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Warning! What follows could be viewed as being overly simplistic.

It’s not grounded in data from Opta or Wyscout.

In fact, it’s based more on a hunch and the emotions of watching Boro in the Championship over the past seven seasons.

So here goes: after a dramatic deadline day for Boro, surely it’s time to be as bold on the pitch as they have been off it.

The backing Steve Gibson has given Aitor Karanka has been almost beyond belief.

Even by the chairman’s own standards, his financial commitment has been jaw dropping.

Since last January he’s signed cheques of £2.5m for Adam Forshaw, £3.6m on Cristhian Stuani, £2m on David Nugent, £5.5m on Stewart Downing, £2.6m on Carlos de Pena and £9m on Jordan Rhodes.

Several of those fees will rise if promotion is secured.

Chuck in the wages of expensive loan signings like Gaston Ramirez and it becomes clear.

Karanka has been lavished with a cast of Championship galacticos.

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The manager has earned Gibson’s support with his performance to date.

He will no doubt remind us all of the perils of taking this division for granted.

Nothing is guaranteed, but deep down Karanka knows how scorching the pressure is on him to finish the job.

(Image: Gazette - Getty)

The 19 remaining games should be the most exciting period in the club’s history since the run to the UEFA Cup final.

And with the players at the manager’s disposal, we shouldn’t need to bite our nails.

Quite how Karanka will settle on his final XI when everyone is fit is anyone’s guess.

But now’s the time to leave nothing to chance.

Boro’s formidable defensive base, expertly coached to within an inch of their lives by Karanka and his staff, offers a platform to do the opposition some serious damage.

Boro’s record - particularly at the Riverside - under Karanka is excellent.

And yet the concern remains that the football is often functional.

Points are all that matter, but surely now Boro can take the handbrake off and go out and win the league they’re trying to buy.

Karanka is unlikely to veer from his 4-2-3-1 shape. Why should he?

What he must do however, is tweak the mindset of his players.

He must get them on the front foot from the off in every game and attempt to win matches with time to spare.

Jordan Rhodes doesn’t necessarily need a striking partner to succeed.

But he definitely needs more bodies in and around him than Boro’s approach play has afforded their sole striker in recent months.

With any concoction of Downing, Ramirez, Adomah and Stuani supplying the £9m man, it really ought to be simple for Boro to secure their place in the Premier League.