How wrong I was if this is true!Kim Hellburg verbally agreed to join the Boro according to Teesside Live.
An in work head coach.
By the way, it is Hellberg , so berg not burg. Up the Boro!
I’ve just spotted that as well
Middlesbrough are reportedly set to beat Swansea City to the appointment of Hammarby IF boss Kim Hellberg.
The 37-year-old ‘s exploits in his native Sweden have sent his stock soaring and recent reports have credited Swansea with interest in his services.
However, Middlesbrough are also on the hunt for a new head coach and appear to be in pole position to secure Hellberg.
OFB
If it's true, it looks like SG has managed to avoid poaching another team's manager. However, this one does seem to have been waiting in the queue for the lift to get into Swansea's offices when SG tempted him into a different queue.
37-year-old Hellberg is currently manager of Swedish side Hammarby. He has been in charge of the club since January 2024.
A report from Swedish outlet fotbollskanalen two months ago claims the Hammarby boss has a clause in his contract stating the compensation fee is in the region of SEK 2.5–3m [£203–238k].
Up the Boro!
@presidentjump fotbollskanalen now report that Hellberg has instead 'verbally agreed' a deal with Boro. It is said that as well as a meeting with Swansea, the manager held a meeting with Middlesbrough yesterday with them overtaking their rivals for Hellberg.
Is that THE Kim Hellberg of Harmmaby?
Absolutely no idea who he is and if the stories are true then it's quite a gamble to appoint a 37-year old for his first job in England. Even his Wikipedia page is quite a few holes and suspect editing awaiting further citations.
OK, while reports say he's verbally agreed to join Boro instead of Swansea - plus it seems Norwich briefly spoke to him too - we'll have to wait to see if he has actually been offered the job by the club or these 'sources' from Sweden are simply indicating his preference is to come to Boro.
Teesside Live don't appear to have anything concrete and have used 'agreement' in inverted commas as they appear to have nothing from the club to back up the reports.
I should point out that the Swedish football season has just concluded as it runs from March to early November (possibly something to do with the weather 😉) - So technically he's not a head coach that is currently involved in managing a team...
Oops. Thanks for the correction.
Well he may well become Boro manager and not a bad record to finish second in the Swedish first tier in two-successive seasons - sounds like he must know what he's doing but don't really know how strong the league is but 2nd place doesn't qualify for Champions League but enter UEFA Conference League instead.
I think I read somewhere that his currennt club wants him to stay on - and will offer him a new agreement on better terms.
Naturally the terms are better in the Championship than in Sweden.
Up the Boro!
Hellberg assistant
Middlesbrough are said to now be in discussion with Hammarby for David Selini. He’s Hellberg’s current assistant, and the manager is demanding he follows.
Both are expected to sign multi-year contracts over the next few days. Hammarby are already working to recruit their replacement.
OFB
@original-fat-bob where does the David Selini thing leave Viveash I wonder?
Since Selini is only 32 and with Hellberg being 37 - with neither have any experience of England - then I think Viveash will be very important. Selini would probably be the new Harry Watling if indeed they are to be appointed as the only sources being quoted are all coming from Sweden at the moment. It seems none of the local media have any first-hand information and were reporting only this morning that interviews would continue this week with only informal discussions having so far taken place.
Of course, I mentioned a few days ago that you can't control the length of the recruitment process if one of your preferred candidates has other options given that 4 Championship clubs are looking for a new manager. Perhaps, if Hellberg has turned Swansea down then he must've had some positive indication from Boro but does that mean the club have stopped considering other options? We don't know and neither do the local media with contacts.
Teesside Live has four articles on Hellberg including verbal agreement to join Boro, another article states Boro are negotiating to bring Selini to join Hellberg. I don’t see a problem with keeping Viveash as Edwards had Viveash and Watling. So local media are covering it all.
Come on BORO.
Yes but all the sources for these reports are from various Swedish media reports - it could be true but they could also also just be initial checks from Boro who may have not yet decided on their final candidate - unless they know more than they are prepared to state publicly of course. Not heard anything from Scott Wilson yet, who is usually the go to man in the media to leak information...
I am a bit worried that the leaks are coming from Sweden. It might not be what Steve Gibson wants from his new manager. The info should be coming from Rockcliffe rather than the new manager. But it could be coming from Hammarby IF, too. Hellberg is still working there and a permit must be had from them before Boro can talk to their manager.
Up the Boro!
Dizzying developments on the Head Coaching Team Front. A total "out of the blue" development but we will all have to wait and see what happens.
... because it might be the case that Boro has more than one iron in the fire.
Andy Myers has joined Adi Viveash at Rockliffe as preparations continue for this weekend's match against Oxford United 🤝
The 52-year-old worked alongside Adi at Chelsea and has stepped in to assist at Boro in the short term.
OFB
Well that’s a name I’ve not heard mentioned as Boro’s next manager ( or is it coach). Assuming it’s true ,it’s logical for him to want to bring his own staff. Based on his experience , no experience of England and the Championship and possibly his age he has got to be a gamble.
But aren’t all the names which have been mentioned a gamble ?
We have had lots of names mentioned which looking at their cv’s makes you realise what a gamble all of them would be. It must be the only occupation where many of the candidates have had jobs where they have failed, many are currently out of work - some for months , others for years.
Contrast this to the days we worked and wanted to fill a top job. All the applicants would have the appropriate qualifications and their cv would read as a steady success leading them to be a serious contender for the job they were applying for.
Final commitment- I just hope there is a suitable role for Viveash whose experience particularly of the Championship could be invaluable to the new staff who I understand are only familiar with Swiss football.
philip of Huddersfield 👍🤔
There's a quite bizarre article on Teesside Live written by somebody called Amie Wilson which includes the following paragraph...
Adi Viveash is taking charge of Middlesbrough on an interim basis while the future of Edwards and his replacement is sorted. Should he stay at Middlesbrough along with fellow assistant Harry Watling, then the appointment of Selini could cause a conflict in the roles taken by the coaches.
Has this been written by ChatGPT? It makes absolutely no sense as surely anyone remotely familiar with Boro knows Edwards has already been unveiled by Wolves and Harry Watling has joined him and thanked Boro on social media. I think Powmill's world of AI journalism has arrived...
Note: Apparently Amie Wilson works for Reach PLC as a midlands-based football writer and is a Leicester City supporter who worked for the Leicester Mercury - this is what local sports journalism has become - written by people with little knowledge of the local football club! Plus it wouldn't surprise me if ChatGPT was used to assist in writing what is mainly nonsense.
@werdermouth Yes, I read that and thought it was utter nonsense.
So I asked (sorry, prompted) Gemini what it thought about Amie Wilson's article. Here is what it generated:
📰 AI Blunder Sparks Confusion in Boro Boss Search
Journalist Amie Wilson recently faced scrutiny after publishing an article on the Rob Edwards situation at Middlesbrough, reportedly drafted using AI. The piece, which detailed the manager's departure to Wolves and the subsequent search for his replacement, was quickly exposed for containing glaring factual inaccuracies.
This incident highlights a major pitfall of relying on generative AI for reporting: the output is only as good as its unverified training data. For Middlesbrough fans and the club, the incorrect information introduced unnecessary confusion and speculation at a critical time.
In the highly sensitive process of appointing a new manager, such misinformation can be particularly damaging. It risks destabilizing the club's image, potentially influencing candidates' perceptions of the job, and sowing distrust between the supporters and the media. While AI offers speed, this case is a stark reminder of the non-negotiable need for human verification and editorial oversight in football journalism.
I seem to recall that Adi Viveash was recruited directly by MFC to be the number two to the manager. In the first case, this was Edwards but there seems no reason why he wouldn’t stay on and bring his experience to bear in helping a new manager, particularly one such as Hellberg who has no direct knowledge of the Championship.
UTB
You have to laugh! We're now in a world where AI starts dissing other AI produced information - don't get me started on Grokipedia though...
@philip-of-huddersfield .. or maybe Swedish football...
(Beat me to it, Powmil-Naemore)
Human beings are all very fallible. We can be relied on to demonstrate this throughout our lives. But when AI or computers generally are allowed their head without human oversight, disaster would be inevitable. Get ready for £27,000,000 domestic quarterly gas bills - well, it WAS a cold winter quarter - or quoted legal authorities dated NEXT year set out in a Skeleton Argument, or history books referring to attacks on the Welsh by the English tank regiments of King Edward I in the Cambrian Mountains... We will then know for certain the contagion has spread.