Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 88: Match Day Preview - Zak mulls over Liverpool...
0 Playsin 5 hours
Southampton – The transfer window has been busy for Southampton, but do we think we’ve taken steps in the right direction? We discuss the areas of the pitch saints have focused on, and where we think they need to look at next
Follow us on social media:
X - https://x.com/GSPNSouthampton/
Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/@gspnsouthampton
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@gspnsouthampton
Instagram – https://www.instagtam.com/gspnsouthampton
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/gspnsouthampton.bsky.social
Sponsors and Advertising
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:
www.globalsportspodcastnetwork.com
Copyright | 2024 | Global Sports Podcast Network | All Rights Reserved
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Co-host Absence
00:00:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello, and welcome to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. I am your host, Zakingo Finch, and I am, unfortunately, without my illustrious co-host, Greg Riellet, today. Me and Greg work with one another, and he unfortunately has had some technical difficulties. And the reason I point out that he that we work with one another is we both are in a team day all day.
Solo Hosting and First Game Insights
00:00:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
And ah Greg's headphones and everything he uses to record are currently locked away in an office building that he is unable to access. So it is me riding solo today. I myself have also not been without technical technical difficulties. Relatively sure this is the third or fourth time I've attempted this podcast. And that is usually due to my own technical inability, which is funny when I tell you that we both work in an IT department.
00:00:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Anyway, you're not here for the for the woes of Zach and Greg, unless it's football related. So let's crack on, shall we? We have a game today, the first game after the end of the Russell Martin legacy.
Managerial Uncertainty and Apologies
00:01:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
We are now in a new age, an unknown age. We still do not know who we are going to have in charge for the rest of the season. But what we do know is that Simon Rusk, the under 21's manager, is in charge today.
00:01:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
I would like to apologize personally for Simon Rusk for consistently referring to him as the under 21s manager, as both me and Greg forgot his name yesterday, which was less than ideal that you can imagine. So obviously Greg is going to be thrilled that he has another midweek fixture to go to where he can deal with some very overtired children at the end of hopefully not another defeat, but let's face it, probably another to defeat.
00:01:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
So today we're going to talk a little bit about what's going on with the manager situation because it's quite frankly on everybody's lips and it's what we're all thinking about. We'll have a look at the press conference and what was covered and what we've got to look forward to for the rest of this game and also what the score predictions and how I think the game will play out in sort of the final part. So let's crack on, shall we?
Russell Martin's Departure Explained
00:02:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
So one of the things that obviously we've seen on social media, which obviously isn't the best source of information for everything, but sometimes can be, is Sky Sports reporting around the the Spurs game and the humiliating way that it played out in still probably the worst performance I've ever seen in a Saintshire, actually somehow worse than the 9-0s, at least the first half, is the thing that pushed the ownership into finally getting rid of of Russell Martin.
00:02:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
now We've been a bit Russell Martin ambiguous on this podcast, kind of kind of almost by design. And it it's because I can understand both arguments that I've struggled to kind of see where I landed. By the Chelsea game, I think we had firmly landed on the fact that he was gone and should be going. But I also couldn't see Sports Republic making the decision. It seemed very out of character for them to do so.
00:03:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
And the confirmation that it is that game that pushed the ownership into the decision and that they were not actively looking for a manager beforehand really proves my point.
Ownership Critique and Fan Resilience
00:03:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
And what I thought and hoped in the back of my mind was maybe a plan on how to deal with the footballing side of their business actually seems to be far more of a scramble that is hoping that maybe they can get a manager in the middle of the season and it's hard because who wants to take this job but also the Marshall Martins position did become completely untenable. So yeah so it's just really not helping the ownership sort of be shined under a good light. I know that a lot of us are critical and for good reasons
00:04:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
especially when it comes to the sort of the footballing side, they are trying very hard and doing a lot commercially. The problem is is that it's all well and good having the Dell Pub and it's all well and good remaking the entirety of the surrounding area around the stadium and creating all of these entertainment zones. If you've got nobody coming to watch the football,
00:04:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
doesn't really matter. And I think the problem is is that you will eventually get people start to to vote on their feet. And I think you saw that with about half of the stadium leaving.
Future Stability and Managerial Prospects
00:04:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that's no disrespect to anyone that didn't. I can understand it completely. And also shout out to the fans that did because it was a very difficult situation to stay in. I know Greg was one of them. I think he considers it character building that his kids see how terrible Saints can be whilst also enjoying the heights of a Wembley playoff final.
00:04:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
So yeah, i just it's just upsetting and hopefully they're going to plug that footballing sort of hole at some point because you can't run a business where the primary sort of the primary product is football and they seem to have kind of almost forgotten that. So I guess we'll have to see and hope that they are learning lessons. I am not too confident that's the case.
00:05:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
but all we have now is hope to cling on to. So I wanted to talk a little bit about Danny Roll and apparently talks are progressing with him, but there are are supposedly also talks happening with every other manager under the sun. Apparently he's keen to leave. Some of the things that I find slightly bizarre about about this decision and sort of, I guess the the overall level of support, the good thing is there is a large and overall level of support for it, which means that, you know, hopefully the fans will get behind him straight away, but myself included. To be honest, I'll back anyone that ends up in charge. But I feel like it's a realistic choice and target for our club. And as much as it's very strange to me that after complaining that Russell Martin was only a championship manager, we are getting in a championship manager who is also unproven in the Premier League. And there seems to be a lot of nostalgia around his ties to the club, which
00:06:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
in my opinion, are a completely different club to when when he was here. And I'm sure he would probably say the same and he might still have an affinity for the club. It is the man who was supposedly known as the brains of Hassen who already has done a fantastic job with Sheffield Wednesday. It does also reek of preparing for the championship, which means that we all seem to have collectively decided that relegation is happening.
00:06:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
should Let's face it, we all kind of know anyway, we need to crack and beat some crazy outrageous records to stay up.
Transfer Window Concerns
00:06:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I very much doubt that we're going to be able to do that. And it very much seems like a build for the future. And maybe, you know, if we end up down next year, if we do do put the work in to then come back up, it will be in the automatics because there seems to be a lot forgotten that we were fourth. We had to win a playoff final to get our position.
00:07:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
in the Premier League and is becoming more and more evident. But, you know, under a different system, under a different style of play, maybe some of those players that haven't sort of kicked into life can kick into life. But it does have me worried about more than a few things, especially the January transfer window. If we are now, if we have no director of football, I'm just hoping that, you know,
00:07:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
a lot of the scouting and the who we are getting in is being done somewhere else other than directly by who, what was Russell Martin's management team, because we're now in a situation where we are potentially have a load of people on a list that are no longer going to suit the way that the new manager comes in and wants to play. And I know that they want to keep it sort of similar and not deviate too far, but you know, needs must when it comes to the adaptability of the Premier League.
00:08:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Either way, it's going to be exciting to watch.
Press Conference Summary and Team Preparation
00:08:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's going to be something different to watch other than, hopefully, just decay, which, unfortunately, is not is kind of what we've seen over the last couple of couple of months. And that's not due to, I think, a lack of trying. And ultimately, stubbornness of Russell Martin, he paid the price of that. And I wish him well if he was a really, really likeable guy.
00:08:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that's why I felt so strange about the whole thing is because I i was kind of sad to see him go because it was it was, you know, he did bring a level of togetherness into the club that I think we should all be grateful for and the players hopefully are grateful for and that we have a group of players now, most of whom are still very together, still willing to fight for one another. And hopefully that is something that whoever comes in, whether it be Danny Roll or any of the other outrageous names on the list,
00:09:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hopefully they can take that and use it to build something. However, first of all, it's just a tiny little, tiny little game against ah Liverpool who, you know, as proven, despite getting a red card on the weekend, managed to pull back a draw. So, yeah, it's going to be a tough one. And I'll talk about the press conference right after a word from our partners at Zencaster.
00:09:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform. Zancaster came out the clear winner. With 4K video recording from your phone, AI editing that automatically removes all of the ums and r's, it's super easy to start a podcast that sounds great, is delivered efficiently. If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description to learn more about Zancaster. Right, so back to the exciting stuff with the football. Obviously, it's the contrast conference time and thanks to Alfie House always for his coverage.
00:09:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know Daily Echo is an infinite source of useful information for pretty much anyone. And part of that is making sure you ask the right questions. And part of that is the fans as well who ask Alfie to ask the right questions. so So thanks to all of you too. So judging by this press conference with Simon Rusk, he seemed completely taken surprise as much as the next guy, apart from every single one of us in the stadium, that he has suddenly taken charge of of the of the team and it's been a bit hectic because obviously Monday was the players off day and I think that was probably a good thing for them mentally. The fact that they've been able to sort of have that day to process everything that happened at the weekend. Process losing their boss because you know they're human at the end of the day it's very strange especially if they got on with him which a lot of the players did and kind of then deal with some of the anxieties as to what's coming next and then go in today
00:10:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
and training because you know I much prefer, if I get some stressful news personally, I much prefer to have a day to kind of process it before I'm then shoved back in a working environment. Whereas obviously now a lot, obviously it's very different with footballers because they're this is a unfortunately common theme for a lot of them and will be a common thing for them in their careers. But you know I think it's been nothing but a good thing to have that gap. There is obviously a negative that comes with that, which is that there hasn't been a lot of time to prepare for tonight.
00:11:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
And Simon Rusk himself said that he's hoping to prepare a plan for tonight. What that means, I do not know, because it probably means there wasn't a huge plan for today, previously, that any of the players had worked on, which is kind of worrying, because I'd have hoped that they'd have planned a few more games in advance, or it's the fact that they are kind of scrapping everything and going you know going back to step one.
00:11:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
say Yeah, I think what we can expect is that some football is definitely going to happen and it's going to be some football against one of the absolute powerhouses of the world at the moment, which is Liverpool. So he seems confident he can come up with something which which is nice to hear. I'd love to see it on the pitch, mind you. And he said he's going to work with some of the players to try and figure that out, which I think is is a sort of interesting tidbit because it means that who is going to be the players that he works with to
Injury Updates and Match Predictions
00:12:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
make that decision? Is it going to be democratic around the table or do you think he's going to sort of speak to some of the leaders? I personally would like to see Lilana in this game and I would leave like to see Lilana sort of leading from the front and trying to show a head of maturity in a situation that's quite difficult. You've got a couple of the other players that have been here for manager firings, relegations and stuff that
00:12:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
hopefully can keep the mentality to go through it, but, you know, some of those players were also playing someday. So who knows what will happen, but it will be interesting to see what the team sheet will be like. And it's probably one of the things that I'm looking forward to the most, because maybe we will see some surprises. It will be, maybe it will be something different. Maybe we'll finally see sort of Toolpool and Archer in the team after.
00:13:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
hoping for it for years, something we never saw under bussset russell under Russell Martin's reign. So yeah, that would be that. he You can tell it's a bit of a rush in a job, rush job for Simon Rusk because he seemed very excited to get back to his day job and was very adamant that he had absolutely no interest in taking the the manager's job, but is also so excited to be obviously able to step up and take you know a take on a job in the Premier League, even if it's for a day.
00:13:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
The fact that he has no plans to be in charge for Fulham implies that we are at least somewhere down the line with negotiations with a manager, whoever that may be. The only problem I have with that is, again, sort of how much we pay in for that what does that. How does that look?
00:13:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Again, it's all the uncertainties. I think it's just naturally we fear it. But then it could end up being that we get in you know a new manager by the weekend and and end up winning. who Who knows, stranger things have happened. It will be interesting for all of us nonetheless. And I think that for tonight, all we can do is back him and back whoever he picks and hope that we we put on a performance that is better than what we have seen in previous games. And I'm at is ah at this rate, anything less.
00:14:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
but a dropping five-five girls is considered considered a bit of a
Goalkeeping Challenges and January Speculations
00:14:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
win, right? So he said there's no more um injury concerns in the squad other than what we've already expected. But to be honest, I do wonder with him barely being able to have a conversation with most of the senior players, you know, whether or not he knows. One of the confirmations was obviously around us around. We didn't know whether or not Aaron Ramsdale was back in the team.
00:14:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think all of us can agree that maybe putting him as a pundit on our game, as much as it probably seemed like a nice idea at the time, I am baffled that it was green lit by anybody at the club or green lit in the background. It seems, to it seems, I know, for i I can only speak from like a sort of personal experience, but that seemed like a horrible situation to be in.
00:15:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
and probably would have much rather been able to be with his teammates than kind of having to mumble his way through and talk about how much he likes the manager only to then fill sort of 30 minutes later, Rusby giving his P45. So very, very, very strange. But hopefully he'll be back in the squad soon. We we're all we desperately need some sort of sort of stability in goal.
00:15:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
that cannot be provided by our current goalkeepers. And I do wonder, you know, considering how long we've got to get, wait for the bazoonie to get back, whether or not we even look to get another goalkeeper in January or move some of them on. It's a strange situation because, you know, we we want that, we need that area shored up, but also how many other clubs are in a situation where they were picking their fourth goalkeeper in the last couple of years, you know, very, very bizarre.
00:16:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
but I can certainly think, I certainly think he was better in golf than he's a pundit. That's just a personal opinion, but you know, I'm excited to have him hopefully back, but I i think that it might be after this game.
Youth Squad and Academy's Role
00:16:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
It was also nice to see Simon Russell talk a bit about our youth squad and sort of say that he's got some names that he didn't want to name. Hopefully that's because he's keeping his cards close to his chest and doesn't want to let all of the other teams know about players that are really good. And where maybe we have a few more Tyler Dibblings coming through the Academy. And I think Greg has spoken about this a little bit before, and some of the reasoning as to why our Academy suddenly seems to be producing Grade A talents again. And that's, I think, another reason for Sports Republic to understand why we need to keep the position in the Premier League, because it is far more enticing and for to keep those sort of star players from a young level in an Academy
00:17:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
if you're if your club is Premier League than to consistently yo-yo up and down. and yeah, maybe we'll see a few cameos. I don't think there's really a lot to lose. I know it's technically quite final of a cup, but I i don't think there's a huge amount of expectations that we're going to go out and beat Liverpool. So who knows? Yeah, that was pretty much the end of the press conference. That is where...
00:17:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
i I think that he did the best of his ability in this situation, and I think he's explained the situation as best he can. And all we can really do today is get behind whatever team is picked and hopefully bring a bit more of a positive atmosphere after a period of time that's turned a little bit more toxic. However, Flipside do completely understand where the Crystal Sports Republic come in.
00:17:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
so Let's listen to a word from our partners at the Global Sports Podcast Network. 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 broadcast.
Match Lineup Speculations
00:18:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right, so we're almost at the end of our show today. but However, I want to speak a little bit about the game tonight. I was looking at trying to predict lineups and obviously potentially Ramsdale missing and us ending up having Alex McCarthy in goal. It's going to be really difficult because we don't really know how we're going to line up. And if it's the players deciding and that, you know, we could see Ronnie Edwards and get a look in, we could see Bella Koch up on the field. very much doubt that simply because he refused to play for the under 21s and it's the under 21s manager running the shop. But who knows, stranger things have happened as as we keep alluding to.
00:18:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
so It's a very strange time for the club until we have that level of stability in. So, yeah, it's it's difficult, but i'm I'm hoping that whatever we put out, all of those players are there to give 100% and it is to make make up, I guess, for some of the most recent performances and and really show that if it was the system that was the problem, show us what you can do on the field without the system. However, I have a feeling that it will probably be a similar system they're not used to playing any other way at the moment. I don't think Liverpool will put out a full-strength squad. I don't think they probably think they need to because of everything coming thick and fast and obviously the state of the club currently. So my prediction personally would be 2-1 Liverpool. My co-host today Gregory isn't here but I know for a fact that the man reeks of optimism and to this day
00:19:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
has never predicted a Saints loss, so he will probably say the reverse of that, a 2-1 win to Saints, which is I'm pretty sure the same as his last time round. Where are those goals coming from? For me personally, I don't mind where, I just want to see us get a goal and not be absolutely trapped.
00:20:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
however It is a game against Liverpool on a Wednesday night, and that traditionally doesn't go bode
Episode Wrap-up and Thanks
00:20:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
well for us. So anyway, thank you very much for joining me today, everybody. It's been a bit of a weird one. It's been a while since we've we've had to do a solo episode, but I've thoroughly enjoyed going through and ranting as much as i but much as I've also enjoyed that. It's been it's been a shame to to miss out on my pants with Greg, but we should be back to some normal content from tomorrow.
00:20:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
I believe we've got our preview for the Fulham game tomorrow. And our crossover is Friday. We've got some so some change in around to the schedule. And then we'll be able to you know maybe even give you some more information on the matter the unknown managers that are supposedly taking over. But because as we all know, this this kind of stuff moves a mile a minute. And everyone's been refreshing Twitter whenever they're getting their news because you know Every couple of minutes, there's another article about something elsewhere. I saw that the Athletic have put out their yearly review of Southampton. So yeah, fun times. Thank you for listening, everybody. We're a young growing podcast. Obviously, check us out on all the social medias. There'll be clips on TikTok and Twitter and Blue Sky and Instagram and all those kind of places. appreciate you as always. Thanks for sticking with us. And we will see you in the next one.
00:21:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you very much. Bye-bye.