McClaren talks signal end for Tubbs

The gnomic 45-year-old is currently preparing his Middlesbrough side for a historic UEFA Cup final appearance in Eindhoven on 10 May, but the match against Sevilla could be his last after he was linked with a series of exits. Most known is the grandiose doors to the England job but should that bid fail, sources say he is preparing a backdoor strategy, having had talks with another Premiership outfit from the north-east.

Not content, McClaren has also prepared a Cat Flap route out of the Riverside, after talks with key Villa figures. That would obviously spell the end for the moribund O'Leary, who will no doubt discover the motivation he has lacked as a manager when it comes to his - deep breath - £1.4m settlement.