TONY MOWBRAY is on the verge of becoming Middlesbrough’s new manager after holding successful talks with chairman Steve Gibson yesterday.

Twenty-four hours after Boro suffered a defeat at Norwich City that left striker Kris Boyd admitting the new boss’ first task will be to win a relegation fight, Mowbray was in the North-East to talk things over with Gibson.

Gibson still has alternative options, with Paul Ince, Nigel Pearson, Steve Round and Gary Megson thought to be in his thinking and an interesting offer from Fabrizio Ravanelli to succeed Gordon Strachan.

But the Middlesbrough chief has decided to opt for Mowbray and now negotiations will have to take place with Celtic aimed at reaching an agreement over the ‘gardening leave’ which could still scupper the deal.

The former Middlesbrough captain, the realistic contender the fans want in charge, has been out of management since an unsuccessful spell in charge at Parkhead. His assistant at Celtic, Mark Venus, will also join him on Teesside provided negotiations with the Bhoys are successful.

It is hoped that he will be in charge for this Saturday’s visit of Bristol City, a match former Rangers striker Boyd knows is vital in Middlesbrough’s attempts to climb out of the bottom three.

It is a week since Strachan resigned on the back of an alarming start to a season in which Middlesbrough had been expected to challenge for the Football League title.

Middlesbrough’s travelling supporters at Carrow Road made their wishes clear by singing for Mowbray. Whoever comes in, according to Boyd, then improvements are needed quickly to guide Middlesbrough out of a fight against the drop in to League One.

Boyd was part of the Kilmarnock team that successfully avoided relegation from the Scottish Premier League in 2004, prior to his move to Rangers that turned him in to a title winner.

“You find out a lot about people when you are down there,”

he said. “I have been in relegation battles before and that is what it is right now.

“Until we start to win games we are in a relegation battle.

We have to work hard and you make your own luck when you are in this situation. We have to work hard. It’s important the fans stay with us, and hopefully we can rectify the situation.

“I don’t think promotion is a write-off, but we are in a relegation fight right now. Sunderland were a few years ago, Blackpool last year, there were problems there, but they turned it around.

“There’s a long way to go, points to play for, we just need to get our act together. I have been there, I know it is not nice to be fighting every week.

Hopefully it will turn soon.”

Middlesbrough’s drop in to the relegation zone has been on the cards for a few weeks, but it finally arrived on Saturday courtesy of the 1-0 defeat at Norwich.

“We don’t need a wake up call. Everyone knows what position we are in, the trouble we are in. We have to get our heads down and work hard,” said the 27-year-old.

“We have to do our talking on the pitch and then when someone does come in we have to work under them, get some points for this club.”

Despite Boyd’s arrival in the summer, Middlesbrough have struggled to become an attacking force in the Championship.

That, though, has been down to a dearth of creativity as much as it has been down to a lack of goals from the forwards.

Boyd has scored three times since his arrival at the end of his contract at Ibrox, but he admits the whole team needs to find more ways to threaten opposition defences if things are to take a turn for the better.

“It’s hard, we just have to keep plugging away. The end product, and I’m part of that, wasn’t there at Norwich,” said Boyd. “Up until inside the box we are doing OK. We are just not making any chances or taking them if we do get one.

“When you look at the end of the game there’s a few people on their knees because we are gutted. We have had an awful season so far and hopefully we can change things soon.

“We are clearly low on confidence, we have not won many games but when you look at the performances there’s not been much between the two teams. We have two home games now and that has to be the start.”

There are now fresh injury concerns over Kevin Thomson, who had to be replaced in the first half with a calf problem and he is a real doubt for the visit of bottom club Bristol City.