MONK SPEAKS OUT ON LEEDS
Middlesbrough are ‘more aligned with my ambition’
THE phrase ‘strong and stable’ has certainly been much derided in recent days.
But given new Middlesbrough manager Garry Monk’s utterances at his unveiling at the club’s Rockliffe Park training base yesterday, it was crystalclear he believes he has secured exactly that at Boro after his recent shock decision to resign from his job at Leeds United.
While clarity and leadership on the national political stage remains a bit of a moot point, Monk and the Boro hierarchy have clearly found a meeting of minds in the footballing realm.
Just 18 days after stepping down from his role at Elland Road, Monk cut a relaxed figure when presented to the press, with the three-year deal that he has signed with the Teesside club presumably part of the ‘clarity’ he had been seeking – but which he failed to receive – from Leeds.
Fresh from completing his full takeover of the club, new owner Andrea Radrizzani had planned to activate a clause to extend Monk’s contract to the end of next season, with a view to discussions about a longer deal.
But Monk was looking to the bigger picture and further ahead with the security of being allowed to build something over time at Boro being something that he had undoubtedly been craving during his time at United.
Monk said: “Obviously, having gone there and worked with Massimo (Cellino) originally and then Andrea came in, it was a new owner and new structure. Obviously, as the season finished and having that three or four weeks afterwards to finally sit down with Leeds and try and discuss what that structure and new process would be, I have to be honest that it wasn’t right for me.
“It has happened now and I have moved on. I don’t want to go into the details. I have a lot of respect for that club (Leeds) and I had a really good time there.
“I thought it would carry on; it hasn’t for whatever reasons and I had to go into the next phase of what I needed to do, which was find another club aligned with my ambition.
“Middlesbrough, for sure, was that club.
“All of those ticked boxes that I needed to go forward with a football club, Middlesbrough had.
“It is good to have that clarity. The club are also quite far down the line in terms of organisation and the determination with what they wanted to do and that ties in with myself and having those ideas and they aligned really well.
“The key is the opportunity and understanding of what the club wants to do and how we are going to go about it.
“The clarity of that is what appeals most.”
Discussions regarding the make-up of Monk’s backroom staff are being held with further announcements expected in due course, with United firstteam coach James Beattie tipped to join up officially with Boro shortly.
After his impressive work over a 12-month spell at Leeds, Monk is now firmly focused on his next wider project on Teesside, with the pressure of hopefully presiding over a successful promotion campaign being something that sits well on his shoulders.
The 38-year-old said: “I could see the determination, especially with the owner and even the other guys at the club in terms of the way that they spoke about going about the job. It was a challenge that really appealed to me.
“Of course, players, managers and the club itself all want to do it at the highest level. I have time to do it, but hopefully I will do it straightaway.”