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That Saturday Feeling - Episode 14
3 Plays18 days ago
Show Notes
Join Ken Davies and Nick Britten for your weekly sideways take on all things soccer.
We talk crazy rule changes - weordterms we use in soccer - each of us has a good old rant and the prediction table gets closer and closer
Contact the show by email : thatsaturdayfeelinggspn@gmail.com
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Transcript
Introduction & Episode Overview
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Welcome, welcome, welcome back to another episode of That Saturday Feeling with myself, Ken Davis, my partner in crime against football media. It's Nick Britton. Welcome, Nick.
00:00:22
Nick Britten
Great as always to be here.
00:00:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right. A few things to talk about today. We've got a packed agenda. we We want to talk rule changes. We want to talk phraseology. want to talk some of the phrases that you come across in football, which we don't know why they're there, but they're entertaining.
00:00:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
We want to rant. I'm going to grant a rant to Nick. I'm going to grant a rant to myself. We want to really... ah Very interesting your opinions on those things as well. And then we're going to get into predictions, which gets progressively tighter.
00:00:51
Nick Britten
Thank you.
Derby County's Football Revival
00:00:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, but before we start anything, I want to talk about fair play to Derby County. When the chips were down, when their backs were against the wall, when all seemed forlorn and forsaken with a mighty roar of determination,
00:01:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
The Rams are back. Six points out of six. but you what's What's going on? The baseball ground or whatever you call it these days.
00:01:18
Nick Britten
the um I think the final score is called Pride Park Stadium has been since 1998 when the club moved there.
00:01:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, yeah.
00:01:25
Nick Britten
and Well, it's the new manager bounce just a little later than we'd expected, i think is the answer to that. When John Eustace came in to replace Paul Warren, ah The first couple of games didn't go to plan and that's putting it nicely.
00:01:39
Nick Britten
And everybody thought, oh, OK, fine. There's no new manager bounce and we're just going to slip slider our way to relegation, bottom of the table. And then um literally this time last week, wasn't it? This time last week, we were going, well, we're playing Blackburn tomorrow.
00:01:53
Nick Britten
And that's John Eustace's old club who he left yeah know a few weeks ago for us. And then we've got a really difficult game, the return of Frank Lampard Tuesday at Oldsport's coming. And both teams are in and around the playoffs. And we just thought, yeah, this could be, this could kind of be the death knell of our season. As it turns out, as it turns out,
00:02:13
Nick Britten
It's the revival of our season because a win over Blackburn, a win over Coventry on Tuesday night. And by the way, Tuesday night we played really, really well. were a totally different unit and that's without half the team now injured.
00:02:27
Nick Britten
So the the reserves are stepping up, what we used to call the reserves in old-fashioned way.
00:02:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
maybe this's Maybe there's a clue there. Maybe you should be playing him a lot earlier.
00:02:33
Nick Britten
Yeah, well, mate, try it. Yeah, and but we looked much more organised, much more committed, much better without the ball, much better with the ball. And it's not it's not amazing. We're not suddenly turning into a great side.
00:02:44
Nick Britten
But we just looked like that we have now a head coach who's capable of making that change. And and and it was really is a very positive performance. We made Coventry, who bear bear in mind they came into the game having won nine out of their previous ten games.
00:02:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yep.
00:02:59
Nick Britten
We made them look very ordinary. It was a pretty routine and comfortable win. And you would never, ever have thought that this time last week. So the changes that John Eustace is putting in place are absolutely starting to come into force. Massive, massive game tomorrow away at Plymouth, who are one place below us. And if we can get something out of that, and I'll take a draw, by the way, out of that, then, you know, what we've done is given ourselves a chance.
00:03:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
More than a chance.
00:03:26
Nick Britten
Given ourselves know whether we'll stay up or not, you've given us ourselves a chance.
00:03:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
More than a chance. I remember this time last week, I think I predicted four points out of six. You predicted zero points out of six.
00:03:36
Nick Britten
Well, this is the...
00:03:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
It just seems to indicate your prediction capabilities are on the slide.
00:03:36
Nick Britten
Hello. Hello.
00:03:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
More...
00:03:44
Nick Britten
well this is the
00:03:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
More to come on that.
00:03:45
Nick Britten
okay
00:03:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
More to come on that. Right.
00:03:47
Nick Britten
know
00:03:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
OK.
Controversial Football Rules
00:03:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
lot been going in the world of football.
00:03:49
Nick Britten
so
00:03:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
We want to talk about rule changes first, because we were talking a couple of weeks ago about rule changes that we bring in. And over the course of the last couple of days, there have been some rule changes which...
00:04:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
the regulatory bodies are bringing in. So we're going talk about that. We all saw that weird who-touch penalty kick the other day. I don't know what that was all about. That seemed terribly harsh to me.
00:04:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
But what watch's what's your views on that? what's your views on the other rule change about goalkeeping that's coming in?
00:04:18
Nick Britten
Well, rule 14 is the rule the penalty to kick and that states very, very clearly. And when I say very clearly, I mean very clearly. It says the ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves and the kicker must not play the ball again until it it has touched another player.
00:04:35
Nick Britten
Now, what happened is, if you didn't see it, Julio Alvarez in the absolutely critical shootout between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid ran up and as he ran, as he planted his foot, his left foot to kick the ball with his right foot, his left foot s slipped from underneath him and brushed the ball with the slightest of brushes before his right foot connected with it and sent it into the knee.
00:04:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Ball didn't move, in my opinion.
00:04:58
Nick Britten
and
00:04:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Ball didn't move.
00:05:00
Nick Britten
looked at it like I've looked at it it close. I've studied this quite in depth in the last, term well, the last few hours, actually, which probably means I've got better things to be doing. But I've looked at again and again and again.
00:05:11
Nick Britten
The ball does clearly move, but it moves a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of an inch. And it could have easily been moved. that in that way as if a ah ah small gust of wind and had buffeted it very very slowly.
00:05:26
Nick Britten
It does move very very slowly. It doesn't move off the spot, it doesn't move in any way other than that but the other bit about this is you can't quite tell is that when Alvarez's right boot then connects with the ball Does it brush against his left foot and therefore send it in a slightly different direction what it would have gone on had had it not made any connection whatsoever?
00:05:50
Nick Britten
And therefore, is that putting the goalkeeper at a disadvantage? Because reading the body language of the goalkeeper, he's going to go to his right. Does the ball slightly deviate by brushing against the left foot? It's really difficult to tell.
00:06:03
Nick Britten
And with these types, know, the ball's moved at such pace that any kind of deviation, however small, can have a real impact in its path of travel. So there's two bits to it. it's It's not just the did his left foot touch the ball before his right foot kicked it.
00:06:17
Nick Britten
There's also did that movement then deviate the actual direction of the ball. the the reality here The reality here is that the laws are clear. The law says... The ball is in play when it's kicked and clearly moves. So, did it clearly move, therefore was in play?
00:06:31
Nick Britten
And also then the kicker must not play the ball again until it's touched another player. Technically, he he kicked it twice with his left foot than his right foot. So,
00:06:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
If the ball moved, I didn't think it did, but if you've had a closer look than me, if the ball moved, then it's clearly contravention.
00:06:43
Nick Britten
right there.
00:06:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
A clear contravention.
00:06:47
Nick Britten
It is, and it's that moment, isn't it, where his left foot brushes it, and the moment it moves ever so slightly, if you determine that it's moved, then his right foot, the moment he kicks it with his right foot, a foul has been created.
00:06:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
The rules is the rules. So if if that's the case, if it moved, we've got to be on the side the referee there. Talk us about...
00:07:06
Nick Britten
By no way, if you wait for a half cent today, they're going to look at it.
00:07:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Ah, okay.
00:07:11
Nick Britten
And they might change the rule.
00:07:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, okay. That'll be interesting to see what happens. One rule that has been changed, or it seems like it is going to be changing, is the goalkeeper rule in terms of having now eight seconds to release the ball after catching it, or they'll award a corner random. Why not throw it? I don't know It's strange.
00:07:32
Nick Britten
This is
00:07:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
corner has got to get awarded.
00:07:32
Nick Britten
this
00:07:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
What's that all about, and is that going to help?
00:07:37
Nick Britten
It's sucho it's just such lunacy. It's such madness. So at the moment, goalkeepers are allowed technically allowed to have it six seconds in their hands.
00:07:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:07:45
Nick Britten
So they're making the term longer. They're allowed to have it longer now when the idea is to cut back on time-wasting.
00:07:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:07:51
Nick Britten
And we all know we all know that that this law is never enforced. Goalkeepers kind of meander around the box with a ball of their hands for absolutely ages.
00:07:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. A smoke in a cigarette and a pipe.
00:08:00
Nick Britten
yeah okay And the referee just doesn't do anything. Now, and this is this is the best bit about it, isn't the fact that they're just going to like, oh, ah well we'll actually make it six to eight seconds, so it's a bit longer, um and then instead of giving an indirect free kick, which is the current we're going to award a corner.
00:08:17
Nick Britten
but the eye to hear that the enforcement comes in the way of and this will be as part of the wording, referees have to stick their hand in the air, they have to count eight seconds, and when they get to five, count down from eight, eight, seven, six, when they get to five, honestly this is such madness, when they get five they have to put their hand in the air and count down on their fingers like they're at primary school until they get to zero.
00:08:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you.
00:08:42
Nick Britten
Now, there's an issue here, because if I'm a goalkeeper and i'm wa and I'm trying to kind of take as much time as I possibly can within the rules and laws of the game, and and a referee's 40 yards away with his hand in the air, I can't see his fingers move.
00:08:57
Nick Britten
So I've no idea whether he's holding up five fingers, three fingers or one finger. Therefore, I don't know how long I've got. So what is the point of
Debate on Goalkeeping Rules
00:09:05
Nick Britten
it? There's just no point of it whatsoever. Why don't they actually just enforce the existing rule?
00:09:10
Nick Britten
That would make sense.
00:09:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:09:12
Nick Britten
There's a law in place to where he says you're allowed have for six seconds. And then there's an indirect free kick given against you. Why don't it just do that?
00:09:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Correct. I'm 100% with you on this. It it seems weird because the the idea behind this change is to ah reduce time wasted. So what they've done is that they've taken the current rule of six seconds and made it eight seconds, and they've made the penalty not an indirect free kick,
00:09:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
10 yards away from the goal, but an indirect free kick 25 yards away from the goal in the corner. So actually they've made the they've made the seconds longer.
00:09:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
They've made the penalty less in the hope that they're going to make it better. It's not going to work. that it's This sounds like a rule made by committee. you know what I mean?
00:09:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
I can imagine some, used to say smoke room somewhere, but this ain't going work.
00:10:01
Nick Britten
sorry yeah um just worry I can't wait to just see referees count down. Because you know what's going happen, don't You know exactly what's going to happen. The crowd are going to count with the referee, aren't they?
00:10:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
a ah It's kind of that's going to add to that.
00:10:14
Nick Britten
So they're going to see the referee put their hand in the air. Then they're all going to go with the referee, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. But as in all these things, they'll all go at different times.
00:10:25
Nick Britten
So half the crowd will be 5, half the crowd will be on 3.
00:10:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yes.
00:10:28
Nick Britten
It's just chaos.
00:10:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm looking forward to it.
00:10:30
Nick Britten
It's absolutely chaos.
00:10:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah So we give we give that a bit of a thumbs down.
00:10:32
Nick Britten
What is the point?
00:10:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Okay. So here at Global Sports Podcast Network, which is what you're listening to, our wonderful network of football, soccer, and all kinds of sports content, we spend a lot of time delivering and selecting our delivery platform. Zencaster came out the clear winner with 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all the ums and ahs and mistakes. It's Super easy to start a podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently.
00:11:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show notes and learn more about Zencastr.
00:11:07
Nick Britten
and
00:11:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, want to talk about this.
Humorous Football Phrases
00:11:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
this When you put this on the agenda, it made me laugh because it brought back some funny memories and some funny memories that I want to share with our listeners, which involved me and you.
00:11:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah but And it's about phraseology. It's about about some of the things that get used, some of the terminology that gets used in football that just doesn't make any sense. And if someone was not within football and they kind of heard you talking about it, they'd think, what what are you on about? So kick us off with one. And I've got a couple to bring to bring ti bed
00:11:45
Nick Britten
Well, there's obviously there's obviously the old cliched ones. as um yeah yeah it manages it Managers, when they lose, have traditionally been sick as a parrot, which I've never understood because... Parrots are no more or less sick than any other bird or indeed animal.
00:12:00
Nick Britten
So, A, why would a... one and And when you say you're sick as a parrot, you kind of suggest the parrot's quite ill and about to die.
00:12:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:12:07
Nick Britten
So, it's not just like having a bad day or a bit an upset stomach.
00:12:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:12:10
Nick Britten
And so, why would manager, just having lost a game, and be on the verge of death like a bird?
00:12:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
well
00:12:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:12:15
Nick Britten
It doesn't really make any sense to me. Equally, equally the you know the other side of it is, course, if they win a game, managers have traditionally been over the moon, which... I mean, what does that even mean?
00:12:28
Nick Britten
um mean, the cow jumped over the moon.
00:12:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah No one's ever been there. No one's ever been there, have they?
00:12:30
Nick Britten
No. I mean, the closest man got was on the moon. They didn't actually go over the moon. So like if a manager was literally but manager were over the moon, they'd be doing what no other human being had ever done in the history of football.
00:12:43
Nick Britten
So fair play to them, all for the sake of a scabby 1-0 win against Millwall or something.
00:12:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
so
00:12:47
Nick Britten
It's just ridiculous. Where do we get this phraseology from? i put this on the agenda because what I'm going to do What I'm going to do is going to start a bit of a research bit on this to find out where these phrases come from. I haven't i wanted to use this just to kick it off.
00:13:01
Nick Britten
And if anybody thinks it's a bad idea, then won't bother. But there are some phrases like early doors is a great phrase we use in football.
00:13:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
I love it.
00:13:06
Nick Britten
Right, get out of early doors.
00:13:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:13:08
Nick Britten
Get out of early doors, lads. you know I saw it in ah in a report the other day. In fact, it was and in in a news report when last week when Derby beat Blackburn. We scored twice in the first seven minutes.
00:13:18
Nick Britten
and and and written, you know, two goals, early doors for the Rams. I'm just like, what? Early and doors.
00:13:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Early doors.
00:13:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's the port It's an old pub cliche, isn't it? You're getting there early doors is when the doors first open in the pub. That's, i think, where it comes from.
00:13:32
Nick Britten
Well, think probably need to go to the pub if I'm going to research all this. It's going to take me some time.
00:13:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it'd be a good one. There's a couple I've got, which I always... The classic is, you know, when when people who don't know anything about football hear you're using this terminology and they look at you with that kind of glazed expression, you know, trying to process what you're trying to talk about.
00:13:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
I remember a couple, and my mum is a great example of this because my mum wasn't interested in football at all. She knew nothing about it. So I remember talking about Wrexham to my mum years ago saying, that well, that in that forward, we've got to get rid of that forward. He's hopeless.
00:14:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
I says, well, why is he hopeless? I says, well, his legs have gone. And fact she looks at me and she's like, and I can know what she's processing. She thinks he's wheeling himself. out He's a double amputee.
00:14:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
And he's wheeling himself around the penalty box trying to join in and no one's letting him join in. And I just know that's what's going through her mind about, you know, his legs have gone.
00:14:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
well Oh, that's a shame. That's a shame. so So that's one. His legs have gone always makes me laugh now. And the other one, and it's the same same thing. I remember talking to my mum about a manager.
00:14:37
Nick Britten
Was he a better striker as a result of it?
00:14:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
again
00:14:39
Nick Britten
Because I can think of a few. If you'd chopped their legs off, it would probably be an improvement.
00:14:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Exactly. The other one was about managers. And I remember saying to me, well, this manager, he's got to go. He's got to go. We're never going to do anything with him in charge.
00:14:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
He goes, why? I says, well, he's lost the dressing room. And I shit and know she's thinking, he's walking down the corridor, knocking on each of the doors, opening up say excuse me, is this the dressing room? said, no, no, this is the janitor's cupboard.
00:15:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
And all the players in the half-time look at the watch thinking, where is he? Where's he got to? Because she's lost the dress he's lost the dressing room. So I remember saying to my mum, yeah, yeah, well, he's lost the dressing room.
00:15:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
I said, what mean he's lost the dressing room? Anyway, that's a cracker there. I love he's lost the dressing room as well. So there too. But what I want to refer to is is is something, you remember when me and you used to work in an office?
Introducing Football to a Colleague
00:15:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so me and Nick used to work in the same office, and and it was mayhem. And there was no bosses. So we were left our own.
00:15:44
Nick Britten
Thank you.
00:15:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
We ran our own businesses. We left our own devices. There was a lad in there who had just had some it's just ah sons. I won't mention his name. I still work with him. Lovely lovely bloke.
00:15:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
And he wanted to get into football because he's sons and that he knew nothing, nothing about it And so he was completely blank page on this. And which is great because so many funny things came from that.
00:16:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
One of which was, can go to a game? i said, yeah, we'll take you to a game so you can get into it. You learn the rules. He did not know any of the rules. He didn't know they turned around at half time.
00:16:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
I remember after half time, he was like on his feet saying, what are you doing? What are you doing? You kick it the wrong way. But he didn't realize they changed, right? That was the level of his understanding of the game.
00:16:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I remember him saying when we arranged to go and watch Derby, we were in the we werere in the press seats. And he said, what should I shout?
00:16:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
And obviously, me and Nick, ah when someone gives you an opportunity like that, ah you aren't going to just... Let it go.
00:17:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
So do you remember what we told him to shout at the at the ground?
00:17:06
Nick Britten
What was it? I remember going. I remember having this chat.
00:17:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
we said well
00:17:09
Nick Britten
What did we have?
00:17:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
What happens if if if the ball goes in our defense and we want someone to clear it?
00:17:12
Nick Britten
That's
00:17:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Shout lamp it. Lamp it.
00:17:18
Nick Britten
true. That's true. just
00:17:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
So all the way through the first half, as as As they were attacking us and we were, like I don't know, defending a corner, he'd be on his feet shouting, lamp it, lamp it, literally over and over and over and over again.
00:17:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
And the reaction of other people around is just joy to behold. Do you remember that?
00:17:41
Nick Britten
but actually
00:17:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
i
00:17:44
Nick Britten
Which in itself is an odd phrase, lampit. Why would you use that?
00:17:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Is it? I've never it.
00:17:53
Nick Britten
For those who don't know what that means, the terminology is kick the ball as hard and as far away from yourself as you possibly can, preferably up the field and in the air.
00:17:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Had you used that before then? The term lampit?
00:18:04
Nick Britten
Well, lampit, yeah, lampit is part of the so football lexicon of stupid phrases that don't really mean very much.
00:18:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'd never used
00:18:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, there there you are, lamp it. So ah he was he was busy lamping it all day. I do remember, before we move on from that subject, which is a funny subject, is do you remember the two – I've written down two rules we told him actually existed in football that didn't, and he actually believed – may well still believe these rules exist.
Pranking with Fake Football Rules
00:18:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
One of them was that offside only applies if it's raining –
00:18:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Which yeah whicher I remember. And the second one was, goalkeepers must wear a hat. If it falls off, it's an automatic penalty.
00:18:48
Nick Britten
but
00:18:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
um you So,
00:18:51
Nick Britten
That's brilliant. And he would have believed it.
00:18:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
you would have believed it.
00:18:55
Nick Britten
He would have believed And there's always good reason in these things. And and if he says, well, why is that? it would just go, well, because when it's raining, it's more slippery. Therefore, you know, we're going to get loads of off-sides, aren't you?
00:19:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's all fair on the defenders. Yeah, offside in the rain.
00:19:06
Nick Britten
Yeah,
00:19:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
oh If it's not raining, they're fine. They'll
00:19:10
Nick Britten
yeah. You might want to write to iFab with those last two, by the way.
00:19:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
probably get in, won't they?
00:19:15
Nick Britten
and It can't be any more stupid than having a referee wave his hand in the air, counting down from eight, using his fingers.
00:19:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
no i No, you're right. That's the weird thing. Those those stupid ideas, just as just as relevant as the ones that are actually going to happen. Right. Okay. So Bionique, Global Sports Podcast Network, has partnered with Bionique, the world's most personalized supplements, because your body is unique.
00:19:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:19:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
No guessing. So click the link in the show notes. Use the code GSPN2025 for your 33% discount off your first order. looks like you've been taking them, Nick.
00:20:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Your body is looking increasingly unique.
00:20:13
Nick Britten
Thank you very much indeed. I'll take that as a compliment that I'm sure it was meant to be.
00:20:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, absolutely. Right, we've got 10 minutes to go. We've got to get into predictions. There's only eight games, so we don't need to long for that. So go on. off You've got a rant. I've got a rant. Go and have a three-minute rant.
00:20:33
Nick Britten
this is something that This is something that really annoys me and has annoyed me for some time, but has sharply come into focus in recent times watching Manchester United.
00:20:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Lock yourself out, mate.
00:20:43
Nick Britten
When I look down the list of goal scorers on a Saturday, Sunday and indeed every other day of the week, I see such luminaries as Isaac and Salah and, very occasionally, Cole Palmer and others.
00:20:57
Nick Britten
and lists of great players. And I go all way down, I go way down, I go all the way down, and I looked at some teams the other day, and I even went down to teams who had only had one goal scorer in the last five years, some poor lad who'd only scored one goal last five years.
00:21:12
Nick Britten
And I, you know what? Hours and hours and hours, I looked and I looked and I looked and I looked. And do you know the name that never, ever saw come up on the goal scoring sheets of any team ever?
00:21:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Nick Ritten.
00:21:22
Nick Britten
And that's the word, and that's, that's zonal. That's zonal.
00:21:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Zona.
00:21:28
Nick Britten
Zonal, yeah. He's never, ever, ever scored. So why on earth, why on earth do managers try and mark him at corners? Zonal marking has got to be the biggest and most stupid thing that has ever come into football trying to defend corners because it never, ever works.
00:21:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
right You need to clarify this, what we you mean by zonal marking, just because there are going to be some people in the world who who who aren't familiar with exactly the the terminology or or actually how you do that.
00:21:47
Nick Britten
Zonal...
00:21:50
Nick Britten
So zonal marking...
00:21:57
Nick Britten
I was coming to it.
00:21:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay.
00:21:59
Nick Britten
So, zonal marking is where a coach says don't mark a
Critique of Zonal Marking
00:22:02
Nick Britten
player. So, you know what happens in a corner. You've got, you know, nine players of of all the opposition, nine players or more of the defending team, and and the and the job the opposition is to put the ball in the net, and the job of the defending team is to keep it out. Simple as that.
00:22:15
Nick Britten
Zonal marking is where you don't mark any of the opposition players. It's where you mark space.
00:22:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
right think what I think you're forgetting Colin Space, the Fulham forward in the nineteen forty s
00:22:21
Nick Britten
So you might be at the sort front of the but front of the post, near the front post, might be near the back post, might be in the middle, it might be anywhere, might be anywhere on the pitch. Go and mark that space. But of course, you're not marking anybody. Space can't score a goal.
00:22:34
Nick Britten
Okay? Nowhere ever has a corner come in and space made a quick five-yard dash, nipped in to the front post and nodded it in the back of the k net. Doesn't happen.
00:22:47
Nick Britten
Okay. Yeah, but he never scored.
00:22:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
And Trevor's own all, to be honest. But there you go.
00:22:54
Nick Britten
Yeah, he literally was over the moon, though.
00:22:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
LAUGHTER
00:22:56
Nick Britten
but and And so, and and it's always been something that has boom sort of bemused me because players score goals, opposition players score goals. So mark the opposition player.
00:23:07
Nick Britten
Don't just mark the space and allow the opposition players to run around, not mark, and therefore score goals quite easily. And Manchester United do this. And there was one particular one the other week when they were playing Fulham in the FA Cup, which just, I saw it and I just...
00:23:20
Nick Britten
ah shook my head, i just shookped my head i thought I had enough of this. Absolutely pointless. It wasn't the defender's fault, he's been told to stand there and and please don't look at any opposition players, just mark the two blades of grass that in front of you.
00:23:33
Nick Britten
Which you did he did, did a great job marking that space. Unfortunately for him, the Fulham player ran in and a totally unmarked, headed the ball the back of the net.
00:23:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
From a different space, presumably. We're
00:23:45
Nick Britten
Oh, different space, yeah, and a space that wasn't being marked, by the way. So, because you can't market every space. You can't market all space in in in space. It's just impossible.
00:23:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
getting into physics now.
00:23:53
Nick Britten
so So, I just kind of got me thinking, and this is something... I mean, zone marking just doesn't work when that's all you do. it can work if you're also marking players.
00:24:06
Nick Britten
So if you set up to say, right, with the four opposition players, right, each player, each defensive player take an opposition player, and then we want one person on the front post, one person on the back post, that works because you're marking the players.
00:24:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's a hybrid. That's a hybrid model. You've got you got a hybrid of so of of zonal marking and individual player marking.
00:24:27
Nick Britten
Yeah, man-to-man marking, yeah. yeah yeah But so um a man-to-man marking on its own works. But a zone marking on its own doesn't work. And I just don't understand why coaches continue to employ it when continually improved.
00:24:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Why do they? Who drew this idea up? who kind of Why did it gain such popularity, you think?
00:24:44
Nick Britten
I don't know where it first came from, but it would have been one of these smart ideas um that that coaches have when they're when they are revolutionising football. you know When Arsene Wenger revolutionised Arsenal, he did certain things. When Pep revolutionised Man City, and but and both Arsene Wenger and Pep put in things into the game that would that literally changed the game changed game completely.
00:25:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:06
Nick Britten
and And it'll be one of those smart-ass managers who thinks, ah, I don't know what to do here. Let's not be clever. Yeah, let's not be too clever and mark the players who are going to actually score goals against us.
00:25:17
Nick Britten
Let's mark the space that they may or may not run into in order to score those goals. Absolute crackers.
00:25:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right. Okay. Well, I can get behind that. I think that's a well-reasoned rant. ah don't No one's ever said... ah You only ever hear zonal marking commented on in a negative way when a goal has been scored.
00:25:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah That's absolutely true. Never, ever in a positive way. Right. good Good rant. 10 out of 10 rant there. Nick, my rant is on entomology. It's on the word soccer.
The 'Soccer' Debate in the UK
00:25:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now... If you want, in fact, do an experiment. Go ah throughout Saturday, fact, throughout the weekend, refer to football as soccer in the UK.
00:26:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
See what it gets you. It gets you a black eye. yeah You'll lose friends. People literally watch their face change in five seconds. If you say to them...
00:26:12
Nick Britten
That was a normal weekend for me. so
00:26:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, honestly, if you if if you say, um what are you doing this Saturday? I'm going down to see yeah the soccer match at Derby. ah See what happens. Are you going to watch the soccer this weekend?
00:26:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
See what happens. What will happen is that you will get steam coming out of people's ears. They'll go crazy. Now, what I'm here to argue, Nick, is that is the wrong approach because...
00:26:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
The hatred of the word soccer in in the UK, in England, and believe me, it's hatred. If you try it, you'll get all kinds of abuse, is we called it soccer forever.
00:26:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
We have always called it soccer in the UK. We, it got it, when we went over to the US, it got adopted as the name of soccer to differentiate it away from gridiron. We get that.
00:27:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah But why people in England have got this downer on the word soccer, I do not know. Everybody I hear who talks about soccer in the UK always talks about the use of that word in a negative way.
00:27:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
I am here to reclaim it. I am here two support soccer. the use of the word soccer in the UK. Firstly, I need to give you a bit of history. So I have got access through some of the other work I do to the UK newspaper archive.
00:27:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
I put in the word soccer into the UK newspaper archive the earliest The earliest use of the word soccer is in the 1880s.
00:27:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
In the 1890s, it's being talked about, which is football, what we now call football, it's being talked about soccer in the 1890s about ah the dangers of soccer after the death of a player. ah Soccer being played across the country is another headline from 1899. Soccer.
00:28:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
suck Now, just to understand where it came from, because football has been around since about the 1820s, but then it got codified into two into two main strands.
00:28:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Rugby football, which is rugger, and association football, from where soccer came from. And as long as soccer, as long as association football has been played from the 1880s, soccer has been used just as much as football.
00:28:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
now So just to continue this little bit of research, I looked at between 1950 and 1999, how many references on the UK newspaper archive there were to soccer? 2.7 million.
00:28:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
So anybody that says to you that in England, we don't call it soccer, we call it football, you just probably wasn't alive before 1990 because anybody who was alive before now between 1990 was calling it soccer all the time.
00:29:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
I had two more case pieces of evidence to my case. Do you remember Sabutio, Nick? We all grew up on Sabutio, didn't we?
00:29:23
Nick Britten
great Yeah, I've got a great speech in my loft. Yeah.
00:29:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, go look at it.
00:29:26
Nick Britten
yeah and
00:29:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's not Sabutio football. It's Sabutio table soccer. That's what it was launched at. Subutio Table Soccer. We still use soccer. We have Soccer Saturday. We had Soccer AM back in the day. Soccer has been part of football ever since the ever since.
00:29:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Finally, I went into academia on this. This is how serious I took my case. I went into academia in 2014. There was a research paper from the University of Michigan from Stefan Shemansky, famous, the famous football scientist.
00:30:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah
00:30:03
Nick Britten
Yeah, old Steph as he's known, yeah yeah yeah. He's a good lad.
00:30:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Dr. Steph, to you, if you don't mind. So he did a whole research paper on why we stopped using the word soccer in England. And it fell off a cliff.
00:30:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
It absolutely fell off cliff. And it stopped about 35 years ago or 40 years ago. And it stopped pretty much immediately. And it really was when football got popular in America and the the American Football League, Soccer League, got into existence,
00:30:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
And in 1980, you know, it was Reagan and Thatcher and all those guys. You know, it was a, we went in the UK. It wasn't cool to be Americanized.
00:30:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
It wasn't cool to be ah with the American soccer experience.
00:30:53
Nick Britten
Thank you.
00:30:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
That is the point when soccer usage fell off a cliff. So, and after that, it just really didn't get used. It it almost eliminated from the football vocabulary.
00:31:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I'm here to say, up to 1980, up to 1985, soccer and football in England were virtually interchangeable.
00:31:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
And they're used all the time and to about the same degree. So, I'm here to reclaim soccer. I'm here to say soccer for English people, soccer for the UK, soccer is not just the Americanised version of football.
00:31:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
It is football.
00:31:38
Nick Britten
that That's fantastic. That's a great rant. And thank you for magnificent history lesson. It was so it was great. I'd have to say, out of all the things that down the years people have blamed Margaret Thatcher for, this is a new one on me.
00:31:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
LAUGHTER
00:31:50
Nick Britten
But you're absolutely right. It was, when I was growing up, it was still referred to as soccer. I think you make a prevalent point when you say we still refer to today and things like Soccer Saturday and Soccer AM and all of that. And...
00:32:03
Nick Britten
Whilst I lord your efforts here, Ken, I lord your efforts, I think it's a very, very very well put argument. Mate, you've got a job on your hands because soccer has become such a reviled phrase.
00:32:14
Nick Britten
It's become synonymous with people who know nothing about football.
00:32:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:32:17
Nick Britten
That's the thing we've got, isn't it?
00:32:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. So I, unfortunately, therefore, I'm not in a great position to reclaim it because I do know precious little about football, but I am going to make it my business. Every time I refer to football on this channel, on every channel, I'm going to call it soccer.
00:32:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
They're going to hate me for it. They're going to, honestly, i will be pilloried. There's going to be people with pitchforks outside my house tonight. I know there is.
00:32:41
Nick Britten
have a hobe convince ill pay yeahll I'll be yours minutes
00:32:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
You'll be the front of it.
00:32:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
But honestly, soccer is where it's at.
00:32:46
Nick Britten
with a visual
Football Match Predictions & Closing
00:32:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right. Brilliant. Right. We're nearly at the end of the episode. Another great episode. Thank you very much, Nick, for that. ah We need to get to predictions. Last week, it was ah quite good because I got six. You've got five. I've closed the gap further.
00:33:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
It is currently Nick 54, Ken 51. Now, yeah. fifty one
00:33:11
Nick Britten
Oof, oof, dearing me.
00:33:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
now
00:33:14
Nick Britten
Dearing me.
00:33:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:33:15
Nick Britten
Am I suffering a Liverpool-style collapse here?
00:33:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
This is literally going
00:33:18
Nick Britten
On the basis of... That's as good as a collapse. Right, OK, well, I'd better... Yeah, OK.
00:33:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
We've got eight games eight games to go. out I am going to give you the benefit of giving you my prediction before yours. There are only eight games this weekend.
00:33:33
Nick Britten
yeah
00:33:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
So let's start.
00:33:35
Nick Britten
I did check last week whilst the games were going on. And it was quite late in the day, I was on about eight points. So i don't quite know why you suddenly decided I've only got five. But there, late goals and all of that.
00:33:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
smart It's a 90-minute game, mate. It's a 90-minute game.
00:33:49
Nick Britten
90 plus in there these days.
00:33:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's only offside if it rains.
00:33:51
Nick Britten
Go on.
00:33:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
so ah So here we go. Everton-West Ham.
00:33:57
Nick Britten
Home win.
00:33:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
So have I.
00:33:59
Nick Britten
Oh, you're doing yours first, aren't you?
00:34:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah.
00:34:01
Nick Britten
You do it first. so
00:34:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Home win.
00:34:04
Nick Britten
I'll read them out. I'll read them out. You do. I'll go home as well. Right. Ipswich Forest.
00:34:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Draw.
00:34:10
Nick Britten
Okay, I'm going away win. Man City Brighton.
00:34:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Home win.
00:34:19
Nick Britten
and ah Away win.
00:34:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
What?
00:34:22
Nick Britten
thought
00:34:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Southampton?
00:34:26
Nick Britten
you were going to say something. you're You're a big fan of Man City, aren't You keep backing them to win games.
00:34:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and and to be honest, I'm quite happy to have ah have a home win there.
00:34:33
Nick Britten
so
00:34:37
Nick Britten
Yeah, I'm not convinced. Okay, Southampton Wolves.
00:34:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
A way win.
00:34:42
Nick Britten
Yeah, away win for me as well. Bournemouth-Brentford.
00:34:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Home win.
00:34:46
Nick Britten
Yep, home win as well. Then on Sunday's fixtures, Arsenal-Chelsea.
00:34:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
home win
00:34:54
Nick Britten
Draw. Fulham-Tottenham.
00:34:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
away
00:34:59
Nick Britten
Draw. Leicester-Main-U.
00:35:04
Nick Britten
Yeah, away with for me as well. And then the big one, the cup final, the the league cup final on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool versus Newcastle. What do you think?
00:35:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
i um go A 90-minute rule applies, obviously, in any cup competition. We know that in in this.
00:35:20
Nick Britten
Yep.
00:35:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm going home win, i.e. Liverpool.
00:35:24
Nick Britten
Okay. and Yeah, head head says Liverpool. Heart says, can Newcastle get something out of it? Liverpool have got few injuries defensively.
00:35:36
Nick Britten
Salah's not been on great form recently. I um ah spoke to Jesse Sarwatt, by the way, and anybody who to the...
00:35:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, yeah. Well, you're going to get a balanced view from Jesse, aren't you?
00:35:48
Nick Britten
well Well, this is it. Jesse Sauer runs our GSPN Daily Liverpool podcast. and He's a fan of the football fan. He was there on Tuesday night. I'm not happy about it.
00:35:59
Nick Britten
He reckons it might be 1-0 after 90 minutes. So I'm going to take his advice on this and I'm going to say a draw in 90 minutes.
00:36:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, well, we've got a few things that we agree on, a few things we don't agree on. Well, that's been that Saturday feeling. I hope you're having a nice Saturday feeling. I've got a nice Saturday feeling. Nick, and it's only Friday. What about you, Nick? Are you feeling, what's your feeling ah situation at the moment?
00:36:23
Nick Britten
I live in a permanent state of sound, if you
00:36:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Bless you, mate. Well done. Great. it will So we're we're going to sign off. We're about to go into the Road to the World Cup podcast, which is our other podcast that we're doing at the moment, which is ah an absolutely fascinating deep dive into really the weeds and the kind of everything you want to know about the World Cup. So if you're into the World Cup and you want to know more about it, and I mean knowing everything about it, that's the place to go.
00:36:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
So thanks for listening. I really appreciate it. hope your team wins 7-0. And we'll see you next time.