Tonda Eckert

which allows you to sort of unlock a little bit more with your offensive players.

And a lot of those players further up the pitch, as you say, because of the way that Tonda Eckert wants to set up his team, a lot of defending comes to the front as well.

You know, the Southampton press is a good one.

And they are a team right now that I think are, especially with everything else behind them, It feels like they're a team that's just going to keep picking up momentum because with that, they did pick up their first win away from home in their last away match, which was against Norwich City.

OK, on to our last point of the day, and this one actually comes from last week, but we missed it because we didn't have a week in football for you last week.

So Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert, whose name I can never remember, so I have to write down, received a six week ban, a £28,000 fine and a reprimand after admitting to authorising observations of rivals clubs training sessions.

else what the hell was the point of all this a 28 grand fine and a six-week ban they've basically sent him on an all-inclusive holiday

what i need what i need clarification on here is his weekly wage i need clarification on his weekly wage if we can clarify that we know that what corner of the side you know like that what little area of the side was touched because i don't believe the side was touched here and he got a six-week ban from what the touchline or training Like, what did he get a six-week ban for? From the

It did feel like a group that was willing to fight to the end.

And I almost fear that maybe those fitness levels he spoke about when he arrived last November that they had to work on and chip away at over the course of the second half of last season has they almost gone too far this summer and almost exhausted the players before the season's even kicked off because yeah the intensity and the levels are miles off it at the moment and that doesn't feel like a very easy fix if your players are knackered then you know there's no real way in the grueling schedule they've got ahead to really rest them because the problem is as well they've got so many international players now that these players getting called up so even when there maybe is that period where naturally they could have a potential break yeah they don't seem to be able to do that and funnily enough you know I think when I was speaking to the Southampton sort of end before the game there the other day they were speaking about kind of Tonda Eckert's approach and he's willing to give players I think maybe a week off in that long extended international break you contrast that to Norwich where they got a couple of days you know is that management style that Philippe's you know adopted the right way and unfortunately until the results start to turn those questions are just going to be there

Yeah, and I think that was always the fear, wasn't it? I don't know if we ever mentioned it on one of these, but the fear is when you work at that intensity for so long.

And you're right, when there's a common cause, and players had to do that.

No.

Well, it, it, Tonda Eckert was talking about just needing that away win.

It's been long, it's been long overdue and fair of, p- not fair, I d- I don't really know because they haven't actually been that good away from home but getting the first three points away from St Mary's is absolutely massive.

Um, and th- doing it at a place like Carrow Road which is typically a difficult place to go is, is a positive.

But I found dishes really, really hard.

I found it really hard this year because to your point I think West Ham could be that standout team right they've still got people like Jared Bowen they could if they had the right manager or if the manager gets input going they should in theory pull away because they've got the quality within their squad to do that but then once you look past West Ham Southampton obviously with the points deduction you think god they could have taken a real hit with Tonda Eckert going all that kind of stuff now that's under the radar they could start pushing on everybody else especially at the start of the season I looked at it and just thought this is much for muchness I know Swan Monzi are running away with it ever so slightly at the moment.

I don't know if they can keep that pace.

They're playing really good football.

As it stands, they sit outside the playoffs but, um, I certainly expect them to be in that conversation this season.

Uh, we've said about- how much of the impact everything surrounding Tonda Eckert would have had, um, this season.

It's been relatively little, if we're honest, um, and the fact now that I think Southampton have firmly drawn a line under everything surrounding, uh, Spygate, um, hoping to move on, and I think they, they will do this season, certainly be in that conversation for automatic promotion, um, winning a derby game.

One game out of 46 won't reinstate that, uh, won't reinforce that, sorry, um, but I do think that that is a very good sign going forward this season.

I think they could easily be in an automatic promotion conversation.

I was a little bit concerned for them at the start of this season as to obviously, uh, you know, as you sort of mentioned as well, everything kind of hanging over them.

You're not quite sure what to expect, and I think obviously with the Tem- Tonda Eckert news coming through that actually that's not really gonna derail them at all now.

They're now in a position where they can focus purely on the pitch and purely on the football.

The Saints were kicked out of last season's playoffs for breaking EFL rules when they watched other teams train.

Manager Tonda Eckert received a suspended ban, so was able to guide his team to the win.

They played the second half with 10 men, which Eckert says made them defend better.

The reality is we've talked about this so often that sometimes one goal will need to be enough to get three points.

So here we go.

Um, in complete contrast to what happened with the EFL, they, the FA stated that, or the independent panel stated that Tonda Eckert was a, an impeccable witness.

And they were the only-- he was the only witness that they called.

Um, obviously at the same time when the, the verdict was announced, they were doing press conferences the day after.