TERRY VENABLES today aims to mark his first-ever visit to the Riverside Stadium by inspiring the victory he believes can spark a Middlesbrough revival.

Boro's new head coach faces Chelsea, the club he starred with in the Sixties, as he takes charge of his first game on Teesside.

The derby defeat at Sunderland a week ago was Boro's ninth reverse in ten League and Cup games and plunged them to the bottom of the Premiership table.

But Venables, who agreed to return to football from the world of TV to help out besieged Boro boss Bryan Robson, his No 2 with England during Euro '96, reckons confidence is the key to winning the struggle against relegation.

Something could give today, with Boro seeking their first home win for nearly nine months and fellow crisis club Chelsea bidding to break their away duck this season.

As he looks down an injury list "longer than War and Peace'', Venables knows the odds are stacked against him.

But, heartened by the battling display in the 1-0 setback at the Stadium of Light, Venables yesterday insisted: "I think the players here are good enough.

"If we can continue on a line from last week, I think the results will come.

"We've got to play without fear. If you play with fear, you don't enjoy playing. When it comes to confidence, we've got to show it at home.

"We need to play with a boldness, without being over-confident, and I think we did that last week.

"I think one win could make the whole difference - but you've got to get the result to give you confidence.''

With only 11 points from 17 games, Boro face a mammoth task.

But Venables refuses to set a safety target. "I don't think you can do that,'' he said. "Maybe this year the target won't be the 42 that most people usually aim at.

"What we need is a run of wins but, at the moment, we've got problems with injuries and suspensions.

"The first-team squad is down to 11 players so we've got youth team boys on the bench.

"Bryan said that a couple of weeks ago he had 26 players to pick from, but he's had problems with injuries all season.

"We know we've got a strong squad when everyone is fit and available.''

But that won't stop Venables dipping into the transfer market if the need arises.

And yesterday he confirmed his interest in Tottenham winger Darren Anderton, who played under Venables at White Hart Lane and with England.

"You're always looking to strengthen,'' said Venables, who has received assurances from chairman Steve Gibson that money will be made available.

"The chairman has said the club will do their best to come up with what we might need.

"I'm a fan of Darren Anderton in a big way and so is Bryan, but I'm sure a lot of people will be interested in Darren. He's an excellent player to work with.''

Boro's injury crisis took a turn for the worse yesterday when teenage Argentinian striker Carlos Marinelli, currently under a three-match ban, was ruled out until the New Year with a twisted ankle.

"He might be out for a while,'' stressed Venables. "He's suspended this weekend, but he would have been coming into the reckoning later.''

Boro are again down to the bare bones in attack, with Hamilton Ricard also suspended and Alen Boksic (hamstring), Joseph-Desire Job (knee ligaments) and Andy Campbell (hernia) all still sidelined.

That means Brian Deane and Noel Whelan are their only two senior frontmen.

But the good news for Boro is that former Lazio star Boksic, who has been back to Italy for specialist treatment, should be ready to return to action at Tottenham next week.

Venables said yesterday: "Boksic is due back today. They say he's fit now, so he'll be training on Monday.

"I've seen him play many times. He's got a great profile and he's a world-class striker, so having him back in the fold will be welcome.''

Defenders Ugo Ehiogu and Curtis Fleming are serving one-match bans, while midfielders Phil Stamp (neck) and Mark Summerbell (shoulder) are also out.

On manager Robson's advice, Venables has drafted defender Christian Hanson, 19, and midfielder Mark Hudson, 20, into the squad.

He said: "I haven't seen a great deal of them, but I've spoken about the young players here with Bryan, Viv Anderson and Gordon McQueen.''

Venables is backing under-fire Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri to lift the Stamford Bridge side out.

"They've got world-class players, they are expected to be in the top three or four, and I don't think they'll be too far away by the end of the season,'' said Venables.

"I've got a soft spot for Chelsea - but not this weekend.''

Venables, meanwhile, is calling on the Boro faithful to play their part in what would be a vital victory.

"I always feel the crowd are part of the team,'' said Venables. "If the crowd go against you, heads can go down and you can lose confidence. Then, unwittingly, the crowd are working for the opposition, so we've all got to stick together.'