Southgate focuses on league

12 April 2012

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate faces a race against time to meet new Premier League rules after being given permission to remain in charge until the end of the season.

The Premier League Board extended dispensation for the 36-year-old to manage the Teesside club without the necessary UEFA Pro Licence until the summer.

"I am delighted to have brought the saga to a happy conclusion, if only because it will mean I will now be asked something else when I talk to the press," said Southgate. "I have always been committed to gaining the necessary qualifications to everyone's satisfaction and I am delighted that the Premier League have given me the go-ahead to continue in my role."

By the summer he hopes to meet newly-amended regulations by having enrolled on a course to start the qualification.

However, he will first have to finish his B Licence and then start and complete his A Licence, and that will depend on the the availability of courses and the coaches to lead them over the next six months or so.

Southgate's situation and the problems he now faces in gaining his A and B badges have prompted the authorities to design a new system to allow top players to make a swift transition into management.

The Premier League, the Football Association and the League Managers' Association are hoping a coaching pathway with more frequent courses on offer will help to fast-track future managers through the system.

Southgate was appointed on a five-year contract by Boro chairman Steve Gibson after Steve McClaren's departure to take up the England job during the summer.

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