MNC: Premier League Preview

22:02And that's my first experience of losing the title. And then we got a freshen up new manager in, won the league again. And then again, same sort of thing happened. And then that was the end of my story with Manchester City. And I was never a part of a retaining it. But Chris, up at Celtic, that was why when I got that chance to win a league and go again, I had a different mindset on it. And Arsenal are new champions. they're new champions like a lot of a lot of us were so there's a lot more than football going into it but they they totally understand that and they totally know what's coming their way but it would be interesting to see how it plays out where adam and i know this is one of chris's former clubs

22:40Adam Crafton:so i'll bring him in after this what do you think the ceiling is for chelsea this season i was going to say that doesn't narrow it down very much when you said it was one of chris's former clubs i was trying to guess which one it would be ah ceiling for i mean chelsea if you look at their starting lineup their best starting lineup and if they keep players fit and they aren't sort of and they don't go too far in cup competitions you know i think they would have a chance of being in a in in contention by by spring i would say i'm not sure they'd win it but i think they should And you look at that starting XI and it's a team that is, I think, probably good enough.

23:27But we just don't know yet how they're going to set up and what the connection is going to be like between the players and the coach. And how patient the club will be with the coach. All those things that we've seen at Chelsea over the last few years. but just if you look at the set of players I think there'll be a lot of Chelsea fans who are quietly optimistic that they might be able to challenge if not win the league

23:52Adam Crafton:Do you want me to give you some numbers Chris?

23:55Chris Sutton:Yeah, why not, yeah I love numbers

23:57Adam Crafton:Good, okay Sam, a bit more enthusiastic next time then Right, so a decade ago Chelsea finished 10th they hired a new manager and won the Premier League the following season last season they finished 10th and they hired a new manager the manager that they hired a decade ago Antonio Conte likes to play a three-man defence Xavi Alonso likes to play a three-man defence they had nearly identical seasons did Chelsea in 2014 and last season same goal difference finished with two more points last season both times they finished 10th Xavi Alonso is taking over a side that won 14 games last season. When he took over Bayer Leverkusen, they'd won 14 games the previous season and he took them to the title.

24:43Adam Crafton:Do all of those numbers and coincidences make you think Chelsea will win the title?

24:48Chris Sutton:No. Excellent, right, let's move on. No, but I mean, one of the biggest factors... Do you not like all those similarities and little coincidences? I think that you put them together brilliantly. But I think if you looked at the Chelsea team and the quality of players. And while the Chelsea team under Alonso is pretty good, I think if you went back to the Conte team, you know, Kante, Matic, Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill, Fabregas, Azpilicueta, Courtois in goal. I mean, they are different level with the greatest respect to this. It's still a Petr Cech, actually.

25:33Adam Crafton:Did that squad?

25:34Chris Sutton:Well, there you go, you know, as well. So, you know, you are talking different level. Can this Chelsea squad compete with Arsenal and Manchester City? What they have massively in their favour is, you know, no European football. You know, that's going to really benefit them. It benefited Manchester United last season. So that will have a major impact. I think Chelsea will finish top four just solely because of that. I think that they are really quite strange. They have been a strange club since Todd Bowley went in. And, you know, the league finishes 12th, 6th, 4th and 10th. And, you know, they were more of a development club.

26:17Chris Sutton:But interesting that they've got the likes of Danny Welbeck in now and Jordan Henderson. You know, that's it's just, you know, they've gone from development to sort of dad's army in some respect. and these guys trying to control the dressing room and have that influence. But I still don't think that they are good enough to win the Premier League. But the advantage they have resting the players week in and week out when other clubs have the trials and tribulations of European football, that's a massive, massive advantage.

26:48Adam Crafton:And that is the biggest difference that Chris has highlighted there. You go back to that squad a decade ago, you know, Czech and Cahill and Asper Liquetta and Fabregas and Hazard and Drogba and Diego Costa, that's a lot more than Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson. I don't mean that in football, I just mean in terms of experience and being there and done that. I do remember actually now that does jog my memory of Gary Cahill talking about Conte coming in. And Conte coming into a Premier League, a team like Chelsea who are in Europe, I think the fact that he had so much, he said they were so well drilled, he was so intense in what they need they almost had nfl playbooks and it allowed them the time to build into the season so that is it that's a massive advantage for someone like a xavi alonso who's obviously got his way of playing and he'll have his he'll have his time on the grass with his players so i think that's a really really interesting point and a good point when you talk about their ceiling their ceiling is of course to be in amongst it i think it is um And they've got a real great opportunity.

27:54I think the Welbeck and the Jordan Henderson are smart signings. I think if they're coming in with the... Surprising signings, Joe? Massively, especially, Chris, when we look at how Chelsea have built their model and how stubborn they've been with their model in terms of just axing people left, right and centre. Is that an admission that they got it wrong then? I think it's, yeah, I think it is. I don't think they're ever going to word it like that, are they? I think they're going to say they're learning on the job and understanding a little bit more about the Premier League and what it takes.

28:27I think they're really careful and clever people that they've brought into the squad because they're both more than capable. They're not just older Premier League players like Danny Welbeck scored a lot of big goals for Brighton last year and looked sharp and looked fit. Jordan Henderson, when he eventually got his feet under the table at Brentford, still was a top centre mid with so much experience, so much drive, so much endeavour. So I'm sure they've signed them for their footballing capabilities, but there would have been some really important conversations between themselves and Xavi Alonso and the football club on how they can implement what they're trying to bring to the club.

29:03They're not token signings, they're massive signings. Not quite like a Rodgers signing, of course. That's a different kind of signing in terms of what he wants to bring to the club. But just having that little bit of understanding of what the Premier League means and that stability and that foundation, I think they can be really, really important.

29:17Adam Crafton:Who do you think will finish higher, Spurs or Chelsea, Chris? Chelsea will finish higher than Spurs.

29:24Chris Sutton:I'm pretty certain of that.

29:25Adam Crafton:OK. I've got Chelsea third.

29:29Chris Sutton:You've done a whole table, haven't you? Yeah, I have done a whole table. Go on then, do it now then. Well, I've got two absolutely surefire things, certainties. Arsenal will win the Premier League and Manchester City will finish second, certain of that, and Hull will finish bottom. and Ipswich will finish second bottom. And the rest I'm sort of a bit unsure about, in truth, because of Chelsea-Spurs, no European football. Liverpool, a week ago, the players could only run for 30 minutes. I hope they've had a good week's training. And maybe if they've sort of upped their levels there, I think they're going to finish fourth.

30:07Chris Sutton:Manchester United, Europe, they're going to finish sixth. Aston Villa seventh. And then you look down, it could be anything from there on in because of all the new managers who have taken over. I worry for Fulham. They've got this link below Real Madrid young players coming in, but lost Harry Wilson and Jimenez. I could go on and on and on, but that's it. That's it in a sort of basic format there.

30:33Adam Crafton:I mean, well, that's not the basic format. Normally, I would have thought when asked to give a table out, you would just read it from first to last. But you sort of went first, second, 19th, 20th, and then seventh. I mean, it's...

30:47Chris Sutton:Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs fifth. Right. I think they've signed pretty well. Manchester United sixth, Villa seventh, Brentford eighth, Everton ninth, Sunderland tenth. The team I supported as a kid, Nottingham Forest 11th, a little bit of heart in there. Brighton, Bournemouth, Newcastle, they're a youth development team now. Leeds United signed a reasonable goalkeeper. So they're 15th, are they? Yeah, but I think if they stay up again, that's a good season. Crystal Palace still got some decent forwards there. Fulham I'm worried about. I've got Coventry in 18th. Ipswich 19th. And Hull, sadly, 20th.

31:33Chris Sutton:They lost 15 games last season. And it's going to be really tough for them to come up and stay in the Premier League. That's just the way it is.

31:41Adam Crafton:Hull's assistant head coach, Dean Holden, will join us as long as he isn't listening at this precise. No one listens. Don't worry, Charlie. Well, just on that, Ruth, I'm listening and I love the programme. And I think Steve has switched off. You had close to 30 minutes on just Arsenal and City. You said you were going to cover all clubs, not a cat in hell's chance. You do this all the time, making promises that you never keep.

32:38We'll be right back. Whole Foods Market.

33:075 Live Sports on BBC Sounds.

33:17This is the Monday Night Club with Mark Chapman. On the Football Daily Podcast.

33:25Adam Crafton:Let's talk Hull, who start their first season back in the Premier League in 10 years at home to Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime. Assistant Head Coach Dean Holden, a regular on the Monday Night Club, joins us now. Evening, how are you? Good evening, Chappas. Very good, thanks. Have you holidayed? Have you managed to have any holiday? Since the playoff, has it just been constant work? We've had a couple of early ones. I had a bit of a mini midlife crisis. Took me two older sons to a beefer, so that was a bit of an excuse to have a lads holiday. So my wife turned up on the Sunday, actually, so she obviously didn't trust us much.

34:02But we've had a great summer. It's got really real since the fixtures came out, Chappas, to be honest. As soon as the fixtures come out, that was like, OK, go time. so yeah we're ready.

34:13Adam Crafton:How difficult has the summer been in terms of bringing players in because obviously the first thing that people say you're a bit behind because you go up through the playoffs so other clubs maybe get a march on you but let's not forget that last season you were operating under a transfer embargo as well so there's quite a lot there to unpack when you're then looking to bring in players this summer. Yeah, talking to Sergei this afternoon and you said it was probably a bit easier last year because you know what you've got to work with. We obviously had a plan to try to attack the league and try and finish as high as we could and this time 12 months ago, we're probably everybody's favourites.

34:52We certainly were with the bookmakers to maybe go down to League One. So that'll be the case this year. So we've proved the doubt was wrong. We'll aim to do that again. We've actually, certainly in the last week or so, brought in some real high calibre of signings in terms of real good players. There's a lot of young potential there. We're still looking for a bit more Premier League experience. and I'm hoping that'll come before the window shuts.

35:14Adam Crafton:I mean, the other part of all of this, isn't it, when you're looking at how you balance this, when you come up in the way that Hull did, is that Sunderland came up and brought in an awful lot of players and threw an awful lot of money at it. If you look at Ipswich, the last time they came up, they also spent a fair bit of money, but they went with not far off like a Championship All-Stars recruitment policy then, so that they were strong if they did go down to maybe come back up. There's no right or wrong way to do it, maybe. No, there's not. We're very, very grateful for Aja and our own. I'm sure the Premier League can't wait to get to know him.

35:53The guys in the Championship certainly knew what he was about last year. He's very front and centre. It's his money. He puts his hand in his pocket. We're not relying upon money coming from pension schemes and all these types of finance companies. We've very much got a guy in charge who loves Full City, who wants to do the best for the club. so he's trying to spend it as wisely as he can and who can blame him? We've brought in some real high calibre of young player. I think, as I say, we do probably need a little bit more Premier League experience. We've also got a really good group from last season that got us over the line with that experience and you want to tap into that as well.

36:25You think about John Egan, Olly McBurney, these guys, Louis Coyle, the captain, who helped us get over the line. And be loyal to them? Yeah, for sure. You've obviously got to add to it. The Premier League's a different beast. I'm sure the guys will completely agree. You obviously have to have the quality to go along with that. But at the same time, what's got us there? What is it that got us over the line last season? So finding that balance is probably the hardest thing to do. I know in the past, Daishi did it at Burnley and Chris did it at Sheffield United in that first season. They stuck with the players that got them up and they'll be needed this year for sure.

36:56Chris Sutton:Do the success stories of Sunderland and Leeds, do they give you sort of great hope and inspiration as a squad? And because of the way you came up through the playoffs last season, what is the sort of mentality? I wouldn't think it was a free-hit mentality, but do you think the pressure's on or off because people do expect Hull to struggle? Yeah, I think, Chris, Sunderland and Leeds last year booked the trend, didn't they, in terms of certainly the last few years, clubs that have come up and gone down again. So that gives clubs like us hope. at the same time we know what it takes to stay in the Premier League in terms of a points tally in terms of how many clean sheets you're trying to get all the sort of facts and data around that so Man United at home is not going to decide our season there's certain games within there where we'll be absolutely targeting three points and other games certainly away from home where you're going to try and do your best and stick in a game and maybe nick a point away from home so I think the biggest thing for us looking at Sunderland last year they got points on the board early and I think that gave certainly the fan base and the players and the staff a lot of confidence.

38:05And for us, if we do have a defeat or two, which can happen to even the best clubs in this division, as we know, it's making sure that the confidence is not dented too much and we navigate the bumps in the road knowing that as long as we stick to the plan and as long as we stick to the points that we've got in mind that we can survive. And being able to survive in the first season of Premier League is obviously the hardest thing to do. That's our aim. But knowing that there will be some pain along the way and a couple of really difficult weekends but making sure, as I say, that you almost put it to the back of your mind and then focus on the next game.

38:35When you're looking at your recruitment this summer, one of the things that we saw Leeds in particular do last summer was go very physical, tall, strong players, largely from European as well. I was curious, is the physicality of the Premier League the priority when you're recruiting or are there other things in particular that you're looking at from a profile point of view? If you're trying to find the perfect player that's technically excellent, that's got power, that's got pace, I think he's probably competing at the top end of the Premier League. So we've obviously got, I think anybody that's seen us play last year, you talk about a team that sort of lives by the manager's personality and you certainly saw that.

39:19Sergei, I talked to Nazian briefly, but Sergei, I think the media will fall in love with. He's straight to the point. He's very old school, a little bit like Big Sam. I worked with back in the day and Daishi is very straight to the point. There's no airs and graces with him and he likes his team to play like that. He likes his team to play on the front foot. He likes his team to play vertical. He wants us to play forward and run forward and run for the shirt and win the duels and everything that the top teams do, but maybe that sort of gets lost a little bit because of their philosophy and their sort of maybe possession-based style.

39:50So you certainly won't see us having possession in and around our box and trying to find ways to make 20 and 30 passes. it will, a little bit, without comparing, a little bit like Irayola at Bournemouth, it's very much the football that we grew up loving that was getting the ball forward and trying to get the ball in the box and crossing it and trying to have waves of attack.

40:06Adam Crafton:Dean, thank you very much for coming on. Talk to you guys. We've got a season, Dean Holden, Hall Assistant Manager with us, Coventry and Ipswich, the other two who have come up. Ipswich, and I think this may surprise a few people, Adam, because this definitely has gone under the radar, they are the Premier League's fourth biggest net spenders. so far this summer behind only Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal Chris will tell you all the players that they've signed go on Chris

40:34Chris Sutton:well they've signed a fair few Dazer Mida they've signed from Celtic Sasa Lukic I actually think is a decent signing Fatawa from Leicester Issa Diop from Fulham who was on the periphery last season the worry for Ipswich and I've got a few Ipswich Town supporting friends. Ipswich came up last season and they didn't play particularly well. And then you see Kieran McKenna make the decision to leave. Alarm bells are ringing, you know, with that. Was it a good time for him to step away from it? I think so. He probably knew it was going to be a real challenge for Ipswich to stay in the Premier League because it always is for newly promoted clubs.

41:23Chris Sutton:Gary O 'Neill has come in and a lot of change in terms of players coming in. It's about how they knit together. And they've spent a lot. I like the ambition of the club. They had the ambition the last time. Ipswich came up to the Premier League, but they found it incredibly difficult. And it will be the same again for them. And it will be tough, but at least they have given it a go. But, you know, I think that they are a team, you know, which will struggle. And that's not me being disrespectful. That's not because I live in Norfolk, which is a nicer place to live than Suffolk. Suffolk has, you know, has a lot of lovely places, but I prefer Norfolk.

42:05Chris Sutton:But, you know, I'd like, honestly, I'd like to see Ipswich stay up. But I think it'll be really difficult for them. Chris, how do you think Dazan Maeda will do? I think he'll do fine. I mean, because, you know, we both know his strengths, Joe. And I don't think that this Ipswich team will be good enough to necessarily dominate most of the teams in the Premier League. And if they're playing counter-attack, I don't think that there are many better players than Dyson Maeder in terms of his pace in behind. That is his game. They may be a little bit frustrated with his finishing or if he's playing off to the left, his final ball.

42:41Chris Sutton:but he has some incredible attributes and certainly in terms of the way he shuts down players and whatever and the energy he can bring to the team. I think it's a really smart signing from them and disappointed from Celtic's point of view that they sold him before the Champions League game in midweek. I think Celtic should have held on to him but I think Ipswich have got a good player.

43:06Adam Crafton:Gary O 'Neill obviously has Premier League experience as a manager as does Frank Lampard with commentary who are back in the top flight after 25 years. And yet, actually, with their squad, Adam, which is slightly different to how other teams have gone, only seven of their squad actually have Premier League experience. I think Lampard's probably looking at it and seeing a team that was very dominant last season in the Championship. So many attacking options they had last season. Yeah, and I think that he will be looking at it and thinking that maybe they can use that momentum of what they had last year, a bit like when Bournemouth came up that first time with Eddie Howe.

43:44And as we were just saying with Dean, there isn't really a right or wrong way to do it. And if, God forbid, it goes wrong for them, it also means they won't have necessarily overspent if they were to go down, they can rebuild again. But they won't want to be looking at it like that. And I'm sure Frank Lampard certainly won't want that on his CV either. So I would expect them to do a bit more, though, before it closes. I expect all these teams to do a little bit more because these promoted clubs get offered so many players. I think probably even more so than other parts of the Premier League because I think agents know that, particularly if they start with a couple of defeats, that they are kind of vulnerable to taking risks on players.

44:29Adam Crafton:Aston Villa next. So they are set to sign Villa, the Japanese number one Zion Suzuki from Parma. and it looked like Martinez was going to go to Juventus, although that move is now off. So that would look at the moment as if Villa have got two starting keepers unless they keep trying to offload Martinez.

44:49Chris Sutton:You can't have two starting keepers, Mark. Only one. Two options to start. Thank you, Joe. Top, top, well, you get us out of this on Chappers because I don't know what to say.

45:01Adam Crafton:Well, what would you do in this situation? I'm just ignoring Chris who's still giggling to himself if you were Una Emery would you want to move Martinez on if you're bringing in Suzuki I think it's more a Romero positioning for I don't think it's necessarily him wanting to move Martinez on I think Martinez might have been looking to move on I think he genuinely does love Aston Villa I think he's loved all his time there before anyone gets antsy about what I'm saying but I think he's been looking to potentially move on I think he obviously looked last season, it didn't happen. He's the kind of guy that whatever shirt he's wearing, he's fully committed to when it comes to training, when it comes to playing.

45:41But from a business point of view, whilst his transfer window's open, I think he's assessing his options. Now, from a business point of view, Unai Emery heard that last season. He's heard it again this season. He's heard the noises. He knows what goes on in the background. So he has to put Aston Villa first. So that is why he would have been having these conversations. I think they would have been having conversations with James Trafford. I think that would have been a brilliant move. Not that Leeds isn't a great move for James Trafford. But now moving on, coming towards the end of this transfer window, the kind of Juventus talks, where does he go, who takes him?

46:14I think he's got to put Aston Villa first. And if that is an option, he's a top goalie. Now, if you end up having to have both of them, then so be it. You know, Suzuki's someone who could potentially play number two. Do you move someone on? Do you play Martinez? I think you play Martinez. I think he deserves to be number one. But I think you've got to have that contingency plan. and Uno Emery's got to put Aston Villa first and he's got to have himself someone ready to come and play in the Premier League if Martinez moves on.

46:39Adam Crafton:Sunderland, Everton, Palace, Fulham. Out of those four, who would you worry about most? Who would you think might struggle a bit more compared to last season and why? Sunderland had an incredible season and I think they deserve so much credit. They came in relatively unknown, the signings. I think everything they did last season seemed to come off. So I think when you look at Palace, I don't really know where they're going. It's so strange that they've made massive, massive strides going forward. But there's still a massive unknown. Obviously, they've got Europa League football. They're off the back of the best trophy run at the top end that they've been on.

47:25And the signings just don't feel like they're matching up. But that happened last year and they still managed to kick on. So they've got some real resolve in the squad. Everton always seem like they're on the cusp of doing something special, but also could be sliding. And Fulham, as Chris touched on earlier, I think with Arbeloa, is a relatively unknown. I don't think he would have been even considered for a Premier League job. And he took over, obviously, at Madrid last season after Xavi Alonso and didn't really do anything. But it's a massive club to take over as your first senior club. Was it his first senior club?

48:00he was managing the B team previous. So he's relatively unproven and they're looking to bring some young players in. So in answer to that, I've got absolutely no idea. So I've just waffled a little bit.

48:11Adam Crafton:Yeah, but you have. But you've highlighted issues with all of them, I suppose. I wonder whether with Fulham, maybe Adam, we will only, I'm not saying Fulham fans this, but maybe neutrals, maybe people who don't spend that much time looking at Fulham will only now realise the job that Marco Silva did, I wonder. And that's nothing against Al Beloa. But Fulham could be exciting, whereas all the others haven't really done anything to kind of warrant that. In the summer? Yeah. I know what you mean by that, because I sort of look at Everton's transfer window and I think, well, I quite like one. You know, Hayden Hackney, I think he was Championship Player of the Year.

48:55Adam Crafton:Well, wasn't he last season? so I like that it's solid David Moyes Tyreek George yeah maybe Christian Norgard's a kind of sensible signing you feel like Brennan Johnson probably has a few people to prove things to so maybe David Moyes would be great with him a bit like Jack Grealish at the start at Everton but then do they do they need more Adam I don't know and that's the thing with all of these you know Sunderland signed loads last season just brought in Thomas Mounier this season Crystal Palace have a new match there are lots of oh it could go either way and there's still three weeks to go so that you know a lot of this well maybe even no not three weeks what are we two and a half weeks nearly three weeks nearly three weeks of the transfer window left yeah I know what you mean but this is why we have the season chapters so that it can play out that's very true Adam I mean very philosophical view on it and then we get to find out Sunderland are probably the one I'd worry about the most with the European football coming in I think there were periods of last season it was kind of January to March where they sort of started to fall away a little bit and then they picked up again towards the end of the season I think they will probably need more depth of quality I would say they would worry me a bit the one we've not mentioned that I think I spent a bit of time around in pre-season was Leeds and I think they could have a really good season with what they've had, they've added a really good goalkeeper, they've signed Moharemovic, this Bosnian defender for about £35 million who looks really good young, hungry, Inter Milan and Juventus were looking at him they beat them to that and Harry Wilson on a three from Fulham seems like an incredible piece of business as well.

50:53And I think if they can just get one more forward, so they've got cover, if Calvert, either to play with Calvert-Lewin, I think they could really kick on. So you can clip that up when they go down in seven months' time. That's a positive.

51:09Adam Crafton:Chris?

51:09Chris Sutton:Yeah. I think with regards to Fulham, I think that they could be in a bit of bother. I think Harry Wilson was so big for them last season and Jimenez leading the line for them. And they've just, the players they've brought in, they've brought a couple of young players in from Real Madrid who haven't played a lot of football. It could work out. It could be brilliant from Arbeloa. But I think there's a sort of fantasy element about Fulham. And you mentioned it, Mark. The job which Marco Silva did at Fulham, they are really big shoes to fill for Arbeloa. and he always punched above his weight and he always, they always lost a big player over the summer, but they always managed to go again.

51:56Chris Sutton:I think it'll be difficult for Fulham. I get what Adam's saying about Sunderland, but I think Sunderland are a team they recruited brilliantly last season. I think that they'll be absolutely fine. They will find a way. It's just, they will be stretched in Europe. I think Everton, the quality, I think Brendan Johnson can be frustrating at times, but he has that pace to stretch back lines. They've lost Grealish. Grealish was great for them. They've got Dewsbury Hall, who's a wonderful player. Hayden Hackney coming in. I think Everton will just be fine. David Moyes will find a way. I think, you know, Teano Barry another year on.

52:36Chris Sutton:I actually thought at times it'd drive you mad at times, but then he, you know, in certain games, he was a real handful. So I think Everton Moyes will be, you know, really organised. and Crystal Palace, they're really odd because, as Joe said, they've barely done any business over the summer. But then you just look at the firepower which they have, Strand Last. I think Meteta's still there unless I'm mistaken. It's Mylasar. I'm thinking they're a real handful.

53:06Adam Crafton:There are some clubs that we haven't mentioned here. When I talk about the underachievers, would you have put Newcastle, teams with the potential to underachieve compared to last season? The potential to underachieve? The possibility of underachieving. Stop marking my work, all that. Would you put Newcastle in there, Chris?

53:24Chris Sutton:Yeah, I mean, they've had the heart ripped out of the team, haven't they? Tenale and losing Bruno. It's enormous. Anthony Gordon gone. And then the players that they've brought in. I can't remember the guy from Ajax who looks to be a decent player. But they have changed the way, in my opinion, the way that the club is run in that they want to go down a different route, you know, buy young and develop. I just wonder how Newcastle fans feel about that. And then, you know, they've got this manager in, Matthias Yasel, is that how you pronounce his name? Who's, you know, it's young and, you know, he's young and he's exciting.

54:09Chris Sutton:I had a lot of time for Eddie Howe. I think he did a brilliant job there and very, very difficult to come in when the club is going down a different route. And big players who they've relied on in previous years to really drive the club forward on the pitch have gone. So I think it's going to be really, really difficult for Newcastle. It just seems that they are lowering expectations the longer, well, certainly this last season and the way that they've done the business over the summer. Yeah, I think it'll be really interesting to see what they plan on getting out of this season. Even moves like Kieran Trippier changing the goalkeeper position.

54:50It's massive, as Chris said, really ripping the heart out of the club. Eddie Howe feeling like he didn't think he could go on in that position. Again, a little glass half full. It's an opportunity for them to go again with this fresh, young kind of talent. I think the fans are going to have to really get over to the fans what their plans are. they're really going to have to in that city get Newcastle United to understand what they're trying to do and get them on board with it because there's no doubt that it's going to be difficult it's going to be a little bit clunky to start with and potentially for a little while but I think what's so important in that stadium and to be a Newcastle player and fan is to understand what they're trying to achieve and from the outside I'm obviously not a Newcastle fan I don't live in the city I'm struggling to work it out but like I say it's not about me it's about that city understanding it so they can get behind it because that stadium can go two ways and we all know that

55:44Adam Crafton:joe lovely to see you adam chris thank you as well steve you were you were right we didn't cover every single club so yet again i've made a promise that i couldn't have kept

56:04this goes beyond what the KGB did back in the days conspiracy theories and the football world cup is there ever one without the other well I've been digging into one of the very best back in 1994

56:18Chris Sutton:guy from Iraq gets a red card for a you know a dubious tackle I'm James Montague, and from BBC Five Live, this is Sports Strangers Crimes presents Shadows on the Pitch. Listen on BBC Sounds.