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Episode 425: Should Semi-Finals be at Wembley?
84 Plays7 days ago
Southampton – We talk play offs, we talk semi finals, we talk ticket allocations, with a nice rant about commercialisation ruining football thrown in for good measure!
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Transcript
Introduction and Reflections on Recent Match
00:00:12
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. How are you doing my friend? You're good.
00:00:24
Zak
Hello, mate. Yeah, not too bad. I'm all right after last night. I still just feel kind of sick. It's annoying. I feel like that's just the thing that happens once you're over 30, right? you get You get a little bit ill and it's just like you feel kind of sick for like forever until eventually it goes.
00:00:34
DailySaintsPod
That's it. Hmm.
00:00:39
Zak
But i mean I'm a good spirit, you know, as as much as... And the more time we've had to reflect on the draw last night, I think it was probably a better draw than we we we expected, right?
00:00:50
Zak
there There's easily, easily could have lost that game. So you're...
00:00:53
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, look it's it's he like we said yesterday, it's easy to get carried away with because of how good or maybe how good how good the results have been. But we've seen that even the last couple of games before this, we've we've struggled a bit with some of the fatigue and not played as you know to the best that we know we're capable of, but but managed to grind out the results.
00:01:02
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:01:13
DailySaintsPod
And it was it was going to happen eventually. But you're right, the character to fight back and get the draw... you know, shows determination. We're still 20 unbeaten, and now we can shift our focus.
00:01:24
DailySaintsPod
We don't need to worry about the permutations for second as much.
Playoff Prospects and Team Strategy
00:01:28
Zak
Yeah.
00:01:29
DailySaintsPod
It's still mathematically on if Ipswich and Mill will decide to like lose both of their next games, or lose one and draw one, i think, technically, but But realistically, and not mathematically, we're we're looking at playoffs, right? and We're confirmed to finish at least sixth in the table now because maths, because Hull and Wrexham can only equal us on points, but we have a 20-goal swing of difference on on them. So...
00:02:04
DailySaintsPod
So let's talk about the playoffs, mate. Third and fourth now, I guess the most important thing to tie up and wrap up so that we get that but ever powerful home fixture for the second leg.
00:02:17
DailySaintsPod
You know, we think back a couple of years, we know how powerful of a motivator that can be. I don't know. That feels within reach, right? Six points clear of Wrexham in sixth and three points clear of Middlesbrough in third, although Middlesbrough were game in hand on us.
00:02:38
DailySaintsPod
Feels all right.
00:02:40
Zak
Yes, I think it's just difficult. and We were talking about this last night, because obviously I said I don't really mind who we play. And you're like, well, we want to finish as high as possible, because obviously the the hope home league for the second second game is is really important. But it does very much feel like, you know,
00:02:59
Zak
I don't really mind who we get. I'm totally honest. I think that we have it about as good a chances against any of them as we do. I actually think that I do. I do wonder what the the mental impact of...
00:03:13
Zak
The last two games we'll have, and also, obviously, the semi-final on the weekend. But on top of that, like, with the the last two games we've got left, again, I think you said yesterday, it just gives us a chance to rotate a little bit more and maybe take the...
00:03:26
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:03:27
Zak
Not the foot off the gas entirely. Obviously, as you said, you want to finish as as high as possible and keep at least the the the unbeaten run going where possible.
00:03:37
Zak
But I just think that...
Criticism and Team Dynamics
00:03:40
Zak
The fatigue was really on the show yesterday, and that seems to be the collective opinion of most people that I've seen, on top of the fact that, you know, feel bad for Bass.
00:03:46
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:03:51
Zak
I don't even know if I am enjoying the discourse around it. I actually think it's kind of gross. I don't know how you feel about it, but, like, you know, it's got to be it's got be horrible.
00:04:01
DailySaintsPod
I don't like I don't like mugging off any player, but I think that it validates the concerns we raised about you know the goalkeeper not necessarily being the single issue within the team,
00:04:02
Zak
It's got to be horrible to be...
00:04:12
Zak
Yeah.
00:04:17
DailySaintsPod
but being an issue that needed resolving. And, you know, like we've we've talked before about how the the run we've gone on with Perrette kind of speaks for itself anyway.
00:04:29
DailySaintsPod
But, yeah, it it also sort of adds validation to that. Like, I know that we're not the the biggest believers in in, like, statistics being the thing that define or understand the game because,
00:04:34
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:04:44
DailySaintsPod
you know you can You can swing statistics to to whatever argument you want.
00:04:48
Zak
They are still there though, right? That's the thing.
00:04:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, like when you you talk about statistics like you know lowest shots saved, two shots faced percent, it not it's not really a percentage that you can sort of toy with.
00:04:50
Zak
That's the problem you have with a lot of these.
00:05:05
DailySaintsPod
It it speaks for itself.
00:05:05
Zak
Spin.
00:05:06
DailySaintsPod
And when he was as low in the league as he was and Perez is as high in that number as he is,
Potential Playoff Opponents
00:05:12
DailySaintsPod
it's... Yeah, but it is a shame.
00:05:13
Zak
It's going to be...
00:05:14
DailySaintsPod
Like, no one, no, or or certainly I don't want to see Pizzunu, like, fail and be a horrible keeper. I would love for him to have gone on loan and have an incredible success.
00:05:26
DailySaintsPod
You know, I hold no ill will toward him.
00:05:29
Zak
Hmm.
00:05:30
DailySaintsPod
So, but, yeah, like, it's it's just a funny one, but
00:05:33
Zak
Hmm.
00:05:36
DailySaintsPod
But you're right. like it's It's not helped them that it was in a match against, obviously, you know someone we were hoping to drop points. and And I guess that's that's where the biggest point of concern we'll be looking at looking forward is is who we play in the playoffs, right? Because if we...
00:05:57
DailySaintsPod
a if we assume that Millwall aren't dropping any points against Leicester or Oxford, which I feel like it's, it's almost reasonably safe to say that.
00:06:05
Zak
I think when it comes to Leicester, if they were to turn around and try and and like beat and win their last two games, or I just kind of feel like it would obviously be insult to injury at this point, right?
00:06:14
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:06:15
Zak
You turn up for the last 20 minutes of the biggest game of your season. And I've been seeing a lot of the coverage of of apparently a lot of people feeling that there was anevit inevitability about it.
00:06:25
Zak
And it's bizarre because even when we played them in one, obviously, 4-3, And there were a lot of reactions.
00:06:26
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:06:43
Zak
But you you see what's kind of happened now and you're like, oh, yeah. And so you're right with Millwall coming up against them and Oxford, who I think have probably also accepted their fate a little bit now.
00:06:54
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:06:54
Zak
you can't see them not being both, right?
00:06:56
DailySaintsPod
You've got to almost expect six points.
00:06:58
Zak
You'd expect six, yeah.
00:07:01
DailySaintsPod
Of course, Ipswich, the other one that we'll be looking up at, they've got two games in hand on Millwall, but one of them is is against us. right So it'll be interesting to see.
00:07:11
Zak
Yes.
00:07:15
DailySaintsPod
I would expect them to drop points against us. I don't know if we will beat them. I could easily see another draw coming out of that game.
00:07:24
Zak
yeah
00:07:25
DailySaintsPod
but you know, kind of irrelevant to that. Obviously they play Charlton tonight at time of recording. So at the time this goes out, you know, they'll, they will either have dropped points there or, or not.
00:07:35
Zak
Nathan giant Jones will have done us a favour, alternatively, they would have gone back to winning ways and beaten Charlton 3-0.
00:07:37
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:07:41
Zak
That's the long shot, isn't it?
00:07:42
DailySaintsPod
they've got a play They've got to play the baggies at the weekend, West Brom, who are now undefeated in, I think, eight games. like Their last six games are three wins, three draws.
00:07:52
Zak
Haven't they now were secured... So if they've secured survival, they might be able to drop their heads a little bit and it won't matter as much.
00:07:55
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, they've they've secured survival. But
00:08:01
DailySaintsPod
but i just don't know if they will. i just think their momentum is is good at the moment. They'll just be cruising off it. you know They'll be up for a game.
00:08:08
Zak
are you speaking Are you speaking as a man who is a bias towards to West Brom, though? You've got to question that.
00:08:12
DailySaintsPod
Maybe, but I just think their survival was basically confirmed last night and they still went and got a comfortable win. So...
00:08:21
Zak
Okay, fair enough.
00:08:22
DailySaintsPod
i guess you know i guess you could argue pushing them up to 52 is properly comfortable, but 49 with the goal difference, there on forty nine points you know they were They were already five points clear of of Oxford in that relegation zone. So...
00:08:40
DailySaintsPod
But yeah, I think that you know they've clearly improved under since they bought in Morrison as the manager, right? So that they're not going to roll over quietly for Ipswich, even if they get beat is is kind of where I'm at.
00:08:49
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:08:56
DailySaintsPod
It's definitely a more challenging prospect than either Leicester or or Oxford, right, is my thoughts. So, and then QPR on the last day of the season, well, I mean, you would expect Ipswich to win that.
00:09:13
DailySaintsPod
say So, I guess based off of that and expecting us to get something out of the Ipswich game and and expecting the baggies to be a tougher one, I guess I'm thinking Ipswich will probably finish third behind Millwall is what I'm...
00:09:33
Zak
Yeah.
00:09:33
DailySaintsPod
Alluding to and getting to at this point? Hmm.
00:09:36
Zak
And that'll put us into where we are now, still at fourth.
00:09:41
Zak
And that's where we went up from last time soon.
00:09:41
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, well well, so I mean, I guess arguably if Ipswich win all three of those games and draw to us, then they go above Millwall.
00:09:48
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:09:51
DailySaintsPod
So it's a tough one, right? To know. And, and in you know, assuming that we do enough to finish above Borough and whoever, you know, Derby, Hull or Rexu, whoever ends up getting that sixth spot.
00:10:07
DailySaintsPod
I guess even Borough have the potential to slip out of that that zone, right? I feel like we're going to do enough to finish at least fourth. And so looking up will be, you know, potentially who we would face at Wembley if we win the semi-final.
00:10:25
Zak
I just need to, mate, like Tonda, just need to take it one step at a time. Because this this was a completely different conversation yesterday morning because we assumed, well, when we win our next three games in a row, including, I'm sorry, four games in a row if you include the Man City game, then we're laughing.
00:10:30
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:10:39
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:10:43
Zak
And obviously that isn't necessarily how football goes. and I think it's going to be tough i think it's going be really tough we've considering we've got a game Saturday that's the semi-final that's going to have a lot of emotion, a lot of energy poured into it.
00:10:47
DailySaintsPod
Okay, well, let's...
00:10:52
DailySaintsPod
No, I
00:10:55
Zak
to then go into a game against Ipswich where we know playoffs are confirmed, I don't think that is quite the grudge match that we have been building up to and how important it's going to be
00:11:04
DailySaintsPod
no i mean, it definitely has less of an edge on it because of the result last night, right?
00:11:08
Zak
And depending on how the result goes Saturday...
00:11:10
DailySaintsPod
But it's still an important game because because you know it it really is a six-pointer in that position in the table.
00:11:17
Zak
sure.
00:11:17
DailySaintsPod
Well, I mean, I guess thinking about it like that then, right? the the perspective The prospective semifinals we' we'll be looking at in the playoffs, right? So the four in contention are Middlesbrough, Wrexham, Hull, Derby.
00:11:33
DailySaintsPod
Out of those four, do you... Does a name jump out as a preference that you think we have more or a chance of or less of a chance of?
00:11:44
Zak
Well, we beat Wrexham quite substantially. However, obviously, that would be incredibly...
00:11:47
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. There'd
00:11:51
Zak
It would be a much bigger deal for them.
00:11:53
DailySaintsPod
be attention on it, wouldn't there?
00:11:55
Zak
Yeah, it would be it would be so much... like
00:11:57
DailySaintsPod
Because it's Wrexham, because it's Hollywood, but also because it would be their chance to make history and go all the way up.
00:12:01
Zak
Listen to the story story. The story is they play us first game the season. We beat them last minute, devastating.
00:12:08
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:12:09
Zak
They have a chance for vengeance against us and we batter them like 5-1 or whatever it was.
00:12:15
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:12:16
Zak
then all of a sudden they've got our playoffs against us and you know they they maybe go down in the first leg and then there's this Hollywood story of them. Obviously, we would love to...
00:12:24
DailySaintsPod
Oh, you're right. I can see the Disney Plus script writing itself.
00:12:25
Zak
yeah i can It writes itself, mate. Like, that's that's the problem.
00:12:30
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:12:30
Zak
It's it's weird how Wrexham have invaded the zeitgeist of the Saints space far more than they should.
00:12:33
DailySaintsPod
weling We We tend to be the sort of team that ruins scripts like that, though, to be fair.
00:12:42
Zak
it's
00:12:42
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:12:42
Zak
Yeah,
League Competition and Team Narratives
00:12:43
Zak
we ruined the quadruple for Man City. Hopefully, we're going to ruin their FA Cup. We completely ruined the, again, generational tweet from our admin is, enjoy your quadruple, pal, to that Arsenal fan.
00:12:53
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:54
Zak
That is going to be used for years.
00:12:57
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:12:59
Zak
Honestly, don't know if that's if if they knew that that's what they were going doing when they put that out. But either way, it is phenomenal. Yeah, okay, you're you're right. And we have already ruined it for them. So for us to become the new villains of Wrexham, I'll completely take that too.
00:13:14
Zak
But I also think that there is a lot of momentum... there is a lot of momentum outside obviously our for, you know, oh, I don't want to see another team that's gone down just go straight back up again.
00:13:22
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:13:27
Zak
Especially if you're looking at potentially Millwall and Coventry, I think that there will it will be harder than we want it to be. So when you say who would I prefer to play, like Wrexham, obviously we've beaten them twice, but you've got that element to it.
00:13:43
Zak
Derby, we had to grind out a result against.
00:13:46
DailySaintsPod
Mm.
00:13:46
Zak
Middlesbrough, I think we we struggled a bit against as well. And Hull were the ones where we assumed we would go into that game initially and batter them the first time we played them, and we did not. I can't remember the result of the second game, but I'm pretty sure we've beaten so many teams recently. at Maybe it's part of that one.
00:14:04
Zak
Maybe you'll look out while I'm talking about it. Who knows? But I think for...
00:14:08
DailySaintsPod
I'm looking, mate. Yeah, it's... I don't know. It's...
00:14:12
Zak
I cannot get behind the idea that we just immediately win the semi-final and then immediately...
00:14:17
DailySaintsPod
Any of those games.
00:14:18
Zak
but Yeah, I think that either you've got our...
00:14:18
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, so, right. Yeah, Derby we beat two one immediately after we beat Wrexham of course.
00:14:25
Zak
Yeah, that was like that was a hard-fought game.
00:14:26
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:14:27
Zak
That was one of the ones recently where we went 1-0 down and then had to fight back. But once we fought back, we did. Again, like yesterday, just felt like it was just a stretch too far. We'd done it so we've done it three or four games on the bounce and...
00:14:36
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:14:39
DailySaintsPod
Hull beat us two one in January. That was in that sort of downturn before before things looked up, right?
00:14:45
Zak
and they they beat us beforehand as well, because so I remember...
00:14:47
DailySaintsPod
Hmm. Middlesbrough beat us 4-0. Oh, God, I do remember that. That was a horrible game.
00:14:52
Zak
Yes, that was... The middle the game was the one where we have the highest views on an episode ever, because quite frankly, i had a little bit of a crash out.
00:14:58
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:01
DailySaintsPod
all I'd removed that from... I'd removed... The vibes have been so good recently that I just erased it from my memory, mate.
00:15:01
Zak
not i don't i think I've ever had...
00:15:10
Zak
that truly was That truly was the turning point, but it was absolutely awful.
00:15:10
DailySaintsPod
It was...
00:15:13
Zak
That was where people truly thought that that was, you know, arc okay, so now the season's done the whole thing.
00:15:18
DailySaintsPod
based off of that, I think think we want to play Wrexham, is what I'm taking from it.
00:15:24
Zak
Interesting.
00:15:24
DailySaintsPod
Wrexham in the semis, and then...
00:15:24
Zak
me
00:15:29
DailySaintsPod
I guess Ipswich in the final based off.
00:15:30
Zak
But that's the thing. That's making an assumption that Ipswich will beat Middlesbrough. And they drew the other day.
00:15:34
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:15:35
DailySaintsPod
Or Millwall, you know, Ipswich or Millwall who end up in, whoever ends up in third beat Middlesbrough. Yeah. I don't know.
00:15:35
Zak
They they came into that game.
00:15:43
Zak
it's I think it's going to be hard regardless to say it.
00:15:45
DailySaintsPod
Not easy, is it? like It's not a dumb deal either way. and we I mean, we we know that, though. We talk a lot on the show about expectation versus belief. And you look at how we've sort of risen up to this point. And like you say, it looked at at one point in the season where playoffs were impossible. And it's only through the form we've been in that we were even sort of graced with the ability to look at the potential of automatic. So there's no... I don't expect us to go up.
00:16:15
DailySaintsPod
i But I do believe we can. It's it's not going to be easy. Nothing ever is. It's a tough path. I mean, the the fact that it's as competitive as it will be is what makes it such an exciting league and makes the playoff such an exciting prospect, right?
00:16:30
DailySaintsPod
It's not clear-cut at any point for anyone. so
00:16:35
Zak
Well, it's so down to the wire that like when we talk about these things, I know you can point at any result, but like let's look at let's take two sample results, right? So when we played Coventry at home and we drew and they celebrated it like a win, right? If if we'd currently, we'd be on 78 points, we'd still be behind Millwall, but also Oxford United, we lost against them.
00:16:56
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:16:57
Zak
You have that three points on, mate. We are probably nailed on second at this point. There's OBR, it would be our promotional place. That's how tight it has been. And that's how tight it is at the top.
00:17:04
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:06
Zak
you know like It is is a game here or there that has been dropped that is the result of essentially almost the top 10 of the table. right And obviously, everyone knows this is how maths works.
00:17:14
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:17
Zak
I'm not trying to just point out the obvious, but I am pointing out the competitiveness of this league is nuts.
00:17:19
DailySaintsPod
You just pointed out, mate, that literally... literally the difference between, you know, currently sixth as, you know, the bottom of the playoffs and currently 22nd, which is the the top of relegation. And actually the difference is only seven games, like at worth a point. It's, it's nuts. It's so close all the way down. Like, you know, it's only four games for as low as 17th to, you know,
00:17:51
DailySaintsPod
you know, we late enough on in the season now that that sort of is irrelevant and doesn't matter. But, you know, that's the sort of gap that was easily turnaroundable with a sort of three game in seven day period, like a Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday. and that's what makes the league as good as it is.
00:18:09
DailySaintsPod
And why we enjoy it so much. It's not a cakewalk. It's not a done deal. No, I don't think anybody in Southampton is expecting promotion. Obviously, this the aim and the belief and the hope.
00:18:19
Zak
i don't i don't know you I don't know if I believe that.
00:18:20
DailySaintsPod
But,
00:18:22
Zak
I think there are a lot of people that have turned around and are expecting it. I think there are a lot of people that were angry yesterday at the performance and admittedly, it just wasn't a great game. like We struggled, and we struggled for a multitude of reasons.
00:18:34
Zak
Again, like fatigue is is is probably the main one, and Tom hit the nail on the head where he pointed out that like you can't pay at peak if we play at peak performance for that long. sometimes you drop a little bit and dropping little bit was the result you know we still didn't lose but i i do think that you know you talk about how you know our expectations on on that that there's belief that we could do it uh and i think that what's actually happened is that whilst we're quite pragmatic and have been quite pragmatic i think that expectations have raised because of how superb we've been And I think that that is hopefully going to result in a positive drive.
00:18:45
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:19:12
Zak
So like regardless of what happened Saturday, I'm hoping that the rest of the season we continue to kind of at least do our best and carry on a level of form to go into the playoffs with it. And I think that everyone will get back behind it.
00:19:25
Zak
And I think that because of the fact that the last time we got to the playoffs, we were promoted, I think that there is going to be a bit more of an expectation. Plus, it doesn't help all the financials around it have have painted this sort of dark cloud of what happens if we don't.
00:19:39
Zak
So there's a lot.
00:19:39
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, it's really important as well.
00:19:41
Zak
There is a lot of narratives, a lot of things happening, being spun in between this web of potentially what is essentially a couple of games.
00:19:42
DailySaintsPod
Look, one...
00:19:49
Zak
And all of it could have changed.
00:19:49
DailySaintsPod
Well, let's...
00:19:51
Zak
Sure.
00:19:51
DailySaintsPod
Let's switch focus a little bit and come from a slightly different direction, mate. And I'm going to segue it as best I can. What if, you know, all things go into plan and we get to the playoff finals at Wembley? What if one factor that we can take into the advantage column is that it could be our third game at Wembley in six weeks and that's basically a home advantage? let Let's pivot to to Saturday and what we think about coming out of that late.
00:20:20
Zak
Well, we, we, we, you're right. It's going to be essentially our home considering we buy all of the tickets.
00:20:28
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Let's get that little chat out of the way before we... We'll do our big preview of Man City tomorrow, but but but we'll's talk about but let's let's talk about Obviously, Saints getting a fresh allocation of, I think, 2,500 tickets because Man City weren't able to sell all of theirs.
00:20:32
Zak
Yeah.
00:20:35
Zak
Talk about the events around them.
00:20:47
DailySaintsPod
And... I mean, I've seen opinions on it and and have an opinion on it, of course. I mean, like I saw the argument from one Man City fan like, oh, it's our 13th trip in 15 years and obviously the cost is extortionate. And and and I agree with that, right? And like as someone who has has had to make the decision not to to travel to Wembley for the semi-final...
00:21:14
DailySaintsPod
for for budgetary reasons. I get it, and I understand where he's coming from, right? The the cost is ridiculous. The cost is extortionate. But my counterpoint to it is, if
Discussion on Match Venues and Fan Implications
00:21:25
DailySaintsPod
in you do if if all of the planets aligned in some spectacular way, and in 15 years' time we're on our 13th trip to Wembley and it's Cup semi-final,
00:21:35
DailySaintsPod
I think we're still selling it out. And I think that... And, you know, there's an argument that it's a bigger occasion for us. We don't go very often, so we're selling out. But I also just think any other club in...
00:21:49
DailySaintsPod
Even as far as the top 10 of the Premier League, even if they have visited Wembley that often, they sell out that allocation of 33,000.
00:21:59
Zak
this isn't This isn't a new narrative though, is it, for Man City not being able to like fill up their stadiums?
00:21:59
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:05
Zak
And and then it's, again, the amount of tourist fans and the fact that they can probably, you know, let's face it, how many of the fans are actually going to be
00:22:05
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:22:15
Zak
from from Manchester. And that's no disrespect. As a club becomes bigger, a a fan base emerges outside of the area that it is based, right?
00:22:20
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. yet to times
00:22:24
Zak
That is why Manchester United, City, Arsenal, this, that and the other have fans from around the world you know We have budgeting fan bases of either expats that have moved abroad or people that are getting into football.
00:22:36
DailySaintsPod
Mm-hmm.
00:22:37
Zak
Obviously, football's growing in America, a couple other places, especially with World Cup. And obviously, people are you know doing what my friend did. where I have a friend, I have mentioned him a few times on this podcast, who supports Bolton.
00:22:49
Zak
The reason he supports Bolton is that he picked a team one year that went up to the Premier League, and that was the team he decided he was going to support forever. so you
00:22:59
DailySaintsPod
It kind of makes sense, right? If you're an American looking to get into the Premier League and you support an NFL team like the Browns or the Jaguars, you know, and you're looking for someone like alternative to that, you might be a glutton for punishment and pick Saints.
00:23:14
DailySaintsPod
We get it. It's...
00:23:15
Zak
But if your if your home games are also incredibly expensive, so this is me playing Devils Advocate, right?
00:23:15
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:23:19
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:23:20
Zak
If your home games are incredibly expensive, if the games, if the cost of football for the club that you support because they are one of these clubs is very, very expensive, Manchester is a significant distance away from Wembley than we are.
00:23:32
Zak
We can hop on a train. Not only that, we get extra trains put on for us whenever we go to Wembley. That's happening on Saturday, which is you know which means that that makes it significantly cheaper than, i say that,
00:23:45
Zak
Let's not talk about public transport, but it is very, very expensive. And, you know, you can't just assume because teams are from a certain area that, you know, they're going to suddenly be able to have more money just because a team, just it costs more to go to Man City. doesn't mean that the income of all the people that go to see Man City is going to raise, right? You've got to have that where there's going lot of people that were fans before all the oil money that will could probably be at Wembley on Saturday. you you are right, there are probably other teams that would see out these occasions and sell out as much as they possibly can.
00:24:18
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:24:19
Zak
It kind of sucks. It's to our benefit. We have a better support than I think people realise and people underestimate. Happens every season where people go, you know,
00:24:31
Zak
two ones of the library, this and the other, but for us, it is a very, very big city affair, right? It is the whole of Southampton will turn up. Just like, for example, when Totten got into the FA Vars, the entirety, you went, you're from Eastleigh, right?
00:24:46
Zak
its not Because it's a very big local thing.
00:24:48
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:24:48
Zak
If Eastleigh ever went to Wembley, I imagine half of the Saints would go.
00:24:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. It's almost a shame that for Stoneham, who, you know, they've got a historic trip to to Wembley this this season.
00:24:56
Zak
There you go.
00:24:58
DailySaintsPod
And it is a shame that it's fallen when it has, because Saints have already got at least one trip to Wembley this season. They probably won't get as big of turnout as they would. Whereas I think if if it was, you know, not on the cards at all for Saints this year...
00:25:13
DailySaintsPod
the whole town probably goes goes for that as well.
00:25:16
Zak
And then you've got Manchester City.
00:25:16
DailySaintsPod
and you You're right. But I want to... There's another perspective as well, mate, that, like...
00:25:18
Zak
Yep.
00:25:22
DailySaintsPod
Here's another perspective that I have on it, is that Wembley Stadium is a 90,000-seat stadium, right? Based off of that number, for the...
00:25:36
DailySaintsPod
the fans of those football clubs to only get two thirds of that allocation to be sold to their fans is gross and horrible.
00:25:46
DailySaintsPod
And, and, but when teams like Man City don't manage to sell out their allocation,
00:25:46
Zak
Yeah.
00:25:53
DailySaintsPod
it you know it provides justification for that nonsense. And then what you get is a third of the stadium is going to be filled with... you Sure, some of the people that go to those like corporate parts or the neutral parts of Club Wembley will still be a Saints fan or a City fan. but actually what you get is you know a whole troupe of the prawn sandwich brigade who sit there and don't care.
00:26:16
DailySaintsPod
like It's just... a dome i hate
00:26:18
Zak
I'm not going to lie, I kind of felt like that when I ended up sitting in sort of the Corpo area for the playoff final, where it meant a heck of a lot more to me than I think some of the people around me that just, quite frankly, enjoyed a nice day out.
00:26:24
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:26:31
Zak
And fair play to them.
00:26:31
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:26:32
Zak
But for me, it was, you know, something incredible and special. But yeah, yeah maybe maybe you're right, but...
00:26:36
DailySaintsPod
let's like I get it. right is They've got to make money and to make money you have to draw the type of people who are going to go to that. But but for it to be as much of the stadium as a third and to for that to be justifiable because the arguably the bigger team in the fixture haven't solved their allocation, it's... To me, it's just it's a shame. It sucks because I i hate it. I mean, if you got 45,000, you know, in in in the dream world, mate, where because of the inconvenience of playing at Wembley, the FA subsidized it by providing all fans who who buy a ticket free travel, right? Let's take that out of the equation. Right. Because the dream scenario is, Cup semi-final at Wembley, there's a whole other argument about whether they should be playing at Wembley or not, right? and And I am on the side that they shouldn't.
00:27:29
DailySaintsPod
But they are, currently. But it's a much better to watch an enjoyable affair all told if you've got 45,000 of each set of fans set next to each other, building that atmosphere.
00:27:41
Zak
Okay, so then I'll just, obviously the other thing to add into that is this a semi-final. Now, there will be a lot of Saturday City fans will be like, I'll go to the final when we win.
00:27:45
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:49
Zak
That is going to be 100% they'll take it
00:27:49
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:51
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:52
Zak
would they not? They're currently on in some really, really good form. They're one of the best teams in the world. They will probably look at the semi-final versus some championship opposition and be like, nah, I'll go to the final.
00:28:05
Zak
You've already said to me, what would you go to out of the FA Cup final and the playoff final, mate? and you're like, probably the FA Cup final.
00:28:10
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, absolutely.
00:28:10
Zak
if you have if you have to for budgetary reasons. Now, if and and also on top of that, combine the fact that Manchester is a big city, but is split between two football clubs that are two of the biggest clubs in the world.
00:28:13
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:28:22
Zak
And, you know, you're going to diminish the amount of fans. Whereas like for us, this is an event. And unfortunately, i think for them, they're probably right. It's like, we're playing championship opposition. But I agree with your poll point wholeheartedly that it sucks because it may makes it a struggle for for them to justify it being a good thing.
00:28:37
DailySaintsPod
It just just provides...
00:28:40
Zak
But then, then then why 75 at Wembley if they can't sell them out?
00:28:40
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, it provides ammunition for the other bits that I don't like. Yeah, well, I mean, that is a whole other discussion. They shouldn't. They should play a neutral venue that is, you know, reasonably easy for both teams.
00:28:52
DailySaintsPod
I mean, look, let's face it, Southampton, Manchester, no no location is going to ideally suit both teams. But if, for example, you try you play it at Villa Park, like that's about halfway.
00:29:01
Zak
I don't know, Oxford? oxford
00:29:18
DailySaintsPod
You're right.
00:29:18
Zak
like, Villa Park's probably got a game going on, mate.
00:29:19
DailySaintsPod
but
00:29:21
Zak
That's the problem, isn't it?
00:29:22
DailySaintsPod
oh Yeah, but it was it was just better back in the day.
00:29:22
Zak
like Or did do you play it over two legs at both stadiums?
00:29:30
DailySaintsPod
No, don't like that either.
00:29:31
Zak
vague
00:29:31
DailySaintsPod
that ruins that That ruins the joy of the 90-minute knockout format of the FA Cup. especially when it gets to the semi-finals.
00:29:37
Zak
So... Mate, you...
00:29:39
DailySaintsPod
I like the replays, when if you earn a replay, you get a replay, bring them back. But for the semi-finals, yeah, taking taking the home advantage out of the equation makes sense.
00:29:46
Zak
you
00:29:49
DailySaintsPod
But doing it at Wembley, it just feels... robert For me, it ruins the joy of the final and ruins the the prospect of the semi-finals.
00:30:00
DailySaintsPod
creates a special atmosphere going to a neutral ground with two sets of supporters that isn't Wembley, right? like And think of the the economy that they get the boost from, that the the club that manages to host it, you know?
00:30:11
DailySaintsPod
It's like, I talk about it a lot when we think about, like, yeah.
00:30:11
Zak
So what it what actually is then is it isn't mugging them off and not selling it It's mugging out of, you know,
00:30:18
DailySaintsPod
But when you think about, like, I talk about a lot, about, like, World Cups and stuff and European Championships, right? that is it's a real shame that we don't, if if you wanted to host one of those things over here, you could do it at three weeks notice because we have football infrastructure.
00:30:38
DailySaintsPod
We have, what, 40 stadiums realistically that could host football games for an international level, right? Like,
00:30:48
Zak
there's There's a new League One stadium that could do that you.
00:30:50
DailySaintsPod
yeah You know, that's exactly what mean. Like, you think, like, been you know, you've got the London, just in London alone, you've got the Emirates, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the London Stadium, Wembley, right? That's four. You've got both of the Manchester stadiums you're fully capable of hosting it.
00:31:11
DailySaintsPod
Anfield, the new Everton Stadium. but you know We've hosted international games at St Mary's in the past, Molyneux, Villa Park, all of these. great We have the infrastructure. where You wouldn't need to spend money building new stadiums to do it. And and we're wasting the opportunity to utilise that incredible infrastructure our country has and market you you know that part out for these other ridiculous events because we just star chuck it at Wembley. Wembley's got to make money, isn't it?
00:31:43
DailySaintsPod
That's just...
00:31:43
Zak
Yeah, but there you go.
00:31:44
DailySaintsPod
Oh,
00:31:45
Zak
You've summed up at the end there, mate. is It's like, you know, how do you justify having a stadium this big for football and the home of English football if you don't have all of the big English sort of cups, finals and bits and pieces there?
00:31:55
DailySaintsPod
I'll get the final.
00:31:56
Zak
It makes sense. but
00:31:57
DailySaintsPod
The semi-finals, it just seems... It ruins the joy of the final as well.
00:31:59
Zak
it it But there you go. So then in actuality, you've answered your own question as to why the team wasn't able to sell out and we are.
00:32:06
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:32:07
Zak
That's all it is. It's, it you know...
00:32:08
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. It's just... it's just it makes me sad.
00:32:12
Zak
It does.
00:32:12
Zak
It it sucks the joy out a little bit.
00:32:13
DailySaintsPod
But faith like I say, it's a good thing for us.
00:32:16
DailySaintsPod
We get the benefit that we you know are going to take that extra allocation. And while when I looked before recording, mate, there were less than 100 tickets left of that allocation.
00:32:28
DailySaintsPod
i know that they're putting it out a at at literally at the time of recording. they are putting it live to general sale with purchase history.
00:32:39
DailySaintsPod
so So, you know, we've sold it out to this point with only members and season ticket holders. And now they're opening up the last you know few tickets to to anyone who has purchased history this season. So...
00:32:55
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, it's it's just interesting. But look, the other benefit of that for us means that there'll be more Saints fans there than Man City fans. We'll have more of the drive to make it you know as close to a St. Mary's environment as you can get.
00:33:12
DailySaintsPod
There'll be lots of Saints colours, lots of Saints noise.
Engagement with Listeners
00:33:16
DailySaintsPod
and And, you know, hopefully the players come in with that same attitude of the fans. It's just the semi-final, it's just Saints will go to the final.
00:33:23
DailySaintsPod
And hopefully we capitalise on that and do them. That's what I want. But, yeah.
00:33:32
Zak
That's what we've got hope for. Obviously, we'll have a proper preview episode tomorrow.
00:33:35
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, absolutely.
00:33:36
DailySaintsPod
Well, look, yeah, that's all we've got time for today. I mean, look, just had to write down the trigger points of why a semi-finals at Wembley, and that's it.
00:33:47
DailySaintsPod
You've got us set.
00:33:47
Zak
Yeah, yeah so it's not even that.
00:33:48
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:33:50
Zak
It's a bit a bit of evergreen today, bit of catching up with some things that are going on, a bit of our opinions to expand upon when we're not specifically talking about just games.
00:33:53
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:33:59
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:33:59
Zak
It's been a nice chat, mate. Enjoyed it.
00:34:01
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, it's been good. But yes, like you say, we will be back tomorrow for the big match preview for the huge semi-final game. But until then, everyone, let us know in the comments on the socials your thoughts. Should semi-finals be at Wembley?
00:34:17
DailySaintsPod
How much of a joke is Man City not sending out? Do you disagree? Do you think that it's reasonable for them to hold that opinion? look Have the conversation. Let us know. We love hearing all the points of view. We're happy to take them on board. we Just because we have opinions doesn't mean they're right. That's what discussion and discourse is for. We love it. Let us know. Hit us up with Daily Saints pod everywhere. X, Blue Sky, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.
00:34:46
DailySaintsPod
Let us know. And while you're there, why not give us a like and a subscribe? It really goes so far. to helping us out as we are a rapidly growing, it has to be said, but still very young podcast. We're grateful for for all of you that do. We see it and we appreciate you. Like I say, we're back tomorrow with that big preview. But until then, everyone, have a wonderful day and we will see you then.