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Episode 65 - Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace Preview
28 Plays19 days ago
It's a potential six-pointer tonight at Portman Road with Ipswich hosting Crystal Palace. Both sides have won, drawn and lost the same amount of games in the league this season, therefore it will take something special to separate the two sides under the lights in Suffolk tonight!
The Daily Ipswich Podcast, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network, is your new home of all your ITFC. Join us every weekday for the latest news, build-up and reaction in the club's first season back in the Premier League.
Host: Tom Crack
Guest: Richard Popple
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Transcript
Preview of Ipswich vs. Crystal Palace
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello everyone and welcome back to another edition of the Daily Up Switch here on the Global Sports Podcast Network. For December, fixtures are coming thick and fast now with only a couple of days in between games. With that, we are going to be looking here to town's huge match at home tonight against Crystal Palace. To help me do that, I'm once again joined by Mr. Richard Poppel. How are you doing, Richard?
00:00:29
Richard
um Well, Well, thank you, Tom. had a lovely weekend and yeah, looking forward to a mid-week game. It's exciting.
00:00:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
under the lights as well.
Recap of Forest Match and Analysis
00:00:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously, neither of us were on hand to look back at the forest result over the weekend. Rob did a fantastic job solo, as he has done on many occasions for the team. So I appreciate that, Rob. Quick thoughts on the result all overall at City Ground.
00:00:51
Richard
Well, um yeah, I've managed to catch up on the highlights and things like that. I was actually at a wedding on Saturday, so it would have been a bit ah bit rude to ah ah to be watching along whilst the wedding speeches were going along.
00:00:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
oh
00:01:01
Richard
and But yeah, i mean it's a so yeah exactly.
00:01:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Anyone got a stream? yeah yeah
00:01:04
Richard
and It was really disappointing, wasn't it? it was a really I think we we spoke about this just before we started. It was a really flat looking game. I think both sides kind of didn't play very well particularly. Forest weren't in particularly good form because they'd lost a few games and obviously we were hoping for a bit better than that but we were flat. you know Defensively I suppose we didn't look too bad necessarily but we didn't look very attacking at all and looked fairly toothless to be perfectly honest with you. How did you think it it went?
00:01:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I mean, like you said, I think, you know, it wasn't a televised game, so highlights wise, we have not much to go from, but from the brief looks into it, you know, I think defensively, we were qui there, there are thereabouts. I think going forward, we almost scored from a corner from O'Shea as well, i brilliantly cleared from Aynia on the line, which that would be great. And then there was that moment, I'm not sure what stage, but the game, it was where it was near the end of the first or whatever, but that huge chance for Chaplin with, you know, Dilap's very goal hungry, which I do like, but sometimes let the lad behind you kick a ball. Cause he, you could hear him scream Liam from the top of his lungs, which, you know, it must've been a big roar with the
Ipswich's Current Standing and Fixture Challenges
00:02:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
atmosphere at Sea Grant. So that's something maybe from Dilap's perspective to think maybe I shouldn't always be the one going for goal when someone behind me could potentially be the part of the, yeah, it' just a bit disappointing. I think, you know, Chaplin said after the game as well, like,
00:02:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, neither side really deserved to win. So he's kind of looking at our performance, but also, you know, they just won for a pen and it was a contentious decision there as well. So yeah, not that great, but you know, neither side, neither side really in the bottom half of the table had a great performance over the weekend. So yes, we are down a spot in 19th, but points wise and performance wise, no one really stood out to be honest with that. I guess that's the silver lining to take from this past weekend.
00:02:44
Richard
Yeah, I mean, we'll get onto to Palace in a bit more detail in a bit, obviously, because we're we're playing them tonight. But I think they've had a couple of decent results in a row. I mean, I know they got a late ah ah like you know equalizer at Newcastle, but a point in Newcastle is always a very good result, I think, and they drew with Villa, I think, the week before as well.
00:02:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
And they were home.
00:03:00
Richard
Oh, sorry, they were at home, sorry.
00:03:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah.
00:03:02
Richard
They were at Villa the week before, they drew at Villa of the week before. So, you know, they're two pretty decent results for them, but obviously not getting the wins like us. And yeah, the rest of them didn't really cover themselves in much glory. Everton looked like they're sliding again, having picked up a couple of results. They're now sort of losing a lot of games and got thumped at United. So yeah, it's interesting. and Well, I mean, from our point of view, no one got away, which is a good thing.
00:03:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. I think it's as well, you know, with the December fix is happening now, but i'm I'm assuming now we are going to see ah separation between certain teams point to tally whites because, you know, it is still relatively congested all over the place. Now you look at United, we were like right in their obituary a few weeks ago and now they're only four points behind City.
00:03:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, you know, it's still, everyone's kind of in or about close to one another. And you know, like I said, if we, if we get a result tonight, we are 15th at the table for the time being. So it really is the fine margin moments.
00:03:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think just having a relatively good run and looking unscathed, injury-wise over Christmas, hopefully will put us in good stead. But yeah, I'm not sure how the whole period is going to go to be honest. Have you got any ah ah other thoughts quick on the game before we jump ahead to Palace and tonight's big, big game?
00:04:09
Richard
No, not really. I mean, I think look you know when I looked at this week beforehand, three three game week, which is obviously something that we're all used to for for years and years watching Ipswich and it's been a bit strange kind of like falling into a different pattern in the Premier League.
00:04:22
Richard
But I think like you just mentioned, December is a really important time because the league is really, and you know, congested at the moment.
00:04:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
In-Depth Crystal Palace Preview
00:04:30
Richard
I think Arsenal and Chelsea are second, right? And they're a long way behind Liverpool at the moment.
00:04:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:04:36
Richard
everybody else is kind of like concertina together and you know that over December that will change a little bit because everyone I think is playing six games maybe over the month so obviously there's a lot of points on offer and that will tend to kind of like separate the thing out a little bit and I guess for us you know this three game week we've now got these two two home games you know Palace are where we are obviously same points same same record and then we've got Bournemouth who are having a very good season again so it's a big week it's a really really big week
00:05:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely. We're going to take our first break. When we come back, we're going to preview the first part of this big week, and that is a home game against Palace. So we'll see you guys in a sec.
00:05:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
trying to get a word in twice there, but we're back on the Daily Ipswich podcast here, previewing Town's game tonight against Crystal Palace at home. Richard, looking into this game, as you said, we are as equal as you could be statistically with Palace at the moment in terms of points, in terms of wins, draws, losses, it's it's all the same. I think it's 1-6-6 between the pair of us going into tonight as well.
00:06:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Is it a six pointer? You know, we haven't really thrown that phrase around much yet this season because I'd like to imagine we're still relatively early doors, but you know, considering where we both are in the table does kind of feel like that, doesn't it?
00:06:20
Richard
Yeah, I mean, look, we have we have to win one of the two games this week, I think, as a minimum. I would take a win and and and a defeat, to be perfectly honest, this week, because I think we have to get a home win on the board.
00:06:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:31
Richard
you would think the best opportunity for that is tonight against Palace. Yeah, you have a look, though, at the their actual performance against Newcastle at the weekend. I think Newcastle had no shots on target.
00:06:42
Richard
It was an own goal, wasn't it, by Guille, their goal. So Palace really battered them.
00:06:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:45
Richard
I think they had 16-17 shots. and And they're a good team.
00:06:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, wow.
00:06:50
Richard
like Last year they were they were a really, really good team towards the end of the season.
00:06:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:53
Richard
and So it's quite a surprise, to be perfectly honest, that they're down there. But yeah, they've they've they've struggled. I think they've struggled to score goals for the most part. And and it will be it will be interesting to see whether we can actually you know pose much more of a threat.
00:07:09
Richard
Well, we have to. We have to pose much more of a threat than we did over the weekend.
00:07:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
very much. So with Palace as well, as I just said, they have kind of mirrored our season. I think their only win also was against Tottenham as well, but we are the only side not to win at home yet this season. So that's another thing we share with Glazna's side. With Palace as well, you know, like as you sit touched on, it kind of looked as if they could have kind of, how they performed well last season, they could have maybe gone up a gear, let's say, but they seem to have folded slightly in top players. You know, I think of Elise say leaving could have been a big factor of them as well. But you know, we still got top players now, you know, a few England internationals like as a gay who had fantastic summer, especially gay here for maybe the news of him potentially leaving to Newcastle may have hindered his performances slightly. But yes, I don't know. It seems like there's a lot of
00:07:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
things ever changing at a club like pass, where you think you don't want a bit of stability to stay up. But yeah, then I don't know, just thoughts on certain players and who stands out and just like how their season's going really. it Just a lot of them, isn't there?
00:08:08
Richard
I mean, yeah, I think you you kind of summed it up there really. but yeah Losing Alisa was obviously pivotal. I don't think Mateta has had a good as good a year as he was having last year. I mean, he finished the season really, really strongly.
00:08:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:08:20
Richard
and So obviously that that's not you know helped. an essay And Eze and Guille maybe have had their heads turned a little bit by some of the transfer stuff. They've not, they've perhaps not been it committed to the cause.
00:08:33
Richard
i'm you know They're professional footballers. I'm sure that i'm sure they are, but Guillais wanted to go to Newcastle. It was fairly clear that he was he was up for that move. and I think Eze was probably looking at what Michael Elise did and thought you know there's a move out there for me as well.
00:08:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
ye
00:08:46
Richard
so I wouldn't be surprised if he actually left in January potentially. I don't know. they They always invest normally quite well, Palace. They pick up players in a similar fashion to Brighton a little bit from from kind of like obscurity and and always get some decent players in.
00:09:01
Richard
But actually, I don't know if they've they've done that well in the transfer market over the summer. I mean, Eddie Nketi, I think, was 30 million.
00:09:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yep.
00:09:07
Richard
He's just not done anything at all, which is quite surprising, to be honest.
00:09:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:09:10
Richard
I thought he would actually do quite well for Palace, but he's not even getting in the team very often.
00:09:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm.
00:09:15
Richard
and So maybe it's just a case of that. The signings haven't quite worked out the way they wanted to. And and some of the but better players from last season just haven't hit those heights again.
00:09:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I'm very, much I think Nketi is the big sort of question mark for them in the season as to what they are going to get out of him. To be honest, I was over the summer, I was very much, I was very much a player I thought maybe we could bring in into the club, you know, Arsenal's kind of their aspirations didn't necessarily reflect his quality, unfortunately anymore. He had a great spell when injuries were around for Arsenal, but you can see he wasn't necessarily the quality player they wanted. So I was a bit I can't think of the right word to say, but I was a bit upset when we didn't sign him over the summer in that first brief window, not knowing what sort of player we're going to get from Dilat, but yeah, he really didn't hit the ground so far.
00:09:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
There's plenty of time. I think it's the right sort of team for him. You look at sort of players, Palace do attract that sort of young English player like him, like I said, him, Wharton, Gehi, there's a good contingency there for him to thrive, but yeah, at the moment it hasn't seemed to work out.
00:10:03
Richard
Yes.
00:10:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hopefully it doesn't work out tonight as well, but I'm sure there's a good player in their summer.
Impact of Fixture Congestion on Ipswich
00:10:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
One of the things going into tonight's game, which, you know, we haven't really had more at all this season is it's a midweek fixture, something we've been very used to for, as you said, for 20 years, uh, for the past 20 years. I think Mark Ashton said it a week or so prior, how, you know, we were kind of used to as a club to be going, you know, thick and fast fixture wise, every three games, a couple of days, break down another game and another game.
00:10:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
that was really the way we're used to. And that now you're in a Premier League where, you know, you've lucky to have a week, a game the week after with all the international breaks and just other things going on. So do you think mentally this could be a good factor for us?
00:10:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, I think a lot of the lads in a team are used to this sort of quick turnaround. and McKenna's match a management style, he's obviously not going to be, isn't going to be new territory to him, is it? There's sort of quick turnaround and thing like that, is it?
00:11:06
Richard
No, no, but I mean, I mean, will it be ah will will it be a factor? Because it's so rare in the Premier League, I don't even know if it's going to be a factor, you know, for the for the lower sides. But it does, it does strike me right that, you know, you think of the topside to always complain about the amount of football they have to play, because they're in all because they're in all the competitions and in Europe and stuff. But I don't i And I know they have better players.
00:11:28
Richard
That's an obvious thing. But you know is it a factor that they obviously have the ability to have much more rhythm than clubs at the bottom because they play more games and they play together more and there you know they're in those competitive environments more where the where the teams at the bottom tend to be training far more?
00:11:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:11:44
Richard
and And if you're kind of like working on things that haven't worked in the game, you know maybe that can be slightly demoralizing and stuff. So I you know i think Mark Ashton and Kiran McKenna obviously have talked about it.
00:11:55
Richard
and you know, the club is used to that kind of thing. So it's certainly not going to be a bad thing, but I think the problem is, yeah, just the the lack of times that this happened throughout the season. I'm not sure if it can, it can necessarily be a positive, well, too much of a positive anyway. But I think ultimately we had a really disappointing result for the weekend, not a great performance, but very much a disappointing result. So the one thing you want after that is the ability to have another go as quickly as possible. And I think it's a great opportunity for us to put that right, really.
00:12:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's sort of immediate chance to redeem yourself from the weekend. it's good It's a good thing to have like coming out of a loss, isn't it?
00:12:29
Richard
Yeah.
00:12:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Slight tangent here, but you know you're talking about the affix to congestion. I don't know if you saw her over the weekend, the ah ah FA Cup fiction, I'm not sure what round it was between Reading and get the team's name right.
00:12:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Harbortown, have you heard about this? It's five-three after its time.
00:12:44
Richard
um Well, I saw the result. I think it was at 5.3 or something.
00:12:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
just It's just basically brought to my mind because of fiction congestion that big six clubs have sort of complained about over the years and no FA Cup replays. I know a lot of us over the years were saying, oh cup replay is kind of annoying sometimes, an extra game. But, you know, if this team aren't known every time, who are in the non-league premiere playing, you know, Redding aren't, they used to be there, seventh in league one, it's a big club for them to play. but I think it was Freeall going at the end of the 90 then, because of the new way, because of the big 16, no, we can't have this many games. This somehow affected a rule within a really, a team, this doesn't really concern them. And it ended up then going to extra time with Harbor not getting a big
00:13:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
gate, shall we say, for the fixture.
00:13:25
Richard
Yeah.
00:13:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's just something that, yeah, a lot of people are talking about over the weekend saying how the big six do have that sort of governance over matters that don't really concern them or are doubly even aware of. Do you know what I mean? Like financially, this is hitting the really like lower ends.
00:13:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
I know you're quite passionate about that sort of thing, just hitting the lower ends of football when it doesn't really need to, does it?
00:13:44
Richard
but they don't care do they that's that's the bottom line they don't care left they care about their balance sheet and they care about their own players and protecting their own players because that's that's kind of like all they're interested in and yeah it's it's a problem that there's so much power at the top of the game like and that drip down effect you know a club like that has that once once in a kind of like you know generation potentially opportunity to like bring a load of cash into the club to maybe change something around that that club and that community. But it doesn't happen because of bigger clubs far, far away. And it's yeah, it's very frustrating. Unfortunately, that's that's the way the game is going.
00:14:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because Pep doesn't want to go to Copenhagen on a Tuesday essentially is the reason why we're not getting a game like that maybe, I don't know.
00:14:29
Richard
Pep doesn't want to go anywhere at the moment, does he? Probably just wants to stay at home, I'd have thought.
00:14:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Putting six fingers in the air to Liverpool fans.
00:14:36
Richard
Yeah.
00:14:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're going to take our final break and when we come back we're going to look at the town side of things ahead of tonight's game.
Ipswich Lineup and Player Form Discussion
00:15:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we are back here on the daily up switch, previewing town's big game tonight at Port Road against Crystal Palace. Like you said, Richards of the quick turnaround after the the forest game, something that does come with that is the potential of a changed lineup with the amount of games that are coming now fitness wise could be a factor. Do you see any changes coming into tonight's team? Obviously, I think the big takeaway from the weekend in terms of a starting lineup was Twans AB going off with a knock. Do you expect to see him feature a tool tonight or not, Harry Clark came on to replace him against Forrest.
00:15:41
Richard
Yeah, probably not right. I mean, I i doubt they're gonna risk him with another game coming up pretty quickly on Sunday. So, no, I wouldn't expect him to play.
00:15:52
Richard
I'd be surprised if he was there. I also think they did this a lot, didn't they, and over the two promotion campaigns, where they kind of switched the front three around a little bit.
00:16:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:16:02
Richard
and So i I could see potentially a change or two up there. Schmodix might go to the bench, perhaps. and I think Hutchinson and Dalat will obviously start, but I could see Schmodix coming off the bench.
00:16:14
Richard
Broadhead, obviously, we saw for the first time this season. Maybe he gets a start, or you go with Chaplin potentially. and Did Burns play the weekend?
00:16:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
He came off from the bench as well. I think that's certainly a player who we'll see start in terms of opposition as well, quality-wise.
00:16:25
Richard
Yeah. Yeah, I'd imagine that Burns will probably come in, I reckon, because he's a bit of a home home player anyway. and So yeah, I imagine there'll be a few changes up up top for sure.
00:16:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:16:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Looking at the back, this past week is one of the things that sort of I know it's straight away defensively on on the bench. We didn't have any centre backs on the bench. you know We didn't need them in the end.
00:16:47
Richard
No.
00:16:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think Bergeson-O'Shea had a decent fairing again. But do you think that was maybe due to Greaves' back soon? So let's not risk him for this and he's back today or it seems like a weird one.
00:17:02
Richard
it Is Wolfend unfair or is he injured?
00:17:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Again, I'm not sure he wasn't on the bench again this past weekend. but
00:17:09
Richard
Well, I mean, but that's not unusual, though, is it? Because he doesn't he often doesn't put a centre-half on the bench. He he normally puts a couple of full-backs on there, but he he normally doesn't put the centre-half on the on the bench.
00:17:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:17:19
Richard
So, I don't know. Hopefully, Wolfenden, you know, is fit. Burgess and O'Shea, I'm sure, will start. i'm You know, centre-backs normally play game after game, don't they? So, I'm sure they'll be fine.
00:17:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:30
Richard
Midfield, maybe there'll be a change. Calvin Phillips still isn't fit, so he probably doesn't come in. maybe you go with Luongo for for again for a home game and you give him 60 minutes and and then Kijeustej can come on in the second half potentially.
00:17:45
Richard
think you could maybe do that against Palace, I don't think you could get away with that against Bournemouth because I think Bournemouth have got a bit more power and pace even though Crystal Palace have quite fast players as well to be honest.
00:17:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Yep.
00:17:54
Richard
and But yeah, I can see him making a couple of couple of changes for this one just because you've got to go at it with loads of energy. And you know there's a few players that could could offer something, I think, and they've got ah i've got a bit to prove. you You think of the likes of Chaplin Broadhead, et cetera. I'm sure they they're sort of chomping at the bit to go. So yeah, the problem is you can't change to lap because there's no real other options.
00:18:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's definitely going to be an interesting thing over this festive period with his game time. And, you know, I like know how many, but, you know, we can see the quality is not there.
00:18:22
Richard
Yeah.
00:18:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
So anniversary is injury. January does look like we got to go for a backup. Number nine, one player who I want to talk about going to tonight's game. And I really hope it's a chance but to prove himself because you look at the signings you made this past summer.
00:18:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, In terms of ones who could potentially start, in my opinion, he's been the least impressive. And that's Jack Clark. Came off off the bench again against Forrest.
00:18:46
Richard
Mm.
00:18:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Vague shot towards the end to potentially equalize, but nothing really came much of it. With the potential of a rotation going into tonight's game, it could be an opportunity for him to start maybe. like where Where can he fit into this team? Because i I think he's struggling now, too. He hasn't really found his feet as much quickly as Dallap and Schmonix have. So it's that's kind of why he hasn't been able to so settle a ah ah starting spot. There's obviously a good player in there. like You saw it at Sunday, and he scored at Portland Road last season against us. So he obviously, there's a good player in there. We wouldn't have brought him in. But there does seem something to be missing with him out of all the guys who have come in, I feel.
00:19:23
Richard
Yeah, I actually thought when he first came into the team, he kind of broke into the team after like four or five games, didn't he? He actually played all right.
00:19:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
and Yeah.
00:19:31
Richard
I think against za Villa at home, he was really good at that game. And and so and then he had another couple of decent games and stuff. And then it sort of fell away. I can only put it down to that horrendous miss.
00:19:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's Everton.
00:19:43
Richard
I think it was against Leicester, potentially. I was at Everton.
00:19:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's Everton. I think so.
00:19:46
Richard
That's right. Yeah.
00:19:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:48
Richard
And we were very obviously very, very poor in that game anyway, the whole team. But that, you know, that that's a potentially a difference maker, isn't it?
00:19:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:19:54
Richard
You go ahead in the first five minutes, all of a sudden the crowd are behind you, you're buoyant, et cetera. And I think since that moment, he just doesn't feel like he's got much confidence really. I think the last couple of games he's come come on, he's that really, really innocuous.
00:20:05
Richard
he's He's not really showing for the ball particularly. He's not holding onto the ball in the way that he was when he was first coming into the team. And I think, as you say, there's clearly a good player in there and I think he was quite coveted. He'd had a couple of really good years at Sunderland.
00:20:19
Richard
But I think you're right, we've got a few players, you think Schmodix, Hutchinson and Jack Clarke and Conor Chaplin, even though he's probably a run below, they're kind of all the same player and a little bit of variations of, you know, obviously Hutchinson is a better dribbler and Schmodix is a better finisher and all those kinds of things, but they're all fairly similar stature. They're all fairly, you know, Hutchinson's a bit bulkier in terms of holding onto the ball. And I think Clarke of the four of them just doesn't really seem to ah can't really break through into the team. I don't know if it's you know off the ball kind of stuff because you know McKenna needs his players to kind of work really really hard off the board. I'm not saying he doesn't work hard but just perhaps he hasn't quite tuned in to the patterns of play as as much as the other guys or something but he does seem to after a pretty bright start seem to have fallen away a little bit so we kind of need him as an option because obviously we spent a fair bit of money on him and you know we need him to contribute really and
00:21:17
Richard
maybe it ist maybe it is a chance to bring him into this game and and give him a start and try and get a bit of confidence in him.
00:21:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I think i think this if you were to get him on to the pitch and try and get something in him, I think tonight would be would be the time. We're going to see over the next, what, four weeks now with almost two games every four or five days.
00:21:31
Richard
yeah
00:21:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
So you're going to need kind of everyone to be at it. And I think that really should spur him on, no pun intended, with his former club there, to have him playing quite well.
00:21:40
Richard
yeah
00:21:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because I think when we brought him in this summer, he was genuinely one of the players I was the most excited about. Cause just seeing how great he was last season, you know, obviously it is a step up regardless, but we've seen the likes of Greaves and Dilap and Schmonix also not to it's to a slightly lesser extent, but still decent performances in there that you can make that jump and it is very doable. A lot of our guys in the team itself have done the same. So that's not an excuse and in my opinion to say why he's not performing as well, but it's just, yeah, it's not really clicking right now.
Predictions and Future Outlook
00:22:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Before we go to our predicted scoreline, just a fun few things that, you know, it's just something we get now. We're in the Premier League. I don't know if you saw Richard, but on a match for Davis weekend, two of our goals from November were for a goal a month competition. I don't know if you saw that. It was Schmonix's acrobatic back bicycle kick against Spurs. And then Davis has brilliant volley at home against Leicester, which, you know, half an hour or so later, sadly ended in a bit of despair, but it's kind of cool to see those sort of things involved in those again, isn't it?
00:22:45
Richard
We've actually scored some good goals this year. You think a couple of dilapse goals as well? Mozzies wasn't bad although maybe it was slightly deflected. and And obviously Hutchinson as well, even though that was slightly deflected too. and But yeah, we scored some decent goals. Just need to put away those kind of like slightly easier chances, you know, the Jack Clarke against Everton and the dilapse against Man United and stuff. But, you know, that'll come hopefully. and What are you predicting for for tonight?
00:23:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's so difficult, isn't it? I mean, these are the games we really, we've said it a lot in these sort of games. These are the games we have to get a win. you know The home win still doesn't come yet, but it has to at some point. I'm going to say it's going to be tonight. I'm going to give it 2-1 because clean sheets just seem to escape us as well, but 2-1. I'll give you my reasoning after you give me your result as well.
00:23:39
Richard
2-1, yeah. and I normally go for 2-1 in basically every home game that we play. I've got, I think I've gone for 2-1 pretty much the whole seasons.
00:23:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think you have to really. yeah
00:23:46
Richard
So I'm going to mix it up because I've never been right yet.
00:23:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:23:48
Richard
I'm going to go with 2-0. I am going to go for a ah clean sheet and a swashbuckling performance because I think we've got, to be perfectly honest, I think we've got to play with a bit of desperation tonight.
00:23:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow.
00:23:59
Richard
And I don't mean in the kind of like gung-ho way, but I think, you know, the season's not on the lot but on the line or anything like that. but We've got to get this win. And I think if you start this month with a with a good positive result, it can really, you know, it it gives you a bit of a free hit at the Bournemouth game.
00:24:15
Richard
You know, if you win that and all of a sudden win two in a row, then you really are starting to kind of like find your feet.
00:24:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:24:20
Richard
So I think it's massive tonight. And so I'm going to go for two nil and I'm going to go for the best performance of the season as well.
00:24:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow. I really hope you're right. Well, I think looking at these sort of games, you know, we talked about a month or so ago, I sort of run a game as it was the, uh, what the, like the Everton, the, the Leicester Brentford sort of time period or yeah and West Ham, we were kind of hoping for things to kick on.
00:24:36
Richard
Yeah.
00:24:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
and it really didn't and it actually worked out against the likes of Spurs and Man United so it's really hard to predict isn't it but you know this is like if you look on paper this is one of those runs of games again where you know no disrespect to Bournemouth obviously there'd be City but you know you'd like to fancy your chances again against them more than other sides per se but lumping in wolves the week after that as well.
00:24:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's really that it's getting really hairy again now in terms of the pictures we've got. So we really need to take advantage of these sort of games because, you know, we've got Arsenal and Chelsea a few weeks after that, back to back. So it's really going to get a lot tougher as it goes on there.
00:25:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
But yeah, I think just for tonight, we've really got to kick on and find something.
00:25:09
Richard
Okay.
00:25:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think midweek under the lights, it can be good as well. I think traveling midweek is never fun for any team. So hopefully that will be a considering factor as well. But Fingers crossed we can leave Portland Road tonight with all three points. That's going to do it for today's show. Thank you so much for listening. We'll be looking to get our instant thoughts on the game tonight, potentially either of a podcast later tonight or actually first thing tomorrow morning. They're also becoming thick and fast now, podcast-wise, because we know we've got nearly a game every two or so days now, so we'll be getting them out as quickly as possible. But for now, it's goodbye from myself and Richard, and we'll see you all next time.