Saints Expelled from Playoffs

[Bobsmith]

This club are just full of incompetent morons from top to bottom. The legal and PR teams in particular. They should all be sacked if they don’t win the appeal 

[Sheaf Saint]

2 minutes ago, Mr X said:

So we are expected to believe that no one advised tonda that you can't spy on other clubs in the uk? 

Didn't someone post recently that we don't currently have anyone employed in the regulatory compliance role at the club?

Not that it excuses such an oversight, but it might at the very least explain it.

[Osvaldorama]

2 minutes ago, Sarcoidevo said:

We must have the dumbest moronic Management / Lawyers alive .... how the fk they couldn't think their way out of this clusterfk is utterly mind boggling ..... no concrete evidence about spying on Oxford / Ipswich just hearsay ..... yet we just meekly admit to it 

We could have even downplayed the Middlesborough incident 

This is the weirdest dumbest sht ever ..... mind blown 

Yep it’s absolutely absurd. All we had to do was deny everything and delay it until after the final. 
 

Mentalists. Genuinely could only be saints. Absolute cretins. 
 

We cheat, gain zero advantage, act like children and fuck up our entire season. 
 

Genuinely, all you can do is laugh. 

[SouthWalesSaints]

Been through the wringer with this tonight. Upset, anger, confusion, and now acceptance. It’s done ( baring a miracle ).  We have to create a siege mentality now, we’ve been wronged imo. To harshly dealt with is probably more apt. 
 

Hope we can reduce the points for next season, and then we need to sign Bree, Stewart signed tomorrow. Beg Larin and Peretz and try and get both of those done.  Then accept that we’ll lose a few but if we keep the majority we’ll still be a very good team in this league.  
 

[Midfield_General]

34 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

It's not a defence, but it is mitigation

Now THAT'S a funny post 

[Convict Colony]

10 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

They didn't need a whistleblower — according to the Telegraph, Parsons just fessed up to Gibson on the spot in front of a room full of people before we'd even had the chance to get a legal team on board. 

Our CEO, ladies and gentlemen 

fuck me

The thing about that quote was apparently parsons grab gibsons arm and said can we go somewhere quiet and then infront of an audience admitted everything .....

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Saint_clark said:

Yeah I want to know exactly how many people are involved in this. I still maintain it's possible the analyst team were acting on their own and presenting information without saying where they got it from, but it's a slim chance at this point.

I wanted to believe that, but this feels more systemic the more I see it. And if it's this systemic it's not just known by the analysts, it's running deeper throughout.

The full report will be somewhat revealing, this should show everything. Some of the snippets coming out tonight are grim and it shows us in such a terrible light. Dragging us through the gutter.

[beatlesaint]

I still cannot believe SFC haven’t had the fkin decency to put a statement up to the fans on their website.

Given they desperately need to win people’s trust back ignoring this ain’t a great start.

 

[SWLondon Saint]

1 minute ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Naive as an Austrian tourist in Soho.

it wasn’t a great situation but he made it 10 times worse, Who above him thought that was a good strategy?

Ratner-like.

He has to go if he was at the helm of the 'admit it' strategy, it beggars belief. Why not cut a deal with Salt and one or 2 others to take the fall? Unless the whistleblower really did have physical proof, in which case why was everyone so stupid to put anything in writing anyway?

[Doctoroncall]

37 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

Guys i have a job i have to pretend to do tomorrow, do any of you soothsayers know what time the appeal decision will be announced or are we saying late afternoon? or am i gonna have to hear about arsenal and the referee's winning the league for 24hrs

@stfrancisofbenali has been more or less right. 

[SNSUN]

1 minute ago, Harry_SFC said:

The Athletic reporting that the players are looking into legal action.

I wouldn't blame them. They've busted their arses to get to where they ended up. And they probably have promotion clauses that they will now not get. I wouldn't be surprised if the first team looked very different next season.

If I were a season ticket holder even I'd be looking at doing something, even if it's ultimately pointless. The fans have been wronged too and they spend a lot of money each season supporting their club only for this to happen. 

[EBS1980]

5 minutes ago, SNSUN said:

I'd guess the club haven't said anything yet because of the appeal. We'll hear from them tomorrow for sure. 

They should have at least acknowledged it though. A holding statement, disappointment at decision and appealing etc 

but nothing feels like another  two fingers up to the fans

[sadoldgit]

The world is turning to shit everywhere you look.

[obelisk]

6 minutes ago, sockeye said:

Ruh roh

Yeah but was that within the 72 hours arbitrary rule or not? 

[Sheaf Saint]

1 minute ago, Saint_clark said:

Yeah I want to know exactly how many people are involved in this. I still maintain it's possible the analyst team were acting on their own and presenting information without saying where they got it from, but it's a slim chance at this point.

If the claim being made in the Telegraph that the players joked about it with mocked up images of Salt in camo gear, I think we can safely rule this out.

[BotleySaint]

Just now, SouthWalesSaints said:

 

Hope we can reduce the points for next season, and then we need to sign Bree, Stewart signed tomorrow. Beg Larin and Peretz and try and get both of those done.  Then accept that we’ll lose a few but if we keep the majority we’ll still be a very good team in this league.  
 

Hard to see why anyone would want to stay and play for us now. Players must be livid if they didn't already know.

[Hoggins]

Middlesbrough were also given a damning photograph that was shared internally at Southampton from December. The picture showed a soldier in full camouflage gear. The face of the soldier had been replaced with an image of Salt.
It appeared to prove that not only was the practice well established, it was a source of amusement among other staff members.
 

—

 

We are bang to rights here and should accept our medicine 

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, scumbag said:

It's hard to muster up any kind of defence for a club that deems it necessary to spy on Oxford, but I guess we'll always be left to wonder whether if the orchestrated media shit show of the last few days hadn't happened, would the panel still have reached this decision?  I have my doubts, but its probably naive to have any faith in due process these days.

If Parsons hadn’t run off the mouth, it’s probably less of a firestorm.

The lad who went back to Boro should be under an NDA. SFC HR and Legal fucked up there seemingly. The alleged pictures of jokes and being in army gear in December paint a grim picture of the culture. Seemingly bullying allegations too in the mix.  

 

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

24 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

pretty sure it was illegal at barnsley

Hopefully this is the start of a house of cards.

Good chance Barnsley have been doing it if Tonda thought it was Ok.

Nicky Butt (part owner of Salford) has openly admitted it being common practice.

No doubt other clubs too, just so bloody typical and incompetent for it to be us that gets found out. 

[Paul_B]

1 hour ago, Window Cleaner said:

So, in short, we broke the rules, got caught and have now been punished for breaking said rules. 

Makes sensé really. 

 

 

But it doesn't though does it. We've been caught "shoplifting" but been given a death sentence. That is in no way the right punishment.

A lot of people on here seem to be ignoring the fact that we are clearly not the only club to have done this. It is rife. No doubt those Boro cunts have been doing it themselves! I'm not saying it makes it ok to do it, but we are by no means any more of a 'disgrace', 'shambles',  'embarassment' than anyone else! We just fucked up by getting caught. 

This punishment will completely and utterly destroy our club and no matter how I look at all of this it just isn't right. I cannot make it make sense.

I do get an element of anger towards the club but the real anger should be aimed at the incompentent EFL cunts because how they have dealt with this is a fucking diagrace!

[S-Clarke]

Just now, beatlesaint said:

I still cannot believe SFC haven’t had the fkin decency to put a statement up to the fans on their website.

Given they desperately need to win people’s trust back ignoring this ain’t a great start.

 

Yeah it's a bit of a shit show, it really is. It's all over the national news, papers, everywhere - but we still have the playoff final arrangements on our website. I saw that Parsons has sent an internal mail to staff, but what about the fans? Fuckers.

It just sums it all up really. We are run by absolute lunatics who have no idea about running a football club.

[Saint86]

8 minutes ago, sockeye said:

Ruh roh

I'd suggest Taylor will be looking over his shoulder for a very long time. 

[trousers]

46 minutes ago, Colinjb said:

To be as seemingly meticulous as he is and not know the rules?

I don't buy it.

 

39 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Why would he think it is if every other league in the world does not ban it?

Indeed. There's an infinite number of rules that don't exist, ergo you can't expect someone who doesn't know about a given rule to ask if it exists... 

[stknowle]

37 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Sounds like it all came from Tonda, because he 'didn't know it was a rule' in this league. His analyst background from other countries would have probably included this sort of thing as standard, I'm sure other clubs do it all over the world.

I do think it's a silly rule in the sense that the '72' hour thing is nonsense and it only applies to the EFL, so in my eyes this punishment is obviously massively disproportionate, but going back to the club it just stinks of incompetence and inexperience from everyone at our club.

That would be my exact reading of the situation. Tonda did it not knowing it was a problem, the club was too stupid to set him right or too ignorant to know he was doing it. 

[Convict Colony]

7 minutes ago, sockeye said:

Ruh roh

i was writing some shit but i give up, having a photo is no evidence this is bollocks

[Mboto Gorge]

6 minutes ago, Sergei Gotsmanov said:

You will always have some diverse opinions on a popular forum some comments are of course is embarrassing some rational.

It does though take a special type of character to sign up to a rival supporter's forum to deliver three paragraphs of abuse. I think that if you were to tell the people around you that you had done this, they would think you rather odd. Less generous people might suggests that you should seek some form of help. There is some kind of flaw there. 

Good luck with the final though. You will probably find like we did that its more fun in the championship!

Hes clearly got a very small penis

[LGTL]

The players are absolutely fucking furious, many considering legal action against the club. 

We’re in complete disarray. 

[trousers]

[Saint_clark]

2 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

If the claim being made in the Telegraph that the players joked about it with mocked up images of Salt in camo gear, I think we can safely rule this out.

Does it mention players though? It just says a group chat among staff members. Could easily be an analyst group chat, which the whistleblower was a part of.

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, Saint86 said:

I'd suggest Taylor will be looking over his shoulder for a very long time. 

If he’d been under NDA on a package as he should have been it never transpires.

Industrial ineptitude. Most of us would be fired for it.

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

Just now, Paul_B said:

But it doesn't though does it. We've been caught "shoplifting" but been given a death sentence. That is in no way the right punishment.

A lot of people on here seem to be ignoring the fact that we are clearly not the only club to have done this

Totally agree. Although I'm guessing our appeal tomorrow will probably also be pretty pathetic and when we get our four point penalty reduced to two we'll be told justice has been served.

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Gloucester Saint said:

If he’d been under NDA on a package as he should have been it never transpires.

Industrial ineptitude. Most of us would be fired for it.

Are you saying SR were incompetent in something else? I don't believe you.

[Patrick Bateman]

Just now, trousers said:

Pft, they fucked up, need to just let it go. Good luck with season ticket renewals. 

[Fabrice29]

5 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

I still cannot believe SFC haven’t had the fkin decency to put a statement up to the fans on their website.

Given they desperately need to win people’s trust back ignoring this ain’t a great start.

 

Just being really professional and not commenting unlike those shit bags Boro. Right guys?

[Saint86]

3 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

i was writing some shit but i give up, having a photo is no evidence this is bollocks

Who needs evidence when your fucking CEO walks in and admits everything off hand and thinks announcing you'll pay a fine to the efl will placate the wronged party. I said years ago he needed booting out with rasmus. Mortal damage done now.

Let alone sacking an analyst from a rival team with seemingly no NDA.

Edited 1 hour ago by Saint86

[SNSUN]

3 minutes ago, Hoggins said:

Middlesbrough were also given a damning photograph that was shared internally at Southampton from December. The picture showed a soldier in full camouflage gear. The face of the soldier had been replaced with an image of Salt.
It appeared to prove that not only was the practice well established, it was a source of amusement among other staff members.
 

—

 

We are bang to rights here and should accept our medicine 

The club have been stringing the fans along for months. Sack them all.

Pompey might have Michael Eisner but we are the Mickey Mouse club.

[Convict Colony]

Also regards the photo, just tonight on the way home i shared a photo that made a female friend of mine have hairy legs and hobbit feet and also another friend have skinnier than normal legs so i could do leg day jokes.

I create meme photos daily so i wouldnt put too much store in a camo photo of salt

[sfc4prem]

1 minute ago, Fabrice29 said:

Just being really professional and not commenting unlike those shit bags Boro. Right guys?

You absolutely love it, don't you? Not the situation we're in, no, but being right. Fucking sickening.

[Osvaldorama]

Just now, Saint86 said:

Who needs evidence when your fucking CEO walks in and admits everything off hand and thinks laying a fine to the efl will placate the wronged party. I said years ago he needed booting out with rasmus. Mortal damage done now.

The most saints thing ever:

- Systemic cheating

- Gain zero advantage 

- Admit to opposition you’ve done it

- Ruin entire season 

 

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

 

Couldn’t write it

[sockeye]

Southampton players are exploring their options regarding legal action against the club if the English Football League’s verdict to expel them from the Championship play-off final is upheld.

A source close to the dressing room, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to do so, confirmed that Tonda Eckert’s squad had largely been kept away from the affair and only had the basic details communicated to them by the club.

The players were furious at the EFL verdict, having only found out at the same time as everyone else, with members of the squad who had taken 40 per cent pay cuts after suffering relegation from the top flight year were due to have that reinstated in the event of promotion to the Premier League.

They are due to meet with the club on Wednesday, and sources with knowledge of the players’ situation confirmed to The Athletic that they have contacted the Professional Footballers’ Association for advice.

[badgerx16]

Which is worse, getting caught spying or being exposed as feckin eejits across the entire organisation ?

[Middlewordie]

Tonda, Tonda, Tonda.. you silly boy.

EFL could have done this smarter by making us forfeit each game where we broke the rules with a 3-0 loss. Same outcome, no impact on playoff places or relegation, and no one could really challenge that as being an unfair outcome. Are EFL really saying that just for breach of this rule, a team is excluded from promotion chances? That seems unfair enough to challenge, especially as it is an untested rule. Interested to see how far Saints want to take it...

Edited 1 hour ago by Middlewordie

[S-Clarke]

Just now, sockeye said:

Southampton players are exploring their options regarding legal action against the club if the English Football League’s verdict to expel them from the Championship play-off final is upheld.

A source close to the dressing room, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to do so, confirmed that Tonda Eckert’s squad had largely been kept away from the affair and only had the basic details communicated to them by the club.

The players were furious at the EFL verdict, having only found out at the same time as everyone else, with members of the squad who had taken 40 per cent pay cuts after suffering relegation from the top flight year were due to have that reinstated in the event of promotion to the Premier League.

They are due to meet with the club on Wednesday, and sources with knowledge of the players’ situation confirmed to The Athletic that they have contacted the Professional Footballers’ Association for advice.

What a complete mess this all is.

The last act of SR I hope.

[CB Fry]

1 minute ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Pft, they fucked up, need to just let it go. Good luck with season ticket renewals. 

Feels to me less of an appeal and more of an opportunity to make it difficult for tickets to go on sale for Boro and to stop the match being played on Saturday. We're just being pricks now.

[badgerx16]

4 minutes ago, trousers said:

So if we had had the full 14 days the outcome would have been different ?

[Saint86]

2 minutes ago, sockeye said:

Southampton players are exploring their options regarding legal action against the club if the English Football League’s verdict to expel them from the Championship play-off final is upheld.

A source close to the dressing room, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to do so, confirmed that Tonda Eckert’s squad had largely been kept away from the affair and only had the basic details communicated to them by the club.

The players were furious at the EFL verdict, having only found out at the same time as everyone else, with members of the squad who had taken 40 per cent pay cuts after suffering relegation from the top flight year were due to have that reinstated in the event of promotion to the Premier League.

They are due to meet with the club on Wednesday, and sources with knowledge of the players’ situation confirmed to The Athletic that they have contacted the Professional Footballers’ Association for advice.

Wonder if the club can be found to have somehow breached their contracts.

This punishment could be a real club killer.

Edited 1 hour ago by Saint86

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, sfc4prem said:

You absolutely love it, don't you? Not the situation we're in, no, but being right. Fucking sickening.

Leave it alone, he’s/she’s a troll. Always deflecting blame onto the fanbase when the club/board/owners comes under scrutiny so this was never going to be any different.

[Fabrice29]

2 minutes ago, sfc4prem said:

You absolutely love it, don't you? Not the situation we're in, no, but being right. Fucking sickening.

Yep. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

Interesting if we’re challenging the process, specifically the 14 days on appeal. Wasn’t there a top lawyer bid who questioned the part about full details of report being released later in summer. He said, how can you have a fair appeal if you can’t read the full findings & have time to digest them. 

[sfc4prem]

Just now, Fabrice29 said:

Yep. 

Fair play. I love that you own it. Enjoy your evening.