VETERAN Middlesbrough defender Gary Pallister is fighting to save his season.

The former and England centre-half has undergone surgery for a chronic back problem and faces two months' rehabilitation before he hits the comeback trail.

Pallister, 35, has missed the last nine matches and been out for nearly two months since Boro lost 2-1 at Old Trafford.

Boro head coach Terry Venables said yesterday: "I think that, in about six weeks to two months, he might start jogging again.

"He's really suffered and had a terrible time. It's the injury he's had for a long time and this operation is to clear it up.''

Pallister, who has made only nine appearances in an injury-ridden season, had a disc shaved when he went into hospital last week.

Venables, meanwhile, yesterday called for the use of video evidence to eradicate refereeing blunders.

Boro were denied two penalty claims in the home game with Coventry last Saturday and saw Leeds score from the spot on New Year's Day when Curtis Fleming was harshly penalised for handball.

Venables said: "This has gone on for years. We had two games in three days and had two penalties against Coventry that looked obvious to me, and we got nothing.

"Then there's a decision conjured up against Leeds after we'd worked hard to get our noses in front.

"When the opposition have hardly had any chances, you feel hard done by to say the least.

"I know how difficult the referee's job is, but I still feel we've not progressed enough. We should experiment with things in the lower leagues.

"Everybody has to be accountable and it's not enough to say the referee's decision is always right. We want to improve the game all-round. It's now a huge sport and we're still behind in a lot of decision-making."

Venables yesterday admitted that Boro would have joined the chase for Finnish ace Jari Litmanen had Liverpool not beaten them to the punch for the Barcelona front-runner.

Boro have also been strongly linked with Celtic striker Mark Burchill.

Andy Campbell's comeback, after nearly two months out with a hernia, has been held up by a virus