Gibson Sticks To His Guns - Southgate Stays!

"But the magic wand in our situation isn't sacking Gareth Southgate.

"Of course, everybody has their opinion in football and I understand the frustration of the fans.

"I have always said that 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.

"The real work is done on the 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 around.

"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.

"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."