Chris Garbutt

@FlynnJonas2 That's the only piece of evidence in the public arena. MFC have submitted more than that single photo for the case.

Who’d of thought one photo would cause so much hatred, anger, controversy, speculation, theories, unrest and divide …. Just one guy and his iPhone stood next to a tree ….. Welcome to 2026 … #SaintsFC

@trevorbutlers @RedlineUTB @SirGowen So if there's nothing to gain, what was the reason SFC sent a member of staff 350 miles away to do it? What was the aim of that 10 hour round trip, knowing it's against the rules?

@RedlineUTB @SirGowen No there is nothing to gain from watching a training session from a far. Nothing. The sooner Boro except that the better. Move on as we move on up.

I want spygate over and done with now, mainly so I stop having to see saints fans somehow blaming us in all of this 😂 #boro

@rhysmfc_ @paulboro39 Because it wasn’t a fair contest to start with. SFC had an unfair sporting edge over us, having watched us train and prepare for that specific tie. Who knows how much more successful we’d have been had they not had that unfair advantage. It is strictly against EFL rules to do so.

@ChrisG87UTB @paulboro39 How do we “deserve it” Chris? We didnt take our chances in the first leg and shat the bed in the 2nd leg.

Fuck it. Not even arsed about Wembley at this point. We lost over 2 legs. Hope it’s all sorted today so we can all move on! #Boro #Saintsfc

@justinallen1976 @JeffRob35343777 No it isn't Justin. The amount of chances Boro missed is COMPLETELY irrelevant. The central point, and the reason Southampton have been charged, is they BROKE AN EFL RULE TO GAIN AN UNFAIR SPORTING ADVANTAGE AGAINST THEIR OPPONENT IN A KNOCKOUT COMPETITION.

@JeffRob35343777 The central point is Boro didn’t take their chances - that is the only reason they didn’t make the final. And in fact the reason they didn’t get automatically promoted.

Calls for Southampton to be kicked out of the #EFL play-off final over spygate are ridiculous. And here's why 👇 thesun.co.uk/sport/39136128…

@ianswatman @EFL @EFL_Comms @HullCity I really do feel for Hull City fans, not being able to look forward to and get excited for the final. This has all been caused by SFC, and MFC have been, and are, disadvatnaged in this too. It's Boro that had unfair edge against them in the tie due to SFC's cheating.

Regarding Southampton cheating, the only option that should NOT be on the table is moving the game. Fans have to come first for once. @EFL @EFL_Comms @HullCity the only club disadvantaged at the moment! #whoarewepreparingfor

@Meditomagneto @slbsn @BrookMatthew It’s not the EFL that decide the sanction, it’s the independent board.

@slbsn @BrookMatthew Expulsion seems highly unlikely, as that would require the EFL to go against self interest and forfeit $2-4 million in revenue from that match

🚨 The Play-Offs are a distinct competition in the EFL Rules. Why this might matter...

@BrookMatthew @slbsn Why would that matter? You haven’t been charged for breaking a specific EFL law, for spying on your opponent, Middlesbrough, to gain an unfair sporting advantage in a knock out competition.

@slbsn Does the news surfacing that boro don’t have evidence of us spying on others and the report that other clubs aren’t interested have any material impact?

@secondtierpod They’ve had a few days off over the weekend. The squad are back in training this morning 👍🏼

Kim Hellberg in Sweden, watching his old side 👀

@Sammy44867533 @FootballMartin_ The penny really isn’t dropping is it Sammy…

@FootballMartin_ An unquantifiable but relevant fact is that Boro’s average player positions barely differed in 210 minutes from the 46 games prior. Ergo, what advantage was realised in a two-leg, extra time contest. Can be argued both ways, but nbdy has yet identified an in match insight gained

Great insight from Stefan Borson #SaintsFC

@Tom38076114971 @louieutfb 🤡

@louieutfb you’ll only bring down 2k. couldn’t sell out your biggest game of the season

8,000 Boro fans at the London Stadium in August is going to be a sight to behold #Boro

@Saints_CJL Straight forward when you get to watch how the opposition are going to try and defend them in advance….

This season, #SaintsFC have scored the 2nd most set-piece goals in the Championship — 28. Each of Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ 7 goals were from set-pieces alongside Ryan Manning scoring 4 free kicks. They’ve been CRUCIAL for us. I don’t think we’ve ever scored this many before…

@GBoldison92237 @_Jono96_ @GazetteBoro Absolute tosh! We deserve to be put into the final, and everyone will be absolutely buzzing if justice prevails. Where has this nonsense rhetoric come from that nobody wants to go to Wembley?!

@_Jono96_ @GazetteBoro 90% of the boro fan base don’t want us to get put in the final we just want Southampton punished severely.

Middlesbrough handed Championship play-off final blow as major update emerges gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football…

@rcuffy @MarkDavies67 Parody, surely?

@MarkDavies67 He’s an absolutely dreadful person.

Hey @rcuffy look - it’s lovely Martin Cole cosying up to Southampton fans and guess what - he’s slagging off Gibbo!

@Marcus47905970 @lambert83608575 @GazetteBoro How can knowing your opponents tactics, set piece routines, the way they’re going to attack, the way they’ll press, their starting 11, etc before the game starts not influence the game itself?!

@ChrisG87UTB @lambert83608575 @GazetteBoro Because Swindon had ineligible players on the pitch directly impacting the game! Yeah Southampton cheated but the gage was played! Now did that have a direct or indirect impact on the game! I don’t know I don’t have that evidence that’s why it’s down to an independent panel

Swindon Town's EFL Trophy expulsion and what can be taken amid Middlesbrough-Southampton case | #Boro gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football…

@HessleTiger @ShaunSadler @bensfc4 Struggle to comprehend how SFC fans can’t see this, other than blind loyalty?

@ChrisG87UTB @ShaunSadler @bensfc4 That’s what I’ve said Chris… sporting sanction is guaranteed. I think they are almost certainly going to be thrown out of the playoffs and rightly so.

Southampton players will be back in training today, one last massive push and let’s get back to where this club belongs, amongst the uncertainty it remains unlikely that we get dumped out of the playoffs in my opinion. #SaintsFC

@HessleTiger @ShaunSadler @bensfc4 A fine? Just a price to cheat? Future cheats with deep pockets know that to get £200m, you pay a fine. Yes please! Points deduction? Could be 10 years before SFC are in EFL? Punishment for cheating doesn’t kick in for a decade? A sporting sanction will be applied, if guilty.

@ShaunSadler @bensfc4 There is a precedent set, cheat to gain a sporting advantage and receive a sporting sanction. You’ll be kicked out of the playoffs and your manager will be getting banned. Thoroughly deserved as well. Although I do feel for your fans tbh

@RalphInUEFA @SmoggyBalboa If a boxer is cause with PEDs in his system 2 days after winning a world title fight, do you think an argument from him of “well, the PEDs made no difference, I’d have won anyway” would get him off a ban?

@SmoggyBalboa Because that’s the debate? The tule was breached. What is a proportionate punishment? Not complicated

Boro fans keep banging on about us ‘benefiting’ from our breach of the rules if we go through to the final. We haven’t, it has had no material impact on the result of the match. #saintsfc

@neil_macaulay @Chris_BoroUTB Not knowing the rules doesn’t get you off from the crime Neil. It’s on you to understand the guidelines and restrictions you have to work in in your role. Sorry officer, I simply didn’t know the speed limit was 30, I thought I could do 100. Not going to wash.

@Chris_BoroUTB Apparently it’s not illegal in Germany. Eckert could have said he didn’t realise, it’s all his responsibility and provide all the footage taken. Still not good but at least they’d have some respect.

I get tribalism is a thing in football, but come on, what are we doing here. Surely it’s better to just cough to it as opposed to coming out with this sort of nonsense and looking ridiculous in the process 🤣🤣

@lambert83608575 @Marcus47905970 @GazetteBoro Oh I absolutely agree, I’m just not quite grasping why you expect the punishment for Swindon’s breach (expulsion from a knockout EFL competition) to be more severe than Southampton’s, when their offence is worse?

@ChrisG87UTB @Marcus47905970 @GazetteBoro So you agree like I said the two cases are completely chalk and cheese!