Vidmar keen to keep place

Middlesbrough defender Tony Vidmar has warned he is not about to give up his place without a fight after waiting patiently for his chance.

The 33-year-old Australian international, who arrived at the Riverside Stadium at the start of the season knowing he would have to bide his time, has been handed his latest opportunity to impress manager Steve McClaren by Ugo Ehiogu’s misfortune.

Vidmar, who has already proved his worth as a deputy at left-back for suspended Frenchman Franck Queudrue this season, will be the beneficiary of the former Aston Villa centre-back’s horrendous clash with Blackburn keeper Brad Friedel, which left him with three fractured ribs and a punctured lung.

With Ehiogu sidelined for up to eight weeks, the former Glasgow Rangers player is determined to make his presence felt after what he admits has been a frustrating period in his career.

“It was very hard,” he admitted. “I came here in around August-September, so the team had already been training over six weeks of pre-season.

“I missed the pre-season and had a lot of catching up to do, but I think that I’d looked after myself fairly well in the off-season, did my own training so I could cope when an opportunity like this came up.

“It’s been good. I settled in fairly quickly. I don’t think there was any problem at all. From day one when I started training here, everything was pretty much in balance and into the groove.

“I only signed a one-year contract, so I won’t be knocking on the door of the manager yet, but I haven’t found it a level too high for me. I think I can still compete at this level and I’d definitely like to stay here longer.”

Vidmar was initially left in limbo after being released by Rangers at the end of last season, but he had few qualms about accepting Boro’s offer of employment after consulting former Ibrox team-mates Claudio Reyna and Giovanni van Bronkhorst, now on the books at Sunderland and Arsenal respectively.

“I’ve kept in touch with Claudio Reyna and Giovanni van Bronkhorst, and they told me about how it is in the Premiership,” he said. “The game is quicker here, but that’s because the ball is more in play here than in Scotland.

“The players are technically better than they are in Scotland, and every week is a difficult game.

“For Rangers and Celtic players, there’s an added pressure because you’re expected to win every game and win fairly comfortably, but here, that’s not the case. They’re all difficult games.

“But I’m enjoying it, really enjoying the challenge of it, and I’m looking forward to staying here longer.”

However, despite the raging debate about the difference in quality between the English and Scottish top flights, Vidmar still retains a great deal of affection for football north of the border.

“English football is highly regarded there, and I think at times when you talk to the Scottish press and say you’d like to play in England, it gets blown out of proportion,” he said.

“People say the Scottish league is weak maybe, but that’s not the case. It’s a different kind of football.

“It’s much more physical than it is here and the two big teams have a lot more to spend to get quality players, and other teams don’t have that kind of luxury.

“But my time in Glasgow was fantastic. I’ll never regret that and I’m glad I took that opportunity.

“But I’m here now and I like to take advantage of whatever opportunities I get.”

Vidmar is likely to partner Boro skipper Gareth Southgate at the heart of the defence when form side Southampton visit the Riverside on Saturday, and that is a prospect to which he is looking forward.

“He’s been good, he’s been very good,” he said. “He’s a true leader, a very good player and he’s helped me throughout the games I’ve played so far.

“It just makes your job easier if you have someone who’s as good a communicator as Gareth is.”