Source: Daily_Mail
I'm relieved the transfer window has shut, admits Boro boss Southgate
Middlesbrough[LNB]boss Gareth Southgate admits the closure of the transfer windowhas come as a huge relief as he knuckles down for a survival fight.[LNB]The former England defender will send his side into Saturday's vital Barclays Premier League trip to Manchester City just one place off the foot of the table, but with a month or more of speculation now behind him having suffered no real casualties.[LNB]Boro rebuffed approaches from Tottenham and Portsmouth for Stewart Downing and Gary O'Neil respectively, while Chelsea's reported interest in Tuncay Sanli failed to amount to anything concrete.[LNB][LNB] Staying put: Middlesbrough turned down approaches for Stewart Downing (above)[LNB]Mido's departure for Wigan on loan brought Marlon King to the Riverside Stadium on a similar basis, and Southgate is happy that both he and his players now know for certain how the land will lie for the remainder of the campaign.[LNB]He said: 'We are pleased to have kept our important players - we felt that was an important part of January for us - and pleased to get on with getting back on the training ground and not be distracted by things which derailed us a bit over the last few weeks.[LNB] I wanted to join Spurs but now I'll stay and help Middlesbrough avoid the drop, says Downing [LNB]Boro admit FA charge following ref rant against West Brom [LNB]MIDDLESBROUGH FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB][LNB]'It's good the know the group of players who have got and it is good for the group of players to know they are all here until the middle of May, June at the very least.[LNB]'Nobody is coming in to threaten their places, nobody is going to weaken us as a squad, and it's healthy for everybody to know exactly what we are working with.'[LNB]Not a fan: Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate says the window is' distracting' for managers[LNB] Boro's stance over both Downing and O'Neil was unwavering as Spurs and Pompey repeatedly attempted to prise them away.[LNB]But Southgate acknowledges they will only know if they were right to maintain their stubborn resistance once the final ball is kicked.[LNB]He said: 'We took that stance we did on a couple of issues and we felt as a club that was the right thing to do.[LNB]'But we will only know if that was the right thing to do come the end of the season.'[LNB]Southgate, who himself tried to recruit Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson and later Reading counterpart James Harper without success, is no fan of the winter transfer window.[LNB]He admits he does not know what a better alternative would be, but is at least now looking forward to being able to concentrate solely on matters on the pitch.[LNB]Asked if the window is a distraction for managers, he said: 'I would think yes, for probably 90 per cent.[LNB]'You have that many more issues to deal with and you are taking calls from people you have never heard of and will never hear from again about people, very often, you have never heard of and will never hear of again.[LNB]'It's a system that, for a lot of us in football, we don't think works, but it is the system we have got and we get on with it.'[LNB] I wanted to join Spurs but now I'll stay and help Middlesbrough avoid the drop, says Downing [LNB]Boro admit FA charge following ref rant against West Brom [LNB]MIDDLESBROUGH FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB][LNB] [LNB]
