Kim Hellberg drops new reaction to Southampton spygate scandal | OneFootball

Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg has provided fresh thoughts on Tonda Eckert and the Southampton Spygate saga...

Both Middlesbrough and Southampton will face off again in the Championship, meaning Kim Hellberg will come up against Tonda Eckert following the Spygate saga.

Southampton defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate after extra time, with the Saints booking their place at Wembley. However, the Spygate scandal saw Tonda Eckert's side removed and Boro took their place against Hull City instead.

A 1-0 loss to an Oli McBurnie goal means they will play each other this season, with it being a fixture many fans of both sides will be eyeing after the EFL's fixtures were revealed on Thursday 25th June.

November 28th and March 13th are the dates to put in the diary for Boro against the Saints, which will be a game with serious needle and edge. The same might be true of both managers, providing Eckert remains in charge of Southampton and avoids a ban.

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Speaking live on Sky Sports on Thursday afternoon, Hellberg was interviewed regarding the fixtures being revealed and was also asked if losing in the play-offs after Spygate was a range of emotions to process. He responded: “Of course it was. It was a special last weeks of the season, with ups and downs and absolutely everything.

“So it was important to come away on vacation and have some things and spend a lot of time with friends and family. Now energy is back to keep going — and do it better. I think everyone handles it in different ways. That’s what you have to do about it.

“But you also have to use it as fuel and as a strength going into this season. We know that we were close. We know that we are close to being good enough. We’ll use it as a fuel going into this pre-season to do things better, to try to achieve what we want to achieve, and to work harder for it.”

On the fallout from Spygate specifically, the Middlesbrough boss stated: “It was crazy. It was back and forth on emotions and all those things so much and just a weird situation from everything that happened around it.

“It’s like everything, you try to learn from it, you try to improve from it, you try to use it as an experience from what we’ve been through. And we try to be stronger from it going forward. It was an especially weird few weeks.”

On Eckert's future at St. Mary's, Hellberg added: “I haven’t thought about that. The season ended and we weren’t good enough to go through. That’s everything to say about it for me. I have to try and do better next year and that’s what I’m focusing on.

“I’m not focusing on other teams. I’m not focusing on another manager. He’s a good manager. He did very, very good for Southampton. Southampton is a big club and they will probably be successful this year.

“That’s everything from me. It's been talked about so much. I’m just looking forward to next season, wishing all the teams and all the coaches the best, and we’ll see who has the best season when the season’s ended.”

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If Eckert does ultimately leave Southampton, it may actually prove to be the cleanest outcome for many of those involved. Regardless of the final verdict, the fallout from the Spygate saga is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, and a fresh start could allow both the club and manager to move forward without the constant scrutiny that will inevitably follow into 2026/27.

Middlesbrough, who were inarguably the side most affected by the controversy during the play-offs, may also be relieved to see Eckert removed from the equation from a footballing perspective. The issue has become a distraction that risks overshadowing matches and narratives whenever the two clubs meet now.

In fact, it doesn't just apply to Middlesbrough now. The likes of Birmingham City and Wrexham have poked fun at Southampton already amid the fixtures releasing. It's exacerbated by Eckert remaining in post, given how involved he was in the ordeal.

That said, there is another side to the argument for Boro. Some within the Middlesbrough camp may have relished the opportunity to face Eckert again and get one over on him on the pitch, using any lingering resentment as extra motivation in future meetings. He won't admit it, but it arguably applies to Hellberg as well.