A proven goalscorer or two is needed to turn this team into genuine contenders

THERE'S only one Tommy Conway! The problem is that Middlesbrough need three Tommy Conways, and at the very least two, if they are to become genuine top-six contenders this season.

- ERIC PAYLOR

And that doesn't mean simply bringing in a couple of routine forwards.

Rob Edwards needs to find a proven goalscorer or two who will add a fair number of goals to the tally.

Boro may have been the fourth-top goalscorers in the Championship last season, but the number of goals tailed off dramatically in the second half of the campaign.

In fact Boro scored just 23 goals from the start of the New Year onwards, compared to 41 in the first half of the campaign.

The fans bemoaned the loss of Emmanuel Latte Lath and this was clearly the major reason why Boro hit a brick wall in front of the opposition net.

We know that the disastrous January signings also made a big contribution but Latte Lath’s loss was massive.

The team was losing confidence all the time and could not maintain a decent level of performance, especially at the end of the season when they still maintained a chance of winning a top-six place.

Michael Carrick might well blame the second half of the season setbacks for costing him his job and he is not far off the mark.