MIDDLESBROUGH chairman Steve Gibson was forced to reassess his options last night after Martin O'Neill joined Terry Venables in ruling himself out of the running for the manager's job.

O'Neill and Gibson had a telephone conversation yesterday morning and it was mutually agreed that the Northern Irishman would not be succeeding Steve McClaren.

It has also emerged that former Charlton boss Alan Curbishley, currently on a break in New Zealand, is another name no longer in the frame and has not spoken to the club since the first round of talks some weeks ago.

And that, after Venables pulled out of the running on Friday, has left Gibson considering his next move. He is understood to have an alternative already in mind.

The identity of the candidate remains uncertain, although the Middlesbrough hierarchy are known to be keen on promoting captain Gareth Southgate up into the coaching staff.

Southgate, though, does not hold the required coaching badges to manage at the top level and his appointment would require plenty of negotiating with the Premier League, which could prove unsuccessful anyway.

There remains the possibility of McClaren's assistant manager Steve Round being installed and that would allow the existing coaching staff to retain their roles, with the inclusion of Southgate.

But, along with former Boro skipper Tony Mowbray, another name to have emerged from nowhere last night was that of former Holland coach Louis van Gaal.

Van Gaal is manager at AZ Alkmaar in Holland, who Boro faced in the UEFA cup group stage last season.

It remains to be seen, though, what Gibson, who flew out of the country last night on business matters, intends to do, but it is known that intends to appoint a British manager.

Whatever the eventual outcome, the search for a new manager has not gone as smoothly as he would have liked.

But the troubles Boro are having do not look to have helped North-East rivals Sunderland's own search for the permanent successor to Mick McCarthy.

Niall Quinn, fronting a consortium looking to claim ownership of the club, has also been in talks with O'Neill about taking charge at the Stadium of Light.

But the former Celtic boss is understood to have decided against taking the manager's job on Wearside as well, citing the time is not right for him to return to front-line management.

Talks with both Middlesbrough, at Rockliffe Park last Friday, and Sunderland are said to have been productive. But O'Neill, who lives in Buckinghamshire, has arrived at the conclusion neither club are close enough to his family home.

But, unlike Gibson, Quinn is sure to make a last-ditch push to persuade him to take the manager's position at Sunderland if and when the proposed take over of the club occurs.

l Boro supporters can enjoy guided tours of the club's £7m training ground. For six weeks during the close-season, the tours include the sports science department, rehabilitation area, dressing rooms and synthetic indoor training pitch.

The guides take place on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays at 5.30pm and 7pm and run through to June 30. There are also tours on a Saturday at 5.30pm.

They cost £6 but are half price for season ticket holders who produce the red or white book on arrival.

For details or to book ring (01642) 877730.