Chris Wilder wants to make the Riverside a fortress in order for Middlesbrough to close the gap between themselves and the play-off places. 

The former Sheffield United manager took just two seasons to take the Blades to the Premier League after winning promotion from League One and will be targeting something similar on Teesside.

Wilder issued a call to arms to the Boro home faithful when he spoke to TeessideLive.

He said: "It isn’t going to be Galatasaray welcome to hell but it is a fabulous stadium and I don’t want anybody coming here and getting an easy win, rolling the ball around etc.

"They’re going to have to come and go through all of us: the players, the staff and more importantly the passionate supporters. It gives the players such a lift if the fans are on side, but the players have got to earn that."

Neil Warnock built a solid platform for the club and team to spring from under Wilder, they currently sit in 14th place but are just four points behind Queens Park Rangers in sixth as they prepare to face Millwall on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see what shape Boro take tactically at the weekend, Warnock rarely opted to play two strikers at once in the first 17 league games of season but it is something Wilder was known for at Bramall Lane.

The Verdict

 

 

It is good PR for Wilder to send a rallying cry out to Boro supporters, hoping to fuel a positive atmosphere around his first game at the helm on Saturday. Middlesbrough are in their fifth season since relegation from the Premier League and were looking more likely to slip into League One before Neil Warnock came in and steadied the ship.

Wilder looks set to receive the finances to put his own stamp on the team in the January transfer window but he has the next month and a half before that to assess the strength of his squad.

It is a new dawn on Teesside and Wilder will fancy his chances of kicking it off with a win over the Lions.