Tonda Eckert

[Whitey Grandad]

5 minutes ago, Verbal said:

 

 

And you're shit?

AI tells me that I'm not. 

[Verbal]

2 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

AI tells me that I'm not. 

Smarty pants

[saintant]

I am loathe to accuse the FA of mischief-making in their decision to deal with Tonda during the international break. However, it has to be said that they have chosen a time when the case will again receive massive media scrutiny because, with little or no league football, there will be nothing for the journos and pundits to get their teeth into. Hence, Spygate will be front and centre in newspapers, MSM, Sky Sports and any other outlets reporting on football. I don't believe in coincidences myself 🙂

[Holmes_and_Watson]

6 minutes ago, saintant said:

I don't believe in coincidences myself 🙂

That's a coincidence! Neither do I. 🙂

[qwertyell]

28 minutes ago, saintant said:

I am loathe to accuse the FA of mischief-making in their decision to deal with Tonda during the international break. However, it has to be said that they have chosen a time when the case will again receive massive media scrutiny because, with little or no league football, there will be nothing for the journos and pundits to get their teeth into. Hence, Spygate will be front and centre in newspapers, MSM, Sky Sports and any other outlets reporting on football. I don't believe in coincidences myself 🙂

It's not some great conspiracy. The FA disciplinary process moves slowly for everyone. We're not a special case. 

You can go through their August judgements here https://www.thefa.com/news/2026/sep/10/fa-charges---august-2026-100926 and see that 4-5 months from incident to resolution is pretty common. 

[obelisk]

13 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

It's not some great conspiracy. The FA disciplinary process moves slowly for everyone. We're not a special case. 

You can go through their August judgements here https://www.thefa.com/news/2026/sep/10/fa-charges---august-2026-100926 and see that 4-5 months from incident to resolution is pretty common. 

An interesting read. It'll be valuable to learn whether a volley of racist insulting language, for instance, results in a greater or lesser penalty than an employee standing in a public area watching a training session.

[saintant]

23 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

It's not some great conspiracy. The FA disciplinary process moves slowly for everyone. We're not a special case. 

You can go through their August judgements here https://www.thefa.com/news/2026/sep/10/fa-charges---august-2026-100926 and see that 4-5 months from incident to resolution is pretty common. 

I wasn't being serious 🙂

[qwertyell]

10 minutes ago, obelisk said:

An interesting read. It'll be valuable to learn whether a volley of racist insulting language, for instance, results in a greater or lesser penalty than an employee standing in a public area watching a training session.

Premeditaed. On three seperate occasions. That'll be the kicker - it wasn't a one off rule break. 

[saintant]

6 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Premeditaed. On three seperate occasions. That'll be the kicker - it wasn't a one off rule break. 

Blimey, has Tonda killed someone? This is starting to look really serious.

[Thereisonlyonemickychannon]

1 hour ago, saintant said:

I am loathe to accuse the FA of mischief-making in their decision to deal with Tonda during the international break. However, it has to be said that they have chosen a time when the case will again receive massive media scrutiny because, with little or no league football, there will be nothing for the journos and pundits to get their teeth into. Hence, Spygate will be front and centre in newspapers, MSM, Sky Sports and any other outlets reporting on football. I don't believe in coincidences myself 🙂

I agree. So they can really push their ridiculous punishment. They are out to destroy a great young managers career. Barstards

[saintant]

19 minutes ago, Thereisonlyonemickychannon said:

I agree. So they can really push their ridiculous punishment. They are out to destroy a great young managers career. Barstards

With only international football the press will be whipped into a feeding frenzy by the FA decision when it eventually comes. It's going to fill the void left by the absence of league football and there is sure to be some radical reporting much of which will be completely ott.

[whelk]

16 minutes ago, saintant said:

With only international football the press will be whipped into a feeding frenzy by the FA decision when it eventually comes. It's going to fill the void left by the absence of league football and there is sure to be some radical reporting much of which will be completely ott.

I want to know what James Corden thinks

[It's There]

I suspect Saints PR machine is ready and primed to go, whatever the outcome. They won't be slow off the mark this time!

[Turkish]

Carlos Coberian been sacked by Valencia so would be available should the worst get given to Tonda. Wasn’t he someone on SRs radar a while back?

[swedish dave]

4 hours ago, saintant said:

I am loathe to accuse the FA of mischief-making in their decision to deal with Tonda during the international break. However, it has to be said that they have chosen a time when the case will again receive massive media scrutiny because, with little or no league football, there will be nothing for the journos and pundits to get their teeth into. Hence, Spygate will be front and centre in newspapers, MSM, Sky Sports and any other outlets reporting on football. I don't believe in coincidences myself 🙂

I also think that the FA need to sharpen up their act together as this whole thing has dragged on far too long.

I was expecting the judgment on Man City's 115 cases to be resolved before this one. An eventual punishment

will be the third verdict for the same " crime ", and I recall murder cases that have been resolved in quicker time.

 

However what really amazes me is that aside from Boro's " crocodile tears"  over the whole episode, there hasn't 

been a long list of League managers also condemning TE for " bringing the game into disrepute ", and claiming 

that they would never do anything that dastardly and TE should be properly punished. The truth maybe closer

to them admitting that Tonda's real crime was "getting caught".  This delay is tantamount to a man on sitting 

Death Row and made to wait so long, whilst desperately hoping for some sort of reprieve. 

[Micky]

3 hours ago, Thereisonlyonemickychannon said:

I agree. So they can really push their ridiculous punishment. They are out to destroy a great young managers career. Barstards

It won't destroy his career at all.  He may not be able to operate in this country but there will be no end of takers in other countries.  Once you get past the faux outage stoked by both social and the mainstream media, the 'crime' was nowhere near as bad as was made out.  The fools at the FA can ban him all they like, but the bottom line is TE is a very good coach and will very easily find another good job outside of the FAs jurisdiction.  Our loss would be everyone else's gain.  

[Saint Pete]

2 hours ago, whelk said:

I want to know what James Corden thinks

Maybe we will hear Amanda Holden's views this time?

[Football Special]

4 hours ago, qwertyell said:

Premeditaed. On three seperate occasions. That'll be the kicker - it wasn't a one off rule break. 

Im not sure it was premeditated, how do you know Will Salt wasn't just out for a walk and stumbled across a group of guys have a kickabout and decided to capture the moment on his mobile telephone?

[Patches O Houlihan]

21 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Im not sure it was premeditated, how do you know Will Salt wasn't just out for a walk and stumbled across a group of guys have a kickabout and decided to capture the moment on his mobile telephone?

Do you often go out for a spur of the moment walk in Middlesborough?

No I thought not - because its a shit hole - terrible place to go for a relaxing walk

Edited 21 hours ago by Patches O Houlihan

[egg]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

Carlos Coberian been sacked by Valencia so would be available should the worst get given to Tonda. Wasn’t he someone on SRs radar a while back?

We could do a lot worse than him, he's got a bit about him. 

[Charlie Wayman]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

Carlos Coberian been sacked by Valencia so would be available should the worst get given to Tonda. Wasn’t he someone on SRs radar a while back?

If Eckert must sit it out for a few weeks don't you think Adam Lallana is the more likely stand -in? He and Garner should be able to keep things together.

 

3 hours ago, saintant said:

With only international football the press will be whipped into a feeding frenzy by the FA decision when it eventually comes. It's going to fill the void left by the absence of league football and there is sure to be some radical reporting much of which will be completely ott.

Probably an exaggeration, little old yokely Southampton barely get a mention in the press even when defeating the current league leaders not once but twice. 

 

3 hours ago, Thereisonlyonemickychannon said:

I agree. So they can really push their ridiculous punishment. They are out to destroy a great young managers career. Barstards

Do you really believe that? Best to wait and see what they say before becoming apoplectic.

[LeG]

I think there is only one reason this has dragged on as long as it has - we have appealed. 

[saintant]

27 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

If Eckert must sit it out for a few weeks don't you think Adam Lallana is the more likely stand -in? He and Garner should be able to keep things together.

 

Probably an exaggeration, little old yokely Southampton barely get a mention in the press even when defeating the current league leaders not once but twice. 

 

Do you really believe that? Best to wait and see what they say before becoming apoplectic.

We'll see. My prediction is that it will be a feeding frenzy.

[saintant]

20 minutes ago, LeG said:

I think there is only one reason this has dragged on as long as it has - we have appealed. 

Appealed against what? We are waiting for the verdict.

[CB Fry]

34 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Probably an exaggeration, little old yokely Southampton barely get a mention in the press even when defeating the current league leaders not once but twice. 

I don’t think anyone except Saints fans gives a flying fuck that we beat gigantic Millwall and Swansea in late August/early September. 

What media coverage were you expecting for that?

[egg]

7 minutes ago, saintant said:

Appealed against what? We are waiting for the verdict.

I suppose it's possible that there's been a punishment with a stay of execution pending appeal. Feels unlikely, but it seems that anything is possible in football.

[trousers]

47 minutes ago, LeG said:

I think there is only one reason this has dragged on as long as it has - we have appealed. 

Insider info @LeG, or just a hunch...?

(If you're not at liberty to say, just blink once for the former or twice for the latter and your secret will be safe with me )

[trousers]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

Carlos Coberian been sacked by Valencia so would be available should the worst get given to Tonda. Wasn’t he someone on SRs radar a while back?

Do we know why they sacked him...?

[trousers]

4 hours ago, It's There said:

I suspect Saints PR machine is ready and primed to go, whatever the outcome. They won't be slow off the mark this time!

Hmm... I admire your confidence....

[whelk]

6 hours ago, trousers said:

Do we know why they sacked him...?

Being bottom of La Liga probably linked 

[LiberalCommunist]

7 hours ago, egg said:

I suppose it's possible that there's been a punishment with a stay of execution pending appeal. Feels unlikely, but it seems that anything is possible in football.

I watched Senegal win the AFCON, yet Morocco are the holders.

I saw Middlesborough lose in the PO's semis yet they played in the final.  

I witnessed a player from the home nation of the world cup get sent off, then play in the very next match.  

Indeed, anything is possible in football in 2026. 

[Bob60]

8 hours ago, saintant said:

Appealed against what? We are waiting for the verdict.

You do know that Chelsea slap on the wrist was announced after appeal, something they do.

[Turkish]

8 hours ago, trousers said:

Do we know why they sacked him...?

 

[Turkish]

9 hours ago, LeG said:

I think there is only one reason this has dragged on as long as it has - we have appealed. 

  Could well be the case. It was said on here by someone with a good track record the verdict was going to be on some weeks ago, of course when it didn’t happen people sneered that he was full of it, but could well be because we appealed immediately as Solak said we would do. 

[Toadhall Saint]

So when will it be announced- I’ll go for 6th of October 

[trousers]

11 hours ago, Turkish said:

Carlos Coberian been sacked by Valencia so would be available should the worst get given to Tonda. Wasn’t he someone on SRs radar a while back?

 

8 hours ago, trousers said:

Do we know why they sacked him...?

 

1 hour ago, whelk said:

Being bottom of La Liga probably linked 

 

8 minutes ago, Turkish said:

 

Yeah... Was a bit of a rhetorical question... 🙂

[trousers]

9 hours ago, LeG said:

I think there is only one reason this has dragged on as long as it has - we have appealed. 

 

8 minutes ago, Turkish said:

  Could well be the case. It was said on here by someone with a good track record the verdict was going to be on some weeks ago, of course when it didn’t happen people sneered that he was full of it, but could well be because we appealed immediately as Solak said we would do. 

Would a club in this scenario be 'sworn to secrecy' by the FA, or could we have  announced that we were appealing the verdict, if we chose to? Not sure why it would be in the club's interest to keep fans in the dark as to what's going on, IF they had the option of disclosing what was occurring...?

[Turkish]

5 minutes ago, trousers said:

 

Would a club in this scenario be 'sworn to secrecy' by the FA, or could we have  announced that we were appealing the verdict, if we chose to? Not sure why it would be in the club's interest to keep fans in the dark as to what's going on, IF they had the option of disclosing what was occurring...?

No clue Bro although it would make sense if they kept quiet if it was a long ban to avoid spreading fear in our hysterical fan base

[The Wyvern]

If we have appealed, does that suggest the punishment is quite severe? No point appealing otherwise. 

[Tamesaint]

49 minutes ago, The Wyvern said:

If we have appealed, does that suggest the punishment is quite severe? No point appealing otherwise. 

Apparently Chelsea's punishment was reduced by 50% due to their self reporting and their full cooperation.

Have we cooperated fully? Did we self report? Does it really matter as Chelsea were always only going to get a slapped wrist?

 

 

[trousers]

56 minutes ago, The Wyvern said:

If we have appealed, does that suggest the punishment is quite severe? No point appealing otherwise. 

That would be a logical conclusion... If it was, say, a 6 match ban and a fine, we'd have probably exhaled a sigh of relief and taken it on the chin...?

[AlexLaw76]

4 minutes ago, trousers said:

That would be a logical conclusion... If it was, say, a 6 match ban and a fine, we'd have probably exhaled a sigh of relief and taken it on the chin...?

I expect what ever the club / Tonda received would have been appealed. Why the hell not

[SylvianSylvian]

I’m sure they’re going to throw the book at us… I’ll be surprised if it’s less than a year ban… hopefully we can get it reduced on appeal. Hopefully there’s a way we can ride it out & hang on to Tonda 

[The Kraken]

35 minutes ago, Tamesaint said:

Apparently Chelsea's punishment was reduced by 50% due to their self reporting and their full cooperation.

Chelsea’s punishment was also reduced after they appealed the initial verdict (which itself was never initially reported but included a points fine). Here’s the google AI summary:

Background and Discovery

The Takeover: 

• Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital uncovered incomplete financial records during their due diligence prior to completing the club's purchase.
• Immediate Action: The new hierarchy promptly reported the irregularities to the FA, Premier League, and UEFA, providing full access to historical files and data.
• Scope of Breaches: The hidden payments involved unregistered agents and third-party transactions spanning from 2009 to 2022.

Sanctions and Outcomes

FA Penalties: 

• Following an independent investigation, the FA issued a £10 million fine and a suspended two-window transfer ban that runs until June 30, 2027.
• Points Deduction Avoided: An initial penalty featuring a suspended six-point deduction was successfully appealed and replaced by the transfer ban.
• Regulatory Leniency: Regulators cut potential financial fines in half because of the club's exceptional cooperation and proactive self-reporting.

The entire process—including the initial six-point deduction and Chelsea's successful appeal—was kept strictly confidential and only announced to the public at the very end.

The public did not know the points deduction had even been threatened until July 31, 2026, when the Football Association (FA) officially released the final conclusions of both the Regulatory Commission and the Appeal Board simultaneously.

Edited 9 hours ago by The Kraken

[SylvianSylvian]

Did any of the prime movers behind Chelsea's financial doping face any kind of personal sanctions / football bans? 

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

1 hour ago, trousers said:

That would be a logical conclusion... If it was, say, a 6 match ban and a fine, we'd have probably exhaled a sigh of relief and taken it on the chin...?

It's also a bit concerning that Tonda has taken to going around the ground post match clapping the fans for the last couple of occasions. Don't recall him doing this before, so he could be expecting a decision imminently.

I just hope that this time our legal experts are really on to this and Dragan is in the FA's ear threatening action if Tonda's 'sentence' is too harsh. Really disappointed how we rolled over and let the EFL kangaroo court and panel bulldoze us out of the way last time, but we have to have learned from that experience. 

[Dman]

11 hours ago, LeG said:

I think there is only one reason this has dragged on as long as it has - we have appealed. 

I can't believe that there has been a verdic and there has been 0 leaks / rumours. None at all. 

[Dman]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

I expect what ever the club / Tonda received would have been appealed. Why the hell not

Yep. If its 6 games, we might think we can reduce it to 3, for example. 

[tdmickey3]

29 minutes ago, SylvianSylvian said:

Did any of the prime movers behind Chelsea's financial doping face any kind of personal sanctions / football bans? 

Of course not

[Nordic Saint]

14 hours ago, Turkish said:

Carlos Coberian been sacked by Valencia so would be available should the worst get given to Tonda. Wasn’t he someone on SRs radar a while back?

José Fonte would have been an ideal temporary appointment and he probably would have been happy to do it, but Sunderland have got him now. I've never really seen Lallana as managerial material, but he looks the most likely candidate to cover for Tonda if he's banned. We certainly don't want a permanent replacement, whatever the length of the ban, as we won't get a better manager than Tonda. 

Edited 8 hours ago by Nordic Saint