RUDY GESTEDE wants Steve Agnew to remain as Middlesbrough’s head coach until at least the end of the season, and claims it would be all-but-impossible for a new boss to make a positive impact with just ten more games to play.

Agnew was appointed as Aitor Karanka’s replacement last Thursday, but his first game since succeeding the Spaniard did not go to plan as Boro suffered a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

The result means the Teessiders remain five points adrift of safety, and led to renewed speculation that Steve Gibson could look elsewhere in an attempt to keep his club in the Premier League. Guus Hiddink has been touted as a possible short-term option, while Joe Jordan’s appointment to the coaching staff has led to speculation linking Harry Redknapp with a possible fire-fighting role at the Riverside.

The Northern Echo understands Gibson remains confident in Agnew’s abilities, and his faith is shared by Gestede, who scored Boro’s first goal in more than 500 minutes of league football when he stabbed home from close range in the second half of Sunday’s game.

Gestede was disappointed to see Karanka leave, with the former Real Madrid assistant having sanctioned the striker’s £6m move to Teesside in January.

But he has been impressed with Agnew’s impact so far, and feels it would be counter-productive to bring someone in from the outside at such a pivotal stage of the season.

“It has been a tough week for all the players,” said Gestede. “Unfortunately, Aitor Karanka was sacked. I will always be very grateful to him because he brought me into the club and gave me the opportunity to play in the Premier League again.

“Now, we are all behind Steve. We know he can bring some fire into the team because he has amazing spirit. He is trying to share that spirit with the team. He was here from the start of the season, so he knows us very well. I think it was natural for us to be under his management.

“I hope he stays until the end of the season now. Why not? He deserves his chance. He knows us, and I think it would be very hard for another manager to come in for the last ten games. He is the right appointment.”

Given he was only appointed on Thursday, it was hard for Agnew to make radical changes for Sunday’s game. Nevertheless, the former number two tinkered with Boro’s pre-match routine, recalled Stewart Downing, Gaston Ramirez and Alvaro Negredo to the starting line-up, and radically altered his formation for the final 25 minutes in an attempt to chase the game.

The Northern Echo:

The latter move proved effective, with Boro looking much more threatening when they switched to a 4-4-2 system with Gestede partnering Negredo in attack.

Agnew must now decide whether to start with two strikers when Boro travel to relegation rivals Swansea for their next game a week on Saturday, but with games running out, Gestede claims it is time to throw caution to the wind.

Having only claimed four league wins all season, Boro will almost certainly have to match that tally in their final ten matches if they are to have any chance of survival.

“We want to stay up, so we have to go for it and win games,” said Gestede. “That has to be the attitude no matter who we face. Manchester United are a good side, but we knew we had to play our way, and that will be the same whoever we face in the rest of the season.

“We went with two strikers after I came on, and made sure we put the ball in the box whenever we could because that is how you will score goals.

“We have no choice – if we want to stay up, we have to win games. That has to be our approach, and we have to play to make sure that we score more goals than the other team. That has to be the only objective.”

After travelling to Swansea, Boro play Hull and Burnley in the following six days, and that run of games is likely to go a long way towards determining which league they will find themselves playing in next season.

Six points from nine is surely a minimum requirement, with Boro’s final four games of the season pitting them against Manchester City, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, and if Agnew is to remain in charge, his stewardship of the squad will be vital.

“The next three games are crucial for us,” said Gestede. “We play against teams just next to us in the table, and we need to get points from those games. I am sure we can handle it very well.

It is not the first time Steve has been with the squad, so he knows how to manage and how to handle a team. We are all behind him.”