Oldandtired

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Could only have been worse if he'd stood behind a tree with an iPhone..

IF...we have hired as rumoured some badass lawyers who know what they are about could it be argued that a precedent has been set re punishment...so don't do it again Tonda or else? Unless of course there is a caveat there,nless they said watch out next time someone gets caught, or you're Southampton, or Ratfink Gibson has dirt on someone at the FA.

Exactly. Opinions are like butt holes, we all have one and just like butt holes most of them stink. edit... except for mine.

Weird how football evolves, even in the weird place that is my brain. Two weeks ago... sack him Now... go Tonda, go Saints, fuck them all.

I wonder if precedent applies here, if Saints could point to Bielsa's punishment and argue that it shouldn't be any more severe? If, and I repeat if, they have got some superduper lawyers on the case then perhaps the FA would have to have an answer for this.

Let's put a hypothetical point here. People seem to be worried about what players would be wanting to play under Eckert etc. after all the shenanigans. As far as I can see it wasn't a nailed on certainty that we were going to get promoted (Hull did beat us twice in the regular season)and I believe several players would have lwanted to leave anyway if we didn't achieve promotion. So perhaps there is a case to be made that in that scenario we won't be much worse off with regard to playing staff.

Has anybody actually thought about what happens if we do sack Eckert given SR's track record of managerial appointments? Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for.

So what? Hacks and pondtits need bandwagons. Football, being the dirty rotten business it is (sport?😂😂😂) will soon throw up another one. As for players not wanting to play for the manager or club, footballers are a band of wandering mercenaries. If they think we can do better than, say, Pompey, or will pay £20 a week more they will play for us. Get real...

That seems to be a lot of people on here who would do it better... or at least think they would do it better.

I take it that all the hard line moralists on here will be rocking up to Fratton Park next season if he keeps his job?

So...he gets the sack, we appoint A.N. Other as manager. It's almost guaranteed that in 6 months or less Saints 'fans' will be calling for his head, moaning about his style of football and reminiscing about the good old days when we had Tonda Eckert as manager and were actually winning a few games. That's how much faith I have in SR getting any new appointment right. This will go away eventually, other bandwagons will become available for hack reporters, hot air creating, bleeding' obvious statement producing over the hill 'pundits', and uncle Tom Cobley and all to concentrate on, we have to make sure we have a manager in place who can actually win a few games. I admit I have wavered from one position to another but, on balance, am coming down on the side of keeping him. The thought of going back to the sterile football of a while back fills me with dread, at least there has been a bit of spectacle in recent times which I'd like to hang on to.

In one form or another, guaranteed. I didn't necessarily mean getting the work experience tea maker to stand under a tree with an iPhone but encouraging cheating in general to gain an advantage... eg taking lessons from Tom Daley😎

Football wise, spying or no spying we should keep him. If it's true as in the report he bullied junior staff into carrying out nefarious deeds on his behalf then get rid. I detest bullies.

Undoubtedly also an element of ' Let him who is without sin cast the first stone' about it. Every club is at it in one form or another. Football is a dirty business with clubs getting up to all sorts of shenanigans to gain an advantage. They do not want the spotlight to turn on themselves by creating waves or noise so it stands to reason that it is better to keep quiet about certain things.

I think the problem was it's an all or nothing situation, not really any halfway house as far as I can see, so nowhere to go on it.. You're either in the playoffs or you're not.

The moral outrage on here has given me a much-needed smile, people falling over themselves to express their indignation about 'cheating'. Two or three weeks ago those same people would have been cheering their heads off if THB (or insert your favourite clogger's name here) had kicked an opposing forward into row z as he burst forward onto our goal, or Leo had gone sprawling in their penalty area with just the slightest touch to try and gain a pen. It's all cheating, so it smacks of hypocrisy to try and take the moral high ground over this.

Keep him. EVERY SINGLE CLUB cheats in one way or another. WWE from corners. financial shenanigans, spying, whatever. Football is not a sport anymore, it's just a dirty, dog eat dog business. So talk of integrity, or lack of it is laughable. With or without spy gate he is the best manager we've had for a while. I really don't give a flying f*ck what other fans, old men exponentially creating global change with endless hours of hot air stating the bleeding' obvious (pondtits). BBC hacks, whoever think of us. He is our best chance to get somewhere. For me, the only way we should lose him is if he gets an FA ban, then we won't have a choice.

Collusion between all the powers that be to take the spotlight off Man City...

Football, from top to bottom, it's not sport anymore. It's just a rotten, under hand business where clubs will cheat to gain any advantage whether it's WWE at corners, financial shenanigans or spying. Every club is at it in one form or another.

I think it could work in our favour. Us against the world etc.

Some ifs..if we do get promoted, if all these shenanigans do get proven then it gives me a glimmer of hope that we might survive in the prem. It's a dirty place, full of rule bending, dark arts mastering, win at all costs cheats masquerading as managers and players. We might just have learnt a few lessons last time round...of course the biggy, if proven, is don't get caught.

If (still to be proved) that things were as reported, as far as I can see the only tactical advantage to be gained was a reaffirmation the main Boro tactic was to try and kick anybody that moves on the Saints side into row z...

just looking for a few bob down the back of the settee to help pay the fine...

Reportedly (gossiply) West Ham have put a price of 84mill on his head. Have we got any skin in the game on that?