ROB EDWARDS will welcome the first batch of Middlesbrough players back for the start of pre-season training today – and will use the next six weeks as an opportunity to trial a few changes ahead of the start of the new Championship campaign.
While everyone playing in summer internationals will not return to Rockliffe Park for some weeks, an initial group of senior Boro players will report today for a battery of fitness and medical tests. Their appearance coincides with Championship fixture release day, with the schedule for the 2025-26 season set to be published at noon.
The return of a first wave of senior players will provide Edwards with an early opportunity to get to know some of the guys he will be working with next season, though the Boro manager has already met a handful of players who returned early to complete their personal fitness regimes. The days of players arriving in a variety of shapes and sizes after their holiday adventures are long gone, with a higher level of professionalism resulting in a much-changed summer season. “The lads are back in on Thursday for some testing for a few days,” explained Edwards, whose appointment was officially confirmed on Tuesday.
That would be fantastic, though to be fair, a number of them have already returned. “Some of them have been coming in to do extra work, just like they do now. Preseason has altered. Gone are the days when you’d come home with a garbage bag full of sweat from all your summer activities. It doesn’t operate like that anymore. To be fair, they are all in before they should be.
Training will begin next week, with Boro’s pre-season schedule presently set to begin with a trip to Bradford City on July 23, though an earlier game could be added now that Edwards’ appointment has been confirmed. Boro will also face Hartlepool United and Real Betis this summer, with the highlight being a trip to Ibrox to face Rangers on July 26. Around 8,000 fans are set to trek across the border to see Boro play in Glasgow, a figure Edwards openly admits he cannot comprehend.
The upcoming pre-season games will be significant milestones as Edwards attempts to convey his preferred playing style, with the former Watford and Luton Town manager also eager to use Boro’s summer friendlies as an opportunity to experiment before the real business begins on the weekend of August 9. “To have that (8,000 fans) at a pre-season game is incredible.” Edwards added. “It’s mind-blowing. It’s a big game, and to have so many people there is quite wonderful, isn’t it? This is something to look forward to. The Harry Watling derby (Boro’s new first-team coach worked on Rangers’ coaching staff for over a year)!
It will be good, but it is pre-season, and pre-season allows us to create relationships with players and communicate how we see things going. It also allows us to attempt new ideas.”We certainly want to see certain things quite fast. We want to see a team that is aggressive, front-footed, willing to take risks and play in the proper spots. Hopefully, we’ll see some of it, but it won’t be perfect throughout the preseason.There will be modifications to the games, and we clearly want to offer a lot of people an opportunity during this time. And physically, you must make those changes.
We can look at a number of things throughout the pre-season, and we’ll try to expand on the connections we’ve made so far.
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