Southgate safe as Boro chairman Gibson vows to stand by his man

24 March 2009 13:21
Security: Southgate has been told he won't be axed Middlesbrough manager Steve Gibson has insisted he will not sack manager Gareth Southgate. Boro fans turned on Southgate after their latest defeat at Stoke on Saturday, calling on Gibson to dismiss a boss for the first time in more than 20 years. Boro have won just one Premier League game in the last 18 and are starting to be cast adrift in the bottom three but Gibson, who loyally stood by Bryan Robson when the club was last relegated 10 years ago, has no intention of firing his former captain. Southgate has also vowed to fight on, despite the club's plight, and Gibson's unstinting support is a major boost for the Middlesbrough manager as he looks to guide the Teesside club to safety. Gibson told the club's website: 'I have spoken with a lot of fans over the last few weeks and they ask me about Gareth Southgate. But the magic wand on our situation isn't sacking Gareth Southgate.  Boo boys need to get behind us, says Boro winger DowningDES KELLY: For Middlesbrough's sake it's time to go, Gareth SouthgateStoke 1 Middlesbrough 0: Upbeat Downing backs fans' furyMIDDLESBROUGH FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET 'Of course everybody has their opinion in football and I understand the frustration of the fans. 'I have always said we have a knowledgeable crowd at Middlesbrough and you have to respect that. 'I take on board the views of the fans because I care as much as they do but if I was to sack Gareth Southgate at this stage how would it help the situation? 'The one thing I know is that Gareth Southgate is hurting as well. I see him on a regular basis and I know how much our situation is hurting him. 'But I also see the hard work he is putting in all day, every day of the week and I know that things are being done the right way. Late show: Shawcross sickened Middlesbrough with Stoke's winner on Saturday 'The real work is done on training ground during the week. It doesn't matter how much preparation is put in, once the game kicks off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon any manager is limited in what he can do to influence the result. And the result is everything. 'Gareth has great experience of football at every level. He is working to the best of his ability to turn things round. 'When he was a player he worked immensely hard to make himself a better player. He does exactly the same as a manager. I couldn't expect any more from him in terms of blood, sweat and tears. 'We can't put what happens on the pitch fully on Gareth's shoulders and that's why we have to share the workload and the responsibility. Special reserve: Alves will feature for the seconds 'When things go wrong, people lose faith in the manager but there is a lot more involved and we must always continue to look at the wider picture before coming to decisions.'  Meanwhile,  £12million flop Afonso Alves has two months to save his Boro career, starting with a stint for the club's reserves tonight (Tuesday). Southgate, who shelled out the club record fee to take the Brazilian from Heerenveen last January, has named Alves in the second string side to take on Manchester United at the Riverside Stadium. Alves has scored just four Premier League goals this season and has not started the last six games. Southgate has instead turned to Tuncay Sanli and Jeremie Aliadiere, but they have still managed just one goal in the last four League matches. First-team regulars Julio Arca, Justin Hoyte, Matthew Bates, Ross Turnbull and Josh Walker will also play for the reserves.  

Source: Daily_Mail