Reception the highlight for Karanka on Riverside return

Posted Sunday, April 08, 2018 by PA

Aitor Karanka was touched by the reception he got from Middlesbrough’s fans, even if his return to the Riverside Stadium ended in defeat for his Nottingham Forest team.

Karanka was making his first appearance on Teesside since leaving the club in March last year but was unable to prevent a 2-0 defeat which keeps Boro n the play-off zone.

Daniel Ayala and Stewart Downing struck in the seventh and 31st minutes, leaving Karanka remembering the reception he got from fans when he entered his technical area for the first time in the ninth minute, rather than the football.

Karanka said: “It was really nice and it has been a difficult week to prepare everything, (there are) a lot of good memories and I did not have any doubt that we love each other because when I came here I felt a really hungry club and when I left, it was in the Premier League and everyone was enjoying the Premier League.

“I was in an odd place, especially with people saying I had problems with the players, with the crowd and the board.

“The first person to send me a message yesterday before I came here was the chairman (Steve Gibson) and it was a nice reception from the fans and all the players that showed everybody how much we love each other.

“Now I am at Forest and trying to do the same because this club has a lot of history and I would like to repeat what I did here in the following years at Forest.

“Second half we had been really good but we can’t concede two goals from two stupid mistakes, especially against a team like Middlesbrough with their players with Premier League experience. But if we play that way we will win more games. I don’t care if it was a penalty.”

Boro manager Tony Pulis wished his team had scored more. Instead he was left sweating that Forest might make a game of it after their second half improvements.

Pulis said: “I was pleased with the first half, I thought we played really well with the movement of the ball and the position we got into and the opportunities and chances. But the one disappointing thing was that half-time came, because it stopped the momentum which sometimes happens.

“They had nothing to fear in the second half or worry about and they looked more relaxed on the ball but we still had the best opportunities.

“There are five games to go. We spend far too much time in this country worrying about everyone else and what they are doing instead of concentrating on your own lives and I can only affect what happens here – and that is what I have told the players.

“We just have to focus on ourselves and if it goes for us, brilliant, if it doesn’t, we have to make sure we were properly prepared.

“The important thing is we remain focused and do our best and the players understand that.

“Aitor deserves the plaudits. He did a fantastic job to get them promoted and they showed that respect to him, which is fantastic.”