Jonathan Woodgate has accused his relegation threatened Boro players of getting “complacent.”
The rookie coach has fired warning to his squad saying they need to adopt a “fight for your life” mentality ahead of a clash with promotion chasing Leeds.
Boro lost to Barnsley at the weekend plunging them deep into trouble in the Championship.
They've not won since New Year's Day losing four out of eight league games, and are now fifth bottom three points ahead of the drop zone.
Woodgate said: “Maybe we got a bit complacent. Maybe we thought we were already clear. I didn’t. I never thought we were clear even when it was 10 points.
“With Barnsley (reviving) maybe it is because they are actually in the relegation zone and we weren’t.
“Maybe they were fighting for their lives. Maybe we got a bit complacent.
We are still right in it. They know the situation. It isn’t rocket science.
“But we are still in a position where we can still get out of it. We are in a battle. We have to start rolling up our sleeves and getting results quick. Now we are fighting for our lives.
“We have been disappointed with results recently and performances haven’t been good enough. We are looking forward to Leeds. It is a great game to bounce back in.”
Woodgate made his name at Leeds as a teenager and helped the club to the top of the Premeir League and into the Champions League.
He added: "Leeds are an exceptional team but I believe we can beat them. We beat West Brom, beat Preston, drew with Fulham, drew with Bristol City."
