Rockliffe alterations explained as Chris Wilder taps into Middlesbrough expertise

When Chris Wilder was appointed boss back in November, he wasted no time in identifying the areas he wanted to improve - and that wasn't just on the pitch.

The manager was quick to point out that he wanted to make a couple of alterations at Rockliffe. They were minor tweaks rather than a major revamp of Boro's HQ. The training base is now 23-years-old but is still very much a feather in Boro's cap and every transfer window new signings talk of how they were blown away by the club's facilities.

Wilder, though, identified a couple of areas he felt could be improved. And the boss believes that the tinkering inside the training complex will result in improvements on the pitch. That's why work to make alterations to the training ground was earmarked for early in the summer, so it was finished for when the players returned for the start of pre-season.

What greeted the players when they reported back to Rockliffe last month was a new-look video analysis room. Video analysis is crucial to Wilder and his coaching staff, who dish out individual clips to players before and after games to be studied. The staff and the players also closely analyse other teams who play a similar style to Boro, so they can perfect their own approach.

“We’ve revamped the video analysis room," explains Wilder.

"We do a lot of work now on analysis from matches and then watching videos with individual players that helps make them better. We’ve made it a proper auditorium now.

“That stuff is huge now. And I’ve got to say, credit to the players, they get all their clips from games and they want to go through them. Young players want to improve and we’re seeing that go off more and more at the club, and it starts through the academy and how they’re getting