Middlesbrough’s end of year accounts (December 2009) have spelled out that the club MUST gain promotion this season.
Parachute payments of £28m have helped bankroll Gordon Strachan’s promotion bid with a further two further payments of £8m available over the next two seasons.
By that time ‘Boro expect to be back enjoying the direct riches of the Premier League although they currently sit in 19th place and could be in the bottom three if they lose at home to Portsmouth on Saturday.
Selling Adam Johnston to Manchester City did bring in £8m but Strachan has been well backed in his bid for promotion with significant money invested in Scott McDonald, Stephen McManus, Kevin Thomson and Kris Boyd.
Spelling out the necessity of promotion the club’s report to Companies House says: “The company is determined that the team can achieve promotion no later than at the end of the second season in the Football League, as a result of the restructuring carried out and with the help of the reduced financial benefit still being received from the Premier League.”
The long and short of it seems to be that it’s promotion or (almost) bust for Middlesbrough this season. If promotion isn’t won another drastic cost cutting exercise is required which will see the bigger earners move on as the club comes to terms with being just another former Premiership club.
On the park Strachan has his work cut out to convince the supporters that he is capable of returning ‘Boro into the Premier League. There were few tears shed around The Riverside Stadium when Gareth Southgate was sacked but the appointment of Strachan was met with a lukewarm response.
As he approaches the first anniversary of his appointment Strachan has won just 13 out of 44 matches since taking charge although 19 of those matches have been drawn.
Back to back away defeats to Watford and Derby County have turned up the pressure for Saturday’s game with Portsmouth with former Celtic skipper McManus at a loss to explain his side’s form.
He said: “We’re scratching our heads as well but we’re working as hard as we possibly can to put it right. “It’s hard to talk about it now, to be honest. We’re a bunch of players who work incredibly hard every day to try to do the best we possibly can for the club, the fans, our team-mates, the manager and everyone associated with the club and we need to keep doing that.
“We can’t put our finger on what we’re doing wrong but we’re doing something wrong, because the results aren’t what we need. “As a footballer there’s pressure every day because you demand so much from yourself to be the best you possibly can be.
“The hardest part is losing games, it’s the worst feeling in football. We’re trying so hard to put things right and that’s all we can do at times like this.”
Follow Video Celts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
Discover the Nokia N8 – an amazing smartphone that lets you take stunning photos, capture true HD movies and play them all back on your HDTV