Saint86

Respectfully no. If Eckert actually instructed them to scout within the rules, but then they cocked it up and went a day late and breached the window off of their own backs, then its obviously very different to eckert deliberately instructing them to break the rules and having a plan in place to actively cheat (as per canada and their drone). None of us know the truth, but it would perhaps explain the stories about it being a lone employee who had breached the rules. And a young lad with a mobile phone down the wrong end of a training ground does fit the narrative of a junior employee cocking up and trying to get his work done however he can to make it up. This is a hearing about Eckert's conduct ultimately - If he instructed the scouting for Middlesbrough within the legal time period, and not in a period that breached the rules, it is relevant - The FA need actual evidence that he egregiously broke the rules to give him a significant punishment. Or at least, that is how it should work.

A rule Bielsa wasn't charged under - so to jump to a huge sanction for it would be ludicrous and wide open to a challenge. He'll get 2-4games tops.

Because, "parsons"? 😄

The scouting team forgetting to send someone on the correct day and sending the intern up a day late is the same thing as hiring a drone (and sourcing associated licences) to provide a real time overhead recordings of a rivals world cup pre match training?

Even more sickening if it really is the case that the scouting team cocked it up, went late, and then infringed on the 72hour rule through their own poor organisation.

Sounds like a right "raise the colours" sort. You know he wants to scream "deport him"...

Didn't the head of the scouting and analysis team leave the club immediately after we were kicked out? I would say the rot was significantly within that team regardless - they weren't all junior interns and they have all been in the English game long enough to know the rules. Those messages that were leaked were all internal to the analysis team - "nice one mate, the boss loved it" were internal communications showing their own team instructing Salt end of the day.

Yeah, as usual, the title is pure click bait, but the quotes provide an interesting take.

Make of this what you will, but predicting a 2-4 game ban and a fine. https://talk2soccer.com/the-football-association-issues-a-fresh-statement-on-the-tonda-eckert-situation-as-the-latest-update-on-southamptons-expected-ban-emerges/?fbclid=Iwb21leAUf4LpjbGNrBR_gWnBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeLv9lxDkjAYyHXhpvZTTE5FJCLEYKk0qtjl92r8SLJ-4nZIMFWK9dM07WgRs_aem_xljNiCUyf9qsQD27NM6sAQ

Because it absolutely wasn't appropriate and they were probably secretly delighted hull won 😅🤣

Potentially, but if that was the case - why was there no further evidence of other spying offences - i.e., either he wasn't kept in those groups, or we didn't spy outside of the reported offences. It highlights actually the issue with personal whats-app messages and business use - as its likely that he retained historic messages as a minimum. 5min 10sec on wards - Jordan eluding directly to Parson's behavior making the whole thing significantly worse

I paraphrased what he said / eluded to, but yes. I don't have the time to watch it back. But it was along the lines of: initial discussions with the efl indicating that it wasn't that serious and that we expulsion wasn't on the table, that we agreed to the accelerated timescale but it was very chaotic / everyone was travelling, so we got it wrong. Middlesbrough used the situation to get a pass to the play off final. Who can blame them, we'd have probably done similar in their shoes (which was a further shocking thing for him to have said). If it has actually been cut from the recording, i would say that is very telling.

Well, the evidence for the supposition that matters is all behind closed doors unfortunately - but i'd suggest the above is just about the only way the timescales involved make sense (or at least the only version i have seen that is remotely credible), and they also marry up with what Parson's said at the fans forum more recently (even if that was incredibly unprofessional from him and poorly advised given the ongoing proceedings). Whistleblower: https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jason-taylor/stationen/trainer/126892/plus/1 https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/25807772.eckert-explains-plan-solve-southamptons-set-piece-problems/

The issue is our incredibly naive / incompetent handling of the whole affair - the damage was done immediately by Parsons decision making and response to the initial accusation. If we fail to get promoted this season (which lets be honest is sub a 50% likelihood) it will haunt the club for years, perhaps decades or generations if we fail to recover and rebuild.

Yes. He was hired start of the season, left the club December / Jan time. Obvious that as soon as the play off draw was made, he was on the phone to grubby gibbo saying to keep an eye out for salt at the training ground. Up rocks our intern (down the far end of the training ground) on his mobile phone (not the Boro kit they originally leaked he was wearing to the press, nor the high tech surveillance equipment they claimed he was using)... On hand of course was Boro's media team, who quickly snapped him in 4k Resolution with their far superior high powered zoom lenses. Then, they got on the phone to the EFL to report us for spying. The impressive part in all this, is that within only a couple of hours, they had managed to identify a junior intern from a club 500miles away in the first instance, and then also gathered concrete evidence of us spying on Oxford in December (obviously right before said former employee left the club)... There can be only one source of information within this - their former employee. Anyone who thinks they rang around every club in the championship (after the season had finished and people are on holidays), and got them to (withing hours) review CCTV footage (if retained / covering right areas) to find and identify unknown Southampton junior interns at their training grounds, and to then provide that to Middlesbrough, all within a couple of hours to report to the EFL is living in fantasy land. And that is essentially what has to have happened for them to have evidence within hours to send to the efl (or they knew in advance and were tipped off by said former employee). This information is all essentially available in the findings. The bullying accusations were just added to add some weight to the sanctions and get it through public opinion. Fantasy stuff. And it's the obvious smoking gun in all this that Middlesbrough were extremely grubby and intentional in the whole thing and used it to get themselves a free bye to the playoff final, and to potentially steal hull's spot. And make no mistake. That is the grubby stitch up by the EFL and Boro in all this. Both of them get their final - sod everyone else. Not that evidence of that is really needed, Parsons (who never knows when to be quiet) - openly said there and said the efl had lied to Saints at the fans forum re expulsion, and also said that Boro had manipulated the whole thing to get to the playoff final. How the press didn't pick up on this I do not know, because it was a scandalous accusation frankly. That final should have either been between us and hull, or hull should have been promoted. Boro and the EFL obviously conspired to make sure both of them got what they wanted. But imagine had they beaten hull - would have been disgraceful. Saints obviously did wrong, but not in the way it was blown up - and the bit that means this will never go away is that Boro have clearly been up to their necks in it and escaped unpunished. Edit - for those questioning the whistleblower "inside man" narrative: Also, interestingly, his employment history has been altered on transfermarket at some point since May to remove any reference to him working at Southampton fc... Didn't stitch the club up at all did he.... Obviously just another coincidence that records of his brief stint at southampton fc have been scrubbed from the internet... (linked in, transfer market etc). And i know transfer market had both clubs previously listed as i checked it in may. He joined us in September 2025 by all accounts, and left the club / was sacked as reported. Appointment referenced here: https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/25807772.eckert-explains-plan-solve-southamptons-set-piece-problems/ https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jason-taylor/stationen/trainer/126892/plus/1 There really is a great little media fluff peice in all this, perhaps someone will dig into it in the future - add some more sensationalism to the infamous #Spygate

It was always a gamble with respect to further punishment. Doesn't change the fact he is a very young and promising/good coach, nor that the club are entitled to handle disciplinary matters internally for their staff. Lets not for one second pretend that the punishment the club received was excessive, and anything more than a fine and a very short touchline ban for eckert would be similar... The one thing the club can't be blamed for, is being punished 3timess over a prolonged 6 week period, with each punishment being draconian. The absolute worst case punishment i think any realistic person could have anticipated is being kicked out of the playoffs (draconian - fine much more likely), and eckert being handed a 3-6month ban(again, extremely draconian given comparable offences for similar ban durations in the English game), it is not like he's broken the law (i.e., assaulted someone, utilized doping, or racially abused someone etc). But regardless, you plan for the worst case as a contingency, you don't operate under the expectation the worst case comes to fruition. The rational punishment for him is a fine and sporting sanction - ranging from a suspended ban to a short touchline ban of circa 4 games max imho.

Will be good to get it over and done with at least - has been hanging over the club (and fundamentally the people involved) for far too long, let alone the fans as well.

Frank is an interesting name actually.

I don't actually think they are doing that badly, they are dominating games and only 2 points off playoffs... not bad considering they are early in their martin ball journey and have a horrible / disjointed / imbalanced squad

He's a total liablity - Solak should get ahead of this and just sack him immediately (has to happen after the decision regardless), and then use that to "apologise" to the FA.

Good question TBF, not an angle that I've seen discussed anywhere.

Who are we getting in as a stop gap manager then. The Hass(enhuttle), bielsa for some spy gate bants, Steve Cooper? Very outside chance of Eddie Howe - finally getting to see the home dugout at St Mary's... and with a view to his next premier league job being back on the south coast? Or maybe, just maybe, SR will surprise and delight us all (in equal measures) and promote Adz to first team coach?😆

Sunderland player handles the ball first? 😅

Agreed sadly - trousers down, cheeks spread, let the old boys at the EFL and FA take their turns. That SFC in 2026.

There is no evidence of bullying from Eckert (or none that we have seen). It was used as a jumped up and frankly slanderous charge (one that is nearly impossible to shift fully) to justify the extreme sanction. How we didn't appeal this was maddening. Maybe we are waiting for it to be all over and then take legal action, but I doubt it somehow. What's perhaps more likely is that we did spy more often, and so laid down and took the punishment to not face further disciplinary issues.