LAST October, a two-goal victory over Derby proved insufficient to keep Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate in a job. Almost 12 months on, it would be impossible to rule out a defeat to the Rams contributing to Gordon Strachan suffering the same fate.
Three Rams goals in a quarter- of-an-hour either side of the break cancelled out Kris Boyd's first-half header, and condemned the Teessiders to a second defeat in the space of four days and a fifth Championship reverse of an already calamitous campaign.
Last season, Southgate claimed 17 points from his first nine matches, yet chairman Steve Gibson still saw enough to conclude that promotion was unlikely. This time around, Strachan has claimed ten points from nine games, and Boro have slipped to 19th in the table. Promotion doesn't just look unlikely it already appears all but impossible.
Whether a change of manager would help arrest the slide is a moot point, with Strachan having assembled a squad in his own image that will be all but impossible to change without yet another round of investment.
But having admitted that promotion is essential in the final year of Premier League parachute payments, both Gibson and chief executive Keith Lamb must be seriously considering their options. It cannot have escaped their attention that fans' favourite Tony Mowbray is out of work.
So much faith has been invested in Strachan that his dismissal could do more harm than good, as was the case with last year's autumnal alteration.
On the evidence of last night's reverse and Saturday's defeat at Watford, however, it is hard to imagine how much more damage could be wrought.
On Saturday, of course, Boro had been 3-0 down by the 20th minute. Three days on, and they were a goal to the good by the same stage of the game, thanks to predatory instincts of Boyd, a player who was only restored to the starting line-up because of the unavailability of the ill Scott McDonald.
Time and time again, Strachan has spoken of the need to provide adequate service to the Scotland international, who can look like a disinterested when chances are not coming his way.
Boro cannot afford to carry a passenger, but on the evidence of last night's opener, there is something to be said for keeping Boyd supplied.
Barry Robson's cross from the right-hand side was nothing special, but it was directed into a reasonably dangerous area and Boyd did the rest. Sensing an opportunity on the edge of the six-yard box, the former Rangers striker arrowed a powerful header past Stephen Bywater. For all his failings, it is hard to imagine anyone else in the Middlesbrough side being anything like as effective in a similar position.
Derby's only threat prior to conceding had come when Shefki Kuqi, surely the epitome of the phrase Championship journeyman, directed an eight-yard header wide, but the hosts passed up a glorious opportunity to equalise two minutes after Boyd's strike.
After Saturday's firstminute foul-up at Watford, you would have imagined the entire Boro squad thinking twice about attempting a back-pass.
The message clearly hadn't got through to Julio Arca though, and after the Argentinian rolled the ball to Kuqi on the right-hand edge of the area, Jason Steele raced from his line to commit a thoroughly unnecessary foul.
The goalkeeper made instant amends, however, hurling himself to his left to keep out Kris Commons' weaklyhit spot-kick.
The save spared both Steele and Arca's blushes, and the former was helping the latter out again on the half-hour mark. Arca, who was replaced at half-time, dawdled in possession and was robbed by Alberto Bueno, but Steele's agility enabled him to keep out the Spaniard's low strike.
Derby spent almost all of the final 15 minutes of the first half camped in the final third of the field but, bizarrely, Boro could have been two goals to the good at the break had Boyd not headed Robson's corner over the crossbar.
Instead, when the interval finally arrived, they were level. Derby's aerial ability was apparent all night, and when Commons floated over a corner from the right, defender Shaun Barker stole behind the entire Boro defence to head home at the back post.
Given their dominance at that stage, it was hard to deny the merit of the hosts' equaliser.
Similarly, it was difficult to begrudge Derby taking the lead within the opening six minutes of the second half.
The evergreen Robbie Savage, who marshalled the midfield with a calm assurance all night, was the architect, rolling the ball into the path of Commons. The Rams midfielder advanced towards goal and, with the whole of the Boro defence backing off, cracked a fierce 25-yard strike past Steele's right hand.
Suddenly, the Teessiders were creaking alarmingly, and the game would have been as good as over had Kuqi not planted a header past the wrong side of the post shortly after.
That miss mattered little on the hour mark, however, as Commons' second goal of the night extended Derby's lead.
The former Nottingham Forest midfielder received possession after Boro failed to clear a corner, and from an acute angle close to the right byline, curled a delicate strike over Steele and into the corner of the net.
Boro should have clawed a goal back when Boyd's closerange header from another Robson cross was saved by Bywater, and the Scotsman went close again with 15 minutes left, blazing over from the edge of the area.
Source: Northern Echo
Source: Northern Echo