THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIDDLESBROUGH, England — Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson won’t consider firing manager Gareth Southgate despite the club’s apparent slide toward relegation.
Boro is 19th in the 20-team Premier League after just one win in its past 18 matches and has just eight games left to climb out of the three-team relegation zone.
Southgate has been in charge for almost three years and coaxed attractive passing play from his team, but Gibson said Tuesday the recent inability to turn that into good results didn’t mean he would be fired despite some fans wanting him out.
"The magic wand in our situation isn’t sacking Gareth Southgate," Gibson said. "Of course everybody has their opinion in football and I understand the frustration of the fans.
"I’ve 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?"