Premiership: Boro wait on Venables decision

Middlesbrough could have to wait a fortnight for Terry Venables’ decision if it does not come within the next 48 hours.

The Londoner left Teesside on Saturday night mulling over an intriguing offer from Boro chairman Steve Gibson and vowing to think it through fully before giving his answer.

Gibson has promised not to rush the 58-year-old and insists that he will wait as long as it takes to get his man.

But if the pair do not have further discussions by Wednesday, it could be two weeks before they have a chance to meet face-to-face again.

A party from Gibson’s company Bulkhaul, including the Boro chairman, chief executive Keith Lamb and manager Bryan Robson, is due to fly to Singapore on Wednesday for a corporate football tournament, and is not scheduled to return until a fortnight later.

Venables has hinted that he will not need weeks to make up his mind after being persuaded to re-think his initial decision to go, but Gibson is so keen to keep the former England boss at the Riverside Stadium that he will not put any added pressure on him.

It has been suggested that Boro are prepared to agree a compromise deal which would allow Venables to continue his involvement with the club and fulfil his contract with ITV, but that would also require talks with television bosses meaning a further delay.

The club will be determined to resolve the situation as quickly as possible with season ticket sales likely to be affected if the uncertainty drags on, but they will be happy enough to wait for a positive answer rather than finding themselves back to square one if Venables finally opts to stick by his first thought.

That would spark a fresh round of rumours, with the names of Kevin Keegan, Alex McLeish, Steve McClaren and Brian Kidd having already been thrown into the mixer in recent days.

The tension both in the Riverside boardroom and on the streets of Teesside is equally reflected in the dressing room, and the players Venables guided out of the relegation mire remain hopeful that he will stay on.

‘‘Obviously the fact he’s still thinking about it means there’s still a chance he’ll stay,’’ defender Ugo Ehiogu said. ‘‘It’s not cut and dried.

‘‘I’d like to see him stay, I think all the lads would. Whatever happens either way, it has to be sorted out as soon as possible so everyone can start thinking about next year.’’

With next year in mind, Ehiogu will tomorrow undergo surgery on the hernia which almost kept him out of Saturday’s 2-1 home win over West Ham.

Fellow defender Steve Vickers has also been lined up for a similar operation this week, while Colombian striker Hamilton Ricard is already recovering from his own trip to hospital for the same complaint.

For Ehiogu, the move ruled him out of contention for international selection, but will mean he will be fully fit when he returns for pre-season training.

‘‘The England call-up was the icing on the cake for me last season,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s a little bit unfortunate that I go in for a hernia operation tomorrow, but that’s something that I’ve been carrying for a number of years now and it just has to be done.

‘‘It means I’m out of recognition again, but hopefully I’ll come back pre-season and I’ll be raring to go and try to push for the next couple of squads.’’