SaintLondon

If Dragan could persuade them and in the realms of possibilty - who would you go for as manager? I think for me, I don't think it was possible before the scandal and harder now but I think I would go all out to try and sell the 'project' to Thomas Frank. I've just seen that he's working for the BBC this summer during the W/C so probably otherwise engaged. I wouldn't be against Scott Parker or Corboran either.

I don't agree with an old hat like Warnock or Hodgson as DoF - I think there is happy medium between a hipster choice and those two. We need someone who is a bit more au fait with the modern game but not obsessed with 'marginal gains' and left field choices.

The reality is that none of us truly know who knew what, and when. We’re led to believe there are text messages from Tonda that prove he knew what was happening, but I keep coming back to that interview where he said he wished he could speak openly about things. Unless he was just being deliberately cryptic, it feels like a strange thing to say if you were the person orchestrating the whole operation yourself. Personally, I still think it’s more likely that Spors was heavily involved behind the scenes, but perhaps smart enough not to leave fingerprints all over it. Either way, there is an enormous mess to clear up now and I’m not entirely sure where I’d even begin if I were tasked with rebuilding things. That said, part of me does think there could actually be some value, from a PR and trust perspective, in Tonda and the players coming out together in a unified way to acknowledge what’s happened and try to rebuild the relationship with the fans. Now I know some people will immediately say “why would the players do that?” and there have been briefings suggesting they knew nothing about it, but if spying really was as widespread and embedded as we’re now being led to believe, I’m not sure I completely buy that narrative either. The other part of me thinks it may ultimately come down to what the dressing room actually wants. If the players still believe they can work with him, trust him, and continue where they left off, then maybe - as mad as it sounds right now - there is an argument for keeping him. We’re almost certainly heading into next season with a weaker squad than this year’s and we need to give ourselves the best possible chance of stabilising and competing. For what it’s worth, and whilst I’m still absolutely seething about all of this, ultimately I just want the club to move forward in the best way possible. My instinct is still that he has to go - if not purely from a football perspective then certainly from a PR and trust one - but I suppose I’m just trying to think through all the possible realities from here.

Friend at club. Unfortunately I think I'll be proved right by what happens over the summer.

Problem with this is that aside from Swindon they all had money to rebuild and from what I hear the pot is empty.

Thanks for the camaraderie today chaps. I'll see you when I see you.

And that's that.

Best of luck with it all - wishing you a speedy recovery.

I think some of you are missing the point a bit here - we *have* to assume that we go up for the fine to be the tune of £200m. If we don't then it absolutely removes the point of proportionality. I agree he probably should have referenced Hull and perhaps spent a little less time sounding sorry for himself, but equally he was clearly trying to get a few key points across quickly. Do I love the statement? No. Is it better than complete silence? Absolutely. As for reinstatement, I just can’t see it happening now. But whilst we can’t appeal the outcome of the appeal itself, I would be very surprised if this doesn’t eventually evolve into a separate legal action against the EFL for loss of earnings. That feels like a very realistic next step from here.

You'd hope he's left out the legal mumbo jumbo for the silks and just tried to be as plain as possible for the masses.

Me.

Wait so let me get this straight, people are saying that the 4 points is for the additional spying and the expulsion is for the spying of Boro? That is mental. I hate that we did it and I have nothing but pure anger towards those that organised and executed it but that is not a crime worthy of the punishment. What is a bit petty of me is that I want us reinstated as much to play the game but more so to piss off 'Gibbo'

I still don’t think we’ll get reinstated, but I do think the EFL may end up regretting this decision. It sets a pretty serious precedent and, in my opinion, opens the door to further litigation and complications down the line. The thing I find particularly interesting is the argument that the playoffs are considered a separate competition and therefore had to be dealt with differently. But if the first instance of spying dates back to December, surely that makes it a league-related offence rather than something isolated purely to the playoffs? Maybe that’s clutching at straws at this point, but the whole thing feels messy whichever way you look at it. Honestly, I just want the appeal finished and done with now so we can all stop checking SaintsWeb every three minutes and move on with our lives.

If we get reinstated I'll buy everyone in here a pint.

This would be glorious.