The former England defender, 39, was part of the coaching set-up
under previous boss Tony Pulis but has never been a manager before.
Pulis left in May after Boro failed to reach the
Championship play-offs.
Woodgate will be assisted by former Leeds and Tottenham
team-mate Robbie Keane at the Riverside as well as Leo Percovich and Danny
Coyne.
“We want to get fans on the edge of their seat,” Woodgate
said.
“We want as many fans back in the stadium as we can by
playing attacking, exciting football with high pressure, pressing in different
areas.
“We’ve got to have a philosophy at the club and I certainly
believe in it. It’s what I’ve grown up believing in.
“I’ve had managers play the style of football I want to play
and I’ve bought into it and my coaching staff have done exactly the same.”
Woodgate made 112 appearances for Middlesbrough in two spells
with his home-town club.
The former Leeds, Newcastle, Real Madrid and Tottenham
centre-half was in the Boro squad that won promotion to the Premier League in 2015-16
during his second spell.
“Jonathan’s vision is very much aligned to our own for the
club as we look to develop a new identity,” a club statement said
Boro revealed there was “huge interest” in the job after
Pulis’ departure, with a number of candidates both in the UK and abroad
interviewed.
“It was during this procedure that it became clear Jonathan
was the outstanding candidate to head up the new structure,” the club added.
“His staff bring a wealth of experience and knowledge.”
Republic of Ireland assistant Keane is joined by former Boro
coach Percovich, who previously worked under Aitor Karanka, and former player
Coyne as goalkeeping coach.
Keane will continue in his post alongside Republic manager
Mick McCarthy as well as working with Woodgate at Boro.
Capped eight times by England, Woodgate’s playing career
included a £13.4m move from Newcastle United to Real Madrid in August 2004.
Injuries hampered his time at the Bernabeu – he didn’t make
his debut for more than a year – when David Beckham, Raul, Brazilian Ronaldo
and Guti were also playing for Real.He had a spell as a scout working for
Liverpool in Spain before returning to Boro in March 2017 to join the coaching
staff under interim manager Steve Agnew.
Boro finished seventh in the Championship last season,
missing out on the play-offs by a point after a run of six successive defeats
in March and April.
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