'Southampton shouldn't care!' - Jason Cundy reacts to Middlesbrough, Saints spygate saga | OneFootball

The talkSPORT pundit has had his say on the controversies surrounding the play-off semi-finals

Southampton and Middlesbrough's battle to reach the Championship play-off final on May 23rd has generated plenty of headlines, albeit not that many have come through developments on the pitch at the Riverside Stadium or St Mary's.

Indeed, the two sides, who were only separated by virtue of one goal throughout the Championship's regular 46-game campaign, knew that victory would see them take on one of Millwall or Hull City in North London, with the latter eventually securing a 2-0 aggregate success on Monday night.

Just like their play-off counterparts, Saints and Boro played out a goalless draw in the North East on Saturday lunchtime, despite the fact that Kim Hellberg's side were much more the dominant side, before the roles were reversed on the South Coast, even though the visitors did initially take the lead through Riley McGree's sweeping finish after five minutes.

However, Southampton, who have lost just once in all competitions since January 17th under Tonda Eckert, began to assert their authority on the match eventually, and levelled on the stroke of half time when Ross Stewart forced the ball home in a crowd of bodies.

After the match had gone to extra-time with the scoreline still level after 90-plus minutes, it was Shea Charles who, yet again, sent Saints to Wembley, following up his FA Cup quarter-final strike versus Arsenal last month with a remarkable effort into the bottom corner from the right flank, even though many have argued it was unintended.

Unsurprisingly, though, much of the focus of these two legs has been on the spygate saga which broke out ahead of the encounter at the Riverside, with a Saints staff member alleged to have photographed and recorded training sessions at Boro's Rockliffe Park training facility, with the Hampshire outfit subsequently charged by the EFL, while further developments are set to take place after the conclusion of the semi-finals.

talkSPORT presenter Jason Cundy weighs in on Middlesbrough, Southampton spygate saga

Unsurprisingly, plenty of comparisons have been drawn up between the ongoing saga and the one which involved Leeds United and Derby County seven years ago, after which the Whites were handed a £200,000 fine.

Given the magnitude of the play-off encounters, though, the current situation has grabbed even more headlines, which have only been added two by the actions of both Eckert and Hellberg, with the latter walking out of two press conferences after being pressed on the matter.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are believed to be pushing for sporting sanctions to hit their opponents as opposed to a single fine, with several pundits offering their thoughts on developments as a result.

One of those is talkSPORT's Jason Cundy, who is known for dividing opinion on the radio station's 'Sports Bar' show alongside former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Jamie O'Hara, and he believes that Middlesbrough should move on from what has occurred.

"Can't spy anymore mate. Not allowed to do spying or watch," the former Chelsea man started.

When asked by O'Hara how Middlesbrough would be feeling, Cundy added: "Southampton shouldn't care.

"It's a little bit of misdemeanour. Pay the fine, get over yourselves. It's not that big of a deal," he claimed.

"What can they learn? Maybe a couple of set-pieces and penalties? What can they learn?"

In response, O'Hara continued: "If you watch a whole training session, and you've got camcorders out. The quality of those camcorders, they're not bad.

"It could pick up some good stats.

Cundy ended: "How can you be caught spying? Number one rule, don't get caught."

Middlesbrough, Southampton spygate drama is far from over

Unsurprisingly, this situation is far from over, with it being well-documented that the situation will go to an independent disciplinary commission, although the timescale of any further punishment is yet to be revealed ahead of the play-off final versus Hull.

Cundy's fellow talkSPORT pundit, Simon Jordan, also expressed his thoughts on how he expects Middlesbrough president, Steve Gibson, to handle the serious matter, and it has now been reported that the Teesside club have hired Nick De Marco as a lawyer, with the 59-year-old recently involved in the drawn-out takeover saga involving Sheffield Wednesday.