Stewart Downing has admitted some of his Middlesbrough teammates may not have wanted to be at the club as they scrapped in vain to secure their Premier League status.
The 32-year-old former England midfielder is the latest player to suggest there was a fracture in the dressing room at the Riverside Stadium at the time interim head coach Steve Agnew was attempting to drag Boro to safety.
Downing knows that cannot be repeated next season if they are to secure promotion from the Championship for the second time in three years, and has promised chairman Steve Gibson the full backing of the players as he decides who should lead the promotion fight.