BORN-again Christian George Boateng last night warned he is not about to turn soft in his bid to help Middlesbrough back into the top six.

The Boro midfielder has been in trouble with the Football Association twice this season after incidents against Leeds United and Chelsea.

But Boateng was cleared on both occasions and he stands by his uncompromising ways - targeting more displays as the Riverside destroyer.

And although the 27-year-old may have strong religious beliefs, he revealed he is not about to become a Premiership pushover.

"Religion is a big part of me," he said. "But I must say that when I enter the pitch some people see me as a soft Christian but I am not.

"I may read the Bible but God also taught that you have to treat your job seriously.

"And because I am a Christian that does not mean I can't tackle or pick up a booking.

"That amazes me. Even in Holland people think 'well he's a Christian so how can he foul like that.' But it's not like that, it's about winning football matches.

"The position and the style I play means that I am a destroyer - I have to stop everything coming at us.

"So I can't go around with a water pistol, I have to go around with a mask and stop people!"

Despite being hard talking, Boateng thinks his reputation of one of the top-flight tigers is a little unfair.

The Dutchman admits he has made mistakes on the field in the past, but he believes he has matured over the years and he is no worse than players of similar ilk - stars like Arsenal's Patrick Vieira and Manchester United's Roy Keane.

In October, Boateng was involved in a spitting row with Leeds' Nick Barmby and the following month he was quizzed over an alleged elbow on Chelsea's Gianfranco Zola.

But Boateng, who tomorrow is due to come up against Zola at the Riverside for the first time since the altercation, said: "It's part of the game and incidents happen because it's such a high tempo game.

"I've had terrible tackles done to me over the years but I never got aggravated or I never made a big thing out of them. These things just happen.

"I don't know why people think I am a dirty player. My record speaks for itself if you read it. It's not as bad as other midfielders like Vieira or Keane. Things just happen when you play in the middle of midfield.

"I have had to improve and now I know what is allowed and what isn't. I picked up lots of silly bookings when I was younger, but I've managed to lower the number of those now.

"Take Aston Villa. I think I played something like 47 games last season and I only picked up six bookings and that's good for a tough midfielder like me.

"You are human and you can make mistakes. And sometimes you do things you do regret.

"But personally I just feel that certain things are just part of your character."

Boateng, meanwhile, believes manager Steve McClaren will be working hard to try to bring in new blood when the transfer window opens next month.

Boro have slipped from third to ninth in the Premiership after winning just two of their last eight League games.

And Boateng, who was part of McClaren's pre-season rebuidling plan, thinks more fresh faces will help improving Boro grow even stronger.

"It's the manager's job and he will see what needs to be done," said Boateng, who was signed for £5m from Villa in the summer. "My own point of view is that the manager is probably working really hard behind the scenes to get someone in.

"But so far I think we are all quite pleased with the players we have got.

"Middlesbrough are still a little bit behind Manchester United and Arsenal in strength of squads, but we are doing very well."

l Boro target Owen Hargreaves has hinted he will turn his back on a move to the Barclaycard Premiership and stay with German giants Bayern Munich.

The 21-year-old England international told Kicker magazine that he may well stay in Bavaria for the foreseeable future.

''FC Bayern are one of the best sides in the world,'' said Hargreaves, who rose to prominence in Bayern's Champions League-winning side in 2001. ''I like it here and can move to England at the age of 25 or 26. It's not good for a young player to switch teams often.''

Asked about reported offers from Arsenal and Liverpool, who are competing with Boro for his signature, he said: ''Everything could have happened very quickly if I had definitely stated my wish to leave Bayern.''

Not all is well though, with Jens Jeremies and Michael Ballack occupying Hargreaves' favourite position - central midfield.

''I want to play in defensive midfield, that's the best position for me,'' insisted Hargreaves. ''I have never been a right winger or right-sided defender."

Read more about Middlesbrough here.