Middlesbrough have had some big-name managers over the years.

Supporters have seen big-name signings, cup finals, dramatic European nights and exciting promotion-winning campaigns - however there have also been some real lowlights along the way.

Some bosses promised huge things but underachieved, while others defied expectations and pulled off what seemed to be impossible.

We took to Transfermarkt to take a look at how a selection of Middlesbrough's managers have compared over recent years, with PPG (points per game) being used as our comparable metric.

Here are Middlesbrough's greatest ever managers, as per those statistics.

There's little doubt that Jack Charlton will be remembered as a great of the game.

As well as a sublime playing career devoted to Leeds United the defender famously won the 1966 World Cup with England to truly write his name in the history books.

After retiring it was Middlesbrough who handed him his first job in management, with Charlton famously refusing to work without a contract.

Charlton revamped the club from top to bottom during his four years with the club and even secured promotion from the Second Division to the First Division - leaving the club in the top flight when he moved on in 1977.

A PPG tally of 1.10 may not sound impressive but given that this included preserving the club's top flight status his achievement mustn't be underestimated.

Strachan's time with Middlesbrough is not fondly remembered by supporters.

The Scottish boss took charge of the club following the dismissal of Gareth Southgate and was tasked with helping the club back to the Premier League.

After an 11th place finish in his first season Strachan over saw the influx of a number of players from such as Scott McDonald, Kris Boyd, Andy Halliday, Willo Flood, Stephen McManus and Kevin Thompson.

But after a poor start to the 2010-11 season Strachan tore up his contract with the club.

A PPG of 1.13 was fairly poor given the talent in his side and the expectations that the club would be challenging near the top.

The former skipper was handed the difficult task of following on from Middlesbrough's most successful era ever as they reached the UEFA Cup final.

Overseeing a large turnover of players and a vastly reduced playing budget Southgate did a solid, but unspectacular job during his first two seasons in charge as he led the Teessiders to an 11th and 12th place finish in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

However the third season would be the one that supporters would remember.

Middlesbrough ended up being relegated in 2008-09 much to the surprise of the fans and with that Southgate's backing as the club's manager had disappeared.

Now England manager, Southgate lasted just a couple of months in the Championship before being sacked with an over PPG of  1.21 from his three seasons in charge.

The man who oversaw what will surely be remembered as one of Middlesbrough's most exciting ever eras.

Unfortunately that didn't quite translate to points on the pitch.

Robson spent seven years in charge of the club - a period which included three major cup finals, two promotions and one relegation.

Of course he was responsible bringing in the likes of Juninho, Fabrizio Ravenelli, Emerson and Paul Merson but despite doing a decent job in the league it was Middlesbrough's cup success and the arrival of these globally-renowned stars that would be his legacy.

A PPG of 1.23 perhaps doesn't do the high-octane feel of his tenure justice.

Like him or loathe him, there's no doubt that Steve McClaren is arguably Middlesbrough's most successful ever manager.

Brought into the club with the goal of providing a pathway for academy players and winning a trophy - McClaren certainly did that as he led the club to the Carling Cup in 2004.

Two historic seasons in the UEFA Cup followed with the Teessiders reaching the final in 2006 after two mind-boggling comebacks against FC Basel and Steaua Bucharest in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

But his success wasn't limited to cup competitions with McClaren guiding Middlesbrough to their best ever league finish in 2005 and making history for having 11 academy-produced players on the pitch in his final league match in charge against Fulham.

Given that they were playing in the top flight a PPG of 1.38 must not be sniffed at.

With Gordon Strachan moving on Middlesbrough turned to club legend Tony Mowbray to lead the club forward.

Unfortunately for the Teessider he was handed the difficult task of overseeing a huge squad overhaul and the transition from life in the Premier League to the second tier.

Mowbray led Middlesbrough to safety in 2010-11 before seeing the club fall just short of the play-off spots in his second season in charge.

He left the club late in 2012 with a PPG of 1.44 with many deeming his time in charge as unsuccessful, but in hindsight Mowbray probably deserves more credit for the difficult job that he was tasked with.

Here he is, the current gaffer.

Neil Warnock has only been in charge for a year but the impact that he's made is absolutely massive.

After guiding the team to survival last term after a disastrous season Warnock got to work with the squad as he looked to build a team that could compete in the league.

He's certainly done that with Middlesbrough defying expectations this term with the Teessiders still in with an outside chance of a top six finish.

A PPG of 1.45 puts him fourth in the list but given the project that he's taking there's a feeling that this could be much higher by the time he eventually leaves the club.

He took charge of the club following their relegation in 2017 but didn't last very long.

Monk was only in charge for six months before being sacked just before Christmas after what was deemed to be an under-par start to their Championship season.

While the manager wasn't exactly popular with fans, his PPG of 1.58 actually makes him the third most successful manager in the club's recent history.

However given the large investment in the playing squad and the heightened expectations of being a recently-relegated team it was deemed that the team's performances weren't good enough with the team sitting in ninth position when he left.

It's Monk's successor who comes in at number two in the list.

Pulis was brought in in December 2017 and tasked with finishing the job that Monk had started - something that he came very close to doing after moving Middlesbrough from a mid-table position to a fifth-place finish.

Middlesbrough fell short in the play-offs but were expected to go again the following season and perhaps challenge for automatic promotion but a late collapse saw the club finish just outside the top six in seventh position.

There has to be a degree of sympathy for Pulis who saw players such as Ben Gibson, Adama Traore and Patrick Bamford sold during his tenure, but given the money spent on replacements some expected more.

Either way a PPG of 1.64 puts him second in our list.

Who else would be at the top of the list?

The Spaniard oversaw the most successful period of the last decade after spending three and a half years as Middlesbrough boss with a PPG of 1.66.

Taking charge with the club in the bottom half of the Championship, Karanka led the team to a mid-table finish, before reaching the play-off final and finally going up automatically in his third year with the club.

Unfortunately the wheels came off slightly as the club acclimatised to life in the Premier League - something which some supporters saw coming after a number of high-profile fallouts in the year previous.

But while the Premier League return didn't go to plan few can argue with what Karanka achieved at the club with supporters remembering his time in charge very fondly.