Southgate stands firm

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is continuing to shrug of suggestions that his job is under threat.

Boro currently sit in fourth in the Coca-Cola Championship, four points adrift of leaders West Brom.

But Middlesbrough fans are anything but happy with their current predicament as they have lost their last three homes game.

Average home attendances are below 20,000 for the first time since Boro moved to the Riverside Stadium but Southgate insists the pressure is not getting to him.

“I have been here for manager for three-and-a-half years and you answer questions about your future from day one,” he told Sky Sports News.

“I am focused on the job in hand, focused on trying to get jobs for this football club and we said at the start two points per game would probably win this league and as it stands that is top of the league now, so what we are saying is not wrong.

“We are four points off the target we set ourselves and getting results at home is going to be key to that, but everyone is finding that.

“There is very little consistency around and all teams are dropping points unexpectedly so we have to keep persevering to get it right.”