MUST LISTEN: Middlesbrough legend Bernie Slaven on Aitor Karanka, his replacement and survival
Middlesbrough legend Bernie Slaven has told talkSPORT how he was ‘bored’ watching the Premier League strugglers week after week and that it was time for change with the club ‘plummeting like a stone’.
Aitor Karanka left the club on Thursday after three-and-a-half years, with the Teessiders second-bottom in the table and only 11 games left to retain their top-flight status.
Steve Agnew has been placed in temporary charge while a permanent replacement is found and Slaven feels the decision was correct by the club and chairman Steve Gibson.
The Boro hero, who played over 380 games for the north-east outfit from 1985-93, told the Jim White show: “I wasn’t surprised, put it that way.
“Einstein had the quote and it sums Middlesbrough up perfectly: ‘Insanity: Doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.’
“This is what was going on, no matter who we were playing, it was like watching the same game every week. Slow, laboured and square, back-passes galore, ultra negative and it was no surprise we’re bottom of the Premier League when it comes to goals.
“At times it was laborious, I am being brutally honest here, I was bored. That is a sad thing to say about football, the game I love.
“The stats back it up, we all have an opinion in the game whether you have played or not - I appreciate everybody’s opinion - but the bare facts are we’re second-from-bottom in the Premier League, in the last 10 games we have not won, people rave about the defence but we have conceded 11 and scored three.
Pictured: Martin O'Neill has been tipped for the job by Bernie Slaven
“At the minute we’re plummeting like a stone and I didn’t like his style of management - I’d have been lucky to play 10 games under Karanka, I argued with every manager.”
Agnew will oversee this weekend’s clash with Manchester United and the Boro hierarchy will have two weeks before their next game due to the international break, giving them time to find a replacement.
Slaven feels Agnew, who has been caretaker boss in previous years, will not get the role until the end of the season and he is backing Martin O’Neill for the job.
The former Republic of Ireland international continued: “There are names [being mentioned] galore, but I would personally go for Martin O’Neill, that would be my gut instinct.
“He cut his teeth in management with Wycombe, he’s been at Norwich, Leicester - won two League Cups and beat Middlesbrough in one of them - with Celtic he reached the UEFA Cup final, he beat Porto when [Jose] Mourinho was in charge, Aston Villa - he got them into Europe, at Sunderland he had a nightmare but everyone does there - ask David Moyes at the minute - and he’s obviously manager of the Republic.
“He’s been successful, he’s experienced, charismatic, charming, engaging, ruthless, educated and knows how to cope with the press as well and the pressure.”
Listen to Bernie Slaven on Aitor Karanka’s departure, the Spaniard’s fallout with Stewart Downing, the state of the club and more, above…