STEWART DOWNING has urged Middlesbrough to appoint Steve Agnew beyond the end of the season – even though the current head coach now looks certain to lead his side to relegation.

Boro’s fate was effectively sealed at the weekend as they crashed to a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Bournemouth while relegation rivals Hull and Swansea both picked up 2-0 victories.

The results mean Boro are now nine points adrift of safety, with five games remaining, and given they still have to face Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, it is all-but-impossible to see them surviving even if they beat Sunderland in the Tees-Wear derby on Wednesday night.

Agnew has presided over Boro’s last six games since the departure of Aitor Karanka, and has managed to pick up just two points.

Nevertheless, Downing remains convinced he is the right man to lead next season’s rebuilding job, and claims results do not provide a realistic reflection of the progress that has been made under Agnew’s tenure.

“It’s difficult for him (Agnew) because he’s been given an unbelievable task,” said Downing. “He came in with ten or 11 games to go, and we were already in a very difficult position.

“For me, I’d give him the job. That’s my personal opinion – I think he’s really, really good. The way he sets his teams up, and the way he wants to play is really positive. He’s great as a person too – his man-management is first class. You can ask any of the lads – we all want to play for him.

“It’s disappointing that performance didn’t replicate what he’s been putting in. You’ve got to give him a chance and let him pick his own players and his own squad. With a couple of transfer windows to work in, I think he’d be a really good manager.

“But that’s just my opinion – it’s up to the powers that be above. But for me, he’d be a really good manager in the future. He’s been given a difficult task, but I think his attitude has been first class.”

Steve Gibson watched Saturday’s defeat alongside chief executive Neil Bausor, and having backed Agnew when Karanka departed at the start of last month, the Boro chairman must now decide whether to stick with the former assistant next season.

The pair are close, and Agnew was earmarked for a possible stint as head coach when he agreed to leave Hull to return to Teesside as Karanka’s number two.

However, the last six matches have hardly provided a ringing endorsement of his qualities, and Gibson must weigh the potential benefits of some managerial stability against the risks inherent in sticking with a boss who is still to claim his first victory in charge.

Downing accepts that recent results and performances have been unacceptable, but insists the players should carry the can for those failings rather than Agnew.

“I feel for the manager,” he said. “He’s been absolutely first class since he took over and has given the lads loads of confidence. He’s come in with a smile on his face every day, and has had a really good attitude.

“It’s disappointing for him really because he set us up really well, it was just us that didn’t carry out his instructions. It’s us as players that have to take the blame.

“You can point the finger at anyone, but it’s down to the players that are playing. You can talk about tactics and things like that, but the tactics would have been bang on. It was just mistakes – we didn’t carry things out properly.”

Saturday’s defeat was Boro’s heaviest of the season, and means they have now conceded four goals in successive away games.

Wednesday’s derby with Sunderland had been billed as a survival showdown, but instead it is now little more than a parochial tussle between two sides who look certain to be playing in the Championship next season.

If Boro were to lose in two days’ time, they could potentially be relegated when they host Manchester City on Sunday, but Agnew is refusing to throw in the towel. Boro have now gone 16 league games without a victory, but their boss continues to insist relegation is not inevitable.

“We have to be realistic in situations like this,” said Agnew. “It’s a huge challenge for us, but all we can do is dust ourselves down and get ready for the Sunderland game.

“We have to be upbeat, because we’re in a position now where every game is one we have to win.  We need a win, we need three points and we remain as positive we can be after a defeat like today, and we look to the Sunderland game.”