Opening win gives Boro 'energy and time' - Hellberg
Kim Hellberg led Hammarby to successive runners-up finishes in the Allsvenskan
- Published
New Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg says victory in his opening game in charge against Derby County has provided "energy and time" to everyone around the club.
After trailing for more than 70 minutes, Boro scored two late goals to turn the match around to give Hellberg the perfect start.
It means the ex-Hammarby head coach is up and running with a result that took his new team back into the Championship's top two before Friday night's trip to Hull City.
"For me, it was important to get that first win - it gives you energy, it gives you time, it gives you a lot of things," he told BBC Radio Tees.
"It's always easier to start working with a win. I started work on Thursday and we played on Saturday so that win helps us in the way to go forward."
Hellberg has been undertaking a crash course in the Championship, by taking in as many matches as possible.
He watched Hull's win at Stoke last Saturday on television in the build-up to his own game at The Riverside, as well as many other matches in the league.
The Swede also has been studying Boro's play over a number of years to try to build up a picture of what style suits his new squad and how to create a structure that will bring the best out of them.
"I tried to look at the players that have scored goals in the last four or five years, how they have scored the goals," he said.
"Drawing a map of where they have scored from, how many touches they have used, trying to get a picture of what they were good at.
"Then in general how they have defended and how they have done this season.
"I've tried to do as much as I could, but then you need to be with the players to get a better feeling of them.
"It's about keeping an open mind, but trying to give yourself as much advantage as possible by seeing the games they've played. That's the balance you need to have."