Tonda Eckert will be the man in the spotlight when Southampton return to Championship duties on Sunday. The Saints might have found themselves back among the heights of the Premier League this season but instead open away to Watford a week earlier.
Last season's Spygate farce saw Southampton exiled from the Championship play-off final. Losing semi-finalists Middlesbrough took their place at Wembley but couldn't make it count against Hull City, who won the race for the third and final promotion place.
The dust may have settled but the effects are very much still being felt today as Southampton start the season with a four-point deduction. There's also the possibility that Eckert will face a touchline ban - or worse - after being charged with misconduct by the FA. He even sat in the stands for one pre-season fixture as a trial run.
Spygate explanation
Back in May, Boro lobbied a very serious accusation that a member of Southampton's staff had been spotted at their Rockliffe training ground recording a team session. The man in question was seen recording footage from behind a tree but fled via the adjoining golf club after he was confronted by Middlesbrough staff and refused to identify himself.
Boro's suspicions proved accurate as Southampton analyst intern William Salt was found to be the man in question. The Saints were charged with breaking EFL regulations 3.4 and 127.1 and ultimately admitted to an Independent Disciplinary Commission that they had conducted similar acts of espionage prior to games against Oxford and Ipswich Town earlier that same season, having initially denied spying.
An arbitration panel reached the conclusion that Southampton had launched "a contrived and determined plan from top down to gain a competitive advantage" over their competition. However, it took some of the responsibility off the analysts who watched opposition training, surmising that they "felt pressurised" to do so.
On May 19, a full week after Southampton's play-off semi-final victory over Boro, Southampton's expulsion from the final was confirmed. Kim Hellberg's men were reinstated in their place and Eckert was left to rue his error in judgement as a dream first season at St Mary's ended in nightmarish fashion.
Explaining the saga, the German made the argument he was used to similar practices being acceptable in his homeland and Italy, where he'd gained much of his coaching experience. Eckert contended that he was not aware this was against EFL laws having taken charge in his first senior role midway through the season, though that wouldn't necessarily explain why Saints analysts had been quite so covert in their operations.
"I am a young coach, I have made a mistake, and I take full responsibility," said Eckert. "I am devastated that after six months of building that relationship [with the fans] back up, the season has come to an end...come to an end that couldn’t have left us in a worse place than we are in right now."
He added: "None of what has happened had any effect on the sporting performance...I hope that over time you can understand and forgive."
Eckert, 33, confirmed earlier in the summer that he had received death threats and had no choice but to involve the police. The Athletic has also reported he reached out to former England manager Gareth Southgate and the pair had a "long conversation" so that Eckert could better understand the FA's rules.
Why he's still at Saints
Many might make the argument that Eckert's dismissal should not have been a decision that was left to Southampton's discretion. As it is, however, the south-coast side were allowed to pass judgement on the matter and ultimately decided to stick by their boss.
It wasn't just the owners who made that call, either. The Athletic recently reported the club's board surveyed the playing squad for their opinion the day after Southampton's appeal against their play-off expulsion was rejected - and the answer was that Eckert be allowed to stay on and make things right.
On the same day Saints owner Dragan Solak confirmed the club was sticking with Eckert, the latter posted a video explaining his actions. That also included an apology to the supporters for the manner in which his deception had led to the club suffering such extreme punishment.
While Solak has proved forgiving over the ordeal, he isn't entirely without fury concerning Eckert's future. And the Serb has confirmed he has already warned his manager not to let something like this befall his club again as he gives him a "deserved second chance."
“I told him, ‘You almost broke my heart,'" said Solak earlier this summer. "'You do it again, you’ll kill me. The next time I see you in July, if you don’t know the EFL book of rules by heart, you can’t work for me. Because, we can’t have another mistake.' I truly hope that he will learn from this experience and he will achieve an incredible career."
Eckert's reputation among the fans may be somewhat more divided after it was ultimately his choices that led to the promotion dream crashing down last season. However, it's evident he has many backers from all sections of the club's hierarchy inside St. Mary's.
Intern's new job
As for Salt, he is an intern no more. In fact, his role in the debacle has led to a promotion after the Daily Mail reported he's landed himself a permanent job in Southampton's academy.
Eckert was reportedly impressed by Salt's work at the club despite his role in the Spygate mess. And they've stuck by him with a more cemented role at their Staplewood training ground.
Salt will presumably be permitted to continue studying under one of the hottest young coaching talents in Europe as a result. However, there's one very specific page in Eckert's book that the former intern will not be taking a leaf out of anytime soon.
