HAVING endured his most difficult afternoon as Middlesbrough manager, a wounded Steve McClaren last night moved to reassure supporters that he is the right man to take the club forward.

A comprehensive 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday - that was arguably a worse display than that which lost by seven to Arsenal three weeks earlier - was the clearest indication yet that all is not well at the Riverside Stadium.

After Luke Moore had completed the win with his hat-trick, one disillusioned fan was allowed to walk half the length of the pitch and throw his season ticket at McClaren before being escorted out by stewards.

The embarrassed Boro boss remained in the dug-out, doing his best to remain calm, as ironic calls for him to take over England bellowed out.

There were also loud chants of 'out, out, out' and 'there's only one Tony Mowbray' - in reference to the outstanding job the former Boro captain is doing north of the border with Hibernian, who won 3-0 at Rangers earlier in the day.

McClaren, though, is doing his best to remain optimistic despite the growing possibility that the axe could fall on him if things don't turn around quickly.

"Does it hurt? It is not the best thing," said McClaren, whose new contract does include a clause that would mean he would only receive a severance package and not the true worth of his three-and-a-half-year deal if he was sacked.

"I can fully understand the fans' criticism and I'm not shying away from that. I am the manager and I am responsible. The buck stops with me and I understand their anger.

"I have had better times but believe me I don't like losing matches in the manner we lost on Saturday. That's the most disappointing thing. The thing that surprises me the most was how inept we were.

"It reinforces my determination to get things right. I have said to the players that we are all going to get some stick for that performance, and deservedly so, but we have all got to stick together."

Despite the suggestion there is alarming dressing room unrest inside the Riverside, captain Gareth Southgate's show of unity when he put an arm round a tearful Lee Cattermole suggested there is more unity among the players than people think.

Cattermole, the 17-year-old who has been Boro's star performer since the turn of the year, was upset after he gifted possession to Steven Davis in the build up to Moore's third, and Villa's fourth goal.

McClaren is keen to see more incidents like that as the club tries to emerge from the first real crisis of the manager's four-and-a-half-year reign.

"We need more togetherness like that. We need to stick together," said McClaren, whose side are fourth bottom again after West Brom's win over Blackburn.

"We need that siege mentality within the dressing room. In times like this we all need to stick together because there is only us who can get us out if it."

With just five points separating Boro and the bottom three after the weekend's results, Boro's situation could descend deeper into chaos if a shock FA Cup exit to Coventry on Wednesday falls their way.

A repeat display against the Sky Blues and that outcome would be more than a possibility and worryingly McClaren feels the remedy to the problems engulfing his squad lay on the sidelines.

"We have to guard against a similar performance against Coventry," said McClaren. "That could make the season even worse. We have to make sure we put players out there who stand up and be counted.

"I don't know why we didn't show it on Saturday. There are solutions. The solutions are in the treatment room. We are waiting for them to come back. That is what I hang my hat on."

The most pressing problem for McClaren to solve at the moment is his defence - something he has always prided himself on.

The four goals conceded on Saturday have left Boro with the second worst defensive record in the Premiership (44 goals) - only bottom club Sunderland have worse (45).

And with Ugo Ehiogu, Chris Riggott and Franck Queudrue not due back for a week or two at least there is no quick fix, particularly with the transfer window closed.

"We need to get a regular back four out there consistently but we've not been able to do that because of injuries to Ehiogu, Riggott, Queudrue," he said.

"Southgate is still playing but could do with a rest because he's been carrying an ankle problem. We can't afford to do that. He is suffering because of that."

One sign of encouragement is that midfielder George Boateng could be back for the weekend visit of Chelsea after making good progress from his ankle injury, as could Riggott.