Joe Nicholson's verdict: Why Luton defeat was worse than Leeds hammering for Middlesbrough and Jonathan Woodgate

Back then there was an argument that the Championship table was still taking shape, while the Teessiders’ lengthy injury list didn’t help.

It was a different story following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to relegation rivals Luton, though, and not even Woodgate could draw any consolations after woeful Riverside display.

“I said to them at half-time, the positive is you can't play worse than that,” said the Boro boss after composing himself for his post-match press conference. “Actually they did.”

It was a damning assessment and one can only imagine much stronger words were issued behind the scenes.

The hosts failed to register a single shot on target against a team that have conceded 66 Championship goals this season and have been entrenched in the division’s bottom three for most of the campaign.

What is even more worrying for Woodgate is that he won’t have seen this performance coming.

The result stretches Boro’s Championship winless run to seven games, yet they should have won at least three of those.

There were no excuses against Luton though, and Boro’s standards dropped well below the minimum threshold.

You could see the thinking behind Woodgate’s team selection as the Teessiders reverted to the wing-backs system which had been successful earlier in the season.

There was also logic behind playing three central midfielders in Lewis Wing, George Saville and Paddy McNair, to combat Luton’s midfield diamond, while starting with two strikers, Lukas Nmecha and Ashley Fletcher, showed attacking intent at home.

It didn’t work, though, as Boro looked stale and unimaginative in possession, regularly giving Luton’s backline time to settle.

There were multiple times in the first half when Harold Moukoudi gave the ball away after stepping out from the back, yet the defender’s lack of options were alarming.

Boro’s midfield and forward line were static throughout, while Luton exploited the space on the flanks, especially down the left where Dan Potts troubled Djed Spence.

Woodgate’s substitutions also raised questions.

Spence and midfielder George Saville were both withdrawn in the second half as strikers Britt Assombalonga and Rudy Gestede took their places.

With Fletcher and Nmecha already on the pitch, Boro were playing with four strikers in a 4-2-4 formation. The move appeared desperate and left the side unbalanced, while playmakers Ravel Morrison and Marcus Tavernier remained unused.

So was this Boro’s worst performance of the season?

They were hammered at Leeds back in November yet Woodgate was dealing with a desperate injury crisis back then.

This display reflects worse on the Boro boss who had options off the bench and, on paper, a superior squad.

Boro’s other humiliation came in the 4-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in September, yet the Owls looked like a formidable team that day. Luton did not.

Defeat to the Hatters means Boro are just six points above the relegation zone and, based on this performance, they could end up in real trouble.