Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 185: Crossover: Joined by Daily Fulham!
0 Playsin 11 hours
Southampton – Today we are joined by Gavin of the Daily Fulham as we talk about our upcoming game at the weekend. Fulham are hoping to push on for the last European place and we are hoping to sneak past Derby's record! But now we're 1 game unbeated and their form is dropping... It's all to play for.
Follow us on social media:
Linktree - https://linktr.ee/gspndailysouthampton
X - https://x.com/GSPNSouthampton/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@gspnsouthampton
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@gspnsouthampton
Instagram – https://www.instagtam.com/gspnsouthampton
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/gspnsouthampton.bsky.social
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572875812052
Our Sponsors
Bioniq - Don't settle for off-the-shelf solutions made for ANY body. Get what's right for YOU. Right now.
We’ve spent years analyzing blood markers to develop our patented algorithm, enabling us to create a 100% personalized supplement to support your health by optimizing your micronutrient status.
Follow the link and Use code GSPN2025 for 40% of your first month’s subscription.
Zencastr
Built for quality - Designed for growth
A new era for creation is here.
The only complete audio + video platform to get best-in-class recording, intuitive editing, AI-powered growth features, and top-tier distribution tools — all in one place.
Get started for free!
We highly recommend it!
Global Sports Podcast Network - Creating the world’s first network of 30-minute daily podcasts for the world’s biggest sporting export, the English Premier League.
For advertising and sponsorship details or to learn more about the scale and demographics of our audience – email Ken Davies, VP Business & Development at:
ken.davies@globalsportspodcastnetwork.com
www.globalsportspodcastnetwork.com
Copyright | 2025 | Global Sports Podcast Network | All Rights Reserved
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Southampton and today the Daily Fulham part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Greg Elliott and today joined by my colleague from the Daily Fulham podcast, Gavin. How you doing mate, you alright?
00:00:23
Gavin
I'm alright Greg, thanks for having me on. How are you doing yourself?
00:00:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, not too bad. Now we're heading into the fixture at the weekend at St Mary's against Fulham. For us, we've been calling this our sort of pre-pre-season building towards next year. And it's sort of a bit of a dead rubber for you guys as well, right?
00:00:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Not a lot of movement up or down you guys can do at the moment.
00:00:50
Gavin
Well, I mean, you say that there is an interesting little battle. It's probably not interesting to most fans of other clubs, but there is a little subplot about the race for Europe because of the success of teams in England this season in European competition. It looks like eighth place will secure Europa Conference League football for next season. So there is a little battle there between Fulham, Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford at the minute. But it looks like most of the most of those teams don't want to get in it, judging by their fall.
00:01:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that is interesting. I actually didn't know about that eighth place going up for grabs. so I guess that does give you something to really fight for the end of the season. but Yeah, so i mean it it is that what you guys are hoping? A nice couple of European away days? Would that be good? Or you do you think that the extra fixtures that that might impose would sort of hand peer chances next year?
00:01:40
Gavin
Yeah, it's an interesting question, isn't it? I think 10, 15 years ago, there might have been a different answer. I think a lot of teams probably wanted to avoid European football because they know what the knock-on effect they had in the league for the following season.
00:01:52
Gavin
But feel like Fulham are an established Premier League side now that even they could even with the European trips on Thursday nights, they feel they could cope. Obviously, as Southampton have found out this season, the the challenge from stepping up to the Premier League from the Championship is is one that's getting increasingly difficult. So it'll be the same next season where the three promoter teams will be the favourites to go back down. So there is that, I suppose, reassurance from that, and that you can combine Europe with the Premier League.
00:02:19
Gavin
So yeah, there's no doubt that Fulham fans will all want to get back in Europe next season. And of course, they have happy memories from from there in the past when they did get in did get to the final, albeit of of the Europa League back in 2010.
00:02:30
Gavin
So yeah, the form a little bit worrying at the minute, but as I said earlier, some of the other fans
00:02:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it's best described as patchy, right? Like it's struggling to string anything together and build momentum from what consider.
00:02:42
Gavin
Yeah, it's it's it's been like that all season. They've not won any more than two games at a time. Well, that's the thing that's held them back. And that's probably why they are where they are. Marco Silva says it every week that they should have more points than they do. But ultimately, the decides that contending for those Champions of League places...
00:02:57
Gavin
they've just been able at one point or another to string a run of wins together which Fulham haven't been able to up until the Chelsea game last week it was win-lose win-lose win-lose and then it finally ended that streak where they lost back-to-back games in the most terrible fashion agonising way losing in the 93rd minute so there's been no real momentum but there is something to play for in the last five games so and and also I've said this before the chance of breaking their points tally for the Premier League which stands at 53 so it would almost be disappointing if they were to not surpass that at this stage now
00:03:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's not not a million miles away. and I suppose coming into the weekend, you've got to so almost think that that's a given based on our form coming into the game compared to yours.
00:03:41
Gavin
Well, that's the problem in itself because Fulham, if you remember back to the game at Craven Cottage, they would have gone into that game as heavy favourites and then it was a nil-nil draw, very insipid performance. They didn't have many many chances in the whole game, to tell the truth. So that's where Fulham have come unstuck this season almost, is in these sort of games where they are expected to win, where there is an emphasis on them.
00:04:02
Gavin
They have come come unstuck and it's actually the results in the games where you don't expect them to do well in, where they've kind of surprised you, which is epitomized by that performance against Liverpool a couple of weeks ago, defeating them, just the second team to do that this season.
00:04:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:04:15
Gavin
So these sorts of games come with their pitfalls for Fulham. So I don't think any Fulham fan will be counting their chickens a hell of this one.
00:04:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Do you think that's a mentality thing? Because like just not getting as mentally prepared and built up or excited for the game? Or do you think that that's just them sort of struggling to break down teams that tend to sit back a bit more and play with a bit less of an attack and threat and park the bus a bit?
00:04:42
Gavin
Yeah, I think there's definitely a combination of that. They do seem to struggle against those sides that sit in, 10 men behind the ball, struggle to break them down. At times there's been a lack of creativity, but I also think there's been an element of complacency. Maybe they're approaching these games with the wrong attitude. Sometimes the atmosphere at Craven Cottage for these games has been a little bit flat, which then has a knock-on effect. The players don't feel...
00:05:03
Gavin
So up for it or maybe it's just the case, there is that complacency and they feel all they have to do is turn up and win the game. And, you know, in the Premier League, every result is earned, not given to you. So, yeah, yeah, as I said, there is disappointment in that.
00:05:17
Gavin
But as a Premier League footballer, the intensity needs to be there for all the games, not just be able to turn it on, turn it off like a tap, not just get yourself up for the big games, the games against the Fountain and those teams near the bottom end of the table is just as important.
00:05:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely. Every game counts and we've learned that the hard way this season, that's for sure. I guess where's going to hurt us coming into the weekend? though what's what's the main Who's the main player that needs to sort of hit the ground and find a bit of form to put us away?
00:05:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Where the goals coming from?
00:05:51
Gavin
Well, I would like to see Rodrigo Munoz come back into the team. He's hit a bit of a purple patch recently. He was missing for the last game against Chelsea and I think it was actually a big loss for Fulham because Raul Jimenez, he started the game quite well but then he faded quite quickly. gassed early in the second half and I think it was the fact that Fulham didn't have a great option off the bench. They're Carlos Vinicius who's not been seen for the best part of the year. So the fact that he was on the bench, it meant that Marco Silva wasn't able to change things up a bit earlier. So,
00:06:19
Gavin
Hopefully, we will see Rodrigo Munez come back into the fold. And also, I think I'm very excited at fact that Harry Wilson is back fit. He did get some minutes off the bench in the last game, so maybe he might be someone that's pushing for a start.
00:06:32
Gavin
Awobi as well. There's been some criticism about Alex Awobi recently about maybe a little bit of a drop-off in the second half of the season because I feel like the first half of the season, he was Fulham's standout player. But he has scored a couple of goals recently in the last two games at home.
00:06:45
Gavin
So I think he's someone you've got to look out for as well.
00:06:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
that but That was too many names. I think we're there's always a risk, I guess, of coming into it and feeling like we're in trouble. But that has been the case most of the season. But do you think that it is the game where they sort of break that streak of, obviously, we sort of ground out the draw in the away leg, but you think they you've got that in you to sort of go one past that and but put us away?
00:07:15
Gavin
I think so, because I think unlike the game at Craven Cottage, Southampton playing at home and they've nothing really to play for. OK, they want to get past 11 points, don't they? So they don't want to.
00:07:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:07:24
Gavin
They're currently joint worst Premier League team of all time, along with Derby County. They don't want to be in that conversation at all, do they? So... They will open up a bit in front of their own fans, so that should play into Fulham's favour.
00:07:36
Gavin
So, I know we'll talk about the game itself a little bit in the third part, but I think Fulham, just as long as the intensity level's there, I think they've got a good chance, really, of stemming this loss in form, which has been for four defeats in five in all competitions. So, look, if they can't beat Sir Fampton this season, then they don't deserve to qualify for Europe, to be to be quite honest.
00:07:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
that hurts to hear but it actually feels pretty reasonable okay we were we'll switch seats around and talk a bit about Southampton last season but first a message from our partners at Bionique
00:08:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, and we are back. Okay, Gavin, I'm going to hand the reins over to you and and let you ask me some questions about our horrendous season.
00:08:59
Gavin
OK, Greg, so i want to come on to the guy who's in charge for the weekend and he was actually in charge for the game earlier on the season. and That's the, I'm not sure what his role is, caretaker manager and that's Simon Rusk. What do you think the future holds for him? Does he want the job? I mean, if Sir Fantanata eke out a couple of wins in the last few games, is there a chance that they might look to keep him on beyond this season?
00:09:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's a really interesting question. It's one I don't know if even the board have the answer to. I think the problem is that, you know, the position we're in is the culmination of a lot of bad decisions from our board and and more mistakes. I think bad decisions might be mis-selling it.
00:09:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Attempts to do right that have not gone well and... You know, we saw him like in his first game in charge against U away and he sort of got a point there.
00:09:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
And since he's come back in, he's just doing the basics right. He's just playing players in the positions they're strong in and getting them to play football in a natural way.
00:10:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
which is really where we struggled the rest of the season, trying to crowbar these players into systems that they're just not built for. I think that if he is given, he does get the results this season, I don't know if it would be a popular decision to keep him on as manager, not because, not as a reflection on him, but as a reflection in as it wouldn't show the the sort of willpower from the board that I think we want but to to get ourselves back to that place where we're but like a confirmed Premier League team solidified in the league where where we were for so many years before this sort of
00:10:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
up and down, tumultuous period. I just think it would be lacking in vision. I definitely think he was will do himself well to stay in and around the team if he serves well.
00:10:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know Him and and Adam Lallana has been brought on as his assistant. I think it will set them in good strength to to be around the first team. But but you know he's come up from our under-21s as the under-21s manager. I just don't think that...
00:11:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
low level of experience is enough to match the vision that the fans have.
00:11:19
Gavin
Interesting. and And it's the second season in a row, isn't it? We've seen the three teams that come up from the Championship go straight back down. I know Ipswich haven't been confirmed, late but they're as good as down, aren't they? And then... Again, we've seen Burnley go straight back up. know there's every chance that Sheffield United might follow them as well in the playoffs.
00:11:35
Gavin
So it looks like that gap between the Premier League and Championship is getting bigger. What do you think it takes to bridge that gap? Do you feel like Southampton should have gone for it a bit more? Because I know Nottingham Forest took a lot of criticism a couple of seasons ago for their kind of reckless spending and just buying any player they they set their mind on.
00:11:56
Gavin
And look look, they took a bit of a hit last season with a points deduction, but they were always comfortable in their fight for survival. And you look where they are now. Does it almost take that aggressive spending and being ruthless in the market, not being so loyal to ultimately survive in this league?
00:12:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I mean, I think they took a gamble and I don't think it's a gamble that our owners are going to put themselves in a position to do. don't know if it's fair to say that's what it takes, but I definitely think that...
00:12:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
the margins of error are much finer, right? Like you need to make solid signings and all of them need to come good. And I think we've talked a lot about where it's gone wrong this season. And a lot of it is from that transfer activity. And we, we we sort of, we were busy and we bought quite a lot in, in the summer. But the problem is that a very small percentage of that worked out. I think we've got maybe,
00:12:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
maybe as many as three and a half, let's say, signings that have really sort of played out and come well. And, you know, but we, at the same time, we brought in players like Bemberton Diaz and Maxwell Corne, who, you know, Corne got sent back to West Ham in January off the loan and Bemberton Diaz, who we bought is out on loan at Sheffield United. So it's,
00:13:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's been fractious. And I think instead of sort of hedging, I think the risk-free version is what they were playing for by trying to sign lots of these players for relatively cheap and, you know, see what sticks. where I think it's more important to sign a couple of really good players.
00:13:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
that can really do the job. You know, we need a goal scorer, really, realistically. Like, it was all well and good spending £26 million pound on Aaron Ramsdale to play in goal for us, but but last that was never going to be the saving grace of our season. And it was such a, again, like a risk-free purchase because you know that you're going to be able to sell him for at least that much at the end of the season when we go down.
00:14:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, it's... We need to take a couple of big risks. And that doesn't mean, like, put ourselves in risk of points deduction level of risk. but But there definitely needs to be some big spending to get back to that position for sure.
00:14:16
Gavin
So just following on from that, do you think the club have learned lessons then that ultimately would help prepare them better if they were bounce straight back up?
00:14:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's the hope. There's been an acknowledgement from the board that that they really let things slip. We've had a change in on the board. A couple of of members have stepped down and the new chairman, the the main investors stepped up.
00:14:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
We've brought in a director of football, which you know we did at the start of our championship campaign you know last season. and then he got poached and sent off to Man United, and then we never replaced him and never really set in stone a proper footballing structure.
00:14:51
Gavin
Thank
00:14:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
and think if you speak to any Saints fan, they'll say that the business side of the club has been doing all right. We've got new fan zones, we've got a new pub, and and all of the we turned a profit this year for the first time in so six years.
00:15:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
But the football side has really been where the the the failings have occurred, and there's hope that this new director of football will sort of imprint that vision. there's He's already been out in the press and taken ownership and taken responsibility and said that sort of the buck stops with him and it's it's his responsibility to guide that vision. So...
00:15:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think there's hope that that's what they've learned and that it can be picked up from there, but it's still an unproven hope, I guess, is the thing. You can hope they learn from the mistakes, but there's just as much of a chance they might still make the same ones again.
00:15:45
Gavin
So just in terms of the playing staff, are you expecting a mass overhaul in terms of players coming in and going out? Or do you expect the squad you have now to form the nucleus for next season?
00:15:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think we're going to have a huge overhaul. i think there are going to be players that want to go, that don't get to go i think they're goingnna we've got a very bloated squad of a lot of players who have been trying to go for a long time.
00:16:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I think we're going to be be seeing a lot of that come into play. To me, I think when we think about it, it's important to keep three or four really key players.
00:16:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
But beyond that, I'm open to a complete clear out and start again, to be honest. We've got a few good players coming back off loan who will help bolster us to the championship next season. And hopefully as a sort of longer term project across the two years, we can start building something together that can make a slightly less feeble attempt at the Premier League the year after, fingers crossed.
00:16:48
Gavin
Yeah, so if you're being honest and realistic, if you're looking at the current crop of players you have, hand on heart, how many of those players do you genuinely think are actually Premier League quality?
00:17:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think maybe four, and if you're including with the potential to become... solidly Premier League quality, maybe as many as six.
00:17:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it's, yeah, it's not a high number for sure. I did see something this morning about Troy Deeney thinks there's only two players of the entire 72 in the bottom three that would make it and I think that might be slightly harsh, but yeah, it's not high numbers.
00:17:30
Gavin
Yeah, and just finally, I know we we spoke about him, didn't we, earlier on in the season about your youngster, Diblin, and I think I've seen some quotes about certain prices about him going to other clubs. Do you feel like if he did go to, I don't know, one of the top six or top seven clubs in the country that it could kind of hinder his progress? Or do you genuinely feel like he could go into one of those clubs and make a name for himself?
00:17:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
i think, I genuinely think that a year in the championship with us would do him the world of good. think that at the start of the season under Russell Martin, he was really sort showing where he was coming strength to strength and hitting the ground running. in He really struggled under Juric, and I don't know whether that was sort of a personality clash or a real clash with the system and the style, but he really struggled to find real form under that.
00:18:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's sort of seen him starting to try and get back strength to strength in this sort of pre-preseason era, but Yeah, the £100 million price tag we've put on him, I think that that's more a statement of intent to keep than anything else, to be honest.
00:18:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously, he's got so much potential and he could just step into a team like that and and you know make tracks.
00:18:43
Gavin
you
00:18:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I think if you look at how young players with that potential have been treated in the past by clubs like that, really the more likely outcome would be that he'd just get lost in the sea out there somewhere and and fall away into a sort of obscurity and struggle with that path to the first team.
00:19:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Whereas, you know, I think a year in the championship with us would give him a chance to really hone those skills where there are parts of his game where he really needs to improve. and still do him good, set him in a good frame for for after that.
00:19:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
but But that might just be the rose-tinted glasses of hoping that he stays with us for another year, to be honest.
00:19:30
Gavin
Yeah, and my last question is, well, obviously you've suffered a lot this season, haven't you? It might sound like a bit of a daft question. Do you want to come back up next season?
00:19:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's a tough one to answer. I think that the reality is that
00:19:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
squandering in the middle of the championship is probably just as not fun as suffering at the bottom of the Premier League and there's a very real chance that if you don't make it back up in that first season before those parachute payments stop after the sort of going down and coming back up then there's a real risk of falling lower than that so I think it is important to come back up.
00:20:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it's just important that we make a proper project of it. It doesn't necessarily need to be straight away. if If the cost of doing it properly and coming back and giving it a fighting chance another year in the championship after the next season, then so be it.
00:20:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
We need to do that. But yeah, the Premier League always needs to be the goal.
00:20:40
Gavin
No, I completely agree with that. You always want to get there, don't you? You've seen the euphoric scenes from Leeds and Burnley over the last couple of days. And and and I'm just thinking to myself, well, you know, fast forward 12 months, how differently that could be. And they might regret coming up in in a weird sort of way. But, you know whenever you you're presented with a chance of playing in a Premier League, you're never going to turn it down, are you?
00:21:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
And you've got to suffer these lows of being a football fan to really enjoy the highs. There's no no fun being a Man City fan where you win everything all the time. You've got to suffer through the these dark periods to to make the trips to Wembley and all the other good stuff that comes with it worth it.
00:21:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
but Lovely. Well, that leads us nicely into our second break and a message from our partners at Zencastr. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform.
00:21:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Zencaster came out the clear winner. With 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs, it's super easy to start a podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently.
00:21:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description and learn more about Zencaster.
00:21:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
OK, so let's let's turn our eyes a bit more to the weekend and the game. had How do you do you see it playing out? yeah
00:21:57
Gavin
I think if Fulham take the game seriously, and they should, because there is something till still to play for, and those players will want to play in Europe next season, they probably think, yeah, I can play in European football. And obviously with that comes the extra demands, as we've already stated. But I feel like if Fulham showed the correct intensity and application to this game, then they they should come away with three points.
00:22:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
And how many do you think it will be by then as a win? What do you see this all playing out to?
00:22:23
Gavin
Well, I think Fulham, the away form as well has just tapered off recently. i think they've lost the last three away from home after going quite a long period without losing on the road. So they want to put that right as well. So I feel like this is the ideal opportunity to that. So I think they'll score three and then it's whether or not they can keep the back door shut. I think we'll give Svantham a goal. I think 3-1 Fulham will come out wonders.
00:22:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that might work out to be our average scoreline across the entire season, to be honest, a three, one loss. It certainly feels that way. Yeah. It'll be an interesting game for us. I think that, I think the players have shown that even though there's this sort of strange, like i alluded to it, of being a pre preseason feeling, there is some sort fight in them, uh, that there really wasn't under the last manager,
00:23:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it will be a low-scoring affair, to be honest. Simon Rusk has made it pretty clear that his ideal football game would be to to not concede a goal, and that's how you win.
00:23:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
if you it' the yeah yeah If you keep a clean sheet, you're guaranteed to get something out of the game, I think is what he said in the press conference.
00:23:25
Gavin
makes sense doesn't it
00:23:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
So So ah yeah i think it will be a a rather cagey affair. But I think... I haven't predicted a Saints loss all season, so I'm horribly in the red when it comes to to these decisions. But I just feel like our home form has been so atrocious that we also need to put a stamp on it and start putting things right. And I think that maybe a slightly painful 1-0 win is the way we're going to do it. Maybe we'll get a goal...
00:24:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
early on in the first sort of 20, 25 minutes and then just have a horrible defensive, like like a win at home that no one enjoys would just be so on brand for the entire season, to be honest.
00:24:16
Gavin
Yeah. well Well, I mean, to be fair, Sarvantin do come into this game in form. They are one game unbeaten.
00:24:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah. You'd said earlier in the show, actually, that you guys struggled to string two wins together in a row. And that was the downfall of your season. And I have looked and obviously,
00:24:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
we've only won two games all season. So it's, it is different levels for sure.
00:24:39
Gavin
Thank you.
00:24:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
It'll be interesting to see how it goes, but, but yeah, I think, well, I think back to that away fixture that they, they really put a lot of effort into shutting up shop and and taking away those opportunities.
00:24:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
So feel like that's exactly how we'll go into this and, Yeah, maybe we'll we trip over the ball and get it in the goal somehow and defend away for the rest of our lives through the game.
00:25:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's potentially how I see it going.
00:25:07
Gavin
Yeah, i mean I mean, that's fair. I think there's one thing you can say about your interim, your caretaker, manager, whatever you want to call it. He seems like, OK, he's not certainly made these players better than what they are, but he's at least made them a little bit tougher to beat, as we saw in the game last week against West Ham. Obviously, they showed great spirit to get an equalising goal in stoppage time.
00:25:29
Gavin
and Just looking back to the game earlier in the season, where they were very tough to break down. so Maybe if they had that if they had shown that bit more application and difficult difficultness, if that's a word, to to beat, then take but they would have had more points than they currently do now.
00:25:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah well there's a lot to be said for sticking to the basics and playing football how football's supposed to be played and sort of playing players and their best decisions i guess it also helps when we sort of play with a back five and two holding midfielders that's that's a lot of space taken up that's quite hard to break down so you can see how that would be more solid it's definitely our forward options that are much more of a concern to be honest as not many of them.
00:26:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
So,
00:26:10
Gavin
do you see Do you see him making changes from last week? Or what's the what's the team news? you have any injuries?
00:26:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
uh, nothing, none that I've heard of. i think that it will be foolish to change it, to be honest. I think it will be sticking with more or less the same. and maybe, you know, depending on how the game flows out, maybe bringing on some of the youngsters towards the end is what we've seen happen a couple of times, uh, in the last couple of games. So,
00:26:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
But we'll see. Like I say, getting over that 11-point mark, as much as the manager plays it down, it's it is important. The players have said it's important. it's you know And it's only one point away.
00:26:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
So realistically, if that one point comes from eking out a nil-nil in a painful performance, it's still over the line. So yeah, I i think that that's how we'll see it play.
00:26:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
But yeah, it could... I so don't paint a particularly entertaining picture of the game there, sorry. Hopefully not down-hearting anyone from from what's bound to be a very exciting game of football the weekend, for sure.
00:27:09
Gavin
But as you as you said, you've been mostly wrong all season, so like we might see a 5-4 thriller here then.
00:27:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's true. Five fours on the cards. That's always always ahs always about. As long as it's, you know, the joy of a 93rd minute winner for us, that's that's fine. That's a perfectly reasonable outcome. I don't think that we scored five goals all season.
00:27:26
Gavin
Ha ha.
00:27:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, in fact, our top goal scorer is Paul Wohanachu, who's managed to score four. So, that's pretty worrying stuff. But absolutely. Well, that is just about all we've got time for today.
00:27:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
i mean Thank you very much for joining me. Thanks, everyone, for listening. We'll be back tomorrow with our respective previews, I'm sure. Until then, see you then.