Middlesbrough 3 Derby County 0: Goal bonanza for Boro against dire Derby

By contrast, the previous managerial experience of Wayne Rooney - part of a four-man team in interim charge of Derby County - amounted to a solitary match.

It did not look a fair fight, but Rooney - an aspiring amateur boxer as a youth growing up in Liverpool - is someone who has always relished a scrap.

Infamously knocked out in his kitchen when he had a knockabout fight with Phil Bardsley after a night out once, Rooney will also be feeling pretty sore after this chastening episode.

Operating in a deep role in the first half, Rooney pushed forward forward in the second-half in a bid to perk up a toothless Derby side who came into the game on the back of wretched eight-match winless streak. But to no avail on an evening when they were on the ropes by the end.

The former England captain and his Rams team-mates got the equivalent of a bloody nose on a night when former Boro manager and new Derby technical director and adviser Steve McClaren, who was present in the West Stand at a venue he knows so well, will have been making a copious amount of notes.

Derby looked a bereft team without direction at the final whistle and resembled what they are - a managerless side propping up the division with uncertainty abound as they wait for a takeover to be completed.

It will be a long, hard winter unless things change quickly.

Boro, by contrast, are in good health. Certainly compared to this time last year when November ended with a brutal 4-0 defeat at Leeds United which had the relegation alarm bells ringing.

Without being outstanding, Boro were solid, professional and far too strong for Derby and won their battles across the pitch as they moved into seventh place ahead of Saturday's trip to one of Warnock's former clubs in Huddersfield Town.

Organisation and defensive strength have been defining features of Boro's consistent squad to the campaign, with the caveat being they do not score enough goals.

Here, they set about doing something about it and registered three goals on home soil in the league for the first time since beating Sheffield United in August 2018.

A good night was sealed by a beauty late on from substitute Marvin Johnson, who curled home a delicious late third after being set up by the impressive George Saville.

A striker's goal from Britt Assombalonga - just his second of the campaign - had earlier put Boro on their way.

His effort from close range on 33 minutes, when he instinctively gravitated to the far post to bundle in almost on the goalline was the sort of scruffy strike that he can be accused of not scoring enough of during his time on Teesside.

It was a first half when the forward could have helped himself to a hat-trick, shooting at David Marshall early on and whipping an low angled shot just wide.

But his predator's effort will have appeased him and the watching Warnock.

Assombalonga's good-feeling would have been shared by Duncan Watmore, making his Boro debut after recently joining on a short-term deal.

The former Sunderland player, whose last competitive start was on Boxing Day, nodded a floated cross from Jonny Howson across goal and Assombalonga did the rest.

Derby substitute Louie Sibley went close moments after entering the fray at the start of the second half, but Boro soon got their act together and their two of their own replacements in Djed Spence and Johnson would make telling impacts.

Sibley belatedly called Marcus Bettinelli into action when the Boro loanee blocked his low shot, while Marcus Tavernier fired straight at Marshall from point-blank range with the goal at his mercy after being set up superbly by Spence.

It was the sort of moment that could have cost Boro - and undoubtedly angered Warnock, but relief soon arrived.

Nice build-up work ended in Matt Clarke turning in Johnson's cross to put through his own net ahead of the substitute's delightful curler.

Middlesbrough: Bettinelli; Dijksteel, Fry, McNair, Bola; Howson, Saville; Tavernier (Wing 86), Roberts (Spence 62), Watmore (Johnson 62); Assombalonga (Akpom 72). Substitutes unused: Stojanovic, Wood, Coulson, Folarin.

Derby County: Marshall; Byrne, Wisdom, Clarke, Buchanan (Holmes 70); Bird, Rooney; Lawrence (Whittaker 74), Knight, Jozwiak (Kazim-Richards 70); Waghorn (Sibley 45). Substitutes unused: Shinnie, Evans, Davies, Stretton.

Referee: P Bankes (Merseyside).