Kim Hellberg Calls for Patience as Middlesbrough React to Blackburn Defeat

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Kim Hellberg had already hinted at the challenge facing Middlesbrough before their trip to Blackburn, and after suffering their first defeat of the campaign, the head coach was keen to underline the importance of patience.

The Swede has been hugely impressed with Middlesbrough’s work in the summer transfer window, describing the club’s recruitment as “unbelievable”. A new spine has been added to the squad, several highly sought-after targets have arrived, and further additions are expected before the window closes.

With the quality now available to him, Hellberg has assembled a squad that many Championship managers would be delighted to have. However, the significant overhaul also means Boro need time for their new-look group to develop into a cohesive team.

That was Hellberg’s main message following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Ewood Park, where Middlesbrough surrendered an early advantage.

The head coach acknowledged that his reaction might have been stronger had the defeat come later in the season. Instead, he pointed to the number of changes within the squad, with seven new arrivals and several players only recently returning from injury.

Those circumstances inevitably require adjustment. New players must become familiar with Hellberg’s tactical demands, develop an understanding with their teammates and regain their best form.

That argument is understandable, but Saturday’s performance still raised questions. Middlesbrough’s starting level should arguably have been much better, just as it was during an underwhelming first half against Lincoln.

Middlesbrough are clearly still developing, as are most teams at this stage of the campaign, but the defensive mistakes that allowed Blackburn to turn the game around cannot simply be blamed on a lack of preparation time.

There was also little for the travelling supporters to enjoy during the final 30 minutes. Despite dominating possession and territory after going behind, Boro struggled to produce clear opportunities and became increasingly reliant on speculative efforts from distance. An equaliser never looked particularly close.

There have been plenty of positive signs in Middlesbrough’s football, with Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray even describing them as a “wonderful football team”. However, attractive football ultimately needs to produce results, especially after Boro struggled to win enough matches towards the end of last season.

Some of those difficulties were caused by weaknesses in the squad, but several of those gaps have now been addressed and more recruitment could follow over the coming days.

Hellberg admitted that, if he had the option, he would move the start of the season back by a couple of weeks to give his players more time to work together. Unfortunately for him, every other Championship manager is facing the same demands of the calendar.

Middlesbrough should improve as the season progresses, and given the quality they have brought through the door, they will need to. Even so, Hellberg’s side had enough quality to leave Ewood Park with three points after Jeremy Sarmiento put them ahead with an excellent finish following a well-worked team move.

Blackburn’s home record last season offered further reason for Middlesbrough to believe they could take advantage. Rovers won only four of their 23 league games at Ewood Park and scored just 19 times, while only Sheffield Wednesday recorded a worse home campaign.

After taking an early lead, Boro appeared to be in an ideal position to increase the pressure on a Blackburn side that could have become frustrated in front of their own supporters.

Instead, Middlesbrough’s defensive uncertainty gave Rovers encouragement. Despite controlling possession, the visitors were fortunate to remain ahead at half-time, with Radek Vitek making two excellent saves and Luke Ayling producing an outstanding clearance off the line.

The equaliser arrived shortly after the interval. Blackburn won a corner after a situation where Vitek might have done better, and Andri Guðjohnsen was given too much freedom to head home.

Only six minutes later, Middlesbrough’s problems deepened. Ayling surrendered possession cheaply before Boro failed to properly defend two crosses, allowing Todd Cantwell to exploit the space and head Blackburn into the lead.

Middlesbrough looked vulnerable at the back throughout the contest, while their attacking play became increasingly predictable once they were forced to chase the game.

Hellberg explained that his squad was at different stages of preparation, with some players having barely featured during pre-season, others returning from injury and a smaller group completing the entire pre-season programme together.

That lack of consistency, he believes, is the difficult part of integrating so many players at once.

Nevertheless, Hellberg remains pleased with the work completed during the transfer window and accepts that building chemistry will be one of the major challenges of the season.

Middlesbrough had already shown their potential with victories over Wrexham and Lincoln before taking the lead at Blackburn, and the head coach believes those performances demonstrate how much better his side can become.

The immediate frustration, however, is that Boro failed to protect a 1-0 advantage against Blackburn. Hellberg believes that, regardless of how early it is in the season, his players must learn to manage such situations better, particularly when thousands of supporters have travelled to watch them.

For now, patience is required, but so too is improvement. Middlesbrough have made significant changes to their squad and have plenty of time to develop, yet Hellberg will expect his players to begin turning their potential into points as the campaign progresses.