TWELVE months ago, countless Championship observers referenced Middlesbrough before the start of a new season and confidently predicted - with a seemingly knowing look - that they constituted the 'best of the rest'.

Namely, the club who could come from 'outside' and push for automatic promotion and potentially challenge the well-heeled outfits armed with parachute payments and blessed with such an obvious advantage on all of their counterparts.

It did not come to pass and that faith proved seriously misplaced from a pretty early juncture. Aside from an all too brief spell in late autumn when Boro smashed 18 goals in five matches, they never looked convincing in 2024-25 and possessed serious flaws.

Carrick-ball won some style marks, for sure. At their best, Boro could be a delight to watch, but in the pragmatic Championship where the best win in all types of weathers and situations, there was nowhere near enough substance and too much flakiness. Too nice..

Middlesbrough's Morgan Whittaker looks on during the pre-season friendly match at Bradford City at the University of Bradford Stadium on July 23. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

placeholder image — Middlesbrough's Morgan Whittaker looks on during the pre-season friendly match at Bradford City at the University of Bradford Stadium on July 23. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Boro were the second-tier's great underachievers of 2024-25 and Carrick paid the price.

A tenth-placed finish, four points behind Bristol City, whose tally of 68 points was the joint lowest 46-game total to reach the second-tier play-offs since the format was introduced in 1986-87, helps to explain why.

The alarming way in which the Teessiders went backwards, more especially in a dreadful late winter spell when the natives were increasingly restless means that no-one is foolhardy enough to state that Boro will be the best from the pack in 2025-26.

Best-case scenario? Things coming together quicker than expected under new head coach Rob Edwards and Boro possibly, with a small p, being in the top-six mix. The worst? Dropping down towards lower mid-table and maybe looking over their shoulders even.

CHANGES: New Middlesbrough coach Rob Edwards (Image: David Rogers/Getty Images)

For a number of reasons, it looks to be a season of realignment.

Given his preferred three-man central defensive formation with wing-backs, Edwards-ball - complete with high-pressing from attackers - will take time to implement.

Boro were welded to a 4-2-3-1 possession-based play-out-from-the-back style under Carrick and new understandings don't happen overnight. Edwards wants Boro to get the ball forward quicker.

The energy and go-forward of former Barnsley wing-back Callum Brittain is a step in the right direction on the right. Sammy Silvera, who has impressed in pre-season, could get the nod on the left for the big kick-off.

Given that none or Boro's central-half options looked convincing together as a 'two' in 24-25, playing a 'three' when you don't have a tried and trusted 'two' carries an element of sense. That is a good word to describe the addition of a solid and proven operator at this level - and one whose availability record is good - in ex-Hull City man Alfie Jones. One player unlikely to be around is Rav van den Berg.

Changing the team’s collective mentality should also be a major consideration for Edwards, given Boro's palpable inability to cope with spells of pressure - often when leading - at crunch periods of last season. It proved an Achilles heel, alongside their spectacular capacity to shoot themselves in the foot and gift-wrap some comedy goals.

It all added to the notion that Boro were self-indulgent at times and always give opponents a chance, for all their pretty passing pictures.

Speculation over the future of midfield 'quarter-back' in Hayden Hackney has persisted all summer and while Edwards has said that it's a ‘win-win’ as to whether the England under-21 player goes or not, a move looks a good thing for player and club.

Not least in providing funds for Boro to bring in some key signings before the close of the window.

Further forward, it's an important season for Morgan Whittaker, who has under-whelmed since arriving in January, while Boro have not come close to replacing Emmanuel Latte-Lath, yet.

Edwards - who lost out to Carrick for the Boro position in 2022 - has plenty in his in-tray.

Listen to his media utterancesand it is clear that his passion for the job is genuine and is plainly not the sort that is manufactured. Firmly in the mix for the Bristol City job he may have been, but there was clearly one role he truly wanted, second time around.

His interview for the Riverside gig earlier this summer was said to be very impressive and on-point regarding where most felt Boro got things wrong last season.

Having made the right noises with the club's hierarchy and supporters, now it’s for real.

In: Callum Brittain (Blackburn, permanent), Abdoulaye Kante (Troyes, permanent), Alfie Jones (Hull, permanent).

Out: Josh Coburn (Millwall, £5m), Anfernee Dijksteel (Kocaelispor, free), Jonny Howson, George Gitau (both released).