Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson is convinced Gareth Southgate is the man to drag the club back into the Barclays Premier League.

The former Boro skipper's third season in charge at the Riverside Stadium ended in the misery of relegation at the weekend, but the man who fought to appoint him back in 2006 remains fully behind his manager.

Answering fans questions on a BBC Tees phone-in on Tuesday night, Gibson said: "We will not have a scapegoat at this football club, it will not be Gareth Southgate."

He added: "He is a good man, an intelligent man capable of being a top, top manager. Gareth has convinced me he knows what it takes to get us back up.

"He is a man I know and admire and we will work together in getting this football club back into the Premier League.

"What we need is the support of the fans and the town, and let's work together to get the club back in the Premier League.

"You may disagree with my decision and I respect that, but I have to make the decision and I am convinced that Gareth is the right man for the job."

Gibson confirmed that there would be significant changes at the club in the wake of a traumatic season, but insists he and his manager are focussing only on a swift return to the big time.

He said: "We are, of course, all very bitterly disappointed and it's been a hard time. But I was born five minutes from the Riverside Stadium, my childhood was in Pallister Park, I was brought up in Park End - we can take it.

"We can't change that that's happened. We need to plan for a new challenge, the coming campaign in the Championship."