and made me welcome.

“I loved it at Boro. I made a lot of good friends and have many good memories of games and scoring a lot of goals, of the fans, of winning the championship and promotion and also of playing in the final game at Ayresome Park.

“Although I was not long at Middlesbrough it was one of my best times in football.”

The good times were brought to a swift end though as Robson opted not to give Uwe the permanent deal many fans thought he had earned with the goal rush that helped secure Premier League football in the new Riverside Stadium.

Uwe headed off to Millwall where he scored just five goals in 36 games in what seemed an anti-climax after Boro.

“Of course I was very disappointed when the gaffer told me that he would not be keeping me on,” Uwe admitted.

“I had scored a lot of goals and I thought I had played well but he explained his plans for the club in the Premier League and so I understood the position.

“Boro had just signed Jan Aage Fjorfoft and in the summer they bought Nick Barmby for big, big transfer fees and soon after they got Juninho.

“They had a new stadium and were building a new team and I realised I would be not in it.

“I understood that. I accepted it. And so I left with no regrets and just good memories.”

Uwe returned to the Bundesliga and played at Bielefeld alongside former German international Stefan Kuntz before having spells coaching at former clubs Dusseldorf and Fortuna Koln.

He stepped up in 2005 to become the boss at second tier Borussia Wuppertal then Lubeck and Vfl Osnabruck.

He quit in 2010 - but he hasn’t left football.

“I was a coach for several years,” he said.

“We have a different system in Germany with head coaches and sport directors rather than ‘the gaffer’ they have in England.

“I have done several roles, as a coach on the training ground, which I loved, and later in the higher roles and I also had a spell at Kaiserslautern as assistant to the chairman Stefan Kuntz.

“But I missed the day-to-day involvement with players and when I was invited in 2013 to join SportsTotal, Germany’s biggest football agency I was delighted.

“I take care of younger players and nurture them in their early careers to make sure they make the right choices.

“So I watch a lot of youth football, our own players and also maybe to scout other new talent in those games too.

“Sometimes I will do normal agency work too, and maybe help work on contract negotiations.

“I enjoy it. It’s a good job for me, I enjoy the work and I like being in the world of football.”

Uwe, 48, now lives in Bielefeld in the North-Rhine Westphalia region, familiar to many former forces personnel.

And he still keeps an eye on Boro’s fortunes.

“I watch for the results every weekend,” he said. “I follow the news.

“And I try to get back when I can but it is not as often as I would like.

“In the past 10 years I have been back to maybe six, seven, eight games, mainly at the Riverside but also some away.

“And I was due to come in November for a Bryan Robson reunion dinner at the stadium but unfortunately I could not attend which was disappointing.

“I had to go to hospital for an operation on my hip but I am almost fully recovered now and so hopefully I may come over soon. I would like that very much.”

Click here to see the full list of all of Boro's 66 loan players