By Robert Nichols
Everyone is waiting with bated breath on an announcement from the club, confirmation of Jonathan Woodgate's appointment as boss. Be that head coach or manager, it looks like the former England centre back will slot into a new structure at the club. A structure that will hopefully hold the keys to promotion to the Premier promised land. That is the aim.
Speculation has whirled around the Boro all this month since Tony Pulis got the hand shake and thanks but no thanks for his 18 months tenure in the hot seat. While fans got excited about the prospect of tie ups from the continent as time went on these unknowns seemed more like pie in the sky. It began to look more and more as if one of our own would get the call.
Jonathan Woodgate amassed so much experience in a career that took him around England and abroad to Real Madrid. Injuries cut short his England appearances and reduced the number of appearances and achievements he would have made but all the same when he finally returned to his home town we could appreciate quite what a class act as a defender he was.
Working in the Academy and as part of the coaching set up under Steve Agnew, Garry Monk and Tony Pulis Woodgate will have doubtless picked up a real feel for things coaching wise. While it is always a gamble giving someone their first break in the hot seat, it has paid dividends many times in the past here at Boro. From Jack Charlton, to Steve McClaren and Aitor Karanka first time managers have had a major impact at the club.
If Steve Round does come in as a Director of Football then he will be an experienced guiding hand for Woodgate and indeed the whole club. Remember Tony Pulis had a remit to look over the whole set up and this new structure can take forward those challenges of building on the strengths of the club, namely the Academy and the community. We are very a one club area now.
Many Boro fans have voiced their doubts, disappointment and even hostility towards Jonathan Woodgate through this whole process. A long, drawn out process. But we need to get this right. Steve Gibson and the board have made their decision, we must respect that and surely we have to give a new man a fair chance at this. If we get the team off the pitch right then they can put together a team on the pitch to compete with the top of the division. Woodgate has amassed amazing experience as a player, he has played under so many top managers. He surely cares about his Teesside home. Now is the time to see if he can take all that experience and deploy it to turn Boro into a promotion force to be reckoned with.
Well, whenever he is appointed that is...