No time must be wasted by club in preparing for a vital season ahead
TIME is of the essence!
Middlesbrough’s ability to bring in new players for the start of pre-season will have a major bearing on their hopes of getting off to a flier in early August.
With several signings needed to rebuild almost half of the team, it is vital Boro develop a fresh togetherness in pre-season training.
A tight-knit outfit will enable a new-look team to hit the ground running when the campaign gets under way.
In this respect Boro’s old guard carry a lot of responsibility to ensure everything stays hunky-dory in and out of the dressing room.
Skipper Jonny Howson might have been wondering what the future held for him at the age of 35, despite signing a contract extension, if Boro had reached the Premier League.
Now Howson will again be handed a massive role next season, where he needs to be a huge inspiration on and off the pitch.
His central midfield partnership with Hayden Hackney will be both a crucial and mouth-watering one.
Howson and Hackney, and the two central defenders behind them should form a core around which Michael Carrick can mould a new side.
We must assume Darragh Lenihan’s experience will ensure he retains a regular place in the side.
Then Carrick must decide whether to stick with Paddy McNair, who enjoyed a terrific finale to the season, or bring back Dael Fry as his partner.
Hopefully, Matt Clarke (pictured right) will be ready to return as well following his frustrating long layoff through injury.
Either way, the competition for places can only benefit the team as a whole and gives Carrick the opportunity to concentrate on filling holes elsewhere in the squad.
It’s unlikely there will be any movement player-wise before the first week in July, when many current contracts come to an end.
Boro’s officials are currently enjoying their summer break, which has been earned after all the hard work which has gone on during the past eight months or so.
Yet it will be hoped the phone lines stay open so Boro are able to bring in any long-term targets as quickly as possible.
Now the dust has settled on the play-off disappointment, we are all coming to terms with the fact another Championship campaign lies ahead.
Not so for Luton Town, who one might argue deserved to win promotion after finishing clear in third place in the final league table.
Maybe we all feel a little jealous that it is Luton and not Boro in the Premier League next season but I for one do not envy their task.
Many millions of pounds will come their way but can they realistically spend much of it and still have a competitive side in the top flight?
Luton’s football style is not necessarily suited to the Premier League.
They may win quite a few of their games at Kenilworth Road because it is a small, atmospheric ground which may intimidate some of their opponents.
However, in general they face a very stiff task and would probably be best served spending the cash on ground improvements rather than a handful of foreign stars.
I still think Boro were best suited of the four play-off teams for life in the top flight, especially as they would have been in a position to make reasonable bids to try to sign key players such as Ryan Giles and Cameron Archer.
They would also have had Carrick’s vast Premier League experience behind them.
Winning automatic promotion no doubt stands as the target which all Boro fans have set for next season.
If the team is to achieve this feat, the Teessiders need to make the right changes – and make them as quickly as possible.