Vital Reading season preview
Club: Middlesbrough
Founded: 1876
Nickname: Boro
Ground: Riverside Stadium (Capacity: 34,742)
When we face off: Sat 30th August (A), Sat 10th January (H)
Last season finish: 12th – Championship
Manager: Aitor Karanka – The former Real Madrid assistant turned his hand to management and has done well in his first nine months as Boro manager, with a win percentage of just over 40%. The Spaniard has attempted to bring a Spanish passing philosophy into Boro’s play and in some ways, would want to be judged now he has had a full pre-season to work with his squad.
Key player: Albert Adomah – I am a big fan of the Ghana international, who scored an impressive 12 goals last season, including a superb volley against us at the Riverside. Adomah’s power and pace on the wing would cause problems for the majority of full backs in the division.
Season Preview: Bringing over foreign coaches is a move favoured by a lot of clubs nowadays and considering their new ideas, is a fair choice too. Karanka came in November and made a decent immediate impact and now with a full pre-season with his players, will fancy Boro’s chances this season. The signing of Kike fills their recent striking void, but could do with another forward for competition.
