AFTER Middlesbrough's fifth defeat in six games, the Nottingham Forest question was put to Michael Carrick.

Can he take encouragement, the national reporter asked after Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Blackburn, from what happened in the Championship two seasons ago when Forest - having lost six of their first seven games - set off on a remarkable charge that led to promotion through the play-offs.

Boro, Carrick replied, don't need to look elsewhere for inspiration when it comes to a team's ability to recovery from August and September woes, for they showed last year that a season shouldn't be written off before leaves start to fall.

"Last year is proof of that but we can't keep going back to history and last year," said Boro's head coach.

Right now, comparing with the very recent past isn't helping Boro. Their troubled start to the campaign would be disappointing enough in isolation but what has made it even tougher to take on Teesside is the fact it's come on the back of last season's near-miss.

It's human nature to compare this side with the flamboyant and free-scoring Boro team that, for a while, looked destined for the top flight last term. And players - and new signings - will be naturally be judged against those they've replaced.

But the likes of Ryan Giles, Cameron Archer and Chuba Akpom have gone and so has the team that came so close last season. Forest's charge two seasons ago and Boro's improvement last term were both sparked by a change in the dugout but that's not the answer at Boro. Carrick needs - and will get - time with this new team but he also needs to address a couple of major issues.

"It's about what we do next that matters," said the head coach.

"I'm fully aware of that, I know how it works. I know what's expected of us.

"It's easy to say that good run is there, other teams have done it, we've done it last season, it's about us doing it now and creating another story."

Talk of a first win sparking a charge into the top six mix is as outlandish at this early stage as suggesting bottom club Boro could be in a relegation fight. The immediate challenge is obvious: win a game. But for results to change, Boro must dramatically improve in both boxes.

Soft and avoidable goals continue to be conceded. Carrick's leaky side has now conceded 13 goals in just six games, and Blackburn would have added to the two they managed on Saturday had it not been for Seny Dieng, Boro's best performer at Ewood Park.

Boro's defence was by no means rock solid last season but it wasn't a major concern because the opposition would almost always be outscored. That's not the case this season. Boro have hit the net on just four occasions.

Carrick's wasteful side are desperately lacking a clinical edge. They had 21 shots on goal at Ewood Park. The fact Boro are creating chances is one of the reasons Carrick has talked about being "encouraged" but, as the head coach said on Saturday evening: “It’s at the two ends of the pitch where it counts ultimately.

"It’s a team thing, definitely not an individual thing. We have to defend and attack as a team and it’s something we know we have to get better at to tip the fine margins throughout the games in our favour.

"We’re not picking up enough points, but we don’t feel there is much on those scales where we can’t tip them in the right direction. At the moment, we’re just going through a period where we’re coming off on the wrong side of things."

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Given this is a new Boro team, there's a case to be made for Carrick finding a new way to get the best out of his players in terms of the way he sets the side up. So far this season, he's stuck largely with the shape and set-up that had so much success last term but it's not working at the minute.

The defence - the full-backs and the centre-halves - need more protection and Boro look disjointed going forward. Lewis O'Brien looked uncomfortable playing on the left flank at Blackburn and Matt Crooks, despite scoring, again struggled at No.10.

The hope was that a fortnight's break after the QPR defeat would energise Boro and allow them to take stock but the issues that have plagued Carrick's side in the early weeks of the season were again present at Ewood Park.

Carrick craves control but Saturday's game was "chaos" and it suited the home side, whose manager Jon Dahl Tomasson admitted afterwards he'd rather win a game 5-3 than 1-0. As things stand, Boro would take a win however it comes. As would next opponents Sheffield Wednesday. Tuesday night has the feel of a big, big game for Boro.

Carrick's side had enough chances in the last half an hour to take at least a point on Saturday but again paid the price for giving themselves too much to do. For the first goal just after the half hour mark, right-back Callum Brittain - who had the better of O'Brien and debutant Alex Bangura throughout - was allowed to advance before picking out Sammie Szmodics, the midfielder finding the bottom corner.

Szmodics was allowed to pick his spot for his second goal four minutes after the restart, unmarked and unpressured on the edge of the box.

The writing looked to be on the wall at that stage but Crooks gave Boro something to cling to when he bundled home and - to the fury of Blackburn - the offside flag stayed down. Chances followed for Marcus Forss, O'Brien, substitute Riley McGree and Emmanuel Latte Lath, who spurned a glorious opportunity in stoppage time.