STEVE AGNEW has not spoken with Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson since his side was relegated on Monday, and admits he does not know whether he will be asked to remain in charge next season.

Agnew’s long-term prospects have been shrouded in uncertainty since he was appointed to succeed Aitor Karanka, with his elevation to the role of head coach generally regarded as a temporary move that will be reassessed at the end of the season.

Gibson has not spoken publicly about Agnew’s position, and the Boro owner is understood to feel it would be wrong to break his silence until the current campaign is at an end. The Teessiders still have to play Southampton and Liverpool, and with the latter game in particular having potentially serious repercussions in terms of the battle for a Champions League place, Gibson does not want to detract from the importance of the two remaining fixtures.

He will speak with Agnew after the campaign has finished though, when he will decide whether to keep the former assistant in his current role next season.

Retaining Agnew would guarantee a degree of continuity, which could be important as Boro look to hit the ground running in the Championship. It would also enable Gibson to retain the current coaching staff and avoid major backroom upheaval.

However, a significant section of Middlesbrough’s support appear to have decided Agnew is not the right man to lead the club forward, and while performances might have improved under his tenure, his results since succeeding Karanka have hardly been impressive.

“That’s (the decision over his future) out of my hands,” said Agnew. “It’s a decision for the chairman. He is a very intelligent guy, who has been chairman of this football club for many, many years, so I am certainly not going to question when he feels he needs to make a decision.

“I am sure he will make the right decision, and take his time over where he goes with it. I have texts off him, supportive texts, and that has been the contact. The good thing is that Steve Gibson allows you to manage and get on with the job. I have not had conversations though – that is for another day, and we will see what the future brings.”

Prior to the last two months, Agnew’s only previous experience of a managerial role saw him take charge of last season’s disastrous 2-0 defeat at Charlton after Aitor Karanka had walked out of the training ground.

He has experienced some success during his current spell in charge, most notably in a 1-0 win over Sunderland and a 2-2 draw with Manchester City, but has ultimately been unable to keep Boro in the top-flight.

He concedes he must take a share of the blame for the club’s relegation, but remains adamant he has what it takes to succeed as a manager.

“I’ve enjoyed the challenge of the past ten weeks, but I have not enjoyed the outcome,” said Agnew, who has been previously been employed at Boro as an academy and reserve-team coach as well as assistant boss.

“That’s my nature, it’s the way I am. I’m determined. People can think what they want about my pleasant personality, but I know what I am. I know I’m driven, and I know what I want to do.

“On the coaching side, I’ve had a career and, in terms of Premier League retention and promotions, it has been very successful.”

So does that mean Agnew wants to remain as head coach? He has consistently ducked the question in the last few weeks, and while he once again refused to give a straight answer in his latest press appearance, he conceded he would like the opportunity to be involved in a successful promotion campaign in the Championship.

“If it means I’m involved at a football club which is getting promoted back into the Premier League, then yeah, it’s something I’ll enjoy,” he said.

Any assessment of Agnew’s performance in the last two months will be coloured by a judgement of Boro’s position when Karanka departed. If you believe the rot had already set in under Karanka, then Agnew can be absolved of blame for relegation. If, however, you take the view that the position bequeathed by Karanka was not irretrievable, then Agnew’s return of six points from a possible 27 has to be criticised.

“When I took the job on, I was confident we could stay in the Premier League,” he said. “I’m disappointed with the outcome, of course. Before I took charge, we hadn’t won many matches, and after we won one.

“So it’s the season we have to look at. It’s a season where we haven’t won enough games. I knew how many we needed to win, and we haven’t done that.”