NEW Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder believes fans of his new club will expect his side to beat Millwall when the teams meet in his first match in charge after the international break.
Former Oxford United, Northampton and Sheffield United boss Wilder has replaced Neil Warnock, who left after the 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion last Saturday. Boro are 14th in the league, three points behind the Lions in ninth.
Wilder led the Blades from League One to the Premier League but left last March with the side bottom of the table in their second season back in the top flight with 14 points from 28 games.
Wilder knows that despite their current position he will be expected to challenge for promotion this season.
“I’ve got to climb another mountain, that’s what it all about,” he said in his first press conference.
“There are some very talented players at the club. It’s about getting to know them, putting the early messages down with staff and players and implementing our ideas as quickly as we possibly can.
“I want us to be aggressive, competitive. I want us to express ourselves, play in the right way, play effective football.
“There are different ways to win a football match, it’s not about being pigeon-holed, I’ll be versatile.
“All I can predict is my teams will have a right go. If it doesn’t happen, my teams will know about it, and so will you.
“You have to look in the mirror and not out the window. The situation off the pitch is fabulous. We have to win games on it.
“The first team has a lot of talented players. There is a core group of talented boys who, on their best day, can mix it with the best in this division.
”So for me, and my coaching staff, we’ll start to put a bit of a structure in place – out of possession, in possession.
“I think if you put that together we can have a lot of fun and we can go on and produce some positive results.
“I’ve got great people around me here and a passionate fan base and I’m looking forward to engaging with them. There’s no secret, there’s no magic formula, it’s hard work and an ability to get the maximum out of a group of players who are better than the position they’re in.
“People will turn up expecting us to beat Millwall and put a performance on.”
Image: Millwall FC