Remember when 'Arry Redknapp took Southampton down and the Portsmouth fans reverse-ferreted their 'Hang the traitor!' chants to produce 'Congratulations, Agent Redknapp - Mission Accomplished!' banners?
Maybe 'Arry was also the double agent mastermind in charge of this dastardly espionage, with the Boro files being left in a dead letter drop on the golf course for Rosie the dog to collect.
Spying and sports scandals have such a fun, rich history, on both sides of the pond. There've been some legendary, epic tales of cheating and spying in the US of A. I won't bore you with all those sordid tales, but this Southampton fiasco has echoes with the New England Patriots' very own Spygate incident in 2007.
This manager has to be done coaching forever, if not just in England, right?
I wonder if there was spying going on in any other matches besides the ones they highlighted (Oxford and Ipswich) - would that explain their terrific form late in the season, perhaps.
I've read and digested so many stories about this and the Southampton fans' reactions have been interesting. Thankfully, many of them are sensible and accept the punishment and are ashamed. But the most absurdly asinine defence has to be those nitwits who say things like 'this punishment is harsh, think about the fans who've already made arrangements, bought tickets, the anticipation of a playoff final, you can do this to us/them' Goodness gracious.
I think a lot of people have drawn that conclusion, yes. Funny that Saints coughed to three games they didn't win, but none in that ridiculous run without any losses.
As for Eckert, he's probably done in the UK and most of Europe, but he could probably rehabilitate himself in Germany, or maybe the US.
I think the Patriots' Spygate was the original, wasn't it?
I believe it was. They were pretty severely punished by NFL standards (losing a first round draft pick, kind of a big deal). A few years later they were busted in ‘Deflategate’, even though the scientific evidence seemed to exonerate them. Masters of the dark arts, the Patriots are. But multiple Super Bowls probably makes it worth the effort.
The fact that the dude just hid behind a tree with his phone is the most gloriously deranged part of this whole thing. When my son showed me the photo I just said, “That can’t be real!” 😆
Of course we’ve had our own drama up here in Scotland over the last 10 days when Celtic had the temerity to win the league and the whole of Scottish football and the press lost their minds over it as they wanted Hearts to win. Too bad 😁
Thank you so much! As an old lady who's vaguely aware that many people prefer football to rugger and cricket, I have been completely bewildered.
Every evening, after the six o'clock news on the BBC, Southampton Today has been dominated by pictures of a little boy looking somewhat furtive beside a tree. It was odd in the first instance but after several days it had become increasingly tedious.
Finally, all is clear and I will enjoy the pervasive coverage with greater enthusiasm.
My husband, who cares more for books than balls, is also relieved that there is a reasonable explanation. However, he may choose to gloss over his Southampton heritage at the postcard fair today.
Remember when 'Arry Redknapp took Southampton down and the Portsmouth fans reverse-ferreted their 'Hang the traitor!' chants to produce 'Congratulations, Agent Redknapp - Mission Accomplished!' banners?
Maybe 'Arry was also the double agent mastermind in charge of this dastardly espionage, with the Boro files being left in a dead letter drop on the golf course for Rosie the dog to collect.
Mission Implausible II.
If the story somehow evolved to involve that gurning simpleton I might explode.
Spying and sports scandals have such a fun, rich history, on both sides of the pond. There've been some legendary, epic tales of cheating and spying in the US of A. I won't bore you with all those sordid tales, but this Southampton fiasco has echoes with the New England Patriots' very own Spygate incident in 2007.
This manager has to be done coaching forever, if not just in England, right?
I wonder if there was spying going on in any other matches besides the ones they highlighted (Oxford and Ipswich) - would that explain their terrific form late in the season, perhaps.
I've read and digested so many stories about this and the Southampton fans' reactions have been interesting. Thankfully, many of them are sensible and accept the punishment and are ashamed. But the most absurdly asinine defence has to be those nitwits who say things like 'this punishment is harsh, think about the fans who've already made arrangements, bought tickets, the anticipation of a playoff final, you can do this to us/them' Goodness gracious.
I'm definitely behind Hull tomorrow.
I think a lot of people have drawn that conclusion, yes. Funny that Saints coughed to three games they didn't win, but none in that ridiculous run without any losses.
As for Eckert, he's probably done in the UK and most of Europe, but he could probably rehabilitate himself in Germany, or maybe the US.
I think the Patriots' Spygate was the original, wasn't it?
I believe it was. They were pretty severely punished by NFL standards (losing a first round draft pick, kind of a big deal). A few years later they were busted in ‘Deflategate’, even though the scientific evidence seemed to exonerate them. Masters of the dark arts, the Patriots are. But multiple Super Bowls probably makes it worth the effort.
I watched this all play out with a quiet smirk this week as my ex-husband is an ardent Southampton fan. 😉
Some righteous schadenfreude there Jacqui.
Most definitely! 🤣
Oh Jacqui 😈😈😈🤣🤣🤣
The fact that the dude just hid behind a tree with his phone is the most gloriously deranged part of this whole thing. When my son showed me the photo I just said, “That can’t be real!” 😆
Of course we’ve had our own drama up here in Scotland over the last 10 days when Celtic had the temerity to win the league and the whole of Scottish football and the press lost their minds over it as they wanted Hearts to win. Too bad 😁
*Whispers quietly* I actually wanted Hearts to win too...
😮😆
Aye, I think everyone apart from Celtic fans wanted that. It was our Leicester City moment but didn’t quite pan out the same way 😁
Thank you so much! As an old lady who's vaguely aware that many people prefer football to rugger and cricket, I have been completely bewildered.
Every evening, after the six o'clock news on the BBC, Southampton Today has been dominated by pictures of a little boy looking somewhat furtive beside a tree. It was odd in the first instance but after several days it had become increasingly tedious.
Finally, all is clear and I will enjoy the pervasive coverage with greater enthusiasm.
My husband, who cares more for books than balls, is also relieved that there is a reasonable explanation. However, he may choose to gloss over his Southampton heritage at the postcard fair today.
Happy to have shed some light on something that, if you're not into football, must have seemed thoroughly bizarre.