MIDDLESBROUGH'S innovative coaching techniques are benefiting Emanuel Pogatetz's defensive game but one thing the Austrian is quite keen to retain is his Mad Dog image.

When Steve McClaren took over he followed a system used by Sir Clive Woodward during his days in charge of the England rugby team, whereby appointing a coach to work within each department of the field.

So since Pogatetz arrived last summer from Bayer Leverkusen in a £1.8m deal he has been directed in many ways by defensive coach Steve Harrison.

A lot has been made of the way the international defender has had to cool his hot-temper in a bid to ensure his bad-boy reputation, built up by years of seeing red in other countries, did not get him into trouble with officials in this country.

And, although he has picked up 12 yellow cards since his arrival, he has not received a red card at club level and that, he claims, is largely down to the outstanding coaching he is receiving from Harrison.

"The coaching was not bad at Bayer and at Grazer but here it's a different level," said Pogatetz, who arrived with a six-month ban hanging over his head from his days on loan with Russian club Spartak Moscow.

"Harry knows every part of the defensive side of the game and has really improved me. He has shown me things I did not know.

"During games I haven't thought certain things were my fault but then he shows me how they are and I agree.

"At the other clubs I have played for we had one coach for all the players. There was no time for a coach to work with just defenders or strikers. Here I can work every day with Harry and it helps."

Pogatetz still has an over tendency to throw himself into tackles when he would have been better of showing more patience, something Harrison is trying to eradicate from the full-back's game.

The 23-year-old, who was sent off playing for his country against Northern Ireland in October, has been told by club psychologist Bill Beswick to calm down on the pitch by counting to ten before reacting to situations.

And while that has helped, he has still picked up four yellow cards in his last 11 games. "I have had to learn a lot and I had to cut out certain things but if people like calling me Mad Dog then they can. It means they like me," he said.

"I'm a player with a lot of passion and I don't want to change that in any way. The way I play is something to be proud of.

"You have to channel it in the right direction and that's what you have to learn."

Pogatetz is likely to be recalled to Boro's starting line-up for tomorrow night's FA Cup quarter-final at Charlton, having been used as a half-time replacement for Chris Riggott at Blackburn last Saturday.

And, like most foreign players in the English game, he revealed a special affinity with the famous old trophy he developed as a schoolboy watching the FA Cup final at Wembley.

"We couldn't watch many English games in Austria because we used to have to watch the Bundesliga because in Germany they speak the same language," said Pogatetz.

"We could only watch the FA Cup final but that is one of the biggest games in the world. It's one of the most traditional cups. As a child I dreamed of playing in a final and shaking the Queen's hand at Wembley."

This year's final will not be played at new Wembley nor will the Queen be there for the Millennium Stadium showpiece, but Pogatetz knows the importance of overcoming Charlton to claim a place in the semi-final.

"It was disappointing that we lost the last two Premiership games because we wanted to finish in the top half of the table. We need to win the FA Cup games and UEFA Cup games now," he said.

"We have had a difficult season in the Premiership but we have highs in the two competitions. I have been down at times but you have to expect that.

"I'm very proud of what we have achieved in the cup ties but disappointed about Premiership form."

Meanwhile, the Riverside Stadium has been short-listed to host the 2008 UEFA Cup final.

There are five other stadiums under consideration to show the European showpiece, including Manchester City's City of Manchester Stadium, and a decision will be reached in October.

The other grounds in contention are Hamburg's AOL Arena, Israel's Ramat-Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv, Real Murcia's Nueva Condomina and Fenerbahce's Sukru Saracoglu.

l Radostin Kishishev insists Charlton ''do not fear anyone'' as they look to book their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in almost 50 years with victory over Boro. ''We do not fear anyone, as we have showed against Liverpool and Chelsea,'' he said. ''It will be a tough game, but we have beaten them twice this year, which is a very good achievement.''