Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray is aware promotion to the Premier League would bring an end to the financial pressure under which he has had to work. Mowbray has presided over stringent cuts during his 18 months or so at the Riverside Stadium, and knows there could be more if the Teessiders do not manage to fight their way out of the Championship at the third attempt.

"I would like to think there has been progress made within tight financial restrictions. There has been a lot of reduction in the costs from when we arrived and a lot of players have left.

"If we don't get out of this league this year, there are probably going to be some more re-adjustments required, and yet you still expect to continue to improve your team.

"Whilst the budget is going down, the aim is to improve the team, and I think we have managed to do that so far.

"What I do know, of course, is the Premier League takes all those financial issues away and you can start putting money back into the side instead of taking it out."

 The game is about opinions. Make yours heard! Join the tribalfootball.com nation on Facebook today: Facebook.com/tribalfootball