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Chris Sutton, I have a question for you. It's a sporting question. And it is this. Is there such a thing in sport as a good loser? Oh, wow. What a good question. That is a good loser. Well, there shouldn't be really, should there? If you're a real sports person, then you sort of have to be a bad loser. So I would personally say no.
So it's Justin Rose, not a great sports person. Olympic gold medalist, US Open winner. He's a lovely guy. Right, hang on. US Open winner, Olympic gold medalist, Ryder Cup store war. Is he not a great sportsman? And I'm asking you that because the way he accepted defeat in that incredible US Masters on Sunday night, I thought was absolutely phenomenal. What a way to deal with crushing disappointment.
Yeah, that's, I mean, yeah, I mean, very, very dignified. And he's a great, great speaker, isn't he? Yeah, I agree with all that. But, you know, I think underneath he'll be really feeling it. Because he's, I'm not a golf expert, but he, did he not get beaten in a playoff before? By Garcia, yeah. So, I mean, you know.
In his own, you know, when he's back in his own hotel room or wherever he was staying, I bet he would, I bet that. Yeah. So, you know, he won't, it was, I was listening to it on the radio, actually, because I was travelling back from Scotland last night. And it was brilliant because I couldn't believe, I mean, McElroy, when he, yeah,
When he missed that putt on the 18th, I thought, that's him. That's Curtin's again. So for him to, you know, well, you obviously thought the same, but for him then to, you know, to beat Rose in the playoff, I mean, I was listening on the radio, but to hit the shot into the green within a couple of feet, you know, was...
Remarkable balls, isn't it? And he won it. Yeah. McIlroy must have felt like he won it about four times because he did hit four, probably three or four shots good enough to win your average major, but kept finding ways to kind of give Rose a chance. But I only really asked that question about being a good loser and a bad loser because we see so much in football.
of people losing or, or dealing with defeat in a really undignified way. You know, we were talking last week about Jose Mourinho, uh, tweaking the, tweaking the nose of the opposition manager after the Istanbul, Istanbul Derby. We have, um, Andrew Postolković constantly staring, staring at the floor, um,
an endless other, you know, no luck handshakes between managers at the end of games. I just thought that the way that Rose dealt with it was a brilliant, a brilliant example. Final, final thing on this before we talk about football, we'll be upsetting people by the fact we've been going for three minutes and not talked about. Can't talk about other sports. But, yeah,
Nick Faldo, Sonic Faldo, he's a bit of a Marmite character. I get that. But I just think he's a fabulous analyst on TV. And there was a great line because Bryson DeChambeau didn't have a great round. Later, by the way, complained that Rory McIlroy didn't talk to him during his rounds. Sorry, mate, but we're not there to be, mate. Sorry, the last round of a major. Anyway, DeChambeau had a bad day. He was hitting it left and right and anywhere but straight.
And at one point after he'd hit another hook into the trees, Fowler said, I think Bryson must have had bananas for breakfast. There we go. Do you know what I thought was fascinating? Who would have enjoyed that? Rory McIlroy's mind coach.
Oh, Bob Rattela, I think his name is. Oh, is it? Yeah, I don't know the name. Yeah, Bob Rattela. So did the mind coach do a good job? He ended up winning, but did the... Apparently there was a great piece of advice from Rory's caddy. His name escapes me. Rory's caddy... Not the mind coach.
Well, I'm just saying that I think, yeah, you know, sorry, Roy has a mind coach, but I think caddies are incredibly important in golf, aren't they? Because they're not just people who carry the clubs and give you the clubs that, you know, friends and confidants and et cetera. And apparently after he'd missed that short putt on 18 and they were getting in the buggy to go all the way back up 18 to start the playoff, apparently his caddy just said to McElroy, you know, if he'd have offered us this opportunity on Monday morning, we'd have taken it.
And Rory said that was just the perfect way to reset his mind. But why are you asking me about Rory's mind, coach? There must be a reason why you're asking me. Because, no, I was just saying, you know, it's interesting and all that sort of stuff. But the fact that he did miss...
I think they can do so much, only so much. I don't know how much they get paid, probably get paid a fortune. But I do think psychology does have a large part to play in sport. But in moments like that, when he missed that putt on 18, and of course it had heartbreak there so many times before,
then, you know, he's out there on his own. I don't know what a mind coach can, you know, can do in those moments to prepare you for that. I disagree. I think quietening the mind is incredibly important.
in a sport like golf, but also in life. And I don't say that I'm not being facetious about that. You know, I've had a bit of counseling over the years. Don't mind saying that. And it's, it's helped me. And I know lots of other people who have as well. I think quietening the mind is important. And I, you know, we all, we've all been in situations where you're,
mind races away with you. You can't have that on a golf course, can you? You can't have that on a golf course. You've got, and it's not a team sport. You're out there on your own. And when you mess up like Rory and Dowsley did on 18 first time round, you've got to find a way to get your head back in the right place. Some people, and I suspect you, knowing you quite well now, I suspect that you were quite good at that when you were
When you're a footballer, you are quite mentally strong. You are able to laugh things off and move on very, very quickly. I know that about you. But I just don't think other people are that fortunate. I think other people... Yeah, that's what you go back to, isn't it? I always used to go back to practice. That was my thing. I could just imagine if that were...
I can just picture you being sort of my caddy, missing that putt on 18 and then going to the playoff hole and you calling me a fucking twat or something. I think I'd have been saying to you, I think I'd just been saying, reminding you of how much money you just lost me.
That's what I'd have been saying to you. You can carry your own clubs next time, you dick. But that is a better line than Rory's caddy, isn't it? That would have been funny. I probably would have offered to do your putting for you. That's what I probably would have done.
Anyway, look, we're seven minutes in now. Seven minutes in. We've gone from good losers to mind coaches to facetious jokes about caddying. So let's talk about some football. There were two big losers in the Premier League over the weekend, Manchester United and Tottenham. There were other losers as well, of course, but those two results do stand out.
lots of angst once again after Manchester United defeat Roy Keane's been at it again calling United players bluffers etc we've heard all that before I must admit I'm getting a bit bored of all that really but and look the Ruben Amorim stats are not great let's be frank about it he's won six out of 21 Premier League games when you consider that David Moyes has already won five at Everton and Victor Pereira has run eight out of 17 at
Wolves that sums that up a little bit United are 14th in the league they'll have a goal difference of minus seven and whatever happens between now and the end of the season they will finish this campaign with the lowest points total of the Premier League era however
That to me, they'd lost 4-1 at Newcastle, of course. That to me, Chris, looked like a team and a performance that had Thursday night's Europa League second leg against Lyon written all over it. Hard to tell though, isn't it, with Manchester United? So I can't disagree with that, but it's just hard to tell. I mean, it's interesting, I think, for Manchester United's
and Tottenham's perspective because if they win the Europa League and, you know, both have a, you know, a great chance really are so, so difficult to predict when you think as a Bodo Glimp to, uh, a two up against Lazio, uh,
and you think, blimey, if Tottenham can get through against Eintracht Frankfurt and win that, they'll have a great chance, although they're on the Astro turf, aren't they, Bodo Glimm? Which is astonishing, really. Europa semi-final played on that. No, I didn't know that. Played on Astro, and then you've got Manchester United, Lyon, and Rangers going to Atletico Bilbao. So that is, you're looking at Tottenham and Manchester United really and thinking, what an opportunity, but
In many respects, what I'm getting to, Ian, is if Ruben Amram gets over the line in the Europa League...
which it will be. And in many ways, will it save their season? Well, in the respect that, so they win the Europa League, they qualify for the Champions League, don't they? But will it save their season in the eyes of the supporters? Or will it just be papering over the cracks? I think it's papering over the cracks, isn't it? And Manchester United need a big summer season
in terms of recruitment, but I don't know whether they're, whether they're capable of having a big summer and, and, and who is, is really going to want to go to Manchester United based on where they're actually at at this moment in time. Now that you've touched on my point that really, um,
The team selections from Ange-Proster Colgrew and Ruben Amrim were definitely made with the Europa League ties in mind. They both said so. They both said so after the game. Spurs made six changes, I think. We can't blame them for that. No, you can't blame them for that. But...
One of the reasons of this, of course, is that not only do they want to win the Europa League for the Europa League's sake, they obviously do. But if you win the Europa League this season, just like it was last season when they changed it, UEFA changed it, you go straight into next season's Champions League. You don't even go into the qualifiers. You go into the group stage in that big new kind of league table that they have now in the Champions League. And I think that is fundamentally wrong and unfair.
I absolutely, I absolutely do. And I think the reason that I do is that if you are, so at the moment, United are 14th in the Premier League, Tottenham are 15th in the Premier League. Okay. So if you are, and I'm off the top of my head, if you are Fulham or Brighton or Brentford,
or Bournemouth, or even Aston Villa, or a club like that, and you have managed to build your football club the right way, hire the right coach, sign the right players, get them playing the right way, and I'm talking specifically about clubs like Brighton and Brentford and Fulham, to start chipping away at that glass ceiling that we know has been there in the Premier League for so long, and you feel you're on the verge of breaking through it, only to find that
that one of the games' traditional elite clubs has got a route into the Champions League despite bombing in the Premier League. And that route in the Premier League would give a club like Manchester United or Tottenham in the region of £90 million guaranteed just by playing in the group stage next season. That makes a huge difference to the recruitment policy of those of that club if they do it.
And that is absolutely wrong. It's absolutely wrong. It's a kick in the nuts for teams who are progressing in the Premier League. There's no justification at all for a Europa League winning club to be handed a free pass and all the money that comes with it into European football's elite competition. It's fundamentally unfair and wrong. That's the end of my little speech. So where are you on the playoffs then? Do you enjoy the playoffs?
I enjoy the playoffs, yes. Do you like the principle of the playoffs? No. Same principle, isn't it? Well, well, well. It's exactly the same, Ian. Well, you don't get in the championship playoffs for finishing 15th, Chris.
Okay. Right. But that's it. But, but, but, okay. Understand. I understand what you're saying. At least you've got to have a decent season in some degree to get in the playoffs. But, but, but Tottenham and Manchester United, and it doesn't matter, Ian, you know, you, you call them traditional and elite clubs. It doesn't, doesn't matter. Well, it does. And I'll come to that. Well, well, well, no, it doesn't matter because whether they're traditional and elite, they earned the right position.
to play in the Europa League last season. They earned the right to play in the competition. And the way the competition works out, it's not their fault. It's not Tottenham and Manchester United's fault. And if they do get over the line, you know, you don't like it, but it's the same across Europe. It's the same across Europe. It's just the way it is. But then the playoffs are wrong.
I understand your point. I don't, like I say, at least you have to have a progressive season to get in the playoffs. Okay. They earn the right. They earn the right. They can't do anything about that. They earn the right from their, from, from the seasons, which I had last season to play in the Europa League. If you go back to when the Champions League was conceived in its original form as a European cup in the 50s,
And it was conceived as a team for champions and as a competition for domestic champions. And we know we've moved on from that. You know, there'll be five Premier, you know, the top five in the Premier League will get into Champions League this season. We could talk about that as well if you want, but we've done it before. But it's a competition that rewards a relative success
in your domestic league, whether that's coming first, second, third, fourth, fifth, whatever. You get rewarded for your league season. Tottenham and United have bombed in the league. There should be no reward. £90 million. That is a huge advantage to Manchester United and or Tottenham going forward next season over clubs who have finished above them in the league this time. And what it is, it gives UEFA, it's classic UEFA, because all UEFA want is their players
are traditionally big clubs in their big competition. The clubs with the biggest fan bases, the clubs that will draw the biggest number of TV viewers, that's who they want in their competition. So they offer that, so they give the Premier League five places and then they think, well, the teams that usually end up in the Europa League, the Europa League usually sweeps up
Any of the big teams that might have had a bad season, so haven't got in the Champions League, they get in the Europa League. So tell you what, we'll give one of them a chance to get back into the Champions League as well. It's elitism. It's elitism in its purest and dirtiest form. It's exactly what it is. And it's fundamentally wrong. And it's not United and Spurs fault. You're absolutely right.
Maybe, you know, as I say, we can go around in circles. They earn the right. It doesn't matter about size of club. That's, you know, that's your view. You know, if Brighton scramble into a Europa League place, you know, and next season they win the Europa League, would you be...
Would you be coming up with the same argument? Yeah. Atlanta got in it last year by winning last year's Europa League. They got in it, did quite well. That was okay? Same principle. No, they shouldn't have been in it. Right, let's move on. It's a good subject. Let us know what you think about it on the socials. People out there must have strong views on this. Is it right? Should the Europa League winners be given...
a berth in the Champions League next season. In fact, let's make it a poll on Spotify. Henry, our producer, will do that. If you're listening on Spotify, go to beneath the show notes and you'll see the poll there and have a vote and we'll let people know on Thursday. And just by the way, so my argument was an alternative argument. You know, that's given me something to think about because I do understand where you're coming from. If you are a team...
who's worked hard to, to getting to, into a spot by right in your own particular league, then that would, that would, that would feel sore. But, you know, on the flip side of that, it is what it is. Quick question for you. Don't expect to know the answer. Maybe you do. That first European Cup that, like I say, that was conceived back in the fifties had about 12 teams in it or something. Who do you think the Scottish representative was in the very first European Cup? This must be a trick question. Yeah. Uh,
I thought you almost said it then. Wraith Rovers. Hibernian. Hibernian. Hibernian played in the first European Cup back in the 50s. You're looking puzzled, but it's true. No, I'm not disputing that. This is a paid advertisement from BetterHelp. Life can get overwhelming and stress and anxiety have a way of creeping up on us.
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Anyway, there we go. Look, we've dwelt on that for a while. We were going to talk about whether Man Utd need a goalkeeper. I think we probably know the answer to that. We were going to talk about Ange-Postel Klagou. Is his goose cooked? But I think we probably know the answer to that as well. So we're not going to talk about either of those. We're going to move on. We're going to talk about Arsenal and Brentford. Arsenal drew 1-1 at the Emirates on Saturday and...
have to say what's the portion of the game, Chris? And I begin to wonder, has one good Champions League result, albeit a brilliant Champions League result on the back of a brilliant performance against Real Madrid, is that now in danger of covering up some pretty huge cracks in Arsenal's season? 10 points out of the last 21 in the league Arsenal have taken. And they haven't really played anyone apart from Chelsea at home in that run either.
If Arsenal win the Champions League, it's been a phenomenal season. And if they don't? Yeah, and if they don't, then they'll still finish second in the Premier League. Maybe. Well, they will. Maybe.
If you're saying, have they pushed Liverpool hard enough? I think I spoke about this last week. I don't think they have. And Arteta, the team he put out against Everton, suggested all his eggs were going into the Champions League basket and the justification was in the result against Madrid. But the wider point about Arsenal, where I think if you scratch beneath the surface,
Last season, 89 points. This season, the maximum they can get, I think, is six games left, so the maximum they can get is 81. They are miles down in terms of goal scoring. So that is an issue. And you could look at it and say, should they have pushed Liverpool harder? Absolutely. Liverpool, they remind me a little bit. It's slightly different because of...
you know when I was at Blackburn and we won the title back in the day there was there was the Manchester United challenge but they do remind me of the fact that they that they're fading the longer the season has gone on and they've lost their energy and you just think had Arsenal been able to exert a bit of pressure then it would have been fascinating that hasn't happened they've
They've let Liverpool off the hook, and I think that's your point. Liverpool haven't been pressurised, but that's not Arnaud Slott's fault. That's not Liverpool's fault. It's maybe something I think Mikel Arteta will look back at the end of the season and think, yeah, we should have been better. I think it's a fascinating summer for Arsenal. I think it's absolutely fascinating because they have to solve the striker conundrum. It isn't going to be like last season where Arteta –
had a way out because the goals were coming from all areas of the team. They are short in that centre-forward position, and as good as Mourinho's goal was against Madrid, and you spoke about it, it was a brilliant, brilliant finish. He cannot, that cannot be the answer. So Arsenal, who they bring in over the summer, will determine whether they can really challenge next season. And there are Arsenal fans out there who...
I think they're a little bit tired of second place and challenging. They want to make that next step. You know, they don't want to be this nearly team, but, you know, they could well end up winning the Champions League, which would be enormous for McDonald's. Everything depends on that. I think saying that they're slightly fed up of coming second is probably an understatement. I mean, this is an eatery.
great opportunity for clubs like Arsenal. Some of the traditional clubs, as we know, have fallen away and are struggling to get back. We're going to talk about Chelsea in a minute. They're in danger of not making the Champions League. United, Tottenham, other clubs have fallen away. City have fallen away this season. This is an era of great opportunity for Arsenal with other clubs in flux and they are in danger at the moment of letting it pass them by.
You said a minute ago, you said something like, it's a shame that Arsenal haven't pushed Liverpool. I tell you what, mate, I was at Anfield on Sunday as Liverpool beat West Ham. You wouldn't even need to push Liverpool
Liverpool at the moment. You just need to blow on them from behind and they'll fall over. Seriously, they have had a brilliant season and when they claim the Premier League title in a couple of weeks, that is all that matters and that is the way that they should be judged. However,
At the moment, Blimey, you talked about mind coaches earlier in the context of golf. Goodness me, they need a collective. They need a collective one because they were shot to pieces second half against West Ham yesterday. We'll talk about that in a minute. But Arsenal, so you also mentioned about the distractions of the Champions League and having a second leg coming up this week in Madrid.
Arsenal are 3-0 up but we know that that could you know if Madrid score in the first two minutes on on Wednesday evening in Spain that tie could change we know that okay however if you're going to be a great team you want to be a great team you've got to do both okay
You've got to be able to track forwards in the Premier League and track forwards in the Champions League as well. We know teams have done it. City won a treble a couple of seasons ago. And I look back to when Liverpool won the Champions League in Madrid against Tottenham in 2019. I'd actually forgotten. So that season when Liverpool won the Champions League, they lost one league game.
and racked up 97 points. They didn't win the bloody league because of Manchester City, who got 98 points. But Liverpool managed to win the Champions League and lose only a single league game in that whole season. That's the challenge for Arsenal. And at the moment, I have to say, mate, they're miles off being there. They're miles off that level at the moment. I'm not sure a striker solves that. They're miles off that level, mate. The goals, I mean, they are...
They're really down, aren't they? So this season, what are they? 57 goals this season. Last season, 91.
I mean, so, you know, you're talking about not just... 57-91, did you say then? I think it's 57-91 last season. Wow, I hadn't realised that. They scored. So, you know, that's a lot of goals down. So while it's one department, it's a major issue. Look, I mean, you know, hands up, Arsenal have had injury issues.
which have hurt them and we get that. But there is an interesting debate because it is, you know, from the league perspective, we thought Arsenal were building, were going to, you know, really challenge, maybe make that next step this season. But if you, you know, scratch beneath the surface and you look at the stats, you know, you look at 12 draws this season.
for Arsenal and you, you know, you turn half as easy, easy to say that and, you know, hypothetical, but you, you know, you, you turn half those draws into wins and there'd be a point in it or whatever it would be, you know, there's those, it's those fine margins, isn't it? But, but, but, but certainly that is, that's the deal in the summer, which is going to make or break Arsenal, you know,
next season and I'm repeating myself now but while they could get away with it last season with the goals and that debate you know goals coming from all areas of the team why do we need to change I totally get that I totally understand that
But that's not going to wash with Arsenal fans this season. So then it's who, it's who can make that difference. Mikel Arteta said after Saturday's game, we have to be critical of ourselves. I think he's absolutely right. And I have to say, I think people have been kind to Arsenal at the moment. I think, you know, look,
It's not a disaster. I think it is in the league. I think it is in the league. Not finishing second. It's not a disaster. I think in the context of this season and the opportunity that was there for Arsenal, I think it is a disaster. I think this has been a huge opportunity missed. And if they win the Champions League...
you know, nobody will be more pleasing to your eye apart from Henry, our producer. But, you know, we'll be willing them on the Champions League. Of course we will. They were magnificent against Madrid last week. That shows how they can play. But they are falling off a cliff in the league this season. And I think people... Honestly, I know you're a journalist.
I know you're a journalist, but disaster. I mean, Tottenham have been a disaster. Manchester United have been a disaster. It's all relative, though, Chris, isn't it? It's all relative. It's all relative. If you're a two-handicap golfer and you go around your local club in turnover, it's a disaster. If you're a 10-handicap golfer and you go around your local club in turnover, it's a good day at the office. It's all relative, Chris. That's what we say in Norfolk. And relative... Well, it's all relative. There you go. There you go.
You're trying to get yourself kicked out of Norfolk or something. A couple of weeks ago, you were going down the inbred route and I tried to stop you and pull you back again. And you refused and you just carried on barging your way down towards upsetting people. We're all friends. We're all friends and family.
Indeed. Anyway, like I say, I was at Anfield on Sunday. Goodness me, that was an extraordinary half an hour in the second half. We don't need to go deep into it because everyone who watched it knows what they saw. But I tell you what, mate, when it was 1-1, especially the nature of the West Ham equalising goal,
I was sitting there thinking, I'm not sure Liverpool are going to win another game. They were absolutely shot to pieces. Seriously. It's amazing. They would have found a way. I don't know. It is amazing what the mind, and we're back in this subject again, it's amazing what the mind can do to sportsmen. It's unbelievable. Is it not physical though? So I didn't see the game yesterday. I had a look at the goals. Yeah.
last night. But should we not be really praising Arne Slott then for the way that he's adapted the Liverpool team? They're not so, you know, Jurgen Klopp, blood and thunder. And, you know, he's been getting praise, a lot of praise and rightly so, for being more balanced this season. Because, you know, imagine had they been shot to pieces physically two months ago, then it may have been a real problem. I think he's mental.
I think it's mental. Do you? Yeah, I do. Yeah, I think it's mental. Well, it was yesterday because they found the energy in the last five minutes once they'd been pulled back to one all. It's amazing, isn't it? The psychology of sport. I've written that in my match report on Mail Online this morning, how Liverpool can spend half an hour in the second half, having been comfortable with a better team and playing very well in the first half. You can spend half an hour in your own half in the second half, can't get the ball, retreat, retreat, retreat.
retreat until the edge of your own penalty area, until you inevitably start to cough up chances. And then as soon as one of those chances goes in, it's like somebody flicks a switch and all of a sudden they create three chances in the space of a minute down at the other end. And the third one goes in. It's amazing. That's the mind. That's the mind. So that's the mind. What's interesting about this, I think it's really hard to measure. And when I say that, so Brendan Rodgers in England,
up at Celtic this last week. Celtic lost to the bottom team, St. Johnston. The lead at the top there, well, the league's done now because Rangers drew yesterday, but it was similar points lead. Celtic 13 points clear. Brendan Rodgers spoke about the fact that that points gap, and it may be the same at Liverpool. You're saying they're shot to pieces physically, but that points gap
There's that whether players psychologically lose that edge because they aren't on red alert. They're not under pressure. And I do take his point. I don't know, as I say, how you measure that. But it could be something that this great Liverpool team, they haven't been pushed. That was your point about Arsenal.
So it may be, you know, it's just all a bit flat and, you know, they're going to get over the line. We all know that. We're all expecting, you know, they're not going to slip up now. There's not a Catlin Hells chance they're going to slip up. It may just be that they're not...
you know, there's not that ferocious approach because, you know, they don't have the adrenaline pumping standing in the tunnel. They've just lost that slight edge. Interesting point. Interesting point. Like I say, it's one I hadn't thought of before. I didn't know that Brendan Rogers had referenced it also. Interesting to think about that.
So let us know your views on that, everybody. You know where to find us. Find us on X and the one with this silly name. And Chris is the one with the famous name. You can go to Malesports social accounts at Instagram and X and TikTok and places like that and leave your views and your comments. What do you think? Are Liverpool stumbling over the line because they're mentally affected?
afraid, mentally exhausted, physically exhausted, or is it because they're not being pushed hard enough by Arsenal? What do we think of Arsenal's domestic season? I've described it as a disaster. Chris doesn't agree. Would winning the Champions League make up for another weak end-of-season performance by Mikel Arteta's
team and again just remember what we talked about before that the Europa League should the winners of the Europa League get a place in the Champions League we're going to start a Spotify poll on that one but feel free to put some flesh on the bones of your opinions you can find us on Spotify Apple wherever you get your podcasts go beneath the show coach you can find us
show notes. You can find a place to leave your comment. Hit the follow button and leave us a rating if you would. Chelsea, sorry, before I do that, I have a quite amusing comment that dropped on Apple this week. Actually, this is from...
Banksy M20. I really do have to be better organized for this. I've lost it, but I found it again. Here we go. Headline, Ladyman, colon, genius or thick as mince.
Ian Laidman straddles a line between stealth football genius and someone who's absolutely thick as mints. It's hard to tell. And that's half the charm. The dry delivery, the sideways digs, the oddly insightful rants, whatever it is it makes for a top tier listing. Nice of my mum to finally get in touch.
Anyway. Okay. I've thought that for years. Do you have a view? Thick as mints or insightful genius, Chris? I mean, feel free. Let me know. Let me know what you think. You're not normally shy.
Beautifully put. Maybe leave your own comment. Very accurate. Maybe leave your own comment on Spotify or Apple or wherever you get your podcast, Chris. Right, okay, Chelsea. Chelsea are limping towards the season. Let's do this subject quickly, Chris, because I've got a couple of cracking moments of the weekend to hit you with.
Chelsea drew at home with Ipswich 2-0 came from two down to draw at least they are also limping towards the finish Enzo Murescu's team have won three from their last eight in the league and one from their last four they are right on the cut line for the Champions League looks like it's going to be any five from seven Murescu struggling with the Chelsea fans Chris
You know a little bit about that. No dig intended there. Well, there was. No dig intended, but equally delivered. Cries of boring from the stands at Stamford Bridge. Mureska claiming after... Robotic football. Yeah. Way back into that. Mureska, yeah. Well, indeed. Fair point. Mureska claiming afterwards that his team were affected by the demands of the home crowd. He said...
We conceded a goal and then my players decided to play long ball.
The second goal we conceded, we decided to play long because the environment is there and then we concede. Again, you have to continue with the things that you are doing. We are stronger with our fans. It's up to them to decide the way. Question, Chris, how easy or otherwise is it to block out a crowd when you're on the field? Well, it's your job to, isn't it, really? And, you know, I think, look, I mean,
Can it affect you? I mean, you'd rather your fans back you, wouldn't you, than boo you and maybe it affects... It's interesting what Maresca said there because he's suggesting... Well, not suggesting, he's saying it's affected their decision-making. That should never be. That should never be the case. And when you think this is a billion-pound squad, which was...
assembled at Chelsea, young, talented players, but you have to have the character and the temperament as well when you're suffering a little bit and going through those difficult moments. And I was really surprised that Maresca came out and
and said what he said, whether he's telling the truth or not. Well, he clearly sees it that way, and I am not dismissing that. But that's...
That's a hell of an indictment on the players, isn't it? That they can't... He's essentially saying that they have gone against his instructions and the way they train in the week and essentially started lumping it because of the pressure they were getting from the crowd. And just before you carry on, it's interesting, Murescu, of course, got Leicester promoted from the championship last season before leaving to go to Stamford Bridge.
He was not overly popular with Leicester supporters last season because of the style of football. People do find he's a, you know, he's a Pep Guardiola, um,
maybe unkind to say that, but he's worked with Pep. Maybe there's some influence from the way that Pep likes to pat, you know, keep possession, rotate the ball. Anyway, that's the point. He is one of those, Mureska. If you're winning, it seems that punters will accept the fact that sometimes a football can be slow, but as soon as you stop winning, they push back against it. I think that's what's happening here.
Yeah, which is, you know, for him to bring that into the public domain. I mean, he was unpopular with the Leicester support, but popular with the Leicester players, wasn't he? They're probably still doing that. Have they still got that? Are they still doing that special signal they have for Maresca when they're on the way down to the Championship, the Leicester players? But with regards to Chelsea...
Really interesting end of the season for them because if they don't, and they are creaking, if they don't get into those Champions League spots, I'm not saying Maresca will be sacked.
The owners expected more, I think. I think the owners expected Champions League this season. And now he's there questioning the players' temperament, their strength of mind, their strength of character. That's an issue. That's an issue if he sees a weakness. Can I ask you a question? I'm not teasing you here. I'm really interested to know.
As a striker, when you went through lean patches, all strikers go through lean patches. When you went through yours, did you ever get into a situation where you hid from the ball?
I think, yeah, I've spoken about this many times. I think you hesitate, don't you? I don't know, do you? Yeah, well, I did, yeah. I think looking back, you can tell yourself the mind. It's all about the mind, this podcast, isn't it? Blimey, we're turning into Jake Humphrey. I wish we were. In many levels, and not all of them. But no, I think, yeah, especially when you're playing at the, you know, at the...
at the highest level, they're clearly looking back. At the time, I would tell myself I was okay. I wasn't, you know, I wasn't performing. And I think, you know, the word hiding, I think that, you know, I'd hold my hands up and say that I did. I wasn't as instinctive with the runs you make. There's that hesitation where you may be a little bit scared of missing an opportunity, but then you
You have to work your way out of that and find a way to get out of that. And as I've said before, mine was training and then, you know, you need to have a bit of luck. You know, if I look at, for example, Rasmus Hoyland at Manchester United, you know, he reminds me a little bit of, you know, myself when I was at Chelsea where,
just not sure he sort of really wants to get in those positions all the time and you know he seems to be playing with that hesitation where he seems to be a little bit fearful of missing well it's not often that I blow smoke up your back
backside, Chris Sutton, by a will. Razmian Hoyland is 22 years old. I think he was considerably further down the road towards success at that age than he is right now. Right, enough of that. Too many compliments coming your way. Much happier when I'm talking about your mischances and your lean patches. Moments of the weekend. Off you go.
Well, you've obviously got two crackers. Well, I got my moment of the weekend because I was going to go Rory McIlroy, but why would we do that? I got mine from Matt Barlow on Monday. I always enjoy reading Matt. Olly Pearce, have you heard of Olly Pearce?
No. I thought you knew your football. Oh, man of the people. Know the game at all levels. He's the first player to 30 league goals this season. And I mean, that's for York, York City. So he's...
beaten Mo Salah to 30 league goals, which is something. Hattrick at the weekend against Aldershot. Have you been there, Ian? No. A little slope on that pitch. And so, yeah.
So that's a pretty good feat, isn't it? That'd be my moment of the weekend. Oli Pearce. Well done, Oli Pearce. 30 goals. I'd be fascinated to know what his goal bonus was at that level of the game. It'd be really interesting. Probably nowhere near most hours. But yeah, well done, Oli Pearce. I like that. And while we're sticking further down the pyramid, I'm going to dive into a couple actually before I get to my actual moment of the weekend. We mentioned at Walsall, didn't we, on last Thursday's podcast. Oh, yeah.
I'm afraid their travails go on. Just for those of you who weren't listening last week, we also have the team in League 2 who did have a 12-point lead at the top of League 2 a couple of months ago. They've subsequently gone on a catastrophic run.
No wins in 10 for Walsall now after their defeat against Barrow at the weekend. No wins in 10 and only two from 17. They have dropped from a 12-point lead in first to a situation where they are now hanging on to third automatic promotion place by a point. They are a point ahead of Doncaster. Doncaster have a game in hand. They play it at Salford.
on Tuesday five games left in League 2 for Walsall to somehow save their season How can that be your moment of the weekend? It's not It's not One of your moments of the weekend is Walsall losing to Barrow It's not a moment What a negative guy No
the moments that we can don't have to be positive. And you know that I'm always more comfortable when I'm criticizing somebody than when I'm passing them on the back. You know that. You've known me long enough to understand that. I'm actually getting invested in the Walsall story. I'm actually tempted to go to Salford on their... Walsall...
I'm tempted to go to Salford when Doncaster play their game in hand-on shoes. You stand behind the goal and throw some eggs at the Doncaster goalkeeper. Seriously, I'm getting invested in Warsaw. Come on, Warsaw. Come on, the Sadlers. You can do it. Sticking with League Two, Tranmere. What about this for a story? When Andy Cosby took over as interim manager at Tranmere, with Tranmere struggling and threatened with relegation out of the Football League, um,
A couple of months ago, Cosby's team have now lost one out of nine in League Two, including four wins to haul themselves clear of relegation danger. Saturday's game at Accrington, 3-0 down with 12 minutes to go. Three all they drew. Well done, Andy Cosby and Trammie. That has been some recovery. Who's Trammie's most famous fan? Oh, Mike Dean.
Very good. Mike Dean, former referee. I wouldn't be surprised if he was there. He tends to go and stand on the barrier and they're waiting with his shirt off, doesn't he? There's that great footage, isn't there? It's like a trammel ultra. I think Mike Dean just stands on the barrier just so he can see. I think that's the reason he stands on the barrier. I know all about that. Right, here's my actual moment of the weekend. Henry, hit the play button. Chris, you've got to tell me who this is.
Yes, it's a very good day for us. We know we need to win and score points. It's a very good day and we're very happy. Now we need more. What was the language first of all?
It must have been Spanish. It was Spanish. Yeah, that was Spanish. So that was one of the goal scorers from Las Palmas' 3-1 win over Getafe in La Liga at the weekend scoring. And that was Oli McBurnie, former Sheffield United striker, born in Leeds. He's only been playing in Spain for a year now.
And that was him discussing his goal in fluent Spanish for the Spanish TV cameras at the weekend. How remarkable was that?
Absolutely brilliant. I watched that on X this morning and I was actually wondering, because obviously these days you've got to question the legitimacy of everything, haven't you? I was actually wondering whether it was real or whether it was some kind of AI thing, whether the voice had been transposed over the lip syncing. But it's him. That's Olly McBurney talking. Because he was so fluent. Yeah, this is a classic judging thing.
you know, never judge a book by its cover. It's just that he's only been there a year. You think big. What you're thinking, a bit like you think about me, big lump, centre forward. I wasn't thinking that.
Thick as mint. That's what you were thinking. I was thinking after a year, maybe I'd be pretty impressed with some, you know, decent rudimentary pigeon Spanish, not that level of fluency. So well done, Olly McBurney. But I have to say, what I really loved is that someone else on Twitter said, because this is X all over it, you can't let anyone have their moment of glory without stabbing them in the front with a fork.
And this was the kicker with that one. Someone said, yeah, but you need to know what he was saying. So I then checked out what he was saying. And he was speaking in football cliche in Spanish. Over the moon. What he was saying was, it was a very good day for us. We know we need more wins and more points. I want more goals. This year has been difficult. I want to help the team. So that makes me love him more. He's not just speaking in Spanish. He's speaking football speak.
in Spanish. Football cliche in Spanish. Absolutely brilliant. Well done, Olly McBurney. You asked me who it was. I was going to say Rafa Nadal. I'm absolutely there for it. And like I say, well done, Olly McBurney. You, Olly McBurney, that is my moment of the weekend. And that is, it's all kicking off for this Monday morning.
Always delighted to have everybody's company as always. Relegation race, relegation situation looks pretty much done. Premier League title race looks done. But as we've found out, there's an awful lot to still talk about and love about English football if you just look beneath the surface. That's what Chris and I will continue to do between now and the end of the season.
Just remember, everybody, give us a like, give us a follow, leave us a rating, any review, it's really helpful to us. I am Ian Laderman, the chap who thinks that anyone should be allowed access to the Champions League as long as you've got a big crowd in a big stadium. It's Chris Sutton, and this has been It's All Kicking Off.
Hello, it's Ian here from It's All Kicking Off. I hope you're enjoying listening to the show. We really enjoy making it and would love to make it even better for you. So we're running a short survey to find out more about you, our listeners, so that we can continue to bring you episodes that will make you complain in the comments about our questionable opinions. It only takes two minutes and would be so valuable to Chris and I. The link is in the show notes. Thanks and back to the episode.