"Spying" on another team's training sessions...

Luffy

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I wish our competitors had spied on our training sessions before 17th December and copied our methods and tactics for their own teams.
 

Rafaeldagold

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I don’t really see a problem with it to be honest. It’s just being proactive trying to get an advantage for your team.
 

Chairman Steve

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In a world where players dive, players get opposition sent off or booked, purposely run down the clock, waste time, feign injury.... spying seems pretty tame.

Franky the fatty should just eat a cream puff and he’ll be fine.
 

dogwithabone

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I don’t see a particular problem with it. The spy would have learnt more on a scouting mission to their previous game and that happens at every game.
 

Erebus

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I'm sure I heard about something like this a long time ago (twenty years?) - didn't understand what the issue was then and don't now. I'm pretty sure it's quite widespread.
 

Johan07

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This is probably more common on NT level.
Even my pretentious Sweden had a "spy" renting a house on a hill in Russia so he could watch South Koreas closed training before we met in the World Cup. Made a bit of a mess when it came out since we are supposed to be the "above" such things...
There is a lot of stories of shenanigans like this going on in bigger tournaments when the teams doesnt know each other that well.
 

LilyWhiteSpur

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feck me the media make such a shit storm out of nothing, are managers that go to opposition games there to *spy*? The same fecking papers that bug phones and back emails for stories, gutter trash.
 

Pexbo

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This sort of thing going on is as old as professional football. Lampard probably isn’t much used to it because he spent most of his career playing for a side that has their training complex locked down.

I remember probably 20 years ago reading an article about Shearer where he spotted a scout he knew worked for an upcoming opposition, he took penalty practice after the training session and kept drilling them into the bottom left corner. Sure enough he got a penalty and nonchalantly side footed it into the right corner.
 

LilyWhiteSpur

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Going to a game is a bit different to sneaking into a training ground and hiding in a bush.
Is it going to tell you any more really? If a team poaches a coach or manager from another team they will learn certain things. It’s a storm in a tea cup and quite *Frankly* Frank has made a tit out of him self, should have laughed it off and moved on. I watched most of the game and Derby were simply out played, would have happened, Bond or no Bond.
 

Chairman Woodie

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Whatever happened to analyzing opponent's games? Buy a few match tickets and watch your opposition from the stands or record the matches on TV.
 

Keeps It tidy

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Whatever happened to analyzing opponent's games? Buy a few match tickets and watch your opposition from the stands or record the matches on TV.
And every club subscribes to some service where they can probably see every match their opponents have played in the last decade. And they have one of their analyst cut up video of every time the opposing winger used their weaker foot if they wanted to.
 

LilyWhiteSpur

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Why do it if there's no benefit?
Mind games, if you make another team believe they have an advantage they probably will. Given the deal Lampard made of it didn’t help, one training session, probably not hearing anything that is being said won’t tell you a great deal IMO. Given that Belisa seemed to enjoy owning up to it leads me to believe it was just a head feck.
 

Kapardin

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Well said by Lampard I guess.

They should've just beaten the spy to a pulp and cut his fingers off to send the right message to Bielsa imo.
Saudi Embassy style?

I am on the fence regarding this. It ain't wrong if you are not caught. But if you are incompetent enough to be discovered, well, atleast Bielsa fronted up without question.
 

Dirty Schwein

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Well if Derby spent more money on security and less on bushes, this would not happen.
 

duffer

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Mind games, if you make another team believe they have an advantage they probably will. Given the deal
Lampard made of it didn’t help, one training session, probably not hearing anything that is being said won’t tell you a great deal IMO.
This all happened yesterday, Lampard said nothing about it until he was asked in an interview this evening. He said nothing about it until Bielsa came out and admitted it. Don't think it's fair to characterise that as making a big deal. It pissed him off and that came across in the interview.

I don't think its the worst thing in the world by any means but they (I say they because of course it goes on more than we probably know) do it to find out about who is going to play and what sort of formation/set pieces they are working on, it's not just "mind games". The bloke was hiding in a bush, do you think he was trying to get caught?
 

LilyWhiteSpur

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This all happened yesterday, Lampard said nothing about it until he was asked in an interview this evening. He said nothing about it until Bielsa came out and admitted it. Don't think it's fair to characterise that as making a big deal. It pissed him off and that came across in the interview.

I don't think its the worst thing in the world by any means but they (I say they because of course it goes on more than we probably know) do it to find out about who is going to play and what sort of formation/set pieces they are working on, it's not just "mind games". The bloke was hiding in a bush, do you think he was trying to get caught?
No idea, I still think Lampard would have been better off laughing it off than coming out with *that shit shouldn’t wouldn’t happen in England*. I like Lampard and I want him to do well, Gerrard too but they are very green and need a bit more nouse, which they will get.
 

Cassidy

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Are people seriously acting like this isn't something that happens in the country? Just like English players don't dive? Seriously?
 

The Brown Bull

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Liverpool have appointed Neil Ruddock as security for their training sessions. He's told people he'll 'eat them' if he suspects anyone of spying. So there'll be no doubt whatsoever as to 'who ate all the spies'.
Well said sir!
 

The Brown Bull

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I hate Leeds , let’s get that out of the way first.Their fans are absolute weapons and I’m old enough to remember Revie’s “ dirty Leeds” when anything was possible.
That said I think this is much ado about nothing and Lampard is being just a bit precious.
No rule was broken.End of.
 

RobinLFC

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Nothing wrong with it. Train behind closed doors if you don’t want people watching, end of.
 

Sayros

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I actually enjoy these sort of antics, it's high-stakes, get-any-advantage-possible sort of tactics. Is it sportmanship at its finest? No, but it's interesting to see the antics some teams get to in order to get any advantage or even a perceived advantage possible. They had lip readers before, so now every one covers their mouth when talking. You have spies? Okay, we need to be on the lookout for them, or even feed them false information before you remove them from the training grounds so they come back with something completely different from what you will present on match day. I can understand why some can find it frustrating or small-time, but I get a kick out of it, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this.
 

Peyroteo

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I can't imagine Bielsa is the only manager ever to do this, anyone know of any other examples?
It happens pretty regularly. Villas-Boas famously did it when he was part of Mourinho's staff for example.

Not necessarily through a spy but clubs do whatever they can to get information about the opponent's preparation. Thinking they wouldn't do it because of some unwritten sportsmanship rule is very naive.