MIDDLESBROUGH OWNER Steve Gibson has spoken for the first time about the “crazy” Spygate saga.
It is two months since he successfully fought to get Southampton kicked out of the Championship play-offs after they were caught spying on Boro’s training session.
Steve Gibson has broken his silence about the whole Spygate saga Credit: Shutterstock
He fought to get Saints kicked out of the play-offs after an intern was caught spying on Boro
Gibson, who saved his hometown club from liquidation in 1986 before becoming full owner in 1994, started last season with Rob Edwards as boss before a controversial exit to Wolves in November led to Kim Hellberg’s appointment.
Despite being in the top two for the majority of the campaign, their automatic hopes faded late on under the Swede before suffering Wembley heartbreak against Hull after being reinstated to the play-offs.
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Reflecting on a mad climax to a rollercoaster campaign, the 68-year-old Gibson told BBC Tees: “We’ve had some crazy seasons at Middlesbrough, we had some great seasons at Middlesbrough, but last year was a bit different.
“But it’s football, everything changes and you learn something new every day.”
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HELL AND BACK
Boro boss Kim Hellberg forgives Tonda Eckert and closes the book on Spygate
Hellberg exclusively told Jattvibe Sport at Boro’s pre-season training camp in the Algarve he has already closed the book on Spygate last week.
He has forgiven Southampton and rival head coach Tonda Eckert, still waiting to discover if he will be hit with an FA ban for ordering the spying, for their “mistakes”.
Instead Hellberg, who has lost stars Hayden Hackney to Everton and Dael Fry to Birmingham, is focusing on delivering Premier League football to Gibson by 2028.
Head of football Kieran Scott and chief executive Neil Bausor have already bolstered their ranks with the signings of Myles Peart-Harris from Oxford and Kyle Joseph from Hull.
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Gibson added: “We’re not quite ready for the season, but when it comes, we will be.
“We’re very busy. We’ve got great staff. Kieran and Neil are working their socks off, and Kim, to bring in new players and we’re busy on that.”
Hellberg, whose side kick-off the Championship at home to Lincoln on August 15, believes both he and the club as a whole are better for all of last season’s experiences.
And after coming so close with a squad not assembled specifically for him, he told our man Gary Stonehouse in the Algarve: “Absolutely, and you grow experience together with the players too. You get to learn, know them better, you can use those experiences you’ve shared together.
“We have sold 21,000 season tickets and it was 17k when the season started last year.
“I cannot sit here and say: ‘Now my aim is to get promoted.’ My aim was to get Middlesbrough promoted over three years.
“If that is this year, if that is the rebuild now that can give us the possibility, that will be the thing. I see it as a project where we have to get better over time.”
Kim Hellberg spoke exclusively to Jattvibe Sport at Boro’s Algarve training camp last week Credit: Tom Banks – MFC
Steve Gibson saved Middlesbrough from liquidation in 1986 Credit: Getty
