Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has admitted he is fortunate to have the backing of chairman Steve Gibson.
Boro chief thankful chairman kept faith in him
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has admitted he is fortunate to have the backing of chairman Steve Gibson.
Southgate's future at the Riverside has been the subject of speculation this season after a mixed run of form.
Boro eased any pressure on Southgate with an impressive 1-0 win at Portsmouth on Saturday after two consecutive defeats.
Gibson has steadfastly supported Southgate during the difficult times and the former England international is thankful for the support.
Lucky
"I'm lucky to have a chairman who looks at how the club is being run as a whole, not just at Saturday's results.
"Other chairmen might not have stuck by me.
"When things aren't going well - especially when an element of the crowd got at me after we lost at home to Villa - he comes under pressure because people see me as a weakness.
"It's my first job in management. I want to deliver results to repay his faith. Steve is a very successful businessman and he has obviously seen something in me that he thinks can make it work.
"The world of football is very fickle - one minute you are useless, the next you are a hero.
"The main thing I have learned in my first 18 months of being a manager is not to get carried away with the hysteria, whether it's for you or against you."
