£4m former striker disappoints Southampton again with 'disgrace' claim

£4m former striker Charlie Austin disappoints Southampton again with his ‘disgrace’ claim on the Spygate matter.

Today is the 10th day since the ‘Spygate’ story broke out. Southampton already don’t come under English media’s good books, and now the reputation damage due to spying allegations is all over the place.

The Saints beat Middlesbrough 2-1 over two legs in the playoffs semi-finals with minimal refereeing controversy apart from the fact that both teams should have gotten 2-2 penalties in their favour. That’s it. Boro lost because they weren’t clinical enough, and Southampton took their chances.

However, Middlesbrough have got a spying victim allegation in their favour and are exaggerating it. Their boss Kim Hellberg broke down in a press conference calling the spying act ‘disgraceful’ and using it to cover their playoffs failure. Elsewhere, Boro media outlets are calling for Southampton’s expulsion from the playoffs final.

As for Southampton, the club has taken a quiet stance for the most part. But again, there are opportunists like former Saints striker Charlie Austin who have only bad words to say about the club.

Charlie Austin disappoints Southampton with ‘disgrace’ claim

As a player, Charlie Austin was an average Premier League journeyman striker. He played for multiple clubs like Southampton, West Brom, QPR and Burnley among others and racked up a decent amount of goals everywhere.

At St. Mary’s, the £4m striker bagged a 1-0 winner against Manchester United on his club debut. Austin also got off to a brace on his Europa League debut for Southampton which were pleasant signs of the Englishman becoming a huge Saints success in the future.

Unfortunately, recurring shoulder and hamstring injuries always kept Austin on the sidelines. Every time he found form, a lengthy injury was waiting for him at Southampton. In fact, it’s impressive to note that Saints nearly recovered the entire £4m from Austin’s sale considering he cut a frustrated dressing room figure under Ralph Hassenhuttl.

Thus, knowing Austin’s notorious Southampton past it’s no surprise that he has turned his back on Saints amidst an exaggerated spying scandal. On his Chaz Kicks Off Podcast, Austin touched upon ‘Spygate’ commenting: “Let’s be very clear. What has happened is a disgrace!”

Surely, Austin is venting out his personal frustration at Southampton. He couldn’t consistently lead the line for Saints and deliver goals regularly, so he is now throwing Southampton’s name in a bad light.

What next for Southampton in ‘Spygate’ scandal?

The EFL is expected to announce a verdict on the ‘Spygate’ scandal this coming Tuesday. The playoffs final is scheduled to take place on 23rd May, merely 4 days after the much anticipated EFL verdict. Most likely, Southampton will be allowed to compete with Hull City in the playoffs final to avoid disrupting the Wembley showpiece event at short notice.

If Hull City wins, then there might only be a fine and a 2-3 point deduction for Southampton. The reason being, Middlesbrough and the EFL will view the Saints not going to the Premier League as sporting ‘justice’ in their eyes.

If Tonda Eckert’s men overcome Hull City instead, they will almost certainly go to the Premier League without facing any expulsion. The semi-final tie against Middlesbrough was allowed to go through despite the ‘Spygate’ story so EFL will not deviate much from it.

Yes, a 5-6 point deduction along with a hefty fine will follow but let’s be honest, very few Southampton fans will mind it if the club returns to Premier League football for the next season.

Rest, let’s see what happens.