Now they're talking about moving the date of the Championship play-off Final 
To when?
By the time all the appeals have been heard it will be late July.
To when?
By the time all the appeals have been heard it will be late July.
Match Day Thread EFL Playoffs - predictions, results, discussion
- Thread starter lardiman
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Looks like this is being taken seriously - Discipline Hearing taking place next Tuesday, 5 days before the fixture and the EFL have contingency plans should the fixture have to be delayed or altered 
www.bbc.co.uk
Edit: sorry Lardi, great minds think alike and all that
Spygate: Championship play-off final may be delayed by hearing
The Championship play-off final may not go ahead on Saturday 23 May as the EFL investigates the Spygate scandal surrounding finalists Southampton.
www.bbc.co.uk
Edit: sorry Lardi, great minds think alike and all that
Looks like this is being taken seriously - Discipline Hearing taking place next Tuesday, 5 days before the fixture and the EFL have contingency plans should the fixture have to be delayed or altered
Spygate: Championship play-off final may be delayed by hearing
The Championship play-off final may not go ahead on Saturday 23 May as the EFL investigates the Spygate scandal surrounding finalists Southampton.
Edit: sorry Lardi, great minds think alike and all that
No worries - I was just lucky to hit the 'post reply' button a few seconds before you.
Once again the EFL are proving they are not up to the task of running English football.
They couldn't run a bath.
They couldn't run a bath.
Boro have made their feelings clear on the matter...
www.bbc.co.uk
Middlesbrough: Championship club calls for Southampton's expulsion from play-offs
Middlesbrough demand Southampton's expulsion from the Championship play-offs over spying allegations.
www.bbc.co.uk
Any other outcome means cheating has paid off. Tough on the fans (including my in-laws) but it seems simple enough.Boro have made their feelings clear on the matter...
Middlesbrough: Championship club calls for Southampton's expulsion from play-offs
Middlesbrough demand Southampton's expulsion from the Championship play-offs over spying allegations.
Decision Day 
www.bbc.co.uk
Will be appealed I suppose....
D-Day in Spygate - what happens next?
Southampton's place in the play-off final is at stake as they face a disciplinary hearing as they stand charged of watching a Middlesbrough training session. The result is expected to come on Tuesday.
www.bbc.co.uk
Will be appealed I suppose....
So tonight it's Hull vs Middlesbrough at Wembley.
By tomorrow night - who knows?
By tomorrow night - who knows?
I find myself rather conflicted over the EFL's decision. While a heavy fine was undoubtedly warranted, expelling Southampton from the play-offs altogether feels like a distinct overreach. My reasoning is twofold:
Firstly, this ruling disproportionately punishes ordinary supporters. Countless fans will have already paid out for non-refundable hotels and travel arrangements. Ultimately, a decision like this hits the match-going fan far harder as a percentage of their disposable income than it does a wealthy owner.
Secondly, the tie was contested over two legs, and Middlesbrough simply struggled to score. While spying on an opponent's training session is undeniably unsportsmanlike, I highly doubt it provides any tangible competitive advantage. It is physically impossible to predict the fluid outcomes of a football match based on a single training session.
Quite frankly, looking at the photographs of the individual involved, it was hardly a masterclass in covert reconnaissance. If they were truly determined to get away with it, they ought to have been far more inconspicuous or at least used a drone.
Firstly, this ruling disproportionately punishes ordinary supporters. Countless fans will have already paid out for non-refundable hotels and travel arrangements. Ultimately, a decision like this hits the match-going fan far harder as a percentage of their disposable income than it does a wealthy owner.
Secondly, the tie was contested over two legs, and Middlesbrough simply struggled to score. While spying on an opponent's training session is undeniably unsportsmanlike, I highly doubt it provides any tangible competitive advantage. It is physically impossible to predict the fluid outcomes of a football match based on a single training session.
Quite frankly, looking at the photographs of the individual involved, it was hardly a masterclass in covert reconnaissance. If they were truly determined to get away with it, they ought to have been far more inconspicuous or at least used a drone.
I actually think it was the right sanction just unfortunate the impact upon the saints fans.
They should however aim their anger and compensation claims to the Southampton owners. They are rightly livid with them
They should however aim their anger and compensation claims to the Southampton owners. They are rightly livid with them
What I'm uncomfortable with is the questions which naturally follow;
1) Saints have admitted to 3 spying incidents. Was it really only 3? Seems a strange number. The natural suspicion is that they spied a lot more often than that.
2) If Southampton have been doing this, have other Clubs as well? How widespead is this?
I think preventing Southampton being promoted was the right judgment.
Having done the spying, were they to still get to the Premier League a dreadful message would be sent;
That it's OK to cheat, because the punishment will be no more than a slapped wrist.
Now I hear the FA may get involved, and maybe bring disrepute charges.
I feel for the fans, but the Club has to face the music.
1) Saints have admitted to 3 spying incidents. Was it really only 3? Seems a strange number. The natural suspicion is that they spied a lot more often than that.
2) If Southampton have been doing this, have other Clubs as well? How widespead is this?
I think preventing Southampton being promoted was the right judgment.
Having done the spying, were they to still get to the Premier League a dreadful message would be sent;
That it's OK to cheat, because the punishment will be no more than a slapped wrist.
Now I hear the FA may get involved, and maybe bring disrepute charges.
I feel for the fans, but the Club has to face the music.
Other clubs have done this. Others have done far worse, think about Tottenham and "Lasagna-gate" where they lost 10 first team players due to food poisoning.
Off the top of my head Marcelo Bielsa was notorious for it, but even he admitted it was merely a way to eliminate 1% of the unknown. A game of football is far too chaotic to predict; if it weren't, we would all be very rich from betting accumulators. The EFL is punishing Southampton as if an ethical breach were definitive match-fixing, when the actual impact on the pitch is incredibly difficult to quantify.
Over on BBC Sport, they are citing these historical precedents as part of the argument, noting that previous fines were only in the region of £100,000 to £200,000. Denying a club a £200m promotion opportunity over this is totally disproportionate.
The Premier League is worth £200m so I hear. Even for one relegation season.
Cheating has to be challenged with serious punishments in my view.
Spying on opponents' training is unforgivable to me.
And anyone amoral enough to attempt to cheat like that, and dumb enough to break the 11th Commandment (Thou shalt not get caught) deserves to be made an example of.
Sportsmanship - Fair play - should still mean more than money.
If CAFC is ever caught doing what Southampton did I would be ashamed and disgusted.
Cheating has to be challenged with serious punishments in my view.
Spying on opponents' training is unforgivable to me.
And anyone amoral enough to attempt to cheat like that, and dumb enough to break the 11th Commandment (Thou shalt not get caught) deserves to be made an example of.
Sportsmanship - Fair play - should still mean more than money.
If CAFC is ever caught doing what Southampton did I would be ashamed and disgusted.
They didn't have any choice, but the punishment should be written into the rules. It's only the big clubs who are allowed to break the rules.
Josh Windass wants the play-offs played all over again
www.bbc.co.uk
Presumably with
Wrexham involved instead of Southampton.
Wrexham's Josh Windass wants Championship play-offs restart amid spygate scandal
Wrexham are monitoring the Southampton spygate scandal before considering any potential legal action.
www.bbc.co.uk
Presumably with
Wrexham involved instead of Southampton.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. In fact, it is exactly the point I was trying to make and the very reason we are having this discussion. And why are we still waiting for the hundreds of Manchester City violations go unpunished
...To be absolutely clear, I am not defending the ethics or conduct of 'Spygate', it is undeniably unsportsmanlike, and clubs simply shouldn’t be doing it. My issue comes down to two specific areas:
1. The lack of codified rules: The exact punishment for this is not clearly written down anywhere. Our legal system relies on clear, established guidelines for sentencing, yet the EFL seems completely devoid of them here, allowing them to make it up as they go along.
2. The actual sporting advantage: I strongly question how much of a tangible benefit spying actually provides.
Yes, you might gain a brief foresight into a starting lineup or how they plan to handle set-pieces, but realistically, you can gather most of that intelligence simply by analysing their last few televised matches. It doesn't justify kicking out a team of a competition on a whim.