Boro head coach Aitor Karanka says Steve Gibson's enthusiasm and belief in the club was the most important reason why he came here
View galleryPeter Reimann
Aitor Karanka press conference
View gallery
In the week Boro reported annual losses of almost £14m, Aitor Karanka has paid tribute to Steve Gibson’s continued support for the club.
The chairman continues to pick up the tab on behalf of the club he’s supported since he was a boy.
Of course, he’s desperate for Boro to be back among the big boys and the big pay days in the Premier League.
And that’s why he decided to appoint a foreign manager for the first time in the club’s history in November last year.
On the face of it, a struggling club languishing in the bottom reaches of the English Championship would not seem an attractive proposition for a man like Karanka, who worked alongside Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid and played for the same club in a distinguished career.
It was Gibson’s long-term plan for Boro that convinced him to up sticks and move to the North-east.
“I’ve had a very good relationship with Steve since the first day I met him,” said Karanka.
“Once I knew what kind of person he was, I had no doubts about coming to Middlesbrough.
“I knew I had met a wonderful person and that if we worked together we would achieve our targets.
“Steve’s enthusiasm for the club and his belief in the club was the most important reason why I came here.
“For my first job in my career I wanted to work in a place where the people who own the club and run the club trust me 100%. That is the feeling I got from Steve from the first minute.”
Video: Full press conference: Aitor Karanka unveiled
Gibson has been pumping more than £1m per month into the club for a considerable time and with promotion now all but impossible this season, he’ll have to continue supporting Boro financially – within the constraints of financial fair play - for at least another year.
“This week we’ve seen how much money Steve spends on the club and how much he’s put into the club over the years,” said Karanka.
“Anyone wanting to know how much Steve loves this club only has to look at how much money he spends on the club.
“He has been supporting this club for a long, long time, he’s spent a lot of money and we now have the objective of getting to the Premier League without spending a lot of money (on the team).
“I’m very confident we will achieve our objectives. I don’t know when but I’m sure we will.
“I am happy with my relationship with Steve and if one person deserves to see Boro back in the Premier League it is Steve.
“So we are working together to get the club back into the Premier League.
“I am very happy to be here, to have the opportunity to work at a club like Middlesbrough and to work with somebody like Steve Gibson.
“He is a chairman who works hard on behalf of the club but never rings me to say something is bad or something is good.”
The North Riding Senior Cup final between Boro and Guisborough will take place at the Riverside on Wednesday, April 30 (ko 7.30pm).
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