 | Forum
Reply | Southampton's Released List Trims Wage Bill By ÂŁ200K
at 17:31 16 Jun 2026
Thank you for describing my analysis so eloquently.
All i can say is that I am glad you are not deciding who we are offering contracts to.
But lets not trade insults, just agree to differ. |
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Reply | Southampton's Released List Trims Wage Bill By ÂŁ200K
at 16:07 16 Jun 2026
Cannot understand why everyone is wetting themselves about Ross Stewart.
He wasn't a bad player but he was no world beater either.
I would be amazed if Spors and co didn’t realise what they were doing as his contract was running down and any accusation that they hadn’t read the small print is probably rubbish.
All players are a simple case of mathematics:
Initial cost amortised over contract length plus running costs (ie wages) = X.
A forward would be expected to score a minimum of 10 goals a season at a rate of say ÂŁ1/2m per goal (and more like ÂŁ2m per goal in the PL) = Y
If Y exceeds X = NIRVANA, plus you also have a likely profit when you sell.
If X exceeds Y (substantially as in the case of D Downes) = DISASTER plus his sell-on value is well down on what you paid for him.
In Stewart’s case for last season X = c£4m and Y = c£4.5m. So marginally beneficial in 25/26.
But for the first two years at SMS Y was zero.ie he was all cost and no goals.
So net/net, over the full term of his contract WE ARE WELL DOWN.
So any extension of his contract would be questionable maths at best given his injury history and would be very risky.
I regret to say we are well rid of him. |
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Reply | FA Taking the Pi55 Now
at 09:02 15 Jun 2026
Two to six months apparently
Which could mean November. But i suspect it is in everyone's interest if the FA gets it done by the beginning of the season, ie two to three months.
But equally I suspect that Dragan’s pockets for this sort of thing are rather deeper than the FA’s, which makes an operating profit of less than £10 million pa. And a case of this kind, if/when it goes to appeal, could cost the FA hundreds of thousands if not more.
The obvious solution for all is some sort of suspended ban, which just might be enough to stop Dragan keeping the FA in Court for ever. |
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Reply | THB Charles Scienza Jander
at 08:03 14 Jun 2026
The only one I would prefer not to lose is THB.
There is no doubt that he improved - and benefitted the team markedly - last season massively and would be a big loss.
My one crumb of hope was that I recall in an interview earlier this year he said that TE had been a big influence on him and had made him a much better player. The thought of being captain plus now married life just might persuade him not to move on just yet… |
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Reply | Wolves sack Rob Edwards - Apparently
at 16:30 11 Jun 2026
I would be very surprised if WHam don’t struggle and find it hard to believe they are so well fancied to go straight back up. With all the shenanigans about the ghastly Sullevan going on, plus the fact that it is clearly a very unhappy and disorganised squad and an extremely disgruntled fanbase, suggests to me that they will be lucky to be in the top 3 although I grant you they could make it into the (enlarged) list of candidates for a play off spot. |
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Thread | Informative interview with Dragan in the Echo…
at 08:50 6 Jun 2026
…the most interesting point I thought was that he suggested pretty emphatically that Tonda will be our manager at the beginning of the season: because any ban which the FA may choose to instigate - and that is far from certain - would immediately be appealed against on the basis of double jeopardy, and that process no doubt will take an age to be worked through. And the prospect of such an appeal may well discourage the FA from issuing anything worse than a suspended punishment. |
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Thread | When all is said and done…
at 07:29 4 Jun 2026
…and whilst of course there is nothing we can do to change the situation, I just wonder whether another year in the Championship might not be the making of us.
I recall a couple of years back, before we did get promoted, Jurgen Klopp saying something along the lines that maybe us being promoted to the PL might not come a season too early and we would benefit from staying down for another year. And given what happened in 24/25 this might well have been the case.
I may be alone in thinking that 25/26 was us surging up the table on a bit on a wing and a prayer to get promoted so I wonder really whether ultimately we would have been up to the task of PL football had we got there.
But, given we now know we can do it, we should be one helluva lot better prepared come next May, always presuming we manage to retain a good deal of our squad and its quality… |
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Reply | I sense a change of stance in the fanbase
at 06:59 25 May 2026
I confess I was in the “over my dead body brigade”.
But now that I have calmed down quite a bit, I am not quite so anti. Not because I am any less pissed off about what he did - especially the bullying - but because he seemed to be able to get something out of the players which at best will take quite a time to be replicated by a new man.
Of course he may get a ban so it will be out of our hands.
But if he is allowed to continue, he will need to show he has one helluva strong character to take all the away abuse which is a cert to come his way, plus inevitably he will need to prove that he really does have the magic touch without cheating, something which everyone has assumed he has but does anybody really know? |
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Thread | If you haven’t read the EFL statement…
at 07:30 22 May 2026
https://images.gc.eflservices.
Doesn't make for pretty reading.
And as for the argument that we mishandled the whole PR aspect of this, I think that is minor compared with appalling nature of the whole incident(s) and the efforts by senior management to initially mislead the panel.
“…there was a contrived and concerted plan from the top down…”
“…a particularly deplorable approach to its use of junior members of staff to conduct the clandestine observations at the direction of senior personnel…”
I cannot see how anybody who knew what was going on, from Parsons downwards can survive… |
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Thread | Observations
at 07:24 21 May 2026
1. This does puzzle me: anybody who works in a managerial position within an organisation that has a governing body overseeing rules should be obliged to read them. And the EFL’s rule book is not that long, 200 pages apparently including 100+ regulations. So why didn’t Tonda read it - bearing in mind he pleaded ignorance of them - and/or why didn’t Spors insist that he did (assuming neither did that is).
2. A lot of talk that Tonda is the best manager we have ever had; well certainly the results have been great, but if all the while he has been getting “help” this rather devalues it.
3. Will anybody own up to the fact that spying probably has been going on all season, because as and when that comes out, presumably the Club will be in an even bigger pile of poo.
3. Was Tonda conducting covert operations while he was running the U21’s?
4. Dragan Solak has in the past been rumoured to be looking for outside shareholders; notwithstanding the fact that the value of his stake will have cratered to probably not much more than £50m - ie at least £100m down - I don’t suppose there are too many of them around now.
5. I seriously wonder whether administration and a complete re-set with a whole new club is not the only realistic way forward. |
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Thread | Tonda statement?
at 20:54 19 May 2026
I was rather intrigued by Tonda’s comment after the playoffs, that he was in effect itching to make a statement and would do so once the situation had been sorted out.
Well,Tonda, what do you have to say for yourself…? |
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Reply | We have admitted nothing!
at 17:48 16 May 2026
It consists of a Chair - barrister or solicitor - a football expert and an independent member from outside football, plus a Commission Secretary.
World-weary you may be. But on what evidence do you base your presumption that any of them will not be acting correctly and independently? |
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Reply | We have admitted nothing!
at 17:28 16 May 2026
There is a clue in its title! Independent!
And there is absolutely zero evidence to suggest it will act in any way other than 100% above board. |
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Thread | We have admitted nothing!
at 17:00 16 May 2026
Like everybody else I really have no idea of the truth of the accusations, let alone the extent of any punishment should we be guilty, but NB for the record the EFL in their wisdom have not laid down any punishment for this sort of offence, so it seems anything draconian would be quite a statement.
But that aside, everyone seems to be forgetting that WE HAVE ADMITTED NOTHING and all the presumption that we are guilty is based entirely on guesswork, hearsay and Boro muppets, and all those morons like James Corden leaping on the bandwagon and assuming that we must be guilty because that is how the media and/or the Gibson clan have shaped it.
Thank Goodness the case is being heard before an Independent Disciplinary Commission who I am certain will pay zero attention to anything other than the pure facts of the case. |
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Reply | Worst scenario - Promotion + Points deductions
at 08:05 10 May 2026
I would imagine that what will happen is that Saints will admit the employee - if indeed it is who the media is suggesting it is - was working for them, they will admit the charge but say that he 100% exceeded his brief, and in no way was sanctioned to do what he did. They will accept the punishment which you would expect to be a substantial fine. And move on.
I cannot believe it will result in a points deduction because this cannot be anything like as bad as the club going into administration or running foul of the transfer rules which are the usual reasons for one. |
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Reply | Siege mentality
at 07:55 10 May 2026
I would imagine that what will happen is that Saints will admit the employee - if indeed it is who the media is suggesting it is - was working for them, they will admit the charge but say that he 100% exceeded his brief, and in no way was sanctioned to do what he did. They will accept the punishment which you would expect to be a substantial fine. And move on.
I cannot believe it will result in a points deduction because this cannot be anything like as bad as the club going into administration or running foul of the transfer rules which are the usual reasons for one. |
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Reply | Come on Watford!!!!!!!!!
at 20:31 17 Mar 2026
Dangerous to say but Wrexham do look knackered and well off the pace.
I am almost beginning to think the unthinkable… |
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Reply | Clubs to vote on expanding the Play-Offs to 6 Clubs
at 10:12 14 Feb 2026
The presumption must be that somehow or other the current system is unfair to the chasing pack, which is arguable at best. Don't really see it myself, the implication being that the 7th or 8th club may be able to hack it in the PL, which given the current situation with promoted teams is fanciful, to put it mildly.
i suppose it will mean more ticket sales at the end of the season but cannot see any other plus points. |
| | davidargyll
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