Middlesbrough blasted for ‘lazy recruitment’ by club legend in ‘nonsensical’ January transfer window

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Middlesbrough’s 2-1 win over QPR keeps them within touching distance of the play-off picture ahead of the final nine games of the campaign.

The Teessiders are battling for the top six again under Michael Carrick, who is now in his third season at the Riverside after being appointed by the Championship side in October 2022.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
5	West BromWest Brom	37	13	17	7	47	33	14	56
6	CoventryCoventry	37	16	8	13	52	48	4	56
7	Bristol CityBristol City	37	13	15	9	47	40	7	54
8	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	37	15	8	14	57	48	9	53
9	BlackburnBlackburn	36	15	7	14	41	37	4	52
10	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	37	14	9	14	53	58	-5	51
11	NorwichNorwich	37	12	13	12	59	52	7	49

They endured a run of poor form which mounted pressure onto Michael Carrick and also saw Middlesbrough linked with Steve Cooper as a potential replacement. However, it is now thought Carrick can save himself with promotion bid.

Three wins in four games has somewhat stopped the rot, and ‘Boro have since followed that up with another vital win against QPR on Tuesday night to re-establish themselves in the race after the disappointing defeat to Swansea City over the weekend.

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Bernie Slaven criticises Middlesbrough for re-signing Ryan Giles

Middlesbrough have struggled with consistency on a game-to-game basis throughout the campaign so far, with season-long underperformance leading to poor results and performances that have hamstrung them in their pursuit of potentially solidifying their place inside the top six.

They bolstered their ranks in January. The likes of Morgan Whittaker, Samuel Iling-Junior, and Ryan Giles made their attack stronger, while Kelechi Iheanacho will provide something different as well. Alongside the likes of Finn Azaz and Ben Doak, it gives them a seriously strong forward line for the level.

However, in the eyes of many, that simply wasn’t enough. That’s because ‘Boro are conceding plenty of goals and have had issues in build-up phases due to the options at the Middlesbrough manager’s disposal in their back line.

Bernie Slaven played almost 400 times for Boro, and had plenty to say regarding one particular January signing that he cannot wrap his head around. He said (via The Red on Facebook): “I found the whole thing galling in January when we brought back Giles.

“I said, when I heard Giles get mentioned, ‘Giles has left us. Why do we want to bring him back?’ I’m not a fan of bringing players back.

“I said that he’s been with two bad clubs fighting relegation in Hull City and Luton Town; couldn’t get a game for them.

Slaven added: “Lazy recruitment, and it is lazy recruitment.

“And how you can bring a bad defender into a bad defence defies common sense. It’s nonsensical. Sheer stupidity.”

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The data suggests Middlesbrough play-off hope remains

Middlesbrough’s season has been promising so far, with plenty of goals scored and plenty of chances created. This is reflected in the data, with Boro the third-highest scorers in the division behind Norwich City and Leeds United.

While also being the team with the third best xG numbers behind Leeds and Coventry City, according to FotMob. That highlights that they should be able to win plenty of games if they are turned into a shoot-out.

When fit, Giles is key to their attacking play. However, some of the defensive frailties are obvious for all to see in his game, and that of his Boro teammates, which is where his side need to improve as quickly as possible.

Boro have one of the strongest squads outside of the top four and could easily secure a play-off berth this term. Although Opta suggest that there is just a 19.38% of Carrick and co. now making the top six at the business end of the season.