Middlesbrough sit sixth in the Championship table and manager Neil Warnock is looking to extend his record-breaking achievement of eight promotions, this time with the Teessiders.
Middlesbrough were languishing in lower midtable, but three 2-0 victories in a row has propelled them up the standings and into the play-off spots.
A win on Saturday against Birmingham City could even take them as high as fourth, if other results go their way.
With promotion their ultimate goal, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman spoke out about how Boro have impressed him so far.
“This Neil Warnock team probably play more football than most of the Neil Warnock teams I’ve seen in the past,” he said in an interview with Free Super Tips.
“He’s brought technical players in and decided to go a different way, he’s still got that out-ball and lads willing to work and run. There’s a lot of technically quality players who aren’t just going to play long-balls and hit the channel.”
Goodman went on to say that it would be ‘foolish’ to rule out Middlesbrough for promotion this season.
“I really like what I see from Middlesbrough and even before the wins started to come in, statistically they were playing better than the results suggested. I’m a believer that if your performance levels are high, then you are going to win more games than you lose.
“That seems to have turned for Middlesbrough now, they’re playing well and picking up positive results. Anybody that rules out Neil Warnock getting a promotion for me is a fool.”
Even with a depleted squad at present, the Teessiders have put together three consecutive strong performances.
The past three games have seen them deploy 36-year-old Sol Bamba alongside four midfielders in a back five against Peterborough, and then Bamba play alongside two midfielders and 34-year-old Lee Peltier in a back four against Barnsley and Cardiff City.
But the Boro boss has found a good balance. Peltier and Bamba weren’t initially brought in to play week-in week-out, but they have, and they have been vitally important in the club’s three victories on the spin.
Due to the lack of numbers and lengthy injury list, it is likely Bamba, Peltier, Jonny Howson and Paddy McNair will continue at the back against Lee Bowyer’s Birmingham tomorrow.
Thoughts
Warnock loves a promotion and he wouldn’t have signed a one-year contract extension if he didn’t believe this Middlesbrough team couldn’t have achieved such a feat.
They signed a lot of players this summer and it looks as though the bedding in process has settled and so they do look more of a cohesive unit.
The three recent wins have come against sides in the bottom five though and there will be tougher tests to come.