With the Riverside Stadium sold out and the team potentially only 90 minutes distant from an appearance at Wembley, Teesside is aquiver ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City. Given Middlesbrough’s league position, anticipation is spliced with trepidation, but Steve Gibson, the chairman, has chosen a pivotal moment to herald the impact made by Gareth Southgate in his first managerial role.

From overhauling his squad, introducing a vibrant attacking style, bringing balance to the team, making hefty signings and studying for his coaching badges, Southgate has emerged as a substantive figure. The esteemed Arsene Wenger has recognised his achievements since replacing Steve McClaren in June 2006, describing Southgate as “good enough” for the England job.

“Gareth has done terrifically for us,” Gibson said. “I can’t emphasise enough how ugly the job was that I gave him. It was a time when the club needed great change on the playing staff. The season before we reached the Uefa Cup final, but we also finished 14th in the Premier League with an aging squad and we had to have a heavy turnover of personnel because otherwise we wouldn’t have survived.

“You need a clear head, a clear plan and a strong hand at the helm at times like that and Gareth brought all three. So much changed so quickly; look at how much the team has changed since then. He knows how to get players motivated. It hasn’t been an easy season for the club and there’s been a lot to deal with, but I think we’ll retain our place in the division and be a lot stronger next season.”

Wenger’s compliment was appreciated. “You enjoy hearing that kind of endorsement, but we knew it anyway,” Gibson said. “Gareth is such a good man and such a decent man that you want him to succeed and flourish, but there’s far more to him as a manager than that.

“I see the work he puts in every day and every week and I know, too, how much pressure there is at a football club when you’re not winning games every week. Gareth has never panicked. He’s looked at every situation very coolly and done what’s needed to be done.

“As a team, as a squad and as a club, we’re moving forward and making progress. It’s absolutely vital that we stay in this league, but I believe we will. Nothing’s certain in football, but we have enough talent to survive and with two years experience behind Gareth and with a bit more support in the transfer market this close season, we could have something very special going on here.”

Could Middlesbrough eventually lose another manager to the national side? “It’s a bit early to talk about Gareth in that way, but we think we’ve got our Academy about right and we’re trying to have an academy of coaches, too,” Gibson said.