SNSUN

I wouldn't put it past the club right now that had we not sold out, they would still be selling tickets for it.

What is the world coming to when you can't spy and film training sessions. What's next - banning spying and filming on ladies locker rooms? Madness.

Get him on the appeal board.

I'd go, but only to support the players who did nothing wrong (that we know of) through this. Winning promotion though - that would be a hard one to celebrate now.

Harry Redknapp: 'I didn't see that coming'published at 08:30 08:30 Image source,Getty Images Former Southampton boss Harry Redknapp said: "I think it's very harsh, I didn't see that coming - I thought they would get a heavy fine. "[What they have done] is so stupid it's beyond belief." Speaking to BBC Radio Solent he added: "What are you learning by someone filming a bit of training? What are you learning by watching them train for an hour? ...it was a ridiculous thing to do. "They have made a big, big error and they have been severely punished they really have. "I don't know how it is going to pan out... we certainly haven't heard the last of it... it's a crazy situation... I thought they would get a massive fine but to be thrown out the play-off final is really very severe."

Unless it's not been announced or I didn't spot it, I believe we didn't get a fine because we are a club with money. That's probably why Boro were pushing for sporting sanctions as a punishment. I will be interested to see how the appeal goes.

The Beeb has a reaction thread running about this now. 08:12 Image source,Getty Images Image caption, "There is every opportunity for arguments to sway a panel today" - Trevor Watkins Former AFC Bournemouth chairman and sports lawyer Trevor Watkins has just told BBC Radio Solent: "We look at this and think 'my goodness how on earth has it happened?' ...there's a lot of detail to come out in due course. "It will be argued by lawyers today, we'll see what the result it - from my perspective it's unprecedented, it's a new rule. I think there is every opportunity for arguments to sway a panel today." He added: "The fans that go to every game will be so sad today... but there is hope and there will be a future and there will be games next season... where and when remains to be decided." Share David Bernstein surprised at 'disproportionate punishment'published at 07:58 07:58 Image source,Getty Images Image caption, Bernstein also pointed out Southampton failed to win any of the games they spied on Former FA chairman and Manchester City chief David Bernstein said he was "really surprised" and "taken aback by the severity of this punishment". Speaking on the Today programme, Bernstein said: "It was clear what they did, it was amateurish... it was stupid but I think this is a disproportionate punishment. "Promotion to the Premier League, other than affecting the whole history of the club and the future of the club, is worth £200-250m, a huge amount of money. "This offence seems to be a young man hiding behind a tree... it's not a James Bond thing... of the three matches that were spied upon, Southampton didn't win any of them. "It was a really stupid thing to do."

I almost hate myself for this - I was never comfortable with SR running the club, whilst we were financially stable I often thought their decision making, particularly around transfers, was awful. Then we get to January and my opinion starts to change, that maybe we are starting to get somewhere, that maybe our future is bright. And now this. Get out SR.

So you're saying our good run through 2026 under Tonda was entirely due to the spying? Not through the player's efforts?

Just appeal the MOT afterwards.

That's because he has tons of experience in the game and isn't one of our Johnny Come Lately's that think they can run a football club with a bit of financial backing and a grand idea of a multi-club model. They are no Red Bull. Boro played this perfectly and all credit to them. I still hope Hull go up though. 😁

I refuse to believe that the spying had much to do with our excellent recent run in 2026 and I will back the player's efforts to that effect. Tonda shouldn't have done it, and yes, we probably did have an advantage or two because of it, but I still think he is a good manager that lives and breathes football and he slotted in perfectly when we were struggling because of Still. He should be sacked because of what he did, but I still believe he is a good manager and he will go on to have a good career in the game. (Sadly we will miss out on any compensation we may have got from him being head hunted because of it.)

We will have to build up a Teflon coating with regards to the media next season. I envisage many newspaper articles containing "Southampton, who were convicted of spying last season...." and commentators bringing it up in football commentaries - "This of course, is Southampton's first League game since they were expelled from the play-off final". This is a historical skidmark that will follow us around for years. I plan on getting through it with detachment and humour. And booze. Lots and lots of booze.

Removal from the play-off final was a worst case scenario. We got that worst case scenario. From now on I will always accept that a worst case scenario is entirely possible especially with this club. And no, this post is not about how many times I can enter the words "worst case scenario" into a post. . Worst case scenario. 😁 But seriously what is the next worst case scenario? Rebuild from scratch? Relegation? Financial Ruin? I will never underestimate the clubs ability to reach the worst case scenario ever again. Ok that's 7 of them, and I'm done. Worst Case Scenario

Anyone involved should be gone. Tonda fit us perfectly but he's been found out. Sack anyone that is involved in the spying and get rid of the rot and the reputation. But as has been said, I suspect he might get a ban anyway. The challenge is finding someone else that fits us as well as he did. When I read the article about Tonda earlier in the year it seems he lives and breathes football, he's meticulous in his planning for each and every fixture. Obviously, as we know now, a little too meticulous but even so, finding someone that commits that much to football is rare, especially someone in his first full management job. Nonetheless, even though he held his hands up he still did what he did. We will have to look for new management. If Spors remains at the club, we can only hope he finds another gem.