ANGRY boss Steve McClaren slammed his under-performing Middlesbrough players last night after their defeat to struggling West Ham United.

Boro slipped one place in the Premiership table, to 11th, after Manchester City's success over Sunderland - and in the process handed a lifeline to third-bottom West Ham.

And McClaren's side remain six points adrift of their 53-point target, with just three games to go until the end of the 2002-03 campaign.

Boro are trying to achieve the 53-point mark in a bid to record the club's highest ever top-flight points haul.

But a fuming McClaren revealed his frustration at his players' failure to close the gap, although he did have praise for Mark Schwarzer, Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu.

"We have come out of a run of eight games unbeaten and performed very well against Arsenal on Saturday," said McClaren, who made a sharp exit from the Press room in a rush to catch a flight back to the North-East.

"Against West Ham we slipped below the standards we have set.

"Apart from the keeper and the two centre-halves we are very disappointed with it.

"We should have gone on and dominated this game and we felt that's what we should have done.

"But credit to West Ham they took the one defining moment and scored from it.

"All I know is that it's very disappointing and unacceptable to drop below the standards we have set ourselves this season."

Boro have now failed to find the net in 13 games on the road - scoring just 11 in 17 away day League matches.

Midfielder Luke Wilkshire did fire the ball over the goal-line in the second half yesterday but referee, Alan Wiley, blew for offside.

And McClaren admitted their form in front of goal is not down to anything other than poor form.

"We have to make it happen up there," he said "There are many reasons and we can't put the blame on that. You can blame decisions from referees and officials but there are no excuses today.

"We don't want the season to just fizzle out and we will work hard to get back from this and try to be back at our best for the last three games."

Read more about Middlesbrough here.