BERNIE SLAVEN

I HAVE sympathy for Gareth, but his record speaks for itself and when a team goes down with the lowest goalscoring record in Britain and the worst away record in the club’s history, it’s time to go.

They did start this season well and the timing is probably wrong, but you can see why they have sacked him. But I do think that at Boro there have been huge mistakes made.

It’s a sorry state of affairs at a club when the tea lady, people in the ticket office or around the club who have been there for years, are losing their jobs because of decisions made at the top.

Those at the top are not losing their jobs, though.

There’s a bullying culture around in football at the moment and it makes me sick.

When there were rumours flying around that Southgate had not made certain decisions, he was still saying ‘WE did this, WE did that’. But at the end of the day it’s HE who departed. It was HE whose head was on the block.

If it is Gordon Strachan who comes in, I’ll tell you now, he won’t stand for anything, he’ll shock a few.

SHOULD Middlesbrough have sacked Gareth Southgate? YES

MALCOLM MACDONALD

I AM in a slightly different position to the other two lads in that I have been in management and I have resigned twice. The difference these days is that managers hold out for lucrative pay-offs, the point is they swallow their pride and hang on in there, which is what Gareth has done, for the last 18 months.

I am not saying Boro were wrong to sack him, I just think Gareth should have taken the decision himself. I would have done.

The most surprising points of the whole thing was that the decision appears to have been made to sack him after last Saturday’s defeat to Watford.

For the club then to allow him to lead his players to victory on Tuesday, allow him to go upstairs and talk through the win with the press, and then sack him after that was hugely embarrassing for the club.

They should have been better than that.

The irony is that he was sacked after claiming six points from three matches.

Chris Hughton is being handed a permanent contract at Newcastle for claiming two points from 12.

SHOULD Middlesbrough have sacked Gareth Southgate? YES

MICKY HORSWILL

I FOUND it strange. They got relegated last season and the time was probably right for him to go at the end of last season, not now when Boro are a point off the top two.

During the summer Steve Gibson is said to have told him that promotion had to be achieved this season.

Look where they are. They are right up there, how can now be the time to sack him?

The decision to get rid of him was made three weeks ago by the sounds of it, so tell me why they are heading to Preston without a manager. Why are they messing around? If Gordon Strachan wants it, he should be in now.

It’s a big, big game on Saturday and Gibson should have had his manager in place. Just think, if they lose at Preston, it could be those three points at the end of the season that costs them promotion. Then who will be to blame?

SHOULD Middlesbrough have sacked Gareth Southgate? NO

■ The Legends were talking to Paul Fraser

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