Look out look out there's a spy about

Just listening to all the fuss on Radio 5 about a Leeds Utd employee allegedly caught spying on a Derby County training session.

So, is this why Argyle are struggling? Is one of the Central Park dog walkers a secret agent passing on details of what he can see at Harper's Park? Is Larry the labrador really an agent for the CIA (Crucial Information on Argyle) or FART (Fact, Argyle Really Terrible)

All DA's intricate plans and ploys available to the highest bidder. I am truly shocked!

Anyone else got any info or suspicions?

Wasn't there someone who posted on the farm everyday leaking information,
This was a while back,

Was it Hooper the bin badger?

Leeds have done nothing wrong, unless the bloke had broken in to fly the drone.

Lampard still has trouble with his Mrs stalker...... Hence why the old bill were there so quick.
No crime in Chaddesden on that day obviously.

Marcelo Bielsa has admitted he sent a 'spy' from Leeds to watch Derby training ahead of this evening's Championship clash.

The Whites host Frank Lampard's men at Elland Road bidding to pull five points clear at the top of the table.

But the run-up to the game has been dominated by "spy gate" after police were called to Rams training on Thursday.

And Bielsa has confirmed that he was responsible for sending the member of Leeds staff and takes "full responsibility".

He told Sky Sports: “It’s true there was someone from Leeds United. I am responsible for this incident, I’m responsible for it.

“There are some reasons that I need to give. It doesn’t matter if this legal or illegal or right or wrong.

For me, it’s enough that Derby and Frank Lampard felt that it was not the right thing to do. For me to believe that we didn’t behave well.

“Yesterday I talked to Frank Lampard and he told me that I did not respect the fair play book. I have a different point of view on it but, for me, what’s important is what Frank Lampard thinks about it.

“I’m responsible for it because I didn’t ask the club of Leeds United for permission to do it. For some people it’s the wrong thing to do, for other people it’s not the wrong thing to do.

“I’ve been using this kind of practice since the qualifications of the World Cup for Argentina, it’s not illegal, we’ve been doing it publicly, we talk about it in the press.”

Lampard himself was asked by Sky about the incident after Bielsa had admitted it.

And the former Chelsea midfielder admitted to being furious at the shenanigans.

“On a sportsman’s level it’s bad, in my opinion," he said. "If we’re going to start talking about we did it somewhere else and it’s culturally fine, then that doesn’t work for me.

“If I’m in a different country then I will find out what is culturally acceptable and behave accordingly as to what is acceptable.

“It’s up to the League to deal with it. We had someone before the game (earlier in the season) and we lost 4-1. Leeds can beat you 4-1, they’re a fantastic team, but they had someone in the bushes that time as well.

“I don’t believe it’s fine. It’s disrupted our build up to this game. People are going to say we’re making excuses of it before the game but I will speak up win, lose or draw and will do it after the game.

“The police came on the training pitch, disruption number one. We were training the day before the game on team tactics, shape, personnel. The fact that Harry Wilson wasn’t training was very evident and the person watching was aware of that.

“If someone wants to say that’s not relevant the day before a game and how you prepare then that meets Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, then they’re just lucky. If tactics are not relevant and how you prepare is not important then they’re just lucky.”

Former Derby striker Darren Bent accused Leeds and Bielsa of “cheating” and claimed if the Argentinian was not top of the table then his job could be under threat.

Bent said: “It’s unethical. He needs to understand that things work differently in this country. You want a fair game and it’s not ethical really.

“We’re talking about cheating, that’s what it is really cheating, because he’s tried to get an extra edge.

“If this had happened and they’d been bottom half, but Leeds are flying and that’s what maybe got out of trouble.”

Well it worked so far
20 mins
GOAL: Leeds 1-0 Derby

its easy to beat us without spying as we play the exact same way every game, same tactics etc and in order to beat us just run at the defence cross from deep. works 9/10 times. We are that predictable.

Angry wrote:

its easy to beat us without spying as we play the exact same way every game, same tactics etc and in order to beat us just run at the defence cross from deep. works 9/10 times. We are that predictable.

Said it in the playoff game against the wombles and nothings changed,
Del doesn't have a plan b

Ssh, don't tell everyone, Angry.


I think Lampard is overreacting big time. Any half decent pro scout will be able to disect a team's style of play, free kick routines signals etc just by watching a couple of games.

It's all fairly pointless at the top level anyway-everyone knows what Liverpool will try to do, it's just that most sides can't stop them

Punchdrunk wrote:

Was it Hooper the bin badger?

They have a new spy now sweetie..bbc1

Jethro wrote:

Wasn't there  someone who posted on the farm everyday leaking information,
This was a while back,

Wasn't it someone called Bathing Ape and it turned out he was the son of one of the coaches at the time ??
One of our own here who is currently refusing to post suggests "Cleaner" ??

harvetheslayer wrote:

Jethro wrote:

Wasn't there  someone who posted on the farm everyday leaking information,
This was a while back,

Wasn't it someone called Bathing Ape and it turned out he was the son of one of the coaches at the time ??
One of our own here who is currently refusing to post suggests "Cleaner" ??

bathing ape was the spy for transfer deals
cleaner was the training ground spy who was banned by the club from attending training.

Angry wrote:

harvetheslayer wrote:

Jethro wrote:

Wasn't there  someone who posted on the farm everyday leaking information,
This was a while back,

Wasn't it someone called Bathing Ape and it turned out he was the son of one of the coaches at the time ??
One of our own here who is currently refusing to post suggests "Cleaner" ??

bathing ape was the spy for transfer deals
cleaner was the training ground spy who was banned by the club from attending training.

thats who it was,

Wasn't Bathing Ape John Blackley's son?

Feck know's why anyone would have been banned from training during Sturrock's time-boot it to Mickey, boot it to Mickey, boot it to Mickey, Coughlan's the target at corners, Coughlan's the target at corners.

Not much to keep secret about is it.

I also seem to recall a quote from a manager that Niel Warnock's teams have been using the same corner kick routine since he was at Scarborough.

They weren't. Bathing Ape was transfer rumours, Cleaner was later than that and he was saying who was playing where and his take on tactics.

Derek Adams has admitted he does not allow open training sessions at Plymouth Argyle to reduce the possibility of tactical information and injuries from leaking out.

The subject of spying has been a hot topic across football after the startling revelations surrounding Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa.

It emerged that a Leeds employee was seen at Derby County’s training ground before the clubs met in a Championship clash at Elland Road last Friday.

Leeds issued an apology but Bielsa later revealed that his coaching staff had watched training sessions of all their opponents before playing them this season.

Adams believes spying on the opposition, in one form or another, is not new but conceded that Bielsa had maybe taken it to an extreme

He told Plymouth Live: “I think it does go on. I think it has been going on for many years.

“Clubs look to try and get any advantage that they possibly can, and it becomes very difficult nowadays to name your team in the week of a game.

“What happens is that players who you leave out talk to agents, and the team does get out.

“That’s nothing new and it has happened for many years. Maybe the extent that Bielsa has gone into has taken it to an extreme.

“It certainly does go on, but I can’t categorically say how many clubs do it.

“I think that all football clubs try to get an advantage and want to find out the opposition team before half-past-one on a Saturday.”

He added: “If somebody thinks they can get an advantage by watching an opposition team in training that’s their prerogative.

“They might not get an advantage out of it because the team that they are watching might just be be better than them.

“We all, managers and coaches, watch hours of video footage to see short corners and different styles of play to try and get an advantage.

“That’s what Bielsa has done. He has obviously upset a number of people but sometimes that’s the way it is when you get ahead of the pack, so to speak.”

Adams was asked whether he thought Bielsa had taken his research into the opposition too far by sending staff to watch them in training.

He replied: “Personally, I don’t have a problem with it. If somebody wants to come and watch our training session they do it behind the perimeter fence.

“We can’t stop it. It’s going to continue to happen unless you have very good security.”

Argyle train at Harper’s Park, which is adjacent to Home Park, and in the past some managers have let supporters watch training sessions.

Adams, though, put a stop to that, and has explained his reasoning for doing so.

He said: “We don’t allow that to happen. Some players will not be training for an injury and we don’t want that to be picked up quickly.

“We do know that information does get out because people want to get information before anybody else. It’s that kind of world we are in.

“The world has changed from the point of view that in years gone by we had a dial telephone and you probably used to phone one or two people.

“Nowadays, you have got Twitter, Facebook, Whats App or whatever it is, and instantly tell the world what is happening at any event.

“That’s one of the reasons why we don’t allow supporters in because we don’t want it to get out there quickly, but we understand it does get out there.”

Its alright Del you only got one tactic , the other 23 clubs don't need to send a spy to work that out,

I'm not sure the Argyle team understand their tactics, let alone the opposition!