Optimistic Karanka believes Middlesbrough can achieve big things in 2015
6:03am Thursday 1st January 2015 in Sport 
By Steph Clark, Sports Reporter
AMAZING YEAR: Aitor Karanka has enjoyed every minute of his first full year in management Picture: DAVID PURDAY/PHCIMAGES
AITOR Karanka is satisfied with the progress Middlesbrough have made in his first full year in charge and the head coach is optimistic 2015 can be even better for the club.
The Spaniard made the step up from assistant to manager when he arrived at the Riverside Stadium almost 14 months ago and in his first year the 41-year-old has guided Boro from 18th to fourth in the Championship table.
The Teessiders start the new year five points behind leaders Bournemouth and there is a growing sense within the club that this could be the season they end their hiatus from the Premier League.
Boro start 2015 with an FA Cup third round trip to Barnsley on Saturday before they resume league action at Reading on January 10, and having seen his squad grow over the past 12 months Karanka is confident they will only continue to get better.
“It has been an amazing year for me because it has been my first complete year as a manager and I am very pleased with my year here,” he said.
“The team is improving every single day. We started building a team in January and in December this team is very strong. I am optimistic thinking about the future.
“My feelings about this year are very, very good.”
Having been given funds to strengthen his squad in the previous two transfer windows the Boro head coach also paid tribute to the support chairman Steve Gibson has given since his arrival.
He said: “I can't do it alone, so I can say 'my year' thinking about myself but I am also thinking about the whole club.
“I couldn't do all I have done here without the chairman's support, the players' support, the support of all the staff who work here, our fans, we are all a team.
“You learn something new every day but the feelings about the Championship are the same that I had two months after arriving here and that was you can beat everyone and everyone can beat you, so it's not different.
“Now I know more about the club and the players, about management, because this time last year I had only been a manager for two months and now I have been a manager for 14 months.
“It's not a big period of time but I am learning every day and I think and I hope my management on the pitch, on the training ground and in the changing room is improving.”
There has been a marked improvement on the pitch since Karanka succeeded Tony Mowbray at the Riverside and over time the former Real Madrid assistant has eradicated the issued that blighted his predecessor’s reign.
In previous years a lack of strength in depth has been Boro’s downfall, but the current boss believes their last two games highlight the progress the club has made.
“The main thing for me was reflected in the games against Nottingham Forest and Blackburn,” Karanka said. “We played with 17 different players and the spirit of the team was the same and it is a reflection that every player can play always.
“We played with 11 players against Nottingham and we made six changes for Blackburn on Sunday and the spirit of the team was consistent, the team was compact, so that's main thing for me, the players are all ready to play.”
Almost 7,000 supporters travelled to Ewood Park just two days after the Riverside saw its biggest crowd since the club dropped out of the top flight on Boxing Day, and Karanka hopes the fans can play their part in the second half of the season.
He said: “My message is to express my gratitude to them because since my first day here they have always been behind me and behind the club.
“Everyday our supporters are increasing and the last month it has been amazing in the game against Wigan, against Blackburn, when we had 7,000 fans, on Boxing Day we had 32,000 people so it's just to express my gratitude again.
“The fans can be our 12th player in January.”
The head coach has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the trip to Oakwell, although he is without Emilio Nsue who is away representing Equatorial Guinea at the African Cup of Nations.
With Damia Abella and Ryan Fredericks both out injured, Nsue’s absence leaves Boro short at right-back, but Karanka insists he still has enough cover to get by.
“Emilio is going to play for Equatorial Guinea and he's the captain so I wish him all the best and it's important that he doesn't come back with an injury.
“We are working (on transfer targets) but at the moment we have Deano (Whitehead), who played on Saturday, and we have Rhys Williams, who I think is ready to play, so we are not going to do anything quickly.
“If we bring someone in it is because we are sure the player is good for the present and good for the future.”