Jimmy English: NFL Coming to Ireland | Arsenal’s Run & Cole Palmer’s Form | All-Star Weekend Woes

Transcript

Speaker: Well lads, welcome back to now the sixth episode of Who's Got The Ball and I'm already almost feeling like I'm losing count and we're only sixth in at this point but yeah, um back again with Shane.

Speaker: What's the crack Shane, how are you? That whole lap went on, just kind of just getting back into the swing of things after me now for a while. i How are things yourself? Good man, good good. Really only good bit of sport on the weekend but no highlight it for us, we were down at the 3D United game here in Limerick.

Speaker: you want to give the synopsis of that for anybody who doesn't go? It was very fun for 85 minutes and then all of a sudden it wasn't great fun. So they were turning it up with five minutes to go and five minutes of added time and managed to inspire to lose us 3-2. So frustration coming out of ground was pretty obvious on pretty much everyone's face. And they go way too alone now this weekend coming and with just a chance to try and start again, I suppose.

Speaker: Yeah, it was almost coming like you could feel it as soon as the first one went in. I think we talked about that after the game. you you've been regularly going to game for years now there but like i kind of mentioned to you that what i noticed from times of looking at the scores that i've noticed a lot of like goals going in and you were just like that that's a common feature so look lot of the young lads on the team so hopefully things turn around um and you can see definitely yeah true yeah um you could see some potential but uh

Speaker: Lookit, you're a Blue Army committee member anyway, so you've got to save face here for the lads and pick them up now in the next game, out on the sideline cheering them on. so so someone has to keep the morale up anyway, so... skin Yeah, of course and there and it Yeah, with the pom-poms on the sideline now. So anyway, we're going to get into something here very special for you lads.

Speaker: I know everyone wants to know about... the game that's coming to Dublin. So there's a big NFL game. If you haven't heard, you must be living under a rock. But we're going to have the Steelers in Croke Park this year.

Speaker: It was just announced this year and it's already coming this year. and So we've got a great man on to talk about this game, and Jimmy English. So i'll I'll give Jimmy a good intro and we'll we'll hear from him now ah about the game and about Steelers Ireland. So let's get straight into that. um So if we're going to get our chat going here with Jimmy. I really appreciate Jimmy coming on. Obviously, he has a lot of things going on at once. He's he's a man behind the Gaelic Red Iron, as I'm sure you'll all know.

Speaker: The link will be attached there for you to to give that a look. highly recommend. And obviously he's man who works with Steelers Ireland as well. So I'll let you introduce yourself, Jimmy, and give us a little bit of background on you.

Speaker: Well, lads, first of all, thank you very much for having me on. It's always a pleasure to see em new and upcoming podcasters, especially in the field of American football in Ireland. um I look love what you're doing so far with Who's Got the Ball. So that's that's great there.

Speaker: and Yeah, I mean, for for someone who works in marketing and media, I'm absolutely woeful about talking about myself. So well I'll do my best to give a succinct overview. i mean I've been involved being involved in American football in Ireland as a player and, I suppose, writer or podcaster for over 10 years now. I had a ah tenure as as a player and in the league. and And I suppose it was during my playing time with but you know with the Panthers and Rhinos, and even as far back as Draw Light and that I decided to that I wanted to to start a blog to kind of build the profile of American football in Ireland. and My experience as a player, and that was called Inside the Ten, and that's ah that's a long time ago now. But from that, I started Gaelic Gridiron and...

Speaker: I suppose the idea, again, was really just to, because at that time, it was still, it was very much a niche sport and it still is relatively niche. Today, albeit it is getting bigger and bigger every year.

Speaker: But back then, it it was just the cohort of people who played. There was no one really into American football outside of that. So I suppose my goal was to was to grow the sport and to grow interest in the game and to actually promote the sport within Ireland.

Speaker: And So it it was really just talking about, you know, different things. Like, for example, I mean, how to watch the Super Bowl in Ireland or where's the best place to watch American football in Ireland. And here, you know, and then I suppose a couple of years later and or a couple of years ago, I got really into the into covering the league here because there was definitely a gap there for for growing that element of the game, not just the NFL, but growing our own domestic game.

Speaker: As you know, the sport is played across the country of Ireland. So it it really kind of took off then when I started covering the Irish League. and But it was only really in the last 18 months or so that I started to take it seriously and actually put put proper effort into it on a daily basis and try to make it something more than just a kind of a casual hobby and and something that is an integral part of my life.

Speaker: And something that I spent a ridiculous amount of time working on, but gives me great pleasure. I mean, it's it's almost like a second job, but it's it's not a job really because it's something that that I love doing. I mean, American football is my is my greatest passion in the world. And, you know, just being able to spread the word about the game here in Ireland and play a part in growing the game and a growing awareness here is and is um it's something that that I love to do. And now we're at the point where we have reached an NFL game coming to Ireland, which is something even two or three years ago, we never thought would be feasible. So there's a lot done, but still we're only really at the beginning now because we we've gotten the games here. We've gotten the NFL game here. And now it's time to take the next step in how we build on that. So hopefully that wasn't too much of a ramble. And hopefully that gives your listeners some sort of sense of what i what I'm about.

Speaker: Great stuff and your passion is clear I think across all of the work that you do and as I said you guys need to check it out obviously Jimmy covers the Irish game as well as he mentioned there which is important and something that I think people if you're getting into the NFL it might be worth heading down to one of your local games you don't even realize how close it is on your doorstep here in Limerick we have the Vikings you know so.

Speaker: i was just going to say and the Vikings are one of the the longest standing organizations in in the country, really. I mean, they they've kind of went through a bit of a rebuild in the past couple of years. They fought their way back to the Premier Division now. But i mean, when I first got into American football in Ireland 15 years ago, if not more now at this stage, that they were they were they were winning Shamrock Bowls back in the day. So it's great to see them them still going. And the fact that just because we're at the end of the NFL season and that's over doesn't mean that American football stops. it It's a great time to...

Speaker: to to get into it and even if you just want to watch or if you want to play there's there's loads of those of opportunities around the country to do that. Yeah and I know the Vikings are always looking for volunteers and players, coaches, everything so any way you want to get involved it's a good way to do it but we'll definitely be down there ourselves for their opening games. and but Anyway, you kind of touched on a bit of your background there and you mentioned the big game, of course, um that we're all excited for the first NFL game and in Ireland. And it's people like you, I think, that laid the groundwork for things like that to happen. I know people might see and the growing fan base as something that just came about overnight, but it was years of passionate fans before anybody knew about the game that kind of put in that work um that got

Speaker: Ireland noticed and and I think that's commendable as well and we I think a lot of a lot of people often notice that as well that hard work but such such a big moment it's going to be more than a game it's going to be months it's going to be months of stuff and I just want to know kind of what were your initial reactions when obviously you knew a little bit in the background it was coming but maybe the first time you heard of it coming what was your kind of feeling Yeah, well, I had an inkling, James, I'm i'm not going to lie, it that there was an announcement that was coming, as you say. But when it was actually announced on the afternoon by Peter O'Reilly from the NFL, we were all on the conference call. And to be honest with you, just hearing him say, you know, the the NFL is coming to Dublin, I um was genuinely shaking, trying to try to compose myself. It's a good thing that our cameras weren't on otherwise...

Speaker: um i would I would have been in an absolute state but it was truly the two it's something I think I'll remember the rest of my life is that moment when we actually officially found out that a game was coming here and as you say it is a culmination of years and years of hard work and growing that fan base but it's also testament to the to the passion that Irish fans have and the noise that we made on an international stage to get the NFL's attention and go, okay, we can host a game here.

Speaker: We can definitely fill this place with Irish and, and you know, European and American football fans. So, Honestly, I think it was a collective effort from the entire fan base as a whole to get this game here. And and the fact that it's the Steelers is is ah special connection. it's It's a special thing not only for me because I'm ah i'm a massive Steelers fan and I try to not be biased when it comes to my coverage of the NFL. and i it It is tricky sometimes.

Speaker: Yeah. But, you know, the connection that the Rooney family have to to to the island of Ireland and, you know, Steelers founder, Art Rooney Sr., that the chief himself, what has his parents came from from, you know, up north. So like I think that was m that was something that's that's really, really cool to see them to see them come here and play play their first ever NFL game in Ireland, to be to be part of that. But as you say, it's not just going to be one game and one day. It's going to be a whole...

Speaker: 10 days or a month of activities and building up and, you know, fanfare. I mean, anyone who's been to the college football games in Ireland, which were in part, definitely played a part in proving to the league that, okay, Ireland can host these large scale American football games and can sell these out. So we've all seen the the demand for those games.

Speaker: But I mean, those games, those festivities only really start the weekend, maybe the Friday or, you know, or the Thursday, perhaps before the game. The NFL game is going to be a week. It's going to be at least a week of fan events, of the teams being here, of all the build-up. It'll honestly i be like a mini Super Bowl, I think.

Speaker: That's the kind of energy that the the entire city of Dublin is going to shut down for the week. It's going to be absolutely incredible. And I think it's because it's the first time, it's it's it's a historic event. and I mean, I still can't believe it's actually happening and I don't think I will actually believe that it's happening until the build-up starts and we start hearing hearing more and more about it. But when the Steelers first landed into Ireland two years ago,

Speaker: and to to announce their presence in Ireland as part of the global NFL's global marketing program. I think we kind of knew at that stage that there would be a game. It was just a matter of when and whether it how far off it would be. I mean, a lot of us didn't think it would happen this soon. And that that was quite surprising that they announced it in 2025 to happen in 2025. So that's a tight turnaround time.

Speaker: a tight turnerro time which kind of means that the league and the Steelers have been working on this the whole time in the background and planning the logistics and all that sort of thing. And we all thought it would be 26 or 27. I mean, 27 to kind of coincide with the the anniversary of the 1997 game against the Chicago Bears in Crow Park. But the fact that it's happening this year is is incredible. And I think and for anyone who who has never been to an NFL game, just try and get there because it's going to be so special.

Speaker: and like It's going to be just unbelievable, to be honest with you. Yeah, I think people could even soak in the atmosphere if they don't manage to get a ticket. it back yeah Dublin would be such a good place to be at that time.

Speaker: i think a lot not a lot of people know as well about that game that you referenced, and the pre-season game against the Bears. So that was already a game of American football in Croke Park involving the Steelers.

Speaker: So that's a pretty special thing to come back here so many years later. And of course, the Rooney family and did play such a big part in that, as you as you referenced. think... i think We held off on speaking in general about this game last week, obviously with the Super Bowl. We wanted to focus on that and wait till we had yourself on to chat about But it to you, Shane, for a second. What was your initial feeling when you heard that game was announced? What did you first think?

Speaker: but is your first thing and A bit like yourself, Jimmy, I couldn't believe how quickly they had done the turnaround on it. As you said, like to announce it in 2025, to be held in 2025, it's incredible, to be perfectly honest with you. They haven't kind of said, oh, we'll give you a game or going to kick the can down the road there and we'll do in 24 months or 36 months. The fact they just said, it's happening, it's happening this year, and like everything was set up, the ticket link register went out and everything, it just...

Speaker: I don't think I've quite got my head around it yet, like how quickly it's just going to come around. And it's it's just, as you said, it's going to be a week or a month of just festivities. Dublin is going to be and incredible place to be for that weekend. It's going to absolutely incredible. I'm really, really looking forward to us And just the fact that they teased it and tantalised it so much. I mean, it it was, I think over Christmas, there was a whole flurry of reports online. And and you even people in Pittsburgh, they mean ESPN, I think, reported on it. USA Today, the Irish Examiners.

Speaker: These are major outlets. I mean, yeah genuinely, you know, promoting this game. We were getting Adam Schefter tweets and everything. i list I think it was during one of the London games he tweeted.

Speaker: yeah And you know all the Irish people, are in all the Irish lads, myself and Michael McQuaid and all those lads, we are all kind of panicking, going, what ah you better not announce it now.

Speaker: and But then even during the Super Bowl, I thought they would do it so well. so there was there was the press conference, the international press conference happens happens every year at at the Super Bowl, typically to announce an international game.

Speaker: And this year at that, they they announced the Australia game, which in itself is fairly cool. Yeah, and and I was convinced they were going to announce the Ireland game. So that was a bit of a letdown. So then when they did the subsequent online conference, it was...

Speaker: not It was just such a such a special moment. and But it's going to be just completely overshadowed when we actually do get the game here. and Just to see all these international fans coming together, and even the Irish fans. mean This is for the Irish fans.

Speaker: this is This is a reward for their passion and and their hard work and their fandom. And hopefully it won't be a ah one-off occasion. and no we'll get We'll get multiple NFL games in the future here. I think we we definitely will. I think the fact that As you mentioned, the college games here, how successful they've been, how well the crowd has shown out. Now, I do know that they they did bring over a lot of fans from and the specific colleges throughout the years, especially last year.

Speaker: and But the Irish fans in general have a chance now to show their passion for the game. And I think that will show the NFL, not only they know it's feasible because of the college game, but they know that the passion is there and we can put on a show.

Speaker: for a game like that and kind of make it like, as you said, it would be like a Super Bowl to us. We want really the rest of the world to see that too. And I think definitely in America with a lot of Irish ties, especially with the Steelers, that's going to shine through.

Speaker: yeah just want to touch on your work with Steelers Ireland and kind of how did how did that come about and and what would be your your main points there that you'd like to share?

Speaker: Yeah, i mean, first of all, just ah it was an incredible opportunity when I was given the chance to work with the Steelers here. and i suppose that came about towards when they were planning to launch into Ireland as part of the NFL's Global Marketing Rights Program.

Speaker: They, of course, selected Ireland, given, you know, the ties to the country historically that we have discussed and and obviously it was well known and well publicized that i was a big big spielers fan so um through again michael mcquade uh pro football ireland he reached out to me and asked me if i'd be interested in coming on as a co-host of their official uh podcast for ireland um but i think we've done two seasons now i could be wrong but i i do believe it is it is two seasons we have we have done now And i suppose the the podcast was kind of the the key part of their marketing strategy to grow a fan base here in Ireland.

Speaker: and you know just to have something where fans you know run run by fans, hosted by fans, taking fan questions, giving a fan's perspective i on you know the Steelers' performances throughout the year and just the whole kind of thing of Steelers' art.

Speaker: that's been that's that That's been fantastic. We have really gone from strength to strength and over the past couple of seasons. Obviously, now with the game coming this year, we're going to be stepping it up again in terms of the content we're putting out. Obviously, we we'll be hoping to do a Now, this is this is speaking hypothetically. There's no plans here. So nobody quote me. and we're We're in the off-season now. But, I mean, you would think that we we would do something as part of the as part of the game, either a podcast before after.

Speaker: you know, you know, getting getting out there and meeting the fans. But I suppose the the podcast has been a great opportunity for me but with but with my media work. But also it's given me the opportunity to see close up just how much effort the Steelers are putting into growing the game here in Ireland and growing their fan base here in Ireland. mean, of course, we had the two watch parties in Crow Park the past couple of years. Great success.

Speaker: Great form for fans. Great opportunity for for NFL fans in Ireland. Even if they're not Steelers fans, to come and watch a game in that kind of atmosphere, you know, to meet like-minded fans. So and we also, we we've seen them running youth camps, youth-like football camps and with both the GAA and local American football teams. And, you know, that's a great way to get young younger fans to give them an accessibility to the game and get them involved and get them excited and get their passion. But at the same time, it's very clever because what they're doing is growing their fan base the whole time.

Speaker: they're growing Steelers the whole time. So if you're not an NFL fan at a young age, well, now you're a Steelers fan if you attend camp or one of those camps. So it's, and you know, it's not just a kind of a half-hearted lip service effort. These, they are genuinely passionate and invested in growing Steeler Nation in Ireland. I mean, you have Dan Rooney himself is at these camps throwing footballs.

Speaker: and bus time That's Dan, that's Dan Jr. by the way. Yeah. The current leader. who who will eventually be the yeah the head honcho at the Steelers. But, and you know, he's like he's out there, he's getting involved. You have former Steelers players, current Steelers players. So they really are giving it 100%. And now with the game on the horizon, I'm really, really excited to see what what's going next in in that journey. And just and delighted to to be involved with the Steelers and play my part, however I can. Like, it really is really is fantastic what they're doing here.

Speaker: Yeah, I think such, as you mentioned, the fact that now if you're a young fan and you've gone to a Steelers camp, you're going to be a Steelers fan for life. It's like you you have kind of you've been brought straight into the game and that's the first thing you've seen.

Speaker: It's such a smart way of doing things, but it's, I think, a fair payoff, more than a fair payoff for them to get more fans to get the game to grow in this country. But the effort they're putting in to do it, as you mentioned, is is excellent.

Speaker: Well, we're seeing the returns, James, on their efforts because we have an NFL game here featuring the Steelers just over two years after they launched into the market here. like it the The turnaround time is, but like i as I said earlier, it was probably always their plan.

Speaker: Maybe just not this kind of timeline. so um And like you like you said, Shane, how quickly they turned around. All the you know the links were live. All that the media stuff was live. They announced a partnership with Aer Lingus to be the official airline of Steelers in Ireland.

Speaker: we We would expect a direct flight to Pittsburgh to be to be announced and in the coming weeks. and But no, just so so so, so well planned. And look, it's it's exciting times ahead.

Speaker: Yeah, I think we're very lucky and considering the size of the country. and But it goes out to all the fans out there, all the years you've put in watching and kind of interacting with the likes of Jimmy, the likes of Michael, and Pro Football Ireland, Gaelic Great Iron.

Speaker: any kind of media, even interacting with uk NFL UK, which is now NFL UK and Ireland, like yeah that's shown how important we are to the game. um So it's commendable for all all the fans. And I think it's a reward kind of for for everything that's been all the love and passion that's been put into the game, because I think we do sport better than pretty much any other country. So we will definitely show them show him how it's done over here. and But yeah,

Speaker: Yeah, i I really appreciate you giving us the time, Jimmy. No problem. And yeah, I think we're going to, we're obviously going to link all your, all your work in. and i I urge people to give some of your articles a read too, because I know it's,

Speaker: harder to get people to read longer form content these days, but it's, that's where the work goes in, you know, making these, sitting down, writing these articles, a lot of work goes into it. So give those a read too. It has to be done. it's It's all well and good. It's it's a lot of fun make making videos and doing the fun edits and all that kind of thing. but you have to sit down and do a,

Speaker: preview of the the Irish American Football League. yeah where That's where you that's where your your passion and dedication tests you. I'm on 800 words here now. How much? And I still have another three or four paragraphs to say. So now I appreciate that, lads. And I look...

Speaker: and Yeah, a fair play to what what you're doing. I mean, we I genuinely don't think we can have enough people talking about American football in Ireland. And as you can see now, the the market is about to absolutely explode.

Speaker: yeah This has been coming for years. this I kind of think of it as like as a wave. This wave has been building and building and building for years. And now it's going to crash.

Speaker: And American football is just going to absolutely explode in Ireland, and even more so than it already has. And I think once we get closer to that game and in the aftermath of that game, I think then is when we really get to see the reward of all the hard work that we've been doing. And that's when it really kind of kicks off and we...

Speaker: yeah, look, let's let's just see what happens. Yeah, yeah, that's the excitement sort of a lot. we We can't wait. So lads, thanks again to Jimmy, and yeah, cheers.

Speaker: Thanks for your time. Thanks so much, Jimmy. That was great. That was a proper good chat with Jimmy. He gave a lot of insight, and especially about the game in Ireland as well, which is so important. So yeah, really insightful and and appreciate sure Jimmy coming on again. Hopefully we'll hear from him between now and the game. I'm sure we will, but let's get into... The knowledge as well is outstanding, isn't it? He can talk about it for hours and hours. he you can You can see his passion. You can tell him what he loves. Just some phantom there for 10 or 15 minutes. It's incredible. luck Yeah, no, 100%. Couldn't agree more. It's just, as you said, the passion more than anything. You have to have it.

Speaker: I think if you're going to cover this almost in your free time, you know, how much effort you're putting into it. So yeah, fair play to Jimmy and thanks again for coming on. Let's ah switch over to another type of football now. We're going talk about soccer.

Speaker: and So we've got a team and a player to chat about as usual. So I'll swing it over to you first, Shane. You had the player to chat about this week. Yeah, so we're going to have a look at Cole Palmer and how he is kind of he's kind of been the main man for Chelsea over the course the season and how Chelsea have fallen off a bit, he's fallen off a bit, and kind of just the correlation between the two of them.

Speaker: So up to this point in the season, he has 14 goals and six assists in the league, which it's not bad, like Joe, but what you mean not bad? It's actually a great return for a player playing in behind a striker. It's only really second year playing regular football.

Speaker: But it I just feel that despite the amount of money Chelsea have spent, the billions, literally billions they've spent, no one they've brought in is there to help them. Like the players around him, you have the likes of Jackson, Neto, Madueke in Conquo.

Speaker: like None of them are there to kind of like take the passes off him or take some of the mantle off him. He just kind of seems to have to almost play hero ball by himself nearly every week. And his goals have dried up. He only has...

Speaker: four goals in the last and four goals in the last 11 games he had nine in the previous 11. uh he has no assists in the last 12 games because as i said like there's no one there to help him the passes aren't going to peace he's just kind of struggling a small bit on his own now and Chelsea are just over the stage there where they were quietly quite good.

Speaker: They're now quietly very bad again and no one is talking about them because there's there a bigger crisis love than the likes of of United. They're taking the headlines away from Chelsea being on this bit of a ah bit run as a bit of a bad run as well.

Speaker: Yeah, I think you're right that he's basically like having to play hero ball. You could see even in the last game, he had a woeful shot that went wide, and then he kind started throwing his hands up in the air.

Speaker: probably more out of frustration than anything that nothing else was on or that the others weren't doing what he wanted. It might seem like a bit petulant if you look at that on its own, but you need to understand the full situation that the guy is in.

Speaker: He's having to carry them. A big thing that I know that you mentioned there is that no assistance the 1st of December, that's crazy stuff. like Like what are the other players doing? Because i have I've noticed that.

Speaker: Looking at the stats here, like he has the most Premier League chances created of any player this season in 64. And like Chelsea are the fourth most for big chances miss in the league with 44.

Speaker: So obviously not all those were once created by him, but it's I can guarantee a big chunk are. And you mentioned Jackson there. I think they've actually... I know he's but been very wasteful and he's gotten criticism for that, but I think without him, the team doesn't really play the same now that he's been out.

Speaker: Yeah, I think that's clear as to see as well. Yeah, like having Incomka in there is not having the same effect as Nick DeSciaxon was. And like on paper before, like when Incomka was in Germany, he would have said, oh, what a signing.

Speaker: But he can't get into first team. And there is arguably a worse player playing ahead of him. That worse player is what's making Cole Palmer tick. It's kind of like he's he's kind of, he's helped him bring Maduwecki into play and you can see the difference.

Speaker: Now without him. I think one of the biggest issues Palmer has is the midfields been non-existent. Like he's meant to be the attacking force. he's He's won 102 duels and made 76 clearances in the league this season.

Speaker: It's not his job. It's not a job exactly. Mo Salah doesn't have 102 clearances. Mo Salah doesn't even have five clearances actually. It's kind of, it's going to show and that there's no one there who's kind of almost doing his running for him for wonderful better way of putting it, that he can kind of be the focal point, be the main man.

Speaker: And since the midfields have fallen off, the the people around him have fallen off. He has been very obvious that he's on a bit of a downward spiral at the moment as well. Yeah, there's not a lot of outlets there. Like I think You mentioned Luke Matueke.

Speaker: I think he's been probably one of the most consistent wingers for them, even though he hasn't been over to like overperforming or performing to what people expected. But you notice the drop-off when he came off at the weekend and you had Sancho on there.

Speaker: like Sancho just doesn't run back. He doesn't track at all. And Chelsea fans are getting sick of him already. um And there's a reason for that. So this was to be expected, in my opinion, about Sancho, but Look, that doesn't help Palmer either because it's another weak link there that he doesn't have that outlet that he can trust. And without Jackson, he doesn't have the focal point to bring others into play. As you mentioned, that will do the hard running. That will lead the press and bring the other players with him.

Speaker: Chelsea have dropped off a little bit now and but they've had a lot of possession this season. I think only City have more possession than them or more passes maybe. But I think it's kind of blunt possession in the last couple of months because they have kind of fallen off a cliff and I don't see how they get back there.

Speaker: um I don't I know like before the two games against Brighton, Mareska was coming out and saying Herzler wasn't the top manager. He wouldn't be sold on saying that.

Speaker: I don't know if Herzler is not a top manager, then Mareska but he certainly is not. Because... He's unproven. There's not a big sample size. There's nothing in there to say that he couldn't be a top manager, but he isn't right now.

Speaker: And Herzl made him look silly there in the last couple games. 100%. And he made it look easy as well. Like Brighton weren't exactly on a flying run of four themselves. Exactly. They just got beaten 7-0 and then they come on over to Chelsea.

Speaker: like One ball over the top is is all it took to put Brighton up in the lead. And after that, Chelsea were never getting anywhere next to near that game then. And the thing I found is that like, Colt Palma almost, it's like he's, he feels he's a place centre-mid, attacking mid and striker.

Speaker: He's having to win the ball back himself to kind of get himself on a run, to get himself into an attacking position, to have a shot or try and find a pass. yeah and like that's what enzo fernandez should be there for it's what boys and space area they paid the 20 120 odd million nearly for him and none of them are doing anything to help him out and and joe i just said to give his frustration might look petulant but it's fully warranted like when you're you're in a squad of players that has cost a billion quiz and none of them are showing up here none of them are going to make the run of you and coming from like working with pep where everyone runs you've no choice i'd say it's very difficult him to understand what's going on at moment

Speaker: Yeah, I think the the fact a lot of those players are bought for a lot more money than he was, you'll think, obviously that won't play into a lot of players' minds, but I'm sure he's thinking these lads are paid, teams paid twice as much for these lads as they paid for me.

Speaker: And I'm here running the show. Like they've done this whole thing of buying a lot of young players. I think it's absolutely destroyed the culture because even after the game on the weekend, sure, Caballero had to force them to go over to clap the fans.

Speaker: And the only one who even went to near the fans was Rhys James. The rest of them wouldn't even clap the fans. Like that's toxicity literally personified. And so very bad.

Speaker: feel for the guy because he's a very talented player and a big United fan so no hassle if he wants to come across and play in Manchester but yeah I think yeah such um such a talent probably one of the only players that worked out in this whole you can't even call it an experiment because it's their ethos now buying all these young guys so they're stuck with it and if only one or two works out there they're in a tough situation their next game is away at Villa and then they have couple of games against Southampton and Leicester they have to win those They're in big trouble anyway, because the eight, nine, 10 year contracts they've given to the likes of Joe Felix, they now put him out on loan.

Speaker: He's on a six year deal. He's six months into a six thirty year deal on ridiculous money. Overageous. like and But Mikilenko, I think he was on a seven year deal. I haven't seen next year.

Speaker: Mundrick. Mundrick, sorry. Yeah. like it's just the the ethos of the club that is clearly the shambles and they're not going to change they're going to keep going and keep doing it the way they're doing it like and know what i'm kind of looking forward to seeing how badly you can go before it goes right because it's yeah i said it makes no sense what they're trying to do it like i understand trying to play by kids but you need to have experienced heads around them as well exactly and a lot of these guys clearly don't have the the mentality for it

Speaker: on their own without being brought along, which not long um not a lot of young players do, so you can't blame them. It's kind of the system that they're brought into, but the Conference League is a pretty handy one, and they should win that, but I don't see any reason why they shouldn't, and if they don't win that, that's going to be a big failure. Yeah, Rovers, you know, the Rovers let them have the first one, but a false sense of confidence here.

Speaker: and That's going to be the final, and Chelsea are going to get egg on their face then with. the lad snucked up Michael Noonan with winner. But ah yeah, that's that's Cole Palmer. we We definitely feel sorry for him, but we don't feel sorry for Chelsea. and No, definitely not.

Speaker: Yeah, moving across London then to a team I want to chat about is Arsenal. So the reason I want to talk about them is similar reason why I wanted to talk about City.

Speaker: I wanted to gauge what you think they're capable of doing with the rest of the season. think... i think teams have had injuries and yeah, you can feel sorry for the number of them that they've had at once, but also it's kind of their own fault that they didn't stock up in those positions because there's no point in having 15 centre-backs and only one striker like and then being shocked when your striker and your midfielder who's playing striker get injured.

Speaker: like These things do come upon yourself and and I think yeah the injury situation isn't a good one, but I think they could have done things a lot better. But one thing I i thought was interesting is that the season where they kind of fell down when they had the lead, that year Saliba did get injured.

Speaker: And I was thinking possibly could Arteta and the guys be thinking, what if he gets injured again? You know, he's the guy that we need back there. So will we just stock up on centre-backs? Other than that, I can't really figure out why they did what they did because they clearly need a striker.

Speaker: Yeah, so I think there's two ways of looking at it. So they have six players to play across those three positions up front, and four them are injured at once. So in one sense, I can see why they didn't want to add a seventh or an eighth or ninth player into it in January.

Speaker: But at the same time, the six they have aren't very good quality. like you can You can upgrade on Trostard, you can upgrade on Martinelli, you can upgrade on Jesus, you can upgrade on Trostard. I think I said him twice, but you'd know upgrade on Havertz.

Speaker: You can really upgrade on Havertz. Yeah, you can really upgrade on Havertz. It's all very good having the numbers, but the players they've been left with aren't of the quality they need. like Their front three at the weekend was when Jairi, Trossard and Sterling Yeah, Sterling is the main one in my eyes. Yeah, that's not going to win your title.

Speaker: Having to bring a defensive midfielder on to play as your false nine for the last 20 minutes. I know he scored the two goals and he won the game. That's not going to work against Newcastle. Won't work against Liverpool. Won't work against anyone in the top half. Probably wouldn't work against everything. It's the everything they're at the moment. and like so I think like the squad management has been done so badly.

Speaker: Yeah. It really has. 100%.

Speaker: like kid They spent so much time, as you said, focusing on centre-backs, focusing on midfielders, that they kind of forgot that they need an actual strike who can put the ball in the net. Yeah, it's the most important part the game. And I think Arteta likes to mitigate risk, but you can't really mitigate risk when you play a really good team and they smash in three goals.

Speaker: You have no chance of coming back. like You could ever watch City or Liverpool. If they're 3-0 down, you know it's not over. It's unlikely that things will turn around, but it could. Whereas with Arsenal, you know it's done. If they go down that much, it's done.

Speaker: I know it hasn't happened, but if they do get an injury at the back, then things are all up in the air. And yeah, I think they're very impressive defensively. and They've conceded the least goals in the league with 22.

Speaker: So very solid. And to be honest, they've outperformed their... XG by a lot. I think it's around 40, 41, 42, and they have 51 goals despite the issues with the striker.

Speaker: And and i think like they they they've scored the third most goals in total behind Liverpool and City. So that's still impressive. I don't think it's all Downhill, i I actually see a lot of potential in them making a charge and pushing Liverpool closer than any other team has the ability to right now.

Speaker: I know they don't have a real striker right now, but looking at when the guys are coming back, obviously Havertz and Jesus look at Jesus. He's out for the season, Havertz looks to be the same. Saka will be back next month, that's massive.

Speaker: Yeah, it's huge. Usually once he gets back, that's just going to change things. Like he has their most assists in the Prem and how long has it been since he played? Like he has 10 assists. So once he gets back in, I could almost see him playing centrally with Nguyeneri playing so well.

Speaker: I think that might work. I don't know what way Arteta will do it, but Nguyeneri deserves the minutes. He's been a real threat. He's not scared to get a shot off. He might go into the middle, to be honest, and sack it down that right side. But I still think there is positives there.

Speaker: An interesting thing is they they haven't lost a lot of games, but they lost to Newcastle three times this season. So once in the league and twice in the cup, which is which is a funny one. They also lost to Inter in the Champions League c incredible defensive team.

Speaker: And so nothing to nothing to be sad to disappointed about there. They lost to Bournemouth early in the league. And then obviously the mighty Manchester United in the FA Cup on 10th. Just couldn't outdo them, but... ah Those are the only losses. When you list them out, you think it's still a great season. They were very good in the Champions League.

Speaker: They had only Inter conceded less goals than them in the Champions League. And look, that's expected from Inter. Yes, what they're doing this year is outrageous. Yeah, exactly. toly Their defensive, Sean, has been out of this world. Did they even concede one goal in their eight games, I think, with the other?

Speaker: Yeah. That's ridiculous, like... Yeah, it's outrageous. And Arsenal only conceded three. That's crazy enough as it is. They ended that with four straight wins as well in the in the group stage. So on a good run there, I think next up they'll have either Milan, PSV, Feyenoord or Juve.

Speaker: So those are the options. And I think for Arsenal, even by the time that rolls around, if if they have a couple more guys back, I think even if not, I think they should turn over all those teams. So I think the season's certainly not done. i have a lot of hope for them.

Speaker: i think they'll, I think they'll do well. I don't know how far they'll get. i think, and defense and in terms of getting close to the top spot in the league I think it solely depends on Liverpool if Liverpool continue to perform close to what they've done all season then there's no hope for Arsenal to reach that height but if Liverpool drop off for three or four games then look You never know about Arsenal to be near perfect at this point. so I think the big thing for Atete is like when you're listing off their defeats there this season, and the fact is that they're out of both domestic cups already.

Speaker: like kid they They're probably not going to win the Champions League if they don't have a striker. You're going up against the likes of Real Madrid and stuff when you don't have a striker, and they're front three of our race. If you play them in a one-off game or over two legs, you're not going to beat them.

Speaker: yeah So their only hope of it... Yeah, their only hope of a trophy this season is the Premier League. And as you said, if Liverpool keep up their level, then I don't see how Arsenal can make up to seven points.

Speaker: like If Liverpool can somehow win against Villa tomorrow, Liverpool have a 10-point lead over them, albeit with a game extra played. It's a lot to try and claw back, even at this stage of the season. 13 games left, think, we're down to now.

Speaker: So I think like i think if Artel had another trophy this season, that serious question will have to be asked of him then after that. I'm not sure what you think yourself, but I think if he if he goes another trophy this year, then I think he he will be under serious pressure in the summer.

Speaker: i think I personally think he'll be okay because he'll use the injuries as an escape here, but I think and the media isn't too harsh on Arsenal, so they won't put that pressure on him about the English media in general and I'm speaking about. them But I think if he was at another club, yeah, certainly he'd be under pressure. I think he'll have another year. But Arsenal fans turn very quickly.

Speaker: They're okay now when they're winning a couple of games. But before that, day they turn very quickly. The fan TV and all that stuff, hilarious videos outside the stadium. But yeah, I think in general...

Speaker: I think they'll have to get Liverpool dropping points in these next three, I think, against Villa City and Newcastle. If Liverpool get through those with seven points even, I don't think Arsenal will catch them in at that point. So it's a big week and a half coming up for Arsenal to watch what Liverpool do.

Speaker: and But Yeah, I think that's pretty much all we have on Arsenal. And we touched on Cole Palmer too, so two London teams focused on there. Just one more thing that I can't be able to bring up, but their goals from set pieces, like 20% of their goals in the league this evening, they have 10 goals from set pieces. I just think that is, it's out of this world, I think. It's kind of, it's,

Speaker: it kind of Yeah, it's mad how like a team that is so high up the league, so well thought of, second best team in the league comfortably at the moment. And they kind of, they rely so heavily on getting set piece goals.

Speaker: I don't like, think we've ever seen the likes it. Obviously Joe, people compare him to Soak and stuff, but like Soak were clearly on a level that's way below this Arsenal team. Like do you make of them having been so kind of reliant on that piece goals get them over the line in a lot of games?

Speaker: I think it's not a reliable way to to win yourself a trophy. I think it could be a reliable way if you're a Stoke to win you like an FA Cup or something like that, like or to get far in it or something like that. But as you said, they're not Stoke.

Speaker: They're a higher level of team. So they they can't be doing this this kind of dark magic in the box like where they're clearly fouling people. and And that's going to get pulled. like This season, they're getting away with it, but guaranteed in the summer, if they score three or four or five more goals from corners...

Speaker: There's going to be an issue taken with that in the summer with the pushing and shoving that they do, dragging people down at times, checking people's runs. If that happens anywhere else on the pitch, that's a foul. So I think they're lucky in some sense with the things they get away with there.

Speaker: I know they've had a bad do with officiating at times this season, but those things they are getting away with, and I think that might be pulled, but I don't think it's enough. I think other than Saka coming back and going on an amazing run and giving Salah-esque numbers for the last few weeks, other than that, i I don't see how they go away from those set pieces, to be honest, as well. Because if Marino is going to be the striker, they're just going to be launching balls in. And it didn't work for the third time this season, too, that tactic. So, yeah, an interesting one for sure. We're to head

Speaker: we're yeah i head into gone chance now so I'd like to point out that is my first week gonna win I got one right Jane got none so I've continued my streak five weeks of just getting one point so yeah just slowly slowly slowly trudging along until you get your next five pointer but I'll take what I can so what have you gone with for this week for that and so i've gone with wolves first of all this week so wolves are night to two born with their eight to fifteen uh if wolves can play like they did against superfield on saturday i think they have a really good chance of beating a lot of teams who are above them in the table this season i think they're far better than their league position show at the moment and i think they'll start picking up wins

Speaker: I'm also, I don't know what's happened after happening with me in Bournemouth, but I'm not as hot in them as I was tonight. But I mean, rankings a couple of weeks back, I think they're due to hit a run of form that is not very good. And i think it will start this weekend.

Speaker: Interesting. um I have gone with the Knicks to beat the Cavs in the NBA. They're both on very, very good runs, but I think the Knicks are just, they're kind of like, they're plugging away slowly now. They're plugging away nicely. They're kind of, they're coming into championship already almost kind of pre-season already, say post-season already.

Speaker: And I don't see why they can't go and beat the Cavs. I think they're, but but If they're not on a level playing field, they're very, very close to it. And I think it was kind of, it was a needy enough one to pick for this week. and i hopes have gone first And I've also gone for Forrest to beat Newcastle in the Premier League.

Speaker: yeah Yeah, nice one. I've actually gone with that too. So <unk> we're overlapping with that one. What's your reason? I think Forrest, last they lost to Fulham.

Speaker: But to be able to put seven past Brighton. They're good at bouncing back. I think Newcastle are going to be a bit more up and down before the end of the season.

Speaker: Getting battered by City at weekend. and You could very easily see Forrest, Chris Wood kind of bullying their centre-backs the way Marmush mar motion Halland did at the weekend at all. and to be honest there weren't many other options that I kind of fancied in the Premier League this weekend so I said I'd give Forrest a goal because I do think they are they're a better team than Newcastle think yeah I've gone for a similar reason and I just think that as when we talked about and the lads Forest earlier in the and one of the episodes I think it could have been the first episode even we we said that they're a team that looks like they'll continue this run it's not just like a bit of a streak and and I think that's the reason that I've gone with this Forest are 31 to 10 so pretty much 3 to 1 and then Newcastle are 4 to 5

Speaker: I don't know, Newcastle obviously being home has skewed those odds, but I think that's a great price for Forrest. Newcastle possibly have an eye on that silverware as well because that's massive for them. And obviously Forrest need to bounce back to stay in the top four.

Speaker: And Newcastle play very similarly to Brighton. um So I think, yeah, I could see Forrest doing a number on them. Probably not another seven no but maybe a 3-1 or 2-1. think it's going to be...

Speaker: going to be good performance there. and Then for in the basketball, in the NBA, I've gone with two games. and so I've gone with Minnesota to beat the Thunder. so I've gone Timberwolves to beat OKC.

Speaker: Timberwolves are thirty one and twenty five and the Thunder are and ten So i think just the fact that it's in Minnesota, um I think gives them a good chance. And they yeah have had nights there where they've really turned on. And then they've had nights where they've been atrocious, but they just beat the Thunder before the All-Star game. And it was the first time all season where the Thunder were losing from wire to wire. So from the start to the end.

Speaker: So I thought that was an interesting interesting one and possibly another another big win there for Minnesota, something in front of their fans there that they could really get behind. So, I've gone with that one and I've gone with...

Speaker: Similar enough to what you have, I've gone actually with the Grizzlies, though, to beat the Cavs. So that's on Sunday night. So i've I've looked at the fact that they're playing the Knicks before that. It's going to be a tough game.

Speaker: And when they could possibly lose, I think they might scrape a win. And then they're heading to play the Grizzlies on a Sunday. A very tough team. and Physical team. Good defense. I think they they might struggle there.

Speaker: So it's... Grizzlies are currently 36 and 18 and are and So, yeah, those are like those are my three picks. so I think the thing with the Cavs is when they've lost, like they haven't just kind of lost one and then won four five in the bounce. If they lose one, they kind of lose two or three in the bounce before they turn round again.

Speaker: know it hasn't happened often because they are fully foreigntained but I don't think they've had any standalone defeats. I think every time they've had a defeat, they've added a second one on top of it before they've managed to arrest the slump again. So but we could both get it right on that where they lose to the Knicks and then follow it up and lose to the...

Speaker: true yeah that would be that would be an interesting one for sure to see them lose two games yeah and both of us have have them have them right like so let's see let's keep an eye on that that would be that would be an interesting bet anyway um but yeah i think i think uh i'm a good to bind you so i definitely need a five pointer some stage but uh let's see how we go getting into the season and obviously it's just nba and soccer now at this point so um there's no there's no nfl but uh For anyone who's only tuning in now at this point, what we're doing here is we're picking teams that are playing against odds-on favourites in the Premier League and teams that are playing other teams that have five or more wins more than them. so Because obviously the odds aren't out by the time we're we're picking these teams for the weekend in the NBA.

Speaker: So it just gives you a nice underdogs to look for at the weekend and gives us a bit of a competition there with the points. so and Moving then to the NBA. No competition. No competition. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker: Speaking too early, I just can't wait to clip that no competition from Shane. End of the season. He's going to win by 50 points, so I better just stop talking now. On to the NBA. I'll let you take it away. We're going to talk about the All-Star Weekend.

Speaker: What a massive waste of everybody's time. Start to finish, a waste of time. Like I said last week that the only reason the three-point contest, sorry, the Sam Dung contest was still a team, was but keep Mac McClung relevant.

Speaker: And he's gone and won it again. In fairness to him, he is... absolutely incredible of what he does jumping over cars and spinning people and stuff like when that's all he's doing he probably should be good at this like you were staying there i yeah went say terror sorry wednesday say would like to car but like when when that's all he's doing he should be good to this yeah like i just think i thought the whole weekend The whole weekend was just a shambles, I thought. There was nothing enticing about watching it. it was nothing that kind of grabbed the attention and kept you in.

Speaker: Even the format of the All-Star Games. I saw a thing. it was There was 42 minutes of basketball in those three hours. 80 minutes of ads. That's awful. Double the time of ads as there was for the three matches to be played. I just think the whole thing.

Speaker: And then I'd add all the other crap that was going on. Yeah. like the three point contest was bit disappointing as well. Like, so Tyler Gero was excellent, but Damien Leonard disappointing.

Speaker: Dan and Brunson disappointing. Like all the players that were knocked down the first round, I really expected more from. And the fact that none of them kind even, don't know, I'm going back and forth now, but the Spurs being disqualified from the skills challenge for breaking the system. So it's just kind of, the whole thing start to finish was just awful. Yeah, awful.

Speaker: Yeah, i I don't know, man. That was like one of the like highlights of something a bit mad happening there with Wemby and CP3. And to be honest, you watch them do that. like Okay, they're trying to... I don't know why. you like Who cares like if you win it or not?

Speaker: It doesn't actually matter. And what are they doing? It just looks so stupid the way they're just throwing the ball up. You're saving yourself time. Yeah, they're going for the time. But just play the thing how it's meant to be played. like No one cares about it anyway.

Speaker: So just do it. But I suppose it did give us a bit of a talking point. McClung, proper dunking legend, I'd say, literally just practices all year because he has nothing else to do, like G League and dunk contests. But yeah, fair play to him.

Speaker: I think that last dunk was sick. The one where he like tapped the rim and then dunked it. How he gets his eyes that high is just athleticism. like Unbelievable. And he's not even that tall.

Speaker: like The hops he has are crazy. so yeah Fair play to him. Castle was the only other one who really did anything the other two guys. I think they were very, very nervous. yeah They had some nice ideas that they just could not execute.

Speaker: And then they just went for simple dunks. So was a bit... Yeah, it was really a bit of a damp squib there. Like, it was pretty bad. And then the three-point contest was an absolute stinker as well. Like, Lillard didn't perform, but he lit it up in the first round, and then he was clanking them off the rim to start the second round. Like, ah, to start the final round. I mean, like, come on. But...

Speaker: He way underperformed his initial score there. And ultimately, the only thing that matters is that I was correct, that Tyler Hero i would win Leipzig. Yeah, if only that it points to your conscience, guess it now. I think that's an extra 10 points for me. I think we discussed.

Speaker: Oh, is it? Okay, that that's what we said. agreed We you agreed on that last week, did we? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go back and have it in the tape there. But no, that was such a dud. Like an absolute dud. And the game...

Speaker: Like, come on, none of the lads are trying. They're trying a lot less than even ever before. And the team that we both said would win, would win, won, which is not surprising. Like, all the old heads there. And as I mentioned last week, having those guys able to shoot on the same team, just... Curry was just draining threes for the laugh.

Speaker: Harden had a couple of step backs. Jason Tatum was draining threes. Like, it's just the team who can shoot threes more because nobody plays defense. So... Yeah, a couple of things I've seen around since then and that make next year seem a little bit better um would be the fact that there's already some guys going back and forth saying that they might play next year or test in the slam dunk. So we had A tweet from jar ah Ja Morant, a tweet from Giannis, who I think then said that, no, that wasn't true. and But Ja definitely said he would, and I think Zach Levine said he might run it back. So I would love to see that McClung, who's like the modern day dunk contest hero against Zach Levine, who obviously had probably took part in the best one of all time yeah against Aaron Gordon.

Speaker: So, yeah, hopefully we see that next year, to be honest, because it needs something. Yeah, ah but like I think there's only so much you can save by saving the Slam Dunk Contest. Yeah, I think the All-Star game itself, I know they tried to refresh it this year by doing it that way, but it really didn't work at all. There was nothing enjoyable about any of the games.

Speaker: And the one thing I was kind of looking forward to was seeing Shang-Goon and he got 13 seconds. kind ofture like they They really did just shot themselves in the fall with the format. They don't play these guys, like they just play the names.

Speaker: Yeah, exactly. like there was a load there was a load of fuss on twitter from like turkish people who woke up at four o'clock in the morning to watch him play in the all-star game and so on for 13 seconds like it's kind of But like if if you're trying to, like Joe, we were talking earlier about the Steelers and how they have kind of appealed to the wider markets.

Speaker: If you're trying to appeal to European markets and then leaving Turkey's biggest star on the bench for the whole time, you're not really going to appeal to anyone by doing that.

Speaker: Exactly. That's such a good point. And how the NFL has grown the game over here. the NBA is the reason that they're they're kind of lagging behind in viewership is in the US because of the format. The league could be a lot shorter and people are sick of the injuries and a lot of the things that are going on there and pretty much pointless NBA Cup. But the thing they could do is try and grow the game here because it's massive in Europe.

Speaker: Like basketball is massive in in Europe, but and not as much like kind of In Ireland, the UK is pretty big, not massive. France is getting bigger, but it's mainly like Serbia. It's super big for basketball. Spain, and Croatia, like a lot of lot of and basketball has there. So why don't they grow the market of the and NBA in those countries and in Europe in general?

Speaker: Because I think it really, really is something that they need to tap into. Obviously, basketball is big worldwide, a lot bigger than American football is worldwide. Like they need to use the and NBA's name and these big stars, I think, to to grow.

Speaker: And those two games in Paris, like I know everyone was excited to see Wemby, but like that's all they're going to do. It's not not a huge effort that they're putting in. and But one thing I saw that... ahead Go ahead and I'll... I don't think there's a better time for them to do it either with...

Speaker: like Luka Doncic being the way he is, Nikola Jokic being as good as he is, Wemby, like they have stars and faces that they can to like really push the NBA in Europe. It's like some of the best players in the world at the moment are European.

Speaker: Exactly. And they're really not, they're not using it to their best advantage at all. like Yeah, exactly. So many, so many great European players like Sabonis and stuff like that as well.

Speaker: Didn't even mention you know, how big the game is in Lithuania, Latvia, like, that's just an untapped market that they're really letting themselves down by not kind of trying to grow the main league. Because they say, like, world champions when they but yeah win the NBA. But, like, like you can't be a world champion by winning a game that's played massively all over the world, like Australia as well. You know, you need...

Speaker: If you're going to play in that, you need to be able to take on these teams, bring your guys over to play against them, play different things during the season, try and get those leagues more involved by bringing guys over, things like that.

Speaker: you need to You need to do a lot more. But an interesting thing I was just going to throw out to you was and I saw something, i think people were dubbing it the all-snub team.

Speaker: so it would be the guys who were like seven the next seven or eight guys in terms of voting that didn't get in. and they play in the all-star competition. But if they beat one of the other teams, they take their all-star accolade from the but other players.

Speaker: That is interesting, yeah. Yeah, that would be really good. So would be like, you you get to your top 12, and then the next day kind of play against the top 12, and... then there's not going to defeat the whole point of the All-Star weekend is voted for by fans and then all of a sudden the All-Stars lose to the All-Snobbs and they're no longer All-Stars as well. Yeah, would still take the fan voting into account though, like it would be the next guys who got voted for, I suppose. so Now I agree with your point there though, like the fans might be like, oh you just took off what we voted for, but I think that'd be pretty cool at the same time to be like, oh we

Speaker: We beat the All-Stars, we weren't good enough in in the world's eyes to be All-Stars by now. yeah But that it's not even just like fan voting, there's some weird, like the system isn't, because Lamello got so many votes and then he didn't get in. So for someone like him, then I think that would be pretty cool. But yeah, I thought that was interesting. Another one is the possibility there might be a one-on-one competition next year, which would be great if the players put the effort into that. And there was a mention that could be a one million prize for that. So yeah.

Speaker: Yeah, um yeah does lecture attempt me they definitely. needs to do with something to lighten it up because I don't think I don't i saw a single tweet that was positive about All-Star Weekend. No, no. Over there on the whole thing. And that is where it's almost a flagship weekend outside of the finals, obviously, like his taste it's this. It's leading up to All-Star break, leading up to All-Star break, and then the All-Star break was just a waste of time.

Speaker: And everyone feels like they didn't really get, no no one really got the payback, got the payout. from waiting was all those weeks for it to come on on, all the ads and all that, and then it just kind of, as you said, pretty much a damn squib.

Speaker: Yeah, and like and nobody cares about the NFL All-Star or whatever like all whatever that game is that they have like before the Super Bowl, all pro. weekend...

Speaker: Nobody is looking at that and going, oh, this is such a big point the season. But the NBA All-Star Weekend is massive. People love it. And as you said, there's fans in different countries even staying up to watch someone play there and play in it. And some guys didn't even get included, the likes of Sabonis, who probably deserve to be there. And that would have had another fan base. He probably wouldn't have even got minutes. So, yeah, they need to do something and they need to change something. Yeah.

Speaker: let's see next year um i don't know with adam silver he's doing a lot of different things at once and i don't know what he's going to do if he's going to make more changes but something needs to happen and but yeah i like you mentioned as well negative tweets about it from people like i didn't even bother tweeting about it at all because i was like it doesn't deserve any extra time um and i was like we'll save it for when we're we're basically unleashing on air in the podcast but and Getting into the power rankings now, I suppose to wrap things up.

Speaker: Last week, and we gave our we gave our power rankings with the Eagles included. and So now, obviously, we're moving into a new part of the season where it's just NBA and Premier League ongoing. So what have you got for us this week?

Speaker: ah So i' go I've kept Liverpool at all. I still don't see if, I mean, if the Eagles couldn't knock them off top spot, then I don't see how anyone without the Eagles are going to knock them off top spot. I just think everything is still kind of, it's all very positive. So it would be Wolves at the weekend, despite not having a shot in the second half.

Speaker: and big game against philip tomorrow they're still top to leave top to chamber the same kind of rinse and repeat as the other couple of weeks i just think they're brilliant really do i have a new entrance uh in at number two and it's hard to ignore them anymore have put arssel in there and they're straight in at number two uh they're on a they're on a 15 game on beaten run they're liverpool's kind of main challenger for the title this season um they found a new way to win at the weekend put michael marino up top i just think can only ignore him and let my bias take over for so long i think they do have to get in there eventually yeah i think outside of the domestic clubs they have to be there like 100 even like as you said three goals concede in champions league as well is just it's something like so they definitely do deserve to be in there

Speaker: I have the Cans in a third. I still think they are the best NBA team. And them and the Thunder are just, I think, I still think they are the two to beat. Even though I have back then to be beaten this coming weekend. But I do still think they are.

Speaker: is just, it's, for a team that was so unfancy to get to it's just, it's really, really good. And I would like to see them keep going. and I have the Knicks in the fourth.

Speaker: Nice. Again, they're another team on a great run, as I said, it's during Ganshan. They're team that are just, like, they're coming along nicely now, coming into playoff time, and I think they're only going to go from strength to strength.

Speaker: I have Man City at fifth, another new entrance. They're on a good run. He's going to put Arsenal and City in. Yeah, they're kind of they're coming up the table now. They're up to fourth now, I believe.

Speaker: Yeah. I i die i think they will catch Forrest. I do think Forrest will finish top four, but i think Ciggy will get third. Mermush looks a great bit of business. And i think i I think they are going to go on a bit of a run now that can get them...

Speaker: They won't catch the top, but they'll definitely get closer before the end of season. and And finally, in sixth, I have the Thunder. and Again, another team, one of the best there is. i just I think they're really enjoyable to watch.

Speaker: And I think they're also 44-10. They're another team that have been just incredible all season. And it is hard to leave anyone like that out. Yeah, 100%. I've gone similarly at the top. I've gone with Liverpool. Like you said, there's nobody...

Speaker: that would knock them off this at this moment unless and they start losing. There's no real reason to drop them. So yeah, they deserve that top spot and consistent, as you mentioned,

Speaker: Then in second spot, I've gone with the Thunder. I've gone with them here because ah think there they've been pretty good over the last stretch. They're 8-2, so they deserve that that spot, I think, in second place. I've gone NBA run here. late Then in third, I've gone with the Nuggets. The reason for me they're ahead of the Cavs is because...

Speaker: They're on a good run as well. and they're They've won, I think, their last eight in a row. So I think they're a real challenger. I don't think they have much of a bench. and i think they'll struggle because of that. and So i think, yeah, we'll see what happens. But Jamal Murray turned around, as I mentioned last week when I spoke on them, continuing to do so. So they're my third spot. Then I have the Cavs, as I mentioned there.

Speaker: and adding them back in as you said one of the best teams in the league really consistent over the whole season and yeah just such a good team to watch very strong defensively as well at times when they need to be just locking it down Mobley excellent so good such an improvement so overall yeah they deserve their spot there then I've gone with Arsenal and so got them in there too like and for me the only reason they're a bit lower is because of those losses to Newcastle Obviously, I think in the long run, it'll probably benefit them that they're out of competitions, but they almost got to the final.

Speaker: like You need to make that push, I think, at that point. But yeah, we'll allow that because of all the and all the impressive stats that we mentioned earlier. They're there in fifth. And then wrapping up and I've gone with Bournemouth.

Speaker: I think continue to be good, on a good streak. And I know you said that they may be due to go on a cold one, but until that happens, I think therere they deserve a little shout out, a little spot here.

Speaker: They got the win at the weekend. They made a little bit hard work of it against Southampton. But look, there's a bit of a derby there. They got the win. That's all that matters. They won impressively in the FA Cup. And then before the Liverpool game, they were on a good run as well. And look, they pressed Liverpool as much as they could. They did very well in that game, I thought.

Speaker: So yeah, I think they deserve that last spot. So that's my that's my top six. So got a couple of similar teams in there, I think. Yeah, and the and NBA and ah Premier League now would be interesting to see when we have three from each what what teams we go for.

Speaker: But um I have one more bit of business. So just to wrap things up, I've got a little something to throw in there. I thought one thing that is super interesting this week is not a a verbal assault on ah on a man like Bromley James, like you threw in there last week. But ah it's it's me mentioning how close...

Speaker: La Liga and Serie A are this season at the top I'm talking about but it's such a good season for both of those leagues if you want a bit of something extra I think after watching English football you should go to local Irish games, as we mentioned, we have done. And I was watching Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians at the weekend and over the Liverpool game. So like you need to so support local too. You need to watch Irish ball. So after that, if you still need a bit more, i recommend the La Liga and Serie A because right now we've got Barca at the top on 51 points.

Speaker: So they won on the weekend, putting them into that spot. They're there on goal difference. They have an Absolutely crazy goal difference. They have like 19 more goals than Real. They're also on 51.

Speaker: And then Atleti are on 50. and So Atleti and Real have both come off two draws in a row. and I thought Atleti might take advantage on the weekend of Real's run, but the early red card would kind of goose them there.

Speaker: They managed to get the point. And then Not to forget Bilbao, they're in fourth. They're on 45 points, so they're still not out of it. A lot of nice players there. An interesting team, as always. Love the way they they work and build their squad and stuff like that. So that's that side of things. Any thoughts on La Liga at the moment before I move on to this area?

Speaker: Yeah, um I actually watched the Barcelona game last night and it was one of those wins that a team that wins the league gets. Very scrappy, 1-0 penalty spots. And the couple of decisions went their way. and I just, I think they theyre they're really good to watch.

Speaker: Yeah, mad. I still, like, I can understand he kind of ran into the defender, but I still don't think it's enough to take the goal out of him. I think if people think the officiating in the Premier League is go and watch a couple of Lennie games because... It's tragic.

Speaker: Some of the old red cards and the penalties that were given over the course of weekend baffling. Absolutely baffling. Do you have plenty of money I'm getting sent off for speaking English to referee? You to know, it's kind of like, it seems like that I'm just like...

Speaker: yeah on i think and ah Yeah, I think the refereeing is shocking there. And we see it whenever we see refs from the Spanish League ref in the Champions League too. It's tragic. Yeah, absolutely criminal.

Speaker: And to Syria, I think that one is keeping up as well. If you want to talk a bit more on that one. Yeah, so I'm looking at the the top two. Atalanta deserve a shout as well, but focusing on Napoli and Inter at the moment. So Napoli are coming off three draws in a row.

Speaker: and but then Inter have lost two of their last three which is unlike them from the last couple of years and in the fashion that they did as well I think losing to Juve and Fiorentina they won't be happy with that so I think they will bounce back there going incredibly well in the Champions League as well as we mentioned only one goal conceded there but They're only two points behind Napoli at the top, so very, very close. And Atalanta are on 51 points, so they're on a little bit of a cold streak, having lost to Bologna in the Cup and Club Brugge in the Champions League.

Speaker: and So they did draw as well in their last game in Serie A to Cagliari. So I think there's there's a lot of... games still to be played, obviously, in both of these leagues, but I love how close it is at the top.

Speaker: It makes it so interesting, something we don't have in the Premier League, we don't have in the French League. This year, Leverkusen are 10 behind Bayern right now, even though they absolutely demolished them in terms of how they played on the weekend, they couldn't beat them.

Speaker: So that's pretty much all she wrote there on that side of things. and So i think having two really top leagues very close, it it invites a lot of eyes, but it also makes the Champions League more interesting.

Speaker: Yeah, 100%. I think as well, like, I've been watching a bit of Juventus in the Champions League, not so much in Syria. And they have really, they've really worked out how to draw again. They have 11 wins and 13 draws in the league.

Speaker: And they've won four of their last five as well. So they had seven wins and 13 draws at one stage in the league. And they love their draw in the Champions League as well, which is why they're playing in these playoff rounds like Buss.

Speaker: As I said, Napoli and Inter. Like, Napoli have only conceded 19 goals in 25 games. excellent. thats yes excellent re really really really impressive and i can see the 24 and they're 25 which is also not bad it's still less than one a game um it's very very tight they've they both lost the same amount of game there's that one extra draw for inter that has them in second but yeah i think as you said it's a really really good point to point out those two games uh sorry to find out those two leagues that's that both titles are going go right down to the wire Yeah, it's proper Italian football as well, having those defensive records like Atalanta are a good defensive team too.

Speaker: Quite exciting, and quite an exciting team. Some good, exciting players in the league in general we have, like at the moment with it, rahagui or I don't really want to try and pronounce that exactly how it's supposed to be but I'll butcher it but and we've got him there absolutely firing for Atalanta like he's on an incredible form yeah and then we have like Luckman not getting a look in like because they can't fit him into the team right now even how good he was last season and and then Moyes Keane somehow turning things around as well like don't know what's going on over there he has plenty of goals Marcus Teran in general the league is yeah

Speaker: Excellent. and but Very different if you want to watch something different because La Liga is fast-paced. There's a lot of good teams at the top. Some teams come in. The Gulf is, I think, decreasing with some other solid teams and solid managers and good talent.

Speaker: But it it is always kind of top-heavy and you've got the three main teams, which is really interesting. But then Serie A is very tactical. The game is a lot slower. and And if you get a physical player over there, like this way, Scott McTominay has succeeded a lot because he's very physical, able to run a lot. And he covers a lot of ground and he kind of is a workhorse over there. So, and yeah, I think really, really interesting league and a lot different than and the Premier League too. So, yeah, worth a watch if you want a bit of something different. But lads, really appreciate you listening again.

Speaker: Really enjoyed this episode. I think i think it was our best one yet, to be honest. I really enjoyed it. covered a lot of things and had great crack as well. And Jimmy was brilliant. So part bit of a lu honor a bit of a longer episode as well. So I hope you hope you enjoyed that and hope you stay tuned till the very end. And I want to wrap things up.

Speaker: um Just thanks everyone. As you said, like it's kind of it's great too to see the support we're getting, to get the comments and stuff on the video and stuff. They don't go on notice and we are really, really appreciative of everyone who watches or listens and just keep going. we are We're not going to stop, so we hope you don't stop either.

Speaker: Yeah, we really appreciate lads. Love it. Right, lads. Chat to you next week and thanks again for tuning in. Cheers, guys. Thanks so much.