This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Fan Perspective’ series, this content strand is where we deliver an opinion-based outlook from the perspective of a certain club’s fanbase on the matter at hand…

Jonathan Woodgate has not exactly been the breath of fresh air that many Middlesbrough fans will likely have hoped he would be when he was appointed in the summer.

Last season must've been a frustrating one for fans of the North East club. Tony Pulis did what Tony Pulis does and had his Boro side playing a particularly conservative brand of football, finishing the season one point and one place outside the play-offs having conceded the fewest goals in the Championship but having scored the sixth-fewest themselves.

Woodgate appeared the antithesis of the 75-year-old–a young, fresh coach who began his tenure by claiming he would bring attacking football back to the club.

Speaking to the Telegraph after his appointment, he said: "That's my philosophy, that's what I want to do. I want to win games scoring goals. If you look at this league now, you go up by scoring goals. If you don't, you won't go up.”

It is fair to say things have not exactly gone to plan for the 39-year-old so far. Under his leadership, Boro have won just twice all season, been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League Two side Crewe Alexandra, and have slumped to 20th in the Championship–just two points above the relegation zone.

What is perhaps more disappointing is that not only are his side conceding more goals than Pulis' from last season (and are on course to concede 15.9 more across the whole campaign), they've scored at a slower goal per game rate (1) than the Welshman's side did in 2018/19 (1.065). Not quite the attacking football revolution that had been promised.

Boro took a risk on Woodgate, who has never had never managed a senior side previously, and changing the on-field ideology of a club that had been so conservative last season was never going to be a short-term task, but you can't help but feel that fans of the North East club have a right to be frustrated about the way the season is started.

You'd imagine the Boro boss will be given time to turn things around, especially as he is a local boy, however, fans may have to be patient–not least because things are likely to get worse before they get better.

Woodgate's side face a difficult run of games over the next few weeks, with league leaders West Bromwich Albion, on-the-up Huddersfield Town, and Fulham, who have arguably the best squad in the division, their next three opponents.

That is a tough trio of fixtures and there is a very good chance that the results of those could see Boro slip down into the relegation zone.

Boro fans are likely to be frustrated already but, unfortunately, its tough to see their fortunes changing around just yet.

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