CAIRO: Middlesbrough coach Gareth Southgate justified Ahmed "Mido Hossam s rapid switch of clubs during his athletic career. The Egypt striker was often criticized for failing to stay at any club for more than one year. He played for eight teams in seven years. But Southgate believes Mido, who played for the likes of Ajax Amsterdam, Tottenham Hotspur, Marseille and AS Roma, had a point. Has Mido got an unfair reputation? Yeah, the former England defender was quoted as saying by The Sun. I think it's one of the first things I asked him about, the number of clubs that he's had. A lot of those moves, particularly early in his career, were all career moves - starting at smaller clubs and moving up. Then he's had a lack of playing opportunities at clubs. He wants to play, wherever he is, and he finds it hard if he's not going to figure consistently and if he doesn't feel he's being given a fair opportunity. Although he is yet to establish himself as a regular starter at Boro, Mido recently said he intended to carry on at the Riverside. The 25-year-old, who came through Zamalek s youth ranks, seeks stability. My challenge is to get the very best of him. If he can be here for a couple of years, or a few years, then it'll be working because he'll be playing well and we'll hopefully be managing well, Southgate said. Mido was concerned about whether he'd get enough first-team football. Everybody has to realize that as the season goes on the picture changes for everybody so many times. People who started the season out of the side will work their way into it. Injury and suspension and loss of form affect everybody, so everybody's going to play their part. Mido's already done that with four goals, he's played a big part, he added
