Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis won’t ask for more money to try and solve his side’s lack of goals.
Boro failed to score at the Riverside for the third league game in a row under their new manager as they were held to a goalless draw with Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night.
Top scorer Britt Assombalonga started the game alongside Patrick Bamford upfront, while Rudy Gestede and Martin Braithwaite came off the bench, but still the hosts couldn’t score.
Even so, Pulis is happy to work with the players he’s got rather than dipping into the transfer market.
The club has spent enough say Pulis
“The club has invested a lot of money in the forward line and we need them to come to the party,” said Pulis.
“We’re strong enough at the back, the people in midfield are creating enough, played some good football at times, lots of crosses into the box. We got in that final third a lot but we need them to be on the end of things or creating stuff for themselves.
“That’s three or four games since I’ve been here that we’ve given points away, it was the same against Brighton (in the FA Cup) we created a lot of chances but never took them.”
We took Britt and Patrick off and brought on Braithwaite and Gestede, there’s a hell of a lot of money that Steve and this football club has invested on players and we need them to score goals.”
It's not just Britt
Pulis was asked specifically about Assombalonga’s recent form. The striker has scored 12 times since his summer move from Nottingham Forest but has netted just once in his last 11 games.
“Strikers go up and down and you have to accept that but it’s not just Britt, we need the four of them to provide us the goals that if we were scoring we’d be further up the table,” said Pulis.
“For me to go and ask Steve (Gibson) for more money to change certain things that maybe I think is necessary is not fair. I think we need to understand that we need to get more out of the players and hopefully fingers crossed the forwards, whether it’s luck, application or whatever, they start scoring."