Liverpool’s Champions League bid takes a hit and Everton end home hoodoo: Football Weekly

20:37Seb Hutchinson:So I think, again, it's that position of can they kick on from here and get into Europe? Because it is the cliche to say, but you feel like that club needs a little European campaign. They're that sort of club. You feel that they just need one. and if it is the conference league then they can push on and try and win that competition but there's so many teams in the mix for it so again even though we're right on the business end now I think is it business end maybe one game away from business end not sure maybe next week yeah next week let's get a couple of more rounds of cup action out the way and then we're into the business end just going back to

21:14Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:the pool match between Dewsbury Hall I was going to ask you

21:18Barry Glendenning:Barry is there a lesson there that you You need to let the boss win?

21:22Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:Well, I don't know about that, but Brendan Rodgers strikes me very much as that guy in the pub who brings his own two-piece queue and has a name for it. And, you know, he puts the case down on the table and flicks open the latches at each end, screws his queue. He has his own shock as well and probably insists on brushing the table down before the tournament starts. In my local pub, the guys on the pool team take it incredibly seriously. And if they have a home match, it's like being at the Crucible Theatre. Like if anyone makes a noise or heaven forfend, encroaches through the playing area to visit the toilet.

22:10Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:It's frowned upon seriously.

22:13Barry Glendenning:That's probably where the comparison ends, the flushing of toilets. and the coughing and the pints.

22:20Seb Hutchinson:I wanted to reference The Big Lebowski, if anybody's seen that film. But Hayes Quintana, who was the flashy player, just picturing Brendan Rodgers' head. And that purple shirt he had on. And then just up steps Dewsbury Hall just to take him apart on the pool table. Magic stuff. There's a film in there somewhere.

22:42Barry Glendenning:Yeah, and I can't wait for Brendan Rodgers' repost. I know he's managing in Saudi now maybe we'll get Gary Cottrell over there to ask the question he's the man isn't he? He's the man That's it for part one in part two we'll do the rest of last night's games and look ahead to the Premier League fixtures tonight

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24:23Barry Glendenning:Welcome back to the Guardian Football Weekly. Leeds nil, Sunderland one. Barry, you said in the WhatsApp group this was a truly dreadful spectacle.

24:34Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:This was one of the worst football matches I've ever seen. now Sunderland won that's great they've got to 40 points they're safe they were safe anyway but it was horrendous viewing Melker Elberg started in goal for Sunderland because Robin Roos is out with a hamstring injury so Elberg's this guy they brought in in January because Anthony Patterson the goalkeeper who was ever present last season as they got promoted he went off to Milwan all known because he wanted to obviously get some game time under his belt. So this young Swedish fella came in and he kept a clean sheet on his Premier League debut, so that was good.

25:21Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:Granit Xhaka was started on the bench, presumably a legacy of the crunching tackle he suffered at the hands slash feet of Tyler Adams at the weekend. but Sunderland had one shot on target a bad penalty taken by Habib Diara Karl Darlow probably should have saved it he got a lot on it but couldn't keep it out Leeds were denied a penalty there was a lot of time wasting from Sunderland arguably the highlight of the game was Luke O 'Neill going to take a long throw in only to discover that Sean Longstaff who was warming up on the touchline had stolen his towel and run away with it so he couldn't dry the ball off.

26:06Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:And then later on, Luke O 'Neill, Leeds were on the attack. There was two balls on the pitch for some reason, so Luke O 'Neill kicked the spare one that Leeds didn't have into play so that the ref had to stop play. That was an interesting way of stopping that particular attack. Leeds had a goal disallowed, and yeah, it was grim. It was really grim. The only good thing about it was the result for Sunderland. But Leeds, I think, have every right to feel aggrieved, A, at the time-wasting, and B, the penalty they should have got but didn't for a Luka9 grabbing, I think it was, what's his name, Pascal Strike around the neck and shoving him to the ground.

26:52Barry Glendenning:Luka9 is, I mean, he's a proper shithouse, isn't he? He always has been. But it's because he's quite small and quite cheeky chappy. I think he kind of gets away with it, doesn't he? But he's like, he's proper. Every game I've seen of him, he's kind of, the dark arts are there for him.

27:06Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:I was a huge admirer of his, and I still am, but I felt slightly let down when video emerged of him at some conference somewhere during the summer. And he's gone full high performance. And he, along with another famous high performance advocate, tells his children to be the light in the room when he sends them off to school every day. And yeah, he was coming out with all this gobbledygook, which I found quite dispiriting. But I do admire him as a player and he's certainly all Sunderland, nothing.

27:42Seb Hutchinson:I thought Barry was going to say he was like, it's some far right content, but it was actually worse.

27:50Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:Just to be clear, Luke and I is not a Nazi.

27:54Barry Glendenning:Let's be clear. A shit out of the not amount. Drinking avocado milkshakes is a game changer. Leeds lost their record of 22 home games unbeaten in games that kicked off at seven o 'clock or later. A stat that can well and truly get in the bin. Seb, I don't know about you, when you go through those stat packs, that one is not one that I'd be pulling out in particular. But Leeds, a bit like the weekend, unlucky, you'd say, and kind of definitely in games and in this relegation fight. Well, they're out of the relegation zone at the moment.

28:23Seb Hutchinson:Yeah, the fact that it's still close to that area reflects actually they've been unfortunate in so many games this season. And they are a really physical side, but they've also had, I mean, Stack for me has really stood out in the games I've seen him. He's looked like a real handful for the opposition to deal with. He's driven the team forward. and Ellen Rhodes' fantastic atmosphere does really spur the team on. There was always that sense of would they have enough quality per se, but at the moment they're still looking over their shoulder and it's a shame from their point of view because they could have been in a position where they could have opened that gap because the sides below them keep losing, but they just can't quite get away.

29:05Seb Hutchinson:And I feel for Daniel Farker because the end of the City game full-time, I've never seen a man look so angry, but weirdly this game might hurt more because they dominated the ball and they would have felt they should have had a penalty of course and it was a sucker because that goal the penalty incident came I think 20 seconds after the Rodon goal had been ruled out I mean talk about mood swings

29:31Barry Glendenning:in a stadium goodness me and Daniel Farkas said after that he will never jog again after he got that red card which I think yeah it's a bit extreme but yeah just on Seb's point there

29:42Seb Hutchinson:briefly I mean like every I guess target for every team in the Premier League I think peaking at the right time is really important and I just wonder because Leeds had a really good period if I'm not mistaken December January they got some really good results and you thought okay they're gonna be fine and as Seb says for all of the good work they've done the last couple of months they're still not that far clear and i just wonder if they are peaked at the wrong time in a way that west ham arguably seem to be kind of peaking at the right time i know they've not had great result but west ham seem to be on the on the up in the way that leads for for their good period in the last couple of months they should be five six seven points safer than they than they are and i just fear for leads that yeah they may have got their good results if you like six weeks too early.

30:32Barry Glendenning:Yeah, no, it's still time for another peak. We're not quite at the business end as we've decreed. Can I add, Robin,

30:37Seb Hutchinson:that Leeds do have to go to Spurs, they do have to go to West Ham and they do have Wolves. Oh, they'll be fine then. They'll be fine. Yeah, exactly. Well, I was saying, it's a good position for them to be in and they do have Wolves and Burnley at home still to come. So they're still in this very strong position to get out and safety is everything for them, obviously.

30:54Barry Glendenning:Absolutely. Bournemouth nil, Brentford nil. Bournemouth's 13th draw this season. they really should have won this one. And the main talking point, Barry, was the non-penalty. This was Tavernier hit the post. But as he was doing that, just a little tap from Coyote. And Robbie Savage on TNT was seething. He said that was a penalty, clear as day.

31:15Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:Yeah, I agree. And I think if Tavernier had gone down, he would have got it. But he didn't. He took the shot instead and didn't score, didn't get a penalty. So I would agree with Robbie Savage on that one. I think Bournemouth should have won this. This is probably the best of the four games, to be honest, even though there weren't any goals. And Bournemouth just, they hit the woodwork a couple of times. Kruppi had what looked a certain goal deflected onto the post at the end of one of his own teammates. His shot hit Unal's inner thigh and went onto the post. Yeah, they should have won this and they're drawing too many games.

31:56Barry Glendenning:And it's actually Brentford who look more in pole position to get a European place. But yeah, still a way to go. On to tonight's games. So big clashes at the top and the bottom of the league. And in the European race, Aston Villa against Chelsea. This looks very tasty. And yeah, Villa fans, you can turn off now. Jordan, as our Villa baiter, would you like to comment on this? Two wins and eight for Villa. Emery conceding the title. I mean, you know, fair enough. but wanting to get in the Champions League. Are you saying they were never in it?

32:30Seb Hutchinson:Oh, I don't want to say it, but you said it for me. But anyway, we can move past that. Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to lie. There's no tears on my pillow about Villa slipping out of potentially the top five, the top five race. I just think, again, the timing of their midfield injuries has really killed them. It's really, really harmed them. But, you know, at least they'll have an extra man to play against against Chelsea when they clash tonight. night so they they have that in their back pocket i mean i personally would prefer to see villa in in the top five rather than chelsea just because i think an accumulation of the last two three years of work they've kind of earned it i know it doesn't work like that but i feel like they've they've done the right things to be competitive and i think for them to and i didn't have them as title contenders ever but that was the narrative for them for them to go to do that well to even be spoken in that light to not even qualify for the champions league i think would be massively disappointing.

33:25Seb Hutchinson:Sorry, you do realise there's a force, yeah? I know, but the momentum seems to be that they're going to be the ones that slip it out. That's the way it seems to be going. So I hope they can maintain a top four, top five slot and do it. As for Chelsea, I mean, yeah, I think Liam Messina has had a decent start to his tenure at Chelsea, but we know that Chelsea need Champions League football too. For their model to be successful, it'd be a disaster for them to miss out. And I think the loser of this game then becomes the favourite to miss out in that race, in my opinion.

34:00Barry Glendenning:And who will be the red card tonight? See, it's like traitors. That's the question. Brighton against Arsenal. Yeah, Brighton have won the last two, having a bit of a wobble before that. A lot of discourse, Seb. Again, as we mentioned, this set pieces, they're getting a bad rap. Everyone's just jealous of Arsenal, aren't they? That's jealousy.

34:20Seb Hutchinson:Yeah, that seems to be the story of this season is that there's a lot of fan bases that aren't happy with where their clubs are. And I think in recent years, obviously, City have been so dominant, but so many clubs in the league are a bit indifferent to City in terms of the players on the pitch. Obviously, the club is a different matter. But in terms of the players on the pitch, they quite like some of the players. I found it interesting when Rodri said, everybody wants us to lose in his little rant that's, you know, getting him in trouble. Of course, that's not true. I don't think people think about City in that way I'm not sure well yeah I'm talking about the club the club is under this situation where everyone's waiting for these charges the players on the pitch it seems like everybody would think if it was Man United at the top people would think oh anyone but Man United when it's Liverpool at the top it's anyone but Liverpool if it's Arsenal at the top it's anyone but Arsenal because these are the huge clubs in the league that have had these huge fan bases that have big influences but in this case I think there is some truth to what people are saying about the criticism of the set-piece situation.

35:24Seb Hutchinson:And that comes to the fact of when you watch Arsenal play, they're not a free-flowing attack. Often teams are in a position where they stifle Arsenal. And if they are to trip up at the back end of the season, it is going to be that their attack lets them down in matches where they're trying to respond to issues in the game. City have been a side where even if they went 1-0 down to Forest tonight, you'd believe in their ability to rally and turn the game around. If Arsenal fall 1-0 down to Brighton tonight, you'd wonder how that game would play out. Even if they went 1-0 up, would they just hold on to that advantage and maybe come under huge pressure?

36:03Seb Hutchinson:That's understandable because of the time it's taken for them to get over the line here. And if they do, that might free them up. And this is the thing. Again, it goes back to what we said about Liverpool. the end of the season will obviously dictate how we feel about the whole situation if Arsenal get over the line the supporters won't care at all not at all but if they don't get out of the line it will be the stick to beat them with and that's from Arsenal's own supporters as well as fans of

36:28Barry Glendenning:other clubs if Arsenal do get over the line is this that the least enjoyable title race as an Arsenal supporter it just seems like no one's enjoying it uh yes I mean I I'm not loving it

36:39Seb Hutchinson:It's not particularly fun, but the reason why I'm not loving it is because I think I'm the only Arsenal fan on the planet that actually does think style of play and how you win it does matter. My view is that football as a fan is to be enjoyed. And I think the winning isn't the only thing that I take enjoyment out of. I always say to my friends, when Arsenal win the title, I don't get a medal. I don't get a win bonus. I don't get a goal bonus. I don't get a trophy. so nine months of investment supporting this team financial time and effort what do i get out of it i want moments i want memories i want to watch arsenal play and see some good football i'm not expecting 5-0 every single game there's no entitlement to to free-flowing football every single game of course not but i think a team with the resources that arsenal have the players at arsenal have i don't think it's an unrealistic expectation to be at least competitive and play their brand of football that's easier on the eye.

37:36Seb Hutchinson:So for me, it's not enjoyable, but it's not enjoyable because I can think of a handful of games where Arsenal have played attractive football and won. And that for me isn't good enough. If Arsenal were in the league, of course, there'll be inquests, there'll be uproar because it's been 22 years and you can't be top of the league for this long and then fall off. But for me, it's much more... Oh, you can, you can.

37:59Barry Glendenning:Well, Mick McCarthy here. There you go, there you go.

38:03Seb Hutchinson:but just finally from me on the corner thing quickly i find the whole corner chat so bizarre and you said at the start robin i think it's just jealousy i think a lot of fans are just jealous it blows my mind why with the fact that we score from so many corners it's such a talking point it's like what do you what do you what should they do not try and score from corners like the whole point of a corner is you try and threaten the goal we found a way to make it a weapon of ours it's really boring and bizarre for me this whole corner chat for me i found it weird the entire the entire season.

38:33Barry Glendenning:Yeah, it is. It's like, oh, you shouldn't have the title because you scored too many corners. It's kind of, it's mad, isn't it? It's part of the game.

38:40Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:I can't understand why Arsenal fans are so concerned about what other people think about their team. I don't care what other people think about how Sunderland play. I don't think other people should respect Sunderland.

38:56Seb Hutchinson:I don't, you know, I just, I do not care. Do you know why, Barry? I think you're right, But I think it's because Arsenal, in the kind of Wenger era, have been seen as the footballing team. And I think we take pride in the fact that our team has had artists and played great football and Wenger ball. And I think we kind of buy into that as Arsenal fans. So when other people say, well, actually, you're just Stoke. You're just Strosbury. You're just a mid-table League One team. I think some fans take that to heart because they pride themselves on playing a brand of football. They are just Stoke with a bigger budget.

39:31Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:and if it works, great. Oh no.

39:37Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:Fair point. I would argue the current Stoke play prettier football than Arsenal do, but Arsenal are far much higher up in the league than themselves.

39:49Barry Glendenning:Stoke wish they'd have a few more goals at the moment from any which way.

39:53Seb Hutchinson:Just on the game, it's a big game. I know that every game's a big game at this point of the season, but it's i've singled out since i before we started recording this game and the new castle home game are the two that i have weird butterflies in my stomach about and if they can overcome those two fixtures i know people say the man city game is big yeah of course it is but these the two where i genuinely fear we could drop points and brighton on two seasons have actually harmed arsenal's title chances at this stage of the season so there's a little bit of ptsd but it's a it's a game that Arsenal need to come through if only to keep City honest.

40:28Barry Glendenning:Down the bottom, Fulham against West Ham. And yeah, West Ham really need a result. And I think the best thing in the build up to this was Adama Traore's gym ban. He's been banned from the gym by Nino Espirito Santo. Banned from doing weights. It says, I've told him to stay out of the gym. It's one of the things that I think he needs to realise. It's enough weight that he carries. That's enough, Adama. He'll do prevention work, but not there lifting weights. he also what was brilliant was that he threw another 21 defender under the bus this guy over here Aridas Galambeckis saying for him for example he spends hours at the gym he needs it right he wants to get weight on it which is great yeah it just I don't know it reminds me of like a sort of one of those men who have unwarranted confidence chatting up a woman saying you know I've just been banned from the gym because I'm just too hen you know I've just like completed it yeah Not even allowed in there anymore.

41:25Barry Glendenning:But yeah, so that's my preview to that game. City against Nottingham Forest. Barry, I mean, Vitor Pereira hasn't won this season the Premier League. Are we expecting a clear City win here?

41:37Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:You'd think so. And yes, I wouldn't be massively surprised if they dropped points. That's all I have to say about that.

41:48Barry Glendenning:Fair enough. We'll see what happens. Newcastle against Man Utd. Now, this is an interesting one. and Seb, you're on commentary duty for this one. And I think actually the narrative's been sort of Michael Carrick returning home almost.

41:59Seb Hutchinson:Yeah, yeah. It's such a lovely story. Obviously, his links with Newcastle and the North East and everything else, but he is Mr Man United at the moment. And I can't find it. To me, from the outside, he just has to have the job. I don't see why you wouldn't give him the job. Why would you bring somebody in? They win a lot of football matches. They drive you to your only target at this stage of the campaign. Why would you then replace them? And I feel a Manchester United in a position where when things are going well, they just need to keep riding that wave because Amorim didn't do it. Every time there was a good moment, he then changed things again and they went back to where they were or Sir Jim Radcliffe said something and then they went back again and kept taking a step back every time they took a step forward.

42:39Seb Hutchinson:So this time around, I think I've watched pretty much all of their games since Carrick took charge. And there is a freedom about their attack. Their attack looks dangerous. You look at their signings, all of a sudden they all seem to be perfect in the attacking areas. They seem to work really well. and that positivity might go back to that freedom element we were talking about earlier with Wolves whereby you know Wolves have nothing to lose Man United have nothing to lose the way they're playing they've got one game to focus on per round one competition to focus on and they have the quality in attack and the defence Maguire's back in that defence they look a bit more solid they're still conceding chances and the Palace game was an interesting one it wasn't going their way but things turned but they are there is a relentlessness about their attack in the same way I think City have that at times as well that that really can get you going at this stage of the season it can take you to where you need to go because the attack is we talk about defenses taking teams to titles and things like I just think you've got to have that x factor in your front line when things get tight and you need somebody to pull you out of trouble and that's how I see Manchester United at the moment.

43:47Seb Hutchinson:Newcastle on the other hand not in a great place but they are still in a position where they can still rescue something from this campaign. If they could overcome Man City in the cup, if they can have a great night against Barcelona, it's something to take from a campaign that might look back on as a pretty poor one for them and feel like a club going backwards. Just going back to United, sorry Robin, to Seb's point, I don't think I disagree with this take on Michael Carrick, but to play devil's advocate, it isn't riding the wave too far what got them in trouble a couple of times before so ollie kind of got them feeling really really good and they kind of ran with that a bit a bit premature and ten hague you know did they not did he ever wave ten hague he won the cup he won the cup and then he thought right okay we're going to keep you but i think the common consensus as has been proved they probably should have then said thank you very much but let's let's leave it there so i'm just wondering if that's the counter do they have to make a decision right now i think if this continues carrick probably should be at least a front runner for the job but if luis enrique comes on the market is that the sort of kind of gravitas for manager that you kind of want to come in um and and and grab that club by by the throat to go to the next level but like i said at the start i i don't disagree that that carrick at the bare minimum should be strongly considered yeah they

45:08Barry Glendenning:almost want to him to start losing so they can make the decision a bit easier for themselves but yeah we'll see that should be an absolute cracker Newcastle seem to have kind of they just performed for Champions League so yeah should be a really interesting game that one that'll do part two in part three we'll chat Lionesses a bonafide cup set and the curious case of Felipe Luiz

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46:07Barry Glendenning:Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. so yes women's euro qualifiers and Seb you are on commentary duty busy guy busy guy for for this one England playing in a slightly strange atmosphere in Turkey against Ukraine for obvious reasons as you said 6-1 win a great start because as as we keep saying goal difference in this World

46:29Seb Hutchinson:Cup qualifying campaign could be huge yeah it's it's where England have come unstuck in previous Nations League campaigns where they've been another strong team in the group, be it Spain, be it Netherlands, be it France, and they've beaten that side in one match and lost in the other, per se, and it's been goal difference that's cost them or drawing against another side in the group. Ukraine are the weakest side in the group, but Spain beat Iceland 3-0 yesterday as well. And it was interesting, England had so much of the ball. I mean, it was one of the most dominant first halves you could ever think of.

46:59Seb Hutchinson:I think Ukraine didn't complete a pass in the final third in the whole half, but it was nearly one half time. And it felt like the moment that Spain kicked off their game a bit later, then England kicked into action with a reminder of just have to win this game and win it well. And by the end, they overwhelmed Ukraine, we'll be honest about it, and showcase the depth that they all often show in games like this. The thing that really was striking in a game like this was early in the game, Nikola Koslova, the Ukrainian forward, picked up a really bad injury. and because the ground was empty, I think there was about 250 people there because of the aforementioned reasons, you could hear her distraught.

47:41Seb Hutchinson:You could hear her effectively wailing and it was quite tough actually. One of the moments in the season where you're thinking, it'd be nice if they just turned the volume down on this because this is somebody going through a lot here. She'd spoken so well in the lead up to the game about the struggles of the Ukrainian team and not being able to play at home and in this huge game she plays for Glasgow City and it felt like a huge match for her and it lasted less than 10 minutes that was a real tough thing to take and you could hear all the instructions from the the touchline it felt a bit like you know watching during Covid period but England were professional in the end they are a side I still think that going forward into this cycle and by the way the word cycle talking about World Cups and things like that feels like more of a modern modern thing I don't remember growing up using the word this is the world cup cycle but i feel like i'm using it more and more nowadays but that's that's how it is uh with this particular cycle it feels that serena veigman's looking at can i just add those players just to fill in the little holes she still knows who her strongest side is i believe but can we just get you know left footed left back in who can just be in the squad if we need it somehow find a ball player in midfield to complement kira walsh but still relying on those vital players.

48:57Seb Hutchinson:And one final thing, Georgia Stanway doesn't get enough love, I don't think, in all the talk. If you ask most people to mention an England player in the street, she'd be one of the ones they'd forget about, yet she is one of the first names on the team sheet and she was excellent last night.

49:11Barry Glendenning:Agreed, agreed. And also, yeah, probably the pick of the goals, Jess Park, who's had a fabulous season with Manchester United, yeah, just a beautiful sort of, I want to say it's not a lob, but sort of a dinked over the keeper, but it was so powerful. It was, yeah, just a great angle of that. Faye Carruthers and Susie Rack will be all over this on Guardian Women's Football Weekly, which is out tomorrow, wherever you get your podcasts, grounding up all the World Cup qualifiers and all the other news from the women's game. In the Asia Cup, we should just mention that Iran's women's team have been praised for their courage, having declined to sing their national anthem ahead of their opening match against South Korea in Australia on Monday.

49:49Barry Glendenning:They're the only Middle Eastern team to qualify. It's their first fixture since the war in the Middle East began and Iran's head coach, Marzia Jafari, and her players declined to comment on either the war or the death of the long-serving Ayatollah when asked by the media, understandably. They will face the hosts Australia on Thursday. Talking of the Matildas, Sam Kerr scored her first goal in 851 days in her hometown of Perth. Yeah, it was a lovely moment for her. Struggled for two years with a brutal ACL injury and all of that that came afterwards. only goal of the game as they beat the Philippines.

50:23Barry Glendenning:Touching on the subject of the impended World War III, Fabrizio Romano has had his say, whether it's independent or not. Well, it's not because he hashtag ad, saying reports on international media about Cristiano Ronaldo left Saudi Arabia with his family, a wide of the markets. Fake news, Cristiano is now doing treatment at Al Nasser training ground after issues in his last game. Cristiano has not left Saudi to return to Madrid. And this was just a few hours, he posted. A very strange two-minute video in support of King Salman's Human Aid and Relief Centre, as I said, with the hashtag ad. He goes into great detail about a range of humanitarian projects undertaken by the Saudi leader and his KS Relief Project.

51:04Barry Glendenning:Hashtag, here we go. Barry, this is what he's here for, isn't it?

51:08Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:Yeah, it's quite something. He didn't mention the 347 executions Saudi Arabia carried out last year in this promotional video for the regime. I mean, I have a certain admiration for him. He's carved out this incredible niche for himself. He's got over 27 million followers on social media. He has made the transition from journalist to paid state influencer. And he is a journalist that's taking money to legitimize a regime that has a history of suppressing, harming, and in one notable instance murdering journalists. So that, obviously, I don't admire that. But at least he's blatant about it. I'll give him that.

51:57Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:He makes no apologies for what he's doing. And it could be argued that Newcastle fans, local politicians in Newcastle, the local press and some elements of the national press have all been shilling for the Saudi regime free of charge for several years now. So while I don't like what Romano is doing, at least he's blatant about it, unlike many others.

52:26Barry Glendenning:Yeah, he's getting paid for this, Jordan. I mean, joking aside, this feels very dangerous to me, someone with this amount of followers spouting this stuff and being paid to do so.

52:37Seb Hutchinson:Yeah, I mean, but as Barry says, he's not really hiding what's going on here. And I think those that with half a brain will disseminate whether they class him as a journalist anymore anyway. So I think it would be more concerning if he was trying to be convoluted or sly about it. It's quite clear I'm being paid a lot of money to spout certain lines about a particular regime, country, organisation. I have less of an issue with that than I would other people who I think are trying to pretend like they are not what they are. so yeah I don't consider him a journalist anymore I'm sorry I know that might not be cool to say but I think it's quite clear what's going on here so I almost appreciate as Barry said the openness about what he's doing it's like cool we know what it is crack on who's the target audience for what he's saying is it just a message to sort of float in the ether I can't imagine anybody really just hearing message and going oh that's really cool I'm gonna take this in my life and it's going to...

53:41Seb Hutchinson:I've never really understood. I guess it's just something floating in people and the subconscious think. Well, there are a lot of football fans who hang on his every word. But his opinions when it comes to, you know, this sort of thing. I mean, yeah, whether, you know, Cody Gakpo might leave or...

53:59Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:Well, this isn't his opinion. Well, one presumes it isn't his opinion. It's someone else's opinion. He's just parroting it for money.

54:08Barry Glendenning:Well, this is influencing, isn't it? This is influencing.

54:10Seb Hutchinson:Yeah, but with influencing, we've seen it more with, you know, products and things. But you wonder going forward, it's going to be political campaigns, isn't it? They're going to be using social media influencers to make statements about things in a way we're not even ready for yet.

54:26Barry Glendenning:Well, in better news, happier news, especially if you're a Port Vale fan, bottom of the table, they beat Bristol City in their delayed FA Cup fourth round fixture 1-0. It went all the way to extra time. That is painful for Bristol City going there, having to do extra time and then being dumped out. Ben Wayne's extra time winner means they have set up a fifth round tie against Sunderland. So yeah, great stuff for them. That will be on Sunday. Finally, on any other business, yes, this was quite a startling tale here. Former Chelsea defender Felipe Luiz sacked as manager of Flamengo yesterday, hours after the Brazilian club recorded an 8-0 win.

55:04Barry Glendenning:Now, this, I mean, there has been precedent for managers sacked after wins, but 8-0, that's quite striking. We want nine. We want nine.

55:13Seb Hutchinson:We want nine. Not good enough.

55:15Barry Glendenning:He averaged a trophy every 14 games. I mean, they must have a lot of opportunities for trophies there. They do, yeah. Yeah. Led Flamengo to seven titles in 100 matches in charge. But the plot thickens because reports have since emerged. The president of Flamengo discovered that he was negotiating with Chelsea's ownership group, Blue Co., while the club was actively working to renew his contract. So clearly they did not like being slighted on that.

55:41Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:Apparently, Felipe thought he was being considered for the Chelsea job, but it was actually the Strasbourg job. they had in mind for him. So when he found that out, he said, oh, bugger off, I'm staying with Flamengo. So now he's not got any job.

56:01Barry Glendenning:When did the penny drop? When he started talking about, I don't know, croissants and things. It's interesting to see how far that went. And yes, finally, Neil Warnock is back, everyone, again. 77 years old. He's back in management. I thought the managerial money go around on certain managers like Sam Allardyce, etc., who are now in Uber Eats adverts and possibly being paid nearly as much as Rizzi Romano for that, were gone. But he's back in management. He's the new interim manager at Torquay after their manager Paul Wootten was sacked on Sunday. He managed the goals 33 years ago, has been working for them as an advisor for the last few years.

56:40Barry Glendenning:And he said in his press conference, it's a surprise for me to be here today. I thought I'd have been at Tottenham or Forest or somewhere like that. I could do a better job. But they never asked me. so yeah still very much on brand Neil Warnock there so that'll do for today I think a wide range of topics covered there very pleased with that thank you very much Barry

56:59Jordan Jarrett-Bryan:thanks Robin thanks Jordan

57:00Barry Glendenning:cheers Robin and thanks Seb yes safe trip up to the North East

57:05Seb Hutchinson:it's been very cordial between us today hasn't it Robin

57:08Barry Glendenning:well when the recording stops BTS you have to pay for that though Football Weekly is produced by Ian Chambers and Jesse Howard Our executive producer is Joel Grove and we'll be back tomorrow.

57:27Seb Hutchinson:This is The Guardian.

57:38Robyn Cowen:Scotland has natural beauty in abundance, but beyond the stunning landscapes, it's a fertile ground to build, grow and succeed, filled with people who are ready to push boundaries in the pursuit of breakthrough ideas. That's why today, Scotland is a dynamic hub of opportunity across growth sectors. From clean energy and life sciences to digital technology and space innovation. Scotland, for the head, heart and the spirit. Discover more at theguardian.com forward slash brand Scotland. This message was paid for by Brand Scotland.

58:09Barry Glendenning:Reggie, I just sold my car online. Let's go, Grandpa. Wait, you did? Yep, on Carvana. Just put in the license plate, answered a few questions, got an offer in minutes.

58:19Seb Hutchinson:Easier than setting up that new digital picture frame. You don't say.

58:23Robyn Cowen:Yeah, they're even picking it up tomorrow. Talk about fast. Wow, way to go. So, about that picture frame. Ah, forget about it. Until Carvana makes one, I'm not interested.

58:33Seb Hutchinson:Car selling made easy on Carvana. Pick up fees, man, apply.