Andy Williams

@57_joe_ @Will467289 @SaintsExtra Admit it. You had a terrible end to the season. Boro fans were criticising Gibson for not buying at Christmas. You lucked out when you found an intern with an iPhone (utterly stupid by Southampton so amateurish & almost comical)

@Aedicule @Will467289 @SaintsExtra "thoroughly beaten" you won by scoring a fluke goal in extra time, thoroughly beaten would be like earlier in the season when we beat you 4-0

🚨 #SaintsFC statement on play-off final refunds: "Southampton Football Club has today begun the process of issuing full refunds for all tickets and official travel bought by fans for the Championship Play-Off Final, as well as all booking fees. "Refunds will be returned to the original method of payment. Due to the volume and following advice from our ticket provider, we understand that refunds should be in fans’ accounts within 10-14 working days."

@Will467289 @SaintsExtra You know in your heart of hearts you shouldn’t be there. Thoroughly beaten on the pitch you’ve managed to engineer a place in the final (Saints rightly needed to be punished but I bet you can’t believe your luck to find Saints spying when it seemed a poor end to Boro’s season)

@SaintsExtra Cheers for keeping my seat warm fellas 👍

@roger_reed2 @AndrewSayerBCU No it’s just a hunch. But if it is going on it will be far more sophisticated than the amateurish almost comical way Southampton carried on

@Aedicule @AndrewSayerBCU Really? Do you have evidence for that?

Why are so many football experts (ex-players, managers, pundits) lining up to say Southampton’s removal from the playoff final is unfair? Southampton have openly admitted they have cheated to try and influence games in their favour. They should be nowhere near the playoffs. #UTB

@Char1ieM8 @TheSaintCentre They will get lengthy bans by the FA anyway so it will happen whatever

@TheSaintCentre Spors and tonda are out the door for sure just a question of who else had the info about it. Long summer ahead for this club

🚨 Internal email leaks reportedly show senior Southampton figures were aware of the illicit scouting operation. The correspondence allegedly coordinated times, locations and targets for filming opponents’ tactical sessions #saintsfc [DailyExpress]

@aim4thelight @AlfieHouseEcho I think we all know deep down that the biggest mistake was to get caught. How utterly amateurish for a big club on the verge of premiership football to send a young intern with an iPhone to stand quite exposed at the edge of a field. What an outfit

@AlfieHouseEcho The madness of football means this cardinal sin isn't a problem at all in the major leagues and I am certain Saints are not the only offenders. It would be interesting if all clubs were investigated.

I defy anyone to sit and ponder the events that have led to a catastrophe for Saints without getting angry all over again. Cheating at all is bad enough, but it's an unforgivable misjudgment before a play-off game with club's future at stake. #SaintsFC dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/o…

@dkaustin87 @henrywinter Winter is a smug sanctimonious guy. Always speaks as if he is the oracle itself

Disappointing to see the glee @henrywinter has shown watching #saintsfc go through what they’ve gone through over the past few days, especially when most of the football community agreed that the punishment was disproportionate. Part of the old boys club I guess.

@thepump74 Probably a day. I suspect it’s not complicated & he will already be aware of all the legalities

How much time would Lord Pannick have to look over the case? Surely no time at all #saintsfc

@Azz_Bailey Diaz off Ross Stewart on

Literally how it feels right now as a Saints fan #SaintsFC

@TheStatsSaint He’s an expert on appeals

Another level of ineptitude from our club, you don't hire the really fancy lawyer from the start but only for one day for an appeal? Come on guys...

@JohnSpe63900244 @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball There’s more blatant cheating at every game I watch which seems to be accepted

@Aedicule @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball They're, rightfully, making it clear that blatant cheating will not be tolerated.

🗣️ @GaryLineker on Spygate: "I have to say, I'm not sure the crime warrants this punishment. A giant fine would have probably sufficed." 🗣️ @AlanShearer: "I'm with you, I was expecting a huge fine rather than full expulsion." #SaintsFC [via @RestIsFootball]

@JohnRushforth1 @ZiaYusufUK Whataboutery

@ZiaYusufUK Care to answer the big questions about this?

🚨 This is incredible. The Tories have AGAIN jumped into bed with the Greens to block Reform and common sense from power. They’ve worked with the Greens to block EVERY Reform nomination to the management committee on Bradford Council, despite Reform having the biggest democratic mandate. The Greens now control the Staffing and Regulatory Committees. They spent 14 years running open borders and sky high taxes because that is who they are. The poor voters of Bradford have been stitched up again. This is why the Tory Party must be destroyed.

@spitbull1963 @JMD__14 @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball Not just thinking about spying but any other sort of cheating or misdemeanour going forward including financial

@Aedicule @JMD__14 @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball Hardly a rod. Don't think any teams will be sending off staff to training grounds after this.

@a_0reIlLy @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball There’s never been a punishment for this particular event apart from Leeds. Who on earth would have thought the ‘time’ imposed for this crime would have been so severe?

@Aedicule @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball That hardly relates.. The old saying if you cant do the time dont do the crime is quite apt though. Dont break the rules you play in the final 🤷‍♂️

@a_0reIlLy @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball Life is full of people doing what they shouldn’t. Are they all put in jail for 20 years whether they are an axe murderer or a shoplifter?

@Aedicule @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball Maybe dont do what you shouldnt

@JohnsonJack11 @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball The culmination of a 38 game season is not just a knockout competition. If you get kicked out the FA Cup it’s no big deal

@Aedicule @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball It’s not draconian though is it? We haven’t cut the hands off the analyst who got caught. They got kicked out of a knock out competition for cheating. How is that remotely disproportionate?

@JMD__14 @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball Are you joking? If a team is playing say Haaland all season as a result of riding roughshod over financial regulations, I would say that has an enormous effect on team performance. Let’s not talk about Chelsea

@Aedicule @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball Not really though. Look at how they punish financial transgressions (which at best confers an indirect advantage for the club). Sporting sanctions have been applied there. This sort of offence impacts a game directly, so they’re punishing accordingly. For once, good on them.

@JohnsonJack11 @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball I’m not just talking about playoff cheating here. Any form of cheating at any time or teams getting an unfair advantage. A lot of clubs could be affected in the future by some draconian measures

@Aedicule @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball Rightly so. Any club found cheating in playoffs should be expelled and any found in the regular season should have points deductions.

@hiwattnott @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball I’m a bit tired of saying this. It’s not about the enforcement of rules, which is absolutely right, it’s the punishment handed out for the offence that is the issue here (there seems to be a huge range of available sanctions but nothing is prescribed). This is some precedent.

@Aedicule @SaintsExtra @GaryLineker @alanshearer @RestIsFootball How can enforcing the rules be a bad thing.