It's not a bad life being a touchline reporter, but it can destroy a few illusions built up over years as a humble fan.

I've been lucky enough to report on Middlesbrough from the sidelines for the last two and a bit seasons for BBC Tees and it's been a real eye-opener. Safe to say, managers are a funny bunch.

For example, which high profile manager do you think wouldn't venture to the touchline when the rain was falling as anything more than a light drizzle for fear of messing up his carefully constructed hair do? Who spent the entire match looking lost as his substitutes laughed behind his back? And which manager gets to do exactly what he wants because the fourth official's too scared to do anything about him?

The answers are Steve McClaren, Les Reed and Sir Alex Ferguson (the Socialist Knight) respectively.

The current England coach used to retreat to the safety of the dugout once the heavens opened and most amusing it was too. It was also intriguing to see the two different sides of the man.

The one unedited, unexpurgated version, who reacted to events instinctively during the 90 minutes and then compare him to the man who came out to meet me for an interview half an hour, often longer after full-time.

He seemed to have changed persona, probably thanks to the intervention of his assistant Bill Beswick.

So which was the real McClaren? I favour the former and I think people would have warmed to him more if he'd just been himself. The same advice probably applies in his current job.

Les Reed looked like Penfold from Dangermouse and never has a manager filled less of his technical area than poor old Les. He looked lost and he was.

Then we come to the Don Corleone of football bosses.

Fergie says what he wants, sees what he wants and woe betide anyone who crosses him - especially fourth officials, normally so keen to get that second man out of the technical area and very good at looking smug for no particular reason, who develop snow blindness when the Red Devils are in town.

Last season Fergie wandered all over Gareth Southgate's technical area, the footballing equivalent of taking a dump on your neighbour's front lawn.

Southgate looked askance at him and then turned to the fourth official, who smiled, shrugged his shoulders and turned away.

From my vantage point you can see Southgate's not afraid of anyone. For all those Boro fans who weren't sure about his appointment last summer, don't worry. He's learning and learning fast.

There were times last season when he seemed unsure of how to get to where he wanted to be. He knew what he wanted to do, but couldn't seem to see the woods for the trees.

This season there's been a definite change. He's come back from the summer break with a whole new aura about him. When you watch him on the sidelines and speak to him before and after the match, it now feels like you're speaking to a fully-fledged football manager and not someone learning on the job.

More importantly, he cares about the club and the town. It's not an act and that's why he deserves the town's support.

The crowd figure for Saturday's game with Birmingham was disappointing to say the least. Fewer than 23,000 at the Riverside must have been a huge blow to not just Southgate, but Steve Gibson and Keith Lamb.

Admittedly Birmingham brought barely a coach-load, but those fans who stayed away missed a cracking game.

Without getting carried away, it could also have been the birth of a new, attacking Boro. They played with verve, panache and plenty of passion, qualities reflected on the Boro bench.

Yes, football's more expensive than ever before, and I remember the furore when prices on the Holgate doubled from £4 to £8 thirteen years ago, but this could be the start of something big at Boro and if I wasn't sat on a little fishing stool in front of the bench, I'd be shelling out to watch this lot!

Now, how long until Roy Keane turns up? Good luck to the fourth official on that one. Mark Drury is the touchline reporter for BBC Tees.