Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has defended owner Steve Gibson from fans who are questioning his commitment to the club. "If he wasn't here, we wouldn't have a club - as simple as that," was Southgate's frank assessment.
"I'm amazed people could possibly question his role in anything because there would be no Middlesbrough Football Club but for his intervention in '86, and since then.
"The success of the last 10 to 12 years is because he salvaged the club at the time, and he has been the one who has enabled us to have success in the cups and maintain Premier League status.
"We have to remember our size as a club because without his backing and support we wouldn't have brought in the types of players who have played at this club over those years.
"So it's very simple for me - he is someone who cares about the club, cares about the long term of the club, and that is why we have had to do certain things this year financially.
"We couldn't have afforded to have stayed in the way we have been going the last couple of years, and without Steve taking on board that debt, again there would be no football club.
"It has left us a huge challenge in terms of staying in the league, but it's a challenge we can win.
"Long term, it might be the most important couple of years for the future of the club, and without his role in that you could forget everything else."