STEVE GIBSON has never been the kind of football chairman who sacks his managers lightly.

He could have called time on Gareth Southgate’s time at the Riverside when the club was relegated last season but he gave his rookie manager the chance to bounce back into the Premier League.

The timing of Southgate’s sacking comes as a surprise given that Boro are just a point off the top of league.

But the truth is that Boro’s start to the season has been far from convincing and their lofty position is more a reflection of the standard of the Championship than the quality of their own performances.

No one can accuse Gibson of making a knee-jerk reaction.

He retains the respect of the fans and he clearly has a plan in place which he believes will give his beloved club a better chance of going up and reversing the alarming decline in attendances.

That said, we are sorry to see Southgate go because he is a man who has displayed honesty and integrity throughout his time in football, both as a player and a manager.

While too many other managers shower blame on everyone from opponents to referees and the media, Southgate has been a beacon of decency.

The regular cry from Boro fans has been that Southgate is too nice to be a successful manager and that may prove to be the case.

Ultimately, supporters want winners, not nice guys and ambassadors.

But we hope that Gareth Southgate gets another opportunity to show that there is room for his intelligent style of management in the cut-throat world of football.