Middlesbrough

"Whenever a manager comes into a football club, ultimately the first thing they need to do is get results and he's [Kim Hellberg] done that. It was a great start."

The 72+ team are joined by ex-Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith to talk about high-flying Championship pair Boro and Millwall, along with struggles at Swansea, Plymouth Argyle, Port Vale and Bristol Rovers.

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg led his side to victory in his first game in charge - can he get them purring all the way to the Premier League?

"Kim doesn't strike me as someone who is daft - he's come into the football club, he knows all the players, he knows what's been good about the team from the start of the season, he knows where there could be improvements," Smith said.

"I think that's his general remit now - to get the players at the top end of the pitch going, get them a little bit more expansive while keeping the back door shut.

"You know what it's like in the Championship, you've got to have balance. You've got to have both things to be successful in the league."

Listen to the full episode of 72+ and more on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Middlesbrough winger Morgan Whittaker says the players have proved their resilience amid a change of manager, after they returned to winning ways.

Whittaker scored the winning goal as Boro came from behind to beat Derby County 2-1 in Kim Hellberg's first match in charge.

Middlesbrough are second in the Championship table, 10 points behind leaders Coventry City and two points ahead of third-placed Millwall.

Ex-boss Rob Edwards left for Wolverhampton Wanderers last month and the club picked up four points from three games with Adi Viveash in temporary charge.

But only Coventry have fewer than Boro's three league defeats from 18 games this season.

"I think that is the difference this season. We are finding ways to win," Whittaker told BBC Radio Tees.

"We can score from set-pieces and we can score from open play and I think that's what is really helping us.

"We know we've got the quality and the resilience to go and perform and keep going like nothing has changed.

"We are the ones that can affect things on the pitch, no matter who is on the side."

Hellberg praised the team's character and the way they fought for each other against Derby and Whittaker believes his new manager has settled in well.

"He's not wanted to change how we play with the ball. He knows our strengths. He knows that we are really good in possession," Whittaker added.

"It's just little changes without the ball, especially the attackers, and then when we lose the ball, being more secure to stop the team transitioning on us."

Boro have two away games coming up in the Championship, first travelling to Hull City on Friday, before a visit to Charlton Athletic next Tuesday.

Adam Cottier
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Adam Cottier

On a rainy, gloomy day on Teesside came a gritty show of perseverance from Middlesbrough.

Bruised by a dip in form, the recent surprise change of head coach, and maybe the absence of a key midfield cog in Aiden Morris, they found the going tough at times against Derby County.

The away side began in aggressive fashion in taking their early lead and looked astute for a long time until, as their boss John Eustace admitted after, Derby "ran out of legs".

Middlesbrough took full advantage. Even though Morris wasn't alongside him, Hayden Hackney showed his dynamic qualities, leading his team's fightback, not least with an excellent corner delivery for an equaliser that stunned Derby into submission.

Morgan Whittaker's winner was a piece of optimism in the soggy conditions, greeted by a roar of approval from a Middlesbrough support that will hope more such wins will follow in the heartlands of a fascinating promotion race in this division.

Middlesbrough will, however, have to regularly play better than they did in this game to remain in the top two. It was spirited and industrious, but by no means fluid and laden with creative spark.

And so to Kim Hellberg. "The whole day was crazy," he exclaimed afterwards. "It's a day I'll remember for the rest of my life."

He went on to speak candidly about his tactical approach in his first post-match press conference, and the fact he had no hesitation in giving a professional debut to young defender Archie Baptiste when the lead needed protecting at the end.

It was quite a start in terrible weather conditions. An illustration of how competitive the Championship is; how positive results can come when you have players capable of brilliance even when an all-round performance isn't quite on the button.

And credit, too, to the Middlesbrough fans behind the fabulous tifo display before the game.

Kim Hellberg praised a "brilliant" performance from Alex Bangura, insisting the defender showed players can force their way into his plans with effort on the training ground.

Bangura, 26, has not played for Boro for 18 months, with his last appearance coming at the end of the 2023-24 season.

But after impressing the new manager in two sessions at training this week he was rewarded with a start and 90 minutes as Middlesbrough came from behind to beat Derby County.

"I heard he hadn't played in a long while but he showed me that he has so much skills and a good attitude in training," said Hellberg.

"I thought his performance today was brilliant. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Coming in after 22 months and doing that over 90 minutes fighting against a tough team was brilliant.

"It is also important to show the players that if you perform in training you get the chance to play."

The pressure is already on Kim Hellberg as he prepares for his first game in charge of Middlesbrough.

Hellberg takes charge of Boro for the first time against in-form Derby County at Riverside Stadium on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Speaking on BBC Radio Tees' fan panel, Boro fan Brian warns, "I think at the moment we are going backwards. We're only two draws instead of wins away from being out of the top six because the pack is closing.

"Teams like Derby County, five or six [recent wins] I think it is. Last time I was on, I was saying how poor the relegated teams were, Ipswich are on a roll. Southampton got a good away victory last week."

A 4-2 loss to Coventry on Tuesday night means Boro are now 10 points behind the league leaders, have dropped out of the automatic promotion spots and could be looking over their shoulder at teams below them.

Brian added: "The gap is closing and this is why I think really Kim, this new appointment, he really needs to start off on the front foot. There's lots of challengers there.

"I wouldn't swap our position, I just think we need to do a little bit more to protect it.

"He needs to hit the ground running because Friday evening, Preston play away at Oxford, if they win that, we could find ourselves down at fourth place before we play Derby County."

Listen to more from the BBC Radio Tees fan panel on BBC Sounds.

Kim Hellberg will take helm of Middlesbrough for the first time on Saturday (15:00 GMT) as his new side host Derby County.

Boro won their first game under caretaker boss Adi Viveash but subsequently only earned one point out of their following two matches to see them out of the second place spot on goal difference.

But Hellberg's introduction to the Riverside will be a testing one, with the Rams winning six of their past seven league matches (L1) to put themselves within touching distance of the top six.

• Middlesbrough have lost just one of their last 16 home league games against Derby (W12 D3), winning each of the last three in a row.

• Derby lost their last league meeting with Middlesbrough in March (0-1), but haven't lost consecutive league matches against Boro since a run of three from April 2014 to March 2015.

• Middlesbrough have only won one of their last six league games (D3 L2), conceding in each of those games; they last endured a longer run of conceding between October and December 2024 (9 games).

• Derby County have won six of their last seven league games (L1), winning each of their last three on the road; they last enjoyed a longer such run in the Championship in October 2014 (4).

• Derby's Andreas Weimann has been involved in four goals in his last three away league appearances against Middlesbrough (1 goal, 3 assists), providing a hat-trick of assists in Bristol City's 3-1 win in July 2020.

New Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg will take charge of his first game when Derby visit the Riverside on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

In his first major managerial job with Varnamo in 2022, the 37-year-old kept the club in the Allsvenskan in their first-ever season in the Swedish top flight before leading them to an incredible fifth-place finish in 2023.

Hellberg was then appointed by Hammarby and guided them to two consecutive second-place finishes in 2024 and 2025.

Nordic Football Pod host Jonathan Fadugba says Hellberg is a "young and exciting" coach, who is considered "one of the best emerging managers in Sweden".

"He will try and put together an entertaining style of play," Fadugba told BBC Radio Tees.

"He's not a boring manager who will try to just sit in and nick a 1-0. He's someone who likes to implement an attacking game and go at teams.

"That's why his Hammarby side have been considered one of the best teams in the league for the past two years."

Fadugba said Hellberg would be open to adapting his style to the Championship and "won't be wedded to a system" if it isn't working.

"There will be a bedding in period, he's not the messiah who will come and everything is going to be amazing," he said.

"But one thing you can guarantee is that he's a clever manager. He will try and adapt in-game and he will definitely try and play the right style of football."

Describing his character, Fadugba said Hellberg is "very cool, calm, collected and debonair".

"A bit dapper on the sidelines, he has a bit of touchline chic," Fadugba added.

"Very unflappable. He's not a manager who gets carried away and starts throwing teacups. Very relaxed and clear eyed. He's very methodical but also very innovative.

"I think one of the reasons he's been selected by Middlesbrough, at such a big club, is that he's got a very modern style of management."

"Coventry look like a team that are ready to go the season - but every team has a wobble."

Have the Sky Blues already got the Championship title in the bag? Is new Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg the right man for the job at Riverside Stadium? Is it time for Southampton and Tonda Eckert to make their partnership official?

The 72+ team are joined once again by Chelmsford City striker Lyle Taylor to discuss all of the latest news in the Championship - from Coventry's dominant 10-point lead to Charlton's defensive woes.

Listen to the full episode of 72+ and more on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Shutterstock

Middlesbrough interim head coach Adi Viveash says he was bitterly disappointed to lose to Coventry City in a meeting of the Championship's top two.

Boro had fought back from two goals level with the Sky Blues only to concede two late goals to slip to a 4-2 defeat as Coventry opened up a 10-point gap at the top.

It was a first home league loss of the season, while it was a first defeat in his short interim spell after a win and a draw in the other two games.

Viveash has been in the role following the exit of Rob Edwards to Premier League Wolves, but he will resume his role in the coaching team after the arrival of Kim Hellberg.

The Swede begins his duties properly on Thursday, ahead of Boro's game at home to Derby County on Saturday.

"It was a high-level Championship game," said Viveash.

"I don't think Coventry disappointed and we more than played our part.

"We certainly had some strong periods in it, but the key moments didn't go our way. They took advantage of our frailties at times, certainly defensively.

"You can't concede four goals in any Championship game, never mind against a side as ruthless and attacking as they are.

"I'm bitterly disappointed, as the players are - as the fans and everybody with a Middlesbrough connection will be."

Image source, Middlesbrough FC

Middlesbrough confirmed the appointment of Kim Hellberg as their new head coach on Monday.

The 37-year-old has replaced Rob Edwards, who left to join Wolves earlier this month.

Are fans happy with the appointment? Here are the views of some of those who got in touch with us:

Andrew: Bringing in what is only Boro's second ever foreign manager seems a bit of a gamble, but I feel optimistic that someone with a track record of attacking football might be just what we need.

Joe: Middlesbrough have needed a manager who wants to play attacking football for years. Worst case scenario - another year in the Championship with a transfer window for a manager who knows what he needs. Best case scenario - Premier League!

John: Boro and Steve Gibson have been struggling in the Championship for a long time. Doing the same thing and expecting things to change is madness. Hellberg is high risk for both Boro and himself. They are second and anything less than the play-offs will be considered a failure. Hellberg is young, his reputation is high but failing at Boro could be career-defining. Embrace the risk.

Jonathan: From a Hammarby fan. We played some incredible football under Kim and the win away at Malmo in October was described by some pundits as the best performance seen in Sweden's Allsvenskan. We only lost the league to the team who beat the all-time points record by six points. I'm very confident he will succeed at Middlesbrough and will appreciate the fan base.

Ross: Very bold choice by Boro and very sensible. But we've got to give him time. Would be great if he could help us land promotion this year.

Liam: The fans need to back him. He's had success elsewhere and although he has no experience in the EFL, we still have Adi Viveash who hopefully will guide him and teach him.

Veronica: Hellberg is definitely the man for the job. I've got total faith in him and if the players listen then we've got this.

Kim Hellberg has been chosen to succeed Rob Edwards and take over Middlesbrough's promotion charge.

The 37-year-old secured two consecutive top-flight second-place finishes with Swedish side Hammarby.

Taking charge of Boro will mark Hellberg's first venture in the English Football League.

Do you think the Swede is the right call to book Middlesbrough a place in next season's Premier League?

What are you expecting from your new boss?

Let us know your thoughts here.

This is the one we have been waiting for as the top two come face-to-face on Teesside.

Coventry's stirring 3-2 win over West Brom on Saturday, coupled with Middlesbrough being held to a 1-1 draw at Oxford means the Sky Blues hold a seven-point advantage over their opponents at the top of the Championship.

• Middlesbrough are winless in their past six league games against Coventry (D1 L5), losing each of the past four in a row.

• Coventry have won their past two away league games against Middlesbrough, more than they had in their previous 14 visits between 1982 and 2023 (W1 D6 L7).

• Middlesbrough have lost just one of their past 13 home league games (W9 D3) and are unbeaten in nine at the Riverside Stadium since a 1-0 loss against Leeds in April.

• Coventry have scored 21 goals in their eight away league games this season, just three fewer than they managed in the whole of last season on the road (24 in 23 games).

• Coventry's Haji Wright has been involved in four goals in his four league appearances against Middlesbrough (3 goals, 1 assist), with three of those coming at the Riverside Stadium.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Rex Features

Middlesbrough are poised to confirm Kim Hellberg as their new manager.

The 37-year-old is due to join from Swedish side Hammarby and replace Rob Edwards following his move to Wolves.

Boro have been finalising Hellberg's work permit and he is not expected to take charge of Tuesday's Championship top-of-the-table visit of leaders Coventry, with caretaker Aidy Viveash again due to lead Boro.

Middlesbrough are second in the table, seven points behind the Sky Blues after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Oxford.

Hellberg took Hammarby to second-placed finishes in the Swedish top flight during his two seasons in charge.

Ex-Wolves first-team coach Ian Burchnall is in the running to replace Hellberg.

Burchnall, a former Forest Green and Notts County manager, has previously managed in Scandinavia having taken charge of Viking in Norway and Ostersunds in Sweden, when he succeeded Graham Potter in 2018.

Burchnall had been working with Jamaica under Steve McClaren for their last six World Cup qualifiers before McClaren stood down last week following the Reggae Boyz's failure to seal automatic qualification.

Middlesbrough interim boss Adi Viveash felt his team lacked quality at crucial moments of their draw at Oxford United.

Viveash told BBC Tees: "The reality is that certainly in attacking areas, we didn't have enough of the quality moments, we didn't have the final action, final pass, cross, finish.

"Some key moments went against us and in the Championship you need certain things to go your way, especially away from home.

"It was a great goal (by Morgan) - unfortunately we had two or three more (opportunities) where we were in the same position and just missed the cross, one got pulled behind TC (Tommy Conway).

"Nineteen shots, three on target, that number needs to be higher if you're going to win a Championship game."

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

New Wolves boss Rob Edwards knows he let Middlesbrough down but insisted he had to move to Molineux.

The 42-year-old swapped promotion chasing Boro in the Championship for a return to relegation-threatened Wolves.

They are bottom of the Premier League with just two points from 11 games and have not won in the top flight for over six months.

Edwards left Boro five months after being appointed with the Riverside club second in the Championship.

But, having played 111 times for Wolves and coached the under-18s, under-23s and the first team, Edwards could not turn the move down.

He said: "This opportunity and this job is something I've always wanted and dreamed of. I'm well aware I was at a really good football club - I want to be really respectful to Middlesbrough and I know I would have let them down.

"I get it and I understand that. But this is something I've always wanted to do. I didn't want to live with regret. I've got to live my own life.

"I didn't know if this opportunity would come up again for me to be the head coach of this club. I didn't want to look back in 10, 15, 20 years' time [and see] that I turned down chance to manage Wolves in the Premier League.

"I've got to try to enjoy my life and take some risks. We're not around for long, are we? I didn't want to look back and think: 'Maybe I should have given that a go.'

"So yeah, that's why I've done it. I know it's going to be a big challenge but I'm just well up for it."

Edwards is preparing for his first game in charge at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday as Wolves look to win their first league game of the season.

He added: "There's no perfect job in football. I know the scale of the task. But I'm also really excited by the challenge and have got full belief in group."

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

Image source, Rex Features

Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).