UNDER-PRESSURE Michael Carrick says he has a burning desire to fight through Middlesbrough's current struggle and stressed he is as committed to the cause as he's ever been.

Carrick's Boro head for Bristol City tonight in desperate search of a positive result after sliding down to 11th in the Championship on the back of four successive league defeats.

Carrick retains the faith of owner Steve Gibson and was backed by the chairman in the aftermath of last week's home defeat to Watford.

And he says he cares deeply for Boro and is fiercely determined to come through what is his toughest spell in the dugout since taking charge two and a half seasons ago.

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"I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be in this job if I didn't have that (care and passion)," he said.

"That's all I've known. I've been fortunate enough to be at some good football clubs and around some fantastic people, and to learn off that.

"I’ve been in the game a long time, and I'm in it because I love it. I'm in it to try and have some success.

"And yeah, I care. Listen, I see my family one day a week, if I'm lucky. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't care about it because I care about them an awful lot as well!

"But this is what I do, this is what I love and it doesn't change."

Carrick admitted after last week's Watford defeat that the confidence of his Boro players has been dented on the back of the side's slump. One of the priorities for the head coach this week has been attempting to rebuild that belief.

He said: "It can come back just as quickly as you maybe lose it.

"It can be one moment, it can be one moment in the game, it can be one game...it can flip so quickly and you’ve just got to keep giving yourself the best chance really and doing the things that are classed as simple things.

"It’s not easy to keep doing, but you've got to do the simple things as well as you possibly can, definitely work as hard as you possibly can and things fall into place, and before you know it, you're off and running again and you’ve forgotten about them feelings that maybe you had at certain points in the season.

"That's how you get the flow of momentum at times. When you've got the wave, you've got to ride it. And we're looking for that next one.”