H's D wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 11:47 am
Long overdue....
Perhaps the authoritities should now acknowledge the scale of the problem and change the rules so that Championships should be rescinded and penalties made more commensurate with the time frame involved: deducting 25 points the first season, 20 the next, and 15 the following one.
Unless they do such things Saracens might even consider £5M and only one 'lost season' a relative bargain for at least 3 Premierships and a couple of European Championship Cups.
They will have made far more money and Kudos by such cheating.
Should their Trophy cabinet not be emptied?
Completely agree. It should be made that they don't have an overall net benefit from cheating. If someone told me "Sale are gonna win the prem for the next two years, then be relegated the year after, but then be straight back up into top for the year after that", then i'd take it in a heart beat.
Take their titles away, they didn't win them within the rules so they didn't win them full stop.
I only have sympathy for Sarries fans, as whilst some might say they denied the blindingly obvious time and time again, they are still fans and it would be disingenuous to say we wouldn't do the same in their position imo. I mean if Dimes tells me we're doing nothing wrong, I'll take his word for it until I have concrete evidence otherwise.
However, no sympathy for the club and the players, they knew what they were getting into and anyone claiming ignorance I see in the same light as drug cheats saying "oh must have eaten some contaminated meat" or "my trainer gave me this pill and I just assumed it must have been above board because my trainer would never cheat".
Glad to see PRC have the balls to do this, lets just hope it sticks. I mean, you look at their squad and you just think "how the hell can they afford to pay these players".
It's sad as well from an entertainment POV as every week at Sarries there are players, who would be first choice for other clubs, either on the bench or not involved, and overall I think the premiership would be all the better for it's top players playing as much as possible (player welfare etc permitting obviously).