Mark Schwarzer is confident Middlesbrough's united front will see them through as they attempt to drag themselves away from the fight for Barclays Premier League survival.

Gareth Southgate's men thought they had turned the corner when, after becoming the first side to take three points from leaders Arsenal, they won 1-0 at Derby to ease themselves up the table.

However, Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by West Ham left them perched just three points above derby rivals Sunderland, who are inside the drop zone, heading into their Boxing Day trip to fellow strugglers Birmingham.

Schwarzer and his team-mates will hope for a repeat of their comfortable 2-0 win over the Midlands side at the Riverside Stadium on September 1.

Southgate, now in his second year in the hot seat, has maintained an impressive calm during a difficult period, and his first-choice goalkeeper believes the unity within a squad which is fully behind the manager will prove invaluable.

The 35-year-old Australian said: "If you are in a position like he is, if you started to lose your head - it's like any manager, if any manager loses their head, it does not matter how experienced or inexperienced they are, it can be a problem.

"Gareth is very, very calm and that's a calming influence on the players.

"We all back the manager 100 per cent. We all want to get out of this together because we are all in it together and we need to get out of it together."

Southgate was handed a five-year contract by chairman Steve Gibson when he appointed him as Steve McClaren's replacement, and he remains steadfastly behind his manager.

Indeed, he is ready to back him financially once again as he attempts to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window and has told him he does not need to sell to help finance his spending plans.

Southgate freely acknowledges how fortunate he is to have a chairman who is arguably the most supportive in the English game, and certainly so in Schwarzer's eyes.

He said: "I think it has been proven, especially over the 10 years I have been at the club, that Mr Gibson has never been one to make rash decisions.

"He has tended to always stick with people and really given them his full backing all the time.

"That can be very encouraging for any manager at the club, that they know they have that full support of a chairman who backs you so well."

Boro have been hampered all season by injuries with influential midfielder Julio Arca and £6million striker Mido among the most significant casualties.

The Argentinian played his first 90 minutes since September against the Hammers, while Mido and Gary O'Neil sat in the stands nursing groin and hamstring problems respectively.

However, it is England defender Jonathan Woodgate whose fitness has become the latest focus.

The 27-year-old was substituted for the third time in four games on Saturday suffering from cramp, and Southgate and his medical staff are working hard in an effort to identify the cause.

The manager said: "Jonathan came off with cramp and that is a problem for him at the moment. We are doing tests and trying to investigate the cause.

"You don't want to disrupt your defence at that time of a game, but it stops him from being as effective as he was before. We need to get to the bottom of it.

"He is not really a doubt because it's not an injury as such, it's a problem he has had during games."

With German international Robert Huth now fit, Southgate at least has the option of resting £7million Woodgate.