There is life in the old Boro dog yet, and once we get George Friend rampaging down the left wing again and Calum Chambers back in defence, things could change round. Steve Agnew gave a great impression on MOTD2 on Sunday, coming over as a confident motivator who could see a light at the end of what has appeared since Xmas to be a long dark tunnel. I just wish we had a bit more pace in midfield, someone who could carry at speed as well as pass - Adama Traore is just part of the equation.

Moving on to Aitor Karanka, the week’s events have made me very much aware of the existence of that 21st century phenomenon of “fake news”. The search for “the truth” fascinates me, and being retired, I can spend more time than most flicking through papers in libraries, cafes etc. Particularly in the tabloids, there seems to be some sort of press release factor in which virtually identical articles are printed in the names of different reporters in different papers. And so it was that “Karanka sacked” appeared in them.

It can thus be quickly seen that half-or-more of the soccer-reading population “knew” what had happened. Then, when Mark Chapman on MoTD on Sunday said the same thing, another million or more “knew”.

But “The Times” was the only one to claim an exclusive interview with Steve Gibson, and in this, a whole new story emerged. “He sacrificed himself” said Steve. “He hasn’t really had a break since the minute he walked through the door. .. Aitor is tired, he has worked so hard for our football club over the last three-and-a half years and the tension surrounding the end of last season would have taken its toll on anyone”

So the picture emerges of Aitor the hard working perfectionist who went through shades of hell to get us into the Premier League, and having succeded, faltered when results in the top league started to deteriorate after Xmas. This was the first time in his managerial career when he needed to have a “Plan B," but perhaps he retreated a bit into himself rather than discussing it. Clearly, his inability to change created anger in some of the players, and that is understandable. But once the dressing room is affected and results don’t improve a change is necessary.

Steve Gibson clearly put this to Aitor and Steve’s gentle way of working was shown in the same “Times” article as follows: “ What we concluded – he and I – was that perhaps he wasn’t the guy at this point in time to deliver that change”. So it meant a parting of the ways.

It is hard to believe that The Championship isn’t the hardest league in the world to get out of, but Aitor did it , clearly at great personal cost… and those thousands of us who were at Man. City and Man. United in particular as we dumped those giants out of the FA and League Cups respectively before our eventual promotion owe him everything really.

So thanks, Aitor, you are a great guy, and perhaps, when you have more managerial experience, you will feel like returning one day. You clearly loved Teesside , which reminded you of your native N. Spain and The Basque country. Thanks also to Steve Gibson, another great guy.

So much for eulogies…. now let’s get on with the task in hand. Come on Boro!