BEN Gibson accused his Middlesbrough team-mates of a lack of effort as fans turned the heat on head coach Aitor Karanka during another day of frustration that has cast further doubt on the club's Premier League future.

Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Stoke City plunged Boro into the drop zone for the first time this season and they are now three points adrift of the safety line after relegation rivals Crystal Palace, Leicester and Swansea all won.

Gibson was angry at the first-half collapse which saw Boro trail 2-0, while fans took their frustrations out on Karanka, chanting 'Aitor Karanka, it's time to go home' in the second half.

The latest debacle has seen bookmakers slash the odds on the Spaniard becoming the next top-flight boss to lose his job; he was already the favourite .

“It takes 11 people to be working their socks off and pulling in the right direction and for the first half I didn't feel like that was happening,” said Gibson. “We conceded two soft goals and I thought they worked harder than us.

“They did the basics around the pitch and that's not a lot to ask. In the first half they worked harder than us and beat us to the second balls and they dominated us as a result of that.”

The fans unhappy with Karanka are hoping for a change but it remains to be seen if chairman Steve Gibson will take the course of action. There are still supporters supportive of the head coach, although the pressure is mounting.

The 43-year-old Spaniard, who was appointed in November 2013, vowed he won't quit and chairman Steve Gibson has a long history of staying loyal to his managers.

“I didn’t hear the chants but I am here because the chairman called me and I will leave when the chairman tells me,” said Karanka.

“He called me three years ago to help them get into the Premier League and I will leave the day the chairman tells to.

“The problem is there are a lot of things. The only thing I know, since I started my career 15 years ago and since I arrived here, is to work hard. In the bad situations you need to work even harder.”

Boro face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday but then host Manchester United before trips to face relegation rivals Swansea City and Hull City.

Gibson insisted Boro have the character to win their survival battle.

“Last week I said they were good characters and that hasn't changed in a week,” said the 24-year-old.

“I still believe in this group of players, I still believe in this football club that we will put it right.

“There are good people in that dressing room who care about this club, and that will stay the same regardless of the next run of results over the next three games or 10 games.”

Boro have gone 433 minutes without scoring a goal in the Premier League and are without a win in 10 games going back to December 17 when they beat Swansea 3-0.

“We talked all week about being more expansive and being better at the other end of the pitch but if that's what we're going to do, we can't neglect our own end of the pitch,” admitted Gibson.