GARRY MONK was told about the fractures in the Middlesbrough dressing room when he first took over, and knew it could take time and plenty hard work to repair it.

Six weeks into his first season in charge at the Riverside, the 38-year-old has sensed that the effort he has put into heal those scars from a depressing relegation is paying off.

Middlesbrough are by no means the finished article under him, nor are they bursting with belief and confidence like he would want them to be, but there are enough signs to suggest they are on the right track.

Monk is not one to suggest the improvements are all down to him. He has a backroom team doing what it can to help, while he also thinks the players deserve enormous credit for the progress they have made so far in terms of lifting morale.

And when Grant Leadbitter, the skipper during the last promotion and then last season’s fall out of the top-flight even if he hardly played, spoke earlier this week of the togetherness being back, Monk could sense what he meant.

The former Swansea and Leeds boss might not have been around to experience life at the Riverside during the last few years, but he has seen enough since taking over in the summer to realise Middlesbrough are heading in the right direction again.

Monk said: “I talked to all of them when I came in. I wanted to get a feeling for what I was inheriting and they are the ones to have the experience of what has gone on. They have a feel for this club.

“When I talked about a lack of confidence earlier this season, that was what I saw, but they all said it, not just me. That knock of confidence from last season, no matter how tough you are, relegation does have a dent.

“Slowly but surely we have tried to build that up, even among the experienced guys. Tuesday night at Aston Villa was more than a point because these players have seen that mentality, where it should be, not just themselves but with new players.

“They have seen it under a new manager, all of those things. That’s what helps, it’s similar to before, and that can only be a benefit. It’s good to know the players are starting to feel together again like that.

“It’s not easy (as a manager) coming into a team, a club, low on confidence. I might have brought in plenty good players, but a lot more things have gone on behind the scenes which have been difficult before I arrived, so you have to try to put those building blocks in place.

“You have seen it in the past with teams who have suffered, they have suffered for a sustained period. I knew it was part of my job to repair that as soon as possible. I don’t think we are fully at that level of highest confidence, consistency yet. We are working hard though.”

Monk is regarded as one of the brightest young managers in the English game after spells in charge of Swansea and Leeds, which is why chairman Steve Gibson turned to him after Aitor Karanka’s departure and the decision not to offer Steve Agnew the role.

Despite his reputation there is never a magic wand that can be waved, which is why Monk can rightly take satisfaction from the progress which has been made already.

He said: “Part of the work I do is to make sure the mentality of the group, around the group, on and off the pitch, is right. I like to work with a strong, committed group. You have to be really committed under me. The players understand that.

“Those standards have to be high and anyone who falls below that it is not acceptable. That is why they have been such a good group to work with so far. It’s not easy at the start with everyone trying to find their way.”

The challenge he faces today will be to follow up two positive results away from home by maintaining their unbeaten start at the Riverside, where they have collected seven points from nine so far. Queens Park Rangers, sitting just below them, will provide different problems to contend with, but Monk and his team are confident of delivering.

He was keen to bring in a youthful feel to his squad over the summer, because he has willingness to develop players he works with. Having started out at Torquay, moved to Southampton and then had ten years at every level with Swansea, he feels he has seen enough to know what he wants.

Monk said: “It’s the experiences I have had in football that have made me want to improve players. As a player, before going into management, it was a career of seeing everything, seeing every single league.

“I have seen good, bad players, I have seen how it works. There is probably not a player whose mentality I have not seen before earlier in my career because of where I have been during my playing days and now as a manager.

“Mentalities are different. You need to guide them in the right way to what you want. You want to put a team out that reflects your mentality. You always want to include that.

“I knew in football early on that mentality was going to play a key role. Mentality is key. Having the strongest mentality will put you in the best positions. That’s where I get it from. That’s an area I focus on and that is as important as what we do on the pitch. That’s where you resilience comes from.”