The 38-year-old former England defender has found himself firmly in the firing line in recent weeks as his side has slipped down the Barclays Premier League table.

Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Stoke left Boro four points from safety with only bottom-of-the-table West Brom any worse off, and they have now been installed by many as certainties to fall through the trapdoor into the Football League along with the Baggies.

However, despite the criticism coming his way, Southgate has defiantly refused to contemplate anything other than the task at hand over the final eight games of a desperately difficult season, and Gibson remains firmly in his corner.

The chairman said: "I have spoken with a lot of fans over the last few weeks and they ask me about Gareth Southgate.

"But the magic wand in our situation isn't sacking Gareth Southgate.

"Of course, everybody has their opinion in football and I understand the frustration of the fans.

"I have always said that we have a knowledgeable crowd at Middlesbrough and you have to respect that.

"I take on board the views of the fans because I care as much as they do. But if I was to sack Gareth Southgate at this stage, how would it help the situation?"

Gibson, of course, is a famously loyal chairman who has appointed only three managers in the last 15 years, with Bryan Robson lasting seven - the last six months of it working alongside Terry Venables - and successor Steve McClaren five before the untried Southgate was handed his big chance.

He turned to his club captain, who was unqualified as a coach at the time, after deciding he shared both his philosophy and ambition, and had to win special dispensation to hand him the reins.

However, with the club heavily in debt, Southgate's reign has coincided with a period of austerity which has left him struggling to compete in the transfer market, with the notable exceptions of the £12.7million club record swoop for Afonso Alves and a £6million move for Mido, neither of which have paid the dividends expected.

But what has never been in question is Southgate's commitment, nor his determination to turn around a slump which now amounts to just one win in 18 league games.

Gibson said: "The one thing I know is that Gareth Southgate is hurting as well.

"I see him on a regular basis and I know how much our situation is hurting him.

"But I also see the hard work he is putting in all day, every day of the week and I know that things are being done the right way.

"The real work is done on the training ground during the week.

"It doesn't matter how much preparation is put in, once the game kicks off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, any manager is limited in what he can do to influence the result - and the result is everything."

Boro will resume after the international break with a trip to Bolton, and then face home games against Hull and Fulham which will have a major say in their destiny.

There have been calls from some quarters for Gibson to bring in a Venables-type character to assist Southgate for a run of what amount to eight cup finals.

However, he will leave the task of securing the club's top-flight status to a man he knows will give him every ounce of effort and know-how.

He told the club's official website, www.mfc.co.uk: "Gareth has great experience of football at every level. He is working to the best of his ability to turn things around.

"When he was a player, he worked immensely hard to make himself a better player. He does exactly the same as a manager.

"I couldn't expect any more from him in terms of blood, sweat and tears.

"We can't put what happens on the pitch fully on Gareth's shoulders, and that's why we have to share the workload and the responsibility.

"When things go wrong, people lose faith in the manager. But there is a lot more involved and we must always continue to look at the wider picture before coming to decisions."