Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 388: Matchday Review: 5 PAST QPR!!!
134 Plays1 month ago
Southampton – 7th in the table. 7 games unbeaten in the league. 5 goals past QPR. How can you not love football? What a game we have to talk about tonight.
Follow us on social media:
Linktree - https://linktr.ee/dailysouthamptonpod
X - https://x.com/DailySaintsPod
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@dailysaintspod
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@DailySaintsPod
Instagram – https://www.instagtam.com/dailysaintspod
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/gspnsouthampton.bsky.social
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572875812052
Our Sponsors
For advertising and sponsorship details or to learn more about the scale and demographics of our audience – email us - dailysaintspod@gmail.com
Copyright | 2026 | Daily Saints Pod | All Rights Reserved
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Banter
00:00:13
DailySaintsPod
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Saints pod. My name is Greg. As always today, joined by my good friend and wonderful co-host, Zach. And mate, do 11 o'clock at night recordings come any better than that?
00:00:26
DailySaintsPod
What makes it bit easier?
00:00:26
Zak
I don't mate.
00:00:27
Zak
You owe your son LAUGHTER
00:00:31
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:00:31
Zak
yeah yeah
00:00:32
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, our little correct score bet that we do every week. He, to his credit, has stuck predicting 5-0 as a score for the last three seasons.
00:00:44
DailySaintsPod
So if that is not a sign of the optimism being passed down through generations, I don't know what is.
Match Highlights and Key Moments
00:00:49
Zak
I don't know, because he didn't predict it at Charlton.
00:00:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:00:52
Zak
And after Charlton, I asked him, I was like, do you what what you know what do you think the next game is going to be?
00:00:52
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:00:56
Zak
It's like, oh, I think it will be 5-0 next game. We're like, okay.
00:01:00
DailySaintsPod
so
00:01:02
Zak
Sure, bud.
00:01:03
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:01:04
Zak
It's like three days to prepare. All my players are tired. There's no way we'll level five goals against QPR. That's me being worried. Like, oh, well, you know, they've not beaten up. We've beaten them for the last 13 years on the trot.
00:01:17
Zak
You know, it'd be really, really, you know... Really typical Saints to lose tonight, but nah. And then there were stats being thrown around like, oh, so we we wasn't like, what was it? 9th of December was the last time we scored more than one goal at St Mary's in a league game. Just throwing all the stats out the window. Matski getting not only his first league goal, which wasn't...
00:01:38
Zak
was spectacular, but did the job. But his second, less than five minutes of game time after, admittedly a whole half-time, James Bree scoring one of his, you know, one of his cup goal wonders.
00:01:49
Zak
ah But, you know, just instead in a ball that was clearly from Sienza to Matski so he could try get his third, came off the QPR player, rolled to Bree. Bree was like,
Performance Analysis
00:02:00
Zak
oh, okay, I'll bring this down. Oh, yeah, I'll shoot.
00:02:02
Zak
I'll score that. Why not? And quite frankly, the only the only thing that would have been a little bit of an icing on the cake would have been if a Dozie and Archer had managed to get one. ah But that's just greedy for me because I didn't expect five mil tonight, mate. I don't know about you. You did.
00:02:16
DailySaintsPod
ah No, I did not. ah did ah did predict a clean sheet. ah
00:02:23
DailySaintsPod
That was maybe as close as it got. But I mean, i just Yeah, I mean, I'm still kind of in awe, a bit confused by it, a bit taken it aback. like The thing is, right that like QPR came and tried to play against us. and And I mean, I think we've shown time and time again this season that when teams do that, it favours us tremendously. And we just... Yeah, I mean...
00:02:23
Zak
You did.
00:02:54
DailySaintsPod
we We were playing some like fast, aggressive, beautiful football at the start of the game. and Then we got the goal and then we took off the gas for 15 minutes and they stepped up and gave it a go.
00:03:03
Zak
ah It was like 15 minutes of just classic Saints.
00:03:09
DailySaintsPod
and You kind of think, well, here we go again, just the same old, same old. and Then you know we had a couple of opportunities and then... Howard
Player Performances and Strategies
00:03:18
DailySaintsPod
Bellis hit the post, which means that we're now top of the league for teams who have hit the post the most this season. So that's ah another one for the stat book.
00:03:28
DailySaintsPod
um And then you think, well, it's just going to be another one of these days. We're not going to be able to go on and get a second. It's it's crazy. And then just before halftime, we do exactly what needed doing. and
00:03:40
Zak
Yeah, like, it it wasn't glorious.
00:03:40
DailySaintsPod
And then no that was it, really. Like,
00:03:43
Zak
It wasn't a...
00:03:43
DailySaintsPod
And then at no point for the rest of the game did it ever feel in doubt.
00:03:47
Zak
No, not even slightly. And that second goal... It was kind of, i want I don't want to say gifted, it still required a head to get at the end of it, right? But like they just they just left him.
00:03:58
Zak
and they did something they did something later when Bree almost scored as well, where they just left him unmarked.
00:03:58
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, but like...
00:04:04
DailySaintsPod
o
00:04:04
Zak
They had a horror show of a game, and I know they've been afflicted by injuries, and they had quite a few young players on and stuff like that. But as we always say, we can only beat the teams in front of yeah us, and we we did that really well today.
00:04:15
DailySaintsPod
I was going to say, at the end of the day, when you say things like that, I think back to that Millwall game where they had 15 first-team players out injured and beat us 3-1.
00:04:26
DailySaintsPod
So it's it's it doesn't mean ah to mean a huge amount, right?
00:04:27
Zak
You still see true?
00:04:31
DailySaintsPod
Like you say, you can beat what's in front of you and it just seemed like the most Saints thing to do to sit back off a 1-0 lead and end up throwing it away later on. But but you're right, you know...
00:04:43
DailySaintsPod
But to to to put a different spin on it, mate, Matski made himself available and made himself difficult and got himself, you know, he he got in front of the goalie.
00:04:50
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:04:53
DailySaintsPod
So it was there, you know, it's not, you don't happen to do that by accident. You've got to put yourself in that position to get the the goal. So it's quite,
00:05:02
Zak
Yeah, to be to be clear, I'm not saying that you know i'm not saying that it was it was bad from us. I'm just saying that they they had a nightmare, but we were able to capitalise that on situations where previously we wouldn't have, right? And like ah yeah after all of our criticism in the build-up of Azaz and sort of our worry, i think that's like his first goal in, I want to say...
00:05:22
Zak
I how many matches beforehand, but he's not scored in a while. I wanted to say 15, but that feels wrong. But he's had quite a few games where he's not managed to
Momentum and Tactical Decisions
00:05:32
Zak
score. And then he seemed to be a lot better at pressing tonight, which was really good to see.
00:05:37
Zak
And, you know, he got an assist later on with the through ball to Sienza. Where I'm not going lie, mate, I spent most of my time screaming, pass it to Lahren, thinking, ah.
00:05:48
Zak
And was like, no, he's going try and take it on. And then he did and scored. And fair play to him.
00:05:51
DailySaintsPod
and Instead, mate, what he did was he literally sat the defender down look you did well What more is there to it, right?
00:05:59
Zak
No, you're right.
00:06:01
DailySaintsPod
You just put him down and put it in the corner and yeah, that was it. I mean, it was just... I mean, that was it. The the night was feel good from that point on.
00:06:14
DailySaintsPod
ah Chance of we want six when five minutes stoppage time went up, which felt like a reasonably half amount of stoppage time, to be fair.
00:06:23
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:06:23
Zak
i I felt bad for the amount of stoppage time.
00:06:25
Zak
I don't remember there being that many stoppages, to be perfectly honest, considering...
00:06:29
DailySaintsPod
No, but I suppose like eight subs and at a bit of a stoppage when Leo went down. So you could sort of see how it came to it. But yeah, I mean, though it's just, it's one of those games, one of those things where it was great to see it click almost frustrating that we haven't seen it in, in as long since we saw it. Cause even though that's now seven in the league unbeaten and eight, eight in all competitions,
00:06:59
DailySaintsPod
the first time in that run that it's felt free-flowing and not like we're grinding out the results and um comfortable.
00:07:07
Zak
Yeah, right. Like 2-0 to Stoke, 1-0 to... Sorry, 2-0 when we beat Stoke, 1-0 when we beat Watford. But you say that, in between that, we had our four three game against Leicester, where we we came back from three goals down.
00:07:20
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, but that wasn't exactly free-flowing. It was ah required being 3-0 down at half-time.
00:07:23
Zak
No, true.
00:07:26
DailySaintsPod
Like, it's still one of the most incredible things I've seen in football, but it required one of the worst first halves, right?
00:07:26
Zak
um
00:07:33
DailySaintsPod
Like, it was just... Yeah, it's it was great.
00:07:36
Zak
Yeah, true.
00:07:37
DailySaintsPod
it was It was brilliant. But yeah, like you say, Azaz was brilliant.
00:07:39
Zak
I think what you mean is...
00:07:43
DailySaintsPod
One of the unsung heroes of the night for me, Ryan Manning, because I think three of the goals came almost directly from some of the his cutting passes that were playing.
00:07:57
DailySaintsPod
Just, it's brilliant, mate.
00:08:00
Zak
I just think it's...
00:08:00
DailySaintsPod
It probably should have been six.
00:08:01
Zak
90
00:08:01
DailySaintsPod
We probably should have a penalty as well.
00:08:04
Zak
minutes... actually, like, actual 90 minutes of football played from start to finish where we we, yeah, we pretty much dominated. Like, yeah, okay, they had a funny we had a funny 15 minutes after we score, which we we need to figure out how to get over.
00:08:18
Zak
Because, again, if, like, they if teams capitalise on that, which sometimes they do, an example
Season Reflection and Player Contributions
00:08:25
Zak
being the literal game before, that like that's going to be a problem if we have those sort grinding out.
00:08:28
DailySaintsPod
Mm.
00:08:31
Zak
But, yeah, I'm very... I don't I'm just satisfied. I looked the lineups.
00:08:35
DailySaintsPod
Mm.
00:08:35
Zak
I thought, okay, that's pretty much there or thereabouts of what we predicted. Let's just hope that Manning or Bree don't pick up an injury because I saw Roroslev on the sidelines.
00:08:46
Zak
Obviously, you're out the game. I decided to pick the 1-1 draw at Charlton for my game to go to this week. yeah and And that is entirely on me.
00:08:57
Zak
um But yeah, I think, again, like it always feels greedy to to kind of wish that Archer managed to get a goal. And it's kind of like the the ideal scenario that we predicted in our preview came came into fruition and then some, which is, you know, hopefully gets a bit some it gets a run out.
00:09:14
Zak
Adozi played really well after Sienza came off as well. And then, yeah, it just was bad.
00:09:19
DailySaintsPod
I felt so sorry for their right back, man. Like, just being put on toast by Sienza all night, and he you know probably thought to himself, oh, good, he's coming off.
00:09:30
DailySaintsPod
That's a bit of respite. And then just to have a dozy running at him, even faster than Leo, just already 5-0 down. Just like, oh...
00:09:41
DailySaintsPod
kind of yeah how do you motivate yourself to to deal with that but just like solid performances all round right like just every single member of the team did their job and did it fantastically um Stephens and Harwood-Bellis in defence gist just seem to get better and better as a defensive pair.
00:09:58
Zak
Played really well. So well.
00:10:03
DailySaintsPod
it is It's like they are two completely different players than we saw at the start of the season. right like They are unbelievable.
00:10:12
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:10:12
Zak
that There were times beginning of the season that me and you both said, if both them went, we wouldn't be bothered.
00:10:17
Zak
And like I believe i ah truly like, you know, that that is true.
00:10:17
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:10:20
Zak
When it came to Harba Belis and stuff, I would have not been that bothered. But, you know, totally...
00:10:26
DailySaintsPod
But based on current form, genuinely, I could see it as a ah pair in the Premier League that playing like this would work. So that's that's how crazy the turnaround is. They've gone from from completely out of it You know, there were periods of time in the season where our top three centre-backs were not them, right?
00:10:47
DailySaintsPod
They were not getting on the pitch for for any of it.
00:10:48
Zak
Yeah.
00:10:50
DailySaintsPod
And, yeah, they just turned it around. Bree has been an absolute breath of fresh air at right-back.
00:10:57
Zak
<unk>s like It's like having it's like having new signings, right?
00:10:57
DailySaintsPod
He is...
00:11:00
Zak
we were We were very critical of the business around the fact that we only felt like we brought a striker in because Arma went, which I think has actually probably been a blessing in disguise.
00:11:01
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:11:08
Zak
um I don't mean that in the sense of we won't miss Arma. I just think that the style of play has changed to require a hold-up player, and we have now more than one. Peretz, who was just solid, even not that he was tested much tonight, but
00:11:21
DailySaintsPod
Just more commanding of his area, right? that he The strengths he has were Baz's weaknesses, right? he
Game Analysis and Strategic Alignment
00:11:30
DailySaintsPod
He commands the area. He commands the defense. He puts himself about. He dives out and heads the ball away from players' feet for...
00:11:41
DailySaintsPod
God knows why. But he you know he does it. And he's good shot stopper. What would you want from a goalkeeper, really? he's He's been really good.
00:11:50
Zak
And as as we found out tonight, also got to use his head at one point, which slightly worried me because that that's how you end up getting a cracked skull.
00:11:54
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:57
Zak
And I'm like, oh, don't don't don't don't don't run don't do d too many diamond headers, you know?
00:12:01
DailySaintsPod
ah ease he's got to have one of those points of concern every game, apparently. It's just a must where he's got to do something completely ridiculous. But it's ah it's fine. It's fine. It worked. And that's all matters. But yeah, Bree was fantastic. His work up the right with... ah with Matski was, was brilliant. They just seemed to click.
00:12:24
DailySaintsPod
Um, Azaz sort of ties it all together when he's on because the passes he finds and the spaces he finds himself in, are brilliant.
00:12:34
DailySaintsPod
And he, his press, his press was brilliant.
00:12:35
Zak
just played really well tonight.
00:12:38
DailySaintsPod
I could see him pressing all three it started off a little bit slower, but, but grew into the game. it was really good. Um, Yeah, Leo ah it continues to be incredible.
00:12:52
DailySaintsPod
And Laren, although he was kept kind of quiet, the work he was doing was was creating the space for the others to play through, basically. right Because whenever he got the ball, he was holding off two defenders. Yeah.
00:13:09
DailySaintsPod
several times he, you know, he managed to hold it up and pass it off and keep the ball, was running through like an absolute beast. And he was making the runs to to get the passes and effectively just dragging the defenders away. he occupied two defenders the the entire time he was on the pitch. And and so, you know, it's easy to potentially go unnoticed as a striker if you don't score a goal. But without him on the pitch, we don't score the goals that we scored because the the space doesn't exist. so just, yeah, not...
00:13:40
DailySaintsPod
I can't fault a single player. right they They were all brilliant.
00:13:44
Zak
I would like to draw attention to, you know, how I hate XG, and will always point out how much I hate it. um our Our expected XG for that game was 1.56, so...
00:13:49
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:13:54
DailySaintsPod
That's insane. What a pointless stat.
00:13:55
Zak
means nothing. Right, there you go. But it was, you know, 13 shots, 9 target. So that...
00:14:01
Zak
ah so that
00:14:01
DailySaintsPod
How can you only have an XG of 1.5 with 9 shots on target? It's baffling. It's nonsensical.
00:14:09
Zak
it's ah It's because none of it makes sense. But um yeah like 114 successful final third passes as well.
00:14:19
Zak
88% pass accuracy, which I think is, you know, we can tell lots of clearances, lots of tackles, just everything was on the up and so much more positive. It just felt like a very, it was just a very positive game in general.
00:14:28
DailySaintsPod
o
00:14:30
DailySaintsPod
It was great.
00:14:31
Zak
And it was, it was really great to watch. It was really great for the players. It was great for the confidence. It's good, you know, heading into Saturday, it will give us a lot of confidence against a already kind of defeated Sheffield Wednesday at this point, right?
00:14:44
Zak
I think they're confirmed relegated now, which is awful.
00:14:46
DailySaintsPod
They are confirmed, relegated, yeah. Just a sad affair. But yeah, I mean...
00:14:51
Zak
We're now 50 points ah plus nine for goal difference now, which has obviously helped massively by this evening.
00:14:52
DailySaintsPod
oh
00:14:59
DailySaintsPod
Goal difference might matter as well, right?
00:14:59
Zak
Unfortunately, yeah.
00:15:01
DailySaintsPod
With how close it is, goal difference is potentially going to come into it, which is nuts. Substitution's pretty standard, right?
00:15:11
DailySaintsPod
Although, or or guess, i ah I don't know standard is is the right word.
00:15:11
Zak
Yeah.
00:15:11
Zak
Yeah.
00:15:16
DailySaintsPod
I mean, Cameron Archer now seemingly
Season Progress and Future Outlook
00:15:19
DailySaintsPod
preferred in a number 10 role to replace Azaz. Is it interesting? Yeah.
00:15:24
Zak
I think it must be, he must be willing to do it because he wants the game time and that's the only way they're really going to get game time. Because it feels like for me, as long as Stuart and Laren are fit, they have decided on a strategy that is working and a plan that is working and they do not want to necessarily change it
00:15:32
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:15:45
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, not too much.
00:15:46
Zak
just for the sake of, yeah.
00:15:46
DailySaintsPod
Don't want to move away from it.
00:15:48
Zak
And and and you've seen what happens when they sub him out for the striker is that they still try and play the same balls and then you get annoyed and then they get annoyed and then nothing really comes from it.
00:15:53
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:15:55
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:15:58
Zak
So I guess what they're saying is if you want to play, this is where you're going to have to play and you're going to learn. And I think it's a bit late in the season to do that, but...
00:16:05
DailySaintsPod
I can see it coming good. I can see it coming good because he's a player that has to run onto a ball and any one of these like fast paced pinging it about passes that comes to his feet ah could literally be the goal that sort spies him onto confidence. I, um, I think it's fine. And if he, if he's happy with it, um, hopefully it will sort of click into gear and, and come good.
00:16:28
DailySaintsPod
Um,
00:16:30
DailySaintsPod
Stuart coming on was a question mark for me, mate. I don't know about you and how you feel about it, but I, um at that point of the game where it it didn't matter, a deu I'd have left him.
00:16:42
DailySaintsPod
Left him for the weekend.
00:16:42
Zak
I think that it's too true.
00:16:43
DailySaintsPod
Saved his legs.
00:16:45
Zak
i agree. But I think it is entirely about keeping the momentum going. And, you know, if you could get another one tonight, you know, you keep the kind of goal scoring habit. And I think it was trying to involve as many players that are in and about this sort of great team attempt a a promotion run, I guess, is sort of with high confidence.
00:17:07
Zak
And I think that's partly one of the one of the reasons why. Like, I get... I kind of... I'm with you on it. I kind of find it a bit baffling. But one of the other problems we've always had and one of the problems we always complain about is we get, like, a solid league and then we just kind of, like, sit back on it and complain.
00:17:22
Zak
And clearly tonight, there was just, like, blood in the water. And it could you could smell that.
00:17:26
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:27
Zak
And, like, you know, everyone was... You know, the fact that we're gunning for one in six... five minutes to go, five minutes being put on and everyone then thinking, oh, we might have we might have a go here.
00:17:37
Zak
And then, you know, you've Taylor Harbour, Bellis shooting. You've got anyone who'd get a chance towards the end of that game took a shot on, right?
00:17:44
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:44
Zak
And I think that's one of the reasons why is that also you're you're trying to, you don't want him to get too stale on the bench, right?
00:17:45
DailySaintsPod
Why not?
00:17:53
Zak
It's the same thing with like, I don't really know, with Shea Charles coming back from injury, if there was any point bringing Shea Charles on, you probably could have given Cam Bragg some more minutes, right?
00:17:54
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:18:01
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, maybe. That makes sense. I mean, it made sense to me to to bring him on because Flynn had been very good through the game, but also you you don't want him to get booked for something stupid because then he misses two.
00:18:01
Zak
I just think it is to...
00:18:03
Zak
You get...
00:18:13
Zak
And that is the kind of thing you would do towards the end of a game as well.
00:18:14
DailySaintsPod
100%.
00:18:16
Zak
Like, that is often...
00:18:18
DailySaintsPod
It's the type of player he is, and that is what it is. So it kind of made sense to me to bring bring Charles on and and put him in that role and and shore it up if any pressure was going to come. But... But yeah, it was it was fine. It was it was great.
00:18:32
DailySaintsPod
ah Yeah, Dozie looked sharp when he came on, didn't he? Running down, it's just...
00:18:38
Zak
But yeah, like i think I think part of what you've discussed, though, is the ability for us to move into a back four and us having Bree in that actual... It's like an actual natural right back that, you know, can today also pick up a goal, which we know he's prone to at least from his time at Charlton, and he has been in the Cup.
00:18:54
DailySaintsPod
Is that two in like three games now for him?
00:18:54
Zak
I think that's been... ah
00:18:59
DailySaintsPod
foot
00:19:00
Zak
Leicester, right, was the other one? So so yeah, I guess so.
00:19:01
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:19:03
Zak
um But that that's kind of, we wanted it to, we we were kind of criticizing and hoping that we would move towards this eventually. um And we have, and we're we're reaping the rewards of it.
00:19:16
Zak
But I did not expect us to come out tonight and put in the performance that we have. But I have to say i am absolutely elated because of it.
League Standings and Competitive Landscape
00:19:23
Zak
And the players will be and everyone that was there would be. And I'm incredibly happy for Matski that, again, somebody that we thought was doing really, really well in preseason and then didn't really get a chance on the still at all and has kind of had to to work to get his minutes. And, you know, he came on today, got start.
00:19:40
Zak
and proved why and then that kind of means that there's actual competition between him and fellows which will then hopefully drive that going forward uh so yeah it's it's positivity all around and you know i can't help but think that it feels like a age ago we had that game against middlesbrough where i just i was like oh god we we're doing it again we're we're going to end up going down this is awful we got pompey soon this is going be terrible you know and yeah after that we managed a couple of wins and then
00:19:46
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:19:48
DailySaintsPod
It's great. Yeah.
00:20:07
Zak
you know, not not winning against Portsmouth, which kind of sucked. And then the Charlton game on Saturday was a bit flat. But again, you summed up pretty well with the fact that you you kind of felt before the game, they are 100% coming here to play for a draw.
00:20:20
Zak
And they did. And the only thing that Nathan Jones got right, mate, is the fact that when he said that Leo Cienza is probably the special player of the championship this season, he's correct.
00:20:21
DailySaintsPod
I think... 100%.
00:20:28
DailySaintsPod
a hundredch cent And I mean, it showed, right? Like, the first goal tonight is a prime example, right? Because Finizaz wouldn't have that space to shoot against Charlton because there are 11 players between the ball and the goal.
00:20:38
Zak
sure.
00:20:43
DailySaintsPod
ah He got one touch and to get away from the one player marking it and bang, it was in the corner and then that's it, right?
00:20:43
Zak
yeah sure
00:20:50
DailySaintsPod
you just You're already on the up and yeah, it was just just great. up to Up to seventh in the league now, mate. Can you believe?
00:21:00
Zak
Yeah, it's nuts. We're only kept out, you know, Wrexham beat Portsmouth tonight to be four points ahead, so it's not like we can leapfrog them straight away.
00:21:08
DailySaintsPod
But we've still got to play them, though. So, you know, that becomes an instant six-pointer.
00:21:10
Zak
This is also true, so...
00:21:13
DailySaintsPod
And, you know, we've got Bristol as well still to play. The teams around us, Preston on the last day of the season, they're all the teams that we've got play. We've got play Ipswich. So...
00:21:23
Zak
Well, it's 15 between us and Coventry now, mate, and anything could happen towards the end of the season now.
00:21:27
DailySaintsPod
genuinely, like, it's...
00:21:28
Zak
Because QPR have dropped down their 13th now. At one point, they were and around up up in and in and around it
00:21:33
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, I mean, it it wasn't that long ago, mate, that it seemed like a pipe dream, right? It was like, oh, there's only seven points between us and promotion, and we're like, is that actually a summinable gap?
00:21:46
DailySaintsPod
And it turns out, yeah, it is. It turns out you've just got to start firing, and and then it'll come. and
00:21:54
Zak
Yeah, well, there's 15 points between us and top of the table, mate, and 15 points between us and just outside the relegation zone. So we are like, yeah, it is so, well,
00:22:01
DailySaintsPod
Crazy. What a crazy league. why would you Why would you want to leave it? Why would
Fan Engagement and Social Media
00:22:06
DailySaintsPod
you want to?
00:22:06
Zak
no, but there's three points between between seventh and thirteenth mate.
00:22:10
Zak
So this is why the momentum is really important and why I'm a bit a little bit frustrated about the result on the weekend.
00:22:12
DailySaintsPod
brilliant.
00:22:17
Zak
And I know that we kind of went, well, it was a good draw, but, you know, frustrating.
00:22:22
DailySaintsPod
So, mate, the momentum continues anyway, right?
00:22:22
Zak
Yeah.
00:22:24
DailySaintsPod
So, seven seven league games unbeaten now. ah These stats are the ones I saw, I think I sent them to you just before recording, that are pretty insane ah and and really abolish any question marks for me in a lot of ways.
00:22:42
DailySaintsPod
ah Since Tonda Rackert's appointment in the Championship, 11 wins, joint first in the championship in the same amount of games. 38 points, outright first in the championship over that many games. 41 goals,
00:23:01
DailySaintsPod
outright first in the championship in that many games. Expected goals, who cares? But 35.6, outright top of the championship.
00:23:11
Zak
i just I just think it's bad.
00:23:11
DailySaintsPod
Shots on target, 118, outright top of the championship. So, i mean, what those stats kind of hint at is that if we'd have taken on Tonda instead of Will Still, maybe we'd be winning the league by now, which is just nuts, isn't it?
00:23:30
Zak
Yeah. yeah its that
00:23:32
DailySaintsPod
Shh.
00:23:33
Zak
especially considering he's like the same age as Will still, he's younger than me, which something about that breaks my brain a little bit. And also, even after a five-year win, like he barely could smile this afternoon. It's like this evening, sorry. Like just they're like, yeah, you know, I think he smiled a little bit with the players and encouraged everyone to sort of celebrate, but very, very still sort of stoic faced, very, you know, he knows the job isn't done. And I think that that's important.
00:23:58
Zak
And now, like with that goal from Azaz, that puts him 15th in the top scorers for the championship. But with nine goals and six assists, mate, which is kind of crazy because it doesn't feel like that.
00:24:09
Zak
And we've been quite critical. And like, again, I think i think it's because he's very important.
00:24:10
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, like like we say, he had a ah day to forget at the weekend and he stepped up tonight and I just, yeah, and, you know, we said that he's a confidence player and I really think you can get a much more confidence-boosting performance than that, to be honest.
00:24:18
Zak
He made up for it. Yeah, for sure.
00:24:29
DailySaintsPod
It was
00:24:31
DailySaintsPod
just just brilliant, just a joy.
00:24:32
Zak
He's got two goals, two three goals to overtake Adam Armstrong, two goals to be on par with him.
00:24:37
Zak
Adam Armstrong is still somehow not even joint fifth. In fifth position is both Morgan Whitaker, Gelhart and Adam Armstrong, which is nuts.
00:24:48
Zak
But yeah, do you know the most upsetting thing about tonight's game, Greg? Do you want to know?
00:24:54
DailySaintsPod
All no right.
00:24:56
Zak
that like when we beat Leicester 4-3, it's going to be completely ignored because Snoop Doggy Dog was indeed in the house at Swansea. That means that it does not matter what what yeah we scored five goals. there's My entire Twitter feed is just full of like him arriving with his bag And like him doing dances with their, their like Cyril the Swan mascot. And you know me that that's going to be what everyone starts talking about. Not the fact that we beat a team 5-0. It's, ah, it's just, there's always pop culture going on around us and just infuriating. yeah
00:25:36
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. And i'll also, Bodo Glimp knocking out Inter Milan in horrific style in the Champions League, dominating the news.
00:25:43
Zak
Yeah, but to be fair, that was an absolute, you know, that was, that was um ah sure was some decision making from their defence at that point. It really, really shows you Serie A isn't that good anymore.
00:25:55
DailySaintsPod
But look look, credit to Swansea, mate. They got a 96-minute equaliser to bring that Snoop Dogg part.
00:25:59
Zak
Yeah, well, obviously, Soup Dog was in the house. Like, you know, clearly ah clearly they'll make tons of money.
00:26:03
DailySaintsPod
Crazy.
00:26:05
Zak
The fact it was basically a full house means that their market employee worked above and beyond. But is when you talk about it being like one of the best leagues in the world, and you say it unironically and have been ahead of the curve, as you pointed out when some Spurs fan today put out tweet talking about how great it was, and you were just like, remember it was me first.
00:26:24
Zak
Like, It's so weird to think if you told me like a decade ago, ah you'll be playing at the championship. You'll win It'll be a really good game. But don't worry, you'll be overshadowed by Snoop Dogg at Swansea. oh I don't think I would believe you.
00:26:39
DailySaintsPod
ah
00:26:39
Zak
they'd be like, yeah, you're going to be just below a team that are currently in the National League, but Deadpool's actor is going to buy them and they're going to become like a staple in British football, all due to a documentary.
00:26:53
Zak
you You just don't get that. The Premier League, what do you get? Like the same four or five winners every couple of years, apart from that one magical year, which iron iron ironically was a decade ago. And look how that worked out for Leicester. Look how it worked out for Blackburn Rovers, all the outside. You're right, maybe let's stay.
00:27:09
Zak
That doesn't mean I don't want to get to the playoffs, though.
00:27:09
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:11
Zak
It's it's it's it's mixed emotions, right? But yeah, what ah what crazy night.
00:27:13
DailySaintsPod
Mixed emotions. could Could we just have the promotion money but decline the offer and stay in the championship?
00:27:23
Zak
It's fine. We'll take our 20th place Premier League money now.
00:27:26
DailySaintsPod
But look.
00:27:27
Zak
Who else wants to go up the top, right? You know, Millwall, you've been banging on that for ages.
00:27:33
DailySaintsPod
but
00:27:34
Zak
Off you go. Have some fun.
00:27:36
DailySaintsPod
yeah ah wait what What a night though.
00:27:37
Zak
Oh, dear.
00:27:38
DailySaintsPod
What a performance.
00:27:38
Zak
Yeah, man.
00:27:39
DailySaintsPod
ah
00:27:40
Zak
So good.
00:27:41
DailySaintsPod
And what a team when it's firing on all cylinders. What a team we've managed to put together, right?
00:27:46
Zak
okay When it's good, it's great.
00:27:48
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:49
Zak
When it's not good, it's incredibly frustrating because it can be great.
00:27:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:54
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:27:54
Zak
But yeah, awesome.
00:27:55
DailySaintsPod
Look, yeah um that we'll probably go and lose to Sheffield Wednesday now.
00:27:59
Zak
Oh, you're right.
00:27:59
DailySaintsPod
that's that's That would be a really fast thing to
00:28:00
Zak
Thank
Conclusion and Listener Involvement
00:28:02
DailySaintsPod
do.
00:28:02
DailySaintsPod
But that way, plenty of time left in the week to worry about that. But unfortunately, all we have got time for tonight. ah Thank you, mate, as always, for staying up late to talk with me about it.
00:28:03
Zak
you.
00:28:14
Zak
ah okay
00:28:16
DailySaintsPod
And thank you, everyone, for listening.
00:28:17
Zak
Pleasure.
00:28:19
DailySaintsPod
ah What a win. What result? How are you feeling? How overjoyed are you? Let us know everywhere. All the socials. We are DailySaintsPod on X, TikTok, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.
00:28:36
DailySaintsPod
Hit us up. Let us know ah how many we're going to score past Sheffield as well. Let us know that. We'd love to hear it. Just keep the train rolling. ah We will be back.
00:28:48
DailySaintsPod
tomorrow to talk more football about Saints, probably more about how joyous that result is. I'm sure it will come up. But until then, Saints fans, have a wonderful day. Enjoy that win.
00:29:01
DailySaintsPod
And we'll see you next time.
00:29:10
Zak
And that was Zach and Greg.