Middlesbrough’s Kim Hellberg and Alan Browne are Championship Manager and Player of the Month
Middlesbrough’s Kim Hellberg and Alan Browne are Championship Manager and Player of the Month
Kim Hellberg and Alan Browne were united in their team message as the Middlesbrough pair celebrated Championship award wins.
Hellberg won the Championship Manager of the Month award for January after guiding Boro to five wins in six games last month. Browne, meanwhile, won the Players’ equivalent after producing excellent form throughout January.
The pair of award wins are recognition for what was a great month for Boro as they made up ground on then-league leaders Coventry City, before eventually overtaking them into top spot on Monday evening at Sheffield United.
On his first Championship award, Hellberg said: “I’m proud and happy to receive this award. The main thing it means is that the team has achieved good results. It’s mainly a prize for them. It’s also thanks to a group of staff that works very hard together, so it’s a prize for all of us.”
Browne won his award after starring for Boro in a number of positions over the course of the month. He provided three goals and an assist as Boro’s promotion charge continued.
“I’m honoured to receive this award,” the Irishman said. “It’s great to be recognised in this way individually, but collectively as a team, we were fantastic in January.
“We’ve been seeing the rewards of the amount of work the manager and the coaches do behind the scenes. The level of detail they give us is incredible and thankfully it’s paying off for everyone.”
Hellberg was also full of praise for the Sunderland loanee, who, ironically, barely played in his most natural central midfield role during the month of January, as he covered for the injury of Callum Brittain.
“Alan Browne is brilliant,” the Boro boss said. He’s used to playing centre-midfield, he’s played centre-midfield for a long time and he’s been nominated for being the best – but almost hasn’t played a second as a centre-midfielder!
“He’s played right striker and right back and right wing and 10 and all those things. He’s been absolutely brilliant and it just shows what a great character, what a great player he is for us; how important he is and how many different spaces he can play in.
“We had a laugh about that in the analysis room. He also ended up on the left sometimes, so I think he can play everywhere. We’ll see if that’s possible maybe someday!
“But no, he’s been brilliant and he deserves it so much for how he has played for the team, how he has taken up all those challenges I throw at him. Playing right back from not doing it before, right striker, running in behind all those things. It’s just unbelievable.”
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EFL expert Don Goodman is part of the EFL judging panel. He explained why Browne won the award ahead of Charlie Hughes (Hull City), Sam Smith (Wrexham) and Caleb Taylor (Millwall).
Goodman said: “Alan Browne has been one of the standout performers under Kim Hellberg. He was struggling for a place in the team at the start of the season but since the new manager came in he has become pivotal in midfield and at wing back.”
Hellberg, meanwhile, pipped fellow nominees John Eustace (Derby County), Philippe Clement (Norwich City), and Phil Parkinson (Wrexham) to the manager’s award.
Explaining why, judging panel member and former Hartlepool United boss Danny Wilson said: “Five wins out of six games and 15 points catapulted Boro to joint-leaders position in January.
“A 4-0 demolition of Southampton at the beginning of the month was the catalyst for a run which has a mouth-watering fixture at Coventry coming up next week.”
Goodman added: “Middlesbrough look like they’re going from strength to strength under Kim Hellberg. While those around them haven’t quite found the same level of consistency, his team secured 15 points from six games and scored a bag full of goals along the way.”
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