trousers

Hmm....

This is a straws and camel's back moment for me...

Note to self: "Add 'radish' to next print run of bingo cards....

So, in summary, a greater 'crime' but much less consequences...? (Yes, I know... "Comparing apples and oranges"... Blah blah blah)

Does he have any coaching badges and fancy stepping in for a banned manager for 6 months...

I never used to get bullied in the playground at a kid.... (You can probably finish this analogy for me... )

I guess it depends whether or not there's a significant number of people who'll refuse to renew if prices aren't discounted.... What's worse for club finances? Selling 20,000 season tickets with a 'n'% discount or selling 10,000 (say) without a discount...?

Given the EFL should have stopped the semi-final matches going ahead in the first place (pending investigation and hearings), perhaps there's a case for the club being able to counter-claim any financial loss (due to refunds) from the EFL...? #mentalgymnastics

Don't think such a compromise would work is this scenario as the EFL and the FA are separate organisations...

Isn't it amazing how a football authority can get things done quickly when it suits them, and likewise drag their heels when they don't need to rush...

Welcome to the 21st century Grandad...

Maybe a short statement such as this wouldn't do any harm? "We understand the frustration and concern that our lack of communication is causing at the moment but our legal advice is to refrain from providing updates on proceedings at this time"

So it was you that jinxed it then....?

Indeed. I work in the retail payments industry and there's no technical reason why refunds couldn't have happened much quicker than they have. Someone somewhere decided to do it in slow time. (The volume of sales involved isn't a valid excuse)

Who knows? Maybe there's a trail of WhatsApp messages (or such like) which provide evidence...?

I keep pondering on this myself and my conclusion always is: they'll surely have to be consistent and treat him the same as Bielsa, where their actions are/were the same.... BUT.... if Eckert did more 'bad stuff' than Bielsa did (e.g. bullying) then that could/should give the FA reason to treat him differently to Bielsa (assuming Bielsa was never accused of bullying?). The EFL rules are there to sanction clubs, not individuals, ergo the FA shouldn't be taking into account what club rules were broken when dealing with an individual. They should just be concentrating on the severity of the acts carried out, and judge that against their own 'code of conduct' rulebook. Anyway, I'm probably sounding like a scratched record on this now so will quit going on about it!

Didn't receive my refund today... 🤨

That part is the only thing I can see that could differentiate Eckert from Bielsa, in terms of the FA's viewpoint / rulebook. Both Bielsa and Eckert sanctioned the spying, so there's no differential in that respect.

Oops! Edited 😂

I reckon anything below 6 months and they might still consider sticking with him. Does anyone know whether any ban would commence from the start of the season, or from the date of being charged, or from the date of being convicted? That might make a difference....

No wonder they're taking such a f***ing long time in that case...

Hugh B. Ottlers