Spygate

A great outburst of moral indignation directed at Southampton this morning, admittedly some of it from Saints supporters.  I am yet to talk to a son-in-law who is a season ticket holder.

I do wonder what useful information one could get from watching Oxford United train, but at least they didn't bother with us.  Actually, Sparrows Lane is pretty secure unlike Boro's traing ground which seemed to be wide open.  (Coventry City placed big screens around their training ground some time ago.)   In days gone by one could walk into Sparrows Lane to watch a reserve match.

I don''t think Southampton will succeed in their appeal, but they might well feel inclined to challenge the authority and decision-making of the EFL in the public courts.   One thing is certain is that the lawyers will benefit.

In some ways the real losers are Hull who were preparing to face another club and are now uncertain whether the match will go ahead at all, disrupting the hotel and travel bookings made by their fans.

The fact of the matter is that football is now big business with large sums of money at stake for big financial players and various forms of cheating are inevitable.  They should be punished, but it is usually a club's fans that suffer most.

Richard Cawley has wryly observed that Nathan Jones will be pleased to face Southampton twice next season.

Hump on the Humber

It will be a strange start to the resumed season at Hull today.  Hull's owners were one of the only clubs that wanted the season voided, I wonder why.  The CAS Trust preview is here: https://www.castrust.org/2020/06/a-football-match-at-last/

Tigers get over hangover

Hull City have recovered from the hangover of relegation from the Premier League and are getting up to speed in their campaign for an early return. Placed 2nd in the table, they are looking forward to a win at The Valley tomorrow: Hull City

Charlton are beset by injury worries which may lead them to change their usual 4-4-2 formation. They could play 4-4-1-1 with Gudmundsson behind Big Mak or 3-5-2 with three centre backs to cover the right back position.

Charlton have failed to score in their last two games against Hull; they have never gone three without reply. Hull have not beaten Charlton at the Valley since November 1985, losing once and drawing twice since then.

Odds are: Charlton 27/10, Draw 23/10, Hull 23/20.

N'Guessan correction

Pravda has stated that our offer for N'Guessan was under £50k, a figure confirmed by normally reliable sources. That sounds like a more realistic figure and explains the ready rejection. Perhaps we could have thrown in a few tins of paint for the Toolbox. In any case, the team looks more or less complete.

Saturday's opponents Hull City went down 1-0 at Blackburn last night. Manager Steve Bruce commented, 'For all our good football and the way we are defensively, if you don't score and take the chances somewhere like here, it's going to be a frustrating night for you. I think after being at the club a few weeks, that's going to be our Achilles heel.'

Given our defensive strengths that is encouraging for Saturday, although the weather forecast is for rain. Full preview later today.