Chris Wilder: Middlesbrough boss committed despite Burnley speculation
- Published
Chris Wilder joined Boro in November and has steered them into play-off contention
Boss Chris Wilder has reassured fans he is "all in" for the immediate future at Middlesbrough, despite speculation linking him with the Burnley vacancy.
Although the 54-year-old is keen to manage back in the Premier League, as he did with boyhood team Sheffield United, the aim is to do so with Boro.
Wilder took over with Boro 14th in the Championship in November, and has steered them into play-off contention.
"I've always been incredibly committed," Wilder told BBC Radio Tees.
"I'm all in, and as long as the chairman [Steve Gibson] knows that - and I get the close relationship from the supporters to the chairman - that's all anybody needs to be worried about.
"I want to work in the Premier League, I want to work in the Premier League with Middlesbrough.
"My sole aim is to affect results and improve the football club, we've done that in a short space of time and I'm excited about the future."
Wilder's Teessiders are three points behind sixth-placed Sheffield United with a game in hand, although the draw with Bournemouth and defeat by Huddersfield Town over Easter has made the final four games more difficult.
Former Oxford United and Northampton Town boss Wilder does not want media speculation to be used as an excuse for any dip in form going into Saturday's game with Swansea.
"I met the chairman and had a lengthy meeting with him. He understands that, if anything happens on either way there'll be a discussion," Wilder added.
"Nothing has happened so there's nothing to discuss. He knows my commitment to the football club and if you look at my past record and the length I've been at football clubs - I don't just jump from job to job.
"And from a medium to long-term view, we were talking yesterday about what does it look like in the summer, what we can do around the place at Rockcliffe [training ground] to transform it and make small improvements and what we can do to make the team look like I want it to look like.
"There's certainly a lot of work to be done and maybe over this period, not being too critical of the players, we've just come up a little bit short, and I don't want us to come up a bit short.
"I want us to achieve the targets we want to achieve and we want to get back into the Premier League. There's still life in our season, which I've talked to the players about."
Gazza: The raw and honest story of Paul Gascoigne's life on and off the pitch
Is it worth buying an electric car? Look behind the claims and promises of switching to an EV
