Carrick’s Boro were predictable. They were ponderous. They took a dozen passes when one might have been more effective. They treasured possession for possession’s sake, even if holding on to the ball ultimately led to nothing. They lacked the dynamism needed to change the course of a game.
Words can be easy to come up with. But compare Carrick’s modus operandi with the approach Rob Edwards intends to take as Boro head coach. If Edwards’ instructions are heeded, the Teessiders should be a very different proposition next season.
“I want to ask players to do what they’re good at doing and what they’re comfortable doing,” said the new Boro boss, when asked about his managerial outlook after his appointment was confirmed yesterday. “That doesn’t mean we won’t stretch them and challenge them – of course we’re going to do that.
“But I want my teams to be aggressive and on the front foot. I want us to play with bravery. I want control – I want complete control ideally, but as far away from our goal as possible. Action. That’s what I want.”
Edwards also wants something that is synonymous with Teesside – steel. Another characteristic that was lacking in Carrick’s Boro side for much of last season.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t a very talented player,” he said. “So, I had to have a lot of steel. I didn’t have much substance unfortunately. Because of that, steel is a big part of what I like.
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“Our team, you’ve got to have that. I don’t even want to just limit that to this area. That’s something everyone anywhere wants to see from their football players and their players.
“I don’t think I ask anything different or outrageous. Play with passion, heart, show fight, show spirit. You can get a long way just off that, particularly if you can be organised and have a good plan as well.
“I don’t know a fanbase that wouldn’t want to play with passion and emotion, working very hard and winning duels. Blocking crosses, sprinting forward, getting crosses and bodies in the box. Tackles, action, playing with passion. Of course, you have to control the passion and play with a tactical understanding as well.”
Edwards’ Luton side certainly displayed plenty of heart and passion as they were promoted to the Premier League against the odds three seasons ago, but the 42-year-old insists it would be wrong to characterise his Hatters team as a purely direct outfit who outmuscled their opponents while benefiting from the hostile atmosphere generated at Kenilworth Road.
Luton adapted their approach in the Premier League, becoming more of a counter-attacking side who were also not afraid to hold on to the ball when the opportunity arose.
“I’m at Middlesbrough now and I don’t to reflect too much about Luton, but I think everyone will have an opinion on Luton and the team we were,” said Edwards. “What I would say is that we were one team that got promoted and then a very different team in the Premier League.
“For example, what Ross [Barkley] and Sambi [Lokongo] gave us in midfield, they were quality. We had 60 per cent possession at Manchester United and 22 shots. We were all right.
“I think when we got promoted at Luton, we were a really functional team that utilised the strength of those players really well. But we evolved and changed with recruitment as well as adapting to the challenge of the Premier League.
“We felt we were a team that was exciting to watch, even if we weren’t winning every week. We were scoring a lot of goals and competing against some huge clubs, when obviously we were pretty small.
“I’m proud of how we evolved and adapted to the Premier League. Inevitably after relegation, things change, and it was challenging. But I want my team to be exciting and play with passion.”