GORDON STRACHAN was finally confirmed as Middlesbrough’s new manager yesterday, and he immediately revealed that chairman Steve Gibson’s reputation for pursuing stability and long-term success sold him the job.

Strachan has signed a three-and-a-half year contract at the Riverside Stadium after spending much of the previous five days in high-level talks with chief executive Keith Lamb and Gibson.

The 52-year-old, whose only plan to tinker with the club’s backroom staff is to introduce long-term colleague Garry Pendry as his number two, felt the offer to become Gareth Southgate’s successor was the “different” one he had been waiting for.

It was five months on Sunday when he vacated his post at Celtic and, having spent much of that time travelling with his wife, Lesley, he could quite easily have remained out of management.

He recently signed a punditry contract with Sky television for their Champions League coverage.

But once he started to discuss the merits of the Boro role seriously with his family after Gareth Southgate’s departure last week, Strachan insists the decision to return now was straight-forward.

“Look at the managers who have been at Middlesbrough and you feel you will have a chance and after a period of time you will be asked is it good enough,” said Strachan.

“You have a chance to develop a team as you want, make younger players better, and all of these things attracted me to the club.

“Steve Gibson was a huge part of my decision to come here. He has backed people and backed them financially, which may have changed over the years, but he gives managers other backing and support when they need it.

“I felt the vibe was right but I wanted to speak to close friends and they felt it would be good for me. I don’t need to be here and I don’t have to be.

I am here because I want to be here in this job.

“When I left Celtic, anyone close to me said it would be very difficult to match the excitement at Celtic and what went with it. But I know who the chairman is here, I know where the money comes from, and there is stability, which is one of the main reasons I took the job.”

Strachan’s backing of Gibson and Lamb was timely, having been aware of the criticism which had fell their way after the sacking of Southgate following last Tuesday’s victory over Derby County.

Southgate outlined his surprise over the weekend about the way his departure was conducted and yesterday’s press conference at the Riverside Stadium was Lamb’s chance to launch his defence.

It was claimed by Southgate that Lamb actually told him the day after he was sacked that Strachan had been lined up to replace him more than two weeks earlier.

“My job is to make sure I do what is best for the club,” said Lamb, in the absence of Gibson.

“Gareth served this club well as a player, captain and manager and he spent nine years here. I only have good things to say about him.

“I met Gordon by accident at Coventry (September 26) and I asked about his five month holiday.

“I asked if he was ready to come back into management and he said he was not – but if the right offer came along he might consider it.

“He was one of a number of names floating in my head after that and I asked before the Reading game that if we made a serious offer would he come in?

“He said he would consider it, but would not do anything while we still had a manager.

“After Gareth’s departure I spoke to Gordon and then we started to sit down and talk seriously about taking over.

Those talks concluded over the weekend and here we are.”

Strachan is Gibson’s fourth permanent appointment, after Bryan Robson, Steve McClaren and Southgate, and he arrives with the best managerial CV of of them all.

He won the Scottish Premier League title in three out of his four years there, while guiding Southampton to the FA Cup final and into Europe.

He feels well equipped to cope with the pressure of trying to deliver promotion at Middlesbrough this season.

“Every job has its stresses, Steve Staunton at Darlington, whoever takes over at Manchester United will always have pressure to do well,”

said Strachan, aware that Middlesbrough are fourth and two points off the top two.

“If you have been manager of Celtic, you could be Prime Minister.

“We are so near the top and so near tenth position. We appreciate everything Gareth has done for the club, he has left a decent club and left me some very good players to work with and it is a good start so I am lucky that way.

“Let’s go and find out where we can go.

“Everything was right about this. It is a challenge and it is something fresh.”