RECORD signing Ugo Ehiogu believes Middlesbrough are in desperate need of three points at Everton this afternoon.

Ehiogu, who has played in both of Boro's opening two defeats against Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers, insists they need to start winning before they settle into a rut.

After battling against relegation for much of last season under former manager Bryan Robson, the Riverside faithful will be disappointed to view the Premiership table and see their side propping up the rest.

Steve McClaren's new regime is still in its early days, but Ehiogu is keen to see them climb up the table sooner rather than later.

And he sees today against the Toffeemen as the ideal place to start. He said: "We are wary that we need to start picking up points.

"It is easy to get stuck in a rut when you are losing and we want to avoid that.

"The important thing is everyone stays together.

"Everyone knows the position we are in and we don't want to be where we are in a position where you are worrying for the whole season.

"We know we are better than that. That's OK as long as you believe it, but you need results and I would settle for playing badly and getting the three points against Everton."

The 28-year-old, who cost £8m from Aston Villa, revealed he was furious his new side were beaten by Bolton.

Ehiogu believes Boro deserved to take something from the game, despite the Trotters having a large share of possession.

And the England international said: "The Bolton defeat was more disappointing than Arsenal. We controlled the game, but in the last third we didn't have the cutting edge or the variable play to do something decisive.

"We missed Alen Boksic because he can create something on his day but as a team from midfield to the forwards, we need to be more unpredictable in our build-up play.

"It's a training ground thing you can work on and that's what we have to do.

"We were expecting something from Bolton - with all due respect if we don't think that then we shouldn't be playing football."

The Goodison Park clash could be Ehiogu's last for nearly a month as he faces a three-match suspension for his dismissal against the Gunners. But the centre-back feels the red card handed to him by referee Graham Barber - which will rule him out of games against Newcastle, West Ham and Leicester - was harsh.

Read more about the Boro here.