WHEN Chris Wilder sat down with Steve Gibson to discuss a possible move to Middlesbrough, there was a nagging doubt at the back of his mind. It wasn’t about the wisdom of taking over at the Riverside, which he was absolutely convinced would be a wise career move, or about the potential within the current squad, which he regards as strong enough to be challenging for promotion, albeit with the help of a few potential tweaks in January.

No, the doubts related to Gibson himself. Middlesbrough’s chairman has long been regarded as one of the most passionate and loyal in the game, but at the age of 63, and presiding over a club that has only spent one season in the Premier League in the last 12 years, does the fire within him continue to burn so bright?

Does Gibson retain the same obsessive desire to see Boro back in the top-flight? Or has his life moved on, diminishing his willingness to keep on funding a football club that has drained him of energy and resources, often to the tune of £1m-a-month, since he first became chairman in the mid-1990s?

Wilder was asking those questions as he pondered whether to agree to succeed Neil Warnock. It did not take long for them to be answered.

“Historically, the ambition of the owner has always been there, and it’s still there now,” said the new Boro boss, who conducted his first media conference at Rockliffe Park yesterday afternoon. “I met with the owner, and that was interesting.

"You go into that meeting thinking, ‘How is the owner going to be, because he’s had incredible success from where Middlesbrough were, when they were shutting the gates with a full stadium and getting to a UEFA Cup final and being regulars in the Premier League, to unfortunately coming out of there, dipping in, but then dipping out again and not quite managing to have the success that it should be having?’

“You wonder what his appetite for it all is. But I’ve got to say, he was incredibly positive and eager and ambitious to get back into the big time. He’ll do whatever he can, and we will all do whatever we can, to get back in the Premier League.”

Proof of Gibson’s continued ambition was the final prompt that persuaded Wilder to return to management, ending an eight-month hiatus that began when he left Sheffield United in March.

He was keen to stress it was his decision to leave Bramall Lane rather than being sacked, and while he enjoyed having some time to himself over the summer – “What did I learn? Mainly that my golf doesn’t get any better, no matter how much I play?” – he was always determined to return to the thrills and spills of frontline management.

“I’m delighted I feel that I want to be doing this on a Tuesday afternoon instead of walking the dog or lining up something to do in the media,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my little bit of that, but this is me. I’ve had 20 years in it, and this has been my only break. I’ve missed it enormously. I’m a football man and I’m just thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given.”

More than anything, Wilder hopes that opportunity will extend into the long term. On a number of occasions yesterday, the 54-year-old made a point of highlighting the fact that Middlesbrough are only the fifth professional club he has managed despite first stepping into the dug-out in 2002.

“Over 20 years, I’ve not had 15 or 20 clubs,” he said. “There’s times where I’ve moved on, but I like to spend a long time at a club. I don’t want this to be a short-term appointment. I’m being brought in for the future, for the long haul, and all my ambitions can be achieved at this football club.”