Boro have signed young defender Jack Daley from Newcastle Blue Star
One of Middlesbrough’s most recent academy recruits has been pushed to grab the opportunity provided by his huge transfer into the Championship. After impressing with Ebac Northern League club Newcastle Blue Star in the previous year, defender Jack Daley was asked to a trial at Rockliffe and played for Boro’s Under-21s during their pre-season training.
He arrived at the end of October and took over a Wilder club that was struggling in the league, having won only two of its previous eight games. Carrick lost his debut match 2-1 to Preston North End, but he quickly established himself in the dressing room. He rapidly raised everyone’s spirits.
However, most people will point to his outstanding work with Chuba Akpom, transforming him from an orthodox striker to a No.10 and essentially producing a new top-tier player overnight. It was nothing short of extraordinary for Boro to reach the play-offs after just three months in charge.
Carrick’s achievement shown what can be accomplished with a little tweaking, but most importantly, by instilling new confidence in the group. Unfortunately, it was not to last. As we saw last season, some players ended the season with their chins on the ground. However, it was very different at the beginning. Carrick won seven, drew one, and lost two of his first 10. We prefer to regard the Wilder period as a disaster, although Wilder performed even better than Carrick in his first 10. He won seven, drew two, and lost one, with his single loss coming in his second encounter away against – you guessed it – Preston North End.
And what is Edwards’ first match after completing his business following the transfer window’s closure, with several new signings potentially making their debuts? Yes, away to Preston North End. Since Boro’s relegation from the Premier League in 2017, no managers or head coaches have created as strong an early impression as Carrick and Wilder.
The fact that both took over after the season was already well underway demonstrates what can be accomplished by putting a new face in charge, even without adding new players to the roster. Edwards’ predicament is somewhat different in that he may still lose one of his finest players to prospective big-money sales, while he confronts the difficult task of ensuring that he spends the money properly in finding acceptable replacements. Boro did themselves no favours during the January transfer window, therefore there must be significant improvement in this area. Boro will have an extensive list of category A and B targets.
If the necessary funds are available, they will undoubtedly choose to hire the men at the top of the list. With this in mind, it makes sense to postpone additions for as long as possible, but it also means that Boro may spend the opening month of the new season with a squad that is far from the finished product. The bonus will be if Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg do not leave, since Edwards will have vital players in place from the beginning.
On the other hand, if the Boro’s films of the smiling squad are any indication, Edwards has already made an impression in the dressing room. Jonathan Woodgate was the previous manager who took over at the start of a season, but he lacked the spending power that Edwards should have.
Woodgate brought in Anfernee Dijksteel, Marc Bola, and Marcus Browne from lower division clubs, and all three took time to adjust. Furthermore, Woodgate was well-known among all of the senior players, making it difficult for him to instill new energy in the locker room. In his first ten races, he only won two. Edwards has no such issues. He will still need to work hard to match Carrick and Wilder’s initial impact, but if he does, there is every reason to hope that this will be a successful season for the Boro.
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