sadoldgit

The first time ever the words “Duck” and “the voice of reason” have been used in the same sentence.

Just reflecting on how ludicrous this particular rule is along with how it played out. Scout the opposition 72 hours five minutes before a match, fine. Do so five minutes later and the same activity is becomes spying. All clubs have access to videos of every game that their opposition play. If Middlesbrough go up this season, every team that they play in the league will able to go and spy on them any time they want with no repercussion It sounds like no other league in the world sees fit to have a similar rule, including the English Premier League. If it such a heinous crime, why didn’t the EFL make it perfectly clear that breaking this particular rule could result in the most serious sanctions ever given to a football club? There is absolutely no precedent for expulsion of a football club from the final of a competition for being in breach of such a rule. Waving a pretend red card in order to get another player sent off is seen as cheating. Sending out press releases putting pressure on an independent panel to not only find a club guilty, but to get them kicked out of a competition for being in breach of this particular law, knock yourselves out. You have a rule that gives the accused 14 days to respond to the charges but fold when the accuser puts pressure on to hold the case earlier. A precedent has been set in response to cheating. Seeking to gain an advantage by breaking rules now gives clubs the opportunity to progress in a competition if they get beaten by using any form of cheating as a reason to award the game to them. For example, diving to win a penalty ticks all of the boxes in Steve Gibson’s higher morality check list. I’m sure I could think of more, but the dog needs feeding. What a crock of shit.

So do you throw everyone who cheats out of football? I doubt if there would be many left. When you hear senior pros saying that it isn’t that big a deal it should give some perspective.

If Dragan has any nous he will take some time and some soundings from others as to the best way to deal with the fall out. I expect there are meetings going on all day and he will want to get the reaction from the players. Do they want him gone or do they back him?

And are we to believe that a junior analyst watching a team 72 hours before a match has a greater effect on match planning than watching as many of the opposition’s matches as you like on video?

Worst case scenario yes, but the players are under contract and can’t just walk. There may be some who want to stay and go for it again next season too?

Did you watch the games? If we gained any advantage through Will Salt’s fudged attempt at espionage I’d love to know what it was.

Yep. Assuming that the club doesn’t implode we must be one of the favourites to go up next year. As grim as everything looks right now, we still have the potential to be a big hitter in this division. There is no reason we will not be an attractive proposition once the dust has settled.

Hadn’t thought about that! They should all do it, if only for shits and giggles. one of the many sickening things about this situation is that Middlesbrough get a second bite of the cherry after being beaten fair and square in the semi final. To get a golden ticket to the EPL (if they beat Hull) after losing in the competition to get there is just not right.

Maybe they have got wind that is is widespread and are using us as an example to stamp it out?

As we will find out next season when it all comes our way.

Don’t players just return to their home clubs at the end of a loan period? If we have an option to buy that happens after they return? Clutching at straws.

Yeah, maybe. I guess they will make their reasoning public at some time in the future.

By taking the nuclear option over something that has been seen as trivial by many very experienced people in football the EFL have made a rod for their own back. There could well be calls for explosion for all manner of indiscretions in future.

I do wonder how many times it occurred. If it really was only three times that makes the whole situation even more ridiculous.

Why not? New season, new start?

So we get a two point fine each for spying against rivals but chucked out of the play off final for a bloke appearing from behind a tree with an iPhone up to a quarter of a mile away from any possible action? So maybe a 6 point deduction (applicable in the EFL) would have been proportionate?

Fair comment, but they could have rescinded the 4 point ban on appeal given the actual expulsion.

It depends on how much they are invested in him as a boss. Sometimes things like this make people bond tighter. Mind you, it could be moot if the FA go after him as strongly as the EFL have gone after us or Tonda falls on his sword or is sacked.

I expect that it was more that he thought that the rule was no big deal as it doesn’t apply elsewhere and “everyone” is supposed to be at it.

“Gibbo?”

Whatever happens going forward, the club as a whole needs to take a breath and not make any knee jerk reactions/decisions. The important thing is not to let what is effectively an earthquake crush the life out of the club.

And yet we saw the FA Cup played out between to two clubs who are being investigated for cheating, one of which gets to keep its winnings. Your statement would be fine if it applied to every episode of cheating, yet we see, week in, week out, that cheats in football prosper.

I started supporting the Saints back in 1966 so this is my 60th year (coincidentally it is Mrs Sogs 60th birthday) and I was looking forward to something special (football wise 😉) at the end of this season. Professional football was a joy to watch when I started following the club. Over the years though big money (starting with SKY) has been ruining the game. Diving, widespread financial corruption, VAR, the stranglehold on the EPL by the “big” clubs, lack of loyalty to your club only to the biggest paycheck…the list goes on. And now this. Trump’s World Cup holds no interest for me but even our domestic football has become badly tainted. Not by “Spygate” but by the massive overreaction to it. Checking out the opposition, scouting, had been part of football for ever. Yes, we broke the rules and deserved to be punished. What has actually happened is that we have been hung out to dry for all of the biggest sins in football. The number of hugely respected names in football who have come out and said that this cheating of ours is no big deal says it all. When you spend most of your time arguing over finding scapegoats and who should be sacked, something has gone deeply wrong. Even without this much of the season is spent slagging off owners, managers, coaches, players, pundits, other fans etc. As with politics, everything now seems to be consumed by manufactured psychodramas. What a crock of shit it all is.

I think that this will go down as one of the greatest over reactions and miscarriages of justice in footballing history.