Good shout, will give them the chance to see BBD, Smallbone and Damion Downs up close
Saints expelled from Play Offs by EFL
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Of course if this is true and Eckert was not aware and it has disrupted his play off plans and he is sick of answering questions about it, looking at how professional he is and how amateur this stunt was, he may be so angry that he wants to leave.
A far harsher punishment than anything the EFL could dish out.
A far harsher punishment than anything the EFL could dish out.
The Boro fans on their forum are absolutely mental. Some seem to really think we're going to be kicked out of play offs and that it might all be sorted tomorrow 
I spy for the SFC
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That last part is the one I assumed. If they don’t go up they will try and create a stink as sore losers. But they still might win the second game. And also - any attempted lawsuit won’t be able to factor in that there is still the final against a completely different team
Unless they have all sorts of locals dressed up in t shirts for millwall and hull to wheel out just in case
There is no way of knowing as there’s no real precedent.
I’m expecting big fine and suspended points deduction (applied if future wrongdoing) but who knows!
Boro suing (if we go up) is hard to put a value on; cannot guarantee they win without the spying. Also no guarantee they’d win the final .
And other questions arising: if Boro win Tuesday should that change the punishment? I’d argue no as the incident occurred independent of the result, but certainly we’d have gained nothing ?
Or if we win but lose the final? Far less gained, but Boro independent of that.
I’m expecting big fine and suspended points deduction (applied if future wrongdoing) but who knows!
Boro suing (if we go up) is hard to put a value on; cannot guarantee they win without the spying. Also no guarantee they’d win the final .
And other questions arising: if Boro win Tuesday should that change the punishment? I’d argue no as the incident occurred independent of the result, but certainly we’d have gained nothing ?
Or if we win but lose the final? Far less gained, but Boro independent of that.
I don’t have the Telegraph , but this is what their front page shows . Says we’ve admitted it ?
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I don't think anything has been admitted and much of what's been published in the Telegraph is journalistic bollocks.
See https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...ept-spying-charge-claim-analyst-acting-alone/ puplished yesterday
It says the spy was seen in bushes which has been discounted elsewhere.
This also from the article "The suggestion is they have claimed the analyst was acting on his own initiative and had not been instructed to travel to Rockliffe Hall hotel, adjacent to Boro’s training ground, to spy on Kim Hellberg and his players." I've not found that 'suggested' elsewhere certainly not in the statement from the club “We can confirm that we will be fully cooperating with the league throughout this process. Given the ongoing nature of the matter, the club is unable to comment any further at this time.”
It goes on to say "Telegraph Sport revealed on Friday that Boro have been led to believe by whistleblowers that this is not the first time Southampton have spied on their opponents’ training sessions this season." again not reported elsewhere so far as I can see.
In another piece published late Friday night "It is claimed the man filming the session had professional filming equipment, complete with a microphone powerful enough to pick up the voice of manager Kim Hellberg and his coaching staff as they issued training instructions." This at odds with the BBC and other more factual, less dramatic reports. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c1725d15p0ko
"While there have been reports that the so-called spy was found hiding in bushes, the real story is apparently not so dramatic.
Sources told the BBC that the accused simply stood at the top of the hill, which slopes down to the training field and gives a clear view overlooking the pitches. Perfect for not-so-covert ops.
At one stage the suspicious individual is alleged to have been pointing his mobile at the training session, while wearing in-ear headphones. Middlesbrough staff believe he may have been live-streaming the session via a video call."
Nothing professional about that equipment but so like the gutter press rag not to let the truth get in the way of a good story.
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The Boro fans on their forum are absolutely mental. Some seem to really think we're going to be kicked out of play offs and that it might all be sorted tomorrow
Seen a few of them saying the Tuesday game is irrelevant as they’ll be at Wembley regardless when we get kicked out. Hope they’re right
I actually think that if the EFL are seriously considering a sporting sanction and us being chucked out of the playoffs is remotely on the table, Tuesday's game would not go ahead. Knowing the time that these kind of decisions usually take though, I absoloutely can't see that happening. Like others have said, if we do get a sporting sanction, I think it will be suspended.
Wouldn’t bother me if we were. I can see why that is the sort of punishment we should get, I doubt it happens though. More likely a fine and a points deduction for our next season in the Champ, whether that is next season or 2 years time when we come down again.
I think there’s a good chance they’ll make an announcement tomorrow. If they want to make an example of Southampton then I think there’s will be a major Lawyering up procedure to follow.
Noticed that Boro have ramped up the maximum penalty cry,s especially after yesterday’s draw. From the manager saying basically it’s the worse thing you could do in football, to the chairman suing everybody if it goes against them, to the fans. My suggestion is for them to concentrate on beating us this Tuesday and then it’s not their concern anymore.
I’ve seen suggestions of Tuesday being played with no home fans. That would be a big punishment with losses of over a million pounds.
But if we won it still wouldn’t be a big enough punishment from a Boro point of view. This is why it needs sorting by tomorrow in my opinion.
Even if there is an announcement tomorrow it won’t be over. Either the punishment is deemed too harsh and we appeal or it’s too lenient and Boro appeal.
It might be sorted by the time the final is played in 2 weeks if they decide to make an announcement tomorrow
Part of me thinks you might be right about tomorrow and in many ways, it would be good to get this over with but I also think the EFL won't want to be seen to be making a knee-jerk reaction. They need to get this right but they'll be damned if they do and damned if they don't.
What have the Romans ever done for us?
It occurs to me that with all the itk people on this site, does anyone have any idea who this supposed trainee/spy/intern/WUM actually is? If Middlesbrough are so sure that this is genuine, have they provided any photographic evidence of the event, or its aftermath? Simply saying that someone was seen, either in a bush, or on a grassy knoll (oops, wrong conspiracy), who was then confronted, found a phone box, sorry, toilet, to change in, then sped away (faster than a speeding bullet?), with no photographic evidence is possible, but unlikely. What Middlesbrough appear to be saying is that this Saints miscreant was seen, approached, confronted, then allowed to leave, all without anyone from Middlesbrough having the ability or quick-wittedness to take a photo, of the perpetrator, or his car. And yet they've managed to match the person to a LinkedIn profile. So they are either making it up as they go along, or they are holding back damning evidence.
Have Saints said much in terms of denying this entirely, or admitting things?