Will Cole Palmer be Looking to Leave Chelsea in the Near Future?
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Drive up that's ready when you are. Only in the Target app. Just tap Target. Hello everybody and welcome to your It's All Kicking Off weekend preview show. Chris Sutton is here. Chris, can we start with a small prayer for Jordan Henderson? We have another plot twist in the colourful post-Anfield career of the former Liverpool captain. Ajax...

for whom he now plays, were nine points clear at the top of the Dutch league with five games to go. He only needed six points to win a 37th league title.

On Wednesday night, they conceded a 99th minute equaliser against 10-man Groningen to draw 2-2. They are now a point behind PSV Eindhoven with a game to go. Harry Kane has got his league winner's medal with Bayern. Not sure Jordan's going to be so lucky.

So is this just a prayer for Jordan or is it a prayer for the whole of the Ajax team who have blown that lead? Well, let's just put it this way. We've followed Jordan's career quite closely since he left Liverpool for Saudi, haven't we? Hasn't gone particularly well. Quit Saudi after a few months, didn't like it. No surprise there. Went to Ajax.

um fell out with ix in or the ix media the dutch media the amsterdam media in in january when there was chat about a proposed talk to monaco subsequently got things back on track back in the england squad i actually been zooming towards the title and now they've hit a brick wall that's my point they are the wall soul of holland yeah

The Walsall of Holland, that's very good. Yeah, it's a bit harsh, though, you going at Jordan Henders. I've never seen you sound so chipper, really. I'm not going at him. I'm just saying it's another interesting development in his post-Liverpool career, and it is.

We call Ajax the Warsaw of Holland because a similar thing happened to the Sadlers at the top of League Two. But they have recovered a little bit. They are fancy to make it to the playoff final. They're 2-0 up after the first leg of their semi-final against Chesterfield. They play the second game on Friday night. Maybe Ajax can rise from the ashes of

potential disaster as well this weekend. You never know. By the way, talking about playoffs, I did watch the, it'll be Sheffield United versus Sunderland in the championship playoff final a week on Saturday. I watched that Sunderland-Coventry game

on TV the other night. Dramatic end to that game. Sunderland nicking it in added time. They don't look a very good team, Chris. If Sheffield United don't beat them at Wembley, I'll be very, very surprised. Great atmosphere at the stadium of light. Great finish. But they didn't play very well.

No, I didn't see all the game. I mean, they'd sort of fallen off a cliff at the end of the season as well, hadn't they? And then beat Coventry. There was an error, wasn't there, in the last couple of minutes when they were at Coventry. I actually thought Coventry might turn it round. And that's a sore one for Frank Lampard. But yeah, I'm with you on that. You think Sheffield United, what a chance. But you just don't know.

playoff final and anything can happen. You know, player gets sent off, whatever. You know, the pressure may get to Sheffield United. They blew the lead at the, you know, when they could add the automatic promotion from the championship, didn't they? They blew that. They beat Bristol City really well, 6-0, I think, on aggregate. And so, yeah, they go in as strong favourites. But the fact Sunderland have found a way to get through after their dismal run...

Psychology plays a part. Psychology plays a part. I was talking to Neil Warnock about this recently, promotion expert, obviously, and he was saying that when you're in that position, when you are the one team that misses out on the automatic spots by a tiny margin and you've got to lift yourself to go again, it can be difficult when you're facing opponents who are probably just quite glad to be in the playoffs and feel as though they've maybe got nothing to lose. Anyway, that's the game that takes place next weekend. We've got games this weekend, two Premier League weekends left for

to preview Chris. Plenty of intrigue remaining. I'm not a betting man, but if I did, or if I was, I think I would have a bet this weekend. There were two Premier League games on Friday night. Aston Villa at home to Spurs, Chelsea at home to Man United. You've basically got two teams, Villa and Chelsea, desperate players.

for points to try and get them into the automatic Champions League places against two teams, Spurs and United, who gave up on the league about three weeks ago and now have their minds on a pretty big appointment in Bilbao next Wednesday. They will meet in the Europa League final. Two home bankers on Friday night, if ever there were any, surely.

Yeah, it looks that way, doesn't it? I think Manchester United and Tottenham, they're both just gripped, aren't they, by fear, the managers. I think it's really odd.

Because in their defeats at the weekend, you know, when people talk about both clubs making a lot of changes. So you basically, in my mind, I was thinking, well, there'll be like an under-18 team, you know, for Tottenham, under-18 team for Manchester United. Actually, you look at the players who played and you think, blimey, I mean, for Spurs, Porro, Gray,

Kulosevski, Saar, Odeber, Tell, Danso, for Manchester United, Masraoui, Agate, Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw, Hoyland, Mount, Mayne, who everybody was raving about not so long ago. They're not bad teams. But if I was...

you know, Posta Koglu or Ruben Amram, I'd be thinking about trying to build a bit of momentum for the final, wouldn't you? And it's interesting the way Crystal Palace are going into this FA Cup final at the weekend, isn't it? And he's gone really strong, hasn't he, Oliver Glasser, in recent weeks? And there's always that risk of one of your key players getting injured.

But there's always the risk, which it seems to be the sort of Ange Postogoglu mindset and the Ruben Amrim mindset, where they are just so undercooked. They could do with going into this final on some sort of high, but I'm with you. I mean, if you're Aston Villa, I mean, imagine Aston Villa fans at the start of the season thinking, blimey, Spurs-Manchester United last two games. That's going to be tough.

And now, you know, you're sort of rubbing your hands now thinking, blimey, it doesn't get much better than this. Well, that's a very, very good point. I didn't realise that. So you're telling me that Villa play Man United on the last game of the season? Is that what you're telling me? I think it is, yeah. I'll check. I think it is, yeah. I mean, that is, again, surely another banker because whatever happens to United in the Europa League final,

they'll either turn up for that last game of the season. If they've lost in the Europa League final, they'll be on the floor. And if they've won, they'll be on the beach. So, you know, whatever happens, three points there for Aston Villa. I agree with you about the momentum and about the

the attitude and the way both coaches have been talking. I mean, both those teams, Spurs and United, are essentially going to arrive in Bilbao pretty much travelling in reverse, aren't they? Kind of in terms of their league position and psychologically. This stat, by the way, between the...

the defeats that the two teams have had in the league between them. It's 37 at the moment, 20, I think, for Tottenham and 17 for Manchester United. Goodness me, that number could be over 40 by the time this Premier League season finishes. Very, very quick question, Chris. We've been doing this podcast for two years.

Hans Postekoglu, two seasons. Hans Postekoglu has often been at, let's say, not far away from it. We've talked about him a lot. The two of us went to interview him. That seems a long time ago. We went to interview him. We've talked about his ups. We've talked about his downs. And here we are in May 2025. They are only one spot out of the bottom three in

Are you ready to finally admit that it probably is time for him to go this summer?

What if he wins the Europa League and plonks the Europa League trophy in front of all you press boys in Bilbao? Didn't work for Eric Ten Hag, did it, in the FA Cup? No, but Manchester United have had a pretty recent history of winning trophies. And when you look at Tottenham's dismal recent history

And further back history of winning trophies, they just, you know, they aren't regular trophy winners. So why are you saying he should stay if he wins it? I'm not saying he should stay. I think if you lose 20 Premier League games, a bit like the, you know, I felt the same about Eric Ten Haag. It can paper over the cracks. And I think there's a large element of that. Look, I mean, my feeling is he won't be there next season. Do you think he should be? Answer the question.

Do I think he should be? If he wins the Europa League, I think it changes everything. I think it is. I can't remember. You've probably got a better memory than me and a better knowledge of head-to-head games, but I can't remember...

This Europa final, Tottenham-Manchester United, a game which is so extreme, so extreme for both managers because the winning manager, it changes absolutely everything. The losing manager has nowhere to go. For Poster Coghlu, it would clearly be the end. For Ruben Amorim, I think he'll be there at the start of next season. I do anyway.

but he will not have any credit in the bank. And then you can imagine three games in, if United are off to a dismal start, it just all come crashing down, uh, again. So that's... Ruben Amin will have no credit in the bank and also no money to spend. Well, not much money to spend if United don't win that game next week. Um, okay. So you're not, you're not, still haven't quite answered the question, but you've given it. Well, when I said, I don't think, I don't think, uh,

poster cog will be there next season so if you think that's not us answering the question well i actually think you should that's you to take that's for you i know you don't want to dig out your mate it's fine i think well no i think i think i think well what i do what i do think okay if you if you let me answer and stop trying a little poke a little poking aren't you um i think i think if you look at things sort of reasonably maybe too reasonably you say is that a good season

finishing fifth, overachieved, lost Harry Kane and he's had a bad season which may be retrievable if they win the Europa. But I suspect the fact they're losing 20 Premier League games, probably more by the end of the season, that's not a good look. Do you think he should stay? If he wins the Europa League, yeah. Okay, there you've answered it. Fine. Okay, fine. Right, so big two weeks coming up for Anspor, Sakogu and Ruben Amin. Well, probably a big, big

Big eight, big, hang on, how many days is it? Big six days, really. Big six days for, for Ange-Posler, Cloggan, Ruben, Amarim. I think it's a, it's quite a big end of the season for somebody else. And that's Cole Palmer. You and I are going to, in a minute, get on to,

our teams of the season. We're going to talk about the strikers that we've chosen. I know, Chris, you're looking forward to that bit. Struck me last night, travelling home on the train from Nottingham, that Cole Palmer hasn't even come into our consideration for being in that team or certainly didn't come into mine. The second half of his season has been so poor. That isn't a cue for me to criticise him. My admiration for Cole Palmer is

endless and I think yours is too as a footballer but I've just been thinking about his situation if Chelsea who got the game against Man Utd on Friday and then they finish off with a game at Nottingham Forest next Sunday if they weren't to finish in the Champions League places

That would mean that Cole Palmer would be facing his third season at Chelsea without Champions League football. He's 23 years old. He's made one Champions League start in his life. And that was from Manchester City back in November, 2022. Does Cole Palmer get to the point, if it doesn't go well for Chelsea over the next week or so, does he get to the point where he asks himself whether he made the right move to leave Chelsea?

the Etihad because if he was still there given what's happened to Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden and Jack Grealish Pep Guardiola would be building a team around him now

Yeah, but I mean, you can't think like that as a player. No, but I'm asking you. Do you think maybe, you know, maybe... Sorry, I'm interrupting you. I'm interrupting you. Do I think... There were so many different questions there, so many different strands. Do I think he will, in a week's time, think, oh, blimey, I made the wrong move?

Because if they don't get the Champions League, I think there'll be an element of that. I think he went to Chelsea and there would have been that expectation that certainly they'd be pushing at the top end, especially. I'm sure he would have been promised the dream as well when he signed that we're going to spend big money

and we're going to get managers in who progress the team and challenge for the big trophy. So I'm sure there's an element of that. But I mean, this is a bit of a hypothetical conversation, isn't it? Because what if Chelsea leapfrog Manchester City? Sorry.

Yeah, exactly. And Manchester City don't get a Champions League spot because they threw it away at the weekend at Southampton. There is a possibility that they're not going to get in. So there's a lot of sort of what-ifs there. I think from his point of view, you can't...

He can't have regrets in why he left. His motive of why he left was that he wasn't getting enough game time. That wasn't on him. That was on Pep Guardiola. So he won't overly worry about that. And what's to say that Chelsea aren't better placed to challenge for a Premier League title or at the top end of the Premier League, the Manchester City? But because of what's happened at City this season and their inconsistency, you've mentioned the ageing players.

great players in the days, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, but they're not what they once were. And it'll be interesting to see whether City...

They've sort of papered over the cracks in recent weeks and got results, but they haven't been the convincing City, which we've known, really. It's a fair point that you make. Chelsea are only two points behind City with two games to go in the race for the top five, as it is this season. Equally, they're only a point ahead of Forest in terms

That's how close it is at the moment in terms of the Champions League spots. I raise this because we've spent the best part of certainly 18 months, because Parma was so spectacular in his first season at Chelsea under Pochettino and indeed the first half of this season.

under Enzo Maresca that the debate has often been, oh, City made a huge mistake letting him go. What a mistake. What a mistake. Look at him now. Look at him flourishing. He's an England star. And that was fair enough. No, it is fair enough. Absolutely. But all of a sudden, you can now look at the debate and start to frame it another way and say, blimey,

maybe Palmer and City now need each other more than they ever did. Because you say, though, you know, Chelsea might win a title before Manchester City. I'd be absolutely staggered if that happens, by the way, knowing the way that Manchester City is set up as a football club and knowing the way that Chelsea is set up as a football club. I think I'd be staggered if Cole Palmer won it. Staggered? I'd be staggered if Chelsea won the Premier League before Manchester City.

But at this stage right now, that's absolutely not impossible. You might think that's a foolish thing to say. But if you saw the drop-off... Leicester were really impossible. But the drop-off from Manchester City...

And what are they going to do over this summer to address that? I think it's a massive summer for Manchester City. They haven't convinced. Now, if it was a Manchester City team who were still flying high and dominating and miles ahead of everybody else, then you'd say, well, Cole Palmer's probably looking at them and thinking, yeah, I've made a mistake with these ageing players coming to the end.

But I don't think he'll be thinking that. I don't think Chelsea, as ridiculous as this might sound, I don't think Chelsea are a million, million miles behind Manchester City. I still think there's something about City where you're just not quite sure what's going to happen with them because of their inconsistency this season.

We can't really mention Manchester City. We can't really do this podcast without talking about the cup final. We're not going to spend ages on it simply because I'm sitting there this morning and last night kind of racking my brains for an angle on the cup final. And without wanting to do down what I still think is one of the great days in the football, domestic football calendar, one of the great occasions in European football is

You're going to do it down now. No, I'm not. And I'm going to the game and I'm looking forward to it because I always do. And I hope it's a really good one. But I don't know where the intrigue is, apart from to ask you, given the way that City have been, given the way that Palace have been, you mentioned the momentum that Palace seem to be building. Do we even see City as favourites for the game? Or as strange as it sounds, is it a little bit, does it feel a little bit even-steven going into it?

Especially after the weekend and they're talking about the weather being hot this weekend and Ruben Diaz is probably going to be worried about the dryness of the Wembley turf and the sun being hot, isn't he? He'll be on the phone with the Wembley groundsman this weekend. Yeah.

Yeah, I think it's fascinating because of, you know, mentioned earlier in the pod about Crystal Palace's recent form, the momentum which they have built and the fact you just don't quite know what you're going to get from City. And it wasn't so long ago, a few weeks back,

where Palace were two up at City. Eze had the goal. It was offside, but that was for 3-0. And then City demolished them.

But, yeah, I think it's a difficult one, really difficult one to call. It'll be interesting how we view City if they do get over the line and win the Cup. It's still a big deal. It's still a big trophy. It's still been, you know, that would sort of be typical City where they've been rotten by their own standards this season, but to still come out with something.

And I think that's important for them. I think it's really important. And I often think about this, how the big clubs, the elite clubs and,

We know City are relatively, relative newcomers to the party the last 15 years, but they are an elite club now. The elite clubs such as City, Liverpool, Manchester United, even when they struggle, they manage to turn over trophies. Whereas you look at a team like Arsenal, who have been terrific under Arteta and haven't won anything for five years. We know about

Tottenham, obviously, and we know about other clubs of big standing like Everton, et cetera. You know, we talk about how bad the United have done for a decade and they have, but they've won trophies in that time. They've won FA Cups, they've won League Cups, they've won Europa League. You know what I mean? And look at City. City have a season where they really tank and nobody expected it and they might end. You know, at the start of the season, there's only three domestic trophies available and City...

could yet walk away with one of them although I've got a sneaking feeling for Palace so let's see what happens we mentioned earlier our team of the season you had a sneaking feeling for Arsenal I had a strong feeling what to win the league I had a strong feeling for Arsenal to win the league and I had a sneaking feeling that Forest would go down and look how that turned out um

Like I say, I'm not a betting man. So team this season. I know you interviewed Ola Eina as well. Did you tell him that, that you had his team to go down? Was that your first admission or your first question? Yeah, I did spend some time with Ola Eina this week. We'll get onto that in a minute. I have a few friends at Nottingham Forest.

And I'm very fond of the club, as you know, and not one of those friends seems to have picked up on the fact yet that I tipped them to go down at the start of the season. So please don't spoil the party from that point of view.

Right, team of the season. We'll quickly go through where we are so far. I am Sells in goal, Trent right back, Virgil and Milenkovic centre-half, Ait Nuri left back, midfield diamond, Rice at the base of it, Zobberstein, Rodgers either side, Bruno playing as a 10, two strikers to come for me, and they are Mo Salah and Alexander Isaac. That is my team of the season.

Yeah, I like your two front men. I like them. They're two of my front men as well, as you could imagine. Go on. So my tea. I thought you were going to admit me to pieces about that. I thought you had doubts about my formation. Well, a little bit, but...

No, it's I've had to crowbar my... I see you've got doubts over your own, have you? I've got, yeah, massive doubts over my... But my out is my other forward, deservedly so for his numbers this season. You shouldn't be making excuses for your team of the season, mate. You shouldn't be proud of it. I'm not, I'm not. You're making excuses for it.

and I am really proud because it's my team, Nottingham Forest, Chris Wood, the Wood chopper, brilliant goal at the weekend. Isak can play out on the left, can't he? I mean, I think Eddie Howe said he used to be a winger, didn't he, Isak? So he can drift out on that side. And that's well balanced. You carry on playing Mo Salah as a sort of central striker. I don't think he's done that throughout his career much. So, yeah, so that would be my forward line. Isak's brilliant.

been the best striker in the Premier League this season. But Wood, his numbers, not just his numbers, his whole story, but to get to 20 Premier League goals, as you boys in the media would describe him as an ageing journeyman. I think that he is... So go through your team then. It's a great story. Go through your team. So Alisson, the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.

Ola Eina, the guy you interviewed. My new friend. Yesterday, Van Dijk, Murillo, Miles Lewis-Skelly. Okay, you had Ait Nouri. Embarrassing. Tanali, Declan Rice and McAllister. And then Salah, Chris Wood, central striker, the woodchopper, and Alexander Isak, who can play off the left. Yeah.

It'll be interesting to see who's going to do the defensive work of that front three. Yeah, because Mo Salah doesn't run back and Isak doesn't work hard. Well, I'm not sure about Mo. It's not like we need players to run back with Tenali in there and Declan Rice. You mentioned there...

in passing about me having Salah playing slightly more central. And I know you were doing it just to kind of poke me a little bit, but actually that is something that I've often thought at Liverpool when I've watched them play, especially with, you know, they've tried to fill the hole left by, you know,

Roberto Firmino, haven't they? And they've tried it with, with Darwin Nunez and it hasn't worked. And they've, they sometimes do it with, with Jota and they've done it with Luis Diaz. I sometimes look at that team and think if you're best player, if you're almost dangerous player, the Premier League, the Football Writers Association player of the year, Mo Salah, why can't Salah play down the middle? Well,

Why not? No, just tell me then, as a former centre forward, tell me why Mo Salah can't play down the middle. Utility. As a utility player. Just tell me, why can't Mo Salah play down the middle? All I would say, right? Tell me. I'm not saying he can't. Explain it. All right. Because you see more of the ball. Okay. Okay. Okay. But, okay. So, Mo Salah can play down the middle. Oh, he can, right? There's no doubt about that. He never does. Do you... No. And why is that? Do you think...

that Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot have never thought about that? Do you actually think that they have never actually thought, do you know what, if Mo Salah is more effective down the middle, I'd play him down there? Liverpool have won a Premier League title this season. They've won a Premier League under Jurgen Klopp, Champions League under Jurgen Klopp. So these guys, you're questioning their decision-making.

That's what you are doing on this podcast. You are questioning their decision-making, saying that they're playing Mo Salah in the wrong position. Just because, and let's just go back, let's work backwards. Just because you made an arse of saying that Bruno Fernandes was the best player in the Premier League and you had to crowbar him into your team of the season, you've had to crowbar Mo Salah as a central striker. And now you're trying to argue this out. It's ridiculous.

I might see not. Take a good look at yourself. Think about the catalyst for this. Was you a ridiculous Bruno Fernandes show? Take a look at myself. You're my new jumper, which you haven't mentioned. That's nice. There's a reason. It's a bit long in the arms, actually. But there we go. No, I'm not questioning. Well,

I'm not suggesting that Jürgen Klopp, the winner of everything that he could win at Anfield and Arnest Lott, won out of one for attempts to win the Premier League. Of course, I'm not suggesting that they don't know what they're doing. But equally, it's my job as a journalist and also my instinct as a football fan to sometimes wonder. So I'm just wondering why it is. Because to my relatively untrained eye,

It would work. So I'm just interested as to why it wouldn't. And you're just laughing at me. I'm just asking you why it wouldn't work. Because it's so ridiculous. And you're just laughing at me. No, because it is...

It's so ridiculous. It's not ridiculous because you've just said to me that he could play down the middle. Well, he can because he's a brilliant player. So why does he not? So do you think that Arna Slott would have meetings with his coaching staff and they say, well, where's Mo Salah the best fit? Oh, down the middle. Okay, I'll play him on the right then.

I mean, come on, you're better than this. You are better than this. There is me hoping that I might get some kind of intelligent, nuanced, experienced reasoning from a guy who played endless times in the Premier League and North the Border, won everything that there was to win, played for England, spent 10 years in the media,

as a centre forward. You know, what a stupid idea it was for me to think that I might get an intelligent explanation rather than a five minute piss date, which is what I've had. Right, anyway, those are our teams of the season. Let us know what yours are.

please. And also let us know about anything that you may have to think about what we've talked about. Is Mo Salah, yeah, is Mo Salah better down the middle? I mean, why doesn't Arne Slot play him as a centre forward? Because he's so much more effective off the right. I'll continue.

Can Mo Salah play down the middle? Would Cole Palmer have been better staying at Manchester City? Should Anders Poster-Clogg keep his job at Tottenham if they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao next Wednesday? Let us know your thoughts on all of that. You know where you can find us and get us on the socials.

I'm the one with the daft name and Chris is the one with the famous name. And you can also go to all of male sports, social accounts and leave your observations there as you can. We need to show notes at Apple and indeed Spotify. Make sure you follow us when you get there. Leave us a rating. Tell your mates about us. A few comments here, Chris, about things we talked about. We talked a lot about Trent Alexander-Arnold on Monday's podcast, the booing that had come his way at Anfield the day before when Liverpool had drawn with Liverpool.

So Christian Sylvester says, Trent is a grown man who's run his contract down and decided to join our European rivals. He thought we'd have a poor season and he could sneak out the back door. Now it's blown up.

in his face. WillsJ87 says, football's becoming more pathetic. The booing of someone who has made a decision on his career and now the media reporting of it. It's just not that serious. Chris says that Anfield's crowd crossed a line. They booed.

It's hardly a big deal. The whole thing is utterly ridiculous. And just to nod to my midfield diamond in my team this season, which you were scoffing at on Monday, Chris, Stu says, Neil Critsley played the diamond at hearts. Look at what happened to him. Tell me, Chris, what did happen to him? I believe it didn't end well.

He's gone. He's out. He got the, he got the, he got the Tintac. Okay, there we go. And by the way, one very pertinent comment here that I'm going to talk about. As Chris has alluded to, I spent a bit of time with Ola Eina at Forest yesterday. We did speak, of course, about the Tintac,

Tyro Awinyi injury. We can now report happily that Tyro is out of his induced coma. He has got his family with him in hospital. He is starting to recover after that injury. He suffered colliding with the post in Forest's game against Leicester at the weekend. It's led to quite a bit of debate, that injury, because of course,

Anthony Alanga was clearly offside as that move developed. And had we been playing old rules, the flag would have gone up. The ball would not have been crossed and Wunni would not have clattered into the post. Chris Round says, a question after the terrible injury at Forest, is it time PGMOL abolished that protocol of let's play on even when the offside is obvious? Many people have said there's a risk of injury and now we have one.

Fair point, Krishna. Yeah, I think that's a fair point. I said on Monday's podcast, I was at the game and I mean, you would have seen it on the television. He was, you know, well offside. It was an easy decision to make, but because of the protocol and maybe because of the pressure which

referees and assistants feel they are under. There may be a case of them just doubting themselves, but it takes a moment like this to emphasise that we need to start getting back to being sensible.

We don't want to vilify the assistant referee, Sean Massey. We don't want to do that because she was just following guidelines. She did what she was told to do, kept her flag down and then put it up when the move was complete. Okay. Now we know why they do it. They do it because they want to eliminate those moments when it's a tight offside and if the flag goes up,

the move stops. If subsequently VAR show it to have been onside, then a team has lost a chance to score. So we know why they do it. But in a situation like this, when he's yards offside, it feels strange. I did put this to Ola Eina, the Forest right back, when I spent a bit of time with him yesterday. And Ola,

All it said to me, I liked it how it was back in the day when for offside, they just put it up straight away. A simple decision, get on with the game, having to see it out and then just see, see this happen. None of it would have happened to T that's Tyro. If the flag had just gone up, Anthony was miles offside. I could see it. Everyone in the world could see it. I think that sums it up pretty well. Um,

That interview, that wide-ranging interview, by the way, with Ola Eina is now running on our MailSport platforms. Go and check it out on MailOnline. And also go to the MailSport social feeds to find out who...

all it goes for when we ask him to do a little bit of a face-off between some of the best right-backs that the game has ever seen. Go to MailOnline and MailSport social feeds and check all of that out. Right, quickly before we finish, Chris, the final question

Men's game, we now say, at Goodison Park is upon us. Everton at home Southampton this weekend has been announced in the week that the Everton ladies team will continue to use Goodison going into the next season. So it won't be knocked down, which is interesting, but it will be the final men's game at Goodison this weekend at home to Southampton. Lots of emotion around that game.

Very quickly, Chris, memories of Goodison. You've played there many times. You've worked there in the media. Memories of one of our great old stadiums. Yeah, I feel quite sad. I mean, it was a ground which I actually scored a fair few goals on. I played in the 5-1 Norwich City victory where Efna Kuku scored four. He played up top with a great unselfish striker that day who made a fair few for them. And I popped in the fifth, scored.

scored after 12 seconds for Blackburn Rovers the season we won the Premier League. That was our 30-year anniversary yesterday. Thanks for mentioning that at the top of the show. But no, I'm going to miss it. And I don't know whether you are. I really like the intensity of...

which that stadium brings. I think the stands are close to the pitch. It's an old-school stadium. As you well know, they have a big pillar when you're commentating on the games, which gets in the way at times. But I like little quirky things.

like that. There was a World Cup. The World Cup was played there, wasn't it? In 1966, Pelé played there. My dad went to that. Yeah, you think about that. That stadium holds so many memories. I've had some great teams, the team in the 80s, which were the old Division One winners. Phenomenal team.

Great players, great teams, great place. Andy Gray, Kevin Sheedy, Paul Bracewell, Derek Mountfield, Kevin Ratcliffe, Pat Vandenhout, Neville Southall, it goes on and on. Gary Stevens. Yeah, fabulous footballing team. You know what, Chris? I think it's a beautiful place. I think it's a beautiful place. It's a terrible place to work for a journalist. The press box is so small that...

I mean, if you're moaning, it must be small. Exactly. No, absolutely. Yeah, my former colleague, former chief sports writer on the Mail, Martin Samuel, deliberately didn't use to go. He used to find it so uncomfortable to go. He only went if it was such a massive game that he felt he had to.

press box is so small you can literally get your literally can't get your hands up to type but that's what they call a first world problem in terms of the football stadium it's a thing of beauty from where it is to the kind of

to the way the stands are built, the proximity to the stadium, the atmosphere it builds. I bought a ticket for a game there a while ago for a friend of mine who wanted to bring, an Everton fan who wanted to bring his son out to Goodison for one last time. And somebody at Everton helped me with the ticket. I paid for it. I paid for them, I hasten to add.

But when I was getting the tickets, my mate Everton said to me, oh, it will be an obstructed view in the main stand, but don't worry about that because they're all obstructed views in the main stand because of those pillars that you're talking about. That 5-1, the Norwich game that you talk about, that we should have looked up the date. I was at that game. I was at that game when I was a kid. I'm not an Everton fan.

When I was a kid, I was brought up down the road near Wigan and my dad and I used to wake up on a Saturday morning and look at the newspaper and just decide which game to go to. Sometimes it'd be Blackburn, sometimes it'd be

or Wigan, but occasionally we would treat ourselves to a, back in the day, would be a first division game. And that was one. We were at that game, the game when Efenokoku scored four. It was only when you and I got to know each other that you reminded me that you scored in that game. So I checked it out on YouTube. You actually played an absolutely beautiful pass.

through to a cuckoo for one of those goals as well which which strains why do you sound so surprised once and once again this you know you are every everything i did well you you sound surprised only you could interrupt a compliment by trying to start an argument only you could do that

I'm complimenting you when you're trying to start an argument with me. Just about sums up the last two years, to be fair. And I think it probably just sums up probably the 30 years of your marriage. I think why finally, before we finish, I think my little personal memory of God is somebody paid occasionally to go through the turnstiles. Another day with my dad.

We were there, watched them play QPR. QPR had a good side. QPR were winning. Ray Wilkins was playing in that QPR side, the late Ray Wilkins, and was absolutely bossing it, running that midfield without breaking sweat, without breaking stride. And there was a break in play. I think somebody got injured or something. There was a break in play and it went on for quite a while. And we were sitting in the lower Bullens stand, which is one opposite the main stand. And...

Uh, Ray Wilkins just came over to kill a bit of time, sat on the hoardings, put his leg up on one of the hoardings and just started talking to the crowd and sat there for about five minutes, just chatting away to people on the front row of the lower bullings, waiting for the game to, uh, to, to restart. So there we go. Goodison Park, Everton at home to Southampton this weekend. Um, and it would be mean of us not to wish them well on their big day. That feels like it should be a bit of a party. Uh,

Chris, that is us done. You're in Aberdeen. You've got a train to get to Glasgow and then I presume a flight home. Good to see you as always, mate. Thanks for being with us, everybody. Like I said earlier, do hit us up on the socials. Do go Spotify, Apple, wherever you get this show and leave us your observations and memories of Goodison. Let's have a few of those and we'll maybe look back on some of them on Monday. We'll see you then.

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