Boro chief Gibson looking for experienced boss

Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson looks set to turn to a more experienced manager to replace Gareth Southgate and hopes to be able to make an announcement on the matter within the next 48 hours.

Gibson, who dismissed the former England defender late on Tuesday night, did so having already made enquiries over a replacement after deciding up to three weeks earlier a change was needed.

Gordon Strachan was swiftly installed as the bookmakers' favourite for the vacant post as a 1/4 shot.

Speaking on BBC Tees Sport on Wednesday night, Gibson did not rule out appointing another rookie manager - just as he did with Bryan Robson, Steve McClaren and Southgate - but admitted experience would be one of the main pre-requisites.

He said: "When this situation happens, there's a lot of speculation and I am not going to narrow down that speculation in any way. I have employed three managers fresh: Bryan Robson brought us in a fantastic six years, and I hope he is remembered for that; Steve McClaren was the most successful manager in the club's history.

"The circumstances for Gareth were somewhat more difficult in a changing football world where it became more and more competitive. A period of Gareth's reign was quite successful, Steve McClaren was very successful, so I wouldn't rule out a rookie manager, but I suspect that's not the path I will be going down.''

Gibson was giving nothing away as to the identity of his number one target, but admitted he would like to make the appointment before Saturday's Championship trip to Preston.

He said: "Once the decision had been made - and that was two or three weeks ago - about replacing Gareth, we needed to build a strategy and a timetable of implementation. In order to do that, we needed to be fair with Gareth, treat him with the respect he deserved, and the first step in that strategy was to remove Gareth from his duties. That's been done.

"I had made enquiries before I did that, and I told Gareth that. We had, as I said, a strategy and we started the implementation of that strategy. We are well on with it. I have been very busy with it. I don't expect us to have somebody in place before the Preston game, but I do expect us to be able to make an announcement before the Preston game.

"Nothing is certain in football, but I am hopeful we will have an announcement before the weekend.''