We Are Middlesbrough

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Middlesbrough winger Morgan Whittaker says the players have proved their resilience amid a change of manager, after they returned to winning ways.

Whittaker scored the winning goal as Boro came from behind to beat Derby County 2-1 in Kim Hellberg's first match in charge.

Middlesbrough are second in the Championship table, 10 points behind leaders Coventry City and two points ahead of third-placed Millwall.

Ex-boss Rob Edwards left for Wolverhampton Wanderers last month and the club picked up four points from three games with Adi Viveash in temporary charge.

But only Coventry have fewer than Boro's three league defeats from 18 games this season.

"I think that is the difference this season. We are finding ways to win," Whittaker told BBC Radio Tees.

"We can score from set-pieces and we can score from open play and I think that's what is really helping us.

"We know we've got the quality and the resilience to go and perform and keep going like nothing has changed.

"We are the ones that can affect things on the pitch, no matter who is on the side."

Hellberg praised the team's character and the way they fought for each other against Derby and Whittaker believes his new manager has settled in well.

"He's not wanted to change how we play with the ball. He knows our strengths. He knows that we are really good in possession," Whittaker added.

"It's just little changes without the ball, especially the attackers, and then when we lose the ball, being more secure to stop the team transitioning on us."

Boro have two away games coming up in the Championship, first travelling to Hull City on Friday, before a visit to Charlton Athletic next Tuesday.

Adam Cottier
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Adam Cottier

On a rainy, gloomy day on Teesside came a gritty show of perseverance from Middlesbrough.

Bruised by a dip in form, the recent surprise change of head coach, and maybe the absence of a key midfield cog in Aiden Morris, they found the going tough at times against Derby County.

The away side began in aggressive fashion in taking their early lead and looked astute for a long time until, as their boss John Eustace admitted after, Derby "ran out of legs".

Middlesbrough took full advantage. Even though Morris wasn't alongside him, Hayden Hackney showed his dynamic qualities, leading his team's fightback, not least with an excellent corner delivery for an equaliser that stunned Derby into submission.

Morgan Whittaker's winner was a piece of optimism in the soggy conditions, greeted by a roar of approval from a Middlesbrough support that will hope more such wins will follow in the heartlands of a fascinating promotion race in this division.

Middlesbrough will, however, have to regularly play better than they did in this game to remain in the top two. It was spirited and industrious, but by no means fluid and laden with creative spark.

And so to Kim Hellberg. "The whole day was crazy," he exclaimed afterwards. "It's a day I'll remember for the rest of my life."

He went on to speak candidly about his tactical approach in his first post-match press conference, and the fact he had no hesitation in giving a professional debut to young defender Archie Baptiste when the lead needed protecting at the end.

It was quite a start in terrible weather conditions. An illustration of how competitive the Championship is; how positive results can come when you have players capable of brilliance even when an all-round performance isn't quite on the button.

And credit, too, to the Middlesbrough fans behind the fabulous tifo display before the game.

Kim Hellberg praised a "brilliant" performance from Alex Bangura, insisting the defender showed players can force their way into his plans with effort on the training ground.

Bangura, 26, has not played for Boro for 18 months, with his last appearance coming at the end of the 2023-24 season.

But after impressing the new manager in two sessions at training this week he was rewarded with a start and 90 minutes as Middlesbrough came from behind to beat Derby County.

"I heard he hadn't played in a long while but he showed me that he has so much skills and a good attitude in training," said Hellberg.

"I thought his performance today was brilliant. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Coming in after 22 months and doing that over 90 minutes fighting against a tough team was brilliant.

"It is also important to show the players that if you perform in training you get the chance to play."

The pressure is already on Kim Hellberg as he prepares for his first game in charge of Middlesbrough.

Hellberg takes charge of Boro for the first time against in-form Derby County at Riverside Stadium on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Speaking on BBC Radio Tees' fan panel, Boro fan Brian warns, "I think at the moment we are going backwards. We're only two draws instead of wins away from being out of the top six because the pack is closing.

"Teams like Derby County, five or six [recent wins] I think it is. Last time I was on, I was saying how poor the relegated teams were, Ipswich are on a roll. Southampton got a good away victory last week."

A 4-2 loss to Coventry on Tuesday night means Boro are now 10 points behind the league leaders, have dropped out of the automatic promotion spots and could be looking over their shoulder at teams below them.

Brian added: "The gap is closing and this is why I think really Kim, this new appointment, he really needs to start off on the front foot. There's lots of challengers there.

"I wouldn't swap our position, I just think we need to do a little bit more to protect it.

"He needs to hit the ground running because Friday evening, Preston play away at Oxford, if they win that, we could find ourselves down at fourth place before we play Derby County."

Listen to more from the BBC Radio Tees fan panel on BBC Sounds.

New Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg will take charge of his first game when Derby visit the Riverside on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

In his first major managerial job with Varnamo in 2022, the 37-year-old kept the club in the Allsvenskan in their first-ever season in the Swedish top flight before leading them to an incredible fifth-place finish in 2023.

Hellberg was then appointed by Hammarby and guided them to two consecutive second-place finishes in 2024 and 2025.

Nordic Football Pod host Jonathan Fadugba says Hellberg is a "young and exciting" coach, who is considered "one of the best emerging managers in Sweden".

"He will try and put together an entertaining style of play," Fadugba told BBC Radio Tees.

"He's not a boring manager who will try to just sit in and nick a 1-0. He's someone who likes to implement an attacking game and go at teams.

"That's why his Hammarby side have been considered one of the best teams in the league for the past two years."

Fadugba said Hellberg would be open to adapting his style to the Championship and "won't be wedded to a system" if it isn't working.

"There will be a bedding in period, he's not the messiah who will come and everything is going to be amazing," he said.

"But one thing you can guarantee is that he's a clever manager. He will try and adapt in-game and he will definitely try and play the right style of football."

Describing his character, Fadugba said Hellberg is "very cool, calm, collected and debonair".

"A bit dapper on the sidelines, he has a bit of touchline chic," Fadugba added.

"Very unflappable. He's not a manager who gets carried away and starts throwing teacups. Very relaxed and clear eyed. He's very methodical but also very innovative.

"I think one of the reasons he's been selected by Middlesbrough, at such a big club, is that he's got a very modern style of management."

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Middlesbrough interim head coach Adi Viveash says he was bitterly disappointed to lose to Coventry City in a meeting of the Championship's top two.

Boro had fought back from two goals level with the Sky Blues only to concede two late goals to slip to a 4-2 defeat as Coventry opened up a 10-point gap at the top.

It was a first home league loss of the season, while it was a first defeat in his short interim spell after a win and a draw in the other two games.

Viveash has been in the role following the exit of Rob Edwards to Premier League Wolves, but he will resume his role in the coaching team after the arrival of Kim Hellberg.

The Swede begins his duties properly on Thursday, ahead of Boro's game at home to Derby County on Saturday.

"It was a high-level Championship game," said Viveash.

"I don't think Coventry disappointed and we more than played our part.

"We certainly had some strong periods in it, but the key moments didn't go our way. They took advantage of our frailties at times, certainly defensively.

"You can't concede four goals in any Championship game, never mind against a side as ruthless and attacking as they are.

"I'm bitterly disappointed, as the players are - as the fans and everybody with a Middlesbrough connection will be."

Image source, Middlesbrough FC

Middlesbrough confirmed the appointment of Kim Hellberg as their new head coach on Monday.

The 37-year-old has replaced Rob Edwards, who left to join Wolves earlier this month.

Are fans happy with the appointment? Here are the views of some of those who got in touch with us:

Andrew: Bringing in what is only Boro's second ever foreign manager seems a bit of a gamble, but I feel optimistic that someone with a track record of attacking football might be just what we need.

Joe: Middlesbrough have needed a manager who wants to play attacking football for years. Worst case scenario - another year in the Championship with a transfer window for a manager who knows what he needs. Best case scenario - Premier League!

John: Boro and Steve Gibson have been struggling in the Championship for a long time. Doing the same thing and expecting things to change is madness. Hellberg is high risk for both Boro and himself. They are second and anything less than the play-offs will be considered a failure. Hellberg is young, his reputation is high but failing at Boro could be career-defining. Embrace the risk.

Jonathan: From a Hammarby fan. We played some incredible football under Kim and the win away at Malmo in October was described by some pundits as the best performance seen in Sweden's Allsvenskan. We only lost the league to the team who beat the all-time points record by six points. I'm very confident he will succeed at Middlesbrough and will appreciate the fan base.

Ross: Very bold choice by Boro and very sensible. But we've got to give him time. Would be great if he could help us land promotion this year.

Liam: The fans need to back him. He's had success elsewhere and although he has no experience in the EFL, we still have Adi Viveash who hopefully will guide him and teach him.

Veronica: Hellberg is definitely the man for the job. I've got total faith in him and if the players listen then we've got this.

Kim Hellberg has been chosen to succeed Rob Edwards and take over Middlesbrough's promotion charge.

The 37-year-old secured two consecutive top-flight second-place finishes with Swedish side Hammarby.

Taking charge of Boro will mark Hellberg's first venture in the English Football League.

Do you think the Swede is the right call to book Middlesbrough a place in next season's Premier League?

What are you expecting from your new boss?

Let us know your thoughts here.

This is the one we have been waiting for as the top two come face-to-face on Teesside.

Coventry's stirring 3-2 win over West Brom on Saturday, coupled with Middlesbrough being held to a 1-1 draw at Oxford means the Sky Blues hold a seven-point advantage over their opponents at the top of the Championship.

• Middlesbrough are winless in their past six league games against Coventry (D1 L5), losing each of the past four in a row.

• Coventry have won their past two away league games against Middlesbrough, more than they had in their previous 14 visits between 1982 and 2023 (W1 D6 L7).

• Middlesbrough have lost just one of their past 13 home league games (W9 D3) and are unbeaten in nine at the Riverside Stadium since a 1-0 loss against Leeds in April.

• Coventry have scored 21 goals in their eight away league games this season, just three fewer than they managed in the whole of last season on the road (24 in 23 games).

• Coventry's Haji Wright has been involved in four goals in his four league appearances against Middlesbrough (3 goals, 1 assist), with three of those coming at the Riverside Stadium.