A YEAR ago today, Michael Carrick was appointed as Middlesbrough’s head coach. The intervening 12 months have featured 48 competitive matches, 26 of which have been won, and featured the high of a fourth-place finish in the Championship table as well as the low of defeat in the play-off semi-finals.

There has been a Manager of the Month award, as well as two unsuccessful nominations, the arrival and departure of a number of senior players and a marked modification in playing style from the rigid, defensive-minded approach he inherited from his predecessor, Chris Wilder, to a much more expansive, free-flowing outlook.

Boro were 21st in the table when his first match in charge ended in a 2-1 defeat at Preston – they head into tonight’s game at Norwich City sitting 13th, two points off the play-off positions, and eagerly looking ahead to next week’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Exeter City.

The prevailing mood at the Riverside has been completely transformed, and while Carrick’s perfectionist nature means he will never be truly satisfied, when he looks back on his first year in management, he is nevertheless able to reflect on a satisfactory 12 months.

“I think the only way you can really assess whether or not you’ve made any progress is on the pitch and where you end up,” said the Boro boss. “But I do feel we’ve made progress in certain areas.

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“When we play, the players know what is expected of them, and we’ve been pretty consistent with that. As a group, the behaviour, the positivity and the connection with the fans has grown no end since I’ve been here, which is good to see.

“But it does come down to results ultimately. Last season, we had a good season from where we were, but we didn’t quite finish it off. This season is a whole new season, so the true reflection will come at the end.

“You can assess things at all different times. How we assess it now could be completely different in another six weeks, for example. That’s football and the results-driven nature of it. It’s the end of the season that really matters.”

Nevertheless, having been presented with his first major challenge at the start of this season, when Boro failed to win any of their opening seven league games and briefly dropped to the foot of the Championship table, Carrick is pleased with the way he and his players responded to adversity.

“I’ve actually enjoyed the fact we had a time where we were struggling and questions were being asked,” he said. “It was always going to come at some point, and I actually really enjoyed the challenge, and also in seeing how I dealt with that, how the group dealt with that and seeing how individual players dealt with it.

“You learn a lot in those periods, when things aren’t quite going to plan and it doesn’t come as naturally as when you’re winning. You’ve got try and find a way. They key is to not overthink it. It’s similar to being a player, in some respect. When it’s going well, you just go out there and do it, you trust your instincts. The key is, when it isn’t going so well, to keep doing that. It certainly gives me a lot of confidence seeing how we all dealt with it.”

As a result, Boro will head to Carrow Road this evening on the back of four successive league victories, knowing a fifth win will see them climb into the top half of the table for the first time all season.

That would be another sign of progress, and provide further affirmation of the work Carrick has carried out since agreeing to take over on Teesside.

“Moving forward, it’s up to us to kick on a little bit now,” he said. “In terms of the whole experience, I’ve enjoyed the whole lot. I say it all the time, this is a fantastic squad, a great club full of great people and I’m really enjoying being here. Hopefully, there is a lot more to come.”

Middlesbrough (probable, 4-2-3-1): Dieng; Smith, Fry, McNair, Engel; Howson, Hackney; Jones, Crooks, Greenwood; Coburn.