Daniel Wales and Charles Hague-Jones discuss whether Middlesbrough will make the play-offs.
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00:00Dan, looking at Middlesbrough and their sort of situation,
00:06obviously they've had an indifferent season.
00:10They've slowly dropped out away from the playoffs,
00:13but the battle there is so tight, obviously, we've mentioned.
00:17I mean, in terms of where they've been this season,
00:19they've had some terrible runs.
00:21If you look at the likes of the end of January,
00:24they go sort of five league losses.
00:27I mean, inconsistency has clearly been a bit of a shape of their season.
00:32Do you feel that could be the main thing that might prevent them
00:35actually reaching the playoffs this season?
00:37And how do they go about improving that in the future?
00:40Certainly, there have been far too many defensive errors,
00:43defensive lapses this season that have cost them dearly
00:45on a number of occasions.
00:49Unforgivable in some circumstances is what they've been.
00:53And yet, Middlesbrough are also a side who, when they're on it,
00:56can score freely and have a lot of good attacking players
00:59and can put teams to the sword quite easily under Michael Carrick.
01:03And yet, they have these moments where they just seem to fall apart
01:07and you just don't know where it's coming from.
01:09Because obviously, you can't say, well, that's been coached.
01:11Because of course, it hasn't.
01:13It's just individual or a couple of people's errors.
01:16But that will, if anything, will cost them if they aren't to miss out
01:22on the playoffs or even if they're to get in the playoffs
01:23and then not go up as well.
01:26I mean, the way it's looking, I think they'll probably just miss out.
01:30Certainly, the likes of Bristol City and Coventry City,
01:32even Millwall, who they've just been beaten by,
01:35perhaps stand a better chance than they do.
01:38But I mean, not all hope is lost.
01:40They still have games where they can rectify the situation
01:42and perhaps just sneak in right at the end.
01:44But certainly, the way it's going and the way they're playing at the moment,
01:49they're just too inconsistent.
01:51And they can't seem to string enough results together
01:53that they could really challenge those above them.
01:56So it's going to be a real shame.
01:58And then you have to worry about what will happen next season.
02:00Because will Michael Carrick stay?
02:02This is his second or third full season at the club.
02:05So you think, well, what is next?
02:09Because he's tried a lot of things
02:11and he's had different players come in and out of the club.
02:14And it's perhaps coming to a stage now
02:15where we don't know where they could go from here.
02:18Players might get frustrated.
02:21And I don't want to sort of put too much fear into those on Teesside.
02:24But these are real concerns.
02:26So I just wonder what the future is in the Middlesbrough
02:28if they aren't getting the playoffs this season,
02:30what the championship will provide to them
02:31and what their ambitions actually are as a club.
02:34Because certainly they've spent a lot of money on some Geese players,
02:37but some of them also haven't worked out.
02:39And you have to think, well,
02:40how much more money can Steve Gibson put into the club
02:43without it being unsustainable for him as a businessman?
02:46So I think it's perhaps at the moment this season
02:49a bust for Michael Carrick.
02:51But obviously that's just speculation.
02:54But it's an important end of the season to come,
02:57even if they don't get in, just to finish it on a high.
03:00Over 10, over 15 losses in a season
03:03where you are hoping for success.
03:04It's just too many losses, you feel.
03:06And that could really be the downfall
03:08when it comes to just being in and around the playoffs
03:11and instead of drawing only nine draws,
03:15not enough has been either winning or drawing.
03:18They've just been losing these games
03:19that have been so important to them.
03:22Yeah, they have.
03:24Their inconsistencies being the downfall.
03:25And it was last season as well.
03:27They started the season really poorly last season.
03:30And then they started to hit the stride
03:31towards the two-thirds mark of the campaign.
03:34But by that point, it was too little, too late.
03:36And they just weren't able to get into it.
03:38And this season, perhaps they didn't start as badly.
03:41But they've been up and down, too many peaks and troughs.
03:43So, I think when it evens itself out,
03:46they'll probably just miss out.
03:47And as I say, really, really frustrating for those on T side.
03:52Because as I say, they do have some good players.
03:54And at times this season, they've looked really, really good.
03:57And they've put a lot of teams to the saw.
03:59They've had some really heavy wins.
04:01But too many times, they've just made silly, silly errors
04:05that have cost them in games.
04:06And it looks like it's going to come back to bite them at the moment.
04:10And as I mentioned before,
04:12it's now what happens with the club going forward.
04:14And how do they rebuild for next season
04:16if they aren't to get in the playoffs and go up?
04:19So, there's a lot of questions on T side at the moment going forward.
04:23And only they can be answered by Michael Carrick, his players.
04:27And, of course, there was above them at the club
04:29the likes of Leona and Chairman Steve Gibson.
04:31So, perhaps concerning times for Borough.
04:35But certainly their fans will stick by them.
04:38And they'll support them into whatever comes next.