WITH today's game at St Mary's pitting two of the Championship's most attractive teams against each other, Tony Mowbray has claimed it is impossible for a promoted team to survive in the Premier League unless they attempt to play expansive, passing football.

Middlesbrough and Southampton find themselves at the heart of the promotion picture as they prepare to lock horns on the south coast, and the duo can justifiably claim to be two of the most progressive teams in the division in terms of their approach to the game.

Like Mowbray, Saints boss Nigel Adkins is a staunch advocate of slick, passing football, and having won promotion from League One last season, his Southampton side have stuck to their principles despite the rising standard of the teams pitted against them.

Last season, Norwich and Swansea won promotion via a mantra of keeping the ball on the bottom, and the pair have already won plaudits for the quality of their play in the top-flight this term.

It remains to be seen whether they are able to avoid relegation, but despite having suffered the drop with a West Brom side that refused to adapt its preferred attacking style, Mowbray remains convinced it is impossible to succeed without a willingness to play football.

"My general philosophy on football is always to play an expansive game and get technical footballers," said the Boro boss. "I think Norwich and Swansea deserve great credit for going into the Premier League and playing that way. They trust their players with the ball and try to play an aggressive passing game.

"I still have a total belief that that's the only way to go and survive in the Premier League. Stoke did it slightly different and have got stronger year on year, but in general, you won't survive in the Premier League unless you can play football and pass the ball.

"If you keep giving the ball back to the opposition in the Premier League, the players are so good that they are going to score in the end. You must have your own ball retention and be able to keep the ball.

"You have to expand yourself and ask questions of the opposition. Hopefully, one day we'll get another opportunity to have a go at it here at Middlesbrough."

Mowbray's philosophy has remained unchanged since the earliest days of his managerial career with Hibernian, and the Teessider continues to champion the kind of pass-and-move style that, in this country at least, has always been associated with Arsene Wenger's Arsenal.

The style is in vogue at the moment, largely because of the success enjoyed at club level by Barcelona and international level by Spain, but Mowbray feels it is not just self-interest that should drive managers to allow their players to express themselves.

Yes, it might help their own club win more matches, but it should also improve the general standard of both football in England and the England national team.

"For the benefit of English football and English footballers, the more brave coaches you have involved in the Premier League, the better," said Mowbray. "If coaches allow their players to express their talents, that can only be of benefit to the game.

"I don't think we can criticise the national team for not being able to play against Germany or Spain on the one hand, and then laud a very direct style that wins a league game 1-0 on the other.

"How can we then expect the international players to play a different type of football? There is a fine balance between winning, and educating, teaching and allowing players to express their talents.

"Nobody wants a team that looks great but keeps losing. But the balance has to be, ‘Don't lose your principles'."

Neither Mowbray nor Adkins have done that, and today's game promises to be of considerable appeal to the purist.

Middlesbrough supporters are more concerned at the destination of the three points on offer, and having spent his managerial career championing the type of football Southampton are likely to play this afternoon, Mowbray is confident he can spot any potential flaws in their plan.

"We'll try to ask questions of them," he said. "They're a very expansive team who like to play open, expansive football. I myself have at times been criticised for having such expansive teams, so I know the flaws of being so open, but I know the rewards as well.

"As they're finding out, you can win games when you spread the pitch out and trust the talent of your players. I think it will be an interesting game."