THEY boast a new badge, a new sponsor and the makings of a new team, so Gareth Southgate expects a new Middlesbrough to be in evidence when the Premier League returns this afternoon.

And while a majority of pundits are predicting a season of struggle, the Boro boss has claimed he is ready to "take on the world" in pursuit of his Riverside dream.

Despite spending more than £11m on the purchase of Jonathan Woodgate, Jeremie Aliadiere, Tuncay Sanli and Luke Young, the Teessiders have been accused of a lack of ambition this summer.

Most bookmakers are tipping them to finish in the bottom six, while season-ticket sales are down as supporters reserve judgement on Southgate's re-structuring.

The Boro boss accepts that he will be starting the season with one of the smallest squads in the top-flight.

But as he prepares to welcome Blackburn Rovers to the Riverside later today, he is urging his players to adopt a siege mentality to prove the pundits wrong.

"Everybody is writing us off and that's a great thing," said Southgate, who is hoping that Chris Riggott will be fit enough to partner Andrew Davies at the heart of Boro's defence this afternoon.

"I love taking on the world and having a point to prove, and our small squad will be stronger for that.

"I want the players to have that in their minds. We've had meetings and they know what they have to do and what's expected.

"I haven't looked at what the bookies think, but I can imagine. We've lost Mark Viduka and finished 12th last year, but they don't know what we're doing. I'm pleased with what we've done this summer.

"People write us off because they read too much into the players that have gone, and think we're nothing but a small town.

"But perception is not always the reality. We've got a new badge and, more importantly, a new team."

That new team is significantly younger and significantly quicker than the one Southgate inherited from his predecessor, Steve McClaren.

The 36-year-old Boro boss has repeatedly talked about changing his side's style of play from a primarily defensive mindset to a more fluid and attacking methodology.

The arrival of both Aliadiere and Tuncay should enable him to put that philosophy into practice and, while Southgate does not expect to complete his radical transformation overnight, he is confident that supporters will see a far more attractive Middlesbrough side this season.

"The important thing is to build a team that will fill the ground again," he explained. "I want them to be playing with freedom and to express themselves. When I say that, I actually mean it.

"Mistakes don't bother me, they will happen, and sometimes we will lose games because of them. But we have to be big enough to take teams on.

"We want to go further forward than in the past, and we highlighted that we want to be fitter. We certainly will be that.

"We've added several players over 12 months and that is ongoing.

"We are building for the long term and the average age of the squad has dropped five years in 12 months.

"We know the players will give us absolutely everything and we know we are better than this time last year.

"There will be highs and lows, but we'll keep on marching through the bombs that go off."

Southgate has been presented with a number of incendiary situations this summer, with Ayegbeni Yakubu's future proving a particularly explosive issue.

The Nigeria international continues to be linked with a move to either Everton or Portsmouth, but he will be leading the line in front of his family this afternoon.

Holding on to Yakubu could be crucial to Boro's chances this season, with Viduka's departure having robbed the Teessiders of their leading scorer from last term.

None of Middlesbrough's midfielders boasted more than two goals last season, a statistic that is exacerbated by Aliadiere's less-than-impressive goalscoring record during his time at Arsenal, yet Southgate insists his side will not struggle to score in the months that lie ahead.

"We expect Jeremie and Dong-Gook (Lee) to score," claimed the Boro boss, who remains hopeful of persuading Tottenham striker Mido to complete a £6m move to Teesside.

"Tuncay will score from midfield and Stewart Downing will score more than last season.

"The best season we had here was when we finished seventh, and the top scorer was Jimmy (Floyd Hasselbaink), with 13, and the next was five.

"The goals were shared around the team, and that's what will happen again.

"Mark Viduka was fantastic last season, but we move on. It's about players who give us a different threat, a different style. We have different assets now and I think that will be exciting."