Neil Warnock has so far guided his Middlesbrough side to a strong start to the season. But a 1-0 defeat at home to Norwich City yesterday suggested something’s missing.
Goals. Middlesbrough have score just nine of them this season. It’s a trademark quality of a Warnock side vying for Championship promotion and yet, he always seems to get the job done.
But this time round with Middlesbrough, as his side sit in 8th-place of the table – a four point gap opening up from 6th-place Reading – their lack of goals seems more concerning than in previous seasons.
Although they’ve the defensive record to match, holding an unbeaten run of 10 before yesterday as well, fans were left fairly angered by yesterday’s performance.
More so their inability to create chances, and their perceived lack of goal threats running through the side.
Warnock made the striking department his no.1 priority over summer and one target he missed out on was Barnsley’s Cauley Woodrow.
The 25-year-old has netted four goals in eight Championship appearances this season, having bagged 30 combined goals in his previous two campaigns at Oakwell.
He’s a quietly revered striker in the second-tier and Cardiff were also touted with a summer move for him.
Having scored in Barnsley’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest yesterday, Woodrow is continuing to shine for Barnsley and he so often proves to be their cutting edge in games.
That cutting edge is something Boro are missing.
Warnock is paying the price for not signing a striker like Woodrow in the summer. Everything else is in place at the club and they’re still well in the mix for promotion.
But until January, there’s little that Warnock can do about his side’s lack of firepower and by then, their season’s promotion hopes might well have passed.
