Southgate claims he inherited problems from McClaren

Southgate claims Boro were left in a state of limbo following his appointment to the England post.

The Boro boss told the Daily Mail: "We have inherited problems from the previous season.

"Most clubs had already planned their pre-seasons and planned their signings but we didn't have that in place as the manager knew he was going."

Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson appointed Southgate in early June as McClaren's successor.

Despite an early victory over Chelsea, Boro made a stuttering start to the season.

After beating the Blues on 23 August, Boro had to wait until October for their next Premiership win over Everton and also suffered a Carling Cup exit to League Two outfit Notts County.

Boro have failed to recover from their poor start and have been dragged into the relegation dogfight.

Several players have arrived since Southgate's appointment, including Julio Arca (from Sunderland for �1.75m) and Robert Huth (from Chelsea for �6m).

Southgate also brought Abel Xavier back into the fold following the Portugal defender's ban for using illegal substances and signed Jonathan Woodgate on loan from Real Madrid.