home alone, Boro's festive focus on job

THIS year Christmas is somewhat different for Kim Hellberg and his family.

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Kim Hellberg regularly puts in 12-hour days at the training ground MIDDLESBROUGH FC

As the Middlesbrough boss has previously discussed, his wife and two young children will be joining him on Teesside sometime in the new year.

Initially, however, while throwing himself into his work at Boro in his best efforts to make sure his dream move is a success, they decided that his family should remain in Sweden.

That made sense to them as a family, with Hellberg first in and last out at Rockliffe each day while working hard to ensure he has things in place to work his magic with Boro.

But the Boro boss admits that it's when he does return to his hotel room where he's currently living that it gets a bit more difficult, and thoughts turn to his family. Naturally, this Christmas, the feelings of missing his loved ones is heightened.

"It's tough, very tough," Hellberg said. "But that's how it is. You do everything you can to do as good as you can and then it's tough to be away from family.

"But they do a lot of good things at home, and my wife is unbelievable. They will soon be coming here, and I had to work to get the best for Middlesbrough during that time.

"The games I enjoy, the festive period not so much because that is the difficult part. But there will be a lot of phone calls and FaceTime and that stuff. And it's a lot of practice, a lot of games, and that helps concentrate on that because that's, away from the family, the best thing you can do and what I like to do. So that's good. But the Christmas time will be a little bit different, of course."