Middlesbrough have confirmed this morning that manager Tony Pulis has been sacked after a disappointing season in the Sky Bet Championship.

Boro were early favourites for promotion this season and started the campaign well with them proving one of the toughest defences to beat in the EFL.

However, at the other end goals were proving hard to come by and as the season wore on, the creativity continued to dry up.

Indeed, many fans were beginning to lose patience with Pulis' style despite the riches he had at his disposal and it seems as though the partnership has come to a natural conclusion.

Going into the final weeks of the campaign, Boro remained in the play-off hunt but with them missing out on sixth, Steve Gibson has decided now is the time for a fresh approach.

The Verdict

This is no surprise at all, to be honest.

Pulis did have Boro challenging last season and at the start of this campaign, they looked real contenders for promotion.

Things faded away, though, and despite having a talented squad they did not get the results they perhaps should have.

Many are likely to be pleased with this changing of the guard, then, and it remains to be seen what impact this has for next season.