Sheaf Saint

I've always loved camping, but I'm in my 50s now and I think these days I'm more in love with the idea of it rather than the reality. The saddest thing about it for me now though is that you used to be able to just stick your tent and sleeping bag in the back of the car and bugger off for the weekend knowing that you'd be guaranteed to find a site with space. But since lockdown, staycations etc... it's become so much more popular that you always have to book up in advance these days, which takes away the whole spontaneous aspect to it. Unless you go to Scotland or the Isle of Man, that is. You're basically allowed to camp anywhere there, as long as you're not on private land.

Oh, I was hoping this thread was going to be about the brilliant Julia Davis comedy on Sky. Shame.

Yeah I suppose. That or politics.

That's my point. We can't go to CAS to get the decision overturned. But I don't see how they can stop us from taking legal action to claim damages over their botched process.

There seems to be a lot of heart over head going on with this topic (who'd have guessed football fans could be passionate and irrational, eh!) As much as I would like to keep him on for his ability, his position is simply untenable given everything that came out of the hearing. It's not so much the fact that he was breaking rules. It's more that he wasn't clever enough to do it without getting caught, and that cost the club the chance of promotion. There's no way he could possibly survive that in any other industry.

Surely that only relates to the sanction itself though, right? We're out and Hull got promoted, and there is not a chance in hell of that being overturned now. So it would be pointless anyway. But if we've got a genuine grievance with the way this whole episode has been handled by the EFL, and it certainly appears that we do, then surely it is not for them to dictate to us if we can or cannot launch legal proceedings against them.

Yeah because bringing back former players has really proven to be a hugely successful strategy over the last few years hasn't it.

"And I'd have got away with it if it wasn't for you meddling Saintswebbers!"

It begs the question... Three steps ahead of who? 🤨

I'd love to believe this, just like I really wanted to believe that they were keeping a dignified silence in the lead up to the hearing and had an ace up their sleeve to play. Sadly, as has been pointed out many times of the last few weeks, wherever SR are concerned you should always lean heavily towards incompetence as the explanation. Because it always turns out the be right one. Every. Single. Time.

This is a very interesting point. They couldn't expel us from a competition that we had already been knocked out of, neither could they apply a points deduction based on their own insistence that the playoffs is a separate competition. So the only choice would have been a fine. The decision on our punishment shouldn't have rested on the result of a tie that, as everyone acknowledges, was not influenced by the rule breaking.

All day drinking on a sweltering hot bank holiday is never a good idea.

"Greatest era in our history"

Is this a piss take or did he genuinely post that?

MFs are digging their heels in and hiding behind their T&Cs. I'm not having that though. The condition refers specifically to "the result of a match", but that's not what I bet on (that's an entirely separate market for which different odds were being offered). I bet on Boro "to qualify". It didn't specify the method of qualification, just "to qualify", which they did. Evidently there a number of posters on here with a good understanding of legal matters. Have I got a case or not?

Blatant dive. Ref should have booked him.

I'm usually among the first to lay into SR for their numerous failings. But their record of extracting top dollar for outgoing players is one of the few things over the last few years that they can't be criticised for.

Was the bet 'to qualify'? I also did that but the bet was settled on the night as having lost. Seems I need to get back onto Bet365 then.

Yes, but some are suggesting that him coming to us in the first place was part of some deep cover operation from Boro. Which it obviously wasn't.

Will Still was still our manager when Taylor came to work for us. Unless Gibson is some sort of prophet who can predict the future and somehow knew we would be sacking Still and promoting Tonda from the U21s, I think we can safely dismiss this idea.

They're doing themselves no favours with this continued radio silence. I get that there is an awful lot to unpick and sort out to find a way forward, but FFS the fans deserve better than this. Even just a holding statement, with a massive apology to everyone who spent money on following the team this season and an acknowledgement that we have been badly let down. They are still allowing all the narrative to be controlled by outside forces. Yet another total PR disasterclass from SR.

Bottles 😉

The Guinness might be front and centre, but you need to focus more on what else is in the frame 😉

Probably Kiefer Moore.

There it is. See you next season Boro. Hope you've managed to wipe your tears dry by then.