Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate has admitted that he would not have got the job without the help of Tony Pulis.

Woodgate was announced as the new head coach at the Riverside Stadium last month, after impressing as a first-team coach under Pulis last season.

Middlesbrough decided not to renew Pulis' contract, after he failed to guide the club to promotion from the Championship last season.

Boro finished seventh in the Championship last season, one point outside the play-off places and fans at the Riverside at grown frustrated with Pulis' defensive style of football.

However, Woodgate learnt a lot from working under Pulis and has admitted that he would not have got the Middlesbrough job without his support and guidance.

"I couldn't do this job now without Tony," Woodgate told the Gazette Live.

"He gave me an unbelievable grounding, just little things like speaking to players and groups.

"He pushed me in different directions to put me out of my comfort zone, that's what made me build to how I am today speaking to these lads. If he hadn't given me that time and let me do that, I wouldn't have been able to do it."

The Verdict

Even though he has no previous experience as a manager at senior level, I actually think Woodgate could be a good appointment for Middlesbrough, if he is given proper time.

He will have learnt a great deal from working under Pulis as a coach and he is probably right that he would not have got the Middlesbrough job without him.

He was obviously able to impress the Middlesbrough board with his long-term vision for the football club and his plans for the future.

It's important the Middlesbrough fans understand that it may take time for Woodgate to achieve success at the club. You can't just change managers all the time and expect results. It doesn't always work like that.

However, things obviously weren't working under Pulis and it has been clear that a change of approach has been needed at the club for some time now.

I think Woodgate could be the man to provide that change. Hopefully he is given the time to build and he can get the team playing exciting attacking football again.