Middlesbrough's return to the Premier League lasted for just one season as the North-East side were relegated straight back to the Championship after enduring an indifferent campaign.
Aitor Karanka prepared for his side's first top fight campaign in seven years by overhauling his squad as the Boro coach was backed in the transfer market as he signed a number of foreign imports, with the likes of Bernardo Espinoza, Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes signing on free transfers while Viktor Fischer, Marten de Roon, Antonio Barragan and Fabio also arrived to boost the options. However barring de Roon, none of the new arrivals managed to hit a consistent run both in terms of form and in the team.
Boro did enjoy a decent first half of the campaign and found themselves sitting closer to the top half of the table by Christmas though they had managed to win just four times in the process.
A narrow defeat to Burnley on Boxing Day proved to be the turning point of the campaign for Boro as goals dried up and they hit a 16-match winless streak during which they were shut out on 10 occasions. With Boro dropping into the relegation zone, the board decided to relieve Karanka of his position but his successor Steve Agnew was not able to turn things around as Boro's relegation was confirmed with two games remaining.
It proved to be a disappointing campaign in the end for Boro who were not helped by some poor performances by their key players, with none of them able to really put up consistent displays over the course of the campaign. Ben Gibson though did emerge as a key player, especially in the first half of the season and was crucial to Middlesbrough's solid defensive displays.
Boro though face a crucial summer with a number of players expected to leave and their prospects for an immediate promotion depends on their ability to hold on to the core of the team.
