Downing plea to boo-boys as crisis deepens

Stewart Downing has told Middlesbrough's fans to get behind the players as they attempt to avoid relegation.

Boro are four points adrift of safety after Saturday's defeat at Stoke, where some of the visiting supporters booed the players off the pitch and called for manager Gareth Southgate to be sacked.

"The fans started to turn on us and that's the way it is going to be," said the winger. "They are going to get angry and frustrated. I know a few of the players got it.

"The fans can shout as much as they want but we need results, we need them behind us. The only way we will get results is if they're behind us and not against us.

"They have every right to be frustrated. They travelled to Stoke and paid the money. I can understand how they feel - it was a three-hour drive for nothing."