Source: Telegraph
Gareth Southgate receives Middlesbrough backing
Southgate's side have slipped to third-bottom of the Premier League but the club's chief executive, Keith Lamb, backed the former England defender to oversee an upturn in fortunes.[LNB]"The one thing that is certain is that Gareth will get the time to put it right," Lamb said. We still remain confident – myself and (chairman) Steve Gibson – that Gareth is the man to do it. We are not panicking.[LNB]"Gareth made a lot of changes in the summer and brought a lot of young players in to bring down the average age of the team considerably.[LNB]"It was always his intention to try to put together a high-energy team and it should take time to bed in but we remain confident that it is the right way to go.[LNB]"Gareth and his staff are just working hard on the training field and we are hoping that the harder you work the better the results you will get."[LNB]Lamb, who runs the club for owner Gibson, is convinced Southgate's personal qualities make him perfectly equipped for the challenge ahead despite his lack of managerial experience.[LNB]"He's coping with the pressure very well," Lamb added. "The harder it gets the more determined he is to succeed. That was Gareth as a player. He came into the game late and then played 57 times for England.[LNB]"We saw him a number of times when he was the captain of Middlesbrough when he roused the dressing room and kept the players together. He is a fighter and a winner and that is just what we need at the moment.[LNB]Boro face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night but Lamb is undaunted by the prospect of facing a team who won 5-0 at the Riverside in October.[LNB]"It will be difficult at Chelsea but we have done well there over the last couple of seasons and we'll put in a good performance," Lamb said.[LNB]"One of the things about playing the big boys is that there is no problem with attitude and application. Everybody is up for it so I am looking forward to the game.[LNB]"At the moment we are playing better away from home because it takes a bit of pressure off the young boys.[LNB]
