By Nathan Rayner
After the official announcement of Jonathan Woodgate’s appointment as the Middlesbrough boss, many fans, not only of the club but also across the footballing world, are intrigued to see how the new project will play out.
Other names such as Slavisa Jokanovic, John Terry and Nigel Pearson had been linked with the Riverside hot-seat; however, it was Woody who had been the front-runner throughout the search and who would eventually be named ‘the outstanding candidate to head up the role’. The news of the Teessider being given the job had initially been taken with a mixed reception, though.
A section of supporters had viewed the appointment as one with a feeling of a ‘jobs for the boys’, though, once analysed in greater depth, Woodgate being promoted to the position of Head Coach can be seen as a very bold and exciting move.
With him being given the job, an opportunity to develop a new identity has arisen. The Club seem more than keen to move away from the ever-changing models from previous seasons and identify a clear plan that will outline the philosophy of the Club moving forward into the future.
In previous years, Boro have thrown everything at trying to gain promotion back to the top flight; The Monk era is the most visible period in which the club spent large figures on transfer fees for Championship players that have failed to impress. He failed to build a relationship with the fans at all during his tenure and was sacked only six months into a three-year contract.
Following this was the Pulis regime, in which Boro were much more fiscally-prudent, with not a lot of players being signed, as the Club felt the effects of over-spending and tried to avoid being struck by Financial Fair Play. However, despite the managerial change, there is a case to argue that Boro’s style of football was much more difficult to enjoy under the Welshman than it was under Garry Monk.
In his opening press conference on the day of his appointment, it was clearly expressed by Gibson, Bausor, Bevington and Woodgate himself that the board wanted to build “a style of play that will be recognisable as Middlesbrough Football Club”.
A much more attacking and dynamic system going forward, alongside a unique blend of assertive defensive prowess, is exactly the style of play that Woody is looking to implement into his new-look Boro side.
Woodgate explained that he wants his team to attack as quickly as possible when they have the ball but to also “win it back as quickly as you can” when possession is lost. The most successful Championship teams in recent times have been ones that operate with a high pressing system and then strike quickly with vibrant attacking football. In recent seasons, teams such as Norwich and Fulham have successfully gained promotion to the Premier League by playing a risky yet very effective brand of football.
These sides were renowned in the Championship for their brilliant goals-scored records in their promotion seasons, something that Woody desires to implement. He explained in his presser that “you go up by scoring goals”, something which will present a stark contrast to the ‘one goal lead will suffice’ style which Tony Pulis played last season.
The way in which Woodgate will set up his new outfit is currently unknown and we will probably have to wait until the first games of pre-season for an early indication of what our formation and player roles will be. However, a much more expansive side that looks to take the game to their opponents is what has been promised.
A side like Derby County of last season is what I envisage us to be like. are common features of the style of football that has been widely proved to be the most effective at Championship level in recent seasons, if it is gotten right.
Despite this marked change in philosophy, a reboot of the current squad does not necessarily need to happen; however, some key areas will need to be addressed if Woody is to play the way that he would like to.
The former England man expressed his desire to integrate “young, fresh, vibrant players with a desire and a hunger to improve” into his side with the huge possibility that some of these players will have come through the Academy system. Youngsters such as Nathan Wood, Ste Walker and Djed Spence have been on the fringes of the first team for around a season now, with some standout performances for the Under-23’s pushing them towards the first-team squad.
With Woody understanding the pros and flaws of every player at the Club from under-12’s upwards, it's probable that we are going to see various Academy prospects making senior appearances during the upcoming season.
This will likely coincide with transfer dealings this summer as Steve Gibson has vowed to fully back his fellow Teessider in the transfer market.
Questioned on whether he will provide his new associate with necessary transfer funds, Gibson replied, “of course we will, we have a history of doing that don’t we?” A Middlesbrough that has a well-funded and well-functioning yet financially-efficient recruitment policy appears to hold all of the ingredients for success on the face of it.
It has been widely stated over the last few months that the Club are not as financially strong as they have been within previous years due to excessive spending in an attempt to bounce back to the top flight as soon as possible and also as a result of parachute payments from the Premier League running out.
However, Gibson was also quick to state that the club’s resources are not as limited as first thought, explaining that “when you say finances are tight, I’m not quite sure about that”. Despite this though, it does seem that Boro are going to try to be shrewder in the transfer market and attempt to pick out little-known ‘gems’ that can be utilised efficiently within Woody’s new system and quite possibly turned on for a profit.
Nevertheless, if the past is anything to go by, Steve Gibson will back Jonathan Woodgate to the hilt in this regard.
Other former managers that have entered their first managerial positions with Boro have been supported throughout their tenure, but most importantly, given time to implement their ideas.
Arguably the Club’s most successful managers; Jack Charlton, Bruce Rioch, Bryan Robson, Steve McClaren, and even Aitor Karanka, were all given a fair crack at the whip. The spells that those men had at Boro were some of the most enjoyable times to watch and support the Club and this what is needed now.
Gibson has promised that “we will be patient” with Woody and his new system and also that he is “not going to put that kind of pressure” on the coaching staff to gain promotion in their first season. It is a different project at Boro and rightfully, needs time to function and for a team to gel into ‘Woodgate-ball’.
The fans need to stick with it as well. Not everything will go our way this season. There will be many ups and downs in terms of results, moments on the pitch and off the pitch. But in “a season of change” on the pitch and behind the scenes, the fans’ ideology needs to change. We aren’t entitled to a spot in the Premier League next season. We are going to have to work for it.
So get behind Woody and the boys this season and you may be pleasantly surprised to see where we end up.
