IT does not seem too long ago when there were a few Middlesbrough fans wondering if Steve Gibson had lost his appetite to take his beloved club back to the Premier League.

Those same supporters will not be thinking that way any longer. Gibson, after watching Aitor Karanka guide Boro to a Wembley play-off final ahead of schedule last season, clearly senses the right manager is in charge to bring top-flight football back to the Riverside.

Talk throughout the summer has been about the £7m that West Ham wanted for Stewart Downing, the £3m for Christian Stuani and £14m-rated Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes.

If you didn’t know better, you would think it was a Premier League or even Champions League club in the market for those boys because of the figures. Instead it has been a Championship outfit which has spent the last six years realigning its finances.

There has not been some surprise takeover in the background from an overseas billionaire, it is just that Gibson is living up to his reputation as a chairman willing to back the man in charge of team affairs with the finance.

Further loan signings will be made before the transfer window closes because the squad size is smaller than it was last season. The striker situation has also been a cause of concern during the build up to the Preston opener on Sunday, because Kike has only had direct competition from Bradley Fewster for a starting spot during the summer.

Once Karanka has the right mix of strikers to call on, he knows there will be no excuse come May. Unlike last year, he is more than happy for Middlesbrough to be regarded as promotion favourites.

Having spent much of his career at Real Madrid as a player and coach he has learned to live with the pressures of being at the top. Only last weekend he admitted he would not want it any other way.

He has the experience of a Championship promotion battle behind him and so do the vast majority of the players he still has with him on Teesside.

That could prove crucial over the next nine months. Even new boys like Downing and Stuani know all about having to perform when it matters having played on the big stage for club and country.

After finishing fourth last season, there is every reason to be optimistic about Middlesbrough’s promotion chances this time around. Yet having spent so long trying to figure a way to get out of the Championship, nobody should be taking anything for granted.

This will be Karanka’s second full season in charge and after being handed a new four year contract this is a big year for his career on an individual level.

Given the backing he has received from Gibson he can’t really afford to come up short.