Boro vs Saints - Saturday 12.30pm - 1st leg

[Maggie May]

4 minutes ago, saintant said:

There are two glaring inaccuracies in this report. Firstly original claims say the spy went into a hotel to change whereas this states he went into the golf clubhouse.

The second says that a whistle blower has claimed this is not the first time Southampton FC have spied on other teams. Several fans on Boro's own forum dispute this and claim the guy making the claims is a well known fruit cake.

There are so many contradictions surrounding this whole episode that it cannot be taken seriously.

Contradictions, yes, but they’re not inaccuracies unless you know what has actually unfolded.  Whatever’s happened is serious enough for the EFL to charge the club.  

As I said yesterday, there is no way this made the papers if it was a massive fabrication.  It’s crazy to think otherwise. There would have been an outright denial from the club to the Mail, which broke the story, for starters.

[trousers]

I wonder how far up the management chain this goes? One assumes at least at as high as Tonda, otherwise why would our analyst(s) be doing it in the first place? As high as Spors? The board? The owner(s)? 

[Andy Hill]

Hope the ref tomorrow does not feel sympathy for them !? 
It is very hard to understand why we would do this.

[LGTL]

Into them Saints. Win at any cost 💪 

[Tamesaint]

Lets just go and smash Boro over the 2 legs to make this seem unimportant. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

We won’t be kicked out the play offs. That would be maddening, and probably a new low even for the EFL - among many they’ve already had.

[Lard]

Just imagine we win the playoffs. 
it will be tainted with. ‘Cheats’

fucking ridiculous situ to be in  

the cunts that sanctioned this need to go  

shameful  

 

[HarvSFC]

Can't we just release a statement on our website apologising to Middlesbrough and say we won't sign Hayden Hackney if we do get promoted?

It worked for Liverpool: https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/announcements/265720-liverpool-fc-statement

[Dr. Kucho]

Just now, Willo of Whiteley said:

We won’t be kicked out the play offs. That would be maddening, and probably a new low even for the EFL - among many they’ve already had.

But by removing us they can promote Wrexham to the playoffs.. 

[DellBlockH]

7 minutes ago, Dr Who? said:

They have got something more important on their minds!

I would guess that the club has responded to the EFL (the charge makes it look like we've admitted to enough to, at least, warrant a charge). There's no point in conducting our defence (whatever that may be) in the press. Or we may not have responded - I thought we had 14 days - and the EFL have decided to charge anyway to expedite the process. 

[Sheaf Saint]

3 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

It's an independent disciplinary. Not sure how they could legitimately kick us out because we'd be able to appeal and no chance they'd be able to do all that before Tuesday.

They could let the games go ahead and then expunge the results afterwards if they really wanted to. But I would be very surprised if it comes to that. 

We need to be given a reasonable opportunity to defend the allegations, and will have the right to appeal. There's no way that can happen realistically before even the final has happened.

Imagine if we beat Boro and then win the final. If they decided to overturn that result then what would happen? Would the losing finalists get the promotion spot? Boro would be absolutely fuming about that and could then launch legal appeals of their own.

Anything other than a hefty fine and a slap on the wrist would be opening up a huge can of worms that the EFL will want to avoid at all costs.

[SfcPhil]

Just now, Tamesaint said:

Lets just go and smash Boro over the 2 legs to make this seem unimportant. 

Thing is, I think we would've won over two legs anyway. But now if we do, it's because we spied on them. Definitely taints this season, as we must've done it previously and got away with it.

[Winnersaint]

1 minute ago, Lard said:

Just imagine we win the playoffs. 
it will be tainted with. ‘Cheats’

fucking ridiculous situ to be in  

the cunts that sanctioned this need to go  

shameful  

 

Melt

[trousers]

6 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

It will be a big fine I reckon. A million quid or something or a couple of points deducted next year if we are still in the championship.

Not as bad as the self inflicted points punishment the first part of this season then...

[ChrisPY]

@Andy Hill and @Lard are clearly skates - can we get rid of them?

[Sheaf Saint]

1 minute ago, Dr. Kucho said:

But by removing us they can promote Wrexham to the playoffs.. 

Not now they can't. The first leg of the other tie has already taken place.

[Tamesaint]

Could we just invite Boro to one of our training sessions to even it up?? 

[hypochondriac]

4 minutes ago, SfcPhil said:

Thing is, I think we would've won over two legs anyway. But now if we do, it's because we spied on them. Definitely taints this season, as we must've done it previously and got away with it.

It really doesn't. If we win no one cares about the season supposedly being tainted.

[die Mannyschaft]

1 minute ago, SouSaint said:

Whoever authorised this deserves the sack. 

I cant believe Saints would officially ask a club coach to stand on a golf hill and record a opposition training session. 

I would expect that from a social media poster needing 10,000 views. It just sounds so idiotic its got to be a setup. 

[beatlesaint]

You would like to think the club will make a statement now they’ve been formally charged. 

[Osvaldorama]

Storm in a teacup springs to mind.  
 

 

[beatlesaint]

1 minute ago, Osvaldorama said:

Storm in a teacup springs to mind.  
 

 

Not if SFC don’t deny it !

[skintsaint]

3 minutes ago, Osvaldorama said:

Storm in a teacup springs to mind.  
 

 

Right. If this happened halfway through a season would just be a decent sized fine.

[SW11_Saint]

3 minutes ago, Osvaldorama said:

Storm in a teacup springs to mind.  
 

 

Why that song in particular? 

[sfc4prem]

This furore won't be anywhere near the squad's attention. Tonda will be keeping them protected and focused.

It's a fine and slap on the wrist if proven.

If the media want to focus on this instead of Man City's over 100 financial charges or Chelsea's financial doping, fine.

[Andy Hill]

Not a skate - just worried that we have made a mess of a really good position.

[die Mannyschaft]

1 minute ago, beatlesaint said:

You would like to think the club will make a statement now they’ve been formally charged. 

Exactly,  the club either sanctioned it (very unlikely we are not that cleaver look at all the useless players we brought and no one spied on them before making the deal ) or they didn't.  Not difficult to say in statement.

We can get a statement out saying don't bring flares as it breaches rules x y z quick enough.

[sfc4prem]

Just now, Andy Hill said:

Not a skate - just worried that we have made a mess of a really good position.

It will only be turned into a mess if the players somehow let this tangential bit-on-the-side news affect them. They fucking won't. 

[stknowle]

I’m calling load of old bollocks and even if the club were that dumb and this is true a fine would be the punishment same as Leeds a few years ago.

[sambosa75]

Nice one Saints.  Always inventing new and exciting ways of fucking things up 😂

[beatlesaint]

2 minutes ago, stknowle said:

I’m calling load of old bollocks and even if the club were that dumb and this is true a fine would be the punishment same as Leeds a few years ago.

I bet if we don’t go up we’ll be fined and start on minus 3 points next season. They’ll make an example of us and if we are guilty rightly so. We will be tainted as cheats now for the foreseeable future. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

This probably deserves its own thread now

[James G]

I don't think the club would have sanctioned this. It's Middlesbrough, there are no surprises and there's nothing to see. If you are going to spy, you do it at the start of the season when you don't know anything. Even then, any intel would be very limited 

If the roles were reversed, I'd say the same thing. Both clubs have seen enough of each other this season. The whole situation is just comical 

It's probably just a rogue employee trying to further his prospects in a daft way. Just sack them and move on

[LGTL]

Team tomorrow then lads, what we thinking?

Peretz, Bree, Stephen, THB, Manning, Downes, Jander, Scienza, Azaz, Fellows, Larin. 

1-2 Saints 

[The Kraken]

Just now, sambosa75 said:

Nice one Saints.  Always inventing new and exciting ways of fucking things up 😂

This. Such a tinpot and utterly needless thing to do. Hopefully it’s a direction nowhere near the managerial team, but considering it’s a member of staff up there a few couple of days previous, I can’t see any other situation than we knowingly sent this hapless twat up there under instruction.

just so foolishly whoever pressed go on this. Blackmore and House coming out saying we probably did it tells a lot.

[stknowle]

3 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

I bet if we don’t go up we’ll be fined and start on minus 3 points next season. They’ll make an example of us and if we are guilty rightly so. We will be tainted as cheats now for the foreseeable future. 

I need to sleep on this before commenting any further 🍻 

[Dr Who?]

As a Saints fan and reading the statement, I have a horrible feeling that if we get to the final they are going to kick us out and reinstate the victim. This can be the only reason they want it resolved quickly and probably before or on the Wednesday morning. Of course it will be a fine or points deduction if we go out! I hope I am wrong but that was a strange sentence in the article! 
 

Are we going to be made an example of as the first team to do this since the new ruling? 

Edited 5 hours ago by Dr Who?

[bpsaint]

It certainly means things are going to be a bit tastier in Boro tomorrow and around the ground….

[saintant]

2 hours ago, 23rdSaint said:

Eeesh, pretty damning from Adam Blackmore and Alfie House: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nk63zn

To be honest considering there were 3 journalists in the car that is a pretty half baked report. None of them attempted to address the many discrepancies in the story coming out of Middlesboro which is just unprofessional. Whilst it my transpire that there was a spy present it should have been important for them to give a much more rounded breakdown on the events based on what is in the public domain. They failed miserably to do that.

Nothing has actually been proved and they'll look daft if the actual story is nothing like they've portrayed it to be.

[Winnersaint]

Just now, bpsaint said:

It certainly means things are going to be a bit tastier in Boro tomorrow and around the ground….

Has Southampton got enough plastic glasses and false moustaches for those travelling?

 

 

 

[die Mannyschaft]

3 minutes ago, LGTL said:

Team tomorrow then lads, what we thinking?

Peretz, Bree, Stephen, THB, Manning, Downes, Jander, Scienza, Azaz, Fellows, Larin. 

1-2 Saints 

I'll go with that. I think we need to attack and play a high line but suspect it will be sit in our own half and try to catch them on break. Boro 0-0 Saints. 

[Turkish]

2 hours ago, RedArmy said:

Maybe that’s why we’ve been overwatering our pitch the last few games. 
 

Not only do we spy on their training, we control the weather and have been preparing for this for weeks. 
 

Game set and match. 

Never underestimate the power of the CoT

[die Mannyschaft]

1 minute ago, Winnersaint said:

Has Southampton got enough plastic glasses and false moustaches for those travelling?

 

 

 

Saints fans will have a scarf, balaclava and binoculars on thier seat. 

[Badger]

3 minutes ago, Dr Who? said:

As a Saints fan and reading the statement, I have a horrible feeling that if we get to the final they are going to kick us out and reinstate the victim. This can be the only reason they want it resolved quickly and probably before or on the Wednesday morning. Of course it will be a fine or points deduction if we go out! I hope I am wrong but that was a strange sentence in the article! 
 

Are we going to be made an example of as the first team to do this since the new ruling? 

The thing that came to mind was Swindon I’m the early 90’s who won the play off final but were then replaced in the Premiership the following season by Sunderland. Can’t fully remember why, think it was  due to financial irregularities.

EFL will want to be seen to take a grand position on it if opportunity arises I expect. 
 

Ridiculous and unnecessary distraction and position to put ourselves in. If we did. 

[Turkish]

I see we’ve been charged so must be more to it than Boro making it up to sell tickets. What an utter embarrassment 

[LoyalSaintSO50]

9 minutes ago, LGTL said:

Team tomorrow then lads, what we thinking?

Peretz, Bree, Stephen, THB, Manning, Downes, Jander, Scienza, Azaz, Fellows, Larin. 

1-2 Saints 

Would have gone with that but the work experience lad reckons they’re starting with 4 up front 

[saintant]

2 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Nothing wrong with that if it's outside 72 hours before the match.

The relevant information is how many other clubs do it.

The whistle blower is a fruit loop - that's from Boro fans who have had previous interactions with him.

[EssEffCee]

1 minute ago, Turkish said:

I see we’ve been charged so must be more to it than Boro making it up to sell tickets. What an utter embarrassment 

Can't believe people actually thought that 🤣

As I said earlier just as batshit as some of the hysterical posts on their forum.

[LegalEagle]

Whatever decision the EFL try and make there are rules in place in terms of giving the Defendant, so to speak, time to make representations. There is also then the right to appeal and for the appeal to be heard. This could then easily end up in the High Court or before an appeal tribunal. Nothing will be finally decided if it is anything more than a fine before the Play Off final. This could run and run.

[madge]

44 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

They won't be able to do anything about the playoffs either way as we have a right to appeal. Still shit though and a distraction we don't need.

Might not have anything to

appeal against.. club appear to have screwed up big time. Embarrassing and who ever sanctioned this needs gone asap.