Flint is on fire, say the fans

ADEN Flint is the best of Tony Pulis’s signings so far, according to a poll of Boro’s fans.

The giant stopper has certainly made an impact on Teesside, having settled comfortably into the best defence in the Championship.

But then Pulis had a pretty good idea what he was buying because Flint was one of the leading players in the division last season.

What we are still waiting to see from Flint is the flood of goals which were anticipated.

He scored nine for Bristol City last season and a similar tally was expected this time around.

There’s still plenty of time, of course, but Flint has already had plenty of scoring opportunities which have been spurned.

The main thing is that he has been carrying out his defensive duties with aplomb, having initially linked up well with Daniel Ayala and then Danny Batth.

Pulis worked hard to tighten up the Boro defence last season and did a good job, so it’s a bonus that Boro are even better this time around.

That’s despite Pulis changing both centre-backs from his original team following Batth’s breakthrough.

Few members of the defence looked impressive against Aston Villa but then Boro were torn apart in midfield and could not prevent Villa constantly bursting forward.

However Batth’s form in general has been excellent and he has proved to be another astute signing.

The injury to Dael Fry is a disappointment but Boro are generally very well stocked at centre-back, especially as Ryan Shotton is very comfortable in the role.

In fact George Friend has also played in the middle at the back, though mainly in a back three or when injuries forced a reshuffle.

Hopefully Flint can continue to inspire the Boro defence, score a few goals and put himself in contention for player of the season next May.