Monk takes his revenge as dismal Boro collapse

Almost two years after his 26-game spell as Middlesbrough manager came to an ignominious end, Monk finally lived up to his pledge to entertain the Teesside faithful. The only problem, of course, is that he did it as manager of Sheffield Wednesday.

A day that was billed as a look at what might have been turned into a horrible glimpse of what the future might hold for a Middlesbrough side now in the hands of rookie head coach Jonathan Woodgate. The Monk era is over, but the fall-out from the current Sheffield Wednesday manager’s lavish spending continues to exert a huge influence over Boro’s present trajectory. With the Premier League millions having been squandered, this feels like a club that has gone backwards since Monk was jettisoned with his side sitting in eighth position in December 2017.

A harsh assessment? Not on the evidence of the first half of Saturday’s game, a horror show of epic proportions that has undone so much of the patient good work carried out by Woodgate since he was appointed at the start of the summer. Three-and-a-half months into his managerial career, and the 39-year-old finds himself having to deal with his first full-blown crisis. Unless his side learns how to defend, it will not be his last.

Monk had plenty to say in the wake of his triumphant return to Teesside, not least when it came to dismissing the allegations of impropriety that were levelled at both him and his agent, James Featherstone, earlier this summer, but while the row over the way he conducted his transfer business during his spell in charge of Boro rumbles on, it was his blunt acknowledgement of his side’s first-half tactics at the weekend that will have really set the alarm bells ringing.

“I looked at Middlesbrough, and just felt there was a vulnerability on crosses,” said Monk, when asked to account for his decision to change his side’s tactics and play with two physical centre-forwards, Steven Fletcher and Atdhe Nuhui, up front. Suffice to say, his assessment proved correct.

There wasn’t just a vulnerability to the way Middlesbrough’s defenders tried to deal with balls crossed into the box – there was a complete inability to handle Sheffield Wednesday’s tactical approach.

Three of the Owls’ four goals came from crosses, all of which were delivered in the opening 34 minutes of the game. Adam Clayton headed a corner into his own net, Dael Fry allowed Dominic Iorfa to drift off him as the defender headed home Barry Bannan’s free-kick and was then unable to prevent Steven Fletcher nodding home Adam Reach’s cross.

Both full-backs were all over the place as Sheffield Wednesday’s wide players broke down the flank, most notably Marc Bola, who was fully 20 yards out of position as Kieren Westwood’s long clearance sparked the move that led to the visitors’ fourth goal.

Ryan Shotton was bullied by Nuhui, and while things improved marginally when Daniel Ayala came on for the second half, the stable door was already hanging off its hinges at that stage, with Wednesday having disappeared in the distance.

Having switched to play with three centre-halves at Cardiff, Woodgate’s decision to revert to a flat back four backfired, and there has to be a good chance he will look to bolster his backline by adding an extra defender when Preston visit the Riverside tomorrow.

Beyond that, though, it is hard to know where he can turn because he presides over a squad that has been bared back to the bone. Bola looks out of his depth following his summer move from Blackpool, but injuries to George Friend and Hayden Coulson mean he has to play. Aden Flint’s experience and aerial prowess might have made a difference at the weekend, but he was not replaced when he left to join Cardiff City in July.

Two months into the season, and Woodgate is already out of options, which has to be a huge concern. It is all very well wanting to adopt a progressive, adventurous style, but your attacking approach becomes irrelevant if you concede four goals before half-time.

That had never previously happened in one of Middlesbrough’s home matches at the Riverside, and while Tony Pulis’ Boro side conceded just three goals in the opening nine league games of last season, Woodgate’s line-up has shipped 13 in the same number of fixtures this term. Clearly, that cannot be allowed to continue.

“The goals we conceded were very disappointing from a coaching point of view,” said a candid Woodgate in the wake of the final whistle. “It was sloppy. I’m not going to sit up here and say it was good – it was terrible, it wasn’t good enough.

“I played a few games at centre-half, as you know, and you pride yourself on winning aerial battles, no matter who you are up against. I played against a lot of different players who were big units, but you find a way to beat them in the air, getting yourself in the right position. It’s about determination, who wants it more. We didn’t want it enough in that first half.

“I’m from this area and know what it’s like to play for this club, and everything I’ve done in my career is through hard work and determination. I’m from Middlesbrough, and that’s what people are like from Middlesbrough. We need more of that in our changing room.”

Paddy McNair displays that desire, and yet again the Northern Irishman was the brightest spark in the Middlesbrough ranks. He scored his side’s goal, rifling home after a corner was deflected into his path to briefly make it 2-1, and was repeatedly the player looking to drive his team-mates forward.

That did not have much of an effect in the first half, but it elicited an improved display after the interval, albeit at a stage when Wednesday’s players were happy to sit on their lead.

Boro carved out two excellent second-half chances that might at least have helped spare their blushes, but Britt Assombalonga spurned them both, scuffing a six-yard shot wide of the target before shooting into the side-netting after rounding Westwood.

“I’ve said to the players, ‘I’ve been beaten 4-1, 5-1, it happens’,” said Woodgate. “It’s how you react, it’s what you do the next day, what do you do tonight? What do you do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

“You’ve got to put it to the back of your mind, and I’ll be looking for a big reaction on Tuesday night. I want a massive reaction to show those fans what it’s like to wear this shirt and wear it with pride.”