New Southampton FC, Tonda Eckert trend has emerged - it will shock Sport Republic | OneFootball

Some Southampton supporters now want Tonda Eckert to remain in charge of the club amid the spygate scandal

Southampton will be playing their football in the Championship once again next season after expulsion from the play-offs, but who will be in the St Mary's dugout, at this stage, remains a mystery.

After Will Still was dismissed from his post at Southampton, not much was thought of Tonda Eckert stepping into the role.

The German, at that stage, was a relative unknown, having worked at the likes of FC Koln, RB Salzburg, and Bayern Munich, predominantly with youth teams, before spending time as a coach at Barnsley and then Genoa, before taking the Southampton Under-21 job in July 2025.

After an excellent spell as interim boss, Eckert was appointed in the role permanently, and would lead the Saints to an FA Cup final, beating both Fulham and Arsenal along the way, only narrowly losing out to Manchester City in the final, which would be their only defeat in the final 25 games of the season, as they shot up the table into the play-off places.

Eckert rightfully earned plaudits for his work; that was until it was discovered that he had orchestrated the spying on numerous opponents across the season since his appointment, in a saga that will continue to bleed on into the summer.

Tonda Eckert's exploits at Southampton have polarised the fanbase and divided opinion

The news that has dominated headlines for the past week or so, and for good reason, Southampton were officially thrown out of the play-offs after an independent hearing found the club guilty of spying on opponents.

This issue initially came to light after someone was pictured recording one of Middlesbrough's training sessions with a phone, poorly hidden, it must be said, behind a tree at Boro's training ground.

It was eventually revealed to be William Salt, an intern working at Southampton, and the ramifications since have been extraordinary.

Despite defeating Middlesbrough 2-1 in the play-off semi-final, the Saints were removed from their place at Wembley just days before they were due to take on Hull City, with Boro instead taking their place, and were further deducted four points for the beginning of next season.

It was found that Eckert had been the one to instigate this spying on opponents, putting pressure on Salt, given his lack of job security at the club, and the extent to which this will damage his career remains to be seen.

Certainly, his position at St Mary's looks increasingly untenable, and should he remain in charge at the beginning of next season, it would be a surprise, with potential disciplinary action coming the German's way for his key role in the scandal.

Despite all this, some Southampton supporters would like to see him take the club into the next campaign, an opinion that has proven to be decisive, and one that will be bound to shock the Sport Republic ownership group. An increasing number of fans are now calling for Eckert to retain his position following complete meltdown last week, although such an outcome could be out of the Saints' hands amid the possibility that he could receive a ban from football.

On the one side, the facts are that Eckert authorised the spying, and he will have known that it was against the rules of the game, however much he pleads his innocence. His actions have arguably cost the Saints a potential £200 million influx from the play-offs, as well as receiving backlash from his own players, who have missed out on their own potential bonuses by being removed from the competition for his actions.

On the other hand, Eckert is clearly a talented coach, and his fixation on every little detail will see him go far in the game. Though, unfortunately, that fixation led to the spying and may well have tarnished his reputation, at least in the United Kingdom.

Leading a team to a 20-game unbeaten run, regardless of how he did it, is still incredibly impressive, though whether that feat would have been at all capable without the spying will forever remain unknown.

For some Southampton fans, his actions have damaged the club's reputation and chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League, but for others, his talent is evident, and finding another head coach with his ability will be difficult.

Southampton will be facing the ramifications of Tonda Eckert's actions for years to come

Having missed out on the opportunity on promotion back to the Premier League despite having parachute payments, the financial impact this will have on the club will be severe.

Another year in the second tier presents an array of challenges both on and off the pitch, and where the club goes from here remains to be seen.

Eckert's actions have caused irreversible damage not only to Southampton but to the teams surrounding them, as Wrexham could make a case that they should have been involved in the play-offs to begin with, having finished 7th, and the Saints being thrown out only after the semi-finals is an injustice.

Numerous cases can be made by numerous clubs, as the ramifications of the Germans' exploits will rage on over the summer and, consequently, over the years.