The Preview Show: Susan Perk

0:00Immersing yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup? I'm Alex Abnos, senior sports editor from The Guardian. And whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game inside and out, we've got you covered. Read, watch, and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the games, the cultures, and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the tournament, reporters on the ground with all the big teams, and the legendary Football Weekly podcast, The Guardian. Bringing you the whole picture on soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more. Breaking news for your home, Wayday.

0:30Wayfair's big sale is almost here, and you can score the best deals in home. Like up to 80 % off everything home. Yes, you heard that right. 80 % off with free shipping on everything. Plus surprise flash deals all Wayday long. We're talking outdoor furniture and essentials, rugs, and more. All at Wayfair. And all up to 80 % off during Wayday. Shop Wayfair's Wayday from April 25th through 27th. way fair every style every home hi friends grace from the working hard podcast here when you're stretching every dollar a little goes a long way and walmart business is here to help they make it easy to order what you need from tech and cleaning supplies to everyday essentials all at low prices and with helpful tools like spend tracking and tax exempt purchasing for eligible organizations because when your operations are smooth your impact can be bigger visit business.warmart.com to get started have you ever been stuck on a weight loss plateau trying everything and anything you can to lose that extra weight and reach peak health?

1:26We've all been there, but Noom's unlocked the secret to reaching the mountaintop. Go in micro. The Noom GLP-1 microdose program starts at$99 and is delivered to your door in seven days. Start your microdose GLP-1 journey today at Noom.com. That's N-O-O-M.com. Noom. Microchanges. Big results. Noom GLP-1-Rx program involves healthy diet, exercise, and support. Individual results may vary. Meds and personalization based on clinical need. Not reviewed by FDA for safety, efficacy, or quality. No affiliation with Novo Nordisk, Inc., the only U.S. source of FDA-approved semaglutide. Not available in all 50 U.S.

2:03states. Thank you for calling the Bombas Comfort Line. Bombas make socks, slippers, tees, and underwear made with the highest quality materials. Press 1 for comfort, 2 for style, 3 for donation. You chose style. Bombas is styles for whatever you enjoy. You can run in Bombas, lounge in Bombas, dress them up, dress them down, but always give back in Bombas. because with every item purchased, another is donated. Bombas, comfort worth calling for. Go to bombas.com slash audio and use code audio for 20 % off your first purchase. That's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com and use code audio. The old adage goes, it isn't what you say, it's how you say it.

2:38Because to truly make an impact, you need to set an example. You need to take the lead. You need to adapt to whatever comes your way. And when you're that driven, you drive an equally determined vehicle, the Range Rover Sport. Blending power, poise and performance, it was designed to make an impact. With a dynamic drive, refined comfort and innovations like cabin air purification and active noise cancellation, the Range Rover Sport is built to be as uncompromising as you. Explore Range Rover Sport at rangerover.com slash US slash sport.

3:13Luke Moore: Wings are made to fly, everybody. Welcome to the Football Ramble Preview Show. Arsenal are off to see Pep and Moyes welcomes Liverpool. It's Friday, 17th of April. I'm Marcus Speller. I'm Jim Campbell. And I'm Luke Moore.

3:37Luke Moore: Hello, everybody. It's Friday then. It's Saturday, Etihad Arsenal. Yeah. Yeah. on the Sunday though yeah because you've used that to replace Sunday in the song right yeah but that is Sunday yeah but it sounds like people thought you feel like you were saying it was on Saturday no no you know better than that everybody knows we're in for a superb Sunday oh it's going to be a Susan Perb Sunday they're going to get they're going to get a pundit called Susan Perb on to do the Man City Arsenal that'd be good to do Man City 5 imagine how annoyed the internet would be if they did that it depends how good she is judge her on her merits well but they won't though will they no they won't if it was Susan Boyle just change the surname could do can't think of any other Susans off the top of my head I'm sure there are I'm sure there are some gettable Susans yeah Sue Perkins is nearly there as well actually yes is her actual real name Susan though good question yeah I can't believe we started like this but good question Susan Perk Susan Perk is as good as you're going to get really it's something for Sky Sports to think about no doubt they will no doubt they're always robbing this kind of content from us if only they would rob some content from us it might make it a particularly superb Sunday.

4:45Luke Moore: Right, we're going to get to all that juicy Premier League action this weekend. Before, though, we've got to go to the Europa League and the Europa Conference League. Let's start with Nottingham Forest 1, FC Porto 0. Forest into the semifinals of a European competition for the first time in bloody ages, Jim. Fantastic stuff. Fantastic stuff. Just what an achievement from them, especially given the chaotic season they're having. Not just in terms of where they are in the table, but just the turmoil sort of behind the scenes as well. So for them to manage to kind of keep all of that away from their Europa League campaign has been brilliant.

5:21Jan Bednarak obviously gave him a bit of a helping foot on that front. Did you think it was a sending off? Yeah, I did. Do you know what? It's an unfortunate... And possibly a police caution.

5:32Luke Moore: It's an unfortunate one in that you can see, obviously he's trying to win the ball, but you've got to win the ball if you're going to do that. Excellent player. That's a red. Yeah. It was an absolutely abysmal challenge. It was. It was so high. I know. It's so high. Not that I'm suggesting Yad Bedrak has made this calculation, but also for Chris Wood, he's come back from this so long out for injury. Have that. Yeah, he had to walk for that. And it was very, very early on as well. What was it, like seven or eight minutes in? So that was a big mountain for Porta to climb after that. Having said that, though.

6:03Luke Moore: Yeah, they were still in the tie, though. You could tell they're a team that's not really used to losing games. I know they lost in the group phase to Forrest away, but domestic they're very good they've almost won at home in the league this season they're used to losing games in England though they've got a terrible record on these shores they've given two absolute gifts in the shape of the own goal in the first leg and the red card in this leg to Forrest I mean Porto will look back at this and think how on earth because the other semi the other semi is definitely whoever goes through that in the final that's a winnable final they'd have to have got past Villa of course I was going to say we'll get to Villa in a moment but you've got to give Forrest credit I mean obviously Elliot Anderson wasn't playing the sad news that his mum died and then obviously the celebration Gibbs-Watt held up the shirt to see that Gibbs-Watt was very good throughout wasn't he I mean again with the goal slightly fortuitous for the deflection but these things happen but he was pretty good though throughout the game my favourite thing about the goal was the knock-on effect that it had the highlight of the whole game for me is late on Igor Thiago has a shot deflected and it loops up and it looks like it's going in but it actually hits the bar but the Porto keeper's face when it loops up off him you can see him go oh fuck yeah it was one of those classic moments where the goalkeeper just looks and goes just got to take my medicine here yeah just exasperated totally like all classic sitcom characters exasperated it was Gomez wasn't it he had quite a good game actually overall but I mean Nico Williams was brilliant as well so yeah an excellent game it was a good flank to witness a battle on well it was and they've been rewarded with the semi-final against free scoring Aston Villa Luke Moore who were also excellent really good more excellent than Forrest you'd have to say looking at the league position and goals.

7:38But you guys started to show by talking about how excellent it was for Forrest to get into the semi and how excellent it was.

7:42Luke Moore: I'm not saying they were excellent. I said they did enough to go through and credit to them. They've kept their powder dry ahead of the Villa game. Well, they'll need to because Villa are rightly the favourites for this competition not only because they've got Unai Emery but they've got an in-form Ollie Watkins peaking at the right time one might say. And Morgan Rodgers as well. Him as well, Jim. The two things are intrinsically linked. The penalty miss didn't lend itself to a nice summer though, did it? Get that out the way. Get it out of the way. He's scored from open play, which he prefers.

8:08I assume that's why he made those choices. They just carved Bologna open. The first goal was really good.

8:13Luke Moore: Can you imagine that in a penalty shootout? Well, I prefer to score an open play. I'm a purist. Yeah, so I'm going to do one of those old Nazal-style penalties. We'll get a move to Arsenal, wouldn't we, with that attitude? Banter. They're looking at banter on a Friday. Nothing wrong with that. Was it Jamie Carragher who said when he missed a penalty for England, I was just pleased it wasn't for Liverpool? Something like that? I think it was whenever they lost the big game. That's right. He'd be a bit gutted. Let's not do him dirty. No, no, no. But he would say, I think he would ultimately land on, but it could be worse.

8:46Luke Moore: It could have been, you know, I'd have been a bit gutted. More gutted if it would be a big game for the football. Yeah. Right, okay. Not ideally the way, is it? No, it isn't. Just keep that as a thought, probably. Do you think he'll ever do it? When you're hiring him as a pundit this summer? He doesn't care. Yeah. If he ever, I mean, I think he's scuppered his chances. not that he clearly wants this, but to be in the England coaching staff like Gary Neville. Well, don't worry, lads. It could have been worse. It could have been four-year clubs. And I think Gary Neville scuffled his chances of being a coach at the England set-up just simply by being a coach at the England set-up.

9:14Luke Moore: Punched the air, apparently, when England drew Iceland in the 2016 year. That's exactly the kind of thing you can imagine Nev doing. Yes, that's a buy. Yeah. A good buy. Anyway, back to Aston Villa. I mean, look, Bologna are not a bad side, of course. Recently in Champions League. and so on and so forth, to beat them 7-1 on aggregate, Jim, that's proper stuff. Really authoritative stuff from Villa. They really look like they were, as some teams do and some teams don't at this stage of the season, look like they were having fun. Yes. They really sort of flexed a little bit and you could see the sense of purpose that they have and that they are really in their top form at the moment, which is massive going into this last little period of the season where they're fighting for not just the Europa League trophy route to the Champions League, but the route within the Premier League as well.

10:07So, yeah, I was really impressed by them, really impressed by Oli Watkins. He looks himself again. His movement was really good. He's a player where you can, when he's doubting himself, you can almost physically see it. And when he's sort of really, really confident, he looks a very different player. And we're seeing sort of the best Oli Watkins at the moment. Again, we mentioned Morgan Rodgers, but he was absolutely superb. Like, you know, we mentioned it in quite a flippant way. but again he is someone in really good form right now and what a finish from Esri Conta at the end I loved the Conta swivel the Conta swivel was great

10:37Luke Moore: that was lovely that was lovely and then Watkins 100 to goal for Villa wasn't it it was which was lovely so whatever has been said about Watkins you're right Jim he has responded now whether that's because I know at times this season Emery's taking him out the side he's had a few injuries and then sorry everybody but you know Thomas Tuchel leaving him out the squad if indeed that is a bit of a well go and get it if that is then he's certainly playing like that but I think with Villa to win the Europa League would be absolutely enormous for them it would be enormous for any side left in the competition but for Villa as well they are the favourites you would expect them to go on and do it but you've got to go and do that and I think what was nice though Emery saying after the game we're doing this for the supporters we're doing this for the club we're doing this for Liverpool Chelsea, Brentford we're trying to get that sixth place for you boys we're doing our bit for everybody down there Everton as well we see you we're trying to do this so he's thinking of the Premier League But it would involve Villa having to drop out of that top five, though, wouldn't it?

11:32Oh, possibly. For the sixth team to actually be relevant, it would involve Villa winning the Europa League and then torpedoing their own league form to help out an Everton or a Brentford. So let's see how far he's willing to go.

11:45Luke Moore: Let's be clear. It's not that good news for Arsenal that Aston Villa go on because you want them to have something to play for when they play in Man City. Yes, indeed, indeed. Yeah, that's true. They've not got a bad record against City lately, though. although you're in very good form etc etc don't you worry about them no there's plenty more for you to worry about anyway so yeah Villa very very good indeed so it's a semi-final we will have an English side in the final of the Europa League and it's funny isn't it with Europa League we often say don't we that in Europe the spending power of the Premier League you see that in certainly the conference certainly the Europa League I mean there you are you're talking about Porto and Forest yes Forest rode their luck at times in the tie but they're playing the side who are the best side in Portugal at the moment, who would probably think of themselves, rightly so, as more of a Champions League side.

12:33Luke Moore: And they overcome them and they're fighting relegation. You know, it doesn't quite translate. But there were some circumstances that we've already talked about, which made the two legs quite strange. Well, indeed, I said they were fortuitous circumstances. But then they beat them in the group, though. They beat them in the group. Yeah. Sean Dyche's first game in charge at Forest had mere 16 managers ago. And for about four months, they beat them 2-0 didn't they yeah exactly yeah whereas in the Champions League it seems to be the concentration of the elite clubs and the wealth and so on and so forth eventually gets a little bit more evenly distributed and the English side just don't dominate but anyway all that chutney aside let's go to Crystal Palace who beat Fiorentina 4-2 in aggregate they lost 2-1 in the night it didn't matter they are into the semifinals of the Europa Conference League good old Palace Luke Moore I mean perhaps enough chances early on to not lose the game certainly but when Saar scored that goal it was lovely header lovely header the goalkeeper couldn't do anything about it although he tried his very best it was interesting to see David De Gea involved Jack Harrison involved as well I completely forgot Jack Harrison's Fiorentina I forgot as well yeah he had a burst through at one point and his right foot kind of let him down but yeah overall that is as tough I mean I know Fiorentina have had a really odd season but that's probably as tough as the assignment gets you would have thought so yeah so I mean good on them although I mean they've got Shakhtar in the next round yeah that's true that's tough but Palace are driven by the injustice of not being in the Europa League so they have to go the hard way aren't they via a trophy which is the best possible character that you could have for that let's see when they get the admin right after they win the trophy they'll miss their flights to the final and just have to forfeit well you see the rumours that they're on the old on the old sozzel with their fans last night oh were they Spurs fans will be raging about that I'm sure they're playing a best damn aren't they celebrating in the streets.

14:24But, you know, there's no booze in the video, so who knows? But they all look pretty happy. Beautiful streets in Florence. Absolutely. And it's all just brown paper bags, so who knows what's in there? Yeah, who knows? It could be anything. It could simply be a can of Monster. It could be. Yeah. Or they could have just been

14:37Luke Moore: listening to Ronnie Size. Exactly. But on our show, it would hopefully be Carabao. Yeah, we are a Carabao family. Wow, Pete's into the rock star at the moment. Is he? He is, yeah. That's a development. But genuinely, the other morning... Oh, it must be on offer at the corner shop. It must be. that's it two for one yeah we were like are you having a can of Monster and he went no I've had two cans of Rockstar though two looked off into the distance was it even nine o 'clock in the morning no well actually yeah you were here so it would have been lovely in joke lovely little in joke I was four minutes late today yeah yeah can we hands up over a year didn't it can we take a moment to appreciate that Fiorentina's goal music is gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight I noticed that forever what's that all about What on earth?

15:20It's great. Was it a late kickoff? I think ABBA are a fantastic band. I think they're an overrated band. I disagree. I think they are the finest set of holograms out there. Yeah, unquestionably so. Tupac? Yeah, who's the rivals for it? Tupac? Was there a Freddie Mercury one at one point? But neither of them have done enough. No, they haven't. Those holograms work. They graft those other holograms. Yoda? Yeah, well. Oh, good, good. Yeah, fair enough. You're putting together an 11. ABBA's still probably going to be in there. Back four. but it did strike me as a strange choice yes it must just be it just must be one of those songs that's massive in Italy or there's just some kind of alternative reason for it that we don't know about

15:58Luke Moore: there's probably a chant that goes to it or something like that did they want the tie to go on I don't know what time it kicked off locally but they're thinking give me give me give me maybe a penalty shootout after midnight maybe it has still been in the tie doesn't scan and so on I mean if it was Sevilla you'd expect it to be that because I mean they play very very late don't they they do they have dinner at two in the morning exactly always breakfast It's madness, really. They start off eating dinner and then they have a bit of scrambled eggs. Anyway, a good week for Champions League. So for English teams in Europe, surely.

16:29Luke Moore: Yes, I would say so. Well, not all of them. Liverpool are out. But they're not English, are they? They're not English. Sorry. Your statement was absolutely correct. But it is a big weekend at the bottom of the Premier League table. Massive. Especially if all the Palace players are pissed up. Well, they're playing on Monday, though. So I think they've got... Hang over then. if the Palace players are hung over I think they will be alright by Monday should be athletes should be fine the tabelism can deal with that very easily yeah absolutely exactly Forest host Burnley Leeds host Wolves and Spurs host Brighton so other than Brighton you know they're all and Palace really you know they're all sort of I say in the mix to say Wolves are in the mix they're not in the mix they were in the mix months and months ago they've fallen out of the mix where are they?

17:13in the same way that being right at the bottom of the barrel you're still in the barrel. Yeah. But they had sort of started to carve a reputation as a sort of rogue element. Yes. Yeah. That's right. Which they'll be looking to get back to after getting slapped around by West Ham. I mean, they've only lost two of the last six. Presumably they could be relegated this weekend though, couldn't they? Because they're 15 points in the muck and there's only six games left.

17:36Luke Moore: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I mean, a goal difference in theory wouldn't be a done deal. Well, yeah, a victory for West Ham you would think that would do it, wouldn't it? So, yeah. I think you can make an argument that this could be an even more difficult time of it for Spurs, right? Because you can certainly see the other games going in the way of the endangered team. Leeds should beat Wolves at home, and then there'll be nine points out of it, probably. West Ham, you're fine. They're playing Palace away, but it's after a European sojourn, even though it's a Monday night. And West Ham have been okay.

18:10Well, they were great against Wolves.

18:11Luke Moore: They're off the back of a really good confidence. That's right. Forrest should beat Burnley. Yeah, the few Spurs fans that I've been chatting to of late, they're just, they're almost resigned to it now. Because we'll say exactly the same things, which echoing your thoughts just there, West Ham are in a good moment, you know, their tails are up. Forrest, bit of confidence from Porter. I don't think Forrest are a brilliant side, I don't think anybody does, but there's a little bit of something there. Leeds, by all accounts, again, having a decent time, you know, they've got a semi-final of the FA Cup to look forward to.

18:43Luke Moore: They've got Wolves at home, you know, win that and my goodness Spurs are the only side where you're struggling in fact you're not even struggling you can't say anything good you just say well they've probably got a better squad than everybody else down there sometimes that goes against you because those players may be not used to it they're looking around going how are we in this mess and they've just lost Romero as well exactly panic stations crisis all the rest of it De Zerbe has a huge job on his hand he knows that he's got to do something so he took them out for a team bonding meal apparently during the week Yeah, to a place called Bacchanalia.

19:15In Mayfair. Yeah, which suggests sort of like kind of decadent excess. It's one of those nouveau riche places. It's a Mediterranean restaurant, but it's like, it's got Damien Hirst sculptures in it. It's like 150 quid a main course. You'll see it on Vish's Instagram. It's for people who want to escape reality or something like that. Which is absolutely ideal, isn't it? We stay here. How long for? Never consider that. Yeah, I'm still sort of of the opinion that if they can get one win, Spurs, then it changes everything. I was saying that earlier. I think it feels to me still, perhaps naively, a bit like they have only ever really won kind of routine 3-0 winning away from being absolutely fine.

19:58But it just keeps not happening, which is why a couple of weeks ago we were talking about maybe they will actually get relegated. But how long could you carry on with that feeling and it never actually manifests in itself? Yeah, and the danger is, of course, if West Ham do win this week and Spurs don't, then that puts West Ham five points away from them, which means you get that win and it doesn't matter. I mean, to put it in context, it's a dangerous weekend for them.

20:23Luke Moore: If you think about, you know, look at all the other sides down there, as we've mentioned them, you know, Forest Leeds and West Ham. If you put Forest Leeds and West Ham in the first round of this year's Champions League, are any of them going through automatically from that? It's mad. it's a mad thought experiment and that's where the squads are I know that Spurs were still getting criticism back then but they ultimately did that and it shows you what that squad has over all these others but the confidence is absolutely shot to pieces they are but a lovely meal might have improved it well this is it I mean De Zobbe he has to do something and if he can get a little bit of a tune and as you say try and let them forget if Spurs are mid-table now and they're playing Bryant at home they've got a few games you're not thinking like this because there's no pressure.

21:12Also, West Ham have a tricky game there away to Palace. Palace are in quite good form. So it's an opportunity for Spurs to put pressure on them as well. Perhaps that's the way they need to look at it.

21:22Luke Moore: Well, they do, Jim. They absolutely do. So yeah, huge weekend in the Premier League for the clubs down the bottom. Let's turn our attention to the teams at the top. Coming up after this, will the title be decided this weekend? The answer to that question is, of course, no, but maybe yes.

21:46This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Financial stress can result in anxiety, sleep disruption and even depression. At the start of 2026, 88 % of Americans reported feeling some form of it. If money is having an outsized impact on your well-being, therapy can be a good place to manage your anxieties. Therapy is not financial advice, but it can help you understand your relationship with money and build healthy coping strategies. Better Help is the world's largest online therapy platform and it works with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews.

22:21Better Help's 30 ,000 therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the US. They'll even match you with a therapist and with 12 plus years of experience and an industry leading match fulfillment rate, they typically get it right the first time. If you aren't happy with your match, you can switch to a different therapist at any time. When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help. Sign up and get 10 % off at betterhelp.com forward slash ramble. That's betterhelp.com slash ramble. This episode is sponsored by Momentous. Let's run through some health buzzwords. Energy, recovery, performance, training, protein, supplements.

23:01Something that's just as important as all of those, but that you hear far less about is gut health. Granted, as motivational phrases go, it does lack glamour, but gut health is one of the most overlooked foundations of long-term performance. It supports nutrition, absorption, energy, mood and recovery, and when it's lacking, other supplements and training habits don't work as well. That's where Momentous Fibre Plus comes in, because fibre plays a major role in your gut. I've actually been taking Momentous Fibre Plus myself, and honestly, it's just become part of my daily routine. Now, I've noticed that my digestion feels better, my energy is just a bit more steady, fewer peaks and troughs right across the day, and it's an easy win that I don't really have to think about.

23:42It's just there for me. It's one of those products that isn't flashy, but you really, really notice the difference when you stay consistent with it. Right now, Momentous is offering our listeners up to 35 % off your first order with promo code RAMBLE. Head to livemomentous.com and use promo code RAMBLE for up to 35 % off your first order. Wow, that's livemomentous.com promo code RAMBLE. Hi friends, Grace from the Working Hard podcast here. When you're stretching every dollar, Allila goes a long way and Walmart Business is here to help. They make it easy to order what you need from tech and cleaning supplies to everyday essentials, all at low prices and with helpful tools like spend tracking and tax exempt purchasing for eligible organizations.

24:22Because when your operations are smooth, your impact can be bigger. Visit business.warmart.com to get started. We optimize hydration, movement, supplements and sleep, but most people completely ignore the air they're breathing. And when your air is off, your body feels it first. The Blue Signature Air Purifiers by Blue Air quietly remove airborne pollutants, odors, smoke, and allergens, supporting deeper sleep, better recovery, and clearer focus. It's the most customizable air purifier you can get, with exclusive accessories designed to fit your space and your style. Visit BlueAir.com and use code SIGNATURE30 to elevate your wellness routine.

25:05You just mentioned the low block. When they hardly allow you to enter the box, what's the solution? Kill someone?

25:14Luke Moore: Well, back to the football ramble, everybody. Forgot about that. Right on, Sunday at 4.30, Manchester City versus Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has never beaten Man City at the Etihad. The last time Arsenal won there was 2015. What a chance. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said, it's squeaky business time now. It's a great chance to put it right, Jim, is it not? It is, yeah. And that's the thing. I mean, obviously, you know, you've both seen up close the emotional effect that the loss and performance against Bournemouth had on Arsenal fans in your vicinity and obviously outside of it as well. Like, it was a really, really deflating thing.

26:01And a lot of people are thinking City might batter Arsenal here. It feels a lot like kind of previous eras almost where you go to the Etihad thinking there's not really much chance of that here. That's fine for the fans to feel like that. Obviously, everybody kind of needs to lift themselves as much as they can and bring as much positivity into the stadium, those fans going to the game. And they absolutely will do that. But the players don't have to do that, do they? The players will not be thinking like that. They will be looking at this as an opportunity to go and do something. I think City will be the heavy favourites here.

26:33obviously based on the Carabao Cup performance. And it'd be very interesting to me to see if they essentially set up in a similar way where they didn't really press Arsenal's centre-backs, which just led to a lot of kind of recycled possession that was really, really ineffective, which is kind of what Bournemouth did as well. So there's absolutely no reason for City to not set up like that unless they're trying to sort of, you know, kind of counter whatever Mikel Arteta might do to counter that. So it's going to be a bit of an interesting game in that sense. I mean you said Man City are heavy favourites I would think so they are top of the league they're still in the Champions League heavy favourites I would base that on form though and I know that Arsenal you know have won lots of games coming into that Bournemouth game but it's just I mean it's night and day isn't it Man City I mean in the betting Man City are heavy favourites they're heavy odds on price to win the game and Arsenal are way out there at like you know 3-1 because the Carabao Cup was so recent I think you factor that in

27:30Luke Moore: sure and Arsenal's form I mean, these are the reasons why, you know, you're right to say that, I suppose. I just think for me, I'm like, favourites, I mean, heavy favourites, you know, it is first versus second, Arsenal being first. I mean, Luke, how do you, I mean, what are your thoughts on this? I think Man City are heavy favourites. Yeah, no, you know they are heavy favourites. You just looked it up. I also agree with it. Right. I kind of broadly agree with what Jim said. I think the problem is that, you know, Arsenal and Arteta haven't really been able, for whatever reason, to keep a grip on the narrative, to keep a grip on the fact that they are top of the league.

28:04And part of that is because of what's come in seasons past and part of that is to do with form. But also another part of it is the way that they talk. Like they speak in quite weird ways about, I said it on the show yesterday, I thought Declan Rice's like post-match interview, I understand the players have got adrenaline and they're pleased to get through to the semi and stuff. And you've got Jules winding you up. Yeah, exactly. We've all experienced that. It's very difficult to combat that. But he was saying some things that I just felt people weren't saying that. And it felt a bit like projection.

28:35Right. And to me, this is a massive assignment. And Man City are coming into form at the right time. They may not be the team of years gone past, as Marcus, you've repeatedly said. But they are a team with a track record of really hitting the turbochargers at this time of the season. and I do think the League Cup final was a massive psychological boost to them and so it's all about how they start it's all about also whether what you said Jim about what Bournemouth did and what Man City did last time is a blueprint to beat Arsenal because if Arsenal can't create much which we've kind of seen over the last few games then I don't really know there's much for City to worry about.

29:17Yeah I mean the performance on Wednesday on one hand is completely unideal and it happened at all because obviously City would be fresher and there was a lot of energy expended in that performance, particularly from Declan Rice himself, who'd been ill the day before in his sickbed and still put in an incredible performance. So City will be fresher. But they were a bit more ambitious in terms of at least trying to be attacking. They weren't very good at it, but they were doing it. I feel like part of the problem there is that Arsenal have played in such a sort of risk-averse way and played in a way that manages the opposition rather than setting the agenda themselves for such a long time that a lot of these kind of relationships in the final third, they're not very fresh.

30:01They've kind of forgotten how to look for each other and they're not expecting each other's runs. That front three never works. He can't do that. I mean, Madiweke might be out,

30:09Luke Moore: so he may not be able to do it, but Martinelli, Jockerich and Madiweke, yeah, they've got no chemistry at all. I couldn't believe he played it because you were right. I've sort of noticed that. It'll be Saka coming back in, won't it? Saka probably. Saka has a sort of mysterious Achilles injury so I'm not really expecting him to be available so who's going to play on the right then it might actually have to be Max Daumann the other option would be that you would start Martinelli there and have Trossard on the left and then bring Daumann on later which probably feels a bit more secure speaking of Daumann I know it's a small sample size obviously but where do you think with that small sample size is his best position because he was in the midfield three when he came up against Sporting and looked good there he'll be a central player in the future for sure he'll be in Martinelli guys role I think which has had a knock-on effect on Ethan Wynieri which is a different conversation but yeah I expect so.

30:55I think while he's a teenager he'll probably play on the wing a lot. Well I would have thought you learn a lot about beating a man and all that stuff out there right so it's definitely because in that three

31:03Luke Moore: I like him where he can sort of drive things forward a bit however maybe for the Man City game if indeed he does start that's the sort of your joker in the pack almost to kind of go out on the wing and just express yourself. Also he wins a lot of free kicks firstly because he's already thinking about the same pieces a little boy but genuinely it makes a difference he's the type of player that in a way that Jack Grealish is right in that he's always asking a question of defenders so he does win a lot of fouls and also he gets the benefit of the doubt a lot of the time because he's so young so that would definitely be an element of play what I would say is you're right to obviously highlight the Carabao Cup final we thought there would be a psychological blow there definitely has been but I mean we've scrutinised Arsenal's results Going into the Carabao Cup final, Man City were beaten very convincingly by Real Madrid.

31:55Luke Moore: Not the first side for that to happen, but the manner of it was disappointing. They drew with West Ham as well in the league. From that, they hammered Liverpool in the Cup. Fair play to them. Liverpool are still an all-right side. They're not a great side by any stretch of the imagination. So you've got to give them credit for that. They beat Chelsea as well, who are in a bit of disarray. So I suppose seven goals in those two games against two of the big sides. you've got to give them an enormous amount of credit. But my point is that, yes, Man City are in the ascendancy. Yes, they are in better form than Arsenal.

32:30Luke Moore: There's no two ways about that. But I'm going to say it again. They are the Man City of this season. And I would just love Arteta to try and have a swing and a few punches at them. Because you've said it, Jim, and I totally agree that you can just see Arsenal setting up for the draw because let's be honest, and this goes into the psychological thing and so on. if you offer Arsenal fans a draw I think a lot of them would probably take it because it's especially in the context of everything totally understandable just keeps it in their hands it keeps it in their hands it is somewhat playing small but I don't want to be too critical of that and you can see them setting up for the draw and then losing like 2-0 or something like that I just the reason why I think they should come out swinging a bit is because of the inevitability of that but also if Man City win this game and they win the game in hand they draw level with Arsenal.

33:19And then what you might have is five games left. Yes. Essentially a shootout between them where you've got to win every game and then someone's going to win it on goal difference, which Arsenal also don't look equipped to do. That's obviously quite an extreme projection and it might well not happen. But yeah, of course. But they need to keep it in their own hands. Absolutely. I agree with the idea that they should go and try and win the game. Not come out swinging rather than come out flailing, obviously. but they're such a sort of kind of controlled team in theory that they're never going to go fully, fully gung-ho.

33:54One thing that might go in their favour is that they couldn't really have more of a point to prove and that can be a galvanising thing. I think it's a game for Havertz, not for Jokeres. You've said that a fair few times. I have. He's been very ineffective in these types of games and if you want to go long, Havertz, he's not been particularly good at this since he's come back, granted, but he is a better option at making the ball stick up front than Jokeres is. And those options are all going to be crucial. But he's going to play Jokeres. He'll play Jokeres. I think he will. I don't know. What makes you think that?

34:26I just think he likes that Jokeres occupies and provides, I mean, weirdly enough, I think Jokeres is quite slow of thought and is almost a bit of a flat-track bully. Oh, 100%. Yeah, but I think he does occupy defenders. and I think he I've not seen enough of Havert since he's come back from injury to think that he's still the player that a lot of Arsenal fans think he is Oh no but I think even in that context he is more likely to be I think he will actually occupy defenders in a more effective sense just because his hold up play is better Essentially Jokoriz's hold up play has kind of gone backwards a little bit in recent games and I think a really key thing for Arsenal is getting Eberhard Schiezer on the ball as much as possible because the wide areas have become really ineffective the system's in the way the sole system's getting in the way and the goals are drying up I would like to see Dalvin start on the right really from the off yep and the left the thing with that is that he is very very young and in terms of his defensive contribution he tries really hard of course he does but he is 16 so I think you have a vulnerability there but I think it would be up against Nico O 'Reilly who's a really real physical threat though but Nico O 'Reilly's a doubt anyway Nico O 'Reilly may not play okay but I I think he came off against Chelsea didn't they I just think that

35:45Luke Moore: it's easy for me to say this as a neutral but that's so that's my position where I'm coming from obviously but I would just think that it's something that I don't think Pep would think he would do so there's an element of surprise there and I think that he would just provide something and give the other players around him a lift and yes he's 16 yes I take all those points but again in that sporting game that Rice was good you know there was again solid is the word you would use when describing an Arsenal player playing well. Downman just provides a little bit of something. And also, my temptation would be to have Eze in the middle and then, I don't know, maybe Trossard out wide.

36:24Luke Moore: But just a little bit of swap. Just try and mix it a bit. They did that on Wednesday, actually. I think a slightly different approach, really. Oh, it has to be different. It has to be bespoke. but I'm fascinated how Man City will line up will they just do the same as they did in the Carabao Cup final or will he overthink it well I mean that's your that would be the great hope for Arsenal fans of course the reason why I think will he do the same if he does the same despite Arsenal knowing what happened you would expect it to be successful again well the Bournemouth game is a great example exactly yeah because that looks to me like the start of a blueprint of how to be successful against them but also but then Arteta's got no excuse Luke well he hasn't got an excuse no because he knows that's the way they could do it.

37:10The sweeping statement I'd like to make is just that having a load of good little boys playing in a system and never deviating from that system is good up to a point. But at some stage, if that system is then proven to repeatedly be not good enough to get you over the line, which may be the case, it's certainly been the case in the past, then it seems natural to me that logically you want to look at the players who aren't necessarily going to adhere to that system so closely and provide you a bit of an X factor, which is what I was saying on Wednesday or Thursday, to me, the key to Arsenal getting over the line in the Premier League now seems to be, can you get an Eze, a Maduweke, or even a Dalman to do something out of the ordinary to give everyone a lift?

37:53Because you talk about Trossard, fine, Trossard is a really hard-working player who's pretty good defensively as well, but his contribution in terms of a goal or an assist at Arsenal has been diabolical for ages. He's not done anything. This calendar year, but that's... That's probably really the first time in his career that's been true. It is fair right now. But it counts now, right? Of course it counts now, yeah. But a lot of players have dropped off like that. But you are absolutely right. And that's why I mentioned Ebreche Eza. He looks like the one with that spark. And I do think, the reason I think it would be beneficial to play Havertz rather than Jokeres is that I think Havertz is probably more likely to win a knockdown and get it back to Eza.

38:30Because as I say, those wide players, Trossard included, as you point out, their goal contributions have dried up. So look to the guy who has that spark, you know,

38:40Luke Moore: try and get him on the ball as much as possible. Gentlemen, Pep Guardiola has spoken about why Manchester City find form towards the end of the season. He said, it's the sun. I'm not joking. It's not a newspaper though. Yeah. It's, come on now. In Manchester, there is never the sun. If the sun arrived in November, we would be champions in January. I'm surprised they tried to move them down to like Eastbourne or something. Cornwall. Eastbourne. Sandbanks. Yeah, exactly. It's got a microclimate, isn't it? It's an interesting one though because you can imagine a lot of the, say, Southern European players finding it pretty brutal over the winter in Manchester compared to what they're used to.

39:15I don't mean that as a slight on Manchester, which is an amazing city, but it would be a massive culture shock. There's a massive change to them. But I think City are like a team who are really hitting their straps now. I know they've come up short in the Champions League this season. I know they've not been amazing, but it does feel, as painful as it is to say to Arsenal fans listening and to Jim sitting next to me, it does kind of feel a bit inevitable. Yeah. And I think the fact that City could, it's almost like a horse race. You know, you've got a horse leading from the front but it's starting to run out of it and there's someone coming up in the rear view mirror.

39:49I know horses don't have rear view mirrors as a metaphor. It would be good if they did have them though. You could put them on them. Yeah, you could easily. One of the things I absolutely love about Pep Guardiola is when he took, because he's so focused on football, it's such tunnel vision. When he talks about anything outside of the world of football, it's like he's discovering it for the first time and the sense of joy and wonder in his voice is just amazing to me just he can't believe how good the sun is now that he's thinking about it for a second about Julia Roberts he was all over the show yeah exactly that's a great example yeah totally yeah

40:19Luke Moore: I mean again the only thing I would try and say to give Arsenal a bit of hope here is again everyone is very quick understandably so now I don't think before this but now understandably everyone's very quick to go oh but it's Man City they know what they're doing and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it may well be the case and the signs are there. But like I say, they've, you know, the last couple of wins have been big wins against big sides. I think those sides were kind of there for the taking. But, you know, you've got to, you have to give them credit because if Arsenal had beaten Liverpool 4-0 and Chelsea 3-0, we wouldn't be having the conversation in this kind of manner.

40:58Luke Moore: But Manchester City, they are not the side previously. and they have it in them. You know, with their five games left of the season after Arsenal, I wouldn't expect them to win all five. And so, you know, we shall see how this plays out. But there's been a nervousness around the Etihad for much of this season as well, like there has been at the Emirates. And that's what Arsenal have got to do. Because again, Arsenal are in pole position here. And that's why I'm desperately trying to speak it and will it into existence for your sake. They're all going to be there with their bottles of Arsenal tears and all that stuff.

41:31I'm sure that one of them will be. I'm sure the home crowd will be really good.

41:36Luke Moore: But there's been a nervousness at the Etihad. This is not a foregone conclusion. Which is why Arsenal need to sort of not necessarily fly out the blocks but be competitive early. And also, if Arsenal do win, that's absolutely seismic. That's what I mean. They're fully in the driving seat at that point. So they have to approach it with confidence even if they don't have any. Oh, I think if they win the Etihad, they win the league. I mean, the confidence it'll give them and the gap it'll give them would be, I mean, it would be unthinkable. I mean, I mean, you said before the international break, and I appreciate results have come in since then, but you were like, it's done.

42:05I think it's, I mean, look, I don't want to be too mischievous for the sake of it. We don't know what's going to happen in the game yet, but I do think, you know, people are going to think I'm saying this just to get a reaction. My honest opinion is, if Arsenal don't win the league now, it's an absolute nightmare. It's a nightmare for them. Of course it is. And I think they've been so good all season. They've been the best team so far, but they've got to get over the line. I think that's why this game, I mean, we see a lot of hyperbole around the broadcasting of football matches and, you know, Tour Cup fixtures and all the rest of it.

42:36This is genuinely the league decider because if they lose this, they'll be absolutely bereft of confidence. There'll be an inevitability about it. The narrative alongside what they've actually achieved this season, Arsenal, so far, is completely disconnected. I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen such a negative aura aura from the outside and partly from the inside as well by the manager for a team that are in such a good position. It's because it's happened well in theory it could happen four years in a row. It's sort of uncharted territory isn't it?

43:09Luke Moore: I appreciate the finishing second but it's not been like this. I think that they've they are fully in the driving seat. I think finished second to Liverpool last season it's totally different. The two seasons before that they were in the driving seat as well though. The season before last they only lost that one game against Villa. in a huge run of wins, which is, you know, it was just that City were very, very good. But it doesn't really matter the sort of ins and outs of how it happened in the previous three seasons. It just matters that it did. Just to finish the point, this is genuinely, it's very, very, very easy to convince yourself this is the game on Sunday and decides who wins the league or not.

43:46Luke Moore: Well, indeed. It's going to be something on Sunday at 4.30. Gentlemen, before we go for a break, it was announced yesterday that former Arsenal goalkeeper but Alex Manninger has died after his car was hit by a train. Absolutely awful news. Yeah, I mean, no age. He's 48 years old and the manner of it and the age he was is absolutely shocking. So, condolences to his family and his friends for sure. We know him as an Arsenal player, right? Although he didn't feature an awful lot because of the David Seaman factor. He was a big part of the squad, right? In the 1998 title winning season, there was a period where David Seaman was out injured and Manninger stepped up.

44:24and I think he equaled a clean sheet record at the time. He was really, really pivotal in it and some lovely words about him from Gianluigi Buffon as well because he also won a title at Juventus. So, you know, he might have been the sort of the classic kind of backup keeper figure but he did make a big contribution and he's kind of very, very well regarded for that reason and it's an absolute tragedy, as you say, that anybody should die in those circumstances at that age And yeah, my heart goes out to everyone who knows him. Yeah, horrendous news. All right, let's have a quick break.

45:22Have you ever been stuck on a weight loss plateau, trying everything and anything you can to lose that extra weight and reach peak health? We've all been there, but Noom's unlocked the secret to reaching the mountaintop. Go in micro. The Noom GLP-1 microdose program starts at$99 and is delivered to your door in 7 days. Start your microdose GLP-1 journey today at Noom.com. That's N-O-O-M dot com. Noom. Microchanges. Big results. Noom GLP-1-RX program involves healthy diet, exercise, and support. Individual results may vary. Meds and personalization based on clinical need. Not reviewed by FDA for safety, efficacy, or quality.

45:59No affiliation with Novo Nordisk, Inc., the only U.S. source of FDA-approved semaglutide. Not available in all 50 U.S. states. Immersing yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup? I'm Alex Abnos, senior sports editor from The Guardian. And whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game inside and out, we've got you covered. Read, watch and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the games, the cultures and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the tournament, reporters on the ground with all the big teams and the legendary Football Weekly podcast.

46:30The Guardian, bringing you the whole picture on soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more.

46:41Luke Moore: Welcome back to Football Rumble, everybody. everybody Everton versus Liverpool Sunday at 2pm the first Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium we'll never forget the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park of course if this game's anything like that we're in for a very very good one and the last time Liverpool won away Everton was 2021 yeah I remember the game at Everton a couple years ago it might have almost been exactly two years ago Everton won 2-0 Liverpool dominated the possession but Everton won the game so one of of things I think has been quite interesting about how Everson have gone about things this season with this new stadium is they've delivered a season that is certainly at the very least commensurate with what you'd expect them to do if they were still in Goodison Park and it can be a real big change to move to a completely new place yet they find themselves with a good shake at European football still in April.

47:37Moyes has done a brilliant job and I think this is a really nice time to play Liverpool as well. Yeah, definitely. I think they're probably... This is one of the best seasons Everton have had in a long time. It's shaping up to be. It's been a good while now since they flirted with relegation, but there was a time where they kind of kept doing that in ways that were obviously infuriating to their fans. A lot of sort of criticism of the board. Everything looks pretty rosy there now. David Moyes making a mockery of the idea that you can't go home again. all that stuff or he did that at West Ham though yeah well very true he's particularly good at that get him back at Old Trafford the nature of the ferryman isn't it he can do that in a positive way as well and this is massive on top of you know just this being the first Moses I derby at the Hill Dickinson as well they go two points behind Liverpool with a win I think he's extra fuel isn't it that's wild it's absolutely wild they've got to do it though it'll be their best season in about 12 years or something if they were to to do what we think they are capable of doing.

48:41They finished 7th in 2017. So, I mean, yeah, to go two points behind Liverpool, that is insane.

48:48Luke Moore: Yeah. They've got to do it though. Yeah. Yeah, I think if you're Liverpool, you're thinking, I could have done without this one. Some fans will try and spin it and say, no, this is the perfect game You think about every game with your Liverpool. Yeah, quite possibly, yeah. I mean, there's no given that Liverpool will call off of Champions League. I mean, they're in a reasonably decent position. Obviously, they are in fifth and they're four points above Chelsea in sixth and a few people are trusting Chelsea at the moment and Chelsea have got that small matter of hosting Manchester United on Saturday night as well and both of those sides can't get three points this weekend so it is a chance for Liverpool it's a chance for everybody around there Brentford themselves they've got their derby game against Fulham as well so the race for the European places is going to be a very hot one indeed but I mean Brighton themselves they're playing Spurs Brighton will be thinking come on boys three points and a bit of jiggery poker and they might find themselves up there as well so it is an intriguing one I'm just glad this season in the Premier League you've got a title race you've got a great race for European sports and you've got a relegation running as well that's it absolutely you know sometimes people criticise clubs like Fulham for sitting mid-table nothing to play for tell you what you've got everything to watch though they rolled over for Liverpool didn't they yeah I suppose they did yeah it's actually one of the very few stress-free positions I suppose isn't it You enjoying that?

50:10Yeah.

50:10Luke Moore: Yeah, sometimes a little bit of stress wouldn't go amiss. It means you're doing something... Everton were... Not necessarily, but sometimes it means you're doing something right. Yeah. Last time I saw Everton at home was against Chelsea and they were excellent. Yeah. Well, I mean, it's all about their away form this season. They've been so good on the road. Can they now, for the last handful of games, get that feeling into the hill? They smashed Chelsea at home. They smashed them. They did, but if you statistically look at it and factually look at it, they've been far better away from home. I think only what is it...

50:36Luke Moore: Who are the clubs? Is it maybe Arsenal, Man City, something like that have picked up more points on the road at home they've been alright but it's you know this is a real chance to put a marker down and I fancy them to do it Jim do you I do as well actually I do too I lean that way because Everton's squad at the start of the season looked like okay that's a good squad there's some exciting players in there but the way some of them have stepped up has been so so impressive obviously Jared Branthwaite's back in the reckoning now which is very very welcome still Miss Grealish who scored in that game two years ago by the way I think I'm pretty sure he did anyway there we go then So obviously we know Ilyman Njai is a good player and he's been pretty consistent from what I can tell.

51:12James Garner has really gone up to another level. Dewsbury Hall, you've got to make sure. Dewsbury Hall obviously has been a brilliant, brilliant addition and he's been contributing as well. And Idrissa Garnagay seems to make a mockery of the very idea of ageing as well. He's been fantastic. The engine on him is great. So they are in really good form. They look like they're enjoying it. Kind of mentally, they feel like they're in a better position than Liverpool at the moment as well. Yeah, totally. Totally.

51:36Luke Moore: Have you heard that the Hill Dickinson Stadium will be transformed into an interactive golf course this summer? I'm very interested in that. Are you getting involved? Yeah, I'd love to. Listen, if anyone at the Hill Dickinson wants to invite me along, I'll be very happy to attend. My terrible golf game can disgrace that interactive golf experience. No problem. Is that a great incentive for Jack Grealish to potentially stay? Because apparently, like a lot of footballers, I believe he enjoys a bit of golf. Possibly. Maybe. Has he been linked away then? Well, I mean, he's on loan, so he's obviously going to go back.

52:09Luke Moore: I suppose so, yeah. I kind of assumed he's not really going to go back to Man City, is he? But you don't know, because who knows who's going to be the manager next season? Well, I mean, the way he spoke about it, obviously, when he went on loan to him, he was like, look, I had a great time there. It was as if he was kind of thinking, yeah, that'll... Oh, really? Yeah, but anyway. That's a shame. I like the golf course thing. It sounds like the sort of thing that you'd tell your grandkids but that they wouldn't believe. Oh, yeah, you played golf at the stadium did you? Do you know what it also sounds like?

52:36Exactly the kind of thing Spurs would announce in the middle of this terrible run. Don't worry everyone you can enjoy yourself at the stadium this summer. Remember Gareth Bale? He liked golf? Yeah.

52:44Luke Moore: Should be an escape room shouldn't it? Or is that every other Saturday afternoon? That's cutting, biting satire from Sprella down that end of the test. Before we move on and talk about the Eddie Howe derby I want to bring this to your attention. John Joe Shelby. He's always in the headlines or in my headlines. On this show he is. he's been appointed manager of Arabian Falcons in the UAE 3rd Division how about that Jim he's moving on up in the world he is so there was two headlines that accompanied each other about John Joe Shelby had you have googled him and then clicked news let's be honest you've got Google Alerts haven't you I know which one you're going to say because I want to say the same one one said John Joe Shelby he's retired from football and he's now a manager and I thought good moving up in the world well done John staying in the game and the next one the headline was of course him living in Dubai and Shelby said the UAE has made us feel so safe there are too many scumbags around in the UK up yours you dickhead yeah the iPaper ran with England is full of scumbags in Dubai I feel safe yeah goodness sake Walk Free an international human rights organisation estimate that there are around 132 ,000 victims of modern slavery in the UAE so yeah think about that John Joe exactly John he's probably reading he's not going to think about that no he's not And also, Spur is normally happy to be a spokesperson for John Jo Kale.

54:05Oh, he's lost me. Oh, he's lost you. That's a shame. He's gone. Careful. Listen, don't meet your heroes. Do not meet your heroes. If I have to go there, I'm not going to meet him. He's probably convinced by lots of bots that London has fallen, isn't he? He said he couldn't walk down. He said he didn't feel comfortable walking down the street with a watch on. To be fair to him, it took me hours to get into the studio this morning because another no-go zone has opened up around my flat. So I had to go around it. Yeah, exactly. Annoying.

54:31Luke Moore: Yeah. I'd like him to somehow blame Alex Ferguson for all this. That's not a fault that is. The way the UK is. Anyway, let's move on. Eddie Howe Darby, Newcastle United, host Bournemouth Saturday at 3pm. Bournemouth's first game since Andoni Iriola announced he will leave the club at the end of the season. The manager debate in this game is interesting because obviously the timing of Iriola's departure announcement was, I thought, quite strange. Shock window. Completely shock window. and Eddie Howe's kind of, is Eddie Howe desperately to keep his job? You can't assume he is. Well, he's settled in the North East, all reports say, and I think that, I think that there seems with Eddie Howe that he's, you know, the feet have been firmly under the desk for a long time.

55:13Luke Moore: You think when he took over there, they were battling relegation. Yeah. And obviously he steered them out of that pretty quickly and it's been, you know, largely an upward trajectory, of course, you know, with Champions League football with the trophy and so on. there is speculation about his future at Newcastle because the league performances have been just so poor I just yeah I think this is the kind of thing this is modern football against you know back in the day I think back in the day Eddie Howard probably have this job for 10 12 years something like that because even if this season because he's so steady well exactly and the way it was and his floor is quite high yeah all that kind of stuff and you know we're fine as a club but that was back then modern football is if you have a one off season it's kind of like well are we drifting and it seems to be quite hard to address that drift and with Newcastle United you get the you get a taste of the Champions League biscuit you want it every season and there's also a couple of other factors one is the ownership and the ambition of the ownership the second thing is just how odd the Premier League season has been when you view it in that context you talked about the fact there's a title race there's a relegation race there's a European race but it's we've had 32 games this season this is not an anomaly this is a big sample size now and there's six points separating 6th and 14th.

56:28Like from Chelsea in 6th down to Newcastle in 14th, there's not really much in it. Newcastle could be 6th. You know, it's only two wins away. So it's a really difficult time to be looking at the league table if you're Newcastle because there's a lot left to play for and on paper they're 14th. But actually they're not far off being right up there. Although that becomes difficult, doesn't it, the further down you are because it's not just about the points at this stage. It's about loads of teams ahead of you also starting to play badly. And you could even make a reasonable argument that even if they finish at the very top of that pack, six may not be good enough for them.

57:04Luke Moore: I mean, so if... Unless Villa piling. I mean, I think with... On purpose. I think with Newcastle, you know, I mean, our very own Pete Donaldson's been very characteristically negative about Newcastle United, but I think that is actually grounded in their performances and their results this season. They are 14th with six games to go. it's not where they want to be. You're right to say a couple of wins and suddenly you're right up there but realistically you've actually got to look at the fifth position where Liverpool are and they're 10 points off it. I don't mean that sixth is going to automatically give them Champions League.

57:38I take the point. I just think the difference between 14th and sixth in this league table at this point is very, very small which is strange.

57:43Luke Moore: Yes, I take your point but the back-to-back losses they're 10 points off a guaranteed Champions League spot with six games to go. That's not what they want. That's not where they should be. Especially given they went into the Champions League for a single season a while back and didn't replicate it that season following either. And the money that has, you know, they spent a lot of money last summer. I know the summer transfer window was, you could say it was a little bit of a disaster. You know, losing Izak in the matter, yeah, they got the figure, that figure for him. But there was a number of transfer targets that they didn't get, of course.

58:13Luke Moore: Okay, bringing in Volta Marder and Wisser, you know, I think that was decent. But those two... But it's not really panned out as they would have hoped. No, Wisser, they've been unlucky with injuries, but he's not adapted. I always think to myself, just because they haven't adapted this season, again, not everything has to be instant like we think it has to be. But again, that is a gamble itself. Do you kind of go, right, we're not going to sign a forward because we're going to keep Baltamada. I know there's interest back in Germany for him. And we're going to keep Wisser and we're going to back them.

58:39Luke Moore: Everything's a gamble. There's speculation with Tonali, there's speculation with Anthony Gordon, you know, with Bayern, Livramento, indeed. I think the transfer work has been poor. Well, it has been poor, Luke. and I mean Alanga hasn't worked out you know Ramsey's been Jacob Ramsey's been pretty decent and Malik Thiau has been very good at the back Ramsdale as well has done pretty well but the chat is that he's not seen as because he's only on loan from Southampton I think they'll probably go in for another game they might try and get James Trafford again because if you're Trafford surely you want it first team football and he's not going to get it with Donnarumma I mean has Jacob Ramsey been that good?

59:11He's been alright

59:11Luke Moore: I think he's been a solid performer there but the point is it is a huge summer for Newcastle United what do the board think? what do the fans think? you've got to give it a go this time and then we'll see where we are at the end of next season but if you're worried about the old drift, inertia kicking in we could see a change, Irreola's available, let's be perfectly frank and we've said this for many many years Jose Mourinho would bite your hand off and there'll be people in the upper echelons of Newcastle United who will think Mourinho's an option, as stupid as that is they will be, it's being reported that he is a genuine contender for that job because of those reasons you just said so this is huge for Newcastle United if they can beat Bournemouth then you suddenly think well okay if they were to say if there was a clinch a Europa League spot I think that would probably just enough would be my thoughts might not be for the fans and all but they'd have a good shot at winning well indeed they would but I tell you what though Bournemouth you know talk about European football bloody hell it's there for them and you know with Marco Rosa big name managed Dortmund and so on he's being linked to them as well you get that Europa League spot or even Conference League suddenly okay Iriola's going that is a shame but that was kind of always inevitable you're still a club you know you've got Premier League money you've got a good squad of players it's an attractive proposition and we all know the town of Bournemouth is a particularly lovely place Luke Norrell overrated very rated I would say rated correctly I used to think it used to be really good Bournemouth I forgot to say that when I called it out on Wednesday it used to be good but it's now very overrated but that's fine I mean how recently have you been there?

1:00:49Oh, that's a good question. Probably two years ago? Yeah, I've been there fairly regularly. The last two years it's been brilliant. It's great, yeah. Some of the beaches in Bournemouth are amazing. Respectfully, you're from Raynham. Yeah, but you're from fucking Portsmouth. You're from the literal muck. It's an island of muck if you don't mind. Muck Island if you're from there.

1:01:11Luke Moore: Yeah. But the... You turned up with a knife to a gunfight there. If I can be serious, right, the Bournemouth question that they're a size of club you talk about the fact that they're still this club they've got this Premier League money but a club like Bournemouth are only ever really one terrible appointment away as a manager from being right back down there again a lot of clubs like that yeah and so you could definitely say that about a few different clubs so it's absolutely key that Bournemouth get the appointment next time around spot on otherwise they could be in big trouble they're also the sort of club who are very good at that type of succession plan you said something about Brighton it seems to be the same about Brentford as well so yeah who knows Yeah, but they're an attractive proposition and if they beat Newcastle United on Saturday, that attraction will only increase.

1:01:52Luke Moore: All agreed. Right, we've come to the end of the show. But oh my goodness, or should I say my biddy aunt, it'll be available to listen to later. It's going to be Jim versus Luke. Jim is on a good run of form. Reign them versus Portsmouth. Can he overcome the mighty Luke Moore? London versus Portsmouth. There we are. Make sure to subscribe to the Football Ramble in your podcast app so that you do not miss it. And now I have to say thank you for listening to the Football Ramble, part of the ACAST Creator Network. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you, Luke Moore. Thank you very much. Thank you, Jim Campbell.

1:02:24Luke Moore: Thank you. No thank you, Jonjo Shelby. And we'll see you later. You're not welcome here, Jonjo. It's a no-go zone for you specifically. He doesn't. There's too many scumbags. Throw your watches at him.

1:02:43The Football Ramble is a Stack Production and part of the Acast Creator Network

1:02:55If you've got spring fever, Lowe's has the cure During Spring Fest, make your landscape stand out with three free bags of Miracle-Gro 3-4 cubic foot garden soil when you buy three. Plus, get up to 40 % off select major appliances to keep clothes, food, and dishes fresh all season long. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Valid through 422 while supplies last. Selection varies by location. See Lowe's.com for details. Soil offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Immersing yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup? I'm Alex Abnos, senior sports editor from The Guardian. Whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game inside and out, we've got you covered.

1:03:35From one of the fastest-growing soccer newsrooms, The Guardian brings you in-depth World Cup coverage that gets into the winners and losers on and off the pitch. Read, watch, and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the games, the cultures, and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the tournament, a global perspective, and a squad of Americans, including me, on the ground with the U.S. national team. Plus, if you want to test your soccer knowledge, try On the Ball. It's a game in the Guardian app and it's really, really fun. And if you're into stuff like this...

1:04:04Well, I think the problem is if you give footballers an inch, they will take a mile. Is it too much when it's this close? It's a bit much. It's a bit too real. Maybe you could just talk with a slight delay. Be sure to listen to our Football Weekly podcast for on-the-move expert analysis. The Guardian, bringing you the whole picture on soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more. The old adage goes, it isn't what you say, it's how you say it. Because to truly make an impact, you need to set an example. You need to take the lead. You need to adapt to whatever comes your way. And when you're that driven, you drive an equally determined vehicle, the Range Rover Sport.

1:04:40Blending power, poise, and performance, it was designed to make an impact. With a dynamic drive, refined comfort, and innovations like cabin air purification and active noise cancellation, the Range Rover Sport is built to be as uncompromising as you. Explore Range Rover Sport at rangerover.com slash us slash sport.