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Southampton spying compendium thread

Funny but I thought I would have seen a lot more banter from their nearest rivals. Can't say I've seen any. I can't imagine what the web would look like if it was our neighbours. 🤣
 

For me the stand out comment from the ELF's judgement is'

“We have concluded that there was, on the part of the respondent, a contrived and determined plan from the top down to gain a competitive advantage in competitions of real significance by deliberate attendance at opposition training grounds for the purpose of obtaining tactical and selection information.”

"Competitions"
plural.

The chances are that Southampton were at it for a significant part of the season - It's not just the three instances that they were done for. I think that this points to there being not just the CCTV evidence against them.

If someone (perhaps a disgruntled Championship Club) makes a formal complaint to the police there's a prospect that they could end up getting involved in this. There was after all hundreds of millions of pounds to be gained and what Southampton did could well be regarded as conspiracy to defraud. They even got pretty close to "winning" the competition before being tumbled.
I'm pretty sure it's a civil matter at worst and not criminal - but @Pantomime Mackem should be able to confirm.
 
If I was a Southampton player whose boss through cheating had been deprived of a chance of winning a play off final and no doubt doubling his wages at least I would be pretty annoyed.
The fact the head coach hasn't been dismissed for what equates to gross misconduct is baffling in itself, unless the people in authority above him are heavily involved.
He will be gone as soon as it can shown it was under his instructions then they’ll save on compensation
 
For me the stand out comment from the ELF's judgement is'

“We have concluded that there was, on the part of the respondent, a contrived and determined plan from the top down to gain a competitive advantage in competitions of real significance by deliberate attendance at opposition training grounds for the purpose of obtaining tactical and selection information.”

"Competitions"
plural.

From watching that Stefan fella, the finance guy, he says the league and the playoffs are treated as seperate competitions. Hence the plural, unless they managed to have a gander at Arsenal too.
 
As a matter of interest how did you feel when when you were expelled from the play off final after beating us?? Did you see it coming? Do you reckon the penalty was similar to this saints episode?? Whatever happened to Brian Hillier? Interested in your views mate

We had no idea of the severity despite what some post on here.
Spoken to both Paul Bodin and the late Alan McLoughlin (RIP) and both were not aware of what would happen.
If anything we thought a small fine but brutal honest, yes we were guilty and no hiding from that. We were made an example of and other clubs including Tottenham breached the same and only picked up a fine.
As for Brian Hillier he simply vanished from the scene and history.

As to what followed without doubt the hardest footballing knock I will ever encounter.
Just imagine celebrating at Wembley in front of a fantastic team that played superbly well and thousands of our fans. We came up from the then 4th division and to think would be playing the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd. I will always remember my Brother in tears. I was younger but it never really sank in, I was completely numb by it all and maybe thought there would always be great times like this.
Sadly there wasn’t. More recent times we simply got saddled by wrong owners and only knows how the fit and proper owner test works.

I know the passion though is locked away deep in my body. I know that if we had a successful period, even a season, even getting rid of the scum bag criminals that have attached themselves to our once great club then it will boil over.

Told the kids that the old Man will be in tears and do you know what I would just love to be in tears because you just get accustomed to the continued pain. The loyalty and hope card feels as thin as it ever has done and my years are passing by so fast.
Why can’t it be our turn because we have endured enough. I am not greedy, unrealistic or my expectations are unachievable. I want to love my football club again and haven’t for some time.
As we say amongst us, it’s shit, it’s always shit but we get each other through it.⚽
 
From watching that Stefan fella, the finance guy, he says the league and the playoffs are treated as seperate competitions. Hence the plural, unless they managed to have a gander at Arsenal too.
It's literally in the report that they were given separate penalties for the offences in different competitions.
1) Kicked out the playoffs for the offense against Boro in the playoffs.
2) 4 point deduction for next season for the offenses in the league against Oxford and Ipswich.
Why dont people just read up the official information instead of making up scenarios and guessing at whats happened based on posts in here or on twitter.
Each offense has a different reference number and each reference number is quoted the penalities handed out.
 
We had no idea of the severity despite what some post on here.
Spoken to both Paul Bodin and the late Alan McLoughlin (RIP) and both were not aware of what would happen.
If anything we thought a small fine but brutal honest, yes we were guilty and no hiding from that. We were made an example of and other clubs including Tottenham breached the same and only picked up a fine.
As for Brian Hillier he simply vanished from the scene and history.

As to what followed without doubt the hardest footballing knock I will ever encounter.
Just imagine celebrating at Wembley in front of a fantastic team that played superbly well and thousands of our fans. We came up from the then 4th division and to think would be playing the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd. I will always remember my Brother in tears. I was younger but it never really sank in, I was completely numb by it all and maybe thought there would always be great times like this.
Sadly there wasn’t. More recent times we simply got saddled by wrong owners and only knows how the fit and proper owner test works.

I know the passion though is locked away deep in my body. I know that if we had a successful period, even a season, even getting rid of the scum bag criminals that have attached themselves to our once great club then it will boil over.

Told the kids that the old Man will be in tears and do you know what I would just love to be in tears because you just get accustomed to the continued pain. The loyalty and hope card feels as thin as it ever has done and my years are passing by so fast.
Why can’t it be our turn because we have endured enough. I am not greedy, unrealistic or my expectations are unachievable. I want to love my football club again and haven’t for some time.
As we say amongst us, it’s shit, it’s always shit but we get each other through it.⚽
I take it you must fully understand how saints fans are feeling at this moment, however, they have not won play offs, unlike Swindon did. Arguably your feeling were probably worse I guess

I do have deepest feelings for all saints fans

BTW, I was staying in the Roker Hotel way back for an SAFc v MAn Utd , match, Man Utd team ere also there. There were kids outside asking for autographs. One came up to me obviously thinking I was a UTD player :lol: . I signed his book Lou Macari who was to become a Swindon Legend.....
 
I take it you must fully understand how saints fans are feeling at this moment, however, they have not won play offs, unlike Swindon did. Arguably your feeling were probably worse I guess

I do have deepest feelings for all saints fans

BTW, I was staying in the Roker Hotel way back for an SAFc v MAn Utd , match, Man Utd team ere also there. There were kids outside asking for autographs. One came up to me obviously thinking I was a UTD player :lol: . I signed his book Lou Macari who was to become a Swindon Legend.....

Lou will always be my favourite manager, more so than Ardiles and Hoddle.

I honestly don’t think any Supporter will have that high and low that we endured.
As you say Southampton never went to Wembley or won it.
It’s the hope that always kills us football fans.
 
I was thinking the same when I heard him getting his excuses in early. Boro continued training it's not like he had to search the bars in Ibiza to get his squad back together
Aye exactly
To be fair, the team I'm not bothered about, but the fans are reporting all sorts of trouble trying to get through to purchase tickets. Imagine limited time to buy and the system not being up to it. Stuff of nightmares if your keen to go.
Meh, they should be thanking their lucky stars.
 
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Well well well
I saw that yesterday and this comment as Eckert was assistant manager at Barnsley from August 2020 to January 2022.

"Said elsewhere. He was assistant at Barnsley under Valerien Ismael.Ismael went on a crazy run at Barnsley which he's never come close to replicating since and he never took Eckert anywhere else with him."

Looking at Wiki, the previous season in 2019/20 Barnsley finished 21st after promotion from League One. Ismael was brought in as manager and in the only full season Eckert was there they finished 5th in 2020/21. They went on a great run after January winning 13 of 19 (sounds familiar).

Ismael left at the end of the season and went to WBA but was sacked Feb 2022. Eckert stayed but left Barnsley in January 2022 as Barnsley reverted back to being shite and finished bottom (new manager not liking Eckert's methods?). Ismael got 56% win percentage at Barnsley, he got 37% at WBA, 29% Watford and 25% Blackburn and been out of job since Feb 2026.

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