trousers

If only we now had a manager that was able to get a tune out of "mediocre championship players"... #wotnotongueincheekemoji?

What have they got to 'investigate' though...? Tonda's effectively already admitted to 'improper conduct' (albeit from a position of relative ignorance, in his words) so surely the decision on whether or not to charge him shouldn't need much deliberation? I can understand the subsequent part of the proceedings taking longer, i.e. for a defence to then be mounted and heard by the FA, but I can't understand why the "do we charge him with something?" part needs to take more than a few days, given it's already a given that he did something wrong.... Out of interest / comparison, was Bielsa actually charged by the FA, but they subsequently decided to give a warning rather than a punishment, or did they decide not to charge him with anything in the first place? The whole process is a mystery to me... All I'm asking for, as a punter with a vested interest, is some clarity on the FA's process... Which doesn't seem too unreasonable a desire to me....

We've had a fair few 'experienced' (over 25) during SR's reign too... But, I agree that they got the balance wrong (and the quality of the older players have been questionable too)... And I do feel a tad dirty trying to defend them, albeit in devil's advocate mode...

We jest.... However....

This is one of my points of concern... The EFL had a clear procedure laid out (ok, they ended up rushing it for their own ends, but at least we knew what was going on most of the time)... But we know absolutely nothing about the FA process, including their target timelines. I obviously dislike the EFL, but at least they were relatively transparent about what they were doing. Why aren't our local reporters seeking some kind of initial / interim statement from the FA rather than just sitting back and shrugging shoulders whenever they're asked by fans if they know anything about the FA timetable? Bring back investigative journalism, I say!

To be (slightly) fair to Sport Republic (?!) hasn't this been the operating model of the club for a while now (before they bought the club), and thus they've simply tried carrying it on when they arrived on the scene..?

Adam asked him about this in his interview with Dragan yesterday. Towards the end. Can't remember what he said exactly but the gist was: "I'm not going to phone these people now, as it'll sound like I'm desperate, but if they phone me, I will talk to them" (paraphrasing). He also didn't think it was a big deal, in terms of 3rd party investment, that our return to the premier league had been deferred, as he said he can adequately fund us in the meantime and that those investors would still be around in a year's time (again, paraphrasing)

This extract from yesterday's interviews with Dragan seems to have gone under the radar somewhat... Given how much of an important cog Spors has become in the whole operation at Saints, it would obviously be a kick in the teeth if we get through this whole "Spygate" malarkey relatively unscathed (in terms of squad retention and manager punishment) and then Spors buggers off to team up with Rangnick at AC Milan. The fact that Dragan doesn't seem overly confident that Spors will stay is a tad concerning... --------------------------------------- There is also the possibility of the club losing the head of their football departments, Spors, with reports in Italy claiming AC Milan are interested. Those reports have suggested that should Ralf Rangnick be appointed to oversee Milan this summer, he will turn to Spors as sporting director. Solak admitted he is "worried" by the links, but the only indication he has had from Spors - currently on holiday, albeit working remotely - is that he is not departing. He said: "I sent him and I asked, 'Are you leaving?' He said, 'No'. I'll talk to Johannes. I didn't talk to him yet because the club was in fighting mode. "I've already sent him a couple of bits that I want to discuss with him about our future projects that look very interesting, and we will talk more. "We need this continuity, but we'll see how to achieve it. At the end of the day, if Johannes gets an offer to work in Milan, it's going to be tough."

Anyone else thinking that the lack of info out there about the FA enquiry is a tad odd? With the EFL enquiry we pretty much had a daily running commentary on what was happening, the time table, the make up of the panel, what the EFL regulation breaches were and the associated charges... And with the equivalent FA enquiry....? Nothing... Does the FA board conduct the investigation in-house, or do they commission an independent panel, like the EFL? What FA rules is Tonda (and whoever else is deemed to be involved ) being charged with breaking? What timelines are the FA working to? etc etc. Why is the FA investigation more 'cloak and dagger' than the EFL investigation? And why is it taking them so much longer to conclude their investigations than the EFL did...? I'm yet to see any kind of formal / official statement from the FA stating what they are doing, again, unlike the EFL, who issued a press release at the outset stating the charges and laying out the terms of reference for their investigation.... As I say, just seems a tad odd to me that we've heard zilch about it so far...

Wasn't he already crocked when we bought him?

I appreciate football is a dog-eat-dog world, but surely it must be in Ross's mind (if not his agent's or legal rep's) that he 'owes us' to a certain degree, given how we've stood by him these last few years?

Fingers crossed we're doing it legally...

Another consequence of the EFL letting the semi-finals go ahead, knowing full well what the outcome was likely to be.... Thanks a bunch EFL... Edit: actually, ignore me, we'd have still been buggered if they'd chucked us out at the semi final stage...

Also an interview with Alfie @ The Echo... "We looked deep into the mistakes we made and the reasons, and we didn't find anybody there with a kind of malicious intent," Solak told the Daily Echo. "We found, unfortunately, a lot of misunderstanding and bad co-ordination, and a bit of arrogance or ignorance, but I don't consider these capital. "I don't think heads need to roll for these offences. I still believe in the integrity of these people, and I believe that now they have learned their lesson. "I have never fired guys for making a mistake. I decided to keep all the people in the wake of this incident, but not that I will keep all of them forever. "They will not repeat their mistakes again, and I will do a lot of stuff on my side to make sure the mistakes are not repeated. Now, I can put that aside. "Then I think about their capability, about their ability and skills, and whether they make sense for us to be here. It is about what's best for the company."