The Kraken

I don’t think sport republic can hang their hat on any manager they have appointed since taking over, aside from Tonda. So that’s a factor. But, unless the club were given a firm assurance that he was getting banned (which I doubt they were), it’s a very difficult scenario. Some owners would’ve kicked him to the curb immediately, which would have been understandable. Ours didn’t, and it’s equally understandable why. So, for me, no bother on the decision making. It was always a risk but we’ve had a reasonable start to the season and, if we have to replace a manager mid season, it’s not a complete disaster by any means. Eckert came in before Xmas and turned an ailing side around, get a decent manager (yes, not a given) and we’re not even an ailing side.

Go easy now, he could have breached UK GDPR after all.

I thought I read before, can’t remember where, that the hearing would be Thursday with then announcement most likely out on Friday.

Yeah, that's originally how I considered it could go, basing on the Canada ban. But, I don't know, somehow I just feel the actual duration would be more important to them than equating the number of games. A year or a season, I just see more likely. The only good thing is, I have absolutely no basis in fact for feeling that, so hopefully I'm waaaaay off beam with what they intend to do.

I don't disagree with any of that, I'm not saying it makes sense, just the feeling I have about it. It's all completely hat stand, and the fact it has been allowed to drag on anywhere near this long is an effing disgrace.

I don't quite see how they give a "middle-ground" punishment like that. A season long ban, yes I get that. Also a touchline ban I'd understand for that sort of duration; but as @Turkish has said before, it's hard to see how a touchline ban could be valid when the offence wasn't committed on the pitch. I just don't see a ban where its "take a total break from football for 6-8 weeks then welcome back". I think most likely it'll be something massive: a ban for minimum until the end of the season is what I can see coming. Disproportionate, but the FA flexing their muscles and doing something significant, cos they can. All fingers crossed it will be something at the other end of the scale, but my optimism for that has really waned in the past few days and I'm now considering that extremely unlikely. To the point that I'm thinking our best outcome is the long suspension but that it is appealed immediately, Tonda is allowed to work during the appeal, and he appeal rumbles on for a few more months.

Yeah but just think how brave it would be.

I doubt he'll get 6-10 months.

Imagine taking Danny fucking Tommo's side in any of this 🤣

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said a 37-year-old man of no fixed abode had been arrested after a "boat that had an emergency responder on board" was damaged in the Channel. He was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life, "destroying ships" under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 and "conduct endangering ships" under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. He remains in custody. The dopey twat. He seems like a good egg, though. In July 2016, Thomas pleaded guilty to attempting to kidnap a man at knifepoint. Thomas, along with two others, burst into the man's house armed with knives, shouting "You're coming with us". The group falsely alleged that the man had stolen £10,000 worth of drugs from them. The judge, who sentenced Thomas to two years in prison, called the incident "extraordinarily frightening" and said it was matched only by its "stupidity". The judge told Thomas and his accomplices "Go and serve your sentences, learn the lesson and for God's sake don't get involved in anything as stupid again". That worked well.....

Yep. Punishment doesn’t necessarily have to be pre-determined. It’s better when it actually is but there also needs to be some flexibility. Say, for instance (entirely hypothetically), there was only a one off instance of spying, it was in the league, and it involved one scout doing it off his own back and entirely without the knowledge of the club, one would think that might have a different (lower) level of punishment despite it being a very similar offence.

I don’t think he was the head, was he? Just a senior analyst who was recruited earlier in the year. Certainly there must be a big chance the things are related though.

With the docking of 6 points (reduced to 4) for the two league games, they’ve set something of a precedent. Though, given the season was over and reversing those results against Oxford and Ipswich would have made no difference whatsoever to our playoff status, perhaps there’s room in future for a 3-0 if the spying is identified straight away.

I’ve said this before. The analysis team should have the autonomy to say “we’re not doing that, it’s not allowed in the laws of the game”. Whether Tonda demanded it of them, or they just simply acquiesced, is irrelevant. The analysis management who sent Salt up there are equally culpable. In fact probably more so, they should know for certain what the laws of the game are regarding analysis and should never, ever knowingly break those laws.

Or expulsion from a cup competition, similar to fielding an illegible player in a cup round. Once we were caught and owned up to it all, I’m struggling to see what a more appropriate punishment is.