Southgate shrugs off the doom-mongers

GARETH SOUTHGATE insists he is ready to become the fall guy for Middlesbrough’s faltering season if it helps protect his young squad.

Boro slipped to 19th in the league table as a result of this dismal draw and they were booed off by what remained of the 24,303-strong crowd, who lost patience after their side managed only one genuine shot on target, while keeper Brad Jones staged a defiant one-man stand at the other end.

Just how Rovers left the north-east having not taken their tally from the past six league games to 12 points was a mystery to manager Sam Allardyce. But as the former Newcastle manager reflected on a missed opportunity, his opposite number could have been forgiven for wondering where his side’s next win will come from.

“I’ll take the criticism on board because I have got broad shoulders, and no matter what is thrown at me, I am going to keep coming back for more,” Southgate said.

“You either walk away from it – and that’s weak – or you stand and you fight and you dig in, and that’s the only option for us because otherwise, you sit and feel sorry for yourself and think the world is against you. It’s not. We have got to work hard, we have got to make sure we roll our sleeves up, we get on the training ground, we keep trying to improve.”

Had it not been for Jones, however — the Australian was preferred to Ross Turnbull following his blunder at Chelsea in midweek — Rovers could have won comfortably.

Having earlier saved from Keith Andrews and Roque Santa Cruz, Jones produced five crucial stops from substitutes David Dunn and Jason Roberts, the last of them five minutes into injury time, in a dramatic conclusion to the game.

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): Jones 8, Wheater 6, Riggott 6, Huth 6, Pogatetz 6, A Johnson 7, Bates 6, Walker 6, Downing 6, King 5 (Emnes 65, 5), Sanli 5 (Alves 65, 5).

Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Hoyte, Shawky, Arca, McMahon.

BLACKBURN (4-4-2): Robinson7, Ooijer 5, Nelsen 7, Samba 7, Warnock 7, Emerton 6 (Dunn 50, 6), Andrews 6 (Tugay 42, 6), Grella 6, Pedersen 6, McCarthy 6 (Roberts 73, 6), Santa Cruz 6.

Subs Not Used: Bunn, Villanueva, Givet, Simpson.

REFEREE: Chris Foy (Merseyside) 5: Overly fussy, with far too many stoppages ruining an already uninspired game.

MATCH RATING: ** Awful, although Rovers were by far the better side and, but for Jones, would have run out comfortable winners.