"At least I've got eight games without being booed by anybody, it'll be very strange for me that."

Neil Warnock's latest managerial quest - the 16th different club he has taken over - has come in strange times.

With fans barred from grounds because of the coronavirus pandemic, Warnock's eight games in charge at Middlesbrough may be the easiest in terms of his ears, but the 71-year-old knows he has a tough challenge ahead to save the club from relegation.

"It is serious, it's no good kidding everybody," Warnock told BBC Radio Tees after taking his first training session on Tuesday.

'They've got to work hard'

It is unlikely Warnock has ever started a job in more unusual circumstances. His first time on the training ground had to be put back until 15:00 BST so he and long-serving assistant Kevin Blackwell could get negative results back from their mandatory Covid-19 tests.

When the session did eventually get under way he said he wanted to see his players give it their all.

"You're not down there out of the bottom three on goal difference without something being wrong. It's not all bad luck at this stage of the season," he added.

"We've just got to get confidence back and let the lads try and express themselves and enjoy it.

"First and foremost, they've got to work hard; they've got to work their socks off for me.

"I won't ever criticise a player if they do that and then they have a bad game on the ball, I don't mind that. It's when some lads leave a little bit in the dressing room that I'm not happy.

"I want total commitment from them all - the lads who are starting the game and subs that come on - and let's get those points that guarantee safety."
Man-management the key

Warnock is no stranger to turning tides around. Most recently he helped Rotherham survive in the Championship in 2016.

The following season he took over at Cardiff City when they were second from bottom and ended up getting promoted to the top flight 20 months later - a record fourth promotion to the Premier League.

Having succeeded Jonathan Woodgate on Tuesday, the Yorkshireman hopes he can sprinkle some of that gold dust on a Middlesbrough side who are flirting with relegation to the third tier for the first time in 33 years.

"You might have all the degrees and all the diplomas, but man-management is still the main ingredient for getting success," he said.

"You've got to have ability, but having ability won't get you success, you've got to have what goes with it and that combination of working hard and ability as well.

"If you can get players functioning who have got a lot of ability and they want to work hard for you, that's utopia."

Utopia for Boro fans will be simply staying in the division. They came down after a single season in the top fight in 2017 and finished fifth in the Championship the following season, before losing 1-0 over two legs to Aston Villa in the play-off semi-finals.

Having missed out on the top six by a point last May, Boro dispensed with Tony Pulis and a number of their high-earning players as the financial realities of missing out on a return to the top flight bit.

But hometown hero Woodgate and a newer crop of young players, many of whom had little second-tier experience, have struggled.

Only one win since New Year's Day has seen Boro tumble down the table, and but for the even worse form of Hull City - the Tigers have got two points to Boro's five since both registered wins on 1 January - they would be in the bottom three.

Key games away against fellow strugglers Stoke City and then Hull are first up for Warnock, but he is typically confident that Boro can stay up.

"I don't think ability's lacking, there's a lot of ability in the squad," he added.

"It's amazing that when things aren't right how your confidence goes and you don't do what you probably would do in a normal game.

"I'm just hoping I can bring a little bit of confidence and knowhow to get them lifting their heads and enjoying the challenge."