How Middlesbrough transformed from Championship strugglers to promotion winners under Aitor Karanka

The Spanird’s appointment at the Riverside in November that year marked a change of approach from Boro chairman Steve Gibson, appointing the club’s first foreign boss in the hope of a Premier League return.

It was a new experience for Karanka, too. After three years as Mourinho’s protege at Real Madrid, this was his first senior manager’s role, coupled with the challenges of a new country and new league.

Crucially, the former Madrid defender already had a grasp of the language, which he started to pick up during a playing spell with MLS side Colorado Rapids.

Unlike many managers at Championship level, Karanka was also fortunate that instant success wasn’t really expected.

On the day of his appointment, Boro were 16th in the table and 10 points off the play-offs with a third of the season gone.

Fans had accepted that a push for promotion was unlikely after the mood had become stale, and briefly toxic, under club legend Tony Mowbray so were prepared for a bedding in period.

So there was no sense of immediate panic when Karanka’s first five games yielded just one win, a run which was marred by individual errors.

Karanka, though, wasn’t letting anything slide. "Of course I am angry. We are giving gifts to our opponents in every game,” he said after a 1-0 home defeat to Brighton. "It is always a lack of concentration. It cannot continue in this way.”

The message clearly began to sink in as Boro won five of their next six, conceding just twice.

Loan signings Danny Graham, Shay Given, Kenneth Omeruo and Nathaniel Chalobah, the latter two from Mourinho’s Chelsea, helped plug some gaps, yet the foundations were taking shape.

Academy graduate Ben Gibson continued to improve as a first-team regular, Daniel Ayala was settling in following his permanent arrival from Norwich, while veteran goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopulos was proving reliable following Given’s return to parent club Aston Villa.

There was one fundamental problem, though, Boro’s focus on keeping goals out was clearly hampering their ability to score - so much so the side went seven straight games without a goal.

In the summer of 2014, Karanka began to make his mark, beefing up Boro’s attack by bringing in strikers Patrick Bamford (again from Chelsea) and Jelle Vossen on loan, as well as signing Spanish striker Kike permanently.

The arrival of Adam Clayton from Huddersfield would also prove significant - and while the central midfielder had scored seven Championship goals the previous campaign, he quickly became a protective shield for Boro’s back four - forming a robust midfield partnership alongside Grant Leadbitter.

Not every Karanka signing was a success, though, and there were some evident issues at the start of the 2014/15 season, most notably some costly mistakes from goalkeeper Tomas Mejias - who was eventually dropped but later became something of a cup specialist.

Konstantopulos came back in as Boro established themselves as early promotion contenders, defensively solid but also packing a punch.

The additions of Bamford and Vossen allowed the team to press from the front, a trait which was demonstrated excellently in a 2-0 win over Derby at the Riverside.

Ultimately, though, Boro’s shortage of goals and creativity, compared to their promotion rivals, cost them.

Championship winners Bournemouth, who finished four points ahead of Boro, scored 96 goals compared to the Teessiders’ 68.

In the play-off final against Norwich, Karanka’s side never looked like coming back after falling behind - eventually losing 2-0 at Wembley.

Boro may have lost just once in the league after scoring first that season, yet they also recorded just a single win after falling behind.

Still, most of the squad remained in their prime, and it was pretty clear where improvements needed to be made.

Sensing that Boro were on the brink, Gibson reached for his checkbook, bolstering the club’s attacking options by bringing in England international Stewart Downing, proven promotion winner David Nugent and versatile forward Cristhian Stuani.

Boro may have lost Bamford, Vossen and Lee Tomlin that summer, but their backbone - Konstantopulos, George Friend, Ayala, Gibson, Leadbitter and Clayton remained intact, while Emilio Nsue, a free agent from Spanish side Mallorca, filled a void at right-back.

On multiple occasions, Karanka’s side looked the real deal. Difficult to beat with pace and ability on the break.

After a 1-0 win over Brentford on January 12, 2016, Boro were six points clear of second-place Derby with a game in hand.

Yet Karanka’s stubborn approach had consequences, and tempers notoriously flared up after a 1-0 defeat at Rotherham in March - a backlash which led to the manager’s absence for a match at Charlton five days later.

Prior to that, Gibson had sanctioned another transfer spree in the January, bringing in Gaston Ramirez on loan from Southampton and Championship goal machine Jordan Rhodes for a reported £9million.

In the end, those two additions edged Boro over the line, with Ramirez proving the missing link as a No 10 in Karanka’s 4-2-3-1 system.

Despite a largely frustrating spell on Teesside, Rhodes also made some memorable contributions, most notably his double and last-minute winner at Bolton in April.

That proved to be Boro’s final win of the campaign, concluding a six-match winning run which began with a last-gasp winner from Nugent against Hull.

Four straight draws, against Burnley, Ipswich, Birmingham and Brighton followed, as Karanka’s side clung onto their top-two position.

The Spaniard’s spell was captivating, draining and emotionally-charged all at the same time. A memorable journey for Teessiders to look back on.