Aitor Karanka launches astonishing blast at Boro fans

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Middlesbrough manager claimed atmosphere affected players in West Ham loss

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has taken a bizarre swipe at the club’s own fans following their 3-1 defeat at home to West Ham United.

The Hammers had opened the scoring through Andy Carroll, before Cristhian Stuani levelled matters as Boro began to get on top.

However, Carroll pounced on a rebound from a Michail Antonio shot just before the break to put West Ham back ahead. Jonathan Calleri wrapped up the win for The Hammers, who climbed into the top-half of the able.

Boro have now just won one game in their last eight, and sit just four points above the drop-zone.

But after the match, Karanka decided to turn on the Boro support – who have long been stringent backers of the Spaniard.

“I was really upset with the last 10 minutes. We didn’t play in the way we have to play, in the way we know how to play and it was because the atmosphere was awful today,” Karanka said in his post-game press conference.

“The fans demanded a lot of the players, we don’t know how to play in that way, playing in that way we didn’t create one chance and the team was broken on the pitch.

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka

“That’s something I don’t like at all. We have to improve. (The fans) and we need to understand where we were last season or two seasons ago, and I think these players deserve more respect.”

Asked if the supporters were asking too much of his players, he told The Evening Gazette: “Yes. When you don’t have the experience, and I don’t know how many thousand people are asking for long balls, at the end you have to play long balls. It’s a style we don’t know how to play.

“We didn’t play one game or one minute in the Championship (like that) when we got promoted and it’s something we have to fix. While I’m here, we won’t be playing long balls.

“I said last season that (fans) have a small memory and if I was a player and my crowd left the stadium five or 10 minutes before the finish, when three years ago the team and club was going to League One… I felt it wasn’t good.

“They knew this season would be a tough season for everybody but they can’t forget where the club was last season, two, three, four, five or six seasons ago.”