It’s fair to say that Middlesbrough have had a poor start to the season so far. Relegation from the Premier League last season was a big blow after spending just a single season in the top flight, but the Boro invested well over the summer and many predicted that they would be straight back up into the big league.

Of course, it hasn’t turned out that way. Manager Garry Monk has struggled to get consistency from his side, and they sit 13th in the Championship with just 4 wins under their belt.

Tuesday night also saw Middlesbrough succumb to defeat, this time against Premier League side Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup. Perhaps it was not a game many Boro fans expected to win, but the 3-1 defeat will disappoint nonetheless.

However, Monk’s opposite number on the night Eddie Howe has insisted that Boro are too good of a side to remain in the Championship, and has tipped them to get out of their sticky situation sooner rather than later.

“I think it’s early (to judge Boro),” Howe said after Bournemouth’s win against Boro.

“I think when we were in the Championship and the year we won (the title) we were quite low to start with a gradually built momentum and went on a great run so I wouldn’t draw too many conclusions from the start they’ve had.

“I think they’ve got very good players, you saw them rotate the squad tonight and a lot of the players – okay some of them were young guys – but a lot of those guys were in the Premier League last season and were very competitive.

“So when you add that to those who weren’t playing you’ve got a very strong squad with a great manager who I think will do very well.”
[Quotes via GazetteLive]