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The Boro manager attacked his predecessor for the poor state of the scouting network at the Riverside, saying it will take several years to get up to scratch.

McClaren was in charge for five seasons before becoming the surprise choice to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson as England manager.

"One of the things we had when I took over was a very poor recruitment department," he said.

"It will probably take another two or three years for us to see the benefit of having more scouting avenues and having a better feel for what's going on in the world.

"At least we are getting out and watching as many matches as we can - that will give us half a chance because football is like any other business: it's about recruiting the right people.

"I have no idea why it was allowed to decline, but that's an area where we still have a tremendous amount of work to do."

Southgate has come under intense pressure following a disappointing 2006/07 campaign and a rotten start to the present campaign.

None of their major summer signings - Tuncay Sanli, Mido, Jeremie Aliadiere, Gary O'Neil and Luke Young - has enjoyed much success.

Boro have struggled to recruit effectively, forcing them to be extremely reliant on academy players such as David Wheater and Lee Cattermole.

Alex Chick / Eurosport