Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is keen to avoid any rift between his players and the fans after Sunday's FA Cup humiliation by Cardiff City.
"The fans can fall out of love with us at the moment, but we can't fall out of love with the fans because they came in their thousands, they gave us fantastic support and we let them down on the day.
"You have to remind everybody that it is those supporters who pay the wages that we earn and that any criticism that comes our way we have to take on board because when you pay to go to watch something you have the right to criticise it.
"That's been the case forever, not just now when the wages are as big as they are.
"I did think it was important we remembered that responsibility."
