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Episode 460: FIXTURES ARE HERE!
90 Plays10 days ago
Southampton – Fixtures are out and so the season all starts to feel just a bit more real! What games are you most looking forward to?
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Transcript
Surviving the Heatwave
00:00:14
DailySaintsPod
Hello and welcome back to episode 460 of the Daily Saints pod after little break to, you know, narrowly survive the heat. it was It was kind of close, mate.
00:00:28
Zak
We were like chatting about content for rest of the week, what we're going to talk about, and fixtures. We're all quite looking forward to it. And then it just feels like I've lost about a year of my life. i like I've had to try and get back on top of everything in my the sole existence. I've spent more time at my work office than I have probably in the last six years, over the last three days, because had air conditioning.
New Fixtures Excitement
00:00:48
Zak
but just... Like, where I'm at, mate, is I'm really glad both of us are the other side. It's really nice to think about football that isn't just watching England sort of flounder a little bit.
00:00:58
Zak
and And yeah, just I'm just glad we're both all right.
00:00:58
DailySaintsPod
e
00:01:02
Zak
Families are all right. Everyone's all right. And we're probably all going to have bills for air conditioning.
00:01:04
DailySaintsPod
it was it was it was It was pretty touch and go for a while there, mate. I think there was a period of the day where I was about 80% ice pole. That was just the core of my diet for for a solid period.
00:01:20
DailySaintsPod
it just but It's alright. We've made it through that particular birth and here we are on the other side.
00:01:27
Zak
Indeed. indeed
00:01:28
DailySaintsPod
But look, just because we suffered and struggled and stopped in that period of time, mate, the other news didn't. We got some fixtures. Can you believe it?
00:01:38
Zak
We have. We've got fixtures news finally.
South Coast Derby & Managerial Uncertainty
00:01:40
Zak
we were talking about that was going to be exciting. I have not properly read them. And I know that sounds awful. And my excuse is when Greg went, have you had a look at fixtures yet, mate? I didn't know what time it was and what day it was because I hadn't really slept over the last like sort of four days until we hit sort of the weekend.
00:02:01
Zak
So I kind of decided to then not look into them. so I can come into this episode a bit blind. I sort of briefly saw the South Coast Derby ones. I know one of them is October, and that's all right.
00:02:14
Zak
It's not the first game after the transfer window closes, hopefully, this time around.
00:02:17
DailySaintsPod
Well, actually, wait it is.
00:02:18
Zak
So... Good.
00:02:21
Zak
LAUGHTER
00:02:21
DailySaintsPod
is. It's the 10th of October. It is off the back of an international break.
00:02:29
Zak
Well, hopefully it's not hopefully it's not going to be with a new manager in charge, but we don't we don't know at this point.
00:02:30
DailySaintsPod
It's the first game back.
00:02:36
Zak
like We're still in that weird sort of limbo where Ekka is the manager until he's not the manager.
00:02:37
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:02:44
DailySaintsPod
It's not the not the last one the first game before the end after the transfer window, right? We've got four games between the transfer window ending and the Pompey game, but it is after an international break, which...
00:02:54
Zak
fine.
00:02:58
DailySaintsPod
It's still a bit upsetting, but you know that's that's fine. And then the reverse fixture of the away game is at the end of February, 27th of February, which is nice.
00:03:10
DailySaintsPod
No midweek fixture before that game.
00:03:13
Zak
That's nice.
00:03:13
DailySaintsPod
hmm, interesting.
00:03:14
Zak
Maybe. It means everyone can get excited and build a little bit of
00:03:16
DailySaintsPod
Interesting.
Fixture Banter & TV Coverage
00:03:19
Zak
hype for it.
00:03:19
Zak
It's not just going be like sort of bouncing straight into it. Although it's becoming a regular occurrence at this point, which is strange enough, right?
00:03:26
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, that in itself is unusual.
00:03:26
Zak
We all kind of hoped we'd be out of it, but here we are. is what it is.
00:03:32
DailySaintsPod
I guess other notable fixtures. Opening day, of course. We've got Watford away. 1.30 kickoff on the Sunday, which means we're on TV, which is at least something, I suppose.
00:03:37
Zak
Yeah.
00:03:44
Zak
Yeah, well, we'll have to see what happens with Watford.
00:03:44
DailySaintsPod
Getting that TV money in early.
00:03:47
Zak
It's entirely impossible to predict because at any point during the season, they could have a new manager and be playing a new formation.
00:03:52
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:03:54
Zak
We've just got to hope we don't start the opening fixture by trying to figure out who it is using binoculars, right? like It's nice that there's there's just enough of a gap now that we can kind of start to joke about Spygate a little bit.
00:04:00
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. that's
00:04:04
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:04:06
Zak
But like it feels like it was...
00:04:06
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. I mean, that there were, without just detracting us from our fixture release too much, mate, I don't know if you saw, but there were quite a few other teams in the championship who poked fun.
00:04:15
Zak
I saw the Birmingham one, which was like the hedges, to say, to take, but I haven't seen anything else. So...
00:04:23
DailySaintsPod
Wrexham put out a particularly good one of their fixture in calendar form and the logo they used for Saints was the the meme of where we've replaced the tree in the badge with the
00:04:33
Zak
With the binoculars.
Boxing Day Disappointment & End-of-Season Speculation
00:04:35
DailySaintsPod
binoculars but also two days earlier on the calendar they had put a big circle and a star and the words check training ground so that was good yeah
00:04:35
Zak
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:04:46
Zak
At this point, does Will Sol start charging for his likeness being used? Because I would start to get wound up if I was being sold on t-shirts and also being posted like everywhere by all these other clubs.
00:04:53
DailySaintsPod
Yeah?
00:05:00
Zak
I know we kind of we talked a little bit seriously about the effect, but goodness gracious me.
00:05:01
DailySaintsPod
One step... One step of internet fame away from doing like guest appearances at Pop World like the Wellstone Raider or something. Like...
00:05:13
Zak
I was thinking more like QI, where people were trying to figure out who the analyst was. You're like, you know...
00:05:20
DailySaintsPod
but We went very different routes, but each way is just as funny.
00:05:27
Zak
No, you're right. Oh, dear.
00:05:31
DailySaintsPod
Look, I don't know. Aside from sitting here and going through the list, other key dates, I suppose, away on Boxing Day at Charlton is one that people like to look forward to.
00:05:38
Zak
Yeah. like You weren't too happy about being away, right? because you don't be Or you're you thinking maybe you were doing a away day again for Boxing Day.
00:05:42
DailySaintsPod
It's...
00:05:44
DailySaintsPod
Well, it's it's kind of a double whammy of bad for me because it's not not great to not be at home on Boxing Day when the whole family like to go down. But also Charlton is one of the away days that I was going to try and do this year with the kids because of my history with Charlton.
00:05:57
Zak
Yeah.
00:05:59
DailySaintsPod
And so it falling on Boxing Day really removes that as an option rather theyre upsettingly. But there we go.
00:06:05
Zak
That's a shame.
00:06:07
DailySaintsPod
But, you know, it's what it is. Last day of the season, we are at home against the Blade Sheffield United. So, i mean, without being too presumptuous, trophy presentation?
00:06:22
Zak
Are we going to do it again? Are we go are we going to go through our season predictions, mate, and put us at the top
Competitive Season Challenges
00:06:27
Zak
again this year?
00:06:27
DailySaintsPod
I just don't think I just don't think ill have any other option in me, and I think that you know that.
00:06:32
Zak
Yeah, no, I know that to be a fact. that I just think it's going to be a tougher... i think it's to be tougher season this season. got a lot more, you know...
00:06:38
DailySaintsPod
Definitely is Big, big games.
00:06:40
Zak
You've either got... you know Wolves are either going to go straight back up or they're going to go straight down. i don't really see them sitting in a mid-table.
00:06:46
DailySaintsPod
Mm-hmm.
00:06:46
Zak
i feel like they're going to do a Leicester, especially with some... you know we We kind of spoke about it briefly before, right? The bizarre managerial decisions that were made that club. And then you've got West Ham, who will be paying Bowen probably like double the amount of most championship squads.
00:07:04
Zak
So yeah, it's going to be its gonna be a good one.
00:07:06
DailySaintsPod
Do you think he'll stay then? Do you not think he'll he'll move on?
00:07:09
Zak
I think he's the one that's basically said he kind of want to stay. I think a vast majority of them will move on, right? But I think like they might be able to fund it with you know like Matty Fernandes probably going and you know other bits and pieces. itll be It would just be interesting to see what happens. But I think that that's going to be a top tough team to play.
00:07:26
Zak
I think, you know, we we we know we had a really good chance last year.
00:07:26
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:07:30
Zak
And realistically, like most of the people we were struggling against, you know, they were wasn't we weren't struggling against Leicester. It was really the only team that went back up that came straight back down was Ipswich, right?
00:07:41
Zak
So the the rest of the kind of playoffs weren't really what we expected them to be. Didn't expect Hull to go up. So yeah, it's kind of nuts. And what you'll notice there from from Greg's little whore is exactly what we've got in the background, which is just keeping an eye on South Africa versus Canada.
00:07:55
DailySaintsPod
but but
00:07:57
DailySaintsPod
I picked up on that one, did you?
00:07:57
Zak
because Because obviously we're waiting to see Laren comes on and and scores another goal. You know, two goals in the World Cup. Big deal.
00:08:08
Zak
But yeah, we we unfortunately decided to record halfway through a knockout game. So this is proof that we're both fortunate.
00:08:14
DailySaintsPod
co copy help come Can't be Can't be helped, mate. There's just football on all the time in the World Cup.
00:08:19
Zak
Yeah, it's kind of it's kind of wonderful.
00:08:20
DailySaintsPod
It's fantastic.
00:08:22
Zak
was even talking, you know, people I... During the heatwave, people I'm speaking to who don't really like watch football that much, watching games in the middle of the night for like countries that they're like, oh, I didn't even realise they made the World Cup.
00:08:31
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:08:35
Zak
But yeah, no, fascinating. But when's the Middlesbrough games? Because they're now the Spygate derbies, right? I'm not saying that it's bigger than...
00:08:44
DailySaintsPod
Well, that's an interesting question. They are, yeah, they're going to be, they're games that people are going have been looking forward to. So our home fixture against Middlesbrough comes first on the 28th of November.
00:08:57
Zak
Interesting.
00:08:57
DailySaintsPod
And then we play them away in March, the middle of March, Saturday the 13th.
00:08:57
Zak
I
00:09:03
DailySaintsPod
But
00:09:03
Zak
can imagine the weather is going to be miserable for both of them. Perfect.
00:09:07
DailySaintsPod
you can, I think you can fully expect both of those games to be picked for TV. I think it's reasonable to say.
00:09:13
Zak
Yeah, I think that that would probably be the case. I also think they'll probably have...
00:09:16
DailySaintsPod
probably enough of a narrative behind it to drive that, right?
00:09:20
Zak
Do you reckon they have an increase of security now? and this is i entirely hypothetical.
00:09:24
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. I think it would be silly not to. There's definitely going be a bit of needle, whether it goes beyond a good bit of banter or not, I guess, remains to be seen, but...
00:09:35
Zak
I can't, I don't know how they could still be entirely bad on us. They what they wanted in the end, which was to get through to the final. They bottled it. So it's like, he got one like automatically put up because we, you know, we did a thing.
00:09:43
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Well, I think that...
00:09:48
DailySaintsPod
I think that that in itself makes the entire situation incredibly emotive for both teams, and that is what makes slightly combustible.
00:09:54
Zak
No, you're right. That is, that is correct.
00:09:58
DailySaintsPod
Because effectively what happened is that both teams come out of it feeling wronged. So...
00:10:04
Zak
Yeah. Fair play to Hull, though.
00:10:06
DailySaintsPod
It'll be... Yeah.
00:10:07
Zak
They're going to have a great time in
Transfer Window Dynamics
00:10:08
Zak
the Premier League.
00:10:09
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah, that's absolutely. Maybe.
00:10:13
Zak
Maybe.
00:10:13
DailySaintsPod
because i We thought we were going to have a great time in the Premier League, and I mean, that didn't play out all that well either.
00:10:17
Zak
I don't think we did. I think that i think that you you you predicted what? That we would get like eleven
00:10:26
DailySaintsPod
12th.
00:10:26
Zak
12th, right, okay.
00:10:27
DailySaintsPod
I wasn't that optimistic, yeah.
00:10:29
Zak
Sunderland are the ones that have really, you know, proved everybody wrong. And part of that is due to, obviously, their talisman at the moment, Xhaka, who, don't know if you saw Greg, already they're trying to line up a move for him for Chelsea.
00:10:33
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:10:41
Zak
And they put in like an 8 million bid to Sunderland. And Sunderland reject it and said they will reject all other bids and he is not for sale. So that'll be i be an interesting one to watch over the summer.
00:10:50
DailySaintsPod
That is, yeah, interesting. No, I hadn't seen any of that. I've just been purely focused on the World Cup through this, mate.
00:10:58
Zak
That's fair.
00:11:00
DailySaintsPod
Other, I guess, like points of interest. Obviously, we're starting the season with a minus four point tally. So we're going to be looking to overcome that.
00:11:06
Zak
Yes.
00:11:08
DailySaintsPod
So the opening run of games was going to be interesting to see how long it was going to take to do that. So we've got Watford away, then Stoke at home. So, you know, against two pretty solidified championship teams. Then Millwall at home, which is always a tough game.
00:11:25
Zak
Yep.
00:11:25
DailySaintsPod
don't remember us ever doing particularly well against them. Birmingham City, who were also pushing for playoffs last year, away, and then Lincoln away, and then Swansea at home.
00:11:35
DailySaintsPod
So, i mean, by the early part of September, you'd like to think we'd be back to positive points, right?
00:11:42
Zak
I think if we if we get a better start than we got last season, that's already a win, right? like It took us so long to really get going.
00:11:48
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:11:50
Zak
and Despite the fact we won our first game, that didn't really matter. So we'll just have to see how it all goes.
00:11:55
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:11:58
Zak
But I am really hoping that... we do a strong start and get some points on the board. And I think it is doable. We've just got to see, you know, like those first two games are probably games we should be realistically wanting to take points from.
00:12:12
Zak
But, you know, Stoke finishing exactly where Stoke have finished the last couple of seasons means that...
00:12:13
DailySaintsPod
Definitely.
00:12:20
Zak
They're probably going to have to try and do something different. They had a really good start to the season last season. And Watford, again, just like trying to push for promotion places, got rid of their manager, brung in brought in Garcia last season again to try and get to their manager, like, you know, to try and get back into the space they did and then managed to bring in Will Still's brother who did...
00:12:44
Zak
exactly the same as Will Steele at Watford, essentially. Interesting bit there, tidbit that you've probably heard already, is that Will Steele has a new job now. He's managing back in France, so he's gone back to basically what he knows after a bit of a breakaway.
00:12:53
DailySaintsPod
He does.
00:12:59
Zak
It's probably good thing for him, to be honest, and potentially, you know, I don't wish him any ill will. It's just kind of... I didn't mean to do that.
00:13:09
Zak
Don't miss it.
00:13:10
DailySaintsPod
Will for Will Steel. All of those things, yes.
00:13:12
Zak
Er... All of those things.
00:13:14
Zak
So yeah, that'll be another
00:13:15
DailySaintsPod
But yeah, you're right. it
Managerial Stability & Season Competitiveness
00:13:16
Zak
one.
00:13:16
DailySaintsPod
It's good because actually, I mean, four games... Four games, three and a half games before the deadline window ends.
00:13:26
DailySaintsPod
The crazy thing again, where actually the the transfer deadline day is on the 1st of September and we have an away game on on the evening of transfer deadline day.
00:13:37
DailySaintsPod
So...
00:13:38
Zak
this i hope hope I'm just hoping... I know it's not going to work out that way. I'm hoping of this stuff has already wrapped up by that point. it's a lot of it's, again, it's it's the whole the chain part of it that we we've constantly talked about.
00:13:49
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:13:50
Zak
And if you haven't, then this is our Transfer Tuesdays we talk about quite a lot. This is the this is problem, right? It's that we had...
00:13:57
DailySaintsPod
It's the uncertainty across certain parts of the squad.
00:13:57
Zak
house Yeah, was we talk about... the Northampton game, right? From last season, Carabao Cup game, I think. And it was so, just so, so many of the players that played that game went on to ever play for us again.
00:14:16
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:14:16
Zak
And it's like, it's like you kind of forget that like Matty Fernandes had a game in the championship.
00:14:17
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:14:21
Zak
James Ward-Prowse had a game in the championship.
00:14:22
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:14:24
Zak
Nathan Teller had another game for us in the championship before he just disappeared off the Leverkusen.
00:14:29
DailySaintsPod
think we talked about it a lot last season, right?
00:14:30
Zak
And yeah, it's always that, hope
00:14:32
DailySaintsPod
Where this, up until that game where the window ends, it's almost like this pre-season limbo. It's like the pre-season friendlies are actually pre-pre-season.
00:14:44
DailySaintsPod
And then you get these four games that happen in this absolute limbo where you don't really know a lot. I mean, at least some of our positions are solidified with the business we've already done, right? Like we know we'll have a striker and a goalkeeper and a right back.
00:14:59
Zak
Yeah, sure. This is the problem. It's like we're trying to move...
00:15:04
DailySaintsPod
And a backup goalkeeper.
00:15:04
Zak
but quickly We're trying to move quickly on that kind of stuff and like we've we got some things to talk about in Transfer Tuesday tomorrow. Some people will always be i we me aware that they're looking to sign some of them playing Dan Neal, right? That's one of the ones. And then there's people arguing and seeing between whether or not we should just go in for board prowls again instead.
00:15:27
Zak
We'll get into that tomorrow once I've had that proper look at stats and bits and pieces. But you know that's we might want to get all our business done, but obviously the problem is is that we're going to have bids come in.
00:15:39
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:15:40
Zak
Obviously the bids at the moment is just for Shea Charles and that's an ongoing thing. There's lots of still fear around Yander. There's going to be interest Sienza as things pick up, I imagine.
00:15:51
Zak
That hasn't been active.
00:15:51
DailySaintsPod
m
00:15:53
Zak
Yes, okay, we're going to look to get another striker, but it's all going to depend on... Don't get me wrong, it's like this fun. I love talking about the transfer window. It's pretty good. is it's quite of is straight yeah it's It's really good fun.
00:16:03
DailySaintsPod
Stressful.
00:16:06
Zak
It's fun to learn about new players. It's fun to see who's going come play for the club and who we're going to see this year. But yeah, it's the stress of just like having to watch our entire team get picked apart again year by year.
00:16:13
DailySaintsPod
the unknowing hmm yeah
00:16:16
Zak
And obviously this year, I feel like you know there are going to be those that are annoyed that we didn't get promoted but aren't going to stay. We can't all have Perrette or whatever or a Laren.
00:16:28
Zak
they're quite happy to re-sign and come and stay. so yeah, it was just a pain really.
00:16:32
DailySaintsPod
Well, I think that what we've got already confirmed is at least a reasonably solid part of the spine. So that's, I think it puts us in a better stead than we've been in in more recent years of uncertainty.
00:16:44
DailySaintsPod
At least we have some positions that we are confident in. Whereas I don't necessarily think that's been the case in in the previous year.
00:16:51
Zak
It's been so long since we've had a stable squad for two years in a row.
00:16:52
DailySaintsPod
But...
00:16:55
DailySaintsPod
Hmm. Yeah.
00:16:57
Zak
Even the promotion season, because we brought so much in to try and get promotion, what you ended up with is an extremely bloated squad with a bunch of people that came back off loan, bunch people that helped win promotion to the championship, and then a bunch of people that would have gone down to championship if they weren't then picked up by Premier League Southampton.
00:16:57
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:15
Zak
And then all of them vying for spaces, of them not playing, And then the manager that brought most of him get losing his job, right? And, you know, this is the first time that we might see, what, like a manager roll into the next season in the same league for a long time?
00:17:30
DailySaintsPod
Unless the FA have something to say with it.
00:17:30
Zak
What was that last? point Well, yeah, well, again, he's it's Schrodinger's manager, right?
00:17:32
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:36
Zak
he's He is a manager until he is not.
00:17:37
DailySaintsPod
and
00:17:40
DailySaintsPod
But flicking the attention back to the fixtures the at the other end of the season, where it's going to be such, I think, a really tight run at the top because it's going to be a very competitive year.
00:18:04
Zak
Yes.
Player Transfers Impact
00:18:07
DailySaintsPod
And so looking at the the run-in at the end of the season and boy howdy do we need to get business done early if we want to secure those automatics because it is a tough ask, I think.
00:18:20
DailySaintsPod
The last four games, Millwall away, Birmingham City at home, Burnley away and of course Sheffield United at home.
00:18:29
DailySaintsPod
That is not an easy run-in, is it?
00:18:30
Zak
Oh, that is no I don't know. Birmingham, we did all right at. And and Birmingham, I think... If i remember right, you thought they would become...
00:18:40
DailySaintsPod
They're going to be looking to improve this. Yeah, they're going be looking to improve this year, though, aren't they? They're going to be pushing on.
00:18:47
Zak
Yes, but it entirely depends, right? Like, yeah on whether or not the transfers go well and we have to see how it goes because I think... Wrexham did really good business. Wrexham almost made it to the playoffs considering they came up from, you know, League One, previously League Two, previously Conference, etc. They had a really good run.
00:19:07
Zak
Birmingham obviously went down, came straight back up, tried to then vie for playoffs. and I think they were a little bit more disjointed, in my opinion. We'll have to see. so I think that will one of the better games. I i don't really know how much I feel about Sheffield United home because that's one of the ones where...
00:19:28
Zak
it's hard to kind of judge Sheffield United to at this point, right? Like, they didn't really have a full season.
00:19:31
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. They're also going to be looking to improve, but whether they are able to, yeah.
00:19:34
Zak
Yeah, because they didn't have a full season of trying to get up, right? Obviously, the whole the whole turmoil that they threw their own club into by sacking Wilder and then hiring...
00:19:39
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:19:46
Zak
our former you know interim manager back in the day, seemed it didn't really do didn't really do them that well, right?
00:19:50
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:19:53
Zak
and then but So I feel like considering they were up the 78% chance to win the league, which which is hilarious that we look back at that, you you would expect them to be doing better. So then you know if they're right at the end of the season, they're looking to get up at that point.
00:20:11
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. They are all games. They are all games that could be meaningful for the team to play against.
00:20:11
Zak
But also, subsequently...
00:20:16
Zak
Yeah, because because subsequently they could also be like 10th because just the absolute state of but the championship this year is going to be so competitive.
00:20:17
DailySaintsPod
right They're not...
00:20:23
DailySaintsPod
Eight play teams going to the playoffs.
00:20:26
Zak
And we've also got to point out, as you said, that we're going to start with points deficit. And that that is going to prove potentially vital.
00:20:31
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:20:33
Zak
You you look at how... How we got to at the end of the season, how tight it was at the top, how, you know, realistically, the draw that we picked up against Bristol City and the other draw we had the week after, they're really what cost us to have to be in the playoffs. And that ultimately, you know, is what caused all of the controversy, Yeah.
00:20:55
Zak
Well, it didn't. The actions caused it, but we've beaten that horse to death. Go back to when it all happened. You can watch us go through the entirety of all ranges of emotions and grief before we've landed on joking about it and acceptance because Greg keeps reminding Just this conversation, right, about like the the banter that's being had around fixtures.
Fixtures, Derbies, and Rivalries
00:21:15
Zak
I just like forgotten that this is going to be a thing we have to deal with all season because I'll see like the World Cup just taking precedence completely.
00:21:18
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:21:23
Zak
yeah, when are we playing Lincoln late?
00:21:25
DailySaintsPod
Look, it's the championship, mate. Something daft and crazy and silly will come in and replace it as the funny joke.
00:21:35
DailySaintsPod
right It's not going to be all season. It'll be some of the season and and until someone else does something really silly. Until like we beat Watford on the opening day and then they decide to sack their manager again in record time.
00:21:49
DailySaintsPod
Right? Like, it's going to be something ridiculous like that. Lincoln City that we're playing, that was what i heard you ask.
00:21:55
Zak
Yeah, my my bad. I called him Linkin Town. I googled that. was like, I don't Linkin Town.
00:22:00
Zak
So I already messed that up.
00:22:00
DailySaintsPod
we We play them away on the 5th of September.
00:22:04
DailySaintsPod
So that is the first game after the closing of the summer transfer window. and then they are the fifth last game we play. They are on the 10th of April. So they are, you know, just before that run of reasonably tough games towards the end of the season.
00:22:14
Zak
Interesting.
00:22:20
DailySaintsPod
Not that they might not be a tough game. I mean, based off of what you would expect, they, at that point, might be fighting for Survival 2. So, you know, teams are tough to play against when they have something to play for.
00:22:30
Zak
Yeah, we can't...
00:22:35
DailySaintsPod
So...
00:22:35
Zak
But they won 103 points to get up.
00:22:35
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:22:38
Zak
So, you know, they're going to be potentially doing better than what we'd expect of Cardiff.
00:22:39
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:22:43
Zak
When are we picking Bolton? because Obviously, my friend James. I can't think at this point, friend of the pod, the amount of times I quote him. He was one of the ones that, over the Spygate sort of on stuff, we debated quite a lot.
00:22:56
Zak
And his dad's also a Spurs supporter. So we've had a lot of conversations around that as well. So that'll be interesting because I imagine he'll probably come down to watch it, which would be good.
00:23:01
DailySaintsPod
we are We are away to Bolton on the 16th of January and the home fixture is on the 17th of October.
00:23:11
Zak
Nice.
00:23:12
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:23:12
Zak
Okay. Anything, obviously other than South Coast Derby, Stargate Derby, Nathan Jones Derby, as long as he remains manager of Charlton, the newbies that have come up, and obviously the people in the Premier League ones that have come down, which are all exciting.
00:23:24
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:23:26
Zak
Do you have a particular fixture in mind that you're really excited for?
00:23:31
DailySaintsPod
It's just always the baggies, mate, isn't it? It's a always good to have that banter with the family and enjoy that. Unfortunately, the away fixture falls on on my wife's birthday this year, so we'll see how that one plays out.
00:23:42
Zak
Yeah, i I asked you whether or not when you told me, that you did actually tell me that's when that landed, a tunnel of lie I asked you if that was a good or a bad thing.
00:23:44
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:23:52
Zak
And I think that your response was depends. And we've never followed up on what that means.
00:23:54
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. yeah and
00:23:59
Zak
It's like whether or not it's a you know a good family trip that can convince you to do. We'll stay in a nice hotel or we'll have a good football the whole day.
00:24:07
DailySaintsPod
Yes. Or a bit off. Yeah, I don't know.
00:24:09
Zak
yeah
00:24:10
DailySaintsPod
yeah Yes. I don't know, the jury's out. We like our little away trips to Birmingham though, so we we shall see. but But yeah, I don't know. Just just all it, mate. I love the championship. it's Despite the controversy and the way that we have remained in the championship, there is a part of me that is glad to not suffer through a year of the Premier League.
00:24:36
Zak
not only that, mate, another a year, another a year no far.
00:24:36
DailySaintsPod
It's weird, isn't it?
00:24:39
Zak
like
00:24:40
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:24:41
Zak
let's just Let's just celebrate that we're going to have some really dubious goals scored against us. Handballs that are going to wind us up, little things like that.
00:24:46
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:24:49
Zak
But subsequently, we're also going to probably score a goal that would be considered toe-off site or something other, you know, to keep it relevant. Yeah, it's going to be exciting.
00:24:58
DailySaintsPod
It's
00:25:00
Zak
I think going have a really good year. I'm looking forward to so many games, obviously, as i said.
00:25:04
DailySaintsPod
going to be a really tough championship here, though. but Very competitive.
00:25:07
Zak
Yeah, it's going to be, it's probably going to, we thought like last year was incredibly competitive. It very much went down to the wire. This year, you know, I know that we're really going to be wanting to push.
00:25:13
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:25:17
Zak
we We might struggle. We might end up being like, yeah, we need to get first or second and end up, you know, nipping a playoff place because there are so many teams around us that are going to make us work for it.
00:25:27
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:25:27
Zak
And I think that you're wrong. I think that every single fixture we play against another team, Greg, is going to be like them mugging us off with some sort of funny tweet. So at this point, maybe we should introduce an award for the award show next year, which is like funniest mug off.
00:25:43
Zak
So we need to keep an eye and collate all of that to see who actually like achieved it properly.
00:25:44
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:25:49
Zak
You know, it's just probably worth fun keeping an eye on for it, you know?
00:25:51
DailySaintsPod
I'm happy to, look I'm happy to try and keep that stopped and, uh, keep an eye on that. But yeah, I'm sure that there'll be, look, uh, there's plenty of room for good, funny mugging off.
00:26:04
DailySaintsPod
Right. I'm here for it.
00:26:04
Zak
Yes.
00:26:05
DailySaintsPod
I'm down for that. I appreciate well thought through, through humor. Uh, just as long as it's not the cheap joke, you know? we
00:26:14
Zak
Yeah.
00:26:15
DailySaintsPod
we're We're there for that.
00:26:17
Zak
100%. If yeah you put some effort into it, I'm all down for it. you know and you know the
00:26:20
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. what What about you, mate? Any any other higher fixtures that jump out at you as particularly exciting?
00:26:28
Zak
So, Bolton's a completely new one, and i unexpected one. And that's just going to be fun because I'm going to have back and forth with one of my mates who I usually wouldn't have back and forth about, right? For so long, the gulf between our teams has meant that we've not really been able to talk about football in the same league together.
00:26:42
Zak
so that's one of the ones that I'm going to look forward to. I always look forward to the Nathan Jones derby just because it's funny. I know it has a history currently of one year, but that one year was incredibly enjoyable despite the fact that the home fixture wasn't as good as the away fixture, right? The singing was as good it was as ad's enjoyable at the home fixture.
00:27:01
Zak
And obviously the away fixture was one of the ones.
00:27:02
DailySaintsPod
One of my favorite new charts from twenty the 25, 26 season. Hmm.
00:27:09
Zak
they're Exactly that. And obviously South Coast Derby, the fact that we have another opportunity to actually have one is is huge. and yeah itll be i think that the s Spygate Derby is going to be interesting more than anything else.
00:27:22
Zak
like It can be fascinating to how it turns out and
00:27:25
DailySaintsPod
Especially if Ross Stewart does go to Middlesbrough, that will add a whole different level to it, right?
00:27:33
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:35
Zak
Luckily, we didn't need to pay attention to Scotland. And I don't know if he got on the pitch for the the entirety of the campaign, which seems kind of insane considering that they needed to try and get some goals and they didn't put him on.
00:27:40
DailySaintsPod
I don't think so. dude I don't think he did.
00:27:47
Zak
foolish of them in my opinion but yeah we'll just have to we'll just have to see where he ends up but if he does end up at sort of you know at Middlesbrough that be fascinating fascinating so yeah I think those are only sort of worry ones obviously you've always noted I've had a little bit a soft spot for Wolves so that would be an interesting game or interesting couple of games and you know Lincoln City is obviously watching anyone come up you know
Celebrity Involvement & World Cup Focus
00:28:13
Zak
always good fun or it'll be a game where we get incredibly frustrated and like when we played Oxford, they'll win somehow.
00:28:13
DailySaintsPod
Always interesting.
00:28:22
DailySaintsPod
edd Any fixtures not involving us that you're particularly looking forward to in the championship this year? I mean, there are some pretty tasty ones, right? We've got West Ham Millwall.
00:28:33
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:28:34
Zak
West Ham, Millwall is... The problem is though, is is it just going to descend into like hard heaven and everyone just gets sent off and then the football ends up being terrible, right?
00:28:46
Zak
Yeah, that
00:28:49
DailySaintsPod
You know, the things that commentators say that nobody wants to see in the game is is well and truly what we all want to see. Obviously, we've got the Black Country derby as well with West Brom and Wolves.
00:28:59
DailySaintsPod
That black got particularly tasty last time in the cup and boiled over to some shenanigans, didn't it?
00:29:00
Zak
Yeah. that that one
00:29:07
DailySaintsPod
So it's not one to write off either.
00:29:08
Zak
yeah And other than that, it will be fascinating to see what type of Burnley we get this year as well. but We get like Burnley 100% defensive record that somehow we're going to make like, you know, 150 points and come straight back up to the Premier League.
00:29:16
DailySaintsPod
hmm
00:29:25
Zak
Or are we going to get like a more tinnied version of Burnley this time around? And i like that that's another one where the managerial job is already opening up, where I've seen Rob Edwards apparently turn it down. It was goingnna be Craig Bellamy, then it wasn't.
00:29:37
Zak
I don't know, it's hard to keep up with. can't just find out nowadays. swear Gary O'Neill was back somewhere important.
00:29:46
DailySaintsPod
you've got You've got the Wales Goes Hollywood derby. You've got Swansea and Wrexham.
00:29:50
Zak
Yeah, the the the the hollywood the Hollywood derby is really good. I would like to it to be settled by a boxing match between Snoop Dogg and Ryan Reynolds. I think that would probably make them absolute bang.
00:30:03
Zak
what I want Ryan Reynolds to do is to turn up to the game against Swansea in a similar way to when Snoop Dogg turned up to that game that he actually went to where for some reason he had like a walk-in.
00:30:12
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:30:14
Zak
Like we've discussed this before, where he had have like an NFL-style arrival in the
00:30:15
DailySaintsPod
yes
00:30:20
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:30:20
Zak
Bafflingly so, because he wasn't playing.
00:30:23
DailySaintsPod
Just...
00:30:24
Zak
thats
00:30:24
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, there's that's the only way Ryan Reynolds can top it, is full Deadpool costume boombox. It's got to be done, right?
00:30:30
Zak
Yeah.
00:30:31
DailySaintsPod
you can
00:30:31
Zak
I don't know if, you know...
00:30:33
DailySaintsPod
the The unfortunate side of it is we probably just get Ryan and Rob on commentary again and maybe Snoop Dogg joins them on Sky Sports.
00:30:42
Zak
Oh, my... see. Now that, maybe having Snoop Dogg on there would be something I could get behind commentary, right?
00:30:48
DailySaintsPod
that That really depends on how much past the watershed it would have to be Sky Sports to give Snoop Dogg a live microphone.
00:30:49
Zak
He was like, I didn't really like it. Yeah, you enjoyed it
00:30:58
Zak
Look, Snoop Dogg is part of a studio that are creating a video game, Greg, and they are somehow bringing back Tupac. And I'll discuss this with you off of of pod, because we've not actually had discussed about this. I'm probably springing this on you. You have no idea.
Cup Matches & Pre-Season Friendlies
00:31:14
Zak
But, like, you know, back in that could be fascinating as a commentary duo for Swansea City at this point. I'm sure he could convince their estate to maybe invest into it.
00:31:21
DailySaintsPod
I mean, look football purists would hate it, but I would watch every minute of it.
00:31:22
Zak
Like,
00:31:27
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:31:27
Zak
Oh, even better, mate. What if you have Modric and Snoop Dogg?
00:31:31
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:31:32
Zak
Because I don't know how much Modric is going to be playing, right?
00:31:32
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:31:36
Zak
Like, he's trouble-busting the...
00:31:37
DailySaintsPod
we' we've missed We've missed the funniest option by far, though, because it's it's one thing for them to commentate on their own game of Wrexham versus Swansea. Actually, you want that commentary team but presenting Millwall versus West Ham.
00:31:54
DailySaintsPod
Chaos. Absolute chaos.
00:31:57
Zak
Oh, you're right. will be... know At this point, it like... ha yeah I don't know, you because there's there's the part of me that like you know finds it hilarious. And it's the bit that you so enjoy. As you said, it was having the option to turn it on and off was was a good thing.
00:32:16
DailySaintsPod
Yes.
00:32:16
Zak
But also, like we're getting to the point now where like KSI has bought a football team. And so like the the lines between entertainment and sort of like the way that sports is being run is... is is It's getting thinner by the day.
00:32:30
Zak
We're now starting to see, you know, musical stars and, you know, social media people and whatnot start to take...
00:32:31
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:32:37
DailySaintsPod
hydration breaks in games where the players look like drowned rats because it's absolutely chucking it down. Yeah. Talk about that later in the week.
00:32:44
Zak
You're right. If suddenly hydration banks introduced and it turns out that the legacy of the American World Cup is that they can't deal without having a sport with which isn't split into quarters.
00:32:59
Zak
Which, to be honest, it might sound like I'm mocking them, mate, but I remember one time, and a said friend, James, will remember this, where I asked the question during the first time I ever watched American football, like, talking at least 10, 15 years ago.
00:33:00
DailySaintsPod
Oh,
00:33:14
Zak
And I turned around and said, so how many quarters are there? To which he just stared back at me for about a solid two minutes before I eventually got there. So, you know, could mug him off for liking their sports into quarters, but least they're not quarters worth.
00:33:28
DailySaintsPod
but That's it.
00:33:30
Zak
Anywho, I'm just looking forward to it, mate.
00:33:31
DailySaintsPod
that's it But look!
00:33:33
Zak
Back to proper football.
00:33:33
DailySaintsPod
Good.
00:33:34
Zak
After... the
00:33:35
DailySaintsPod
That's it. we're in We're into the knockout stages of the World Cup, so that's proper football now. And and then not long after that, we get championship action back. oh It's exciting, mate.
00:33:45
DailySaintsPod
oh yeah
00:33:45
Zak
approved.
00:33:46
DailySaintsPod
I love it. We live for it. it's It's what we look forward to the most. We also drew Colchester in the Carabao Cup for the first round.
00:33:57
DailySaintsPod
So... I think we've played them in our history once when we were both in League One.
00:34:05
Zak
Yeah, that'll be, again, that's going to be another fixture where all of a sudden we see the last appearances of multiple players. It's going to be great. It's going to be the, it's goingnna be the are you going to be able to play the rest of the season?
00:34:13
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:34:16
Zak
No, we're moving you on.
00:34:32
DailySaintsPod
And of course the now annual tradition of playing at Silver Lake Stadium away to Eastleigh. Okay.
00:34:38
Zak
Yeah, we'll talk about the price of that when we go when we get to our news section this week. you might That might be exciting, but it looks pretty expensive, mate.
00:34:50
Zak
Anywho, we'll buy you £17 for friendly,
00:34:52
DailySaintsPod
£17 for an adult and £6 for a kid. don't know.
00:35:01
DailySaintsPod
Just maybe my scale's out of whack that that feels reasonable to me, i
Listener Engagement & Upcoming Content
00:35:06
DailySaintsPod
guess.
00:35:06
DailySaintsPod
Just so used to paying much more ridiculous prices.
00:35:06
Zak
It is because there are...
00:35:10
Zak
Yeah, that's probably why.
00:35:13
Zak
Anywho, we'll talk more about that obviously when we get a chance to.
00:35:16
DailySaintsPod
Absolutely. But look, that's all we've got time for today. So look, let us know in the comments, in the socials, what fixture are you most looking forward to this season? Is it Middlesbrough?
00:35:27
DailySaintsPod
Is it Pompey? I've seen all of the thoughts of the players that the Southampton social media team have been putting out and I enjoyed so many of them. I really enjoyed Laren's deadpan Middlesbrough with no other context and Leo's Pompey.
00:35:41
Zak
I also really enjoy how cross people got about it, where they're like, why are we still in your head?
00:35:43
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:35:45
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:35:47
Zak
I'm like, well you're in the players' heads because, you know, as far as they're concerned, but they lost the chance of an FA Cup final.
00:35:50
DailySaintsPod
Okay.
00:35:54
Zak
I'm sorry, FA Cup final? Playoff final? It's getting to me again. so yeah, I'm not really surprised. It'll be good, though. Again.
00:36:02
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, exciting. But yes, look, let us know in the comments who you're most looking forward to playing. What away day or home trip are you most looking forward to We are Daily Saints Pod absolutely everywhere. X, Blue Sky, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. Hit us up and let us know what you think and what you're feeling. We love hearing from you. It genuinely pushes us on, even in the hot days, to to bring you content.
00:36:32
DailySaintsPod
As Zach alluded to earlier, we will be back tomorrow with the traditional Transfer Tuesday. and we have got lots to talk about. Don't you worry. The window is now firmly open and things are happening thick and fast. So, you know, loads to talk about. But until then, everyone, have a wonderful day. Even though it's cooling down, stay hydrated because it is important.
00:36:57
DailySaintsPod
And until then, have a great one. Bye.