Former Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town midfielder Matt Crooks expresses delight after signing contract extension with Championship club Middlesbrough FC
The former Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town midfielder, who joined Boro two summers ago from the Millers, has proved a popular figure on and off the pitch in his time with the Teessiders, while also making his family home in the area.
The Leeds-born player has provided some memorable moments, including an equaliser against the club he supported as a boy in Manchester United in an FA Cup tie at Old Trafford in early 2022.
Crooks, whose 12-month extension sees him contracted at the club until at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. commented: “I’m really, really happy.
“There have been a lot of memories along the way that we’ve made so far; some real highs and some disappointments as well, but overall I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I’ve had a few different managers, but I feel at home here and I’m happy to sign.
“The lads are fantastic, that’s another reason for me to commit.
“The dressing room has been top drawer through each season I’ve been here. The coaching staff as well.
“Even though I probably didn’t play as much as I wanted to last season, I still came to training every day and enjoyed it.
“I felt I had a lot of respect from them and I gave it back in return.”There’s a real good feeling around the place.”
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The measures have been introduced to promote “responsible behaviour” from players, managers and coaches at matches. In a statement released by the Premier League, it was stated there has been a “significant increase in unacceptable behaviour” towards match officials across the Premier League and in EFL and FA competitions.
Due to the belief among football authorities that actions within the professional game filter down to youth football, a new charter has been introduced in partnership with the League Managers Association (LMA) and the Professional Footballers Association (PFA).
Match officials will now be “empowered” to take more robust action when behaviour does not meet expected standards and stronger disciplinary action will be applied by the FA.
Measures introduced include coaching staff being unable to use technology to challenge decisions and the prevention of coaching staff entering the pitch to confront officials at half-time or full-time.
Occupants of the technical area who have been dismissed will also be unable to sit in the stand, return to the field of play after the match or conduct any post-match interviews with the media.
A section of the Premier League’s statement on the charter reads: “The plan focuses on three key areas: increasing awareness and knowledge of serious incidents and how to report them; enhancing reporting processes by making them clearer and more accessible; and a commitment to tackling ‘problem areas’ in the game where serious incidents are most prevalent. The outputs from the action plan will be rolled out across the season.”
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