Super sub Jordan Rhodes saves Middlesbrough's blushes

SURELY, Aitor Karanka will have to start him now?

Jordan Rhodes might have been consigned to the substitutes’ bench for a second game in succession, but it was the Scotsman who spared his side’s blushes as his stoppage-time header took Boro to the top of the Championship table despite another disappointing display.

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​Rhodes’ looping effort was insufficient to mask the wider failings in a performance that means Aitor Karanka’s side have now picked up just two points from the last available 12, but it at least ensured a third defeat in the space of four games was avoided.

Middlesbrough's Jordan Rhodes (right) celebrates his goal with teammate Ritchie De Laet. Picture: Tim Goode/PA Wire

Trailing to Dean Bowditch’s ninth-minute effort, which owed much to some dreadfully poor defending, Boro spent the majority of their Pancake Day outing looking flat. Karanka tossed on Rhodes, though, and the Teessiders’ £9m man ended up serving up a treat.

He only really had one opportunity, but he converted it in style, looping a header from Ritchie De Laet’s 93rd-minute cross into the net. In one split second, the kind of clinical edge that was lacking in so much of Boro’s attacking play was apparent in the man who will surely be absolutely crucial to his new side’s chances of winning promotion.

So what are we to make of Karanka’s continued refusal to start him? Boro’s deadline-day signing was given just 13 minutes in which to make an impression at the weekend, and remained on the bench until the 68th minute of last night’s game even though his side were trailing from an extremely early stage.

On the one hand, Karanka’s continued faith in David Nugent is commendable given the striker’s efforts in the first half of the season. But it is hard to imagine too many of Boro’s promotion rivals spending £9m on a proven goalscorer, only to leave him on the substitutes’ bench twice in the space of four days.

Karanka’s description of Rhodes’ arrival being a “surprise” from Steve Gibson has fuelled suggestions that the Scotsman was not his new head coach’s first choice at the end a month that saw Boro make a series of approaches for Fulham’s Ross McCormack.

Boro's Tomas Kalas (left) and Milton Keynes Dons' Josh Murphy battle for the ball. Picture: Tim Goode/PA Wire

If that is the case, any simmering tensions will only increase while Rhodes remains on the periphery of Karanka’s first-team plans, but last night’s equaliser surely means the Scotsman has to start at Leeds on Monday.

There was one debutant in last night’s starting line-up in the form of Gaston Ramirez, with the Uruguayan replacing Kike Sola, who had looked so out of his depth against Blackburn.

Ramirez cost £12m when he joined Southampton from Italian side Bologna in the summer of 2012, and will surely regard his loan spell on Teesside as a welcome chance to resurrect his career. On the evidence of his maiden Championship appearance, he will have to improve markedly if he is to match Rhodes’ anticipated impact.

MK Dons' Dean Bowditch celebrates his goal. Picture: Tim Goode/PA Wire

Boro’s only enforced change from the weekend came at the heart of the back four, with Tomas Kalas replacing the injured Daniel Ayala to partner fellow youngster Ben Gibson.

Last season, Karanka cited a lack of defensive experience in some key away games as an explanation for Boro’s failure to claim a top-two spot, and last night’s back four looked unusually callow when posited against the side that has started for the majority of the campaign.

Nine minutes in, and their weaknesses were exposed. Gibson was initially at fault, standing on ceremony as Kyle McFadzean pumped a routine long ball forward to allow Dean Bowditch to turn in front of him.

It was dreadful defending, but it looked like going unpunished as Bowditch swept a weak shot towards Dimi Konstantopoulos. The goalkeeper should have saved it, but despite getting a firm hand to the ball, somehow allowed it to squirm underneath him and into the net. For a side who have defended superbly for the majority of the season, it was a surprisingly poor goal to concede.

It was almost cancelled out immediately, but while Cristhian Stuani broke into the area to latch on to Nugent’s through ball, he rolled his shot too close to MK Dons goalkeeper David Martin, who saved with his legs.

That proved a rare moment of attacking cohesion for Boro, who displayed many of the failings that had plagued them for the majority of Saturday’s home draw with Blackburn.

There was a lack of intensity to the Teessiders’ attacking, with too many passes going astray and too little urgency to break beyond an opponent. Stewart Downing was barely involved at all on the left-hand side, while Ramirez’s failure to link with Nugent meant the lone striker was isolated for long spells.

Milton Keynes Dons' Jake Forster-Caskey (right) and Middlesbrough's Grant Leadbitter in action. Picture: Tim Goode/PA Wire

For some reason, Boro’s attacking players are afraid to take a risk at the moment. The easiest option was selected on far too many occasions, and as a result, there was a half-hour gap between Stuani’s effort and the visitors’ only other first-half chance, which saw Downing cut in from the right-hand side before drilling narrowly over the crossbar.

MK Dons barely threatened after taking the lead either, although Adam Forshaw had to produce a superb covering tackle to prevent Jay Emmanuel-Thomas from scoring when the hosts swept forward midway through the second half.

Given their position one place above the relegation zone, Karl Robinson’s side could be forgiven for wanting to hold on to what they had, and they spent the majority of the second half mounting in an increasingly frantic rearguard action.

They should have conceded an equaliser in the 51st minute, but while Nugent displayed commendable commitment to win a challenge against George Baldock in the box, he failed to take advantage when he rolled the loose ball past the post from 12 yards.

Boro's Jordan Rhodes celebrates after the final whistle. Picture: Tim Goode/PA Wire

A minute later, and Boro went close again, with Stuani forcing Martin into a smart stop, and De Laet seeing his follow-up effort blocked on the line.

Konstantopoulous kept Boro within touching distance when he tipped substitute Nicky Maynard’s late effort over the crossbar, and that enabled Rhodes to stage his dramatic salvage act as he converted De Laet’s centre from the left-hand side.