HAPLESS Hamilton Ricard embodied the mood of frustration and dejection at the Riverside as Middlesbrough produced a miserable performance which did nothing to ease their relegation fears.

Striker Ricard was booed by sections of the crowd when he was substituted midway through the second half.

His withdrawal was an act of mercy on the part of head coach Terry Venables, who had watched the Colombian suffer an afternoon of torment.

Ricard is predisposed to self-destruct when things don't go his way, and as soon as he was booked for diving in the sixth minute, the writing was on the wall.

If Ricard has a tendency to produce displays which veer from the sublime to the ridiculous, this was most definitely the latter.

Twice in recent months he has conjured goals of rare quality, one of which - at Bradford in the third round of the FA Cup - won him the award for January's goal of the month on Match of the Day.

But the touch that brought Ricard 32 goals from the previous two seasons has all but deserted him.

The 27-year-old frontman, signed from Deportivo Cali for £2m three years ago, has managed only seven goals this term - half as many as last season.

When the chance to add to his tally presented itself on the hour of Saturday's clash with Charlton, he drove wide with time and space to do better.

Confidence is the key to Ricard's game and he is clearly badly lacking that crucial quality.

He seemed incapable of retaining possession against a workmanlike Charlton who would have had this pitiful encounter wrapped up if their finishing had matched their ambition.

Boro have now gone eight games in League and Cup without a win and scored only twice in their last five outings.

Those are worrying statistics and explain why manager Bryan Robson spent most of last week trying to sign Barcelona striker Dani and setting up a deal for Bradford City's attack-minded midfielder Dean Windass.

The one bright spot amid the dross on this occasion was the form of Alen Boksic, who always looked a threat.

It's no accident that Boro's winless run has coincided with a Boksic goal drought.

Boro's top marksman this term with nine, Boksic hasn't scored since bagging a brace in the 4-0 home win over Derby nearly two months ago, when Premiership survival looked a lot more likely than it does now.

Before half-time against Charlton, Boksic was just wide with an angled half-volley, not far away with a free-kick and then denied by a goalmouth clearance from defender Mark Fish.

Late in the game he brought two fine saves from Sasa Ilic, the second of which the Addicks' keeper was forced to perform with an outstretched leg.

But Charlton had chances too, most notably within two minutes of the start of either half.

Flying Finn Jonatan Johansson ought to have struck with the game's first attack when he failed woefully with a free header on the end of Radostin Kishishev's centre.

And South African Shaun Bartlett spurned a great opportunity in the 47th minute when he spooned the ball over at the near post from strike partner Johansson's cross.

Fish should have netted soon afterwards, but couldn't connect cleanly with his close-range shot and Mark Schwarzer was able to save.

But Boro's Aussie keeper almost cost his side the game seven minutes from time when he fumbled a cross from Kishishev and could only watch as the ball bounced agonisingly wide of the far upright.

When Boro skipper Paul Ince fell over, and later flattened Charlton's Richard Rufus with a volley the defender took full in the face, it appeared as if Teesside's pantomime season had been extended.

Unfortunately for Boro, no-one was laughing when the curtain came down on this atrocious game