FORMER Boro star Paul Gascoigne welcomed two of his former bosses to Goodison Park on Wednesday, and then backed them to save the Teessiders from the dreaded drop.

Gazza met up again with Bryan Robson, his manager at Middlesbrough, and Terry Venables, his manager with England and Spurs, and predicted they will succeed in their fight against relegation.

He said: ''They are unbeaten in nine and I am really pleased for them.

''I am one of the fortunate ones that has had the pleasure of working with Terry and Bryan and I am sure the lads there are really enjoying themselves.

''The partnership is definitely working, without a doubt, and Terry is a man I know that Bryan is looking forward to working with.

''It is a shame what happened to Bryan but obviously he needed some help. He was under a lot of pressure, took it all himself and didn't blame any of the players.

''The fans have to realise that and where they were before Bryan took over. He has done absolutely brilliant with them.''

Geordie Gascoigne, who failed to set the Riverside alight during his ill-fated spell there, said he still retains the highest respect for former England skipper Robson.

He added: ''Everyone at Middlesbrough has total respect for Bryan. Whatever he says they'll listen and they respect him.

''You have to remember he was England captain for years, but he'll still be learning from Terry and he's probably enjoying it.''

Gascoigne, who found a new lease of life when teaming up with Walter Smith at Everton earlier this season, is hoping to hear today that he can step up his training after a second operation in three months.

Boro defender Colin Cooper, who scored with a 20-yard header at Goodison, revealed the Riverside players are aware of what is being said behind their backs.

But the 33-year-old, facing suspension after being booked for time-wasting near the end of Wednesday's game, reckons the team were working just as hard for Robbo as they now are for Venables.

He said: ''People have levelled the criticism at us that we have only done it in the past couple of months and that we weren't playing for Bryan.

''But as far as we were concerned we were working our backsides off when Terry came anyway, we were doing that for Bryan, it's not that we are just playing for Terry and not Bryan.

''Everybody thought a miracle had happened when Terry arrived, but as far as we are concerned we have just continued to work hard and hoped to pick up points as often as possible.

''As far as I'm concerned, for example, I don't think that any three of our central defenders turned out together for more than three games on the trot because of injuries before Terry arrived, things have clicked but we were always working hard.

''Now we have a crucial home game with Manchester City on Saturday, so we are aiming for the win that will really pull us away from the bottom.

''If we can edge a win out of that than everything will look a lot healthier. Until we get five or six more wins there's no way we can count ourselves out of the relegation fight."

lEngland Under-21 striker Andy Campbell is in contention for a recall by Middlesbrough tomorrow after scoring twice in his third comeback game. Campbell has not played a competitive match since Terry Venables took over but goals in a 4-0 friendly victory over a Hartlepool side will almost certainly mean a place in the squad to face Manchester City at the Riverside.

With striker Hamilton Ricard very doubtful after breaking his nose in the mid-week draw at Everton, Campbell could play a part at some stage alongside Alen Boksic.

Republic of Ireland winger Alan Moore is also likely to be in the squad after scoring against Hartlepool, his sixth goal in four games since

lBoro defender Gianluca Festa's chances of a move to Chelsea could be scuppered after the breakdown of Frank Leboeuf's proposed £2.5m transfer to Monaco. It was believed that Chelsea would firm up their interest in the Italian after finalising the deal to allow Leboeuf to return to France.