Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson says he's hurting as much as any fan over their relegation plight.

Gibson told the Evening Gazette: "I really understand the disappointment that the fans are feeling.

"I can tell you that I am hurting too. It's not a personal situation we are in. It affects everybody, not just inside of the club, but out of it too.

"It affects people's lives and therefore it matters.

"When you look at all the work that has gone on over the last 10 to 12 years, going back to the days of Bryan Robson, it's all been with the Premier League in mind.

"We know that the work could be undone this season and I can give every fan a guarantee that every single person at the football club is working flat out to try to ensure that it doesn't happen.

"But we know that nobody has a right to be in the Premier League. You have to earn that right and that's what we are trying to do."