Mowbray backs rookie Boro boss to triumph on Teesside
Coulson Travis
TONY MOWBRAY sees Jonathan Woodgate as a shining example of the new breed in management.
As a young fan, Woodgate watched Boro legend Mowbray, the skipper and defensive rock when the club rose from the ashes of the 1986 liquidation crisis.
And when Blackburn boss Mowbray was in charge at Middlesbrough, he brought Woodgate back for a second playing spell on Teesside.
The former England defender, 40, entered management with Boro last summer, and Mowbray said: “Woody has a personality which shines through in his TV interviews. There’s a rawness and honesty about him.
“As a modern-day manager, if you can’t talk to your players, you’re on a loser because they have to go out and play for you. We all have senior players we talk to about formations, selections, rest, when to work hard, so you get feedback from people you trust to be sensible – not someone who says the lads need two days off to go to the races.
“You have to feel what someone who is mid-20s or 18, 19 feels – you don’t just dictate. You talk to them about life and football.
“I’m sure Jonathan will be doing that. He has good, young players alongside good, experienced pros. It looks to me he has them playing and fighting for him.”
One youngster making an impression is left wing-back Hayden Coulson, 21, who salvaged a point in the 75th minute soon after coming off the bench. Lewis Travis had put Rovers ahead in the 57th minute.
Ref: Matt Donohue Att: 19,937
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JONNY HOWSON (BORO)