The Spygate Saga

[Ted Bates Statue]

5 hours ago, West Dean FC Legend said:

Just popped on the Ugly Inside - I don't go very often because I'm not extreme-right-wing and angry - and somewhere is saying another EFL club has been accused of 'spying' this season? 

Anyone got any info' on this? If it is true - and with evidence - this is really going to stitch up the EFL, if they find out there is more than a couple alongside Saints what will they do?

They're talking about Steve Grant, the owner of some saints-related website, think it's called saintsnet or websaints.

Without wading through the podcast, he's apparently deduced that one of the clubs that Boro tried to whip up to pile on us declined to help because they too are guilty. But just because they can't be arsed, it doesn't mean there's necessarily anything there.

It would be great if Parsons actually had a reverse uno card to the rest of the division, which he alluded to in the creation of a 'working group' but I think it's safe to say we have absolutely no incriminating evidence that others spied, because even if we did, the idiots would have lost it.

As an aside, the Ugly's "Field bindweed cannot flower in May" conspiracy theory about the Will Salt photo has definitely been one of the more unexpected diversions to this fiasco.

[kwsaint]

Is there a way for this thread to be filed away somewhere for posterity? I would genuinely put it up there with the Pompey Takeover Saga thread and it must have broken some record for the number of posts in a given number of days.

[Cuddles]

Told you everyone's at it!

 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

4 hours ago, Cuddles said:

Told you everyone's at it!

 

The SFA found evidence at Thistle's training ground. But on inspection couldn't be sure if all the Tennant's Export cans belonged to a spy, the Thistle players or the local kids. 

[saintant]

Just read a very interesting article referenced by The Ugly Inside. It can be found on page 3 of the topic How About This!!!!!! It was written by Sir Nicholas Mostyn KC and, whilst he is a Saints fan, he undoubtedly knows more about legal matters than anyone else on this forum.  Suffice to say he is far from impressed with the handling/findings of the EFL and Commission who handed down the verdict and punishment nor is he satisfied with the handing and verdict of the appeal.

[benjii]

4 minutes ago, saintant said:

Just read a very interesting article referenced by The Ugly Inside. It can be found on page 3 of the topic How About This!!!!!! It was written by Sir Nicholas Mostyn KC and, whilst he is a Saints fan, he undoubtedly knows more about legal matters than anyone else on this forum.  Suffice to say he is far from impressed with the handling/findings of the EFL and Commission who handed down the verdict and punishment nor is he satisfied with the handing and verdict of the appeal.

https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2026/05/26/op-ed-sir-nicholas-mostyn-kc-soutampton-fc-admiral-byng-is-shot-again/

 

Here it is.

[leesaint88]

12 minutes ago, benjii said:

https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2026/05/26/op-ed-sir-nicholas-mostyn-kc-soutampton-fc-admiral-byng-is-shot-again/

 

Here it is.

Very interesting - bombshell statement here.

As the losing party, Southampton are entitled to know precisely what was the evidence that led to these damning findings. Yet the section on evidence says merely that the EFL relied on evidence from four witnesses, one of whom gave oral evidence, while Southampton relied on evidence from “several witnesses”, four of whom gave oral evidence. There is no mention of the written evidence, which must have been copious, and there is no attempt to explain how that evidence led to the findings mentioned above. On reading the judgment, Southampton could not know what evidence provided the proof for these findings. It could have a guess, but it is entitled to know, especially when so much was at stake, precisely what oral and written evidence was relied on to reach these conclusions. 

[It's There]

But where do we go from here? To the High Court?

I have no issue with being found guilty, but I DO with the process. The process followed stinks of being rushed and arguably unfair. There is a part of me that wants Saints FC to take EFL to High Court for their handling of the case.

 

[hippo]

Just now, It's There said:

But where do we go from here? To the High Court?

I have no issue with being found guilty, but I DO with the process. The process followed stinks of being rushed and arguably unfair. There is a part of me that wants Saints FC to take EFL to High Court for their handling of the case.

 

I do think there's a plausible route where we internally rectify the situation through our own investigation, and hand out appropriate punishments to individuals involved to show that systemic cheating is not what we accept at our club, whilst also making sure the EFL don't get away with their kangaroo court proceedings. 

[saintant]

4 minutes ago, hippo said:

I do think there's a plausible route where we internally rectify the situation through our own investigation, and hand out appropriate punishments to individuals involved to show that systemic cheating is not what we accept at our club, whilst also making sure the EFL don't get away with their kangaroo court proceedings. 

Not sure how we go about that eevn if I do agree it was akin to a kangaroo court.

[Whitey Grandad]

4 minutes ago, saintant said:

Not sure how we go about that eevn if I do agree it was akin to a kangaroo court.

The decision was made before the hearing. Or so it appears.

[Dirkdiggler]

13 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

The decision was made before the hearing. Or so it appears.

Have to agree the punishment handed out was very much in keeping with Borro’s press release once they were told they couldn’t be part of the hearing. 

[M271]

What would the punishment have been if we had lost the semi final? Or would just not being in the playoff final have been enough specifically in relation to the Middlesbrough incident.