Chris Wilder makes a threat to his players amid Middlesbrough’s dismal league position and woeful performances leaving fans unhappy.
The Boro boss said the loan signing of Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz and “maybe a couple of others” will “shake up” his squad.
His side have yet to win in the Championship this season and Wilder was pretty furious with their performance in Saturday’s 1-0 away loss to Reading.
Wilder said “some players should be looking over their shoulders”.
“Players maybe think they’re comfortable, because that’s what it looked like,” he told BBC Radio Tees.
“I detest that. Him [Muniz, who was in the stands watching] and maybe a couple of others will shake the group up and maybe put a few players on the back foot.”
Muniz was in attendance for the game, watching on from the stands and joining Boro a few days after.
Boro have drawn three of their five league matches but the former Sheffield United boss Wilder has not been impressed with what he has seen so far, especially with Middlesbrough being tipped to win promotion in pre-season.
“I’ll change the team, I’ll change the formation if I need to,” he added.
“I’m here to win and if the intensity – and lots of other things – aren’t right, which they weren’t today, we might have to rip it up and take a wrecking ball to it to go again.
“That’s possibly the most frustrated I’ve been since my time here if I’m honest. Individually and as a team we played slow. We played ponderous.”
š“ Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder spoke to @MarkosDiSantos after the 1-0 defeat to Reading.
He says:
āŖļø If he was a fan he’d be fuming after watching that.
āŖļø Says Muniz will show real enthusiasm.
āŖļø He’ll change the formation if he has to.#Boro | #UTB | #BBCFootball
ā BBC Sport Tees (@BBCTeesSport) August 20, 2022
The objective is still to compete at the top end of the table this season and make the top six, and Wilder was asked after the Reading loss if he worried that so many dropped points this early in the season – currently 12 points from a possible 15: āIām just looking at the next game. I canāt think about what might happen at the end of the season. If we carry on like we have been then the end of the table Iām going to be looking at is not the one I want to be looking at. I didnāt come here to be looking at that end of the table, but weāre all in that situation at the minute and we need to get a win by hook or by crook.
“If we have to change shape or personnel, Iāve managed and coached all different shapes, so if we have to I will. I donāt really want to because I enjoy it when itās good. I think it has been good at times too. But weāll do whatever we need to do. Iāve been in this position before where, in the first four or five games youāve not won.
“Itās not into the stage of worry at the moment, but we know it has to come sooner or later because weāre all here to win, and while we want to see our team play well, more importantly, we want to see them win.”
Chris Wilder makes threat to his players amid Middlesbrough’s dismal league position
On the table, Wilder continued: āI thought before Reading we werenāt a million miles away. I thought we could have turned the QPR loss into a draw, and certainly in the other three games weāve certainly been in winning positions and had a winning attitude. I felt really positive about all three performances.
“I looked at that as being a minimum of three points light really. Two points definitely at Stoke, and maybe a point at QPR. I canāt say that after Reading though. We are where we are. Do I look at the league table? 100% of course, everybody does. Every manager in this league will not want to be at the bottom end of that table.
“You can say all you want, and I can say all I want about the squad not being set yet, which it isnāt as we still look to bring three players in after Muniz, but Iām not built like that. Iām as disappointed as Iāve ever been as a Middlesbrough manager today because of our approach to the game today.
“Iāve got a big week ahead of me, the players certainly have a big week ahead of them, and there are some big decisions to make. If some comfy footballers think this is a comfy place to play, theyāre most certainly not understanding my attitude towards things. A performance like that stings me, and it should sting the players.
“Weāve taken lots of plaudits and the supporters have been super positive about what weāre trying to achieve. But if Iām a Middlesbrough supporter after that, Iām looking at that and thinking thatās unacceptable, and I understand that because I feel the same.ā
Fans gave their thoughts as Chris Wilder makes a threat to his players amid Middlesbrough’s dismal league position…
@inrictus: Wait so hold patient while he got the players he wanted and builds his team and now we wrecking ball it and start againā¦
@m_hill19: Saying the right things but worrying that he thinks we might have to rip it up and start again after 6 games!
@pennybluepage1: Doesnt take the blame himself..I can only imagine how unhappy that dressing room is
@chonkypixel: If you havenāt got intensity, Iād say it doesnāt matter what formation you play – youāre going to struggle to get anything out of a game.
@DavidTh96437820: The last 2 team selections have been wrong! I could of picked 2 teams and got 6 points no doubt about it! The teams should of picked themselves! How he drop Dykesteel instead of Bola is mind blowing! Wotmore in for mcgree, crooks needs to start! Drop McNaire to back 3
@Mike_Sweetman: Itās always hard trying to get players to come to Boro, it always has been, so when you have good players, you have to try and keep them, Tav and Spence didnāt want to stay. Re-building a squad is always hard in August. He is experienced, he is honest, letās see what he can do..
@FergTodd: Talk is cheap, heās the manager of those players, heās got decisions to make to turn this around, Iāll wait to what he does and what happens
@barrondjb: Heās the manager. Itās his job to get the players playing in the right way. š¤Æ
@maccarone11: players arenāt good enough – everyone of them mediocre thatās how we can bring them in – we sell big and buy small – get on free or loan – we go bin dipping in the championship – bout time the hierarchy above matched the ambition of the manager and gave him quality to work with
@daveb8196; An insightful interview from wilder, similar to the one at the end of the last game last season, the club have got a good quality manager, give him the quality tools to do the job, no wonder Bausor had head in hands, needs to pull the finger out and get some quality in.
@smoggy854: I oddly feel better listening to this, he is clearly fuming too!
@liamday2005: What I wanted to hear but that doesnāt matter unless it actually happens
@Sm0ggs: At least heās noticed the issues and the players not pulling their weight
@lc1474: Constantly alluding to previous performances in games we havenāt even won. Heās got a great rapport, but itās time to start producing results ASAP
@iRussJ: Absolutely spot on comments but he isnāt helping himself with all the chopping and changing. How can we stop leaking goals when the defence isnāt settled? Changing it around every game. How many teams swap centre backs mid-match? That happens because itās wrong to start with
@8252Hazel: He has to take some of the responsibility for this
@cnez2611: He keeps changing the team what does he expect š¤¬
@LivLako: I cannot wait to take my kids to see their first game this coming weekend! With a Wilder bollocking ringing in their ears and a new Brazilian striker up front the players will be up for it and the Riverside will be bouncing if we score first! It’s still only August. #UTB
@netzerofuture: Top manager. If Wilder doesnāt get it right, no one else will. Team needs character and to step up. Confidence & momentum critical to success
@Milburn1991Sam: Got to stick by him and the team now, he knows it was shocking today and wonāt let them get away with it. Hopefully the club back him with some quality players. Keep the faith
@CScollett: some of the comments on here š Yeah he has to take some responsibility as he admits but i think there was 8 or 9 players out there who misplaced the majority of their passes today when looking like prime Barcelona in spells midweek š¤·š»āāļø
@tmatters77: Can see him falling out with some players this week
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