Aitor Karanka has heaped praise on Boro fans for helping him to love life in the North-east.
This month marks the one-year anniversary since the Spaniard replaced Tony Mowbray in the Boro hotseat.
After moulding an entirely new team in his image, Boro now sit in third position only two points off top spot ahead of tonight’s Championship showdown with Norwich City.
And ahead of the match Karanka admitted he couldn’t have chosen a better place to start his managerial career.
“I’m pleased with the progress since I’ve been here, the team is doing well and is improving every day”, Karanka told the club’s official website.
“That’s the most important thing – to keep improving, because we have a long run ahead of us.
“I couldn’t imagine how much I would enjoy this job, and how much I would work.
“I’m very pleased because like I’ve said, I’m proud to be at Middlesbrough and couldn’t have chosen a better place to start my career.
“I said in my first press conference that the way the people here at the club welcomed me and the crowd, the players and people in the street was perfect.
“Now a year later things improve every day, and people say good things which gives me more energy to keep going.”
Boro go into tonight’s clash having lost only one of their last 10 Championship matches, winning six and conceding only six goals in that time.
But the pressure is on the Teessiders tonight to show they can beat their promotion rivals, having drawn with Watford and Charlton and lost at Wolves this season.
A win against the Canaries could send Boro top of the division, and then another glorious opportunity to get points on the board comes on Saturday as high-flying Bournemouth arrive at the Riverside.
“We have to keep going in the same way, both Norwich and Bournemouth are two of the best teams in the league and for this reason we have to be careful,” Karanka said.
“We have to think about Norwich first and then Bournemouth.
“Norwich are a very good team. I said before the Rotherham game that they are a typical Championship team, whereas Norwich are not .
“They are a very strong team with a lot of quality players, have a good manager and were in the Premier League last year, so it will be a very tough game.
“This is a tough division, it’s crazy that Norwich have only won one in their last six yet they are only one point behind us.”
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