Morgan Whittaker mentioned the unity of the Middlesbrough FC dressing room after the Teesside club maintained their perfect start to life under Kim Hellberg against Hull City at the MKM Stadium.
After coming from behind to upset Derby County at the Riverside Stadium last Saturday, with Whittaker scoring the game-winning goal against his former club, the Reds had secured their 10th Championship victory by halftime in dreadful East Yorkshire conditions.
Indeed, Hellberg’s team exploited one of the division’s poorest defences on numerous occasions, with goals from David Strelec, Alex Gilbert, Whittaker, and Riley McGree giving Boro a 4-0 lead after 44 minutes, three of which came within an unrelenting 12-minute stretch.
Middlesbrough’s chances of returning to the Premier League for the first time since Aitor Karanka’s tenure in 2016/17 have been widely discussed. Despite the club’s league position (in the second-tier’s automatic promotion slots), the previous month or so has been far from easy for the players, staff, and supporters to traverse on paper, despite results and performances indicating otherwise.
It has also been revealed why Hellberg became the first manager since 1926/27 to be bought out of his contract at another club, having joined from Swedish Allsvenskan side Hammarby IF last month after turning down prior offers from Swansea City.
His impact on the club’s creative and attacking flair has already been evident, with Middlesbrough scoring six times in less than a week and boasting a diverse group of scorers in the process.
As a result, Whittaker is beginning to click into gear and become a fan favourite after a difficult start to life at the Riverside following a high-profile move from Plymouth Argyle 11 months ago, despite the fact that Hellberg is already his third manager at the club, having previously worked under Michael Carrick and Rob Edwards.
Morgan Whittaker offers spirited Middlesbrough FC statement following Hull City’s dominance.
As previously stated, Whittaker’s time at the Riverside has been mixed, having struggled for form in the final months of Carrick’s tenure last season, before struggling at the start of this season despite his side’s overall fast start under Edwards, who is now firmly public enemy number one on Teesside following his controversial transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Middlesbrough squad has only lost once in the five games since Edwards was replaced by Steve Gibson on November 8th, with Hellberg benefiting from Adi Viveash’s largely successful stint as interim manager before his appointment was confirmed.
Friday night’s rout in East Yorkshire also represented the Teesside outfit’s joint-largest winning margin of the season thus far, having also won 3-0 at Millwall on August 16th, as well as their first success away from the Riverside since August 23rd, when they edged Norwich City by two goals to one at Carrow Road.
Whittaker also played a significant role in Middlesbrough’s attacking dominance against the Championship’s second-leakiest backline, with Strelec benefiting from the winger’s initially deflected swipe after nine minutes, before scoring his second goal in six days with a neat curling effort that left Ivor Pandur with no chance 10 minutes before halftime.
Many of his teammates celebrated the strike, with Whittaker highlighting the passion that is currently running through the club as they seek promotion.
The winger said on his Instagram profile: “Incredible.”
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We have never felt closer together. “Unstoppable,” he added.
And it may be interpreted as a dig at Edwards, whose departure from Wolves was controversial, leaving the current Boro squad with some major soul-searching to do – which they appear to have done and are reaping the short-term benefits under Hellberg.
Middlesbrough has the perfect opportunity to extend Kim Hellberg’s dream start.
Middlesbrough is one of numerous clubs who have capitalised on the division’s competitive and congested environment this season, and they have showed no symptoms of being hampered by the recent managerial change.
Boro have been lethal on the break on numerous occasions this season, with Hull being the most recent victim.
This time of year also allows the North East side to maintain their momentum under the 37-year-old, as games come thick and fast.
Hellberg’s team will travel to South London on Tuesday night to play Charlton Athletic.
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