The Northern Echo: Championship crowds tableAITOR KARANKA has called for Teesside to unite in a bid to push Middlesbrough over the line in the Championship promotion race after being surprised by the ‘negative atmosphere’ hanging around the Riverside Stadium.

Boro’s charge towards the Premier League suffered a set-back last Monday when a near full house crowd at Vicarage Road helped Watford to secure three points to leapfrog their opponents in the standings.

Now Middlesbrough, who remain only two points off leaders Bournemouth with five matches remaining, have back-to-back home dates with Rotherham and Wolves before completing a hectic week with title rivals Norwich City next Friday.

There is likely to be a further packed stadium to contend with at Carrow Road, while ticket sales for Middlesbrough’s third last home game of the campaign are hovering around the 17,000-mark.

Karanka would love for the whole of the town to get behind the club for the rest of the run-in, believing Middlesbrough are on course to achieve targets even if his team were to miss out on an automatic promotion spot in May.

He said: “It is curious to me because the club has been in the Championship for six seasons and the best season was when they finished seventh position with 70 points. Now we are in fourth with 75 points with five games to go. So for this reason it was a surprise to me when we played, I don’t remember, but there were 17,000 people.

“I can’t say anything about the crowd, especially away, because when we played Blackburn we sold out, when we went to Rotherham, sold-out.

“But I think the team, the players need all the support and if they want to be in the Premier League like us, we have to go together.”

He added: “I would like to have the same passionate people who come when we play away, at home.

“When we went to Bournemouth, the stadium was full, it’s true that it’s not big, but it was full. When we went to Derby, the stadium was full. When we went to Watford, the stadium was full.

“For this reason I can’t understand it. Everyone is excited about the club, how they are to get promotion, to go to the game and there are just 17,000 people.”

Karanka made his comments shortly after he was asked to describe the atmosphere within the Middlesbrough camp following Monday’s defeat at Watford, when he praised his players for occupying fourth position at this stage of the campaign.

The Spaniard, a former Real Madrid player and assistant, was not looking to criticise the fans as such, but was clear in his assertion that a lack of positivity could affect his team’s displays going in to the final five matches.

“I prefer to think about how well these players are doing and I think the fans have to support them. I want to be positive,” said Karanka. “The players are all playing and working really well. I can’t say anything bad about the fans, especially away because they are amazing.

“When I am walking through the streets, people are supporting me. I can’t say anything bad. I can feel they want it. But there is this atmosphere where people are expecting something bad, if you expect something bad then eventually it will arrive.

“It is impossible to get something good if you expect something bad. I am working to get promotion and we can get promotion. Everyone knows and everyone feels we can do it.

“Time is running out and if we miss another opportunity, like we did last Monday, then we are not going to have too many more opportunities. It will be difficult.”

Karanka has felt on a number of occasions that Middlesbrough have proved the doubters wrong and, with question marks raised over his side’s ability to finish in the top two after losing at Watford and Bournemouth, he would love to see them do that again.

“The fans have to be very happy because at the beginning of the season everybody had hoped for this position,” he said. “Now we are playing for the top of the table, I think it is has to be good for them.

“I would like to change sometimes the thoughts about the team because since I arrived here, most of the times, the feelings about the team are always negative. When we were in November-December, in a play-off position, everyone was expecting Middlesbrough to go down in January-February.

“When we played against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day, everyone was saying Middlesbrough would not win the game. We won the game.

“Then when I won the manager of the month, everyone was saying that Middlesbrough would lose the following game. The atmosphere is negative and I think everyone should be proud of the players. I think they have to be optimistic. At the end of the season we will see.”

Spanish defender Daniel Ayala and Tottenham full-back Ryan Fredericks are both available again for the visit of Rotherham. Karanka, who does have Grant Leadbitter ruled out through suspension, thinks he has seen enough from his players this week to suggest he will get a positive response tomorrow.

Karanka said: “I have had to pick them up. They were down. But after three days here they know we have another chance and realise the importance of Saturday. If we win on Saturday then we will be in a really good position again.”