trousers

Yep... I'm yet to be convinced the whole thing wasn't a trap that we fell into hook, line and sinker... Especially if that's true about our 'spy' coming away with the impression that Hackney was likely to play... Middlesbrough spoofing a training session due to a tip off that someone from was going to be there...? Far fetched? Maybe... An impossibility? Maybe not...

Indeed. It's really not very complicated, is it?

Or maybe, it's easy not to get caught, especially for those clubs whose training grounds are accessible to the general public, most of whom are probably standing there gawping at the training session and/or recording it on their phone? If you allow the general public to view your training sessions then it must be easy to mingle with them and thus stay incognito?

Please could someone ping me a link to the FA statement which announced they are investigating the club and/or it's staff? (and, in particular, if they mention the manager specifically) All I can find is reports from the likes of Sky and BBC stating that "an FA spokesman" says they've commenced an investigation which "could" lead to charges but, as I say, I can't actually find the original statement from the horse's mouth... I'm obviously not insinuating that the MSM were/are making stuff up, but surely any reports of a FA investigation would have to be backed up by an official statement from them? Maybe it's just a sign that my Googling prowess is on the wain...! Anyone got a link to the actual FA statement (rather an article reporting about it)? Cheers 👍🏻

Fair points, but I'm going to stick with my hunch for now... i.e. The FA won't ban him and he'll stay...I'm getting desperate for a Saintsweb "told you so" medal...

This pretty much echos my thinking...

I'm still not getting why this is being seen as "inevitable".... From what we know, what has he done that's worse than what Bielsa did...? (which is my benchmark for all this)

If Tonda stays, I'll be looking forward to next season even more than usual. The 'siege mentality' we'll need to adopt as a club and fan base will be delightful to behold. Bring it on!

Aye...that doesn't make any sense at all... There again, none of this sorry saga makes much sense, so it's probably true!

I would imagine they're now doing what their solicitors are telling them to do, every step of the way. As such, theres probably no justification for criticising what 'the club' is saying at the moment given they're probably being advised not to come out with any 'from the heart' stuff until the legal manouvres (whatever they may be) are completely concluded. All of which I can understand, as frustrating as it is from our perspective.

Yep, pretty clear to me and that this statement would have been tee'd up ages ago and timed to be released at the same time as the full EFL statement

Would they really be commenting on the scrutiny of the panel if they didn't intend taking matters relating to this further (legally)...?

Southampton Football Club notes today’s publication by the Arbitration Panel of the written reasons behind our unsuccessful appeal of the sanctions the Disciplinary Panel previously imposed on us in the EFL proceedings. We accept that the club breached the relevant regulations, and we recognise that the disciplinary bodies were entitled to conclude that proof of sporting advantage was not necessary in order to establish a serious offence. The club accepts that aspects of our initial response to the situation were not treated with the level of scrutiny they required at the time. In hindsight, we wish this had been managed differently from the outset and this represented an error of judgement for which we take responsibility. Despite this, we are happy with the way in which we admitted the charges and offered our full cooperation and honesty once the formal EFL investigation process had started. We also note that the club was judged against the very highest standards of integrity and good faith. That is entirely proper. What is harder to accept is that similar scrutiny does not appear to have been applied to the composition of the disciplinary panel itself, given the apparent historic and indirect connections of two panel members to Middlesbrough. While those connections do not by themselves prove bias, they plainly raise legitimate questions about consistency, perception and the standards of independence expected in proceedings of this magnitude. The club is also concerned by the weight placed on assertions that junior staff were pressurised into involvement, when some of the most serious allegations appear not to have been supported by direct evidence. That said, junior employees should never have been placed in a position where they felt under pressure, and the club accepts responsibility for that failure of leadership and oversight. This case has ultimately been decided on the basis that breach and attempted breach were enough, regardless of whether any sporting benefit was actually obtained. In fact, at no stage was there any finding that the club actually obtained any sporting advantage as a result of the conduct in question. That is a severe interpretation, but one the disciplinary authorities were entitled to adopt under the rules as written. Southampton Football Club will now reflect carefully on the published reasons, review its internal processes and ensure that governance, oversight and decision-making procedures are strengthened as a result. Our responsibility now is to acknowledge what has happened, take ownership of the lessons it brings, and use this experience to strengthen our judgement, discipline, and integrity moving forward together as a club.

If I was a sub-editor looking for clicks, that's exactly how I'd have worded the headline too...

No (assuming the FA show some consistency)

Smart Arses 1 Amateur Sleuths 0

Wasn't Albert Jones 'in the frame' (so to speak) when the news first broke? He is, after all, the only 'first team analyst' that appears on the OS... Maybe one of the 'unhinged' theories was correct all along... i.e. that this was all going on without Tonda really knowing what was going on at a detailed level...? (i.e. he maybe knew that 'spying' was taking place but not specifically when, where, etc....?) The plot thickens...

Cheers Hypo.... Let's hope it's not the same senior bods that weren't expecting such a heavy sanction from the EFL....

Interesting snippet from @LeG on the 'Sport Republic reaction to Spygate' thread... Probably best to repeat on this thread in case it gets lost in the ether... Take your pick...

Oops, sorry, I meant to say "on social media"

It's a shame the club have gone to ground as they'd normally be all over this kinda good news

Is there a slot available though...?