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Brilliant Bournemouth and Fracturing Forest
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Join Ken Davies and Nick Britten for your weekly sideways take on all things soccer.
We talk crazy rule changes – weird terms 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 and International Break
00:00:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Welcome, welcome one and all. to the Daily Promo League podcast. It's Saturday, the 4th of October, that day of the week where we're just thinking football all day. It's Match Week 7. In fact, Match Week 7 is already underway. It's key weekend as we enter the international break. And international breaks, remember, are a great opportunity to reset, to correct the imperfections. But for coaches on the hot seat, it can be perilous because the extended period of inactivity is the perfect opportunity for players.
00:00:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
owners to look around and think oh let's replace them with the next savior there are going to be a few managers who are going to be biting their fingernails today so my name is Ken Davis you know that his name is Nick Britton you know that and this is the Daily Premier League podcast a very warm welcome on this beautiful sunny Saturday morning to you Nick how you doing
00:01:09
Nick Britten
I'm alright. It's not that beautiful. It's very windy outside.
00:01:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Ah, sun's out there. Good football in weather.
00:01:13
Nick Britten
Yeah, the sun is out.
00:01:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Maybe it's good football weather.
00:01:14
Nick Britten
sun is out. It's sunny. It's sunny.
00:01:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're off to a game
00:01:16
Nick Britten
It's sunny.
Derby County vs. Southampton Excitement
00:01:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
this afternoon, aren't we?
00:01:18
Nick Britten
We are off to a game, yeah. We're off to watch Derby County versus Southampton. I'm very much looking forward to it. It's a great feeling Saturday. I am. I am looking forward to it.
00:01:27
Nick Britten
you You make that face at me, but I am looking forward to it. Saturday morning is always a great time. It's always a great time for a football fan because you've got the whole weekend of possibility in front of you and Disappointment is on its way. We all know that.
00:01:41
Nick Britten
We all know that.
00:01:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yes,
00:01:42
Nick Britten
no But whilst we're still feeling optimistic, Saturday morning always a good time.
00:01:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
yes it is.
Analyzing Underperforming Teams
00:01:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we're going to take slightly different approach today, slightly different agenda. Thought we'd take... two clubs each, one that's overperforming, one that's underperforming, take a slightly deeper dive than we would normally do as to what's going on.
00:02:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Why are they underperforming? Why are they overperforming? We're going to start with the negatives. Then we can build things up into a positive way to finish the episode. Nick, I'm going to come to you first. No idea what you're going to choose here because we've done this kind of secretly, which is good fun.
00:02:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Under performance, is there any particular team that you're looking at at the moment? And let's hope we haven't picked the same one, by the way. And you're thinking, hmm, don't get this at all.
Chelsea's Inconsistencies and Strategy
00:02:34
Nick Britten
Yes, and this may come as a surprise to a lot of people, but my underperforming scratch my head, don't really understand what's going on here, is Chelsea, who have started the season okay.
00:02:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay.
00:02:47
Nick Britten
Two wins, two draws, two losses. All right, not bad, not great. But I just don't really understand what Chelsea are trying to achieve this season.
00:02:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
They're World Club champions, though.
00:03:01
Nick Britten
Yeah.
00:03:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Best team in the world, arguably.
00:03:02
Nick Britten
and No, they're not the best team in the world. And being just because you are a world club... mean, look, nobody cares about that competition. It's a complete irrelevance.
00:03:13
Nick Britten
yeah just like I mean, only people the only people who care are FIFA because they make loads of money out of it by selling the broadcast rights. But nobody nobody went Crowds were ridiculously low until you got to the very latter stage of the competition. They flogging off tickets, if you remember, for less than a pint of beer in the stadium at one stage.
00:03:31
Nick Britten
and And so I don't...
00:03:33
Nick Britten
ah
00:03:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Notice to listeners, by the way, if you want to wind Nick up, you you yeah you' now learn how to do it.
00:03:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it works every time.
00:03:41
Nick Britten
ill just I just don't get the point of it other than You know, we we we live in an age of everybody's now talking about player welfare, burnout, players need more time off. So what's FIFA's idea?
00:03:53
Nick Britten
Oh, yeah, let's put in more competitions in the football, in the summer rather, so that we can make more money for ourselves.
00:04:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Do you think, by the way, that their success and all those games over summer actually has detracted from Chelsea's performance this year, by the way? But then I'll let you charade on, by the way.
00:04:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
But just a thought came to my head, actually.
00:04:12
Nick Britten
Well, quite possibly. i mean, quite no quite possibly. So look, my point about Chelsea is this. What are they trying to achieve? Because since Todd Bowley came in in 2022 and just bought every player under the sun, any player that was linked with any other club who's got two legs and kick a ball, oh yeah, we'll have him, we'll have him, we'll have him.
00:04:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:04:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so we don't.
00:04:33
Nick Britten
Then they said, yeah, exactly. yeah and then, so they ended up with, you masses and masses of players. Then they kind of went on a bit of a, right, okay, let's buy young players, give them massive contracts and ah pay over the odds for them.
00:04:47
Nick Britten
And let's see how happens we'll see what happens. and And not a lot happened. I mean, they won the Europa Conference League last season. Now, with the greatest respect, I mean, I feel like I'm doing them down because they are winning stuff, but I would expect Chelsea to win the Conference League. i would expect, I mean, West Ham won it.
00:05:03
Nick Britten
If West Ham can win it, Chelsea can win it, and I'd expect Palace to win it this season as well.
00:05:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:05:07
Nick Britten
I think it's a fantastic competition, by the way. I think it's a brilliant competition and a great addition to the European competition because it gives it gives Premier League clubs who might not ordinarily have any chance of winning the Champions League or the Europa League, it gives them a chance to win something in Europe and and play in Europe.
00:05:25
Nick Britten
And, yeah, West Ham's a good example. Palace is a good example. Chelsea would be disappointed to play in the Conference League, put it like that, because they would have high aspirations, and they're playing in the Champions League this season, which is fine. But my point my point about them is this.
00:05:40
Nick Britten
They kind of just got this never-ending, permanent, revolving door at Stamford Bridge. And that's, if you don't have a settled team, and if you're continually bringing players in, out, in, out, in, out, you're not going to win the Premier League, and that is what their aim is.
00:05:57
Nick Britten
That surely has to be their aim. unless they're just going to just, our only aim is to finish in the top four because that brings us money by playing in the Champions League and we'll try and pick up an FA Cup or League Cup along the way.
Nottingham Forest's Decline
00:06:11
Nick Britten
But surely their ambition has to be winning the Champions League. They've signed around 48 players in three years. They've now spent around £1.4 billion in billion pounds under their new owners. And it's got them what? It's got them a conference league.
00:06:26
Nick Britten
I mean, ah they're not going to put that much beyond winning the League Cup. I'd even argue that winning the conference league is is below winning the FA Cup in terms of profile.
00:06:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, yeah.
00:06:36
Nick Britten
And it's got them the club World Cup winners, which, as I've said, nobody's bothered about. And...
00:06:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's been a It's been a case of quantity over quality as well, hasn't it? When I look at some of those players that have come in, they're all kind of not quite great.
00:06:46
Nick Britten
Well, massive look.
00:06:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
um you know You know what I mean?
00:06:54
Nick Britten
Well, their policy is to spend big on young players with a view to being able to sell them on for more money.
00:06:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
João Pedro, maybe, but I say that?
00:07:04
Nick Britten
That's what I'm saying. Are they a hedge fund or are they a football club?
00:07:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's interesting.
00:07:07
Nick Britten
yeah know What is their ambition here? so over the summer, they bought in Joe Pedro, £55 million pounds from Brighton. They bought in Jamie Gittins. and but Pedro, you could probably argue, is is is value.
00:07:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, Pedro looks a player.
00:07:18
Nick Britten
Yeah, his value. But I bought in Jamie Gittins for fifty nearly £50 million pounds from Borussia Dortmund. He's 20 years old. He's totally unproven. And you're spending money, you're spending that kind of money on him.
00:07:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's the German league again. um We've started to develop a theory here that Germany doesn't transform translate to the Premier League.
00:07:30
Nick Britten
Yeah.
00:07:35
Nick Britten
Well, precisely. They bought in Estavio from Palmeiras, £30 million. They bought Liam De Latt from Ipswich Town, £30 million. Now, Liam De Latt had a ah reasonable season last year in the Premier League, but but he he massively overperformed.
00:07:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
A good season.
00:07:50
Nick Britten
And I like Liam DeBapp, don't get me wrong. I think he's got a lot of potential, but that's my point. They're just spending they spending the sort of money that you would want to spend on established players, on potential and players that you've got no idea whether they're going to succeed.
00:08:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Garnaccio he get from...
00:08:05
Nick Britten
So £40
00:08:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Did he get... Did get Garnaccio from United?
00:08:09
Nick Britten
million on Garnaccio.
00:08:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, why?
00:08:13
Nick Britten
I mean, are you completely nuts?
00:08:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:08:16
Nick Britten
And they just keep doing this. And you might argue, and if you wanted to go down the financial route and go, well, they're just buying to sell and buying to sell. Well, they got it's worked in as much as they bought Madweke and sold him after one season and made a handsome profit.
00:08:31
Nick Britten
They made a handsome profit on him.
00:08:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:08:34
Nick Britten
and So...
00:08:37
Nick Britten
That's fine. oh so look, I was going to say, if you're if you're if your ambition is to buy players and sell them and buy players and sell them, okay, fine.
00:08:48
Nick Britten
Do that. Buy young players and sell them. But is that going to win you the Premier League? That's my point. And the answer is, no, it's not. And we've seen it this season. Won two, drawn two, lost two.
00:08:59
Nick Britten
They look really inconsistent. They can't keep all the players on the pitch.
00:09:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's the word.
00:09:03
Nick Britten
And... It's just a shame because they've got world-class players in players like Calcedo and players like Palmer. They've got some really, really good players in there. But it just feels that they need experience and they need a settled team.
00:09:16
Nick Britten
And they need to go through one or two transfer windows where they just buy one or two players that will complement their first team and improve it rather than getting rid of 30 and bringing in 20.
00:09:27
Nick Britten
twenty
00:09:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's a really interesting point. In fact, I think when we come to those teams which are doing better than expected in the Premier League, you'll see one of the traits of those teams is they they've got set they've got settled, embedded systems and players.
00:09:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah This revolving door thing, ah just just this this constant transition between ah different personnel every every weekend just is a recipe for disaster.
00:09:52
Nick Britten
And um my other question about them is, are they buying in the right areas? So they let Madweker go. You know, as I say, they've got good money from them. They spent 29, they sold them for 50. So made good profit.
00:10:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:03
Nick Britten
They let Nicholas Jackson go. Now, nobody's pretending at all that Nicholas Jackson is the answer to Chelsea's goal-scoring problems.
00:10:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's doing well now though.
00:10:11
Nick Britten
But we ask he's doing well in buying. To go back to your point, the Bundesliga ain't the Premier League.
00:10:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:16
Nick Britten
and But they're left with De Lapp, who's totally unproven, is now injured for quite some time. So they've only got one striker, realistically, and that's Jaapetra.
00:10:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. And they're very Palmer dependent, aren't they?
00:10:27
Nick Britten
Totally parlor-dependent.
00:10:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
i mean, you've you've made this point before that, you know, but if Palmer's not playing or is off colour, Chelsea are just very, very ordinary.
00:10:35
Nick Britten
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. if they if they If Palmer plays, they're a much better team than when he when he doesn't play. So I ah don't know what their policy is. I don't really know what they're trying to achieve.
00:10:46
Nick Britten
I can't see them, well, they're not going to win the Premier League this year. and if they carry on this policy, I can't see when they are going to win it. And then therefore you ask, what is their ambition? So that is my team that has kind of disappointed me, I suppose.
00:10:59
Nick Britten
Was that was that what wasn't the free system?
00:11:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
exactly like Exactly. A team that's underperformed against expectations.
00:11:07
Nick Britten
So there we are.
00:11:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Chelsea epitomized that.
00:11:11
Nick Britten
so there we are
00:11:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
i I agree with that. So as Enzo Mreskin knows, in football, what it pays to get your team selection right. Here at Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery partner. We chose Zencastr because Zencastr makes it easy to bring your vision to life, to share it with everybody you want to.
00:11:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
wherever they may be. It's got a 4K video recording. It's got easy AI editing tools. It's got amazing distribution tools and they're all in one place. they're only one platform. So if you've got a story to tell, ah be like Global Sports Podcast Network. Tell it with Zencastr.
00:11:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Check the show notes for more details.
00:11:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, well, Saturday morning, that exciting time the week, we all can't wait. ah We've demolished Chelsea, now we're about to demolish another team, which i think is underperforming.
00:12:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
And this is this is a developing story, let's put it that way. Forrest. Forrest is a club that feels like they're in a crisis, a self-inflicted crisis.
00:12:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's fractured. It's falling over. It's every other word starting with F that means they're going in a downward direction. They are... I can just just thought one, but I'm not going to say
00:12:35
Nick Britten
Steady, steady.
00:12:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
So let's just remember last season. And it's important, i think, to put it in the context of last season in terms of underperformance. First 10 games of last season, played 10, won five, drawn four, lost one.
00:12:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah That lost one was an unexpected 1-0 reverse fulham against Fulham at home. So they managed in the first 10 games last season to get 19 points.
00:13:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Score 14, concede only seven, and included in them five wins was Liverpool away, Palace at home and West Ham at home. Outstanding, outstanding start to last season.
00:13:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
One could say massively overachieving in reality.
00:13:25
Nick Britten
Now that's it.
00:13:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, let's compare that to this season. Okay, we've only played six, but we're going to talk about the next four games as well. First six games, 1-1, drawn two, lost three, scored five, conceded ten.
00:13:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Next four games, Newcastle away, loss. Chelsea at home, draw. Bournemouth away, loss.
00:13:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Man United at home. Well, who knows what Man United are at that point, but I'm putting that down as a draw. So I reckon by the time 10 games we played this season, Forest will have won one, drawn four, lost five. Exactly the reverse of last year, where they'd won five and lost one.
00:14:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
This year, I think they're going to win one and lost five. So last year, after 10 games, they were on 19 points. This year, after 10 games, they'll be on seven points.
00:14:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, this should have been Forest's golden season. First time in Europe for 30 years. And then the wheels fell off.
00:14:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
I want to talk about why the wheels fell off in part B of this. But that's my initial argument for a team which is massively underperforming where they should be.
00:14:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Nottingham Forest, what you reckon, Nick?
00:14:54
Nick Britten
I think nobody can disagree with that. They were well set. I think you're right when you say they overperformed last season, but they overperformed in ah in a good way.
00:15:03
Nick Britten
You can't say they weren't valued for it. And you had that rare fit. I'm look at a couple of teams who are over-performing or who are really exciting us this season in a bit.
00:15:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:15:13
Nick Britten
And what I think we'll find with both those teams is you've got that rare fit of where you've got a manager that fits the club. You've got ah players that fit the system that the manager wants to to wants to play. And therefore, there is complete unity across the coaching and the playing staff.
00:15:29
Nick Britten
And that you brings success. and that's what happened Forest last season. Out nowhere, out of nowhere under Nuno Espirito Santo they found a system that worked for them and they found the players to fit that system and they finished what seventh they finished in the conference league places ah then grassed up Crystal Palace and got Palace kicked out of the Europa League and moved up to the Europa League and this as you quite rightly said this this should be the golden season for Forrest but shooting themselves in the foot, of course.
00:16:01
Nick Britten
Nuno's gone and Ange's come in and it's been a very poor start for them. So I don't think anybody can deny when you look at their league plays, one point above the relegation zone, that they are massively underperforming against expectation. The answer is, though, what happens now?
00:16:18
Nick Britten
Sorry, the question is rather, not the answer, you're going to give me the answer. The question is, what happens now?
00:16:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, the interesting thing here, of course, is um when the Nuno thing broke down, and we and we absolutely signposted this, ah you know because it was obvious to anyone who's been around football for a long time that that relationship really was fractured.
00:16:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
But the relationship, actually, the interesting thing is the more you look into the Forest situation, ah it's not really just about Maranakis and Nuno. There's meat in that sandwich, and the meat in that sandwich is edu.
00:16:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
the global head of football who was appointed in July, ex-Arsenal. And it just seems to be, might be coincidental.
00:17:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't think so. the same The arrival of Edu as this global head of manager a global head of football between Maranakis and Nuno essentially stopped the relationship, which, okay, was which always tempestuous because Maranakis is a tempestuous owner, but then stopped the dialogue.
00:17:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that just festered and it got worse and worse and worse. And, you know i was looking at the Forrest media when when Eddie was appointed.
00:17:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And a newly established leadership role overseeing football, global football operations is what the tagline was when Eddie was appointed. Absolutely unnecessary. I don't Forrests think they are, but absolutely unnecessary. Changed the relationship between Nuno and Marcus and it never, ever recovered.
00:17:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's part of this, just looking back historically now, because we get a little bit more of a, we get it more in in context and we get it more in accuracy, think, over time.
00:18:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
The vision becomes clearer. When Eddie seemed to block Nuno's request to sign the Dharma Traore, Nuno wanted a Dharma Traore.
00:18:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Eddie said, no, it doesn't fit him in the club. didn't happen. It all started to go sideways after that. Built on top of, obviously, the disrespect that Nuno must have felt with Maranakis.
00:18:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
The problem but problem with Eddie is he had the same situation Arsenal.
00:18:35
Nick Britten
Please.
00:18:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
He fell out with Arteta because he felt Arteta was too powerful. And then that relationship fractured. But Eddie wasn't going to win that one. but he did win the one with with Nuno. so So I think the Edu thing has got ah ah still got a lot part to play in this going forward.
00:18:58
Nick Britten
The craziness about blocking the Adama-Troyeri move is that, of course, they sold Anthony Ilanga to Newcastle. Now, a lot of Forrest's success last year was built on playing on the counter-attack, of having players who had pace and power up front to expose the back line of the opposition when they were playing on the counter.
00:19:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Perfect.
00:19:15
Nick Britten
Torieri would have been the absolute perfect, perfect replacement for Ilanga.
00:19:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
perfect
00:19:21
Nick Britten
And it didn't make any sense. I can understand why Nuno wanted him, and I can also understand how frustrated he must have been when it was blocked.
00:19:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, absolutely makes perfect sense. Now we've got Poster Coglu. Poster Coglu, to go back to the very good point you were making earlier, does not fit with this thematic consistency of managerial style and player capability.
00:19:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
When we see the teams who have performed well this year, those things match. When we look at the teams where they don't perform, Man United's good example, There's a mismatch. And Posta Coglu is a mismatch.
00:19:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Forrest, since Andrew's been appointed, has conceded 13 goals in all competitions. That's more than any Premier League team. Bear in mind, this a team that conceded seven in 10 games last year, the first 10 games last year, against some of the better teams.
00:20:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
So Postacoglu doesn't cut the right figure for me. His body language seems off already. He's straight from one crisis into another. It's kind of relentless, Postacoglu.
00:20:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously, he's is a pretty robust character, but he always seems to be defending a negative situation. And that's got to be wearing eventually. And he's come straight out of a situation like that, put himself into a situation where it seems to me that very few people want him at Forest, even if you're a Forest fan.
00:20:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
So...
00:20:46
Nick Britten
Well, they were all singing, weren't they, after the after the yeah midweek Europa League defeat to Mitterland.
00:20:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:20:53
Nick Britten
Mitterland.
00:20:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:20:55
Nick Britten
Yeah. You're getting sacked in the morning.
00:20:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. It's crazy.
00:20:58
Nick Britten
You're getting sacked in the morning. And that's your own supporters singing about that after five days.
00:21:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I mean, it is a mess.
00:21:05
Nick Britten
Dearly, mate. What a mess.
00:21:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I just think this is this is not going to win well. Sky were reporting last night, ah credit where credit's due, that Poster Coglu's position is already under serious scrutiny.
00:21:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, Marin Marcus...
00:21:26
Nick Britten
um I'm not sure. i'm not I'm not convinced by that, actually. i don't I don't think it is. And I don't think it is for two reasons. One is that he was hand-picked by Maranakis because Maranakis loves him and he loves the fact that he's a Greek manager ah managing the Premier League and he's the only one and he's achieved stuff and he's won stuff and he's got a good track record of winning competitions and winning trophies.
00:21:50
Nick Britten
And the second one is
00:21:54
Nick Britten
Over the course the last five or six games since Andrew's been in charge, they haven't been playing that badly. They haven't been playing that badly.
00:22:02
Nick Britten
They've been creating chances. They've been creating opportunities. They've possession. They've not been tucking away their opportunities. So it's not as if they are getting battered every week and it's just a disaster. It's not like when Graham Potter took over, put it like that West Ham, which is like nothing better.
00:22:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:22:16
Nick Britten
he's having to He's having to transition the entire side to a different way of playing. And these these things take time and they will take time. And they probably will look at it, look at the last five games go, yeah, we should have probably picked up three or four more points.
00:22:29
Nick Britten
out of those. and We haven't, that's fine. We haven't, but we probably should have done. this should have beaten Burnley, should have got at least a point against Sunderland. And that's just the way it goes in football sometimes.
00:22:39
Nick Britten
And you've you've also got to look at the players. The players need to take responsibility here and score goals when they're two yards out like Chris Wood was the other day, missed header right in front of of an open goal.
00:22:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank
00:22:52
Nick Britten
So they've got to take that responsibility. So I don't think it's as doom and gloom as you say. I don't think his position will be under an immediate threat. But what he can't do, and certainly can't do under Maranakis, is continue to lose games.
00:23:03
Nick Britten
It's as simple as that.
00:23:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
must
00:23:04
Nick Britten
So look, yeah right here, right now, I think he's all right. But if he loses the next three, then he won't be.
00:23:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
I suspect so. And we've just been through the next four games. I think they're getting two points out of the next 12. I think we are approaching really rapidly a tipping point for Apostol Coglu and Forrest. Don't know where they go next if they get rid of Apostol Coglu.
00:23:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I just think when you've got an owner who is just so... What's the word? He's he's so kind of... He will make a decision, I think,
00:23:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
because of who he is, because of his style, because of his leadership style, on a way, my respect, I just think we're reaching the tipping point. And it will be very, very interesting to see what happens next, including the game against Newcastle.
00:23:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, Global Sports Podcast Network has partnered with Bionique, the world's most personalized supplements, because your body, and I'm looking at unit easier you, is unique. Because without
Bournemouth's Rise in the Premier League
00:24:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
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Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:24:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:24:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, this has been interesting episode so far. um If I say so myself, by the way. I know self-praise is no praise, but you know what I say.
00:24:49
Nick Britten
You're full of self-praise though, aren't you?
00:24:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, I'm not getting it from anywhere else, to be honest. so you ah Now, okay, the second part of the... We'll try and keep this down to about 10 minutes just to keep it tight. But ah who's been your surprise package from positive perspective, Nick?
00:25:07
Nick Britten
There are two great teams this season who have, I think, taken the Premier League by storm and none of them are Liverpool, Arsenal or any of the other so-called big clubs that you might expect.
00:25:19
Nick Britten
The two teams that really stood out so far this season, it's very early days, but the two that stood out are Palace and Bournemouth. I'd like to talk about Bournemouth this season, who are up into second after a very good win against Fulham last night, Friday Night Football.
00:25:33
Nick Britten
They were 1-0 down, quite late in the game. it was 0-0. It wasn't a great game. played in horrendous conditions it very stormy and very wet and horrible.
00:25:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
I thought Fulham had a very interesting formation. They kind of played without a centre-forward, didn't they, for the first half and looked like they were going to get battered and then kind of worked themselves into the game quite well.
00:25:51
Nick Britten
They did work. Yeah, they did. Yeah, I thought they played. Yeah, and they took the lead after 70 minutes. i mean, somewhat against the run of play, but equally somewhat because it was a game of few chances. There wasn't that much.
00:25:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:00
Nick Britten
There wasn't that much going on. And then... Bournemouth just ran away with it in the last sort of 15 minutes or so of of the game and 1-3-1 and are up to second spot in the Premier League.
00:26:14
Nick Britten
Now, two people I want to really pick out in this success in the in the success of that they're having. and The first one is Antoine Semenyo, who there's a very good case to to make that he is the best player in the Premier League right now.
00:26:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow, that's that's a big call.
00:26:33
Nick Britten
Well, put it, you know,
00:26:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
You put him above Florian Verts.
00:26:38
Nick Britten
I put me about Florida inverse, not going to lie. ah So he's already he's already got three goals with his right foot, three goals with the left foot.
00:26:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello.
00:26:49
Nick Britten
He's really um was really unpredictable.
00:26:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm four at nine. and
00:26:52
Nick Britten
So he's got six goals, three assists already this season. But the point being is when you saw his goal last night, his first goal last night, it's called two last night.
00:26:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, did.
00:26:58
Nick Britten
His first one, right? I don't know if anybody's seen this. Go and go have a look at it. It's really good. He's on the left-hand side, pretty much hugging the hugging the touchline, right? And he's got a couple of Fulham players. Castagne Chukwese immediately there to to close them down.
00:27:16
Nick Britten
is is he's sent them He's had them on toast. He's sent them this way by stepping over because because he plays with his right and his left.
00:27:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:27:21
Nick Britten
they don't know which way he's going. So he stepped over once, he stepped over twice, hes he dropped his shoulder. They're literally, they've got no idea what he's doing. He gets the byline, gets past them both, cuts in from the byline, and you think, right, okay, we'll put it back for somebody to score.
00:27:33
Nick Britten
No, he puts it through the goalkeeper's legs from almost on the byline into the far corner of the goal. It's just like, what, what is that all about? um mean, that is absolutely insane.
00:27:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
The ability to go both ways is a massive advantage, isn't it?
00:27:47
Nick Britten
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
00:27:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
And you see it so so infrequently still.
00:27:50
Nick Britten
You do see it. You don't see it frequently at all. And then fast forward to about the 96th minute, just as the game's kind of coming to an end, Fulham have got a corner and it's kind of cleared. And a ball goes up to Gannon Doke who's almost on a halfway line.
00:28:03
Nick Britten
And when you're watching on the TV, you can't even see Semenya because he's in his own box. defending And you see, and Gallandot just runs and runs and runs and runs, does the right thing, draws the defence and just slides the ball across to the left.
00:28:16
Nick Britten
And you just see Semenya just steaming into shot and burying it with his left foot right in a corner, right in a corner, otherwise the keeper would have saved it. It was ah an unbelievable finish having run the full length of the pitch.
00:28:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's the thing. yeah He's going to be right at the edge of his kind of performance limits, really, having done that.
00:28:28
Nick Britten
And he's just like, what?
00:28:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
And to keep your head and actually bury it from there with that precision, just...
00:28:33
Nick Britten
Yeah.
00:28:36
Nick Britten
And it would have been... yeah And at 2-1 up, it would have been very easy to just say, no, no, no, I'm just goingnna going to sit back and make sure that Fulham can't counter on us or whatever. It was amazing. It's brilliant. in But my my my case that he is the best player in the Premier League right now is that he is first...
00:28:51
Nick Britten
in the Premier League for duels one. He's first in the Premier League for possession one in the final third. He's second for sprints and he's in the top five for dribbles. Plus, only Erling Haaland, who's you know arguably on beast mode right now, has scored more goals in the Premier league
00:29:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he's an alien.
00:29:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, it's amazing. And it's worth...
00:29:11
Nick Britten
League. So, tell me that he's not right now the best player Premier League.
00:29:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, well, I wouldn't argue with that. I mean, he's ah hes done amazing. And it's worth saying about Bournemouth, who have surprised everyone. They lost £200 million pounds worth of players over summer.
00:29:25
Nick Britten
Well, going to come to that. I'm going to come to that because my second the second person that I want to really highlight in all of this is the manager, Andoli Iriola.
00:29:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, astonishing.
00:29:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:29:34
Nick Britten
Now, as you say, they lost £200 million pounds worth of talent over the summer. They lost four out of their back five. They lost the keeper, Kepa. They've lost Zabani. They lost Kerkhez. They lost Dean Heysen.
00:29:46
Nick Britten
And... yeah they had to rebuild the whole of the back line. They brought in Tuffer as a left-bat. They brought in Sanesi, who's been playing well, a centre-half. They brought in Daikiti.
00:29:58
Nick Britten
And they've just knitted together, along with ah with the new goalkeeper, Petrovic. They've just knitted together really, really well. And a lot of that's got ah that a lot of that has to do with Areola, the manager, who just looks like he can perform miracles.
00:30:13
Nick Britten
remember when arrived at Chelsea, i remember when he arrived at chelsea when Gary O'Neill been sacked. Sorry, Chelsea. I want to say Chelsea. Bournemouth, rather, when Gary O'Neill been sacked. And everybody felt that Gary O'Neill had done a good job.
00:30:26
Nick Britten
He had rescued the team from relegation towards the end of the season. And everybody thought, well, he's going to be offered the job on a full-time basis because he's done a cracking job steering them clear of getting getting relegated. But he got he got sacked.
00:30:36
Nick Britten
And we went, oh, that's really harsh. That's really harsh. And they brought in Iriola and everybody went, who's this guy? And look where they've come in the last couple of years.
00:30:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's been absolute revelation. I mean, there's
Sunderland's Strong Season Start
00:30:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
got to be an argument that he's east's manager of the month. Manager of the season.
00:30:49
Nick Britten
Oh, yeah.
00:30:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
not but Yeah, it's got to be, though.
00:30:50
Nick Britten
It's either him or Glasner, who the two managers that are really, really standing out a moment, isn't it?
00:30:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
um
00:30:54
Nick Britten
But he's tactically brilliant. He's a brilliant motivator. He turned the game last night with ah with a great substitution, took off a defender, put on a winger. And you might say, well, you would do that when you're 1-0 down.
00:31:06
Nick Britten
But it just worked. Just shape of the team just shifted a little bit and and it worked. And everything he touches just... He just seems to work. He's got a really, really, really energetic style about him.
00:31:22
Nick Britten
High press, high energy. they don't They don't worry about playing long ball. They don't worry. They just want to get the ball up forward and and and yeah everybody knows what they're doing. and that's They're just so effective. They're such a good side to watch.
00:31:36
Nick Britten
They're such an exciting side to watch.
00:31:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, to di in they've been an absolute revelation. So thanks for that. that that that's ah good that's it That's a really good analysis of Bournemouth. Going to watch them continue with interest. By the way, I hope you're enjoying the Denia Premier League podcast.
00:31:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
And a particular big thank you to everybody who makes it. part of their daily listening routine it's a great pleasure to bring it on a daily basis to you if you want to make contact with us drop us an email at daily premier league podcast at gmail.com we're doing a post bag i think on monday and that'll be interesting because we have quite a lot of letters and emails in and we've not had a chance to get around them yet so that's going to be quite an interesting episode there's a lot to cover on that but if you want to add your voice to that drop us an email and we will make sure we cover that now
00:32:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Nick mentioned at the start of that little section ah there are two outstanding teams and there are ah Palace and Bournemouth. But I'm going pick a third ah that I think we need to throw into the mix and that is Sunderland.
00:32:39
Nick Britten
Yeah, great choice. Yeah, great choice. They've had a really cracking start the season.
00:32:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Amazing. Amazing. seventh This, is by the way, is the 17th season some of them have played in the Premier League. They've never been on double digits points after six games before. So, it obviously, it's the strongest start to their season.
00:32:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
What thought, because just like... And Iriola, who is kind of, we know now, he's an extraordinarily good coach, but he's kind of he kind of, as you said, when he was appointed, he was kind of slightly under the radar. Everybody says, well, where did he come from and why did they pick him?
00:33:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
But look how um amazing the results have been. The same, I think you say, for Regis Labrieth.
00:33:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, I thought it was about time I found out a little bit more this fella. So he's a Breton. He's from Brittany in France. Okay. So we played he played in the Belgian second division.
00:33:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Defender. That's important. I'll come back to that. ah Not an obvious choice because he was essentially left Lorient, the Breton team in Ligue 1, after they were relegated to Ligue 2.
00:33:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
do I can imagine it's called.
00:33:53
Nick Britten
Mate, your French is getting better.
00:33:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Ah!
00:33:55
Nick Britten
It's getting better by the week. I'm very impressed.
00:33:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a Manifique.
00:34:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
And he was appointed by Sunderland immediately after Lorient was relegated to Ligue 2. Now, if I was a Sunderland fan, I'd think, hey, I don't get that. Why? What has he done?
00:34:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
30% win rate for Lorient. for laurrian Nothing was standing out in his background that said, this guy is a world beater. Well, he clearly wasn't. wasn't even a French beater.
00:34:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
So,
00:34:23
Nick Britten
So was going to say, nothing still really, let's face it. i mean, having a good start to the season, but don't get carried away here.
00:34:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, no, no, no, no. No, i think I think it's amazing. I was just looking at why Sunderland have kind of been able to get off to this kind of good start.
00:34:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's a thing that we have identified, and I've already only identified it this season because I've been doing podcasts on a daily basis and we get to know these things more. He has done it based on, obviously had a great finish of the season last season, got and promoted.
00:34:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
But he's team built based around an identity and a style and an approach to football that is very, very clear. an and And he brings players in that fit that.
00:35:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it's style dependent, if you like identity dependent. And he not only did has he done that, he brought them in really early.
00:35:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
in the news in in the closed season, gave them a chance to kind of embed and and essentially get used to that style. They already fit that style.
00:35:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And because of that, they've got off to an absolute flying start. And it's all built Going back to this thing about LaBrice as a defender. I've got a theory, by the way, is that actually managers are best in the position that they played terms of that's how that's what their managerial outcome looks like.
00:35:56
Nick Britten
Do you mean their team the teams reflect the manager's position?
00:35:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
but
00:35:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yes. Yes. i do I do mean that. You expressed it better than me. so So the pre-series defender. Sunderland's defence has been absolutely outstanding. don't anybody's watched much of Sunderland, but incredibly solid, incredibly well-drilled, incredibly physical.
00:36:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Defending for their lives. They've conceded for... game has got goals all season only Paris and Arsenal have conceded less and we all know how good Paris and Arsenal's back line is no one will put Sunderland in that bracket but you know what Sunderland are in that bracket so yeah
00:36:37
Nick Britten
I think one of the things that stood out for me on that is, and we talked we talked to earlier on about how Nottingham Forest had ah a massive season last year and and they where they massively overperformed. And one of the reasons they overperformed by such an extent was the form of their goalkeeper, Selz, who had ah an outstanding season.
00:36:55
Nick Britten
And already the Sunderland goalkeeper, Robin Roofs, has been brilliant.
00:36:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Fantastic.
00:37:00
Nick Britten
Brilliant. I mean, I've seen them twice this season full in full-length games, if you like. Away at Palace and away at Forest. And in both games, he's kept them in it. He's been outstanding.
00:37:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
He is like is hes a great keeper, but they're they're really solid defence. I tell you who else has been really great is getting Granit Xhaka. That has got to be, for me, one of the outstanding pieces of business of the summer.
00:37:23
Nick Britten
Totally. He's just what they need. You and I watched... I watched Sunderland twice last season in the Championship. And I thought that other than Leeds, who went up automatically, Sunderland went up through the playoffs, I thought they were the best team in the Championship.
00:37:40
Nick Britten
Now, I know the table will suggest that Burnley were as well, but actually I thought Sunderland were the second best team in the Championship because they had a really young team. They had a really energetic side. And they were really good to watch.
00:37:52
Nick Britten
My concern for them was you can't really take a young side into the Premier League. You need old heads. You need experience. You need somebody to direct the traffic. And we talked the other day about Jordan hender's effect jordan Henderson's effect at Brentford.
00:38:09
Nick Britten
Granit Xhaka was the perfect signing for Sunderland. Absolutely perfect signing for them. And he's definitely showing his worth.
00:38:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's a great way of putting it. You need someone directing traffic. Granite Jacket does that. ah Up next, they've got Man United away. I think they're going to draw that. they're going to get something out that today.
00:38:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wolves at home, they're going to win that. Chelsea away, they're going to lose that. Everton at home, at least a draw. That's going to give them 16 points after 10 games. Based on last season, that's way more than 50% of what you need for the whole season.
00:38:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely outstanding. And of course, and by the way, Lloris, by the way, PhD, you know, he's you've got a doctorate in biomechanics. This bloke is a clever, clever, clever manager.
00:38:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think he's going to be one of the new generation of outstanding managers, Lloris. I know we're, I'm putting a lot on six games here, but
00:39:00
Nick Britten
You are. I thought you going say he's a new generation of managers who have PhDs in bio... What was it? Biomechanics.
00:39:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
By fire mechanics. I mean, well, great. I mean, clever. He's a clever lad. This weekend, one of the real highlight games, if Sunderland can frustrate Man United, and guess what? Sunderland are going to frustrate Man United.
00:39:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
And if they...
00:39:20
Nick Britten
I think they're going to win that game. i think the guy after When we did our predictions the other day, I had Sunderland down for an away win.
00:39:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Ah, yeah.
00:39:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, I tell you, if he does win, that's the end of Amarillo. And it will push the stock of Labrise even higher. So I think Sunderland, I think we've picked out the three there. Palace, we've done a bit on already.
00:39:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Bournemouth, absolutely right. They're they're outstanding. Sunderland, real surprise package. And good luck to them. Nobody's going to fancy you going up to Sunderland on a cold February either. So I think their home form is going to really help them.
00:39:53
Nick Britten
Is that generally or just for the football?
00:39:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that's actually general, if you've ever been to Sunderland. But you're going to say that from a kind of semi-Newcastle perspective as well. So, no, we love the Mackhams, and we love them.
00:40:03
Nick Britten
I like it. No, no, no, no, no. Don't tell me about that particular brush on this particular occasion because I like going to Sunderland.
00:40:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. and i would but
00:40:11
Nick Britten
I've been going there for for a long while. My dad used to go up there quite a lot. used to work up there quite a lot. He had a he he actually had quite a strong affinity with the city.
00:40:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Very good.
00:40:19
Nick Britten
And i yeah I like the stadium with light.
00:40:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
All
00:40:21
Nick Britten
I think it's a great stadium. So now, apart from the fact that whatever Derby go there, they generally lose.
00:40:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
right.
00:40:27
Nick Britten
But you can say that about most places.
00:40:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's true.
00:40:28
Nick Britten
i yeah I always enjoy going up there. A really good fan base. Really good fan base.
00:40:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Great fan base. Absolutely committed. Love what they're doing up there. Sunderland fans, enjoy every moment. I think you're going to have a great season. Right.
Conclusion and Football Spirit
00:40:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
That wraps it up. 40 minutes and 42 seconds of, let's face it, Pulitzer Prize winning punditry.
00:40:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
on the daily premier league podcast how many peas can you get into one sentence well i think i just probably got about nine in there nick thank you as always enjoy the game today you'll be in the south stand i'll be in the east stand we shall wait we shall wave i'll be in the comfy seats uh nick will be in with the hooligans uh as as in normal and uh we shall enjoy our game i hope everybody listening enjoys their game uh good luck to all your teams wherever they may be
00:41:01
Nick Britten
yes
00:41:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
I know we can't all win, and that's life, isn't it? That is life. We can't all win. But so if we do lose, let's take it with a sporting spirit. And if we win as well.
00:41:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thanks, Nick. Thanks for being with us.
00:41:30
Nick Britten
Thank you very much. I wondered if you were ever going to end that little bit. Well done.
00:41:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, that was a like little sermon, wasn't it?
00:41:34
Nick Britten
It was like a little sermon, yeah. Yeah.
00:41:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:41:36
Nick Britten
Wrexham didn't win last night, though, did they?
00:41:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
One, one. One, one. I mean, like I can live with that.
00:41:41
Nick Britten
The Hollywood Derby. The Hollywood Derby, Wrexham and Birmingham.
00:41:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
We got battered.
00:41:44
Nick Britten
Well done, mate.
00:41:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
We got battered second half, to be honest. Anyway, enjoy it, everyone, and see you all at church tomorrow.