All eyes will be on Southampton vs Portsmouth on Sunday lunchtime, as the South Coast rivals face off in the latest instalment of their bitter Derby showdown.
Liverpool against Manchester City, which will take place later on in the day in the Premier League, doesn't even feel as box-office as this meeting between Tonda Eckert's hosts and John Mousinho's visitors, as Eckert looks to get back to winning ways at the Saints helm, with a renewed fire in his belly.
Indeed, he managed to get away with just a six-week suspended ban in the end for his involvement in Spygate, so he will now be full steam ahead in trying to clinch a emphatic victory, against Southampton's sworn enemy from down the road.
Pompey fans packed into St. Mary's on Sunday will no doubt be reminding Eckert of his dark arts via chants from the away end, with Jamie O'Hara - who used to pull on Portsmouth blue once upon a time - outspoken with his thoughts, as well, on the German's punishment on TalkSPORT.
O'Hara's outspoken thoughts
O'Hara was only situated at Fratton Park for one season during his well-travelled playing days but he left a lasting impression.
He would pick up three goals and seven assists from just 29 appearances, with a goal even falling his way in the South Coast Derby, as he killed the contest in Pompey's favour in a 4-1 FA Cup rout in 2010 at St. Mary's.
When recollecting on this goal, after signing for Billericay Town in 2018, the now-retired midfielder would label the moment as "ecstatic and emotional."
O'Hara, off the back of this, definitely has more allegiances to Pompey, than the Saints, and will want his ex-club to win on Sunday lunchtime.
He has also controversially thrown his weight into the Eckert conversation, like another former EFL journeyman in Jobi McAnuff, when discussing the fallout of the German's six-week suspended ban, on TalkSPORT, alongside impassioned co-host, Jason Cundy.
🤣 "Is texting a woman cheating?"
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) October 7, 2026
👀 "You're a disgrace!"
Jason Cundy & Jamie O'Hara discuss 'Spygate' and it takes a left turn! pic.twitter.com/MBsfjgu2aI
He said, rather brazenly: "He’s cheated. He hasn’t got the referee in his back pocket or the lino but he has broken the rules and cheated.
"Suspended ban, what is that on the scale of getting away with it? He’s cheated."
Whatever anyone thinks of Eckert, and the espionage that took place last season, he has now been handed a punishment, so O'Hara can be as angry as he wants, it's not going to change the mind of the powers that be that handed out the sanction.
Southampton won't be paying much attention
Southampton won't be paying too much attention to the opinions being spewed by O'Hara either.
Instead, they will be laser-focused on climbing the league standings, now, with this weight off their shoulders that Eckert could be banned for a substantial amount of time.
The Saints would very much silence O'Hara if a win was forthcoming on Sunday, as the 40-year-old will be backing his ex-side all the way.
He will be silenced even more if their football does the talking and they surge up the table to those promotion positions, but the situation on the pitch needs to be taken on a game-by-game basis, as the South Coast outfit do sit in a middling 13th right now, due to a points deduction.
Southampton have become an easy victim to beat with a stick over Spygate, and O'Hara's thoughts have clearly struck a chord with some people, as the clip being shared has done sizeable social media numbers.
But, this will all be blocked out by Eckert and everyone associated with the St Mary's giants, as promotion is now hopefully chased after.
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