FIRST there was Bryan Robson, then Steve McClaren. Terry Venables even had a little shot in between, while Gareth Southgate, Gordon Strachan and local hero Tony Mowbray all had a stint in charge at the Riverside Stadium.

Never, though, has Steve Gibson, the Middlesbrough chairman, gone foreign in his search for a new boss since taking over almost 20 years ago - until today.

Spaniard Aitor Karanka has never had a frontline managerial role before either, but he has been angling for one. His chance has arrived at the Riverside Stadium in the English Championship and Gibson believes it is a gamble worth taking.

The appointment has got the majority of Boro fans buzzing. That, largely, is likely to be because of Karanka’s strong links to Jose Mourinho, who would have loved him at Chelsea this season after three years together at Real Madrid.

But Gibson has also done his homework on Mourinho’s former assistant. He knows Karanka is a fluent English speaker, has a tactical brain and is extremely highly regarded as a coach in his Spanish homeland.

He will immediately open new doors in Europe in terms of recruitment and his representative, Jorge Mendes, is likely to help bring in a new wave of different names to help mould a Middlesbrough squad receptive to his new ideas.

But that is likely to mean big changes moving forward. Karanka is believed to have studied Middlesbrough’s performances this season, so will start work today with thoughts on the playing staff he has inherited.

And Gibson will know there is little point in taking such a change of direction at this stage of the season if Karanka is not going to be allowed to make the adjustments he feels is necessary. Gibson will be willing to give the go-ahead for the 40-year-old to put his own stamp on things and that could take time.

Middlesbrough have been pursuing different leads on the continent for more than a year now, but there has been a lack of success on the recruitment front in the foreign market. That should change.

Gibson could have gone down the route of a more familiar, homegrown name such as Stuart Pearce, Paul Jewell or even Tony Pulis.

With attendances still below 15,000, however, he clearly felt something more revolutionary was required, but the Middlesbrough chief wants more than short-term improvement in crowd figures. He wants long term sustainability.

Opting for a foreign manager does not guarantee sudden success. After spending five seasons outside of the Premier League, though, Middlesbrough need Karanka to work some magic straightaway.