'Boro missed Latte Lath in disappointing run-in'

Former Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith says a lack of consistency was to blame for Middlesbrough's disappointing season.

Boro sat fifth with six games to go but a run of four points from their final half-dozen games saw them slide to finish 10th, four points short of the play-off places.

Smith, who retired in February due to an ankle injury, told the BBC's 72+ EFL podcast: "I think Middlesbrough have been one of the teams who have really struggled for that consistency.

"I've seen runs where we've gone unbeaten for a few games and runs where we haven't won for a few games.

"To finish 10th is obviously disappointing, it's a tough league but there are some big clubs who have languished in mid-table, you look at Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday, West Brom - it's a really difficult league to get out of and I think Middlesbrough are finding it tough.

"They've spent one season in the Premier League in the last 15 which just shows how tough the league is."

Smith feels the departure of his former teammate Emmanuel Latte Lath to MLS side Atlanta United in January was the key to Boro's season unravelling.

The Ivorian netted 11 in 29 league appearances, 20 of them starts, but Kelechi Iheanacho, brought in on loan from Sevilla, scored once in 15 appearances and Morgan Whittaker failed to scored in 16 games after his arrival from Plymouth, with the pair combining for only three assists.

Boro scored 38 goals in their first 23 games but only 23 in the second half of the campaign.

"I always find that January is a really tough window to bring people in and bed them in," Smith said.

"You need players to come in and hit the ground running. I don't blame them, I understand it's difficult for them to come in and hit the ground running.

"With Latte Lath the club received an offer that was too good to turn down. The timing of it was unfortunate, quite late in the window which didn't give the club a lot of time.

"The club have missed his goals – second half of the season they have scored nowhere near as many goals as they did in the first half."