Middlesbrough

Image source, Rex Features

Middlesbrough should stick with Michael Carrick and back their head coach to get them into the Championship play-off places this season, according to former Reading, Watford and Crystal Palace winger Jobi McAnuff.

Boro have lost five of their past six games and are in 11th place, four points outside the top six - albeit with a game in hand on all of the clubs above them.

But chairman Steve Gibson is reportedly keen to see Carrick stay despite their miserable run.

"I don't think there will be any value in getting rid of Michael Carrick," McAnuff told BBC's Football Daily 72+: The EFL Podcast.

"They have had a couple of tough games of late, against Sheffield United and Sunderland. In the Sunderland game they were fantastic for 30 minutes and should have put the game to bed.

"But under Michael Carrick there has always been an inconsistency - not just from game to game - but actually in the 90 minutes itself.

"And it's been a really poor run, losing to Preston and Portsmouth and Watford away.

"If you want to get in the play-offs these are games you have to win. There's no two ways about that so I understand the pressure and the speculation but you have to give him time."

Middlesbrough were fifth following their win over Hull City on New Year's Day and Carrick has been surprised by their slip down the table.

"I thought they would have a real good season this time out," McAnuff added. "They had a positive end to last season after a difficult start.

"I think if they don't finish in the play offs it will be a really disappointing season, but he has to be given the opportunity to get them in the play-offs - and potentially get them promoted that way."

You can listen to the full Football Daily 72+: The EFL Podcast on BBC Sounds.

Bristol City welcome Middlesbrough to Ashton Gate on Friday night (19:45 GMT) for a clash between two sides hoping to make the Championship play-offs.

The Robins are eighth, two points off the top six, but have won just two of their past seven games (D3 L2).

A run of four straight defeats for Boro and only two wins from their previous 11 matches (D4 L5) has seen them slip to 11th, four points behind West Bromwich Albion in sixth.

• Bristol City have won each of their past three league games against Middlesbrough, last enjoying a longer winning run against Boro between 2012 and 2017 (five wins).

• Middlesbrough have failed to win any of their past three away league games against Bristol City (D1 L2), conceding 2+ goals in each. Boro last failed to win on more visits to Ashton Gate between 1977 and 1993 (seven games).

• Bristol City have won five of their past six home league games (L1), keeping four clean sheets during that time.

• Middlesbrough have lost each of their past three away league games and will be looking to avoid losing four in succession for the first time since September 2023 (a run of five).

• Across Middlesbrough's past five Championship games, they've scored with four of their 23 shots from outside the box (17%) but only scored with two of their 42 shots from inside the box (5%).

Image source, Rex Features

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick praised his players' attitude after their fifth defeat in six.

The under-fire manager told BBC Radio Tees: "There's no sugar-coating it, we're in a tough spot at the moment. You could smell it and feel it around today, and (we need to) face up to the reality that results haven't gone as we would like of late.

"I felt a lot for them because their attitude is top-class, honestly, they're desperate to do the right things and in sport when things aren't going for you and you're not in your peak mentality, the confidence dips a little bit and it becomes more difficult to play.

"In the second half, how we reacted and tried to create pressure and opportunities, I'm proud of them for because it's not a nice situation to deal with.

"It's totally my responsibility to deal with."

Two sides low on confidence face-off as Middlesbrough welcome Watford to the Riverside on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Boro have lost four of their past five games in all competitions and won just twice in 11 matches overall over the past two months to slip to ninth in the Championship table.

The Hornets have also lost four of their past five Championship games and have only one win in 11 games in all competitions since Boxing Day to lie three places but just two points behind Boro.

The clash pits Michael Carrick against his former teammate Tom Cleverley, with the pair having played together 59 times in the Man United midfield.

• Middlesbrough have won three of their past four league games against Watford (L1), though did lose the reverse fixture 2-1 in October.

• Watford are looking to do the league double over Middlesbrough for the first time since 1989-90, though have lost on each of their past two league trips to the Riverside Stadium.

• Middlesbrough are looking to avoid losing successive home league games for the first time since February 2024 after losing 3-2 to Sunderland in their most recent home game.

• Since beating Sheffield Wednesday 6-2 in November, Watford have won only one of their past nine away league games (D4 L4).

• Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney has been involved in three goals in his past two league games at the Riverside Stadium (2 goals, 1 assist), as many as in his previous 24 home outings in the Championship.

Image source, Getty Images

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick says repeated mistakes keep costing his side dear as defensive errors condemned Boro to a 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United.

"We didn't start the game particularly great, we got back in the game well," he told BBC Radio Tees.

"I thought the second half was in the balance for a good spell but it got away from us in the end.

"They were not good goals to give away, moments that turn the game and that was the story really.

"Credit to them, they've done things well enough to win the game.

"We could have done things better to stop the goals, that's pretty obvious and they are the moments that have turned things in the wrong direction against us of late and we need to flip it back.

"There's always the next game, there's always the next result, there's always the next opportunity to do that but we can't keep saying the same things."

Image source, Getty Images

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has been speaking to BBC Radio Tees ahead of their trip to Sheffield United on Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines:

• There are no additional injuries to the squad that lost to Sunderland last time out.

• On right-back Tommy Smith's retirement: "We are very sorry for Tommy. He continues to be a huge character around the place, a big personality. He's done fantastically, he's been great for me."

• He added: "When the news finally comes, it's tough for everyone to take. We will continue to support Tom in what's next over the coming months of getting him back to good health and definitely support him in the future."

• On transfers: "They've settled unbelievably well. It doesn't feel like a particularly new group, it feels a nice, real balance of freshness and energy."

• He added: "I'm really happy with the squad we've got. I think a bit of freshness helps, I think we feel strong and I'm really looking forward to the games coming up."

• On Boro's poor run of form: "That doesn't change my thoughts on what's next and what we can do. I'm still encouraged at knowing what we can do. We've got to find that magic and I'm really confident we can do that."

• On Sheffield United: "We know the challenge we face when we go down there but it's a fantastic challenge. It's these type of games we want to be involved in."

Sheffield United eye a place at the top as they host play-off contenders Middlesbrough on Wednesday evening (20:00 GMT).

The Blades could see themselves at the apex of the table should current leaders Leeds United fall to Watford on Tuesday, with just two points separating the two teams at the top.

While a win for Middlesbrough could see them back in the play-off spots.

• Sheffield United have won six of their last eight home league games against Middlesbrough (L2), though did lose this exact fixture 3-1 when it was last played in February 2023.

• After winning the reverse fixture 1-0 in October, Middlesbrough will be looking to record just a second league double over Sheffield United since the 1987-88 season (also 2010-11).

• Sheffield United lost their last midweek home game in the Championship (0-2 v Burnley in December), after having won each of the previous four without conceding a single goal.

• Middlesbrough have lost three of their last four league games (W1), more than they had in their previous 13 combined, while they've lost each of their last two. They haven't lost three in a row since December 2023.

• Delano Burgzorg has scored in each of his last two Championship appearances, scoring as many goals in those games (2) as he had in his previous 31 Championship games combined.

Mark Drury
BBC Radio Tees commentator

Image source, Rex Features

February is here, the snowdrops are coming up and the first faint promise of spring is in the air, but for Middlesbrough fans thoughts of a sunny May afternoon at Wembley seem a distant prospect right now.

Monday's 3-2 defeat at home to Sunderland in the Tees-Wear derby left Michael Carrick's Boro seventh in the Championship, outside the play-off places on goal difference.

It was a 90 minutes that encapsulated their season to date with early attacking verve and promise being undermined by an inability to keep the ball out of the net.

Following that defeat, the head coach told the press he wasn't concerned about Boro's form. That's not a sentiment shared by the club's supporters.

A run of four defeats in the last five in all competitions has taken all the impetus out of their season.

Look further back and it's now three wins from 10 in the league. That's 13 points from the last 30. Put simply that isn't going to get the job done.

It was a busy January on the transfer front with Morgan Whitaker and George Edmundson arriving on permanent deals while Mark Travers, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ryan Giles and Samuel Iling-Junior signed loan agreements.

Heading out of The Riverside were Isaiah Jones, Micah Hamilton, Matt Clarke, Alex Gilbert, Lukas Engel, Sammy Silvera, Mathew Hoppe and for a club record fee of £22.5 million, top scorer Emmanuel Latte Lath.

So are the club in a stronger position going in to the final 16 games of the season?

Concerns revolve around questions at both ends of the pitch.

Can Iheanacho weigh in with enough goals to justify the decision to let Latte Lath go to Atlanta United and, if not, will Tommy Conway be able to put a sustained run of starts together after his recent injury problems?

Whittaker and Finn Azaz showed signs against Sunderland that the relationship they developed at Plymouth can be rekindled, but behind them is Boro's failure to bring in another central midfielder asking too much of Aidan Morris?

The suspicion remains that Carrick's team lacks the kind of midfield bite and mongrel Championship sides need if they aren't to be bullied out of games they might otherwise win.

Then there's the defence. Boro's attack is the second best in the division but their defence is mid-table. The 39 goals they've conceded leaves them below not just the promotion chasers Leeds United, Burnley, Sunderland and Sheffield United but also Millwall, Bristol City and Stoke City, among others.

Image source, Rex Features

Giles should add an attacking threat at left-back but Luke Ayling has struggled on the right and was left badly exposed at times against the Black Cats.

Clarke's departure for Derby leaves Boro with three senior centre-backs in Rav van den Berg, Dael Fry and Edmundson but that's a position which has been dogged by injury problems all season.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility we'll see Jonny Howson or Ayling drafted into the middle of the defence if the injury curse strikes again.

The expectation in August was this was a squad capable of pushing the top two for promotion. Six months of wildly inconsistent results have tested fans' belief to the extent a growing number now fear the play-offs are going to slip out of reach.

If that were to happen the season could only be viewed as a complete failure.

On Monday evening, Carrick told me it was up to his players to write their own story.

By May, we'll know if he's presided over a thrilling adventure or something from the horror section.

Image source, Rex Features

On Tuesday we asked what you made of Middlesbrough's business in the transfer window.

Boro made six notable additions to their squad with forwards Morgan Whittaker and Kelechi Iheanacho joining from Plymouth and Sevilla respectively.

Winger Samuel Iling-Junior came in from Aston Villa while Hull City defender Ryan Giles and Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers also arrived on loan.

Middlesbrough were also able to complete a permanent deal for defender George Edmundson from Ipswich after his temporary spell over the first half of the season.

Leading scorer Emmanuel Latte Lath has, however, joined Atlanta United for an MLS-record £22.5m while Alex Gilbert has gone on loan to Charlton, defender Matt Clarke to Derby and forward Isaiah Jones to Luton.

Here are some of your responses:

Kevin: Sad to see Latte Lath go, players like that make you believe you can go up! As for the January replacements, it takes time for new signings to settle in, fit into Carrick's system and make an impact, so we can't expect too much from the new recruits straight away.

This season feels like a bit of a disappointment in so much as some of our defending has been comical at times. We are losing games in such a frustrating manner that I just can't see us going up through the play-offs. As for the economic model we are pursuing, it may well see us gain promotion in the long run, but how many players will Boro sell before that happens? The wealth of the Premier League has left a lot of clubs with a mountain to climb.

John: Happy with all signings apart from Giles. He has played little football since he left us, and has been very poor for Luton and Hull. Fans demanded his return... it makes no sense. Even less sense that Carrick picked him for the derby.

Paul: We shouldn't have let Matt Clarke go, he is a good defender. Jones going to Luton shows he is desperate to get games. Probably in League One next season.

Geoff: Unfortunately it's far too late. Boro still a very poor side with little or no proper finishers. We're unable to turn goal scoring positions into goals time after time. Couple that with a defence that looks like school kids playing in the school yard, all running around chasing the ball, falling over, bumping into each other - it's comical. A good defence coach is urgently required and Woodgate is not it.

Still a few more to move on, I'm afraid.

Lem: Good players. Wrong positions. Clear to most Boro fans that defenders (centre-halves) and a strong centre midfielder are required.

Also a defensive coach, to stop us trying to play like Barcelona from the back…..

Neil: Decent window. With Latte Lath leaving, bringing in Kelechi was a good move.

Not totally sold on Giles returning but we'll see. I love the Illing Jr loan... liked the look of him for a while and with Doak out for a few weeks it could be a masterstroke.

Declan: A poor transfer window, none of the signings are better than anyone we have already got. Our team is now much weaker than pre-transfer window as yesterday's match proved immediately.

James: Losing Latte Lath is a big blow and I'm not convinced by Iheanacho. But I'm hopeful Conway can step up. Otherwise I believe we have strengthened the attacking options we have. However, we have big problems with our defence and I'm not sure Giles is better than what we had and I don't rate the signing of Edmundson one bit. Losing Matt Clark and not replacing him is a mistake that may come back to bite us. As is not securing another central midfielder and right-back.

David: We have brought in more attacking players when the problem we have is in defence and a couple of flaky midfielders, a problem that is recognised by 20-odd thousand people who sit in the stands. Unfortunately it is a problem by the head coach and his side-kick. If the defence remains so benevolent to the opposition, if Boro do manage the play-offs there is every likelihood that mistakes will cost us. We need to be scouting defensive targets for next season's Championship.

Glenn: Players we have signed I'm impressed with. It's what we didn't sign is more worrying. Not tried to fix the defensive side to our game or the midfield.