IT was a chant, with 12 minutes remaining, that didn’t seem to hold too much significance. The cry from the South Stand, with Middlesbrough trailing, was ‘attack, attack, attack’.

It coincided with Patrick Bamford, last week’s £6m buy from Chelsea, standing alongside Aitor Karanka in the technical area, waiting to be introduced for his second debut for the club.

The words from the supporters didn’t go down very well with the head coach. Karanka accused the fans of having ‘short memories’ and was angered by what he felt was a wish from the stands to see his side play the ‘long ball’.

He has taken a similar stance before, during a tricky period in Middlesbrough’s promotion-winning season when there were cries for Jordan Rhodes and David Nugent to start up front together – and a defeat to Blackburn arrived when he fielded the pair.

His latest comments have certainly been registered by many fans and his relationship with them has taken a knock. Now he must improve Middlesbrough’s form to repair some of the damage.

What was bizarre about the timing of this was that Karanka’s outburst arrived after a decent display, even though it ultimately ended in a defeat that has done nothing to help their chances of staying up.

The Middlesbrough boss has turned the club’s fortunes around by tactically shaping his team up to keep clean sheets in the hope the rest will follow. Being solid has brought its rewards, but there was a lapse in that defensive resilience against West Ham United.

Even though they conceded three goals to the Hammers, there is still no team outside the Premier League’s top seven to have conceded fewer goals this term. The problem, though, is that they don’t score enough goals and when they do concede they struggle to find a way back.

Middlesbrough have the poorest record for scoring in the top-flight. Cristhian Stuani’s 27th-minute equaliser, either side of Andy Carroll’s two goals, was only the 18th of the season so far from Karanka’s side.

Such a record is what played a part in the cries for Middlesbrough to go for it in the closing stages of Saturday’s defeat, something which touched a nerve with Karanka, who finished the game by fielding three strikers as well as winger Adama Traore.

The late changes didn’t have the desired effect and instead West Ham added the killer third in stoppage-time when Jonathan Calleri’s shot on goal deflected off Adam Clayton and found the net.

Boro had been beaten and Karanka’s frustrations boiled over into the media room afterwards. Regardless of what was said, the overriding fact is that his team lost and remain just four points clear of the relegation zone.

Despite incurring a tenth defeat of the season Middlesbrough created plenty of chances and could easily have claimed at least a point from the game, despite recording just two shots on target.

Midfielder Adam Forshaw said: “We have the attacking players here, definitely. We pride ourselves on being an organised side.

“That is why we are gutted to concede three goals. We were a threat first half definitely and we were more free-flowing than we have been.

“The manager told us beforehand to make sure we were positive.

“We wanted to try to get in the box here. It is just disappointing.

“We conceded three goals and we don’t do that very often.”

The presence of England striker Carroll caused Middlesbrough problems right up until he had to go off with a slight groin niggle. His first goal was a result of his power and determination to head in Aaron Cresswell’s corner in the ninth minute when he worked free of his marker, Bernardo Espinosa.

After Stuani had levelled – by getting on the end of Calum Chambers’ fine delivery to the back post after linking up with Adama Traore – Middlesbrough must have felt confident of going on to win it. Traore, in particular, caused problems and regularly created chances.

But the Hammer blow arrived two minutes before the break when Michail Antonio’s hopeful, albeit quite powerful, low strike was only parried into the path of Carroll who converted the rebound from Victor Valdes’ right hand.

And then, after a second half when Middlesbrough still threatened occasionally and would have equalised had Marten de Roon’s header not been superbly saved by Darren Randolph, West Ham sealed the win late on.

Despite Middlesbrough’s best intentions to finish the game strongly, a West Ham counter-attack ended with them outnumbering the home side and Calleri ended up adding the third to leave Karanka seething.

Forshaw is convinced Middlesbrough have enough to stay out of the bottom three. He said: “We have 17 more games left. We can’t just sulk and put our heads down. It will be a fight, we want points as soon as possible.”