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Episode 417: Matchday Review: 6 WINS IN A ROW!
119 Plays18 days ago
Southampton – What a time to be a Saints fan. Something we can't get across enough! 6 wins in a row is something special. We talk about all of it in today's Match review!
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Transcript
Zach's Game Experience
00:00:13
DailySaintsPod
Hello and welcome back to episode 417 of the Daily Saints pod. My name is Greg and as always today joined by my good friend and wonderful co-host Zach and mate, how was your day out at St Mary's today?
00:00:28
Zak
but it was It was really good. Considering, like, my wife came for the first time. Well, she came with us to Wembley. But the previous game that she'd played, like, she'd been to at home, I think I mentioned it last episode, was a 2-0 loss to Burnley.
00:00:44
Zak
Carl Walker-Peter's debut, right?
00:00:45
DailySaintsPod
No.
00:00:46
Zak
So she wasn't really like feeling it, but she started to understand a little bit more when we came into the stadium, went into fan Northern fan zone, saw you very, very briefly before we sort of headed in.
00:00:59
Zak
She did almost freeze to death. Yeah. in the AAA rafters. just a it was just a bit of a different experience. like i'm used to I think I've gotten so used to being with you in Northern now, it's hard for me to move anywhere else in the stadium. It's almost like I feel like I'm like, oh, I don't know if I'm allowed to be here. But no, it was a really good day out. She's now warming herself up. I think she's having a bath and chilling out. But it was it was really nice that we got to see a win.
00:01:29
Zak
I had a really good time. It was good. It was, depends, like, there were a lot of people around me that seemed to lose faith after, like, 1-0 down, and I was a bit surprised at that, because I, literally, there was some, there was a lovely couple behind me, Greg, and the lady, the lady that a was Jordy, and she's like, hope we didn't travel seven and a half hours to to watch our team, to watch our team lose.
00:01:48
Zak
and I'm like, I had to turn to her and say, we, we fought back from 3-0 down against Leicester.
00:01:54
DailySaintsPod
Yeah Look It was it it was never in doubt It was all part of Tonda's master plan
00:01:56
Zak
What you talking about? Like,
00:02:02
DailySaintsPod
It was just... just You can't make it entertaining.
00:02:04
Zak
it's just I just think we're it's got to be fun
00:02:06
DailySaintsPod
you've got You can't just storm over teams. You've got to make it fun. and you you know You get the more sense of accomplishment if you give yourself your hat that handicap first.
00:02:17
DailySaintsPod
That's what we're going with anyway. But honestly, like you know we were 1-0 down at half-time.
Challenges Against Derby
00:02:24
DailySaintsPod
But I never at any point had any doubt whatsoever that we were still going to win the game.
00:02:27
Zak
that we were going to lose.
00:02:29
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:02:30
Zak
This is how like much we've deluded ourselves into it. Because again, like I even had to to even said to her, I was like, look, this isn't the team of last year. Like, we are.
00:02:39
DailySaintsPod
Yes.
00:02:39
Zak
we I was like, keep the faith. But obviously, when we ended up scoring two, she was like, oh, you're right. I was like, yeah. I didn't say. It's almost like i follow Saints with a microscope down to the down to the minute.
00:02:50
DailySaintsPod
heard him
00:02:53
Zak
It's like... i we tend to not just go around paraded around this is what we do all the time but no it was a really good day out it was I agree with you it didn't really feel we were going to lose I don't think the first half was great we we could have made a bit more of our chances and I think that you know they recognised that early on in the second half hence the reason that Tonda said when the players came out so early was because he basically had a word it was just like right go out get ready
00:03:07
DailySaintsPod
I
00:03:20
DailySaintsPod
i mean Yeah, but they went out, they got ready and they showed it. And look, I mean, it's it was no surprise, really. that I mean, it was a bit surprising to go behind, but i would say the first half, to me, wasn't a surprise at all.
00:03:34
DailySaintsPod
Because Derby came out fast for first verse sort five, ten minutes and gave it a go.
00:03:34
Zak
hard to break down a team really really blocking it.
00:03:42
DailySaintsPod
Not like they were going play some football. Yeah. You know, it looked like it was going to be all right. And then they just sat back in a low block. And it's no surprise to anyone that that's something we struggle with. Now, having watched back the highlights since, Finizad should have scored twice. And, yeah, I mean, you know, we probably should have been more clinical and more cutting edge with the chances that we did manage to create.
00:04:08
DailySaintsPod
but But, you know, we we stayed with it. And then then the thing that happens, happens every week and winds me up a tree. Their keeper goes down injured.
00:04:18
DailySaintsPod
And you know whether he was injured or not. It was ridiculous. and do We need something to stop this.
00:04:23
Zak
completely changed the game at that point.
00:04:25
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:04:26
Zak
And it is a, it is a joke because it took ages. It annoyed so many people around me. I literally watched people just go down to the concourse and some of them came back up before the game kicked off again. Like they knew how long it was going to take.
00:04:37
Zak
They're like, well, this is time wasted. Let me at least get a coffee. Yeah.
00:04:40
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. And look, it's frustrating, but that killed our momentum. and And immediately, Derby came back off that, from that, like, breaking play on the front foot, immediately looked a bit dangerous, had a couple of half chances.
00:04:56
DailySaintsPod
And then we kind of managed to get our foot back on the ball and get back in it, but still conceded, frankly, a silly corner, right?
00:05:03
Zak
Mm.
00:05:03
DailySaintsPod
Because it it was the corner where Az tried to pass the ball to Yander and missed completely and put out for a corner that they scored from. and And then, yeah, I don't know. Just, I guess, switched off for a minute defensively. it you know, just or you it took an awkward bounce off off, I think it was off of Stephen's head. And, you know, their in-form striker, to be fair to him, at the back post, bundles it in, And, I mean, it it was against the run of play, really.
00:05:35
DailySaintsPod
and you know Dobby had had chances, but... I don't think we really deserve to be behind at that point. But, you know, it is what it is.
00:05:44
Zak
No, it's it's like anything with any of these types of games, mate. When you say that it doesn't matter what you deserve out of the game, right? If you're Arsenal the other week, apparently you deserve to win.
00:05:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:05:53
Zak
That isn't the reality of the situation. and We switched off for two seconds. They pounced on those opportunities. That's what we did they That's what we got told that, you know, that's what we when we we had our our crossover...
00:05:58
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:06:03
Zak
beginning of the season, that's what we got told they'd probably do. There might be two shots in the entire game that Derby take, but if both of them end up in the goal, it doesn't matter. And that was one of the ones they managed. Whereas with us, you know, we had quite a few chances that kind of went a bit skew-whiff. Everything seemed to not quite click into place. At one point, Stuart went down. Luckily, it wasn't...
00:06:23
Zak
didn't seem to be much, but then he came back up and and he didn't he didn't really seem to to be able to get into the game as much as as I had a few mis-kicked shots. It just just didn't happen in the first half.
00:06:34
Zak
It was probably one of the...
00:06:35
DailySaintsPod
It was...
00:06:36
Zak
It was a struggle. just seemed like a struggle.
00:06:37
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, and look, especially then after they scored for the... There was about, like, 10 minutes of the first half left after that with stoppage time. and And, you know, obviously what happened is Darby then sat back deeper and we we tried to unlock it and we didn't really. And it was just a bit slow, like, a bit not cutting edge enough. And...
00:06:57
DailySaintsPod
But although, like to be fair, it has to be said, Derby came out with a game plan to slow the game down and kick hay out of us for the entire game. And the referee decided to do nothing about it. So what they did was continue to just kick us all game. Yeah.
00:07:13
Zak
there There were some decisions there. Like, look, I know the the game's gone our way, so we can't really... can't complain about it. It was shocking. Like, i haven't seen... i haven seen some but Some of those referee decisions were mad.
00:07:24
Zak
Like, even even the one where, like, Karl Lahren was running, crashed into the to the fourth of official.
00:07:29
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:07:30
Zak
oil They gave a free... They gave a throw in to to Derby. But, they yeah, it's just...
00:07:34
DailySaintsPod
but like to be To be clear as well, the referee was shocking not just like against Saints. There were several moments where I think, you know, were questionable and Darby should have had probably a couple of free kicks that that just weren't given.
00:07:50
Zak
Yeah.
00:07:51
DailySaintsPod
It was just... Just poor. But yeah, Derby came and they were a very physical side. They left a bit in several times after the ball had gone and tried to kick us and tried to, you know, do what they needed to do to get the win right. Make us uncomfortable, throw us off our game. And I think in the first half, we struggled with it a bit. But but as we've seen is the the new normal with this side. We we went in at half time.
00:08:18
DailySaintsPod
We regrouped. We came out mentally ready to do what we had to do. And i mean even before the goal in the second half, we probably should have have scored, right?
00:08:31
DailySaintsPod
Fellows should have put it in, but you know took an unlucky bounce across its head.
00:08:31
Zak
Yeah.
00:08:35
DailySaintsPod
There was one that pinged right across the face of goal.
00:08:35
Zak
May.
00:08:39
Zak
put the voodoo doll away stop stop talking you are like on a on a show-wide ban of talking about top fellows anymore you're not allowed to predict him scoring you're not i don't even know if i'm going allow you to talk about him because i don't know what sort of what what weird magical energy that you are putting on this poor player and you said to me you were talking to your brother-in-law this week right well you don't you repeat the story for the listeners
00:09:05
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Famously, my brother-in-law are Baggies fans, so we've talked, of course, in the season about like Tom Fellows and good of a sign he was and what he brings to the game. And what he said to me as a long-time Baggies fan and watcher of Tom Fellows is like, yeah, sometimes his end product and shooting's not great, but he's a brilliant crosser of the ball, brilliant dribbler, and he's got a good head on him. And it's just...
00:09:27
Zak
I just hope that he doesn't get too disheartened about it because in the post-match, he looked a little bit sad. But you're like, he still has other qualities. I think that i think that so some of the substitutions today really enhanced the game that we were playing.
00:09:41
Zak
Yanda had a game of two halves, in my opinion.
00:09:42
DailySaintsPod
Definitely.
00:09:43
Zak
I think he struggled a little bit in the first, but absolutely was storming in the second.
00:09:47
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, see, that's interesting because you said he struggled in the first half, which is you did but i thought he was quite good. He was sweeping up quite well. And there were three or four instances I can think of where he came away with the ball.
00:09:59
DailySaintsPod
And I looked at it and went, how on earth did he keep or get the ball there?
00:10:02
Zak
Yeah, maybe I'm just being overly critical.
00:10:05
DailySaintsPod
And then he kind of carried on with that in the second half, right? And he just seemed to be able to pick up the ball and charge into space and find the space. And and actually, I think the key part that enabled him to do that quite so successfully was how excellent Flynn Downs was because he was just everywhere.
00:10:26
Zak
Yeah, I think, i think but okay, maybe in actuality what happened was that in the first half, Flynn Downs just was better than Yander. And because I saw so much of that, I i just kind of, it's like when you're comparing two people and what is doing better.
00:10:33
DailySaintsPod
Mm.
00:10:39
DailySaintsPod
Mm.
00:10:40
Zak
And I think it was more, I was frustrated the amount of times that I he saw Azaz have to track back, which meant that when Sienza did get the ball or Manning did get the ball and went to cross it in, they were crossing it into nobody because nobody was there because everybody had to track back multiple times.
00:10:45
DailySaintsPod
Mm.
00:10:53
Zak
But I also think that's just the nature of the game. Like I could, I could feel the frustration around me that people were saying, shoot, shoot, shoot.
00:10:56
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:10:59
Zak
And it's like, well, they can, but what they went every time they took off a shot, when you've got a line of like 10 men just ends up hitting one of them. So it's just like, yeah.
00:11:06
DailySaintsPod
But that what that's just they that's just the nature of playing against a low block where you're just trying to move to positions where you wouldn't normally be to try and create the space. and And obviously they were happy to let us have it down the wings and not cross it to anyone. And we had to kind of find another way.
00:11:23
DailySaintsPod
but But you're right. You know what the substitutes brought to the game changed it as well because Laren just ate up the physicality of the game and stepped up.
00:11:33
Zak
Yes.
00:11:36
DailySaintsPod
That's what he does particularly well over Stewart. I would say if you compare in Laren and Stewart, they are very similar profiles of player, but Laren is definitely more on the physical side.
00:11:46
DailySaintsPod
Whereas I say Stewart is kind of brings a bit more running in behind and running onto the ball than Laren.
00:11:53
Zak
s laank it It's lanky and large, isn't it?
00:11:54
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:11:55
Zak
It's the easiest way to describe it.
00:11:56
DailySaintsPod
yeah Yeah.
00:11:57
Zak
It's like Laren is able to take people on, but Stuart can catch the ball...
00:11:57
DailySaintsPod
He just not completelyly yeah absolutely tanked them. He was quite happy to just physically play their game. And, yeah, he was excellent when he came on. And then, of course, who else was it going to you know, create a little spark and a moment of magic to fully
Turning Point with Goals
00:12:12
DailySaintsPod
unlock the defence? But Sienza. And, you know, as soon as he picked up the ball the particular time he scored,
00:12:20
DailySaintsPod
Like, you felt the surge of energy through the crowd. Like, it was just... Like, you knew that that was the moment it was going to happen.
00:12:26
Zak
Hmm.
00:12:27
DailySaintsPod
Like, you felt the lift, and they went, oh, here we go. and then he just took the full-back on, as he had tried to do the entire game and, you know, had success with him more often than not.
00:12:40
DailySaintsPod
And due to the nature of it, right? Sometimes he didn't and got tackled and they covered that.
00:12:43
Zak
Yeah, that that that was that was the first half.
00:12:45
DailySaintsPod
But... Yeah.
00:12:45
Zak
He struggled a little bit because, quite frankly, he was being surrounded.
00:12:46
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:12:48
Zak
like I could hear shouts around, why just take him on, take him on? a like Because if he takes him on right now, he's going to have to deal with another four players in the way.
00:12:55
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:12:55
Zak
And you're right. like it is It is that spark of spark of energy, that little bit of magic, the the thing that... It's wild how much we paid for him.
00:13:03
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:13:03
Zak
And it's the reason that he has apparently every bit of interest under the sun, which is why I so hope that we we end up hitting this promotion campaign hard, which again, still need to kind of click into reality a little bit, Greg, and remember where we were like three or four months ago.
00:13:18
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Crazy. But yeah.
00:13:18
Zak
I know I'm the one that keeps bringing it back to that, but it is is nuts.
00:13:21
Zak
Yeah.
00:13:21
DailySaintsPod
But yeah, and then he stepped up, took the defender on and scored what I can only describe as like the textbook Leo Sienza goal.
00:13:30
Zak
Yeah, like just magical.
00:13:30
DailySaintsPod
Cut inside, pings it.
00:13:31
Zak
Just a magical goal.
00:13:31
DailySaintsPod
And you know what, mate? It's not... It must be like a Brazilian thing because Coutinho used to just do exactly the same thing. Just used to like, just touch it the perfect amount out of his feet to create the space and just bend it around the defender and the goalkeeper and put it in the far corner.
00:13:49
DailySaintsPod
just the thing of beauty. just like One of the the nicest things to see in football is goal like that. And, yeah, the crowd went nuts. And it was just, yeah, there was never any doubt in, I think, anybody in the stadium's mind that the next goal was coming.
00:14:06
DailySaintsPod
Like, it was...
00:14:07
Zak
yeah Yeah, at that point, it was like, oh, well great, we've won the game.
00:14:08
DailySaintsPod
It was... safe
00:14:09
Zak
And even even so, even like, i know we've skipped the way we usually do segments completely out of the window. The lineup is the lineup. Like, it was basically what Greg predicted.
00:14:20
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:20
Zak
i talked We talked about Team Saturday and Team Tuesday. i said, it's ridiculous. It seems like I was wrong. i Maybe it was just...
00:14:26
DailySaintsPod
Look, we play we played team Saturday, but Flynn Bounds plays both games because he's the first name on the team sheet. It's as simple as that. flin And if Stevens is fit, him too. That's it. That's what happens. we We rotate the forward line based on fitness.
00:14:42
DailySaintsPod
And on Tuesday, it's very clear to me that Matski, Laren, and probably Sammy will start because that's just what it is. Right? It's fine.
00:14:52
Zak
Yeah, all right, it's fired up fine with that.
00:14:52
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:14:54
Zak
So either way, that's one of the reasons we were just like, well, there's no real need to to discuss that properly. But yeah, you're you're right. There was moment of magic and it meant that, no yeah, at that point, the feeling was just like, well, obviously we've won the game.
00:15:03
DailySaintsPod
you
00:15:08
Zak
But that's the point I was trying to make. Right, here we go. When we get to the end of the game... it gets to sort of like the eight, the 80th minute. And that's when you start to kind of feel, you know, all the other minutes have completely melted away and that's when it all slowed down.
00:15:38
Zak
But like I think of the games I've previously seen, like 1 versus Everton, where it's horribly nervy. I'm thinking of back in that time, that was a game like years ago. Specifically when I've sat here, I just remember like it gets to that kind of time and yeah the nerves kick in because it's Saints. And even though we're at two one it wasn't really...
00:15:58
Zak
concerned I was just like, well, we now we just need to get to the end. a Five minutes, admittedly, came from I don't know where. up I can understand the first half, I don't understand. Was their triple change?
00:16:08
Zak
Did their triple change take that long? Because last time...
00:16:10
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, I mean, look, there was goal celebrations and there were substitution changes and what one of their players went down.
00:16:15
Zak
It was fine. didn't.
00:16:17
DailySaintsPod
So I can kind of see it. And I mean... If we, the their goalkeeper wasted enough time that if we were chasing the game, that's what we'd be calling for.
00:16:28
Zak
True.
00:16:28
DailySaintsPod
just i just kind of feel like with time wasting, it needs to be like a chess clock. And you you set the timer for whichever team wastes the time. And if it gets to the point of the game that they're behind and they've wasted all that time, you've just been off and end the game anyway because it's their own fault.
00:16:46
DailySaintsPod
Deal with it immediately.
00:16:46
Zak
And I mean, arguably, we kind of did the thing by bringing on Nathan Wood anyway.
00:16:50
Zak
That was definitely a a tactical substitution.
00:16:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:16:53
Zak
But either way, I think what my point is, is in all the other seasons and all the other times that I've i've i've sat in that specific area, I've always remembered a there's there's like a strike of nerves that have gone through me or we'd already lost the game.
00:17:06
Zak
And with this, even though there wasn't like that, there was I wasn't worried about it
00:17:08
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:13
Zak
bad because i should they should always be like that oh what if they what if they do something but I think it again it's your point that you make constantly is one that is coming our catchphrase of this season which is that like it's the There's not the expectation, but there is the belief we're going to And like, that is the big thing is that that you can, you can feel that belief. And it was, it was lovely to properly experience today and have my wife there and not, you know, there's been that one of the reasons that supporting Saints has been difficult to get a lot of my family into over the years. Like I remember but I took my brother to a nil-nil game years ago. And then after that, he just never had any interest in football.
00:17:54
Zak
So I killed it right there. Like we played West Ham, I think. It was back in Osvaldo.
00:17:57
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:59
Zak
So that's how long ago. and ever since. And sort of like, you know, it was really, just really hoped that it would be a good day out and and that my wife get to enjoy it with me as well.
00:18:07
DailySaintsPod
Let's try
00:18:08
Zak
And we did. And we won. And we had a great time. And now we get a chat about it for fun, which is great.
00:18:14
DailySaintsPod
It's unbelievable.
00:18:14
Zak
It's just just good stuff.
00:18:15
DailySaintsPod
And look, we we even skipped over without the second goal weight, of course.
00:18:19
Zak
Oh, good Lord. Yeah, no, let's not go. be Not the end of the game.
00:18:21
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:18:22
Zak
We just we just got there because that's where the vibe was.
00:18:23
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:18:24
Zak
But yeah, the second goal. The goal that won it.
00:18:25
DailySaintsPod
Oh, it was unbelievable. Now, look, the wind, it has to be said, was starting to cause chaos, right?
00:18:31
Zak
Yeah.
00:18:31
DailySaintsPod
It was it was blowing the corner flag over. Their goalkeeper was having a nightmare with it. It kept moving the ball off of his line. And, yeah, it was clearly affecting the game.
00:18:42
DailySaintsPod
And then we got this free kick. And you just think, well, I don't know. It's definitely too far out to shoot. It's bit of an awkward angle, but...
00:18:48
Zak
Thank you.
00:18:49
DailySaintsPod
It's all right. And then I noticed it because the free kick was basically directly in line with me where I stand. Right. So I'm watching closely Roman and he does the standard thing that the players do where they put their arm up and then they put it down ready to tie the ball in or whatever. And he just glanced over at the corner flag and paused.
00:19:10
DailySaintsPod
and waited specifically for a drop in the wind before he delivered the ball in. And it's just like that small detail the that matters, right? it You know, and Harlow-Bellis frees himself up and goes on to get on the end of it and scores the goal.
00:19:28
DailySaintsPod
And it's unbelievable.
00:19:30
Zak
like The thing is this is, it's the passion that he shows, like, run over, immediately tapped the badge. You know, it's like, man, I know that we've we said at the beginning of this season, and I know it's almost criminal to say it, but, like, you know, we have to hold ourselves accountable for the things we said. We wouldn't be that bothered if he went. And during that time, we weren't.
00:19:49
Zak
we We thought Waddukwazi would be the new Back 2 Forever. And like, you know, but we always also say that we're completely open redemp to redemption arcs, whether or not he had anything to redeem. Last season was, took a toll on all of them.
00:20:03
Zak
But like, you know, the the absolute, the confidence coming out, like it's like, yeah, I just feel like with the best team in the world right now. and that But also how humble Tonda is in, you know, in contrast and sort of being like, no, we need to concentrate on the next game immediately.
00:20:18
Zak
You did start to see him get animated towards the end, but yeah, that second goal is like an epitome of where we're, where we're trying to be and how the vibe is around the club at the moment and the vibe around, you know, the players.
00:20:30
Zak
And you can see that, you know, just meant a lot and it's, it's great. It's just a great time to be a Saints fan, which is a thing we keep saying and going keep saying it until it stops being a great
Fan Belief and Team Unity
00:20:40
Zak
time.
00:20:41
DailySaintsPod
It's important to remember because it's not that long ago that we thought we were never going to win another game again. And now it feels like we might never lose another game again.
00:20:51
DailySaintsPod
It's it's the roller coaster that makes us love football.
00:20:54
Zak
Yeah, it's it's there's not a lot of times that you go into you're going into like a semi-final against City and we're like, could win that.
00:21:02
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:21:03
Zak
I still remember we were the team with the fish, Greg, that knocked us out. That was not even that long ago.
00:21:08
DailySaintsPod
Grimsby.
00:21:13
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. With a Harry Haddox.
00:21:16
Zak
Oh my God.
00:21:17
Zak
Exactly.
00:21:17
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, you're right. You just got to enjoy this while it lasts. and Look, 17 unbeaten. Just unbelievable numbers.
00:21:26
Zak
like six in a row, six wins in a row, which is apparently the first time since 2014.
00:21:26
DailySaintsPod
Unbelievable.
00:21:29
Zak
That's nuts. Yeah.
00:21:31
DailySaintsPod
thus That's insane. Yeah, I just, I can't, but like say, it was just the belief, not just in the squad, but through the stadium. It was just never in doubt for a minute.
00:21:44
DailySaintsPod
Even from behind, you just thought, well this is just a case of when... And not if. it It was just coming. Not like, you know, in early this very season where we'd sit, we've got a goal behind and you've just gone, you know, you've watched Azaz, you know, put one straight at the keeper and one narrowly wide when he managed to sit down two defenders. You just think...
00:22:09
DailySaintsPod
gonna be another one of these games where we're going to create all of these incredible chances and just narrowly miss and end up losing because we haven't put away any of our chances. But it wasn't that at all. It was just, yes, it's going to come. It's coming. It's fine.
00:22:22
DailySaintsPod
And I want to shout out Azaz. I thought he had a quite a good game. It should have done better with those chances, but he he got stuck in.
00:22:32
DailySaintsPod
He really showed heart and desire today. He got really stuck in, won the ball.
00:22:36
Zak
Yeah.
00:22:38
Zak
Just because he doesn't score doesn't mean he's not doing anything.
00:22:41
DailySaintsPod
No, indeed.
00:22:41
Zak
And I think it's it's very different to the sort of cold hot and cold. I mean, we've talked about before how he's a confidence player. And hopefully his knock is nothing serious. I think Tonda said it doesn't look like it's something serious. Apparently, he's just been carrying something for the last few weeks.
00:22:54
Zak
And yeah, so...
00:22:55
DailySaintsPod
He's played so many minutes. It's not it's not a huge surprise, right?
00:22:59
Zak
Wouldn't be surprising if he's carrying something and just kind of fighting through it. And obviously that knock meant he had to come off, but, but Shea came on and and did got us over the line to the end anyway. Yeah.
00:23:08
DailySaintsPod
Mm-hmm.
00:23:08
Zak
yeah yeah He had a good game.
00:23:08
DailySaintsPod
Mm-hmm.
00:23:10
Zak
Okay. Yeah. It'd be nicer if he managed to score some of those and get a couple more sort of, you know, on target. But at the end of the day, he's one of the few players that does create. And on top of that, he is becoming an integral part of the spine of the team. A lot of what we're doing is built around him being in the role that he's in. And,
00:23:27
Zak
Yeah, it's it's just he's the one that I think he is a bit unassuming. and he's But for me, considering where we started the season and what our opinion was of us as we've gone on, is like I think he's become he's very much grown into the role that's been given to him. right
00:23:47
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, for sure.
00:23:47
Zak
and I really enjoy just enjoy watching him play as well. Again, I just think it's that the team is a whole man, but you're right. like I think that... just if if we're going to criticize, we should also shout out vice versa, right?
00:23:58
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, 100%. And they I just... Look, i just... Something that I cannot place my finger on. I mean, something is just special about this team and the way they are together. And look, we...
00:24:14
DailySaintsPod
we talked There was a point you know right around Will still, and we talked about mentality, and we talked about togetherness, and we just saw... I think I remember saying on the podcast, like it's just a team of individuals, and they all slunked off down the tunnel, and one or two of them came over to cheer, and that was it. And the the difference today, when you've got the entire team and bench all together, all cheering with the fans, just...
00:24:43
DailySaintsPod
The turnaround is so hard to believe.
00:24:43
Zak
take Taking turns.
00:24:45
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:24:45
Zak
Taking turns to come over, do the little... Just think of the Russell Martin season. It was just Russell Martin.
00:24:52
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:24:52
Zak
top of that, I know that we've touched on it constantly. I think you said that... I don't know if you touched on TSP, but the thing that's very striking to me is that Tonda doesn't get involved.
00:25:03
Zak
He makes it about the players. On top of that...
00:25:04
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:25:06
Zak
two manager wins in a row. And at first I thought, okay, it could just be coincidental that all of this, his staff are around him, but this, you know, so with you win the second manager, yeah in a like manager of the month in a row again, and you've got your whole squad in the photo. At that point, it doesn't, it's not, you know, it's not an accident. That is something that's deliberately being done.
00:25:25
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, well, I mean, George touched on it in the pre-match presser. He asked him about it. He said, yeah, I mean, the team is important. Without the team, but one man gets the accolades, but without the team, I'm nothing like. they they We build together and work together to get the outcomes. It's not just me as a manager. We are a team.
00:25:43
Zak
But that's that's what i that's what I think they needed.
00:25:43
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:25:45
Zak
Because after having year of being team of individuals, and and then you had like the the interim Juric period where you had like teams within teams, and then you had those that wanted to leave and those that just were miserable.
00:25:57
Zak
And even do you remember at that point, Downs wanted to go back to Wipswich. That's how miserable he was here.
00:26:00
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:26:02
Zak
And even the start of this season, again, like you could see, you hoped when Will Steele got appointed and they were going to appoint his staff for him, that it would work. But again, clearly it didn't because you've got Trollope that's now gone back to, you know, Wolves alongside Rob Edwards because that's where he really wanted to be by the sound by the looks of it. You know, Will Steele has now moved on. The only person he really brought with him that he knew was a what the French coach that then also left. And it's it's incredible the sort of... And there's no disrespect to him. It clearly just wasn't the right club or the right fit for him at that time and the right set of individuals. And what this set of individuals needed is exactly what Tonda has been able to provide. And it's wild to think that, you know, you talk about wisdom...
00:26:45
Zak
wisdom can not isn't necessarily around being older because he's like our age and that's baffling to me because he carries himself with such a level of authority and it's very impressive for somebody to do what he's currently doing without without having much of a playing career either and i think that
00:26:58
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:01
DailySaintsPod
And continues to attack and approach things with a stoic nature that will continuously be mean to death. Like, a do you... you what How were your feelings on the cup drawer against Man City?
00:27:16
DailySaintsPod
None. Take it to the next. Yeah. Yeah.
00:27:20
Zak
Because, yeah, it's just every game is taken individual. Nothing is overwhelming.
00:27:22
DailySaintsPod
you day
00:27:24
Zak
It's beens playing football.
00:27:24
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:27:25
Zak
And it's it's, again, it's somehow what we needed. i don't think we know if we needed that. I'm not saying, you know, Spores is not a name we've needed to mention much recently, mate.
00:27:36
DailySaintsPod
Yeah?
00:27:37
Zak
<unk> you know i think that's probably exactly how the board want it currently, is that we don't need to think about that because it's really hard to kind of be critical of the director of football who has brought what it is now.
00:27:41
DailySaintsPod
Yeah?
00:27:49
Zak
But I cannot i cannot fathom that this was like a secret big plan from the beginning.
00:27:49
DailySaintsPod
Yeah?
00:27:55
Zak
I think this is completely accidental and I don't care because it's working.
00:27:55
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:58
DailySaintsPod
because matter doesn't yeah It doesn't matter if we stumble upon it. Look, like the result is the same. right It doesn't matter if it's a happy accident. It doesn't matter if it was all part of the master plan and the politics because it's irrelevant because what we wanted and what we called for was up the level of performances and improve the football on the pitch and I think six wins on the bounce for the first time in, what did you say, 12 years and 17 up beaten, like, it doesn't...
00:28:25
Zak
2014, yeah.
00:28:27
DailySaintsPod
la
00:28:28
Zak
Six wins that also include Arsenal, where we have...
00:28:28
DailySaintsPod
nothing NFA Cup semi-final and, oh mean, look, automatics maybe or playoffs, like, it's it's not on us,
Promotion Hopes and Strategy
00:28:39
DailySaintsPod
right?
00:28:40
DailySaintsPod
You can, we can look at the table and we can think about whether automatics are going to be viable or not, but the answer is that it's not in our hands. If we win every single one of our games...
00:28:52
DailySaintsPod
between now and the end of the season, then we put ourselves in with a chance. But even with that, we're relying on Ipswich dropping points. Now, look, they're running. They've got to play teams who are playing for stuff that matters. They've got to play Pompey. They've got to play Charlton.
00:29:09
DailySaintsPod
They've got to play West Brom. They've still got to play Middlesbrough. So, you know, could they lose two of those games or draw three of those games to drop the six points?
00:29:20
DailySaintsPod
Absolutely. But it's irrelevant if we don't win every game. So, look, it's not in our hands, but we've just got to do what we can do to finish as high up as we can.
00:29:31
DailySaintsPod
And that's just we can do, eh?
00:29:34
Zak
And we can weirdly, weirdly appreciate somehow accidentally Pompey doing us a favour.
00:29:34
DailySaintsPod
Go against Tuesday.
00:29:40
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:29:40
Zak
like Don't quite know how the universe decided to wipe that one out, but fine.
00:29:45
DailySaintsPod
i don't I don't know if we're going to have time, maybe even for the rest of the season, to do championship roundups with all of the games and how quick they're coming, mate. But one of the most amazing statistics in the championship this season has to be Portsmouth versus Middlesbrough, two shots on target for Pompey all season and six points taken. That's since insane.
00:30:09
Zak
It does very... know I don't want to touch... you As you pointed out, not to touch on it too much, but it does genuinely feel like Middlesbrough are just having a permanent us versus Swansea game where we're like 50 shots, zero goals, somehow not winning.
00:30:18
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:30:23
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:30:25
Zak
It kind of feels bad, but like again, all we can do is control our own destiny and we are controlling it as best we can and that is enjoy to behold. And all we can do is hope, you know, hope for...
00:30:33
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. I mean, doesn't that form table look good?
00:30:38
Zak
Yeah, man. Yes, no, you're right. it's it's been It's just a really nice time to be a Saints fan. and
00:30:44
DailySaintsPod
That's it mate, and now...
00:30:45
Zak
Shout out to my friend Jack today, by the way, who varied me and my wife around to be able to enjoy the game.
00:30:53
Zak
And, you know, and all the people in your lives as well who help facilitate football. Again, like the people behind me, travelling seven and a half hours from Newcastle down to watch today's game.
00:31:05
Zak
And were one we're extremely worried at half-time that they would have come to see the first loss like 18-17.
00:31:05
DailySaintsPod
It's an incredible effort.
00:31:10
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:31:11
Zak
So, yeah.
00:31:12
DailySaintsPod
it puts It puts into perspective me moaning about the 15 minutes I sat in traffic on Thomas Lewis Way.
00:31:12
Zak
so yeah
00:31:20
DailySaintsPod
that
00:31:22
Zak
Yeah, you're you're right. I couldn't really mind sitting around for half an hour after the game when it was like, it's all right, innit?
00:31:27
DailySaintsPod
but Yeah, wonderful day out. Wonderful time to be a Saints fan.
00:31:35
Zak
its
00:31:36
DailySaintsPod
got the Speaking of the traffic, I don't know if Southwest Trains have run a single match day this season. hasn't been rail replacement service, by the way.
00:31:44
Zak
Yes, it's...
00:31:44
DailySaintsPod
Costing me a fortune in parking, mate.
00:31:45
Zak
sha shot
00:31:46
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:31:48
Zak
We're not going to fly complain about the traffic, but also thanks for causing us traffic.
00:31:51
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:31:52
Zak
Yeah. Yeah. justice
00:31:54
DailySaintsPod
but it doesn't matter. Uh, because I will, so I would have sat in traffic on the way home from St.
00:31:55
Zak
right
00:31:58
DailySaintsPod
Mary's until midnight tonight for that result. It was worth every minute of it. Uh, and the joy of it is, mate, uh, we get to regroup and go and do it all again on Tuesday.
00:32:10
Zak
no
00:32:10
DailySaintsPod
that's, uh, that's it. That's the rest of our season. It's just every single couple of days, another trip to Mary's to watch some excellent football. What more can you ask for? Uh,
00:32:21
Zak
The bloke behind me, when we were into the stadium, was saying like, yeah, it's been difficult to have a conversation with wife because I've had to tell her about Tuesday and about the Tuesday after and also about the Tuesday after.
00:32:32
Zak
but And you're right.
00:32:34
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:32:34
Zak
Five games left, mate, isn't it? Crazy.
00:32:35
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Look, that's made an easier conversation when you take the kids with you. That's all I'm saying.
00:32:39
Zak
it go
00:32:42
DailySaintsPod
My wife's having a ball. You mean all of you are out of the house every week? Oh, no.
00:32:51
Zak
Sometimes, twice, perfect.
00:32:52
DailySaintsPod
Right, that's that's the joy of it. But look, we will be back on Tuesday morning, bright and early, to talk about the Blackburn game in some more depth and and all of the good stuff that comes with that.
00:33:07
DailySaintsPod
But until then, every everyone, thank you so much joining us. Thank you, as ever, Zach, for joining me.
00:33:15
Zak
Thank you, mate.
00:33:15
DailySaintsPod
Enjoy it. Enjoy the win. Let us know on the socials, in the comments, how you're feeling. It's got to be good. How many games can we go unbeaten? Are we ever going to lose another game again? Let us know. where Where does the banana skin come into play?
00:33:31
DailySaintsPod
We'd love to hear from you. We're Daily Saints pod everywhere. TikTokX, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. Hit us up. Let us know. But until Tuesday, everyone,
00:33:42
DailySaintsPod
Enjoy it. Have a wonderful time. And we will see you then.