Mendieta slates Southgate, Middlesbrough booze culture

Gaizka Mendieta has slammed the management of former club Middlesbrough.

The midfielder signed from Lazio in 2003 and helped Boro lift their first-ever trophy a year later when they won the Carling Cup. But the 35-year-old is horrified at the club’s slump into the Championship, and he vented his anger in a Madrid newspaper.

"At Middlesbrough the beer used to flow in the dressing-room the moment matches were over," he said.

"The following day the players were supposed to work on their recovery but instead they’d just have a coffee and then get back on the booze once more.

"They used to eat Mars bars and chocolates, and when I said something about it they’d fire back, claiming it was to give them energy.

"You could say that there was a clash of attitudes between me and them. My first two or three years at the club were very good. We won a trophy and got to the UEFA Cup final. But everything went wrong once Steve McClaren left and Gareth Southgate replaced him as manager.

"We had played together and got on well, but suddenly he told me I was not part of his plans. The one thing I reproach him for is the fact that he was never honest with me. The club wanted to go in the direction of using youngsters, and get rid of a handful of players.

"I had offers to join clubs in Spain and England on loan. But I did not want to go away for six months, only to find myself in the same situation once more."