Boro's head of football 'let down' by Edwards' exit

Middlesbrough head of football Kieran Scott said he felt "let down" by former manager Rob Edwards when he left for Wolves - but insists the club has improved under replacement Kim Hellberg. Boro were second in the Championship in November last year after 15 games of the 2025-26 season when Edwards left to take over at Wolves , who were staring down the barrel of relegation from the Premier League. Scott and the Middlesbrough hierarchy reacted quickly to appoint Hellberg - a relatively unknown head coach at the time of his arrival from Hammarby in Sweden. Looking back on how Edwards' exit unfolded, Scott said there was "no desire to let him move on" but Wolves were persistent in their attempts to hire the ex-Luton boss. "It was a bit of a surprise, I'm not going to lie. I think we gave Rob and his staff a really good opportunity to kick-on with us," Scott told BBC Radio Tees . "So to be dealing with a club approaching after 14-15 games, it was a little bit earlier than anticipated. "That's just the way football is going. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's the norm, but what can you do?" Speaking in November after the move, Edwards said he knew he let Middlesbrough down by leaving but that the Wolves job was one he always dreamed of. "I know I would have let them [Middlesbrough] down," he said. "I get it and I understand that. But this is something I've always wanted to do. I didn't want to live with regret. I've got to live my own life." Edwards admits Boro upset but has no regrets over Wolves move 'We're not best mates anymore' Scott did not pull any punches when asked about how it has impacted his relationship with Edwards. "We're not best mates anymore and he definitely ain't coming for tea," he said. "I felt let down because I thought that ultimately the club gave him an opportunity and he is someone I've worked with and known for a long time. "To lose him that quickly and in that manner, I wouldn't say it was an ideal start to the season." The timing of Wolves' approach for Edwards , which clashed with Boro's 2-1 home win against Birmingham City , also "got under my nose", said Scott. "They didn't even allow us to finish the game. So that wasn't great," he said. "I guess that's football, but it felt a little bit unnecessary and I didn't think we'd done anything to deserve that after having a really good start and backing Rob to get us where we were headed." 'Boro are better in attack under Hellberg' Only Southampton (57) have scored more goals than Middlesbrough (52) in the Championship since Kim Hellberg arrived [Getty Images] Fast forward nine months and Middlesbrough are among the favourites to win promotion to the Premier League in the 2026-27 campaign after starting the season with a 2-1 comeback victory against Lincoln City . Despite taking a risk on "a young guy no-one had ever heard of" by bringing in Hellberg, it is a decision that Scott, chairman Steve Gibson and chief executive officer Neil Bausor are happy they made. Scott credits the 38-year-old for improving Boro's attack and style of play - something that "pulled him in" when assessing their shortlist of potential replacements for Edwards. It was after a five-hour meeting with Hellberg which Scott said he "knew straight away that this guy would fit Boro". "This is going to sound like a dig to Rob and it's not because he did a lot of good things with the defence in that unit," he said. "But I think the forward players welcomed a bit of freedom and a bit of fluidity and different styles of coaching. "Kim came in and he made a really big difference and he freed up some of the players that were a little bit shackled." How does Hellberg compare to Edwards? Scott's theory on Middlesbrough being more potent in attack under Hellberg is not unfounded. Hellberg's Boro have scored more freely, with 52 goals in his 30 regular season Championship matches in charge so far at a rate of 1.73 goals per game, compared to 1.21 with Edwards. In terms of win ratio, both managers are tied evenly on 50%. However, Edwards picked up 0.11 more points per game and his side conceded fewer goals per game (0.85) than Hellberg's (1.00). The data for Hellberg will of course fluctuate in the coming months depending on how Boro perform. It has not been all plain sailing for Boro during Hellberg's reign so far either. Impressive winning runs of four and six games respectively in the league have been punctuated by blips in form - perhaps none more costly than a seven-game streak without a win during the run-in of 2025-26. Last season ended in disappointment after slipping from top in February to finish fifth before losing in the play-off final to Hull City. The caveat is the fact that defeat was preceded by the spygate scandal which saw Boro reinstated in the competition after Southampton were caught spying on their training session before the semi-final. "Kim hadn't gone through anything like that," said Scott. "I think Kim felt professionally disrespected and I think that really got to him like it would do, like it got to me, like it got to everybody. "Emotionally I think it wore him out, like it wore us all out." Lankshear outlines Premier League dream with Boro Hellberg expecting 'an open game' at Blackburn Reaction: Boro 2-1 Lincoln It is 10 years and counting since Middlesbrough played in the Premier League and they have spent just one season in the top flight since 2009. The club will hope to finally put that right under Hellberg between now and May. "To actually put faith in Kim, it was a brave decision," Scott added. "And I said that to Steve and Neil, who 100% backed the appointment, it's a real brave decision from us, because there's a lot of people who will point at us and think we've lost the plot." Latest Middlesbrough news, analysis and fan views