JIMMY-FLOYD Hasselbaink has urged Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren to abandon his controversial rotation policy, arguing that constantly changing personnel does more harm than good.

The Holland international scored his first goal of the season on Thursday night as Boro opened their UEFA Cup group-stage account with a hard-earned win over Grasshoppers in Zurich.

But, as the Teessiders return to domestic action at West Ham tomorrow, Hasselbaink is already resigned to the prospect of returning to the bench.

The 33-year-old has started just three Premiership games this season, as McClaren's mix-and-match policy has seen Nigerian Aiyegbeni Yakubu leading the line on his own in Boro's last two league games.

With a fit-again Mark Viduka also champing at the bit, the Boro boss is struggling to accommodate all of his strikers in the same side.

But, after seeing the negative effects of a rotation policy during his time at Chelsea, Hasselbaink has warned his manager not to make change after change in an attempt to keep everybody fresh.

"I don't want a rest," explained the striker, who is confident of shaking off a slight ankle injury ahead of tomorrow's game. "No player wants to rest, as we all want to play. I want to play and I want to be one of the strikers who is playing week in, week out.

"Obviously, once in a while I have to be rested but, in the majority of games, I want to play. I am still fit. I am 33 and I still enjoy it - I want to play football.

"How do I cope with being left out? I don't cope with it. To be fair, I don't enjoy it. Do I break down the manager's door? Well, that is a personal question, but I do not like it and I don't think anyone does.

"I know once in a while a player needs to be rested. But I don't like it when you are picking two teams - one for the league and one for Europe. I don't think that will be good for the team and I have seen at Chelsea, when Claudio Ranieri was doing it, that it didn't work at all.

"If you look at Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, they now rest players once in a while, but they have a hardcore of eight or so players who play in every game.

"Ask 100 players and all 100 will want to play all the time. That is my position and, obviously, Mark Viduka and Aiyegbeni Yakubu will say the same."

Hasselbaink hardly missed a game last season, making 45 appearances and scoring 16 goals as Middlesbrough finished in the top seven of the Premiership for the first time in their history.

The arrival of £7.5m man Yakubu was always likely to restrict his involvement this term and, after an early-season thigh injury sidelined him for most of September, he has struggled to force his way back into the starting line-up despite Boro's patchy form.

With his 34th birthday fast approaching, Hasselbaink could be forgiven for viewing the occasional rest as a blessing in disguise.

Instead, the Surinam-born striker, who is currently in the final year of his contract, remains as focused and determined as ever.

"I am very hungry," he claimed. "I still have an empty belly. I want football and I am still fit. The start of the season was not what I hoped for but I keep going and I still enjoy it.

"I can wake up in the morning feeling fit and wanting to train. I just train hard - I never sit training out and I hope to carry on for at least a couple more years.

"My Boro contract ends this season. I can talk to other clubs in January, but that is a long way from my mind.

"I want to enjoy myself now and play as well as possible. I did that against Grasshoppers and the result obviously helped."

The challenge for Boro now is to carry their impressive European form on to the domestic stage. Last season, McClaren's side won just one of their ten games in the immediate aftermath of a European outing.

This month's 3-2 win at Aston Villa means they have already equalled that feat and, while West Ham have impressed on their return to the top-flight, Boro's away form gives them every reason to be confident as they prepare to travel to Upton Park.

August's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham is their only reverse on the road this season and their seven-point haul is only bettered by Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Charlton.

"We have to go to places like West Ham and get results," added Hasselbaink. "We have to do well in the Premiership."

Read more about Middlesbrough here.