JIMMY-FLOYD Hasselbaink returned to Middlesbrough yesterday – but, sadly for Boro fans, will not be pulling on the red shirt again next season.
The former Leeds United and Chelsea striker, who played for Boro between 2004 and 2006, was on Teesside to give a coaching session with league sponsors npower to four-to-six-year-olds at the Middlesbrough Football in the Community facility at Eston Sports Academy.
And the Dutchman predicted a successful season for Boro with Tony Mowbray at the helm, after a fine finish to last season which saw the Teessiders lose just twice in the final 14 games of the Championship season.
Hasselbaink, whose last game for Boro was in Eindhoven in the UEFA Cup final defeat against Sevilla five years ago, said: “I was very encouraged by what happened at the end – they were playing good football and scoring lots of goals, so very positive. The manner in which they are playing is great for Middlesbrough.
“It was sad for me to see them relegated. I had a great time here – first season I was here we finished in our highest-ever position and we were in Europe.
“It feels like it was yesterday, that year in Europe. We lost the final but we also went to an FA Cup semi-final that year. So to see a team like Middlesbrough relegated to the Championship – and struggling – that hurt.”
Since Hasselbaink’s departure three managers have tried their hand at replicating Steve McClaren’s success at the Riverside with Gareth Southgate and Gordon Strachan both struggling, but the Dutchman is confident that they have the right man in Mowbray to get back into the Premier League.
He added: “The positive thing is yes, Tony Mowbray can do it, but the negative thing is that money is tight. But money is tight at lots of clubs.
“He’s going to have to work his magic like he has done in the past with West Brom, and he has shown us the type of football he likes, and what Middlesbrough can play. They played some really positive football at the end of the season. I fancy them for top six at least.”
Hasselbaink was on Teesside yesterday around the time that one of his old clubs was making a new managerial appointment, with Andres Villas-Boas signing a three-year contract to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea.
And the former Chelsea striker said: “He must have impressed Mr Abramovich. Obviously he has got something that is special, Inter Milan were after him, Chelsea have secured him. It’s not going to be easy, but managers at the top don’t have it easy – good luck to him.
“Everybody is going to look at him and say he’s the next (Jose) Mourinho, but it’s not fair on him, that puts more pressure on him. He’s only 33, but I think we should look at him as a man on his own merits. Yes, he’s from Portugal, but he’s an individual, give him a chance to succeed.
“It’s a very important stage for Chelsea. They are not going to be able to keep letting managers come and go. They have to have faith in somebody. Villas-Boas can grow with the club and put his own stamp on the Premier League.
“Chelsea need new blood, they need younger blood. They need a number ten, like Luka Modric or Wesley Sneijder, they need wingers like they had with Arjen Robben and Damien Duff, they need players to beat their men and create chances.”
n Hasselbaink helped deliver the coaching alongside Middlesbrough community coaches, where youngsters were taught basic sporting skills such as agility, balance, coordination, rolling and dribbling.
Home Team Heroes is a £2m community initiative which will run over the course of npower’s three-year sponsorship with the Football League, helping each of the 72 clubs in England and Wales.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here