Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Wed 20 May 2026 14:00, UK

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Tonda Eckert has done an incredible job during his first season at Southampton, but he has now brought the club into complete disrepute.

The 33-year-old has actually only been in charge since November, winning 25 of his 40 games in that time, leading the Saints to a fourth-place finish and an FA Cup semi-final.

Supporters truly believed that their club was going to win promotion back to the Premier League just 12 months on from being relegated, but those chances have been blown into smithereens by the EFL.

Southampton could now be on the search for a new manager, despite fantastic work from the German boss, and he only really has himself to blame following the decision to spy on Middlesbrough’s training.

Tonda Eckert must take responsibility for Southampton’s Spygate

Eckert is believed to have admitted responsibility after an intern was spotted filming Boro’s training before their Championship play-off semi-final first leg at the Riverside Stadium.

It is also understood that he has claimed no knowledge of such EFL laws restricting clubs from doing so, but that doesn’t quite make sense. Why disguise the person spying on the Saints’ rivals?

Of course, Southampton are well within their rights to appeal against the decision to boot them out of the play-offs, but they have very little to argue their case to reinstate them into the final.

Keith Wyness told Football Insider that Eckert is facing the sack at St Mary’s Stadium, and really, rightly so, especially if he is going to take sole responsibility for the situation.

Dragan Solak has cut-throat decision to make at St Mary’s Stadium

Spygate is not only likely to condemn the Saints to another season in the Championship, but it also shines the spotlight on the current squad, who are believed to be furious with the situation.

Whether or not the EFL decide to go back on their punishment, Dragan Solak should be seriously considering a new figure for the dugout. Eckert’s actions are simply unacceptable.

He can play dumb, claiming that he had no knowledge of the rules, but someone, undoubtedly, would have told him before ordering that poor intern to break the rules for him.

It could have been a wonderful end to the season for the Saints. Now, they could be stuck in the Championship for campaigns to come, and it shouldn’t be Eckert who is given the chance to fix that.