You have to assume Boro can get even better

KIM Hellberg was asked ahead of Middlesbrough's trip to Hull City how close his first game in charge against Derby County had looked to a Kim Hellberg side.

- By CRAIG JOHNS

His answer was clear. He was proud of how open his players were to taking on his new ideas, but there was still plenty more work to do.

There were early teething issues in that one, which was perhaps to be expected after just two days with the players before it.

One week on, and with four days extra with his squad at Rockliffe to work on things, Boro came alive. An emphatic 4-1 victory at Hull City came after a superb first half where finally Boro's attack showed the quality we've all believed they had.

David Strelec, Alex Gilbert, Morgan Whittaker and Riley McGree all scored first half goals as Boro killed the game off before the interval. Joe Gelhardt's penalty was controversial, but was little more than consolation for the tamed Tigers.

And the most exciting aspect of Boro's best performance of the season: this feels like just the beginning as far as Hellberg's influence is concerned.

Asked again, how close this was to a Kim Hellberg performance, he said: "Yeah, this was more to it, of course. Hull is a good team, they want to play, it becomes an open game.