Jonathan Woodgate's Middlesbrough admission as Bournemouth boss outlines play-off aspirations

The 41-year-old was sacked by Boro in June after a challenging first season but has since been appointed head coach at Bournemouth until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

Woodgate spoke to his former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp after taking the role, while former Scotland international Joe Jordan has been appointed first-team coach at the Vitality Stadium.

Speaking to former Spurs team-mate Peter Crouch on BT Sport, Woodgate said: “As soon as I came in I spoke to Harry about it. I brought in Joe Jordan

“At Middlesbrough I had a really good coaching team but I should have brought a little bit more experience in to help us all really. I’ve done that with Joe and he’s been first class.

“You know what Joe Jordan is like, he’s a top guy, you listen when he speaks so it’s perfect.”

Bournemouth are three points ahead of Boro in the Championship and three points off sixth-place Reading who occupy the final play-off position.

“The aim is the play-offs,” added Woodgate when asked about this season’s aspirations. “We have a good, talented group. We need to play more as a team, we are starting to do that and if we do that then we’ll end up in the play-offs."

Bournemouth now have a game in hand on Boro and the teams around them due to their FA Cup match against Southampton over the weekend.

The Cherries were beaten 3-0 after Moussa Djenepo’s opener and a brace from Nathan Redmond.

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