Saints expelled from Play Offs by EFL

saintkitch said:

Not been on here for years. But the way I see it is we have cheated so the punishment should be hard. In my view kicking out of the playoffs is too hard so what should it be. 1. Massive fine. 2. Points deduction when we are next in the championship. 3.Eckert and Spors 2 year ban from English football.

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The punishments you listed are the definition of the punishment not fitting the crime. Leicester breached FFP for years, and won an FA Cup whilst doing so and the Championship in 2024. They didn't get stripped of their titles, or kicked from the league this season. They got a 6 point deduction...

Did Boro potentially jump the gun by reporting us quickly so that the charges are only focused on the incident against them? Any claims or evidence that we might have done it to more clubs is potentially irrelevant and not subject to this inquiry. But maybe if they’d waited to see if there were more accusations and grouped it together?

I’m not sure. Maybe wishful thinking. I don’t know the exact nature of the complaint

But it would align with their frustrated statements that is clearly an attempt to try and bully both the EFL and the panel. It seems like it reads as the EFL is not going to present their axe grinding whistle blower (although I don’t think you can be a whistle blower if you are no longer employed) or their claims related to other clubs. But maybe that’s just an optimistic interpretation

I wonder what their next gambit is? Presumably on Monday?

Either way their statement doesn’t seem like the sort of statement that you’d make if you felt confident of getting “your way”. And I’m no high priced sports lawyer like the one they’ve hired but it seems very ill advised. I wonder if it’s one that “Gibbo” wanted regardless and this lawyer tried to stop it and all he’s managed to do is perhaps slightly rein it in. It’s not quite “I want your children’s shoes” after all

Yeah its a good point I think boro are on their own with this (re above)

San Tejón said:

Good afternoon, boys and girls. Good to see you are still as level headed as always, although I have only looked through about half of the thread.
I watched a Football Martin video with Alfie House and Alfie put some perspective into what expulsion would be equal to, as in
1. Equal to a 10 point deduction, to put us outside the playoff positions.
2. A fine that could potentially be £250 million, by stopping our chance of promotion.
He also cited some legal experts who said that expulsion would be excessive.
My personal opinion is that other than the photographic evidence and the whistleblower, is that they don’t have any other evidence to support their claim, hence trying to bring other clubs into it.
As others have said the only issue with the whistleblower is if there is a paper chain. We would hope that there isn’t but then we would have hoped that we wouldn’t have been so stupid as to do something like this in the first place.

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Hello SanTe good to have you back.

If Boro had put half the energy they have spent crying about this into a treadmill they’d have likely won the bloody game.

What a debacle.

Perhaps this whole thing is for Scobby Doo and the team to investigate.

""And the spygate spy is really...."

"Old man Gibson!"

"I would have got away with it too if it wasn't for you pesky Saints!"

SaintElliot said:

The punishments you listed are the definition of the punishment not fitting the crime. Leicester breached FFP for years, and won an FA Cup whilst doing so and the Championship in 2024. They didn't get stripped of their titles, or kicked from the league this season. They got a 6 point deduction...

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This is different though as it is blatant cheating, FFP violations can be argued as cash flow/accounting/unavoidable to a certain degree. We sent someone up there with the intention to spy and get an advantage, teams who break FFP may not set out as blatantly to do that

Saintmagic said:

This is different though as it is blatant cheating, FFP violations can be argued as cash flow/accounting/unavoidable to a certain degree. We sent someone up there with the intention to spy and get an advantage, teams who break FFP may not set out as blatantly to do that

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That’s being a bit generous though. Clubs manage it.

There's like 5000 or so comments on bbc about this. Thats more than the big clubs get. One way of being in the big time I suppose

West Kent Saint said:

That’s being a bit generous though. Clubs manage it.

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Oh yeah, but I’m sure there is an argument from offending clubs around what I said. There isn’t much argument about spying, apart from the lone wolf claim we’ve made so it’s not really a direct comparison

Maybe it’s just more sneaky and they hide behind grey areas, as opposed to to trees!

The telegraph paper can fuc£ right off!

Saintmagic said:

This is different though as it is blatant cheating, FFP violations can be argued as cash flow/accounting/unavoidable to a certain degree. We sent someone up there with the intention to spy and get an advantage, teams who break FFP may not set out as blatantly to do that

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But it still gives you a massive advantage over the season, whether or not you knew you were breaking a rule. Watching training two days before one game has far less of an affect on the league then a team who's gained an advantage on the pitch over 38-46 games.

What does the hull city statement say?

jonny 'hasen' shuttle said:

What does the hull city statement say?

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They object to the final being moved to Wednesday 27th saying it’s unfair on their fans and that they and their fans should not be punished for our actions and the outcome of the investigation into them

Just urging the EFL not to change the date of the final regardless of the outcome of our hearing. Would really **** over Hull fans, many of whom will have already paid for travel, hotels, sorted time off etc etc. all completely fair and understandable and I agree with them.

RSS said:

Just urging the EFL not to change the date of the final regardless of the outcome of our hearing. Would really **** over Hull fans, many of whom will have already paid for travel, hotels, sorted time off etc etc. all completely fair and understandable and I agree with them.

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I don’t see how even if we are ruled to be kicked out that an appeal would be sorted by the 27th. Unless an appeal doesn’t halt the final on the 23rd. Which would make a mockery of there even being an appeal

Like bringing an executioner and axe to appeal against an execution

If Boro get their way and we’re kicked out of the final, then they have had a great PR success, wrongly in my opinion as no hearing should be taking into account the outside noise Boro have successfully created.

I agree with Hull