Southgate - I'll never quit

18 April 2009 12:25
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has reiterated that the club will have to sack him if they want a new boss at The Riverside. The Premier League strugglers are in serious relegation danger ahead of the arrival of Fulham on Teesside on Saturday afternoon. Boro sit in the drop zone, two points from safety, and face the unenviable task of taking on Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Ham in their final five fixtures. The difficult run-in only adds strain on Southgate, who has been under pressure for the majority of the season and is expected to be shown the door if Boro are sent down. But the former England centre-back maintains he will never resign, telling the Daily Mirror: "There is no chance of me walking away. If you give up once in your life, you'll do it forever. "I've got two children and I think if I ever quit on anything that would be a really poor example to set them. Scandalous "And it's the same with my players. I think if they saw me quit as manager it would be a scandalous example to set them. "If you lost your job you obviously have to go home and explain to you family. But if I walked out on the job, I'm not quite sure how I could have that conversation with my family. "It's not the side about being out of work but the side that you gave up on something. For me as an individual that would be one of the biggest sins there can be. "I've got the support of the entire football club from what I can see. They've been an unbelievable help to me and given me fantastic backing. "There's no way I would walk out on them. If it goes wrong I'm here to carry the can. I won't shy away from it. Then I'll come out fighting again. If it goes right, we'll celebrate together. "Resignation can be likened to suicide. It's invariably a selfish act. You don't think about the people being left behind."

Source: SKY_Sports