Swansea City are in a mess. There's no denying it.
A shambolic January transfer window came in tandem with a wretched run of just three wins in 19 league outings that has seen Russell Martin's men plunge down to 17th in the Championship table.
It means they are, in terms of both position and points, closer to the relegation zone than the top six. And things don't get any easier anytime soon.
The Swans welcome the most in-form team in the division to south Wales on Saturday knowing full well that they will need to produce a top performance to stand any chance of gaining a positive result.
Middlesbrough have won 14 of their 19 league matches under Michael Carrick to surge from 21st to third in the table. Their tally of 42 goals scored since the former Manchester United midfielder was named as Chris Wilder's successor in October is the most by anyone in the league in that period while in Chuba Akpom, scorer of 21 league goals this term, they boast the Championship's most lethal marksman.
Such is their improvement, Carrick has even been touted as a successor to David Moyes should West Ham decide to sack the Scot in the near future. They also put five past Reading last time out.
You get the point. Boro are a fine team.
Swansea produced a decent enough display at Luton Town on Saturday but were ultimately undone by yet another error, with Andy Fisher's mistake in the 39th minute presenting Carlton Morris with the simple task of tapping into an unguarded net from two yards out to earn the Hatters all three points.
It was telling that, following the 1-1 draw with Rotherham United, Martin hinted that his players may well benefit from playing away from home given the uneasy atmosphere at the Swansea.com Stadium in recent matches.
Many fans have already pointed to the fact that, as Martin has stated himself, the groans and jeers from the opening stages of the draw with Rotherham only worsened the fragile confidence of the players in white and black.
To that end, it's become blindingly clear that the current crop badly need backing from the crowd, starting with the visit of Middlesbrough this weekend.
Fans have every right to be angry, upset, disappointed, frustrated, or feel any other kind of emotion with the club's owners and/or the team and coaching staff for what such a promising season has turned into over recent months.
But, for the sake of the team's confidence, those feelings need parking for 90 minutes when a buoyant Boro visit. Again, it must be stressed, supporters paying their hard-earned cash whenever possible are fully entitled to demand better from all parties at present.
However, a fervent, passionate Jack Army can have a significant impact on the way the team plays this weekend. It may not be enough to stop the Boro train bulldozing its way through anything and anyone, the Swans included, between now and the conclusion of the campaign, but it will no doubt enhance the chances of at least rebuilding the confidence which in turn will bolster the chances of putting some kind of halt to the club's alarming slide.
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