Since Aitor Karanka departed Middlesbrough in March this year Boro have yet to replace him. Assistant coach Steve Agnew took his place temporarily for the remainder of the season. However, this backfired on Boro as Agnew failed to improve Middlesbrough’s results winning just once in his time in charge. This meant Boro finished 19th and are now back in the Championship only one season after being promoted.
As Agnew didn’t exactly turn things around at Boro, it is safe to assume that he is unlikely to keep the job. This begs the question who will Steve Gibson hire to guide Middlesbrough back to the top flight. One name that is now being floated around is Garry Monk.
Monk spent the last season in charge at Leeds United. But on the 25th of May, he announced he will be leaving his role as a manager at Leeds. He released a statement on Twitter in which he stated that he was unable to come to an agreement with Leeds’ new owner, Andrea Radrizzani, regarding a suitable way for the club to move forward together, thus departing from the club.
Rumours have now emerged that Monk is not opposed to taking the Middlesbrough job. Reporters are also claiming that he turned down a new contract at Leeds as he believes Boro have a better chance of gaining promotion. With this in mind, Monk could be a serious contender for the Boro job. But the question remains, is he the right man for Middlesbrough? Here are three reasons why he is:
A turn around at Leeds
One way in which Monk has shown he could be the right man for Boro is through his time at Leeds United. Garry Monk spent all of last season in charge of Leeds. During this time, he managed to guide them to a 7th place finish. While they did narrowly miss out on a playoff spot, this was Leeds’ highest Championship finish since 2010/11 when they also finished 7th.
In more recent years Leeds have not exactly been a solid side. They have finished 13th, 14th or 15th in every season since 2010/11. So, for Monk to come in his first season and only just miss out on the playoffs, shows he knows how to get results in the Championship as he turned around a woeful Leeds side into a play-off challenging side.
Furthermore, if Monk can get that kind of result from a side that hasn’t been great in recent years, he would surely be able to get much better results with Boro, because they have a higher quality of players and also more finances to work with. He also managed to help get Chris Wood to score 27 Championship goals this season. With Wood scoring just 13 the season before, it is clear Monk has had some effect on making him a more prolific goal scorer. This is another plus point for Boro as they really struggle to get their strikers to score goals. So, he would certainly help out Boro in that department if he got the job.
Premier League experience
Another way in which Monk could be the right man for the Middlesbrough job is his Premier League experience. Monk was in charge of Swansea City from February 2014 to December 2015. During this time he managed to guide Swansea City to their highest ever Premier League finish. In the 2014/15 season, he helped Swansea to finish 8th in the league. Not only was this Swansea’s best league season but they also finished just four points away from a Europa League spot which is a very good achievement for a club like Swansea.
While Boro are no longer in the Premier League, Monk’s success there will help them for a number of reasons. Firstly, it shows that he is a top manager as he led a club like Swansea to the 8th place. Secondly, if Boro do manage to get promoted next season, they will have a manager who already knows the league well and has played and managed in it. This was something ex-boss Karanka had not done which did not turn out well for the Riverside outfit.
The Other Options?
Although Gary Monk would be a good choice for the Middlesbrough job, is there anyone better? One name that springs to mind is Nigel Pearson. Pearson, like Monk, has Championship and Premier League experience. But unlike Monk, Pearson has won the Championship. In the 2013/14 season, he guided Leicester City to the Championship title which shows that he could be a better choice as he knows what it takes to not only get promoted but also to win the league.
Also, in Leicester’s first season back in the Premier League Pearson managed to pull off possibly the greatest escape in modern football. After Leicester looked like being relegated for most of the season Pearson managed to win six of his last eight matches allowing the Foxes to finish 14th.
Pearson also has a personal connection with Middlesbrough as he retired at Boro. He signed for the club in 1994 and retired in 1998. During his four years at Teesside, he captained Middlesbrough to promotion twice and to three cup finals. Therefore, not only will he have a personal love for Boro but many fans will also be fond of him.
Steve Gibson is also seriously considering Pearson for the job. He even has an interview set up next week which means he could pit Monk to the job.
