■ Mowbray top of Gibson’s list

■ Chairman still hopes for promotion

■ Gibson: “It’s been bloody awful”

TONY MOWBRAY is in line for an emotional homecoming after leading the queue of contenders to come in and save Middlesbrough’s season.

Mowbray, a club hero when he was sold to Celtic as a defender in 1991, is the man at the forefront of chairman Steve Gibson’s thoughts following Gordon Strachan’s decision to quit yesterday.

And while Steve Agnew and Mark Proctor will take temporary charge for tonight’s trip to Nottingham Forest, and possibly Saturday’s trip to Norwich, Gibson is keen to make inroads towards a quick appointment.

In his interview on Radio Tees last night, after confirming Strachan’s exit, he was not willing to comment on individual candidates to fill the post vacated by the former Scotland international.

Mowbray, however, is understood to be the man most likely to come in and replace him, with Gibson knowing he is one of the only realistic options capable of bringing back a large number of the supporters who have stayed away.

“I am not going to talk specifics. To concentrate on one individual would not be the wisest thing to do,” said Gibson. “Since the rumours broke about Gordon Strachan I have had agents with all sorts of names contact me.

“I know a lot of people in the game. We will not rush in. We have very capable guys in Steve and Mark. We are anattractive club. With our facilities and fans, we are as good as it gets in the Championship.

“We have had a history in the Premier League and we are as good as it gets outside the top half of the Premier League.”

As well as Mowbray, another former Middlesbrough captain, Paul Ince, has been mentioned, while Terry Venables, Paul Jewell, Dave Jones and Steve McClaren’s former coach, Steve Round, has been talked up.

However, Mowbray remains the vast majority of the fans’ first choice, even though it would mean working with the likes of Barry Robson, Scott McDonald and Willo Flood – players he let go of at Celtic.

Mowbray would have to overcome the problem of reaching an agreement with Celtic, where is is on ‘gardening leave’ as a result of his departure and is still being paid by the Parkhead club until April.

And Gibson hinted he will be listening to what the fans want. “The fans are everything,”

said Gibson, still worshipped for the way he has guided the club through its most successful period since taking over in 1994.

“This has been a pretty poor period for the town and the area. The one thing that unites the town is a successful football club. Having enjoyed the successful period in the Premier League, it makes it more difficult to accept the decline of the last two years.”

Strachan won just 13 of his 46 matches in charge. He leaves Middlesbrough just two points off the relegation zone and with just one point from their last four matches ahead of tonight’s trip to Nottingham Forest.

But Gibson is satisfied that the former Celtic manager’s successor can still turn things around in time to close the gap on the play-off zone, which is seven points away.

“We have not given up on a return to the Premier League,”

said Gibson, knowing Boro are 12 points shy of second placed Cardiff. “This league can change on the back of a few positive results. We are some distance off the top two, but not so off the playoffs.”

It is a year tomorrow that Gareth Southgate was sacked and seven days later he was replaced by Strachan.

“Some will say I got it wrong in the first place, circumstance and results say they are probably right,” said Gibson. “Gordon is a good guy, he has moved on. The next thing is to look for a new man. We have to get that belief back. It’s been bloody awful but we will turn it around.”

Strachan’s assistant Garry Pendrey and his goalkeeping coach Jim Blyth have also left the club, while they are no longer expected to use scout Ray Clarke.

Middlesbrough (probable): Steele; Bates, Wheater, McManus, Bennett; O’Neil, Arca, Tavares, Kink; McDonald, Boyd.