Deco and Southgate net awards

Chelsea playmaker and Boro boss rewarded for excellent starts

By Lewis Rutledge   Last updated: 13th September 2008

Deco and Southgate net awards

Deco: August award

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Deco has been named the Premier League's player of the month for August, with Gareth Southgate picking up the gong for top manager.

Portuguese playmaker Deco only joined Chelsea over the summer but he has settled into English football immediately.

He capped a superb debut performance against Portsmouth with a stunning-long range goal to make the finals score 4-0.

Deco then curled home a sublime free-kick as Chelsea beat Wigan 1-0, and set up Juliano Belletti's goal in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham.

Southgate has been rewarded for steering Middlesbrough to sixth in the league after three games of the season.

Boro have beaten Tottenham and Stoke at home, while they took the lead at Liverpool before eventually losing 2-1.

Southgate had never before been named manager of the month, but he was once given the accolade for player of the month.

Honour

He said: "I feel it's a great honour, not just for me, but for everybody at the football club.

"It's an honour I very much accept on behalf of myself and my staff because everything that we have achieved so far has been a team effort.

"I think the award is reward for the hard work everybody here put in during July to prepare for the new season.

"We have a really united club here and everybody has pulled together, and in that I include the players as well.

"There's a great atmosphere around the club at the moment and around the town, and long may it continue."