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16 May 2026 10:52:08
Spitballing for a moment - had we reached the FA Cup Final today, would recent events have prevented us from taking part?
I'm interested in the legal ramifications here - can an 'offence' committed within EFL jurisdiction impact across a different competition.
Anyone?
1.) 16 May 2026 12:29:33
I suppose it would rely on wether we spied on anyone on our run to the final, apparently there are reports we did for fulham.
2.) 16 May 2026 17:20:56
Presumably then, as Man City "are alleged" to have cheated 115 times, do we take their place in today's final?
Saint Miller's banter posts with other poster's replies to Saint Miller's banter posts
23 May 2026 22:23:26
Oh well, I suppose we will all feel better when England win the World Cup.
Glad Hull won today, in anyone's book it would have been strange for a team to lose a semi final and then go on to win the final.
I don't suppose the suits on their yachts in Monaco (or wherever) are overly concerned.
1.) 24 May 2026 06:52:32
Shellshocked-A gross understatement. Dismissal for Tonda and any members implicated.Retain all other Coaching staff who are absolved.
and the Analysts wha may prove very useful in a new leadership(assisting reviewing opposition videos in the correct manner).Apart from potentially ONE MAN destroying the dreams of thousands of faithful Supporters and of course our Players plus the rock solid integrity of Southampton fc, now the findings from the panel have been revealed immediate dismissal of Tonda Eckert is paramount.WHAT NEXT? I truly hope that one man's audacious misdemeanours cannot and will not suppress the true fighting spirit of Supporters of a Legendary Club.Time to regroup- stronger than ever before in our attempt to win the League outright next season.Get in the right Manager( maybe Thomas Frank or Liam Rosenior) providing either would be interested.I truly Urge Saint Miller(whilst I understand how severely bruised you are at the present moment) to reconsider and ultimately change your mind as a truly valued Supporter as your relevant comments(along with others on this Platform)plus your obvious Leadership skills are required at this particular time to form the basis of a strong united Support Group.I too since watching my first Saints game in 1950/51 (albeit in the Dell Chocolate boxes - pushed to the front by kind adult supporters ) am a lifelong fan.What next for me? Perhaps temporarily adopt Fremantle AFL team(who I watched several times when in WA) awaiting the Tasmanian.State Team to be admitted into the Competition and for Southampton FC to get their House in Order.In the meantime all the very best to all of you and keep up the renowned SOUTHAMPTON FIGHTING SPIRIT!
2.) 24 May 2026 10:20:41
My controversial (not to me I might add) opinion.
So he has other clubs watched to find out formations and fitness of a player.
And??
He was dedicated to this club and I loved the way he had us playing!
The way we played, the goals we scored, the way we defended has absolutely nothing to do with his so called spying.
He had us playing football we loved, we were scoring goals, players improved under him, we played some wonderful exciting football.
Yes we all feel let down but the punishment did not fit the crime, a kangaroo court comprising a person that officially represented Middlesbrough at numerous legal hearings??
Yes he was stupid, naive. a fool. but he wanted us back in the EPL.
The style of football we played, both attacking and defensively was immense, with a very fluid and exciting midfield.
Cheating didn't score that memory of a lifetime goal against City at Wembley,
The goal against Arsenal.
It has been an absolute pleasure to watch the way we play.
think about it.
the style of football under his has been immense!
3.) 24 May 2026 14:33:43
SHRich2 I respect your opinion regarding Tonda's influence regarding improved standard of play by the team but if the Club overlook him breaking the rules and retain his services I feel that the reception he may receive at away games in particular may have an. adverse effect on the Team.in general.
4.) 24 May 2026 17:35:29
But there is no such offence in the Premier League
That is my understanding
So basically, it's allowed in the Premier League so it must go on all the time
When Manchester United used to play Saints and in the days when they stayed at botley park country club,
They used to practice at a park in fair oak Saints always had someone watch them someone watch them
The punishment did not fit the crime and even after much thoughtover the matter,
Justice was definitely not fair
For a legal professional to not declare the conflict of interest is against the code of ethics. ironically
5.) 24 May 2026 19:20:51
On the pitch cheating is a far bigger issue than some geezer with bins (deplorable as that is).
Take today, West Ham were denied a shot at staying up by an abysmal Everton side who didn't bother getting off the bus.
Then take the feigned injuries - a hair out of place and down they go all but dead - then they get up again, miraculously cured.
Then all that pulling and pushing in the box - why don't refs clamp down on it hard rather than invite offenders over for a quiet chat.
I won't even start on diving.
Our game gets worse each passing year - not better.
All in all, try as I might, there is no option IMO other than to sack Tonda and all the other idiots.
In my part of London, where I am about the only Saints fan most Spurs and Arsenal fans know, there is just an air of bemusement about it - they're embarrassed for me. There's no finger pointing - just an attitude of 'how could they be that stupid'.
This isn't going to pass over any time soon - it will leave our fan base confused and divided for the next few years to come - especially if we struggle with a League 1 squad.
As I said, winning the World Cup will put a smile on all our faces.
You've been away a while St John - great to have you back although not in these circumstances.
6.) 25 May 2026 01:37:35
Southants ALL that improvement and way of playing you mention can literally be highlighted as the result of the spying we have no doubt been doing all season.
I am intrigued by Tonda though i.e. whether he repeat what he did with us, with a weaker and team and without the spying. For that reason I'm probably one of the few fans willing to give him a second chance.
Make no mistake though at least some of that great play you mention WAS down to cheating, the concern is just how much, because if could be most of it.
Time will tell.
7.) 25 May 2026 06:07:30
As you say, cheating is a part of the modern game, huge result have been through erroneous VAR calls.
Diving for penalties
Claiming the ball struck a defender on the way out for a goal kick when they know it didn't
I am absolutely gutted the way this has turned out
The way he had us playing as brought so much joy to everyone
From who is going to score a goal scoring by so many players
8.) 25 May 2026 12:19:41
I share a lot of your sentiment SouthHantsRich2. Tonda messed up but he is also a young man from a country where spying is no big deal and he thought we would get a few 100k fine. He cost us promotion but we would not have been near the playoffs without him.
If Sports and Tonda managed to keep some of THB, Leo, Azaz and Jander on board I could tolerate keeping them if no better options found. Though I also agree the baggage and opposition chants could hurt us.
9.) 25 May 2026 15:17:05
Who gives a damn about chants from opposing fans. when we are smashing goals in for fun, defending like our life depends on it. that's how you answer them.
If I was a saints player, I would say to my team mates. let's go show them we are unbeatable and aim to go another 25 games unbeaten
10.) 25 May 2026 17:05:09
You are right and that is the spirit.
The manager choice may be out of our hands of course but I think we need to pause and assess our options before pulling the plug.
We are all angry but if Tonda has the resilience and humility to put it right and the manager and fans back him, I will give him a chance at redemption.
22 May 2026 20:20:07
If Guernsyboy is right, then the independent panel was anything but independent and as such, would have influenced what many people consider to be a perverse judgement.
I've been quite impressed with Simon Jordan's take on things likening it to an execution for shoplifting.
Not quite Simon but the other point he made, which I agree with, is that if you asked all 24 clubs at the beginning of the season whether a team caught cheating should be kicked out, they would all of have said yes.
Our problem is that we did not know the level of sanction and therefore took on what turned out to be a catastrophic risk.
I don't know about you guys, but tomorrow afternoon I will be nowhere near the telly.
I suppose Hull is most people's preferred winners.
19 May 2026 22:43:02
The feeling is worse than relegation - a thousand times worse.
The soul has been ripped out of our club.
We now have 10 years of toxic abuse from fans at every club we play.
As I said, it's a generational thing - and one which won't go away in our life times.
What doesn't make much sense though is that it is ok to spy 73 hours before a game, but not 72 hours.
To overturn the decision would be a very brave decision and highly improbable.
Meanwhile radio silence at St Mary's - shocking.
1.) 20 May 2026 17:57:25
I very much felt like this until this morning but since then I have come to accept that whilst we will be punished, I just think with this being a "final"decision we will at least get the points back, and if we are lucky enough to be reinstated then there can't be a come back in terms of the final
19 May 2026 20:01:33
And every person involved in this scandal should be sacked immediately - do it tonight because that will send a message that we care about our integrity.
Even if we put the tea lady in charge, if this involves Tonda, it's the right thing to do.
1.) 19 May 2026 20:28:11
Absolutely agree. Made mugs out of us long standing fans. I'm disgusted with the club.
2.) 19 May 2026 22:00:10
Look I get all that and I am sickened too. But they received no credit for nit running a contested hearing and not only have they been expelled but given points. It's massively over the top imo and it's been trial by media and the panel have been influenced.
That's not right and not received a fair hearing. Need to ask Europe court of arbitration to review the decision. I love my club and not players or fans fault. Penalised the fans. Should be a huge fine and points.
3.) 19 May 2026 22:12:36
We can't have any complaints. We've admitted to cheating, the media doesn't come into it. We've said ourselves that we're guilty. They have every right to sanction us as heavily as they want to. And apparently Tonda was leading the spying efforts not realising it was against the rules.
That's not an excuse. This is systemic cheating, and we've been penalised to the largest extent (expect being relegated).
The main point of frustration and anger from the fans shouldn't be at the decision, it should be at our club for wasting this season on lies and fraud, and they haven't had the immediate courtesy to admit it to us, apologise, or stop when they knew what they were doing was wrong.
4.) 19 May 2026 22:34:20
The biggest problem now is whether any of the players want to stay. Most of them may have stayed and fought again next season if we had played at Wembley and lost but I can see us having to start again now. Absolutely disgusted with the club.
19 May 2026 19:22:37
Sickening - I feel physically sick.
1.) 19 May 2026 19:57:56
And our chances of having it overturned on appeal are basically zero.
2.) 19 May 2026 20:04:21
Disgusted with my club. No complaints with the sanctions. We knew what we were doing was wrong and did it multiple times. Idiots. That 20 game unbeaten run, the extra time winner, probably the run to the cup semis, all lies.
We wouldn't have only spied on 2nd, 3rd and 22nd. Unless they happened to be the easiest targets. This surely runs deeper. Tonda will go, most of the board will go, most of the squad will go.
This is one of the worst days in the history of the club and I don't see how we come back from this. We blatantly cheated. For months. We probably really were a team bound for successive relegations.
But the real worst part. We admitted to spying for three games. Games we lost, drew, and drew. If it is just those three occasions, WHAT WAS EVEN THE POINT OF ANY OF IT.
So deeply upsetting. All that hope and expectation built on cheating. I could cope if we were relegated. If we were just not a good football side. I cannot abide by my team cheating.
Unless heads roll, this club may slowly start to die.
3.) 19 May 2026 20:08:35
And nor should we. We've been cheating for last 6 months at least. I'm 44 and life long Saint, first game in '89 and this.this is by far the worst I've felt. Disgraceful, embarrassing and shameful. We've been a lot of things but never cheats. Like u say its sickening and heads must roll
4.) 19 May 2026 22:26:05
Let's not forget in all this, we have a team fully capable of winning promotion. This is not the case of cheating being the reason we are/were in the playoffs. Goalscorers all over the pitch, a magnificent goal keeper, defence.
We have played superb attacking and defensive football.
What I don't understand is why why we have allowed or used an internet, a young lad to stand filing an opponent. not some fancy equipment but an iPhone and in full view.
I still think the intern was renegade and out to impress, but we should have stopped it!
You can watch every single opponent on tv or streaming an iPhone video is hardly going to add to the knowledge!
Absolutely bizarre!
Using someone in secret with top recording equipment. that would be covert
A young lad with an iPhone in full view. costing the club 200M. now that doesn't make sense one bit.
Appeal time. This is going to run.
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03 Jun 2026 23:56:30
Personally Rich, I don't see bullying a kid to do your dirty work is virtue signalling.
It is very err Saintly of you to be so forgiving but I can't do that. The men in suits win at the expense of the little people (in their eyes).
Yes of course there are worse things that go on in the game but the way our lot have responded is reprehensible.
Excited for the new season - really? Before the autumn is out you may well be less charitable.
Cynical, let down, angry yes - but this ain't virtue signalling my friend.
02 Jun 2026 21:57:05
This has driven a stake through the heart of the club and divided the whole Saints community.
There is a case to be made either way in terms of where you stand but ultimately it is right versus wrong. Sure, the penalty was brutal but football has a wider responsibility. It is a universal language which unites people from different cultures and for many people, it's all that keeps them going - looking forward to Saturday afternoon.
So the highly insincere and scripted messages released today are too little and too late to make a bean of difference to where I sit.
Blaming the intern is as low and as cowardly as it gets.
Shame on them
01 Jun 2026 23:18:50
Here, here SaintGGsy - it's shameful and the club response has been pitiful.
We've even got Tonda loyalists backing his corner.
Please trust me on this, what we've been convicted on and the offences which have been proven are poles apart.
Let's stop trying to defend the indefensible.
Sometimes, you have to make a stand for what is right and what is wrong. No one likes a cheat and no one likes a bully and for that reason, I'm out.
27 May 2026 23:20:16
To say Tonda is a tactical footballing genius is a stretch and some.
RM had an impressive run too and there's no way he could be described as a genius.
I've thought about the many comments and opinions on this forum and I haven't changed my mind - he should be sacked. I don't buy into this boyhood over enthusiasm as mitigation for damaging the reputation and standing of our club.
He got caught - plain and simple. Did his pathetic attempts to gain an advantage work - no, I don't think so. But we are bang to rights.
Even if he gets through this, he will be sacked some day, as all managers are.
Please remember too, on that run we rode our luck well, and we came from a low starting point. So measured praise is due, but let's turn it down a bit - if he's a genius, what on earth is Pep, or even Frank Lampard come to that.
I admire your loyalty, but the club has not earned your forgiveness yet.
How difficult was it to explain to my 6 year old grandson that we were no longer going to Wembley - he had already had the GK kit for his birthday ready to wear on the big day out. Replicate that thousands of times over for all our fans and families and you will appreciate the impact this had.
Forgiveness has to be earned and that won't come easy for the schmoozers in the suits.
25 May 2026 21:37:50
Without turning this into a therapy forum, I can say that there are few things which drive raw emotion more than football. In a previous life I have ejected solicitors, teachers and no end of other 'professionals' from football stadia because of their behaviour.
And guess what, I can be equally emotive when it comes to 'terrace mentality'.
That's what makes the game what it is - but in our small world - can we really back Tonda? I don't think so.