New Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray says he remains confident he can turn around the club’s terrible start to the season and get the Teessiders (10/1 to be promoted) up through the Championship play-offs.
The former Celtic, Hibernian and West Brom boss takes over from Gordon Strachan after he resigned following a woeful start to the season.
Despite having started the campaign as heavy favourites to win the Championship, Middlesbrough currently find themselves inside the bottom three and have won just three games all season.
Mowbray takes charge of a team packed with players who use to play in the SPL and will be tasked with turning them into promotion candidates rather than relegation fodder.
Hopes will be high on Teesside that Mowbray has what it takes to save Boro having been a favourite son of theirs during his playing days.
Mowbray made 424 appearances for Middlesbrough after his debut in 1982 before eventually leaving in 1990 to join Celtic having helped his home town club escape liquidation and climb up through the divisions to the top flight.
The 46-year-old arrives back in Middlesbrough having endured a torrid time in charge of Celtic, getting the boot from the Glasgow giants after winning just 17 of 30 league matches in his brief nine month tenure.
Mowbray will hope he can enjoy similar levels of success to the ones he had at Hibernian and West Brom, helping the Baggies gain promotion in his second season in charge.
However, his fourth managerial position could be the toughest of his career with Boro having not won any of their last six matches and having picked up just one point on the road all season.
Despite the club’s current position Mowbray believes he can change Boro’s fortunes and is even talking about promotion.
“The play-off scenario is that your hanging onto the tails, rather than looking at top-two, your looking at the top six and that gives you something to shoot at and we have to start now, and looking at the weekend against Bristol City,” said Mowbray.
Saturday’s game against fellow relegation strugglers Bristol City (11/4 – 90 minutes betting) presents Mowbray with the perfect opportunity to get his first win under his belt.
The Robins have won just twice all season and like Boro aren’t living up to their pre-season billing of being promotion candidates.
Mowbray went on to say that he was realising the chance to manage the club he has supported since he was young and claims to be determine to help them get back into the top flight of English football.
“Since I was six or seven I have been a Middlesbrough fan, so when the opportunity arose – it didn’t take me a moment’s thought,” he added.
“This a club I have been passionate about all my life and I have this opportunity to guide them back where they belong. Our ambition is to get the club moving back in the right direction.”
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