Middlesbrough v Stoke City: ‘Im giving the max’ to job insists Chris Wilder

The Boro boss may be a boyhood ‘Blade’ and former manager – and a revered one at that. But business is business.

Just as it is for another rival in the play-off scene in Blackburn Rovers’ chief Tony Mowbray, a born and bred Teessider and someone who can also rightly be considered as a legend at his hometown club.

Wilder, given a warm reception ahead of kick-off on his first return to Bramall Lane in March – before later being on the receiving end of chants of ‘Wilder, what’s the score’ from some Unitedites in the hosts’ 4-1 routing of Boro – commented: “I am incredibly professional in my job and my job is to be professional for Middlesbrough Football Club.

“They are my football club. Of course, you can’t take away the history of my career and I wouldn’t want to, but this is something we are looking at and we want to be successful here regardless and everything else goes out the window.

“We all deal with it. Whether it’s Jose Mourinho or whoever. There is always going to be one connection to a football club that you supported as a boy.

“Steven Gerrard’s now at (Aston) Villa and he’s been at a huge club like Rangers, but there is always going to be that affinity (with Liverpool).

“I’m proud of that (at United). I’ve had incredible experiences at that club. From a Boro point of view, you’ve got Tony Mowbray down the road who I should imagine was a supporter as well as a young player. He’s done the lot.

“There is always going to be that affection towards your football club and (but) there are relationships and affections ingrained into the clubs you work with and I’ve been incredibly passionate for all the teams. I’m all in.

“From when I was managing my first experience in non-league, then with Halifax, to Oxford, to Northampton, to Sheffield United. Of course, there is one club there that is a different relationship, but I’m not giving less than what I gave there. Absolutely no way. I’m giving the max.”