Middlesbrough's Kim Hellberg Eager for Home Return Against Norwich
Kim Hellberg cannot wait to get home.
After five away trips in six matches – three of them crammed into the last week – the Middlesbrough head coach is counting down the hours to Saturday afternoon at the Riverside, when Norwich City arrive on Teesside.
Back to the Riverside, back to the noise
The Carabao Cup defeat at Crystal Palace on Tuesday added more miles to already heavy legs, but it also sharpened the appetite for home comforts. Hellberg wants the Riverside loud, hostile and partisan again – just as it was the last time Norwich came to town.
That night, a Hayden Hackney strike sent Boro joint top of the Championship and turned the place into a cauldron. The Swede has not forgotten it.
“I remember that game last season, it was a brilliant atmosphere and I remember the last five minutes were absolutely crazy,” he told BBC Radio Tees.
He knows he will need something similar this weekend. Norwich, under Philippe Clement, have steadied themselves after a shaky start and arrive with momentum and a clear identity.
“Norwich are a very good side,” Hellberg said. “It will be a very tough game but the atmosphere in all our home games has been very good.”
“Everyone has raised their level”
Hellberg keeps returning to one theme: togetherness. Last season’s turbulence, he believes, has hardened the club rather than fractured it.
“After everything that happened last season, everyone has got stronger together. Everyone has raised their level – players, supporters, coaches – everyone together to go to a higher level.
“I think the atmosphere has been very good in every game we have played and I am looking forward to being back against a very good side.
“We need the supporters being on our side and doing everything they can to help get us over the line against a very good opposition.”
The message is clear. Boro expect a test. They also expect the Riverside to play its part.
Respect for Clement’s Norwich
Hellberg’s respect for Clement is obvious. Norwich were drifting towards real trouble when the Belgian arrived last season; he dragged them clear and has since built on that platform.
“Philippe Clement has done a brilliant job, he's a very good coach, builds a strong and well-coached team,” Hellberg said. “He turned the season around for Norwich last year - they were in danger when he arrived and have built through that. He's a top coach and will give us a lot of different and difficult challenges.”
Two coaches with clear ideas, two sides with ambition, and a Saturday kick-off that feels made for it.
“I think it is going to be a very good football game, two good teams against each other, brilliant kick-off time on a Saturday and we are looking forward to it.”
Lankshear sets the standard
Up front, Will Lankshear has quickly become the symbol of Hellberg’s new Boro.
The 21-year-old missed out on the Championship Player of the Month award on Friday, but seven goals in eight games since his summer move from Tottenham tell their own story. Hellberg is not remotely disappointed.
“I think he has done brilliantly, he's a good boy and has come into the team perfectly,” he said. “He works very hard on and off the pitch and that's the culture we are trying to create here.”
That culture, Hellberg insists, now runs through the dressing room.
“I have seen a massive difference in the group, how they have progressed from the first day here to how we have gone forward and take care of each other in a very good way.
“I have so many good players here who compete in a brilliant way to try and help Middlesbrough win games and Will is one of them and it helps when you score a lot of goals.”
Goals, energy, a home crowd ready to erupt, and a Norwich side transformed under Clement. For Hellberg, this is exactly the kind of occasion he came to the Championship for – and exactly the kind of afternoon that can shape a season.
