Middlesbrough natives growing restless over team that Gordon Strachan built

It allowed the Estonian, who had earlier equalised only four minutes after coming off the bench, to complete a turnaround that prevented Boro dropping to second bottom in the Championship, their poorest placing in the English game for 19 years. Strachan revealed later that some unknown instinct caused him to shout for Kink to take the set-piece just as fellow sub Kris Boyd was shaping to do so.

Many followers of the club would say it is one of the few calls the former Celtic manager has got right in 11 months.

In dropping to around the 14,000 mark for recent home games, attendances are at a record low since the stadium opened 15 years ago. Punters have been turned off by sterile football from a one-paced side devoid of real spark and an edge in front of goal.

If that sounds like the Celtic of Strachan's last six months, then that might be considered hardly coincidental with Scott McDonald, Stephen McManus and Barry Robson among the nine-strong Scottish league contingent Strachan imported. The three have actually been, just about, acceptable contributors. But the fact that establishing a tartan colony on Teesside has accompanied terrible toils has meant Strachan's unimaginative signing policy has come under severe scrutiny. As have all other aspects of his methodology.

It hasn't helped that Boyd has only one goal since his move from Rangers, that Kevin Thomson is out with a broken leg, Willo Flood is also sidelined with a long-term injury and the other summer Scottish league recruit Andrew Halliday, signed from Livingston, is attracting the same bemusement as Lee Miller did after arriving from Aberdeen in the January transfer window. But Strachan and his team's problems run much deeper than players from north of the border struggling to acclimatise.

The win over Burnley was only the 12th in the 41 matches he has been in charge. Following his three-in-a-row run of titles and two Champions League last 16 appearances, Strachan ended his time at Celtic by guiding the club to only nine wins across 90 minutes in his final 22 games. Whatever once worked for Strachan, isn't working now. Only two wins and four goals from six league games in a Championship Middlesbrough started as favourites for following a 5 million spend that was the greatest of any team in the set-up. Such failings bring a stark assessment from Bernie Slaven. The former striker is a Scot who did succeed at Boro, enjoying a goal-laden career there. He shares his worries on a nightly football phone-in show on Real Radio North-East."The team has not improved one iota since Gareth Southgate was sacked," says Slaven, the irony being that one reason chairman Steve Gibson gave for bagging Southgate was a dramatic falling-off of attendances. "I thought it was a major coup when the club attracted Gordon Strachan, I'm a fan, but after completely overhauling the squad and the coaching staff, Middlesbrough aren't playing any better football, scoring more goals, conceding fewer soft ones, than before. That has put Gordon under severe pressure and, with this the last year of the parachute payment, the club has to gain promotion this year. It is that or bust for him.

"The bust side might go in his favour short-term because I don't know if the club could afford to sack him right now.

''I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel and I think Gordon is over-complicating things. He is chopping and changing the side, playing players out of position. He had Barry Robson at left back in the 3-0 loss away to QPR last weekend, and has had left wingers playing right wing, and vice versa.

"Every phone-in we do, the calls say 'Strachan out'. So do the e-mails, the texts and letters. But this won't necessarily transmit to the stands because folk here just vote with their feet. Instead of going to shout and abuse, they just don't go."

Slaven admits he thought the raiding of Scotland for players was a smart move. He still believes those brought in from the Glasgow clubs could pull it together. "I think perhaps they, and their manager, might have under-estimated the Championship. I'm not saying the football's great but boys here are fit and hungry and teams don't roll over. It is not like if you are at Celtic and Rangers and you have all the other teams on a completely different level to you."

Much has been made of what a poor light it casts on Scottish football that Middlesbrough appear in such a mess. That can be overcooked. McManus, Robson and McDonald were players Celtic were happy to sell. Boyd vacated Scotland, meanwhile, on the back of his poorest scoring form in six-and-a-half years.

"I think he can score goals here because he has that ability," says Slaven. "But he clearly is lacking in almost all other areas of his game and it hardly bodes well that he was dropped to the bench the other night. Other new signings Kink and Nicky Bailey were treated the same after struggling as well in these early week. Making these bold changes to the team took balls from Strachan and maybe that sort of brave decision-making can be what pulls him through."

Stephen McManus

Initially signed on loan from Celtic in January 2010, Boro made the move permanent when they paid 1.5m for the central-half in July. A mainstay in the heart of the club's defence ever since.

Barry Robson

Arguably the most consistent performer of the SPL contingent at the Riverside.Scored five goals from midfield last season after joining in the January window from Celtic with Willo Flood and Chris Killen. Killen has subsequently moved on to Chinese side Shenzhen Ruby.

BORO'S SPL BRIGADE

Kris Boyd

A high-profile summer capture when his Rangers contract expired in the summer, Boyd was dropped from Tuesday night's starting XI against Burnley after a run of just one goal in his first five games.

Scott McDonald

Strachan's most expensive capture from Scotland, McDonald cost a reported 3.5m when he joined in January. Recovered from an early injury setback but has not been as prolific as he was at Celtic, scoring five league goals in 18 starts since joining Boro.

Lee Miller

Miller joined Boro from Aberdeen for 500,000 in January but has struggled to make an impression. Started just six league games last season and none so far this season. Yet to score.

Willo Flood

Another who followed Strachan from Celtic, Flood's time on Teesside has been blighted by injury. He tore a posterior cruciate ligament in March and missed the remainder of the season. He then dislocated his knee in the first game of this season and was ruled out for three months.

Kevin Thomson

A 2m signing from Rangers in July, the central midfielder broke his leg in only his second game for Boro, against Leicester City in August. Hoping to return to action ahead of schedule later this month.