A Southampton fan living in the North East with knowledge of the Rockcliffe training complex, has given his opinion of the Spygate accusations and how they do not suggest that and actual training session was spied upon.

There is a Saints fan who posts on Saints Social Media who lives up in the North East, I have altered some of the original post so that his identity is not revealed as it could make things tricky for them up there.

However I think his post needs a wider audience as it is pointing out that Will Salt was half a mile away from the pitch where the first team train and that if he wanted to watch Boro training he should have been on a footpath on the opposite side of the training complex from the one with the infamous tree if he wanted to see the actual Middlesbrough first team train.

This is what he had to say:

I live up in the North East and I am familiar with the Rockliffe complex and training ground, which is not in Middlesbrough, but is actually in Hurworth-on-Tees. the Rockliffe grounds include Hotel, Golf Club, training ground, cricket club and woods.

I can tell you that there is a lot of rubbish being shared about the story and some of the pictures. Here is my take:

1. The Middlesbrough FC First Team training pitch is on the opposite side of the MFC training centre from the Rockliffe Hotel and golf club.

2. The picture of a boy stood behind a tree filming does not, as far as I can see, tally with anywhere around the first team training pitch.

3. The other picture of a tree beside a gate with training pitches in the background DOES appear to be taken from the gate near to the Rockliffe Golf clubhouse.

4. However, the pitches in the background of that picture are supplementary training pitches and, as stated above, that is not the First Team Training pitch. Those pitches are mainly used by the academy sides and women's sides for their training. However, it is possible that some training could have taken place there, but I'm not convinced any spy would have been able to see significant tactical input in that area.

5. If I were to spy on MFC's first team training, instead of trying to get to the first team training pitch from the golf course, I would walk along the public footpath around the perimeter of Rockliffe and slip through the woods where it is possible to spy on the training pitch. From there you could also stay out of sight of CCTV cameras.

So lot of the rumours about the spying seem to be suggesting the spy was caught
where the first team training pitch is, but according to our man in the north East that does not seem to be correct.

His story tallies with the piece dont on Sky Sports News showing the location of the alleged spy, a story done with the co-operation of Middlesbrough FC who allowed them on to their land to film and also presumably who gave them the details of where the spy was caught and subsequently walked away when spotted.

It seems to suggest that the alleged spy Will Salt did not make any attempt to actually fim the Boro first team training.

Whether any other team, academy or womans team was training is not disclosed, but Salt would have been anywhere between 200-400 metres from the actual pitches and was revealed by Sky sports.

So does this suggest that Salt was not there to spy on Middlesbrough training, but the training complex itself.

If he was "Spying" then surely he would have used google maps to check out the complex itself and where there were opportunities using public footpaths and as was mentioned here to take cover in woods.

Not as he did so, make no real attempt to disguise his presence on the complex, but stand in full view next to a tree and a gate, not in woods but next to a tree and a gate.

Hopefully the real truth will come out in the Independent Panel's findings, but the fake news coming out of Middlesbrough, now seems to concentrate not on what actually happened, initially it was suggesting a covert operation including surveillance equipment by a man in hiding undercover in woods.

But now they are very silent on the actual facts of the situation, just concentrating on demanding the ultimate penalty for the charge levied against Southampton FC, no regard for the severity of what actually happened.

In essence is what this social media posting is saying is that this is the equivalent of a member of Boro's staff standing outside Staplewood, but not entering the premises, no actual spying too place, nor any attempt to spy.

All Photos Via Reuters