TONY PULIS is keen to put his stamp on Middlesbrough’s off-field operation, but the Boro boss has ruled out any sweeping changes to the club’s respected academy set-up.

When Steve Gibson appointed Pulis as Garry Monk’s successor at the end of last year, he instructed him to carry out a detailed assessment of all aspects of Boro’s operation.

The former Stoke and West Brom boss has spent the last month looking at the way in which the Rockliffe Park training ground works, and is set to report back to Gibson with his findings in the next couple of weeks.

He admits that some things are working better than others, and is expected to recommend a number of tweaks. However, he will not be tinkering with Boro’s academy, having been hugely impressed with the youth set-up’s track record for identifying and developing talent.

From the glory days of the FA Youth Cup-winning team that featured the likes of David Wheater, Lee Cattermole and James Morrison to the more recent emergence of Ben Gibson and Dael Fry, Boro have earned a justified reputation for excellence at academy level.

The Teessiders were one of the few clubs outside the Premier League to earn Category One status in the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan initiative, and having witnessed some youth coaching at first hand in the last few weeks, Pulis can understand why the academy is so highly regarded.

“The people who run the academy are absolutely first class,” said the Middlesbrough manager. “I’ve been very impressed with the standards that they set the kids. Looking at the kids train, and the way they work, you can see why the club has produced so many players that are out there playing.

“The number of players who have come through this academy and are now playing league and non-league football is testament to the hard work they put in. That is one area that I’ve been very impressed with.”

Pulis has also been delighted with the strength of the bond within Boro’s backroom operation, which explains his reluctance to make widespread changes to staffing.

He appointed Dave Kemp as his assistant shortly after completing his move to Teesside, and also brought in Jonathan Gould as his goalkeeping coach.

However, he was quick to promote Jonathan Woodgate to the position of first-team coach and has been keen to retain as many local links as possible within both his coaching staff and the rest of the backroom team at Rockliffe Park.

“This is a good football club, and there’s a real sense that everybody at the football club – from the kit lady to the people upstairs – they all want this club to do well,” he said. “They’re all Middlesbrough through and through, which is fantastic.

“Sometimes, you don’t get that at clubs. Sometimes, you get people working at clubs who are just looking after themselves. This place has a really good feel about it. I’ve not gone out that much, but when you do, there’s a real true identity to these people and their football club. That’s a good starting point.”

Middlesbrough’s Under-23s return to action this afternoon when they host Fulham in Premier League 2. The likes of Adam Clayton, Adlene Guedioura, Marvin Johnson and Ashley Fletcher featured in Boro’s last second-string game, with Pulis keen to keep his fringe players as active as possible.