Those hardworking chaps at the EFL have finally 4 week later managed to get themselves to the office to make a decision on our punishment. Whatever happens, anyone else annoyed that it has taken them so long and also that it is the day before a big game?
Do this on Monday morning. Do it the week after it happened. Don't do it, the day before our game so all pre match talk will be about this and potentially distract the team. They announced they were doing an investigation a couple of hours before the game against Stoke. Why? Are we to believe that decision was made on a Saturday morning?
I never used to believe in a conspiracy against Leeds and it is most likely just incompetence on a massive scale at the EFL, but it's hard to argue that the timing of this news is with everyone's best interests in mind.
Spygate decision expected today
posted on 8/2/19
If the decision is with the Board, then this must mean that no rule has been broken as penalties for rule breaches are not decided by the board.
posted on 8/2/19
No points deduction will happen.
posted on 9/2/19
comment by middlesexwhite (U4520)
posted 12 hours, 11 minutes ago
If the decision is with the Board, then this must mean that no rule has been broken as penalties for rule breaches are not decided by the board.
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There may not have been any rules broken in the Derby instance, but what about the 22 other occasions where Bielsa sent someone to watch the opposition train? I suspect the delay is because the EFL is putting together a portfolio of events to their legal team to consider the next course of action. A delay of this duration can only mean that there is much worse to come, in my view.
posted on 9/2/19
From today's Times:
"The mysterious figure at the centre of the “Spygate” scandal — a 20-year-old intern brought to Leeds United by Marcelo Bielsa, the manager — was spending 24 hours before matches conducting undercover reconnaissance in the towns and cities of the club’s forthcoming opponents before being caught outside the Derby County training ground last month.
Rather than simply spying on opponents, this remarkable scouting operation represented an attempt to get under the skin of every aspect of Leeds’ Championship rivals, which, in their submissions to the EFL, the club attribute to youthful enthusiasm.
Throughout the season the Leeds intern has spent time around every Championship club from Swansea City to Middlesbrough, talking to fans, drinking in pubs and consuming local media to gain an insight into how the opposition fans would react during matches, as well as attempting to observe training.
The EFL has asked Leeds to provide more details before deciding whether to charge them, but, contrary to complaints from Derby, they have not found any evidence of him breaking into a training ground, while Derbyshire Constabulary took no action after speaking to him last month. Rather than possessing bolt-cutters, as alleged by the Derby manager Frank Lampard, the police found secateurs in his car."
My opinion is that this has been hyped up beyond reason, but I don't trust the EFL to be objective or fair. I suspect whatever their verdict, it will need to pass the Sky Sports hysteria test.
posted on 9/2/19
^. ^. ^
Good comments!
posted on 9/2/19
Throughout the season the Leeds intern has spent time around every Championship club from Swansea City to Middlesbrough, talking to fans, drinking in pubs and consuming local media to gain an insight into how the opposition fans would react during matches, as well as attempting to observe training.
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I always try and look at stuff like this with my shoe on the other foot hat on (cause I love to mix my metaphors)
And again, this is something that makes me love the boss and the scout even more.
If another club sent a scout to look and study every aspect of Leeds, including talking to the fans in pubs and trying to get an idea of what it means to be Leeds id congratulate them and in all honesty probably buy them a beer while I rant at him for an hour about how much the club means to me and why.
posted on 9/2/19
Could you imagine the info that another club would get from coming on here!
Return to the manager and he asks what did you learn? Well it’s unclear but half off the fans appear to be supporting a different club to the other. I can’t work out if they are top or bottom of the league.
posted on 9/2/19
But if he takes his secateurs with him, he can give Bielsa a bunch of flowers.
posted on 9/2/19
Something does not add up here.
Bielsa tells us it doesn’t matter who plays for opponents how style of our play always the same etc.
Now we hear our spy is talking to fans etc, something does not add up.
posted on 9/2/19
comment by HaveFaithInLeeds (U8688)
posted 6 hours, 43 minutes ago
Could you imagine the info that another club would get from coming on here!
Return to the manager and he asks what did you learn? Well it’s unclear but half off the fans appear to be supporting a different club to the other. I can’t work out if they are top or bottom of the league.
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