This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Middlesbrough have announced that Neil Warnock will be taking charge at the Riverside, with Jonathan Woodgate being relieved of his duties by the club.

It promises to be a nervy end to the season for Boro, who sit just outside of the Championship relegation zone only on goal difference, after losing 3-0 at home to Swansea City on Saturday.

After winning only nine games in charge of Boro since taking over from Tony Pulis in the summer, Woodgate has now been relieved of his duties by the Teesside club.

Coming in as Woodgate's replacement is a familiar face in Neil Warnock, who has been out of work since leaving Cardiff City in November.

Warnock has managed well over 1,400 games in his career, and is no stranger to going into clubs and helping them battle their way away from danger.

Warnock worked wonders with Rotherham in 2015/16, helping them survive relegation before leaving at the end of the season.

The 71-year-old then went to South Wales to take charge of Cardiff, guiding them to automatic promotion to the Premier League in 2017/18.

Here, the FLW team discuss this massive piece of news coming out of the Riverside this morning...

George Dagless

The show goes on!

Whether this actually proves to be Warnock's last, last, last challenge remains to be seen but I do think this changes the landscape down near the bottom of the league.

Middlesbrough were looking pretty rudderless and the performance at the weekend was deeply worrying, to the extent where they've pulled the plug on Woodgate.

The long-term project is on hold and now Fireman Neil is in to keep Boro afloat in the next few weeks.

Can he turn around in such a short space of time? I certainly think Boro have some good players that with the right motivation and belief could be alright, it's just how quickly Warnock gets in amongst them and gets them going.

They've got a much better chance of staying up now, though, I believe.

Sam Rourke

It's a bold move, but the right one.

Put simply, Woodgate was only taking Middlesbrough one way and their desperately poor performance against Swansea on Saturday was the final nail in the coffin, and rightly so.

We know what Warnock is about and Steve Gibson will know he has a manager in charge who is accustomed to galvanising a dressing room and getting the best out of players in challenging circumstances.

It's going to be interesting to see how Warnock gets on when thrown straight into the thick of it, but he's got so much experience and know-how on how to keep teams up, you feel he'll have the qualities needed to get the job done.

There is enough quality in that Middlesbrough squad to keep them in the second tier in my eyes, and a fresh set of eyes in Warnock, could help rejuvenate Boro's fortunes with just eight games to go.

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Alfie Burns

This is pure panic from the Boro board and it is the type of kneejerk reaction that you don’t often see at The Riverside Stadium.

However, results under Woodgate were awful and, in terms of the short-term, Warnock’s arrival gives them a great chance of staying in the Championship this season.

My concern with this decision is the long-term impact it is going to have on Middlesbrough Football Club. Woodgate’s remit was to squeeze out the old guard, get the side playing better football and move the club away from the style of Tony Pulis.

Of course, they didn’t want a relegation scrap, but appointing Warnock rips up that plan and puts them back where they were 12 months ago.

Warnock will keep Boro in the Championship, but long-term, I’ve got concerns about the club’s direction.

George Harbey

I did not expect to see this news this morning at all.

It's clear to see why Boro appointed Woodgate, as he is a young manager who would have been looking to build a long-term future at the Riverside.

But it hasn't worked out at all, and I wouldn't have trusted him to guide the club to safety whatsoever, especially given how competitive the Championship relegation battle is turning out to be.

Warnock is an expert of picking up points in such a crucial time having done so before with Cardiff and Rotherham, and Boro fans should feel confident about their chances of survival now.

For the long-term, though, I can't see Warnock staying around for too much longer beyond this season.