Saint Fan CaM

RIP Victor - far too young.

I’d accept him as no.2 willingly if we were able to get Peretz back…

I’ll miss the crucial winning goals that came from Charles boots if he goes. Remember those? There’s not too many players around at a decent price point that have his capabilities. I like Jander a lot, but how many goals has he scored - think he’s perhaps a little more expendable. If truth be told keeping both of them would be amazing as they’ve developed a very good partnership with Downes looking certain to be eclipsed.

I don’t know in truth, but if you read the guys statement it’s clear it’s not far removed from the analytical section of the organisation, so perhaps he controlled the interns? 🤔

BREAKING on SkySports Ben Chorley (Head of Scouting) has left the club. He joined last year apparently. First head to roll?

Proceedings that were rushed through by the EFL (unprecedented), therefore further evidence might come have to light in what is less than the 14 days we were supposed to have. It’s called mitigating evidence, which is a valid form of defence even if you’ve admitted the basic charge. Read the Sir Nicholas exposè - he makes it quite clear how the club may have a case.

If only Sir Nicholas had been our council throughout the case. He has a very keen handle on the injustices.

Under the circumstances I don’t think they can be beaten up for not providing a view on what’s happening. Any output from the club that is wrong or plain stupid…well that’s a different matter entirely! 😉

I get it - but this a fans forum so I think we know what to expect?! But, yeah, cyclic arguments and all that…

Fair enough, however I have to say I have much empathy for that argument. The hard evidence suggests we received no competitive advantage from ‘spying’, while beating Boro over 180+ minutes of football, however diving to win a penalty can inflict immediate and lasting damage to the fortunes of the opposing team, particularly in ‘big’ games such as relegation battles etc etc. or how about deliberately inflicting GBH on Scienza’s legs in rash tackles which could physically and mentally damage him for the rest of his career - is that not a worse ‘crime’?

Ownership or CEO? Unless Dragan is somehow personally implicated directly in the matter I’m not sure it’s fair to tar him with the same brush as Parsons who single-handedly handed Gibbo, the EFL and the baying media everything they needed on a plate.

Pre-sanction - agreed. But that’s not where we are right now.

Take what punishment? We’ve already been severely punished by being removed from the play-off final, with the team we beat somehow replacing us. Yes, it’s happened and we move on. The club, the players and its fans have been punished enough - if the players want Eckhert and he escapes a ban for whatever reason, we should embrace managerial continuity. We’ve been crying out for that for a long, long time.

To be fair you’ve got absolutely no evidence of that whatsoever - only that the club has not made another public announcement. That in all seriousness does not equate to doing nothing - I suspect Dragan and the Board are in ‘swan mode’ right now…act calmly with all the required work going on out of sight. Why give any competitor or the media an advantage? Stay ahead of the headlines…that’s where the smart money is.

Damned if you do and damned if don’t. I think under the circumstances of previous comms, SR are probably playing the smart game by working with the FA to reach ‘common ground’ before making knee-jerk statements. It’s in the best interests of the club and the business to take careful measured approach now.

So you’re equating a drink driving offence (a serious legal matter rather than a regulatory one) with a nipper on a field trip to obtain a bit of intel on an opponent and in relation to all the other shithousery that goes on in pro-football? Fuck me there’s some extremely weird thinking going on here. Oh and in case you didn’t notice, we beat Boro in the semi’s - on player merit, not because some kid intern had a mobile phone out at a training ground on public ground FFS. And let’s also remember that Boro originally said Salt had professional recording equipment - was that just a convenient lie? Nothing is going to convince me that Boro didn’t incite the whole shoddy affair and the most culpable person to let the side down was Parsons…someone who really should have known better.

Let’s for one minute say that a punishment was deserved but that its proportionality was less clear cut. It was very clear cut to Gibson and his legal/media team when going public…so clear cut that the EFL and their Boro biased jury decided to not only expel Saints, but award Boro the place in the final. WTF?! Even if our expulsion is deemed fitting, how does that outcome sit comfortably with anyone? It’s tantamount to admitting to a very dodgy review process at best! Even knowledgeable neutrals are raising eyebrows. And if the review process can be considered tainted, the punishment must be placed at question - although Boro’s complete ineptitude in front of goal has thankfully somewhat addressed that particularly injustice.

Depends on your POV. If you think the penalty levied was excessive (I and probably the majority of independent spectators do), then it’s the EFL’s panels fault we lost the opportunity to progress by bending to Boro’s manufactured media storm demanding the punishment that ultimately was given. If a proportionate penalty had been levied and Saints had won or lost the final Eckhert would have been a hero and probably sought after by top clubs.

Of course not - no-one is until the full facts come out. If the lad was truly bullied then he’s got my full sympathy as that’s wrong, however there comes a time in life when you have to stand by your own convictions.

He’s a nipper probably living with his parents, but that’s not the point. He’s no better off now than if he resigned with his head held high. As I keep saying I don’t blame him - I blame Parsons as the architect of policy. And yes, in another life in the past I’ve resigned because I disagreed with corporate policy - I took on that responsibility for myself.

Putting words into my mouth is doing nothing to prove your point. I understand a rationale respectful argument is probably beyond you and that you’re hurting badly right now, but calm down and take a breath. We’ll agree to disagree. I don’t blame him and he likely took instruction from Tonda, but I also don’t follow the woke line that the lad had no option but to repeatedly do whatever he was told - he was cool and dandy like all the other analysts until the shit hit the fan.

Yeah, he needs the money for his iPhone contract I guess. Anyway it’s bollox - he had plenty of time to search out alternative employment if he objected to the culture etc., but he’s lapping up all the jollies with stays at hotels and expenses doing what he loves doing. I’m not sure Eckhert even had the jurisdiction over him anyway.

Don’t buy the bullying line. Not one bit. If you’re that concerned about the morality and object to the culture of an organisation you have the ultimate means to protect your position. Resign. Did he do that after previous alleged scouting trips to Oxford or Ipswich? No he didn’t…he was fine with his assignment until he got caught and decided to rat on his employer to save his own bacon.

I think it’s easy to trivialise the turnaround - it’s not as simple as going to a back four. We were in a fucking tailspin with the pilot in a coma - make no mistake. He turned things around both in terms of personnel and tactics. Credit where credits due.