Woodgate makes bold Boro relegation claim despite dismal form

Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate believes his side will not be relegated from the Championship this season despite their poor run of results.

Boro are without a league win nine following Wednesday night’s setback against Leeds, a run that hasn’t seen them win since New Years Day. They find themselves in 21st place, out of the relegation zone on goal difference only.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of their game against high-flying Nottingham Forest on Monday, Woodgate revealed that he believes his side have enough quality to fight off the threat of relegation.

“I envisage 11 games to go, 11 big games and I see us not going down, I see us climbing the table with victories.

“The biggest thing is to be positive and grind out results. That’s the biggest thing to me, can we get wins?

“I’m always positive, that’s what you’ve got to be as the leader of the club.”

The former Real Madrid and Leeds defender was then asked if he was feeling the pressure but admitted he has been since taking over at the Riverside.

“The buck stops with me. I’m the manager of the football club and I take the pressure, no problem at all, I’ll take anything people outside of football throw at me.

“I’m the one who takes it all on the chin, I’ll try to take the pressure off my players.

“Hopefully the next few games we start winning games. There are 11 to go and we need to start winning quickly. There’s pressure, but as I’ve said on numerous occasions, as soon as I got this job there was pressure. I can handle the pressure.”