Matt Watts is back with his take on the Spygate story which seems set to run for a few more weeks just yet, see what he has to say here.

I wrote recently that Southampton Football Club’s biggest failure during ‘Spygate’ wasn’t necessarily the breach itself but the handling of the fallout.

My view remains firmly the same and, although this week we finally heard openly from those within the club, the communications strategy still leaves much to be desired.

Owner Dragan Solak sat down with the BBC and addressed fans directly through the club’s website, while head coach Tonda Eckert gave a detailed explanation of the events that have engulfed Saints over recent weeks.

For the first time since the story broke, there was context, accountability and an apology - finally beginning the process of providing the information many supporters, and others, had been seeking.

What pains me most, though, is why Eckert’s account couldn’t have been provided much, much earlier. The damage caused by that decision is extensive.

I’m not talking about revealing every legal detail or prejudicing investigations, but there is a world of difference between saying nothing and saying something: an acknowledgement of the seriousness of the issue, an apology for the situation, some acceptance of responsibility or rationale and recognition of the disruption caused.

Instead, supporters endured weeks of silence, evasive interviews and a communications strategy that appeared to consist largely of repeating that “the club has made a statement”.

The result was entirely predictable: the story grew, speculation intensified and rival fans, pundits and journalists filled the vacuum. That’s not a criticism of them - it’s simply how media works.

Solak has described what followed as a “witch-hunt”. There is no doubt Saints became the centre of an enormous football story. But every communications professional knows that when organisations choose silence, others inevitably tell the story for them.

That’s why the timing of this week’s interviews feels so frustrating - and, frankly, odd.

The club has finally provided context. Eckert has apologised. Solak has defended his head coach and attempted to draw a line under the affair. That’s good news and both interviewees delivered well.

Yet a major problem remains. Not only has all of this arrived after much of the damage has already been done, the all-important FA investigation remains ongoing.

Therefore, we find ourselves in a perverse situation where the owner, and therefore the club, has publicly backed Eckert while acknowledging there could yet be further consequences that ultimately prevent him from remaining in charge.

That creates another layer of uncertainty. Fans are being asked to accept the explanations, support the club and move forward - while still not knowing whether further sanctions could follow.

That uncertainty is entirely of the club’s own making. The tragedy in all of this is that the club finally appears to understand what was needed from the start: some honesty, accountability and leadership.

The messages today in themselves are not the problem, the timing is - and that may ultimately be the lasting communications lesson from this whole sorry saga.

The right messages delivered far too late can sometimes be almost as damaging as delivering no message at all.

Via Reuters