IF there was a template of how not to run a Championship club, Blackpool owner Karl Oyston would probably come close to fitting it. Starting pre-season with just eight contracted players, cobbling together a cut-price side that sits at the bottom of the table despite being in the Premier League as recently as 2011, touting around for a new boss when his current manager, Jose Riga, was still in position. And that’s just the last three months.

Blackpool’s start to the season has been akin to a seaside ‘House of Horrors’, so as Aitor Karanka prepares to host the Tangerines at the Riverside tonight, it is little wonder that he looks towards his own boardroom and breathes a huge sigh of relief.

Steve Gibson is Oyston’s polar opposite when it comes to football club ownership, and Karanka is hardly the first Middlesbrough manager to have extolled the virtues of one of the most popular chairmen in the country.

But having arrived in England with only a very basic knowledge of Gibson’s history, it is nevertheless noteworthy to hear Boro’s Spanish head coach reinforcing the impression of a chairman who does everything in his power to support those working beneath him.

“I knew about Steve before I came here because people had told me about his personality and the way that he supported other managers at the club,” said Karanka. “You can feel these things, and when I arrived here, I could feel that all the people working here love the club.

“That only happens when the man at the top is a man like Steve. He involves you from the first moment, and my work is easy when the person who makes the decisions and puts the money in is the first one that is working for the team.

The Northern Echo: ALL SMILES: Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson introduces new manager Aitor Karanka to the press yesterday at the club's Rockliffe Park training ground

“He is the first one who respects the other people who work here. When you meet him for the first time, you are involved in the atmosphere straight away and you want to work for him. If one day I get success here, the first person I want to dedicate that success to is Steve.”

As an example of Gibson’s personal skills and attention to detail, Karanka tells the story of his first visit to Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Park complex with his goalkeeping coach, Leo Percovich.

Having toured Boro’s training ground, the pair had dinner with Gibson and chief executive, Neil Bausor, in Rockliffe Hall. Then it was time to retire to their apartment at the hotel for the night.

“He (Gibson) left the table to come with us to our apartment,” said Karanka. “Leo thought that he was coming with us because he was in the same apartments. When we arrived at the doors, he said goodnight and Leo said, ‘Did you come with us just to say goodnight?’ And he said, ‘Yes’.

“When we were together alone in the apartment, we both said that Steve is a gentleman. He came 200m just to say goodnight and that shows just what type of person he is.

“In football, you can find a lot of different personalities. The most important thing is that Steve is a normal person. In his situation, to be a normal person is a very good thing.”

Gibson’s willingness to provide as much financial support as possible was evident again this summer as Boro embarked on a recruitment drive that eventually resulted in the arrival of 12 new players, either permanently or on loan.

The Teessiders received around £3m for the sale of Marvin Emnes and Lukas Jutkiewicz, but most of that went on the signing of Kike from Real Murcia. That proved merely the start of a hectic summer though, with the likes of Adam Clayton, Jelle Vossen, Yanic Wildschut and Emilio Nsue also arriving before the transfer window closed.

Karanka had a major input into the recruitment process, although both Gibson and Bausor also played a leading hand.

“We are a team and we work together,” said Karanka. “There’s myself, Steve, Neil and Gary (Gill) and we always try to choose the best player for the club.

“I can’t think about myself and say, ‘I want ten players’ or ‘I want to spend £30m’ because one day, maybe I will have to leave. If that happens, I do not want to leave one problem behind me. We have to work together and I think we have done that to get a good squad.”

It should certainly be a good enough squad to beat Blackpool, although Jelle Vossen (hamstring) will miss out again and join suspended duo Dean Whitehead and Albert Adomah on the list of absentees.

On a more positive note, Kenneth Omeruo has been passed fit as Boro look to improve on a patchy record that has seen them lose two of their four home matches.

“We have to win the games at home if we want to do something this season,” said Karanka. “We have lost a lot of points at home and I always say the same thing, ‘If we want to do something this season, we have to be strong at home’.”

Possible line-ups:

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): Konstantopoulos; Fredericks, Omeruo, Ayala, Friend; Wildschut, Leadbitter, Tomlin, Reach; Kike, Bamford.

Blackpool (4-4-2): Lewis; Perkins, McMahon, Daniels, Oriol; Zoko, Lundstram, Cubero, Delfouneso; Miller, Ranger.