West Ham fans have suggested Thomas Frank, and Wales manager Craig Bellamy has previously been mentioned.

Frank would surely be an excellent hire, but would he truly be willing to move down a tier?

Bellamy is an energetic figure, but he knows the club and has something special about him.

However, it appears that Nuno will remain in control for the time being.

Some Saints and Middlesbrough fans continue to feud on social media, and all eyes will be on their meeting in late November to see how they react on the pitch. Indeed, it could wind up being a battle among the top two at the time.

Tonda Eckert is still permitted to coach Southampton, whether you think it’s a light penalty or not, and he took the time to educate himself in the months following their elimination from the play-offs.

Tonda Eckert spoke with Gareth Southgate following the Spygate charges.

Over the summer, Eckert faced a lot of pressure from the rest of the football world. Southampton’s administration had reiterated their support in him, but he remained under FA supervision and was morally rejected by many fans of other teams.

According to the Guardian, the German manager read up on the EFL handbook, which he had overlooked after being elevated to head coach at St Mary’s midway through the previous season.

However, the same story stated that Eckert discussed English football culture and zero tolerance for espionage with former England manager Gareth Southgate.

The 56-year-old has been bereft of work since departing the Three Lions after their defeat in the Euro 2024 final against Spain. He has since spoken at Harvard Business School and continues to assist a number of charities in England.

Gareth Southgate’s Middlesbrough background gives Tonda Eckert’s chat additional weight.

However, more important than Southgate’s England history, or at least more relevant to this particular crisis, is that the former Three Lions manager is regarded as a hero at Middlesbrough – the team Eckert spied on.

Southgate played at the Riverside for five years and captained the club during their mini-Golden era in the mid-2000s, when they competed regularly in the top half of the Premier League, won the EFL Cup in 2004, and narrowly missed out on European silverware in the 2006 UEFA Cup final against Sevilla.

That match in Eindhoven was Southgate’s final professional game, and he immediately became Boro’s new manager, succeeding Steve McClaren, who had brought him to the Riverside in the first place.

Middlesbrough were demoted to the Championship during his tenure, although his dismissal after leading Borough to within a point of first place in October 2009 was considered as contentious, since Southgate was still a popular figure.

Given Middlesbrough’s important role in the Spygate incident, Eckert’s decision to seek guidance from someone with an eight-year history with Borough appears odd. Ultimately, his reputation as a respected member of English football circles trumps this.

Southampton and Middlesbrough clash for the first time since Spygate this month.

As November approaches, the countdown to Southampton’s match against Middlesbrough at St Mary’s Stadium will begin.

It may be old news to some, but for the vast majority of fans, this first meeting between the two since Spygate will be significant. Following the announcement of his suspended ban, Tonda Eckert stated that this matchup could be more important than the South Coast Derby.

The Saints have been on a roll since the news of the German manager’s punishment was revealed; it’s almost as if a huge weight has been lifted off the club’s shoulders, and all the focus is now on going one better than last season and finishing in the top two, despite the four-point deduction.

A win over Middlesbrough would go a great way towards establishing title credentials, as well as providing much-needed bragging rights in what is a tense Championship rivalry.