Southampton banter 3

16 May 2026 16:29:43
The neutrals and the Borough fans (obviously) don't necessarily agree about the fact the spying has little impact on the overall performance, to the point where you'd almost think it was them to spied on us, that's how dominant they were.

They want justice for the implication, not the ramifications/benefits we did/didn't receive from it.

What I find interesting though is majority of them are calling for the full sanctions and extent of the law.

Yet the whole point of the spying was to get into the Premier League and what they're claiming we denied them, but funnily enough the Premier League/FA don't have any rules in replace regarding such things.

It was only recently that the EFL brought in the 72 hour no observation rule because of what happened with Biesal and Leeds.

16 May 2026 10:47:04
With my customary Saturday morning glass half full head on, I thought I'd try and book a hospitality package for Saturday's play-off final as advertised on our official website.

Guess what, they're closed - only open Mon-Fri.

How ridiculous - one week before the greatest show on earth and they're all shopping in Sainsbury's.

Just adds to the general feeling of incompetence and embarrassment around St Mary's.

I've been besieged by calls/messages from friends across the country empathising for the situation we find ourselves in and wishing us luck. The consensus is that being booted out would be wholly disproportionate and totally unfair on the fans.

On that basis, I will crack on with plans for Saturday, that's if someone ever answers the phone lines.

16 May 2026 10:00:28
For decades, managers/coaches have attended games so as to research their opposition, they have also, curtesy of the EFL, been able to watch hours of video to study their opponent. What's the difference between that, and a man standing behind a tree with a camera? Perhaps the EFL should tear up the broadcasting contract to avoid teams "spying" on their opponents ( with subsequent loss of revenue)

Seems to me a fine for stupidity would be apt, but banishment should make the EFL look to put rules in place against all types of research! If this is to be the case, I only have 2 words to say.


GO HULL

16 May 2026 12:28:25
You're aloud to watch, observe, gather as much footage/Intel on the opposition as you want.

You're just not allowed to directly observe that other teams preparation for a schedule match involving you and them within 72 hours as that is the key match preparation time.

That's exactly what we did.

16 May 2026 16:14:14
There we go, we don't need an independent panel . Leslee knows we are guilty, and now we spied on Fulham. Probably been reading the Sunday sport.

Let's not let it get in the way that there is no proof in the public domain, other than a guy with a phone in a publicly accessible place.

It's also reported that he was not employed by Sfc at the time but that won't fit the narrative. Can't we await the facts before conclusively stating what we apparently have done.

16 May 2026 23:17:44
Those are facts, it's the facts we're being charged with, keep up SaintsGGG.

The 72 hour rule was brought in by EFL after what leeds were doing. Prior to that there was no official rule/law.

We broke that law.

Publicly accessible yes, not 'some guy' though. It was William Salt, the analyst at Southampton FC.

You're allowed to be a loyal Southampton fan whilst also accepting facts ggg.

If the whole thing was a one off, I agree it's all got a little out of proportion as there was no real advantage that I saw in the two legs, because of anything it slurred Middlesbourgh on.

However and the important part is wether it is indicative of the majority of our season under Tonda and just how much evidence they've unearthed between now and Tuesday to show wether this run which has blown all opposition out of the water is because we knew prior to each match how they were setting up against us.

We will see.

17 May 2026 00:17:54
Sorry you're right. Leslie says we spied on Fulham so we did.

Show me the proof William Salt was employed by saints? You can't - one news outlet claims he is employed by villa.

You need hard evidence he was on the instruction of sfc. I'm sure Leslee has this. We (including you) know very little about the hard facts

Fine and a suspended points deduction at most.

17 May 2026 13:16:42
Him wearing the Staff training kit and being in the Staff photo of the team when Tonda won manager of f the month.

Tonda center picture with HIS team behind him, William Salt is at the back row.

I know I know nothing about the hard facts, that's what the tribunal is for.

I'm going talking about the concrete facts, which for whatever reason your not accepting.

17 May 2026 16:16:12
It was an old photo from when he was employed by saints. If you keep up, that photo was from March, the alleged spying was May.

There can be no dispute he was at least once employed by sfc . But as I keep saying we don't know all the facts. Not enough to make clown comments like there is evidence we spied on Fulham.

17 May 2026 19:02:40
The thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is he was caught before the first leg. Did he send information to aid us in the first leg before he was caught Who knows, but we didn't have any help for the second leg and won. According to some journalist Middlesbourgh are the only club interested in pursuing this.

17 May 2026 19:46:05
You're right st Kenny.
I know it's not great but like with criminal law, certain things have to be proven. If he really was working for villa and there is no proof that footage was shared

Then there isn't a case to answer.

If he was working for Tonda, totally agree we should be punished. But also (fact) Tonda has said it's frustrating not being able to speak and defend ourselves, which he can't for legal reasons.

18 May 2026 06:00:36
The threshold in criminal law is different though - the evidence has to be 'beyond reasonable doubt'.

In civil cases and Hearings like this, the bar is lower and is based on probability - is it more likely than not that the 'mush in the bush' was spying for or on behalf of SFC.

Having thought on this over the weekend, it seems justice would be seen to be served if any official in the club is proven to be complicit. A substantial ban from being actively involved would probably fit the 'crime'.

To punish the whole club/community would IMO be grossly unfair.

Embarassing on every level, but hopefully objective and independent oversight by the Panel will mean we can have our day out on Saturday. We'll see.

18 May 2026 11:35:03
Agree Miller, my point is really regarding fair play, not trial by media. I just think the punishment should fit the crime.

Let's see what the hard facts are at the hearing, and what an independent panel view as a punishment once all said facts are considered.

Once all the facts are known we may well be in the rubbish . But likewise it could be viewed differently

It certainly doesn't undo the good work Tonda has done as some may suggest.

18 May 2026 13:38:13
It DOES if he's the tribunal evidence shows he's cheated, how do you not understand that lol ?

I want him to be clean as much as you do, but this 'good work' isn't good work if it's shady tactics work, is it.

Go have this conversation with neutrals Saintggg as you seem to think I dislike Tonda.

It's about perspective.

Like I say this is why for me it is even more important to judge him on his ability next season. Like it or not, no matter what comes out of the caught hearing (both/all sides will be be looking to play down/play up what happened) so we may never know the true extent.

What will give us some insight into whether what happened at Middlesbourgh was indicative of Tondas success is whether that form can continue next season, because one things for sure, every team we play will be guarding their training plans.

Next season is looking more and more interesting to me.

18 May 2026 14:46:24
What? You are unhinged.
This is my point - if . IF we are found to be guilty. Still sounds like lots of ifs for me.

18 May 2026 15:34:53
The thing is Lesleee, if we do get promoted the two seasons are not comparable.

I think you would be wise to let this go for the moment because there are much more important issues to worry about.

18 May 2026 18:50:14
Not really Miller, we can take some comparison from our form in the FA cup, superior team this time round and by all your own words, a superior manager to what we had in RM.

I'm not saying we should blow the Premier League per in any sense, but relegation survival, comfortably i.e. mid bottom half table would compare to what Tonda has been doing here in the championship. anything less i.e. relegation threatening and we can assume my points about Will Still/spying has merit.alas e won't have to worry as you will all be calling for his head anyway at that point ?

18 May 2026 19:45:40
I have no words

16 May 2026 07:39:04
{Ed's Note - RR has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool and the Hardest Part: Staying on Top

15 May 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - SaintGGsy has posted a new article entitled, Saints, the EFL, and the spying fallout

14 May 2026 22:30:31
{Ed's Note - SaintGGsy has posted a new article entitled, Saints, the EFL, and the spying fallout

14 May 2026 17:58:01
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new video entitled entitled, C U Next Time - The Carrick Files}

14 May 2026 16:48:53
With each media update, the story worsens. The suspect is reported to work for our back room staff in some capacity and left evidence at the scene (bank details) which may lead to an auditable trail around the country.

If the evidence is incontrovertible (and it seems that way) we have a serious problem.

Even falling on our sword and pleading for leniency won't cut it.

It may boil down to 'proportionality' - a punishment to fit the crime. One could argue that a £100m forfeiture for missing out on a place in the PL is way over the top.

Unfortunately, if proven this is a generational event that will take years to come back from.

If unproven, it will leave a smear that has tarnished an unexpectedly good season.

Either way, we're cattle trucked - it's just a case of how much.

15 May 2026 01:15:39
Yea from the pictures posted you can clearly see him amongst the staff members in the picture with Tonda receiving the Manager of the month award.

They tracked him down with a combination of pictures and the fact he brought a coffee at the golf club that he subsequently ran back into change clothes later when he was caught.

Now the bigger concern is that they're asking for his bank account files. Meaning I'm guessing that want to see if his behavior of buying coffee/food with his own bank card near the venues of other training grounds matches up with the dates that were playing teams of said training grounds.

If that evidence does match up then yea we have a bit of a sh!t storm on our hands.

If indeed there are multiple occurrences of this spying stuff then Tonda most definitely is not the tactical genius many people on here have made him out to be, at best he can throw the analyst guy under the bus and say he knew nothing about it, but at worst which I think is more likely (If there are more occasions of it happening) he did know either some or all of it.

15 May 2026 08:15:18
It must be a major distraction for the players. They do live in a bubble for much of the time, but they are not insulated from this sort of global scrutiny.

I don't believe the players were aware of any of this (if the allegations are true) because footballers cannot keep secrets and could hold the club to ransom if they felt so inclined.

Lesleee, your choice of term 'rubbish show' could prove an understatement.

15 May 2026 08:36:46
I thought I read that this analyst left Saints in March and now works for AV. He is reported not to be in the March or April photos of Tondas award suggesting it may be a lone wolf job pre semi final playoff. Motive would be unclear then why but don't know why he left.

He then was not removed from the staff website. Maybe if he was previously doing this it was unknown and then became known. Feel more reassured it's independent lawyers dealing with it and will assess the evidence and full context properly without emotions clouding judgement

15 May 2026 10:25:51
Please God, you're right Guernsey Boy. Any form of damage limitation will be welcome.

15 May 2026 10:45:45
Now confirmed by Ugly Inside article. Looks increasingly like no case to answer verdict to me. Oh and a heavy costs order against EFL who brought the case. We shall see

15 May 2026 11:36:24
Someone from the senior management said at an early stage that it was an intern 'trying to impress'. it was a one off comment that got lost in the noise of hysteria
It appears that this seems to be the case and that he acted renegade.
no case to answer. end of.
And as much as lesleeeee has decided that this new manager must have been achieving with inside information,
He's achieving because he is a very intelligent, technical genius
Go listen to some of the players talking about Eckert.
his in-depth analysis has been so in-depth that they can't believe it and are in awe

Now let's get back to the business
COYR

15 May 2026 12:03:02
Well said Rich. The boys are so focused and we need to give them loads of encouragement now and until the final. Let's all get behind them COYR

16 May 2026 07:28:52
Lesleee regardless of how Tonda may have got his information, he still had to know how to use it. He has to set up a team to play in a manner that cancels out what he may or may not have seen.

This would require tactical genius.Has anyone tried filming a football match/ anything from over, in my estimation, 200m away on a iPhone? Very difficult to hold still and keep focused on everything.

16 May 2026 12:38:43
Not at all Saint Kenny, it doesn't make you a tactical genius in the slightest, it very much makes you the opposite.

I guarantee with the team we have anyone of us here could have put a few points on the board with it.

Now if you tell me, to add to that before each match you're going to give me the training plans/anayalsis/drills of how the other team are directly looking to set up against me and approach the game, well you've just made my job a while lot easier and ensured I put even more points on the board.

You have to stop thinking like a Southampton/Tonda fan and see it for what it is.

If it was a one of, then sure the whole situation is more forgiving. If it comes out as being multiple occurrences than that shows a systematic reliance on needing information that the opposition didn't have to succeed.

If I was the manager (if it was multiple occasions) I would have questioned how the data/footage came about.

Especially if Tonda is looking at direct footage of the training sessions, that's pretty damning on his part because he didn't shut it down.

& Don't be naive about camera phones, this isn't the Motorola or Nokia era we're living in, you can literally buy high end spec video phones with ultra high motion capture specs on them these days.

16 May 2026 13:09:07
You're walking a tight rope Southants and asking for a fall by calling Tonda a tactical genius whilst all this spying stuff is still in the evidence collecting/trial stages. Go and ask the wider footballing community whether they think Tonda is a tactical genius currently ?

You literally said "In-depth anayalsis that the players are in awe of", almost like Tonda knew something that others didn't, funny that.

Like I say I want Tonda to succeed but you have to be careful and you have to be logical, because the fall you're setting yourself up for, you can guarantee I will be there when you do ??

Have to stay on point too, my none acceptance of the Tonda genius claims aka the Messiah your making him into (even though you said you aren't, that's what a Messiah is, building someone up), is something I've been holding to for a long time, before this spying stuff. I've repeatedly said I won't/cannot judge Tonda/credit his success this season (entirely to him) when this team is predominantly Will Stills. That's a valid point wether you like it or not. Now next season when players come and go, when he's directly responsible for the team built going forward and presented for the season ahead, then yes that is when I will start to judge him and if the results are the same as they are now then I'll gladly put my hand up.

None promotion means we should at least be able to replicate what we have done this year in the championship next year and if we are in the premiership then our run in the FA cup and superior team (and manager by your own words) means we should at least comfortably avoid relegation.

Anything less and you have to accept that my points of Will Stills recruitment and the spying were factors in Tonda's success.

I have listened to the saints players talk about Tonda, many times, and they ultimately say the same thing - that he's obsessively focused and spends time away from the players, focusing on the details. Now yes that could mean he's this tactical, obsessive genius and I'm all for that, but with this spying stuff coming to light and reports of it on multiple occurrences, it could mean he knows he's dealing with shady information and working behind the scenes with one or two closed circuit staff members to gain the results they have illegally.

Unlike you I don't have tunnel vision, I see things from both sides. I want Tonda to be the man we all hope he is but I also want nothing to do with victory under such circumstances (if true). Southampton FC is the only true allegiance I have, managers/players come and go and their impact leaves us like a ragdoll being thrown up and down the leagues. My arguments and points on here are always about stability around the club and hoping that when success comes, that it is sustained. You may want promotion and wins at any cost but if it is down to Tonda's systematic cheating then inevitably that same success is going to crumble.

13 May 2026 10:58:23
As amazing as last night was, I fear dark clouds are brewing over St Mary's.

The allegations against our club were initially brushed off as trivial by the majority but are now building up to deeply concerning.

Of course, the case against us must be proved but the evidence threshold is on the balance of probability. In other words, is it more likely than not that we had deployed someone to 'spy' on their training ground.

If proven, I believe they will make an example of us to the rest of the watching football world. I think that would be a serious points deduction for next season which will if promoted, effectively relegate us before a ball is kicked.

But beyond that, if the case is proven, the club has betrayed the community and legions of Saints fans, and damaged the reputation of our club.

Whilst we all have our light hearted disagreements on this forum, I strongly believe we all share a common sense of values, which excludes 'cheating'.

I hope the evidence is flimsy but the signs aren't looking good.

13 May 2026 12:26:40
I agree Miller. I want Tonda to be the man he supposedly is and some people on here think he is and as I say when/if that day comes I'll gladly eat my words.

However I also don't want manager/staff that goes about things in such ways and brings scandals to the club. It all reminds me too much of the days when Bruce Grobbaler use to take bribes to fix matches, you lose that sense of achievement and wonder.

If Tonda is the man and the accusations are more fabricated than we can continue as is.

Going up and being in the Premiership is the Pinnacle and where we want/should be, but if we're not competing there, what's the point.

My concern is that we went up with RM and ended up having disastrous season, almost the worst in history.

Now if the claims with Tonda are true then like you say we not only either get banished from playoffs or we go up with a point deduction.

On top of that have a manager who were not sure if was winning because of his ability or tactics he got from observing the opposition training.

At the moment it all feels too much like we got that Biff guy from back to the future as a manager who has that sports almanac book with all the results in.

13 May 2026 12:32:33
Further to my post above, I can't see this being resolved before the play off final.

If we don't beat Hull, then it's more straightforward for a Panel to decide. If we beat them, then it becomes harder to reach an outcome which will appease all those who are scenting blood.

13 May 2026 18:51:27
Presumably it was Will Still that was responsible for sending the spy (seen as he gets all credit)

Even his brother Ed Still has been sacked at Watford . The poor bloke is already sick of hearing his name in every Barbers

13 May 2026 18:52:43
Good post Miller, I think it's very poor form on our part. But in the days of drones and auditors, it was essentially a guy on a public path.

But I do get your point 100% and agree

I just don't think it's anymore than a fine kind of level

13 May 2026 21:37:33
Let's just remember we beat Fulham, Arsenal and took city pretty far. They all (if I'm not mistaken) have closed training grounds which could not be "scouted". So the team and Tonda should still get some credit for that. If we actually sent someone, then we should be removed from the competition.

However, they caught him before he "got anything" so borough shouldn't take our place. I don't think Tonda is as involved as is being made out, which is why he is so angry. But what the kid was doing up there isn't good.

14 May 2026 12:55:30
Did Saints spy on the Pompey team players for a full hour during one of their training sessions in the Froddington Arms Fratton??

13 May 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Matchday 36 - Quick Round Up