On the other hand, it'd be ****ing hilarious if it was announced we were kicked out while loads of people were celebrating on the pitch 
Saints expelled from Play Offs by EFL
- Thread starter tomw24
- Start date
-
Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
-
If we win the playoffs there is not a doubt in my mind we’ll be playing Prem football next year.
It’s too complicated of a matter & the rules are too vague in their current form, that they can’t pull that sanction. What about the other 48 games we’ve not spied in? Do they not count? It takes far much more than 1 play off semi’s game to get promoted & that result was 0-0 so it’s not even proven the spying worked lol
What I do think will happen, is that they will have black & white rules on spying moving forward and if a team if found to have spied within a season they will impose immediate sanctions on them (I think they’ll make it obligatory points deductions if a league game & banned from play offs if a play off game) - but they can’t change this until next season now.
It’s too complicated of a matter & the rules are too vague in their current form, that they can’t pull that sanction. What about the other 48 games we’ve not spied in? Do they not count? It takes far much more than 1 play off semi’s game to get promoted & that result was 0-0 so it’s not even proven the spying worked lol
What I do think will happen, is that they will have black & white rules on spying moving forward and if a team if found to have spied within a season they will impose immediate sanctions on them (I think they’ll make it obligatory points deductions if a league game & banned from play offs if a play off game) - but they can’t change this until next season now.
A bit of me thinks that if the EFL thought that expulsion was on the cards, they would have acted immediately by handing the first tie to Boro or postponing both games for a few days.
They can't act that quickly. There's due process to be followed.
I've reached a point now where I want us to win tonight so badly so Boro are out...but I'm not that fussed if we lost to Hull in the final.
Saints have asked for an extension. So get in Premier league ASAP as EFL have no authority their!
BBC article seems to suggest that it is a possible that we get kicked out if we win the semis tonight.
thr EFL can make recommendations for points deductions in the Premier League.
He may be talking ****e but I saw Simon Jordan suggesting that the list of possible punishments doesn't include expulsion from the play offs, although it does include expulsion from the league.
I did think of a way they could fudge it beautifully and effectively do nothing while technically imposing quite a heavy penalty. Deduct 6 points from us this season. A hefty punishment - the same as Leicester got - that leaves us fifth in the table. However the play off teams remain the same and, although the two Boro ties should have been played the other way around, they can argue that isn't significant enough to justify disrupting the entire contest by replaying the tie.
I did think of a way they could fudge it beautifully and effectively do nothing while technically imposing quite a heavy penalty. Deduct 6 points from us this season. A hefty punishment - the same as Leicester got - that leaves us fifth in the table. However the play off teams remain the same and, although the two Boro ties should have been played the other way around, they can argue that isn't significant enough to justify disrupting the entire contest by replaying the tie.
There is no way that this spying saga is worthy of the same points deduction as a team that have consistently overspent by tens of millions of pounds above the rules for the last few years. That's like arguing that you should give 25 years in prison for a man who stole a loaf of bread verses a murder conviction.
Anything more than a hefty fine and a suspended points deduction (should we do it again) would be an unreasonable punishment and would result in lengthy and expensive appeals, potentially rising all the way to CAS. It wouldn't be in the EFL's interests to allow that to happen and so would be looking for some kind of middle ground that serves to show their authority without causing a total mess - that will come in the way of a 7 figure fine I suspect.
Anything more than a hefty fine and a suspended points deduction (should we do it again) would be an unreasonable punishment and would result in lengthy and expensive appeals, potentially rising all the way to CAS. It wouldn't be in the EFL's interests to allow that to happen and so would be looking for some kind of middle ground that serves to show their authority without causing a total mess - that will come in the way of a 7 figure fine I suspect.
The EFL will be hoping more than anything else that we lose tonight.
Wonder what minute they get a dodgy penalty...
No it doesn't. It says the range of punishments available to the independent commission range from a fine to expulsion. It's not suggesting anything.
They will be desperate for us to go out tonight. I think though that the refereeing team will be extra focused on doing a good job tonight, ensuring that they look as impartial as possible - they won't want to be dragged into conspiracy theories and threaten their own roles going forward.
Legal cases are the last thing the EFL would want. Would they have the time or money for those?
I pretty much agree (although to some extent that depends on the details that come out) but it would allow the EFL to say they've taken it all very seriously while effectively doing nothing. If we were to win the play offs I could see that course of action being very appealing to them
I do think some people are underestimating just how nuclear an option kicking us out of the play offs is. It would set off a series of events that would almost certainly continue well into next season. A massive fine, bans for the guilty personnel and possible points deduction wouldn't do that. Boro may well pursue action through legal proceedings but that would be against us not the EFL.
Andy Madley has always been one of the better Referees, has a sense of humour which is rare, he is human and could get things wrong, there is extra pressure on him for this game, just hope he has a decent match,
garysfc
Well-Known Member
My only worry is we’re a bit of an easy target. We’re not a really massive club with history & they might use us as an example. However, saying that I do think it’ll just be a massive fine & some suspended sentence to make sure we never think of doing it again - within 72hrs anyway!
They're just saying that's the power they have. They didn't kick Leicester out of the league for overspending by tens of millions, which helped them get promoted back to the PL in 2024 (and only gave an 8 point deduction for it). That has a far more reaching effect on "fair play" then a club member standing near a training ground.