Southgate defends tough decision to leave out Coyne

GARETH SOUTHGATE admitted it was a tough decision to drop Danny Coyne for the trip to Coventry but felt the change was vindicated, despite seeing his side lose a two-goal lead. The Middlesbrough manager relegated Coyne, along with full-backs Tony McMahon and Jonathan Grounds and midfielder Mark Yeates, to the bench following the 5- 0 defeat at home to West Brom. The changes looked a masterstroke with Boro two-up with 13 minutes left but a late capitulation saw the Sky Blues rescue an unlikely point. Southgate said: It wasnt an easy decision. Danny in particular has been very good for us but Brad we had in our mind at the beginning of the season as our number one. He (Jones) relieved a lot of pressure on our defence by coming and claiming a lot of balls played into our box and he made some good saves. In the end when we look back on it there were some crucial saves he made that may in fact show a draw was a fairer result than were feeling now. Well have to watch it back again. Left back Joe Bennett started his first game for Middlesbrough and Justin Hoyte came in on the opposite flank a move Southgate believed would allow his side to keep possession better and press Coventry back. There were some freakish events against West Brom and what we wanted against Coventry were some different qualities in our team, said Southgate. The four full backs weve used in the last two games all have different attributes. We wanted to be a little more comfortable in possession of the ball and push Coventry back. The changes were made because we felt the players who came in deserved their opportunities. Southgate, meanwhile, has been linked with a move for Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker. Reo-Coker is deemed surplus to requirements at Villa Park following a well-publicised training ground bust-up with manager Martin ONeill. Boro would take the player on a three-month loan deal prior to a possible permanent transfer in January. The former West Ham player was a target for the Teessiders in the summer as part of the package that took Steward Downing to Villa, but that offer came to nothing.

Source: Northern_Echo