Barcelona advance in Copa del Rey

22:50Greg and Xhaka mentioning there that Valencia incident, he chose, I think, not to make a drama out of a crisis with that. And it was probably the wrong way to go. He could have made a statement and said, you're out the team for a couple of games. You can stew. You can think about it. I'm in charge. He didn't do that. And then I think, you know, I think the moment when he lost the job was when he subbed Vinicius at the weekend. Vinicius was having his best game of the season. He looked like the only player who might rescue it. And he hooked him. And you kind of knew there there's something going on.

23:20And the word is, I mean, we've heard it from Sid, Sid Lowe, you know, our expert in Madrid. He said it that Florentino Perez has never liked too many of the coaches at all, bar Mourinho. and he does like Vinicius. So maybe that was the snapping point. Ian, thank you very much. Thank you very much to Luis Garcia as well. Luis, are you working this weekend with us? Yes, sir. He will be working on Levante against Real Madrid, as Craig mentioned. Of course, it's in the early hours. Not the early hours, not too early. 8 a.m. Eastern on Saturday. Our coverage starts at 7.30 Eastern on ESPN+. As you know, managing maintenance, repair, and operations is never easy.

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25:25on Rob. I'm asking Rob to do things that he hasn't done before. I said to him before the game and I made this really clear, when my players make mistakes, I'm accountable. That's on me. He made a save in the second half that was absolutely world class. That could have put us out of the tie. He will improve in terms of his understanding. He's had a very good season. There are very, very good moments with him and I'll stay positive with him as I will with all the group. My job is to help them, not to blame them. There are a lot of positives in Rob's performance today. And what you'll know with me is I protect my players.

25:59I'm asking him to do things. If he makes a mistake doing what I'm asking him to do, that's on me. But I have a lot of faith that in the long term we'll improve as a team with the messages that we've given him and all the players.

26:12Check it here, Slob. Yeah? Yes. He's asking him to do different things. What are those things and why does it stop you from saving balls? Alistair, to Liam Resinha's point, yes, Sanchez did make one very good save, but the two errors he made were pretty basic, in all honesty. And I get what he's saying about the first and it's a team goal. But if you are going man to man, you could ask questions. I think in this case, Jao Pedro, as to how he loses his markers as easily as he does. but if Sanchez leaves his line to come for the ball as he does here, it's got to be a better effort. He misses that by a long way.

26:58And in the end, it's a header from Ben White from all of what? Three yards? Does this affect, does this help the dressing room? Thinking our manager is up there taking the shots for us? Yeah. Does that make a difference? I do. I like a manager who says, I'm asking my goalkeeper to do certain things or anybody else to do certain things and if there's some teething issues to start with, I'll take that responsibility. But that's fine. It's not like playing out from the back. It's not like doing something different from there. Your question was about the manager taking responsibility. And it was. And so I applaud that.

27:35But the two errors from Robert Sanchez were pretty basic errors. Made a good save, yes. But very basic errors. As bad as the first was, I actually think from a goalkeeping perspective, the second was even worse. So it would not be better for Rossini to come out and say, he's better than that. He's had a great season. All goalkeepers make mistakes. Let's move on. Yeah. Which is what I think he's getting at here. He knows. He knows the goalkeepers made two errors. So what does he just say?

28:05Steve Nicol:He's talking about asking him. The fact that he's saying we're asking him to do things different. That is not in conjunction with the mistakes. Because that's just goalkeeping. Yeah. I don't have an issue with what Liam Rossini said. He's chucked two in. Yeah, he has. Basically. I mean, let's cut all this right, because my early analysis of Liam Rossini, and he might be a thoroughly nice young man. Shaq and I know his dad. I've worked with his dad. Nice and all that. But my early takings of his rhetoric at Chelsea, and I didn't hear him at Hull or Strasbourg or anywhere else, is he's already setting himself up for a ridicule.

28:47Steve Nicol:He's trying to baffle people with BS, right? He's asking Robert Sanchez to play out from the back. That was crystal clear, right? And Robert Sanchez almost put Chelsea in a hole several more times, particularly in the first half. Not just the goals that he threw in, but with the overplaying at the back. Now this is nothing new because previous Chelsea managers have asked Robert Sanchez to play out from the back. Enzo Maresco did. Mauricio Pochettino, I can't remember who he all played under. and Robert Sanchez had the same problem playing out from the back for other managers as he had yesterday and will have for Liam Rossini.

29:32Steve Nicol:So he's not asking him to do something different. He's just continuing to ask him to do something that I don't think Robert Sanchez is very good at. Yeah, he can ping a great ball and all that, but he makes bad decisions with the ball at his feet. He plays those little straight 10-yard balls into people when they've got defenders straight up the back of them, when there's five or six players around. So, you know, Robert Sanchez has always had this in him, in my view, as a Chelsea goalkeeper. Brilliant saves that come up now and again, but they are all infiltrated with bundles of these mistakes.

30:10Steve Nicol:Right. And that I don't think is going to change. But what I think will have to change is the manager and the way that he talks to the media as if the journalists have no understanding of what managers try to do in a football field. Because when you address the media in that way as if you're the superior brain in the room, and most managers think they are, when it all goes wrong, that comes back from the people with the pens and the cameras. And that's the early signs I can see with a manager who has, to me, supreme confidence in his own ability, but I think just needs to change the rhetoric and simplify the rhetoric a little bit to not make everybody think he's this new guy who has got his best ideas and that's going to be brilliant and that's the only way.

31:05Steve Nicol:Kind of that's how it's felt to me thus far. Ian, has others got that feeling or is it just Craig? I think for the moment it's just Craig. We'll see if he's Craig. But, I mean, I do think, you know, give him a chance. He's only just walked through the door. And as for the Sanchez press conference quotes, I think that's fair enough. He doesn't want to, five minutes after arriving at Stamford Bridge, be throwing one of his players under the bus, even though privately he's probably thinking exactly what Shaq said, that he's basically thrown a couple in on the line. I mean, my view about Sanchez really is, you know, all good teams or great teams or trophy winning teams need a very good goalkeeper.

31:44I don't think Sanchez is a very good goalkeeper. I don't think he's good enough for Chelsea, certainly, if they're going to go on and win things this season. As for Roscinia, it's a big, big jump for him. Let's see.

31:55Steve Nicol:When he came out, what was the quote he came out with? He said... The Manchester United quote. Sir Alex Ferguson is the same. No, no. Liam Roscinia, when he said, the word manage, Jack. He said, as man, if you break it down... Yes. This is what I'm talking about. This is true. I saw this. It's been reported as true. Let me put it that way. I haven't heard it. I haven't heard him say it myself, but I saw that report. All right, we'll leave it at that then. Oh, yeah? I don't know. That's my... Should we talk about set pieces? Yeah, if you like. More came, of course, from Arsenal yesterday. Stevie and Frank disagreed on yesterday's show regarding how you should defend against these set pieces.

32:36Stevie says go for ball. Frank was more about the man. I'm wondering where you stand on this. You know where I stand on it? I can't remember.

32:43Steve Nicol:And I've saw other teams do it. Somebody did it against Arsenal one of the games the other day. They left three players up. And again, when you can thin out the penalty area, right? And I just don't understand why teams bring everybody back because bringing everybody back means the six-yard box in particular becomes so condensed. And when it becomes as condensed as it is, the keeper might as well just stand on the line, right? My viewpoint is, is you have to make teams like Arsenal think about their defending when Arsenal are attacking set pieces. You need to make them think about what happens if there's a clearance or the goalkeeper catches it and there's a counter-attack.

33:33Steve Nicol:And by doing that, you leave players up the field and that drags at least four, maybe five players out of that penalty area. And when you thin that penalty area out, yeah, Gabriel can still attack the ball and all these big players can still attack it. But you can mark these players easier without fear of blocking or getting blocked. And the goalkeeper has, without doubt, there's not even up for debate, the goalkeeper has more space to come out and command his area. That's where I would come from defending against Arsenal. What do you want your defenders to do, Shaq? I want my defenders to move the attackers out of the way.

34:13So at least I have a path to get to the ball. I also want, and we've had this debate for years, the difference between zonal marking and man marking. I believe in man marking. I believe in taking responsibility. You have a man, your responsibility is to this man. Look at João Pedro here, who just kind of ducks out of the way. Sanchez comes and it's almost as though he switches off at that point. you can't you you have as a defender you have to play for for your goalkeeper in this instance making an error um so I thought I thought João Pedro did a really poor job and then just the players around me um you've got to move those red shirts out anyway so at least I have a path to come out I make an attempt at the ball but by all of you just kind of bunching in around the around me the goalkeeper, there's really not a lot I can do.

35:07I can only go so far. I can only throw a hand up so high. It's just begging for trouble.

35:13Steve Nicol:Can we run that highlight again, that goal that we just ran? I'll tell you why. It's not because of the Robert Sanchez mistake. Watch the angle from behind the goal. Don't look at the penalty box. Look up the field. One Arsenal player, no Chelsea player, two at the edge of the box, and everybody else around the goalkeeper. And my point is, apart from the leaving people up, right? Teams cannot keep... Right. Arsenal are the best in England at set pieces. We know that. That's not even... It's not even close. They are a huge threat. They're scoring a lot of goals. They've got a lot of physicality.

35:51Steve Nicol:But you saw that clip there. I think it was Zubi Mendy, who's about 5 '9". Defending 50 yards from the goal. Nothing to worry about. Nothing. Two Arsenal players at the edge of the box, they've got it covered. Nothing to worry about. There is no, nobody, or not enough people making Arsenal worried about what may happen. And you can't keep, if you keep doing the same things and getting the same results, that's just stupid. And teams are doing the same things and they're getting the same results. And you can't keep doing that. You can't just keep saying, let's get everybody back and shove them out of the way.

36:31Steve Nicol:let's be better at blocking let's be better at clearing for the goalkeeper they've all tried it they've all tried it Arsenal are better they're better at blocking, they're more physical their in-swingers from both sides are better than most teams, they're more accurate so you have to do something different and it happened at Portsmouth Ian's team, we did the game, FA Cup set pieces, different players same outcome So you cannot sit here and tell me that what teams are doing is working. It's not. So you have to come up with something different. Not doing the same things every time and Arsenal going, thanks very much for another two goals this weekend.

37:16Steve Nicol:And then people, particularly online, going, oh, Arsenal, they get all the referee decisions because they're blocking and they're doing this. Well, yeah. Well, good on them. But teams have to do something different. They just have to. Ian, Arsenal fans don't care, but does the manner of these victories and obviously the reliance on set pieces, is that taking the shine off the Premier League a little bit? I do think this. I think it's pretty ugly and it's very far from the beautiful game. The kind of stuff we're seeing now on a regular basis, now that everybody's got somebody putting a long throw in, it used to be a couple of teams, you know, and it was Rory Dillap and a couple of others years ago.

37:55Now we're getting these melees and NFL-style blocking going on in the penalty area all the time. Is the World Cup going to be like that as well? I don't blame Arsenal. They've got it down to a tee and they're scoring all those goals. But I'd like to ask this of Xhaka. I mean, you mentioned the difficult path goalkeepers have to the ball. There are people in there who are only there not to win the ball, just to impede the goalkeeper. Do you think there needs to be some kind of legislation about all of this to, but give the goalkeepers a bit more protection, frankly. I'll be honest with you, and I'm not sure what legislation you can introduce that says...

38:30Can't touch goalies. Yeah, that says, you know, this player cannot stand right next to me, or whoever it is. Elbows are loud.

38:38Steve Nicol:Do you remember Sir Alex Ferguson's quote? Goalkeepers get more protection than the Golden Eagle. Of course, until one of his keepers was fouled. But to the point, if you put somebody to stand right next to me and all they do is hold their position, that's not the fault and there's nothing wrong with it unless you just start introducing legislation like, well, nobody could come into the six-yard box, which I think is taking it too far. We've got legislation to stop that. We're bringing out legislation to try and stop one team. To try and help Sanchez. Of course, after that FA Cup break, Premier League action returns this weekend with the Manchester derby.

39:20The first of the games, early game on Saturday. City currently sitting second. United sitting seventh. 11 points between them. Let's take a look at everyone's predictions. No one is on tomorrow, where, of course, they look at it harder. Everyone's gone for 3-1. Look at that. Except you, Dan. Apart from me, 2-2. Yes. Always support United. Is that just to try and make United fans think there's a... I just don't know. I don't know anymore. City can't... I'm presuming...

39:48Steve Nicol:I am... That's a hell of an admission, Dan. I know sometimes the hospitals are a little bit... You know, a little bit overrun, and the staff and the nurses are busy and all that, but you can switch your TV on when you're in hospital, can't you? I presume you watch Man United. I've been out of hospitals since October. Well, you clearly... Yeah, but... Yeah, but that... Well, you clearly haven't watched... But my thing is, City can't defend, and they're just a bit weird. You know, they had all those draws. and another draw is what I'm expecting. 100 % is definitely going to happen. Ian, do you want to say anything about this game?

40:25Well, yeah, I mean, City have drawn three in a row. They have, yeah. That's why I went for a draw, Ian. You're spot on, Dan. And wouldn't you? There'd be some kind of bounce for Manchester United from the Michael Carrick factor, you know, new broom. I don't know whether there will be or not. I just don't think they're that good a team, Manchester United. And I think City have just got a bit too much for them, really. More on this tomorrow, by the way, as the guys will be looking ahead to Manchester United. Big preview. City, indeed. Of course, looking at the other big matches this weekend. Rich Eisen here.

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43:09Serie A tonight. Serie A tonight? Serie A. Football Americas. He's the intel. There is. There's the intel. Shaka, Herc and Alexis. What a brilliant line-up. Be sure to check out that tonight at 8.30 Eastern. Speaking of Shaka, here is power rankings. After break over the Christmas, Arsenal stay top. They're just running away with everything.

43:34Steve Nicol:You know, Arsenal, they beat Postman, but they did draw against Liverpool. They did. But Bayern Munich scored eight against Wolfsburg. So what do you want me to say about that? Well, their form is better, wasn't it? Against other Bundesliga opposition, but again... As much as they had a break over Christmas, they went into Christmas break, drawing against bottom-table Mets, so I took that into consideration. Drawing Liverpool is one thing, drawing Mets is another. Barca in a third, Lyons continue to be top in Liga. Is that inter-ex in it or is it intern? Well, I'm not sure anymore, but Inter, well this version of Inter in the fifth, Porto, PSV, Galatasaray, Villa and Dortmund who have been a bit of a surprise and put together a little bit of a run, all of a sudden find themselves in a tenth.

44:21Ian what did you make of Xhaka's first power rankings of the year? Well, where are Macrosfield?

44:30You're right, you're right. Real Madrid, come on!

44:34Steve Nicol:I mean FC Porto. I do stand corrected I do stand corrected I should have had Michael's feeling in that That was the first one of the year, Shane Yes it is You're going to call in When you're at the carnival Are you going to call one in Extra time is available Ian is staying with us He'll be discussing which is more embarrassing United's loss against Grimsby Or Real Madrid against Alvacete Be sure to check that out over on YouTube.

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46:40Sam Tighe is a special guest on the Gab and Jules part. I saw Jules in Monaco at the moment. Sam Tighe. Oh, right, yeah. And he has joined Gab to reflect on what they've seen so far this weekend.

46:57end. Barcelona with a 2-0 victory against Racing Santander. They're through to the quarterfinals. Here's Hansi Flick.

47:07For Racing Santander it was maybe one of the biggest games in the last couple of years and also for the players. and for us was the most important game because we want to win today after winning the Supercoppa. So it's not that you don't win these games because of your names. You win these games because of your attitude and this is what I like from my team.

47:42That's it then. That brings us to the end of today's show. Thank you very much. Tell you what. Ian. I don't know if I could have survived. That's interesting. Gives a little bit of flavour to the end of the show. Some people liked it. I did. Write it. If you like it, if you thought that was great, write it. I don't know if people want you to write it. Thanks to Craig, to Shaka and to Ian. We'll be back tomorrow for more. Stay tuned, though, for Extra Time.

48:09Welcome to the latest edition of Extra Time. Ian Dark is with us, as is Shaka Hislop. and Greg Burley, who keeps referring to Liam Rossigno as a young man. Do I? Yes. I'm sure he's a great young man, but he's talking nonsense at the moment. How many times... Clip this back, the show. What's that?

48:28Steve Nicol:See how many times I've said young man. Definitely called him a young man once, yes. Oh, once? Yes. Well, he is a young man. It's not compared to you. No. Well, compared to you, he's a young man. He's younger than you. Not really. In reality... He's not a young man... Hello, young man. He's a real... Young man. That's a small man. It is a small man. A very small man if you're looking down. But to the majority of the people, he's not young. Well, he's a young man in terms of management, particularly in the Premier League. But why do you refer to him as a young man? Why not? Why does it hurt you?

48:56Why does his age matter? You've already put him in a young, inexperienced box. I'm quite happy to go into the ageism bracket. I don't like it. What's more embarrassing, Ian? Manchester United losing to Grimsby or Real Madrid losing to Albacete? I think it's got to be Real Madrid, hasn't it? The world's most famous club being knocked out by the team. What are they? 17 in the second division. Manchester United losing to Grimsby. Yeah, big shock. But United, everybody knows they've got their problems. So I'm going to go Real Madrid there. Grimsby, a fourth tier, though. But Man United are a bunch.

49:36That's true. And they had a Marine. Right, OK. Yeah, you know. Yeah, Shaq, are you agreeing? Yes, I do.

49:42Steve Nicol:I concur with Ian. Well, if you'd thought about it, then your power rankings would have been different. I regret that. Craig, why should Vinny or Bellingham play second fiddle to Mbappe when they already achieve the success he's hoping for? They've won the Champions League, especially when he isn't tracking back or helping the team without the ball. Why should they accept doing the dirty work for him?

50:10Steve Nicol:Because that's their role in the team. And what they did previously has gone. It's history. And he is a better player. He is carrying the team. And so others need to do more. He does, Mbappe that is. He has tracked back and he has done some work. It has got better. And you can argue that Vinicius Jr. Lack of responsibility to track back is arguably worse than the player who's playing the best. Jude Bellingham, I don't buy the Jude Bellingham stuff. Jude Bellingham, you know, alright, he can be, I think, a complex character. And, you know, he gets a bit, I don't know, he gets a bit frustrated. He looks frustrated, but he works hard.

51:00Steve Nicol:He gets around, he makes tackles and he runs about. I think this is a sort of Vinny issue. And the reason why he needs to up his game is because Mbappe's a better player, Mbappe's carrying the team, and Vinicius has been inconsistent. It's not even up for debate. Out of those two players in particular, there's only one player that needs to up his game, and it isn't the Frenchman. Ian, what surprised you the most? Obviously, you've called the biggest game Serie A Madrid over the last decade. What surprised you the most about this demise?

51:35the players have been kind of unprofessional really this season in particular I mean they've been winning trophies under Carlo Ancelotti I mean I think what we're seeing here is just what a brilliant coach Carlo Ancelotti was if we didn't know that already you need to be a politician as well that's clear isn't it at the banner bow and he handled it all so smoothly without looking like he was doing much, but he really was. So what surprised me now is, under this Alonso era, is the players switching off and not being professional enough to say, OK, new coach, a new way of playing. We want to hit back here.

52:16We want to get the trophies back again. They didn't win the trophy last season. Barcelona beat them all four times. You'd think the players would really have the bit between their teeth and they haven't had the bit between their teeth.

52:27Steve Nicol:You know, I'd love to see, you know, obviously we judge them and the fans and the media judge them by what they see in the stadium, home and away. But Shaq and I know, and I'm sure Ian does, but we know as players that's all set up by what goes on during the week. Right. Because it's the old light switch again. You think you can just flick it and it works? or, you know, was that the case or were they really putting it in, in training and it was sharp and it was going wrong at the weekend or is it B, which I would think is a closer summary, was this was a kind of haphazard attitude in training and that's where, as you know, that's where it festers.

53:18The most surprising thing in all of this for me is how quickly it's happened. I don't think there's any question two years ago Real Madrid was the best team on the planet. Won it all. And all of a sudden now you've just seen, in the space of two years, it just seems like this. Fighting within that dressing room, fighting between the dressing room and the boardroom. It just, it's, you don't associate that kind of implosion with a club like Real Madrid. Go back to that point quickly.

53:49Steve Nicol:I think that is arguable. And I'll tell you why. They had the best results on the planet. And they had... And I think maybe that's why we're seeing what we see now. Ancelotti in particular had these big moments. Right? Yeah. But if we're truthful about a lot of those big moments, they were battered by Man City. And Rodrigo comes on at the end and they have these big moments and they win. They were battered by Liverpool. And they have this big moment where Vinicius scores. But in terms of a game, these matches, and there were others against other teams in different countries, but in terms of games, these weren't even a close contest.

54:31Steve Nicol:But yet Real Madrid were able to have moments of genius or just a great bit of play. And that was what was getting them over the line. Rather than coming close to outplaying some of these teams, they did not. So they were a club in recent years for big moments. But a lot of those big moments have gone now. And when they go, you're looking at the rest of your play and the other facets of your team. And, well, they've been... The questions around them are large. For Craig, rank these three players in terms of mentality during the time you played with them. Zola, Hullet, Wise. Mentality? Mm.

55:20Steve Nicol:I don't know what that means in a sense to gauge these players. It's a difficult one because, you know... Hullet was World Player of the Year twice. He wasn't everybody's cup of tea, but he was an absolute animal on the field. Big, six foot four. Quick as anybody, strong as anybody, talented as anybody, scored goals, played defence. In the air. I mean, just incredible. So I don't know. Zola had a skill set that was incredible. I suppose the answer would have to be the player that did more with less would have to have been Dennis. Right. As good as he was. And I played with him. And he was a good player.

56:08Steve Nicol:But he wasn't Zola and he wasn't Hulik. But he had that mentality. They had as well. But he had the mentality that he was... Most people were bigger than him. Most people were stronger than him. Most people were quicker than him. So he was up against it, I bet you, as a kid coming up. And he came to Chelsea as a wide player from Wimbledon and eventually became a central midfielder right in the hub of the game. And he was a leader. We talked about it with Real Madrid, Carvajal. You know, who's going to lead? Denis was a leader in the dressing room without being big in stature. So I would say in terms of mentality, he had the mental strength to overcome all these things to go and have a great career.

56:50For Ian, with all these managerial changes happening in the Premier League, would these vacancies be tempting for experienced coaches like Thomas Tuchel or Pochettino or clubs looking for younger managers to relate with the players? Yeah, I mean, a lot's going to happen, isn't it, in the summer after the World Cup. A lot of those national team coaches are going to end their international contract and be out on the market. And of course, the clubs are very aware of that, which is why we're seeing a few interims going on at the moment. All those interims are saying the right things or trying to say the right things and hoping they might be kept unlike Michael Carrick.

57:28But it will be a very busy summer, I think, on the managerial merry-go-round. Xhaka, rank these three by form this season. Courtois, Joan Garcia, Raya. By form this season, I go John Garcia over Raya just. Probably because Raya has by far the better defenders around him. And Courtois on third. I say that though. If I struck oil in my backyard tomorrow morning and I decided to build a team, I'd pick Courtois. You wouldn't buy a team, you'd move to Trinidad. That'd be it, we'd never see you again. Courtois might want to come and play the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League. You wouldn't be anywhere near that.

58:13I'm just saying, you never know. Well, you might change me, Dan. Farfetch, I doubt.

58:17Steve Nicol:Farfetch stories. It's amazing how things change, though, isn't it? Because I always thought they had a good goalkeeper. But a really good... You know, they had the German number two in Ter Stegen, and he gets injured. Yeah. And then all of a sudden, he's like, eighth choice. And they bring a guy off the beach, Wojciech Secesny, and then he starts playing. And then they bring this fella in from Espanyol, and I have to say he was an unknown to me really as he probably was the most and he's been fantastic and he's been asked a lot as well with that bars the defence Ian do you think Wrexham can get into the promotion playoffs this season they currently sit 9th just one point of the final playoff spot well that says they can doesn't it I mean it's a division where anybody can beat anybody they've come together with quite a good little run aren't they just recently so they'll be starting to believe and it may be with the kind of Hollywood money that they have behind them, they can invest quite well in this January window as well.

59:17So that's probably one to watch, yeah. Ian, is it fair to say that as much as it is a fairytale story in a Hollywood way, that those fans in the lower league clubs aren't maybe as happy as Wrexham's Ascension as others? They are kind of the pantomime villain, yeah? Is that fair? Yeah, they've been set up, aren't they? The team everybody wants to beat now. I mean, they'd never heard of Wrexham a few seasons ago when they were knocking around in the conference and going nowhere until the Hollywood boys came in. But, yeah, that's just part of the way things are. They are the pantomime villains. Everybody wants to beat them and put one over on them.

59:54But they continue to go up the pyramid. And it's going to be quite a story when they arrive in the Premier League. That may not be this season. It probably won't be. But it could happen, couldn't it? Yeah, with your oil, Shaq, you can invest in that.

1:00:06Steve Nicol:I wonder if Americans are sort of pitching up in Wrexham now. Yeah, they are. Absolutely. I'd be interested. Yeah, they are. They're big time. They're in Richmond. You walk down the street in Wrexham now. Ted Lasso. I bet you when you walk down the street in Wrexham, the number of Americans that have been disappointed. I mean, I have to say, I don't know what they would have had in their mind when they were travelling there, what Wrexham was going to be like.

1:00:34Steve Nicol:God bless them. But, yeah, I'm sure it is. It's amazing. Sure it is what? Amazing. Well, I got a pointy pick with John Champion, actually, because he was doing the commentary. Typical commentator. He was doing the commentary on the Wrexham-Forrest game. And as usual, at the end, when Wrexham won, when Forrest must have finished, it's a Hollywood story. Yes. It's not a Hollywood story. A team going for the championship with all that money against a team struggling in the Premier League who may be going to the championship. It's not a Hollywood story. Macclesfield's a Hollywood story. It's too easy now to throw out that Hollywood line.

1:01:10Steve Nicol:Commentators. Yeah. Commentators. Yeah. Go on. Horrible people. Stats. Horrible people. God, that descended quickly. Wow. I wish commentators would stop reading me stats out. Not Ian. Just other ones. There is too many stats. Ramming these stats down my throat. Just let's just have a... Talk about the game. Somebody said, Craig, somebody said that stats should be used only when there's a wow factor or a little bit of seasoning to illustrate a point. But I agree with you. You don't want to be bombarded with them. No. Should be a quota. And after that, you should be like, I don't know. Some, not...

1:01:48Steve Nicol:There should be some sort of jolt that you get as a commentator. Oh, just a sound that plays. Nobody cares. An electric jolt. Not going to do you too much harm. Shaka. It's going to make you jump out of your seat and not give a stat again. Right. Like two and a half. Oh, God. It sounds like capital punishment or something coming in here for a break. Oh, boy. It's getting worse as well. Xhaka, Paquetar to Flamengo. What does it show about his ambition? West Ham surely get relegated. Yeah, West Ham and Green Down. Yeah. He wants to go back home. That's it? Yeah. Don't blame him? No. Would you have gone to Trinidad?

1:02:21Steve Nicol:Well, actually, you're a bit soft for a West Ham fan. As soon as I strike my oil, I'll be gone. You're a bit soft because, you know, he's had his moments. And I think he had a rapport with David Moyes, even though you would think the two sort of personalities and styles don't. They're very contrasting. But he's really mailed it in for West Ham, hasn't he? At a time when they need him. That's how I'm looking at him. I don't think he's been great. He's been a liability. No, not just not. I don't think he's been great for a long time. Why is Craig Burley tweeting so much these days when he called everyone on social media puppets?

1:03:00Muppets, sorry.

1:03:01Steve Nicol:No, Muppets. Yeah. Well, most of them are, yeah. So why are you talking to Muppets? I'm not talking to them. Because you're talking to the small majority who aren't Muppets. No, I'm not. I don't talk to any of them. So who are you broadcasting your opinions? I just put a tweet out and then I just leave it if I fancy it. I don't debate with people. And I certainly don't do those, you know, you need to have a blue tick. I don't have a blue tick. Why would I pay for a blue tick? You know, you get a blue tick now. You can write an essay on Twitter, this big thing. Nobody wants it. Nobody wants it.

1:03:27Steve Nicol:You just want a quick word. You're an idiot. goodbye I'm bored I'll tell you why the main reason is there's no golf there's no golf at the moment but I don't debate I don't get any Twitter debates with morons final question this is a good one what's something on your bucket list that you haven't done yet is there something you'd like to do that you haven't done strike oil and build a team in Trinidad retire retire well I think that's everybody's bucket list for you to retire Ian I'd like to go and see England win the Ashes in Australia, but that's never going to happen, is it? Have you ever gone to a game in Australia?

1:04:06Have you gone with a barmy army, Ian? That must be a good experience. I'd love to do that one winter, but we're working, aren't we? Well, you've got enough fortune stashed away, Ian. You can take a winter off. I haven't.

1:04:21Steve Nicol:Augusta. Ah, OK. To play? No, just to go to town.

1:04:29Steve Nicol:Twinned with Wrexham. Have a coffee. Don't be very pearly. I can't be bothered now. I hear it's twinned with Wrexham. No, I'd... Yeah. I want to play Augusta, which, if I'm being honest, will probably never happen. No, but it's nice to have a dream. I want to skydive. Because you couldn't before... No, your pilot lesson. Yeah, I couldn't be a pilot before. But you want to skydive. Hold on, why couldn't you be a pilot? It's part of your contract, the football. Oh, right. Do you remember someone called into Soccer AM and said that soccer was getting left? Oh, no, you have these things. You're not allowed to ride a motorbike or ski.

1:05:09Steve Nicol:Nobody told Manuel not. So I started taking pilot slides. I took a pilot's... I'll be honest. Flying lesson. Flying lesson. Flying lesson. If I ever got on a flight and the cockpit door opened and you put your head round the corner, I'd kick the window. Never. Never would autopilot be used so much. I was in, I was signed up. I was ready to go. So skydiving you've never done but would like to do? No. I've done the indoor skydiving in Vegas. Yes, in Vegas, my kids did that. Collision imminent. Collision imminent. He's like, actually.

1:05:45Steve Nicol:It's good, you know? Yeah, I like that. The old flying lessons. The Ashes Masters. So why don't you... You couldn't do it because you were a footballer. Why not now? Oh, yeah, very... Yes. I'd love to imagine him. What's that? Why couldn't I know? I think everyone on this panel, Shaka is number one when it comes to being a pilot. Why? Yeah. Because Stevie, obviously, and you... Don't put me in volatile. Don't put me in volatile. You'll be tweeting morons. You'll be tweeting morons. Hold on, we'll take off in a minute. Going up the flight. Going up the flight, just fighting with people. You're a muppet.

1:06:24Steve Nicol:You know, that's it. Get off. There we are. That's it. We've got to have this far too long. He's a pilot, isn't he? Jürgen Klinsmann. Jürgen Klinsmann. He's got a helicopter. He's got a helicopter, yeah. We're not getting his chopper. Yeah. There's a whole series in this, you know. Which football pundits and commentators would be the best pilots? There we are. Yes. God, Stevie. That's it. Stevie's back tomorrow, actually. he will be here looking ahead he'll be playing in tomorrow

1:06:54get out get out oh no

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