Chris Wilder chats to Sky Sports about expectation levels following his start to managerial life at Middlesbrough, Isaiah Jones, Sol Bamba and more following his Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month award for December.
Tuesday 11 January 2022 14:54, UK
Where Chris Wilder goes, success usually follows.
You can feel the swell of optimism building around Middlesbrough as a result. Boro have charged into 2022 on the cusp of the play-off places. A push for the top two is by no means out of the equation either.
The man who took Sheffield United back into the Premier League in 2019 is feeling good.
"There were 30,000 here on Boxing Day," Wilder tells Sky Sports after winning the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month award for December. "We have fantastic facilities, and a good history in the Premier League.
"But it doesn't count for anything if you're not winning. Winning takes you where you want to be."
Winning is, generally, what Wilder does. And it is certainly what Boro have been doing. Five out of their last six in fact, including that Boxing Day triumph over another resurgent side - Nottingham Forest - in front of a bumper crowd at the Riverside.
"It's a fabulous club here with a brilliant history," Wilder continues. "The players have reacted to us coming in and chucking a few new ideas at them. Obviously there's been a reaction because of the performances and the results. But we want to keep it going and keep it moving forward.
"There are huge challenges ahead of us."
One member of his squad who has really impressed is Isaiah Jones. The 22-year-old, who arrived from non-league in 2019, has enjoyed an impressive breakout campaign, after being handed his league debut by Neil Warnock at the start of the season.
He has taken his game to new levels as one of Wilder's wing-backs in his famous 3-5-2 system, picking up the Sky Bet Championship December Player of the Month award as a result.
"I'm a big believer that these are team awards," says Wilder. "Even from Isaiah's point of view, it's the team performances that have allowed him to play so well.
"But he is an exciting young player who has clearly caught the eye. It's his first season at Championship level and he has been outstanding since we've come into the building.
"The message to him will be he has to keep his head down and keep his form and place in the team. We want competition and we'll make sure he doesn't get carried away. But it's been a really good start to his professional career."
At the other end of his career in Boro's squad is Sol Bamba. The centre-back turns 37 this month and only recovered from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May last year, but he is still providing as formidable a presence at the back as ever, and has mustered 19 appearances this season.
The word 'inspirational' barely does the man justice.
"He's been fabulous," says Wilder. "Even when he's not playing, he's brilliant around the changing room. He missed a couple of games recently and then came in against Blackpool and played a major part in us getting a big win on the night at a tough place to go.
"It's not a surprise really, because of the character he is and the career he's had."
That win at Blackpool was Middlesbrough's most recent Championship game, after Wilder's reunion with Sheffield United on New Year's Day was postponed following a Covid outbreak.
They did, however, find their way past Mansfield in the FA Cup on Saturday to set up a fourth-round tie at Manchester United. Boro fans will be hoping it is a trip that could prove a sign of things to come.
He may know expectations are rising, but it doesn't faze Wilder because he knows if they weren't, it would mean he wasn't on the right track. A few more shrewd signings in January and it could be a campaign to remember for Boro.
"We can't quell those expectations if we play well and are in good form," he says. "But you would rather have them there than not, because it means that you are doing the right things and winning games in an incredibly tough league.
"If we can get the squad to be as strong as we can then hopefully it sets us up well. We see how tight this league is, and I'm not the only manager feeling that way. Clubs down to somewhere about 15th will feel they could force their way into the play-off mix.
"We just want to make the group better. Good players want good players coming in for competition, and if we add a bit more depth and balance we are confident we can have a good second part of the season."
