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Episode 65: Saints during the International Break and Pablo EscoVAR
28 Plays1 month ago
Southampton – We look back on the international break and how our saints have been doing whilst away. And we discuss the videos of David Coote, and what that might mean for the PGMOL.
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Transcript
Introduction and Weekend Plans
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome to the Daily Southampton part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Gregory Elliott. I'm joined once again today by my illustrious co-host, Zach Ingo Finch. How you doing, Zach?
00:00:19
Zak
let me yeah It's a very winter's weekend for me so far. Gonna have a nice wonderful conversation with you today, but the energy levels for this weekend have been low.
00:00:31
Zak
And that's fine.
00:00:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's hard to keep on with without real football to keep you going, isn't it, mate?
00:00:31
Zak
Sometimes you just need that.
00:00:35
Zak
It it really it really is. like i didn't I forget how much my Saturday is built around it. So I ended up going in with my wife to Winchester yesterday to go see one of her friends, which originally I wasn't invited to.
00:00:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:00:46
Zak
I kind of invited myself along, mainly due to the fact that I was like, I've got nothing to do.
Refereeing Controversies
00:00:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
um know horrible I had away fixture for my sons under sevens team yesterday all the way down in Gossport.
00:00:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
so
00:00:58
Zak
Oh, they're full places.
00:01:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
that's all right that's ah ah enough football to keep me going just about so we we got there it's all right so international break we are uh we're struggling our way through but i thought today we would have a bit of a a catch up on some some news in the football world and some a little bit of a check in on our players that are away on international duty but you know if we're going to touch on football news i guess where else to start then uh
00:01:09
Zak
Mmm.
00:01:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
the man who's been dubbed pagla Pablo Escobar. David Koot with controversial videos that have come out this week.
00:01:38
Zak
it's some all I can say is he's really upset somebody in his social circle to to gun for him at the level that he's being gun for because I don't agree with Gary you never a lot of things ever realistically however I i i feel like he's not gonna get away with a fine I feel like they're gonna have to make an example of him
00:01:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, someone's really throwing him under the bars.
00:02:04
Zak
I don't think that he's going to be any more different to the rest of them. And I think that's the problem with any job that is extremely high paid, highly paid and highly publicised.
00:02:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:02:13
Zak
And I think I refer back to our conversation about referees personally and previously, which is if you if you know that playing and officiating for a team against a team that you have a bias towards, a bias you put out there,
00:02:32
Zak
is is a thing you're going to do, for example, then you're going to need to deal with the fact that that is going to tarnish your reputation forever. And it's going to be very difficult for him to come back. But then saying that, there are literal referees that have been done for match fixing that have come back. And I feel like FIFA and PGML care far more about that than a video of some guy being like, yeah, I don't like Yerban Klopp because he shouted at me.
00:03:02
Zak
I just think that the escalation, the, um, my wife said something it was quite interesting to me because I kind of had a brief conversation with her about it.
00:03:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:03:08
Zak
obviously She doesn't really pay attention to it. We've been through this before, but she was saying about like, but like surely what he does in his personal life, how is it like relevant to what he does during the referee? I'm like, well, one or two, it depends if he refereed whilst, whilst under the influence, that'd be, that'd be huge.
00:03:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:03:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, some of these videos supposedly emerging from Euro 2024.
00:03:26
Zak
second of all, like.
00:03:30
Zak
Yeah, so so that would be that would be massive. it it says It says a lot about the the sort of character of the people you're you're putting in these positions as well. says a lot about potentially some things like the money and other bits and pieces.
00:03:42
Zak
I yeah i have ah i have a lot of opinions on it. I think the fact that we're discussing it and it's in sort of the mainstream media is that there is always remembering that there's like a person behind all of this.
00:03:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I feel I feel really bad actually for like, obviously, what he's done is monumentally stupid.
00:03:53
Zak
And it isn't...
00:03:56
Zak
Hmm.
00:03:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then to let someone film it, you know, it really puts yourself in a position. There are a couple of interesting takes I've seen on it. The most amusing one I think was Mike Dean coming out and saying unintentionally perhaps throwing the rest of PGO or under the bus saying, well, David coops one of the quiet ones.
00:04:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
So but
00:04:18
Zak
Well, yeah, but that's that's so that's also you've had, I've had friends that are sometimes some of the quiet ones, but are the ones that I know that probably would get up to the most, you know, the most nefarious things behind the closed doors by, you know,
00:04:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, but I guess the most concerning thing that I've seen raised about it is that these videos aren't new videos, so is the implication that they're out imply that someone was trying nefarious, underhanded but things with them to sway results that way?
00:04:36
Zak
No.
00:04:47
Zak
Yeah. is it Well, not even that.
00:04:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that's something you really, and that's sort of really opening the floodgates.
00:04:50
Zak
Is it is it is there blackmail behind? like the The problem is it's raised so many more questions than any answers they can give.
00:04:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:04:58
Zak
And the problem is is that for an organization that is already under a significantly large amount of scrutiny, quite a lot of the time, this does not help their position. Because it's like, well, we're not going to trust a single thing you say. And if they if they come out and suspend him and get rid of him, they're going to be like, oh, well, it's just you know they're trying to cover up their corruption by using him as a scapegoat. If they they give him a slap on the wrist, it's going to be like, well, they don't there's there's no real outcome for them.
00:05:27
Zak
that works in their favor. And I don't think there's any real outcome that works in his favor. Because regardless of what happens 10 years down the line, it will be almost like a pub quiz question.
00:05:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's always going to be that guy.
00:05:36
Zak
Yeah.
00:05:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:05:37
Zak
And again, it it is a monumentally stupid decision. It's not like he's gone out and killed a man or anything like that.
00:05:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:05:42
Zak
But if you're going to, it's like play stupid games, play games stupid prizes, right? And that that's the upsetting thing.
00:05:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's funny, right? Because I think I said to you before all this, I didn't know the name David Koot, which probably means that out of all of them, probably one of the better referees.
00:05:53
Zak
No.
00:05:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's the most upsetting thing.
00:05:57
Zak
Well, again, again it' would be it might be better at refereeing games where you don't have a personal stake or bias in it, right?
00:06:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:03
Zak
And that that's that's the thing that, again, is key. And it's it's difficult to be able to to enforce that because it requires a level of trust with a referee who, especially at that level, you don't want to miss out on officiating matches that potentially, I don't know if it's that they get paid more.
00:06:18
Zak
If it's a bigger match, I would assume so. But again, it's...
00:06:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Even if not, it's like pride in what you do, right?
00:06:21
Zak
it's Yeah, it's...
00:06:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like you see it with Clattenberg, he's got tattoos of all of the big finals that he's done because it's, to him, you know, being chosen to referee the final is the same in his field as if you were playing and getting to the final.
00:06:24
Zak
it's it's
00:06:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's earned that and that's, you know, someone has bestowed that upon him as a deserved thing. And so you should be proud of that as what you're striving to achieve, right?
00:06:48
Zak
ah ah Agreed. And I think i think that's the thing that's the thing about it, right? is that it's what I don't think there is a a right way to deal with this.
Southampton Players on International Duty
00:06:56
Zak
I don't think that they will figure out a good way to deal with this. I think that if anything, it's just going to be more piling on and embarrassing for refereeing. I know that we we're potentially even part of the problem because we have extremely large discussions about it.
00:07:12
Zak
probably, at the moment, far more than, again, i'd I'd probably like to, if I'm totally honest. But it's one of those things that like it's too much a part of like the cultural zeitgeist of football currently to just go, well, let's just ignore that.
00:07:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:07:26
Zak
Because like the implications could be larger. like We don't know if they're going to start launching investigations into like you know if it was under the influence of certain matches. well you know They're never going to turn around positions and points or anything like that.
00:07:38
Zak
But it it raises, I think, significantly large concerns that in a place, in a organization that is already under extreme scrutiny, I don't know if it's going to be able to have the flack to deal with it.
00:07:49
Zak
But you're also right. There's something weird and dodgy going on in the background for someone to have all of this information, sit on it, and sort of periodic release it over a small period of time.
00:08:01
Zak
But not all in one go to keep it relevant, to keep it, yes, it is 100%.
00:08:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
nefarious It's nefarious. And I do feel for David Coop, because like you say, he's a person who's doing the job and he might have done these stupid things, but we've all done stupid things and we don't come under half the level of scrutiny or abuse that referees do week in week out.
00:08:21
Zak
No, and then and then like you don't have to deal with the level of online abuse that will happen and then seeing you be made sort of a joke out of non nonstop and people might say, well, you could just not do it.
00:08:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
say
00:08:30
Zak
But again, like we're all human. and It's just, unfortunately, you're in that position.
00:08:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's it.
00:08:34
Zak
Unfortunately, you know, something like this big happens in a sport that is, you know, what one of if not the most popular in the world by a country mile. these are going to be some of the outcomes.
00:08:46
Zak
it's It's a sad state of affairs.
00:08:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:08:48
Zak
As I said, I don't really know if there'll be a good resolution to it. But that leads us leads us but quite nicely into
00:08:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
no
00:08:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
that's it before we become the the refereeing daily podcast I guess we better move on but first a word from our partners at zencaster so here at the global sports podcast network we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform and 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. If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description to learn more about Zencaster.
00:09:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so let's bring it back to Southampton. We've got quite a few players away on international duty in this break, which is nice, a nice position to be in.
00:09:30
Zak
Whoo!
00:09:33
Zak
G'day!
00:09:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
And they all seem to be sort of firing on all cylinders. So I guess let's start with the ah ah ah big one, Taylor Howard-Bellis making his debut this evening at time of recording, but yesterday as the show goes out, brought on as a sub and scoring a goal.
00:09:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's the perfect debut, right? What more could you ask for?
00:09:56
Zak
that is That is the perfect debut, right? You come on, you score even better if you're a defender. And also on top of that, you keep a clean sheet. So you come on, you keep a clean sheet.
00:10:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, well, I mean, it was against 10-man Ireland and he scored the fourth goal, but look, we don't want to detract too much.
00:10:10
Zak
True. Less like that.
00:10:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
He got on the pitch, he scored a goal, he put his name in the fold to be in, potentially in contention for selection when a two-core takes the job over.
00:10:21
Zak
so two games previously, two games previously and lost to Greece at home.
00:10:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
You can't ask for more than that.
00:10:26
Zak
So like it's international football is weird man and like it's it's upsetting.
00:10:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:31
Zak
So obviously I followed the first game and I thought I'll switch on and um if if if if he gets his debut and he didn't. And I kind of felt devastated. And I was like, oh, what's that? that I remember me and you had some back and forth. I was like, what's the point of upsetting all these players on international duty they'd ever bit put on? It's like, oh, that's the big six biases on the other. we had but We had all that conversation out of the way. So so to see, its obviously, today, I'm not going to lie, I'll hold my hands up. I completely forgot it was even on today. I, for some reason, had it my head Tuesday, is ridiculous.
00:10:58
Zak
I think it was because the last international break, it turned out we played on the Tuesday. I think I so i saw a text message from Greg saying, to HP. And I was like, oh, great. So I thought id I'd check.
00:11:09
Zak
And Greg got to see my live reaction about 20 minutes ago. Whereas I went, oh, he did manage to make his debut. And then I was like, he scored a goal. Because obviously, he was also in the main view of of the team photo at the end.
00:11:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
then Yeah.
00:11:20
Zak
So yeah, I'm really happy for him. It's extremely well-preserved.
00:11:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
And do you know what? It's not to take anything away from it because it's a great thing. Hopefully it's going to give him huge confidence. I mean, at this point he's got to be amongst our top scorers anyway.
00:11:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
so
00:11:36
Zak
I'm relatively sure he is next to Sugawara, right?
00:11:38
Zak
like
00:11:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a, yeah, no, brilliant, the perfect start and long make continue. It was nice, no longer a Saint, obviously, but it was nice to see Liv Remento get his debut today as well.
00:11:45
Zak
hundred
00:11:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
He played really well. Nice to see him continuing to do good things even after Saints.
00:12:00
Zak
There's always a player that we were going to miss, in my opinion.
00:12:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
<unk>m not sure across the board that you so I'm not sure across the board that positive sent out mentality will persist, but I'm pleased to see him doing well. It's always nice to see XA to do well.
00:12:12
Zak
Yeah, 100% I agree. So yeah, that was that. Obviously, like Manning got in on that game as well. So that's kind of wild.
00:12:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
but Directly before Howard Bellis' goal, he got a shot on target. and Based on how the rest of that game went, that was good for Ireland. really
00:12:28
Zak
but This is the thing. It's kind of, but then, but then it begs, it begs some of the questions. If you, if you put, you put the players into the right sort of formations, will they start firing? And that my answer to that, but as always, is no.
00:12:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
talking about fenders who can score goals mate.
00:12:42
Zak
Because I don't think that...
00:12:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sugawara coming in hot for Japan.
00:12:48
Zak
Well, it it was I was very glad he scored. Obviously, everyone is no so sort of surprise to anyone at this point. He's one of my current favourite players at the club. however I said the goal to you, very excited, and you were like, where where are you seeing this?
00:13:00
Zak
And I just kept sending you pictures of the graphics. Then you watched the goal and you went, oh, the defenders should have done better. You're like, I like, there was always an entire back line kind of out of the way to allow him to almost get it completely, completely and on angle.
00:13:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
very similar ilk to Hallward Bellis where he was playing against the team that were clearly struggling and already 3-0 down at that point. right so
00:13:20
Zak
Very, very true. However, again, it's like the fact that we're we're getting in amongst the goals in the international GT can only be a good thing when they come back to the club, because it means that even if it is all of our defense, right, like be really nice to come back and like pull out of actually scored like five goals.
00:13:37
Zak
a the day But then the problem is, is they need to get picked for the internationals to do that at the moment, which is a struggle with it.
00:13:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:13:43
Zak
So, yeah, it's it's just fine. It's just really, really good. If I remember rightly, Fernandez got in, going in the goals as well, right, for the under 21s.
00:13:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he scored a goal for the Portugal under 21s against Ukraine on Friday.
00:13:51
Zak
Nice. Dang.
00:13:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
I haven't actually seen the goal, but I've read about it on the Saints website. And again, just another player that's been consistently good for us, showing it that he's there at that level in the international scene for the under 21s.
00:14:08
Zak
Yes. It's weird for both me and you because it's like the weird, the fact that he plays for the under 21s.
00:14:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's crazy, right?
00:14:14
Zak
And I think it's...
00:14:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
he's Because I think he's been our best player this season. If I was if i was to pick a name, I would say it was him that's been the most consistently good player.
00:14:17
Zak
Mm.
00:14:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
To think that he's in the under 21 is mad, really.
00:14:28
Zak
yeah And then you say that, but also young Tyler Dibbling got his first, you know, go in the under 21, England's under 21. So you kind of think that's also kind of crazy in my opinion, because you just, I think you just forget the youth of our of our squad and like the fact that they are an extremely young squad. And, you know, sometimes we,
00:14:45
Zak
You know, we get mad and annoyed and know it's the way that Martin plays football. It's, you know, it's, it's that they need, they need to be better. And why are they so rubbish? And why can't they hit a barn door and stuff like that? And if, if you're, the way you play football is very built around confidence and you're something like you're 20 something. And like, I can imagine doing that. I like 21.
00:15:03
Zak
Like the very entire life, I think at that point was mainly dedicated to weatherspoons to be perfectly honest. But also like if I think of like having the ability, the confidence and the belief in yourself and, and to like sort of go out and and sort of represent your country as well on top of going out week in, week out. And you know, you've got to think about how much of a a whirlwind it's been for him so far to kind of get into the first team after barely having a sniff last year because of some good preseason performances.
00:15:30
Zak
You know, and then just course sort of explode onto the scene, rumors about going to Man United after playing against them once. It's just sort of like, and that's a lot of our
00:15:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
Southampton's Future and Challenges
00:15:39
Zak
players as well.
00:15:39
Zak
It's like, it does what the only, the only big fear that I have, which I think that you will see the pessimist in me has to come out a little bit, Greg. It's like, you know. It might add 10 million quid to Taylor Hart, Taylor Hart Bellis' is price tag, but also the fact that they're like, oh, this guy's great.
00:15:53
Zak
Where do we get him from? And then they see, oh, Southampton. Yeah, we can, we can pilfer him from there. And that is like always the horror of being a Saints fan, and regardless of whether or not we've moved on from that sort of, sort of buy low, sell high mentality we used to have.
00:16:08
Zak
I feel like we haven't.
00:16:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
but it' That's far too negative way to think about it. What you've got to think is that his performance and their performances are going to get us through this season. Howard Bellis and Fernandez are going to continue to be the spine of the team. We've got a future Saints captain and a future England captain in the midst there. We're going to finish just about staying up this season and then we'll be gunning for Europe next season, not my words.
00:16:36
Zak
Sure.
00:16:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
We've got to keep that positive spirit, right?
00:16:39
Zak
OK, I'll try.
00:16:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
We've had a week off from the negativity.
00:16:42
Zak
I'll try. And then I guess we can we'll come back after the break and we can kind of talk about know how how we are feeling because it's been a week since Wolves.
00:16:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
I've got another player to touch on after the break as well, which will be, there's an interest interesting discussion point here, speaking of confidence.
00:16:51
Zak
Perfect.
00:16:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
so But before that, a message from our partners at the Global Sports Podcast Network.
00:16:56
Zak
Good. The Global Sports Podcast Network is changing the face of football podcasting with dedicated daily content for every Premier League team, women's football, fantasy football, and a daily Premier League wrap-up broadcasted in five different languages. This is your one-stop shop for your daily football fix. Find GSPN wherever you find your usual podcasts.
00:17:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, so the final player on my November international guide from the website that we've not touched on yet is Jan Benrak, who played in a game that I didn't watch on Friday.
00:17:26
Zak
Yanny B, of course.
00:17:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
I've got to be honest, but looking back at the stats and he got subbed off in the 46th minute the score was nil, nil. And then Poland pacific proceeded to lose 5-1.
00:17:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, yeah.
00:17:44
Zak
Interesting.
00:17:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
haven't got any evidence from watching the game to back up, but it certainly feels like he was the player holding that defense together for him, right?
00:17:54
Zak
par Yeah, why sure, why not? let's ah Let's go with that positive spin that you want to put on it.
00:17:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's the spin we're gonna put on it.
00:17:59
Zak
Well, it's got to be better than his last performance, right? Then you get like a red card within the game before, and then like, so so shock.
00:18:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:18:05
Zak
yeah Yeah, sort of set off a leg or his own goal, wasn't it? Sorry.
00:18:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah yeah i think it was an own goal the game after he got dragged off in the first half because he was not doing well or something it wasn't wasn't a great show and yeah i mean obviously to be some something was amiss to have been dragged off in the 46 minute but but also it was nil and ill when he went off so something in it
00:18:09
Zak
Yeah, because Rosie wouldn't have played.
00:18:18
Zak
Dary me.
00:18:30
Zak
There you go. It's all down to Yanny B, the spy. So so you've you've covered the spy and the attacking forwards and the future captain and and everything that's so incredible about about our Saints team.
00:18:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:44
Zak
However, Greg, it's been a week now.
00:18:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm nodding like I know what either of those things are.
00:18:46
Zak
since that wolves loss. The timeline has calmed down because the break is full in full effect. If anything, I just see people arguing about leaving Twitter to go to Blue Sky and vice versa.
00:18:58
Zak
yeah So so that if that if that is the current, exactly.
00:19:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
not in like i know what either of those things are
00:19:03
Zak
So so if if that is the if that is the epitome of where we're at at the moment, it kind of feels like everything's calmed down a little bit. I did see a really clickbaity daily echo article talking about how Jose Font likes Martin but thinks Saints are going to go down. And it's awful because basically like he's like, oh yeah, it's nice to see them get their first win. I really like Russell Martin and his style of football and basically talks about how he just doesn't he doesn't know if they'll be able to stay up this year.
00:19:31
Zak
But the way it's kind of worded is if he's like Martin's rubbish. And I'm kind of, I kind of hate that journalism. like then No offense. I usually love all of the stuff that Alfie House puts out and all of the rest of the sort of daily echo journalism team round saints. But, but it is sort of, it's kind of like cool. So font, font kind of was just talking and ah ah like positively about his previous team. And you've managed to put that on a spin a little bit.
00:19:58
Zak
And yeah, other but than other than they really that, like I think the noise might have calmed down. There's no there's no sign coming out of Southampton. We've not got any corner flag posts that he's going to be fired over the international break before the next game.
00:20:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:20:09
Zak
at The next game you know it will probably be important regardless of who we play. We have to put in a performance. We have to try and get those points. We have to, for starters, have a shot on target that isn't awful.
00:20:22
Zak
you know even Even a shot on target at this point. Yeah, so how how are you feeling?
00:20:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Look, I know that we know that we were angry, right?
00:20:26
Zak
It's been a week, mate.
00:20:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
And and i was um um rightfully so. But there's no way that Russell Martin looks back on that Wolves game with 73% possession and zero shots on target and goes, yep, that's what I was aiming for.
00:20:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
like He's going to take from that, right?
00:20:42
Zak
And I think that's the thing, right?
00:20:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I think we we've been saying it for as long as time. but i think And I hope that the fanbase is coming to accept that Russell Mine's here to stay. That's not changing any time soon. The the finances or whatever, the the border backing him, it is what it is. And honestly, maybe the position in the league is where the board were expecting us to be anyway. So, you know, we've spent the money that we wanted to spend on the improvements to the ground and the matchday experience to increase our revenue that way. And maybe they're just prepared for every scenario. You know, we don't know what happens in those meetings, but
00:21:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that we've we've just got to come back and give it a go. There's nothing more we can do. like We know that we're going to have to start on the hot foot, and we're going to have to start fast.
00:21:29
Zak
Yeah.
00:21:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
we We know that the next five fixtures are tough and difficult, and that's not going to change. nothing is going to change between now and probably Christmas from a player perspective obviously no transfer window but probably from a manager perspective and we've just got to try and get what we can from it and you know a joke about an optimistically say 15 points but we're just we've got to get something out of this run of games or we're really in trouble well yeah
00:21:53
Zak
Well, you say you're say nothing's going to change.
00:22:00
Zak
yeah you say You say nothing's going to change. Something is going to change, person-wise, mate, is that that Rambo's out. You sent me a photo earlier of his hand wrapped up.
00:22:12
Zak
like We kind of forgot about that because it was a devastating piece of news after a devastating piece of news.
00:22:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well that is true.
00:22:17
Zak
So we were just like, do you know what? whatever, hopefully, you know, a couple of weeks, you know, who's going to, people are talking about how Brazilian is on his way back. That might be a good thing, whether or not he'll be back in time for the next couple of games, very much doubt it.
00:22:29
Zak
It's, it's a quite severe injury he had. So probably going to have McCarthy in between the six, which means that the defenders now are not going to be able to rely on a goalkeeper of Rambo's quality.
00:22:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:22:40
Zak
And that will either be good or, yeah, maybe, maybe it will make them concentrate more.
00:22:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Maybe that's a good thing, though. Like, we had that last year, we had it last year, right, where Mizuno's distribution is is leaps and bounds above McCarthy, and then Mizuno went out injured and McCarthy came in, and you've got to give Alex McCarthy credit.
00:22:57
Zak
Yes.
00:22:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's he's a good goalkeeper. He can stop shots.
00:23:00
Zak
Yeah.
00:23:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's not completely useless. but it just means that the defenders are less likely to pass to him, I think, which hopefully moves us the 10 yards up the pitch that we need.
00:23:09
Zak
Which hopefully means they'll be forwards.
00:23:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
And hopefully we can, you know, kick the ball of the goal once in a while.
00:23:15
Zak
Is that exactly that?
00:23:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or at least get some of the defenders who seem to be able to score when the forwards come in the sort of positions that might come about. You know, nobody's going to care if Taylor Harbour-Bellis is our top scorer by the end of the season, if we finish 16th.
00:23:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like, it doesn't matter.
00:23:33
Zak
visit the I think you've hit the nail on the head, which is like, does any reasonable fan sit there and think that that Martin sits there and goes, ah, my plan is working.
00:23:46
Zak
We've got all of this possession. It doesn't matter if we get goals because because we're doing it my way. Is it like that level of arrogance? is it Or is it actuality?
00:23:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, of course it's not.
00:23:53
Zak
In actuality, we're trying to instill an identity. We don't really like it because it's not that pretty.
00:23:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Look, he's not going to come out in the press and slate the players, because that's not the sort of manager he is, and that's not what he has done at any point.
00:24:01
Zak
No, never has been.
00:24:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
But he's going to know that zero shots on target from that game is not what we set out to achieve.
00:24:10
Zak
yeah
00:24:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so he's going to have done work to put it right. And you've just got to have faith in the system and that he learns from that. And you know if we come out against Liverpool and lose, but we've had 20 shots and eight of them are on target, fine.
00:24:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
i
00:24:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
don't know i mean it's it's been made clear that that's the area he needs to improve on so you would hope that for while we've been away that that's what he'll have been working on and and getting that through so
00:24:39
Zak
It is what it is, and what it is, is a tough Premier League.
00:24:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, the last time we played Liverpool at home, we drew four rule with them.
00:24:56
Zak
The Premier League's tough, man. It's just tough.
00:25:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
So if the game's half as entertaining as that, it is what it is.
00:25:03
Zak
Sulemana, suddenly Gao is getting his scoring boots again.
00:25:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'll be fine with that.
00:25:06
Zak
Same. truth
00:25:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm here for it. Soon I'm on a hat trick and backflips.
00:25:11
Zak
A few days. i asked That's the thing.
00:25:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'll be doing backflips myself.
00:25:14
Zak
I think ah ah think it' will be it will be what it will be. It's it's hard being a Saints fan. It always is. We've had some really good times last season. We've had some really good times in the past. We even reminisced about a really good season we had on Friday.
00:25:26
Zak
it's It's difficult. It's hard. it It can be negative. There are going to be times that me, specifically will get mad and throw my toys out the pram a little bit like I did directly after that wolves came and that's that's fine like a lots of lots of our fans are going to be like that having it non-stop throughout the entirety of the season doesn't no one any favors what did we think for premier league was going to be did we genuinely think we were going to come in Russell Martin was going to suddenly play hoof ball and start you know putting lining up seven people at the back
00:25:56
Zak
and we were just going to hope to get a win every so often. Did everyone think he was suddenly going to start playing Hasenboetleball? What did we think was going to happen? Where do we think we're going to take points? And this is the thing. like you You came in optimistically like, well, yeah, and that's why how I see us finishing 11th.
00:26:09
Zak
But it's like, from my perspective, it's not so even pessimism. It's like, unfortunately, this league's really hard. and And it's like, well, how come you know like you wouldn't expect wolves to be where they are and even in the slightest?
00:26:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:20
Zak
like It's mad that they're so low Um, and it's, you know, it it just, it's just like that, that the premier league is a weird and wonderful. I don't think we're going to ever see another Lester because of how much Lester rocked the premier league. Every other club started out spending.
00:26:38
Zak
you know and And then since that 2016 season, the gulf between the top and the bottom is mad, absolutely huge. And we're not going to spend all of the money in the world to get ourselves into the position that I think that some January signings are going to come good.
00:26:54
Zak
I think we'll probably end up getting some new personnel in. I think that a lot of our signings we keep complaining about, we bought a lot of drops, but then in between all of that, you have Ramsdale, you've got Fernandez, you've got Sugawara, you've had some people that, you know, I don't think Corne turned out.
00:27:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely.
00:27:09
Zak
to be turned up to to Saints and was like, I'm just going to sit on the bench and not play. You know, I think he probably is trying. I think they're all trying to get into the squad, trying, you know, trying to play their best football.
00:27:20
Zak
You know, I feel sorry for Ben Brereton Diaz that hasn't had a win in the Premier League for like five hundred years or whatever.
00:27:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Ever.
00:27:28
Zak
It's just some. Yeah.
00:27:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Genuinely never what he's on the longest run. I think it's 20 games.
00:27:34
Zak
But that's the thing. That's got to do something to you. And then you get the opportunities. And then you don't manage to take them. And OK, well, maybe in the future, we go, OK, we cut our losses. He gets sold in January.
00:27:45
Zak
We move Ross Stewart on. Whatever will happen is what we'll be. And we're all going to be here for the ride, regardless. And it will be fun.
00:27:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's it, mate. Look, I'm telling you, by Christmas, we're going to have the 15 points from those next five games.
00:27:53
Zak
It'll be fun and crazy.
00:27:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're going to be in a completely different situation and we're going to be laughing all the way through the rest of
Closing Remarks and Future Plans
00:28:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
the season. We'll be filming podcasts on the beach because that's where the rest of our players are going to be once we're safe. It's fine.
00:28:08
Zak
Realistically, i'll take I'll take three or four points. There you go.
00:28:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, on that optimistic note, we've just about run out of time. So thank you very much for joining us. we We'll be back again tomorrow with with something I'm sure, trying our best to cover these international breaks.
00:28:21
Zak
We'll figure it out. See if that's your break in it.
00:28:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Until then, thank you for joining me, Zach, and I think Greg will see you next time.