| Southampton standing by Eckert on 07:49 - Jun 2 with 2824 views | Zx1988 | In similar-sounding but slightly different news... |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:08 - Jun 2 with 2694 views | nrb1985 | Almost certainly that means they all knew it was going on then. Scumbag cnts. |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:14 - Jun 2 with 2661 views | Churchman | So the owner’s defence is whataboutery. I.e diving has more impact than spying. Obviously he and his rotten club still don’t get it and so must be utterly complicit. ‘The punishment that the club received was severe and completely disproportionate to the mistake that we made. We lost our chance to win £200m’. Firstly it was not a mistake it was an action that broke specific rules to gain an advantage. Secondly, that action could have cost Ipswich Town £200m through no fault of their own. That it didn’t is irrelevant. Same for Middlesbrough, though you could argue that the furore affected their dismal efforts against Hull. They broke the rules and cheated. They clearly knew they were doing it otherwise the intern would not have scuttled away. They also have a bullying culture within the club which I suspect goes beyond kicking around interns. Ok, maybe most clubs are like that, but this is the first time I’ve seen a light shone on it in quite this way. If they are stupid enough to retain Tonda the stain around Southampton will not go away. In fact it may become permanent. Their punishment has actually been a measly 4 points. Nothing. Scumbag club - for what they did, relegate them. [Post edited 2 Jun 8:16]
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:16 - Jun 2 with 2652 views | BloomBlue | As I've said before its difficult to sack someone (without ending up in an employment tribunal) if the individual was simply following direction from mgmt. You would also have to sack all those above. I'm sure those above Eckert were aware of and encouraged it. |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:31 - Jun 2 with 2553 views | vapour_trail | Eckert will receive a global ban of at least a year I suspect, helping Southampton out of this tricky legal corner. |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:38 - Jun 2 with 2497 views | boysof1981 |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:08 - Jun 2 by nrb1985 | Almost certainly that means they all knew it was going on then. Scumbag cnts. |
Seems likely doesn’t it, that everyone knew what was happening. Going to be interesting to see how good they are next season when they don’t have prior knowledge of the opposing team. Certainly no way they only spied on us, Boro and Oxford. |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:40 - Jun 2 with 2482 views | Churchman |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:31 - Jun 2 by vapour_trail | Eckert will receive a global ban of at least a year I suspect, helping Southampton out of this tricky legal corner. |
There’s no tricky legal corner. They can fire him right now for gross misconduct. The only tricky bit is if this repeated act of cheating was supported or peddled by others at the club above and beneath Blinky Bill Tonda. |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:45 - Jun 2 with 2457 views | The_Flashing_Smile |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:40 - Jun 2 by Churchman | There’s no tricky legal corner. They can fire him right now for gross misconduct. The only tricky bit is if this repeated act of cheating was supported or peddled by others at the club above and beneath Blinky Bill Tonda. |
That's the point though isn't it? The fact that he hasn't been sacked can only be that the club knew and were complicit. If they were to sack him for something he can prove they knew about and were complicit with, then he'd be able to take them to the cleaners. |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:57 - Jun 2 with 2395 views | C_HealyIsAPleasure | I suspect Southampton are hoping the same! |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:01 - Jun 2 with 2353 views | bsw72 |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:45 - Jun 2 by The_Flashing_Smile | That's the point though isn't it? The fact that he hasn't been sacked can only be that the club knew and were complicit. If they were to sack him for something he can prove they knew about and were complicit with, then he'd be able to take them to the cleaners. |
Exactly, lots of posturing by the Chairman and Board, while Eckert has obviously taken legal advise and letting everyone else dig their holes. |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:02 - Jun 2 with 2332 views | wrightsrightglove | They’re going down the siege mentality, us vs everyone else approach, which may well work out for them next season. I don’t think he’ll be their manager next season but they’re clearly building an attitude of ‘we’ve been wronged’ which won’t win them any favour from outside but may well work out for them on the pitch. |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:15 - Jun 2 with 2220 views | football | This is obviously clear they all knew about it so they can't sack him or he'll squeal! Discusitng scummy club Go and get them FA |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:17 - Jun 2 with 2207 views | Ryorry |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:02 - Jun 2 by wrightsrightglove | They’re going down the siege mentality, us vs everyone else approach, which may well work out for them next season. I don’t think he’ll be their manager next season but they’re clearly building an attitude of ‘we’ve been wronged’ which won’t win them any favour from outside but may well work out for them on the pitch. |
I dunno. Going by their forum, half their own fans thought they were out of order with the cheating. Wonder what happened to the senior person from the club who said in the immediate aftermath of their being dumped out of the pof “no-one associated with the spying will remain in employment at Southampton FC”. |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:24 - Jun 2 with 2159 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:14 - Jun 2 by Churchman | So the owner’s defence is whataboutery. I.e diving has more impact than spying. Obviously he and his rotten club still don’t get it and so must be utterly complicit. ‘The punishment that the club received was severe and completely disproportionate to the mistake that we made. We lost our chance to win £200m’. Firstly it was not a mistake it was an action that broke specific rules to gain an advantage. Secondly, that action could have cost Ipswich Town £200m through no fault of their own. That it didn’t is irrelevant. Same for Middlesbrough, though you could argue that the furore affected their dismal efforts against Hull. They broke the rules and cheated. They clearly knew they were doing it otherwise the intern would not have scuttled away. They also have a bullying culture within the club which I suspect goes beyond kicking around interns. Ok, maybe most clubs are like that, but this is the first time I’ve seen a light shone on it in quite this way. If they are stupid enough to retain Tonda the stain around Southampton will not go away. In fact it may become permanent. Their punishment has actually been a measly 4 points. Nothing. Scumbag club - for what they did, relegate them. [Post edited 2 Jun 8:16]
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But what do you really think? |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:25 - Jun 2 with 2161 views | MattinLondon | I know that I’m in the minority but I do think this issue has seen some rather over the top comments. Yes, they cheated and they were kicked out of the playoffs but the loss of points for next season is very harsh. Also comments like ‘scumbag club’ etc is also over the top. I know that I’ll be in the minority on this. |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:27 - Jun 2 with 2144 views | FlittonBlue | just seen Eckerts video, almost brought a tear to my glass eye |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:31 - Jun 2 with 2101 views | Churchman |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:02 - Jun 2 by wrightsrightglove | They’re going down the siege mentality, us vs everyone else approach, which may well work out for them next season. I don’t think he’ll be their manager next season but they’re clearly building an attitude of ‘we’ve been wronged’ which won’t win them any favour from outside but may well work out for them on the pitch. |
The irony of this is that only they and few others like that blustering plank on Talksport think they’ve been wronged. It’s actually everybody else, including ITFC that have been wronged. You could argue that a 2 point penalty for every game after and including Oxford is fair, given it was obvious what they were doing. 4 points doesn’t even rate a slap on the wrist compared to what they might have cost other clubs including ITFC and M’boro. And the south coast amoeba are still playing the victim card. Tools. [Post edited 2 Jun 9:39]
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:34 - Jun 2 with 2071 views | LegendofthePhoenix |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:17 - Jun 2 by Ryorry | I dunno. Going by their forum, half their own fans thought they were out of order with the cheating. Wonder what happened to the senior person from the club who said in the immediate aftermath of their being dumped out of the pof “no-one associated with the spying will remain in employment at Southampton FC”. |
Certainly seems that the posturing by Southampton now is "we were wronged" and that they are trying to get their fans on board with that. But in the immediate aftermath, many Southampton fans were expressing shame and horror at what the club had done. It's just staggering, that the culprit is claiming they have been hard done by. They cheated. If you cheat in a competition, you are expelled, it really is that simple. And then you suffer a punishment, and they got away very lightly with only a 4 point deduction. The sweet thing that the FA can do is take ages to come to a decision, and then announce just before the season starts that Eckert and his accomplices are banned from football in England for 1 or 2 years. That will throw Soton into chaos, needing a new coaching team and only able to get the dregs, with little time to recruit players and do preseason with them. Which is what they deserve for not doing the right thing , and playing the victim when they should have held their hands up and accepted the punishment. |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:46 - Jun 2 with 1961 views | Churchman |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:24 - Jun 2 by Cheltenham_Blue | But what do you really think? |
Haha, I like to sit on the fence and remain neutral in all things. Actually, I never minded (or cared) a jot about Southampton. Nothing club somewhere south. Went to the Dell a few times and it was far ‘tamer’ than Fratton Park. It was ok. But this business has elevated them to second on my loathe list of two after West Ham. |  | |  |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:49 - Jun 2 with 1939 views | JammyDodgerrr | Every single time they speak, they make it worse. Good grief. |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:53 - Jun 2 with 1903 views | IndependentlyBlue |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 08:14 - Jun 2 by Churchman | So the owner’s defence is whataboutery. I.e diving has more impact than spying. Obviously he and his rotten club still don’t get it and so must be utterly complicit. ‘The punishment that the club received was severe and completely disproportionate to the mistake that we made. We lost our chance to win £200m’. Firstly it was not a mistake it was an action that broke specific rules to gain an advantage. Secondly, that action could have cost Ipswich Town £200m through no fault of their own. That it didn’t is irrelevant. Same for Middlesbrough, though you could argue that the furore affected their dismal efforts against Hull. They broke the rules and cheated. They clearly knew they were doing it otherwise the intern would not have scuttled away. They also have a bullying culture within the club which I suspect goes beyond kicking around interns. Ok, maybe most clubs are like that, but this is the first time I’ve seen a light shone on it in quite this way. If they are stupid enough to retain Tonda the stain around Southampton will not go away. In fact it may become permanent. Their punishment has actually been a measly 4 points. Nothing. Scumbag club - for what they did, relegate them. [Post edited 2 Jun 8:16]
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‘We lost our chance to win £200m’ But you were prepared to cheat in two matches that could have cost each of those two other clubs £200m. Irony bypass there |  |
| Better to stay silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:55 - Jun 2 with 1877 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:25 - Jun 2 by MattinLondon | I know that I’m in the minority but I do think this issue has seen some rather over the top comments. Yes, they cheated and they were kicked out of the playoffs but the loss of points for next season is very harsh. Also comments like ‘scumbag club’ etc is also over the top. I know that I’ll be in the minority on this. |
I am torn between they have got what they deserved and they were careless and got caught out whilst other clubs are more subtle about doing it and get away with it. I have no idea which is the reality. |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:55 - Jun 2 with 1878 views | Ryorry |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:34 - Jun 2 by LegendofthePhoenix | Certainly seems that the posturing by Southampton now is "we were wronged" and that they are trying to get their fans on board with that. But in the immediate aftermath, many Southampton fans were expressing shame and horror at what the club had done. It's just staggering, that the culprit is claiming they have been hard done by. They cheated. If you cheat in a competition, you are expelled, it really is that simple. And then you suffer a punishment, and they got away very lightly with only a 4 point deduction. The sweet thing that the FA can do is take ages to come to a decision, and then announce just before the season starts that Eckert and his accomplices are banned from football in England for 1 or 2 years. That will throw Soton into chaos, needing a new coaching team and only able to get the dregs, with little time to recruit players and do preseason with them. Which is what they deserve for not doing the right thing , and playing the victim when they should have held their hands up and accepted the punishment. |
Haha - yes, re your last para. Going by reports from others re their forum now as opposed to when I read it at the time of the POF, looks like their fans’ mentality has shifted; or at least those who were most vocal then are remaining quiet now - perhaps they’ve given up, some even said they were so angry/disenchanted with the club that they’d no longer be going to games etc. (though I’m guessing that would likely be only temporarily). |  |
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 10:00 - Jun 2 with 1843 views | Rsj13 |
| Southampton standing by Eckert on 09:25 - Jun 2 by MattinLondon | I know that I’m in the minority but I do think this issue has seen some rather over the top comments. Yes, they cheated and they were kicked out of the playoffs but the loss of points for next season is very harsh. Also comments like ‘scumbag club’ etc is also over the top. I know that I’ll be in the minority on this. |
I cannot agree with any of this. Setting this out: They cheated in the "regular" season. This was discovered when that was finished, so a punishment was handed out for that. They then cheated in the playoffs. Because that was still going on, they could take action on the competition in which they cheated. And got kicked out. Therefore the two punishments are absolutely justified. I absolutely do not believe that the only two teams they spied on were us and Oxford - in that miraculous run of form. They have clearly been lying at almost every turn about this. Eckert not knowing the rules? The whole club clearly knew, so someone must have known the rules. Diving and spying are also absolutely false analogies. The owner clearly has absolutely zero contrition or remorse. My guess is because he was in on it. He's essentially blaming the intern for "not speaking up" when the Eckert clearly knew about this. As an intern, how much more senior can you get than the Manager!? Solak's response is absolutely horrendous. How can he be considered Fit and Proper? Eckert knew what he was doing was wrong (otherwise why would the intern spying on us dress up in a kit to "blend in"!?"). There is absolutely zero consistency in their story and they deserve everything that is being thrown at them. [Post edited 2 Jun 10:04]
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| Southampton standing by Eckert on 10:05 - Jun 2 with 1806 views | RetroBlue | problem is , he will always be known as a cheat now . Thats his reputation shot I think... |  |
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