BotleySaint

Ultimately, no player will leave unless another team makes an appropriate bid. We don't need to sell anyone on the cheap. No matter how much they may want to leave we'd be idiots to sell ourselves short. If things go well, we could be challenging for promotion again next year. So unless a Premier League club comes in for someone like Finn Azaz, Scienza etc. they might end up staying put?

I get we're expecting lots of players to leave. But barring any contractual problem resulting from legal situation; someone still has to buy them. And we aren't forced to just accept any offer that comes along. We should be able to get decent money.

I do feel that if it wasn't for the media pressure and constant public attacks on the club. And if Middlesbroiugh didn't have such close ties with the EFL. Then the punishment wouldn't have been so severe.

I guess we might be able to scrape together a decent squad for next season. But could also be staring at 5-10 years of midtable mediocrity..

Apologies if I missed it. But is it over the course of today that we have our appeal against the level of punishment? So we should know for sure by end of today the final degree. E.g. how many points deducted and level of fine? I suppose, assuming its possible, we need to argue this is the actions of a small group of people and the whole club, fans and players shouldn't be punished for their rouge activity.

I totally agree. It should be Hull up automatically. Since we are removed there is nobody for them to play on Saturday.

There is zero chance Tonda Eckert will lead Saints out at Wembley on Saturday. Either cause we won't be reinstated, or because he'll have been sacked. And likely, both.

Love Rickie. He is right.. the club is punished but they should be punishing the staff who perpetrated it. Why punish the fans, players and the whole club.

Honestly WTF from the EFL today. Are they serious?

The bullying angle could explain this. They felt pressured into it. Probably want to keep their job. And we're told its OK, nobody will know etc. This happens in workplaces everywhere.

Has Skacel signed yet?

Club website is changing. Next match has disappeared for me etc.

Which might be a good thing in terms of moving forward. Someone to make the scapegoat. Even though he claims to not have known. Remove him and there is the possibility to claim a fresh start.

As for the squad. Would expect Azaz, Downs, THB, Manning to leave at least. Unlikely we'll get Peretz and Larin back but that would be perfect. This was pretty much the only slim set of circumstances that would result with Baz back as first choice. I really wouldn't be surprised.

Yep. The club needs to put out a statement asap with clear action to show we've cut out the problem from the club. Sackings as approrptiare. Full apology and condemning of the behavior. Probably needs to come from Dragan who hopefully had nothing to do with it and is the only clean source. Doubt hes happy at losing over £100m over this. But at this stage who knows who is guilty and who isn't...

Exactly. Most of the football supporting mates ive spoken to feel Boro shouldn't get a free pass. Hull should simply be promoted. But the EFL just want the game to go ahead for the revenue.

You'd have thought the club would be working overnight on a statement to release first thing today and at least update the club website. Even take the site down and put up a holding statement for now.

Hard to see why anyone would want to stay and play for us now. Players must be livid if they didn't already know.

Oh yes, it was worth it even if we were wrong

Club needs to terminate the contract of all involved. Apologise to the fans and players. But it really depends how high up this goes in the club and who sanctioned it. Can't trust the club right now. And they've made a mockery of our reputation as a club that may never recover.

The statement said we've admitted to the charges. Can't see why we'd appeal except against the level of punishment. I think we'll just have to accept this one. Now its on the club to explain wtf they are going to do, to stop it happening again.

The statement said we've admitted to the charges. Can't see why we'd appeal except against the level of punishment. I think we'll just have to accept this one. Now its on the club to explain wtf they are going to do, to stop it happening again.

Bollocks. Must have been evidence then. Idiots at the club.

Whereas normally they are told yeah, whatever. Tell all our secrets. No problem.

To be honest, if its true we've been doing it all season and breaking the rules. And its true Tonda is behind it and there is clear evidence. Then yes, fair enough, we deserve whatever is due for that. We can't really complain? But up till now there has been nothing solid to go on except the one picture and rumors.