The Spygate Saga

[Toadhall Saint]

I’m expecting an announcement from the FA by the end of this week.

[BranfootsLoveChild]

I think the FA will wait until we've climbed the table then fuck us over big time. 

[Patches O Houlihan]

1 hour ago, BranfootsLoveChild said:

I think the FA will wait until we've climbed the table then fuck us over big time. 

Did you hear Tonda on the last question of the Birmingham pre-game press conference? 

He was trying to say that the EFL and FA have fucked the Championship clubs over with an evening kick off on transfer deadline day. You could see he wanted to call them cunts; had about three goes at trying to phrase it so we understood he wasn't impressed, but might avoid a ban from the worthless thin skinned bureaucrats.

Edited September 1 by Patches O Houlihan

[Miltonaggro]

2 hours ago, BranfootsLoveChild said:

I think the FA will wait until we've climbed the table then fuck us over big time. 

Yep, I get the impression that’s the script. 

[StrangelyBrown]

I see the guardian are trying to stoke the fire:

https://share.google/PQ6EezOOG5JvEElE4

I do wish the media would give it up. Maybe focus on something useful like the FPL allocating a referee that used to play for bristol city to our game yesterday?

[CSA96]

 

[LiberalCommunist]

I really do think, if we were absolutely flying, annihilating the opposition, they would go harder on us. That would have them on a crusade to tear us down even further. In truth the damage (self) inflicted right now cannot be properly measured as yet. But it could well turn out to be catastrophic. Chucked out of a very winnable play off final, then subsequently missing out on the auto's due to the four point deduction, that could have ramifications for years! 

They want us to suffer. They want us as the example they still have control. But another punishment dump could be hard to justify considering we are still serving the last two. 

This inconsistency of form we are suffering from, might well be thing thing that quietly lets this unfold without too much fanfare. 

I mean, there's no club in the country who stands by a manager with a six month ban who can't keep a clean sheet and can't win away from home. They understand the consequences of the next over reaction. Him getting jettisoned by us the very next day does not fit the criteria. 

Six game touch line ban and a large personal fine incoming. Anything else and the baby is going out the window rapidly following the bath tub. 

This shit ends this week. We've all had enough.

[Disco Stu]

On 01/09/2026 at 09:52, BranfootsLoveChild said:

I think the FA will wait until we've climbed the table then fuck us over big time. 

The FA won't be deciding anything. The sanctions will be decided by a panel of three consisting of a KC and two "industry experts".

[do i not like fizzy pop]

I'm pretty much resigned to the opinion that the FA will throw not just the book but the whole library at Tonda, just as the EFL did at the club with expulsion from the playoffs. 

A soft target to be made an example of and they can be seen to be tough on rule breakers while City and Chelsea either get away with it or get a financial slap on the wrist. 

If the punishment is punitive then we as fans must not take it lying down, regardless of what the club does in the immediate aftermath. 

 

[Britannia]

I wonder if the lack of spending in the summer relieves some funds for a new manager?  Promoting Garner or Lallana, or both, seems the likely option.

[sfc4prem]

24 minutes ago, do i not like fizzy pop said:

If the punishment is punitive then we as fans must not take it lying down, regardless of what the club does in the immediate aftermath. 

I have severe doubts in our fanbase's ability to react in a proactive and fiery manner to an injustice like this.

[Nordic Saint]

1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

The FA won't be deciding anything. The sanctions will be decided by a panel of three consisting of a KC and two "industry experts".

They'll be provided by the same company that the EFL disciplinary panel was - Sport Resolutions - so they will concur with them.

0a0e87d0-5538-11f1-ab88-f930a57d19ce.pdf

It's a shame Sport Resolutions have a monopoly in the business because with both the EFL and FA using them,  it means we get the same severity of punishment twice. If there were a rival company, the second panel might take a different view. But the panel members will all want to keep their lucrative jobs with Sport Resolutions so they won't risk disagreeing. It's all about money in the end.

Edited 11 hours ago by Nordic Saint

[qwertyell]

4 hours ago, CSA96 said:

 

Good, get it done.

Then we can finally draw a line under it and get on with the season without all the uncertainty hanging over our heads. 

Albeit, we chose this path, knowing full well that we were going to face further sanctions and disruption, rather than cleaning house and moving on in the summer. 

We've got no excuses for not having rock solid contingency plans in place, regardless of the outcome. 

[trousers]

50 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

They'll be provided by the same company that the EFL disciplinary panel was - Sport Resolutions - so they will concur with them.

0a0e87d0-5538-11f1-ab88-f930a57d19ce.pdf

It's a shame Sport Resolutions have a monopoly in the business because with both the EFL and FA using them,  it means we get the same severity of punishment twice. If there were a rival company, the second panel might take a different view. But the panel members will all want to keep their lucrative jobs with Sport Resolutions so they won't risk disagreeing. It's all about money in the end.

Will Sport Resolutions be selecting panel members without any connections (no matter how fleeting) to the case this time around...?

[Weston Super Saint]

13 minutes ago, trousers said:

Will Sport Resolutions be selecting panel members without any connections (no matter how fleeting) to the case this time around...?

More importantly, will we be using legal council (at all?) that will actually bother to look?

[LiberalCommunist]

We've got no excuses for not having rock solid contingency plans in place, regardless of the outcome.

_________________________________________________

What, like a replacement lined up? 

Jesus, even on easy mode that plan has a massive failure rate...................its why we are sticking by the dude.

 

[Badger]

3 hours ago, Nordic Saint said:

They'll be provided by the same company…

It's a shame Sport Resolutions have a monopoly in the business because with both the EFL and FA using them,  it means we get the same severity of punishment twice. If there were a rival company, the second panel might take a different view.m But the panel members will all want to keep their lucrative jobs with Sport Resolutions so they won't risk disagreeing. It's all about money in the end.

So, no conflict of interest whatsoever.
 

And no it’s not about money, it’s all about the integrity of the game…

What bollocks. 

[Harry_SFC]

The fact that Parsons has done an interview with the BBC worries me. I think the club are expecting bad news.

Parsons speaking at all is bad news tbf. Bloke is a buffoon. 

[EssEffCee]

25 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

The fact that Parsons has done an interview with the BBC worries me. I think the club are expecting bad news.

Parsons speaking at all is bad news tbf. Bloke is a buffoon. 

Where is this interview?

[Harry_SFC]

Just now, EssEffCee said:

Where is this interview?

Being released on Tuesday morning

[Dr Who?]

The club or/and Tonda will have an idea of what the punishment might be, it will be a range between A and B. They will not be left completely in the dark. 

[saintant]

15 minutes ago, EssEffCee said:

Where is this interview?

They were discussing this on TSP tonight. Apparently Tonda is doing an interview tomorrow then Parsons on Tuesday. The panel said they can't imagine Tonda will say anything new but are concerned about what Parsons may come up with. 

[Saint86]

2 hours ago, Badger said:

So, no conflict of interest whatsoever.
 

And no it’s not about money, it’s all about the integrity of the game…

What bollocks. 

Well at this point, it's about sports resolution covering their arses.

[Saint86]

40 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

Being released on Tuesday morning

Please tell me you guys are joking... There is no scenario where Parsons should be let near the press re spygate prior to it being all resolved, let alone a couple of days before the hearing... His track record on this is worse than appalling... One last chance for him to bury us further I guess.

Edited 6 hours ago by Saint86

[danjosaint]

Both shouldn't still have a job in SFC 

[Thripp87]

6 hours ago, qwertyell said:

Good, get it done.

Then we can finally draw a line under it and get on with the season without all the uncertainty hanging over our heads. 

Albeit, we chose this path, knowing full well that we were going to face further sanctions and disruption, rather than cleaning house and moving on in the summer. 

We've got no excuses for not having rock solid contingency plans in place, regardless of the outcome. 

That last paragraph gives Sports Republic and the likes of that cretin Parsons far more credit than they deserve. They will be caught like rabbits in headlights. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

If they’re reading an interview Tuesday then surely the outcome will be delivered beforehand?

Was suggested early Sunday morning that it would be end of the week an outcome would be delivered.

[trousers]

3 hours ago, Harry_SFC said:

The fact that Parsons has done an interview with the BBC worries me. I think the club are expecting bad news.

Parsons speaking at all is bad news tbf. Bloke is a buffoon. 

I've just heard this too... What the f*** do the club (or their lawyers) think there is to be gained by letting Parsons loose in front of a microphone BEFORE the FA panel reach their verdict...? Unless, as you say, the club have already been made aware of the FA's decision (ahead of the formal hearing on Thursday / Friday) and it's 'worse case scenario' and we're going to go down fighting... But, even so, Parsons FFS...? Have the club learned nothing after the Parsons shit-show before, during and after the EFL decision...?

This has got "rest of season total footballing ban" written all over it IMO... There's no way Parsons gets in front of a microphone at this stage of the proceedings if the decision is either unknown or looking like it might be favourable...

What a load of old shite. 

Edited 4 hours ago by trousers

[manji]

24 minutes ago, trousers said:

I've just heard this too... What the f*** do the club (or their lawyers) think there is to be gained by letting Parsons loose in front of a microphone BEFORE the FA panel reach their verdict...? Unless, as you say, the club have already been made aware of the FA's decision (ahead of the formal hearing on Thursday / Friday) and it's 'worse case scenario' and we're going to go down fighting... But, even so, Parsons FFS...? Have the club learned nothing after the Parsons shit-show before, during and after the EFL decision...?

This has got "rest of season total footballing ban" written all over it IMO... There's no way Parsons gets in front of a microphone at this stage of the proceedings if the decision is either unknown or looking like it might be favourable...

What a load of old shite. 

WTF you taking about ? Guessing about unfounded speculation. Just shut the fk up and see what happens.

[trousers]

23 minutes ago, manji said:

WTF you taking about ? Guessing about unfounded speculation. Just shut the fk up and see what happens.

Are you my wife?

[Willo of Whiteley]

It’s all waffle until the end of the week lads