Southampton set for vicious Championship abuse as Tonda Eckert decision ripped apart

Aug 13, 2026 - 13:45

Tonda Eckert is incredibly lucky to still be the manager of Southampton – but he can expect a vitriolic campaign.

The south coast side were dragged through the mire at the end of the 2025/26 season having been caught spying on Championship play-off semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.

A Southampton intern is pictured filming Middlesbrough training — Saints intern Will Salt was caught filming Middlesbrough’s training session before their play-off first leg in May

Saints won the two-legged affair 2-1 on aggregate having played out a 0-0 draw at the Riverside in the first leg.

However, Eckert’s side were booted out of the play-offs in the wake of ‘Spygate’ after it was confirmed that Saints broke the rules.

The intern caught spying, Will Salt, was also offered a permanent position at the club.

Eckert was also hit with three three FA charges after a scandal that dominated football for weeks.

The German boss, though, kept his job at the St. Mary’s helm despite sullying the club’s name.

Championship opponents have been quick to highlight when they’ll be playing Southampton in the 2026/27 season, which gets underway Friday night.

And Clarke believes that Saints will come in for some hostile receptions in the coming campaign.

‘They’re going to get hammered’

Speaking on the talkSPORT Daily podcast, EFL expert Adrian Clarke said: “I was staggered that Southampton stuck with Tonda Eckert. He did bring the club into disrepute; it was a serious offence or offences.

“And, let’s be honest, these are just the incidents that they’ve admitted to.

“I find it odd that there’s just those three and that that wasn’t maybe something they did more often.

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert gestures during their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City — Eckert remains in charge at St. Mary’s after he was publicly backed by the club’s owner

“But anyway, it’s just, yeah, I personally would have moved on from that manager and tried to just bring in somebody fresh because the hangover is not going to be pretty.

“They’re going to be the boo boys, Southampton. Everywhere they go in the Championship this season, they’re going to get hammered by opposition fans.

“They’re going to be calling them cheats. They’re going to be the team everybody loves to hate.

“And that might inspire them, but it also might not be that pleasant for anyone involved at Southampton. So I just think, yes, he’s a good manager. Yes, he’s a good coach. But there are other good coaches out there.

“He’s darkened the name of your football club. And I would have got rid.

“The only reason, the only reason Tonda Eckert is still manager of Southampton is because he’s good. If the chairman thought, ‘I’m not sure about him,’ he would have sacked him straight away. Trust me.”