Middlesbrough has named Kim Hellberg as the club’s next head coach.
At Riverside Stadium, a new era has officially begun.
After being shocked and hurt to see Rob Edwards leave them for Wolves, Hellberg was named Middlesbrough’s new head coach on Monday afternoon.
The 37-year-old is joined on Teesside by his former Hammarby assistant manager, David Selini, and interim Malmö manager, Anes Mravac, has also agreed to join Hellberg’s new-look backroom team in December after guiding the Swedish side through European games against Nottingham Forest and Porto.
Kim Hellberg chose Middlesbrough over Swansea City for two key reasons.
It was only announced on November 13 that Hellberg had spoken with fellow Championship opponents Swansea City about their open head coach position, after the Swans parted ways with Alan Sheehan.
As a result, it appeared very certain that the Swede would be traveling to South Wales. However, given the events surrounding Edwards’ departure, Boro officials appear to have moved rapidly to focus on Hellberg, and they have been successful in convincing him to relocate to the North East of England instead.
Speaking in his first interview as Middlesbrough head coach on the club’s official website, Hellberg expressed his delight at being given the Boro job and revealed that he took the job for a variety of reasons, but two in particular as to why he felt this was the right move for him.
“I’m delighted to have been appointed as Boro’s head coach, and I’m very proud to be here,” Middlesbrough’s new manager stated.
“Boro is an excellent pick for me due to a number of factors. The way they play and want to perform, together with the crowd, is appropriate for me and how I want to work.
“I want us to play quick and aggressive football, and if we don’t have the ball, we should try to get it as soon as possible. I want us to be quick on goal and create many of opportunities.
“I’ve been very impressed with the players and how they’ve worked so far this season, and I’m looking forward to getting to work with them.”
The club has also confirmed that, despite his new position as head coach, Hellberg will not make his Middlesbrough dugout debut against Coventry City on Tuesday night, with first-team coach Adi Viveash – who is also staying on despite Hellberg’s appointment – taking over for the third game in a row.
Hellberg has a rare opportunity in Middlesbrough – but it won’t be easy.
Given his success in Sweden, his young and progressive coaching profile, and a similarly youthful and dynamic coaching squad joining him at the Riverside, the majority of Middlesbrough fans are clearly thrilled with the recruitment of Hellberg.
And the former Hammarby, IFK Varnamo and IF Sylvia coach is walking into a unique chance with the Teessiders, since despite the Edwards scenario unfolding the way it did, Boro still sit second in the Championship after 16 games, and hold a three-point lead against Stoke City in third.
They’ve fielded one of the Championship’s best, well-organised and uncharitable defences so far this season, and have an abundance of high-quality players in the midfield and attacking areas of the pitch, forming a playing squad that would be the envy of just about any second tier manager.
However, there has been an Achilles’ heel limiting this team’s points total thus far this season, and that is a lack of goals scored, with the main symptom of this problem being a lack of clinical play in the final third.
No more evident were these concerns made clear than in their most recent encounter with Oxford United on Saturday, when Boro closed the game with 70 per cent possession, and unleashed 19 shots at the Oxford goal, but just three were on target (per FotMob), as Middlesbrough were held to a 1-1 draw by the U’s.
Therefore, it isn’t going to be the straightforward task of inheriting a team that is in the automatic promotion places and simply ensuring a continuation of performances for Hellberg, as Boro fans seem to universally agree that if these problems in attack persist, they won’t be sitting where they are in the league come May.
As such, it’s going to take a big coaching effort from Hellberg in his first job outside of his homeland of Sweden, but if he can deliver and implement his ‘quick, aggressive’ brand of football and gets Boro firing on all cylinders in attack once again, then he will be confident that with how strong Boro have been at the back, that he can cook up a recipe for Premier League promotion.
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