Aitor Karanka: It’s not all about Football
Aitor Karanka. A man who strolled to the entrance of the glorious Rockliffe halls with every Boro supporter not having a clue who the Spaniard was. Yet, as with every manager who rolls up to a new club, there was some promise.

This article is something I have thought about writing for a long time, and with some Forest fans questioning Karanka, I thought this was possibly the best time to express my feelings, and hopefully many other supporters feelings around a man, who well, saved the club I love for me.
A 13-Year-Old self was as distant as I’d ever felt from Middlesbrough Football club. Moving away from the area at the age of seven, I’ve always felt distant from the club anyway. Living in Norfolk, going through my early teens with Norwich supporters as they were enduring promotion after promotion was tough. Did it ever make me support them? No. But what it did do was make crave something i’d never felt with my club before. Success.
Boro winning the Carling cup is a memory i’ll only be able to imagine, being at an age I simply can’t remember what happened. Vague memories watching Massimio Maccarone’s header on the TV and me screaming ‘My Dad’s there!’ is the only real form of proper hardcore excitement i’d come across up until the appointment of Karanka. This will go for a lot of other Boro supporters of a younger generation as well.
In 2013, I firmly believe Boro were about to lose a whole lot supporters of a younger generation, after a torrid number of years of mediocrity in the Championship, younger Boro supporters were watching team’s like Pep’s Barcelona side, and the ever present Manchester United side playing glorious exciting creative football consistently, I think a lot of supporters of my age who now support the Boro would not be here supporting Boro if it wasn’t for Aitor Karanka. And for one, I am truly thankful to the Ex-Real Madrid player that he found some kind of short success which made a generation of Boro fans believe.
Now, this isn’t an article on football philosophies and why Aitor Karanka is a great tactician, because in reality, if he was THAT great he’d have kept Boro up and would still be managing in the Premier League. He didn’t.
However, what I do want to say is the ‘style’ of football we played while being successful was meaningless to more or less every Boro supporter. No one was saying this is dire when Adam Forshaw scored in the 90 + 5 minute of stoppage time, No one was saying this is S*** when Dimi caught THAT long ball in the despairing seconds against Brighton. As Boro fans, we were loving it.
That 2015/16 season was special for me. Karanka had brought the Boro back together. Families, Friends were all looking forward to heading up to the Riverside. We were selling out, Boro fan’s far away (Like me) were watching streams, listening to every last kick on the Radio.
That’s why I have nothing negative to say about Aitor Karanka, that’s why I think the Spaniard was the perfect fit for Nottingham Forest. Whilst looking back at the style of football, it wasn’t as creative as Pep’s Barca’s side or even Bielsa’s Leeds side, but I question does that mean Aitor Karanka’s side didn’t play football the right way? That season made me realise there is no right and wrong.
If making a whole clubs supporters believe isn’t football. Then what is?
Forest fan’s. Karanka has been with you for a matter of months. Karanka was with Boro for 2 and a half seasons before we got promotion. Yet, some of you already want him out?
Look what he’s already given you, which maybe a few previous manager’s haven’t. Your looking up the table ahead of the season, not down. You’ve brought in some top class player’s at this level, instead of selling your better player’s. This is just the start for you. He’s already brought belief, and it’s only a matter of time until the thing your believing in becomes a reality.
He saved a generation of Boro supporters, and i’m sure he’s going to do the same for you.
