MIDDLESBROUGH chairman Steve Gibson last night attempted to draw a line under the uncertainty surrounding Steve McClaren's contract situation by insisting an agreement between the two parties remains legally binding.

McClaren, who is at the centre of controversy after chief executive Keith Lamb said that a four-year contract had not been signed, is expected to reveal his version of events at a press conference this lunchtime.

But Gibson, who was pictured with the Boro boss back in November after McClaren publicly stated he had signed the new contract, spoke out last night to defend everyone involved in the fiasco.

"The contract is in place so it is not an issue, either for Steve or for us," said Gibson. "In point of law, contracts do not have to be physically signed to be enforceable and, in any case, when I shake hands with somebody, it is a deal as far as I am concerned."

Conspiracy theorists have managed to come up with a whole host of possible reasons why the deal was not actually completely signed when it was supposed to have been.

The most popular theory has been that McClaren has been lined up to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson as England coach after this summer's World Cup - which Northern Echo Sport believes to be untrue.

The whole saga, which would never have started had the contract been signed and sealed in the first place as it was supposed to have been, all started on Tuesday night.

Lamb announced live on 100 Century FM's Three Legends phone-in that the deal was still unsigned.

A 'small technicality' was given as the reason behind the breakdown but now Gibson is keen to see the matter resolved by McClaren signing the lucrative contract once and for all, committing himself to the club until 2009.

Lamb, meanwhile, has described midfielder Fabio Rochemback as "unrecognisable" from the player that Boro spent £1.5m on last year.

However, Boro chiefs have launched into a passionate defence of the Brazilian and have backed him to rediscover his form and win over the Riverside boo-boys.

Rochemback, who came to Boro's attention while playing against them for Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup, joined on transfer deadline day from Barcelona but has, as yet, failed to live up to his billing.

He has come in for heavy criticism from Boro fans during the club's recent bad run, which has seen the Teessiders slip towards the Premiership relegation places.

But Lamb, while admitting he was yet to prove his worth, has rushed to Rochemback's defence in an attempt to prevent him from becoming a scapegoat.

"Fabio isn't playing well," Lamb said on the Three Legends show. "People often say 'do you ever scout these players?'

"We looked at Rochemback time and again and I was part and parcel of it. When the manager said to me 'what do you think about him?' I thought he was fabulous.

"He was great against us and he was great in the games that we saw.

"To get him a work permit we produced a video of his performances over two years for Sporting Lisbon and they were fantastic.

"He hasn't had the best of starts. The manager, and I agree with him, thinks that he will come good. He is taking time to settle into the English game, he has come into a side that has struggled with or without him.

"I think he is one of those players that you have to build a certain part of the team around him and we haven't necessarily had that luxury.

"But I am still confident, and Steve McClaren is still confident, that he will come good. It's just unfortunate, but he is just unrecognisable at the moment from the lad that we saw."

Rochemback is likely to find himself on the bench again at Coventry City tomorrow, particularly as Gaizka Mendieta restarted training with the rest of the Boro squad in Spain before returning to Teesside yesterday afternoon.

But the Brazilian is unlikely to be joined on the sidelines by goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who is in line for his first start since handing in a transfer request and withdrawing it.

Deputy keeper Brad Jones has picked up an injury since last weekend's 3-2 defeat to Wigan and has been forced to pull out of training in Marbella.

That has paved the way for Schwarzer, desperate to stay in Australia's plans for this summer's World Cup, to make his return to the fold.

He will be bracing himself for a split reaction from sections of the away supporters at the Ricoh Stadium tomorrow.

He was singled out for criticism when he appeared for the reserves recently.

Frenchman Didier Agathe is intent on proving to Boro that Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has been wrong to ignore him.

Agathe, who has been training with the Boro squad in Marbella this week, is keen on making a switch to the Riverside Stadium after turning down Leeds United's overtures.

The 30-year-old, with just five substitute appearances behind him for Celtic this season despite spending the past five years at Parkhead, is now keen to tie up a deal in the Premiership.

Agathe said: "I can't stay with Celtic for another six months. I hope I will be able to make it elsewhere shortly."

Agathe is out of contract in the summer and Celtic are willing to offload him now for nothing.

* Boro are now thought to be out of the running to sign Czech defender Martin Latka, who was also training in Spain with the squad.

Latka's agent, Barry Silkman, claims the Slavia Prague player is in talks with Birmingham City. "We are talking with Birmingham and they are trying to do something. A few things have changed in the last few days and Middlesbrough are out of the picture."

Read more about Middlesbrough here.