Middlesbrough issued stark QPR warning over Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - he "would struggle big time" | OneFootball

FLW’s QPR fan pundit did not hold back on Boro’s decision to consider Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as their new boss.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Middlesbrough are still on the lookout for a new boss after Rob Edwards departed the Riverside Stadium for Premier League outfit Wolves, and a surprise name has emerged as a contender for the vacancy.

In an unforeseen turn of events, Edwards resigned from his post on Teesside after just five months in charge, leaving Boro in the lurch to secure a replacement as they aim to continue their promotion push.

Amidst all the noise surrounding Edwards’ exit, caretaker Adi Viveash took charge of the side as they hosted Birmingham City, and the team rallied by securing a 2-1 victory that keeps them in the top two during the latest international break.

This next appointment is a big one for the Boro hierarchy to get right though, and they will need to take all the time they can to ensure they get an appealing fit who can keep the club in the promising position they currently find themselves.

As rumours continue to swirl around about who could be next to enter the Middlesbrough hotseat, former QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has emerged as a surprise contender for the role, as per a report by journalist Alan Nixon.

The link has most likely emerged given Hasselbaink's association to the club through his playing days at the Riverside Stadium. The Dutch striker joined Boro on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer of 2004.

In his debut season in 2004-05, Hasselbaink finished as the club's top-scorer with 13 goals in 36 Premier League games, including a hat-trick in a 4-0 trouncing over Blackburn Rovers. It helped Boro finish seventh and secure a place in the UEFA Cup.

The following term, 17 goals across league and cup competitions helped Steve McClaren's Middlesbrough side hit the heights of reaching a UEFA Cup final, where they were eventually beaten by Sevilla, but Hasselbaink did net in a 4-1 victory over Basel in the quarter-final to overcome a two-goal deficit from their original defeat in Switzerland.

As a coach, Hasselbaink’s last managerial role was back in 2022 at Burton Albion, while he also had a stint in the Championship with QPR in 2016, leading the club to a 12th-placed finish in the second-tier in his first season in charge.

The Dutchman was then sacked by the R’s the following term in November 2016 when the club was 17th in the table and six points above the relegation zone. He won just 13 of his 47 matches in charge, leading to a win percentage of only 27.7%.

With this in mind, FLW’s QPR fan pundit has opened up about the emerging links on Boro’s side for Hasselbaink, and whether this is the right decision given his previous experience at Loftus Road.

Speaking to Football League World, QPR fan pundit Louis Moir has blasted Middlesbrough’s decision to consider Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as a replacement for Rob Edwards, labelling his time in West London as a “shambles” and admitting it would be “beyond embarrassing” to see Boro take a punt on their ex-player.

Louis said: “If Middlesbrough are genuinely looking at Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as their new manager, to be honest, I don’t think any club could be as stupid to appoint him.

“You’ve just got to look at his time with us. It was a shambles, and what’s he done since? Absolutely nothing. I just don’t think he’s a manager cut out for this level whatsoever, and this could be arguably worse than when we appointed Gareth Ainsworth. It’s that bad.

“Middlesbrough are a big club who look to be on the up, and they have to aspire to someone 100 times better than him.

“If it’s genuinely serious that he’s one of the top contenders, then you’d have to ask questions of whoever is at the top at Middlesbrough, as what can go through your mind to think that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is an appropriate candidate for a big club looking to achieve things in the Championship. Wow, that would be beyond embarrassing.

“It’s a massive if, but if it did happen, some would probably take to it with him being a former player, but they would soon realise that they would struggle big time.

“When QPR had him as manager, it was some of the worst football I’d ever seen. I’ve never seen a team so boring, never seen a team full of better players than what the results showed and just did not look capable of doing anything.

“He surely can’t be a top contender for the Middlesbrough job because his managerial record is quite frankly shocking and nowhere near good enough for any club in the Championship, let alone a big club in Middlesbrough who are looking to achieve great things.”

There are a multitude of reasons as to why Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink should not be the man to lead Middlesbrough.

Hasselbaink has not actually worked as a manager in three years, while his most recent stints at Northampton and Burton Albion failing to inspire confidence when it comes to his coaching ability.

Add that into his time at QPR, where it was so dismal too, and you’re looking at a figure who just isn’t cut out for management and can’t seem to get the best out of any group of players he inherits.

Hasselbaink may be a Middlesbrough club legend from his playing days, but it’s a farcry from being cut out to lead the team as a coach, and it could really scupper Boro’s hopes of securing promotion back to the Premier League if this appointment materialises.

This would be a particularly underwhelming appointment given some of the names currently on the market, like Will Still, Russell Martin and Gary O’Neil, so Boro must avoid this and appoint someone who has the credentials to keep them in the promising position they are currently in.

QPR supporters will certainly be hoping Middlesbrough do not go down the same avenue they did by appointing Hasselbaink, as there could be many months of negativity to follow at the Riverside Stadium should he be announced as their new boss.