Saint86

Let's surmise again for those that can't process bielsa did more "spying" (scouting) than Eckert did. Players pre Eckert - relegation scrap. Players post Eckert - one of the all time best championship sides. Players: "it's eckert's fault we didn't get promoted" 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Every club is going to refer to us as "the cheats" etc., next year. May as well own it and rub their faces in it to boot... Everyone knows he's a quality coach, every club wants us to sack him or be made to sack him. It's not disputable that he is class manager, possibly the best in the league, and he's tainted now - so basically he's our if we want him. If he doesn't get banned and the 26/27 squad will stick with him, we would be stupid to sack him... Really is that simple. I know some fans struggle with the media/peer pressure and engaging their own critical thinking skills (the voting on this thread is proof enough of that with the initial sway from 70% "sack" to near 50/50 now - thankfully). Blackmore is a prime example of someone who gets wrapped up in it and just goes with the flow. But bottom line - we are all saints, as it tonda and the squad, sod the outside - they've already judged us... It is time to close ranks and stick together. None of the outside noise changes that this team and manager would have been in contention for the best ever championship team... Imagine if city hasn't scored an 82nd minute deflected bouncing shot from outside the box, imagine if we had got promotion... yes we stupidly broke a stupid rule, but this team was performing near miracles. You don't blow that up unless we're forced to.

Same points stand for the players though. They were shit before tonda - they can't seriously then blame him for him raising their games 🤷. Despite the bielsa non ban precedent, I think the FA will ban him. They have the chance here to look tough and put the boot in - to make up when they let all the big boys get away with stuff. We should all expect saints to receive further sanction.

That one is a stretch to far.

I believe this is the accused / suspected: https://www.transfermarkt.com/jason-taylor/profil/trainer/126892#google_vignette Pretty sure it is him (the whistleblower), I looked him up as soon as it was rumoured we'd hired an analyst from Boro and got rid of them in December - which was only a couple of days after this story broke and before his name got leaked, and already he has deleted his linked in profile... Why delete your linked in profile before your name is even out there? Equally, fits in with how Boro had the limited but necessary minimum information available to stitch saints up from the get go - "look out for salt" and the details of the Oxford incident, both reported on 7th may. Suspect Salt gave us up for the Eastleigh / Ipswich incident to save his own skin after the fact - as Taylor wouldn't have known about that. (The dates in the EFL report show that the initial incident Ipswich knew about in advance was the Oxford incident, which was just before we sacked Taylor / Taylor left the club). It's reported that Ipswich and Oxford didn't know they were scouted inside the cut off window. So surely has to have come from whistleblowers in both occasions. Also, if these are the only 2 dates provided using whistleblower testimonies, it may not be as wide spread as fans think - which in turn means it's not as bad as the bielsa case. Certainly training ground privacy has improved a lot in recent years.

Bielsa did the exact same thing as Eckert. Nothing has materially changed in 7years from the fa's perspective. There really isn't a leg to stand on for moaning about tonda costing us promotion, we were looking at a relegation scrap before he came in. It's gonna come down to whether he gets banned as to whether we keep him imo.

50/50 coin toss for me... Either something big is in the offing, or they're back to being paralysed by indecision and being inept again. After the whole Parsons Seppuku board room incident, it takes a leap of faith to think the club definitely make good calls this summer.

3 bottles by Boro this season? Surely?

A bunch of fans going up and streaming it live for public access on the internet would be brilliant...

Hellberg likely gone by Christmas. Absolute joke of a manager, and he's already played his crying card.

Get what you deserve boro, get ready for next season because the saints will be gunning for you.

I only know one Leeds fan, he messaged me immediately to say it was a harsh punishment and extend sympathies for it. Never had an issue with Leeds fans tbh, they were classy on the tube coming back from the 23/24 play off final as well.

I have wondered this. It's the Ipswich game at Eastleigh that makes me suspicious.

I don't disagree overly. Boro getting promoted opens up the EFL to more potential legal challenges. Next year in the prem will be brutal to survive in. Spurs won't be the mess they are again under de zerbi, forest won't have a European distraction and are likely to make some mega money on players like MGW and Anderson - and those 2 players show their recruitment is solid. Palace maybe will struggle? But then equally, they've had mateta out half the season, guehi left them in Jan, they've been distracted by Europe, and glasner has already announced he's checked out... The league was a mere distraction for them. Promotion could really be a mixed blessing this season. But we do absolutely have to get promoted next year. Could this be a bit like Leeds getting beaten by us, having a great year in the champ, and then getting promoted and staying up?

Southgate is probably the perfect opposite of tonda, son in law choir boy off the pitch, tactically inept on it, and a bottler to boot. No thanks.