TheSouthamptonZone

@wsgunner71 @single_sig_onpa @jegolton @FA Oh fair enough, didn’t know that. Still a shame though.

@TSZ_Saint @single_sig_onpa @jegolton @FA UEFA took that place away, not the FA

FA Cup wins don't count anymore. @FA killed their cup when they took away the european place and stopped it from being the final game of the season.

@jamesawarren Don’t let this get you down mate. A club is far more than a few idiots behind the scenes. The fans and players still deserve success, we’ve done nothing wrong. People will forget, look at Leeds. Everyone said this about our last season too and hardly anyone talks about it now.

I’ll get backlash, but as a #SaintsFC fan, I hope we get kicked out. We deserve it, we knew we were cheating and if we aren’t, we”ll NEVER live this down. I’m more embarrassed as a fan about this than the last season in the prem, the 2 9-0 results and the Ali dia event.

@Scotcraig833 @BBCSportScot @mel9samaras Right… 😂

@TSZ_Saint @BBCSportScot @mel9samaras 😂😂 woke nonsense

There were emotional scenes at Tynecastle as the Hearts players arrived back from Celtic Park 💔 #BBCFootball

@Scotcraig833 @BBCSportScot @mel9samaras No, but if you had any level of empathy you’d understand that seeing all their fans there knowing they’d let them down, yet still getting an amazing reception from them, would have made them emotional.

@BBCSportScot @mel9samaras Performative pish, expected to believe they were still crying by the time they got along the m8 😂

@SaintsExtra @TimesSport Is he trying to trick us? 🤨😂

🚨 An intriguing take on how Southampton should approach the Spygate hearing, from an EFL club executive #saintsfc @TimesSport

@StokeyyG2 Genuinely why do Celtic fans care? They win it every year 😂

CELTIC HAVE AN 87TH MINUTE WINNER THE SCENES AT CELTIC PARK THEY’RE MINUTES AWAY FROM WINNING THE SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP

@mancityalerts @SHVillian @StokeyyG2 Maybe watch the game next time before commenting. The guy stood in the offside position isn’t the one who gets the ball. The actual player who gets the ball is miles onside, way actually crazy it was given offside in the first place.

@SHVillian @StokeyyG2 Pls enlighten me

@GoggsyNineNine It’s very acceptable for referees to make mistakes without VAR. They are human after all, they will make mistakes sometimes. However, it becomes unforgivable when they have 50 times to review an incident. Just as it would be unforgivable for a player not to score one of 50 pens.

This is the worst paragraph of the whole statement

@BillRobins6 @ereqx1 So do we all mate, so do we all 😂

@ereqx1 Wish boro would fuck off tbh

Why can’t they suspend the hearing until AFTER the final? Surely that makes the most sense in this situation? #hcafc

@kouroubetos @NMK75bm @charliewring1 They can advise (i.e. ask) doesn’t mean the PL has to implement it though. We’ll see what happens, can’t know until an outcome is reached. Plus there’s no guarantee we even get to the PL.

@TSZ_Saint @NMK75bm @charliewring1 Fa previously have said they can advise the premier league to carry out the punishment (Was discussed when Leicester almost went up)

My assessment of this is Boro probably have an indication that this is not going the way they want/expect, so are throwing this as a last chance saloon statement to try and put pressure on the independent commission in any way they can. #SaintsFC

@The_Forty_Four I’ve no dislike for Stockport, but it has to be Bolton. A very nostalgic club for me, and they’ve been out of the top 2 tiers for far too long.

🚨League 1 Play-Off Final🏆 ⚪️Bolton Wanderers vs Stockport County🔵 The winner takes a place in the Championship😍 Who do you want to win?🤷‍♂️

Of course we did wrong, but I have to say that Boro have conducted themselves very poorly, and their statement reeks of pettiness and desperation. So, new chant? “Cheer up Middlesbrough, oh what can it mean, to a crying fanbase, and a s**t football team” #saintsfc #sfc

@Connor0744 Because it benefits them, it’s how they get their money. They aren’t reporting for any moral reason, despite what they claim, quite the opposite.

@NMK75bm @charliewring1 Not convinced the Premier League will implement the deduction. I mean how could they justify themselves doing that when we’d be deducted points for a rule that isn’t even in place in the Premier League. You never know, but I think it’ll come in when we’re back in the EFL.

@charliewring1 Your best case scenario is you go up with a points deduction which relegates you before a balls even kicked

@akikozono We’ll be in danger but I struggle to see it being close to as bad. We won’t have a stubborn manager with suicidal tactics. We already have a better squad now than we did in the Prem last season. We’ve also proven we can compete, beating Arsenal and Fulham, and running City close.

Last season, Southampton only managed 12 points from 38 games and were relegated with 7 games to spare. They broke the record for the earliest relegation in Premier League history and were the first team to go down in Europe’s top five leagues. What a bunch of clowns. 🤡 Even if they do get promoted, at least we can enjoy watching them get humiliated again.🤣

@Adam_Bateman_UK @slbsn It’s what happened to Leicester. Delayed deduction meant they went up… It’s what happened with Everton. Delayed deduction meant they stayed up… Just the reality of football. Sometimes there’s long term justice, sometimes not. Now, Leicester’s in League One, Everton’s fine.

@slbsn What is the saying.... Justice delayed is Justice denied. So what sort of punishment would it REALLY be, if it only potentially occurred ten or more years from now?

🚨🤓 Southampton Spygate personal view: 1. Expect the breaches will be straightforward to establish (ie liability) and almost certainly admitted to try and get some sanction credit/discount 2. Expect aggravating factors such as other examples of Soton spying this year to be raised 3. Fundamental question of how serious a breach of rule 127 and good faith is will be key. We know good faith alone was £200k in the Leeds case. The new rule makes it worse and spying obviously seeks a sporting advantage - why else do it? So that does point to sporting sanction of some sort 4. Being thrown out of the Play Offs appears excessive especially given Southampton finished 7 points clear of 6th and 9 clear of 7th 5. A 3-0 in the first leg would have been an option again excessive retrospectively unless 2nd leg re-playable (not feasible) 6. More likely sanction is points deduction next season in the Championship as much as that won't help Middlesboro 7. Unlikely that the PL will take a points deduction recommendation from the EFL (no fixed rule) - doubt EFL will push for it, so would apply in first season back in Championship (when and if) 8. My best guess is SIX EFL points in first season in EFL and £500k-£1m fine 9. Boro compensation claim can be dealt with separately subject to any claim brought by Boro - difficult claim to establish due to causation issues

@Tomoneill84 I’m more saying that if other teams can spy on training, no other league in the world thinks it’s an issue. Clearly not some ungodly advantage then is it. We’ve broken the rules though, so we should be punished, I’m not saying we shouldn’t, and certainly I feel bad for Hull.

@TSZ_Saint Well it is or it would’ve been sorted weeks ago. You’ve got one team in training despite been beaten. Hull don’t know who they’re playing. 3 sets of fans paying for travel/hotels. All because the favourites decided to try and cheat. Proper weird behaviour.

The EFL and the independent panel have an absolute horror show on their hands. IF they don’t remove Southampton, they’re basically saying it’s open season for all teams to record opposition training sessions. That’s the reality of it all.

@DarboEatsParmo It’s one player, and one of your players did it too…

Only really hit me this week how horrible this lot are. Strong squad, huge resources, quality all over the pitch, and utterly classless.

@alexcmfc That’s how it should be for every rule. There should be a clear punishment outlined so we don’t have to go through this mess.

Regardless of how Southampton get punished, I’d be shocked if the EFL don’t change the rules after this to make future spying breaches an instant X point deduction or exclusion from the playoffs (if relevant). They’ll be desperate to avoid this kind of shambles happening again.