Spygate debate & Grimsby’s CEO on Jamestown Analytics

let Let's talk Southampton and Spygate with BBC Radio's silent sports editor.

Adam Blackmore joins us.

It's four months since the scandal began.

Tonda Eka is set to discover his fate this week.

Saints were already expelled from the championship final last year and docked four points this season.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McInerney have mocked them in an advert before their game at the weekend.

Adam, jokes aside, sort of plenty of us from, you know, from the outside can enjoy the drama of all of this.

But for those in Southampton, the fans, club employees, the businesses in the city, Tondereka himself, this verdict could have huge consequences.

Aaron, I think it's got all sorts of consequences and you've highlighted them all there.

The biggest one, of course, is the fact that if he is banned by the FA this week and that derails Saints' season, then they'll have spent two years in the Championship having really planned for one year And they'll be into a third.

And the ever decreasing circles of money will have a huge impact and ramifications for the club going forward.

They could find themselves like other clubs did for many years, like Millwall, Middlesbrough, Ipswich and teams that have been in the Premier League, stuck in the championship, trying desperately, hoping for enough funding to keep going.

And that's the consequence of it.

And I'm glad you mentioned the businesses because there are lots of good managers out there.

But there are businesses in the city and people and staff at the club who depend on the club doing well.

well and so yeah it is a it is a big thing and it's not surprising as much as he got stick from fans across the country last week that when I asked Tonda Eckert about the Rob Ryan Reynolds advert he didn't find it amusing he gave a proper Queen Victoria answer to that he was not amused So, yeah, there's a lot going on.

And I think we just all be glad when it's all resolved.

I think it's been dragging on long enough, nearly five months.

Adam, is that the sort of overriding feeling there, maybe amongst the fans in the sense of they probably feel the punishment that was already dished out, which... was quick and some may say harsh at the time.

Is there a feeling that it's almost the double jeopardy of it all? And again, you do have to differentiate that the club has been sanctioned, whereas maybe the individual hasn't yet.

So that's obviously where the FA are with it at the moment.

But yeah, Is that where a bit of frustration is at the moment?

I think the timescale and the fact that the fans feel they've suffered enough, Joby.

I think ultimately, I've done a lot of work on this this week because I've been trying to get my head around how would I act if I was on the FA panel? Has Southampton been punished a lot already? Yes.

You know, whoever.