Doctoroncall

Incentive to win if they ever needed one.

Doh! Of course… brain fart!

Good article about the rules being inadequate. not sure if posted. It’s from Mr Samuel at The Times. One point that keeps getting raised is this £200m benefit. I don’t see how, since most if not all will be spent on new players, current player bonuses and new contracts. To add to Boro’s media hype, they have got James Cordon to speak about it!

Comment on the Guardian match report which is a microcosm of football today: Football, for all its beauty, has a habit of behaving like a soap opera that’s been left unsupervised with a calculator. At the top end you’ve got clubs so deep in debt they make payday lenders look responsible, owners selling the stadium to themselves like they’re playing Monopoly on cheat mode, and sponsorship deals so inflated you half‑expect the logo to be “Definitely Not A Shell Company Ltd.” The transfer market isn’t much better: agents taking fees that could fund a small nation, clubs tapping up players with all the subtlety of a drunk uncle at a wedding, and “creative accounting” that would make an auditor weep into their spreadsheets. And then there’s the on‑pitch behaviour, where sportsmanship is more of a suggestion than a rule. Players collapsing like they’ve been hit by a tranquiliser dart, goalkeepers suddenly developing time‑wasting cramp at 89 minutes, and entire teams surrounding the referee as if they’re staging a very angry flash mob. Add in match‑fixing whispers, opaque ownership, and the occasional governing‑body scandal, and you’ve got a sport that somehow manages to be both the world’s favourite pastime and the world’s most chaotic group project. And…. in the context of all of that….a bloke with a phone causes a meltdown. The poll in the DT has 61% in favour of Saints being kicked out (3000 votes) and the article certainly reflects Gibson’s media campaign.

Dealers, unfortunately no, vaccines on the other hand… 😷

Insiders - It’s the new word for Experts which got a hammering during Covid so can’t be used anymore.

Yep, plausible deniability.

Slander not libel. Depends on the outcome of this case.

Just think how bad we’d be without the spying 🕵️

Leeds were doing for half a season, Bielsa gave an in-depth press conference on it. How it added to the overall information but wasn’t crucial.

An independent panel will decide, not the EFL. interestingly only the EFL have this 72 hour window for observing, because of Leeds, all other associations/leagues have the previous fair play rule. I cannot find any other European team except Leeds being caught and an Austrian team in 2020 (points and fine).

They left off this bit: Middlesbrough have since been told by whistleblowers that this is not the first time a member of Southampton’s analyst team has been sent to record opposition training sessions this season.

What was the Saintsweb reaction to the Leeds spy gate in Jan 2019?

None from Ipswich who have been promoted.

Another wokism?

From bbc today: The EFL confirmed the news on Saturday, and said it would not impose a 15-point deduction on the club following its exit from administration as this has been "an incredibly challenging and complex situation for all parties". Sources have told BBC Sport that former owner Chansiri rejected or simply did not respond to multiple offers for the club, which the EFL took into consideration when choosing to waive the 15-point deduction. As part of the agreement, Wednesday will remain under budget restrictions for the next two seasons as part of the "conditions of continuing membership in the EFL" but they will still be permitted to sign new players. normally a -15 point penalty for exiting administration without a cva.

All change, hull in at sixth

With data from prior 2016: 3rd 10 (13) 4th 5 (10) 5th 7 (9) 6th 5 (5) There is a trend for the higher places teams to win promotion. It could be interesting to see if the parachute teams figured in the placement, as generally they do have better chance (first year certainly does) of promotion.

On evidence of previous transfer windows it can be seen how the manager can influence the incoming and outgoing players. That influence may have waned with Spors a more experienced DoF and Tonda a less experienced manager but I’d expect the manager to be involved in the process. Unfortunately for Saints, finances will have a big part to play in who joins when but you’re right, experienced keeper and striker were the big ticket players to bring in sooner.

Some of their academy products beyond Monga have shown promise and are not tarred with this relegation. There are some who have done well out on loan but as youngsters, would only consider them if we remain in the Championship.

Good call on the foundation piece, Still seems to be a decent manager when things are more or less in place and he can work with the players to express themselves and support them. The trouble was, he couldn’t eliminate the past season and shift the players to think for themselves, i.e, provide the foundation to move onto how he wanted them to play. Compounded by a terrible keeper and no striker. Odds were against him and a more experienced coach may have made a better impression. Anyway, struck gold with Tonda.

Let’s get there first.

Isn’t he a Leeds player loaned back?

A little insight from DT article on Tonda: “I remember his first meeting. He was very clear what he wanted from day one,” said midfielder Fellows, who moved from West Brom in the summer after working with a similar football-obsessive in Carlos Corberán. “That’s tactically and in general with everything. Very detailed, very tactical, obsessed with the game. But a good man-manager. “That balance is why we have done so well. The biggest thing is tactically he gives us everything. It’s like Carlos Corberán – he’ll tell you the pictures in your head before the game and then it will happen on the pitch.”

Guardian story on spirit of 76