Tonda Eckert

[Miltonaggro]

Likely to be out of our hands to an extent, but if club want to retain his services an honest / brutal dialogue with the players as a group is needed asap. Who’s staying who wants out, who would want to play for TE again? 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, SNSUN said:

I refuse to believe that the spying had much to do with our excellent recent run in 2026 and I will back the player's efforts to that effect. Tonda shouldn't have done it, and yes, we probably did have an advantage or two because of it, but I still think he is a good manager that lives and breathes football and he slotted in perfectly when we were struggling because of Still. 

He should be sacked because of what he did, but I still believe he is a good manager and he will go on to have a good career in the game. (Sadly we will miss out on any compensation we may have got from him being head hunted because of it.)

Behave, there is just no way we cheating in December, put the iPhone away until April before doing it again.

There is no way to determine if he is any good or not. Would Will Still keep his job if we were 'cheating' every other week? 

[CB Fry]

3 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Behave, there is just no way we cheating in December, put the iPhone away until April before doing it again.

There is no way to determine if he is any good or not. Would Will Still keep his job if we were 'cheating' every other week? 

"The one we REALLY need inside intel on lads is Oxford United"

[SNSUN]

5 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Behave, there is just no way we cheating in December, put the iPhone away until April before doing it again.

There is no way to determine if he is any good or not. Would Will Still keep his job if we were 'cheating' every other week? 

So you're saying our good run through 2026 under Tonda was entirely due to the spying? Not through the player's efforts?

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, SNSUN said:

So you're saying our good run through 2026 under Tonda was entirely due to the spying? Not through the player's efforts?

did I say that?

[Wade Garrett]

People are knocking Phil Parsons for holding his hands up.  Personally, I think this was the right thing to do, we were banged to rights and he did the honourable thing.

Personally, my season ticket renewal is very much in the balance.  Last night it was in the bin but I’ve calmed down a bit now.

It depends on what the club do now.  Purge the staff of all those culpable in this cheating, including Eckert, and I’ll renew.

I haven’t had much sympathy for Solak, but I feel for him now.  He must be furious.  It’s time to change our approach.  We still have parachute money so can have another good run at promotion next season.  Get  a proven manager in who can get results honestly. 

The club are going to have to move fast on this.

[Wade Garrett]

15 minutes ago, SNSUN said:

I refuse to believe that the spying had much to do with our excellent recent run in 2026 and I will back the player's efforts to that effect. Tonda shouldn't have done it, and yes, we probably did have an advantage or two because of it, but I still think he is a good manager that lives and breathes football and he slotted in perfectly when we were struggling because of Still. 

He should be sacked because of what he did, but I still believe he is a good manager and he will go on to have a good career in the game. (Sadly we will miss out on any compensation we may have got from him being head hunted because of it.)

If we spied on Oxford you can bet your arse we spied on everyone.  We just held our hands up to the ones we were accused of.

We’ll never know how influential it was in our run and that’s on Eckert.  He has to go.  We need to start again with a clean slate.

Edited 10 hours ago by Wade Garrett

[Katalinic]

Impossible for him to stay and why would anyone want him to if he has fucked everyone over?

[Fabrice29]

1 hour ago, Farmer Saint said:

Yes, and that is probably illegal in multiple countries, so he would have been brought up with that rule. He's also not the equivalent of a Librarian - that would be the FA in that analogy.

However if it was legal to do that in every other country and he had done it in Germany, Italy etc, apart from being a massive sex pest, why would he come to the UK and think it's illegal?

Do you think Tonda is wondering why the analysts can’t just walk into the training ground to get a better view? Why are they spying if its perfectly okay everywhere else?

[adrian lord]

I wish we could keep him because he is our best team manager since Koeman and has potential to be a great manager in the future  - Champions League level. He is masterful at deploying lineups and substitutions, as well as motivating the players. However I fear his position is untenable and furthermore he may get a FA ban.

Then, we need to start worrying about parachute payments ebbing away. 

This is a galactic, monumental screw up. We have trashed ourselves at the threshold of a great new era for the club.

Edited 10 hours ago by adrian lord

[Katalinic]

6 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

People are knocking Phil Parsons for holding his hands up.  Personally, I think this was the right thing to do, we were banged to rights and he did the honourable thing.

Personally, my season ticket renewal is very much in the balance.  Last night it was in the bin but I’ve calmed down a bit now.

It depends on what the club do now.  Purge the staff of all those culpable in this cheating, including Eckert, and I’ll renew.

I haven’t had much sympathy for Solak, but I feel for him now.  He must be furious.  It’s time to change our approach.  We still have parachute money so can have another good run at promotion next season.  Get  a proven manager in who can get results honestly. 

The club are going to have to move fast on this.

I agree with all of this and the Parsons comments - honourable, but so naive. Football is so corrupt  no place for good guys. The media moral outrage is something to behold given everything else that goes on in the game.

[James]

2 minutes ago, Katalinic said:

I agree with all of this and the Parsons comments - honourable, but so naive. Football is so corrupt  no place for good guys. The media moral outrage is something to behold given everything else that goes on in the game.

Exactly, we don’t need a “good guy”. We need a Gibson, no way he’d have allowed this to happen if the shoe was on the other foot. 

[Turkish]

53 minutes ago, The Wyvern said:

I'll probably be in a minority of one here, but I actually feel sorry for him.  A very talented coach who has fucked up and made a stupid mistake that will ruin his career and follow him around for the rest of his life. 

The one I feel sorry for most is Will Salt. Young kid not even started his career yet still studying to get a job he’s probably dreamed of. Would no doubt do what he was told to by his bosses at Saints. Now everyone in football knows who he is, name on the national media for all the wrong reasons. Career over before it’s begun. 

[Bob60]

12 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

People are knocking Phil Parsons for holding his hands up.  Personally, I think this was the right thing to do, we were banged to rights and he did the honourable thing.

Personally, my season ticket renewal is very much in the balance.  Last night it was in the bin but I’ve calmed down a bit now.

It depends on what the club do now.  Purge the staff of all those culpable in this cheating, including Eckert, and I’ll renew.

I haven’t had much sympathy for Solak, but I feel for him now.  He must be furious.  It’s time to change our approach.  We still have parachute money so can have another good run at promotion next season.  Get  a proven manager in who can get results honestly. 

The club are going to have to move fast on this.

Best post, we need to stock together and not pick ourselves to bits, we are the club not them.

This post states exactly where I am, feel so so let down, they need to clean house then grovel to us.

[The Wyvern]

Just now, Turkish said:

The one I feel sorry for most is Will Salt. Young kid not even started his career yet still studying to get a job he’s probably dreamed of. Would no doubt do what he was told to by his bosses at Saints. Now everyone in football knows who he is, name on the national media for all the wrong reasons. Career over before it’s begun. 

I agree actually, feel really sorry for him the way both Saints and Middlesbrough have treated him, got to think of his mental health and well being.

Only slight point of disagreement is I don't think his career would be over, junior enough and working back of house, he should be able to find another role once this has all calmed down. 

[benjii]

17 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

People are knocking Phil Parsons for holding his hands up.  Personally, I think this was the right thing to do, we were banged to rights and he did the honourable thing.

Personally, my season ticket renewal is very much in the balance.  Last night it was in the bin but I’ve calmed down a bit now.

It depends on what the club do now.  Purge the staff of all those culpable in this cheating, including Eckert, and I’ll renew.

I haven’t had much sympathy for Solak, but I feel for him now.  He must be furious.  It’s time to change our approach.  We still have parachute money so can have another good run at promotion next season.  Get  a proven manager in who can get results honestly. 

The club are going to have to move fast on this.

I think it's the way he did it.

If he admitted it on day 1, before we had even had time to fully investigate and consider how to respond then he's a fucking moron and he clearly didn't appreciate the situation properly.

[Toadhall Saint]

I’d keep him tbh. But can understand those that don’t.

[sockeye]

Even if we kept him how are any of the players going to trust him again? Or the wider club who let this go on and then fucked it all up once the pressure ramped up. Expect they all want to leave.

[sadoldgit]

9 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

I’d keep him tbh. But can understand those that don’t.

I would to, especially if he wasn’t aware that it was illegal (which begs the question why not).

He is clearly a very good coach which begs another question, why do this when you have hours of videos available to look at the check out the opposition. 

Sadly I think his position is untenable though. He would get a good job abroad where they will all be amazed at what a storm a bit of scouting on the opposition has caused.
 

[Greenridge]

There is not a chance that he will stay. Not a single chance. 

[Katalinic]

5 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

I would to, especially if he wasn’t aware that it was illegal (which begs the question why not).

He is clearly a very good coach which begs another question, why do this when you have hours of videos available to look at the check out the opposition. 

Sadly I think his position is untenable though. He would get a good job abroad where they will all be amazed at what a storm a bit of scouting on the opposition has caused.
 

And Garner didn't think to tell him? 

[S-Clarke]

Cone on, drop the 'he didn't know the rules act' - bullshit. 

We all knew, as fans. Everyone had front row seats to the Bielsa thing 6 years ago, it was everywhere, and even if he didn't 'know' there was a new rule in place to prevent it specifically, the 'good faith' rule was still there and given what happened to Leeds he shouldn't have been so dumb. Having people like Ben Reeves and Lallana in the coaching team, with very little coaching experience themselves, doesn't give much for 'corrections either'. Just amateur hour from everyone.

If our defence is going to be 'we didn't know it was a rule', then I'm really at a loss as to where we go from here.

Edited 9 hours ago by S-Clarke

[Baird of the land]

1 hour ago, The Wyvern said:

I'll probably be in a minority of one here, but I actually feel sorry for him.  A very talented coach who has fucked up and made a stupid mistake that will ruin his career and follow him around for the rest of his life. 

If we're stupid enough to sack him he'll get a job abroad as what he was doing is considered perfectly normal everywhere else.

[AlexLaw76]

He can't stay

I can see why Hellberg and the informed Boro journo's were calling him a cheat. They knew.

Edited 9 hours ago by AlexLaw76

[benjii]

Always thought he was a fucking weirdo.

[hypochondriac]

Shame. Has performed well results wise for us but some things are more important than football. Will now leave and rightly so.

[S-Clarke]

Hungry spying eyes.

[SNSUN]

1 hour ago, Greenridge said:

There is not a chance that he will stay. Not a single chance. 

I actually think there is.

Nah, just kidding. He's gone. He can take Parsons with him too and anyone else implicit with this rule breaking.

[Saint_clark]

2 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

People are knocking Phil Parsons for holding his hands up.  Personally, I think this was the right thing to do, we were banged to rights and he did the honourable thing.

Personally, my season ticket renewal is very much in the balance.  Last night it was in the bin but I’ve calmed down a bit now.

It depends on what the club do now.  Purge the staff of all those culpable in this cheating, including Eckert, and I’ll renew.

I haven’t had much sympathy for Solak, but I feel for him now.  He must be furious.  It’s time to change our approach.  We still have parachute money so can have another good run at promotion next season.  Get  a proven manager in who can get results honestly. 

The club are going to have to move fast on this.

I absolutely agree. We can't criticise the club for being dishonest in it's practice then slate Parsons for being honest. 

[SNSUN]

1 hour ago, Baird of the land said:

If we're stupid enough to sack him he'll get a job abroad as what he was doing is considered perfectly normal everywhere else.

If Mason Greenwood can find work abroad after his crimes, Tonda definitely will. 

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Saint_clark said:

I absolutely agree. We can't criticise the club for being dishonest in it's practice then slate Parsons for being honest. 

I can't agree, I think he was dumb with this. It's the equivalent of admitting full liability at the scene of an accident, even if you are guilty, you don't say a fucking thing. and certainly not in the oppositions backyard.

If he really wants to be honourable and hold his hands up, then he'd have communicated to the fans.

[Turkish]

11 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Hungry spying eyes.

Sounds like he’s a bully as well. 

[Saint_clark]

I'm obviously blind I can't find this article on the athletic that mentions bullying, can anyone help me out with a link?

[AlexLaw76]

Err..."one of the goals came straight off the training ground the day before"

 

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Saint_clark said:

I'm obviously blind I can't find this article on the athletic that mentions bullying, can anyone help me out with a link?

It doesn't mention bullying specifically, but putting together some comments on here with the findings in that article it's easy to come to that conclusion.

''Analysts were upset and knew they'd done wrong, but were following orders from Tonda'' - WhatsApp messages implicated Tonda instructing these analysts to do these trips, including criticism when they didn't get good enough data from the Oxford mission.

[Saint_clark]

Just now, S-Clarke said:

It doesn't mention bullying specifically, but putting together some comments on here with the findings in that article it's easy to come to that conclusion.

''Analysts were upset and knew they'd done wrong, but were following orders from Tonda'' - WhatsApp messages implicated Tonda instructing these analysts to do these trips, including criticism when they didn't get good enough data from the Oxford mission.

Ah I see, cheers. 

[Wade Garrett]

1 minute ago, S-Clarke said:

It doesn't mention bullying specifically, but putting together some comments on here with the findings in that article it's easy to come to that conclusion.

''Analysts were upset and knew they'd done wrong, but were following orders from Tonda'' - WhatsApp messages implicated Tonda instructing these analysts to do these trips, including criticism when they didn't get good enough data from the Oxford mission.

So Tonda is a liar as well then.  Hope his feet don't touch the floor on his way out.

[Fabrice29]

9 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

It doesn't mention bullying specifically, but putting together some comments on here with the findings in that article it's easy to come to that conclusion.

''Analysts were upset and knew they'd done wrong, but were following orders from Tonda'' - WhatsApp messages implicated Tonda instructing these analysts to do these trips, including criticism when they didn't get good enough data from the Oxford mission.

That’s a hell of a leap to bullying btw 🤣

[Junior Mullet]

Tonda has done brilliantly for us and has been a breath of fresh air after a run of frustrating first team coaches.  However, he must go.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded. 

I expect Tonda and the team around him who knew about this will receive lengthy bans by the FA.  I also exepct the club will set a team of lawyers on Tonda. It will be very messy for years to come.  The legal issues here are huge.

Feel sorry for fans of several clubs, the owners of Saints and everyone else caught up innocently in all of this.

Bloody stupid.

[benjii]

2 minutes ago, Junior Mullet said:

Tonda has done brilliantly for us and has been a breath of fresh air after a run of frustrating first team coaches.  However, he must go.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded. 

I expect Tonda and the team around him who knew about this will receive lengthy bans by the FA.  I also exepct the club will set a team of lawyers on Tonda. It will be very messy for years to come.  The legal issues here are huge.

Feel sorry for fans of several clubs, the owners of Saints and everyone else caught up innocently in all of this.

Bloody stupid.

Why would we set lawyers on Tonda?

He was a Barnsley coach then Saints u21 coach. He doesn't have loads of money.

He'll be sacked and/or banned and then get a job in Germany in a year or two before popping up in a Europa League match against Villa or something whereon lots of stories can be run about the Spying Coach.

[Junior Mullet]

2 minutes ago, benjii said:

Why would we set lawyers on Tonda?

He was a Barnsley coach then Saints u21 coach. He doesn't have loads of money.

He'll be sacked and/or banned and then get a job in Germany in a year or two before popping up in a Europa League match against Villa or something whereon lots of stories can be run about the Spying Coach.

Fair point.  Not worth suing I guess.  The club will be left to pick up the bills.

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, benjii said:

Why would we set lawyers on Tonda?

He was a Barnsley coach then Saints u21 coach. He doesn't have loads of money.

He'll be sacked and/or banned and then get a job in Germany in a year or two before popping up in a Europa League match against Villa or something whereon lots of stories can be run about the Spying Coach.

Exactly, he’s an employee albeit a high profile one who has fucked up.

The people around him and above have failed equally dismally with basic supervision and need to be let go. Anyone with a direct link to getting involved in the activities and/or more senior with the opportunity to act and didn’t, is a prime candidate for gross misconduct. 

[Gloucester Saint]

5 minutes ago, Junior Mullet said:

Fair point.  Not worth suing I guess.  The club will be left to pick up the bills.

Dragan should pay them himself. Take responsibility and be an adult for once. 

[sfc4prem]

Bye Tonda. A brief and strange time.

[mss636]

I get people are angry right now, and I'm pretty angry and embarrassed too but I really do think they didn't know the rule (Dressing a scout in an Eastleigh kit can easily be explained as Ipswich wont do any routines if he was in Saints kit would they??).  When this first broke Saints released a statement saying that they would review internal processes and then I thought "Oh cr*p there's a process for doing this, that means it's company policy".  I genuinely don't think the intent was to cheat but they got caught out not knowing the rules.  But in a way this is just as bad as SURELY if you appoint someone that has never been a manager before (especially from another country or league you'd make sure they or someone involved knew and read the rule book??  To not do that it utter stupidity / incompitant

But if you sack people every time a mistake occurs (OK its a pretty big and stupid one), then you never move forward.  This is a pretty hard lesson to learn but if we replace Tonda it will be with someone who doesn't know the team, or players.  We will need to lose players over the winter due to reduced parachute payments / new FFP rules and bringing in a new coaching team would only compound our difficulties over the winter.

You can be absolutely sure that this wouldn't happen again under Tonda and he's still turned this team around once.  If we get rid there's every chance Sports Republic may appoint another Will Still and we'll be in an even worse situation?

[Badger]

5 hours ago, Katalinic said:

I agree with all of this and the Parsons comments - honourable, but so naive. Football is so corrupt  no place for good guys. The media moral outrage is something to behold given everything else that goes on in the game.

 

5 hours ago, James said:

Exactly, we don’t need a “good guy”. We need a Gibson, no way he’d have allowed this to happen if the shoe was on the other foot. 

As said on another thread, Parsons appears to have been naive in his trying to make the peace with Gibson as honourable as it was intended.

Really think Cortese or Rupert would have taken the challenge head on, and possibly obtained a better outcome. 

[bpsaint]

To say Tonda has bought the club, and the game, into disrepute would be the understatement of the century. There is absolutely zero chance he stays after this. He’ll be gone for Gross Misconduct alone, and that’s before the FA seemingly introduce their own penalties against him.

[Charlie Wayman]

7 hours ago, Turkish said:

The one I feel sorry for most is Will Salt. Young kid not even started his career yet still studying to get a job he’s probably dreamed of. Would no doubt do what he was told to by his bosses at Saints. Now everyone in football knows who he is, name on the national media for all the wrong reasons. Career over before it’s begun. 

Don't be so bloody soft, the bloke knew exactly what he was doing @ just following orders, sir!

[Charlie Wayman]

1 hour ago, Badger said:

 

As said on another thread, Parsons appears to have been naive in his trying to make the peace with Gibson as honourable as it was intended.

Really think Cortese or Rupert would have taken the challenge head on, and possibly obtained a better outcome. 

It's not over yet…...

[Badger]

14 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

It's not over yet…...

Said more in hope than expectation ?