Source: SKY_Sports
Mentality change for Boro
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is looking forward to a change in mentality at the club this season.
Ever since Southgate took charge at The Riverside three years ago, the aim was always to stay up.
But Boro's battle against the drop failed last season and they are now aiming to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
And Southgate says it is a nice change to be looking at winning the league, rather than just staying in it.
"We've had to change our mentality. We've had a survival mentality for a couple of years, now we have to win consistently and try to win the division, which is a big change in mindset from three months ago," he told The Independent.
"At the same time we can't just stroll into this league and expect to bounce straight back.
"We will be one of the scalps in the division because of where we've come from, but we're no better qualified to go up than seven or eight other teams.
"Yes, we had one of the lower-end budgets, but this season, outside Newcastle, we've probably got the biggest. And it's actually easier to attract players in this division than in the lower half of the Premier League, where you have to pay over the odds."
Tough taskBut Southgate acknowledges that it will not be easy to reclaim their Premier League place at the first time of asking, with just seven from the last 33 clubs relegated managing that feat.
"It's achievable but that shows how difficult it is," he said.
"I think we need to score on average two goals a game to win the league, which shows again how a different mentality is needed, because last year we'd go to places like Arsenal and Chelsea trying to shut up shop. But there are a lot of footballers in this division who've played in the Premier League, and a good blend of managers, from guys like myself and Brendan Rodgers at Reading who are young and very ambitious, to experienced guys like Dave Jones and Neil Warnock, all aiming for the same thing."
