![\"Middlesbrough](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Bristol-City-v-Middlesbrough-Sky-Bet-Championship-Ashton-Gate.jpg\")
Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg(Image: PA)<\/p>\nKim Hellberg’s verdict after Middlesbrough lost 2-0 at Bristol CityMiddlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
Kim Hellberg described his \u2018weird\u2019 mixed emotions after suffering defeat for the first time as Middlesbrough<\/a> manager at Bristol City.<\/p>\n Goals from Emil Riis and Rob Atkinson condemned Boro<\/a> to a 2-0 defeat – their first under the Swede, who enjoyed a great start with four wins from four.<\/p>\n Ultimately, in an open first half, Boro had more than their fair share of opportunities to take more from the game. But they were also vulnerable to the counter too – something they hadn\u2019t looked under Hellberg since the first game against Derby County.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a weird one,\u201d Hellberg said after. \u201cYou have to have two feelings in your head. You always want to win. I\u2019m very disappointed that we didn’t take any points away from this tough away game.<\/p>\n \u201cI watched Bristol a lot. I think they\u2019re a very good team. They\u2019ve done a lot of good things. They have very good players. They are aggressive on their home turf.<\/p>\n \u201cBut in terms of performance and how we play, I think it\u2019s a very good away performance. I think we had 28 shots, something like that on my tally, and 18 from inside of the box.<\/p>\n \u201cI think those numbers show the name of the game; how we play a little bit. I loved the energy from the players, how they fought through the game, how we are playing football for the moment. I think that is very, very good.\u201d<\/p>\n Acknowledging where it didn\u2019t quite go right for Boro on the day, however, he continued: \u201cOf course, there’s some things that we need to keep improving. I told them down there that I think in the first half, we have some rest defense in the counter-marking area where we could do better.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is a structural thing from me, so I have to do that better in preparation. That allows them some transitions on us a little bit easier. But when we do that well, we collect the ball and keep playing.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s that weird feeling of being irritated, frustrated, and a bit angry of not getting points, but still, I\u2019m unbelievably proud of the players. How they play football, how active they are, how brave they are.\u201d<\/p>\n ————<\/p>\n Here at TeessideLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Middlesbrough FC<\/a> coverage and analysis.<\/strong><\/p>\n Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest Boro news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here<\/a> to subscribe.<\/strong><\/p>\n Your information will be hidden, you’ll only ever receive messages from the Teesside Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n