Daniel Wales reports from Middlesbrough’s Training Ground, as Boro Head Rob Edwards speaks ahead of the start of the Championship season. Boro take on Swansea at the Riverside, with Edwards pleased with the club’s pre-season.
00:00It's been a summer of change at Middlesbrough. Michael Carrick is no longer in charge and Rob Edwards has taken his place.
00:08Last season was a disappointment for Middlesbrough. Finishing 10th in the Championship table and watching North East Neighbour Sunderland win promotion to the Premier League after eight years away via the playoffs, which Middlesbrough missed out on, made for a dismal ending to the season for the Teesiders.
00:24So the big question is, will this year be different? Well, with Michael Carrick now departed, Rob Edwards will look to build on what was left behind.
00:34He's made some moves in the transfer market so far and will almost certainly look to make more before the window closes, whilst also holding on to some of his star attractions who are already at the club.
00:45What really counts are matters on the pitch, though, and whether pre-season has been a success ahead of the new championship campaign that is set to get underway, with Middlesbrough welcoming Swansea City to the Riverside on the first day of the season.
01:04And with that fixture now upon us, just how have preparations been for Rob Edwards at his new club over the course of the summer and pre-season?
01:14Yeah, I've been happy, you know, we're not the final, well-oiled machine that I want us to be, but I think we've made some real good progression.
01:24And from your short time here so far, what have you learned about Middlesbrough as a club?
01:29Do you think the club is ready to challenge at the top of the championship and progress from last season and even be at the top end?
01:34Well, look, this club has been around in and around the top end over the last few years and I don't want us to be dropping away, of course.
01:41I want us to be competing at that top end, that's where I want us to be.
01:43And I believe we can be, but I also know it's a very, very difficult league, it's a really challenging league.
01:49There's a lot of teams that will fancy themselves to be up there, so, you know, time will tell on that one.
01:56I'm not a fortune teller, unfortunately, so, you know, I don't know, but I want us to be.
02:00This is a big football club, I knew that already and I've seen that since being here as well.
02:05So, I've got a fantastic fan base and really passionate supporters that, again, I want to go on that journey with.
02:14I want the players to go on that journey with and I think we can continue to work on bringing that sort of closer together,
02:19that relationship closer together between us, the football side and the fan base.
02:23Of course, you mentioned the Championship there, it is a long, arduous, tough season, but how important is that first game, just as a tone setter?
02:31Yeah, every game's important, you know, every game's important.
02:35So, we want to go and put on a really good performance.
02:37As I said, it's the one thing I can't guarantee, the win, none of us can, but it'd be great if we could.
02:43But a really good performance is important tomorrow to try and set that tone of what we want to try and do.
02:48And just finally, you have achieved success in this division before with promotion with Luton.
02:53How much will you draw on your experience from that particular season in this new job?
02:57Yeah, I think you take stuff from every game and every job and you're always continuing to learn and try and get better.
03:03And that was an amazing experience a few years ago, so I'll be able to draw on certain things.
03:07But, you know, we're always learning and getting better and I've got brilliant staff around me to learn from as well and help us at the moment.
03:14So, yeah, we're hopefully always getting better every single day.
03:19We've seen good performances, whether it's a good half there or 60 minutes there.
03:22And, you know, I think then there's been games in pre-season are always quite choppy and changey
03:27and it's hard to get rhythm all the way, you know, all the way through every game.
03:31But I've seen improvement almost all the way through, which has been good.
03:34I see a group of players that are hungry and understand what we're trying to do and have taken on board probably some of the little tweaks that we've made,
03:42but hopefully trying to retain some of the good things that we've always done as well.
03:45So looking forward to seeing how we put it into practice tomorrow.
03:49What was obvious was that Rob Edwards was in a buoyant mood ahead of the new season getting underway.
03:54He did make quite clear that Middlesbrough are by no means the finished product yet in terms of how he wants them to look.
04:00But the club did have a strong pre-season and a successful one and a one that he was happy with.
04:07In terms of recruitment, well, Middlesbrough certainly not finished their business in the transfer market so far.
04:12Edwards was quite adamant with that.
04:14But for now, the priority rests with the Swansea game at the Riverside in what is the opening match of the season.
04:21Winning that will set Middlesbrough up nicely for at least the next few weeks and until the transfer window closes.
04:27Edwards has won promotion from the championship before with Luton Town by the playoffs and using that experience will be key.
04:35He said not all of it will be able to be transferred to what he's experiencing now at Middlesbrough,
04:39but at least he will draw on some of what he did in the past.
04:43He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:45He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:45He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:46He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:47He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:48He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:49He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:50He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:51He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:52He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:53He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:54He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:55He said not all of it will be able to get there.
04:56He said not all of it will be able to get there.
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