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Episode 372: Matchday Review: HUGE Win against Stoke!
117 Plays19 days ago
Southampton – And a clean sheet to boot!
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Transcript
Saints' Milestone Win and Challenges
00:00:13
DailySaintsPod
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Saints pod. My name is Greg and as always today joined by my good friend and wonderful co-host Zach.
00:00:16
Zak
Have a one.
00:00:22
DailySaintsPod
Mate, a win on the road with a clean sheet? What way to go for through the weekend? Can you believe it
00:00:28
Zak
and we We scored our 6,000th goal as a club. we We kept our first clean sheet since the game against... The first away clean sheet since the game against Fulham in the Premier League, which was like that really boring nil-nil that everybody agreed like paint drying would have been more interesting, right?
00:00:47
Zak
That was a wild stat to hear.
00:00:48
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:00:50
Zak
Peretz had both a good game and awful game at the same time.
00:00:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:00:57
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:00:57
Zak
Bas was in attendance and sat with the home end, which you know I guess makes sense. we we looked at the team sheet and realised that we were missing two strikers. And it turns out after having an abundance of strikers, we might end up with like one who's barely fit.
00:01:13
Zak
That was a bit of an overshadow for the whole
Formation Changes and Player Impact
00:01:15
Zak
thing. But, Finizaz got back to scoring. Turns out he needed a little bit of a confidence booster. Flindown scored the worst goal I've ever seen.
00:01:24
Zak
in the worst goal I think I've literally ever seen. And somehow I was like, man... That's the scrappy goal I want to see. Like, all of them went for the ball, suddenly realised they didn't know where the ball was.
00:01:35
Zak
You just watch it roll in as he realised, oh, I've still got it.
00:01:36
DailySaintsPod
Look,
00:01:41
Zak
Cinema.
00:01:41
DailySaintsPod
well What i really enjoyed from that goal of the Flynn Downs is that it obviously gave him like a spark of confidence because like the next run of play, the ball came out to him on the edge of the box and he took a swing at it with a shot and he proved why he does not shoot often.
00:02:01
DailySaintsPod
it's it it was It was great.
00:02:04
Zak
Oh, oh, well, we,
00:02:04
DailySaintsPod
I really enjoyed it. it was good it was the It was the type of performance that that we've been expecting basically all season, right?
00:02:14
Zak
It's so annoying because it shows it's there.
00:02:14
DailySaintsPod
Like it was
00:02:17
Zak
That's what's so frustrating about this is it's like, oh, it's there. But also, like, for all of the people that have said, maybe we should stop doing a back five. It's like, yeah, maybe we should stop doing a back five.
00:02:28
Zak
Also, Bree, our best, one of our best defenders, Wellington, proving he's better than Manning at the moment.
00:02:32
DailySaintsPod
Why did we ever send him out on loan? i mean, I questioned it at the time.
00:02:35
Zak
Well...
00:02:37
DailySaintsPod
And and he's him the form he's been in since he came back really just goes to show he is comfortably our best right back. And I think Wellington is doing an excellent job and is doing doing a better job than Manning was managing.
00:02:45
Zak
And
00:02:50
DailySaintsPod
and And I think that it is due to the shape, right? Because we saw Wellington play as a sort of a wingback in a back five, and it was spotty.
00:03:02
DailySaintsPod
But but if you're not naturally a wingback, you're not going to know, am I supposed to be a winger at this point, or am I supposed to be a fullback? Stick him in a back four where he's a natural fullback, and it was excellent.
00:03:14
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:03:15
Zak
Greg, Greg, Greg, are you telling me, you is that is this is the statement that you're making that if you play players in the positions that they expect to be in, they do better? Is that what's happening?
00:03:25
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. And
Transfer Talks and Team Strategy
00:03:27
DailySaintsPod
that's crazy, isn't it?
00:03:27
Zak
yeah
00:03:28
DailySaintsPod
It is almost... Yeah, it's it's insane. But it's like, you know, it's almost like you go back to a a sensible formation that everybody is used to playing in football in, and suddenly it starts coming together.
00:03:42
DailySaintsPod
And, like, it was...
00:03:42
Zak
And so to be fair, and until it doesn't, right? And that's when they start messing things around again.
00:03:45
DailySaintsPod
Well, yeah...
00:03:47
Zak
but yeah, it was good.
00:03:47
DailySaintsPod
but it was It was controlled. It was... At no point in the game did I really feel at risk. I mean, we still left ourselves with...
00:03:58
DailySaintsPod
oh do Played ourselves into a couple of spotty situations.
00:04:02
Zak
Yes, for sure.
00:04:04
DailySaintsPod
And, you know it was in know, Stoke also were particularly poor. But it it was just the... even against teams that have been that poor for the rest of the season, we've not managed a consistent performance as good as that, where it was just, just comfortable, just done.
00:04:21
Zak
No.
00:04:26
DailySaintsPod
2-0, bish bash bosh.
00:04:28
Zak
got A goal either side, clean sheet, a clean sheet much too.
00:04:30
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:04:31
Zak
I mean, Prince tried to undo that a couple of times.
00:04:36
Zak
why Like, almost the howler of the year. And I know it's only the start, but, you know, a he he had a good game.
00:04:42
DailySaintsPod
but also made two excellent saves.
00:04:44
Zak
Yeah, that's what I mean.
00:04:44
DailySaintsPod
So...
00:04:46
Zak
It's a bit like, don't know, there's something Boric about him, right?
00:04:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:04:50
Zak
I don't know. That's how I felt, like right? Where sometimes Boric would do the most ridiculous things and then also somehow pull off like a worldie and you're like, don't i don't think I figured you out. And that's kind of where I'm at. with with him and obviously like, you know, it was a bit shaky, I'm not going to lie.
00:05:00
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:05:04
Zak
And obviously like, you know, Stoke hit the the post at one point, right? And that was that was probably the only moment I really felt. And I'll tell a lie, the the scramble in the box after a set piece where like everyone, at one point we had eight players around one player and Flynn Downs trying to be goalkeeper once again, like set pieces is not really helping us much.
00:05:19
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:05:25
Zak
And, but yeah.
00:05:25
DailySaintsPod
No, I mean, that's that's the sort of thing that, I mean, we should be working on, right?
00:05:26
Zak
Yeah.
00:05:30
DailySaintsPod
And it was still scrappy, but but we we got it through.
00:05:31
Zak
For sure.
00:05:35
DailySaintsPod
We got it over the line. But look, let's... You're right. There's lots to talk about from from the very beginning. So let's let's take it all the way back to the team sheets.
00:05:46
DailySaintsPod
Now, an that I was perfectly happy with, content with, that we almost called player for player, I think, to be fair.
00:05:55
Zak
Yeah, we said Bree, we said Wellington, we said, I think, i at one point, you said, let's not change the centre-backs. I missed that entirely, so I asked you, and then again, and you said, yeah, let's change the centre-backs. We agreed on that.
00:06:07
Zak
We would have been happy with literally any a combination of the midfield, and it was Yander and Downs.
00:06:12
DailySaintsPod
yeahp
00:06:12
Zak
Obviously, you know, you how you you talked about potentially starting... somebody else and having you know two two strikers at the same time which is the thing you've called for since the dawn of time uh however we might not even have two strikers come the end of come come the next episode of this podcast
00:06:26
DailySaintsPod
look
00:06:29
DailySaintsPod
But but the the thing is that even although we didn't have two strikers, the actual system that we play today... at the times that it worked, worked as well, because when the ball was coming up for Stewart to hop have to drop back to do the hold-up play, Azaz, from his number 10, was pushing up to be the striker, or either Fellows or Sienzo were, you know, tucking in to be the other striker.
00:06:48
Zak
Yeah.
00:06:55
DailySaintsPod
So it worked, because there was a rotation and there was no sort of easy way for for Stoke to...
00:06:57
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:07:02
DailySaintsPod
to see it out. And I mean, i mean, you know, there was some fantastic passing from Harwood Bellis. He, he obviously the obvious one was the one he put through for the goal, but also one that he put Sienza through, who then in turn played an incredible ball across to to fellows who almost got that goal that I've been egging him on for the entire time.
00:07:09
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:07:24
DailySaintsPod
Right. It wasn't for a fantastic safe.
00:07:26
Zak
Let's hope that that's not just a really good performance from Taylor Harbour-Bennis to feed into transfer rumours. Because if if if you if you listen to the rumours that have come out in like the last two days, I don't think going have a squad left come Monday.
00:07:41
DailySaintsPod
i mean I mean, look, I heard that there was a bid for him, which is you know perhaps reasonable, but the bid wasn't anywhere close to to our expectations of what we'd be willing to sell him for. And I think it's another one of those things, right? Where...
00:07:41
Zak
no, no.
00:07:57
DailySaintsPod
He's as valuable as he is to us. So, you know, if you want to come in and pay 70 million for him, sure, that's going to make anyone bat an eyelid.
00:08:09
DailySaintsPod
but But if you're not going to get close, I think the I read the offer was about 12 million and was basically laughed out of the room. So, you know, it is what is. I don't think he'll be going anywhere.
00:08:24
DailySaintsPod
And then, yeah, like you say, the other thing from the team sheets that was was notable, Armour and Archer out. Armour out after taking a knock in training yesterday, according to Tonda.
00:08:37
DailySaintsPod
One might presume that maybe it was a knock on the door from his agent, but we'll...
00:08:42
DailySaintsPod
I don't know.
00:08:43
Zak
no No smoke without fire, mate, is the way that somebody summed it up pretty well.
00:08:43
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:08:49
Zak
And I kind of have to concur.
00:08:49
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:08:51
Zak
It might be that it's I don't feel in the right headspace, even though, don't know, with Archer, you know, it is what it is.
00:08:55
DailySaintsPod
yeah Even if he's planning on staying and we're expecting him to stay and we're batting away bids, that still is probably not a great headspace to come in with the focus required and it sort of is what it is. and Fine. And yeah, Archer, we've seen sort of stronger links with with certain clubs so and Tonda confirmed after the game that there's been conversations about his future and I think there's talk of letting him go to bring someone else in, and that's that's fine, I guess.
00:09:29
Zak
It's kind of all right. iss not This has not been what we wanted. yeah.
00:09:33
DailySaintsPod
I mean, losing losing both of them would be insane.
00:09:38
Zak
yeah
00:09:39
DailySaintsPod
Losing Armstrong and making Archer the de facto first or second choice striker, because we know that Ross Stewart is not going to be fit enough to play every minute of the season.
00:09:52
DailySaintsPod
would be brave. So, yeah i don't know. it's It's a strange one. I guess
Performance Consistency and Promotion Goals
00:09:59
Zak
i
00:09:59
DailySaintsPod
that's all the sort of stuff we've got to look forward to as we head into deadline day and sort of prep for our last transfer episode of January coming up.
00:10:08
DailySaintsPod
But...
00:10:10
Zak
I don't necessarily agree with that. I think you know we should be doing we should be keeping Arma. We shouldn't be letting him go. and I think that if Archer goes, it's like so long, farewell.
00:10:17
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:10:21
Zak
Thank you for your service. But also, I don't think it's a disaster for us. I think he's probably, by the side of it, made up his mind.
00:10:25
DailySaintsPod
I agree.
00:10:28
Zak
He's not getting any younger. And his career at the moment is that he barely plays a bit part, realistically. don't think you want to spend your entire career coming up making substitution appearances at the end of end of games or the problem that he's had is that when he has been given an opportunity, it's never really paid off. It's not like, you know, if he's been given a full 90 minutes, not chances are he's not going to score. Where, you know, Armour, it's entirely patches where he scores.
00:10:54
Zak
But yeah, get both of them going is insane. i think armour going would be a huge problem regardless. I think Archer going, armour staying, I don't think much changes realistically now that Stewart's fit again. just depends if he can stay fit.
00:11:08
Zak
and But both of them going and relying on a man who has had two to three major injuries in the last two to three years.
00:11:15
DailySaintsPod
it would It would be genuinely insane. Yeah.
00:11:18
Zak
Yeah, that's that's kind of where I'm at. And then also, not to leave it out, even though he wasn't in the team sheet and we've not talked about him forever, news this afternoon that apparently Joe Eribo to Leicester. So, again, we'll talk all about this deadline, Dave, but like I feel like this might get lost, mate, because of how much has happened and how much potentially could happen, right?
00:11:29
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, fine. I mean... Yeah.
00:11:35
DailySaintsPod
No, that's fair. Yeah, look, I mean, look, he's a wage that's not contributing to the team that will be off our books. Great. whatever It is is what is.
00:11:43
Zak
days, but... So it made it it made the the you know it it made the fact that the team sheet was a little bit different.
00:11:52
Zak
you know i expect didn't expect it to be in the team. i want I wonder how long they've known. Has it been a week? Is it like yesterday? Because, you know, we we we yeah the team comp was definitely different to what I expected it to be. But look, paid off, didn't it? It's worked.
00:12:12
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, it was good. And, you know, it was nice. It was and it was nice, refluxed.
00:12:15
Zak
Sienza got fit enough to play. That was good.
00:12:17
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah, it was great. All of it was was good. Even the substitutes were good. Shea Charles, when he came on, was fitted in absolutely fine.
00:12:26
Zak
Yeah.
00:12:27
DailySaintsPod
Just just did did his job solidly and did very good at it. Matski came on and didn't quite make an attacking impact, but to be honest, that kind of phase of the game had died down for us.
00:12:40
Zak
yeah
00:12:45
DailySaintsPod
nice to see Eikenle get on the pitch, to be honest. did raise at half-time that it was potentially a concern having him as the sort of only real attacking option as a striker to come on, knowing that Stewart wasn't going to make the full 90.
00:13:02
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:13:03
Zak
Yeah, my my assumption is that it would be him and Robinson that came on. I think, yeah, you you did express your concern, but, like, it's good to to get the minutes, right?
00:13:06
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:13:12
Zak
And for someone that's been so prolific for us in the under-21s, again, like, some sometimes you we have proven that you can convert some people from, you know, youth football into sort of, you know, first-team football without having to go through the path of, you know, loan out to League 1, loan out to League 2, etc.
00:13:12
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:13:16
DailySaintsPod
Absolutely.
00:13:31
Zak
So...
00:13:31
DailySaintsPod
yeah Yeah, definitely.
00:13:31
Zak
saying
00:13:48
DailySaintsPod
But thankfully, that's not the position that presented itself. We came out in the second half. We put away... a set piece. and And then it was, you know, not quite cruise control because 2-0 still were a slightly scary score, but but it was it was as comfortable as 2-0 gets, to be honest.
00:14:02
Zak
Yeah.
00:14:08
DailySaintsPod
We didn't look in any real danger. We were still creating a bit. And it yeah, it's good for him to get minutes in in that circumstance. And then, of course, fellows off for Manning for three minutes for stoppage time. Whatever.
00:14:26
DailySaintsPod
to Pointless for for all involved, but wasted those 30 seconds for the substitution, didn't it? So...
00:14:32
Zak
Yeah, and a good game a good game for Finnaz as well, considering, you know, as we said, we we talked about quite a lot. It kind of feels a bit weird. you know his and Maybe it's to do with his stoicism, and maybe it's the fact that you said it it's and on his like game is slightly more unattractive.
00:14:50
Zak
But when it pays off, it pays off.
00:14:51
DailySaintsPod
o
00:14:51
Zak
And and that was a you know a solid goal for today. And, you know, he seemed to be enjoying it a little bit more.
00:14:54
DailySaintsPod
Yep.
00:14:58
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Cool.
00:14:58
Zak
So yeah, just it was just a a highly enjoyable game, mate.
00:15:01
Zak
It was just fun to watch.
00:15:02
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:15:02
Zak
It's been a while. But then I kind of agree with, I feel bad for Stoke a little bit. Mark Robbins said that they didn't really have to do much to beat them. They were like, not really. It wasn't the hardest game I've seen us break it into, right?
00:15:12
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:15:16
DailySaintsPod
No, it was...
00:15:16
Zak
Not going to lie.
00:15:17
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, well, we...
00:15:18
Zak
But could i can I beat what's in front of you, mate? That's where I'm at.
00:15:21
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, that's also very true. And like I said, it's the sort of game where we've played teams that have struggled and have looked as sort of struggling as Stoke did today, and we've not done enough to put them away or or scored first and thought we've done it and then just done something really stupid and gifted like it away.
00:15:27
Zak
and
00:15:41
DailySaintsPod
And it's nice that we didn't do that. Yeah. and yeah like I just just think it was nice that the kind of across the board, everyone just seemed to step up step up their game just a bit. I think...
00:15:57
DailySaintsPod
every single player in that starting had had a a good game. Like, Stevens was was excellent. I'll say Harwood-Bellis was solid defensively and creative going forward.
00:16:11
DailySaintsPod
Breeze, clearly the best right-back we've got. it's It's just everyone on the pitch. Yandel was getting himself in positions. Man, there was one... part in the first half where he just absolutely whipped a ball across the six-yard box. Unfortunately, it was just not a Saints shirt in sight. with like That's exactly the sort of cutting edge we've been looking for for all of this time. right But just across the board, and and you're right, that you said at the start, it's it's frustrating a bit because where has that been for for all of the games prior?
00:16:45
DailySaintsPod
And it's
00:16:45
Zak
it's so, it's so hard to, yeah I think the problem is, is like, it's frustrating and I want to, there's so much going on and and so much noise around the club at the moment anyway.
00:16:56
Zak
is hard not to take the face value of, we knew this was going to be really vital. You know, we we had people say in the week, you know, this, this is a potential six pointer.
00:17:07
Zak
We really, really wanted them to show some drive after the Pompey game. And they have. Seven points from nine in the last three games. That's great.
00:17:15
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:16
Zak
That's where we want to be. That's where we should have been for a lot of this season. You know, does it is it going to carry on forever? We don't know. but It's nice to see.
00:17:26
Zak
It's just hoping that there's it's progress because that's, I think, the most frustrating thing is you point out is that, you know, we have these like this purple patch.
00:17:29
DailySaintsPod
o
00:17:33
Zak
It's like, oh, this is great. And then we just like throw it away again for a couple of games and then everyone gets sad and everyone like, and then obviously like the mood in general plummets and it's so up and down and up and down and up and down. It's really hard to keep that up consistently, you know?
00:17:48
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, exactly. it's It is. And that's what's made it such a sort bumpy season. Exactly that. And and you're right.
00:17:55
Zak
Not just for us either, to be clear.
00:17:56
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:57
Zak
I think if you look at the state the championship, I was trying to have a conversation with my wife on the way, popped to the shop earlier, and she was just like, wait, what do you mean that you're potentially, like where yeah, we're like 13th now. was like, but you are you at 17th, 18th?
00:18:08
Zak
I'm like, that's the championship. like Coventry are now in the same amount of points as Middlesbrough. Hull are third. it's it's a wild league. is a tough league. And yeah, I think again, that but that also plays into the frustration because if we were able to keep consistent, I don't think we would have a problem being in the, you know, high up the league right now, but swings around about, isn't it?
00:18:27
DailySaintsPod
But that's it. let's But let's hope that's what we've got from here on in. We kick on, we take the confidence and we build on it game after game.
00:18:32
Zak
Hmm.
00:18:34
DailySaintsPod
And, and you know, that isn't say that we're going to win every game. I'm sure there'll be slip-ups on the way. But hopefully that this is what we can take from it, that this is... you know, the team and the confidence and and hopefully after Monday when all of the transfer noise goes away until the end of the season anyway, you know, we can sort of settle in and and just get our head down and, you know,
00:18:56
DailySaintsPod
people at the club have still come out as, as recently as this week, Stevens came out and said promotion is still the goal, oh which, which is fine.
00:19:03
Zak
Mm.
00:19:04
DailySaintsPod
is If that's the case, that's fine. But if, if that is what you want, we, we basically have to win every game at this point. Right.
00:19:12
Zak
But i also pointed out that they have to show it, and today they did.
00:19:13
DailySaintsPod
like
00:19:16
Zak
So just got to get it behind them and hope it all goes all right.
00:19:16
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, exactly. of
00:19:20
Zak
And then, know, it's not going to take away from all of the, wouldn't say focus, but take away from all of the circumstances floating around, Sports Republic in general, and the general malaise at the moment of being a Southampton fan.
00:19:32
Zak
But, you know, it might be a little bit of an antidote for it for a small amount of time.
00:19:37
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:19:37
Zak
And it must be good for the players as well, is the other thing.
00:19:40
DailySaintsPod
Well, nothing nothing appeases a a hurting mind more than a a few wins on the bounce and a bit of excitement and a bit of flair and you know even goals as rubbish as Flynn Downs is is just nice to be part of, isn't it?
00:19:53
Zak
don't what you're talking about. think it was beautiful. It was glorious.
00:19:56
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:19:58
Zak
That is a scrappy, horrific goal that I don't think anybody expected.
00:19:58
DailySaintsPod
Puss Gas Award in the waiting.
00:20:05
Zak
Flint Downs didn't expect to score in it. Stoke didn't expect the ball to even be there. beautiful.
Refereeing Critiques and Records
00:20:11
Zak
One of the things I did want to make a point of, because... What do you think of the ref for that game, Greg?
00:20:17
Zak
know you don't talk about it much anymore because ever since we've been the Premier League, it's been wonderful because, to be honest, when it's like, oh, the ref missed that, but it is what it is. At least we didn't have to have VAR.
00:20:28
Zak
It's kind of glossed over, but you made a couple of stark comments to me throughout us watching that game.
00:20:36
DailySaintsPod
I think... Wait, so to start off with, I didn't realise until I saw it from a... on a Facebook page, not a Saints Facebook page, just a generic football Saints Facebook He's the same referee that in his Premier League debut last week ignored the advice of VAR on on a Man City penalty and turned it over, right?
00:20:57
Zak
that why he's back in the championship?
00:20:58
DailySaintsPod
And...
00:21:00
Zak
Could well be, isn't it?
00:21:00
DailySaintsPod
Quite possibly... Now, I think he was rubbish. Right.
00:21:10
DailySaintsPod
let's let Let's lay out a few of the the decisions and and sort of justify that with a thought, right?
00:21:16
Zak
Right. I knew I'd pop you off with this.
00:21:17
DailySaintsPod
Here we go. So so of the obvious one that people are going to point to is Finnaz getting booked for simulation. Now, I don't think it was a penalty, I'll come out and say, which which might be controversial as a Saints fan. I don't know. it There wasn't enough contact for me. I also don't think it was a booking for diving.
00:21:40
DailySaintsPod
I think it was he got tripped up. The problem is the the way that he's gone down is theatrical and he sort of, you know, clearly made the referee's mind up that way.
00:21:52
Zak
Damned if you do, damned if you don't, mate.
00:21:53
DailySaintsPod
But...
00:21:54
Zak
Fellowes got criticised for staying on his feet a couple weeks ago.
00:21:57
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:21:57
Zak
like it you can't You can't win with this situation. i feel like, you know, if if they feel contact, they go down.
00:22:01
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:22:04
Zak
If they try and stay up, they're going to lose the ball and then it'll end up being a goal kick. So it's kind of like, what do you do? If you just throw yourself to the floor without any contact whatsoever, yeah, of course. But if it's like...
00:22:17
Zak
you know, i think maybe it's because he slightly made a meal of it. And I don't even really think made a massive meal of it, but it was more like straight away he came over with a yellow.
00:22:21
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:22:23
DailySaintsPod
No, don't think so. But yeah.
00:22:25
Zak
and Yeah.
00:22:31
Zak
Yeah. a Fair comment.
00:22:35
DailySaintsPod
There was one slightly after that where Leo got completely pushed off the ball in the face, which was a much clearer penalty that got given as goal kick.
00:22:46
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. there was There was another one as well. I can't even remember exactly what it was, but it was just he was just wildly inconsistent.
00:22:56
DailySaintsPod
And then he would let a load of tackles go, which is fine. I don't have a problem with that. I like a physical tackle. I like a physical game. That works for me. And then all of a sudden he's brandishing yellow cards here, there and everywhere for absolutely nothing out of the blue.
00:23:11
DailySaintsPod
And then books Perrettes for time wasting, which don't even think he particularly was, to be honest. He was just taking a goal kick.
00:23:18
Zak
And then he went back. Well, we've already seen him that he he struggles a little bit distribution-wise. So he's just trying get it on. And then obviously when he was rushed, he ended up sending it straight to a Stoke player. So, yeah.
00:23:29
Zak
Yeah.
00:23:29
DailySaintsPod
It's just like like I've seen seen, even if he was time-wasted, and you know keepers are are very guilty of that, it is much less egregious than a lot of the time-wasted I've seen from just about everybody else in the championship the rest of the season.
00:23:48
DailySaintsPod
like Like, he wasn't, like, properly laying it on thick. He was just lining himself up to kick the ball. And, yeah, it was just, it was inconsistent. And then, yeah, there was some where he'd let it go to a high level of physicality, and then some where he'd give a free kick for seemingly nothing. And, yeah, i thought it was rubbish. But, it's what is, isn't it?
00:24:10
DailySaintsPod
At least we won.
00:24:11
Zak
Yeah, you you you said you said words to the effect of, and then I'm pretty sure this is the one you've forgotten, which is, I mean, if Azaz has a simulation, then that definitely is as well.
00:24:11
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:24:19
Zak
I think it was the other end that was a little bit of it, right?
00:24:21
DailySaintsPod
No, that's it. Yeah, the stormy bloke who who like hop, skipped and jumped his way into the box to try and get a penalty, right?
00:24:22
Zak
Where he didn't get booked for it.
00:24:29
DailySaintsPod
That was...
00:24:32
Zak
But would you trade it if you had a competent referee but VAR was there?
00:24:38
DailySaintsPod
not. Yeah.
00:24:39
Zak
things are right about. So this is the thing, right? We've had a couple of, couple of moments this season, like hand balls and this, any other.
00:24:46
Zak
And yeah, it's frustrating. And yeah, you can kind of blame the ref for it, but it's not having to sit there for 20 minutes while they decide by committee. If someone's like, like little finger results in an offside.
00:24:56
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:24:56
Zak
So
00:24:57
DailySaintsPod
To still get it wrong quite often.
00:24:59
Zak
yeah And somehow Flynn Downs avoided a booking out of all of that.
00:25:00
DailySaintsPod
a
00:25:03
Zak
Yeah.
00:25:04
DailySaintsPod
That in itself is a miracle because in the first half alone he had four where I went, well this is the one where gets book in.
00:25:05
Zak
it' kill him
00:25:12
DailySaintsPod
He just stayed out of the book for the entire game somehow.
00:25:13
Zak
But yeah, listens
00:25:16
DailySaintsPod
A miracle to to everybody, I think.
00:25:21
Zak
this... It's the first time as well where we've had, like, we played, like, an injury-stricken side, right?
00:25:21
DailySaintsPod
it's
00:25:25
Zak
Or an injury-depleted side where we're like, oh, it's there for the taking. And usually what that means is they go on to beat us.
00:25:32
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:25:32
Zak
But yeah, all of the, like, rules we broke today were, like, our own ones. Again, like, 6,000th goal for the club. you know, clean sheets. or all It's nice to break our own records for like good things rather than rather than breaking everybody else's records, right?
00:25:40
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. That's crazy.
00:25:46
Zak
There wasn't a a lone striker that's not scored in 27 games that needed to come on and get a goal. It was just a a good, solid win from a team that looked a little bit more together than it's looked previously this season.
00:26:01
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah, it was great. Let's do it again next week. Clean sheet. Nice win. More of the same. Yes, please.
Upcoming Match and Momentum
00:26:10
Zak
yeah buttford Watford lost the today and they're I think our next opponent's right so that will be that'll be nice hopefully we can build on the momentum crazy 100% mate
00:26:16
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:26:20
DailySaintsPod
Well, that's something that we've been hoping for for a couple of seasons now, mate. So we'll see. That's for sure. But look, it's nice. A game of football, an early game of football in the weekend that has made the rest of the weekend that much sweeter.
00:26:34
Zak
hundred hundred percent might
00:26:34
DailySaintsPod
what What a lovely place to be and not something we've said a lot of recently, that's for sure. But...
00:26:41
Zak
trade.
00:26:42
DailySaintsPod
It's great. But look that's it. That is all we've got time for today. Thank you, Zach, as always, for joining me. And thank you, everyone, for listening. We will be back with our deadline day special Tuesday morning with the the latest breaking news on all of the transfers in, out, and otherwise.
00:27:05
DailySaintsPod
Absolutely everywhere. Until then, though, let us know in the socials how you're feeling. How much confidence does that win give you for the rest of the season? That's what I'd like to know. Let us know in the comments, on the socials, with Daily Saints pod everywhere on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, Blue Sky. And if you're watching on YouTube, give us a like, give us a subscribe. Let us know in the comments. And we love hearing from you. Like I say, we'll be back Tuesday to talk all the good transfer stuff. But until then, enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone. Have a lovely day and we'll see you then.
00:27:49
Zak
And that the Daily Saints pod with Zach and Greg. Enjoy weekend!