But it was the way it was done ... rather than the fact Southgate was given his P45.
The fans were staying away, and Southgate admitted himself, he dreaded the home games because he - and the players - struggled to cope with the pressure when they fell behind in games.
The Boro fans has seen enough ... and Southgate was never going to be the man to bring success, no matter how "nice" a guy he was.
Lamb: "My job is to do what is best for Boro. Gareth served the club well as a player, captain and a manager. I only have good things to say about Gareth.
"We dealt with the situation as best as we could. It was never going to be easy asking Gareth to leave."