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Episode 94: Christmas Eve Crossover episode with West Ham!
62 Plays17 days ago
Southampton – We are joined by Tom from the Daily West Ham to talk about this boxing day fixture from both sides! We talk the hammers bumpy form, and of course Tyler Dibling!
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Transcript
Introduction & Guest Introduction
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome to the Daily Southampton and the Daily West Ham from the Global Sports Podcast Network. Today is our crossover episode. My name is Greg Elliott, and as always, I'm joined by Zach and Jo Finch, and today joined by Tom from the Daily West Ham. How are you doing, Tom? You all right?
00:00:28
Tom Elkins
um'm doing very well mate.
Boxing Day Football & Broadcasting Rights
00:00:28
Tom Elkins
This is going to be a very interesting game to talk about.
00:00:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so it's Boxing Day football. Who doesn't love a bit of Boxing Day football? The answer to that is my wife. It turns out
00:00:38
Tom Elkins
yeah
00:00:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
She gets dragged along anyway.
00:00:39
Tom Elkins
that
00:00:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's it. Amazon Prime taking over the reins for Boxing Day this year. So any of our fans not attending, that'll be ah an interesting one. And yeah, so let's get straight into it.
West Ham's Inconsistent Season & Managerial Discussion
00:00:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a bit of an up and down season for you guys at West Ham so far, right, Tom?
00:00:58
Tom Elkins
yeah it's it's been such a tough one like the the thing that we found we've got into this sort of repetitive cycle of playing a few games being really bad everyone questioning lopategi and talking about the kind of lack of identity that we found and then suddenly out of nowhere we have a good performance or we have a win and then you go oh maybe there's kind of slightly a glimpse of what he's trying to do and i think the one game that we played this season where we've done really well was a new castle game like we dominated them and that's That is what we're aiming for, but we just haven't been able to do that consistently.
00:01:31
Tom Elkins
So, you know, as we continue to kind of have this tumultuous, up and down sort of relationship with Lopetegia in his squad right now, its it's been a really weird time.
00:01:34
Zak
Thank you.
00:01:42
Tom Elkins
And I think there's there' not actually that many people that want him out. I think it's more people just questioning how long we give him. And the conclusion that we'd come to on the West End podcast is that If we're going to get rid of them, it has to be before January, because if you bring another manager in and they don't get a transfer window, it's going to be so much more difficult for them to actually find any sort of form. So we think if they're going to do it, it has to be soon. But I don't think we should because there have started to be more glimpses showing of the more possession orientated style of football that we want to play. So.
00:02:15
Tom Elkins
I think we're going to stick with him. I think it will get better. I just don't think that we're going to really see a huge amount of success this season, in which if, you know, if if next season can be really good, then one season as a kind of transition isn't the end of the world.
00:02:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I mean, it's at the start of the season coming in with a new manager, what was the what was the expectation? I mean, obviously 14th is much lower than I think I would expect you to be, but were you expecting to be sort of challenging and around Europe or just comfortably mid-table or?
00:02:43
Tom Elkins
Yeah, not that. yeah
00:02:50
Tom Elkins
Yeah. Yeah. It's Europe. It had to be Europe, I think. the the The main thing that we got stick from I think from other fans was not being grateful of what we had with Moyes and I think a lot of people thought that West Ham fans took him for granted and we're so happy to see him go. When I and I think quite a lot of West Ham fans, that wasn't really our thought process, it was just how how much prolonged success can you have playing Moyes' sort of football and I think he got us to a certain point.
00:03:19
Tom Elkins
The ah ah comparison that I make is Gareth Southgate. Gareth Southgate got England to a certain point and then it's just can you get to that like little step up that you need to consistently compete with the biggest teams and I think David Moyes it was kind of similar to that you know he's done a lot of good work a lot of kind of mid table clubs but then when he's gone to the bigger ones he's struggled so the fact that we go away from that more defensive counter-attacking style of football into a manager under Lopategi who his philosophy was supposedly kind of more possess and possession orientated.
Strategic Challenges & Player Adaptation at West Ham
00:03:52
Tom Elkins
We want to dominate the ball. We want to you know work the ball wide. We want to actually feel like we're controlling the game, opposed to letting it control us and trying to let get little advantages where we can. And ah ah just yeah it just hasn't really materialized. And I think
00:04:08
Tom Elkins
the The players that we signed, we have a squad that is good enough to compete and I think Europe is something that was a possibility. It just hasn't really gone to plan and it's it's a bit frustrating that this year is basically going to become a bit of a write-off because I can't really see any way where we compete with.
00:04:27
Tom Elkins
the the teams above us to be honest because there's I think this season has been really interesting because a lot of the the mid table teams obviously other than ourselves have really stepped their game up you know like obviously forest won't even mid table and now they've risen up the league immensely like it's been such a weird year but
00:04:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Bournemouth as well sort of seem to be almost I hate to use the word overachieving but it is such a strange season for these um but then I guess if you look at the table really you're only sort of eight points away from battling with those positions so I guess all is not lost if it starts to sort of come together and you see it come through. what What's been the main sort of struggles you've had with bringing it together. Is it just adapting to the system or or is it a bit like us where there are just mistakes in the squad that need to be ironed out?
00:05:20
Tom Elkins
It's a bit of both. I wouldn't say it's necessarily mistakes from individual players. I think it's because we've had a relatively large squad overhaul. you know like I think our back four particularly, three of our back four that start every game are new to the club.
00:05:35
Tom Elkins
And then you like you look all throughout the team, it's kind of interspersed with people who are challenging for a starting place who hadn't previously been at the club. They've come from all over the place. So the fact that they have taken more time and to adapt to a new system isn't really a massive surprise to me. And it's not something that gets me really annoyed or really angry. It's more kind of it's more frustration that we have seen it in glimpses, but we haven't consistently shown that we can play well. Like the results, if you play well, results will come, but in order to get consistent points, you need to be playing well. And even if in games you lose or you draw, you have to be playing well. And that's the thing that we found that we've not been playing well in a lot of games. So, you know, yeah, like statistically, we if we can string a few performances together, then we can definitely rise up the table. it just
00:06:25
Tom Elkins
we've not played well enough and we will not play this new sort of possession orientated systems anywhere near the level that we need to if we are going to press on and and get some points. So it's yeah, it's a weird one. It's more frustrating than anything, I think.
Game Expectations & Player Impact for West Ham vs Southampton
00:06:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I guess, coming into the game against us, what are the expectations from your side? is it Obviously, we've got a new manager coming in, so there are a lot of unknowns from us coming in. What, as you see it playing out, do you think that this is maybe the big result you need to confidence boost that?
00:06:59
Tom Elkins
I don't know, to be honest with you, like it the way that I view it is that we this is an opportunity for us to play well because you know against against a lot of teams this season we just haven't been at the races and we started really poorly and I would just love for us to be able to go into the new year with a bit of positive momentum like that's something that we've lacked so much every win has come after you know a couple of losses and a draw and then there's a win and then it's a bit rubbish and then it gets okay If we can go in, I think, especially in the January transfer window, the new year, if we can go into it with a good performance where we actually play well and we win, I think that's the way that kind of sets us up best because
00:07:41
Tom Elkins
I like to think that we win this game, but the result is kind of not secondary. up I but but don't know what words to use, but I would much rather see us play really well and just miss out on the win than play absolutely abysmally and get a penalty in the last minute and win the game, if that makes sense. like I think the the ability to demonstrate that we can play well is worth so much more for our season long-term than just three points right now.
00:08:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
interesting and definitely uh almost the flip of us at the moment where points are ah in uh crying out for desperation yeah and uh i guess more specifically drilling in on the game where's the danger for us to look out for apart from um you know everyone uh let's what's our biggest point of concern from
00:08:16
Zak
Anything that's a point on the board at this point is a is a happy day for us.
00:08:22
Tom Elkins
that
00:08:34
Tom Elkins
and it's It's got to be the wide players, isn't it? It's got to be the wide players, Kudos and Bowen. They are unbelievably good. Jared Bowen, I'm Jared Bowen's biggest fan. he's Unbelievably good and unbelievably consistent as well. I think it's something that people don't realize, you know, especially in a West Ham team. That's not always been great He's always been there to provide goals provide assists now. He's taken the leadership role. He's a club captain. He's He seems to be the spearhead of everything positive that happens. And with our striker issues, obviously the horrific stuff with Antonio that's happened and full group has been injured for basically most of the season, only just now started to come into the team properly. It's been difficult to find a a proper focal point, but Jarrabone has been there and he has definitely dragged us.
00:09:19
Tom Elkins
to a lot more points than we would have had without him. So definitely him and then Kudas. Obviously everyone knows how good Kudas is. His ability to beat a man is probably second to none in the league. I don't know if there's anyone that but can do it with such ease and wants to do it as frequently as he can. So yeah, I think it has to be our wide players.
00:09:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Good, nice challenge for our wing backs. That's exactly what we're looking forward to.
Podcast Sponsorship & Southampton's Management Concerns
00:09:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:10:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, so as we move into segment two, I'm gonna hand over the reins to to Tom, and I guess we'll talk a bit, I guess we have to, about saints and how we're getting on.
00:10:22
Tom Elkins
So I think my, when I look at this team and especially right now, the thing that worries me is that whenever you get a team that is really up against it, there is always the possibility for them to come out absolutely swinging. Like I feel like, especially at the time of year, this is just before coming into the new year. and It might be a little bit like a dog has been backed into a corner and a West Ham team that can be beaten really like we're. we are good but we aren't great a lot of the time that's the thing i'm worried about is the fact that out of nowhere you will just pull a performance completely out of thin air and especially with a new manager as well the players are going to be motivated because they want to be consistently picked in this starting 11 so how how do you feel like the the situation is and how do you think the players are going to react especially under a new manager
00:11:10
Zak
I love that idea. I really, really hope that is something that happens. Me and Greg talk a lot about how we don't really have football moments like football manager moments as Southampton.
00:11:14
Tom Elkins
our system.
00:11:24
Zak
And that for me would be too much of a like written in the stars prophecy. I feel like they probably do. Do you have a point to prove? um don't know how much will change in the next couple of days considering The new manager, I don't even think his work permits passed yet. Hoping he'll be in the dugout, but at this point it's, you know, flip of a coin. know It's one of those sort of situations where we've, they've had kind of two games to do that and things have been a bit better. Like, you know, we, at the time of recording, like we've just had our, our nil-nil draw with Fulham and, uh, it was great. We didn't concede. It's our first clean sheet pretty much ever.
00:12:04
Zak
But like the attacking problems that we have, it feels like when we get in the final third, nothing nothing will happen ever, regardless of who's there, apart from maybe a couple of times Arch has been there. So like I think that the quality of West Ham side will be able to deal with our indecision and getting to that into those sort of positions. then again, I'm the pessimist out of the two. Isn't that right, Greg?
00:12:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, well look, I'm optimistic that we do ah ah seem to find a way to score early at home frequently. The problem comes in the many minutes after that. So I'm hopeful that we'll come out all guns blazing like we tend to do and get something. And then we'll see some of this defensive resilience that we saw against Fulham and get something from it. That's the hope. but ah ah It's just a fascinating game.
00:13:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's really hard to predict what we're going to see because, you know, we, we had such a strong sense of philosophy for right or for wrong under Russell Martin.
00:13:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And now, uh, you know, Wednesday night against Liverpool, we sort of saw the shackles freed a bit and the players play with a bit more freedom. And now who knows what the new manager is going to implement.
00:13:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Uh, seems to be a ah ah slightly, uh,
00:13:27
Tom Elkins
Thank
00:13:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
crazy creation so who knows I can't wait it's certainly going to be exciting I think we it can't be worse than the Fulham game so
00:13:31
Tom Elkins
you.
00:13:43
Zak
West Ham Fiction has always won with four or five goals. so It's always a 3-2 over end. I bet against history for this Fulham game I failed miserably, so I've decided not to do that this time round.
00:13:56
Zak
ah ah but yeah
00:13:57
Tom Elkins
Yeah. me I can say i I talk to a lot of the other podcasters and they always say, oh, West Ham's usually quite a fun game. There's usually a lot of goals. I'm like, yeah, there's usually quite a lot of goals in West Ham games. We're usually not very good defensively, but we we're all able to score. it So they're always interesting games. So
Young Talent & Player Development at Mid-Level Clubs
00:14:11
Tom Elkins
I think it's good. My next kind of line of questioning, I want you to tell me about Tyler Dibbling because I'm sure you've had infinite amount of conversations about him on your podcast because he he seems to be the real deal. Yeah. Just tell me about him. I just want to hear about him to be honest.
00:14:26
Zak
Do you want to go, Greg? Or do you want me to start with?
00:14:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'll have a go. I yeah think Zach's got a far too pessimistic view. Tyler Diblin is clearly clearly a quality player.
00:14:35
Zak
That's not true.
00:14:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's definitely been the shining star to come out of our season. We've noticed in the last few games, it does have a tendency to try and do just a bit too much with it and hold on to the ball a bit long.
00:14:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I think that that's something that will come with a bit more maturity as he sort of develops into the game. But the natural talent is definitely there and I just hope we can keep him and witness that growth for a long time to come. But gut instinct says that might not be the case.
00:15:08
Zak
It is the, in my opinion, the return of our Academy and ah Greg shared a lot of interesting thoughts as to why our Academy has only become good again the fact that, you know, we had that little bit of time out at the Premier League and it's taken that long to sort of rebuild the growth path. It's one of those things where like it's really set the media alight and I'm fine with that because it also takes a lot of sort of eyes off of other players that I am more concerned about leaving.
00:15:34
Zak
because I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to go to a but a bigger club, a better club. But I would also like to point out of the many saints like Saints players in recent past that have done that and where they have now ended up. So, you know, for some players, it's worked out really well. Tino Livromento is one of those. It worked out really well for him at Newcastle. You know, Romeo Lavia is now finally sort of coming into his own, but he went almost a year and a half ago to Chelsea and that seemed to be the best 50 million we've ever banked. And then also you you look at sort of Danny Ings who has not had the goal scoring proficiency that he had with us.
00:16:16
Zak
And you know, our club captain James Ward-Prowse went out the door and now you sent him off on loan to Forrest, who arguably are doing better. But it's one of those things where he had a solid place in our club and decided to leave.
00:16:25
Tom Elkins
yeah
00:16:29
Zak
But with the youngsters, it's obviously quite different as well because there is not, I guess, the same level of expectation. at Southampton and he's allowed that freedom to grow and develop. Whereas, you know, if you're bought for 75 million and you're chucked into Manchester United and you don't score in the first three games, that's going to be a problem.
00:16:39
Tom Elkins
I'm sorry.
00:16:46
Zak
But he is a joy to watch and it is incredible to see somebody play with such a level of confidence for his age that you'd think you've been playing Premier League football forever.
00:16:57
Zak
And as I said, there's a couple of things that you can kind of nip at him here and there for, but that's, you know, there's no, other ah that that's that's heavy that's like deep down criticism because there's not a really lot else to criticize for him, you know, proper goes for it.
00:17:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. It's his confidence that amazes me time to time.
00:17:10
Zak
And and that was after.
00:17:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
He just doesn't seem fazed by anything. Seems quite happy to even without shin pads, quite happy to get kicked by some of the best players in the world and get up and keep running and still have the confidence to go back and take it again.
00:17:26
Zak
Yeah, it's the it's whether or not we're going to hold on to him. And I think that the short answer is I think there's already been him trying to to sign a new contract and that's kind of been some ums and ahs. And I think it might be about the the money to do with it.
00:17:36
Zak
But like the last time he he tried to move down to London. So he he tried to go to Chelsea's Academy a long way back. And he got there and after half a day was like, nah, I want to go home. So he's so quick, came back and obviously that's that's worked out for him because I point out time and time again, if he ended up at Chelsea's Academy,
00:17:49
Tom Elkins
Yeah.
00:17:53
Tom Elkins
Nice.
00:17:54
Zak
Are you telling me he's starting in the Premier League or do you, or would he be currently a like so on loan league one, you know, wherever. And that's, that's kind of where my heads up. Obviously football is a very fickle game. They have a very short amount of time to make as much money as possible. And that will always factor into decisions. We will never just be the football as much as we all wish that all of our favorite players who, you know, for all of our clubs stick around.
00:18:22
Zak
you guys have some players that actually do that. We thought we did too. And we did many, many moons ago Lattice.
00:18:29
Tom Elkins
yeah
00:18:30
Zak
But other than that, you know it's it's one of those things where he is absolutely fantastic and made a bit of a revelation for us and almost like a new transfer in a window where we saw loads of players come in.
00:18:42
Zak
But I don't want to be too attached because I could see him going.
00:18:47
Tom Elkins
Yeah, that's the heartbreaking thing, isn't it? like When you are able to produce someone that is really talented, being able to keep hold of them, I think is really difficult. I think for me, I think that he should stay if I'm honest, like the way that he used to talk about Chelsea, like if Chelsea do sign him, he's just not going to be nowhere near the starting squad. So it's like what?
00:19:06
Tom Elkins
how much actual development is he going to get when he's not playing first-team football at a high level and yeah he'll go on low and he might go to like Belgium or somewhere or the Netherlands and and do okay there and there is a chance that he can start to build but why kind of ruin a good thing when he's playing at Southampton and he's doing well and you don't really see any reason to why he's not going to play because he is homegrown and i'm sure the fans love him and he probably gets on really well with everyone at the training ground because he's been there for so long like they're all the contributing factors that you'd hope would convince him to stay and the money is obviously always a factor but
00:19:41
Tom Elkins
if you maybe hopefully he can look a little bit more long-term and even if it's just like an extra year or an extra two years that he stays I think it will do in the world of good I think my comparison is the Declan Rice comparison is he could have left so much longer ago but he stayed because he knew that he was going to play every single game and he would become such an integral part and I think that's what that that's what's allowed him to go to Arsenal and be such a good player because The one thing that really frustrates me is everyone goes, oh, he's amazing. He's so good. It's like, yeah, he has been that good for the past like three or four years. We saw it every week. He doesn't just become this amazing player. Now he's at a big club. He has been a good player at my club and I've seen him develop and improve. I think that's the thing that a lot of them the bigger teams don't really realize is when they sign a ah young player, they just expect them to be amazing instantly. That's not really how it works. You have to give them games.
00:20:34
Tom Elkins
there are all going to be games where they're not as good but because they're developing you just hope that they can be more good than bad and then eventually they become integral and then that's when they go for big money and that's why i never held it against Declan Rice for leaving in the way that he did because he stayed for longer than he needed to and he delivered us a european trophy so at that point 100 million pounds you can't really complain you know and that's kind of the way that i hope it would pan out with dibbling that he can stay at westamford ah stay at Southampton for a long time, develop, become a really good player and then you can fork him out for a shed load of money knowing that he's given your club as much as he can give, you know.
00:21:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
we can only hope
00:21:11
Tom Elkins
Yeah, definitely.
Transfer Window Plans & Relegation Concerns for Southampton
00:21:13
Tom Elkins
guess my my final thing would be what Is there anything you think you can do in January that's going to have a big impact on your squad? Because like you look at the names in the squad, like there there is some quality there. I don't think there's a huge amount, but there are some kind of more experienced Premier League players kind of dotted around. i think especially when you you look at the signings that you did make, like getting Flynn Downs from us. I really liked Flynn Downs and I thought he was a really good player and I still do. I was kind of annoyed that we sold him, to be honest. like Little acquisitions like that are quite astute, but what do you think you can do in January that's goingnna going to make it a difference?
00:21:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
someone who could score goals that
00:21:53
Tom Elkins
you know
00:21:55
Zak
like we have we' have the budget We don't have the budget for that mate.
00:21:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
isn't a full back.
00:21:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
and i I don't know. I mean, job one in January is trim some of the deadwood because we've got some some players who are not going to be in or around the first team who are probably who cost us a lot of money in the first place and probably costing quite a bit of the wage cap. Yeah, I don't know.
00:22:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's hard to say it's It's hard to see how the new manager's system is going to play because he seems to play a very narrow, solid formation with wing backs playing up the side, but we've got 43 right wingers. So I don't know. It's hard to say how it's all going to come together. If you play football and manager a lot, Zach, you must know what what we should be aiming for.
00:22:42
Zak
I think think the problem is is that what what can we do in a window? and And one of the problems that we've constantly talked about before is who is going to want to come? Who who will want to come? You might have some people that want to want to come on loan, but we're going to be looking to get players that over disenfranchised are disenfranchised elsewhere. This isn't like a, I think with the situation we're in, no one's going to really see it as a step up, apart from potentially from the championship. But like there's a story in that in itself, right? James Bree,
00:23:10
Zak
who came to us during our relegation season under Nathan Jones, was then relegated with us to then watch Luton Town get promoted into the Premier League in a squad that he could have been in for a full season. And luckily, like he's somebody that stuck around for a while and and plays a bit, but we've got lots and lots of players that are legacy from various different managers, some of which can fit a system, some of which can't. And I think the big fear with January, realistically, is to me, keeping Kyle Walker Peters until the end of the season, that in itself would be a win.
00:23:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm.
00:23:39
Zak
And that's kind of where I'm at.
00:23:40
Zak
everywhere else is you know There's a lot of players that we brought in at the end of the transfer window in the summer that I would be okay if they left in January and there probably will be some. you know so Some of the lone spells and you know people like Berrit and Diaz who just hasn't played well for us, who knows
00:23:58
Zak
But the problem is is it's difficult to even pick on a map where we would find a play find players that would want to come in. And especially for the for the wages and for the prospect of, you know, if you look at the situation that we're in, most of us have accepted we're probably going to get relegated and and that's fine. That just is what it is. But, you know, if you're somebody that's trying to make the next step in your career, you know, unless you're going to be sort of, it's going to be some blockbuster great escape and that you're going to be an integral part of that. It's not an attractive prospect. So I think that it's going to be some really, really sort of boring defensive signings that maybe they want to shore up the back a little bit more and
00:24:38
Zak
sort of make changes there. I've already seen us being linked with Kevin Danso who Greg if you remember was also a player we once had on loan because there's something about our club re-signing every single one of our old players that just never goes away because let's face it myself included we all live in like 2014 to 2016 when we were like bossing it so we're trying to recapture that.
00:24:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
players.
00:24:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
If we could sign a pair of sort of transplant legs for Adam Lallana, that'd be nice. like
00:25:05
Zak
We've we've got we might might need to ship out some goalkeepers and maybe have a a slightly better backup than Alex McCarthy and Lumley. But the problem is, is Bizuno is would be a better one, but he's been out injured for so long now, I'd be happy to.
00:25:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
he could be coming back say
00:25:19
Zak
Yeah, but I would be happy to see McCarthy and Lumley go and I'll sign somebody like as a backup to Ramsdale who is better. But I think until we sort of see the type of football that the new manager is going to play and where the weaknesses are there,
00:25:34
Zak
maybe we can sort of plug those gaps at that point. But it's just going to be really difficult. It's going to be holding on to the players we care deeply about. And the problem is, is the only one I really think about is Kyle Walker Peters.
00:25:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
He could be coming back.
00:25:44
Zak
Not about you, Greg.
00:25:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. yeah I think also it kind of speaks volumes that the manager that we've bought in is notorious for doing things on a shoestring budget, which probably tells us everything we need to know about the January window to be honest. so yeah
00:26:01
Zak
Outgoings more than in comments is where I'm at. but
00:26:05
Tom Elkins
Yeah, and from from the way it looks from an outside perspective, I think the championship is somewhere that you have to look into. I think, especially if you if you think about, if you've kind of accepted that you're going to get relegated this season, I guess the the way that you'd approach signings would be come to Southampton, play in the Premier League for half a season, maybe get relegated, probably get relegated.
00:26:27
Tom Elkins
then the next season if we can look straight back up it can then become more of like a a project signing and say if you come the long term might not be or the short term might not be great but like the medium to long term if you can kind of show a plan of okay we're going to do this to improve and you know in the championship we're going to win the championship and then we're going to go back up and then we're going to aim to stay there that might be an approach i think especially for for championship players that feel like they're good enough for the Premier League but know that if they go to one of the the bigger teams they're not going to play. I think the ability to showcase what you can do in the Premier League and then knowing that in the in the championship you're a really high level like top championship player it's not necessarily the worst kind of sales pitch to give them because
00:27:10
Tom Elkins
you think about how players value their career. I think there are a lot of players I think that are more conscious of careers dying when they go to bigger teams. I think probably Calvin Phillips is the the best example of that for me.
00:27:21
Zak
Yeah, very much so.
00:27:21
Tom Elkins
like
00:27:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:23
Tom Elkins
How many, how many plays you think look at his career and go, Oh God, like he had everything in front of him. And now his stock is basically zero. You know, like he's not really playing a huge amount of tips, which he wasn't good with us and he's not been good at city. So you'd hope that there's players that see that and think, okay, maybe I do take a step that it's still a step forward, but a smaller step that can build me. And I can make it more of a ah ah gradual progression instead of just going straight to the big guns and not playing. And it just completely derailing your whole career. career
00:27:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I guess there's something to be said as well in the, I guess in some respects, some of the pressure's off, right? Because you're coming into a team that is, it's not going to be entirely on you if it goes down because that that work has happened already. But you could also have the potential of becoming that hero that does something ridiculous. And even if you sort of get relegated, but miss out by by a bit and have a really sort of gritty performance there's something to be said for that so i guess there is some hope so a lot of unknowns and potentials though unfortunately but uh all right so we're going to uh get into our match predictions and score predictions uh after the break for first a message from our partners at global sports podcast network
00:28:42
Zak
The Global Sports Podcast Network is changing the face of football podcasting with dedicated daily content for every Premier League team, women's football, fantasy football and a daily Premier League wrap up broadcasted in five different languages. This is your one stop shop for your daily football fix. Find GSPN wherever you find your usual podcasts.
Match Predictions & Closing Remarks
00:28:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay. So Tom, as our our guest today and the away visit, I'm going to throw you under the bus and let you go first with your score prediction. How do you see it playing out?
00:29:10
Tom Elkins
So, it's an interesting one, isn't it? So, my my brain says it's a win, it should be a win, expect a win. My brain's thinking 2-0, but then there's this little voice in the back of my head that goes, what if we're really bad and you're actually quite good? Because how many times I've got my hopes up this season, we've played okay, your next game, oh, we're gonna do really well, and then we lose 3-0. And you're like, what the hell happened there? So,
00:29:37
Tom Elkins
I'm gonna say 2-0 to West Ham with the caveat of there is a little part of me that is a bit scared that we're gonna be really bad and we're gonna concede early and then you're just gonna completely shut up shop and we're gonna be knocking on the door the whole game maybe we get an equalizer but you'll you manage to kind of hold us to a draw which is I'm worried about but 2-0 we'll go 2-0
00:29:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, I think that's a lot of unreasonable guests, to be fair. Zach, this is the pessimistic side of the podcast. How you feeling? You feeling festive? How how you feeling about Boxing Day?
00:30:10
Zak
I felt festive and it's full of them and that was a dumb decision. but yeah I I reckon it will be 3-2 to West Ham. I reckon we'll finally start scoring again and I reckon that will really show the defensive errors and we've managed to stay quite solid but one of that, that has come at the consequence of not scoring at all or really getting a shot off and I think they'll want to have something to prove but that will highlight our defensive errors at the back.
00:30:37
Zak
And if anything, we'll just mean that, you know, there will be a look in January as to what they can do to resolve those errors, whether it be new personnel, spending some money on some better coaches, who knows?
00:30:51
Zak
So yeah, that's kind of where I'm at. Still, still, still be goals there, Greg. We're still score two.
00:30:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:30:55
Zak
Maybe we'll finally see Toolpool and Archer on the same pitch for more than five minutes, but I doubt that because the new manager looks to play a lone striker. So let's say both goals from Archer.
00:31:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
OK, well, as the eternal optimist of the podcast, always in High Spirits, I yeah think Three One Saints. don't I don't know why.
00:31:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
I can't really put a reasoning behind that.
00:31:15
Tom Elkins
just
00:31:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's just what I feel with my bones. so As to be honest as long as Joe of Rebo scores My wife's gonna be happy and seeing as she's getting dragged to the game in there in the festive period I think that it's only fair.
00:31:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
that That's the least we can ask for so All right. Well, ah that's just about all we've got time for today. So Tom, thank you very much for joining us sack Back as ever.
00:31:37
Tom Elkins
Thank you very much for having me guys.
00:31:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you for being here.
00:31:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thanks for listening everyone Catch the daily West Ham on all the socials and the same with us. We are Daily Southampton and we will See you all next time.
00:31:40
Zak
No worries, mate.