Nicky Butt has given his opinion after Southampton were accused by the EFL of spying on Middlesbrough’s training sessions ahead of their play-off semi-final last week.
Nicky Butt (Image: (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))
Nicky Butt believes Southampton manager Tonda Eckert and his scouting team should be sacked if they have to “scoach” Middlesbrough at the end of the season. The Saints will wait anxiously to see if the Spygate scandal will cost them a spot in the Championship playoff finals.
Eckert’s side beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-final on Tuesday night, setting up a match against Hull at Wembley on May 23. But he is now facing an independent panel hearing after being charged by the EFL for allegedly spying on Boro’s training session last week.
The EFL issued a statement on Thursday afternoon, announcing that the hearing would take place “on or before Tuesday 19 May”. However, with an appeal from one or more of the parties to the lawsuit almost certain, the match being played at Wembley every Saturday appears to be in doubt.
Butt has spoken his mind and will not back down, claiming that if Southampton are required to watch Middlesbrough train after a full season, Eckert and the club’s recruitment and scouting team should be fired on the spot, before criticizing Kim Helberg’s response.
“It’s been going on for years,” he said via Paddy Power. “I remember when we first started playing in Europe, I was probably around 20 years old. We always trained on the ground the night before the match, but the manager never made a real starting eleven.
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page
read more: Southampton set for Spygate hearing amid red card and play-off finals in jeopardyread more: EFL issues statement on Spygate as Championship play-off final could be postponed
“He was always faking. He never did set-pieces. He always put ice packs on the hamstrings of his two star players and made them limp because he thought people were watching.
“People might say, ‘That’s not right, that’s cheating’. That’s what happens in high-level football. The team knows the starting eleven, you know all the players and you can go and watch the game whenever you want. They can watch it all on WyScout.
“It’s a bit stupid, really. If Southampton have to watch Middlesbrough like this after a full season, they should sack the manager, the whole recruitment team, the whole scout team on the spot.
“They should know everything about themselves. There are no secrets in football. They know who is injured and who is not injured.
Tonda Eckert’s team wait to learn their fate (Image: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images)
“Players who are 80 per cent fit to play will play in the second leg of the semi-final. This is an FA ruling and I understand that, but this has been going on for years and will continue for years.”
“I don’t think it’s a problem, you can go and watch practice from a distance at most grounds.
“Some of the high-level Premier League stuff may be like Fort Knox, but at most grounds here and abroad you can watch training within 100 meters of the fence.
“What can you say to the manager the next day? ‘I know how to beat Middlesbrough because I saw the players run down the flank a little bit.’ That’s just bullshit. It’s ridiculous. It’s very childish. The same thing would happen to any manager.
“But managers who call people cheating because of that are hypocrites, because they’re doing the exact same thing, perhaps by having others watch it instead of through their own eyes.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
