Relief will surely be the overriding emotion for Tonda Eckert when he reflects on his last few days as Southampton’s head coach. After avoiding an immediate ban after Wednesday’s ruling on his part in the Spygate scandal that rocked the Championship last season, he oversaw victory in his first south coast derby in the St Mary’s dugout as his 10 men held firm in the face of Portsmouth’s second-half onslaught following Cam Bragg’s red card.
There was widespread surprise at the leniency of Eckert’s punishment after Southampton admitted to spying on three of their opponents last season – a six-week ban that is suspended until the end of the 2027-28 campaign and a £28,000 fine – meaning he was able to take his place on the touchline on Sunday. An FA independent disciplinary commission noted Eckert’s “genuine contrition” at what had happened. At Southampton, there is a sense that their expulsion from the playoffs in May and four-point deduction was punishment enough, and Eckert is keen to move on from a period of uncertainty that he admitted this week had changed his life.
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