Middlesbrough disappointment sparks Carrick tone change & frank Riverside admission

Portsmouth, Preston, Bristol City, Coventry, Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday, and Cardiff. The following teams are below Middlesbrough in the Championship table and have taken points from Boro at the Riverside this season.

Boro have won only six of their 14 home games, including Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Cardiff City.

After the game, a dejected Michael Carrick was told that Boro’s home form needed to improve if they were to have a chance of gaining promotion this season.

Eight teams in the league have a better home record than Boro, although they have all played less games at their own venue. Boro have the most home goals of any team, with 20, five of which came against Luton, three against Sheffield Wednesday, and three against Hull. Boro have not scored more than one goal in nine of their 14 Riverside outings.

Cardiff was a game Riverside fans had seen before. Lowly opponents with little forward ambition sat deep, making life difficult for Boro, who dominated the ball but unable to convert possession into clear-cut opportunities. Boro had more than 75% control but only one more shot on goal than Cardiff, who had something to hold to and defend when Calum Chambers cancelled out Emmanuel Latte Lath’s opening, his 10th this season. For ex-Boro loanee Chambers, it was his first goal in over three years.

Boro played much like they did in the first half at Hull: slow and predictable. With the exception of Ben Doak, they rarely appeared to be threatening Cardiff. Even though he wasn’t at his unstoppable best, this was a reminder, following Crystal Palace and Ipswich’s unsuccessful bids for Doak on Friday, of how devastating it would be to lose the Liverpool winger this month.

Carrick was enraged by the display and the dropped points, saying, “I’m not frustrated; we can be better than we were tonight.

“Being frustrated throughout the game and allowing it to peter out is a part of the problem.

“I was a little unhappy in the second half because we didn’t work the keeper or create enough chances. The lads are attempting to do a lot of wonderful things, but they are frustrated. We can do better than we did today.”

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