There was a moment in the second half of Middlesbrough's flaccid 2-0 defeat to Stoke on Saturday that felt like a turning point. A group of fans, until that point broadly supportive of their side's efforts, began to sing "Aitor Karanka, it's time to go home."
They were shouted down by another section of the away end, but after some months of growing but relatively low-level grumbling, this was the first time that frustration spilled over in any sort of significant, vocal way.
And it's easy to see why. Saturday's loss was Boro's fourth straight league game without a goal and their 13th game this season in which they've failed to score.