Spygate: Middlesbrough FC boss Kim Hellberg on sympathy with Hull City, Southampton verdict and Hayden Hackney update
MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Kim Hellberg admits to having sympathy with fans of Hull City, Southampton and Boro after a chaotic build-up to Saturday's Championship play-off final - which will now be played out between two Yorkshire clubs.
Boro were knocked out of the semi-final at Saints back on May 12 following a 2-1 aggregate loss, only to be reinstated a week later after the south coast club were kicked out of the competition in a bombshell Spygate 2.0 verdict delivered by an independent commission.
This came after Saints admitted a trio of spying offences, including one ahead of the first leg on Teesside. The EFL had charged them with "multiple breaches" of EFL regulations regarding the unauthorized filming and spying on opponents' training sessions.
Saints appealed against the decision, but it was upheld on Wednesday evening to confirm that Saturday's final would feature Hull, who have waiting to see which team they would faced following the investigations into Spygate 2.0, and Boro.
Hellberg said: "Southampton is a big organisation with so many things involved. Of course I have a lot of sympathy for supporters paying (for) tickets, thinking they're going to go to Wembley and (its) massive. It's massive for some players that were not involved and tried.
"It's a lot of sympathy for different things. It's a lot of sympathy for our fans, it's also for Hull supporters in terms of not knowing when to play the game. It's been a lot of sympathy for different things and that is what this situation is about.
"It's been weird for a lot of different teams and supporters. That is not fair to them but it also comes from the decision they (Southampton) have made. I have a lot of sympathy for a lot of different people."
On his own emotions over the past week and a half, the Swede, who revealed that Boro's first day of proper training ahead of the final was today (Thursday), added: "A lot of emotions. It's been a crazy time. I can force a lot of different emotions from losing the game to everything being involved, trying to keep your head in the game for what may happen.
"It's been a lot of emotions and I'm very happy to be here."
Hellberg spoke of his disgust at the actions of Saints in the wake of the Spygate furore in a heartfelt press conference following the second leg at St Mary's. This followed previous strong condemnatory comments after the first instalment at the Riverside Stadium.
Asked about Southampton's punishment, which will also see them docked four points next season after also being found guilty of spying in league games against Oxford United and Ipswich Town, he continued: "I think the punishment for me is not to decide.
"I was never talking about punishment when I talked about it either. I talked about my emotions and I think that's football, that's emotions and that's what I've tried to be since I arrived here.
"I've tried to be honest and tried to be open, not using the 'not comment' or not being like that. I'm just trying to be open with my emotions. It was never about anything else than that and I think you can look at it again.
"That's what I talked about from my point of view. I have nothing to do with the decision or punishment or what is right or wrong. I just talked about my emotions through the situation.
"I think after the emotion you have after the Southampton game away from home and all those things that come with that (it happens).
"During that time it was very, very tough and you could see in a lot of the players. Then it's been just back and forth where we tried to keep them here but it's been impossible to train.
"We said we had a meeting with them on Monday after the weekend to try to see where we were at.
"It's been very, very difficult and of course from yesterday when it's 100 per cent clear we can start trying to get to go and try to focus on the game they're going to play that is, (it’s) the biggest for most of the players and of course for the coaches."
Meanwhile, Hellberg has confirmed that key midfielder Hayden Hackney could be fit to feature against Hull after missing just over two months with a calf injury.
It represents a hugely positive development for the Teessiders, especially given that they will be out influential forward Tommy Conway.
On Hackney, he said: "He's training today. Then again, to be fair, it's very weird when we've been off so long and not training for such a long time.
"We have to see what happens today, and what happens tomorrow, and what happens from that. But Hayden is fit, absolutely."