Shownotes Transcript
Seriously? Popula.
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At Sierra, discover top workout gear at incredible prices, which might lead to another discovery. Your headphones haven't been connected this whole time. Awkward. Discover top brands at unexpectedly low prices. Sierra, let's get moving. Chris Sutton, I saw a really interesting stat on social media on Sunday afternoon. Apparently, Bruno Fernandes...
June, United's one-all draw with Bournemouth, became the first player this season to create more than 80 Premier League chances. No wonder he's such a strong candidate for player of the season. Yeah, I've got another stat just to sort of volley back at you. Mo Salah has had 46 goal involvements this season. Ian, Manchester United, what did they score, 38 between them?
Aren't they Bruno Fernandes for playing in a bad team? I can't believe you're still clinging to the Bruno debate. I mean, that's absolutely... Well, clinging, I think, is very appropriate. But everybody, I suppose...
Things that you're just going nuts, that you're losing at end of the season, you're actually going bonkers. You've had a couple of arguments recently, haven't you? Which, I mean, you're a smart little intelligent fella, but it just seems like you're delusional.
Feels like you haven't been drinking enough. I mean, water, hydration. Maybe I should drink more. I've been clinging to my Bruno Fernandes play of the year argument like Warsaw are clinging to their League Two promotion hopes. For anyone who wasn't aware or wasn't listening last Thursday, I did propose on this show and indeed in a column that I subsequently wrote for Metal Sport that Bruno Fernandes is my player of the year. Let's say not many people agree. You want to change your mind?
Do you want to change your mind here or now? Let me say something. So when I put my column on social media, when I tweeted it on X, half a million impressions it's had so far, that column. Let's just say it hasn't had an awful lot of support. And there's a guy who writes for the Racing Post in Ireland who even wrote a column about it. He wrote a column about my column. Exactly. And was the column favourable?
Not particularly. I know the answer. What never ceases to surprise me with these things, seriously, is just how much people care. I mean, at the end of the day, this is not an argument about me saying, you know, that club's a terrible club or that person's a terrible person or that player's a terrible player. It's just me saying that this is my opinion on the best player in
or the most effective player or the player who's made the most notable contribution in the Premier League this season. That's all it is. Why do people, why does that generate so much hate? You know what I mean? I don't know whether hate, I don't know whether hate. Well, mate, if you read my Twitter timeline, then you'll see some hate. Seriously, people get so angry. Let me tell you a little story.
1999, Chris, what was the biggest football achievement of 1999? Well, Manchester United. Yeah, Manchester United's treble. Champions League, yeah, the treble. Do you know who won the Football Writers Association Player of the Season in 1999? Great question. No. David Ginola. David Ginola. And do you know why? Because United players split the vote.
Everybody voted for a different Man United player. And then about 20 people or 15 people, for some reason, voted for David Ginola. So you had kind of Roy Keane with a certain amount and Ryan Giggs with a certain amount and Peter Smichel with a certain amount and David Beckham. David Ginola won the award. So Alex Ferguson, never, surprise, surprise, never forgot it. Never, because it was a football rights award. Journalism, obviously, yeah, journalism hasn't changed much then.
Back then, Ginola winning it, and then you trying to put Bruno up there on a pedestal. Absolutely ridiculous. I think we know that Mo Salah will win it this year. A couple of comments on Spotify. Steve says, absolutely crazy take on Bruno. I assume Ian would have voted no.
Wilfred Zaha for the decade when Palace were a one-man team. Slightly peculiar take there from Steve. Oh, and by the way... That is a great take, actually, because that's exactly the route you went down, how important he was for his particular team.
Our old friend Chris McKell has been in touch. Chris, of course, is a chap who hates, hates it when Chris and I try to be funny, thinks we should very much stick to football. And he's here. Chris is here. He says, aside from the first five minutes always being an appalling listen, you have now added lip smacking before each sentence. Chris needs a new host.
I don't even know what lip smacking is. What's he mean? It sounds vaguely sexual. What's lip smacking? What's he mean? Well, well... Is it like some kind of wet mic thing? Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Is there a problem with the way I speak? No, I don't... I don't... No, I mean...
It's just not a compliment, is it? It's certainly not a compliment. We've done about almost 200 episodes of this podcast. Why is it taking so long for somebody to tell me there's a problem with the way I begin my sentences? Anyway, let's move on. Some football took place on Sunday. Some pretty big football took place at Anfield. Some pretty big football took place at Wembley. Liverpool are the Premier League champions. They are the English champions for the 20th time. Congratulations to Arne Slott.
and his team. Magnificent achievement, magnificent occasion at Anfield as it came from behind to Wallop and Postacoglu's stumbling, fumbling, bumbling Tottenham team 5-1. Chris, I want to read a few things to you. These were some of the predictions made by the great and the good of our industry at the start of the season. Gary Lineker,
who likes to think he knows a thing or two about football, said it will be impossible for Liverpool to win the league under Arnaud Slott. Garen Evel suggested Liverpool may tank and predicted a fifth place finish. Roy Keane agreed with him. Jamie Carragher went for third, while Alan Shearer admitted a title for Arnaud Slott would be a big ask for.
Of 30, 33-0 BBC pundits, meanwhile, none had Liverpool down as champions. And only two, Farrah Williams and Stephen Warnock, had them in the top two. As for you and I, my friend, you had Liverpool down as third in your BBC prediction.
And I also had them as third. And I must admit, I remember when I wrote that, I thought it was quite generous. The fact that nobody, unless there is someone out there, and if there is, give us a shout, nobody in the media had Liverpool down as potential champions, I think sums up the scale of this achievement.
Yeah, absolutely. And it was not just the change of managers, the fact that Liverpool didn't recruit, did they? Didn't go into the transfer market. At all. If it ain't broke yet, no need to fix it. But they still had to make that next step. Now, Manchester City, nobody saw that dramatic drop-off.
which they've had and I think people thought that Arsenal would push and Arsenal there are maybe reasons why Arsenal have fallen away you know injuries to Odegaard influential player at the start of the season Saka's been out for a you know a long period lack of a centre forward but you know Liverpool have just gone about their business the consistency which which
they've shown, I think I had a look back at last season. I think they won 24 games last season. And, you know, they've, they've surpassed that now, but it's just, it's just how consistent and relentless that, that they have been. And,
You know, one point which actually Dom King actually messaged us about and he talked about not signing Bellingham in 2023, that actually being a crucial sort of decision not to go down that route. They signed that summer. They signed McAllister. They signed Zoberslai. They signed Gravenbosch. The three midfield players who played yesterday who have been a constant,
you know, essentially for Liverpool that season. It's an interesting take, isn't it, that? But remember all the sort of, all the furore around, you know, whether Bellingham, you know, would go there or not. And, you know, he chose Real Madrid. But no, that's worked in Liverpool's favour. That's a really clever recruitment. But no, they've just been phenomenal this season. The big players have stood up. Van Dijk, we've mentioned Salah.
And it'll be an interesting summer now, and they deserve to celebrate because what happens next? Do they need to freshen things up? Or is it a case of Arna Slott will go with the same group of players? There's talk of Kerkes coming in at left back to challenge Robertson. Trent still, I mean, he's off, isn't he? But will they recruit in that area? Do you need fresh faces in to...
to give those current group of players competition. So there's so many questions, but at this moment in time, let's just let Liverpool enjoy the moment that they've deserved. They haven't only just won it, Ian. They have won it at pretty much a canter, haven't they?
Yeah, they have. And that's a really interesting argument, by the way, about Jude Bellingham. I'd missed that contribution from our friend Dom King. And yeah, interesting point. I'm not sure I agree. I think if you can sign Jude Bellingham, blimey, you sign Jude Bellingham. But I get it. I totally get it. Going back to something that you said at the start there about people talking about the drop-off of people like City and Arsenal, and it's undoubtedly true.
Both have had disappointing seasons in the league. However, City won the league last year. I've just been looking now. City won the league last year with 91 points.
So Liverpool, depending on what Liverpool do now with four games left, as we know, it's quite hard to keep yourself going when you're already over the line. But Liverpool could easily, and you would argue had they needed to, had it been a tighter race, probably going to exceed 91 points. So regardless of the drop-off from City and Arsenal, you could argue that Liverpool may well have got there anyway.
really salient point you made there I think about big players I was talking to Henry our producer just before we started recording and he was asking me how I think they've done it and I said well
Lack of injuries for a start, but then that's not a, you know, they've kept, they've pretty much kept all the big players fit, but then that's not a coincidence. One of the reasons that Liverpool hired Arne Slott was because of his brilliant record previously of managing workloads for players and how they'd noticed that teams he managed in Holland hadn't tended to suffer injuries previously.
And that, look at what's happened to Arsenal this season, for example. So I don't think that's been a coincidence and it's played a part. And the fact that their big name players have all come to the party, the goalkeeper and of course, Camin Callaghan, you know, that spell when he stood in for Alisson, but the goalkeeper, yeah, you've put your hand up there. Yeah, you called it. Yeah, I was just going to say Dom King. I'm going to say Dom King was right.
You know, I said Martinez, didn't I, start the season? I was wrong. Dom King, apologies. Alisson, best goalkeeper out there. What, you now accept that, do you? Yeah. Interesting, interesting. I got it wrong. Dom will be delighted. That's the first time you've ever said that. I've got this wrong. We should record that one for posterity. But also, the big name players who come to the party. So, Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk,
Mo Salah. And then you've had some of the players that you mentioned who have all performed consistently at a level, the midfield players that you mentioned. The number of Liverpool players who maybe have not achieved
what you may hope this season, you could probably name them one. You could certainly list them on one hand, maybe even one finger. I don't know where you go apart from Darwin Nunes, really, when you talk about... He still had his use, hasn't he? I remember being at Brentford where he got the...
got a late winner, didn't he? So he still had his use. But people like Luis Diaz, you know, Cody Gakpo have made major contributions. We've not named him. Very, very quickly before we move on. I wonder what will happen next season. People have been asking me, because Arne Slott has said that Liverpool will improve next season.
Now, I don't know if they will. I don't think they will without buying players because the levels have been so high this season. But more importantly, Chris, will they need to improve? Where is the challenge next season going to come from? It's easy to say, oh, City will be back. Well, will they? It'll be a totally new City team at the start of next season. That could go one way or the other. So beyond that, you need to step up again from Arsenal and...
Are people beyond that, Chelsea, Newcastle, Villa, Forest, are they really going to make a step up from where they are now to 90 points? Really? I'm not sure. Yeah.
I think the point you make about 90 points, if Liverpool can hit 90, they've still got to get to 90 this season, but that mark, show that consistency, then that's going to be a challenge, isn't it? I'm totally with you on Manchester City. It's interesting in the summer we say Liverpool didn't...
didn't bring players in, but neither did Manchester City. Then they made signings in January, sort of panic signings, essentially, with Pep holding his hands up saying, well, I got it wrong. I should have acted in the summer. We know about Rodri and Arsenal, the age-old, didn't sign a centre-forward debate. Their goals in the Premier League are well down on what they were last season. So it's up to them to respond. But no, Liverpool, I think it'll just be
carry on with that consistency. That will be the message. Just before we move out of this subject, I think it's worth just referencing something that Gary Neville said before kick-off, actually, former Manchester United captain, of course, decorated defender at Old Trafford. Gary Neville now in no doubt that Liverpool have re-established themselves as England's
Premier Football Club. Neville says, Liverpool will be the most successful club after today and that should cause Manchester United a lot of heartache and pain. It took a lot to get ahead of Liverpool and now that will be gone. Congratulations Liverpool and indeed to Manchester City and Crystal Palace. Chris, you are our two FA Cup finalists after the events of the
the weekend. I was at the, I was at the city forest game at Wembley. I was on the, the tube out of London, Chris, out to, out to Wembley Park before the game. And I was looking at a father and his lad, two forest fans, both in their forest shirts. The lad probably would have been about nine.
And I was sitting there thinking, what a wonderful thing that is. You know, for a club like Forest, you've not been on a stage like that for so long for a father and his lad to be able to go to Wembley and have that day out. And then I wondered after the game whether that little lad was okay, because there's one thing watching your team lose,
And another, watching your team when they don't really turn up. And for the first half of that game at Wembley yesterday, Forest were barely on the field and it really, it really cost them. Yeah. I mean, I'm a little bit worried now about the possible drop off from Nottingham Forest. Maybe, maybe we should have seen it coming just because of, you know, the question with Forest, have they had the strength and depth within the squad? Ole Aina missing,
at right-back. He's been arguably the best right-back in the Premier League this season. That would be one hell of a debate, his consistency. Surprise me, Nuno, leaving Alanga on the bench a little bit. But we know the way that Forest set up and play, and there has to be a real discipline with the way they play. And the key for them is consistency.
you know, not conceding an early cheap goal. And that, that's what they did. And then Manchester city, we know that, uh, that on their day, they can, they can make any team look, uh, bang average. And they did that to, to Nottingham forest. So look, it's, it's one of those, it's a sore one. It's a sore one for the Nottingham forest fans, but they mustn't, they mustn't forget the start of the season. Uh,
Where everybody thought they would be, would they have taken a semi-final? Of course they would. But would they have taken challenging for a Champions League place? Of course they would. It's just I hope now that the, and I'm sure it is the attitude amongst the players, is now to really go hard at these last few games and get themselves a Champions League spot, which would be an incredible season if they could do that.
Yeah, it absolutely would do. As we're talking here, I've just actually had a notification on my phone. Morgan Gibbs-White, who hit the bar and the post in the second half, Forrest hitting the frame of the goal three times in the space of 15 minutes when they finally got their act together in the second half. Yeah.
Morgan Gibbs-White, the Forest captain, has actually issued a bit of an apology to Forest fans for failing to take those chances. Don't really think there's any need for him to do that, Chris, given the contribution he's made. I hate that word, Blaise. In some ways, we know it's good in many ways, but what does he need to apologise about? What does the Nottingham Forest team need to apologise about this season? It's the sort of
You know, it's a situation where they shouldn't be apologising for anything. They've given their fans a lot to be happy about, me included. Yeah, absolutely. It's a modern thing, isn't it? It's one of those things that does happen in the modern game. You could learn a lesson from that.
I don't think we, uh, I don't think we need that. And we've had, we've actually had a, um, I'm listening to that. We've actually had a nice comment from a forest fan on Apple. Actually, Chris was going to read it out to you. This is from, uh, well, he goes under the pseudonym of split note bone on, uh,
He says, to say that this podcast is an acquired taste is something of an understatement, but I haven't stopped listening yet. I'm a Forrest fan since 1975, not a Johnny come lately like Mr. Chris Sutton. Oh, come on. Come on. He's better than that. He's better than that. Where was I born? Where was I born? We know. Nottingham. We know. Yeah. We know. My team.
Cut me in half. I don't know if that list, don't know if, well, mate, if you cut us in half, everybody believes red and white. Yeah.
I'm afraid that one doesn't work for this. You know what I mean, mate? That just, that really doesn't work. Um, I don't know whether that list, there was a, um, was at Wembley yesterday. I have to say it was a marvelous site at one end of the stadium to see 35,000 forest fans there. They certainly made their presence felt. Wasn't quite the same at the other end, uh,
Chris, City didn't sell their allocation for the semi-final. And Wembley was some way beneath its capacity. It's hard to say, and nobody's told us how many tickets City actually returned, but it certainly looked like 5,000 and possibly more. Now, I think it's an interesting debate, this. Lots of people on social media say, oh, City, not a proper club, haven't got enough fans, don't support the team, blah, blah, blah.
I'm not sure it's that. I'm absolutely not sure it's that. If I tell you that Man City have played at the modern Wembley 28 times since it was reopened in 2007, I think that actually points at the issue. And it's an issue that you and I have talked about before. It's about semifinals at Wembley. Um,
I travelled down from Manchester on Sunday morning. That train ticket, regular train ticket, cost about 120 quid return. If there was going to be extra time and penalties, you weren't going to get back in time. So that involves an overnight stay in a hotel and how much that costs. Add your match tickets, add the same for your kids, whoever you're going with, add your food and drink. You're not getting any change from five, 600 quid and back.
above Chris. Personally, I think that is the issue before we start pointing fingers at Manchester City supporters. I think if you're a City fan, it's the semi-final. There's a game for which you are favourites. Yeah, it was tighter than it might sometimes be, but you are the favourites. I think you're sitting at home thinking, I'll save my money, I'll save my powder until we get to the final.
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think every word you've said there, I would agree with. And, you know, it's the age-old debate, isn't it? What's wrong with having a semi-final, you know, Nottingham Forest-Northampton
Manchester City or Villa Park? What's wrong with having the semi-final at Old Trafford? I don't see what the issue is with that. We know why the semi-finals are at Wembley. It's about money and it's about the money over the fan, isn't it? And that's the whole situation there. It is. 100%. It is.
However, for once, I will offer an alternative. And that alternative comes from what I saw on the television 24 hours earlier on Saturday, because seeing the Crystal Palace end at Wembley, absolutely mobbed out and jumping with their banners and their drummers and all the things that they do at Palace. And similar at the other end, Aston Villa, that was a magnificent sight. And if that game had been at,
say had been at, well, it couldn't be at Villa Parks, it was Villa, but say that game had been at Old Trafford, right? You wouldn't have got as many Palace fans in. So some of those Palace fans who were there
Wouldn't have been able to go. Same for the Forest fans yesterday. Forest haven't been to Wembley for a big game for years and years and years. Well, excluding playoffs, a big kind of cup game at Wembley for years and years and years. And 35,000 of them are able to go. Again, that wouldn't be quite the same. So that's the other side of the debate. I did think when I saw Wembley on Saturday, it looked fantastic.
Why don't we start having quarterfinals there as well then? I mean, my view is Wembley should be for a final. It's a special place, a really special occasion. I actually think it waters it down having the semifinals there. But it's the financial aspect. You've mentioned Manchester City fans and that number, did you say 28 times have...
been at Wembley, what was the number you said, 28? And Pep after the game was talking, we've got to a semi-final the last seven times. I mean, that's an incredible achievement. So, you know, football is supposed to be for the working class fan and yet these fans, the numbers which you've said, they're being priced out of it. And, you know, no trains back to Manchester or the risk of missing a train, which...
You know, it could have gone to extra time, could have gone to penalties. Of course it could. So Manchester City fans have to make that decision. I'm broadly with you. I am with you, but I'm just presenting the opposite view. It's worth pointing out here that, of course, the FA's justification for having...
semifinals at Wembley has always been that it was helping to pay Wembley off to pay the debt in rebuilding it well that debt is now settled Wembley is now paid off it was paid off last year um so that is no longer a valid reason just as it's no longer a valid reason for continuing to play England into now every England international at Wembley um but when you sit there yesterday like I did and you look yeah the city end didn't look a great sight but you look at the forest end and
All those corporate boxes, not just all the Forest tickets have gone, all the corporate boxes are full. That's why FA Cup semifinals are at Wembley. But I must admit, I don't know whether this is logistically possible, Chris. I might be shot down about this, but let's face it, I'm getting used to that.
It may not be the districtly possible to wait until the semifinals are known and then decide where they're going to be played. Because if you've got one, say you've got one between, say you've got one between Manchester United and Manchester City. I mean, I've heard of Villa Park. I mean, why drag them all down to Wembley? Whereas if you've got Crystal Palace versus Tottenham and you think, yeah, we can sell Wembley out.
take it to Wembley. I don't know, but would that be fair to have one semi-final at Wembley and one at Villa Park? Would that be a problem? Don't think that would be a problem to me. Would it be to you? Would common sense be fair? Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, okay. All right, you've made your point clear. Let us know what you think on that, everybody. I'm sure that there'll be people listening who were affected yesterday. There were people listening who were at Wembley. There were people listening who chose not to go to Wembley. Let us know why that is. And anyone who's got a view on Liverpool next season or indeed this season, what is it that's made Liverpool so special this season and what are their chances of retaining the title next time round? Have they now usurped Manchester United as individuals?
England's premier football club. You can find us on the socials. You know where to go on X. I'm the one with the daft name and Chris is the one with the famous name. Equally, you can go to any of Malesport's social accounts and leave your views there. Or go to Apple or Spotify, wherever it is that you listen to this show, and find a space for your comments beneath the show notes. While you're there, leave us a rating and hit the follow button, of course.
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Some notable Premier League action on Saturday. Chris, I want to go to the South Coast. I want to go to the Amex. Brighton coming from behind to beat Graham Potter's West Ham 3-2 with a couple of goals at the death. Before we get into it, Chris, I just want to play a little clip of Graham Potter's press conference that he gave half an hour after the final whistle. Well, I'm going to be frustrated. Of course I am. I'm not...
not a robot. I'm a human being as well. I stand there myself, give everything to this, what I'm doing. Of course, I'm going to be upset. Of course, I'm going to be frustrated. I have to come here and speak calmly to you guys, but that's not the, that's not how I'm feeling inside. If you want me to swear, I can swear. So that was Graham Potter. I actually, I actually watched a whole, there's an extended clip you can find on, on socials of the whole of that press conference. That's about four or five minutes, Chris.
Similar vein to that, really. A bloke who's sitting behind that desk looking about as though his head's about to blow off his shoulders. Now, it's not unusual to see managers stressed in press conferences. You know that, Chris. You've been in the media long enough. I certainly have. But what is striking me and has struck me for a while about Graham is that this is not the Graham Potter that I recognise.
I won't claim to know Graham Potter well, but I have spent a bit of time with him, interviewed him a couple of times. I was with him once on a, back in the day on a, when he was doing his media training, actually, when he was doing his FA Pro license. I was with some other journalists who were kind of helping out that day with giving up-and-coming managers some advice on how to deal with the media. The thing with Graham is he's always been the most level guy, right?
when certainly when he was at Brighton the most level guy very very rarely looked ruffled very rarely looked stressed always looked in control of what he was doing always had a rational answer to a question always said things that made you go away thinking about the game thinking about maybe even about life you can be quite philosophical Graham when the mood takes him and I look at him now and
And I looked at him a little bit when he, towards the end of his time at Chelsea and he just looks angry and he looks frustrated and he looks like he wants to fight with the world. And that makes me worry a little bit about whether he's taken the right job.
Well, you wanted him to take the Everton job, didn't you? Two wins out of 12 now for David Moyes. Yeah, flying. Absolutely flying. How many places are they ahead of West Ham? How many points ahead of West Ham are they? Oh, well, a couple anyway. But no. Happy days. West Ham does that to managers.
doesn't it? And that is the point. And it's how you view it. They haven't had the managerial bounce under Potter. His record is worse than under Lopetegui. That's a problem for him because I think bringing him in when he first went in at West Ham, it was about improving the team. What I would say is
As far as I can see in his favour, they didn't bring any players in. I think they brought Ferguson in, didn't they, from Brighton? That was about it. So essentially it was the same group of players he hasn't really got the tune out of. So is it on him? I suspect he's feeling like he's a bit of damaged goods after what happened at Chelsea and he hasn't had the reaction which he would have expected from
at West Ham from the group, but I'll stand by what I just said. West Ham has done that to so many managers in recent times. Managers lose their heads, they lose the sanity. There's the expectation at West Ham
Last season, bringing Lopetegui in, there was a crazy appointment. Crazy appointment because they wanted to go down a different route in terms of the way that they played. He was never going to do that. And I think they were hoping that Potter would come in halfway through the season and sort of rejig things. But that hasn't worked out. Interesting summer ahead because what's he going to say over the summer, Ian? What?
What's he going to say to the hierarchy at West Ham over the summer? I want my own players in. They spent, what, 120? Was it 120 last summer? They spent a lot of money anyway, well over £100 million last year.
And so there'll be decisions to be made. Is Potter the right man? Is he going to get a tune out of this group of players? We can let him bring one or two in, or are they going to need to be wholesale changes? So decisions to be made. Yeah, absolutely. I will say this. I've seen West Ham play a couple of times live, two, three times. I've actually seen them play quite well, played quite well at Chelsea, England.
I think they drew or did they lose late on? Anyway, they played quite well at Chelsea. They played really well at Liverpool where they lost late on. 2-1, wasn't it? Yeah. They almost, they've won at Arsenal. They've won at Arsenal. Decisive game that was for Arsenal. And,
and they were two minutes from winning at Posse's old club at the weekend. So it's not as if it's all been terrible, but there has been some pretty ordinary football mixed in with all of that. But the thing that I wonder, and I really don't want to say this, because I like Graham, and lots of people on my side of the fence like Graham, but the way...
The vibe, I don't want to say it's conduct, but it's the vibe that he's giving off at the moment, the way he looks. If it carries on, people will start to say, oh, he can't cope at a big club. He was all right at Brighton where expectations are lower, but he couldn't cope at Chelsea. And now he can't cope at West Ham. People will start to say that. West Ham a big club in that...
Well, you've just said it yourself. It's a type of club that tends to chew managers up and spit them out. So you have alluded to that yourself. It doesn't mean they're a big club. That's just the way that they roll. Expectation.
expectation. That's what I mean. That's what I mean. Expectation, focus, spotlight, levels of criticism. There is a difference between Brighton and West Ham. And of course, there's a difference between Brighton and Chelsea. So that's, that would be my worry at the moment. On the field quickly, and I have to say, I thought that Steph Houghton's analysis of this on Matchday on Saturday night was fabulous and made me think. The two goals that Brighton scored late on Saturday,
The winner was a worldie, of course, from about 35 yards. But the feature of that from a West Ham point of view was players switching off. The third goal, the winning goal, short corner played while three West Ham players actually had the back to the ball
And then it gets recycled to the edge of the box, 10 yards outside the box. And there's not a player within a million miles as the guy curls it into the corner. They are really worrying signs when players are just dropping off, not concentrating at the death. And that's probably what his frustration is, Graham Potter. Would they have worked meticulously throughout the week on set pieces?
against set pieces for absolutely six and he'll yeah and he'll be in the dressing room afterwards saying exactly those things but this going back to my earlier point is it potter or is it the players so what's going to change over the summer potter a pound to a penny will say i need a whole new team here best part of a whole new team you need to help me and i
Will West Ham go again and spend big? Can they spend big? I don't actually understand all the FFP and what have you now. I mean, you know, can they spend big? How big can they go?
It's an interesting question, I'll be honest. I don't know where West Ham are in terms of the financial ceiling, Premier League rules, etc. We'll try and find out ahead of Thursday's show. What I would say, and that leads into this question, I'll say one thing, I would expect them, if they have a summer on the training field with Graham, I would expect them to improve, but let's see. Very quickly, Chris, their best player by mile is Jared Bowen, right? Yeah.
Jared Bowen is one of the best players in the Premier League, but in his own way, he's also kind of one of the most unfastable players in the Premier League. And what I mean by that is he never gets really spoken about. He gets picked for the England squad all the time. Never lets England down when he plays. Why is a big club, and when I say big club, it's a club high up the league. You heard West Ham down as a big club a minute ago. Why are they not?
bashing on West Ham's door to try and buy Jarrah Bowen. He's only 28 years old. I know he's tied down to a big contract, but contracts mean nothing if you put a lot of money on the table. Why are big clubs not trying to buy Jarrah Bowen?
That is a good question. And I could see him playing at Manchester City. I could see him playing anywhere. He could play anywhere in the Premier League, surely. Yeah. You know? Yeah. I think he may struggle to take Mo Salah's place with his goal contributions, 46 this season in total. Anyone can play in a good team. Anyone can play in that Liverpool team. Chris, do you have a moment of the weekend for me?
Well, I do have a moment of the weekend. And it's my son, Harry, running his first marathon yesterday. Young, young Harry. And we're really proud of him. Ran for Alzheimer's UK. Of course, my dad passed away with dementia. So a good, you know, really good cause for,
And he got over the line very well. He did have a little bit of an issue, though. On Thursday, it was, he phoned me and he was quite sort of animated. He said he's worried that he's in one of the early waves, one of the early running waves. He said he could be running with Elliot Kipchoge because when he put his estimated time in, when they said, you know, what
What time do you think you're finishing? I think he put sub, I think he put around two hours, 45 or something. Anyways. Did he take in the bus? I don't know what he was thinking. And then when he started off, me and my son, George, George has run marathons. We're like, Harry, just take it easy. Cause he's never run one before. I think he ran 30K last month with his brother. We're like, Harry, take, you've got to take it easy. Just run just over nine minutes.
you know, nine minute mile pace. That'll get you, that'll get you around in four hours. Yeah. So, so yeah. So then, so then we, I was watching my daughter play cricket yesterday and looking at his splits and his first split, he was running eight minute mile pace. I called him because he was, I had his head pieces in. I don't know,
For God's sake. Did you call him? I called him. I was like, for God's sake, for God's sake, Harry, slow down. Just run nine minutes. He said, oh, I'm feeling really good, Dad. He said, it's downhill at the minute. He said, it's great. I'm feeling great. And I'm like, you've got another 23 miles to go, you idiot.
I mean, but that's brilliant. You called him to slow him down. Well, you obviously did a fine job because he got around at about three, what was it? 350 or something?
He got round 3.59.46, right? Oh, what an effort. I'm telling you. I mean, that is... I'm telling you. I mean, look, when I... Can I just finish? Can I just finish? Yeah, of course. I'm telling you, he would have got round in about three hours. He kept stopping and hugging people. He'd have got round in an ambulance if he'd been carried on that early pace. He stopped... He kept stopping and hugging people. Did he know them?
no, just random people. They were like, cause you know, they have the name on the vest. Like go on Harry. They're all like, go on Harry. And he's like, Oh, come here. Give us a hug. I mean, there was so many layers to that story. So many layers to that story to one pick. First of all, congratulations, Harry. Anyone who gets around a marathon course deserves the medal that they get. To do it under four hours, super effort. Um,
also to our producer Henry who got round in three hours and 49 terrific effort Henry well done and also to Matt Gatlin our sports editor at Mail Sport who also got round the London course in a very very respectable time on a hot day well done to all of you but I do love that Chris I love the fact that he put himself in the long wave at
I look at the wrong way, but I love the fact that you chose the deck chair on the boundary at Sophia's Cricket rather than making the effort to go down to London and watch him. But the fact you called him, there you go, that's modern life, isn't it? When I did the mountain 10 years ago, I didn't take my mobile phone with me. Of course I didn't. I just took my running shoes. The fact you called him and told him to slow down, fabulous. Well done, everybody. One of my moments of the weekend, by the way, is also to do the mountain. I don't know if you've seen it. It's on socials. It's absolutely magnificent.
the bloke who got round dressed as Big Ben, right? Just a whole mouth and 26.2 miles, whatever it is, dressed as Big Ben. And then he gets to the finishing line and he can't get under the thing because he can't get under the thing.
because the top of Big Ben is so tall. So he's stuck there and he's like, I can't really describe it, but if you imagine the top of his costume stuck on the barrier at the finishing line. But he really can't get through. It's not just that he can't get through at first, he just can't get through.
And then a bloke comes, a volunteer comes to help him and he can't get him through. And by the time they've kind of twisted him on his side, the bloke's almost collapsed from exhaustion. Superb. But at least if you, I suppose at least if you do, if you do a marathon dress as Big Ben, at least you're never going to be in any doubt of not knowing what time you are doing. To the football world,
Anyway, lovely pictures I saw on social media of the Tranmere manager, Andy Crosby, in the pub with fans after securing his club's survival at the bottom of the pyramid for another season. Tranmere stay up. Sadly for Mark Hughes and Carlisle, they are down. They will lose their place in League Two after defeat at the weekend. He's given it a good go, Sparky, but they didn't quite manage
to do it. Walsall, as we mentioned at the top of the show, lost again. They've got one more chance at next weekend, but it looks as though they're going to lose out on automatic to Bradford. Good luck, Walsall, in the playoffs if that's where you end up. But I think my favourite moment of the weekend, I have to say, is so Forest Green. If I say Forest Green to you, Chris, what would you, what's the thing that makes Forest Green stand out in this, in this big corporate world of football? Hmm.
Yes, they're sort of a vegan club, aren't they? Vegan football club. Vegan football club. Can't buy meat-related products at the ground, etc. Vegan football club. They played Oldham at the weekend and there was a group of about 12 Oldham fans went down there dressed as butchers. LAUGHTER
Thanks to my mate Nigel who sent me that. I just thought that was... Was Mike Keegan one of them? Was Mike Keegan one of them? Our chief sports reporter. I do not know. I will have to ask him. Right, there we go. Interesting show again. Well done, Liverpool. Well done, Celtic, by the way. Brendan Rodgers and his team are Scottish champions once again. That's been another runaway success for Brendan and his team north of the border. And...
Let us know your views on what we've talked about today, everybody. Varied show as always. What does Liverpool need to do next season to make sure they can win the league?
Again, Wembley in semi-finals, right or wrong? Graham Potter losing the plot already at West Ham or just showing some of the natural frustrations that all managers feel at some stage in a career? Let us know. You can find us on the socials, of course.
And also you can go to Spotify, Apple, wherever it is you get this show, get in touch there. Please do follow us, leave us a rating. It's really important. We'll see you on Thursday. Big weekend of football, particularly in the Championship coming up next weekend. We'll get into all of that on Thursday. I'm in Ladeham and the chap who never wants to go to Wembley again as long as he lives is Chris Sutton. This has been It's All Kick-Ass.