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Episode 188: The worst league season in years?
71 Plays5 days ago
Southampton – We have a look at the league as a whole this season and whether it has been the worst season yet with so much wrapped up so early.
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Transcript
Introduction Chaos
00:00:09
Zak
Hello and welcome to Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network.
00:00:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank
00:00:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
you.
00:00:15
Zak
I am your host, Zach Ingo Finch, who was waiting for his co-host, Gregory Elliott, say or do anything to start this podcast.
Driving Test Woes
00:00:25
Zak
But what actually happened was he stared for a couple of seconds, which you won't see because it will be taken out of post, before eventually phasing back into the room when I started saying words.
00:00:34
Zak
How doing, Gregory, mate?
00:00:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, weren right, mate. It's because you were so confidently talking about the topic of the show before we hit the record button that I was just going with that flow. I just thought that that was it. You were taking the lead.
00:00:48
Zak
And you're right. What actually happened there is after having have a bit of a preamble, neither of us discussed who was hosting
Premier League Focus
00:00:54
Zak
today. And I guess this has now fallen to be So I can join you today, listeners, off the back of a failed driving test.
00:01:01
Zak
So I apologize if I sound manic. It's because I am. it was a it was ah it was It wasn't catastrophic. It was annoyingly frustrating. And if any of you have had to take a driving test or know anything about it recently, the waiting list to redo them is a thing that I could do a whole podcast on all by itself.
00:01:18
Zak
But that isn't why you're here. You are here for us to talk about Southampton.
Liverpool's Triumph
00:01:22
Zak
So today we're not going to do that. We're going to talk about the Premier League. And we're going to talk about the fact that
00:01:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Categorically not Southampton as of next season, right?
00:01:28
Zak
yeah I would like to i would like to bring up and a shout out to, I don't know the name of them, but we were added via Twitter, Greg, into a championships podcasts
00:01:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
So...
00:01:40
Zak
a group by a a by an AFC Wrexham podcast.
00:01:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Love that.
00:01:45
Zak
And that's where that was kind of my first real, oh yeah, we're definitely back in the championship now, alongside Wrexham.
00:01:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Fuck.
00:01:52
Zak
That's weird. But obviously, we've now had confirmation that Liverpool have won the title, and all three teams are that are going to be relegated have been confirmed as relegated.
Season's Lack of Drama
00:02:02
Zak
And to absolutely nobody's surprise, it is all three teams that came up. Not exactly in the order that they came up, but pretty close I feel like if Steve Cooper stayed at Leicester maybe it would have been the exact order who actually knows but yeah so what do you think a lot of oh I say a lot of ex-saints well Joel Van Dyke's there Liverpool have won again they've got do it in front their fans now that must be nice
00:02:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:02:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Look. Yeah. Look, it's nice. I watched the celebrations yesterday. don't know if I share a view on Liverpool that's the same as the rest of our fan base. I think I've said before on the show my wife's a Liverpool fan. So it's It was nice to watch.
00:02:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. I mean, good for them. Great. it's It's an interesting indictment on the rest of the Premier League, which is not to take away from their victory, because let's put it out there.
00:02:51
Zak
Oh, yeah. No.
00:02:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
They've been the most consistent and best team in the league and fully deserve their championship. It's not their fault that the rest of the league sucks. Right?
Relegation Realities
00:03:06
Zak
Yeah, because, like, the amount of points they've had...
00:03:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like, 25 games...
00:03:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's it. But you think back to previous years in the Premier League, and I can think off the top of my head of like six examples of things that we're not going to see happen this season because everything's wrapped up slightly, right?
00:03:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
So you don't get... Man City beating Man United for the title with Aguero in the last minute of the Premier League, like creating that famous soundbite and that incredible moment. You don't get Saints surviving on the last day by the you know the skin of their teeth with a Matt Letizia goal.
00:03:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Don't get any of that like, oh... you know, we're going to have to have two screens going on. Is it going to be Liverpool winning the league or Man City? Because it's the last day of the season. You can't decide.
00:03:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's just, it's just, we've got four games left and no one cares.
00:03:57
Zak
its Well, I think that's a bit of a disservice to the Champions League spots, right? But i I agree with you in the sense of even to two, sort of three years ago. So like when we went down with Leeds, right? you remember at one point Leeds did bring in Big Sam and they brought him in for like two or three games to see if they could get something out of the last couple of games and survive.
00:04:17
Zak
And like, it's you're right. Like it's just wrapped. Like the the bottom, there's nothing to play for, which means that theoretically we, you know, the bottom clubs that have been relegated might go out and just get some wins. Still
Recruitment Strategies
00:04:27
Zak
could see Vardy putting three past us on Saturday just just because I'm not going to predict that now.
00:04:32
Zak
We're still early in the week and and I'm riled up, so maybe i'm I'm up for a fight. But but you're right.
00:04:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, they haven't scored a goal at home since Christmas, Zach. If that doesn't speak of a record, we're going to break.
00:04:41
Zak
No, they they broke that. They broke that not too long ago.
00:04:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:04:45
Zak
So maybe because they've broken it, they can't break it against us. Maybe you're right. They'll get nothing. But it is when you look at like how many points it's taken for Liverpool to win the title and and the just the state of the league in general, you're looking at at sort of Man United and Tottenham, both still their managers somehow.
00:05:00
Zak
and I feel like it's entirely down to the Europa League for Ange at this point. But like it's you're right. There is there is clearly something this year that feels a bit different. And I don't know if it's the golf. I don't know if it's it's what. Because you know Liverpool have recruited well, but they haven't broken the bank. They've not done anything absolutely insane. They've covered a sort of few key positions, but their squad is relatively the same as it was
Unpredictable League Dynamics
00:05:25
Zak
beforehand.
00:05:26
Zak
But yet they've they've managed to kind of get away with the leak this year, kind of run away with it a little bit. And, you know
00:05:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
They brought in a manager, Zach, who didn't change an entire system of playing from something that was nearly there and changed things up a bit tactically and played to their strengths. Liverpool are strong on the break, so let's sort of build around that. and Isn't it amazing what happens when you don't come in with a hardcore philosophy on football and stick to your guns that well?
00:06:00
Zak
Yeah, but what does that say what does that say about teams like Arsenal, where Arteta's spent like two to three to four years trying to build something? Is that just a case that of he's not been backed in the transfer market to get the quote-unquote striker that they need and bits and pieces like that?
00:06:30
Zak
I think a lot of other teams, if they won the f FA Cup, would just be happy to win the FA Cup.
00:06:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah.
00:06:34
Zak
I understand there's a level of expectation and weight that comes behind sort of the league and the Champions and all that kind of stuff that comes with it. But like... Other than that, it's it's just felt like a very, very strange year.
00:06:47
Zak
But the golf has also felt massive. And even the the golf in those bigger teams, like, you know, the the bigger ones, like, you'd expect Spurs to be fourth. And that's an ongoing joke. You'd expect Man United to be higher than they are. And that's not going to happen.
00:06:59
Zak
And even if it
Relegation and Team Depth
00:07:00
Zak
got to sort of the last day for Man City to clinch it by beating Man United, I don't know how stressful or exciting it would be because I feel like it would just probably end up as a nil-nil draw.
00:07:10
Zak
I'd say in that, obviously Man Utd definitely did produce an exciting game with their win against the Ornbe. Me and you both watched that and went, have no idea what's happening here. They followed that with not a lot else, but it has been strange year.
00:07:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, I mean, that's because that's their focus. like that's That's all they've got left. They're 13th, mate. Like, 14th at the moment. Like, that European Championship is their only route into the Champions League.
00:07:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that's a ridiculous position for the the European football, where the team who are finishing fort meno as low as potentially 16th, if the results play out, could still qualify for the Champions League next season.
00:07:49
Zak
it' yeah It's just been it's been weird.
00:07:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's...
00:07:50
Zak
like you know Chelsea doing really, really well at the beginning of the season, sort of massively dropping off. I'm sad to see Forest sort of drop down a little bit. Even Bournemouth were on a sort of a bit of a European charge and that's kind of slowed down.
00:08:03
Zak
It's just been a strange year. And yet somehow in between all of this, we just keep getting beaten by three three to four cars by every team we come across. Apart from, what is it, Everton?
00:08:13
Zak
Everton? Everton and Nipswich, who, you know, one of which, are you you know, at the beginning of the season, there was a lot talk Everton going down.
00:08:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
I did switch, yeah.
00:08:21
Zak
And, you know, now they've got David Moyes. It's just, I understand that football's ever evolving and ever changing. I just, and I know that we were talking about how each each year can be as interesting as the last, but like this this year certainly has been a strange
Everton Fan's Prank
00:08:34
Zak
one.
00:08:35
Zak
And I don't really know what you can put it down to, if I'm totally honest. But let's talk about it some more after a word from our partners at Bionic.
00:09:21
Zak
We are back. Yeah. So, obviously, we've talked a little bit about the sort of winning of the league. And we've talked a little bit about the sort of relegated parties.
00:09:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
We didn't talk about the funniest part of winning the league, right?
00:09:34
Zak
Oh, is this the flares?
00:09:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, absolutely.
00:09:38
Zak
Greg, what happened with these flares, mate?
00:09:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now...
00:09:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
but artist It's been all over the socials. you'd be I'm surprised that you haven't seen more of it, to be honest. You spend more time on them than me. it was It was interesting that there were a number of blue flares set off amongst the Red Sea of Liverpool celebrations.
00:09:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it is because it appears that one Everton fan took it upon themselves a month ago as many 10,000 blue flares and... blue flat and and slowly de-label them, re-label them as red flares, and try and sell them to Liverpool fans.
00:10:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that is... Look, we say a lot of things about this league, but that is a level of commitment to a petty joke that I can get behind.
00:10:25
Zak
It is.
00:10:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm right there. That's hilarious. LAUGHTER
00:10:29
Zak
It's somehow to me funnier than like, you know, you've got these these European ultras that are trying to kind of like emulate sort of 80s Premier League sort of, you know, ultras and the sort of fights and taking your tops off.
00:10:42
Zak
that i said But in actuality, this is like, this is the modern day, right? And one of the reasons I did see it, Greg, I saw it a lot. I think that... I just kind of, like I do with most things I see on cs social media, just thought, haha, that's a very funny joke.
00:10:56
Zak
I didn't think it was actually goingnna be they were going to actually start setting off flares that were going to be blue. like i I guess I didn't believe his commitment to the bit. And that's when you realise, just like, man, football fans were kind of crazy when it comes to that kind of stuff, and levels of rivalry.
00:11:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:11:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:11:12
Zak
And yeah, it was I guess that's where...
00:11:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
But like when when it's like something like that, which in the grand scheme of things, realistically, has not done anybody any harm, that is top level.
00:11:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
That is so funny.
00:11:27
Zak
Now, now, Greg, you know you know pyrotechnics
Wrexham's Media Rise
00:11:29
Zak
are a serious business, and you know unless it unless it helps make good photographs and papers, then it's fine. But you wait.
00:11:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, I've seen some of the photos. I saw a photo taken from plane of the red smoke around the Anfield area of the Liverpool Celebration, so...
00:11:50
Zak
So do you reckon they'll be they'll get their Photoshop people to to Photoshop all of the blue smoke to red smoke from the from the blue flares?
00:11:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that the the amount of red smoke there was massively outdid the blue smoke.
00:11:59
Zak
Definitely, yeah, yeah,
00:12:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it was still funny to see these spots of blue. and And like say, that because there was no harm done to anyone realistically.
00:12:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that's very funny.
00:12:11
Zak
yeah.
00:12:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:12:12
Zak
Yeah, you're right.
00:12:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
doesn't really take away from what are incredible scenes of celebration for their for their win, and rightly so. i mean... to win it in such an emphatic fashion as well, right?
00:12:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
With so many games to spare and to...
00:12:29
Zak
Yeah, but again, it's...
00:12:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Bless Spurs. I mean, why did they start?
00:12:35
Zak
But again, it's...
00:12:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Even Gary Neville turned around on commentary and like, Spurs are the perfect team for Liverpool to play, really, because, well...
00:12:42
Zak
I suppose.
00:12:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
good but
00:12:44
Zak
I'm getting like...
00:12:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
no I think the words he used were there were no sense of fear, but what he really meant is...
00:12:45
Zak
I know...
00:12:51
Zak
we're going to get We're going to get a reputation. I've already got a reputation for two things, right? Mugging off Preston. Was it Preston I used to mug off? The fact that I forgot who I spent all my time mugging off was a good thing, because that means I must have stopped doing it, but you're right.
00:13:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
rotherham
00:13:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:13:08
Zak
Apologies to anyone listening to Rotherham. but But yeah, I also now reckon I have this low-key reputation as someone that just hates Spurs. And I don't. really like Spurs in small doses.
00:13:20
Zak
It's the insufferability of anybody, I think, in the top 10 that that thinks they're a top three club. And I guess you would expect to a lot of the teams that have sort of sat around mid-table to come higher.
00:13:32
Zak
And the fact that you've got like United and Spurs both underneath 10th is mad. Absolutely mad. when And that's what I was trying to say when it comes to the bottom of the table. Was it inevitable that all three of the championship teams that came up crashed out?
00:13:48
Zak
What is the big difference? Because like you know if we've managed to get some of the managers, that you know the manager that Wolves have managed to get in, if we've managed to get some of the players, but we we keep talking about this golf. And it's not just the golf of, oh, well, if a team comes up, they have the money, they should invest in players.
00:14:02
Zak
You can buy one or two good players. Like Ipswich did it with DeLapp, right? we We looked at DeLapp. They bought a striker in. The problem you've got is that it's building like depth in in a good way. like You need seasons to build the level of depth that these good teams have.
00:14:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah It's a number of things, right? And... And actually, Steve on the Total Saints pod was listening to earlier put it in a way that was really like concise that I've not thought about before.
00:14:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And there's three main contributing factors to it, right? And that is obviously financial fair play.
00:14:30
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:14:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's not as easy to spend money. But that's not the the biggest one. the The biggest one is the other two. This is now the second season in a row where the... teams that have been relegated have all come up from the championship.
00:14:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
And what that means is that all of the teams above them have had three years of that building process. So that is why the gap dwindles. But actually the third point that he also made was this change to five substitutions, where actually now as well as you know that initial depth being a problem,
00:15:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
you can change half a team.
00:15:13
Zak
You can.
00:15:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And that only benefits these teams that have had those additional three years to build that depth.
00:15:14
Zak
I agree with that.
00:15:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
And yeah how many times this season have we said that it's the quality coming off the bench that has done us in time and time again? And that is that is what is.
00:15:28
Zak
this is this is the thing. So we need to have a team full of people that can play 90 minutes without needing to be subbed off. And the problem is, is that I know you talked about, and we we all talk about fitness all the time, and we do understand that big aspect. And, you know, it's coming from someone that, you know, I can run a 5K once a week in a treadmill environment.
00:15:46
Zak
That's my level of fitness. like but And I understand that, you know, saying saying that about these players. But then also... you're if you're working around other teams that don't don't have to do that, because they do have people that can just hop on, hop off, and they have that level of quality spread around. And we're, you know, but one of my friends said it before, and i probably agree with him even more so now that we're back down again.
00:16:10
Zak
Did we need more time in the championship? Do you need more time to build up a good team?
00:16:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Possibly.
00:16:13
Zak
But you say, obviously, Ipswich, it's their first time up in a long time, but they've gone straight back down. So they've had time to build into the area they're in. They they rightly were promoted
00:16:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
They didn't though, did they? They came, didn't they? When they backed a back, they came straight up and went straight up.
00:16:26
Zak
I don't think so. That was the first time they've been back in years.
00:16:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
It was...
00:16:29
Zak
You can double-check.
00:16:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm pretty sure.
00:16:31
Zak
I might be going mad, but...
00:16:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
a Dealer, it's... Either but either way, they they've not had that Premier League... building time, right? Because...
00:16:40
Zak
Yeah, but this this is this is the problem. is they so But I guess what my argument and is, is that even if, like us, you go down, get the monies, keep building, come back up into the Premier League, You've still got some Premier League quality players and it's still a massive struggle.
00:16:55
Zak
And then you've if you've got teams that are going to break through, so looking at the potentials of sort of Sunderland and looking at the potentials of Bristol City, they're going to come up. And unless you do what Forest did when they come up and break the financial fair play rules, you're going massively struggle.
00:17:11
Zak
And like I always think that we should have done that.
00:17:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
100%.
00:17:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
By the way, Ipswich did go back to back. They came up from League One and then went straight up to the Championship.
00:17:16
Zak
Oh, back to... i Sorry, when you were saying back-to-back, I thought you meant as in down from the Premiership and
Building Competitive Teams
00:17:21
Zak
then up again.
00:17:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, so they came up from League One and then went straight up from back to back.
00:17:26
Zak
Yeah, no... Yeah, that makes exactly. And yet...
00:17:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
So they haven't had that building time to get to a Premier League because we've talked as well about the gap between the League One and the Championship. you know it's or Or not even that, really, between that bottom half of the championship and the top half of the championship.
00:17:41
Zak
you were You were talking about, yeah, were talking about, you sent through an article, we were talking about it separately, because funny funny enough, as when we're not on the podcast, it is genuinely also one of the things that we only talk about.
00:17:54
Zak
That and most recently it's been NFL Draft Week. So it's been it's been a bit of American football too for the people that hate that. But there we are. But you're you're right. like The difference is in just... the There's almost so many different tiers of level now.
00:18:06
Zak
It's going to be very interesting to see what happens with Wrexham. Because if could you imagine Wrexham going up to the league? Because that is like that's like football manager-style stories, right?
00:18:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yes and no.
00:18:15
Zak
Or do you think that's it?
00:18:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think know this is this is going to be, since the National League, which is notoriously part to get out of, this is their toughest challenge yet because it is such a substantial step up.
00:18:16
Zak
Do you think that they're stuck now in the championship forever? Yeah.
00:18:28
Zak
I agree.
00:18:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
And now you're in a position, it's a really difficult position for them as well because what you've got is a team that you've built success on and you've had these players that were too good for the national league because they were the league one lower league championship level so now you have the tough decisions to make right you have the do we have to cut some of these players who have been who have been with us to get us this back to back to back promotions who now are probably not going to be good enough
00:19:06
Zak
Well, they've done that. They've done that with their... can't remember the name of the guy. Like, the key guy. one of the key guys from the documentary. The one that appeared in in the Deadpool movie.
00:19:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:14
Zak
And then since he he ended up going out, he had, what, Serge on his back twice.
00:19:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
mu
00:19:19
Zak
And then, obviously, since then, obviously, they brought in Jay Rodriguez from Burnley. We know, obviously, Jay Rod.
00:19:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:19:24
Zak
And then he's taken his spot since then. But the problem is, is, like, i think that the jump, you're right, up into the championship is going to be...
00:19:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, but that's slightly that's different though, right? He's going out for back surgery and Mullin is an ageing player anyway. it it It's not as ruthless as some of the decisions they're going to have to make.
00:19:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah They might do it and they might do very well at it and they've got the financial back in. And I think we were talking about it off the air about how... Obviously, it's a lot said for like Newcastle, where they come in with the Saudi money, and Man City, where they've come in with these like big cash injections.
00:19:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
And yes, it's undeniable that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have put a lot of money into Wrexham, but also what they've done is set up like this documentary structure that's helped the club create their own success in such a weird way.
00:20:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
It makes them a very polarising club as well.
00:20:14
Zak
i I would say...
00:20:18
Zak
but They are. But I would also say I reckon that formula started with Sunderland because Sunderland Till I Die was like the OG sort of behind-the-scenes football documentary. And I think it died when Wayne Rooney tried to do it at Plymouth.
00:20:32
Zak
And then Plymouth were like, actually, this is having a massive effect on our ability to stay in the league.
00:20:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:20:37
Zak
Can you not do this? And then a couple of weeks later fired him.
00:20:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:20:39
Zak
So...
00:20:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
But yeah, like just yeah and i mean there's there's been a few that sort of hit around the same time. There's been a couple of all or nothing style documentary series. I sort remember the Arsenal one and Spurs did one.
00:20:48
Zak
Arsenal I'm thinking of with the with the light bulb Arteta on
00:20:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and but but none of them did it as consistently or as well.
00:20:55
Zak
no
00:20:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
And and none of the all of those are different because they were separate entities. that They were documentary crews that came in and did this existing documentary on this team.
00:21:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Whereas Welcome to Wrexham, because of the world that their owners live in, was built with that brand in mind. It's an interesting one and it's fascinating, but I don't know. I think that it's going to be a shock to their system. i't I think that they're expecting for it to be difficult this year. I don't think any Rex and fam will tell you that they're expecting to go up to the Premier League.
00:21:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
The championship has always been the aim, right, for the longest time.
00:21:30
Zak
I don't
00:21:33
Zak
Well, i I genuinely think that that that their ambition is that, but like some of the stuff i want to talk about is...
00:21:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
i think their ambition is, but it won't be next season.
00:21:42
Zak
Never know. the site Never say never mate to anything anymore. But I want to speak a little bit about, is it just down to money? But we'll do that after a word from our partners at Zincaster.
00:21:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform and Zencaster came out the clear winner. With 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs, it's super easy to start a podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently.
00:22:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description and learn more about Zencaster.
00:22:15
Zak
We are back. Sorry, Greg. I'll pretty much start off where we stopped. Is it all down to money? Because like looking at how good Forrest are now, that part of that is the fact they massively overspent when they came up.
00:22:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:22:29
Zak
For sure, arguing for not being all about money.
00:22:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:22:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
is not It's not all about money because if it was all about how much money you pump in, we we wouldn't be the worst team in Premier League history. It's that joint at the moment.
00:22:39
Zak
no cheea Chelsea would also, at this point, have about four separate teams that are all in top.
00:22:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah. It's not just about money. Obviously, the more income and the more investment you have, the bigger your margin for error, your allowance, your gap that you can make mistakes for is.
00:22:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's about... making the right footballing decisions at the right time. And that's why Wrexham have been so much more successful at it than some of the others who have tried, because they came in with the money and the big investment and they went, this is a cool project that we can get behind.
00:23:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
But also i know nothing about football. Let's bring in people who do know about football to make those football decisions because right.
00:23:22
Zak
No way. you mean getting You mean hiring staff that know about football instead of just winging it is is a good thing? That's crazy.
00:23:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and and that's like the direct opposite when you contrast to like Sports Republic, who came in for us, right? Who came in like, well, it's a stats-driven business and we know everything about stats. We're the stats specialists. Let's bring in statistically the best manager in Europe. It's Nathan Jones. And everyone's like, what?
00:23:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
What are you talking about? That's 100% the
00:23:50
Zak
I can't even take it seriously, but you're right. There's probably, this's there's, there's gotta be someone who sat in a room and went Nathan Jones, manager of Salamdon.
00:23:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's a hundred percent the difference, right? Like...
00:24:00
Zak
I can just see it working and managed to convince people that.
00:24:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
He is statistically the best manager in Europe. Pound for pound.
00:24:06
Zak
could have married a PE teacher.
00:24:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:24:08
Zak
Right.
Money's Influence in Football
00:24:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
that's That's the difference, right? is is there is Obviously, the money is important because the money investment, the more you can spend and the more wages you can pay to attract the better players.
00:24:16
Zak
It's,
00:24:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
But that is not the only factor.
00:24:24
Zak
It's not the only factor, but it's like you look at a Newcastle and if it wasn't for the fact they got bought out, would Newcastle still have Isik? Would Newcastle have the the power that they've had to go and win a trophy this year for the first time in years?
00:24:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, of course they wouldn't. No, of course they wouldn't. But that's not the only point.
00:24:38
Zak
then So then, no, it's not the only factor.
00:24:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's not the only factor that's contributed to their success.
00:24:43
Zak
You're right. it's it's It's a combination of things, but I do think that that kind of stuff is important. And I guess we'll have to see what happens to us in the future.
00:24:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Of course it is. if you You can attract the better players if you can pay them more money to play for you. That's a very simple equation. But also, you can also attract...
00:25:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
What's the polite way of putting this? People who can't play but want the big money.
00:25:06
Zak
ah ah yeah I was just going to say, i was just going to say gold diggers.
00:25:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
You still need to dodge those traps.
00:25:09
Zak
Like that's, that that's where I'm at, right?
00:25:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, literally.
00:25:11
Zak
Like people that just, people that just want a really big paycheck and like, like that's the thing, right? A lot of them usually do just end up going off to the south Saudi league.
00:25:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
or George Waiya's cousin, that of thing.
00:25:23
Zak
I was thinking more Mitrovic from Fulham, you know, absolutely incredible player, would definitely score you goals, but like, was like, oh, someone's offered me like £20 billion pounds to move to Saudi Arabia, goodbye.
00:25:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
but I think that's different because like I don't think I can sit here and negatively cast an aspersion on that because if I'm given that choice, I'm probably taking the £20 billion.
00:25:34
Zak
And that's the other...
00:25:42
Zak
and that' that's the other
00:25:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
pound like
00:25:45
Zak
Man, you can talk about the philosophies around this kind of stuff for hours and days, and I'm i'm sure you'd all love to listen to it, but but or not. Wait for our other spin-off, the daily random other football. Obviously, we'll be back in the next episode to talk about something a little bit Southampton.
00:26:01
Zak
I've still got research to do on my next manager update, that'll probably be with you at a later date. So the next episode will be something Southampton related, we promise you.
Social Media Sign-off
00:26:10
Zak
And that'll be that.
00:26:12
Zak
So, Greg, it was a pleasure, mate. Thank very much for talking about the, whatever this season has ended up being.
00:26:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Always.
00:26:18
Zak
And somehow, probably significantly more wrecks than anyone expected. we are going to be playing them next season.
00:26:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Definitely more than I expected, mate.
00:26:25
Zak
So, we joked about that at the beginning season.
00:26:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's an away day trip that my wife might even partake in, so...
00:26:32
Zak
Perfect.
00:26:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
if
00:26:33
Zak
Ah, wonderful. wonderful. Well, thank you very much for listening. We are on all the social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blue Sky, TikTok, YouTube. think that's all of them. All the ones that I can remember that I do on a daily basis.
00:26:45
Zak
So until then, wonderful listeners, we will see you in the next one.