EP. 363 | Harry Wilson: "Everything Silva Promised, Happened." Fulham On FIRE & Wales World Cup Hope

0:00Harry Wilson: I just found out that around 67 % of people that watch us on YouTube don't subscribe. Proper Carl behaviour. So we've got a message for you. Hit it, Chris. Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother, hit subscribe, hit subscribe. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Hit subscribe, hit subscribe. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Hit subscribe.

0:27Harry Wilson: Will that get him subscribing? Absolutely not. Hello and welcome to that Peter Crouch podcast. Me, Peter Crouch. Chris Stark, a notorious SID with me. Not happy with the beer that's been poured at the moment? No, no, no, no. It's lovely. I saw you look at that. Is there something in it? What was you checking? Something in it? Was you checking the glass? I just thought it was an odd pour, personally, but it's absolutely fine. Nothing wrong with the glass. It'd be nice to have our own glasses, wouldn't it? Yeah, well, I think we've been pretty sloppy on the glass front, haven't we? We have, yeah.

0:56Harry Wilson: Since this one there. it looks like that's the kind of glass you have when you bring the water to bed yeah yeah that's a Ribena that's the Ribena glass we've talked about this before that wrong drinks and the wrong glasses physically make me feel sick yeah it's some sort of illness yeah and that's another one yeah that I don't always used to getting the boys I'm getting treated like Ian Bill again aren't I Ian Bill Ian Bill Ian Bill again have you seen the videos of um there's a pub I saw it on Instagram I think and it's a pub that to wind up this local who's in there all the time see an old boy really nice guy wind him up they serve his pint in different recept what do you call it receptacles so instead of a pint it'll be like a hundred shots of his ale and he gets this thing and he obviously kicks off every time and then it's like a gravy jug they're just winding up they're just trying to wind up with him bless his heart I like that good but he still goes back every day clearly just loves it right lads quite an interesting week we've had we'll come to you in a minute since I've got a lot to talk to you about Gaz actually podcast producer here says I don't know if you saw this in the group yeah and who does he play for is it Richmond Richmond yeah yeah so Richmond obviously Sam Cummings is hurt his shoulder at the moment they put they put no coming for a month and and Gaz has put it in a group there and with the caption hard news to swallow but so but this is a legit post that they put out oh yeah he's got an injury month month out and it's yeah no coming for a month look at this you've got Richmond will take a slow and steady approach with prized pick Sam Cummings the thing is you can't you have to just have that headline do you because you you've got to do your job super firm isn't it and they've done their job by being disciplined so yeah that's what they've done haven't they it's certainly a headline it's a great headline it's a great headline that yeah also said just want to get into R9 and S9 meeting yeah talk us through that Brazilian Ronaldo yeah it was what can I say sharing give us every drop so basically give us every drop so basically I've been skiing for the last four days but I need it right from the start the whole thing so so you're like from before you even saw him yeah so we get so we've this is on our first day so we were at Courchevel we've skied we've come down we've done the apres ski we've come down the bottom we fancy a few more drinks so don't even have give gaff phone masts in Courchevel yeah big boys big boys so So we're taking, so there was me, John Terry, Bobby Zamora was there, and a friend of ours, Paul, and then the girls.

4:01Harry Wilson: So we're taking our skis off. We're putting them in the van to be taking me back to the hotel, the chalet. And then John, JT's got into the bar. We said to JT, go and see if there's a table. So he's doing that. Anyway, he's walking back out. We're outside. He's walking back out, and he's got like a little glint in his eye. And then we're thinking, what's going on? So he's gone, lads, there's no room in there. like there's no tables left he said but Ronaldo's in there and he said that we can go on his table so you didn't join him for lunch no right so this is so we I've gone to Ronaldo and he's gone yeah R9 Ronaldo right and I'm still thinking he's taking the piss because he's R9 obviously this is one of the greatest players ever so he's gone no no seriously come on and uh so straight away it's amazing how your feet go I just went nervous and I was like are you serious he said no no I swear Jay he said we can go on his table nervous as well so uh you're suddenly just like, you know, this is goat status.

4:54Harry Wilson: And we walk in and there he is, the big man, just there, like table. Friends, wife? No, so he was there with two of his mates. So we're in a restaurant, but it's a restaurant that's going to kick off and there's tables that are having lunch, but he's up, he's drinking and his wife, it's his wife's birthday, but she wasn't there. So they've skied down and then, because it's at the bottom of the town, they've gone back to the chalet and he's obviously gone to her on her birthday I'm going to go out for a few beers with my mates and I'll be back to the chalet after all later on so we go in there and what a player there's how's he manoeuvred that well these are nine if you've got two just letters yeah one letter and one number you do what you like it's his wife's birthday it's his wife's birthday I might be back a bit later I'm hanging around in there yeah but if she said I don't think that's successful where you could say, but I'm Ronaldo.

5:51Harry Wilson: That's what he must do. I think that's what he does all the time. And then you can see from the picture, we're there and there's Bollinger. So I'm having, I'm having, I'm sharing Bollie with R9. Did you, where did it all go wrong? Where did it all go wrong? So do you know what? Because there's rumours that he can't really speak English. He can speak English. Like he's brilliant. So him and JT were speaking and we was all having a chat. He said hello to the girls, drinking champagne and obviously a lot I put this post up on socials there's been a lot of comments about his knee he doesn't ski yeah I thought of that yeah he can't ski so he doesn't ski in about three or four years so he's just there for the the sesh he just goes up for the sesh yeah so on where there's a cable car just next to that and you can go up to the mountain and there's a bar up there but he was there just for the sesh and he was great I've got to say he had a lot of time for us all and he was going to he was going to leave where he left after about 20 minutes, half an hour.

6:51Harry Wilson: And before he did leave, and I genuinely did say this, because I put this in on. Did you ask the question? I did ask the question. I genuinely, and a lot of people have put comments and they said, what network is he on? Did you actually ask? I did ask you. You asked Brazilian now, I swear to you. I swear to you. What network is he on? I swear to you, because I didn't, he was obviously talking to everyone and I didn't get onto, obviously, the conversation about yourself, but I did want to pass the pod and I did say to him, he swapped numbers with JT and he said if you want to come back to the chalet he said to us if you want to come up to the chalet for my wife's party you can come and then he as he was leaving I said to him R9 what network are you on?

7:33Harry Wilson: and he was like what? and I said your mobile phone I said what network are you on? I said are you Vodafone? Movistar or Etty Salat I didn't want to say the gift gaff I didn't want to gift gaff him off you can't gift gaff far nine off you can't and um he just gave me the thumbs up after in between is it Movistar in Spain yeah I always see that one pop up Movistar and Etislat so I think at one point he probably thought I was asking for his number and he just gave me the thumbs up but I'm gonna go that he's on Movistar okay yeah Movistar yeah yeah okay that makes sense I think he's a Spanish network I don't know if that's entirely true but it feels feels a bit Spanish I imagine that was a Real Madrid scenario I think he's got I think he's got a deal for life with Movistar do you reckon in Spain in Madrid Madrid King you know what I'd have loved you to ask him if he knows what gift card is or sold him the benefits of gift card I didn't have the SIM card that I could pass on always always carry a SIM but yeah that was our first afternoon well it was just amazing the circles you're moving into it's like you know I thought I thought I'd nailed it when I met him but you know having a sipping sipping Bollinger the bubbles but what did you talk about did you talk about football did you sounds like he loves John Terry they was we was all talking together in a circle we were talking about the World Cup and he's got JT's number he was JT they exchanged numbers they exchanged numbers were you a bit yeah after that I'm like they're different realms now so but yeah honestly you know when they say you meet your people and he was everything that you'd want him to be.

9:15Harry Wilson: Yeah. He was so cool. He was a legend. So cool. And he genuinely was like, listen, we've got the biggest chalet here. If you want to come up, more than welcome. Why didn't you go? Because it all kicked off in there. We went nuts. Oh, so you went to him? Oh, we could not have turned up at that chalet. If you turned up, it could have been... It would have been disastrous. It would have been disastrous. It would have been disastrous. What a mad situation. We left there at about half six at that, it's a trampoline bar. I don't know if people go courteous. They might know about it. yeah, we left there at half, it felt like we left there at half eleven.

9:48Harry Wilson: So. Yeah, that's crazy, isn't it? It's like, I couldn't be prouder of you for asking him what network he's on though. I was just doing what I do for the pod. Yeah, yeah, you are. I just, I knew, I knew, as you see him speaking to the guys and the girls, I'm thinking, I've got to ask him something, what can I ask him? I do want it to be a bit, you know, wanky. No, you've done your bit this week. Have a holiday, it's a treat. What do you mean next away? I'm going to Nice on Wednesday oh my god it's relentless Nice on Wednesday I've got 48 hours in cans quickly well see if you can meet Frank LaBerthe or something to be fair that is work that is work and if I see something out there I will pose the gif gaff question for you alright brilliant I'm excited for this one today current player on fire as well by the way at the moment it's Harry Wilson

10:46Harry Wilson: welcome to the podcast harry wilson how are you mate yeah great lans yeah really happy to be here not a bad season for you this year is it yeah it's going all right like as a team we're doing

10:57Peter Crouch: well and then individually goals and assists have been uh have been good and ultimately as an

11:03Harry Wilson: attacker that's what you judge yeah we've had we've had some people like writing in and asking a few questions and one of them is does he ever score any tap-ins?

11:13Peter Crouch: You know what I take a few more because like they all count but yeah I seem to have a bit of a a bit of a knack of popping up with goals from outside the box and that but I would like like I said I would like a few more tap-ins or off the shin or whatever because like I said it doesn't matter how they go in

11:29Harry Wilson: I like that we've got you on the podcast now because I feel we invested in you sort of a few years ago as a podcast and we found out you were listening and then you would send us the odd message and we'd occasionally talk about you and mention you stuff like that. I feel like we're getting you at such a good time.

11:43Peter Crouch: Are you enjoying it all at the moment? Yeah, no, I am. I'm loving it. I think this season's been, like I said, really good. I think when the team's doing well and you feel you're playing well, you feel fit. I feel like everything's just seemed to click this season and I feel like playing at an international level as well, I feel like when you have them breaks in the season, some of the boys that don't go away are off like two weeks, but I think them Wales games they really keep me going you know and like I said luckily although I've got a little knock at the minute I've been I've stayed fit I've felt really good this season and I think that's just helped with my performance with my performances

12:15Harry Wilson: Certainly in the groove isn't he because you can tell when someone is playing with such confidence because the goals you're scoring as well you make them look easy this season you know like the ones where you've just got the little slotter isn't he in the bag where it just comes and you just like just caress it with a little bit of whip into the bottom corner one question I need to really find too quickly what goal did you prefer so far this season Palace which was unreal or Spurs when you whipped it in yeah

12:42Peter Crouch: see I enjoyed both but I'd say the Palace one is my favourite I just think in that game I think when you're playing against Palace the way they play at the minute it's so hard to break down and I feel like when they're on it it needs like kind of like a moment from someone or a great team goal I just think everything about that goal like Iwobi's like whipped the ball ball in so I've seen Raul like his return to me is just perfect and then see I was able to to use the outside of the foot and score so I think I enjoyed the Spurs one but I think the Palace one from like a team goal was my favourite one yeah

13:13Harry Wilson: So you found podcasts then? Yeah I listen to it a lot yeah

13:16Peter Crouch: yeah yeah I really do yeah

13:18Harry Wilson: Do you message him sometimes?

13:20Peter Crouch: I drop him the odd message yeah I feel like I used to listen on the way into training all the time and now the little one's a nursery so it's nursery rhymes and it's Pat for Pig and that in the mornings now but yeah I feel like especially yeah a couple a couple years ago and before the before the little one started nursery I used to listen every morning it's good to get the next generation in nice and early

13:41Harry Wilson: doors though isn't it if you love the nursery run like why not what's your thought on the size of shin pads oh yeah oh great we've got a campaign at the moment to make shin pads great again we just keep seeing you know like it got to it was the final show the other day where Sars put a little bit of tape in you know Sars put a little bit of tape in it was a Burnley player wasn't it yeah basically the whole thing with Chris I mean, he wears shin pads for five a side, which is obviously, you've got a little bit of grief for that. Yeah, I think rightly so.

14:10Peter Crouch: I'll be honest. I did hear that. Yeah, I'm not sure that can happen to me. I think that's almost an irrelevant issue.

14:18Harry Wilson: I think we've moved so far past that now. Obviously, we've got this here. Yeah. Well, you're currently in a dressing room, Premier League, top, you know, top echelons of football. Is this the norm in terms of size of shin pads? Not necessarily like the padding.

14:32Peter Crouch: I wouldn't say it's the norm, but there is a few boys in our dressing room to do it. Yeah, I think a few of the boys cut, like you said, the spongy stuff you get off the physios and use it like Marcus Edwards is there. But I think Asander Burge does that at our place. How do you like them, Harry? Big and sort of? Yeah, mine are kind of like... I would say I'm like middle of the road. Obviously, I'm not the biggest. So I think if I'm too big, I look like I'm probably playing cricket. But I do get kicked quite a lot. so if I wore this is what I mean

15:02Harry Wilson: I do think though there is a practical element to this which does need to be considered like for the type of football you play as well

15:10Peter Crouch: it doesn't make sense to me to have these tiny little shin pads yeah no I agree I think with Big Sander I think the size of him I think if he gets kicked I don't think he feels it anyway but then I know there is a brand I think it's called like Jogger or something that really do like that size but they are actual shin pads and I know like TC he wears them like there's a few a couple of the boys where their socks really really low like Chuck Wasey or Wobie so their shin pads can't be big because they'd be coming out the top of the sock but I think for me I'm just kind of medium sized middle of the shin but we need to protect that sort of attitude but that's it

15:43Harry Wilson: the type of Larry is he's going past people there is an element of safety involved but without like you don't want big clumpy ones like I remember when I was listen have a look at that shin by the way have you ever seen the longest shin in your life seriously that from there to there I don't think I've ever just quite seen it someone's leg but all I'm saying is so mine were quite long I wanted a bit of coverage but I wanted light so the carbon fibre ones you know they were nice actually so they felt like if you picked them up they'd be like paper but they were quite long protective

16:18Peter Crouch: I went a few years ago I had a pair that I wore all the way through and I think I lost one and I had to change and I tried a couple and I didn't like looking down and seeing them like sticking off my shin so from like my view I didn't like him sticking out because I didn't feel like so ones I wear now kind of like hug my shin a bit so when I actually look down they're not sticking out too far but I feel like at the start of my career like even when I was really really young a lot of the boys wore the ankle protector I used to give my best mate at Liverpool a lot of shit for that like he was he knows exactly what you do he was

16:53Peter Crouch: safety first you're a valuable asset gotta look after them legs I just couldn't imagine like looking down and just seeing like your ankles like bulging out there but he was a big centre half so he was like he's going into tackles he's like trying to nail the striker so he's like I don't want it to hurt me so I got his point of view but I feel like the further up you get and you're a top player man I think

17:12Harry Wilson: as an advocate for what we're trying to do make shin pads great again it would be fantastic to get you all over this just it would be nice to get you know we're looking for a player really to kind of drive our shin pad thing forward you know what I mean so you're designing a shin pad well yeah I mean I'm wearing these for the Liverpool Legends match unbelievable yeah these have been designed I'm going to give them a run out yeah see how we go we'll send you some Harry see how they feel yeah definitely they're decent parts send them a good size

17:41Peter Crouch: yeah have you created the size on that because it's like you said your chin is fairly big I don't know actually

17:47Harry Wilson: have we got is there a little bit of length in there

17:53alright

17:54Harry Wilson: well listen talking about talking about Liverpool you know your spell there I mean is that true you were there from 8 years old yeah

18:01Peter Crouch: I signed there at 8 couldn't actually sign the contract till my 9th birthday but yeah it was backwards and forwards from North Wales to Liverpool from 8 did you sign it as a 9 year old yeah so as a 9 year old it's quite a big thing it's made because it's kind of like your first contract as a player so quite a big thing it was made I think it was the year I actually signed the year they were in Istanbul so I remember that evening they bought the trophy in so did I actually yeah so at the same time at the same time so I remember having like proper evening go in in your tracksuit they had like the Champions League trophy your coach the academy manager I think Steve Highway was there at the time and your mum and dad and quite a big thing's made of it but it's just crazy

18:40Harry Wilson: imagining a nine year old signing anything yeah

18:43Peter Crouch: and then I'm pretty sure you go on the pitch at half time of one of the 13 games if I remember right I think they still do it now I had done that

18:50Harry Wilson: when I was at Arsenal exactly the same role wasn't very good at night to be fair I was a bit older I was more like I think I was 14 I think 14 was associate school boys that's the one yeah they rolled the red carpet early for this one they see the talent didn't they what's that like going from obviously you know grew up in Wrexham yeah born in Wrexham and then I suppose you're growing up there and then you go at 9 years old like you say parade on the pitch what's that like

19:18Peter Crouch: yeah no it was crazy because like I said I was born in Wrexham but I actually grew up in a town about 20 miles away inland in Wales a town of about a thousand people so I was very rural Corwin Corwin yeah so I was very rural and every Saturday I'd go when my dad he played he played for the local local team so every Saturday afternoon I'd go and kick a ball with him before the game and have half time and I didn't actually play for a like the town was so small we didn't have a local team so then at eight one of the guys my dad worked with created a local team for the next town so he wanted my dad to be one of the managers so that was my first team at eight and yeah just played and then um I actually went to an out center uh with Man United in Chester um I think it was a six six week trial uh didn't didn't get in and then got a phone call off a Liverpool scout a few weeks later and that was my dad's team so he was buzzing with that and went for a couple weeks there and then they pulled my dad over and said yeah we like what we see and and that was it but so the Liverpool scout was in this village with like a thousand people with this one team, right?

20:20Peter Crouch: No, so he was the scout, the Wales, sorry, the Liverpool scout for North Wales. And obviously I'd heard that the United hadn't talked me through. So he was then got in contact with my dad, but we lived 63 miles away from the training ground. And that was outside the perimeter. I think it was 40 miles. So we had to like work out. So one of my uncles actually lived in Wrexham still. And I think that was like 38 miles to the training ground. so we had to use his address and stuff like that just because we were out the radius

20:49Harry Wilson: yeah

20:50Peter Crouch: so

20:50Harry Wilson: I think about obviously the players that come through obviously in rush and like you had you know Michael Owen was not far he was close by wasn't he and then obviously he had two

20:59Peter Crouch: not bad Liverpool players no they take that alright yeah but yeah it was crazy but like the commitment like when I signed at 9 it was I think 9s to 11s it was 3 times a week and 11s to 13s was 4 times a week and 14s to 16s was 5 times a week so like 63 miles it was tough like on my mum and dad we were lucky we had help like one of my granddads stopped working so he was able to do it a couple nights a week and then Steve Cooper was one of the academy coaches he lived in Wrexham so he would a couple nights a week bring me back halfway so my mum and dad didn't have to go the whole way and yeah it was it was a massive commitment and I feel like without like my mum and dad and the family health like it would have been really really tough yeah I love that

21:38Harry Wilson: what was the is that true you made your Wales day before you made your Premier League yeah that was

21:44Peter Crouch: again mentally I was in digs actually so I moved to digs at 6.16 just playing under 18s at Liverpool and I had a phone call one night I sat in my digs and a number come through and I never answer them calls and something just told me to pick up the phone and it was Ian Rush no way yeah so I was like first of all I didn't know what to call him they called him Ian do I call him Rushy yeah it was really one of them and so they explained that Chris Coleman wants you to go down and train with the Well squad, they see you as someone for the future. They want you to get to know the players, the coaches, kind of the way they play and stuff.

22:21Peter Crouch: So, oh my God, amazing. So I rang my mum and dad, told them, car picked me up the next morning and on my way down to Cardiff. And we played Macedonia at home on the Friday night. We're in the lead up to that game. I think six or seven people dropped out of the squad. And I think it was the last two games of the group and we had no chance of getting to the World Cup. So they put me in the squad and I didn't get on the pitch on the Friday night. and train Saturday, train Sunday, flew out to Belgium on a Monday and yeah, played Belgium on a Tuesday night and yeah, for five, 10 minutes to go, Coleman decided to put me on and see, as a 16-year-old, most people I played in front of was probably 200 people at Kirby.

22:57It was like, it was crazy

22:59Peter Crouch: and Belgium's team at the time, we had like Hazard, Company was still playing, Batongan was playing like, like in front of 60 ,000 because they'd qualified for the World Cup so it was kind of a party atmosphere there. So yeah, it was an incredible experience and go, come on, 1-0 down and we drew 1-1. So take a little bit of credit for that. You won 1-0, it's all right, you've done your job.

23:21Harry Wilson: What's the truth of wanting your family put a bet on? That's my granddad, yeah. Is that for Wales?

23:26Peter Crouch: Yeah, to play for the country. So that game was the game that earned him the money. Yeah, the money. So, yeah, so growing up, my childhood, I spent a lot of my time with my nana because my mum and dad worked full time. My granddad worked away. He was on the pylons working up and down the country. So I spent a lot of my childhood with my nana. she was obviously after school before school after school summer holidays and then when my granddad came home uh on weekends just said each weekend he could just see me getting stronger kicking the ball or the balloon around the living room wherever it was and so he went into the william hill shopping wrexham um and asked if he could put a bet on his grandson to play for wales and the woman behind the counter said like oh sorry that's kind of over my head you have to bring the headquarters in london and i think it took a couple months to go through but yeah they gave him two and a half thousand to one.

24:09Peter Crouch: What age? I was 18 months old, yeah. You were 18 months old? 18 months old. Yeah, no joke. Yeah. Fucking some scout.

24:19Harry Wilson: Man, I don't see. It's crazy. I mean, there's a degree of confidence there. Does he have other grandkids?

24:24Peter Crouch: He didn't do them with all. My mum's an only child and I've got a little sister, but obviously she wasn't born yet. Oh, amazing. The only one, yeah. 18 months is mad. So two and a half thousand to one? Two and a half thousand, she put 50 quid on it. 50 quid? So yeah, and then my uncle, I think, put a 20 quid on it or something. And my dad didn't put any. So I was having a little dig and my dad said he didn't have any belief in me. No way. No thank you. He said he drove you there. He always said, yeah. He always said he didn't have. He didn't really believe. Yeah. He said he didn't have 50 quid to put on me at the time.

24:53Peter Crouch: But I just think he didn't believe. But so yeah, but then I thought I had to start a game. So when the night in Brussels, my mum and dad were out there after the game, we'd come out to see them, see they're delighted. And mum's like, oh, hi, granddad's retiring in the morning.

25:07Harry Wilson: So genuinely, it was enough for him to retire?

25:10Peter Crouch: Genuinely, I'm pretty sure he was in Exeter that night in his caravan working and then obviously seeing me get on the pitch in Brussels and next morning. It's over 100 grand there. Do you know genuinely,

25:21Harry Wilson: I didn't realise quite how amazing this is. Did he, like, was he emotional about it? Or like, obviously your family's going to be emotional anyway. Just watching you play for Wales. Yeah, yeah.

25:30Peter Crouch: I feel like he's very, he's very quiet, like quite a calm, but part of the bet was with William Hill, if it came in, he had to go public with it. That was part of the bet that was put on. And like you said, he's quite shy. He's quite quiet. So like when it happened and he's retired and then she gets back to Corwin and him and my Nana have got film people turning up at their house to interview him. It's a completely different world to him. And he agreed to do it because he kind of took a bit of the spotlight off me a bit. He didn't want the pressure getting to me. but yeah it was incredible people wanted I remember a lady coming from Germany wanting to make a film about it and obviously he was like I don't want any of that he just wanted to enjoy his money so yeah him and Anna they bought a motorhome and they just they go on their holidays and they're weekends away and that and he was able to retire 10 years earlier you want to frame that betting slip but that's what he actually did so he framed one and put the other one in his safe because in case he lost it yeah but yeah amazing story

26:31Harry Wilson: absolutely incredible what does playing for Wales mean to you obviously it's incredibly like I play for England it means so much but Wales camp in general right the way through we played with players it seems there's a real special kind of bond there I would say that

26:50Peter Crouch: we're a small nation we're 3 million people so I think naturally we're passionate being a smaller nation a lot of the time we're the underdog maybe not so much and Gaz was at the top of his game, Bale was at the top of his game, like maybe changed that a bit. But I think in general, we're usually the underdog going into games and stuff. But yeah, I think when I went to my first camp in 2013 and I could just see the team spirit straight away. And I think that's just continued. And I said, when we had a really good team, like 2016, when we get to the semis of the Euros, we had this special player in Bale and then like Rambo was kind of, not his sidekick because he was up there with him, like players that could win you a game.

27:29Peter Crouch: but I think that team was built on the togetherness and the team spirit and working hard for each other and I just think like yeah the teams that I've played and that's been the same throughout

27:40Harry Wilson: you certainly got that haven't you you can tell even when they sing the national anthem there's a real connection we know that we can we can Mr Evans we had a we had a well-keeled master and yeah he made his learning I was hanging for the boys I'm not going to do it again

27:59Peter Crouch: but no you're right I think I play it 67 times now but every time I stand on that pitch and sing that anthem it gives me goosebumps especially at home because they play the first line and then they cut the music and the fans just sing it on their own and it's much better because sometimes when you play away the away end can't hear the music in the stadium so sometimes it's a little bit out of tune but the home games especially the big ones when it's like under the lighting stuff it's incredible

28:24Harry Wilson: how's it for you when Michael Sheen comes in and does one of the talks is it like is it kind of it looks emotional when you see the videos from the outside but then sometimes I wonder is it like it's quite an unusual situation isn't it yeah no definitely a canteen and that was kind of

28:37Peter Crouch: like off the cuff that wasn't like planned we knew he was coming in at dinner to see us but none of us knew that was going to happen and like you said when you when someone like him is giving you that passionate speech and it's just a shame the game wasn't then because everyone was just like pumped and ready like you just had your dinner you're ready to go to bed and now he's giving you that speech and you're ready to go but I think that was say when you get into that World Cup and being part of that squad and having people like him come to camp it did make you realise part of something special this country hadn't been to a World Cup in 60 odd years and said to be part of that squad that got us there and seeing how we're kind of inspiring the country and the nation and that was amazing

29:16Harry Wilson: yeah it does seem to galvanise what's your favourite moment in Welsh I think the

29:22Peter Crouch: qualifying for that World Cup we played Ukraine and Bailo scored a free kick took a deflection but Ukraine were the better team in that game and we're hanging on a bit at the end and it was in June it was pissing down with rain and I feel like the fans were getting us through that game it felt like we were just like hanging on and just when that whistle blew and just being on that pitch and realising like you're taking your country to a World Cup for that moment was just like yeah incredible yeah

29:49Harry Wilson: so you've got a chance of qualifying yeah big couple of games yeah big like what are your thoughts about that yeah

29:58Peter Crouch: obviously like you said huge huge game so we played Bosnia they're both home which is big so the semi-final was always going to be home because we did well in the Nations League so we kind of got the draw for that and then the final was just luck of the draw and we got the home tie in that as well so yeah we played Bosnia 26th of March in the semis and then if we get through there we play the winner of Northern Ireland in Italy in Cardiff as well so being home is massive so yeah so we have to take care of the first game but I feel like in front of our home fans and I think we have to be confident going Does it stress you out a bit or not?

30:35Peter Crouch: I wouldn't say stressful I'm excited I'm nervous but I know we have a chance to create history to be part of a squad that gets our country to back to back World Cups after obviously some of the players and the teams that Wales have had in the past and not been able to do it if I can be part of the team that is able to do that it'll be like an incredible achievement

30:54Harry Wilson: yeah Yeah, definitely. So you've got, you know, it feels to me now that you're not coming of age, but, you know, you're kind of taking more responsibility now, you know, you're kind of a little bit older with Wales, certainly with Fulham as well. There was a period, certainly when you were in Liverpool, where you went out on loan quite a few times. What was that like, the loan periods? Yeah, you know what?

31:15Peter Crouch: Yeah, it was, my first one was when I was 18. I went to Crewe and I look back now and it's probably a bit naive, really, like 18-year-old had scored a lot of goals for the youth team and the 21s and played well and I thought I was going to step into League One and do exactly the same and found out fairly quickly that that's not going to happen. So yeah, I went on deadline day, I think in 2015 and I think crew were already bottom of the league, so already struggling, confidence a little bit low and I went there thinking I'm going straight in the team and going to start scoring, I'm going to start assisting and it took me a few games to get in the team and when I was coming on, see I wasn't used to playing in front of a crowd and my first game was actually Millwall at home but in crew the away fans get the length of the pitch so I've come on on the right wing and we're 2-1 down and the ball's gone in so I'm obviously trying to get the game restarted and got little kids that big their dad's like tapping them on the shoulder yeah I remember thinking oh my what is going on here like but and I look back and at the time it was I remember thinking oh my god I can't get in a League 1 team how am I going to get my dream was to play in the Premier League for Liverpool I was like how am I going to achieve that if I can't get in a League 1 team and I think I've played seven games.

32:26Peter Crouch: I only started three and then didn't even make it to Jan. I was back in Liverpool by December. So I remember thinking, wow, like it's tough out there. And then I go back to Liverpool, player 21's game, end up breaking my foot and then that's my season done. So my season, I think it's 2015, 2016, was failed loan and then an injury. So I was like, wow. And that's like, I've made my Wales debut. It's two years ago now. I'm desperate to get back in that squad and I'm thinking, wow, I'm in a tough, tough place here. And then I re-had my foot and then that following season, I have a chance to go out on loan again.

33:00Peter Crouch: But then Michael Beal made me captain of the 21s at Liverpool. And I think that was kind of really got my confidence back. He was amazing for me. Yeah, he came up from Chelsea. He was my under 16s coach. And I feel like North and South, I feel like in the academy, North is kind of like you work hard, you outrun, you tackle where the Southern ones are a bit more flair. And Bealze coming from Chelsea up to Liverpool, I feel like as attacking players he was amazing for because the training was kind of geared towards us and when you got the ball it's kind of like you go and do your stuff and so he was had him at 16 and then had him again at the 21s and he gave me the captain's armband so I was able to captain the 21s for it for it for a year and I felt that really gave me my confidence back I played the whole season I was training up at Melwood Klopp had come now and so I was training with the first team and getting the intensity there i was getting my games for the 21s and although i wasn't playing senior football i felt like year was really important in my in like my development because see clock clock was in it was when i had the team where you had milner you had lalani you had hendo driving training you had mo you had sadio bobby like the quality was further through the roof so five days a week i'm playing there like and then i'm going to play and then i'm captain the 21s i've got that responsibility so i felt that year although it wasn't senior level which i wanted i I felt it was really important for my...

34:19Peter Crouch: Is that the growth in your game?

34:20Harry Wilson: If you were charting it, would you say it sort of went disproportionate at that point because of the players you had at Liverpool?

34:26Peter Crouch: Yeah, I think I had the chance to go back to League One that year. I think MK Dons and Wigan wanted me, but I just got back from my injury. I didn't feel fully fit. And I just thought I could go there, but if that doesn't go well, I feel like where do I go from there? So I thought if I stay captain of 21s, train with the third team, and I was learning so much from them sessions, like it was incredible.

34:46Harry Wilson: of credit how important were they like uh like you say henderson milan yeah yeah you said drive

34:51Peter Crouch: training like what is just a standard yeah i think see with jürgen intensity was massive with him anyway and he wouldn't let standards drop but you know sometimes on maybe a tuesday or a wednesday lads yeah like might might not be up for training but you had the senior boys or the boys in the session that were driving it and lalana for me was was the one he kind of the one that put my arm around me so i was still like 19 at the time so fairly young and he was the one that kind of put his arm around me in that first team dressing room and like, you belong here, I see your quality in training and just come and express yourself and then you had like Milner, Andy Robertson had just signed at the time as well but he was still fairly new to the club.

35:28Peter Crouch: But yeah, you had like that British core of players and they would like driver standards and then you add in the quality of like you say, your Mo, your Bobby Firmino, Sadio, I think Virgil had just come as well.

35:40Harry Wilson: I think when you say driver standards, people listen to it or watch it, they might just think that's just sort of giving it a go and like every day but really they're getting every ounce so if you've got one more run or two more runs and you're knackered Millie would be like come on you stay with me and even they get every every last drop what do you mean stay with me well like if there was a running thing a couple of runs to do and like someone was a bit knackered and it'd be like right on this next one you stay with me because Millie was fit but he would be like if he sees someone struggling he'd be like I'll drive you so you just stay on my wing and do you know what I mean or there might be one more five a side and I'd be like listen lads let's put this last one in do you know what I mean it was like getting the real every last ounce of every player every day in training yeah so who was the best like in training like who who every day you were like it's a joke Bobby Fumino

36:36Peter Crouch: for me yeah everyone says that

36:38Harry Wilson: he's played with him like just how good he was honestly yeah I feel like

36:42Peter Crouch: I feel like everyone saw it in games but I think in training and like he was so tidy I think his finishing was crisp like his touch in the possessions the way he shielded the ball like it was so hard to get the ball off him so I felt if he was on your team you did well but then I think Milner as well it's no surprise he's just broke the record for the most appearances but like I think his quality might sometimes go under the radar like people know how fit he is and what a good professional he is but you don't play 20 years in the Premier League if you're not a top top player and to see that first hand and then Lallana as well like I think that Croyton like the way he received the ball you could do it on a run

37:18Harry Wilson: yeah the way he received

37:20Peter Crouch: the ball I feel like it was it was like he was Spanish or like Brazilian I feel like you don't really see a British player receive the ball like we did I think to see that first hand and obviously I think from that senior group of players I would have classed him as like my best mate in the squad just when I was a young lad there and yeah really really top top player

37:38Harry Wilson: yeah obviously you've got hopes of getting to the World Cup but how do you see the World Cup what do you think of England's chances number one you play in England and Wales game

37:46Peter Crouch: yeah well we played England in October in a friendly and it was a couple days before we played Belgium in a massive qualifying game but yeah we found it really tough obviously I think I look at England's squad and I'd probably say they've got the best squad I think other teams may have better players but I think as a squad as a whole I think England is up there and I think obviously the qualifying campaign they seem to glide through every time but yeah I think they've got I'd say they've got a strong chance but I just think maybe the conditions and that may favour other teams like the South Americans may be used to it a bit more and I know a couple of the games are down in Mexico and the altitude and that there may be player player part but Has enough been made of that at the moment?

38:32Peter Crouch: Are fans not properly aware of the impact that that could have?

38:36Harry Wilson: I think that might happen when we kind of play out there like I know the warm up game in Florida or something like that it's fucking hot I've been there I've played there I've played Orlando friggin' Pirates over there pre-season by the way in June I thought I was gonna die genuinely all I remember is the World Cup was it 94? yeah USA 94 and just Ireland the Irish team the Irish team yeah Steve Storland wasn't built for it they were just red they were just red whatever they were weren't they they was like they play

39:08Peter Crouch: they do play a massive part in it but people might not realise it but you say in pre-season we went a couple years ago and played down that east coast and like the humidity down in Orlando was incredible and then just the sheer heat of like Philadelphia like in mid-summer is crazy and see we got Raul Jimenez at our place and he knows like he said like the altitude and that down in Mexico is tough he finds it tough and he's grew up there so I think for obviously countries from all around the world I think playing there could play a big part I think yeah

39:39Harry Wilson: yeah 100 % and with regards to where I was obviously the chances and I played with Craig Bellamy as well as he'd be I mean it looks like he's done a great job

39:48Peter Crouch: incredible yeah I think incredible I think the way he wants us to play has completely changed kind of our philosophy I think in the past we've maybe been a team where try and be hard to beat maybe nick a goal on the counter or that's kind of been our foundations where now he's completely changed now we're having the ball we're the possession team we're going to make teams run so he's really changed kind of like the mentality in our squad and see for me I feel like we see the game the same so I think the way he wants us to play I play inside the pitch which I really like to play and I think my performances and the team's performances since he's come in have been really good Do you think he's changed?

40:25Peter Crouch: Do you reckon he's changed at all? For me when I see the interviews

40:28Harry Wilson: obviously he just won't tolerate people being below the standards and whatever you think of him he's probably when he was playing obviously heart on his sleeve he's probably said things that you know he'd regret maybe as a young man stuff like that but it's only really coming from a good place it was coming from a place of I want to win pure passion yeah and if you're not pulling your weight you're getting told you know like so all I actually I've gotten well with him and I think he was as a player you know really really like he just had really high standards and he wasn't tolerating anyone

41:04Peter Crouch: not being at that I think standards is massive with him for sure like even like if we have a meeting if you're not in the room say meetings at half 11 if you're not in at 29 don't bother coming in like don't knock the door don't interrupt the meeting you've missed the meeting like standards are really that high and like around the dinner table there's like no phones like really really high when you take your kit off after training the badge doesn't touch the floor I saw that it's in a bucket we have like these yeah like these buckets really that you put jumper here t-shirt here socks here like the badge never touches the floor and so he was like it's a privilege to wear that badge so you don't let that touch the floor like you know where it's like half time sometimes you come in maybe fuming throw your shirt on the floor or none of that so I feel like the standards have gone through the roof and yeah and his philosophy and he spent a couple years with with Vincent company and yeah he went abroad as well to Belgium and so he's and then the coaches he's born he's brought Crofty in which he crossed his top and then Pete Crammers as well yeah he spent a bit of time at City so I feel like the people he's kind of surrounded himself with as well all see football the same way that's just coming

42:08Harry Wilson: through in the way we're playing yeah so what happens if you break the rules is it is it a fine system is it yeah so yeah so i can't remember who it was thinking about it being brooksy uh was late

42:19Peter Crouch: was late for a meeting so the next camp um the first night we was on camp he took us out for dinner and brooksy was paying for paying for the dinner oh wow yeah it's not day to day like it is at clubs so it's like kind of next next camp brooksy just got the dinner and then like you say he has a little word he pays for dinner and then it's kind of like but no one wants to pay for a team dinner because they didn't get expensive because it's not just the 20 boys, it's 20 staff as well and the staff will order a nice bottle of red or whatever so that bill can end up Imagine that a minute late for a team meeting.

42:49Harry Wilson: We should start doing that on this podcast. We should do actually. Fabio Capella, that was his one. We used to get that one and he wouldn't even look at you and he'd just give you a... Really? He'd just give you the flick of the... It was like the back of the hand. You'd come in and he'd be like ready to go and he'd see you and call his aunt and go get out and that one I was the number one I heard it was Glenn Johnson came down with a pair of flip flops on and everyone was obviously he said only trainers and stuff like that you've got to look proper when you're having a team meeting and he did the exact same thing with the flip flops came in the flip flops but he pointed at the flip flops without looking at them and then that one

43:36Harry Wilson: where'd you go from there in his bad book straight away I remember it wasn't even a thing about like young lads or anything like that it was like anyone so I remember Frank Lampard's on the phone and there was no phones obviously anywhere and it was in the dressing room after but quite often he never come in the dressing room after so Frank's obviously got his phone out and he's just gone mental out like unloaded on him and he did one to Heskey where it was I think he got his phone out in the canteen. And you know when you take the canteen, you know when you take the things off, you know, for the food and so on.

44:12Harry Wilson: Yeah, he said that. So he's got two of them and started rattling them. What was that? Oh my God. And yeah, he's like, phone. Fuck. Oh, mate. I quite like the no phone thing, though. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. I think it's harder for the modern player they play because that's all they're used to you know what I will say though it's like

44:36Peter Crouch: we're our group but like you know once you finish dinner club of some of the boys go back to their room and they play playstation or whatever they do but I feel like at Wales we stay in the room anyway because we have quite a big room so there's not just a dinner table you've got your pool table your dart board your ping pong table it's a bit of a social so it's not like as soon as you finish dinner everyone's going back to their room everyone kind of stays there for an hour or two you're enjoying it because like dinner's at 7 so like by the time everyone's finished eating it's probably quarter to eight and you're not ready you're not ready for bed yet so a few of the boys go and play cards in the corner or sofas or whatever so you just get the nod off the captain and what are you good at are you good at darts what's the next sport I wouldn't say I'm good I play I wouldn't say I'm good but I think cards is kind of the big one yeah but it can get a little bit getting a bit tasty yeah it can get a bit tasty like Kiefer Moore's like he's a bit of a bastard like we try and we try we try and keep it like we try and keep it friendly like if I can let you out I'll let you out but Kiefer's like bam ace and king down right we've got

45:38Harry Wilson: quite a couple of questions from the listeners here we'd love you to help us with a games gone board because you're a player in a current game yeah and woke deadline days but we've got some good options yeah so we'll get into that in a minute we've got questions here from a load of fans we put up that you were coming on and we had loads of questions for you who the hell is this SJ Maltman apologies for the names this podcast can get a bit strange at times so bear with it how influential has Marco Silva been on your run of form this season?

46:10Peter Crouch: yeah massive I wouldn't just say this season he was the one that brought me to Fulham and I think being his first sign in at the club we've always had quite a good relationship and I like to think we've done really well for the club and I don't forget my first phone call with him I was actually in Ibiza and I'd had a couple drinks and my agent told me he might ring you but it got to a certain point in the day and I hadn't had the call so I thought oh crack crack on and I see it it'd been a long season it'd been a long season and stuff so and then halfway through the afternoon the phone's ringing and I thought don't know if it's answered but a missus said no no answer the phone so I had a chat with him and he asked where I was and he was obviously great about it oh beach yeah I was actually a form and tear I just got on the phone

47:06Peter Crouch: so yeah no but he was great saying and then he's just like listen i've just taken the fulham job and so we have a really strong squad i want to get the club back to the premier league and kind of establish them in the premier premier league again and kind of everything he said on the phone that day has kind of happened like i look back it's been four and a half years now and i said everything he said like the way he wants to play what we want to achieve has done that so I wouldn't say just just this season but I'd say throughout my kind of Fulham career he's been really influential on me he's clearly working yeah

47:37Harry Wilson: he's a top manager I like him a lot he's good yeah this is this is probably the question we had most from Elliot Q26 I've just read his name we had loads of these but what phone network are you on?

47:51Peter Crouch: I have seen this I'll be honest I'm actually with at EE.

47:55Harry Wilson: Yeah.

47:57Peter Crouch: Who's is EE? He does who's EE. I'm on quite a good deal, actually. I've seen you say you're on a three-year deal. I think I'm on something similar. I think when I moved down here, I went to the local shop and I think the guy sorted me out a really good deal and I think I paid my miss, missus and my sisters at the same time. So I kind of got a group one together. Oh, you're on a family.

48:17Harry Wilson: Yeah, a family one, yeah. You do get good deals in the family. I feel like that's where you need to be these days, the family one. I'm not sure I am so I've got to look into that do you wrap your broadband in that as well or potentially potentially yeah

48:32Peter Crouch: all in one

48:32Harry Wilson: is your speed

48:34Peter Crouch: are you happy with your speed I'm really happy

48:39Harry Wilson: we should get on to Andy Robertson about that because do you remember in Covid that was a problem wasn't it I remember us chatting to him I did see that one yeah during Covid we got Andy Robertson on and there was one point where the producer had to tell him it's one of the most embarrassing things I've ever seen on this podcast. Yeah, it's unbelievable. He had to tell Annie Robertson, did you just run upstairs? He said, is anyone else on the internet in the house? And he said, yeah, my miss is watching Netflix upstairs. He said, would you mind just telling them to turn off? And he did it. He did it.

49:08Harry Wilson: He went up. That's unbelievable. Poor girl. Just sat in there, watching a blank screen. So he could chat shit on this. I'm reading a book. It was priorities, aren't it? Priorities, mate. Oh, that was tough. Unbelievable. more okay team Forrester 47 favorite goal you've ever scored an international one and a one and a club one and we've just had the well actually I'll let you go yeah okay I say club club one

49:32Peter Crouch: as well as at Derby I scored a free kick at Old Trafford yes I think at the time I was on loan from Liverpool um and we played there in I think it was the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and she went there as a champ at championship side and see the underdogs I think we were one nil down at the time and kind of got this free kick and I think Mason Mount had scored one on the weekend before leading up to the game so he fancied it but it favoured the left footer and it was a little bit far out and I just thought with one down Old Trafford I thought I'm having a go here I think Kesey wanted it delivered into the back post but I just fancied my chances and I feel like it was the might of balls and you used to be able to get a bit of movement on the different ball and it was so we used to practice after training because Lampsk has got that one on lock so I thought you know what I'm going to have a little go and it was just one of them as soon as it left my foot I thought oh my god it's got a chance and it was as if it just went silent and then it hit the back of the net and because it was a cup the fans weren't in the usual Old Trafford but they had like the whole top of the yeah of the stand and I think there was five, six thousand and like the noise from there I had all my boys in there as well yeah it was it was amazing so I think for the moment and being on loan from Liverpool at the time to do that or Old Trafford that's my favourite club one and international one I'd probably say I scored a free kick away in Ireland that was I think it was my second or third goal and I just think at the time I think Bale and Ramsey were injured for that for that game and kind of we went there tough tough place to go and yeah and we nicked the 1-0 and I scored the free kick so I think that was obviously the first time scoring in front of like the away because my only goal before that was away in China we played a friendly over there so that was my first competitive goal I think so I think that

51:21Harry Wilson: one that would be my favorite have you got a set piece coach at Fulham now is it we don't know we

51:26Peter Crouch: don't so the analyst guy does a lot of the set plays Gaffer has a big say in it as well but yeah we haven't got like a specific guy that does it now yeah set plays this year especially it's gone mad isn't it it's mental yeah crazy have you noticed that yeah massive massive really I feel like see I had a few seasons in the championship and I never forget playing away at Brentford is when they were at Griffin Park and I can't remember what players were but stood on the edge of the box shouting different colours so they were doing it years ago really? it must have been Dean Smith was my manager then and they remember they were shouting like red gold and like all of a sudden they're moving around the back post and stuff so that is amazing yeah I'll never forget that yeah

52:04Harry Wilson: do you think about the signs are like one hand up two hands up that's been for ages yeah like it makes sense to switch it up a bit doesn't it?

52:13Peter Crouch: That was the first time I thought, I think, I don't know if I was Hull or Derby at the time, so it was a fair few years ago, but that was the first time I'd experienced something like that. But it wasn't the taker, it was the guy on the edge of the box telling the taker. So you're hearing all sorts now. Yeah, you're shouting like red, gold, and I'm sure there was like a team involved, shouting Liverpool. There's different codes now that you're noticing there. But then obviously you do, you analyse teams, and so say we're playing, we're playing Forest on the weekend, so say for the last five games, one of their players put both hands up and it's gone to the back post but like every so often you have to change it up because the teams get used to it don't they so like on the weekend obviously we'll watch videos on them and they've got both their hands up and it's been to the back post but then after the first corner on Sunday if then that's delivered to the front post you have to realise on the pitch someone's got to try

53:02Harry Wilson: and crack the code quite quickly because as you say it was just hands up and we all knew where we were sort of alright that'll segue quite nicely to the games gone board here This one, I saw these stats the other day, right? So from 2014 to 2015, to obviously the current, the players who had the total number of passes were, back in the day, were Fabregas, Yaya Toure, Cozzola, Eden Hazard, Jordan Henderson, Stephen Zonzi, basically the midfielders, Gareth Barry, David Silva, Christian Eriksen, probably the most creative players on the pitch, right? But to now is, you know, Van Dijk is top. Lewis Dunk would be second.

53:47Harry Wilson: Shalaba, Joachim Andersen, yeah. Elliot Anderson, the midfielder. But Van Heek, Declan Rice, obviously. Eric Konza, Ezra Konza, sorry. And Saliba, Sanessi as well. So for me, the centre-halves are having a hell of a lot more of the ball than I would consider, you know, yourself, for instance. So what do you make of that?

54:07Peter Crouch: Yeah, I just think it's the way the game's going. I even look at like Elliot Anderson and Decker like I watch Arsenal Decker dropping in between the centre-halves so like in build-up a lot of the time he probably is in the back line and I know he gets forward as well but yeah I'd say they're all obviously in the back line in build-up and I just think yeah it's just the way the game is everyone plays out now very rarely does a keeper get the team up and kick it long but and then I think a lot of teams especially against the bigger teams maybe sit in a low block so it is difficult for you say the David Silva type players in them pockets to have a lot of touches and I think it does your attacking players at the minute rely a lot on moments so you might not be getting 50, 60, 70 touches a game where you might be getting half of that but you have to you say pop up with a moment whether that's an assist a pass, a goal and that's how probably you win games at a minute As a wide player

54:59Harry Wilson: and someone that would probably get in a lot of the pockets and space have you found through the last few years that it's really slowed down the game in terms of it's got really sort of patient whereas it used to sort of be from back to front sort of get it up top get it out wide and then you do your bit or get the ball wide as quick as you can so then let the players sort of run it

55:18Peter Crouch: so I found like when I came to Fulham we were in the championship we were top of the league probably the best team a lot of teams would come to the cottage and play five at the back and the cottage the pitch feels really tight doesn't it so a lot of the time we would have a load of the ball and I'd probably have a lot of touches but maybe wouldn't create a lot because there's no space. Where I felt when we come to the Premier League and we're a newly promoted side, I was probably having less touches, but able to do a bit more because the game was a little bit more expansive. But I feel like, especially when you play away, teams are a little bit more expansive because they're the home team.

55:50Peter Crouch: So I feel like sometimes, weirdly enough, you get more touches away from home because the other team's attacking. And as a forward player on the counter attack or whatever it is, you touch the ball more. But I do think this season, especially with the amount of time people are setting up for set plays and stuff. Yeah, as an attacking player, your touches, I think, have gone down. Definitely down, yeah. 100%.

56:13Harry Wilson: Yeah, just on the Games Gone board again, Coyote here at Brentford who got an amazing long throw, incredible. But he proposed to his wife. No, sorry, it was a gender reveal of, you know, what appears to be his little girl. But he did the gender reveal by doing a long throw-in. He's mad, is he? at the stadium by the way under the light he's at the stadium he hasn't got a kit on he's just got his normal clothes on they seem really happy it's a lovely moment I'm really pleased for him but it's an odd use of the stadium I suppose so yeah I just didn't see that one coming it wasn't on my radar throw-ins as gender reveals

56:52Peter Crouch: listen eats to their own but yeah that's not for me that's not for me that's not for me I'm all for a bit of thinking out the box and stuff but yeah I'm not sure on that one

57:03Harry Wilson: elaborate proposals? Did you do, you know, I don't know what your, kind of your state is. Yeah, I proposed to Mrs.

57:08Peter Crouch: a couple of years ago, but yeah, it was nothing major. We were actually in Ibiza again. Do I know? It was in Ocean Beach. No, it was in Ocean Beach. Yeah, no, it was nothing major. Just got, yeah, we had a villa, just got it all kind of set up nicely. I did the exact same thing in Ibiza. Yeah,

57:24Harry Wilson: so. Go on the boys. go.

57:26Peter Crouch: But it's actually, funny story actually, when we were checking out of the villa, you know, the lady or the man comes over just to make sure you've not broken anything. My dad got chatting to her and it was actually Fernando Torres' villa. Oh, was it? No way. Didn't have a clue. Just thought it was nice, got the villa. And then at the end of our stay, the woman said it was Fernando Torres' villa. God, no way. Yeah, crazy one.

57:45Harry Wilson: That was a weird one with me. My place, I rented my place out and I saw on Instagram that Lee Westwood does. I was like, sure, that's my kitchen. You proposed in your kitchen? No, you proposed. he's just there he's just there if you I wasn't aware you rented your place out occasionally and we won't hang around this subject too long I imagine but is there anything are people allowed to propose in your place in theory I'm put on a list of things that I don't want in there so I'm pretty sure you can yeah that's good to know I didn't really ask when I did mine if I could yeah do you think you should have just no pets usually or smoking normally yeah I don't know why people have so much of a problem with it but you never know really depends what you're doing if I'm launching long throws through your kitchen you're probably not as keen are you no depends yeah yeah thoughts on this I mean listen I've got I'm in two minds over this Wickham referees have said that our young referee is acting today as a referee mascot at Wickham Wonders versus Burton Albion and I kind of half agree with it it is a brilliant opportunity to shadow the match officials participate in a warm up take a tour of Adams Park and explore the pre-match routine.

59:04Harry Wilson: So what I get there is we need referees, right? We love football. Grassroots referee. It is important to have referees. Absolutely. And obviously experience is amazing. But referee mascots as a heart, which I don't think should be a huge thing. But I think I agree with the issue, you know, breeding new referees. I don't know if I mind so much about referee mascots. When you originally sent something into our group going referee mascots, games gone, question mark. just a question mark just a question mark I'm allowed a question yeah I don't mind this so much because what I had in my head was you know like mascot mascots like so you got say a fuller mascot you got Watford mascot and then referees suddenly have their own animal or whatever it is you see what I mean like an actual mascot that would start to I think that's too far I think I think if we hit that we're in Games Gone territory yeah yeah good yeah I think I agree with that I don't think you can have a big mascot of referees imagine like a giant whistle here's a question for you too do you know what I mean or a yellow car like a pop time a yellow car do referees wear shin pads that's a really good question they can't do I reckon they do possibly do no please check that out now should say if you've heard a bit of drilling throughout this episode.

1:00:30Harry Wilson: Apologies for that. Yeah, apologies, yeah. It's just one of the the fellas on a day rate he was like, I can't stop. We did ask. We did ask, yeah. He said, you can find us. Yeah, this is, Harry, you're a fashionable man. I can see that. What do you think of the new, I think Liverpool signed a new deal with Tommy Hilfiger. Tommy Hilfiger, yeah. And they're wearing, this is the kind of rig out they're wearing for home games now. Yeah. I'm a bit on the fence

1:00:59Peter Crouch: I'll be honest yeah I do like fashion and I like my American sports as well so like a big basketball fan so they have this so I see this a lot on Instagram like especially them boys pull off anything yeah so like so but I think the way I've kind of come through Academy at Liverpool especially and I think everyone should be the same for me whether it's a track suit or a suit or if you do sign a deal with a fashion brand I think maybe one week say Salah chooses the outfit everyone's got to wear that outfit next week Shobbislai's you've got to wear that outfit but then you might say what Shobbislai's wearing there you might get Virgil saying I'm wearing that so that's the only thing but I think everyone should be the same I wonder how

1:01:39Harry Wilson: the Armani era when they were all doing that but you were all doing that weren't you I think Dave James was an Armani model at the time we went to 2006 World Cup and he got a deal with Armani but for me I was at Southampton a year before and I was very far away from Armani vibes. Oh, I thought you were part of that. No, no, no, but then I got into this thing. I couldn't believe it. I was getting measured up in the private bit in Armani in Knightsbridge. It's going, whoa. Because I can't get to it. You know what I mean? Like, this is a pyre, it doesn't make my size unfortunately. So I was buzzing with the Armani.

1:02:14Harry Wilson: Yeah. Yeah, so out of those, and I suppose any that you, because you might have had your own things, like at the moment, is there anything that winds you, I imagine VAR winds you up at times. Yeah.

1:02:23Peter Crouch: Especially after the Raxom game on the weekend, obviously being a Raxom boy against Chelsea obviously I wanted Wrexham to win and I just think I'm watching a proper FA Cup tie oldest competition in the world and the two bigger decisions is decided by a fella sat 200 miles away watching it in slow-mo I'm just like I think the tackle the red card proper tackle when you slow it down and freeze frame it probably is a red but it didn't happen like that I just think if the yellow card stays in that game I don't think anyone anyone probably questions it the day after or whatever and I just find that with VAR refs are going to make mistakes let the human on the pitch make the mistake and then everyone gets on with it where they watch it a hundred times and still get it wrong.

1:03:00Peter Crouch: That's my opinion on it.

1:03:02Harry Wilson: No, it's going to go on, mate. I'll put VAR just specifically in the Rixom game. That's going to go on the Gamescom board. Love it. Harry, really appreciate you coming on, mate. Cheers, guys. I really do. It's been a long time coming and a pleasure to have you, mate.

1:03:16Peter Crouch: Cheers, guys. Thank you. Stop, man.

1:03:18Harry Wilson: Brilliant. Thank you. Thank you.

1:03:25Harry Wilson: What is Tom, Anthony? Oh, he's brilliant. Yeah. Having a great season as well, wasn't he? Oh, a really good season, yeah. Time did a perfect game, I'll be on a free possibly at the end of the season. Yeah. I can't believe that. I knew about his grandad putting a bet on it. Yeah, I know. Realised it changed his whole life. Great story. It's so good. But I'm half wondering, we've got Danny Dyer on the next episode. If we need to make this movie, because it does sound like it should be a movie, we could get Danny Dyer to play his grandad. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But also, he could potentially upgrade his caravan as well.

1:03:58Harry Wilson: Yeah. Because he's doing the caravan park. Yes. Oh, yeah, of course. Yeah. So, you know, if anyone knows a caravan... It's Danny Dyer, our next guest. See, it's not just thrown together, this thing. No, no. We're just keeping it all linked. We're linking it. Linked. That's what we do.

1:04:21Harry Wilson: Right, the next part of the podcast is supported by Pony Power. with con green game's gone the lads were quite excited about the change of lighting that happens at this moment I didn't know this existed in the Chumbawamba there's a strip if you're listening on the audio there's a strip of light and I just assumed that that was just how it was apparently we can change the colour it's a little bit you're on Gavin Stacey with it is that it? are you not overly impressed with that? Are you not happy with that? I like it. I'm just saying. I thought it'd be more. Okay. But it's fine. All right. Okay.

1:05:00Harry Wilson: All right. Well, listen, Shelton's coming up. Yeah. I've got my weeks mixed up. I thought it was next week. So I'm away this week. I'm not going. Are you going? On Thursday. He'll be there. Thursday, yeah. It's a bit of a who's who down there, isn't it? Well, it has been. I mean, you know, you've got David Bentley dancing. See, David Bentley last year, this almost has thrown him back into the spotlight again, wasn't it? Yeah. He was on phenomenal form at last year's Cheltenham. I'm desperate to go. I really am. You know, when I just said David Bentley dancing, it reminded me of Only Fools of the Horses theme tune.

1:05:33David Bentley dancing Trevor Francis Jackson.

1:05:41Harry Wilson: Are you going to get down there? I don't know. It depends if I can piggyback on Crouchy's thing. But I've got it on the radio the next day. I wouldn't advise that. Tricky. Really tricky. More than welcome. Anytime. Um, yeah, we can get you back. Yeah. Yeah. Helicopter? Well, this is the thing, Crouchy turns up like a royal at this thing. It is ridiculous. It's the Peter Crouch. It's so mean. It's like, it's like the private jets at the Masters when all the planes are lined up. These choppers just come in and just drop and then there's, is it like a Bentleys or Rolls Royce that just literally convey about that take, take, take you to the, the main stand and then.

1:06:17Harry Wilson: I always feel what they should do at Cheltenham is they, you know, they've got these great statues of, of these amazing horses that have run. you know, famous horses, famous jockeys. There always needs to be one of Crouchy there with a Guinness. Just from, you know, just from this Cheltenham week. That's a good idea. That'd be amazing. It's that sort of legacy. Me, like, Nick, to Desert Orkin or something. Dubai Dez. Yeah. Dubai, Desert Orkin and Dubai Dez.

1:06:49Harry Wilson: Okay, let's get into the football scores, lads. I hope you've put it up Chris one point each so kind of not really not enough I need serious points we need a blue don't we serious points Crouchy we said ten points behind ten points one good week that's all it is mate all you need is that nine that nine one is one good week you can have a nine no you can have a four point I can get none you can get four points then you're only six I know I need but this pressure's got to come at some point I know I know Okay we've got West Ham Versus Manchester City This week They don't really Believe that West Ham Have got this in them I know they've had an upturn Unfortunately But Don't we see where you're going No Okay lovely Chris what are they saying I don't I don't Not West I mean West Ham at home They've got Maybe a chance If it was away Definitely not But I just can't Cosy City's slipping up again No No I think Well they need to win this Don't they Yeah City yeah after the results last week yeah totally I have put this up on Instagram just to see what people are saying and I mean it is almost unanimous City Chris Baker Reece Steve Yeats if any of these names sound interesting you tell me and Marcus Cork George Roby that's quite a good name Robbie Lunn who else we got here let's do a couple of shots there's a guy here called Nick Nick what's Nick Nick saying double first name Nick Nick he's gone for a City 3-1 win I would say most people are sort of floating around 3-0 3-1 no message from Nick there so I can't tell you what phone network he's on or anything that's a shame so you know what Nick Nick I reckon he's on EE you reckon well he must be someone's put here Joe Craggs I've clicked on him because I thought it'd be a good name put high tower one ball one bonfire regards to the families absolutely fucking love the pod can we also revisit when Crouchy told the world it was partial to oh and then he's put scores on the doors West Ham nil City 3 keep up the awesome work you guys bring a smile to more people than you know thank you Joe that's nice that partial chat was pretty big for a while wasn't it yeah nothing's changed yeah

1:09:21Harry Wilson: if you know you know he sounds like you're pretty much 3-0 I'm going to go 3-0 guys okay I'm going to go City 2-0 I'm going to go did you say 3-0 2-0 yes I'm going to go 3-1 West Ham score okay well moving on then we'll move on to Liverpool versus Tottenham oh look at that run of form from Spurs you know what I did the game the other day right and it was it was quite sad watching people leave at half-time. You know, I know Van der Ven has been sent off but the whole mood around it wasn't angry. I've seen it angrier when we've been drawing a Premier League game at half-time when I was playing. It was more angry than some of them.

1:10:04Harry Wilson: Just the kind of resignation, really, of some of them. It's like they resigned to it now. Yeah, yeah. And some of the, you know, it's just really, really not good and I worry for them. If you look at the league now, I think they're the worst team in the league at this precise moment. Form-wise, yeah. Form-wise. Well, that's fact. They are. I mean, they've not gone, I think it was 11 games, maybe 12 games. I don't think they've been 12 games without winning in ever. Yeah. Or maybe it was 1975. Oh, really? I think it was. Since the last time. We're those sort of numbers now, are we? They're the numbers we're at.

1:10:37Harry Wilson: It just feels like quicksand there and it feels like every team probably feels that they could beat them or should beat them. it's a narrative that rumbles on and I think with the quicksand sort of analogy if you run with it it's just it's very hard to see that they got the fight to sort of get themselves out of it that's it I've been there I've been there I've been down there with full momentum you just can't see a win coming and you go let's strip it back to basics let's run hard some people run harder than others some people don't fancy it it's tough yeah really really difficult and going to Anfield is is a tough tough ask I'm assuming you're going to go for a Liverpool win yeah what do you fancy I am going to go with I reckon they give it a half decent account of themselves Tottenham and I go for 2-0 Liverpool okay I'm going to go 3-0 to Liverpool I was going to go 3-0 that's good that no no no Alexandros Liverpool Tottenham he's gone 3-1 3-0 what have you gone?

1:11:46Harry Wilson: 2-0 2-0 remember if they score you're always in the game or I hit them with a missionary because that has served me well in the past what do I do? Missionary served you well in the past I am going to I'm going to go 2-1 Liverpool alright lovely let's move on to Forest vs Fulham had a lovely time at Fulham Sid's the other day you introduced me to the team down there at Fulham because I was doing the game for TNT the FA Cup game against Brentford and you introduced me and my family wanted to come down well my two boys wanted to come down and you it was not too far for me so yeah they opened that new Riverside stand lovely told you boys if you can get down there prawn sandwiches are on steroids rumour had it oysters being served oysters oysters and Fulham oysters in Fulham it's a what I say it's a it's a lovely experience didn't feel much like football but it felt like a beautiful experience good sounds like you're not going to go back what am I missing my family enjoyed it just obviously my let's be honest she's a prawn sandwich fan let's be honest yeah I'm not Abby is a she's she's not she doesn't want to go behind the go and sing songs she'd like some oysters at a hard time you know or she's partial She's partial, you know, to, you know, it might be a bite to eat and somewhere warm and then go out and watch the match.

1:13:19Harry Wilson: So she enjoyed the whole experience is what I'm saying. Love it. You know, she's not a... I just don't know what's going up on there, that everyone's going so, so strong on this place. Everyone's coming back like they've been enlightened. I've not seen people going away like they've been on a year's gap year or something, and all they're going is at the top of a stand. I know what you mean. It should be a stand. but why is it much more than that, Sid? Because I don't see enough of it. What's going on up there? It's just the service, there's the restaurants there. It doesn't feel like, when you're in that side of it, it doesn't feel like you're in a football stadium.

1:13:55Harry Wilson: It feels like you're on a cruise ship because you're looking out to the Thames on one side with these lovely restaurants. You've got these waiters and waitresses that are just walking up to surfaces. If you drop a napkin, there's a new one on the side straight away. Then you can walk through your double doors. There's the gang. Great view. It's interesting. Interesting, isn't it? It's a new way, I suppose, to... It's modern football, you know. You want out there? You want out there? Sid's just said what they're doing really right there is it doesn't feel like a football stadium. I did say that's what they're doing really right.

1:14:26Harry Wilson: I just said that is what the field is. He described it as a cruise ship. No, that's what it is. No, when you're there, let's get him down there. Let's get him down there. We'll get you down there. Let's get him down there. There's strong suspicion it should be on the board. Yeah, no, listen, I would agree with you, but the only thing is just like, I think if you're a diehard fan, no, definitely not. But if you're a fair weather fan. Well, I'm curious. Bearing in mind, this man had seven pints watching Maidenhead the other day. I did. So I'm not sure he's going to be partial to it. Yeah, so. Yeah, I get that.

1:15:00Harry Wilson: Champagne and oysters. Well, you know, you could treat me. It's a bit pretty woman. That's what you're describing. We'll get you down there. We'll get you down there. We'll have a look. and then we'll see we'll see where we're at of course we'll have a look alright well this one's at Forrest anyway so Fulham v Forrest away okay erm yeah hard one to call this erm they rested a few I hope Harry Wilson's back and he's been forming my own opinions on how he was looking he was looking quite well so I big player for them big player for them I would like to go Fulham 2-1 that's good he's gone 2-1 again loves it full missionary.

1:15:40Harry Wilson: Christianary with the missionary. Okay. I do see Forrest scoring. 1-1. 1-1? Yeah. I'm going to have 2-0 Fulham. That's good. Well, that's good luck with it all. Yeah. Really enjoyed that podcast again. Great to have it and carry on, wasn't it? Yeah, really good. And just before we go, can we just give a quick word of warning to everyone to remind them that in this world of disinformation, things that you see on the internet won't always be true. we saw a video of you tackling Messi in Croydon, which has confused some of our listeners. Yeah. I think we, would you like to confirm that it's true or not true?

1:16:18Harry Wilson: Yeah, no, I was in Croydon. Yeah. Messi was doing a, um, he was opening a, um, I think it was an Adidas store. Yeah. The big, the big one in Croydon. And, uh, we said, I said, mate, you fancy a game? And he said, we'll get down there. And a few of the boys recorded it and I put him on his ass and then bang one in the top court. and give it a little jiggle after and give it a big one it's the best robot I've ever done actually see this all started with AI girlfriends but if you aren't sure about some of the things on the internet send them in and we can tell you if they're true or not this is obviously true this is obviously completely true I had a great day I had a great day and Lionel was fantastic he had to get a private jet pretty soon after that but we had a good game see you next time