A career ending injury that halted his Northern League playing career with Billingham Synthonia at just 17-years-old, Boro kitman at 19, then assistant kitman at Manchester City when they won their historic first Premier League title before arriving at the Stadium of Light. It's been quite the journey for Stephen Aziz.
Born in Middlesbrough, and growing up a Boro fan, Aziz admits it was a case of 'who you know' as he fell into a career that spanned over three decades as a kit man. Starting out at his boyhood club in 2006, prior to turning 19-years-old, he'd spend four years working behind the scenes at the Riverside before moving on to Manchester City in 2010 and then the Stadium of Light in 2012.
"I didn’t really get into football until quite late," Aziz told We Are Sunderland in an exclusive interview. "When I look at my son now, he’s eight, I don’t really remember playing football then. Because I was quite tall, one of the lads said ‘You’d make a good keeper you know?’
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"That’s how my journey started from later on in primary school and it sort of just snowballed into having this crazy love for football and getting hooked how everyone else does really. By default I was stuck in goal, probably because I’m a bit lazy. I’m really tall, I’m six foot four, so I was like ‘this is alright.’ It was going well for me, and this is how I fell in to being a kitman.
"I was playing semi-professional for Billingham Synthonia and I had a really bad injury. It stopped me playing for a long time. It was hematoma compartment syndrome so physio’s will know – I’ve got a huge scar where they had to take away some of my muscle and it effectively ended my football career.
"Mum was working the laundry at Middlesbrough at the time and she invited me in to help. That was the time when you needed to know someone in football to get you in. When I was getting involved in it - it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
"I knew someone in there and that’s how I got in there and started my kit manager journey. I had my injury when I was 17-year-old. For a 17-year-old to be playing in the Northern League, it wasn’t really seen back then, there was a lot of older fellas, big strong men and I was this skinny 17-year-old.
"I think I was 18 when I went in at Middlesbrough because I remember this job coming up as assistant kit man, for my 19th birthday it would be great to get this job. I remember saying to my girlfriend, who’s now my wife, ‘this would be a great way to start my birthday' and that’s how it came about at Boro.”
Growing up a Boro fan, he would work under the now England boss Gareth Southgate, a manager who would set the benchmark for how to treat staff in Aziz's years that would follow. Despite his Teesside roots, 12 years at the Stadium of Light saw him switch allegiances to the Black Cats, as documented in the recent series of Sunderland 'Til I Die.
"I don’t know if you could say that now!" he said when asked about growing up a Boro fan. "It’s well documented in the Sunderland ‘Til I Die documentary [that he’d pick Sunderland]. When it was filmed over a year ago I didn’t think I’d be leaving Sunderland. I said I’d probably pick Sunderland over Middlesbrough.
"There was a time when I’d just joined Sunderland and they’d played Boro in one of the cup games. I think it was one of the League Cup games and Boro won. I was getting round a couple of the Boro lads like ‘yes, come on lads.’
"Obviously right back up until we played Boro and it was 1-1 at the Riverside. If you’d have seen me or there’s footage of me when Rusyn scored – I was pushing people out of the way!
"I think it’s hard because there’s not really anyone who’s been in my position who’s from Middlesbrough, worked in Sunderland for so long and then having to go back there, it’s been a really tough one. When we were in League One and they were in the Championship or the Premier League it was different.
"When you’re rivals and going up against each other, I was Sunderland because the club got under my skin."
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Aziz would leave Boro in 2010 to join the emerging empire of Manchester City. Going behind the curtain of one of football's juggernauts in it's early infancy, he was assistance kit manager as Roberto Mancini's side won the first Premier League title in their history.
"In between the season building up I was speaking to Cookey [John Cooke] who was the kitman at Sunderland," Aziz said when reflecting back on how his move to Sunderland came about. "He told me that a job was coming up [at the Stadium of Light]. It was New Year’s Day when Sunderland played Manchester City when Ji scored that unbelievable goal where he chops it round Joe Hart and scores.
"We were all sick because we were going for the title. On that day, Cookey told me about the job that was coming up at Sunderland. People know when you’re down in the basement at Sunderland you don’t really get a signal, but I think it was half-time or just after.
"I ran upstairs to call my wife and told her there was a chance to live back in the North-East, Sunderland were looking for an assistant and I thought I had a good chance of getting it.
"This was before the game had even finished! The season went on and I’d had a number of interviews, spoken with Cookey and HR and they’d offered me the job. But things at Manchester City – we’d beaten Manchester United 6-1, we’d beaten them again when Kompany scored late on.
"So I asked to see it out until the end of the season because there was a chance we could get the title for the first time. Cookey was great. He said, ‘absolutely you’ve got to stay there until the end of the season and see how things go.’
"My final day was that famous Martin Tyler ‘Aguerooo’ moment and what a way to leave the club. It was an amazing party on the night and signing off in style. I got my dad down to help me unload the flat that we were living in, in Sale, and we packed everything up and moved back to Middlesbrough.
"I managed to sneak a couple of my mates into the party at the end [of the season]. It was a plus one, me and my wife Jen, we were in there and there was a couple of girls who I still speak to now, my friend Steph she bungled one of them in. To share that moment with your closest [friends and family] it’s amazing.
"Lots of things that I see, and I’ve experienced, you don’t really get to share it with people and they don’t really know what it’s like until you’re in it. I got to share that with two of my best friends and my wife.
"It was a free bar, Manchester Town Hall, Premier League winners medals, Premier League trophy. Everyone was there, one of the Gallaghers, Ricky Hatton was there, it was a really A-List do. The next day we did the trophy parade round Manchester and everyone was hungover. That was my last day in Manchester, we packed up on the Monday and moved back to Middlesbrough.
"We had the summer off and went to Vegas – me and my wife – then started at Sunderland at end of May, start of June."
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Martin O'Neill was the man at the helm as Aziz walked into the Academy of Light for the first time, a 'great manager' who he still holds in such high regard.
"Martin was my first manager and looking back through all the managers, there’s been a lot!" he said. "He was a great manager. A legend. I think leaving [Man City], Mancini would have been my third or fourth manager, I’d had Southgate, Strachan. Mancini - it was a really difficult time.
"He [Mancini] wasn’t really one for going round the staff. After having Gareth Southgate as a manager, it’s tough having other managers because he’s such a nice bloke. He had time for everyone.
"There was a couple of times where you’d be walking down the corridor, if Mancini spoke to you, you would look to see he was speaking to you because there just wasn’t that real interaction there that there was with someone like Gareth."
Despite having shown signs of promise, O'Neill's tenure came crashing down and Aziz admits this was probably the start of the managerial merry-go-round at the Stadium of Light.
He said: "I think it sort of went a little bit stale. He’d previously done okay with them, and they started to struggle and that’s the Premier League isn’t it?
"Some teams can really get dragged into it and I think that was the start of the Sunderland merry-go-round of managers where, if things aren’t right, you’re seen to panic. We can’t drop into the Championship so let’s change the manager. It worked a good few times."
One of those times in question, was the appointment of the divisive Paulo Di Canio. From banning ketchup on the training ground, to no days off, it was a tenure best consigned to the history books.
"He was really strict," Aziz admits. "Everyone knows about the no ketchup in the canteen and the cafeteria. I remember one of his members of staff, he had four or five Italian staff going round and checking on people. You weren’t actually allowed your mobile phone in the building. You had to leave it in the car – that was everyone.
"There was no music in the dressing room. You had to have your headphones on and I’d got caught by one of the Italian guys and he’s come round the corner like ‘no, no, no, no phones.’ I’d been caught. Cookey was like ‘you’ve been caught haven’t you? Just leave it in the car.’ I was 25-years-old and I felt like I was at school. That didn’t end well!
"I remember the Sunday, we’d had a bad result and the boys were in. I think the lads had counted they were in for something like 39 days in a row without any days off. A few of the senior players went and spoke to the chairman and said look this isn’t really working it’s got to change.
"Someone like Ellis [Short] wasn’t really around on the day-to-day. I don’t think I ever really saw him at the training ground. Some of the senior players got together and said it wasn’t working, we need to change.
"I think even if it was a recovery day, the fact that you’ve just got to get in your car and get there. I know everyone will say the lads are getting paid a ridiculous amount of money and if they were being paid that then they’d be in for however many days. But it just becomes monotonous and the same old, day in, day out and it just had to change.
"Cookey was really good with me. He lived round the corner and gave me days off. He said it was pointless me driving up for the sake of a recovery session so I got away with that a bit just because I had a good boss."
For all his off the field antics, Di Canio delivered a memorable derby win over Newcastle United, a 3-0 win at St. James' Park.
"I wasn’t actually there that day" Aziz revealed. "At the time I wasn’t travelling with the team because I was the assistant, but I was really close with some of the boys and went out, probably more than I should’ve done with them!
"Because we were similar sort of ages I got myself into – I wouldn’t say bad positions – but the lads would say ‘Ste is class, get Ste out.’ I remember the Sunday of that game I was looking at my phone waiting. The messages started coming through and we were out!
"For some reason, we always used to go out in Newcastle. We’d definitely celebrate. My Mrs would probably tell you now, if there was a big win and my phone was going off, we’d go out.
"She’s always been really understanding of the big games and those sort of things don’t come around very often. You’ve got to make the most of them. The six in a row is just unheard of. To be involved at the club in those sort of times, they were really good."
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Gus Poyet was the next man through the door with the Uruguayan producing some memorable moments as the Black Cats rollercoaster took more twists an turns. The League Cup Final in 2014 the standout achievement in that time.
"If you look at some of the players that we had; Fabio Borini and Costel Pantilimon who I’d worked with at Man City so I knew a few of the boys," Aziz said. "John O’Shea, Wes Brown, Phil Bardsley, just really good Premier League professionals who’d been there and done it in the Premier League. We had a real good group.
"Steven Fletcher is a really good friend of mine and he’s still doing it now at Wrexham. I was gutted to see Fletch go because I knew he was a top striker. I was probably looking at him a couple of seasons ago under Lee Johnson and thinking ‘we need to get Fletch in.’ I’m really biased because if I think they’re good lads I’ll say get them back in.
"Again, I wasn’t travelling with the team then but I was in and around it. Me and a couple of my mates went down to the final to see us go 1-0 up and the sound of the noise from the fans when Fabio scored that goal.
"It was incredible and I was gutted we weren’t able to get it over the line against my old team. But Man City were just a juggernaut. With Yaya Toure playing, it’s really had to compete with teams who are spending that amount of money on squads.
"I look back on most of my time – I’d probably say most of it was a rollercoaster – but this was right at the top of it and the climb was incredible. I look back and people said I must have been crazy to leave Man City to go to Sunderland.
"They’re a massive club in the Premier League [Sunderland] and when they make a final I’ve made the right decision. Obviously, I look back now and I’m a little bit gutted if I could turn back time, maybe I would have stayed at City. But look, I made my decision and I’ve stuck by it. I don’t regret it really."
As has become the Sunderland way - the good times didn't last and Poyet was shown the door, with Dick Advocaat coming in to keep the Black Cats in the division in another great escape. Another tenure that ended just as it had started, battling at the bottom of the Premier League.
However, Aziz says the veteran Dutch coach taught him a lot in terms of operations behind the scenes. "There’s a lot spoken about where someone sent flowers to his wife and he might stay," he added. "That was probably the first pre-season where Cookey couldn’t travel.
"I think we went to the United States for ten days. America, Vancouver and Dick was good to me to be fair. He taught me a lot. He said ‘maybe you should do things like this, or look at it like that.’ He was decent."
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There's a big grim comes across Aziz's face as the interview progresses onto the man that would replace Advocaat - Sam Allardyce. The former red and white defender would return to steer Sunderland towards safety, surviving against the odds.
The Black Cats had just three points from their opening eight games prior to his arrival, but Allardyce pulled off a memorable great escape, later vowing to bring an end to their struggles at the foot of the table.
"You’ll see the smile on my face, when I speak about Sam, I get a bit of a glow," Aziz said. "Those sort of times with Sam – he’s a guy that you’ve heard a lot about but he was really forward thinking. He was one of the first guys to do a lot of what you see today.
"We’d beat Man United and Wabhi Khazri had scored this goal, he’s whipped it in and we win 2-1. I remember, it was February and we were going to Dubai to do some warm weather training camp.
"Team bonding to get the lads together and I just remember him coming in the dressing room and banging on the door ‘what a way to go to Dubai!’ Then we were on the trip and it was my first time there. We had a lot of things set up and it was serious when it needed to be.
"They’d train hard and he was happy for the lads to relax as well. There was a few of the lads on banana boats, doing water sports. We had a day out at Meydan Races which was incredible. We were in a box and the food was amazing. We were having a few drinks and everyone was together. It sort of served us really well when we came back and we went on a decent run when we came back."
Sunderland picked up some huge results that season, beating Manchester United and later Chelsea and Everton to seal their Premier League fate.
"Wow," Aziz remarked when going back to the win over the Toffees and the Blues. "The Chelsea and Everton games – you can imagine how many games I’ve seen but I just remember the Kone goal against Everton and the noise.
"Everyone still speaks about the noise when we beat Chelsea and it was just incredible. To be rubbing shoulders with the big guys in the Premier League and beating them at the Stadium of Light with the noise and the fans there. It was incredible."
But when England came calling, Sunderland were powerless to keep Allardyce at the Stadium of Light, a hammer blow for their long-term ambitions.
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"The first big blow for me was that Cookey had set it up with Sam that I’d be put onto first-team bonuses and they were on decent money at the time," Aziz joked. "I was counting this money and all of a sudden Sam is off to England and the bonus never came!
"On a personal note, I was gutted just to lose someone that had been that influential. The Dubai trip, it’s still to this day, my favourite trip that I’ve been on related to football, that trip was unbelievable.
"Me, my wife, my oldest son and Goochy stayed at the same hotel after the play-off final. We went out to Dubai on holiday and stayed at the same hotel we stayed at with Sam. I did some good reminiscing there."
Part two of We Are Sunderland's exclusive interview with Stephen Aziz will be out next week, discussing relegation from the Premier League, takeovers and resurgence, including some Amad Diallo and play-off Euphoria. You can also follow the former Black Cats kit man over on Instagram as he gets ready for his next venture - @thekitman.steveaziz1.
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