obelisk

Saints seem to have approached these charges with the idea that an expedited mea culpa would result in a heavy fine but little more. I don't suppose they expected that they'd be carted off to the guillotine for what is after all a fairly trivial and seemingly widespread practice. Maybe sidling up to "Gibbo" to offer an admission of guilt wasn't the best idea in the world either. I'd hope that they've got some harder legal minds lined up for the appeal because they'll need to get down in the dirt if there's even a small chance of success. The likely failure of that appeal is then only going to be the start of some pretty severe ramifications. Baz in goal and Damion Downs up front might well be the best we can hope for next season.

Yeah but was that within the 72 hours arbitrary rule or not?

Goodness knows what's going to happen to Man City when all those much more serious charges are dealt with if this is what they hand down for a spot of scouting opponents.

Makes you wonder what the punishment will be for the next club caught scouting opponents if this is going to be the precedent. Just don't get caught is going to be the message.

Given that there are plenty of rumours that scouting opponents is rife it looks like Saints have been punished for being amateurishly caught out. The punishment is obviously designed to send a message and maybe its deserved for those running the club but not the fans. That team will now look very different next season. We can now look forward to a reputation as cheats while languishing in the lower reaches of the Championship. I feel sick.

The EFL have opened a right old can of worms.

Just got home. SIx and still no verdict despite leaving early. Shocking.

I'm in the pub. Nobody here gives a damn about this mountain out of a molehill. Any news?

Nearly as slow as VAR.

That's just what Mrs Obelisk is planning to consume.

Surely there's been a spot of plea bargaining by now. Can't believe that everyone turns up this morning without any sort of contact at all so far. I'm going to set off for the pub this afternoon to await the verdict.

That would be the sensible proportionate response to "Gibbo" and his gang.

Begs the question of where they might have got text messages relating to this case from.

Is that for next season after their extra summer training?

Too much fannying around. It's like waiting for a Russell team to get the ball forward. Is it possible to charge the EFL with acting in bad faith by making everyone wait so long?