Game of the season at Old Trafford and the latest from the EFL – Football Weekly

0:00This is The Guardian.

0:30update as we approach the halfway stage of the season can cov hold on preston and milwall are still in the playoffs but almost anyone could get there with a decent run cardiff and walsall lead the way in leagues one and two we'll answer your questions and that's today's guardian football weekly on the panel today barry glendening hello hi max welcome sanny rudrovadula hello max and from the excellent not the top 20 podcast george ellick hey george hey max we begin Adol Trafford. Manchester United 4, Bournemouth 4. Lucius sent us a message before the game had ended. Are Manchester United back before he'd finished the post?

1:06Wait a minute, never mind, Bournemouth just scored again. Will Manchester United ever be good again? A few seconds later, I mean, are Manchester United back? And then finally, where were they when they were trying to come back? If they are in fact not already back from where they were, in which case, should they stay there or go back there or here? I also enjoyed Edward van der Saar's post, quickly walked the dog at half-time. fs in manchester uh it was a ridiculous game george i amarin said it was fun game for everyone at home and i think that is that's pretty much the only way i find it very hard to analyze games that have this many goals in them yeah it's like a classic case i don't think any football managers come away from a four-wheel draw having enjoyed it um but for us as fans it's brilliant and what's interesting about it is that the first 40 minutes after which you know before semenio scored united were just sensational.

1:54Like it was almost the story of the game was missed chances for Manchester United where they could have easily, had they been more clinical, been basically put the game to bed before Semenya got the equaliser. And there's something very Manchester United under Ruben Amirim that in what has to have been Manchester United's best, most exhilarating attacking performance under him, it's a game that they haven't even won because defensively, where despite the fact that United made most of the running within the game and dominated it for large parts, Bournemouth still found it pretty easy when they did attack in transition to carve United open.

2:29You know, if you look at the stats of the game, United outshot Bournemouth 25-14, but in terms of big chances, it was 6-2 to Bournemouth. And that is, you know, continually United's undoing is that when they do concede chances, they're normally pretty good ones. And maybe it's not that much of a surprise when you've got attacking players, you know, Semenya is obviously one of the informed players in the league, but when you've got a back three of Luke Shaw and Leli Yorra and Aidan Heaven with Diallo playing as a right wing back, Diallo playing as a left wing back, you're probably going to struggle against a team who are so good at attacking in transition.

2:59But yeah, what happened in the second half was phenomenal, just amazing goals. Both free kicks were obviously brilliant hits. And then chaos at the end with Brooks being denied a famous winner right at the death by a good save from Lamont. Iroyo at the end, Baz, was funny saying he sort of didn't know if he wanted the game to end. Like when Bournemouth had it, he was like, keep playing. and then suddenly Man Utd would be like, ref, blow your whistle. Like nobody knew exactly what to do. I suppose you could argue that Bournemouth possibly deserved to win just because they had those two big chances at the end.

3:30But as George said, United missed some good chances at the beginning, but it's the ones at the end we remember most. And Brooks probably should have scored one of those. He was a bit unlucky. The first chance in particular was an excellent save when Lammons stuck the leg out. I think ultimately both managers will be relieved they didn't lose the game. Iriola seemed the happier of the two with the draw. It is so interesting, isn't it, as George says, that they can be that good and that bad. It almost felt like the goal, so many of the goals just sort of happened rather than there was a sort of great momentum before they happened.

4:10It was great. Even from the very beginning of the game, which you might have missed them, It was a great flowing move right from more or less the off. And, you know, one player might have been Mbumo, let the ball go through his legs for another player. And they're all running forward, the red arrows and all that. And a great chance, which then resulted in Tyler Adams actually getting a knee injury of an MCL, I think Iriola said. And after that, I thought, oh, maybe the momentum here might diminish a bit because obviously when you've got a long injury, that can do that. But it didn't. It just carried on.

4:41and that's by far and away the best Man United performance I can remember seeing in years. It really was, you know, the Fergie era where it was, you know, Vindaloo, we'll score one more than you. That's what we had and it was great. And I think, you know, United fans, you know, by chance I was on the pod having been to Old Trafford a year ago when they'd lost 3-0 to Bournemouth at home and last time around I spoke about how to a man Bournemouth players were better. You know, Milos Kerkhez was the example I gave. Whereas here, attacking wise, they were toe to toe and then some. It was really positive.

5:21I mean, Cunha dropping deep, making things happen, them going up again and Bumo the same. So going forward, it was thrilling. And had they had won, I mean, the message on our United back, I think maybe could have had a bit more momentum. So yeah, a really enjoyable game. very hard to kind of keep track of exactly what was happening. But we love it, you know, touted as the game of the season so far. I have to agree with that. But as George has mentioned, it's the defence where they're just completely inept. There was the bit where Mason Mount's like telling Aidan Heaven what to do, what he should have done.

5:57And I think as he's running back and Semenyo scores, he's there going, come across, come across. And he doesn't. And then it happens and he's looking, you should have come across. which just takes me back to five a side like every single week uh but yeah defensively terrible but going forward just brilliant brilliant stuff i used to play five a side with a guy like that and if i was on the same team as him that was my evening ruined before it even started see the thing is i buried am a talker like a big talker in five a side but i but in a very positive way i don't think you'd hate it but you know i i also think you might hate it is is what i think so i mean maybe we don't need to put it to the test barry but you know i'm very much like i'm always available and i'm always praying i'm always saying we're very good probably patronizing is how i would be described i reckon so condescending instruction instead of just barking orders well i mean i am fitter now than i have been for the last 35 years max but i think it'll be a while before i'm fit enough to play uh five aside do you know in that game the moment that i don't know i I think I was probably just supporting Bournemouth because innately you feel that way, George, about Manchester United if you grew up in the 90s.

7:13But the Fernandes free kick is so good, but I thought that handball decision, it really frustrated me that I think Man Utd had just called for one that wasn't in a penalty. And I just felt that was a sort of very generous, it was like a generous he will have a free kick. But it was so perfect, the strike from Fernandes. Neutrals getting frustrated about Manchester United getting decisions at Old Trafford. Manchester United really are back this is it yeah I mean yeah it was it was definitely a soft one um to be honest I kind of hadn't really thought about it again after the after the free kick went in and and just yeah an amazing strike it does feel you know looking back to the United Everton game a couple of weeks ago where you know obviously Idrissa Gueye was set off early in the game and United just looked absolutely clueless as to how they how to attack against against 10 men now Obviously, a 10-man Everton defending a lead and an Iriola-Bourmouth team are two very, very different propositions.

8:07And the players that United have got are going to benefit from playing when there is space to attack into. But they looked a completely different side yesterday. Fernandes looked brilliant in that deep role that we see him taking Alex Casemiro. I thought Mount was, again, pretty good, especially in the first half, had a really good shot saved at 0-0. Cunha and Mbomo looked really sharp. It just feels like this is a front line that's starting to click now. when you look at these players in terms of their profile they should be an exciting team to watch they should be like an exciting attacking side and yeah I liked I thought Cunha's finish for the Golden League at 4-3 was good and the kind of celebrations from Old Trafford was as if it was going to be a famous victory but they came very close to losing in the end And we saw Kobi Mainu, Baz We did, yeah he got about 20 minutes at the end we also saw his brother wearing a t-shirt that said Free Kobi Mainu I'm not sure how or if that will affect Maynou-Amerim relations which already seem quite frosty apparently he wants Napoli want to take him on loan I can't really see any reason why he shouldn't be allowed to go on loan but apparently he is among the least well-paid players in the United squad so bringing cover for him would cost him a lot of money so that's something for him and his agent to sort out with the club but he certainly doesn't seem to feature too prominently in Amorim's plans.

9:37I can't remember anything much of note he did in his 20 minutes on the pitch if I'm honest but we saw him. Yeah the fans were so excited that when he'd get the ball and play a simple five-yard pass and then run towards the ball and make himself available there was like a real enthusiasm there. Is that condescending enthusiasm there? Yeah, maybe it was. Yeah, well done, Cobby. Yeah, I'm still available. Have it back. Yeah, keep going, son. Just that West Ham talks about banning half and half scarves. Do clubs need to think about banning promotional player T-shirts that are actually a subtle dig, if not so subtle, at the manager as well?

10:13Do we need to get a bit more nuance on the stewarding to have a look at this? Do you think he's a not? I mean, has he done that deal? has his brother got the sign off from cobi do you mind if i wear this or it's just like you know don't please don't embarrass me at work if he hasn't you'll be absolutely livid wouldn't you if you're if you're going to be mine and you tell your brother wearing that and he hasn't asked for it like could ruin his career well look we contractually obliged doers to ask what formation amarin moved to it looked like he abandoned three five two for maybe a four two four it didn't feel like a formations game by the last 20 minutes like a 5-5 was it i think maybe i don't know 5-0-5 yeah i don't know really either i think when games descend into that kind of chaos where it is effectively a basketball game with the ball just kind of going down one end there being an opportunity going on the other end there's no shape so i you know if you ask the players what position they're playing they'd probably tell you but it doesn't necessarily mean it resembled that on the pitch so i remember very clearly a couple years ago i can't remember what manager it was arguing with his in a press conference after the game when the fans were criticising him for playing 4-3-3 and he said no no no we didn't we played 4-2-2 and he looked at the position map he looked at all the players playing and they were definitely playing the formation he didn't know they were playing so like as Redknapp says what are formations like it's just normally when it's very rigid and with Amarim's normal system you can very much see what he's doing and last night it didn't resemble that but I think that's probably more because of game state rather than any decision that he's made to be more fluid with his decisions and the shape that he wants to play.

11:45Amirim afterwards was asked on the formation and he basically said, well, it's up to you to figure it out. I'm not quite sure how that works. Just another thing. I don't know, Max, whether on your world feed you had the same commentary, but we had Guardian Football Weekly's Seb Hutchinson on comms duties with Gary Neville. And it was great. And I always love it when I hear a fellow pod member, you know, organically that is there. And what I love about Seb's commentary is you get all that. loved it as much as us right he really did he just he just let it wash over him as well and really added to it so nice one Seb hope you're recovering today probably just lying in a dark room I think I wonder if on Monday Night Football he's as keen to talk about anecdotes about him being a goalkeeper or shearing his sheep you know he treats us differently don't they so look Man United have got Villa away Newcastle at home Wolves at home Leeds away Burnley away they're sixth it's sort of I mean it's an impossible question Barry it is impossible to know like Like what will happen now to this team?

12:44And yet you're asking me to tell you. I am, yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're a prescient guy, Baz. I have my moments, but I think this one's beyond my wit. I haven't a clue is the answer to that question. I mean, we're all talking or lots of people are saying that this was Manchester United's best performance under Amirim. They still conceded four goals and they didn't win. they led three times and only came away with a point so if that's the benchmark for greatness under Amorim then I would say no they're not going to finish in the Champions League places if they did somehow scrape into the top four I wouldn't be massively shocked as you know the answer that sort of more or less covers any question about football let's wait and see they are they are going to lose um noosa masrawi uh brian and bumo and ahmad diallo for the afcon so so how's it going to go probably revert back to type now there's an amazing stat i don't know if we're allowed to kind of cross promote um on here please do bill edgar tweeted it so better give him credit before i take credit myself manchester united were two and up a half time yesterday and obviously were behind in the game and nearly lost the game late on since may 1984 they played 1 ,129 home games they've led in 542 they've won 491 of those they've drawn 51 and they've lost none so had Brooks when they've led at half time when they've led at half time yeah so 1 ,129 games they've led in just under half of them and they've never lost especially even since this terrible run like the Man United fans sit there winning at half time safe in the knowledge that they'll be fine they don't need at half time as often anymore well there is that but that is that's an amazing stat isn't it and out of bournemouth sanny look that they drew against chelsea nil nil this four four nadim said yesterday they were sort of sliding down the table sort of under the radar because you know they're one of the clubs that begin with b that are well run um no wins in seven now for them three points in that time but still it doesn't feel maybe we're just blindsided by the fact it's bournemouth and we like them but we're blindsided by sort of where they're at yeah i think there is a bit of that but i also think and iraiola mentioned this as well after the game that you've got to remember that he's spent a lot a big part of the season focusing on the defense and the goalkeeper because they all left basically so i think attacking wise the the threat that they've got hasn't really changed i mean anto antoine semenyo goes from strength to strength you know he's uh i'm sure he'll be good to transfer news fodder for the next couple of uh months, I suppose, until the end of January.

15:29But defensively is where they've kind of been needed to rebuild. And, you know, well, you know, Sanessi was there before and he's done well. So, yeah, I think that's taken a bit of time. And I think we saw going forward, all that's still there, just defensively, they're still kind of working on it. Petrovic, who I think's done quite well, actually had a pretty, not a great game. Diallo's goal, Ahmad Diallo's goal, he kind of didn't quite get himself right from the cross coming in. And I don't know if he could have done more on Casimiro's header as well. But I think, you know, they'll be okay. I don't mean to worry about that.

16:03I just think it's hard because they've done so well. And, you know, was it Barney talking about a club like Bournemouth can do better than United because they don't have all the weights of everything else around them, all the machinery, all the hype and all that. And they're agile. I guess like a startup, like a startup football club, if you like. They can just go around. but I guess that does come with it can go the other way as well I guess we're in a bit of a middly phase but I think they'll kick on again Alright, that'll do for part one Part two, we'll head to the AFL starting with the Championship

16:42Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly So the top of the Championship looks like this Coventry have 47 points Middlesbrough 42 Preston Mill will have 35 in third and fourth position ipswich and hull on 34 stoke 33 leicester 31 i mean you could make a case for anyone down to about 15th or 16th gone a running and and make the playoffs preston in third to west brom in 16th or because you could throw a blanket over them it's seven points like so they will all fancy their chances of promotion yeah so it's uh it's brilliantly set up i guess i mean the question about coventry uh george is that they had a sort of mini blip didn't they uh where they They lost 3-0 to Ipswich.

17:23They drew one all with Preston. Not easy games either, but they beat Bristol City at the weekend. I think the last time we did an EFL pod, people were saying, well, look, their lead is so great. Some were saying it's, you know, they're definitely up. I don't think you can ever say that, even at this stage of the championship. But that was a really important win, wasn't it? It was a really important win, yeah. Especially because there's this kind of quirk of the fixture in the EFL that two teams are playing against each other home and away in December. and for Coventry that was Ipswich and obviously they went to Ipswich and off 3-0 and then they're going they host them on the 29th of December and there was this kind of idea that if Ipswich could kind of hang on to their coattails up until that game and then beat them then the gap would be smaller so on Saturday for Ipswich to get beaten by Leicester away and for Coventry to win against Bristol City, it kind of put an end to that theory that we could have a title race on our hands early in the new year I would say that Coventry are the best team in the league, they're rightfully top of the league definitely some concerns over their performances in the last couple of weeks you know they were they were pretty good in the first half an hour or so against Ipswich then folded after going behind they couldn't beat 10-man Preston and even went ahead in that game and conceded to 10-man Preston later in it to draw and even against Bristol City on Saturday you know they were pretty good value for their lead but then it was Kyle Rushworth their keeper who was by far and away the best player on the pitch and the key reason why Coventry were able to win the game having made a string of really good saves so that you know if I was one of the chasing pack I'd probably be taking some heart from them not being quite as dominant as they were early in the season and certainly for Middlesbrough who are five points behind them in in second as is often the case with managerial changes ask any Borough fan if they'd like to swap Rob Edwards for Kim Helberg now and you will not find a single one who will because they're very very happy with how their team are performing under their new manager and they'll feel like you know but then five points behind Coventry's it stands and seven points clear of Preston in third it is incredibly congested in the championship and I would say that you know as Barry says from third down to 16th the position's kind of bordering irrelevant because it's so tight but you know Middlesbrough are the ones now who are kind of pulling away from the pack along with Kov yeah and Kim Helberg's really interesting Sani isn't it because you'd imagine when a manager comes into a team that are doing well it just says okay well this is good I'm just going to keep this bit on a slot last year this is good I'll just keep this going.

19:43But by all accounts, he's changed quite a lot at Barrett. Yeah, it seems that way. And what's also done well for him is Morgan Whittaker, whose form's been incredible. Six goals in his last six games. And I guess he's given him a bit more freedom going forward. I mean, Tommy Conway had gone, how many games was it, George? He hadn't scored a goal. It was like a huge amount. One moment, please. He's googling to double check. But, you know, they've done this without one of the best attacking players being in form at all. He's finally got himself a penalty and I think, you know, at least he's got that off his back.

20:18But you've got at least two... 16. 16 games without a goal. It's incredible. But you've got at least two key players there, Morgan Whittaker and Hayden Hacknick, who have different jobs, but both are kind of standout players in that team. So I think, yeah, he's tweaked quite a bit by the sounds of things, but he's got some really important players who've been given the freedom. Morgan Whittaker in particular on the right flank has been devastating. I guess for them, the only worry is they had a similar Morgan go on a run of scoring goals and Aston Villa went and bought him. So Whittaker's taken a bit of time to kind of find his feet.

20:55He had a great season about three or four seasons ago now for Plymouth Argyle and then hadn't quite come together at all at Borough and now it finally looks like he has. So they're doing very well. Just going back to Coventry, by the way, I don't know if you've seen the goals scored column but it's 52 goals they've scored their goal difference is plus 30 yeah i've been sent to coventry quite often by uh five live two games actually in particular recently they were behind against sheffield united and also behind against west brom and both times i didn't feel once that they weren't going to win like the atmosphere there the players they've got quite a few are interchangeable it just means that they can just crush an opponent it's quite something george i wonder how many times on the top 20 you've had the discussion about whether preston and milwell can last last the season in in the form that they're in um yeah a few times i i made the foolish mistake of on on the bbc oxford pod that i do about united saying that preston were in a false position before again against them on saturday so it was inevitable that then they're then going to beat us to one preston being in third is an incredible achievement from paul heckinbottom and you know they and he deserves like unbelievable credit for getting them there i think what he's done and what the club have done in terms of recruitment you know if you're someone that dips in and out of the championship around kind of payoff time whatever else you'd be forgiven for thinking of Preston as being a you know a team that are punching above their weight with a pretty old group of players who struggle for goals like that's kind of been their identity for a long time but heck he's come in and brought in this kind of raft of young low knee or permanent signings so you've got Daniel Jebberson leading the line after a hellish couple of years for him, who's kind of finding his feet under his former Blades boss, Hecci.

22:41Lewis Dobbin, who's been fantastic with four goals and five assists. Alfie Devine, who's looking every bit a future Premier League player. Harrison Armstrong, who's only 18 years old, is probably the pick of the bunch. A kind of really good, technically gifted midfield player. They brought in Thierry Small from Charlton, who's an England under-21 international, who can basically play either left-back or off the right-hand side. a left-footed really good attacking wing back or winger and so they've freshened up the squad quickly with this injection of youth and a different playing style and it's really working oh you know i would mitigate that by saying that i think there have been some performances recently that have been a bit concerning you know they beat cheville wednesday three two but wednesday were definitely the better game better team within that game and pressman pretty fortunate to get away from it even the performance against oxford on saturday wasn't vintage but they still got over the line.

23:31With Millwall, it's a bit more sustainable in my view. They kind of look to me to be, having kind of been building towards this for a while, in Tristan Kramer, they've got a player who plays centre-back, a right-back who used to be at Brentford and I'm pretty sure will be a Premier League defender relatively soon. Caleb Taylor is another one who's a big young centre-back. And again, they're a team that have kept their kind of defensive silidity, that identity, but have added for the first time in a while some kind of sparkling young attacking talent to go with it. Femi Aziz has been superb playing off the right-hand side.

24:03In Mihailo Ivanovic, they've got a 21-year-old striker who's scored four goals, scored a lot of goals last season and will be, I'm sure, pretty sought after over the summer. Tiano Ballo's had a decent season as well. So it's kind of adding that bit of attacking quality in the final third along with the manager in Alex Neil, who we know when he kind of gets his teeth into a job normally can get success. So, you know, this season in particular where the parachute payment teams have struggled, albeit you know certainly it looks like Sampton are finding some form and Leicester without good results Saturday too but this feels like the season where maybe where that top six is so difficult to break into because you can normally rely on at least two of the parachute or two of the relegated teams being in it and probably last season's playoff finalists too with Sheffield United struggling as well this feels like the season where maybe a Preston or a Millwall or both of them could sneak into the top six or maybe even the top two could I am formally object to your assertion that Alex Neal can achieve success whenever he gets his teeth into a job.

25:02The man who took Sunderland out of League One. The man who abandoned Sunderland to go and fail at Stoke. Having taken him out of League One. Yeah, but he didn't get his teeth into that Stoke job was the issue, I think. But no, he's someone who I think, the job he did at Preston's age pretty well, and Norwich was obviously fantastic and he's doing it again now. the barry glendening death stare there by the way just before you interrupted barry i was about to say we're contractually obliged for barry to say something bad about alex neal as it is whenever his name comes up um it was interesting sanny george mentioned the you know the relegated clubs and there was a you know a couple of months ago it was like oh they're all hopeless and now it's which have been on a great run they're in fifth now uh leicester at eighth um inconsistent but you know i've put a few results together in southampton until the weekend were on this absolutely incredible run weren't they um when they'd won i can't remember a lot in a row and then you had leicester beating ipswich and fatah was scoring this unbelievable goal but it sort of from you know there are good halfway line goals and bad ones if that makes any sense and this was an absolutely brilliant i mean it was well inside his own half but a brilliant goal yes and just in the build up to it he nutmegs a midfielder as well pokes it through the legs and brings it forward then he's it i was wondering which way you were going to go on this by the way matt's because i know the ball goes over the keeper and then bounces and we get the keeper kind of ending up in the net but he doesn't fully get crashing into net and i wondered you were going to say oh it's not aesthetically it's not what i want to see from a from a halfway line go so i'm pleased that you actually liked that goal i could have gone either away i think well no i liked it from the build-up totally but essentially those three sides are now you know on a sort of on a more macro level these three sides are starting to put it together yeah and i suppose when you've got the quality you can do that i mean i saw ipswich blackburn rovers in the replayed game from the game that got abandoned from the waterlogged pitch back in august and rovers had it sealed but they're so inept they allowed uh it's which is score right at the def and that was a mixture of their own ineptitude and the fact that Ipswich have just got better players and I suppose fundamentally, if you're talking macro level, you've got players who were able to be okay at times in the Premier League and that can see you through.

27:21So I suppose that was always the thing and Southampton's a really interesting case because there's a lot of players around that squad, it's cliche to say, who are used to losing, right? So manage to turn that around and change the mentality, I think is huge. for Leicester non-football stuff still hangs over them and I do feel with the fans that they're not too many poor performances away from feeling a bit mutinous and and they're due a points deduction aren't they so this goes back to historic rule breaches but then correct from wrong does it would it not apply so it is like they did it in the EFL and got promoted and then it's still kind of hanging over them that's that's that's right is that right George I think yeah exactly yeah so we just we don't know like and you know this can't go on like like a man city like there needs to be resolution on that so cue a mick mccarthy-esque it can but it seems like that there's there's kind of actually exactly as a manchester city there are rumors that something's imminent and it's about to happen and then it just goes completely quiet again and there's no news so it has to be resolved soon god i'd actually i'd actually probably for a week or two forgotten about the 115 charges that's something that's you know I think that's what they want to happen, Max.

28:35Maybe you're right. Although now we've said that, we might get a voice note in a couple of hours. At the bottom of the table, obviously we know about Sheffield Wednesday, that they lost 3-0 to Derby last night. Then you have Norwich City got a key win the other day. They're on 17 points. Yorla, Oxford on 19, Portsmouth on 20, Blackburn 22, Swansea 23, Sheffield United 23. what do you make of Oxford George I mean it's sort of where you kind of should be I guess don't tell our fans that I got pelters in pre-season for having us in the relegation zone on our 124s but yeah I mean I think I'm of the view that if Oxford say up on final day on goal scored then it's a job well done really if you're a match going fan it's very hard to have an enjoyable experience being a fan if you're watching your team struggled to win games and struggled to score goals.

29:30You know, with Gary Rowett in charge, you probably expect there to be an element of solidity, and there has been for much of this season, but four wins from 21 games, it isn't enough wins. The goal difference of minus eight shows you that we're rarely beaten far. There was a bit of a change of kind of style or at least personnel with a lot of attacking players starting against Preston on Saturday, which didn't really work. I kind of think if you were Gary Rowett as your manager, you want him to row it out and go properly, we're going to stop you from creating many chances we're going to sit very deep and we're going to try and nick a goal because that's how he's had his success in the past with a rigid defensive shape so I'm pretty pessimistic as it stands that we're going to stay up but we're in it we're by no means kind of tailed off as it stands at the moment the frustrating thing is that Norwich seem to have improved massively under Philippe Clement with a brilliant win last time out against Southampton Swansea picked up back-to-back wins at home to Oxford and Portsmouth under their new manager Victor Matos, who I've seen in some Swansea circles being called Victor Matos, which I absolutely love as a nickname.

30:35Charlton have kind of struggled a little bit in recent weeks. Producer Joel weren't likely saying a big game between Charlton and Oxford on Saturday at Charlton, where if Oxford can win that one, that really brings Charlton back into the relegation mix. And then maybe the most significant result in the relegation picture was on Saturday where Blackburn were 1-0 up away at Portsmouth and came back and won the game 2-1, which was very needed for John Massinho, was very needed for Pompey because they've really struggled this season. In Colby Bishop, Conor Chaplin and Josh Murphy, they have three players who, I mean, certainly in Murphy's case, Chaplin was a key player for Ipswich when they came second in the championship a couple of seasons ago.

31:13And Bishop was very good last season. Those three players between them have one league goal, which was not expected. So for them to be where they are, given the struggles from a goal-scoring perspective from key players is maybe impressive in itself. But had they lost that game, I think the heat would have been turned up a frat and par, but instead it was a win that they'll be hoping can kickstart their own season because they've struggled as of late. Made it sound like they all scored that goal by just kicking it all at exactly the same time. None of them scored it. Sandy, you pointed me in the direction of Vic Tomatoes doing a post-match.

31:47I think they're getting a bit too common. These, you know, manager does post-match, well done lads. and they go you must listen to this sound on this it's amazing and someone just goes well done you're all really good have a day off congratulations is this like harry kane's famous team talk in the come on lads let's go get him but he was quite funny at the end where clearly one of the players is you know a foreign player i don't know who it was and he's just going you're great you're great you're great you were great and then he says and you haven't got a clue what i'm saying and the whole place the timing of the comedy timing was brilliant yeah that was great i think it was uh Malik, you yell kulevs from Mali.

32:25And he's like, you don't understand a word I'm saying. Yeah, that was great. Yeah, you're right. It can feel a bit cynical. I think the highlight, the zenith of this was Plymouth Argyle beating Liverpool last season. And the manager whose name's popped out my head. Oh, yes. So easily can go, God, how can we not remember this bunch of old men? Come on, come on. I'm looking at you, George. You're the youngest. Miran Muslitch Miran Muslitch there you go that's it one minute you're the toast of the town the next minute you've completely forgotten that was kind of the high point of it and it was very cynical but he came in there with a good reputation one of Jurgen Klopp's coaches there was maybe a bit of Kloppism in his maybe in the way he was but that emotional intelligence was something that Klopp had and I think you've got to have that haven't you and he seems very kind of switched on I was at the the defeat actually to Stoke City on the weekend.

33:21And they gave as good as they got. And Stoke were kind of due a turning around, if you like. But yeah, he seems like a decent chap and he's got a good pedigree. I was going to ask George on how many seasons he'd be okay with Oxford just struggling and just surviving as the lowest budget club in the division. But whilst I've got him, I suppose we should mention Sheffield United. Chris Wilder kind of turning things around. Yeah, I've watched quite a bit of them up close recently. although they drew one all with Norwich in the week before they then lost at West Brom they had three games in like a week and Wilder made like eight changes from the 4-0 win against Stoke City and that 4-0 they were just brilliant like you wouldn't have known at all that Sheffield United were right in the bottom and Stoke were trying to push to the playoffs and Oli Arblaster came back in he'd been out for I think 17, 13 months he'd been out injured and they threw him in and he was excellent in the Norwich game and before that Stoke he was on the bench and they were just great but then he made all these changes only got the point and then lost this game at West Brom you just remember that actually you can't really afford to roll the dice too much in this league because you know there's so many teams that kind of say me but he but he's definitely turned it around like I don't think Sheffield United have anything to worry about and they've just given Riederval the ex-Crystal Palace player an extension on a contract Patrick Bamford's due one as well Danny Ings finally scored his first Sheffield United goal the other day, yes, they've got all these players there.

34:49So, yeah, I think they'll be okay. And they're good on the set pieces. They don't mind giving the opposition the ball and sitting back. And generally, it's working well for them. Could I ask the obligatory Wrexham question, which is Jasper Jolly in the Guardian a couple of weeks ago reveal that they've received 18 million pounds in grants so they don't have to pay it back from the welsh taxpayer and i'm just wondering it seems quite unfair that a club which i think is now valued at 350 million has these two hollywood star owners one of whom is a billionaire is taking money from the welsh taxpayer i think wrexham would argue well we're generating loads of money for the town, but apparently, you know, there are going to be redundancies in Wrexham Council and schools in the area are having to tighten their belts, but they're still apparently able to give all this money to a club that doesn't need it.

35:57I'm just wondering, does anyone have any strong thoughts on that or is it something that has been discussed? I suppose the argument is that the grants go towards infrastructure that has a community net benefit and they're not the first club in football to get that. But in the same way, you know, extrapolate this in the same way, Jim Radcliffe's like, we're going to build New Trafford and we're going to get all this Northern powerhouse money. It doesn't really kind of wash, does it? I guess the devil's in the detail there, George. Yeah, I hadn't seen that, but it doesn't sound great. Yeah, as Barry says, when you consider the wealth of the owners and also the fact that the owners, I think, have...

36:43They've sold a stake, haven't they? Yeah, they've just sold a stake. Well, they've sold a stake and they've also reports that they've basically, you know, they've been repaid the money that they initially invested as well, so... Yeah, so the funding's part of the Wrexham Gateway project and I suppose you've also got to remember, you know, So Wrexham, the football club now, is this big shiny Hollywood thing, at least outwardly. But Wrexham as a community, it's got some areas of huge deprivation. So are we okay with investments going into something that has a net community benefit? Admittedly, some of the stuff's coming on, like floodlights and stuff.

37:21I'm not sure quite how that goes. Well, I don't particularly know whether this is a good or a bad thing. That's why I'm floating it. But the money, to be clear, is going directly to the football club. It's not football club adjacent money. They are getting the money to do with as they wish. All to Kiefer Moore. The council said that funding for the project was not taken from its budgets, was provided solely through the Welsh Government grants. The club must also make the racecourse ground available for other sporting events and concerts, which the council said would create additional benefits for the residents of North Wales.