BREAKING ๐จ: #Boro have reluctantly accepted an approach from #ITFC to discuss their managerial vacancy with Kim Hellberg.
Itโs believed Hellberg wants to work in the PL and is very open to leaving due to a strained relationship with Steve Gibson.
(@alex_crook & @talkSPORT)
Iโm being told Spygate hearing complete. Saints stay in play off final. Playoff to go ahead on planned date. ยฃ1 million compensation to Middlesbrough and saints have to take Targett back as punishment.
#boro#saintsfc#spygate
@Champchatpod24 Embarrassing. What I donโt like is #boro fans calling all saints fans dirty and saying the club is rotten to the core. No one cared about saints for 100 years until now. And now all of a sudden itโs rotten to its core? Come on now
How come on @eBay_UK as a seller you have 2/3 days to send the item but when someone requests a return and you buy them a label they have 3 weeks to send the item! Bare in mind the return is a false claim but I canโt do anything about it so have to take it back
๐จ๐๏ธThierry Henry on Southampton expelled for spying drama against Middlesbrough:
โI have to be honest, this is a difficult one. Spying on another teamโs training is wrong. Full stop. It crosses a line, it undermines the trust that should exist between clubs, and I understand why Middlesbrough are furious and why the EFL felt they had to act strongly. Integrity matters in this game.
At the same time, I find myself questioning whether expulsion from the play-offs is the right punishment. It feelsโฆ heavy. Almost like using a sledgehammer when a precise scalpel was needed.
Letโs be clear: this wasnโt match-fixing or doping. It was analysts pushing boundaries for tactical information, something that, sadly, has happened in different forms across the game for years.
Marcelo Bielsa did it openly at Derby and Leeds, admitted it, and people called him a genius, not a criminal. Drones, analysts in trees, whatever, in the modern game with data and marginal gains everywhere, clubs push boundaries.
Southampton admitted it, yes, and they deserve punishment. A heavy fine, points deduction, maybe even a ban for the staff involved. But kicking the entire club out after they earned their place on the pitch? That punishes players, coaches, and fans who had nothing to do with one or two analysts doing something stupid.
What troubles me most is the collateral damage. The players who battled through a tough Championship season after relegation, who went to extra time and scored that late goal to beat Middlesbrough on the pitch, they earned their place in the final through merit.
Now that achievement is being erased because of actions taken by a small number of staff members. That feels disproportionate to me. A significant fine, a points deduction for next season, and sanctions against the individuals responsible, those would be strong, meaningful punishments that address the breach without nullifying an entire seasonโs competitive work.
Sport has to balance two things: protecting fairness and recognising that human error and ambition sometimes lead people astray. If every rules breach in high-stakes moments leads to rewriting results, we risk turning the disciplinary process into something more powerful than the football itself. Iโve sat in dressing rooms where we prepared meticulously for opponents. Everyone does. The difference is getting caught.
I hope Southampton appeal and that the final decision finds a better equilibrium. Middlesbrough deserve respect, they were wronged but the players of Southampton also deserve not to have their legitimate efforts wiped away. Football is emotional, passionate, and imperfect.
The response to this should reflect wisdom as much as outrage. We need clearer rules going forward so incidents like this become rare, but we must be careful not to let one mistake destroy what was built legitimately on the grass.