Garry Monk was sacked by Middlesbrough in December, with a 2-1 victory at Sheffield Wednesday not enough to save his job after months of eroding the club's defensive stability. 

Monk was a centre-half in his playing days and inherited a defence that had been very stingy in the past three seasons but contrived to make Boro too easy to play against.

They were in the top half of the table at the time of his sacking and the win against Wednesday showed that the players had not completely stopped playing for him - but patience was wearing thin within the club's fanbase.

Monk constantly talked of the project at Middlesbrough and how the club were on course to achieve their goals at the end of the season but obviously didn't get the chance to see the job through, being replaced by Tony Pulis, who is known for his focus on defensive organisation.

The former Leeds boss feels he would have come very close to taking Boro to the Premier League, had he been given the full season.

He told Sky Sports News: "We were so close. We were very much in contact with where we wanted to be. It was certainly one I didn't see coming, I didn't expect that.

"It will always be a shock to the system to be dismissed by a club. The timing of it makes it feel like there was unfinished business.

 "It's very much business-like in that sense at clubs - the here and now. The demand is instant. There was a good feeling in the squad. It's just a shame we weren't given the time to finish it off."
The Verdict
I like Monk, I think he's a good manager and I thought he was a good fit for Boro when he was appointed. His positive attitude has always been a feature of his style but that bordered on trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the Boro fans at times.
You can't defend like Boro were under Monk and get promoted but it is true that they weren't that far away when he got the sack.
Boro fans - what do you make of Monk's comments? Let us know in the comments below...