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There needs to be a zero-tolerance approach to stealing other clubs’ secrets – Kim Hellberg’s emotional response shows just how deep this goesKim Hellberg was clearly upset and his press conference after Middlesbrough’s defeat at Southampton in the Championship semi‑final playoff second leg became unexpectedly moving as a result. In football, the Boro manager said, you accept that some teams have greater resources than others but where the coach of the less well-off team can gain an advantage is in the “tactical element”; it is in effect the only weapon he has. And if that weapon is made less effective by an opponent cheating, it is understandable that Hellberg should feel that his profession, the skillset he has developed to test himself against his peers, has been betrayed.That disgust is, no doubt, genuine enough, and it is perhaps difficult for those of us who do not work in that world fully to grasp how frustrating it must be if strategies and ploys carefully conceived and practised are rendered ineffective, not by the in-game acuity of an opponent, but by espionage. But it is admittedly hard to square that righteous anger with the image published in the Mail this week of a sheepish young man lurking behind a tree with a phone. Continue reading...
Boro to return to training on Friday after semi-final lossSouthampton analyst accused of spying on trainingMiddlesbrough are scheduled to return to training on Friday in order to be ready to contest a potential playoff final against Hull at Wembley on Saturday week.Although Boro lost the semi-final to Southampton, they are pushing for the south-coast side to be expelled from the playoffs after William Salt, one of Tonda Eckert’s analysts, was allegedly caught spying on Kim Hellberg’s team at their Rockliffe Park base near Darlington last Thursday. Continue reading...
Southampton advanced to the playoff final against Hull City, though it seems unlikely it will be quite that straightforward from here owing to the alleged foul play that dominated the buildup to a fraught second leg that went the distance, more than 130 minutes in total. If found guilty of cheating, Middlesbrough will demand Southampton are adequately punished. Is there even a world where Kim Hellberg’s side train for the next couple of weeks in the event of the unprecedented?Just what is it about Shea Charles and big moments, his latest coming in the 116th minute to send Tonda Eckert’s side to Wembley? It was the midfielder who scored the winning goal to send Arsenal packing in the FA Cup quarter-finals, his 96th-minute winner that clinched the 4-3 comeback victory against Leicester in February and now this. Charles was out on the right flank, the game edging towards a penalty shootout, when he sent the ball in with his left foot – it was surely a cross – and the ball sailed past the Boro defender Dael Fry and in at the back post. Continue reading...
Middlesbrough apprehended alleged spy last weekSaints may claim that the offender was an internMiddlesbrough have been approached by fellow Championship clubs who harbour suspicions that their pre-match training sessions may also have been spied on by Southampton.The English Football League has charged the south-coast club with misconduct after a member of Tonda Eckert’s backroom was allegedly caught breaching regulations by filming and making audio recordings of one of Kim Hellberg’s final practice sessions before his Middlesbrough side faced Eckert’s Southampton in Saturday’s playoff semi-final first leg at the Riverside Stadium. As Hellberg prepares his players for Tuesday’s second leg at St Mary’s Stadium with the score goalless, Championship rivals are understood to be examining any available CCTV training-ground footage from recent weeks. Continue reading...
‘It’s unfair, they saw everything’, says Boro managerSouthampton’s Eckert walks out after questioningSouthampton’s manager, Tonda Eckert, walked out of the post-match press conference at Middlesbrough on Saturday after repeatedly refusing to answer questions about allegations that one of his analysts had spied on Kim Hellberg’s training session last Thursday.Shortly afterwards Hellberg said his Middlesbrough team were victims of “cheating” in the lead-up to this vital Championship playoff semi-final first leg. Continue reading...
Southampton boss Tonda Eckert stormed out of a cranky post-match press conference after refusing to answer questions on the ‘spygate’ controversy. Saints were charged with breaching EFL regulations after a member of staff was alleged to have spied on Middlesbrough training ahead of Saturday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg. Southampton manager Tonda Eckert walked out of his post-match press conference on SaturdayGetty Staff members at the Teesside club are believed to have spotted a man taking pictures and videos of the session. The man in question was asked to delete his footage before he quickly fled to another part of the training complex. Eckert was challenged on the matter following Saturday’s goalless draw at the Riverside Stadium but refused to answer any questions that went beyond the club’s official statement. Southampton’s press officer intervened to tell reporters that the only questions they will be answering will be on Tuesday’s second leg at St Mary’s. But, when the next ‘spygate’ question was asked, Eckert and the press officer walked out of the press conference together. Speaking after the full-time whistle, Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg was damnign in his assessment of the controversy. “I couldn’t believe my eyes or ears. Couldn’t believe it when I was told a second time, or third,” the Swede told Sky Sports. “It’s quite clear that they – and I don’t mean the players or fans of Southampton – I think they are brilliant and gave nothing to do with it. But, someone has made a decision to cheat. “We were trying to focus on the session as much as we could, we had an important game. “I’ve seen some saying it’s not a big advantage but it is. Take today for example. Middlesbrough’s fans made their feelings towards Southampton felt before the matchGetty Boro’ boss Kim Hellberg expressed his annoyance at Southampton’s alleged anticsGetty “We have never used that first-half shape before, that was impossible to know. It’s just unfair, and I think everyone in this room agrees. “I feel anger, but there has to be respect too between each other that they have totally failed in. “I think it’s disappointing because it’s a big game. They tried to get an advantage in an unfair way.” He continued: “Who would get the fine? Should they pay it to the EFL? Okay. “So they see everything we do, and…we will see what happens, I don’t know. I just think it’s weird they try to cheat in this type of game. “Didn’t [Marcelo] Bielsa pay £200,000 when it wasn’t a law? I think a lot of clubs would pay that amount to try and get the advantage two days before a game. “You don’t do this, you don’t plan to do this. Every team in the Championship should be angry. It is wrong, it is wrong.”
Shortly after Tonda Eckert had hightailed it out of the tetchiest of post-match press conferences, staring fixedly at the floor, Kim Hellberg made his anger plain. A playoff semi-final first leg dominated largely by the sweet-passing Middlesbrough was always likely to be overshadowed by the espionage scandal that preceded it and so it proved.Southampton are enveloped in a thoroughly unedifying episode with Middlesbrough accusing one of their analysts of spying on a training session that has resulted in a misconduct charge from the English Football League. Continue reading...
Middlesbrough and Southampton lock horns in the Championship play off final first-leg at the Riverside on Saturday lunchtime. Middlesbrough vs Southampton best bets Under 2.5 goals in the game/BTTS (Yes) – 5/1 with bet365 Ryan Manning to score or assist – 7/2 with Betfred Goal before 31:00 – 5/6 with bet365 Middlesbrough vs Southampton head to head overview Date: Saturday, 9th May 2026 Kick-off: 12:30PM Venue: Riverside Stadium Where to watch: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Ultra HD Referee: Farai Hallam Last meeting: Middlesbrough 4-0 Southampton Last 10 matches: Middlesbrough 3 wins, Southampton 4 wins, 3 draws Favourite to win: Middlesbrough – 5/4 with Betfred Middlesbrough vs Southampton predicted lineups Middlesbrough expected lineup (3-4-2-1): Brynn; Malanda, Fry, Ayling; Targett, Morris, Browne, Brittain; Conway, Whittaker; Conway Southampton expected lineup (4-2-3-1): Peretz; Manning, Wood, Harwood-Bellis, Bree; Downes, Bragg; Scienza, Azaz, Fellows; Stewart Middlesbrough vs Southampton predictions Middlesbrough may have thrashed Southampton 4-0 last time they played each other in the regular season. But that was before the Saints’ remontada took place later in 2006 under manager Tonda Eckert. Southampton arrive into their playoff campaign having lost just once (in the FA Cup semi final to Manchester City) in 20 matches. It must count for something with the players forgetting what it feels like to lose in the league, even if the gaffer says otherwise; “I don’t care, it doesn’t make a difference. Eckert admitted. “No one cares in the end if we make it all the way and you don’t make the last step. We need to make the last step.” Southampton’s fourth place finish ensures they have the second-leg at home, which may prove crucial over the course of the tie. Ironically the last time the South Coast side failed to score in any competition was the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Boro in January. As for the Boro, it was in the winter that Kim Hellberg had his side on a roll and looked to be taking a stranglehold on the top two. They had they only spent one week outside the top two between mid-August and mid-March, but while automatic promotion might have been the ambition for the majority of the campaign. Hellberg insists there should be no disappointment at ending up in the play-offs. “It’s difficult to sum up the season with three more games to play [if they make the final],” he said. “But in general, we’ve done good. We’ve been fighting all season. We weren’t good enough [to finish in the top two], but we weren’t far away. Boro’s form nosedived in March and April but after a 1-0 home loss to relegation-threatened Portsmouth, they managed to steady to ship and go unbeaten for the rest of the season to ensure they ended up in fifth position. This match will be two teams who play front-footed attacking football which should make it for a enthralling encounter. Middlesbrough vs Southampton prediction, odds, betting tips, best bets, lineups, tv channel and more Middlesbrough vs Southampton betting tips The leading Mann Ryan Manning has eight goals and six assists in the Championship this season. The full back has been a key contributor, especially in the run in, where he scored and assisted against Ipswich. Four of his eight goals have come from direct free kicks and you wouldn’t back against another one going in on Saturday. Early goal the order of the day Both teams like to play out and build from the back early, which can lead to quick transitions if possession is lost. Southampton especially tend to start games proactively rather than cautiously Middlesbrough at home often push early to control tempo. This should lead to an exciting, open encounter with the deadlock broken before half time. Under 2.5 goals in the game/BTTS (Yes) – 5/1 with bet365 Ryan Manning to score or assist – 7/2 with Betfred Goal before 31:00 – 5/6 with bet365 Middlesbrough vs Southampton latest odds Find the latest Middlesbrough vs
