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Episode 80 - Delap masterclass in first home win of the season!
34 Plays10 days ago
What a way to round off 2024 as Ipswich picked up their first win at Portman Road this season! Join Rob as he reflects on the fantastic team performance that shocked Chelsea, talks through Liam Delap's superb display and how this sets us up for the tough run of fixtures over the next couple months.
The Daily Ipswich Podcast, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network, is the home of all your ITFC. Join us every weekday for the latest news, build-up and reaction in the club's first season back in the Premier League.
Host: Rob Binns
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Transcript
Ipswich Town's Home Victory Over Chelsea
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Ipswich, brought to you by the Global Sports Podcast Network. And it is the morning after the night before Ipswich wrap up 2024 on what's been a fantastic year for the club with a fantastic result. The first home win of the season, 2-0 against high-flying Chelsea, and what a way to round off the year it was. Superb team performance,
00:00:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's particularly from Liam DeLappe, stand out man from the show yet again. The only downside is I've got no one here to celebrate with me. I'm on my own again. That's it. But I'm going to do my best to take you through this reaction for this game and what a fantastic result it was and a real positive way to round off the year. I'm going to do all the usual match reaction episode for you today. I'll good give you general thoughts on the game to start with.
00:01:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
We'll go through the big chances and key events in the game, acute including a bit of VAR favoritism towards town for once. Nice to see. And then we'll wrap up. We'll say, how do we build from here? We're at the halfway point of the season now in the mark of this game. So how have we done so far? And where does this go? And how does this confidence boost take us into a very difficult run of fixtures that is coming up?
Strategic Moves by Kieran McKenna
00:01:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like I said, to start with, my thoughts on the game, I thought, well,
00:01:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Get out of the way. Absolutely fantastic performance. First of all, everybody on the pitch put in a superb display, massive credit. I'll start with the team selection and huge, huge credit to Kieran McKenna because that team surprised me massively when I saw it. that Me Richard, when we sat down to do the preview, we spent a man, me and Tom after the Arsenal game as well. It was two different podcasts. We spoke about how he didn't really want to see five at the back again before it wasn't the way to go at home.
00:02:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
You want to be a bit more aggressive. And so pretty much everything's near enough. Everything me and Richard said when we had our discussion, there was the opposite of what we said. So we used our jinx powers for good this week. We bigged us up all the time against Newcastle and jinxed it massively. So without any other way around this week, we were a bit more caution and everything we said we didn't want to see, we did see, and it got us to result. So maybe me and Richard need to do that more often.
00:02:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
clearly we know absolutely we know nowhere near as much as McKenna so maybe we should we should start a second guess every single week and we'll start getting some even more results like this one but and say i wasn't a fan i did i wasn't like someone who wanted to see the fire back going into this game but it worked absolutely brilliantly like i said i said there was going to be a bit of a confidence boost from that arsenal game even though we did get beat that to keep a team like that so quiet and limited to one or two clear-cut opportunities in 95 minutes or whatever it was, would have been a confidence boost. And the personnel selection was superb from McKenna again. Wes Burns in the wing-back role, probably hit, oh, not even probably, just his best game of the season so far. No pressure, well, not no pressure, less pressure going up and down the pitch. And a bit more focus on the defensive side, doing his job, making sure each
00:03:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
deals with Chelsea's full-backs. We know they like to get high. Obviously, Coca-Rella on his side. Made a massive difference. The back three were fantastic. They played very well against Arsenal. They stepped that up a gear tonight.
Nathan Broadhead's First Start Impact
00:03:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then, so again, what I didn't expect to see, I thought I did think Burgess would come back in this game, and we'd go back to four. I was completely wrong about that, but it absolutely worked a treat, those backs. So they played well together, the three of them, against Arsenal. They played well again today.
00:03:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mid to say Morsey coming straight back in, just added that something a bit extra to the midfield that was missing when Phillips played against Arsenal on Friday. And then Broadhead coming in for a start, something we did actually predict. Broadhead coming in for a first start. He gave a very good account of himself in the 75 minutes he played, I thought. Would certainly put him back in the start of the lineup for Fulham at the weekend. Hutchinson,
00:04:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
something we were very We've been fairly critical of, in the last one me especially, over the last couple of episodes of this podcast for his performance against Arsenal and he's not quite lived up to it this season. Fantastic performance from him. Back out towards the right hand side and let's say didn't what wasn't really working against Arsenal, he's had a slight shift, he's coming today. it's just It was all the positives from Arsenal this performance.
00:04:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
with all the sort of like, we've taken all the positives and we've built on it and we've turned it into someone that goes and gets the result as well. And don't get me wrong, we've righted our luck for a significant amount of time, particularly in the first half while it was one nil, but it's what you've got to do sometimes to get the
VAR Decisions and Luck Factor
00:05:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
results. Sometimes you you need you need a bit of luck to go be going your way. and it did There was some sort of feeling in the air from the first sort of 15 minutes that this was going to be the day. the then as that first half played out, it was just more and more things started to go, work out in our favour, whether that was VAR or some of this poor finishing from Chelsea, some saves from Walton, there's all started to click in, you just thought, by the time that just hasn't been a mistake set us on our way and breaking towards goal, you sort of felt then that once that went in for 2-0 from Hutchinson, that was it. we That sort of unusual nervousness about the holding onto to these leads just wasn't there as badly as it normally was from that point on.
00:05:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Just, like I said, there's something in the air that it felt like town's day, and it absolutely was. But, like I say, Liam Delappe has gone to him. He's near enough the only flower I haven't mentioned by name when I was going through the team selection and praising everybody and McKenna's setup and everything he got right. Again, we started to question him, although we instantly backtracked on it. We started to say, look, he's starting to get found out. ah Is he getting found out a little bit? Both him personally and how we like to use him.
00:06:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
We said that, oh, we're talking about there's obviously a strike is going to come in in January. We're saying, du is there sort of in the back of the mind, are you thinking and someone who can compete with him or like I say, trying whether they do or not, but it's like someone who thinks they can take his spot and then you get him a good go at trying to do it. So he didn't near enough instantly backtracks and said, actually, I think he'd thrive against Chelsea with the way their centre backs are, who was expecting. There wasn't the exact personnel we were anticipating. It wasn't expecting to see Dizazzi from the start, which obviously came in, but that worked out very well for us. But Chelsea as a profile, even you look at like stuff likes the likes of Fafana who's out injured, they haven't got that sort of big physical center heart. They're all, they're all young lads. They're more focused about getting on the ball, playing out from the back than they are. They haven't got much about them, which is absolutely ideal for Talat. We said this this could be a game for him to bounce back after say six games of what without a goal. I think it was. We felt that this was be a really big game for him. He could try and bounce back.
00:07:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
perfect sort of opposition with the way those Chelsea centre halves are. And it absolutely worked out. Magnificent performance. Just had the, whoever it was back there for Chelsea at various times in the game, just had all of them in his pocket, all game. Just absolutely toyed with them. He still couldn't say how many times did he picked the ball up either just inside the Chelsea half or on his on the halfway line or something and just drive. And they did not know what to do at all, those Chelsea defenders. Brilliant from the lap.
00:07:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
We'll tell you about confidence boost for the team, but what a confidence boost for him, because like I say, I picked up a few bookings. They say he's getting involved in a couple of tussles. I've got a book again tonight, but so a few tussles in there picking up. So he got himself suspended. He hadn't scored for six games and looking quite tired in some of the games recently that so maybe so physically and mentally was a bit fatigued. And this also, this will perk him right back up. This performance is absolutely brilliant.
00:08:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
What a player we have there. And the only worry, what we said, Maresca knows him from a year together at the City Academy. And so he did wonder perhaps were they set up a bit differently. Absolutely was not the case. They almost played perfectly into his hands. Incredible player we've got there.
00:08:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then I wouldn't be surprised if people come knocking in January where they can absolutely, there's absolutely no chance of that happening unless they've got significant transfer of these coming in. There's definitely going to be interest. We're going to have to ward that all away in January because what a special, special player we have on our hands. We need to lay them to lap and just unbelievable
Ipswich's Strong Year End
00:08:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
performance. And like I say, it just felt like that sort of day where you knew it was going to happen, didn't you say? Chelsea had twice as many shots. We finished the game with 24% possession.
00:08:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
We actually were on the right side of a dubious VAR call for once. It was just a sign of some early this. It was in the air this was going to be the day to wrap off a near enough perfect year for the club with a perfect result at home. And like I say, fantastic evening of football and takes us all on an unbelievable high into the new year. That's my that's my general thoughts on the game. I'm going to dive into the game a bit deeper.
00:09:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
in the second and third parts of the show today but before we get into that, let's have a quick word from one of our sponsors.
00:10:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we are back for part two of today's episode of the daily Ipswich. So let's go straight into it. Then we'll pick through some of the key moments from the game. Start with a penalty that and in the build up. So that breaks in behind. It gets said just ahead of Jorgensen in the Chelsea goal. Goes down. In real time you think, there we go, Stonewall penalty. But I would say when you watch the replay, I'll hold my hands up. I'm not convinced. I'm really, really not convinced. I've been the other way around to say if that was palmer or somebody running through and Walton made that challenge, I'd be fuming, I have to admit. But where I'll say, well, partly, there's two ways to defend this. With enough of these bloody decisions go against us having a bad time, we had one go for us, one of these slightly dubious ones that had been a long time coming. there We always seem to be right down the bottom of those stats of positive VAR calls compared to negative ones of what works against a bad time, we have one. But also, it's in that category for me, similar to, we said the same, similar sort of one with,
00:10:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
the the penalty of forest, or some one game artist is in that category worth. If it's given on the pitch, it's not going to get overturned. And so there's going to say that there is contact there. Clearly, look, it's always slightly slides in. he He's only he's getting back up. Then he's caught again. So he goes back down. There's clear come this contact there. Is it enough to take him down? That's the question mark. But it's not clear and obvious under that rule. They pick and choose when they want to use that rule. But that challenge is in that category of Like I said, the referee gave it on the pitch. There's not enough there to say definitely, and that's a mistake, overturn it. But I say, if it's your way around, if the referee had not given it, I don't think there would be enough there. The VAR would have overturned it to give the penalty. It's one of them. you You need a bit of element of luck for how it's given on the pitch or how it works out for you. And so luckily, in real time, when you saw it as it happened, it looked fairly stone wall. And so it looked a lot worse than it actually was when you watched the replay. but
00:11:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like I say, we've had our fair share, more than our fair share, actually, of those sort of decisions going the other way. I think some of the penalty claims are to the two in the city game, all the way back at the start of the season, the one that wasn't given for town, the one that was given for city. We've had a lot of these 50-50 sort of decisions where you need a bit of luck, not go town's way. It's got it tonight, long overdue. And so that's when I said, it was in the air from earlier. That was the sort of early point, you think, wow,
00:12:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
VAR decisions gone in our favour for once. Maybe this is the night. and Fantastic penalty away from Dalat. Low and hard, bottom corner, keeper, no chance, I'd say. Done absolutely nothing wrong there, the goalkeeper. in terms ah ah It's just a brilliant penalty. He's gone the right way. He's covered a decent distance of the goal to try and get there. It's just an unsavable penalty from Dalat. The keeper would have had to take sort of four or five steps to his side to have any chance of that. Right in the corner, really well hit.
00:12:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
and So it's hit like a player full of confidence, which he was in the game, but coming into it, it wasn't massively hard on confidence to lap. Really, really good penalty that I'd say if he'd done that five or six games ago, he did exactly the sort of penalty you expect, but pleasantly surprised of how confident he was for that penalty and obviously breaks his goal down in the process. And that'd be brilliant for him mentally going forward. And we're going to need him on full form in the games we've got coming up, which obviously I'll get into later. But.
00:13:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, they say not even 15 minutes on the clock, get a decent size of our check in there as well. So we only had about 10 minutes of the ball on the pitch near enough by this point, won the luck. Fantastic start. And then we had to dig very, very deep in the first half. Chelsea piling a lot of pressure on as we, as the half played out causing a lot of problems. I could say they're twice as many shots. We had 24% possession. We set the team up to weather a storm like we did against Arsenal. We just ironed out a few of the things.
00:13:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
They would say it ended up losing us a goal against us. So the odd moments of lapses of concentration. They were ironed out and very, very good defender. But as I said before, we sort of weathered a bit of a storm from Chelsea, but actually there was another chance of almost accidentally skipped over. It was very, kind of came very close to go and tune up and say very soon after the penalty, say Hutchinson just goes and presses Kukarela, jumps in the way of his clearance, falls brilliantly to that. Fantastic strike from him again.
00:14:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
hits it into the ground, the bit of a bounce, makes it really difficult for Jorgensen, it's not an easy shot on any stretch of the modulation from TALAP either. He's made a decent opportunity out of nothing there really, it just sort of set up in front of him into the ground. That's definitely, and that's flying into the side now and credit to Jorgensen, that's a good save at full stretch. but ah ah So that would have been, I could say, so that's again you felt like it was our sort of night like that, that There's a bit of press, some hutches and the ball sets have been a really nice way to lapse over to get a shot away. And so it's only taken a good save to stop him getting a second goal and quick succession there. But like I said, then we have to wear with the storm. There was some big chances, some Chelsea work, and there was the free kick, Palmer and Enzo Fernandez, the little routine, just stopping the ball. Palmer hits it, really good strike. Walton gets across very well, to be fair to him. that
00:15:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's definitely an argument he had it covered if it was on target, but it comes back off a post. Um, like I say, just, there's something in the air. It was just our night on that occasion because it comes out to him. kuku He's got three quarters of the goal away, Matt. And he aims to the bit where Walton's laying on the floor and he graced it. He very grateful. He collects massive essay and in what was a fantastic defensive performance. We got away with absolute murder there because how he has missed that chance and I have no idea.
00:15:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
But as they are like I said, you need things to go your way a lot of the time to win these sort of games where you're under the cost of long periods of it like that. And that absolutely did go our way. And it was only a few minutes after that that Chelsea thought they equalized. Very clear. So as far as offsides go nowadays, it's a pretty clear one. Still took about three minutes to sort it out. But getting another opportunity, we could have been screwed over by a VAR decision. And we we avoided it, luckily.
00:16:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
but So he just went a bit too early Felix. Again, a bit of a let off there that, well, so if yeah I'll say a bit of a let off, but at the same time, it's a good defensive line that's caught him out at the same time, isn't it? That there's credit there as well as being fairly poor from him for going too early, but we'll give the credit to the defense and what where the five of them back there played, all played superbly. And I could say that, again, like I said, that not long after say me hitting the post, missing an open goal,
00:16:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
then They're not going to go chalked off by VAR. They thought obviously was given giving on the pitch. They thought they were back in it. And that's when you started to think, right, like lock in here. This is a serious chance of result. There's something happening tonight.
Christian Walton's Key Saves
00:16:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then just before halftime, Parma had that effort from the edge of the box. There's been a lot, and there's been obviously a massive conversation in the last weeks and months about Mureich.
00:17:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
very serious question marks especially for say we spoke about it on here it's been the general discussion everywhere from credit McKenna like we say he he's not one that changes his goalkeeper midway through a season there so it's been caused it was caused against flag key around this time last year stuck with him and he ended up having a very good end to the season but so he's not it's not something he does to change his goalkeeper he's taken the plunge he's put Walton back in after I say a string of not very great performances from Muric. Like I say that, you know, I think Ric said it um um in the preview. So that Arsenal goal, the Jesus, the offside one, where he's just saying, let's hit three, he's got to jump so the ball goes with his feet and he just tucks it under him. and There's just instances like that, even when we haven't been conceived and it's been creeping in a lot more recently. But it's still, it's still taken, it's a big ball's decision from our manager to change his goalkeeper like that, regardless of the form they're in.
00:17:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
So big credit to McKenna for doing it because I can say it's not something he does normally. And Walton certainly repaid him. That Palmer, that save from Palmer right at the end of the half, make sure we got in at one nil. Really good save. We know what a good Palmer is. It's a fantastic strike. It's definitely just going in the roof of the net, sticks his big arm up, tips it over a really good bit of goalkeeping. And so for someone who hasn't played a He's going to say his last premier, his last league start was on the first day of the season. I think they played the cup game other than that. So he's not had a lot of football, Christian Walton. And he's, he's looked decent, very good against Newcastle after not playing for nearly a year. And then looked very good again against Chelsea. And so I think certainly if it might well have just been a one game thing for whatever reason, we don't know, but I think he's certainly given him more than a good enough audition to
00:18:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
claim that number one spot back from Muirich after that. We'll see how that plays out from Fulham onwards. Then into the second half. Again, I talk about the defensive effort. Wes Burns, who said it's his best game of the season so far in that wingback role. Two minutes into the second half. He's had he's done a very good job on the defensive side of that as it was Enzo Fernandez who sent the ball into the box. Felix's header, it looks like it's going into the net.
00:19:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
and Burns is there to get rid of it on the line. Brilliant bit defended and I can say he's had a lot more defensive work to do in his role in this game compared to an average game. He had a very, very good game I thought and that was his probably his standout moment getting out of the line. I can say that he was defensive shift from everybody but there's some big standout moments I'd say. The Waltons say they're the one off the line from Burns. He kept us in the game at one. They could have easily said Chelsea ah ah They racked up about 1.5 XG in the period from being 1-0 down to when we got the second goal. We stood firm and we said, road our luck on one occasion with the Incunco one, but other than that, defended really well. And it all paid dividends because Taylor and Chelsea were dominant for the bulk of the first half and it started the second half quite well. And then the mistake from Dazzazzi, poor ball, dilap, it'd been all over him like he'd been in the rest of the game.
00:20:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
picks up around the halfway line, just drives and drives, to two or three of them try and come in, try and win the ball off and they don't, they can't get near him, he holds up. Well, into Hutchinson, first touch is great, second touch just takes him into the gap and brilliant finish down into that bottom right corner, two nil and that's when he felt, yeah so that's when that's when you've gotten near at that point that we're not been very good at holding leads, but like we were saying on the end of the preview, we don't often score two goals in games.
00:20:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
every time we have scored two goals in the game, and we've got something from it. So that's where they sort of started to feel a bit of confidence that finally that we've made, we've doubled in, we've had a 1-0 lead and we've gone and doubled it. Like I said, it hasn't happened very often. They're only only Spurs, I think it's the only time all season we've been 1-0 up and actually gone and got a second goal rather than conceding an equaliser. And so yeah that's where the confidence started to come in from the way the game was going. And they say it's brilliant from the lap. Of course it is.
00:21:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like I say, he had those Chelsea defenders on strings all game. Brilliant team. There's a mistake from Dazazzi, more than made the most of it, but so much as it poor from Dazazzi, he's giving the ball away. 40 odd yards out from goal and this will work. It's the hard work of the lap and then Hutchinson have turned it into a chance and stuck it in the back of the net.
00:21:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then from that point on, we've defended, like I say, just very once you had a two-year-old lead to p play on, you can get away with being a lot more defensive, make sure you kill the game, take a bit of time wasting a bit of game management. What you've got to do in these situations is the sort of things we haven't actually been doing very well this season until this game, and draw a few of the games where we have picked up points. And then for the next best chance of the game was actually from Dilap again. Dilap won the halfway line. We've seen it plenty of times. ah ah Fulham rescored that one, they had one against Bryan obviously where he hit the post, yeah one they run from the halfway line to set up the Hutchinson goal, had another one, I think it was Hutchinson that played it into him, he turns on the halfway line, just bursts down the channel, runs the link for the half, shoots him a near impossible angle tight from goal and Jorgensen has to stick an arm high up to turn it past the goal.
00:22:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so the way Dilap was playing, you really thought he could have smashed that in at an air post there. So Jurgen said, again, not had much league football. He's been the conference league keeper, but he's not had much Premier League football. Maybe it's fed to him. He had a fairly decent game, considering he had two goals in giving him a bit of credit. He made some good saves from Dilap, this one included. But obviously, he got the penalty. He felt he he deserved more than just a goal. and I don't know why he got the assist as well, I suppose. But he felt like he got the penalty.
00:22:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
work he put into that. He felt like he deserved that open play goal and he nearly got it from there that could Like I say, there wasn't as much end-to-end excitement as the first half, but ah ah you don't want it to be that when you're holding onto a two-nil lead. We just shored ourselves up defensively. Like I say, it was all the positives from the Arsenal game, which there was plenty to take, especially defensively. But we made it count. That was the difference. I hope we moaned about following the Arsenal game.
00:23:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
weren't doing enough to get the ball out. So it just became an onslaught. That's what we've done extremely well. There was the defensive side was all still there. And then it was the getting the ball out and actually going and actually building some attacks, making something, making something count. And like I say, said that it wasn't really his fault was the way we played out, but we couldn't get the ball to him against our barely any touches. We got the ball to him all the time this game and he showed his his threat. Like I say, he always fancied him up against those Chelsea defenders. None of them are really sort of that big and strong. They're sort of physical players. They're all sort of fancy on-the-ball players that can beat a press, but one-on-one against someone like the lap, the physicality he brings to his game. They're always going to struggle. And like I could say, we struggle to run out of words. We struggle to
00:24:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
think, run out of things to say, really, with McKenna, don't you? Praised him so much in his three years here, but yet another one for the list of games he's just got absolutely perfectly right in the tactical plan. Unbelievable from him. So like I say, it surprised, I'm sure it surprised a lot of people. It certainly surprised me, that team selection, but it was absolutely perfect for the game at hand. And like we said in the preview, he's, we've got, we've got a record, McKenna, he's played Maresca twice last year.
00:24:42
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Both times where we went into it underdogs, and both times we got a result, and we just won up that to the next level, because we're even bigger underdogs this time. We've gone from the draw to a win as well. Absolutely superb.
Defensive Strength Against Chelsea
00:24:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
So obviously we had some big chances we had to ride our luck for sometimes, but it's overall we limited them to what, three or four decent chances in 90 odd minutes, considering they had 20 odd shots in total. To have what, three decent chances, and all to be fairly well defended, is some performers like i said they have been faltering the last couple of games so so they were 11 unbeaten i think before that ever and nil that Fulham lost so i think it was 11 or 12 unbeaten all competitions until they lost to Fulham at the weekend and it was turned out to be a really good time to play them we absolutely took full advantage but like i said that was that's all the positives but it obviously is now that there's the question mark of where do we go from here
00:25:38
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as we get that was to mark the 19th game of the season, so we're halfway through. Once we've had a quick word from one of our sponsors, we'll see what this means for the second half of the season.
00:26:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
And welcome back for the final part of your Tuesday edition of the Daily Ipswich. We've sung the praises of everyone I can think of going into that game. But obviously, like I say, it marks the 19th point of the season. It's obviously a brilliant result. It cuts the gap right down, still inside the bottom three with just a point outside and with no overtaking, say about having a good record against Enzo Maresco, overtaking his old club Leicester now.
00:26:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
up to 18th, like I said, narrowed the gap down with other teams have been picking up points in recent weeks. Obviously, walls got a good one away at Spurs. ah When was it? Sunday, that was everything. There we go. Got there in the end. of Obviously, Palace. They got the job done at home to Southampton. Wasn't their most convincing performance. Southampton had the chances, but they got over the line. So teams have been picking up results in recent weeks. See, everything had three good draws in a row until they got beat by Forrest on Sunday. so The press has been on us to go and get some results. We have been one of the ones that's been struggling since obviously we got a group win against Wolves, but that's been the one sort of standout result in the last five or six. So where their pressure has been put on us and we said it before the Spurs game. and We said it in the build up to this week. we've had We at the point where we've had to go and shock somebody and we've done it again. They say two or three wins this season have come against two of the big six. So we have that in in our locker and we're going to have to pull that out again because
00:27:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's come at the perfect
Confidence Boost for Upcoming Fixtures
00:27:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
time this win. like i say Not only does it cap off, is it a perfect end to a near perfect year with a club with obviously everything that's happened over the course of 2024, but also it's a huge confidence boost. Because you look at the run of the next eight games, we've got to think it takes us all the way through till March, these next eight games. Incredibly tough. The hardest run of fixtures this season. And what a confidence boost this is. Not only is it's the monkey off the back of the first home win,
00:28:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously, you know, Chelsea flying, are they, what, are they third in the table? Third in the table to kick off? I think they're still there. Obviously, we'll see what happens with the Arsenal game while they stay there. But they are a really, really, really good result. And so what a boost this will be mentally. I say halfway point of the season as well now. We've got ourselves right back at the stage. I sort of tweaked the other day. I think there was this season more than ever at both ends of the table.
00:28:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's the season to take game by game. As I say, was it six weeks or so ago, we were looking out at it thinking, right, it's quite close, get a couple of results. And we didn't get results for a few weeks. We were starting, you know, oh no, we're in big trouble here. We might be down. Then you're going to beat walls. You're full of confidence again. And then we lose heavily to Newcastle and you're starting to doubt everything again. And it's saved very much game by game. The fact of the matter is it's one point outside at the moment.
00:29:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
and like I said the run of games is very tough you you have to go along so we have to go pick up some shop results there because we we've got Fulham away it's gonna be a really really tough game on Sunday straight away and I think there's the FA Cup after that I think which is Bristol Rovers at home and so some of the upcoming Premier League games there's Liverpool away he's in there Man City at home's in there I think Spurs at home's in there Brighton at home's in there there's a There's a lot of these sort of big, tough games. We've got United, the whole traffic coming up at some point as well. Southampton at home, which is an absolutely must-must win, especially given the context of the sort of six or seven fixtures around it when that comes up in three or four games' time. And going into a run like that, say, if we'd had another Newcastle-esque game tonight to have that sort of big hit,
00:29:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
going into runner games like that could have been season ending. Like I say, to go into these sort of games, to have been low on confidence or down on ourselves, it could have been a killer that resulted in relegation at the end of the season. But to go in off a boost like that game, like I said, the confidence that will give. And like I say, it's also finally getting that home win off the bat off the back as well. Like knowing that's gone up, the pressure of thinking, oh God, we' we're halfway through the season or it's the end of the calendar year. We haven't won at home in the league yet. the trying to work it out. That sort of pressure finally being gone really sets up the rest of the season. Now, like I said, these games, there's some really there' some tough games in there, but you can't be afforded to not take many points from these. You've got to go and get some big results. Because like I say, the later you get in the season, the more pressure there is, obviously, because
00:30:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
one point outside with 19 games today sounds quite good. But if you struggle for a few games and then it becomes maybe four points outside in three weeks time, it could be sort of four points outside with 15 games to go. And that sounds that doesn't sound anywhere near as good as where we are now. So you got to try and get a roll going because that's what we haven't been able to do as well. The positive results been fairly isolated from each other that we haven't had that one good run. Obviously walls are on one at the moment with the new manager bounce. Lester got a couple of good wins are tailed off again now. ever and i've just had a good run come to end. Palace are putting a bit of a run together that, so besides Southampton, we're the only other team down there that sort of hasn't had that run where we've gone and picked up, you know, sort of something like nine points and four games or something, or seven points and three, or that sort of run. So this is a good opportunity to kick on. Like I say, there's some tough games, but one of these runs can be enough down the bottom, like I say, that
00:31:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
as well as they said the classic with the new manager about some new manager might come in and get 10 points miss four games and then drop off completely with those 10 that run and 10 games and you look at the end of the season we stay up by two points was massive so we're not on say if we can get a run together now especially with the I think we definitely this season have played a lot better when we've gone in as underdogs. Obviously we've seen it. Like I say, two of the three wins of the season have been against big six teams, which people would have gone in not really expecting us to get anything out of. Certainly the Chelsea game, no one no ones went into that full of confidence, even on a town point of view, nobody went in full of confidence. and Certainly outside i looking in, people were expecting a fairly routine Chelsea whip.
00:32:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
So we do a lot better as the underdogs. We've struggled in the games where you have the pressure on. You think you're Lester's at home, you're Everton's at home. ah The walls were sort of the breaker of that. But we were under big pressure to go and we got result and we did. So seven of the next eight games, realistically, we go into as underdogs, which actually suits us a lot. And like I said, the boost this game gives, because putting off the way Chelsea have been playing,
00:32:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
until the last sort of five days or so. They've been playing brilliantly. They've been flying up the table, whoever has been sort of crumbled a bit under the pressure of being in a title race. But they are, they are in the title race still that like we have just put that we have. lived We've just gone and beaten a title contender at home the first win of the season that it is, it's a fantastic result. And I think this could be really, we've said it a couple of times that we've said it after wolves, especially, but I think this could be really big for the way it all rounds off the year and sets us up for the second half of the season. I hope, and more perhaps maybe more than think, but say, I think this could be a big turning point. And like I said, God, it's difficult as the games are, kind it's go to Fulham and get something. And now just keep ticking over. Like I say, you've got the cup game where you'd be fairly confident coming through. But even as Bristol wrote, even if you go out, you can say not the end of the world, because you've got the league there that
00:33:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
keep the league form going. There's some big, tough games coming up, but I'd say we're going to have so much more confidence after a game like this than we would have done had and it turned out like a Newcastle or even like an Arsenal if we played well and not got anything again. We've been a slightly frustrating, but both to say to supporters and obviously players and staff around the game, it's a huge boost of confidence and morale to everybody as we enter a very difficult stage we find out from the start of the season, this sort of run of the next 10 games or so is the hardest run we've got in that jungle, in the trunk like that all season. So we're going to need some more big performances of this level as it carries on. But so this is certainly a marker to follow. And so the what it gives us going forward is absolutely massive and and huge. is a There's a lot more optimism going to be around the place going into these games over the next coming months.
00:34:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
think So I think Cakes has threw up till March this round of games. There's going to be so much more optimism going into these now than there was, say, two days ago or whatever, following the Arsenal game and obviously them Newcastle before that. And it's fantastic to see. That will get brings us to the end of today's episode. They've gone for 30, 40 minutes almost. Not too bad for a solo podcast. that I hope you've enjoyed. Thank you for listening to another solo podcast.
00:35:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
so So keep up to date with us on our socials. We'll have a wildcard Wednesday episode for you tomorrow. Hopefully we'll get some crossover action for you ahead of that game with Fulham at the weekend as well as our own preview. Like I say, we're back to regularly scheduled programming now and we've got Christmas and New Year coming up and obviously Christmas out of the way now.
00:35:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
But that is it for today's Tuesday reaction episode to our first home winner of the season, shocking Chelsea, and getting an absolutely fantastic performance. How about that for a bit of Monday Night Football? Absolutely perfect. And that's it. Until, we'll but like I say, back tomorrow for Wild Card Wednesday. Until then, go and celebrate.