It takes a very brave manager to criticise his own fans. Alex Ferguson took years before deigning to do so: "the crowd were dead. That was the quietest I have heard the crowd and it's disappointing because we needed the crowd today. We have come through a difficult period of game after game and in moments like these we need a lift. But it was like a funeral out there" - Alex Ferguson, January 2008.
Jose Mourinho did it in his second spell with Chelsea, but had the backing of largely mythic status before doing so.
Aitor Karanka, however, appears to be far braver, and has used today's post-match press conference to criticise his own supporters.
'Boro are the lowest scorers in the division, and although they managed to chalk up a goal against West Ham today, it was sandwiched between the concession of two to Andy Carroll. Another defeat leaves 'Boro two places and four points clear of the drop zone, and frustrations evidently boiled over in front of the press post-game.
Karanka complained of the fans' demand to play long-balls, bemoaning the "awful" atmosphere.
I was really upset with the last 10 minutes. We didn't play in the way we have to play, in the way we know how to play and it was because the atmosphere was awful today.
The fans demanded a lot of the players, we don't know how to play in that way, playing in that way we didn't create one chance and the team was broken on the pitch.
That's something I don't like at all. We have to improve. [The fans] and we need to understand where we were last season or two seasons ago, and I think these players deserve more respect.
The follow-up question asked whether the fans were too demanding of the squad. He agreed:
Yes. When you don't have the experience, and I don't know how many thousand people are asking for long balls, at the end you have to play long balls. It's a style we don't know how to play.
We didn't play one game or one minute in the Championship (like that) when we got promoted and it's something we have to fix. While I'm here, we won't be playing long balls.
That's not a great sign: a fine line between bravery and stupidity.
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