IT’S been all change at Middlesbrough this week. Chris Wilder has ushered in a new era as Middlesbrough boss bringing with him a glowing reputation in the English game.

But similar to boxing, the secret to any successful fighter is the team behind him and it’s no different with Wilder.

The ex-Sheffield United manager took his first training session this week alongside his trusted assistant Alan Knill but there is plenty more he is doing to try and turn Boro into a Championship force. All the players and staff are all under the radar with the 54-year-old casting an eye on everyone at the club.

It falls under the remit of the new boss to get the best out of the players but he doesn’t see it differently with the backroom staff who are still at the club.

Some managers are used to bringing an army of trusted soldiers with them in a new role but Wilder admits he wants middle ground. He sees the value in having people at the club who know the players and surroundings.

The Boro boss said: “We’ve talked to the existing staff and we’re very inclusive with them. I’ve done that at previous clubs and ultimately they are the experts in their field.

“It’s about me getting the best out of the staff as much as it is the players, because that staff has got to support the players to give them the best opportunity to put in good performances.

“You have to try and get your best players on the pitch and you have to get them healthy to compete and give you the strength in the squad that you need in this division where you play Saturday-Tuesday, or Saturday-Wednesday.

“The load on the players is huge and you have to have a robust squad to get results.”

Even though it’s still very early days, Wilder has attempted to strike a fine balance between current staff and his own. He hasn’t hesitated to bring his own people through the door at Rockliffe.

Knill is an integral part of Wilder’s team having been in his hugely successful management set up at Northampton and Sheffield United. He’s not the only man to follow Wilder through the door at Middlesbrough.

Wilder added: “The chemistry is good between us. I’ve known Alan a long time. He is somebody I can trust complicity, which is really important to me.

“But I will also build new relationships with staff. I’ve done it before. I’m not like other managers who might bring in seven, eight or nine of their staff in.

“I bring with me Alan, a video analyst guy that I work very closely with that looks at the analysis part of it on both the opposition and our team. We work well with him.

“And Matt Prestridge from a sports scientist background. We brought him in from Loughborough university and he’s worked in academy football and then worked with us at Northampton and Sheffield United.

“There’s a couple of boys that we’ve brought with us, but I’m also looking forward to working with the existing staff as well. It’s important that we get the maximum out of them and get the structure right.

“I think that’s why Steve (Gibson) has employed Kieran Scott, to put a structure in place when maybe in the past that wasn’t in place.

“Without that structure you can go from one style to another and then another again and as we all know that leads to a big turnover of players.

“So hopefully we can put a structure in and way of playing, and an attitude of playing that people enjoy and has a bit of longevity to it.”

Wilder's first game in charge of Middlesbrough will be against Millwall at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday 20th November.