Middlesbrough v Derby County

Fortress Riverside (okay, more like a slowly crumbling castle)

Saturday 29th November

KO: 15:00

Not on UK telly, dodgy sticks at the ready

 

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

Look, the last time I wrote a song about a Boro striker (David Strelec, remember him?) it did indeed go on to bite me in the bum. Time for a bit of reverse psychology, as I present to you a tune for Tommy Conway, in the hopes that it will give *him* a kick up the bum.

Ah who am I kidding, he will never hear this song.

Lyrics (by me, copyrighted by me, no stealing)

 

He was sure it was a certain goal

Then he missed and it was all his fault

Should have kept it down

Tommy's let the whole team down

Will he ever score again?

Is he cursed and is this the end

Of his career?

He'll never hear the end of it

 

But then we remembered...

We said

"Oh no, here we go again"

We've been down this road before

And we know how it ends

Yeah

It always ends

With the crowd shouting

Tommy's gonna score again

Tommy's gonna score again

 

Oh

Here we go again

We've been down this road before

And we know how it ends

Yeah It always ends

With the crowd shouting

Tommy's gonna score again

Tommy's gonna score again

 

Right, that should do the trick. After suffering our first home (league) defeat to league runaways Coventry City (who honestly, I'm happy to see flying even if I do dislike Frank Lampard), out of form Boro face very much In Form Derby County in new manager Kim Hellberg's first game in charge.

Derby have only lost once in their last 6 fixtures, a narrow 3-2 defeat away to Watford, and have won every other game. They will definitely fancy their chances.

Boro have of course, only won once in their last 6 fixtures, the 2-1 home win against Birmingham and will be desperately hoping for a new manager bounce.

As I always say, anything can happen.

Derby fans already have a matchday thread up, they really don't like us

Talking Points

Does Kim Hellberg stick with Adi's tactics or is he going to go all Ted Lasso on us and change the whole way we play mid season?

Score prediction?

Has anything good ever come from Derby? (I'm struggling to think...pottery maybe? Is Derbyshire pottery a thing? It rings a bell)

 

Err, we're probably going to lose so don't expect another song anytime soon okay that's it bye

I would go with following in Hellbergs supposed preferred 4.3.3 formation.

Brynn

Brit Ayling Jones Targett

Morris

Hackney McGree

Whitaker Hansen

Conway

Hackney and McGree as the two no.8s ahead of Morris. Whit and Hansen supporting Conway.

I think after Tuesday, Conway needs to start and I have a feeling he scores.

9 minutes ago, Uncle-Festa said:

I would go with following in Hellbergs supposed preferred 4.3.3 formation.

Brynn

Brit Ayling Jones Targett

Morris

Hackney McGree

Whitaker Hansen

Conway

Hackney and McGree as the two no.8s ahead of Morris. Whit and Hansen supporting Conway.

I think after Tuesday, Conway needs to start and I have a feeling he scores.

Browne's got to be in every team until the end of the season for me. I'd start him in the holding slot over Morris, who needs some time out, and I'd put Strelec in for Conway who also needs a break, but otherwise I agree with this team. We need natural width and that extra attacker so we aren't predictable and ploddy in midfield.

Not sure I can take losing to Derby after the week we've just had 😢

My attempt at a Hellberg 433, taking fitness into account. Hansen may be a rogue shout but could see him doing the false 9 role quite well, he's got great close control and is quite 'sticky' with the ball. Don't think Strelec comes straight in. Conway will be better as a Rashford style runner/assister than leading the line.

Brynn

Brittain - Ayling - Jones - Targett

Hackney - Browne - McGree

Whittaker - Hansen - Conway

Edited November 27, 2025Nov 27 by SouthernSmoggie

Great song @Denzel Zanzibar Well done 👏 

4-0 to the boro , lets get denzelled into the premier league

Edited November 27, 2025Nov 27 by Rob

Good OP @Denzel Zanzibar hope you get another run of positive results!

Well this has become a game of such magnitude in terms of Hellberg's first match in charge and Boro trying to find a feel good factor not just the team but all of us supporters.

Forget about Derby and their current form it is a game we simply have to win! (not in the TMIGOTS....so far!! bracket)

Quote

Has anything good ever come from Derby? (I'm struggling to think...pottery maybe? Is Derbyshire pottery a thing? It rings a bell)

Rolls Royce?

 

 

Does anyone know if a Boro manager taking over mid season has ever won their first game?

I hope we do. I am missing this one due to it being my wedding anniversary. So Hull will be my first Hellberg game.

I think the sort of team people are posting will be about right. I think a lot will come down to availability of Targett and Strelec. 

Looking forward to the press conference. Je seems pretty direct from what we have seen so expect some good conversation.

2 minutes ago, edinboro said:

Does anyone know if a Boro manager taking over mid season has ever won their first game?

I hope we do. I am missing this one due to it being my wedding anniversary. So Hull will be my first Hellberg game.

I think the sort of team people are posting will be about right. I think a lot will come down to availability of Targett and Strelec. 

Looking forward to the press conference. Je seems pretty direct from what we have seen so expect some good conversation.

Think only Warnock has won his first game. Away to stoke.

From memory the following managers first games mid season were as follows:

1. Strachan lost 1 nil v Plymouth

2. Mogga lost 2-1 v Bristol City.

3. Karanka lost 1 nil v Leeds I think where Steele was sent off.

4 Pulis lost his first game v Villa

5 Wilder drew 1-1 I think. Millwall I think?

6. Carrick lost v Preston. Last minute winner for them.

^some of the info above might be wrong mind.

Let's face it, everything points to a loss. Derby are the second best in the form table and points per game are only behind Coventry in the away table. They are lousy at home so most of their run has been about their ability to play on the counter while away. We (almost) never win the first game of a new manager's spell when he takes over mid-season.

Looks like we won't have Dael Fry.

Fry starts in the league: games 10 W7 D1 L2 ppg 2.2
Fry doesn't start:  games 7 W1 D5 L1 ppg 1.1

Hellberg will only have had two training sessions so pretty much all he can do is vibes and possibly a slight freshen up in selection. He may have made his name as an attacking manager but Derby's entire game plan requires a team to attack them.

Is there hope? To be honest, hard to see in this game. Hopefully this is the low point of our season. My prediction is a 1-1 draw. I do think the players might be energised by a new start and they have shown themselves to be a hard-working crew even if it hasn't been working well for a while.

Formation. Due to injuries and lack of form there isn't a formation that works. We do need two physically commanding centre backs against Derby but we don't have them; Ayling is an excellent wide centre back but can get bulled in the air if playing in a pair.

I guess he'll go 4-3-3 and hope that Targett can last a whole game. If Targett's not up to it, we might see McCormick at LB. (Might even roll the dice with Bangura.) I don't think we'll set up in a high line despite Hellberg's preferences because it has been trying to improve our forward line at the same time as our defensive injury crisis by shuffling people forward that has made us so much more vulnerable. Not sure if Morris is fit. I think he'll keep Conway in place and gamble that the new manager reset will give him a confidence boost but he might start Sene instead depending on what he sees in training.

Brynn

Brittain - Ayling - Jones - Targett/McCormick/Bangura

McGree - Morris/Browne - Hackney

Whittaker - Conway - Hansen

I'm going for a 1-1 with Conway getting back on the score sheet but more to myself feel good than with any kind of expectation.

6 minutes ago, Bruce said:

Let's face it, everything points to a loss. Derby are the second best in the form table and points per game are only behind Coventry in the away table. They are lousy at home so most of their run has been about their ability to play on the counter while away. We (almost) never win the first game of a new manager's spell when he takes over mid-season.

Looks like we won't have Dael Fry.

Fry starts in the league: games 10 W7 D1 L2 ppg 2.2
Fry doesn't start:  games 7 W1 D5 L1 ppg 1.1

Hellberg will only have had two training sessions so pretty much all he can do is vibes and possibly a slight freshen up in selection. He may have made his name as an attacking manager but Derby's entire game plan requires a team to attack them.

Is there hope? To be honest, hard to see in this game. Hopefully this is the low point of our season. My prediction is a 1-1 draw. I do think the players might be energised by a new start and they have shown themselves to be a hard-working crew even if it hasn't been working well for a while.

Formation. Due to injuries and lack of form there isn't a formation that works. We do need two physically commanding centre backs against Derby but we don't have them; Ayling is an excellent wide centre back but can get bulled in the air if playing in a pair.

I guess he'll go 4-3-3 and hope that Targett can last a whole game. If Targett's not up to it, we might see McCormick at LB. (Might even roll the dice with Bangura.) I don't think we'll set up in a high line despite Hellberg's preferences because it has been trying to improve our forward line at the same time as our defensive injury crisis by shuffling people forward that has made us so much more vulnerable. Not sure if Morris is fit. I think he'll keep Conway in place and gamble that the new manager reset will give him a confidence boost but he might start Sene instead depending on what he sees in training.

Brynn

Brittain - Ayling - Jones - Targett/McCormick/Bangura

McGree - Morris/Browne - Hackney

Whittaker - Conway - Hansen

I'm going for a 1-1 with Conway getting back on the score sheet but more to myself feel good than with any kind of expectation.

This is both a brilliant and terrible stat for fry. On one hand hes clearly having a super impact on us when he plays, but to be at this stage of the season and missed nearly half the games without even getting too bad an injury is really poor. And that big injury is probably around the corner in the second half of the season as it normally is. Could be looking at missing even more games this season than in previous. 

It's a big help that Carlton Morris is missing for them. We'd have been bullied all afternoon again without Fry. 

Does Kim Hellberg stick with Adi's tactics or is he going to go all Ted Lasso on us and change the whole way we play mid season?

I imagine he'll stick with similar tactics so as not to upset the apple cart. He implied as much in his interview. Hopefully he can inject some goals into us somehow. I expect to see us getting the ball wide more often and getting men into the box to convert crosses into goals. 

 

Score prediction?

We always beat Derby at home. Easy 3-1 win. Conway hat trick.  

 

Has anything good ever come from Derby? (I'm struggling to think...pottery maybe? Is Derbyshire pottery a thing? It rings a bell)

Chris Riggott