The Spygate Saga

[rallyboy]

44 minutes ago, Teamsaint1 said:

AI says they had 9 in March 2010, first PL team to go into admin.

10 in Feb 2012 in the championship

10 in April 2013 in L1.

 But despite this and the gun runner owner, they simply never cheat .

 

My recollection is that Pompey were the only club at that time who didn't have a penalty held over until the next season as they were already relegated.

Also, we still await the results of the promised full forensic investigation into their accounts, just after they presented fraudulent paperwork to the High Court.

But I wasn't that interested at the time, so I may be wrong.

[SW5 SAINT]

2 hours ago, EssEffCee said:

They got 9 in PL and 10 the year we went up under Adkins.

Might have got another 10 in L1 too?

They were the only team to get a -10 in EFL after they had already been relegated. I.e they didn’t have to carry it over to the following season in League 2. If they had carried the deduction over to the next season in league 2 they would’ve been relegated to National League or whatever it was called then…..

[Weston Super Saint]

3 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

What's a meta for?

Measuring?

[Window Cleaner]

4 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

If the outcome is yet to be decided - because they are deliberating and cojitating - then the statement is likely to read : "man turns up for meeting".

Cogito, ergo sum....

Unless of course they're "jitating" collectively.

Edited yesterday at 11:29 by Window Cleaner

[Toussaint]

On 26/09/2026 at 13:53, AlexLaw76 said:

That is a football pyramid, right?

compare us to Barnet or Bromley and see what is fair and what isn’t.

You are correct in describing that as the existing situation, and presumably you are ok with it from your fatalistic response.
 

My issue is that there is now no possibility of any who is not already comfortably sitting at the top of getting there, and is getting more difficult all of the time. It doesn’t any longer seem possible for a well run club to achieve very much at all, take our very own club. Under Lawrie McMenemy we one an fa cup, signed Kevin Keegan, signed a host of other internationals, under Chris Nichol we finished second behind Liverpool. At various times we had players of such I high calibre the calibre of which we will never see again. What I am saying it’s no longer possible for a well run club, with a strong academy, who gets everything right to achieve much at all, because now it’s only about money. 

[Wade Garrett]

I thought our runners up season was under Lawrie.

[die Mannyschaft]

23 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

I thought our runners up season was under Lawrie.

Correct 

[Toussaint]

26 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

I thought our runners up season was under Lawrie.

Oh well, point remains. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

Will this thread reach 300 pages? Of course it will and then some. Sadly City debate has taken over even thought there’s a thread specific for that subject. Mods?

[AlexLaw76]

tomorrow the 'day'?

[Weston Super Saint]

4 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

tomorrow the 'day'?

Or Friday....

[hypochondriac]

Football Martin was suggesting Tuesday or Wednesday this week for some reason. No idea if that's with any info or a wild guess.

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I’ve heard the verdict is 2 weeks away. 

[Pamplemousse]

What exactly are they waiting for? It's not like we're contesting the charges, just fucking announce the sanction and everyone can move on.

[hypochondriac]

I was invested in this last week but it's dragging on too long again. Just announce the ban you fuckers and we will know what we are dealing with.

[Sheaf Saint]

27 minutes ago, Pamplemousse said:

What exactly are they waiting for? It's not like we're contesting the charges, just fucking announce the sanction and everyone can move on.

The way I see it, there are two possibilities here. 

One is that the hearing on Thursday was just to ascertain guilt of the charges and that a separate hearing will be convened in order to decide the punishment (much as would be the case in a criminal trial). However, I would assume that the verdict would have been announced immediately in that instance (certainly if he was found not guilty it would have been), which leads me to lean more towards the other possibility - that the sanction was already dished out at the hearing and we/Tonda launched an immediate appeal against it.

And if that's the case then it can't be good news, because it suggests to me that the sanction involves a lengthy ban rather than a slap on the wrist and a fine.

[LiberalCommunist]

47 minutes ago, Pamplemousse said:

What exactly are they waiting for? It's not like we're contesting the charges, just fucking announce the sanction and everyone can move on.

Maximum disruption. It can't be anything else at this stage. 

[DT]

Can't decide between thinking the Man City stuff will make them come down on us like a tonne of bricks on this in order to flex their little muscles too or be more lenient given that a bloke in a tree with an iPhone 24 hours early is hardly mass fraud that has disrupted the entire game of football in this country for the last decade. Ho hum. Perhaps the Prem is now dead and a superleague is that much closer...

Edited 3 hours ago by DT

[Dan Johnson]

6 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

The way I see it, there are two possibilities here. 

One is that the hearing on Thursday was just to ascertain guilt of the charges and that a separate hearing will be convened in order to decide the punishment (much as would be the case in a criminal trial). However, I would assume that the verdict would have been announced immediately in that instance (certainly if he was found not guilty it would have been), which leads me to lean more towards the other possibility - that the sanction was already dished out at the hearing and we/Tonda launched an immediate appeal against it.

And if that's the case then it can't be good news, because it suggests to me that the sanction involves a lengthy ban rather than a slap on the wrist and a fine.

They’ve already asserted guilt, he was charged on the 22nd July.

There’s been no appeal from our side over that assertion of guilt, we’ve accepted the charges. We’re just waiting the punishment.

its an absolute farce, the fact we’re nearly in October, that Eckert has managed 10 football matches since his charge, yet there’s still talk that his actions were so severe that he deserves a complete football ban for 6 months+ yet not severe enough that it’s not been expedited to prevent him taking part in football after his charge on July 22nd!!

Fucking pathetic from the FA

[VectisSaint]

8 minutes ago, Dan Johnson said:

They’ve already asserted guilt, he was charged on the 22nd July.

There’s been no appeal from our side over that assertion of guilt, we’ve accepted the charges. We’re just waiting the punishment.

its an absolute farce, the fact we’re nearly in October, that Eckert has managed 10 football matches since his charge, yet there’s still talk that his actions were so severe that he deserves a complete football ban for 6 months+ yet not severe enough that it’s not been expedited to prevent him taking part in football after his charge on July 22nd!!

Fucking pathetic from the FA

Being charged is not ascertaining guilt. That was done at the hearing last week. Sanctions determined separately. Sanctions will be determined and announced when the commission meets, maybe today maybe later. Exactly the same happened with the EFL back in May, but the timescales were.comoressed with the agreement of Saints because of the urgency in getting it sorted. Same is happening with Man City. Punishments are not decided by the same people who determine guilt,.they make their decisions based on the advice of the board, it's all to try and preserve independence, whether it does of course is a different matter.

[hypochondriac]

10 minutes ago, Dan Johnson said:

They’ve already asserted guilt, he was charged on the 22nd July.

There’s been no appeal from our side over that assertion of guilt, we’ve accepted the charges. We’re just waiting the punishment.

its an absolute farce, the fact we’re nearly in October, that Eckert has managed 10 football matches since his charge, yet there’s still talk that his actions were so severe that he deserves a complete football ban for 6 months+ yet not severe enough that it’s not been expedited to prevent him taking part in football after his charge on July 22nd!!

Fucking pathetic from the FA

100%. If he deserves a long term ban because he's such a disgrace and an ongoing risk then why has he been allowed to manage so much of this season already? What is the purpose of a lengthy ban if he's already been allowed to manage?

[Toadhall Saint]

I know governing bodies are generally inept but Christ the FA take ineptitude to a whole new level.

[EssEffCee]

35 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

Being charged is not ascertaining guilt. That was done at the hearing last week. Sanctions determined separately. Sanctions will be determined and announced when the commission meets, maybe today maybe later. Exactly the same happened with the EFL back in May, but the timescales were.comoressed with the agreement of Saints because of the urgency in getting it sorted. Same is happening with Man City. Punishments are not decided by the same people who determine guilt,.they make their decisions based on the advice of the board, it's all to try and preserve independence, whether it does of course is a different matter.

If he didn't contest the charge (which surely he didn't) then guilt will have been established long before last week's hearing.

[Saint_lambden]

It'll be TWENTY weeks tomorrow since we beat Boro in the second leg of the semi-final. The FA are sitting on millions in cash according to their latest accounts yet clearly still have a disciplinary process that wouldn't be fit for purpose at Sunday league level, let alone professional football. A shambles all round. 

[hypochondriac]

50 minutes ago, Saint_lambden said:

It'll be TWENTY weeks tomorrow since we beat Boro in the second leg of the semi-final. The FA are sitting on millions in cash according to their latest accounts yet clearly still have a disciplinary process that wouldn't be fit for purpose at Sunday league level, let alone professional football. A shambles all round. 

Even if you ignore everything else, how is this fair on the fans who let's not forget are an innocent party in all this. It's pretty disgraceful to leave this ha going for so long. No reason at all this process couldn't have been fair but also quicker.

[Thereisonlyonemickychannon]

7 hours ago, Behind Enemy Lines said:

I’ve heard the verdict is 2 weeks away. 

Tiss true. FA will wait until the international break is over.

Which is evil by them. More publicity because of no football. Tonda unable to prepare, etc

[LaptopSaint]

If I remember correctly, when Chelsea were sanctioned for financial breaches by the FA it took more than six months from the initial verdict to reach a decision on Chelsea’s appeal. And all the details remained confidential while the appeal was pending. On a similar timeline that would take us to the end of March. Maybe we think we can spin the appeal process out for another six weeks into mid-May, to allow Tonda to get us promoted before he gets banned.