Former Leeds United star Noel Whelan has urged Middlesbrough to give Jonathan Woodgate time and appreciate the tough situation he has at the Riverside.
Woodgate took his struggling Boro side to Elland Road on Saturday to face Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds outfit.
Middlesbrough were poor throughout the 90 minutes at Elland Road and Leeds crushed the visitors, recording a 4-0 win to move top of the Championship table.
Boro are just one point and two places above the relegation zone and Whelan feels former White Woodgate has a tough job on his hands, with his players not giving him enough.
Whelan hopes the former Leeds star is given time at Boro and backed with cash to bring in his own players, as well as the leeway to change the backroom staff.
"I don't know what must be going through Jonathan Woodgate's head because the players are not giving enough for him", Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds after the Whites' win over Boro.
"If you could sack players you would."
And he added: "It's a very, very hard way to learn [management] because he hasn't got the players there and he's not had the money to spend.
"I hope they understand that at Middlesbrough. I am sure Steve Gibson does. I hope they give him time and I hope they give him some money to spend to see what he really can do as well, and get his own people in."
Middlesbrough have won just once in their last 12 Championship games and head into a packed December which could go some way towards deciding whether they will spend the first part of 2020 involved in a relegation dogfight.
