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Saints Expelled from Playoffs

St Chalet

By St Chalet
in The Saints

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Sheaf Saint

Sheaf Saint

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, PerthshireSaint said:

Been on these forums since Saintsforever days. That’s a long old time. 
 

We’ve been together through thin , thinner and now wafer thin. 
 

Threads like this are just fkn wonderful despite everything that is going on. 
 

🫡 Whatever happens, I can count on you lot to somehow make it all a little bit less shit and a fk of a lot funnier. 

Amen.

The ability of this place to provide an endless supply of laughs during the darkest of times at the club, on and off the pitch, is what has kept me coming back for over 20 years.

  • Like 4
RedArmy

RedArmy

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Suhari said:

"What they don't wanna do now Adam, is get found guilty."

 

He’d certainly be in our corner on this one! 

sfc4prem

sfc4prem

Posted
Posted
Just now, Saint_clark said:

Unfortunately as I said earlier, I think if we were being reinstated they would have announced it straight away. The fact they've delayed it and allowed more time for Boro tickets to be on sale having already known the outcome tells me that the original decision is being upheld.

You were spot on with your gut before. Hope you're wrong now!

Problem is, most people see it as a fucking harsh punishment. The EFL would look like even bigger mugs if it were overturned.

JustinR

JustinR

Posted
Posted

Hiring **Lord Pannick KC** is the ultimate "nuclear option" in the English legal system. If Southampton are trying to overturn an unprecedented EFL decision to expel them from the playoff final, there is quite literally no bigger name they could have turned to.

He is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant, formidable, and expensive appellate barristers of his generation. When a multi-million-pound entity faces a catastrophic ruling, he is the man they call.

## Why He Is the "Go-To" for High-Stakes Appeals

Lord Pannick (David Pannick) doesn’t usually spend his time arguing over standard football regulations; he is a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords who routinely handles landmark constitutional law cases in the UK Supreme Court.

His reputation is built on a few core strengths that align perfectly with Southampton's current predicament:

 * **The Master of "Proportionality":** Pannick is a genius at convincing panels that a punishment is fundamentally unfair relative to the crime. Since the Saints' core defense is that expulsion *plus* a four-point deduction is "wholly disproportionate" (especially given the spying didn't actually help them win those matches), this is his bread and butter.

 * **Exploiting Procedural Flaws:** He doesn't just argue the facts; he tears apart *how* the governing body reached its decision. If the EFL rushed the Independent Disciplinary Commission or breached its own procedural guidelines to force a verdict before Saturday, Pannick will expose it.

 * **Calm, Laser-Focused Advocacy:** Judges and panels respect him immensely. He doesn't shout or resort to histrionics; he delivers devastatingly logical, unshakeable legal arguments that make regulatory frameworks look flimsy.

## His High-Profile Track Record

You might recognize his name because he is frequently brought into the sporting and political spotlight when the stakes are at their absolute highest:

### 1. Manchester City vs. UEFA & The Premier League

When UEFA hit Manchester City with a two-year Champions League ban in 2020, City hired Pannick. He successfully got the ban overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). City then retained his services to front their massive legal defense against the Premier League's 115 financial charges.

### 2. Gina Miller v. The Prime Minister (2019)

In one of the most famous constitutional law cases in British history, Pannick represented Gina Miller and successfully argued in the Supreme Court that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's prorogation (suspension) of Parliament was unlawful.

### 3. Boris Johnson & Partygate

When Boris Johnson was being investigated by the Parliamentary Privileges Committee over the "Partygate" scandal, he hired Pannick to review the committee's approach, with Pannick arguing the process was unfair.

## What Will His Strategy Be for Saints?

Given that Southampton have already admitted to multiple breaches of training-ground observation (Middlesbrough, Oxford, and Ipswich), Pannick won't try to prove the club is innocent of the acts. Instead, his appeal strategy tonight will likely hammer three points:

 1. **The Precedent Disconnect:** He will argue that jumping from the **£200,000 fine** Leeds received for "Spygate" in 2019 to **complete expulsion** in 2026 is an irrational and arbitrary escalation of punishment.

 2. **Double Jeopardy:** He will argue that hitting the club with a 4-point deduction *and* removing them from a £200m match is punishing them twice for the same offense, effectively destroying the club’s financial future.

 3. **The Compressed Timeline:** He may argue that forcing an appeal within a microscopic 24-to-48-hour window has prejudiced the club’s ability to properly defend itself, violating the principles of natural justice.

## Is He a Guaranteed Savior?

**No.** Even the greatest barrister in the country cannot change airtight rules if the panel is determined to make an example of the club. Pannick has lost major cases before—such as representing Shamima Begum in her attempt to return to the UK, and various high-profile government welfare challenges.

If the newly drafted EFL Regulation 127 is written so strictly that expulsion is a explicitly mandated outcome for multiple offenses, Pannick’s room to maneuver is limited.

> **The Bottom Line:** Hiring him means Southampton’s ownership group is sparing no expense. They are paying top-of-the-market rates (rumored to be thousands of pounds per hour) to give themselves the absolute best chance of salvaging their Wembley dream. If anyone can find a loophole or a procedural error to get the Saints back into Saturd

ay's final, it's him.

> 

  • Like 2
Lord Duckhunter

Lord Duckhunter

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Pamplemousse said:

Given their track record that's bad news for us.

Given their track record 😂😂. You nods were convinced they didn’t have a case. They were right and people like you were wrong. 

  • Haha 1
trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

I’d forgotten about that 🤣 purposely releasing statements after the Echo had gone to print. What a little bastard he was.

Yeah, but he was 'our' bastard... Oh for one of his ilk on the board the last few weeks... 

Edited by trousers
  • Like 1
Saint_clark

Saint_clark

Posted
Posted
Just now, S-Clarke said:

But if you swap that logic to yesterday, it's the same argument. They allowed us to continue selling tickets up until 5pmish if i recall correctly. 

There's no logic to anything here, literally anything can happen.

You're right to be fair, I remember being on the ticket site looking at how many were left and was literally on the seat map when the news broke. 

trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Given their track record 😂😂. You nods were convinced they didn’t have a case. They were right and people like you were wrong. 

House!

  • Haha 1
LordHester

LordHester

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Saint_clark said:

Unfortunately as I said earlier, I think if we were being reinstated they would have announced it straight away. The fact they've delayed it and allowed more time for Boro tickets to be on sale having already known the outcome tells me that the original decision is being upheld.

Don’t understand your thinking here. They’re trying to overturn a decision; that’s not going to happen straight away?

  • Like 1
Tommy

Tommy

Posted
Posted (edited)

The hearing didn’t start until 7pm right? Was always going to be a late one

Edited by Tommy
Holmes_and_Watson

Holmes_and_Watson

Posted
Posted
24 minutes ago, trousers said:

One suggestion is that its better to lose the initial hearing and then win the appeal, as the EFL can't then appeal the appeal.... Dunno... Who knows...

It's an appealing thought. 🙂

Saint_clark

Saint_clark

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, sfc4prem said:

You were spot on with your gut before. Hope you're wrong now!

Problem is, most people see it as a fucking harsh punishment. The EFL would look like even bigger mugs if it were overturned.

I'm trying to not get my hopes up as well. All day I've been thinking the tide is turning in terms of public opinion, and had a feeling we'd win. Now I just don't want to be disappointed again.

SNSUN

SNSUN

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, kwsaint said:

I turn 30 tomorrow. This could make a break this decade for me.

Nice. You go from being unable to control an erection to being delighted you got one.

Wait, just me? I wondered why the wife kept putting blue Cheerios in my bowl.

Saint_clark

Saint_clark

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, LordHester said:

Don’t understand your thinking here. They’re trying to overturn a decision; that’s not going to happen straight away?

My point is if the decision is made to overturn it, I think they'd announce it straight away to allow Boro to stop selling tickets they'd have to refund later. Maybe I'm wrong - I hope I am.

Saint86

Saint86

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Suhari said:

"What they don't wanna do now Adam, is get found guilty."

 

Can't not read this in Tessem's voice, absolutely cracked me up 😂

Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

Unfortunately as I said earlier, I think if we were being reinstated they would have announced it straight away. The fact they've delayed it and allowed more time for Boro tickets to be on sale having already known the outcome tells me that the original decision is being upheld.

Complete conjecture. There’s no connection between either club selling tickets and what’s actually going on in the hearing. I don’t think yesterday’s decision will be overturned simply because there’s no new evidence to warrant it but nothing was ever going to happen ‘straight away’ regardless of the decision.

  • Haha 1
Pamplemousse

Pamplemousse

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Given their track record 😂😂. You nods were convinced they didn’t have a case. They were right and people like you were wrong. 

I've never claimed to be ITK, I didn't have a clue what was going on. 

Obviously we're all having a bit too much fun and a laugh on here for your tastes so crawl back into your hole.

  • Haha 1
saintant

saintant

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

Complete conjecture. There’s no connection between either club selling tickets and what’s actually going on in the hearing. I don’t think yesterday’s decision will be overturned simply because there’s no new evidence to warrant it but nothing was ever going to happen ‘straight away’ regardless of the decision.

It's not a question of new evidence more of whether the punishment was excessive.

  • Like 1
broken spoke

broken spoke

Posted
Posted (edited)

its too close to call what the outcome will be , but it does smell like a boro trap,  as they protested too much...

Edited by broken spoke
Harry_SFC

Harry_SFC

Posted
Posted
Just now, broken spoke said:

its too close to call what the outcome will be , but do feel it smell like a boro trap, they protested too much...

It was clearly a bit of a set up. They knew he'd be going there.

  • Like 1
Saint86

Saint86

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, SNSUN said:

The forum is slowing down. Traffic is increasing. Somebody put 10p in the meter.

Steve needs to get pedalling.

Saint_clark

Saint_clark

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

Complete conjecture. There’s no connection between either club selling tickets and what’s actually going on in the hearing. I don’t think yesterday’s decision will be overturned simply because there’s no new evidence to warrant it but nothing was ever going to happen ‘straight away’ regardless of the decision.

Of course it's conjecture. I said "I think",  not "I can guarantee".

bpsaint

bpsaint

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, skintsaint said:

Forgot Villa were playing in a final tonight....they doing well 😅

Villa winning tonight and finishing 5th on Sunday could see Bournemouth qualify for the Champions League in 6th.

Fucking Boscombe, in the Champions League. Mental.

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