Middlesbrough fell to defeat away to Coventry City on Saturday meaning they've collected just ten points from their opening 11 games. 

It hasn't been the start to the season that many would have envisaged at the Riverside this season with Chris Wilder struggling to get Boro up and running.

There have been bright sparks but not consistent enough and it was the same against Coventry City.

Two players who have impressed this season have been Isaiah Jones and Ryan Giles with the flying wing-backs being Boro's most efficient route of attack.

However, eyebrows were raised when both players were dropped for the game against the Sky Blues, leaving many supporters bemused.

Speaking to Teesside Live after the game, Wilder said he opted for more caution away from home: "We thought that the right way to go about it was come here and be nice and strong and solid and get a foothold in the game."

Wilder went onto suggest that both Jones and Giles are natural wingers with the idea being to bring them on later in the game if the game was still poised: "They’re really, unbelievably forward-thinking players and our away record is not that good.

"So I thought if we could get ahead in the game and then they’re coming on, we had two players there that can help us out. That was my decision."

Boro were dealt another blow in the game after Jones picked up his fifth booking of the season, meaning the young wing-back will be missing for the game against Birmingham City in midweek.

The Verdict

Unfortunately, it feels like Wilder is a man under pressure as to remove not one, but both of your best forward thinking players was quite a bold move, but more so over complicated.

Coventry aren't in great form either and whilst they have arrested their run of defeats, it was a game more evenly matched than perhaps Wilder suggested with his selection.

Boro looked poor throughout the game and lacked mobility, something that both Giles and Jones add to the middle third of the pitch meaning they missed that element of their game as well.

Wilder is a manager under serious pressure and with fans slowly turning against him, decisions like this will not get any easier for him.