Tees

Watch/Listen

Sport

BBC Sounds: From Tees

View more

Latest Updates

  1. What will Hellberg bring to Boro?

    Nordic Football Pod host Jonathan Fadugba discusses Hellberg's tactical approach and character as a manager

    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."

    BBC Sounds banner

  2. Photo of two phone screens being held by two different people. The screens show a lot of text and descriptions of the two surveys asking people for the views on AI use in healthcare. The left hand screen is primarily dark, while the right hand screen in primarily white.

  3. Rachel Reeves announces the Budget standing at the dispatch box in the House of Commons. She has shoulder-length brown hair with a fringe and is wearing a navy suit with a white shirt. Dozens of Labour MPs are sitting behind her.

  4. 🎧 Have Coventry already won the Championship?

    72+ podcast: Coventry 10 points clear and Eckert excels at Southampton

    "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.

    Listen on BBC Sounds

  5. The outside of the University of North Durham Hospital. It a brown and beige-coloured brick building. The entrance has green, white and blue rectangle panelling. There is a sign pointing patients to various departments. A small tree is in a plant pot in a seating area.

  6. A lit, yellow taxi light on the top of a black cab. The word 'TAXI' is in black, and the rest of the light is yellow. Blurred out street lights are visible in the background.

  7. Two fire engines parked. One is on the side of a road, while the other appears to be within a small car park. It is a dark night. Both engines are well lit.

  8. Two young children in red and black blazers, one boy and one girl, looking at black laptop on a round table. The boy is navigating a computer mouse. The background looks like a school with books on bookshelves and posters on the world. In the foreground - the camera is facing a laptop screen with the block-based world of Minecraft on the screen.

  9. Viveash disappointed to end interim spell with loss

    Adi Viveash clapping the fans on the pitch at the end of the 4-2 loss to CoventryShutterstock

    Adi Viveash will remain at Middlesbrough as part of new head coach Kim Hellberg's staff

    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."

  10. Abigail Eggleston is smiling at the camera. Her brown hair is pulled back under a blue cap.

  11. At the right-hand side of the photo is a blue sign outside the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council building. On it are directions for 'Staff Parking', 'Visitor Reception', 'Visitor Parking' and 'Deliveries'. In the background, part of the car park is visible, and so is the 3-storey building. A sign is at the front of the building that says 'Dunedin House'. The building is made up on predominantly red brick, with many windows and also solar panels on the slanted roof.

  12. A bright yellow streetsweeper has kicked up a large cloud of beige dust behind it. Dust can be seen lining the roadside and a sign on the side of the road reads 'The SOUTH' and 'Darlington' to the left on the A167 and 'Newcastle' and 'Durham' to the right also on the A167.

  13. A young man with short dark hair and a short beard sits smiling at an outdoor table.

  14. Your views: 'Embrace the risk' - Boro fans on Hellberg

    New Middlesbrough head coach Kim HellbergMiddlesbrough 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.

  15. Coventry defender Bobby Thomas (left) gets to the ball just ahead of Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway

  16. A man dressed as Santa with a large white beard and red hat with a white bobble on the end is leaning on the railing of a sleigh.

  17. Inside the control room at the North East Ambulance service. Staff are wearing headsets and taking 99 calls. They are working on computers.

  18. Mugshot of Steele. He is bald with faint stubble and a cut above his lip

  19. A man with short fair hair looks at the camera. He is wearing a light blue shirt and a brown-green jacket. He is standing in a room full of display boards and people looking at them. He is in focus while the background is out of focus.

  20. Peter Rickard, chief fire officer at Cleveland Fire Brigade. He has short grey hair and is wearing a black uniform with a white shirt and black tie. He is standing in front of a fire engine and looking directly into the camera.

  21. A mugshot of Daniel Dixon who has short black hair, a receding hairline and light facial hair. He is wearing a black and white check shirt unbuttoned with a dark blue t-shirt underneath.

  22. A yellow and blue police van parked behind blue and white police tape with a row of two-storey hoses beyond.