AJ backs Boro boss, Poga may leave

26 March 2009 09:45
Adam Johnson believes Middlesbrough are right to keep faith with Gareth Southgate, while Emanuel Pogatetz admits he may leave The Riverside.Boro have endured another difficult season in the Premier League, with their top-flight status very much under threat.They currently sit second from bottom in the table, four points from safety, with eight games remaining.Unsurprisingly Southgate has borne the brunt of fans' angst over recent weeks, with regular calls for his head reverberating around The Riverside.However, chairman Steve Gibson, a man renowned for his patience and loyalty to his coaches, insists he has no intention of implementing managerial changes.Johnson has welcomed that news, insisting Southgate remains the ideal candidate to lead the club to safety."It's fantastic. All the lads are behind him and we want him to stay. I think it was exactly right what the chairman did," the winger told Sky Sports News."Our next three games are really important and if we can get a couple of wins it all changes again, we could be out of there and someone else could be in."There are some big games, but there is still a long way to go before it is decided who is going to go down."Boro captain Pogatetz, meanwhile, has hinted that he could leave the club if they suffer relegation this season.The Austria international has intimated that he could be forced to leave the Riverside Stadium if the club are demoted to the Championship.He said in The Sun: "I'm 26 years old and I want to continue playing at the highest level."Should I leave in the summer, it will be for sporting reasons or to go to a club that plays in Europe or one with high ambitions."It becomes tiring to fight relegation every season."Defender Pogatetz signed for Boro from Bayer Leverkusen in 2005 and has since emerged as a key player for the Teessiders.[LNB]

Source: Eurosport