20 May 2026 22:13:27
Appeal lost. Championship football next season it is.

I think the appeal was based on solid ground and the wider footballing community seems to agree, that we didn't benefit from what we admitted to.


However I can only think like I said, that it has to be that we spied on more than the teams we admitted to, even if it was just once more and both panels had a feeling about that.

Why else would we continue to do something that failed for such a high risk.

Only time will tell how deep it/long it went on for.

I feel slightly bad for the actual interns/analysts.from what I read it seems they gave statements that they were instructed/forced to go out and do the spying.

Maybe that's just the naivety of Tonda who doesn't think it's that bad. It is hard to determine just how much extra you can learn from observing training that any and every team doesn't already guess/assume anyway.

But then again we did it on multiple occasions and most likely the majority of the season with Tonda, so it must've been something he wanted/needed.

Does he stay or go?

Can he repeat what he did this season, next season of he stays with what will most likely be a weaker team and the absence of a spying advantage?

Man how I wish Ryan & Rob or someone likewise would come and buy us out, we need the Libhier feel good hierarchy at the club again.

Everything stems from that.

1.) 20 May 2026
20 May 2026 23:19:36
Lesleeee
We've not always seen eye to eye. well actually never! But let's discuss this reasonably.
so we send an intern to watch Middlesbrough train. we use someone that is clearly shown in saints staff photos, he is stood in full view, no attempt to hide, using an iPhone

That makes no sense!! Not even covert or decent video equipment???

Secondly we have a great squad, goalscorers from everywhere, a fantastic goalkeeper and defence.

Playing excellent football

So we send a student out with an iPhone to film the opponents and in full view!!

Madness

2.) 20 May 2026
20 May 2026 23:37:02
There are some fundamental flaws in what has happened and the short version is that the EFL process has completely disregarded the process of 'natural justice' in the name of expedience.

There has never been a judicial process convened to arbitrate on a conviction within less than 24 hours. If someone was destined for the gallows, it takes many years to reach that point on appeal. This judicial process has been rushed without due regard for 'normal process'.

One must question also the independent status of the panel all of whom were paid fees of circa £15k for their role in presiding over the appeal debacle.

They were under pressure to follow the EFL representations. I am familiar with this legal territory and my argument would have been that they were not truly independent. It is simply not polssibel to convene an independent panel in less than 12 hours.

Notwithstanding this, and as I have previously reported, the club's response is hugely embarassing - basically we are sorry and will work with the EFL to make sure it doesn't happen again.

That is so pathetic it's painful. Of course this will have been guided by lawyers who incidentally will have prospered enormously from our demise.

I cannot begin to describe how every day it feels like living a walk of shame.

We 'march on' many of you say, but I'm not sure I can. I am and always have been a passionate supporter but I no longer recognise this club. Shame on them.

3.) 21 May 2026
21 May 2026 00:20:50
I agree Southhants, I see your olive branch and I'll extend mine.

I'm on the fence as to whether the training actually helped or it didn't. It clearly didn't give us an edge in the Middlesbourgh game and subsequently the games that we admitted to/know of, so why do it?

The more I read/look into in it seems that in places like Germany, although frowned upon, its more seen as an ugly side of the game there, a bit like over here when managers employ "the dark arts" such turning water off in the away changing rooms, or if the opposition has a throwin specialists and so moving the touchline a few inches ect but not worth the criminal outrage that it has earned over here.

With that in mind I think maybe Tonda was just naive.

But then that thinking only works for one or two occasions, it's a bit of a lame excuse for something that was most likely occurring for the majority of the season for Tonda to say, he "simply didn't know". I find it hard to believe no one called him out on it, especially the interns who said in the hearing they were instructed/forced to do it.

To me though the second part of your post does make sense. I'm not looking for an argument and I know you will refuse to believe me, but that talented squad you mentioned, was all put in place by Will Still. Even the signings that came after he was sacked were ones already in motion i'd say, as they were key positional signings (decent goalkeeper/strong physical striker) that I/we have all established on here for a long while.

I think the elephant in the room here is that Tonda really wasn't that great and potentially, extremely out of his depth. It's plausible he managed to pull off the greatest con in football history by both playing and utilitising a team (even tactics) that weren't his and through spying.

Sure I'm going out on a bit of a limb there and time will tell (if he stays) but the out of depth/con man theory fits more in place then anything else now that this spying story is out in the open and the more we know about it.
Ironically I'm probably one of the few people who wants Tonda to stay on, not because I'm playing devils advocate (I am guilty of that) but because I/we have a right to know what he's made of and wether this season was built on lies.

I don't buy into this fan logic of it being filmed on an iPhone so less quality, apple famously advertise the filming of whole massive budget premier movies with just their iPhones, so I'm sure the capturing of any footage was good enough to view.

4.) 21 May 2026
21 May 2026 17:16:19
I have considerable doubt that the cheating is what is behind Tonda's tactical abilities.
As we all suspect, he is definitely "on the spectrum". a classic of this is obsession and I actually think he is obsessed with game plans, winning, tactics
My understanding is are used to spend hours and hours and hours studying videos of the opponents
It's no different to the young boy obsessed with video games, a classic spectrum symptom.


I still can't get my head around the fact that they used an intern in full view, without A Car in the world. That would tie in with his comment that he didn't know it was banned.


All that effort and all about winning streak and those amazing performances over months, wasted It's back to square one


Sadly, I think we will lose the backbone of the team, especially the goalkeeper who has been amazing


It's back to the drawing board


I believe totally in the manager


While I understand your points about cheating


Our performance is against Arsenal and Manchester City were fantastic


That was excellent football management
Under all the Cloak and Dagger is an excellent manager

5.) 21 May 2026
21 May 2026 21:24:24
But now for the good of the club and the fans surely he had to be sacked. What will the world think of us if he survived. The pressurising of the young interns in the written reasons is sickening.

We have to cleanse now and start over. I don't understand why it has not already happened. Put Adam in charge and try and move on. Tonga will be banned anyway in due course so might as well get on with it now