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Episode 436: Matchday Review: Leg 1 SURVIVED! and SPYGATE 2.0
150 Plays7 days ago
Southampton – Well there was a game of football in there somewhere...
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Transcript
Introduction and Agenda
00:00:13
DailySaintsPod
Hello and welcome back to episode number 436 of the Daily Saints pod. My name is Greg and as always today joined my good friend and wonderful co-host Zach and mate, been lot of stuff happening since we last recorded.
00:00:31
DailySaintsPod
Got quite a bit to squeeze in today, right?
Rivalry with Middlesbrough
00:00:34
Zak
Oh, that was just... what we When we recorded, it was just so normal. it was a build-up to a, you know, semi-final first leg. And it I just feel like we now have Middlesbrough as rivals for, like, the end of time.
00:00:48
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:00:48
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:00:48
Zak
And there's just so...
00:00:50
Zak
There's so much noise about... this playoff now that isn't anything to do with the football and there's a lot of people jumping on bandwagons and I've seen extremes from both sides from it's nothing this is stupid stop crying about it to we should all have horrible unspeakable things done to us it's just a lot of just a lot man it's infuriating to be on social media right now
00:01:17
DailySaintsPod
yeah Right, so look, yeah black fla look it's it's a story that has captivated the press and its imagination. And so they've taken that ball and run with it. But look, let's... some Let's get out of the
Scandal Emerges: Filming Allegations
00:01:31
DailySaintsPod
way. Let's get the the facts as we know them out.
00:01:36
DailySaintsPod
So allegedly on Thursday morning, Middlesbrough identified a saint someone who will they later identified to be a Saints member of staff.
00:01:49
DailySaintsPod
filming their training session, which is against bylaws of the EFL, specifically a bylaw that was added after Leeds did it in January a couple of years ago. The EFL, the Middlesbrough complained to the EFL. The EFL asked Southampton for comment and have since sanctioned them with charges for a breach and passed that to an independent panel.
00:02:11
DailySaintsPod
As far as details, obviously, it's it's almost impossible to narrow down what is and what isn't true with some of the stuff that's come out, depending on which particular news source you believe.
Rumors and Responses
00:02:25
DailySaintsPod
It could be anywhere from he was having a round of golf and got waylaid with his phone, and deleted some pictures to the telegraphs version where he was basically James Bond in disguise with a full like Q level of technology set of spying equipment that he was live streaming back to somewhere.
00:02:38
Zak
you
00:02:45
DailySaintsPod
Now, look, the honest truth is probably somewhere to the lower end of the middle of that spectrum, if we're honest. We're not sure if if he did it under you know guidance from the club or if he was trying to you know make a name of himself in the in the dressing room of being like, I think they'll do this, and then it coming true. There's all sorts of rumours circling and swirling around and about what the defence will be. And, you know, the the EFL said in their statement that they want to expedite the the process. Normally, once they've charged us to and passed it to the independent commission, we'd get 14 days to respond. And then the commission would review the evidence, make a judgment, make a hearing. And then on the back of that hearing, that you know, there'd be more deliberation time and then they would pass the judgment and then we'd have the opportunity to appeal. And they want to expedite that.
00:03:42
DailySaintsPod
because of the situation. so So, you know, let's be honest on our
Club's Integrity at Stake
00:03:48
DailySaintsPod
opinion of it. If it's true and, you know, if it's sanctioned from anyone in the club, it's pretty embarrassing from my perspective.
00:03:54
Zak
Yeah, it's embarrassing, it's stupid. is I think the biggest problem I have is that it really, really tarnishes the integrity of the club.
00:04:05
Zak
And, you know, you're considering we've always kind of, we've not really had any massive scandals apart from historical stuff, right? It's kind of, for me, it's going to be one of those things where on top of the nine mills, it's always going to be mentioned.
00:04:20
Zak
And like, you know, it followed leads around for a really long time. And it's just like, why? And the the the other problem that i have is that it is called into question how well we've done towards the end of the season.
00:04:32
Zak
And apparently it all being down to that, whereas I'm like, ultimately, it's not like it's not like they are feeding them in-ear instructions on the pitch with mic headsets on.
00:04:40
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:04:42
Zak
You still need to have the players to play the game, right? Yeah.
00:04:45
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Well, look, it's, it's clearly triggered, lots of emotions from the people it matters to, and lots of opinions from people it doesn't.
Public Reactions and EFL's Role
00:04:54
Zak
Yeah, there's a lot of people, as as you pointed out, that are just clout chasing, to be honest. That's how it feels.
00:04:56
DailySaintsPod
it's,
00:04:57
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, look, it's it's the hot topic, so people whose opinion it is, frankly, completely irrelevant are hopping in. And look, depending on on how you view it, and is you know there's an argument that it's a clear and obvious breach, and it's clearly definitively cheating, and it'll be you know heavily punished because it's you know definitively breaching a law that was speculated. specifically put in place, but also, like, if he gets caught doing the same thing and it happens to be Wednesday instead of Thursday, it's not.
00:05:31
DailySaintsPod
So it's it's a strange one for me. And look, I know that the the yeah EFL have said they'll expedite it and try and get it sorted as soon as possible.
00:05:41
DailySaintsPod
But the fact of the matter is that these things are going to take time, and if they... If they rush it and it comes out as a a punishment that is seems particularly harsh on us, it doesn't put them on particularly good footing for any sort of legal challenge. Because I'm no legal expert, but they didn't give us the appropriate opportunity to...
00:06:08
DailySaintsPod
get ourselves, that our facts together and build our defense is a pretty reasonable argument in the the line of appeal.
00:06:13
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:06:16
DailySaintsPod
So i don't think that it will affect the playoffs because of that.
Media Trial and Public Opinion
00:06:21
DailySaintsPod
Whether it's then like a statement punishment because it you know it's something they were trying to cut out, I don't know. it Like you say, it depends on so many factors. It depends on how much the club know about it.
00:06:34
DailySaintsPod
I mean, even if the club know about it and they decide to say that they didn't and this you know this supposed intern who it was that got caught went out to do it on his own,
00:06:44
DailySaintsPod
you know, there's there's only so much of a paper trail that is going exist for that. And so it comes down to what's provable, what's not, and what's actually punishable, right?
00:06:54
DailySaintsPod
And it's...
00:06:54
Zak
this This is the problem ultimately is I don't think that there's going to be a true account of what actually happened.
00:07:00
Zak
It's going to be available to the public. And that means that ultimately it's going to be trial by media and trial by media. We've already lost miserably. You've got, again, hangers on jumping in.
00:07:06
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:07:08
Zak
You've got Troy Deeney, who I'll keep my personal opinion of the man to myself, but him sort of like being pally pally with the middle for a talking about beating sheets from, you Again, personal opinions aside.
00:07:24
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:07:24
Zak
And then you've got like Charlie Austin who just hates us being like, yeah, far I'm out.
00:07:28
Zak
This and the other. You've got the fact that it is honestly something else for, it's just, it's kept the Sky Sports like newsroom going for the last two days for sure.
00:07:37
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, I mean, look, because there are so many versions of the story, right? And so many, like, oddities that don't quite add up across sort of any of the things. Now, obviously, i think it goes without saying the fact that the EFL have got to the point where they have issued a charge and pushed it to the independent board.
00:07:57
DailySaintsPod
means that there is some level of evidence,
Debating the Breach's Impact
00:08:00
DailySaintsPod
right? That that it happened at least. and And that they feel it's a breach of the rules. Because they don't just do that on a whim.
00:08:09
DailySaintsPod
But, you know, you've heard everything, like I say, like... They were saying that, oh, the Middlesbrough security was lessened because of breach because of budget cuts they had two years ago, and those things were leaked to Southampton.
00:08:24
DailySaintsPod
And I just don't think, I really genuinely don't think it goes as deep as that, right?
00:08:29
Zak
No, the the problem the problem is it's not it's not like a psyop, right?
00:08:29
DailySaintsPod
Like, I think...
00:08:33
Zak
It's it's it's it's literally, but most likely, whether it is under instruction or not, it is a a guy who clearly was underqualified to go and do this thing that he was asked to do.
00:08:33
DailySaintsPod
No. Yeah.
00:08:41
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:08:46
Zak
that maybe if he, what if if it's if it's supposedly an intern, probably didn't want to lose his job, so just did what he was told. If there was someone in charge who has made this decision, it's dumb.
00:08:53
DailySaintsPod
m
00:08:58
Zak
We don't know Tomler asked for it. We don't know, you know, if it's just a part of an information packet they would have given him. So the problem I have is that massively tarnishes him.
00:09:09
Zak
But my biggest issue is that hugely tarnishes the, the you know, the day for the fans and the day for the players. The players don't know we'll do
Game Reflections Amid Scandal
00:09:17
Zak
any of this. They just go out and do what they're told and play as well as they can to get a result.
00:09:18
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:09:22
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:09:22
Zak
And that's why it's like so frustrating. And on top of that, like having to take stick that we're all a bunch of cheating SOBs or whatever, when it's like, well, most of us kind have the same opinion.
00:09:35
Zak
However, you have seen people embrace it because how else do you deal with it? Because at the same time, when you've got like when you've got people asking fido asking for us be put up on a pile, it's just a horrible, horrible thing that completely takes away from the football, that takes away from the match of the game and the sport we actually enjoy for everybody to get tied and locked into this dramatic storylines.
00:09:39
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:09:48
DailySaintsPod
yeah Yeah, it's it's not ideal. and look,
00:09:58
DailySaintsPod
that's just modern day social media and media for you, mate. They've seen this and take that you know this story's clearly ticked emotional boxes for some people and hit like that whole range of things.
00:10:08
Zak
Well, apparently even the middle was for a manager because he started saying, because then now you've got you've got all these extra baseless allegations of, well, we're going to start asking other clubs if this has happened.
00:10:10
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:10:18
Zak
And, you know, I just think this is disgraceful.
00:10:18
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:10:20
Zak
And like, you know, but this probably goes on elsewhere. This isn't the only, the fact that this is slide eight means that like it's happened before.
00:10:25
DailySaintsPod
Oh man, this is almost definitely, honestly... Honestly, the the the most logical explanation for me that my brain has come up with, and you know, you go Occam's razor, right? The simplest explanation is the easiest. It was a bank holiday week and this guy's an intern.
00:10:43
DailySaintsPod
I bet he thought it was Wednesday. Like, I genuinely think, like, he was just doing his standard, like, it's outside of the 72-hour window so I can do what I want. I'm allowed to be here. And then he just got the day wrong. And and look, whether that's off his own back or what, And and you're right, it it probably happens everywhere.
00:11:02
DailySaintsPod
i think it's daft. in You know, it is silly.
00:11:05
Zak
in In the grand scheme of things, in comparison to what the level of wrong in football, the level of things that are bad, things that are cheaty, this is like a financial crime on a mass scale.
00:11:06
DailySaintsPod
It's cast a shadow. also...
00:11:15
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:11:21
DailySaintsPod
It's been blown out of the water hugely.
00:11:21
Zak
This is 100%.
00:11:23
Zak
hundred percent But then also, let's but you've said it because it's got a storyline to it.
00:11:23
DailySaintsPod
Right. I would say that if you if you look at some of the teams who do these dark arts in football, I would say that maybe if your goalkeeper has gone down injured in the box injured in the box for 15 games of the season to kill the momentum and get that break where you get the message across, that is probably more cheating than trying to record a training set.
00:11:50
DailySaintsPod
You made an excellent point before we recorded, mate.
00:11:50
Zak
But
00:11:52
DailySaintsPod
They have 46 games of footage from the championship from Middlesbrough this season to review.
00:11:58
Zak
that's why it's so dumb. That's what it's true.
00:12:00
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:12:01
Zak
It's absolutely insane.
00:12:02
DailySaintsPod
you
00:12:02
Zak
Just watch literally any of the other footage.
Game Dynamics and Club Reputation
00:12:05
Zak
You don't need to be there in the day.
00:12:05
DailySaintsPod
Right? Right? Like, we...
00:12:08
Zak
We're to play the same team.
00:12:08
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:12:09
Zak
We played the team we guessed we would.
00:12:10
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah, that's it.
00:12:12
Zak
Like, come on.
00:12:12
DailySaintsPod
we We watch Saints every week and can, within one or two players, reasonably predict the lineup and the tactics.
00:12:17
Zak
don't know.
00:12:21
DailySaintsPod
That's not going to be any different than if you watch any amount of Millsboro, which is what makes me think that it's not like some higher order, at least not from like Conda's side of things.
00:12:31
DailySaintsPod
Who knows if like one of the execs has got like a bit cocky and gone, oh, we'll just do this because it's... But it's look it's been massively blown out of proportion to me.
00:12:43
DailySaintsPod
I i suspect that the likely outcome will be that we will get probably a sizable fine, definitely more than Leeds' fine was.
00:12:43
Zak
It's yeah, it's going to be a couple of men I reckon.
00:12:51
DailySaintsPod
Leeds got fined £200,000 for it ri We'll get a hefty fine because it will set the example. Maybe if if, you know, depending on whatever the story has been spun that is, like, backed by evidence, depending on how much at fault they find us, maybe a points deduction next season as well, but that seems quite unlikely to me. And, you know, it'll probably be enough to to potentially impact what we're able to spend in the summer.
00:13:21
DailySaintsPod
and it'll be what it'll be. But at the end of the day, just get on with the football and enjoy that cause because of what both playoffs, mate, and one of them was substantially better than the other despite there being zero goals across all 180 minutes.
00:13:27
Zak
Yeah, I think we're...
00:13:32
Zak
Plus was more exciting.
00:13:38
DailySaintsPod
So...
00:13:38
Zak
just Just to wrap it up from my point of view, it's it's just it's just a bit gross. The whole thing is just a bit gross. And the fact that if we've, you know, i say if we've done it, clearly someone has done something and I don't know whether it's sanctioned or not.
00:13:54
Zak
I don't know if it's a lone actor. but The biggest issue that i have is the reputational damage it's going to do. and how frustrating it's going to be that people are going to start saying things like we're not going up on merit.
00:14:05
Zak
I understand that for some people, yourself probably included, you know, it's fun to be the pantomime villain, but there are a lot of people out there that take into the fact that we're not like, we are a quite integrity driven club, that this is just a bit gross.
00:14:17
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:14:19
Zak
And i get that because now it's going to be the question of if we do go up, You know, if we get to the playoff final, if we beat Middlesbrough on Tuesday, there's going be that hanging over the head. And then all of a sudden, whoever we're up against to becomes the the neutral's favourite because we're now just the bad guys.
00:14:33
Zak
And I don't like the fact that we're going to go up.
00:14:34
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:14:36
Zak
But if we go up, potentially, right, we have to drag that with us. It's just it's just stupid.
00:14:41
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, I mean, look, I get it, and it it is
00:14:42
Zak
It's so
First Half Analysis
00:14:43
Zak
dumb. so All for like five minutes of footage of a training ground as well. Just, ugh.
00:14:44
DailySaintsPod
is frustrating because it was so silly, but...
00:14:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, but, like, it's... Yeah, it was silly, and sure, i i just think... It feels ridiculous at the moment because that it's like the fire tornado of the media, right? It's the news. So it's everywhere. But in like two weeks time, don't know, a footballer will kick a baby or something and we'll be completely forgotten about. Like, we're just going to be out of the way. It's just going to be a thing that happened in the past.
00:15:20
Zak
Yeah, I know, it moves on quickly, but it's just it's just it's just so dumb.
00:15:20
DailySaintsPod
Like...
00:15:26
DailySaintsPod
It is. But look, mate, there was football and and not all of it was bad.
00:15:26
Zak
It's just such a dumb decision.
00:15:29
Zak
hello Yes, there was a game.
00:15:32
DailySaintsPod
So let's talk about the second half.
00:15:36
Zak
that That first half was just surviving. And quite frankly, I feel like I saw somebody say, like, look, you you we gave you our punishment by just not playing the whole first half of that first leg, and you still couldn't score.
00:15:47
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:15:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. read I mean... I mean...
00:15:50
Zak
So, of i the why you by the woodwork, like, three times.
00:15:55
Zak
Just, oh.
00:15:56
DailySaintsPod
I don't know if it was fatigue or the occasion or the noise from this other stuff or all of the above or just that we just didn't feel up for it today to start with but did Did we get out of Middlesbrough half in in the first 45 minutes?
00:16:18
Zak
I don't,
00:16:18
DailySaintsPod
I seem to remember right at the start a ball going up to Laren that he got a touch on and then got bundled off the ball which didn't get given as a foul and then hmm
00:16:26
Zak
Yeah, they they they they came out with the energy of the first heart of the of a as a home first leg playoff teammate. You know, for the the entirety of that half, they had 76 possession, 17 shots, four on target.
00:16:41
Zak
We had zero. So, like, it was just, that you said, the a with i said that we should go in and just attack, attack, attack.
00:16:43
DailySaintsPod
hmm
00:16:48
Zak
And I think we should have done that. But what we actually did was sit in survival mode for 45 minutes completely and utterly.
00:16:53
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, look, I said that realistically, in the scheme of things, the aim of the game is to survive. I didn't mean, like, like just about, like a like a child thrown to a tiger.
00:17:06
DailySaintsPod
Like, just...
00:17:07
Zak
yeah i if It shows that we can now deal with set pieces a lot better than previously, because if not, they we should have conceded about five goals before half-time.
00:17:18
Zak
But I guess that's the difference of the last time we went there.
00:17:19
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, like, what, they add... They had one off the post, one a couple of good saves from Perretz,
00:17:28
Zak
Yep.
00:17:29
DailySaintsPod
some you know good bodies back in the way defending us few blocks from Bree.
00:17:34
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:37
Zak
And what I think the best summary I've seen of it is that they showed what they're about, but it was also a summary of their season, which is if they they had a really clinical goal scorer for the whole of the season.
00:17:37
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:47
Zak
I know Morgan Whitaker kind of came into it later on, but if they'd had a clinical goal scorer the entirety of the season, it that whole first half felt like Will Steele's Saints versus Swansea, right?
00:17:59
DailySaintsPod
Oh, God, you're right. It just wasn't going to happen at all.
00:17:59
Zak
Where he talks about it being...
00:18:02
Zak
Yeah, he talks about how it was going to be a really good game and how it was was a really good game and looks back on that as one of his best, but we still didn't score, right? And that's probably how I felt Middlesbrough would have felt going into halftime.
00:18:11
DailySaintsPod
I mean, it it genuinely explained why Portsmouth have beaten twice this this season, but not managed a shot on target, right? Because they they came at us with such, you know, let's be honest, it was quality and they they were breaking through our lines like we weren't there some of the time.
00:18:20
Zak
Yeah. It's just relentless. Relentless.
00:18:30
DailySaintsPod
The amount of times they just found that, yeah, like they did they were just finding those passes through through, directly through the middle time and time again.
00:18:30
Zak
What lines?
00:18:31
Zak
Half the time Laren was saving it, mate. Like...
00:18:39
DailySaintsPod
And I'm just like oh like, right, well, yeah, look, they're always going to start fast. So the the job of the first 15 minutes is just survive. and then we'll see off that burst of energy. and then we'll get hold of it and get our foot into the game. We've got to, like, 20 minutes. I'm like, but we really do need to get our foot into the game now. And it's like, but actually, if we could just have some of the ball, and it just it just didn't come at all. And it goes in, we were very lucky to get to that break being nil-nil.
00:19:07
DailySaintsPod
And, uh...
00:19:10
Zak
lucky that we wrote our luck 100% there is no there's no other way way to explain it like i
00:19:10
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:19:14
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:19:18
Zak
some sort of universal force kept the ball out of out of our net, is where I'm at. And, you know, you'd start, you'd think, if you if you're a conspiracy theorist, you'd think maybe the Fisheries would have helped along the way. But I think it was a very, very well-affiliated game, to be perfectly honest. this That's not a thing I usually say.
00:19:36
Zak
But, man, yeah, that that whole first half was just like, what is there to talk about? the the team that we knew, didn't turn up until the second half, where I'm sure the conversation was, what are you doing?
00:19:45
DailySaintsPod
Hmm. Yeah.
00:19:49
Zak
and play football. Because, yeah, it was it was hard. and I feel like they'll feel really, really hard done by that. They didn't manage to get anything from that first half, right? And...
00:19:59
DailySaintsPod
But as these things tend to be, it was truly a game of two halves. We came out hot straight away in the second half.
00:20:04
Zak
Yes.
Second Half and Fan Support
00:20:06
DailySaintsPod
Laron narrowly missing a header, straight right at the start. Then it looked like we might revert to to form. Middlesbrough had a few minutes, a good spell.
00:20:15
Zak
That
00:20:17
DailySaintsPod
And then... I don't know. Then it was kind of mostly traffic our way. We were keeping the ball with intent. We were getting the ball forward, had created a few good chances, obviously hit the post from a Harwood-Bellis header from a Manning set piece.
00:20:34
Zak
was good header as well. Just if it was slightly, slightly, yeah.
00:20:36
DailySaintsPod
Oh, that was, we're talking centimeters. If it's like three centimeters lower, that's bouncing on the underside and going in. But yeah, I mean, just, if we were, based on the second half performance, unlucky to come away not having snatched it, which is...
00:20:48
Zak
I think think mr the subs help me, man.
00:20:54
Zak
Well, I think that's that's partly due to the changes that were made, right? Like, Laren seemed to spend so much time doing defensive work the first half. He was almost, like, confused when he had to try and do attacking work the second half. And I think Ross did a much better job doing hold-up play. And then, obviously, you had Matske on for fellows. And I think that kind of shored things up a little bit. Eventually, Leo came off.
00:21:18
Zak
Downs kind of had to come off after picking up at a very, very cynical yellow card. i
00:21:23
DailySaintsPod
Classic Flintdowns.
00:21:24
Zak
Yeah, classic...
00:21:24
DailySaintsPod
Safest bet in football.
00:21:26
Zak
It was the safest... is, as we've always said, the safest battle in football. And obviously, Shea Charles at one point tried his classic, like, shoot from really far out and maybe it goes in.
00:21:37
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Sammy.
00:21:37
Zak
And then, yeah, like, obviously, probably one of the best chances of the game, other than the Taylor Harbour-Bellis header, is Sammy Adosi doing the thing that Sammy Adosi did the last championship season, which is like, you're almost there, apart from the scoring bit.
00:21:44
DailySaintsPod
Sammy.
00:21:52
DailySaintsPod
You did so well to get to that position.
00:21:52
Zak
Like...
00:21:54
DailySaintsPod
You just need to hit it at the goal.
00:21:55
Zak
You almost got your first goal in the championship in the playoff final. But you know, it's fine. Well, semi-final. But just, yeah, it was frustrating. But yeah, I think that three minutes that was added on, it didn't feel like we were worried. It more felt like a problem for them. They had like one attack after that.
00:22:11
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. It was...
00:22:11
Zak
But yeah, I think...
00:22:12
Zak
There you
00:22:14
DailySaintsPod
i mean, look, compared to the other playoff game which I watched last night, the Millwall Hull game, it was... it was not a cagey affair like that. That was a game where nobody shot from anywhere closer than 30 yards.
00:22:24
Zak
go.
00:22:29
DailySaintsPod
And, uh, it was, you know, it was the textbook first leg of a playoff where both teams are just like, just need to stay in it and not do anything stupid.
00:22:40
DailySaintsPod
But, You can't say that about this game.
00:22:43
DailySaintsPod
This was a game with two teams both go going in for it gung-ho and just not quite managing it. I think I said to you on our text, like, actually, I think this game's finishing 10 minutes too early for us.
00:22:43
Zak
Nice.
00:22:54
DailySaintsPod
If there was an extra 10 minutes, i think maybe we push on and get get a goal and go on to it. But But the good thing about it is, mate, that we get more than 10 minutes. We've got another 90 to come at at home to put it away. And that that's going to be good, right? The atmosphere is going to be up.
00:23:16
Zak
Yeah, it's going to be
00:23:16
DailySaintsPod
I mean, considering the galvanization and the... the toxic atmosphere we were potentially expecting to see at Middlesbrough. And we did see before the game, to be fair, we've seen the clips of the buses coming in and all the the pre-match atmosphere stuff.
00:23:35
DailySaintsPod
But once it got to that second half, all you could hear on the TV was those 2,100 Saints fans.
00:23:41
Zak
Yeah, thought, I'm not going to lie, I thought it was a bit odd, to be perfectly honest, considering...
00:23:41
DailySaintsPod
So...
00:23:45
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. And I think it's pretty safe to say that won't be the case come Tuesday.
00:23:51
Zak
no
00:23:51
DailySaintsPod
even with you know this potential shadow and some of the some of the negative feelings that it has invoked even within our fan base.
00:23:59
Zak
Yeah, but I don't don't think we're the type to turn up and be like, we're mad about it, so we're not going to sing on this semi-final.
00:24:00
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:24:06
Zak
This is the problem, right? is that Again, I'm annoyed that it's brought our integrity into question. I don't doubt for a minute that like you know there's not going to be like some sort of weird, silent protest
Scandal's Future Implications
00:24:16
Zak
on Tuesday.
00:24:17
DailySaintsPod
a
00:24:18
Zak
what are the you know Probably the the most important game thus far of our season, right? Ultimately, can't automatically assume going to get to the final, because to honest...
00:24:30
Zak
but i feel like happy being at home with a nil-nil so far we have a a better advantage, you know?
00:24:30
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:24:38
Zak
If I want to be them,
00:24:39
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. I mean, look, we finished that game like the the team that we're going to go on and win it. And look, obviously it's a fresh 90 minutes of football and anything can happen, but it feels like we can build on that momentum and and do the job.
00:24:53
DailySaintsPod
But But you're right. like I think that generally from what I've seen, I've consumed more social media this weekend than I care to ever do normally.
00:25:05
DailySaintsPod
i think that the i think that the general cons think the general consensus from most Saints fans is that was silly, pretty embarrassing, don't like that.
00:25:05
Zak
Yeah, stay away from it.
00:25:06
Zak
enough Wrecks you after while.
00:25:17
DailySaintsPod
but also taking it with the same sort of self-degradating humor that we tend to take these things, like showing up to the Middlesbrough Stadium with a branch and a pair of binoculars.
00:25:28
DailySaintsPod
Like... Yeah.
00:25:32
Zak
as As you know, Greg, we spy where we want.
00:25:32
DailySaintsPod
it
00:25:34
Zak
This is the problem, is that I do i do have that. that That's also in me, right? like we and And some of the responses from some of the Middle East fans do try and bring out of you, because you're like, guys, come on.
00:25:39
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:25:44
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:25:46
Zak
You'd think that pity it you'd think that we'd started a war. Genuinely, like the level of vitriol is mad.
00:25:53
DailySaintsPod
like They are properly milking it as well, right? Like like the like you said, them the post-match where it's like, whoa, you never know.
00:25:56
Zak
Oh, I'm certain. I think Halborg's annoyed me the most because he is he is proper milking it.
00:26:03
DailySaintsPod
And it's like, no, you you do specifically know. And frankly, the fact that you tried to drum up support from other teams, which is embarrassing enough in itself, and presumably because the single charge is what the EFL went with, got no backing and no support.
00:26:22
DailySaintsPod
just goes to show it kind of is what it is. And look, it's... Yeah. But look, they're going to try and weasel their advantage from from anything that's thrown their way.
00:26:31
Zak
If it was the other way round, we'd probably be having the same conversation and we would say it's sensible. I don't think we'd be crazy, but like
00:26:40
DailySaintsPod
The difference is, mate, that it couldn't be the other way around because we train in an actually secure facility. Like, genuinely, that's the difference. Like, you can't walk up to Staplewood and spy on a training session because you can hide in the bushes on a golf course.
00:26:55
DailySaintsPod
It is a fully secure facility with a really secured gate and the first team pitch is, like, highly protected.
00:27:04
DailySaintsPod
So...
00:27:04
Zak
like Yeah, but okay, so if it did happen, what you're saying is because of all the extra security measures that we have, it would be worse.
00:27:10
DailySaintsPod
i'm saying that if I'm saying that you're not accidentally stumbling upon a first-team Saints training session. You are actively engaging in some James Bond-level espionage, right?
00:27:19
Zak
Yeah, but come on.
00:27:21
DailySaintsPod
Whereas, like...
00:27:21
Zak
like like So what, you're saying that you can genuinely believe that so in turn goes to play a round of golf before the game and then goes, oh, oh it's raining next door.
00:27:30
DailySaintsPod
No, no, right. Don't get me wrong.
00:27:32
Zak
I just better whip out me. Come on, man.
00:27:34
DailySaintsPod
yeah no no Don't get me wrong. At minimum, minimum across the board, that intern has got into this scenario with misguided or malicious intentions, right?
00:27:47
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:27:47
DailySaintsPod
That much is clear. And though at again, right? My opinion on it is it's ridiculous and it's embarrassing, but you can't, you know, it's it's a publicly used golf course in a public hotel, right?
00:28:02
DailySaintsPod
so So that opportunity presented itself, right, for better or worse. to To whoever decided for him to go and do it, that opportunity presented itself because of that. That opportunity doesn't happen with us, right?
00:28:19
DailySaintsPod
anyway, so so the shoe just wouldn't be on the other foot. And look, you're right, right?
00:28:23
Zak
Okay.
00:28:26
DailySaintsPod
Something like that, I just don't know how angry I would be about it. I just really think I'd see the funny side.
00:28:31
Zak
Knowing you, you'd be reasonable about it, but you'd still be like, well, it's just, I don't think we would use it as the blame, right? We'd talk about it.
00:28:38
DailySaintsPod
No. Yeah.
00:28:39
Zak
Like we do with the referees sometimes, right? It's not the reason we've lost, but it can be a contributing factor.
00:28:45
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:28:46
Zak
But I don't understand how much contributing factor would be. Like if the footage is deleted, Not only that, like my my biggest thing again is is if the fact that we have been tarnished with this brush.
00:28:52
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:57
Zak
that We've been doing it all season, which annoys me because there is no evidence of that. will what it will be.
00:29:02
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:29:03
Zak
There will be another game...
00:29:03
DailySaintsPod
But that's the thing. Like I say, that's the really crazy part about it to me is like literally 24 hours and it's not even like a discussion or against the rules. It's just accepted practice. And that's that's the baffling part.
00:29:18
DailySaintsPod
But you're right. I just don't see the benefit. I can see why people... otherwise It's a clear breach of the rules, so it's cheating. But I just don't... what the like Like what? We get what? Like...
00:29:30
DailySaintsPod
Wow, we know that this player in the midfield is going to pass it to the wigger like no
00:29:35
Zak
it's not yeah it's it's not It's not the equivalent of like, hey, it turns out that we've secretly funneled in like five billion pounds into our coffers through weird, mysterious financial me means. Let's never ever talk about that because that's not a proper crime if we and if we just drag out over litigation over multiple years. Or, you know, any other of the financial crimes that potentially
EFL Decisions and Club's Future
00:29:59
Zak
go on, right? like a get you.
00:30:01
DailySaintsPod
I watched a whole session and do you know what's crazy? They did these drills and what they did was they kicked the ball at the goal.
00:30:02
Zak
It's just, it'll be what it means.
00:30:11
DailySaintsPod
think I just... I just don't think... What is it possibly to gain? Like...
00:30:18
Zak
who but it's it's the it
00:30:20
DailySaintsPod
Wow, that's crazy. That's not a tactic I would have thought from the team. Kicking the ball at the goal. well that's not something you'd expect from a Russell Martin team, at least. Yeah.
00:30:34
Zak
it's Okay, so even to a lesser extent, you've got things like, you know, like when instructions are handed out. i can't remember, there was that video going around of instructions were handed to somebody in somebody's place, and then they started reading it, and then somebody from the opposing team just took it and read all the instructions and then eventually passed it back.
00:30:51
Zak
And it's one of those things that it's basically kind of like the equivalent to that. It's over all against that. and And this is the problem is, unfortunately, it is going to result in rules and we may get a big slap on the wrist for it. And it does frustrate me, the our integrity being brought into question due to some dumb decisions. But ultimately, as you pointed out, it will be over and done with one way or another. It's just i just like the 9-0, it's just going to at least follow us around for a season. At the very least.
00:31:20
DailySaintsPod
Look, I just think your faith in another football team to do something completely ridiculous and completely news still worthy is, let's face it if Spurs get relegated, that still takes over that takes over this news cycle, right?
00:31:32
Zak
Oh, please.
00:31:36
DailySaintsPod
That's funny. Yeah. Yeah.
00:31:36
Zak
it's like that If Arsenal win or Spurs get relegated or both, you know, you're right.
00:31:40
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:31:42
Zak
That's going to be...
00:31:43
DailySaintsPod
It's just... It's going to be what it'll be. But the most important thing is trying to stick the players' focus on Tuesday. Get that atmosphere built at St Mary's that we know we're going to see because we bring it for the big games. And...
00:32:01
DailySaintsPod
And just get excited to... just just... I'm really looking forward to Tuesday. there's no There's no nerves now, right? We talked about the nerves before this game and like the all of the whirl around...
00:32:12
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:32:15
DailySaintsPod
the the prior part of this was a distraction from that for sure. But I don't, I don't feel nervous coming into Tuesday. I feel a belief.
00:32:26
DailySaintsPod
I feel a belief, no expectation, but a strong, strong belief that we just gonna have what it takes to push on and look between now and then maybe we'll hear more about this other stuff, but I doubt it.
00:32:40
DailySaintsPod
These things take time. Like, you're expediting it from 14 days. That doesn't mean that it's going to happen in a two day window, you know?
00:32:49
Zak
Well, yeah, either way, the the second leg will be played and we'll hear about it afterwards.
00:32:52
Zak
And I don't think it'll be it be... It would be, like, cataclysmic if if, for example, we got thrown out and it was just given to Middlesbrough. But then there's a lot of other questions that that brings in about why bother letting that happen.
00:33:04
Zak
yeah there's going be a bunch of stuff that... I feel like there's going to be...
00:33:06
DailySaintsPod
It's just too too much of a logistical headache to make that ruling. like Like, no independent board is going to turn around and be like...
00:33:16
DailySaintsPod
Yep, you need to kick them out. And that means refunding all of their fans for that have already booked tickets Wembley and organising all of the other teams to get to Wembley in such a short period of time. like It's just not logistically viable. And we saw this like earlier in the season when, was it Ipswich and...
00:33:38
Zak
Oh, the Blackburn game where they got...
00:33:38
DailySaintsPod
Blackburn got called off like 10 minutes before the end of the game and like we're like oh it should be this for sport and integrity reasons it should be this for this and this and they should do this and at the end of the day the
00:33:43
Zak
Yes.
Closing Thoughts and Humor
00:33:51
DailySaintsPod
the decision was we just do the simplest thing because we just though it' because we're not trying to cause anyone headaches and realistically that simplest thing is probably just a hefty hefty fine
00:34:05
Zak
Hmm.
00:34:06
DailySaintsPod
and and And, you know, especially if, like you say, we've we've heard the rumours from the club coming out that our side of the story is that this was not, like, sanctioned. He didn't have permission to go and do it. He just didn't did it off his own back. and And, look, whether you believe that or not, I don't know. But if that's the evidence we're putting forward and the story we're telling...
00:34:28
DailySaintsPod
then that's what they, yeah you know, unless they could forcibly prove otherwise, that's the the kind of narrative they have to punish in relation to.
00:34:39
DailySaintsPod
So it's, yeah, I mean, look, we we did.
00:34:40
Zak
Yeah.
00:34:43
Zak
Well, we tried to talk about the game a little bit, mate.
00:34:46
DailySaintsPod
There was football. It was, it was fine.
00:34:48
Zak
That was football. It was really stressful for 45 minutes, then it was slightly better. And it didn't result in a goal but it didn't for us, but it didn't result goal for them either. So we go into the second half at 0-0, and, you know, we've done pretty well in second halves since we lost 4-0 to the middle spread, to be honest.
00:35:08
Zak
So, let's say yeah hi
00:35:08
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. yeah I can't wait. I'm looking forward to Tuesday, but you know what, mate?
00:35:13
Zak
Yeah, I'm...
00:35:14
DailySaintsPod
We will talk more about that in our match preview episode and we will cover it in depth. And maybe we'll try and not talk about this spy stuff at all in that episode, but you know what?
00:35:25
DailySaintsPod
I don't know if we can make that promise.
00:35:29
DailySaintsPod
But listen, that is all we have got time for today. So thank you so much for listening. And as always, Zach, thank you for joining me.
00:35:38
Zak
like quite spate.
00:35:38
DailySaintsPod
We will be back with our match preview for the second leg. But until then, everyone, a hope you have a wonderful weekend.
00:35:50
DailySaintsPod
And remember, do not get caught in the bushes with binoculars. It doesn't look good.