The Preview Show: Test of strength

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2:54Pete Donaldson: Hi, I'm Max Rushton, the host of The Guardian Football Weekly, alongside me, Barry Glendening, my co-host. Hey, Barry. Hello. Now, although every American found us during the World Cup, for the two that didn't, what can they expect? Found us and fell in love with us, Max. They can expect three episodes each week of occasionally insightful analysis covering the Premier League, Champions League and beyond. Football Weekly is back. Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Show me low quotations everybody. Welcome to the Football Rumble Preview Show. Bournemouth host Iriola and Kai Havitz disrespect spaghetti.

3:29Pete Donaldson: It's Friday 18th of September. I'm Marcus Speller. I'm Tim Campbell. And I'm Pete Donaldson.

3:45Pete Donaldson: Hello, everybody. Good to have you with us on the Football Ramble. Welcome to everyone watching live on YouTube. It's Friday. It's Friday. Come on. It's Friday morning and we're here. Every time the Thursday crowd try and stop us, we say no. No. We are pressing on to Friday and we've done it again, everybody. We're here. It's the preview show. You are very, very welcome. And, well, I tell you what, we had some European football action last night, didn't we? We did, yeah. Didn't we? Crystal Palace won 4-0, of course. But they're champions of Europe. They know what they are. Yes. As they have been somewhat enjoyably singing this season.

4:21Pete Donaldson: I say somewhat enjoyably because they didn't appreciate it at Craven Cottage when they beat Fulham. Sure. But they are enjoying it. They've earned the right. That's what matters. They've earned the right. You were almost champions of Europe that time, weren't you? The Intertoto? Yeah. No, they won the Intertoto. They won the, yeah. Did you take advantage of the chanting opportunities? I wasn't watching Fulham at the time, Jim, but Pete is perhaps referring to the Europa League final where we don't chant nearly champions of Europe. We know what we are. Exactly, yeah. But yeah, good win for Palace.

4:53Pete Donaldson: They obviously beat Lech Poznan 4-0. Bounce on that. They stole Man City's celebration. They kept doing a thing called the Manchester City, didn't they? Yeah. They would turn away. Which was very enjoyable But the big result I think for English clubs In Europe last night Was Bournemouth Yes AFC Bournemouth Going away To Real Sociedad In the beautiful San Sebastian region Battle of the seaside Places Yes I know which one I'd rather visit Yes I know which one I have visited Bournemouth I've never been to Real Sociedad And I like Bournemouth Westbourne Beach Is exceptional Absolutely exceptional Yeah yeah yeah Didn't we do a show In Bournemouth We did We did Peter Absolutely So you have been to Bournemouth I know but I haven't been to San Sebastian there we go but Boscombe Beach just slightly outside I don't know if that would be covered as Bournemouth or not I don't know either but let's not have a geography lesson just yet on the show that's the big finale Mr Connery we can start seeing with a geography lesson about the south coast exactly Bournemouth won 2-1 they beat Real Sociedad 2-1 in San Sebastian it's a great win one flag in Bournemouth end read from minus 17 to Europe It's been a hell of a journey for Bournemouth.

6:05There'll be a generation of Bournemouth fans that are just like, well, this is where we should be. To anyone in their 40s, it's like, what's happening? What's going on here? They're playing a proper side as well.

6:18Pete Donaldson: Which, of course, is where... Isn't San Sebastian like the home of football now? Isn't it where all the football acknowledged exists? If you're not trained in San Sebastian as a player or a manager, then who are you, quite frankly? But I mean, what a way for Marco Rosa to get a sort of really kind of seismic moment as well, which, you know, managers need this when they're taking over a new club. And winning away there is hard. That is a really, really tough assignment based on the other teams in the Europa League. So, yeah, I mean, that is a huge win. What an amazing, kind of encouraging start.

6:55Pete Donaldson: Yeah, indeed. I mean, I don't think they'll have too many tougher games in the sort of early rounds there. But yeah, brilliant. I tell you what, Petrovic earned his money. Some of the saves he made, particularly towards the end, where it's one of those passages of play where it comes across and you think, oh, that's a shame. A point is still a good result, you know, but having a lead two now, oh, he saved it. What a save that was. But yeah, amazing. Absolutely amazing. I mean, again, it was 18 years ago just to ram home that point or points deduction. They had a minus 10 or a 10-point deduction and were relegated to lead two.

7:31Pete Donaldson: so quite the journey for Bournemouth and Luke's got Bournemouth going down this season in his Premier League predictions so they could be champions of Europe and in the championship that's true but they have started better than I think Luke even envisaged well I think they've probably started better than a few people may well have thought no let's pick on Luke yeah well little Luke's little Luke's with us in the studio so we've got to be careful because he's he's got the higher ground and could attack at any moment exactly I'm right in line for that I'm going first It's gone right through our neck.

8:01Pete Donaldson: Yeah, true enough. Jim will take the brunt of that. But I think with... I mean, you say he's tipped them for relegation. That's looking like a poor shout. I tipped Hull City for relegation. How stupid is that? Yeah, so did I. You know what I mean? Me too. Talking to the Champions League next season. But Bournemouth, yeah, great win for them. And it sets it all up very nicely for the Andoni-Ireola derby on the weekend, Peter. They've earned their Sunday kickoff. They have, yes. Yeah. You can't deny it. Yeah. And then they host Liverpool. I mean just simply because Bournemouth are playing quite late in the week in the midweek you'd sort of hope that not hope but you'd sort of think that Liverpool might beast them just because of conditioning I mean going to Real Sociedad is harder than hosting Spurs is what you're saying at the moment almost definitely I completely agree so already Peter I didn't even ask you for a prediction and you're going for a Liverpool victory I'm going for a Liverpool victory how dare you well you know He's just talked up Bournemouth like that.

8:59Pete Donaldson: I know. And he's been like, yeah, well, yeah. Well, to be honest, I'm more burned by... Back to the football league with you. I'm more burned by the fact that Alexander Izak was interviewed by the BBC. It was easy to go from Newcastle to Liverpool. It was an easy decision. Yeah, the decision was easy. The process wasn't easy. You should say that. The process was torturous. Yeah. So he's hurt me there. And so I wish that he wins the match on Sunday. Do you? Do you... So when you watch highlights of the League Cup final, when Newcastle beat Liverpool 2-1, does it hurt you now seeing him celebrating with all the Newcastle fans?

9:33Well, am I doing K-Fib Jockey Donaldson, or am I kind of, or am I, do you want the truth from me? Which one's here now? Well, say again, which one's here now? Which one of you is here now, it's hard to tell. I'll sip my vodka and coffee and see where it ends up.

9:47Pete Donaldson: Does the truth involve sexual deviancy? Because if it does, I'm not interested. No, I wasn't going to bring that up to you. I want the truth, I want the truth. I think he dragged us through that final and I think he should be remembered for that much less his leaving of the club so is there still a little place in that big old heart of yours that's nice to hear isn't it Jim swollen heart but it's true though isn't it when you look back on these things later and you can sort of appreciate Ashley Cole in a highlight reel a bit more over time these things do actually stand up He doesn't need time, he's already doing it.

10:25Pete Donaldson: Yeah, exactly. Maybe you could take a leaf out of his heart. I'll never... Please take a leaf out of my heart, Jim. I'm crying out loud. Plenty to go around. Jim, Bournemouth versus Liverpool. It is a game that I think was quite fascinating because Bournemouth are looking all right. It was a great win last night. And Marco Rosa, who they knew was going to be in for quite a long time, didn't they? In footballing years and months, they had him lined up. They've started all right. Liverpool still kind of not quite clicking, which is something that is not too surprising. Because Iriola, when he was at Bournemouth, they loved to counter.

11:05Pete Donaldson: They loved to counter-attack. Counter-attacking is all the rage for the non-big clubs. Yeah, absolutely. Because it's just kind of inevitable. You're not going to have so much of the ball, of course. But Liverpool, they are going to have more of the ball. Both teams actually as well certainly at their kind of best iterations last season quite liked a high press as well so they're a danger they just sort of get stuck in the middle like Yeah Then it goes to do you remember in WWF as it was then WWE now of course when they'd have a test of strength and they did that weird thing that you never see anywhere else on planet Earth where like they were going to do a high 10 Yeah and then they would just sort of push each other and whoever was like much taller would sort of win.

11:48Pete Donaldson: Right, yeah. Is it going to be like that? Well, I mean... That's the danger. That's the danger. That's what I'm worried about. They might meet in the middle. They might meet in the middle. But they do it with their feet. Instead of a kick-off, they just do a test of strength in a confusing little bit of nonsense. And people will say, that's why Bournemouth haven't won a match this season. True. I mean, they're doing stuff like this. But Irayola... Well, they beat Real Sociedad. Sorry. In the league. Thank you. Thank you. I don't care. But Irayola does look like Paul Bear a little bit. Yeah, he does a little bit You nearly went into an impression there My Liverpool There you go That's what we like to hear Interesting, well Alexander Izak, you mentioned him He scored three Premier League goals already this season And he does look like He could do something this season Obviously last time round When he went to Liverpool All the transfer saga And then not that long after that because he got a very bad injury.

12:46Pete Donaldson: And I did sort of, I almost sort of forgot in a way about Isaac and how good he was at Newcastle because it's such a high price tag, much was made of him being a little rat. A long rat. A long rat, yeah, true. You certainly couldn't call him a fat rat, could you? No. No, no, no. I mean, to be fair. Shouldn't call him a rat, really. No, a ferret. Shouldn't call anyone a rat. Ferret's a long rat, innit? I mean, even... Yeah, I guess. Sort of, yeah. I mean, even Bruno Gimmer is, you know, again, to call someone who's a professional athlete who can run... Yeah. A fat rat. I wouldn't call anybody fat for the record.

13:16Pete Donaldson: He does like his buenos, to be fair. He does like a kinder bueno. Mikel Arteta's going to have to have a look at that, isn't he? To be fair, though. I've seen what else they're eating in the building. They're extremely low calorie, though, aren't they? Kinder buenos. Extremely low calorie. That's a big shower. Diet Coke has no calories and all that sort of stuff. Oh, get it down you then. Yeah, but it's a light snack. It's a light snack. Footballer's going to be having some sort of... Jim, you're as trim as you've ever been, and you're coming out with that kind of advice. Not quite true. But I appreciate the pumping up there.

13:50Pete Donaldson: Yeah, I just think it's not like he's having a Snickers, is what I'm saying. Right, okay, yeah. That might give you a bit of energy. I was about to say, at least there's nuts in Snickers. There's a bit of protein there, you would think. Well, either way, both defences are like the soft-yielding, crispy outer of a kinder bueno. And there's going to be goals in this match, because Liverpool have scored on them, Bournemouth have conceded them. it's going to be it's going to be dirty it's going to be very dirty it promises to be a very fun match this doesn't it especially with the knockabout affair the two teams and them all getting to grips with the squads and stuff I think Victor Munoz is a really fun player he sort of slightly went under the radar a little bit because obviously Bradley Barkle is such a massive name coming in and we're kind of yet to see him properly kind of hit the ground running yet and this would be possibly an opportunity for him to do that but I think Munoz whenever I've seen him he looks electrifying he's really direct really fun Premier League likes the Munoz definitely yes Bournemouth of course one of five teams yet to win a match in the Premier League this season as Pete said there they have been playing better than I think everyone expected because Luke was right they were circling the drain the other four teams who have yet to win a match will be revealed at the end of the show or on your internet pipe well yes well done Bournemouth for winning against Real Sociedad we look forward to the game against Liverpool can they bag their first victory Liverpool of course hot go into that game hot after beating Tottenham Hotspur who were one of the other teams who have not won a game this season so far in the Premier League much like my beloved Fulham now on Wednesday I don't even know that's true I'm just presuming it because Spurs' record is so bad in that area it is true Coventry City as well oh look we're giving the game away here you're going to shout Aston Villa in a minute and the quiz is over now on Wednesday show, if you remember that, where we were looking forward and talking about the Carabao Cup and whatnot, Luke Moore brought the unique Peterborough mascots to our attention.

15:50Pete Donaldson: Yes. Describing one as a Lego man and shaming the bunny mascot for eating a carrot during the team celebrations. I tried to stick up for the bunny. Bunnies need carrots. It fell on deaf ears ultimately. They're not particularly high in calories. Good. Occasionally a blind Jim finds a nut. There we are. A healthy snicker bar. Well, somebody's got in touch, right, to set the record straight here. Poshfan2878 got in touch on YouTube. And we know he's a Peterborough fan because think of the name. Poshfan, yeah. Yeah, they love the numbers 2878. And Poshfan said, not sure if I'd even hear my team mentioned on the Ramble, being a Poshfan, if, sorry, it may make it better or worse that the rabbit is called Peterborough.

16:36Pete Donaldson: Better for me. Peter Burrow it nearly works sounds like an accountant very enjoyable they've had a go and they've just gone out that'll do he said the Lego man as Luke said has actually has a skip on his head a skip on his head and is the mascot provided by one of our main sponsors Mick George George which is a skip company there's also a half time challenge where they wheel on a big yellow skip and get children to try to kick a ball try to kick a ball into it I don't think I've ever seen anybody get close for about three seasons. That's great stuff. For a child to get over the, even the mouth of a skip, the dual mouths, if you will, of a skip, skips can talk out of both sides of their mouths, it turns out.

17:18It's quite hard to get over the bump, you would say. I love kicking stuff into stuff. Have you seen that backyard kind of... That's the whole point of the sport, isn't it? Exactly. No, but I like a kickabout where it's just, you know, it's not an official goal. Do you know what I mean? You're kicking it out of a chair or something. Have you seen that kind of backyard kind of trading estate game that has become quite successful on Instagram and stuff and YouTube and TikTok where they just basically put a bin on a wall protected by pallets and you guys do basically headers and volleys and somebody has got to get the ball in the bin.

17:50Oh, right. I think it's called Bin Challenge or something. I can't remember what it's called but I would love to play a game. It's so satisfying when they get one, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely stunning. And they're just blokes in normal trainers or penny loafers and stuff. It's great. I love it. I love kicking stuff into stuff. I love kicking stuff into stuff. It's all very Freudian, isn't it? David Nugent. Oh, is it? No, it was David Bentley, wasn't it?

18:11Pete Donaldson: Who kicked the ball into it. Was it a skip? It was a skip. And that was it, or was it like a wheelie bin? I think it was a skip, because he kicked it over Tottenham Court Road, didn't he? Right. Was it from a roof? It was from a roof into a skip. There's no way it was a wheelie bin. Right. No, he definitely skipped. He definitely kicked a ball into a skip over Tottenham Court Road at the request of his agent. and that's why David didn't really do that much work Was this before AI? Yes, it was before AI Although you did get You still got fakes though, didn't you, back in those days? You still did There's been fake news since the dawn of time Yes, I also love that the sponsor's called Mick George Now I know they're a big company, but it feels like a throwback to an age where a local businessman just got involved with a local club I don't want a Silicon Valley skip company to be honest.

19:04Skip-oss. E-skip.

19:06Pete Donaldson: Mick George is also the bassist of a band somewhere. Yes, for sure. And he's got a decision to make about his ponytail because it's going on the top but he's clinging on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But love's a pint. Speaking of drinks, the Carabao Cup happened again last night. Manchester City beat Norwich City 5-0. They did, yes. Easy peasy. Easy peasy. That'll be it. Not much to say about that. They love City Ammonim. They love the League Cup, don't they? They do, yeah. They absolutely... It's good that that's continuing, though. Winning practice. Yeah. It's a trophy that's eluded Mareska so far in his managerial career.

19:41Pete Donaldson: Well, he can't win it in September. He can't win it in September, no. But if he went to manage in Scotland, I think he can win it at the end of October. Indeed he can.

19:57Pete Donaldson: Hi, Podfans. Max Rushton here from the chart-topping Guardian Football Weekly Podcast. Don't like to crow. If you enjoyed the World Cup with us, you'll be glad to know we're back for the new Premier League season. Expect three episodes a week, questionable predictions, and the biggest stories in soccer from the Premier League to the Champions League and beyond. Watch now on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Jack Gravici, Kramer host of The Best One Yet. At T-Boy, we're always talking about small decisions that can have an outsized impact. One of the simplest is staying hydrated.

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22:10Keep your momentum going fast with reliable shipping and fulfillment. Eligible organizations can take advantage of tax-free shopping, both in-store and online, saving you more while getting you everything you need. It's Walmart built for your business. Sign up for a free Walmart business account today at business.walmart.com.

22:33Pete Donaldson: Gentlemen, on Saturday, Aston Villa go away to Tottenham Hotspur for a 12.30 kickoff to get the day going. Both teams looking for their first win in the Premier League this season. Tottenham's still looking for their first goal in the Premier League. If they want to win this game, Jim, they're going to have to break both ducts. They are. The pressure on both teams as well makes this like a... It's a good recipe for the early kick-off, isn't it? I'm going to be tuning in like a sort of Roman citizen off down the Coliseum. Oh, these guys are nervous. These guys are nervous because one or both of them is going to die.

23:10It's going to be bloodbath, but none of them have any blood in them.

23:14Pete Donaldson: When you say is a good recipe for it. It could also be nil-nil. Yeah, it could. It feels unlikely though, doesn't it? But you just get excited before a match you go, it's going to be goals in this match. Surely something's going to give. But one team aren't going to score any goals and that's kind of spurs, isn't it? Villa have to do this because you're playing a side who haven't scored a goal. If not now, then when is this going to happen? Yeah, I know what you mean. I think the comparison with the ancient world is relevant as well because when this match finishes, of course, the next Premier League game they'll be playing is ages away.

23:48Pete Donaldson: Yes. There's a big old beefy international break. It's the biggest international break since the World Cup. It's three weeks long. I know, it's crazy. You know, just over half a World Cup these days. England have played four games in it. Yeah. It's Marcus' summer holiday. Should we just retire the show and just have the Marcus Ramble? Yeah, yeah, yeah. For a few weeks. Christmas is going to come early. But the point is for those Premier League fans if there are any left there's a long old wait. And so it will feel like someone has been eaten by lions. Because I think what you were sort of saying, Jim.

24:20Pete Donaldson: I suppose I was, yeah. That is a mad thing, though. It's just a villa bias, isn't it? Going to the Coliseum and going, oh, yeah, we're going to see someone die. Yeah. Yes. Nasty people. Ancient people were nasty people. Whereas we're far more civilised and we look forward to watching a load of men run around in some shorts.

24:39Pete Donaldson: I sort of am trying to kind of make the point of the case for Spurs improving. Slowly, very, very slowly and unsurely, I do think there have been a few baby steps in the right direction. They have been making chances. I know we're already getting into broken record territory here, but they have been doing that and they did that at Anfield. It's just the cutting edge looks... Well, it looks very blunt. It's very dull. And you would think... The wrong end of the pencil. Yeah, right. You can't write in rubber. If you keep pushing against the paper eventually, some wood will come off. and some graphite will be revealed if you keep really, really nailing it like that.

25:17If you deserve, he keeps nailing his players like that.

25:20Pete Donaldson: Yeah. Are you representative of the Spurs hierarchy? Because it does sound like the kind of argument. Just a pencil company. I want people to buy more pencils. Mick George's pencils. But this can't be another missed opportunity season-wise for Spurs. It can. There's that viral video of that man walking around Manchester sort of going, oh, you just have to keep positive, don't you? But it's... Spurs have way fewer games than everybody else in their kind of financial class. In terms of their financial clout, they need to just get back on the blubbing horse and start winning football matches. What is it?

25:52Pete Donaldson: It's been a long time. Well, much is made of Chelsea, how they can kind of throw everything at every game. And Spurs are the same. But I fear that if De Zerbi was to throw everything at every game, there would be mass injuries. It's like, no, don't literally throw them, Roburso. But I mean, he was seen confronting Matthias Tell and it was confronting him on the pitch at the end of their draw against Everton and when asked about this and we've had to cut this quote down quite a bit because he really he really it's a long paragraph was rather honest yeah and he said like a soliloquy it was a bit yeah sore searching right it deserved to be said about this I went straight to him because I was frustrated I brought him on with a very clear instruction make the runs move the defenders attack the spaces and give your teammates options I'm angry because he didn't do what I asked him to do.

26:39Pete Donaldson: And that went on. And he kind of... It went on and on and on. On and on and on. And as some members of this parish and some producers in this parish who were on the thing about Arsenal this week, they seem to have a feature where they talk about Spurs being awful, which I think is very, very... It's just poor spots. Poor spots, a lot of them. But they did say that De Zerbe seems to be speedrunning his usual kind of vibe. You know, rinsing his players, throwing his toys out the pram, getting fired and getting five million into the bargain. Not bad work. Aside from that, though, we know that this is Deserby's style, isn't it?

27:15Pete Donaldson: He wears his heart on his mouth. I actually think that might be a good thing for Spurs. They've had it before, Jim. They've had honesty. I appreciate that. But, like, I suppose you're sort of harking back to Conte there, aren't you, and Mourinho, but that was prior to the 278 finishers. I mean, there's no one gains anything from pretending that it's good at the moment. So perhaps this is good in terms of getting everybody pulling in the same direction. But Postikogli was very honest, you know. I mean, it was struggling to think it was before De Zerbi now. But is it honesty or is it just exasperation at this point?

27:49Pete Donaldson: Well, I mean, it's exasperation. I think that he is, I mean, much has been made about this. And we get lots of comments going, oh, another podcast that hates Spurs. It's like, we're only just talking about what they want to do. Say what the manager. I think De Zerbi would fit in around here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, Thomas Frank, obviously, before, tried to be more measured. Christ, you forget, don't you? Well, that's what I mean, yeah. Tried to be sort of more measured and so on, and then he picks up an Arsenal coffee cup, you know, and he's labelled a Pratt. But I think, you know, every manager's different, every circumstance is different.

28:18Pete Donaldson: So even though I've just said that, sort of, obviously, a bit tongue-in-cheek, I don't think, oh, well, they've had a mouthy manager, therefore another one's not going to work. De Zerbi's different, as you say, players, and, you know, are different, and so on. But there is the same feel. To an extent, because, and this is, again, going all the way back to my original point is, I do think that with what you're seeing with Spurs, not Mattis Tell, according to Roberto Di Zopi, but what you saw against Liverpool, you saw a team that were fighting, you saw a team that were putting in the effort. There was an intensity there.

28:51Pete Donaldson: And on another day, Mamedashvili doesn't make a world-class save, you know, from that Mahmoud strike. On another day, you know... Bergvau scores. Bergvau scores, exactly. You know, the ball doesn't drop to Dominic Sabozlai there. So I think against that, yes, of course, it's another loss. And there are problems in that team. Everybody can see it. But I think that they will get a bit of joy soon. I don't think they're going to finish 17th. I don't think they're going to be near relegation. I think it'll probably be a mid-table finish. But I think we are going to see some sort of improvement. But because of that long international break, much is being made of it.

29:26Pete Donaldson: A win here, my goodness, would give everyone such an enormous lift. Where are they in the table made up of these other days? Which days are you talking about? You said on another day. Oh, I see what you mean. We do need a table to say that. The on another day. I think on another day. I think on the other day table. I think Fulham are 17th. Get on. The sliding doors. The sliding Paltrow's Premier League. Arsenal still around the top. Yes. But Hull City are top. Yeah, great. Good for them. Because on another day, they'd have beaten Chelsea. But again, as you said, the pressure's on Villa as well.

30:07They've got so many sort of players. Yeah, we're talking about Spurs. Like, you know, Garnaschew can't get out of his own way to squeeze past really young players. I mean, it was always a funny signing, that one. But they've got everything going for them, but it's just not clicking at this moment. They've got a goalkeeper who's like one of the best deep-lying playmakers. Yeah, brilliant, isn't he? And they can't seem to sort of find who they need to find up top and stuff. They seem keen to play quite an ailing Barkley in the middle as well. Don't ever go at Russ Barkley. I don't know why he's there.

30:37It's strange. But you're playing a side, as I said, who haven't been able to find the net. So they need to take their chance this week. And as you say, it's a very, very long time for the international break. Yeah, they were incredibly charitable

30:50Pete Donaldson: to Tottenham Hotspur last season and played their part in Spurs. Yeah, they really did, didn't they? I know it sounds like they should apologise for it. I know it's mad to say it, But it's true. That was so... To be fair, I mean, Spurs were really good on that day as well. And I don't think Villa were kind of ready for it. Atrociously bad. I think they had their eyes on Europe, didn't they? But yeah, I think, you know, the pressure that both teams are under... It's a little miss. It's a little miss. But it just, it makes this a really, really interesting proposition, doesn't it? Because it's like, it feels like a massive advantage to the team who scores first.

31:23Pete Donaldson: And sooner or later, both of these teams are going to wake up. I think Villarreal always really interesting under Emery because they've had bad starts before and bounced back from it quite emphatically and so they're sitting on that it's a huge amount of churn in that squad I think Emery is you know will know how to get the best out of these players eventually and at some point that is going to pick up and this is a great opportunity for it isn't it yeah I mean I know a lot of teams can say this but they have one or two coming back from injury it's sad that Leon Goretzka is still injured yeah and we'll be looking forward to seeing him yeah again it's one of those summer transfers where you hear it happen and then you see him sat in the stands at Villa Park and oh my goodness yeah he's there nice yeah so we'll see what happens there I mean he'd probably go with Nicholas Jackson up top yeah I would think so yeah you would think because again Spurs the way we saw them play against Liverpool and and I would say you know at times against Everton are going to try and push up the onus will be on them to do that as the home side Villa will get joy in behind them and I mean one of the sort of quiet Jackson I think one of the One of the, I think, most exciting signings of the summer that went under the radar a little bit is Ibrahim Mbaye that Villa got from PSG.

32:29Pete Donaldson: That's a real coup. We saw him in the World Cup for Senegal and he was very, very good. So yeah, I mean he's he is quick. So that's that's gonna be interesting as well if he gets on the pitch. Mind the quick one Spurs is the is the message from Jim Campbell there. Well, yeah, I mean Luke said on Wednesday it'd be a real problem for Spurs if they went into the international break without a win. Would a draw satisfy both teams? No, I don't think it really would at all. No, unless it was a high scoring draw. We got a few goals. A four-on. Yeah. We get a lot of another day points for this. Yeah, exactly.

33:05Pete Donaldson: And that's the table I think should really, really count. Tonight, gentlemen, we've got a Premier League fixture. Brentford versus Chelsea. It's a West London derby. Brentford come into this unbeaten across six matches in all competitions this season. They've carried on as they left off the Premier League last season. They were impressive last season, of course. They are without Jordan Henderson tonight. Chelsea will be without him as well, but he will be there in Chelsea. Not blue, because that would be, you know, you can't have that on the sideline, can you? He will need to wear some sort of track top.

33:39He could probably wear an off blue, I suppose. He could wear an off blue. Or put a bib on.

33:42Pete Donaldson: Yes, exactly, yeah. But he will be there. And so will the TV cameras as well. Brentford Chelsea, yeah. Chelsea, I wonder at this stage of the season, with them having had that draw at home to Hull, has that cooled people's suggestions, Jim, that they could challenge for the title in these very early days we find ourselves in? Because defensively, there are issues there. There are definitely issues there. I mean, the first goal they can see, I think it's Hull, that's going to be among the sort of sloppiest that you see all season, you would think. It was really basic stuff. but it's almost so basic that it makes me think a coach as good as Alonso will just deal with that sooner rather than later you write it off as that and it's Jarrell Hattow wasn't it he's young and he was playing as a wing back and found himself like banging in the middle of the box he should do better with it he's beaten by the bounce of the ball but on another day so hold that up absolutely yeah I think on another day in that table Chelsea are probably still really flying high but yeah I'm not putting too much into these last two results they only lost narrowly at Arsenal and that was a you know they're away to the champions he's right he's right and also Halser era surprise package massively and that goal was one where unlikely to sort of see them concede again so I think it would be naive to write them off just because of a couple of results naive to write Chelsea off for the as a challenger as a challenger I think I agree with that they'll get it right and you've got to remember we're not in the kind of the dirt of the fixture congestion as we get into Christmas time.

35:18It's all filthy. It's all dirty, covered in fixtures.

35:22Pete Donaldson: Do you prefer it when the Premier League gets dirty, Peter? Yeah. Nasty. That bloke said in that Cristiano Aguilera song. Cristiano Aguilera song. Remember when Cristiano Ronaldo came out with hot packs? I do, yeah. Nasty. Yeah. It's time to get dirty. See ya. But, um... But Brentford have made a solid start this season. Solid start. They kind of, they go about their business. If they score a goal, they tend to sit on it. They have their hold. But if they do go ahead, they'll probably try and sit on it, which I don't think you can really do against that Chelsea 4. No, I don't. Which is irresistible.

35:59Pete Donaldson: That's exactly it, isn't it? That's what's, there's so much fun, that front three in particular. They seem to be like, they're just really, really productive. And, you know, obviously Brentford are a solid side. They're really difficult to play against at home. they can make it really, really tight and make it really hard for you. But... Yeah, I mean, when you say Brentford sit on a... I mean, they've had a few draws this season. I think... They're not like an ultra-defensive team, but when they sort of... When they want to play like that for 10 minutes, they just shut you out. They're exceptional.

36:28Pete Donaldson: Yeah, they're very well organised. It's almost like Andrews sort of goes, right, phase two! And then they all sort of... If it's one all heading into like the 80th minute, they'll just want to take that. And probably quite sensible to do so, I would suggest. or maybe they'll wait to pounce if Olcato's up to his old trip. It's really hard to stop Chelsea scoring though, isn't it? Again, well that front three, I mean yeah, Jor-El Pedro has a late fitness test but you're right, you feel with that front three at least one, probably two of them are going to score on the day which is an amazing set of weapons to have if you're the Chelsea manager.

37:03Pete Donaldson: And it really is quite an irresistible front three. I think with the rest of the side I think much has been made about Marco Palestra, who was a new signing, how he'll fit into the team and he's got a late finish. I think if he comes back, I think from what people have been saying, because I've not really seen that much of him play, to be quite frank, you would imagine he would improve it and obviously Alonso got him in for a reason. It is really just that defence. I mean, the goalkeeping situation, they've improved upon. I mean, that was pretty quick business from Chelsea. Well, quick business after some really slow business that he needed replacing.

37:39Pete Donaldson: Well, Alonso very, very kindly seemed to kind of give Sanchez a chance. And then, Sanchez, it's fair to say, didn't take that chance. And then it was like... He didn't take the ball with two hands. He didn't take the ball. He didn't. But I think it would be an entertaining game tonight. And I'm predicting a high-scoring draw. Okay. Good. Thank you. Now, we briefly, or it was briefly mentioned on yesterday's show, that Chelsea chairman Todd Bowley and director Mark Wall have agreed to sell their stakes in the club and step back from their roles. Yeah, it's quite big, isn't it? It seems to be that they couldn't come, Clay Lake and Bully couldn't come to any kind of arrangement with the Chelsea-Stamper Bridge expansion or replacement.

38:19By all indications, they can't redevelop it necessarily stand by stand anymore. So they are going to have to just do a big full rebuild, which I think Iqbali's interested in. So they reckon they might be homeless for up to eight years. They might be playing from where? Eight years? I mean, that's eight seasons playing at Wembley. That's crazy, isn't it? Absolutely. Just because of the... I don't know what makes it more difficult. Is there an underground line and stuff they need to sort of think about?

38:44Pete Donaldson: Yeah, it's very very close to Fulham Broadway tube station is the London Underground station there. It's overground by then though, wasn't it? A deeper line. Well, I mean, yeah, I mean... Plague pits. The Chelsea plague pits. Well, the old quiz question, you know, I think just over half of the London Underground is actually technically overground. Nice, okay. But it is classified as London Underground. But anyway... I did say, Peter, that we'd leave the geography stuff to the end. Okay, yeah, sorry. But I think, yeah, with Chelsea, I mean, they've got the whole Chelsea pitch owners thing as well.

39:19Pete Donaldson: I mean, they tried to buy Battersea Power Station, which was for the new stadium and all that, and they didn't get it. And there was talk of Earl's Court. Earl's Court was another one again, which is close by. There's a site on Earl's Court that's still viable, I think. But this is an ongoing thing. and as you say there is no easy fix here they're stemming their own kind of I mean it's inexplicable how much money well it's not inexplicable how much they've got because of oligarchs and thieves but going from 40 ,000 in the Premier League you just can't you just can't turn much to finances into anything more Chelsea could have a 60 ,000 I would even say probably 70 ,000 see the stadium and they'd be fine they'd fill it they're absolutely fine without it aren't they I think one of the interesting things here is that obviously every situation is different, but at Arsenal there was a situation where there were joint owners effectively, who didn't agree with each other about a lot of things, and that was a really bad thing.

40:14Pete Donaldson: That kind of meant it was just sort of stagnant for a long time. And again, every situation is different, but this is probably very good news for Chelsea that they have a much more sort of singular vision as the owner now. It sounds like Walters sold quite a lot of stuff recently, because he's in a bit of legal trouble, Well, I mean, Clearlake, they'll take almost full control. Now only 86.5 % of the club. And you say that's a good thing. Depends how competent they are at Clearlake. Although they seem to know how to sell players. Or if you're a Strasbourg fan, it's probably like, does this make any difference?

40:47Pete Donaldson: Well, Bollywood have sold their shareholding in the French League. Yeah, and does that make any difference? Yeah. Almost certainly not, Jim. Almost certainly not. Yeah. Where's Liam Rosini gonna work in the future? He's back in the league in France, isn't he? It's an interesting kind of like, what is Bolly's legacy? and I think even, I think there's quite a lot of Chelsea fans actually going, you know what, out of the two, clearly echo Boley, probably would have taken Boley. I just, time will tell. Every picture you see of Todd Boley is obviously chosen by, you know, picture editors of articles.

41:15Pete Donaldson: I just have him looking confused or sad. I think there's certainly an image of him that's being portrayed, but I don't know if it's fair or not. Remember his first acquisition was Raheem Sterling. That was his first kind of big signing, and like, you know, obviously his career's got to a certain situation, that's kind of winding down and stuff. It's an interesting kind of circle. You're blaming Tom Bollie. I'm blaming Tom Bollie for all that. Should have left him where he was.

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43:57Pete Donaldson: Gentlemen, Brighton face Arsenal on Saturday at 3pm. If Arsenal beat Brighton and Hove Albion, they will match their longest winning start to a season set 123 years ago by winning all of their first eight matches. Would Arsenal have been in South East London at that time, Jim? They might have been, actually. I like the way you said that made it sound like they're called Gentlemen Brighton, which sounds like it would have been an old football team that's disappeared over time. Well, indeed. But yeah, Brighton, obviously, they've had a really brilliant start. I've been really impressed with how clinical they've been.

44:30Pete Donaldson: Obviously, the Aston Villa game, Villa gifted them a couple of goals, really, but you've got to be really on it and got to be really sharp to actually make those opportunities count when your opponent makes a mistake. Against Coventry, they were just loving it. another 10 minutes, that probably would have been 8-0, just really, really enjoying their football. They've been a really tricky opponent for Arsenal a lot. Last season, this fixture, which Arsenal scraped a 1-0 win at, was a horrendous watch. Very different circumstances, because it was much later in the season. But yeah, this is a big test.

45:02Pete Donaldson: Big, big test. I'm sort of trying to tip Brighton or one of the other sort of teams in that sort of upper mid pack for fifth spot Champions League next season. And when I say I'm trying, I'm trying to convince myself of it. Because if there's a season for a team to do something quite special like that, I'd say this is the chance, you know, with Manchester United, Liverpool, obviously Spurs, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, I mean, even Chelsea, though. Starting slowly, it's fair to say. Yeah, and we sort of don't know how it's going to go. The temptation is going to be, obviously Man Utd and Liverpool and well certainly Man City and Chelsea would be the other one the players they have and the squad depth they have compared to say Brighton or to a lesser extent Bournemouth or Leeds United under Farca the way they go but you always just say well the strength and depth they have it will come through eventually whether it's November or February or May it will come through and they'll get there but I just of all the seasons for a team say Brighton I think right now are in pole position even if they've got European football themselves I think it could be a special season for them yeah I mean I mean any European don't say it before this match though well no I'm gonna there's not really many weak points they can exploit here like what do you do like I mean like I think the Arsenal pod that Jim does obviously did you know the isolated like Concer can sometimes be a bit bullied against Staxsonland and stuff like well foul him and you'll get a penalty.

46:37But they're not Brighton aren't really that sort of team. They press. What are you doing? Press Real maybe? I don't know. Shoot from range. I don't know. Shoot from range.

46:43Pete Donaldson: That's Arsenal's game. Joe Bryan knows it. Richarlison knows it. He's shooting from range against David Reier. Joe Bryan. Going back to the playoff final. That's all I've got, baby. That's all I've got. Wasn't even the final, was it? It was the semi? No, it was the final. It was an empty Wembley because it was during COVID. Oh, yeah, wow. How about that? What glorious days. Brighton, I mean,

47:05Pete Donaldson: so far. But yeah, they are fizzing at the moment, it is fair to say. It's really clinical. It is, and it's a tough old fixture for Arsenal, as you say. I mean, against Sunderland, it's that type of performance, but yet Arsenal's quality shows, with those individual moments. The bench did. Well, and that's what you buy. Fat bench did. Fat rat bench. Fat ratty bench. You're just a little club. Little club, is that what it was? Little club who won in Europe, by the way. Little Kinder Bueno, please. Yeah, maybe that's what it was. They're very low in fat. Yeah. And you don't have to worry about eating the toy.

47:42Eating the toy, yes. I'm talking about Kinder Eggs. I've moved on to it.

47:45Pete Donaldson: Child Egg. I think that translates. Child Egg. Exactly, yeah, yeah. Did you enjoy Sunderland's midweek win, Peter? In Europe? Well, we spoke about it on your show. You did speak about it yesterday. I don't want you to admit it when you're live. One thing I didn't mention is that it made me laugh that Isidakmar basically went for a walk in Newcastle. Yeah, I saw that. And a lot of the European journalists were doing their pieces on the fucking Quayside. And you're like, guys, come on. Come on. Show Sunderland a bit of respect. Do outside a vape shop. Do outside a nail bar. Do outside a nail bar.

48:23Is that disrespectful to the Lampton Worm? Look, the Lampton Worm hasn't been seen for a long time. Yeah. Maybe David Cartlidge can... Hasn't been seen. Hasn't been seen. For a long time.

48:35Pete Donaldson: For a long old time. Since cameras were invented. What about Arsenal themselves? They're very good at football, Marcus. Well, are they good at food? Because Kai Havertz was caught putting ketchup on a plate of spaghetti recently. Ricardo Calafiore revealed this on his Instagram stories this week. He filmed it. As an Italian, I don't think he could help it. No. But yeah, I remember once talking to Nikki Bandini, who was saying that some of her cousins were like, Oh, I've seen people do terrible things. Yeah, sure. I mean, there's a performative element to getting really angry about people putting pineapple on pizza.

49:14Yeah, I like pineapple on pizza. It's just people who like Anthony Bourdain. And even he wasn't like that, was he? Just fuck boys. Food fuck boys. Food boys. Food boys. Food boys. But I do think California shouldn't play for Italy again. I agree. I think you should have three weeks off. Why didn't you smash the plate and force the shards into his neck? I thought you were going to Greek handle.

49:39Pete Donaldson: All right, fine. Imagine if Kai Havertz got confused. Crystal Solace can smash it. Yeah, there you go. And Califiori can pick it up. The Havertz got confused. He put the ketchup on the spaghetti. Califiori got offended. He went, oh, and just lobbed it against the wall. Califiori was like, what are you doing? Califiori, of course, went well. One of the tabloids said he went backpacking around South America. He did. He went with his family. He was in a forest in Brazil and loads of people going, oh, get out of there. Get out of there. You're quite injury prone. I've been backpacking in South America.

50:11Pete Donaldson: I saw the first photo of him. I wonder where this is going. He was sat on what looked like a very expensive boat. And I thought, that never happened to anybody I know. There's backpacking and there's backpacking. And I'm a man of some of the people. You went there for the substances, didn't you? You're in the favela taking some substances. Natural high. It's a natural high. Are you the packet connoisseur? I don't know who that is. And I've never been accused of that. He's a Scottish man who, a Scottish boy who reviews drugs on the internet. Well done. Well done. And that's a good... Why are you laughing at him?

50:45What? I'm not laughing at him. It's just a funny thing to do, isn't it? Why is that funny? Well, it's funny because he keeps getting denied entry to countries now. Because of what he does. Because of what he does.

50:54Pete Donaldson: Not taking drugs. Reviewing them Oh, reviewing them Yeah I think he's very much Getting stuck in I think he's not taking them No, he is taking them He's called the Packard Connoisseur, Marcus Arrest this man Arrest this man Why are you not making A citizen's arrest? And he puts tomato ketchup On every bag People in the comments Are trying to make A citizen's arrest But it's very difficult To do from there If you're not physically there It is quite difficult Exactly Peter, I reckon you'd have A good go at making A citizen's arrest Yeah, I reckon so Yeah With me Krav Maga With me BJJ Turn it up on your scooter Is that right?

51:25Yeah, that's right. Yeah, just got away with that, I think.

51:28Pete Donaldson: Well, yeah, Riccardo Calafiore was seemingly annoyed at that. But something that Kai Havertz won't be annoyed at is he's been selected as one of Jurgen Klopp's 44 men in the squad for the upcoming international break. Jurgen Klopp will field two separate teams for the first two games compared to the second two. So we're going to see two Mannschaft sides. Right, the Mannschafts. That's what the German national team is called, called Dimanshaft, which works wonderfully well in English as well. It's a great language. It is a great language. I believe this is actually true and not just an urban legend.

52:04Pete Donaldson: I think the morning after pill is called anti-baby pillin. Oh, come on! Is that true? It would be too lame if it wasn't. Do you know what I mean? It would be a lame joke if it wasn't true. So I'm into it, Jim. Well done. Are you into Jürgen Klopp being Germany manager? I am. Until they beat us. He's just constantly telling everyone he doesn't want to do it, which I'm quite enjoying as well. If you even look at me, I'm gone. If you're a man of football fighting age with a German passport, don't even look in my direction. Yeah. Well, I mean, Klopp's been having a lovely old time post sort of, I nearly said retirement there, but post Liverpool really.

52:45Pete Donaldson: I mean, he's playing paddle all the time. He was Red Bull's head. Taking a lot of money for doing nothing. Red Bull's head of global soccer. That is the epitome of a lovely old job. He got bored of it quite quickly, though, didn't he? Or is he still doing that? Is he sharing the posts? Well, then you get straight back on the paddle court, don't you? I suppose you do. That man has earned his rest. So much heavy metal football. That's a paddling. It is. Got tinnitus. He did. But he didn't. Apparently, though, according to the research that's been handed to me, it's not called the anti-baby pillin or whatever you said it was it's called the Pilla Danach or Danach yeah well okay which would make more sense because we don't know what that means in English and it's not just like some Englishman trying to stumble their way through German why must you break our hearts I never broke your heart every Friday no with this kind of pedantic nonsense the ramble is not known for yeah that's true so I'm just trying to find this on Google without AI but you just can't you can't give in to AI Give it to it.

53:49Enjoy it.

53:49Pete Donaldson: Get yourself a little net girlfriend. Here we go. Jürgen Klopp said, because I think he got one international cap and one call up for Germany, he said it meant a lot to him. So what he's trying to do is cast his net far and wide with these 44 men. It's a mega-wish Germany squad. And he's a bit like, look, for crying out loud, we have been poor recently. I want everybody to get behind the cause. So that's what he's doing. I wonder if Thomas Tuchel's going to do that. Does that just basically double how expensive it is to operate a national side? I know it's Germany. The German football authorities are a bit like, seriously, we've only got a certain amount of hotel rooms.

54:24You know the priority here is keeping the costs down.

54:28Pete Donaldson: Yes, we're going to have to include breakfast in all of these ones. Well, who knows, but Jürgen Klopp, I mean, let's face it, when he took the job, he had a very good hand to play. Yes. So if he wants 44 men at his disposal... If he wants a fleet of limos to take him around, he will need a limo to so many of them. Everybody gets a limo A bit like the England players When they arrive at St George's It's not limos But everyone Obviously They all turn up On their own of course Oh right They're not carpooling No You've seen those videos Have you at St George's Park Where they film them turning up That's every football team Doesn't it Yeah Because you have like Conte and his mini Don't you You do Conte and his mini Yeah Not at St George's Park No No that would be confusing The mini Is he trying to do a hit job He's thinking If I get a mini They'll never with a union check on the roof.

55:17I really want to play for England.

55:18Pete Donaldson: Well, it does check out. He looks like Antonio Conte, but okay, wave him in. And the next thing, bang, we're all in trouble. Well, look, Thomas Tuchel will be picking his England squad. In fact, it's out at the time of recording. Jim and I will be going to be talking more about that later today. So keep an eye on our YouTube channel to hear our thoughts. But Tuchel has been looking back through the World Cup with Daniel Sturridge, of all people. Right. This was on the FA app. I don't know if you saw any of this. I bloody well did. The only reason why I got the FA app is that you need to sign up.

55:54If you play 11 to sign in Essex, you don't have to sign up with the FA. Oh, is that right? Well, sorry. There's an England app as well.

56:00Pete Donaldson: England app, I should just say. Right. So anyway, Tuchel was there and he was in a little cinema with Daniel Sturridge and they were going through some of the moments of the World Cup. and I mean the highlight really was of course when England beat Mexico 3-2 at the Azteca and he said big box of popcorn on his knee yeah and Tuchel said that he sent a text to a friend after the match which said I regret that I didn't eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever does grass stay in you forever? is that why Robbie Fowler was eating the grass according to Gerard Houllier that time it stays in you longer if you've got three stomachs or whatever like a cow right We have two?

56:43I feel like two is more accurate.

56:44Pete Donaldson: Or is this a Gerard Houllier explanation? Yeah, because I think it might be a Gerard Houllier explanation, because personally, from where I'm sat, looking back at the World Cup, that wouldn't be my regret. Yeah, another thing I can think of. Yeah. There is, which he did talk about a bit. But we'll talk about that later. If I text that to the football ramble WhatsApp, people take the piss out of me. It's a 2am of the after kind of chat, isn't it? I should have eaten the grass! It is a little bit. It is a little bit. Yeah, I don't know. Well, yeah, looking forward to all things England soon enough because, my goodness, I've waited not that long for it.

57:24Pete Donaldson: In other international news, how about this? The FA are trying to really up the ante here. Debbie Hewitt, the FA's chairwoman and FIFA vice president also, has written to Gianni Infantino demanding that Gianni releases World Cup sell-off and Balogun files before the next FIFA Council meeting on the 15th of October. Release the files. The Balogun files. The Balogun files. I'm excited about that. It makes you proud to be British, doesn't it? A strongly worded letter? Yes. It does, yeah. It was faxed. Not even a demand. It's a quite forceful request. Well, the letter also sent to FIFA Secretary General Matthias Grafstrom makes accusations of failures in governance and a breakdown in culture within the world football governing body.

58:11Pete Donaldson: Go on, Deb. It's not really a breakdown of the culture, is it? It's very much continuing the culture. So we want to see the culture breakdown of all that kind of nonsense. The fetid venal culture of FIFA. Well done for not using that word for the algorithm's sake. That's where I thought we were going. So we look forward to that going absolutely nowhere. Yeah, we want to see or hear from this at any point in the next six months. Do you want to sort of end the show with a really, really sad prediction from me? Come on then. Gianni Infantino will get voted back in March. He will get the vote. There's every chance.

58:52Pete Donaldson: I can see it playing out like that as well. But do you want me to put a positive spin on that? Sure. We're going to march. It will in action us. And we're going to be outside FIFA house with our pitchforks. And we want justice. A different welcome. Someone else. Someone better. Yeah, we wanted that last time. It's a different faceless corporate drawn place. One of the proposals put forward was that there just wouldn't be a FIFA president. And it would be... Somebody would take the role for like six months at a time, and then it would move along. The crowd is FIFA president. Oh, shut up. It's still him.

59:28Pete Donaldson: That sounds a bit like socialism to me. Yeah, I want a communist. I want a Marxist fever. That's what I want. Cease the means of production. Yeah, that would be it. Well, anyway, to finish the show, and we need to clarify this, it's the contraceptive pill that's called the anti-baby pill. There you go. Right, yes. In Germany. My biddy aunt, sorry, is back today. My penny aunt. Gordon. we had little Luke last week facing big Lukey more, but who knows what will happen this week, everybody it's all up for grabs, it is all up for grabs that will be available to listen to later today so make sure to subscribe to the Football Ramble in your podcast app so that you do not miss it thank you very much for listening to the Football Ramble, part of the ACAST Created Network we will see you later for my biddy aunt thank you Pete Donaldson, thank you thank you Jim Campbell, thank you and thank you Dipila

1:00:32The Football Ramble is a Stack Production and part of the Acast Creator Network.

1:00:54he provides some astute analysis.

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