BEN GIBSON thinks the public row between Adam Clayton and Victor Valdes is a sign that Middlesbrough have the right characters to return to winning ways in the Premier League – even if it should have been done behind closed doors.

Boro head coach Aitor Karanka does not want to see a repeat of the incident that saw former Barcelona goalkeeper charge up to his team-mate to complain and the pair ended up putting their foreheads together.

The situation was soon diffused but was a sign of the frustrations being felt among the Middlesbrough players after Tottenham had gone into a two-goal lead courtesy of a couple of goals from Heung-Min Son, and they could have had more.

Son’s double put Tottenham on course for the three points and pushed Middlesbrough, who did pull one back during a spirited last half-hour through Gibson’s header, towards a third consecutive defeat.

The manner of the first-half display was disappointing from a Middlesbrough viewpoint, even if Tottenham were excellent and regularly exposed holes in the home side’s formation, and that led to frustrations coming to a head between Clayton and Valdes.

Gibson said: “It shouldn’t happen on the football pitch in front of all the fans.

“But it is not a bad thing as far as I am concerned. It shows people care.

“I would rather have that than nobody caring, if I am honest.

“Choice words, people arguing … I don’t mind that. It shows they care. It is better to have that than people walking off without a word to each other, albeit it should be happening in a more controlled environment. Sometimes temperatures boil over and that was nothing. It was just a few words.”

Clayton was back in the middle of midfield alongside Marten de Roon after Karanka decided to name Adam Forshaw on the bench. The Middlesbrough boss was looking for improvements after the defeat to Everton a week earlier but those didn’t arrive against a confident Spurs.

Middlesbrough’s third reversal in a row has seen them drop closer to the relegation zone after a positive start to life in the Premier League when they collected five points from the first nine available. Gibson knows they need to perform better, but is not concerned.

The centre-back said: “We have good characters, good leaders and we will turn it around. I am 100 per cent sure of that and we are in a little blip but we knew coming into this season it would not be plain sailing.

“If people thought it was going to be like it was in the first three games then they were naïve. We will have spells when we don’t win matches and we will have spells where we string a couple of results together, that’s what it is like for a new team in the Premier League. That doesn’t mean we accept losing games, or not picking up points, we will turn it around, I have absolutely no doubt.”

Having built a promotion push in the Championship on solid foundations at the back and keeping clean sheets, Middlesbrough have found it much harder to stay tight in the top-flight. Son’s goals were the sixth and seventh conceded in the last three matches.

Gibson said: “It is a horrible feeling. We expect clean sheets and we are used to keeping clean sheets. We are used to this place being a fortress and it is something we have to get back.

“We have to address that quickly and we are trying to but we need to try harder. There’s no ifs or buts about it, we haven’t defended well enough as a back four, as a team, individually. We have to improve and we will improve.”

Gibson, whose header arrived 25 minutes from time, is being talked up as a player who could be included in Sam Allardyce’s England squad next month but is taking Karanka’s advice and focusing on his club football.

He said: “I don’t really think a lot about it. It’s nice to be mentioned but until anything happens I can’t think about it. I am just thinking about us winning matches again and keeping clean sheets. I would have swapped this goal for a clean sheet any day of the week. I am fully focused on turning this little blip around.”