I'm staying at Boro - McClaren
Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren has attempted to defuse mounting speculation he will take over from England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson in the near future.
The Yorkshireman has been touted as one of the main contenders to replace the Swede should he vacate his position before the end of his current contract in 2008, and has spoken openly about his future ambitions.
However, he insists he has not been conducting his application in public and is adamant he will commit his immediate future to the Teesside club as soon as the four-year deal he has agreed with chairman Steve Gibson is put on paper.
Both men know that should the call come from England, that contract – which McClaren has repeatedly stated does not contain a get-out clause – is extremely unlikely to hold him, but there is no thought of a swift exit despite his hopes for the future.
“You cannot dismiss that, you cannot say I’ll be here for the next 20 or 25 years, I do not think that is possible,” he said.
“Let’s be realistic and let’s get some perspective into all these quotes and people saying ‘McClaren for this’ and ‘McClaren for that’.
“My job is here at Middlesbrough Football Club. I have made a commitment with the chairman over the summer for another four years at this football club. That is done and dusted as far as I am concerned, it’s been put to bed.
“All I am waiting for is the club to present the contract in front of me and I will sign it. When that happens, when it is there, I will gladly sign it.
“We have agreed everything and that is it. At the present moment, the England manager is the England manager until 2008, so it is one of those that people are speculating on as normal and putting two and two together and getting six.”
McClaren’s more immediate concern is Sunday’s Tees-Wear derby clash with Sunderland, which comes at a time when the national game is under increasing scrutiny amid speculation that it is losing its appeal.
Barely 28,000 fans turned out to watch Boro defeat Arsenal 2-1 a fortnight ago and a crowd of just 14,191 saw their UEFA Cup clash with Skoda Xanthi, but McClaren believes the perceived decline is little more than a blip.
“We only look at Middlesbrough and yes, ours (crowds) have dipped and dropped and many people have said against Xanthi it was a disappointing attendance, but there are reasons for that,” he said.
“It is only a slight dip that we have got and I am sure they will come to see us when things pick up.
“There is a lot of TV saturation in football at the present moment – I could have sat in every night this week and watched a football match, and a very good football match, if I wanted to, and that could kill it.
“But all I would say is eventually, nothing beats the real thing, nothing beats going to a football match, nothing beats the atmosphere of actually being at the event.
“It is like me buying a DVD of a U2 concert and watching it in my armchair on the TV screen. I went to Amsterdam to watch them and being there, the real thing, is much, much better, and I think fans will eventually get back to that.
“We need them here at Middlesbrough on Sunday to see the real thing. Not only do we need that, but the players need it. We need the support because it is only with their support that this club can go forward.
“The game as a whole in the Premier League is still there. It has still got the players, it has still got the excitement, it has still got the quality.
“Yes, at the moment, you have got a little dip and people are making a mountain out of a molehill, but talking about the standard of the game, I still think the game is there.”
Defender Gareth Southgate is an injury doubt to face Sunderland with a slight back problem.
