coalman

Much better.

We keep just giving it right back to them.

At the very least he has gone out of his way to prejudice any hearing we have. Would be hilarious if it went something like Middlesbrough reinstated to face Hull in the final due to Southampton spying. Immediately followed by Southampton reinstated to face Hull in the final due to Middlesbrough interfering with due process.

I think the EFL needs to be consistent with the rest of the sporting sanctions this season. The only logical course of action is to deduct 10 points from Sheff Wed and award a penalty to Ipswich.

It does make sense. They've turned an easy 2nd place into 5th. Last thing they need right now is to have to win a football match.

He hasn't said anything? That's the universal sign of guilt apparently. What else could he be hiding?

The Boro forum?

Nothing was going to get this process expedited quicker than registering on another team's forum and asking their users to provide proof of wrongdoing. Well done. Now the EFL can throw us out before your team have to try and win a football match on the pitch. Thank God someone is taking the initiative to move this forwards.

In case you've been living under a rock. NO OFFENCE IN THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL HAS BEEN WORSE THAN THIS!!!!!! (or worthy of shouty capitalisation)

I'm pretty sure that means they'll have to debate it in Parliament now, or something.

Realistically there's no way to hold any kind of meaningful hearing before the play off final without invalidating the results of it. So the EFL finds itself in a bit of a bind here. They also, by their own rules, have to allow an independent panel to run it and cannot be seen to be interfering with the panel. Their ideal situation is Boro beat us in the second leg or they have a total mess to deal with in very little time. They also don't want to set a precedent that you can go back and appeal results after the event because every team affected by another team breaching the rules will be looking to rewrite past wrongs in court. In the mean time Middlesbrough's lawyers also know this and will have briefed the club to that effect so the club has decided to make as much noise about it as possible in the hopes of causing sufficient distraction so we don't show up on the pitch knowing full well it might well affect the hearing later. You might argue that it worked during the first half on Saturday but, the longer it goes on, the more it becomes a distraction for Boro than for us. They've had the adrenaline of the immediate outrage and the players have to be wondering why their club isn't confident that they can get the job done on the football pitch. Allied with the sense of hopelessness that, even when they were completely dominant, they couldn't stick the ball in the net. Meanwhile, the Saints leadership has refused to get involved in a public war of words - which allows us to keep focus on the game. On top of that we weathered the storm and came out level when we were at our absolute worst and probably should have nicked it based on the chances we created in the second half. And, if anything the hysteria coming out of Teeside is likely to be motivating for us now.

Including the fact that they're cherry picking which part of their regulations they're choosing to abide by. Though I suspect the statement about asking the independent panel to expedite it is more of a media sop to Middlesborough to say "hey we tried to move the timescale up" while knowing full well that the panel can't deny us the right to due process.

Another item on my bucket list ticked off then 😉

Club have put out a statement https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/a-message-from-ceo-phil-parsons-2026 We would like to provide a brief update regarding the incident reported at Middlesbrough last week. The club is fully cooperating with the EFL and the Disciplinary Commission, whilst also undertaking an internal review to ensure that all facts and context are properly understood. Given the intensity of the fixture schedule and the short turnaround between matches, we have requested time to complete that process thoroughly and responsibly. We understand the discussion and speculation that has followed over recent days, but we also believe it is important that the full context is established before conclusions are drawn. Having spent a significant amount of time around this football club, I know the character of the people within it. The togetherness shown by players, staff and supporters throughout this season has been a huge part of the progress we have made, and I am confident that spirit will remain unchanged. This season has represented another important step forward for the football club. While we know there is still more work ahead of us and we are not yet where we ultimately want to be, the unity shown during challenging moments has continued to define Southampton Football Club. The support from our fans throughout the season has once again been exceptional, and everyone connected with the club remains fully committed to building long-term success in the right way. Dragan Solak continues to support the club financially, and we remain proud to have stayed competitive while operating within financial regulations, something that is important for the long-term stability of the club. Our focus now turns fully to this evening’s game. This is the time for all of us to get behind the team and create another special atmosphere at St Mary’s. Phil Parsons CEO Southampton Football Club

Given we don't have to play in such a way as to prove we haven't gained an advantage from any training observed I think we're going to see a very different side tonight. We won't be as passive. They'll have emotionally exhausted themselves with all the drama they've created and their inability to take advantage of us not showing up for 45 minutes. 4-0 to Saints.

There's no upside to the club trying to control the narrative. Complying fully with the EFL investigation also includes not trying to prejudice the case in public. Boro have been loud and public which harms them later because Saints can point to the fact that they're trying to influence the process publicly including the outcomes of it. You would imagine the people they hire in to run the process are going to have legal backgrounds and will know this. There's also the reality that it might wind up in a real court of law if either side disputes the decision at which point some of Middlesbrough's public statements are going count against them.

Every ounce of effort he's putting into outrage in the media is effort that isn't going towards preparing his team for the 2nd leg.

- anyone who has ever worn a replica Saints to shirt to be rounded up and matched through whatever hell hole passes for a town centre in Middlesbrough while they shout "shame" at us

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/09/spygate-playoff-row-championship-southampton-middlesbrough-hellberg-eckert At a certain point you've got to think that this becomes more of a distraction for Boro than for us. How do you say "we don't think we can beat Southampton in the next game" without saying "we don't think we can beat Southampton in the next game"?

If we were talking civil litigation then you'd be correct. However this is about following EFL rules for which they have a wide scope for deciding from a range of punishments in the event of a breach. Being able to compete in the EFL includes the acceptance that you will abide by their rules and sanctions.

Stewart -> Larin Matsuki/Edozie -> Fellows Bragg/Charles -> Azaz We have to get on top of the midfield or it's a shooting gallery.

Would it be fair to say that this is Tonda's first real test? 😉

Azaz looks knackered.