IT is a myth to suggest that Steve Gibson does not sack his managers.

Since replacing Colin Henderson as Middlesbrough’s chairman in 1994, Gibson has dismissed Gareth Southgate, Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray, and ushered both Bryan Robson and Aitor Karanka through the exit door when it became clear their Teesside tenure had run its course.

You don’t build up a business portfolio with an annual turnover of more than £200m without a ruthless streak, and there have been plenty of times in the past when Gibson has acted decisively to bring an unsuccessful spell to an end.

Yet as Garry Monk prepares for a game that will almost certainly prove pivotal in determining his long-term prospects as Middlesbrough’s manager, he would still be advised to count his blessings that he has Gibson working above him rather than any other chairman in the Football League.

Make no mistake about it, if he had been working at a host of other clubs, he might well have been looking for alternative employment in the wake of last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Bristol City. This has not been a disastrous start to the season, with Boro sitting in ninth position in the table ahead of this afternoon’s meeting with Ipswich Town, but performances and results have not come close to matching the lofty ambitions that were espoused at the start of the season.

After an investment of more than £40m, the expectation was that automatic promotion would be an attainable ambition. It still might be, although the 14-point gap currently separating Boro from the top two looks like a gaping chasm given the club’s recent run of form.

Yet Monk remains in his position, with sources close to Gibson insisting the chairman continues to provide his full support. That might change if Boro were to suffer a third successive defeat this afternoon, but then again knowing Gibson’s refusal to be swayed by public opinion, it might not. Either way, Monk knows he is fortunate to be working at a club that has remained relatively immune to the growing trend of constant managerial upheaval, especially in the Football League.

“From the outside, and knowing what I knew of Middlesbrough, I’ve always seen this club as a place where unity has been important,” said Monk, who cut his managerial teeth with Swansea City before spending a season as boss of Leeds United. “That’s from the owner, all the way down to the fans.

“That doesn’t give you a divine right to anything, but it was a big part of the appeal for coming here. There’s unity from top to bottom, and a connection between all parts of the club and the fans.

“I’ve been at clubs before that have been at the heart of the town or community they are in, and I understand how important that is. That was a big part of the attraction. I’ve been a football fan all my life, and I know how it feels, what it means to support your team, and what you have to go through to do that.

“That unity never guarantees you anything, but from day one, the internal support has been second to none, everything from top to bottom. The support and encouragement are there for everyone, and that’s a big reason why I came to the club. Those kind of clubs are very few and far between.”

Things were certainly different at Leeds, with the Yorkshire club having developed a deserved reputation for backroom upheaval in the last few years.

Monk lasted a year at Elland Road before he jumped ship when he felt the goalposts were being moved around him, but his reign was almost over before it had begun when he made a slow start to last season.

In a situation that bears strong parallels to the current position on Teesside, Monk won just one of his first five league games as Leeds boss, a run that resulted in a section of supporters calling for his head in the wake of a 1-0 home defeat to Huddersfield Town.

Monk went into a midweek home game with Blackburn Rovers with his job on the line, but a 2-1 victory, secured by an 86th-minute winner from Kyle Bartley, sparked a run of five wins from six games that turned Leeds’ season around.

Monk learned some valuable lessons from those tough early days at Elland Road, most notably that it is sometimes more damaging to try to turn everything on its head.

“Kneejerk things create more uncertainty,” he said. “You have to trust in what you do and what you believe in, and you also have to trust in your players. There was a big expectation at Leeds, although there was also a realisation of what they had just been through.

“It was a different situation to coming in here, but it was the same principle in terms of needing to be focused on what we do and what we stand for. That’s what these players work so hard for, and we need to bring that to the fore.

“We haven’t done that enough, but you have to trust in it. I know what the players are capable of, and it’s my job to help them. I fully trust in the players and believe in them, and I know we’re capable of getting back on track. But we have to do that starting from the next game.”

Reinforcing a group mentality is a key part of Monk’s management, a mantra that applies to the coaching team and boardroom set-up as well as the players on the training ground.

His relationship with Gibson is the most important at the football club, and he insists it has not been strained by recent events. The pair talk on an almost daily basis, with chief executive Neil Bausor also a key figure in the day-to-day running of the club.

Monk accepts he cannot afford to take Gibson’s trust for granted. But by the same token, he knows he is fortunate to be working for someone who is willing to adopt a long-term perspective, even if the clamour for change in the short term continues to grow.

“I’ve spoken to him (Gibson), but I’ve spoken to everyone at the club,” said Monk. “Everyone knows how we’re working, what we’re doing, and how determined we are. And that goes for players, staff, myself, and everyone from the owner to the bottom.

“We’re all determined to put it right, and get to the level we want to get to. Internally, with experience, you understand it’s not always as straight-forward as how it might look from the outside.

“You’re talking about the expectancy right here, now, but there are different circumstances for different clubs. Talking is cheap though. There are no excuses from us. We have to get ourselves to those high standards consistently, starting as soon as possible.”