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22 hours ago
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Shortly after Tonda Eckert had hightailed it out of the tetchiest of post-match press conferences, staring fixedly at the floor, Kim Hellberg made his anger plain. A playoff semi-final first leg dominated largely by the sweet-passing Middlesbrough was always likely to be overshadowed by the espionage scandal that preceded it and so it proved.
Southampton are enveloped in a thoroughly unedifying episode with Middlesbrough accusing one of their analysts of spying on a training session that has resulted in a misconduct charge from the English Football League.
In the next couple of weeks Southampton will face an independent disciplinary commission chaired by a barrister. If the charge is proven, punishments include fines, points deduction and expulsion from the playoffs.
As anyone who has crossed Boro’s outraged owner, Steve Gibson, can testify, this all seems unlikely to be brushed under the carpet. Suggestions that Southampton could be reprieved after laying the blame on a “lone wolf analyst” appear extremely unlikely to wash.
Moreover, the disciplinary commission cannot ignore a recent precedent. Fifa banned the former Canada women’s head coach Bev Priestman and two of her staff for 12 months after charges the country had spied on opponents at the 2024 Paris Olympics were upheld. In 2019 Leeds escaped with a reprimand and a £200,000 fine after one of Marcelo Bielsa’s staff was caught spying on Derby, but a new, tougher EFL rule has been introduced since then.
Small wonder that Eckert looked distinctly shaken as he refused to answer espionage-related questions. Hellberg, meanwhile, talked of his “anger”, “disappointment” and conviction that the incident had offered Southampton a “massive advantage”.
Earlier, a brief handshake and an absence of eye contact between the managers preceded an excellent beginning from a Boro side whose fans unfurled a giant “take us back where we belong” banner before subjecting the visitors to a barrage of boos.
Southampton could barely escape their own half as Boro swarmed all over them with Luke Ayling suffocating the dangerous former Boro forward Finn Azaz. Along the way, a high-pressing Boro won plenty of second balls and produced some lovely pass-and-move cameos while creating a series of half chances. Significantly, clearcut openings were somewhat rarer; how Boro could have done with Morgan Whittaker directing a left-foot shot on target rather than inches over the bar.
Much as the intricate trigonometry of Boro’s play was a joy to watch and the sheer number of corners they forced hugely impressive, they lacked a killer final ball. Unfortunately for Boro, the midfielder that invariably provides it watched, once again, from the sidelines. Hayden Hackney is capable of unpicking the most awkward of defensive locks, but although the Championship’s player of the season had recovered from a calf injury sufficiently to make the matchday squad for the first time since March he was not quite fit enough for the bench.
It took a tremendous block from the excellent James Bree to deny Boro’s Tommy Conway just as he looked certain to score from five yards out. Conway probably regrets taking a steadying touch when shooting first time would surely have resulted in a goal. Shortly afterwards Conway shot first time after surging clean through only to end up hitting a post.
Tellingly, despite Boro creating 17 chances to Southampton’s none and hogging 76% of possession in one of the most one-sided first halves you are likely to see, Daniel Peretz remained relatively underworked in Southampton’s goal.
Although Southampton improved considerably in the second half – with Taylor Harwood-Bellis directing a header against a post before Samuel Edozie bent a shot fractionally wide of the far post – both teams would perhaps be well advised to start practising penalties.
