Paul Salvin

@SaintsExtra @mjshrimper And he’s still in a job 🤣 anyway I’m off to Wembley tomorrow, thanks Southampton 🫶🏻

🚨 @mjshrimper on #SaintsFC and Spygate: “The key evidence was messages between Tonda Eckert and analysts. There appears to have been pushback from the analysts, ‘I’m not sure we should be doing this, I don’t want to do this.’ “Eckert telling them to get on with it, telling them, ‘I hope you come back with better stuff this time, because you didn’t come back with great stuff the previous time.’” [via @TheAthleticFC Podcast]

@DazzaGB @secondtierpod We should absolutely do this 👍🏼

@secondtierpod Good lad turning evidence against the Scummies. Boro might sign him up and give him a chance to repair his career and integrity 👌

The EFL has released its sanction reasons for Southampton. Some of the key findings include: 👉 Southampton lied about footage being obtained 👉 Spying was authorised at senior level 👉 Tonda Eckert was directly involved 👉 Will Salt (the spy) felt pressured into spying Damning.

Please tell me that @Boro are going to sue @SouthamptonFC over the fact #Spygate has cost them their @finnazaz promotion bonuses. 🙏 #UTB

The most revealing line in Southampton’s statement is:- ‘We cannot accept a sanction which bears no proportion to the offence… Southampton has been denied the opportunity to compete in a game worth more than £200 million.’ But that completely undermines their own argument. If the match is worth £200 million and meant everything to the club, then the incentive to gain any unfair advantage was enormous. And who exactly were they trying to deny that opportunity to? Middlesbrough. You cannot simultaneously argue: 1. The stakes were colossal 2. The offence was minor 3. The punishment should be small The higher the stakes, the greater the importance of protecting sporting integrity.

@SouthamptonFC Literally wouldn’t have made the playoffs to play in the £200m game without cheating. That’s the point everyone at your club appears to be missing here. No wonder you’re where you are today if you can’t understand that cheating does not warrant promotion, end of!!!!!

A statement from Phil Parsons, Chief Executive, Southampton Football Club.

@secondtierpod Probably due to boro fans having to travel 5-6hrs to get home afterwards

The play-off final between Hull and Middlesbrough will kick off at 3:30 pm on Saturday. Should the appeal go in Southampton's favour, the game will revert to a 4:30 pm kickoff. Don't really understand why.

@SirSimonClarke Completely with you.

I feel sorry for Southampton fans. But I feel no sympathy whatever for Taylor Harwood-Bellis. Pure Karma.

@Saint_josh41 @blainalllinson You will you’re right. Enjoy your points deduction too 👍🏼

Thanks for coming Finn 🤣

@RustyBComedian @SkySports

Listen.. when it comes to Scottish football I have always been fond of Celtic, but this was never a penalty at all. I won’t go as far as saying corruption, but fuck me, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

@ScotlandSky We all know Scottish football too well. My mate said this to me in the 86th minute 🤣

🟢 Here's the incident that resulted in Celtic's winning penalty at Fir Park, following a VAR check! Motherwell vs Celtic & Hearts vs Falkirk reaction | Sky Sports Football now 📺

@SouthamptonFC I’ve always been told if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. Well done on your amazing run without spying on anyone!!!!!

Extending our run 📈

386 of the 1,438 goals scored in the Championship this season have come from set-pieces. 91 of them dead-balls (64 pens, 27 direct free-kicks). 26.84% of all goals. highest for six years in the Championship. As in the Premier League, Championship teams spending longer practising set-pieces in the supposed seclusion of their training grounds. Knowing in advance an opponent's set-piece intentions is an obvious advantage. Knowing in advance how they have practised penalties – and who – is an advantage in play-off combats with potential for shootouts. That is why Spygate is so serious.

@secondtierpod This club with their cheating literally just took all the fun out of what should be an amazing playoff campaign for all fans. The whole integrity of English Football has been brought into disrepute and all saints fans can do is laugh. I’d be embarrassed to get promoted this way.

Tonda Eckert playing it very cool here. This is despite hearing that Kim Hellberg accused Southampton of cheating..

@robbiemustoe Fancy a match next season?

So sorry Boro fans. Shitty long drive home. Be careful, stay safe. 🥰

“Meanwhile, other second-tier clubs have shared with the Guardian their surprise at the ease with which Southampton adapted to supposedly unexpected team shapes and appeared able to second-guess set-piece routines during an unbeaten run of 19 league games.” 🚨💣 #Boro | #UTB | #SaintsFC

@SouthamptonFC Not if you play like that. You got absolutely battered today. This is what i saw of Southampton’s attack first half

All to play for at our place ✊

@SouthamptonFC attack first half #Cheats

@secondtierpod The guy behind the bush is @mattletiss7

What a welcome for the Boro players ahead of their play-off tie against Southampton 💪

@TeleFootball @LukeEdwardsTele Wonder how many millions we’ll get out of court if they knock us out. £200m for promotion guaranteed. Either way boro will have a few million in the bank from this.

🚨Exclusive: Southampton accept ‘spying’ charge but claim analyst acted alone 🎥 “Spy” caught with professional surveillance equipment 🙏 Saints hope “lone wolf” defence satisfies EFL 💷 Range of punishments open @LukeEdwardsTele has the full story: telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/…

@SaintsExtra @TeleFootball And if you believe that, I’ll have some of what you’ve been smoking.

🚨 The suggestion is that Southampton have claimed the analyst was ‘acting on his own initiative’ & had not been instructed to travel to Rockcliffe Hall hotel, adjacent to Boro’s training ground, to spy on Kim Hellberg and his players #saintsfc @TeleFootball