Kim Hellberg’s determination to succeed as Middlesbrough manager runs deep. So deep that he decided it would be best if his wife and two small children spent Christmas in their native Sweden while he continued to put in 12-hour days on Teesside.
Given that the Hellberg family will soon be reunited in a new home in North Yorkshire and Blackburn’s visit represented the first of four games in nine days it seemed a sensible sacrifice – even if such pragmatism failed to pay the desired Boxing Day dividends.
The former Hammarby head coach had hoped to celebrate the completion of his first month in charge at the Riverside after succeeding Rob Edwards with three points but Blackburn, and their irrepressible midfielder Todd Cantwell, in particular, had different ideas.
While this draw keeps Boro second in the Championship, eight points behind the leaders Coventry, it raised some serious questions marks about the suitability of Hellberg’s narrow 4-2-2-2 formation.
Before last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Bristol City, the 37-year-old had presided over four straight wins and Boro appeared to be turning into wingless wonders. Here though Hellberg’s preferred configuration looked overly compact and a system built on plenty of slick, short, sharp one and two-touch passing through midfield malfunctioned a little.
