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Episode 163: International Special! A look back at the England games
50 Plays6 days ago
Southampton – We take a look at how the England games went and if there is any hope that International football will become more exciting as we build towards the 2026 World Cup.
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Transcript
Mixed Feelings About International Breaks
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Greg Elliott and I'm once again joined today by my good friend and wonderful co-host, Zach Ingo Finch. How you doing, mate?
00:00:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
You alright?
00:00:24
Zak
I'm alright. We're slowly trawling through all of these days without Saints to think about. Despite the fact that we're still thinking about Saints, mind you.
00:00:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah.
00:00:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, struggling to feel to know whether it's a blessing or a curse at this point in the season, really. like The rest of the season, and we've loathed the international breaks, but actually it's almost been nice to sort of decompress, not have to worry about it.
00:00:38
Zak
It's a bit weird, isn't it?
Injury Challenges During Breaks
00:00:47
Zak
I don't know, because Taylor Harwood-Bellis was injured and then returned to the club. And Jan Bednarek went out with another head injury from po from Poland yesterday.
00:00:57
Zak
to be honest, the international break, which should have been all of our players to, you know...
00:01:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
ain't We've got top quality centre-backs left to fill those positions, such as Jorah Rebo and Kyle Walker-Peters.
00:01:05
Zak
you're right. Joe Rebo, Paul Monuatu...
00:01:11
Zak
He sent about credentials, you know. We just want to shove someone that's six, seven foot. Where are the headers? Get rid of it.
00:01:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
Focus Shift to World Cup Qualifiers
00:01:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, well, upsetting injuries aside, we actually thought we'd take a step away from Saints a bit today.
00:01:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
and go back and do another England-based episode. and sort of we We had an episode last week looking forward to the World Cup qualifiers and starting group, and and now we thought we'd have a little bit of a reflection on how they went and go from there, really. and I mean, two wins, but two games that, I mean, if we weren't winning, what were we doing, right?
00:01:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it almost brings to the question...
Impact of International Breaks
00:01:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
almost like we've mentioned previously in one of our Room 101 episodes of well what is the point in these international breaks, Zach?
00:02:00
Zak
Oh, Greg, Greg, Greg, Greg. greg I couldn't tell you other than to see the introduction of Thomas Tuchel as the new England manager, which was just a bit, just looked a bit weird. I'm just like, oh, look, it's the guy that ran Chelsea running the English national team.
00:02:15
Zak
Fine. Like, I don't have any strong, crazy, patriotic feelings when it comes to, like, the England manager should be English and this, that, and the other. Like, as i've I've pointed out before, like, I'm kind of like, allow people to transfer internationally. Yeah.
00:02:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:02:29
Zak
It's like, does it really matter at this point? of But look, I understand that for some people, England are important. English football is very important. Without the international quality that we demand, the leagues that we play in, you know, wouldn't be at the level that they are.
Debate: Excitement of International Matches
00:02:49
Zak
So, know... as As much as I'm not a big personal fan of it, I can understand why it's important. And when it comes to like qualifiers and that kind of stuff, you're like you need it, right? like If not, ends up sort of like Eurovision, where you've just got the same people playing all the time just because they contribute the most money to world football.
00:03:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:03:12
Zak
And plus, it's like,
00:03:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Some kind of European Super League was that.
00:03:21
Zak
Look, Oscar Rupp already upset quite a few people with his comments on the Super for League, right? Like, that wasn't, you know, the the idea People thinking he wanted to replace the entirety of the Premier League with the Super League.
00:03:35
Zak
Because, again, like, it's difficult when we do these clips, right, guys? Because, like, when we clip for social media of bits and pieces... Unless you want to put like a 15 minute clip in, nine times out of 10, you lose a bit of context here and there.
00:03:47
Zak
Because we're also all three of us. Actually, i think Oscar's probably more more to the point. But like me and Greg specifically, we'll start a point and then finish that point five minutes later. You can't really clip that.
00:04:00
Zak
However, yeah it is it's difficult, Greg. But where it's at is, like it or not, international football is going to be a big part of the way that people consume football.
00:04:12
Zak
And without having the goal to play for your country or to play for specifically England for young English players, you know, it's a big source of ambition.
Critique of International Game Style
00:04:24
Zak
It's a thing that gets them going in and ends up making players better, in my opinion.
00:04:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
You're right. And so it should be i mean, it it should be the proudest moment of your life to step out in your country's shirt and represent your country. And far be it from me to belittle it as much as it takes the real football away.
00:04:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
You also, I guess, don't want tournaments where that's the first time any team's got together in four years or two years since the last major tournament and they have like a three day training camp and then that's it. So.
00:04:52
Zak
I think it would make it significantly more exciting. i I think that, like, you know, if suddenly a bunch of players are randomly playing together for the first time in forever, you would have far more upsets that are significantly more exciting.
00:05:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
a yeah, maybe. i don't think the games would be very good. I know that it's not like a direct comparison.
00:05:12
Zak
Are they good now?
00:05:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
don't know.
00:05:13
Zak
Did you see...
00:05:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, that might be a valid point. But I mean, my contrasting opinion is like, you remember before they changed it, you're a big NFL guy like me, the old Pro Bowl the week before the Super Bowl where they used to just get the best players from the league, to each league to play against each other. And you just had the worst game in like the the entire season because it's just not a game that you can train together for three days and pick up.
00:05:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Football is at least slightly more intuitive than that. And you probably could piece a bit of a half-decent team together. But don't know, mate.
00:05:51
Zak
Mate, not to talk about Southampton, but come on.
00:05:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:05:57
Zak
yeah but like By your logic, they should be able to at least be able to play a little bit.
00:05:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah. they right
00:06:02
Zak
But who knows? When you get the basics stripped away from you, mate, I don't know, nowadays, you know too many people try to hoof the ball up at the top while somebody's trying to hold it back in the bottom right-hand corner.
00:06:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:06:16
Zak
I can't remember what it was. someone Someone's tweet went viral that's like, hey, do you want... The international game is great for people that want to oof up the top again. It's like, are you a person that can kick a ball really, really far up the field?
00:06:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:06:29
Zak
Boy, do I have a type of football for you. then we're talking about players such as like James Rodriguez and stuff that became really good off the back of international football.
00:06:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah I don't but like watching the England games we'll touch on it a bit more in the the sort of the next part our show but but it's just so boring isn't it like a team substantially better than another team choosing not to put their foot on the gas and just play the ball around and play the safe option and then somehow you know
00:06:37
Zak
But...
00:06:43
Zak
Hmm...
00:06:47
Zak
so
00:07:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
get a win, get a
England Team Performance Analysis
00:07:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
goal. Like, Harry Kane scored a poor, an actual style goal. I...
00:07:09
Zak
yeah It's true.
00:07:09
Zak
But again, like, just...
00:07:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
few Few moments of wonder because there's that quality of player on the pitch, but I don't know.
00:07:15
Zak
Well, yeah, and that's the thing, right? That's the bits that we kind of hoped for. and And then when we get to these sort of semi-finals and quarter-finals and you watch them with hope and anticipation, and the game somehow doesn't get more exciting and you usually just end up frustrated. And I can't remember what game it was. I think it was still a group game, to be fair.
00:07:33
Zak
Last year, when I went to the Euras Tour with my wife, there was an England game on. And obviously it meant that it was this weird sort of strange atmosphere where outside Wembley, it was like two opposing teams where had a bunch of England fans that obviously go onto the fan zone to watch it.
00:07:50
Zak
And then just a bunch of people dressed in Taylor Swift match. But before, all like I said to, you know, my wife wanted relax. We'd been out all day. So we got back to the hotel and I started watching the England game.
00:08:04
Zak
And she fell asleep and napped. And what actually happened, Greg, was I fell asleep. I think that, to be perfectly honest, if we if think England can get to a point where I don't fall asleep mid-tournament match, that's a good thing.
00:08:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:08:18
Zak
And I think potentially there's the potential there now for that to happen a little bit, maybe. be
00:08:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay. All right. Well, I want to see a little and talk a bit more about where those sparks of potential come from and what you see. And and I might agree with you to some extent.
00:08:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
But first, a message from our partners at Bionique.
Social Media Reactions to Players
00:09:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, and we are back. Yeah, so we' we're talking about England and and maybe they won't be as bad when they start start to gel.
00:09:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And there are some glimmers of hope in there, right? Before we really get into some of the really good stuff, I want to talk about something I saw on social media, which might surprise you, Zach, because I don't see as much football social media as you.
00:09:40
Zak
Yeah, you don't sit it like I do.
00:09:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
It might be the... worst take I think I've seen in a long time.
00:09:50
Zak
Perfect.
00:09:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Someone said that Jude Bellingham is massively overrated and has perfected the art of looking busy on a football pitch without achieving much.
00:10:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
I wanted to get your thoughts on that.
00:10:06
Zak
Okay, would you take him in your football team? If the answer is yes, then that's just BS.
00:10:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sorry, can we can we flash back to that bicycle kick? It's
00:10:17
Zak
People People like to BS a lot. like I think the problem is is that there's the the standard, oh, he's arrogant. What is it with our us and bashing our best players? It's so weird.
00:10:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
because he plays in Spain, mate.
00:10:29
Zak
It's such a weird thing.
00:10:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
he's not He's not a true through-and-through brute. He's got no interest in the Premier League.
00:10:33
Zak
like
00:10:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
He'd rather play in Spain.
00:10:34
Zak
Like Beckham, Like Beckham, I'm sorry, he started his career in Germany after a while because nobody wanted him. but This is so is such a weird, it's such a weird thing when we have like, this is one of the problems I have with following England in general, right?
00:10:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:10:47
Zak
It's like the British tabloid media and combined with just a lot of people just get so mad. and like Sometimes, especially nowadays, it's it's anything for clicks in it. I get it. Like, good Lord, we're we're guilty of stuff like that sometimes. you know Usually, actually not intentionally, we do share our actual opinions, which is why sometimes it's even more dangerous. But but i do I do think that anything like that is just it's just strange to me. Like, you're saying that Jude Bellingham, player for Real Madrid, who's played great for us so far, played great for England so far, like, is is not a good player and looks busy on the ball.
00:11:23
Zak
Sure. Okay, mate. Next opinion. Like, I'm such a...
00:11:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it was the...
00:11:27
Zak
yeah
00:11:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it's the worst football intake I've seen in... Well, maybe since the last person who said poor Hon Atchuk for Ballon d'Or. Unironic.
00:11:40
Zak
Look, you almost got the pusher award, didn't he? So, was up for it.
00:11:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh my god, he did. Yeah.
00:11:45
Zak
When you think about it, he was up for it, mate.
00:11:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
I forgot about that. Yeah.
00:11:48
Zak
Say what you want. but But no, it's one of those things. And, like, it's always bizarre to me. And it's interesting... I always wonder why we we have such a thing. like And then you always start to get sort of the most weird, wild card picks. like Who would you rather have?
00:12:09
Zak
like I think, to be honest, the biggest surprise for me, inclusion-wise, was Jordan Henderson. He did all right, like
Criticism and Roles of England Players
00:12:15
Zak
the 15 minutes I watched him in the second game.
00:12:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. I think Oscar and I touched upon it without you last week and actually like I see the potential for what he brings on the pitch as like being the, what we talked about with the Lana, but like to a better extent where the way he sees and talks through a football match whilst he's on the pitch being more important than his sort of physical ability.
00:12:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Not to say that he's like completely physically incapable. He does still play in the Dutch league, which is still a league. Perfect.
00:12:47
Zak
you're You're right. He did go to his big money booth for Saudi Arabia, abandoned that completely, went to Ajax, and then most of the clips I see of him now are just arguing with Dutch reporters. So, like, whatever.
00:12:59
Zak
But, yeah, that it's it's it's a strange one. But, it's again, like, I want to reiterate and clarify my point. I think it's weird when we start getting on England players' backs,
00:13:10
Zak
especially England players that have played pivotal roles in us almost getting to finals and like let's face it the way we played in the last tournament was very much we rolled the dice and somehow almost got to the end it's strange I still don't quite understand how we got there I feel like a lot of the players didn't but you wouldn't have that without moments of brilliance from players like Jude Belegham so I just find it bizarre like
00:13:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I agree. I think even in these games, he might not have had the best couple of games, but I saw moments from him the but were worthy of his position at the very least.
00:13:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
like He is I don't even hesitate to say generational talent. He is just such a presence on the pitch.
00:13:54
Zak
yeah so
00:13:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Even if he's having a bad game, he is someone else to be scared of.
00:13:59
Zak
Yeah, 100%. We won both those games, and that's not a thing you can guarantee with England anymore. like That's the thing.
00:14:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's true.
00:14:04
Zak
we We won both those games. Harry Kane scored in both. you know It was five goals.
00:14:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:14:09
Zak
I don't really see... There's not really a lot of negatives to take away. it's the The problem is is that people want international football to be super exciting. It's never going to be like league football because of you know a lot of the factors that we've discussed.
00:14:23
Zak
But the thing is, is that we do have a lot of key quality players that if you can get them even slightly gel in, it's something to look forward to, in my opinion.
00:14:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Foden had a very quiet game Friday night and popped up with an assist on Monday. Got a bit of a bashing from Roy Keane, perhaps unsurprisingly.
00:14:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
How do you feel about that? you think that he's still going to be...
00:14:43
Zak
Quite a season, isn't it?
00:14:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:14:45
Zak
that's That's where I'm at. like Man City have had a rough season. you know i don't know. they They constantly play him sort of not to his position as well. you This is one of the problems you've got where Carlsley had the issue. Seekle's going to have to manage the issue if you have a lot of really good players that you're trying to sort of jam into a team and you're going to have lots of sort of these issues where, you know, we we we have it as Saints, right? where
00:15:17
Zak
we would love to put all of our best players out on the pitch all the time. But then as we've talked about before, you know, what do you do with, if you're trying to shove sort of Solomada and Matty Fernandes and Dibbling and like Adoachu and Archer, all of a sudden you've you've you've run out of players. Obviously, to this extent, that's an insult in my opinion to compare.
00:15:34
Zak
But like, it is one of those things, right? Where, you are always going to have a difficulty with the abundance of talent we have. But that's where sometimes other other teams show, you know, the problem with England is it's very much, it chops and changes far more than people say. Like people said Southgate had his favourites. He definitely did.
00:15:54
Zak
But there are a lot of players that get chopped and changed and it's a constant chopping and changing. Whereas, you know, there is an argument there for stability as well, where if you've got people that are consistently playing for England,
00:15:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:16:06
Zak
they can develop exactly what you were talking about, which it isn't like they have five minutes together before.
00:16:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:16:11
Zak
But that isn't just, that I just feel like that's never going to be the way that the English team is picked ever because people will have a really, really good season and then suddenly get in the squad.
00:16:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:16:19
Zak
And sometimes it's worthwhile and sometimes it's not. But then, you know, you'll have players that over time establish themselves. Jared Bowen's perfect example of that, right? Like very good utility squad player, fantastic for West Ham, got introduced into England and,
00:16:32
Zak
sort of there, and same with sort of Dan Byrne having his first call-up. Yeah, it's just... I don't know. England's a weird...
00:16:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:16:41
Zak
It's a weird thing, right?
00:16:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it certainly is.
00:16:42
Zak
not sure.
00:16:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
but We alluded to points of hope and some magical moments to take away, and we will get round to that. But first, a message from our partners at Zencaster.
00:16:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform. Zencaster came out the clear winner, with 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs,
00:17:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:17:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, and we are back. Magical moments, bits of hope that it won't be as boring. Eze shining through as one of these pics that can show a bit of magic on the pitch, right?
00:17:29
Zak
Yeah, that was that was such a good goal. And that's the thing, and that's the kind of things that he he was being brought in to do. Really, really enjoyed that. Kind of brought the game back to life a little bit, in my opinion.
00:17:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:42
Zak
Even though, you know, it was a... It was still strange, right? Because we won both of those games, but they were still it's so quieter games. But, like, I just don't know what else you'd won.
00:17:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
though were just They were just comfortable and a bit dull.
00:17:55
Zak
Yeah.
00:17:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
There was still some good stuff.
00:17:56
Zak
Yeah, I think that's it.
00:17:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Even Kane's goal, I joked around about it being a poor and actually special, but it actually a nice bit of movement and a good cross from, I think it was Rice. Just good link up.
00:18:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
of good goals. Banging free kick from Reece James who...
00:18:14
Zak
so Yeah, that's a good goal. And that's kind of nice to see a player being reunited with one of his managers that helped him sort of get into the first team.
00:18:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. It's been a bit of a rocky road with him with injuries and the sort.
00:18:22
Zak
And now he's going to go on, hopefully.
00:18:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like, seem to be a bit perpetually injured.
00:18:27
Zak
Mate, you could say that with so many players anyway.
00:18:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
but
00:18:30
Zak
Like, I'm still surprised. Bear in mind that I haven't seen Luke Shaw play for United this season. And yet somehow he went to the Euros last year. like After also not playing for you United for like a year.
00:18:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:41
Zak
so like, it's very...
00:18:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:44
Zak
And, you know I'm sure Chelsea fans will have a completely different opinion. But like, no I don't know. I liked what I saw. I suddenly going to look forward to the international break all the time?
00:18:55
Zak
no Do I still think we're probably going to get outplayed in most tournaments? Yes. Yes. is that going to change? No. And that's just because of the way, you know, we're not going to suddenly start playing Brazilian style football and it's not going to be, we're not going to, it's like we want to, it's like people want us to watch us put other teams to the sword, but like international football is such a game of like, you need to manage the fatigue in the minutes and stuff because it's such rapid fire, like, you know, and in tournament settings specifically, like rapid fire game after the game after game after game.
00:19:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:26
Zak
And if you lose somebody for like what would be a two week injury, you've potentially lost them for the whole tournament. It's wild. So you do need to like concentrate on that stuff more so it does become a bit of a a boring thing to watch.
00:19:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:37
Zak
But like where I'm at is that if this break was good,
England's Future and Fan Expectations
00:19:42
Zak
we won both games, we kept clean sheets, Ramsdale went out injured.
00:19:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:19:46
Zak
Wait, injured? Or you just didn't get picked? I favorite day i think it was the latter. Oof.
00:19:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Okay. To close off with, I guess I will ask you a question that Oscar and I discussed a bit at some length last week.
00:20:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Tuchel obviously has only been bought in with the contract until the end of the World Cup. So it's do or die, right? It's it's win or not. think chances are?
00:20:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Is it coming home?
00:20:16
Zak
Greg, Greg, Greg, Greg. I've bet too much on it coming home and I'm a pessimist by default and you know this. It is much easier to much it's much more preferable to me to say it's not coming home and then we get to the final and and then I go all in and it completely ruins my life. But we, you know how important it was. Like, let me let me let me let me tell an and and anecdote one time, Greg, of me and you working in our day job.
00:20:43
Zak
We were doing an overnight and I think we were working late. It must have been 8, 9 o'clock. And I'm relatively sure we had a penalty shootout. It might have been against Ecuador or maybe Colombia, someone at some point.
00:20:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, right.
00:20:55
Zak
Obviously, this is that first one where England had a penalty shootout for the first time. And we ran and we scored and we ran around the top of that office. We were plugging in phones.
00:21:06
Zak
Like, that was how how much of how important, how much passion there is. But I cannot sit here and guarantee that it's coming home, mate, because that's just not in my nature.
00:21:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
right
00:21:15
Zak
So is it coming home? We'll find out.
00:21:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
but I've got the the red and white face paint on hold and the Baddiel and Skinner soundtrack loaded.
00:21:24
Zak
Oh, God, no, it's going to be it's go to be go be the flags of a car and everything.
00:21:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
We are...
00:21:28
Zak
Yeah.
00:21:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mate, you know it. You know it all comes out once it gets to World Cup season. and That's... I'm fully in. The cycle of hope is is one thing week to week for Saints.
00:21:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
And the the disillusionment and disinterest in England when it's not a tournament... is fully replaced with like that massive four-year site or two-year cycle of hope as we build up to the tournament and there's no other sports or other football to watch. And I'm like, well, cup in three weeks. Let's do this.
00:22:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
less Let's get on it.
00:22:04
Zak
When we went out the last, I want to say either Euros or World Cup, whatever final we got to, and i actually there's a lot. I'll tell you why i was devastated. I just had my appendix out and I'm sat there and then I watched us lose. And I still can't watch penalties. I can watch like the first one or two.
00:22:23
Zak
but it kills me, kills me to watch it. And so like, the problem is, is that I never see us winning anything like that comfortably, Greg.
00:22:34
Zak
That's the problem.
00:22:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's never going to be comfortable.
00:22:36
Zak
Exactly. Exactly.
00:22:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we know that, Zach, we're Saints fans. Have you ever been comfortable at a football match? I think the closest to comfortable I've ever been at a football match was when we were in the 83rd minute of the playoff semifinal last year in 3-0 up.
00:22:53
Zak
Where's from, yeah?
00:22:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
And even then, West Brom scored.
00:22:57
Zak
But, no, no, no, they did score, because I remember Charlotte texted me went, they just scored.
00:22:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
No one remembers that.
00:23:03
Zak
i was like, did they? Because I had no recollection, because it rolled in but it didn't matter, so none of us cared.
00:23:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
what
00:23:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:23:12
Zak
if you're You're right, that is the only moment. Even when we were like 5-3 up against Huddersfield after scoring like five goals in the second half, I still was like, we're potentially going to lose.
00:23:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:23:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:23:23
Zak
We're still going to throw this away.
00:23:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Something stupid's going to happen.
00:23:26
Zak
you're right. you're You're right. And i guess I guess it's just like, it's worse with being an England fan.
00:23:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:23:31
Zak
But I guess it's worse for other teams as well.
00:23:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or, I mean, I guess but guess I got lulled into a false sense of hope once. I don't think I've told this story on the podcast, but it is a funny... story about gambling and the the drawbacks of it.
00:23:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
But you remember Sadio Mane's fastest hat-trick in Premier League history against Aston Villa.
00:23:47
Zak
Yes, I do.
00:23:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
So he he scored those three goals very quickly. And at that point, I'm like, great. Do you know what? It's like three to one for Saints to score the next goal.
00:23:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
This is mad. What great odds. I'll stick a five on it. And then 45 seconds later, Benteke went up the other end. I think it was Benteke and headed one in.
00:24:10
Zak
Oh, Greg.
00:24:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I'm like, yeah. So you can never be comfortable. Never get comfortable in the same time.
00:24:15
Zak
No, but I think that's the nice thing with us being Saints fans, though, right?
00:24:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hold over for England too.
00:24:20
Zak
Because with it being in England, like as Saints fans, we're not used to winning anyway. Even when we're doing well, it still feels weird.
00:24:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:24:28
Zak
Whereas I think a lot of England fans, if you've got somebody that's like a Manchester United or Manchester City fan and they're used to winning everything and then they see England play and they don't get it, maybe that's where all the vitro and hate comes from.
00:24:39
Zak
Because we're just like, yeah, used to, mate.
00:24:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Just standard, isn't Get your hopes up, Lou.
00:24:44
Zak
Saturday afternoon.
00:24:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Start the cycle again. Woo. All right. Well, that is just all we've got time for today.
00:24:49
Zak
water
00:24:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
You heard it here first. It's coming home in 2026.
00:24:53
Zak
oh
00:24:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Clip it up now.
00:24:57
Zak
Oh, sure, mate. Sure, mate.
Closing and Future Content Tease
00:25:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Zach, thank you very much for joining me. Let us know in the comments how excited you for the World Cup next year?
00:25:02
Zak
That's your bad stuff.
00:25:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
How excited are you to get back to Saints football next week? We certainly are. I can't wait. lasts night We are on Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram, Blue Sky, on the Daily Southampton YouTube channel. You can catch short clips of us or full episodes.
00:25:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Go and give us a comment, give us a like, drop a subscribe. We will be back tomorrow with some more Saints related content. Until then, we'll see you next time.