Bolton 4 Middlesbrough 1: Southgate: I'm not going to fall on my sword

06 April 2009 01:41
Gareth Southgate is staring into the abyss at Middlesbrough but if - or more likely when - the worst happens and Boro are relegated this season, the club's manager will be the first to stick out his chin and take the blows. Having been routed by a Bolton team that had their own relegation fears prior to kickoff, Boro will surely lose all hope if they fail to beat Hull at the Riverside on Saturday. But if that happens, do not expect Southgate to do the 'honourable' thing and walk away before the trap-door opens. He said: 'Resignation is a little bit like committing suicide because it is invariably a selfish act and I have no reason to walk away because I have to lead people through this. I am held responsible for everything that happens, but I can handle that. I'm determined that we will keep fighting until there is no air left.' With the lowestgoals tally in the Premier League this season, Boro need their defenders to make up for the failings of their forwards, but they were woeful at the Reebok. Ricardo Gardner's fourth goal was simplyunstoppable, but the first three - from Kevin Davies, Gary Cahill andMatt Taylor - were all a result of basic flaws in Boro's defending. Gary O'Neil's first-half equaliser gave Boro brief hope, but they were on level terms for only six minutes before Cahill hit Bolton's second. Now it is the big one for Boro. Three points at home to Hull this weekend and survival could be back on. Defeat is unthinkable, though. Defender David Wheater said: 'On a scale of one to 10, the Hull game is a 12. We have to win that one now otherwise it's going to be very difficult for us.' Bolton now realistically require threepoints from their remaining seven games to banish all threat ofrelegation and centre half Cahill said: 'It's weird how the league canchange around so much after just one match and I think the table willmake good reading for us now. We've won well and we're lookinghealthy.' BOLTON WANDERERS (4-3-2-1): Jaaskelainen 7; Steinsson 6,Cahill 7, Shittu 6, Samuel 6; Muamba 6, McCann 7, Gardner 7; K Davies7, M Taylor 8; Elmander 7 (Basham 83min). Booked: Muamba. MIDDLESBROUGH(3-4-1-2): Jones 5; Wheater 5, Huth 4, Pogatetz 5 (A Taylor 36, 6);Hoyte 5, O'Neil 6, Bates 6, Downing 5; Tuncay 7; Alves 6, Aliadiere 5(Emnes 75, 6). Booked: O'Neil. Man of the match: Matthew Taylor. Referee: Alan Wiley.

Source: Daily_Mail