Former Middlesbrough midfielder unimpressed with timing of the sacking.
Sacked… Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka
Former Middlesbrough midfielder Paul Merson has hit out at the club’s decision to axe Aitor Karanka at this late stage of the season.
Speaking to SkySports, Merson criticised the timing of the decision, with a tough home fixture against Manchester United coming up.
Middlesbrough have been in free fall over the past month, and sit in the relegation zone.
Merson said: “Something has got to change now with the manager having gone.
“I find it surprising that it was done so late – I do not like to hear of managers getting sacked, but it is not like they have just lost two on the trot and they cannot score goals.
“You are doing it before Man United at home, which I find extraordinary in my opinion, and the timing is terrible.”
Former Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka
The problem for Middlesbrough is that while they were losing games, teams around them are picking up wins, with early strugglers Swansea City, Crystal Palace and Hull City beginning to find form.
Karanka’s side have found it difficult to score goals all season, and while it remains questionable whether they have the right personnel to do so, a change of approach and attitude could help, with Karanka looking like he had run out of ideas and could not take the team forward.
Middlesbrough battled so hard to make it into the Premier League, now there, they clearly do not want to leave it with any regrets, that they did not try everything to stay up.
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