Source: SKY_Sports
Downing focussed on battle
Stewart Downing insists helping Middlesbrough stay up remains his top priority. Tottenham failed with a bid for Downing in January and the Teesside-born winger slapped in a transfer request.Downing, though, is insistent that he is focussed on only one thing and that is helping Boro stay in the Premier League."Obviously I talked to the manager about the situation [transfer request]," Downing admitted."I listened to what he said and I'm just getting on with the job."I'm trying to do my best for the club."The important thing is that we keep everybody together because it's difficult times."You need everybody doing their bit for the team, including the subs when they come on, if we are to get out of this situation."You speak to the players and they know we are in a little bit of trouble at the moment, but we know we can get out of it."We have no excuses being in the bottom three. But we want to keep the club in the Premier League because that's where we want to be."Big gameBoro travel to Manchester City on Saturday - a game that can be seen live on Sky Sports 1 - and Downing admits they need a result."We have to go to Manchester City and get something because we don't want to see teams pull away from us," he said."City are similar to us, and so it's a good game to win."Obviously they have spent a lot of money and brought in a few new players, but if it is going to happen for them then everybody has to gel as a team."I think it will be a different kind of game to the Blackburn one, and maybe we can go there and create a few more chances."The lads here know what we have to do."We have got ourselves in this situation and we have to get ourselves out of it."We have had a few decent results against Man City over the years."It would be good to notch another win, and if we are to do that we have to create chances."Obviously it would be great to personally get off the mark. It's been a strange one because it's been a long time without a goal."Maybe last season the goals came more easily because we were more attack minded."The situation we are in, there is more defensive work needed."But I don't mind not scoring as long as we win."