The Spygate Saga

[RedArmy]

11 minutes ago, PJ said:

This. I originally wanted to give PP the benefit of the doubt, and that despite mistakes, he was far from the main issue here. He didn't instruct the spying after all. However, this interview in particular does not reflect well on him. The fact he's squinting from the sun doesn't help - it makes him look like he's smirking throughout. Amateur - how you come across is as important as what you say. The contrast between this interview and the Dragan one in the summer is massive. PP just hasn't got the skills and gravitas to pull this off. He looks like he's mixed-up between whether to look firm and uncompromising, or apologetic and humble. And he achieved neither. Which makes things worse for us

He’s a fucking idiot who should have been sacked day 1. 

[die Mannyschaft]

11 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

why have a match day manager at all, if this is the case

Its the exact question I picked up from some fans during the Wrexham game and on coach back. It also raises the point of recruiting inexperienced managers who have data driven experience which looks the the CV clincher. Can anyone who understands data first manage a team rather than the training stuff on coaching badges 

[saintant]

1 hour ago, Saint Pete said:

I'm personally not totally against doing an interview to get our side of the argument out there and put some media spotlight and pressure on the FA themselves to make a fair decision, as I feel we have been too passive in this process from the start. But if you are going to do it, it needs to be done with real conviction and you need to have something really tangible to say in your defence or a bit of threat towards the FA rather than just "please don't punish him because it will hurt us" .

Problem is Parsons isn't the right man to do that, so it just comes across as a bit weak again. The bit about why we haven't already sacked him in particular, which Parsons answered by saying because he's a good manager so deserves our loyalty, which may be true but makes it sound like we have no integrity. He should have said because he is young and made a mistake and deserves a second chance as we still feel he is a good man. 

If we were going to do this, I would have liked Parsons to go harder on the fair and proportionate punishment to fit the crime angle by drawing parallels with FA cases of rule breaking and cheating against the bigger clubs (eg Chelsea) where punishments have been light, suspended sentences, fines etc. If we were worried about naming them for legal reasons, we could have still referred to them broadly as cases involving larger clubs without naming names. That is an angle where I think we would get more sympathy from the media and the wider football world, so could have helped us put more pressure on the FA before a final decision is arrived at and announced, assuming that was the aim. 

Thanks Pete, what dates are you available? 🙂

[Midfield_General]

21 minutes ago, die Mannyschaft said:

Its the exact question I picked up from some fans during the Wrexham game and on coach back. It also raises the point of recruiting inexperienced managers who have data driven experience which looks the the CV clincher. Can anyone who understands data first manage a team rather than the training stuff on coaching badges 

What in god’s name are you going on about 

[Teamsaint1]

28 minutes ago, Miltonaggro said:

I would actually contribute £100 to that plan.

I would match your £100 ..

it would be very  fitting to appoint him, , and I reckon he could do well in fact.

[whelk]

Am I being too optimistic hoping some Serbian gangsters have kidnapped one of the FA panel’s favourite child and giving ultimatums mentioning fingers and ears?

[benjii]

36 minutes ago, PJ said:

This. I originally wanted to give PP the benefit of the doubt, and that despite mistakes, he was far from the main issue here. He didn't instruct the spying after all. However, this interview in particular does not reflect well on him. The fact he's squinting from the sun doesn't help - it makes him look like he's smirking throughout. Amateur - how you come across is as important as what you say. The contrast between this interview and the Dragan one in the summer is massive. PP just hasn't got the skills and gravitas to pull this off. He looks like he's mixed-up between whether to look firm and uncompromising, or apologetic and humble. And he achieved neither. Which makes things worse for us

He can barely string a coherent sentence together. Just seems pretty low IQ and not up to it.

[benjii]

28 minutes ago, saintant said:

No doubt this will be fully covered by the ethics policy of Southampton FC as with any company. I'm sure all staff would have completed ethics training to make them aware of all rules and regs. I know it happened at every company I worked for in recent times.

You might be confusing SFC with a professionally run business.

[Miltonaggro]

1 hour ago, Midfield_General said:

Also spot on.

I can see no benefit whatsoever to doing an interview at all, but if you're going to do it, actually present an argument that has factual validity and might cause people to agree with it (like the facts of the imbalance between the punishments for big clubs vs. everyone else) not just waaah waaah waaah crying like a little bitch with no substance and nothing worthwhile to add.

His actions are poorly judged and will cause us more harm, as always. He's an idiot, and every new mistake he's allowed to make just makes me think that Solak must be an idiot too for leaving him in place to blunder on making everything worse. 

If Eckert gets the book thrown at him and has to be removed Solak needs to do what he should have done in the summer and bin Parsons and entourage.  I must admit I hadn't seen him interviewed before this clip and the man exudes rabbit in the headlights incompetence paired with a complete incapacity to hold a position of authority in a multi-million pound business.  He seems to function on self-pity / preservation - not good attributes for a CEO. Any CEO.  I am beginning to think that the club has been tipped off of the outcome after negotiations with the FA and what we are seeing with Ankersen stepping down and Parsons whining is the reactive, performative finale.

In terms of Solak being an idiot, he certainly lacks judgement in personnel, is remarkably hands off, and appears incapable of learning from a series of costly decisions and mistakes.  His post-appeal statement in the summer included the following nuggets:

"I am sorry for how this season has ended. I am at the head of the football club and I must take responsibility for everything that happens here.

It's important to apologise for how we handled the matters in the early stages of the process. We have to be better.

Mistakes have been made and we will learn from them. Let me take this opportunity to reaffirm how committed I am to bringing success to St Mary's.

I also like to thank Johannes [Spors] and Phil [Parsons] for their efforts during the difficult time.

We all together will continue to work hard this summer to give you a team you can be proud of and a club that is growing every year.

We will work with the FA in the coming weeks to make everything right and to put this whole situation behind us so we can focus on building the club and the team and the unity and the community of Saints that everybody can only be proud of.

I promise you that we'll bring to you at the end of the summer the team that will take you out of your seats and excitement will run high against St Mary's."

This was obvously pre-season ticket PR, but it is fucking daft if you don't deliver on it in the circumstances and bugger on as you have before. I don't think the EFL and FA treat us like this with Cortese (a litigious and committed hot head) or Reed (a known figure with FA circles) running the football side of the club. Solak needs to bear this in mind should he decide to replace the clowns. 

      

[James]

The tone of the conversation on this week’s Total Saints Podcast was incredibly downbeat re the outcome which I found surprising given they have barely mentioned it up to now. I do have the feeling that the club has been given an indication of a harsh outcome. 

[saintant]

30 minutes ago, benjii said:

You might be confusing SFC with a professionally run business.

I think you'll find it's a legal requirement these days.

[Willo of Whiteley]

Just read the interview in detail.

It’s not the worst piece ever written, you just have to trust that Parsons, the lawyers and the board have got their facts correct and laid everything out.

The club and the fans have been punished enough.

To give a lengthy ban would be to then hinder the club further when damage has already been done.

[sadoldgit]

The point raised on tv today was spot on. We have already faced a very harsh penalty for last season and another penalty for this season with -4 points. Why yet another sanction against us?

[sfc4prem]

5 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

The point raised on tv today was spot on. We have already faced a very harsh penalty for last season and another penalty for this season with -4 points. Why yet another sanction against us?

As with many things currently, loud and regular public flagellation is needed for organisations to virtue signal. 

[tdmickey3]

5 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

The point raised on tv today was spot on. We have already faced a very harsh penalty for last season and another penalty for this season with -4 points. Why yet another sanction against us?

Because we are not Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal or Spurs

[Holmes_and_Watson]

3 hours ago, trousers said:

Good morning Phil 👋🏻

😉

I can't be Phil. I didn't confess to something for absolutely no reason. 🙂

[Holmes_and_Watson]

48 minutes ago, whelk said:

Am I being too optimistic hoping some Serbian gangsters have kidnapped one of the FA panel’s favourite child and giving ultimatums mentioning fingers and ears?

Welcome to the Sunny Side of Child Kidnapping, with your host whelk. 🙂

[Midfield_General]

15 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

you just have to trust that Parsons, the lawyers and the board have got their facts correct and laid everything out.

I think I may have spotted the potential issue here

[trousers]

9 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

I can't be Phil. I didn't confess to something for absolutely no reason. 🙂

Ah... The classic "I'm not person" denial... The plot thickens...

[AlexLaw76]

17 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

The point raised on tv today was spot on. We have already faced a very harsh penalty for last season and another penalty for this season with -4 points. Why yet another sanction against us?

it is against Tonda, not the club

[madge]

Surely the FA can’t change their stance on the precedent set when bielsa did the same.. they haven’t appeared to have changed their rules.. it’s like someone getting off with a suspended sentence and the next person getting a murder sentence..  I think any competent lawyer surely exploits this and this is perhaps why the FA pricks have taken so long. They want to be absolutely watertight in what shit they throw at us, can’t be picked up and thrown back!!  

[Holmes_and_Watson]

3 minutes ago, trousers said:

Ah... The classic "I'm not person" denial... The plot thickens...

And no one puts the "thick" in "thickens" Mr Parsons 🙂