MIDDLESBROUGH'S depressing Sundays became all the more alarming at the Riverside Stadium yesterday when struggling Southampton embarrassed and eased their way past Steve McClaren's men.

Thousands had already voted with their feet by leaving the ground early, but those home supporters who stayed until the end voiced their grievances by greeting the final whistle with massive jeers.

The Boro faithful are becoming increasingly frustrated by the club's demise from genuine Champions League contenders prior to Christmas into a side that bares more of a resemblance to relegation strugglers.

Southampton, winners of their first league away fixture of the season on Teesside, were made to look like title contenders by a Boro side that have now dropped to ninth - the highest Premiership finish recorded during the Bryan Robson era.

In a strange sort of way the Teessiders, with just one win recorded in 11 Sunday outings this season, will be relieved European football is behind them so they can turn all their focus on reviving an ailing season.

By the time they go to Crystal Palace on April 2 - after the international break - McClaren hopes to have Ray Parlour, George Boateng and Mark Viduka back from injury.

But even that does not guarantee a turnaround in fortunes, with dwindling hopes of securing an automatic place in the UEFA Cup again next season clearly dampening the mood of the Boro camp.

Southampton's little and large strikeforce of Henri Camara and Peter Crouch tore the home side apart for much of the first half and throughout the second period.

And, after Crouch's seven minute double added to Andreas Jakobsson's opener, Boro are still searching for only their second league win since the turn of the year after failing to build on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's first half leveller.

Hasselbaink's appearance stunned the Riverside. Just three days after a no-show in Portugal with a knee injury that initially looked like keeping him out for at least six weeks, the club's top-scorer made a miraculous recovery.

It was a selection from manager McClaren that took the heat off Szilard Nemeth, after a lacklustre display alongside Joseph Job in Thursday's defeat to Sporting Lisbon, and he was given a wider role on the right of midfield.

That meant Stuart Parnaby accomodated the more defensive full-back position that had been vacated by Tony McMahon, with the Youth Cup winner penned in for surgery early this week on a knee cartilage problem.

And Saints boss Harry Redknapp's decision to stick with the pairing that has proved so beneficial in the battle against relegation in recent weeks - Camara and Crouch instead of former Boro target Kevin Phillips - was vindicated once again.

The heavy defeat for Crystal Palace at Chelsea had opened the door for Southampton to climb above the Eagles and out of the relegation places and that's exactly what they did by pocketing three points from the Riverside.

Certain results also went for Boro - with Aston Villa, Newcastle, Charlton and Manchester City all failing to win - so there was a real opportunity climb back into the top six. Yet those results still failed to have a positive effect on the confidence drained home side.

Initally it was the side wearing red that looked the more desperate to perform, having suffered the disappointment of a UEFA Cup exit in midweek plus the demise from the top six over the previous 14 days.

And had Boro taken the lead in the fourth minute when a fantastic chance for Job opened up then things may have turned out a little differently.

Bolo Zenden's exquisite cross field ball picked out Nemeth unmarked at the back post. The Slovakian volleyed first time across goal into the Cameroon forward's path but somehow Nigel Quashie, a midfielder who had tracked back, managed to block for a corner.

However, that only acted as a pick-me-up for the visitors, clearly intent on making sure the trip to the North-East from the south coast was not a pointless one.

When the opening goal arrived for Southampton it was exactly what they had deserved for a spell that brought panic to a home defence that was not being afforded much help from the midfield.

Midfielder Jamie Redknapp's stinging free-kick, after Doriva had stupidly fouled ex-Newcastle defender Olivier Bernard, was gathered by Mark Schwarzer but that was just the first danger sign.

The indomitable spirit that Harry Redknapp, formerly in charge of West Ham and Portsmouth, has always managed to instil in his teams was evidently clear again. Strong in the tackle and first to the loose balls, Boro struggled to deal with their hustling approach.

And Southampton were rewarded 14 minutes in. The home defence failed to deal with a routine Quashie centre and Bernard, ahead of Hasselbaink, reacted first to the rebound.

The eccentric Camara got to the by-line and picked out team-mate Jakobsson at the back post who had the simple task of picking his spot to put his side into the lead.

Redknapp's searching long balls caused trouble and it was from one of those that Camara very nearly made it two shortly after. Parnaby failed to deal with the pass and the Senegalese striker cut inside before his shot was turned behind for a corner by Schwarzer.

But, after another spell of pressing from Southampton went unrewarded, Boro finally responded and finished the half much better and much improved.

Job fired wide, after nutmegging Quashie 20-yards out, and then the African played his part, albeit fortuitously, in the equaliser four minutes before the break.

The striker, desperate to make the most of his chance in the continued absence of Viduka, pounced when Antti Niemi failed to deal with a powerful drive from Zenden. And Job's shot-cum-pass was tapped into an unguarded net by Hasselbaink.

Boro could have actually gone in at half-time in front but Nemeth was unlucky when his shot was saved by Niemi's legs as the Finn redeemed himself.

Strangely, though, the break only proved to dampen the hosts' involvement as an attacking force and reintroduced Southampton as match-winners.

Boro knew all about the Crouch threat before he actually struck his double. The former England Under-21 star rose above Queudrue to head just wide of Schwarzer's goal from Graeme Le Saux's centre.

But Crouch, criticised around the grounds for his gargantuan and gangly style, made sure nine minutes later by repeating the movement and climbing high, above Southgate this time, and headed Bernard's cross past the keeper.

To make matters worse for Boro he compounded the home side's woe by grabbing a sensational second just seven minutes later. This time the 6ft 7in frame guided Le Saux's cross beyond Schwarzer's right hand with an exceptional volley.

The vultures began to circle and the boos began to ring around the ground as the Boro supporters voiced their disbelief at what they had just witnessed.

Not even a double substitution, of Michael Reiziger and Danny Graham, plus a switch of formation could claw Boro back from the dead this time. Serious work needs to be done in this international break or a season of promise could descend into farce and frustration.

Middlesbrough 1 Southampton 3.

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