Middlesbrough's defeat against Leeds United was a poor result, but it turns out that the repercussions could be bigger than we thought.

Reports from The Sun have claimed that the result has put Jonathan Woodgate's role in a precarious position with the Boro boss in line to be sacked from his role.

It's claimed that Neil Warnock could be the man to replace Woodgate, however that is just speculation at this stage.

While some supporters would be supportive of a decision to sack the Middlesbrough boss, it's worth remembering that a change of manager can have a detrimental effect on the club - especially at such a key point in the season.

But what must Steve Gibson consider when assessing Jonathan Woodgate's future? Here are some factors to be wary of.

The players back Jonathan Woodgate

While results on the pitch have been nothing short of dreadful, the feeling coming out of the club is that the players are still very much behind Jonathan Woodgate.

That's not to say that a change of boss could have a positive effect on results, but if the squad respond badly to his sacking then it could cause much bigger problems for the Teessiders moving forward.

It's the team who are responsible for going and getting results, and if sacking the boss will have a negative impact then it's important not to make a rash decision.

Another change of direction

It was always going to be a season of transition for Middlesbrough, so doing a dramatic U-turn at this stage of the season would be a real shame.

Jonathan Woodgate has an incredibly tough task of getting the team playing entertaining football while also developing a number of young players who are coming through the ranks, and that takes time.

If the board do decide to make a change, it will mean that a lot of the work done so far this term will have been a waste - something which would be a real shame.

Have a go of our International Middlesbrough quiz! Can you get 20 out of 20?

Who would replace him?

Of course there's plenty of managerial candidates out there, but it would be a big decision to make for Middlesbrough.

Do they go with a boss renowned for an attractive, attacking style, or do they revert to a style of play which wasn't well received by fans, but was a lot more effective with the current group of players?

Unless a manager is already in the pipeline, appointing a new boss can be a time-consuming process and with matches coming thick and fast the important thing would be ensuring that the right man is appointed at the right time.