EP. 399 | That Ben Foster Episode: GoPro Fines, Refusing a Final & Man United Pressure

0:00Chris Stark: Hello and welcome to that Peter Crouch podcast. Sids is with me and Chris Stark. We all good? Really good. Sun's out. It's good to be out. It feels like tapas weather to me. Stinks of tapas. Stinks of tapas. Or Asian fusion, Sids, as you mentioned last week. That's how we roll. Yeah. Where should we go? Have you been anywhere recently?

0:18Sids: No. Paul Chevelle? No. Asian fusion? No, no, no, no, no. Fish and chips, steak and chips. Are you going on holiday next week or? No, no, no. I'm here for the foreseeable, for Easter and stuff. I've got a few golf trips booked up later in the year, but nothing. I'm going Morocco. Are you really? Yeah. I think that's very different for me, isn't it? It is. I sort of completed the islands a few years ago, Malia, Kavos. It's not even the name of the islands, but, you know, the relevant. Napa, Zanti. I did them all. I've not seen the world. Have you been DJing there recently?

0:49Chris Stark: Not even recently. I've been there both for business and pleasure. And now I feel I'm stepping into a time in my life where I need to go see the world a bit more. Morocco. Health scares do that to people, you know. Yeah, I know what you mean, yeah. So you've got a grab life. You've had a scare and you go, do you know what? It's Morocco for me. I'm going to Morocco. Go on then, enjoy that. Fair enough. I'll report back. Yeah, let us know. It's nice to have some glasses. Yeah. Got some, well, they're branded. I think basically they just nicked them from the pub next door and put a stick on them.

1:23Sids: The old lick and stick one, is it? Yeah, yeah.

1:26Chris Stark: Basically, but we are in the process of potentially making in a Peter Crouch podcast glass or a Peter Crouch pod glass, if you might understand.

1:35Sids: I think we need to be a bit careful with this one as well because obviously we're going to make these like a bespoke kind of a taller one. Yeah. But I don't think we can go too tall because you've got to remember they've got to go in the cupboards. Yeah, true. Do you know what I mean? Oh, yeah, the cupboard. Yeah. Is this a cupboard glass? That was the only thing I was going to say on this problem. Like, should this not be... Mantle piece. Mantle piece.

1:57Chris Stark: It could be, you know, It's a piece. Do you know what I mean? Like a piece of art. Same way you wouldn't put a vase in the cupboard. No. Then you might not drink a pint from one either. Some people do, probably. But do you know what I mean? I think you treat it with a different respect. Yeah, I feel like it probably deserves a little bit more respect. There's a lot gone into it. We've had a glass brewer on the phone. He thinks he can make it for us. So basically these are a stopgap. I think they're a good stopgap. They're good. I don't know if you noticed, I've brought in some VHSs today. I'm clearing out my house at the moment.

2:28Chris Stark: Yeah. And my mum's kept a whole load of stuff. So VHS is from my county cup final. Played Enfield Rangers at Craven Cottage when I was like 12, 11, 12. I've got stuff way back, but this is way before I was a footballer, right? Yeah, I've got this one here, right? I don't know if someone could change this from VHS to like the digital, whatever the fuck it is. I'm not even going to begin to try and understand how you do it. But this one here, I mean, it says Barclays got this, it's got the tickets stitched on it. It's Barclays League Division 1, so that's pre-92. But basically, it's Chelsea versus Palace.

3:05Chris Stark: This is from the East Stand here. My mum has gone to the game. That's the actual ticket. That's the ticket from the game. Look, tenner at the bottom. Yeah,£10 to watch a Barclays League Division 1 match. £10. Wow. What's the video of? The video is of me being a ball boy at Stamford Bridge. So it's going to be camcorder footage of you on the side? No, it's actual match footage, right? Say for a match of the day or the big match.

3:30Sids: Yeah.

3:30Chris Stark: That my mum has recorded the whole match to see if I appear. And I do. And apparently I appear, I get the ball, and I think I throw it to Dennis Wise or Gareth Hall or someone. Okay. So this is a lovely idea because this is going to put a load of vintage crouch out onto the internet, which is going to be great. and as ever I'm all up for listeners getting involved in sort of helping move this along my only problem with this this form of thing is you can't check what's on these videos before yeah yeah and I've I'm just going to throw this out it's a lottery isn't it it is a bit of a lottery you don't know if they've been recorded over well this one this one has because it's on the side here what is it London's Burn no believe it or not it's not the bill either it's Teenage Mutant hero turtles not even ninja turtles this is pre-ninja do not tape over do not tape over do not tape over do not tape over do not tape over do you remember that one amazing remember when everyone used to write that or else we'll probably have to explain this concept to a lot of people of our listeners right now yeah well I mean you could see something you go ah record that you put it in you press the little red button and you could you could record the programme But this one here, I've got another one here, right?

4:49Chris Stark: This is, I remember I talked about it. The only reason I brought this one in, and, you know, there's plenty of goals. There's, like, my first England game. There's a few other, my first goal for QPR. There's certain things like this. But I thought this one would be interesting just because it's me getting interviewed as a fan, right? I'm up at Chelsea, and I'm getting Rude Hullet putting on the back of my shirt. And this is when it was so exotic that Rude Hullet was coming to Chelsea. I went up there. I was one of the first fans up there at the club shop. I thought, I'll get Hullet on it. I couldn't even get a number because he didn't have a number.

5:18Chris Stark: So I had Hullet printed and I thought, I'll get the number later. And I'm walking back with my dad, I thought, oh, I've got Hullet on the back first ever. It was like the Amiga kit or something. And as I walked past, some fella from, I think it was ITV News, went, oh, see, you've got something from the club shop. Do you want to talk about Hullet? And I went, yeah. And my voice hadn't broken yet. And I'm just giving an interview. I think it might be the first ever interview I've ever gave to ITV News. and I was on the you know like was it the was it Gavin and Stacey where they all sit round and go

5:49Sids: yeah

5:50Chris Stark: mix on the table this is my bit here the neighbours come over cut him out it's like one of them so I'm on for like five seconds is that it all the family all the family

6:00Sids: all the family around

6:02Chris Stark: I think I say something like oh I'm just over the moon

6:05Sids: it says it on there look what does it say at the bottom ecstatic look in exclamation marks look

6:11Chris Stark: Pete interview Pete interview about Hullet ecstatic you must have said ecstatic I must have said ecstatic

6:17Sids: so we're trying to find maybe reach out to someone that can possibly transfer VHS onto some kind of digital yeah USP one of our own ideally we need discretion on this one yeah yeah because there's any kind of

6:29Chris Stark: you know you don't want a Kevin and Perry situation no certainly not you don't want if there's anything my mum and dad have recorded after it it's not ideal yeah okay well we've got Ben Foster on the show today yeah I know he's going to be class you know it's great what he does and stuff like that. Yeah, great to have him on. Yeah. Looking forward to that. Just a quick word on Mo Salah and what he's achieved at Liverpool because I feel like we have to say something on someone who's achieved so much in the game of football, for the Premier League, but for Liverpool in general. You know, the records that I saw, what he's achieved, the numbers.

7:03Chris Stark: The numbers. There was one before Salah that Avi's dad showed me and then after Salah. I don't know if you've seen that one, like all the records that he's broke. just an absolute machine and I think he's kind of called it right really it's the right time to probably leave

7:19Sids: he's not the player is he that he was

7:20Chris Stark: yeah but it's so weird because last season was insane wasn't it like mad numbers

7:24Sids: deserves a send off that he should get I get the impression that's what's happening in this situation and the way they've said he can be released in that manner and everything it sounds to me that it is all being done together with the club yeah but let's look at it from a different point of view from a business point of view is poor from Liverpool. I mean, they could have, maybe could have sold him maybe for 150 million euros, was it, last season. I know it's obviously hindsight and stuff, so you've got to look at it from a business point of view. Yeah, but as you say, he was a bit of a different...

7:55Sids: They also won the league,

7:57Chris Stark: I think, you know, if you're from a fan perspective, I know business-wise, yeah, maybe, but they did win the league and, you know, that's been few and far between two... You want to keep him last season.

8:05Sids: Oh, yeah, you keep him on side all day, but, yeah, look, one of the Premier League greats definitely I mean there's a shout that he was better than Thierry Henry which that came from an Arsenal fan behind the camera by the way which is unbelievable Mo Salah better than Thierry Henry Mo Salah the greatest Premier League player of all time was the shout I just I can't

8:26Chris Stark: I can't this is Salah's moment so that discussion I believe is for another day it is we're all Salah drunk at the moment I think I think he'll regret that he's only young but I think listen I don't think what I should say now is we can have that discussion another day. This precise day is, let's say that, he's moment. He deserves it. He fully deserves it. He's been an unbelievable player. Totally agree. But we will get back to that. Okay, let's get into it with Ben Foster.

8:58Chris Stark: Ben Foster, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. It really is a pleasure. Now, you've been on before. We did a lockdown special, didn't we? like a zoom vibe first um first time i think i probably ever did a podcast to be honest with you um it was fully in lockdown wasn't it because it was like my internet was rubbish at home as well but we managed to get it but i remember it being like super busy because we had like a production called the day before to run through all the topics and stuff this is like this is a big deal that was we were the bbc then don't do that anymore we haven't had one of those for a long time we got here about three minutes ago didn't we we got here we sat down and you went all right you're right just crack yeah just crack on but but like you said i mean i mean this has become your world as well right you know we've been doing this a long time but you you've been doing yours a long time honest genuinely you were kind of half an inspiration for me to sort of start my own really i went and did another podcast about maybe a year or so later and we'd already started doing the cycling gk with like the youtube stuff and the gopro and the goal um and i just remember thinking do you know what it's fairly easy not to like diminish you already but it's fairly easy you know i mean if you're half good at talking and holding conversations with people get some interesting people on board as well as guests mate you're away in here this is the worry for us that other footballers have started conning onto the idea that this is actually

10:19Sids: obviously i'm new to this like a few years in but do you guys see it as like yourselves as like pod like Godfather. The kind of child bled. Godfather. Godfather, yeah. You're the main stage. Crouchy is. Crouchy definitely is. He was the first one by far. I remember it coming out. Football Heritage. Because it was literally the, oh, he was the very, very first and everybody listened to it. We were going to train and everybody was like, do you listen to it? Yeah, listen to it. It's class, isn't it? So it's Crouchy. Definitely more than me.

10:51Chris Stark: Do you know what I have to say is there was the magic sponge before us, which was Flintoff, Jimmy Bullard. and someone else, I think. And it was, that was, I remember listening to that and it was really early on. And then, you know, we came a little bit after that. Were you still playing? Yeah, I was still playing. That's what I mean. That's the difference as well. If you're still doing it when you're playing. Was it ping pong? Ping pong, Savage and Flintoff. I think that was right. Exactly right. Matthew Sutherland. No, it wasn't, it was the ping pong one. Yeah, I know the one you mean. But the thing is, there were fewer podcasts.

11:24We had some funny times though. It's funny. I was talking to someone about this the other day that I always remember us recording one and Crouchy was at Stoke and we were in a holiday inn in Stoke just in a room there and Crouchy's phoning in the beers on a Tuesday night in Stoke and I was like, God, do you know what other podcasts can do but can they do it on a rainy night in Stoke? Yeah, we did. We got there eventually, isn't it? So when you're playing though you understand that when you're playing you have to still be careful, right? You do. Because you don't know, like I didn't know when my career was going to finish.

12:01I could have gone for a year, two, three. And we were doing all this stuff and you've just got to watch what you say a little bit. Don't get me wrong, we're never going to say anything dodgy or like outrageous or whatever. But you've always got to be, just hold a little bit back, haven't you?

12:13Chris Stark: That's so true what you said because when, the reason I did it was to promote my book, right? And Chris and Tom who wrote my book were the other, you know, the other lads on it. And we did it and I didn't realise just how many people were going to want to be a part of it and listen. And then people started quoting things back to me. So I'm sitting on the bench. I always remember, I was on the bench a lot at this time. I think I always remember, I think we were at Ellen Road and I'm sitting on the bench and someone's leaned, because the fans are really close to that. Someone's just leaned in and gone, Crouchy, who's parched?

12:49Chris Stark: And I'm thinking, you know, fucking I'm like, People are now knowing me more about the podcast than me playing football. Did we ever get to the bottom of Parch, by the way? Yeah, yeah, Charlie Adam. Was it? Was it? I thought it was Phil Neville for a while.

13:04Sids: Let's just stay on that for one minute. You've obviously had a lot of clubs. Who's been the most Parched in your teams? When I was at United and then with England a little bit, I always was sure it was Phil Neville. Honestly, he would go and warm up just by himself. but I'm talking proper in front of the manager, stopping, stretching, everything, almost like facing him, looking at him, trying to make eye contact with him. Absolutely everything. I was almost certain it would be... The opposite, if you could do an opposite part, it would be Paul Scholes. I remember I was on the bench with Scholes here at Old Trafford and it was like two minutes to go or whatever and Fergie's gone, Scholes, get on.

13:40He's gone, gaffer, come on. Gaffer. And he's gone, you, you can go on instead. Like, Anderson, go on, go on instead. Like, as mad as he is, class. I was like, what a boy you are.

13:52Chris Stark: You know, you stitched me up a few times, Phil Neville, because we were younger and he was an experienced player. We were all on the bench and we'd all go in after the game and then Steve McLaren would go, you seen Phil? I was like, what? None of us got on and he'd be like, have a look at him. And I was like, I had to look out, he had to walk to the tunnel. He's running on his own out there, right? And he's shuttling. And I said, Phil, give me the heads up. So he said, that's the difference. That's busy, that. That's so busy. And it just made me look bad. Yeah. That busy shout's funny. When we got onto it the other day and somebody mentioned busy, I was like, I don't know if people know what busy means.

14:33Because in football, if you're busy, then you are, you're that. You feel nibble. Do you mean you're sucking up or are you just training hard? It's a park situation. But it's like a selfish thing at the same time. He's doing that off his own back. He could have got Crouchy and he could have got a few of the others and gone, come on, lads, let's go and do this. We're a team together. but he's gone and done it by himself to make himself just look a little bit better. Yeah, yeah. Busy. But don't you need to do a bit of that? But isn't that part of your thing, as much as you're in a team, you do need to stand out, don't you?

15:00You do need to... Oh, yeah, but you can do that. There's plenty, like I say, there is plenty of ways to do it. You can stand out by being a team player as well. That's just as important in my eyes, isn't it, going out and getting everybody together? Jordan Henderson with the World Cup, for example, I would love to see him go to the World Cup. He knows he ain't going to play. There's probably going to be, what, six, eight players that aren't going to play at the World Cup, but take at least two or three real good lads, hard-working, honest lads that when it comes to training the day after the game, the bomb squad, you get the bomb squad together and you're like, boys, no, we're doing it today because it's so easy for players to sack it off in training.

15:29On a bomb squad day, oh, it's awful it is. We had some good bomb squad days

15:32Chris Stark: together, didn't we? Yeah, we did have a few. We had a few in England. Yeah, we did have a few, yeah. You know, training after the games and things like that, like, yeah, good few sessions.

15:39Sids: But morale's low, isn't it?

15:40Chris Stark: Morale's super low.

15:41Sids: If you've got a good group around, Jarl. Exactly. You can get it going as well. Yeah, you get it going. You can get it going, yeah.

15:45Chris Stark: But like, what's important at tournaments is the players that didn't play. Like, you know, for instance, you know, say if you weren't number one or, you know, I wasn't playing. It's important that the players who aren't playing are good characters. Yeah. I feel that done. For morale. Goal keeping especially. Like, our little unit, we are a bit different, aren't we? Like, you guys. It's true though, isn't it? Yeah. I remember we would go away with England and stuff and you'd have all your Liverpool players together, United players, but then like the goalies would always sit together, always, we'd always sit together, we'd always do stuff, we'd be on the coach together with the goalie coach a little bit as well but we know we'd go into training and we'd be out half hour before everybody else, we'd be doing our own thing for a good 45 minutes and then we'd go and join in with these like, so it's important I think to have a proper pecking order, you establish number one which is Joart, number two was me and then Fraser was number three and it just works perfect then, no egos, we all know where we are, it gets on perfect.

16:37Everyone's happy if they all agree and know the structure, I always remember at Watford, I was filming some stuff at the training ground once and I saw, and I reckon one of my favourite double acts ever, Anton Deck and Ben Foster and Herilio Gomez. Herilio, what a boy. Them two together, it was brilliant. He's so nice. You complemented each other in a weird kind of way and you were, I think if I remember right, Gomez was doing a lot of the cup games and you were doing the league games and then am I right in thinking at the FA Cup, there was then a question whether you came in for the final. It was a semi, you know, the Wolves semi-final.

17:11That was it, yeah. I think we were 2-0 down, weren't we? We came back to win 3-2 an extra time and Troy scored a penalty and Delefeo bending one in the top corner. Unreal. And Hirelio played in that semi-final. He was on, he had done the whole... Great goalkeeper. Great goalkeeper. Shot stopping. What a lovely man as well. What a great fellow. Lovely man, isn't he? Just with nicest human being with your meat. Oh, his arms, though. Like, his arms were...

17:31Chris Stark: Built for goalkeeping. Mate, is that, honestly, I was so jealous. I was so jealous. He used to throw it instead of kick it, didn't he? His fingers. His fingers were like double mine. Yeah. Again, that situation worked perfect. It was the same as kind of at West Brom, though, with Boaz Myhill. He was one number two for six years. Boaz, again, the loveliest man. And I almost thought Boaz didn't want to play. In fact, I knew he didn't want to play. He was so happy. Anytime I had like a little injury, he'd go. Oh, what? You better get fit today. Yeah, he was. Fozzie, please, mate. Come on. Please don't.

18:01He's like, I've got 20 % body fat at the minute. I don't need exposing. I just don't need exposing. So, yeah, but it worked perfectly. And Aurelio was the same. Obviously, when I signed, there's like that few weeks period where he's trying to impress, I'm trying to impress, and it's up in the air as to what's going to happen. But I got the nod straight away, started the season really well, and then he knew where he was. He knew he was second choice, and he just complimented me differently. Perfectly, sorry. But in that cut run we were talking about there, we played the semifinal, and I was just walking back into, like Adam Schauer all that went to walk into the onto the coach and they just said basically right listen Ben if the manager selected you for the final ahead of Horelio you're going to have to play and I just said nah that's not fair I just don't think that's fair because that's quite topical because obviously

18:46Chris Stark: with what with Kepa exactly did you say as the number one goalkeeper I don't think that's fair I said I don't think that's fair I said Horelio has been fantastic this whole cup run the reason why Rhea is because of it I just I'd refuse to play basically it's just i wouldn't i wouldn't i wouldn't like it it's not on a personal level it's not fair he's on the poor skulls yeah yeah whatever um but anyway so i've got i've got sort of a few days later it's all over the news and stuff like he's refusing to play and stuff like that and the um like the ceo whatever is at uh what for that's he called me in the office and he's like what are you doing what you can't say that kind of you're killing us here now because we have to it's not like we have to play we have to play go and i'm thinking oh jesus christ but But it wouldn't have surprised if they'd have tried to switch it, you know.

19:30It really wouldn't. So that's right. So Gomez then ends up playing in the final. Gomez played in the final. You've publicly done it. So you felt by coming out and just being public like that, it kind of forced their hands. It forces their hands a little bit, yeah. And you didn't get, it doesn't sound like you got told off, but they had a word with you. Oh, definitely had a word with you, yeah. Definitely had a word. And we got pumped in the final 6-0 as well. So I'm buzzing, I didn't play. But in fairness, honestly, in fairness, right? It was City. It was like prime time City, you know what I mean?

19:57and it was Prime City, De Bruyne and Aguero and Silva and all that, like David Silva, bad boy. Oh yeah, I've been pumped by them a few times. Exactly, mate. We've all been there. Horrible. You knew what to expect. You knew what was coming. You'd always start quick, lads. We start quick and goal, goal, goal, goal. And they're not like rockets or anything. They were just like work, work, work. So talented, yeah. What a team that was. So do you think, just going on the Arsenal thing then, do you think there's something to be said? And being a goalkeeper, do you feel you can speak more publicly than perhaps other players on the pitch?

20:26Yes, definitely. It was a really hard situation, actually, Mikhail Arteta found himself. It's a lot easier for Pep when you've won stuff and you've got this history of winning stuff over the previous year. But for Arsenal, it's different because they haven't quite gotten over the line. And I think Arteta probably, whether he owed Kepa or not, I don't necessarily think he was necessarily owed him anything. But I do think that Pep probably owed James Trafford a little bit more because he brought him in as number one. and he promised him and then a couple of days later he signed the best goalie in the world Big Gigi Dunnarumma it's brutal it is we probably owed him a bit to be honest with you whereas Arteta I don't know I think if you would have asked any Arsenal fan they'd have said we want David Rear it's tough it is it's horrible it's really tough

21:14Chris Stark: you know talk about being like you know trailblazers and stuff you put in the camera in the goal whose decision was that what team was that and when was the first time you did it because that I mean that was incredible yeah it was It was really cool, to be fair. Yeah, it was... So we were at Watford, and we were in lockdown. We just got relegated the season before into the championship. And it was when we were playing with no fans in the game, and it was weird. It was... You could hear everything, really. And I just started this YouTube channel, and it was a time where nobody really did too much on YouTube.

21:43There was a load of big creators, but not really anything like that. And we were doing a lot of cycling, because in lockdown, if you're a cyclist, it was heaven, honestly. You're out on the bike, no cars anywhere, freedom. But do you remember pre-lockdown, obviously, as a podcast, we were quite anti-cycling.

21:56Chris Stark: Yeah, well, I've got to be honest, I was quite anti a lot of it. Because, you know, goalkeepers in general, you know, and cycling. Those are not my favourite things. It was Tom Forda. Tom Forda, you know, he would arrive in his cycling gear, we'd rip him. You know, I was talking about the two by two sometimes on the country lane, you get stuck behind them. I was quite anti the movement, really. So when this came out, I was like, goalkeepers, they've pissed me off for years. And then now the cycling as well. so yeah we were quite anti obviously I'm all for it now I'm all for it now I don't believe it well now you're here I don't believe it you've changed the face of it Ben haven't you I don't know trailblazer yeah so obviously we were in lockdown and I started this huge example where I was just going to put cycling content out I wanted to get sent free stuff basically I wanted free cycling frames and components are you still into it by the way we just got up in New York yesterday really I've seen them up there Mike Fozzie got me a free Garmin really it was the plug we got you yeah there you go yeah so we started and then I made a video actually where it was first day back at pre-season and I just showed all of what happens in pre-season training from a player's perspective so I was walking around showing all the tests you do and blah blah blah and it got really good reception and then I thought what if like for one of the games I just put it in the goal like so we were playing Luton at home right we were Luton at home Luton had just I think been promoted or whatever we had been relegated so we we should should have won anyway um anyway we we get in um to the tunnel to start the game whatever and i'm thinking should i put this gopro in the goal or not and i shit it i absolutely shit myself right because nobody's ever done it before i was like i can't i just so i left it in my towel when played the first half we're one nil up and then second half i came out for now i saw it i'm doing it now like i feel a bit easier about it put it in then i gave it to the editor who actually worked at watford at the time um he made the video and then we put it out on the YouTube and then boom, that was it.

23:52People were like, oh my God.

23:53Chris Stark: It was brilliant because it was so forward thinking. It's like, it's kind of what everyone wants now. Everyone wants, even with our podcast, when we first did this, it was like, oh, they're talking about the dressing room. You know, so to actually see a game from that perspective was amazing. But you know what's nice though, right? When you do something like, it's not groundbreaking or anything like that, but it's still new. And in a world where everybody's doing something new all the time, to be a bit more unique is like, it's a nice feeling. Really nice.

24:20Sids: But it was probably the perfect time to do it because you sit there, the stadiums were quiet. People don't realise how much keepers talk. Weird, wasn't it? They talk all the time, barking orders, letting people know when the corner happens. And you can actually hear what we're saying for once. But then it got famous, and this is the thing. Then you've got players celebrating to it. So you've got to think from a fan's point of view, as much as, obviously, I love Ben, and I personally loved the camera in there, it became a thing where it was like teams were wanting to beat us and had an extra motivation.

24:50so that they could go piss around in front of his camera. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

24:53Chris Stark: But that's like Big Brother 10 compared to Big Brother 1. You know what they're going in there for, you know? So it must have ended up in weird discussions. Yeah, it did. You got to the point where there's songs being sung in the stadium, in games, because the GoPro's there, and stick that on your GoPro. I love fans. They're the best, aren't they? Yeah, so our fans are fuming because they're singing this song at me. So it's my fault, and then I get a part. If you're winning, it's amazing. yeah you've got to win it's a double has there ever been games where you've gone like you've been pumped and you've gone let's just lose that GoPro today it's not getting pumped out live is it like can you go like we'll lose that one tonight oh yeah for sure when I was at Wrexham actually when I came back out of retirement and signed for Wrexham it was like crunch time this evening I think there was five or six games to go and we played away at who was it you went to it Halifax Halifax we played a game away at Halifax Stato over there and And so we're top of the league.

25:50This is Wrexham when it was against Notch County and they'd won the league by an absolute record point total. Halifax, we were mid-table, nothing really to play for. They battered us, right? Pumped us free now, I think it was. And this kid scored a hat trick. I had the GoPro and the goal. And all our fans were just like, oh, my God. I had a bit of a stinker as well. I did. I let a couple of horrible ones in. And because we were on this massive trajectory of it all being good and they were all good lads and we were all doing it properly, I was thinking, do you know what? We can't. I can't put this video out because it's almost like celebrating.

26:21And I didn't want to do it, so we just left it, right? We absolutely left it. Thankfully, got promoted, beat Notts County, blah, blah, blah. And then I put the video out. I put the video out at the end of the season. It was like the lost files, like Halifax away sort of thing. We had that, but then there was one in the Premier League as well with Watford. We got promoted, obviously, that season when I first started the GoPro. And we played away at Man City. And I wasn't allowed to show any goals or anything. and it was really strict on the footage I could show. And we got pumped 8-0. But I'm at a stage in my career where I think I was about 38 at the time.

26:56And I've always enjoyed football, but I've never taken it too seriously. It's never been the be-all and end-all for me. So even if you get pumped 8-0, I'd never dwell on it. I'd just be like, well, they were amazing. Fair play. Sergio was the boy today. Do you know what I mean? But I was saying that on GoPro. And Watford fans would see me saying, yeah, they're really good. And they'd just lose their shit. and like honestly the negative reaction I got fined I think two or three times I got fined by the club for certain things of the GoPro week's wages I got it was horrible yeah

27:25Chris Stark: yeah because I suppose it's hard to like you know for people to even understand doing that like I think back certainly say 10 years before that wouldn't even have been you know people didn't want you to do any you know anything Instagram anything you know they want total control the club had control but now the players I suppose have got more control of their own destiny and culminating in that. Do you remember like the old school tweets like Rio and Rooney used to share like, do you want picking up in the morning for training? But you were there, right? You were there at United during that period, right?

27:55Chris Stark: You must have ripped him. No, mate, you couldn't rip. You could not rip Rio or they were trendsetters at the time. They were the only ones doing it. Do you know what I mean? Rooney would just be coming for fans every night and I'll knock you out you little guy. Meet me in the car. Do you remember? I remember that one. You'll find the tweets. I remember Rio said to me when we were away of England he said, you've got to get on this Twitter thing. I think for me, it was only him and Piers Morgan that were on it. Yeah, they were, yeah. Nobody really knew sort of what it was or what's the point of it almost.

28:23You know what I mean?

28:24Chris Stark: I kept seeing this beef between people. Everyone's just like ripping each other. Or people who couldn't use it right. So they thought they were just typing something to search, but they were tweeting it. Yeah, yeah. Do you know what I mean? People didn't have a clue what's coming on. Which is a problem then when you can see what, especially some of the footballers were searching. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you learn from your mistakes, don't you? Fair play to the people that like Twitter and Instagram. It's almost like they could see the future or something. It's like it might turn into a couple hundred billion dollar bloody thing or whatever.

28:50Yeah.

28:51Chris Stark: But what about your football career? So obviously we'll start maybe at the end if you don't mind. But like the whole thing of you retiring from football and coming out. Like what was it? Was it the Wrexham project that did that for you? Yeah. I'd been retired for what six months or so. My contract had finished at Watford and I got offered a few other places. is we literally finished the season with Watford. We got relegated that season. And then we flew out to Mallorca with the lads, the team that do our podcast sort of thing. Good cycling's good in Mallorca. I used to go there a lot and I'd see them up in the hills there.

29:23Chris Stark: I'd love to see you on a bike. Listen, I've been on a bike under Tony Pulis. Lycra's not really my vibe. Baggy Lycra doesn't really work. Class, isn't it? How good is it? Great. He says he brings his own bike out there. He was saying that they transport... Team Sky used to train up there because I was up in Soyer, you know, a day around the mountains. And we used to go there a lot. And you'd always see Team Sky. Oh, yeah, all the boys right there now. There's another place called Calpe now, which they do a bit of that sort of thing as well. But, yeah. Where were we then? Yeah, yeah, just to direct some by.

29:51Chris Stark: So you were in the Orca. Sorry, yeah. So there was a few offers. I could have gone to Atlanta in playing the MLS, which would have been awesome, to be fair. But we had literally just landed in New York, and they were like, we need you tomorrow, Brad Goos. And I'd just done it as Achilles. I think he had actually. I was like, nah, sack that. And then it kind of went quiet. It just went really quiet. and it just carried on, carried on. And then I got to the point, I was like, I might as well just retire then. Like, do you know what I mean? This is quite nice. We were doing all the bits we were doing, cycling GK and Fozcast.

30:18And then we get into the new year and then the goalie at Wrexham hurt himself. So I got a call off a guy that I know who's a bit of an agent. He was like, would you be interested? I said, well, yeah, you know, I can give it a go. It's a chance to do a bit more, like sort of go pro on the goal and stuff like that as well. And it's part of a mad project as well because I'd been at Wrexham 20 years before and seen it how it was back then and it was like a shell of what it is now. Real hard-working sort of community. But the club had just sort of gone downhill, downhill to National League. So anyway, I signed, spoke to the manager about it.

30:47He was dead. You know what? He didn't care who I was, genuinely. He didn't care. He didn't care what you'd done. He was like, as long as I know, you're going to do it properly. As long as I know, you'll give us everything you've got properly because they're good ladsies, and I don't want anybody upsetting the apple cart kind of thing. Was that Phil Parkinson? Phil Parkinson, yeah. Good guy. Brilliant, yeah. Great, yeah. So I was like, yeah, all right, sound. I like that. we'll have a bit of that so we joined and then obviously the owners saying hello and ringing you and stuff which is just bonkers mad and even to this day I was actually at a game a few weeks ago and you see them You did the commentary You did the commentary Yeah They're just sound honestly they're so sound They're wicked It's mad they're worth like a billion quid between them but they're just so sound normal blokes Not the best commentators It's a different skill You can't be good at everything No you can't be No It's an alternate commentary right but yeah so anyway we ended up getting promoted we did the Vegas trip and all that all expenses paid it was unreal it sounds legendary we've heard a couple of things from that one yeah that sounded great it's hard work mate Vegas are we're our age now lads it's just hard work I had to have a night off in the middle of it but it wasn't honestly I didn't Sid you need one of his team talks Sid gives a good team talk

31:55Chris Stark: for lads who are struggling so we have a load of messages mate you might have been able to pull me through then because it was touch and go for a minute but the problem was it was after you know like the pool party bit in the day went back had a shower laid in bed for two minutes turned into ten hours yeah don't do it it's just I've been in the door mate I've got to keep your door you're up I put Knockhart to bed once

32:14Sids: and then I got him back up and he come out I did in my own bed went back into our room mate my pillow there was sweat all over my bed he's just gone it was Knockhart down and you got him up again

32:27Chris Stark: Knockhart down back up again Chumba Wamba so this was there was a club night that was put on by Ryan Reynolds, as I understand it, right? Or he'd paid for everything. What, for Vegas, you mean? For the Vegas trip. Already done the whole trip. Yeah, him and Rob, they did the, oh yeah, pay for the whole thing. So you ain't got to pay for it. I'd love to know how much it costs, honestly. So he'd take the whole team? He'd take the whole team. He takes the whole team, no coaches or anything, and then he sends all the coaches and managers and physios, he sends them away to, they went to Portugal that year, actually, and they've done a few different ones.

33:00They went to Dubai a few years later. But he sends all them away as well, Which is class, isn't it, to be fair? And to see where they are now, obviously, championships are knocking on the door of the playoffs as well. It's just really...

33:10Chris Stark: So it's having influence at the start of that, you know, making... What was it? The penalty save. Yeah, that was it. Yeah, what... That was a mad game. What an incredible game. Yeah, it was. That must have been an incredible experience. Incredible, mate, yeah. Like, I saw them, like I said, a couple of weeks ago, and even then they straight come up and they're like, Fozzie, you don't understand that for us. Even where we are now in the championship, like that is still our favourite moment of Wrexham. The whole time we've taken over, that is still my favourite moment. We made a few videos of it actually, like proper slow-mo music, sad music.

33:40It's a lovely thing. It was, it was great to be fair. And it was on, I think it was on TNT Sports on the day actually. And at the same time or late that day, you had Arsenal versus God knows and Chelsea versus somebody. And I think the viewing figures for that Notts County Wrexham game was as much or if not even a little bit higher than for the Premier League games that day. that's just like bonkers it's national that's incredible do you think some of you the footballing sides here because that penalty save i've seen a number of times i always fancied you in penalties you had this thing you had this way of getting in people's heads and i'd be interested actually for you to talk through what you would do in saving a penalty that made it work for you just zap the pressure for that one it's funny right because i've got my gopro in my bottom right corner yeah so I'm thinking do you reckon he's going to try and like aim for the GoPro right so it was funny on the day because it was a really windy day horrible day and he puts the ball down the spot walks back and then the wind blows it off the spot oh he's fuming I'm thinking oh this is class so he's got to go and get the ball again put it on the spot again pressure's building like 96 minute or whatever and then I just sort of stood there and I thought you know what I've got to look at his run up a little bit because if I think as goalkeepers because we're pretty good at judging somebody's run.

34:54If you run wide, if you stand up wide, it means you can open your hips up a lot easier to put it in the far corner, right? Yeah, that's kind of, because it is, it's like you're not closed off, but he was too closed off. He was too sort of straight onto the ball. And when you're like that, you can only really either munt it or put it into the like near post, you know, like to my right basically. So I thought he's got to go to my right. He's either going down the middle or he's going to my right. And thankfully I guessed right. And it was, it was right in line with a GoPro as well to be fair. So yeah, he put it there.

35:22that's how that's how you do it sometimes it's good yeah it's good

35:26Chris Stark: what was your favourite time obviously playing that's such a high profile club at Man United Gaz is a Birmingham City fan he's a Blues fan you know the League Cup final would have been a nice surprise for you that would be that and that the Notts County penalty save and then probably my England debut they're probably just for I think probably just for like I've always enjoyed being like the underdog and playing and beating teams that are better than us or like for the Blues Cup final, for example, against Arsenal and Arsenal were favourites to win and we should be getting pumped really, to be fair.

35:59You know, Van Persie, Jack Wilshere, all them sort of boys. But to do that the way that we did it, last minute goal over Fermi Martins. Remember over Fermi Martins, by the way? He was a strange cat, he was, honestly. He was a strange cat. Was he? Yeah, he really was.

36:12Chris Stark: There's a status, Ned, that only, I think it's only him and Bobby Zamora have scored a right foot and a left foot penalty. That's right, mate. Imagine, can you imagine having it in you to go, I'm going to take it with the other foot. The other foot.

36:22Sids: Bobby said he had more power of his right foot, even though he was naturally left, he said he had more power of his right. It's weird, that, isn't it? That's weird, that. That's super weird, that. Yeah. What was he like over February Martinson? He didn't really say anything or do anything to be perfect, honestly. He would just...

36:37Chris Stark: Set it all in backflips. Well, yeah, he would arrive late every single day. He was always late. And he had... Always late. Do you remember, like, you'd be able to find a picture of it on the internet. Paris Hilton used to have this, like, Mercedes, I think it's called an SLR. The SLK was like the small two, but the SLR was the long version, like really expensive. It was like quarter of a mil. And like the grill was on the bonnet. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, really expensive it was, right? And he had one of these, yeah? And he had these mad custom... You'll have to find out what it was. Yeah, something like that, basically.

37:09And he had these chrome spinners for wheels. Oh, yeah, yeah. Remember the spinners? Spinners, yeah. Fuck me. But he was late every day, like every day. and he would just park in like the disabled bay next to the steps of the Birmingham. There he is, look. Yeah, there you go. There he is, look.

37:25Chris Stark: There's the spinners. There's the spinners, look. There you go, boom. What a man. What a man. What a, like, he looked like a live wire though. Like he looked like he was dangerous. He was. When he was at Newcastle. He was like, he was one of those who could like burn really bright and powerfully for about 10 minutes. He would fade into oblivion and gone. But it was perfect. So he came on in the cup final, didn't he? He scored his goal, his lovely little tap-in, and that's it. It's known as, every year, it's Urban Family Martins Day for the City fans. It's lovely. Look at him buzzing. He's so happy.

37:57He's so happy. He was a lovely lad, actually, to be fair. Do you know what was mad about Ziggy, right? We signed him for a lot of money, I think, in the summer. Six or eight mil or something like that. It'd be interesting to see if he's taller than you, perhaps.

38:11Chris Stark: I remember him coming over because it was like, he said he was the same height as me. He might have been even taller. He was unit, though, as well. No, he was thick and he was strong. But he had a horrible little snap in him, he did. He had a really filthy little snap in him. Yeah, and there were lads around the training ground who might try and take the piss out of him or something, and he would put it on them. Like, no, I'm a nice lad, but don't take the piss. And you were just like, yeah, all right, sound, sound. Jesus. But yeah, he was a lovely lad, so he signed for a lot of money. And I think at the time there were talks of him being on like 35, 40 a week or something like that, which was massive money for Birmingham City.

38:45and his contract basically said that every year he would get a pay increase of five grand regardless. He had no relegation cut in there. He had nothing, right? So playing in the Premier League on 35 or 40, we get relegated and he goes up to 45. They're still in the championship the next season, goes to 50, 55. And they were trying to get him out of the club. And I understand the club, right? They need to try and make savings. But I also understand it from Ziggy. Yeah, of course. Ziggy ain't ever going to get a move anywhere else and anywhere near that kind of wages. And he was like, no, I ain't going.

39:17Do you remember Jack Rodwell when he was at Sunderland? They were trying to get rid of him. He was like, nope. I ain't leaving. He hung in for a long time, didn't he?

39:25Chris Stark: Rodwell. Yeah. Fucking hell. So, you know, obviously the United situation, where were you when that call comes in and you go to United? I was at Stoke. I was at Stoke. I didn't realise you were at Stoke. Yeah, as a kid, I was at Stoke with Pulis, actually. But Pulis loved his older goalies, didn't he? He loved his old big boy goalies. So, who was in front of you there? Sorensen or someone? No, it was... Way before that. I had Neil Cutler, I had Steve Simonson as well. Marcus Simonson. Yeah, Simo, yeah. He was record English transfer fee for a goalkeeper at one point, Steve Simonson was, when he went to Everton from Tranmere.

39:58Lovely lad, though, to be fair, proper like Northern. But, yeah, anyway, so anyway, I was with Pulis at Stoke, and then I went on loan to Wrexham. It was the first time I went to Wrexham. Did really well there. And then it was in the summer. They got sort of wind that United were going to come and make a bid for me, which was mad, honestly. I'd played like 20 League One games in my whole career. And then Man United were going to come and have a little bid for me. And I was playing darts in the changing room one day with a lad called Kyle Henry. Do you remember him? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wolves and stuff.

40:28Great lad, massive gambler. Great lad though, yeah. He was.

40:32Chris Stark: I got in the under-18s and I remember him with the cards. Anything. Anything. Cards, darts, snooker, golf, anything. He'd make a bet out of anything. it was unreal and it was blind betting as well he was rubbish at a lot of it honestly but he would still like nah that three car brag I've been on 18 naughty isn't it so we were playing darts and he was a few hundred quid I think he was 600 quid down to me at darts right just in the changing room and Andy Wilkinson comes walking in he's gone Fuzzy man United made a bid for you and I had already known this for like a few days or whatever but I was trying to keep it quiet I hadn't told anybody or anything and I was like looked at him I probably went bright red and I was like Kyle's just like looked at me and gone if you go Man United will you let me off the money and I was like what are you

41:22not like well done not like buzzing for you will you let me off the money and I was just sort of like yeah right sound sound like sound and then yeah a few days later it gets done and yeah it was mad mate honestly going up to Carrington and this is like United obviously in their pomp as well this is like Ronaldo and Rooney and Scolzi Giggs Ferdinand Vidic like Edwin Van der Sar and oh mate it was mad what's that like

41:45Chris Stark: first I mean do you meet Sir Alex like the aura around that and the players around it's a Sunday morning Crouchy right it's a Sunday morning and everyone's got the day off right talk about busy players right there was there was one player in the whole training ground it's a day off Gary Neville Gary Neville he's walked us into the gym and Sir Alex Ferguson obviously meets you at the door takes you around the place like unbelievable because I'm like nobody goalkeeper do you know what I mean he signed me for a million quid I'm a nobody you've got all the best players in the world there. And yet he's still in on a Sunday, meets me, shows me around, walks me through the gym and Gaz Neville's just on the treadmill, just gunning it.

42:18And he was like, Gaz, it's Ben. I was just like, you're right. And he was just like, yeah, bothered. Like, carried on with his run. Shows you around the training ground, mate, unreal. And then, yeah, signed, I think three or four year deal. But he was like, listen, you're going out on loan. You go straight out on loan. You ain't got to worry about trying to fight for your place or anything like that. We just signed Edwin Van Dasaar. He's unreal. And he was Edwin was the boy, by the way. yeah but straight out on loan to Watford the first time we got promoted in that first championship season so then I spent another season on loan with Watford in the Premier League and that was it, it was kind of like the start of my career from there Is that what you want to hear then as a player?

42:50I suppose at that point in your career that you are going out on loan but with a bit of confidence that you're going to come back, right? I just wanted to play, I just finished playing for Wrexham where it was my first taste of being a first choice goalkeeper so all I wanted to do was just go play first team football and not only that, I was nowhere near ready to play for Man United first team football. There's a big difference. You're kind of half buzzing that they've gone, go out and earn your stripes

43:12Sids: and then you've grown up. Man United tag, but you come back when you're ready. Just grow up for two years. So did that, went out on loan, got back and then had some bad knee injuries, did my ACL a couple of times while I was there and it never really worked out. But even when I, to be fair, even when I did have chances at Man United to play, I remember I started the season once because Edwin, in the final pre-season game before the season started, we were playing away at Bayern Munich and he saved the penalty, but broke his hand, saving the penalty. It was mad, honestly. So we had to have a plate in his hand.

43:40But then anyway, that meant I was going to start the season. Started the season, I actually started pretty well, to be fair. Played the first half a dozen games or so. And then I made a mistake and then that was it. I'd never been in that world where I'd made a mistake before. Oh my God. And especially at Man United at that time. Best team in the world. That season we won the Premier League, but they're the best team in the world. So like the spotlight, the spotlight, oh mate, it was bonkers. Horrible it was.

44:02Sids: What was it like in training in terms of like, because you've got a calibre of players there, like shooting sessions and stuff. It must be like...

44:10Chris Stark: You're dealing with Ronaldo knuckleball. You know, one of those like the Portsmouth goal. Finger breakers. Yeah, yeah. Do you remember that Portsmouth one? That Portsmouth one's outrageous. David James just stood there and gave it a little ripple. That was an unbelievable free kick. But like, you know, how are you dealing with that? Listen, there's some good finishes in that. Truly. Everything about every single training session was like the best training session you'll ever see in your life because everybody, like when you've got players like your Gary Neville's and your Scolze's Nicky Butts around and everybody that's grown up through the club they take everything so seriously that was just what they were the reason why they came through was because they were all just so intense and they drive the sessions as well drive drive drive I remember going to England and Rio and Rooney and stuff and we were still arguing about things that had happened in training you know and refereeing decisions in training I remember them arguing about it like they were saying it was so intense some of the tackles and on a Friday before a game everything was the same Every day was the same, regardless.

45:04You'd always finish every training, with a little bit of a six-a-side and stuff like that. Towards the end, I was getting nervous during training, because I know the six-a-sides are coming, right? Because I know... If you throw one in or something like that... If I'm on the Mania Vidic's team, right, and I throw one in, honestly, I'm petrified. He would do the death stare of death stares. He would turn around, and I'm just thinking, I need to get out. If I can't deal training, yeah? I can't deal with training. I ain't going to be able to do it in the Premier League on a Saturday afternoon, all right?

45:37It was honest. But we'd go away with England and the standard was lower. The standard was lower with England than what it was with Man Utd because it was every day just relentless.

45:45Chris Stark: Yeah, relentless. Yeah, I've heard the boys talking about it, to be fair. It was phenomenal. But that's the same at any big club, you know, like the Stevie Devstare would be the same as the Vidic Devstare at Liverpool. Do you think there's one every club? Yeah. It has to be. A top level, yeah. You know, I'm sure a JT at Chelsea would be the same. But you need it, though. Yeah. You've got to have something about you, right, to be that person, though, as well. You've got to have this... You have to have something in your personality that you don't give a shit what people say about you because you're going to put people's noses out of place, aren't you?

46:16Chris Stark: Yeah, but I think that's, you know, in any walk of life, a leader has to not care about people's feelings. I'm leading. It's a bigger picture. Troy was like that at Watford. It's not about what you think of me. Troy at Watford, honestly, mate, some of the things he used to do, I just watch him and think, you can't say that nowadays like we don't live in that world anymore as long as you say it and it's constructive

46:34Sids: then it's yeah however the way you say it then fine but as long as like you're not digging someone out just for the sake of it yeah I know there's also

46:41Chris Stark: I think you've got to be a type of character to react to that as well you know what I mean like you come over and yeah you go right I'm feeling a bit nervous here but I'm going to fucking show them do you know what I mean whereas you could go like oh don't fancy this it filters it out doesn't it it filters the ones that are built for it and made for it and will probably go on yeah and the same thing is when like I remember Rio saying about Old Trafford right there's only certain people that can deal with give me the ball you know I can show you some people are like whoa this is too big you know what it's like you see so many players who like give it the big theatrics and they've always got their arms out in the air but they're sort of hid just behind a player or just a little bit too close to the player where you can't really give it to them but you know for a fact they could be there and they could receive it but they don't want it and you just think I see three Do you, mate?

47:28You do.

47:28Chris Stark: It's amazing how you can tell those players, right?

47:31Sids: Yeah, 100%. Just move literally another half a yard and you get the ball. And then the ball goes up and they go, oh. I was on, I was on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But how good is it when, because we've all had it, obviously, when I was at Chelsea, United and Liverpool, when you come in some days and then you just take your boots off and you look at each other and you go, that was good, that. Proper. No, it was just like, man, you go, we're a proper outfit. When we do this, like, we're untouchable. Autopilot, mate. when you're in that autopilot mode where you're sharp and like, to be fair, I used to get a run away with England and that as well.

48:00Like our goalie coach was, our little goalie unit, like Joe Alfred, like everybody was on it, like proper on it. And Dave Watson would just drill balls at us and he would, like his bar was so high. You're like, details, details, details. And we'd come away from training and we'd all just be like, that was awesome. You know what?

48:14Chris Stark: I used to watch you guys sometimes. Like, I think it was probably that, like David, Rob Green, Harp, Forster, yourself. the amount of work you used to get through in training was unreal and then you'd come back over and like we might want a finishing session or something like that and you'd come over for that as well you boys just look like shattered after it to be fair with England we were because he would work us hard and some goalies don't some goalies just focus on the details and it's catching and clean and being nice and all of those little bits but what I would work is really really hard to the point where we were drained sort of like physically but then we'd have to go and join in with you guys and still be right on the top of our game because if we're letting goals like Roy Hodgson would walk behind a goal and as soon as somebody kicked it, save it.

48:54He was just saying, save it. And it's gone into the top corner. I'm thinking, yeah, I'm trying. I'm trying, bro. Honestly, mate. But I did. I absolutely loved going away with him. Like, Harty was a different cat and completely, like, he had energy to burn 24-7. So, like, he would be the best goalie in the shooting sessions, diving around, springing around, Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. And then afterwards as well, be wanting to do other stuff as well. Do you know what I mean? Just mad he was.

49:18Chris Stark: Mad to watch. That must have, I mean, did that improve you? because I was involved in the finishing sessions. So I've seen Rooney, Lampard, Beckham, all these players finishing, you know, Jermaine Defoe. I mean, that level of finishing, right, that must have improved you. Yeah, it was class, yeah. You mentioned Jermaine Defoe there. What a finisher. What a finisher. And I know a lot of people say it, and it's like easy to say, isn't it, Jermaine Defoe. He's a bit like Harry Kane, where they could shoot from anywhere in a second's notice. It's a split second even. No back lift. No back lift, right?

49:49and they can still generate so much power with no baton. I don't know how he does it.

49:53Chris Stark: Don't know how he does it. Fast twitch fibres must be just out, off the sky. You know what I mean? Ridiculous. It is what, sorry? Fast twitch fibres. Fast twitch fibres. That's what it is. I've got a clue either, Chris.

50:08Chris Stark: He's got long twitch fibres, he has. Long twitch fibres. Unreal. They were the ones where... Small-sided games made a foe. Stevie G in small-sided games. Oh, my God. Like, just next level. Like, so clever with it as well. I remember, like, Stevie G, we were doing a six-a-side. And you know when you have the floaters on the outside, right? He was on one side of the goal, and then somebody else was on the other one. And as a goalie, right, I would, if somebody played one into Stevie G, who's a floater on the outside of the goal, I would automatically reposition my body to look at what he's going to be playing back in.

50:42Because most of the time, he's playing it back into a crowd of players to go one-touch finish, bang, goal. So I would almost cheat a little bit and start moving across my goal to try and stop that player from scoring there. Mate, he saw that I did it a couple of times. Mate, he just whipped it in. Ripped it in. Mate, he would just whip it in. And I was like, you twat. So he'd see, do you mean just from his experience of that in training? Or he would see me for about 30 seconds before that do it and go, right, if you do that again, I'm just going to whip it in the goal. And he would do it because he could.

51:10That's mad, isn't it? He's unreal, mate, honestly. Just the reading of it. He was unreal, yeah. He was, he was classy.

51:15Chris Stark: Quick. How did you find your England career? Was it a big, the major tournament was 2014 you went to? Yeah, Brazil. Did you not go to 2010? In 2012 we didn't. Which was 2010? Which one was that? 2010's South Africa. No, I didn't. No, I think I might have had maybe injuries or something like that. I think Roy took over for 2012 Russia, didn't he? And I was actually with Roy at West Brom at the time, and he got the job off the back of that season. And he asked me to go, but I was like, you know what, I feel, because I had retired from Capello era. Right, yeah. So when Capello was there, like, as a manager, I just didn't enjoy it.

51:47in fact it was rubbish it was it was rubbish because he was so strict and he had no people skills to be able to just be nice to you just the ability to actually be nice to you he just didn't have it and I just thought you know what it's not for me what's the point if you're not going to enjoy it so I retired and then Roy took over and then I came back out of retirement for Roy went out to Brazil and Brazil was like it just didn't work for us but in fairness like I'll always back Roy we did everything properly everything was looked after properly it's just that we came up against Italy in the first game and then Uruguay Luis Suarez in the second game and that was it.

52:17Before you know it, tournament's done, you're out.

52:19Chris Stark: What do you make of the England squad now? Do you think they've got a chance at the World Cup in America this year? And what do you make of Jordan Pitford? Is he the main man? Is he number one? He's the main man, mate. He's brilliant, I think. It's really interesting with goalkeepers where I think it's probably, for me, Dean Henderson is probably technically a better goalkeeper, if that makes sense. But who I want as my England goalkeeper is Jordan Pitford every day of the week. Because no matter how good you are technically, it's about how much how good you are in your head. And Jordan Pickford for England, in his head, is way better than everyone else.

52:52And the most important part, it's probably the most important part for outfield players, but when you're playing for England in a major tournament, Jordan Pickford is just... So just to go into detail,

52:59Sids: because a lot of people are listening and watching, they won't understand it. It'll be like, how can you be good for England but not as good for your club? Or why is it a different side? So I've played with plenty of goalkeepers, seen loads of goalkeepers who are probably physically better, stronger, quicker, better reactions, better hands can spring further. But the mental part of it is, it's more important because you have to, one, be able to deal with it all, not panic. You have to be able to smell stuff as well. You have to have a bit of nous about it. Yeah, where if somebody's shooting, right, if you're taking a shot at me, right, I can tell you fairly certainly what you're trying to do with it by looking at your body and your physiology, where your head is, where your eyes are, body position, body shape.

53:44Have you just looked up before? or, you know, as you're about to strike it, you might take a quick look up at me. That tells me, you know where I am in the goal, so you know where the spaces are as well, right? Whereas if you're just head down, you haven't even looked at me in the last, like, 10 seconds, I know you're just munting it, yeah? Because you don't know where the goal is, right? So you're munting it, yeah? It's head down and you're welling it, so I will try and take an optimal position. Because I know you're not going to be able to curl it round the side. It's fairly surely going to come somewhere in that central region there.

54:10And a lot of goalkeepers just don't have that little bit of nous, yeah? Alisson the best in the world for having nails Manuel Neuer back in the day had that nails better than anyone else Gigi Buffon oh my god could smell stuff right smell it before honestly like psychology of goalkeepers on real they would just be watching you watching your eyes little like he's looked at me and now he's trying to double bluff me if that makes sense the clever players look at you pretend they haven't they know you have and I know they have and now he's going right he knows that I see the space over there so he assumes I'm going to cover that space so they'll put it in the near post.

54:46Geniuses, mate. Geniuses.

54:48Chris Stark: Guys, great hearing the technical terms for it, isn't it? Brilliant. We've got some fan questions that they've wrote in and want to ask you, and I'm going to nick one of those. I'll quote him after. But he says, if there's one goalkeeper you can have, past or present, to save a penalty to save your life, who... Mate, I'm picking Gigi Donnarumma. I swear, I'll pick a big goalie. I think a big goalie gets in people's heads much more than a slightly smaller or shorter version. Big, wide, big bit of aura about them in the Euro final 2021, whichever one it was, you know what I mean, against Italy in the final.

55:25I just knew, I just knew they were going to win it because it's big Gigi Donnarumma. And it must be really imposing for you guys walking up there, you've got to walk from the halfway line. I'd hate to do it, you know, I would, I'd hate to do it. Walking up there with a ball in your hand, you know there's billions of people watching that. It's horrible, isn't it? Yeah. Have you never had to take a penalty? I was going to say that. I've taken one in pre-season once for United. For United, I've hit the crossbar as well. I've got to be battered by Alex Ferguson. Me and Chris Eagles missed and he went mad.

55:54It's Orlando Paris, I think it was. It's fuming. But yeah, I'd hate to be you guys doing that. It's so easy for the goalkeepers. It is.

56:02Chris Stark: I think it's a nice position for the goalkeeper to me. And it's like, you know, my mum and Abby, for instance, they both like, oh, I must be so bad for the goalkeeper. I'm like, no. It's worse for the player. It's much worse. Gigi is so big and he's actually got quite good feet as well. Quick feet, gets his little steps in. So if he goes the right way, you better have put it high because he's going to save it. And that's the difference between a smaller goalie who might have probably even quicker feet. They're still not going to get there. They just haven't got the reach, the wingspan to be able to get it.

56:31Whereas Gigi's just six foot seven, mate.

56:34Chris Stark: Right, I'm going to get into so many fan questions if you don't mind. Elle Styles was the person who I nicked the question off. So shout out to Stylesy. Reid Whiteman says which away fans behind the goal did you have the best banter with best away fans I'll tell you the worst away fans are Everton fans mate they're horrible they are horrible they're rotters seriously like in a good way like they can get like that I said it on I think I said it on Twitter or Instagram a few years ago like when they were struggling and like on the border of getting and I said honestly they can either be the best fans or the worst fans because they were going through a period where they were turning on the players so quickly we went away there beating 5-3 and we weren't doing great shakes at one for the time but we beat them 5-3 but it was amazing how quickly the fans turned on them and like alright it must be where Spurs are now yeah I watched the game you know you did the other night against Palace you and Joe Cole were doing it right and as soon as the game kicked off somebody did one bad pass or something and I could hear the crowd right and I guarantee every one of them players is just going oh my god get me out of here this is miserable and I knew what was going to come from there on is it one of them ones

57:36Sids: where let's say they're giving you a bit of stick like friendly band a bit of stick so when the half time comes obviously go like you get your gloves or your water bottle is it whenever you turn around give me a little clap and they give you like a little mutual clap back to say like we give you a bit there that's it give us a bit you can't snap you can't snap right you can't like because then they've got you they've done you like they have you've got to have a bit of anter and i found as i got older in my career i found better i got better at um sort of work in that situation a little bit like so they'll be like england's number four or whatever and you'll be turning around going oh it's 10 it's 10 and they'll be like yeah i love that but then it almost gets you on their side a little bit.

58:11Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you've got to be clever with it because if you snap... I always thought you marked your territory quite well. You were one of those goalies that would proper kick the goalposts before the game. You know where you can hear it from the back of the stand? It's like digging away. Yeah, it was like pissing on you. You might have pissed on the penalty spot or something. It's my land. Both sides, both posts. Yeah. Cheers, man.

58:34Chris Stark: Right, a witness soldier said what's the worst thing a player said to you to put you off a penno? do you know those mind games have you ever got in someone's head big time and you know i'm in his head have you ever like said something to someone i don't think it's ever worked but i used to try a little bit um do you know what stopped me doing it actually was um uh it was in the world court 2014 actually do you remember when joe was doing he was going to all the players and then perlo just sort of dink one down the middle and just sort of walked off going like and i was like is that the ultimate disrespect to penneka this is word be actually another another I have a question.

59:08Chris Stark: I'm just stealing questions. If you did it, do you know when you do penalties after training, right? If somebody did a Penenka, I'm in. I'm done. I'm going. I'm going to get the ball. First of all, I'll get the ball, try and chase after him. Do you remember keepers used to do that all the time? Boot it. Do you know this? So like, if you did a Penenka and it worked or, or even if it didn't work, right, they'd get the ball and they'd just boot it as far as they can and go in. They used to really like fire on it.

59:30Sids: Oh, the head would fall off and then they'd do it. yeah you wouldn't fucking do it in a game though would you yeah

59:38so this was just industry standard any club any goalie Penenka situation mate it's a massive massive disrespect as well because if I'm staying behind training right to do horrible shitty penalty practice right it's like at least just give it everything you've got and try and find corners but to try and make me look like a mug because when they do it yeah if they were to just do it and go yeah I'm sorry I'm just trying to practice something I'd be like oh like that's nice like fair do but they're dickheads with it mate they do it and then they turn to all the boys and they go do you see that do you see what I did do you see what I did that's what gets in your head I promise you horrible you wouldn't know

1:00:13Sids: proper head loss it seems like you're over it to be fair yeah I know let that one go didn't I no I tried to get in like I think when I was younger I might have tried to say a bit to players but at the end of the day most players have like a set routine of where they're going they very rarely do they change their mind anymore they have a practice where they're going and they're sticking to it. It's as simple as that, yeah.

1:00:34Chris Stark: All right, ProSimGolf says, are you any good at golf? Yeah, you're handy.

1:00:38Sids: I'll see you with the BMW, no? I went for a thing, didn't we? Yeah, BMW. I'm all right. I'm all right. I'll be like most people, to be fair. Like, I don't know. You can play to sort of like 7, 8, or then like another day, it could be 15, 16. It's hit and miss, really. But I think the weather's been so bad lately. I played once last week, and that was it. First time I played in probably six weeks or eight weeks or something like that. It is classic golf.

1:00:58Chris Stark: Okay, I'll finish on this one, right, JJ, but I've got to just quickly ask two questions. I've got to ask JJ Barlow's one. I'm going to, if there's anything, the game's gone for you. JJ Barlow says, would you rather never be able to watch football again or never cycle again? I'd have to just not watch football. Really? Yeah, I'd just have to not watch football. Cycling pervert. I love it, mate. I don't care. Yeah, it is. I love it, though, because I feel I'm never happier. I'm never happier than when I'm on my bike. Like I said, we've just come back from New Yorker. We were in Calpe, like, last week as well.

1:01:27So we've had three days out in Calpe, got back for two days, and we're out in Mallorca for four days. And it's just heaven. It is. I'm never happier. Never had a burn load of calories, get back, and then you can eat what you want, drink what you want. It's just, it's heaven.

1:01:38Chris Stark: Yeah, fair play. Okay, is there anything that's pissing you off in today's game? Yeah, I've got one. You have got one. I've got one, yeah. You did brief me just beforehand about, and I totally concur on what you're about to say. It's going in, it's going on. It's a big sort of pet peeve of mine. like as a goalie right you'll sometimes make massive big saves and even sometimes you'll like surprise yourself you're like geez I did not think I'm saving that right but they're the sweet ones right but you have to you have to just hold it in because very rarely as a goalie do you get to make a save and then be able to lose your shit and celebrate because you know you've got the game there's a corner to come there's a summer house to come but recently I'm seeing a lot of goalkeepers making saves and then celebrating the save right Jordan Pitford did it the other day did you see what he said afterwards Vamos I did see that I did see that Yeah you're right Hold on a minute I did see that Hold on a minute

1:02:32Sids: Is there a clip of this? Yeah you're buying a clip of it It's Vamos You see it behind the goal You can hear it Yeah I've seen that It's horrible Yeah Horrible Vamos And I'm like nah Come on mate I'm flabbergasted It was an unreal save it was But just like Get up like quiet Like be nice and subtle with it And just like play it Like corner lads Come on let's go but no, vamos.

1:02:53Chris Stark: That's like Brendan Rodgers swearing in Portuguese. Yeah, same vibe. So yeah, for me, it's goalkeepers celebrating a save, yeah? It's going straight up. It's society, mate. It's the way that the world works nowadays. It's just like the bar is just lowering. It's like cesspit nowadays. It's horrible. I don't like it. Would you just sign that for us, mate? Yeah, 100. Whilst you're doing that, what phone network are you on? yeah that is true do you know what the most important question we've left for last I can't believe it what phone network are you on I'm EE EE yeah it's premium isn't it it's solid you've been there a while haven't you yeah I've been on EE for a while he's on the bike

1:03:36Sids: and he's in the tall mountains he needs solid networks he's do he's reliable really reliable yeah I suppose

1:03:42Chris Stark: GPS and everything isn't it yeah on the bike hot spots the lot yeah right then listen ledge mate so we were catching you on the Foxcast you've still got the cycling GK Stump class mate brilliant great to have you really appreciate it loved it love

1:03:57Sids: thank you right well that was

1:04:04Chris Stark: Ben Foster long time coming that I genuinely thought that you know we should have had him on way before this really but he was he was fantastic great insight great talker enjoyed his company we're obviously doing this remotely now I love the fact I mean you won't believe what's gone on as a listener to get to this point now where you can actually hear all three of us um sid do you want to explain where you are well i'm currently at the service

1:04:33Sids: station on the a1 i think it's on the a1 lads um i've done a training day uh with tnt croucher you've done them before i was up at leeds earlier on the training ground great day um and i'm on the way back now and I've just got to a service station I've got a nice quiet corner and in Costa Coffee and the fella that runs it he's like coming out and hoovering the sofas next to me and I was like mate you've got to stop this I said I'm doing a podcast and I think he recognized me and he knew what podcast I was talking about and he's he's he's fucked off he's good to be it's quiet fair

1:05:10Chris Stark: play to him I love the moment must have been the only time he's ever had someone recording a podcast Not only a podcast, this is an award-winning podcast. This is a top sports podcast globally. One's in a service station. Chris, where are you? Well, you are right, Crouchy. It's taken us 40 minutes to record what is going to be about five minutes of a podcast here so far because of various signal issues. So what I've done is I'm meant to be with my kid who's playing football down the road, but I've now abandoned them to come to a local paddle club and hopped on their Wi-Fi. So I'm currently at Maidenhead Paddle Club just to piggyback on the Wi-Fi so we can record this bit of the podcast.

1:05:55Chris Stark: I just love the fact that this is, you know, this is a top-level broadcast.

1:06:05Chris Stark: Unbelievable. You know, on the previous record, Chris, that we lost when you had to then abandon your child and move to Maitenhead Padel Club. You said something really interesting about the A1. Yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm going to have to say it slightly quieter for obvious reasons that will become apparent. But yeah, it didn't surprise me to hear that Ciddy was on the A1 just because in my mind, the A1 is the horniest of all the roads. I can't explain it. Like I travel a lot on motorways because I DJ, you know, sort of around the UK. So most Fridays or Saturdays I'm out and about. And for reasons I've never really understood, there's like a really, there's a really sort of disproportionately large amount of adult stores when you drive down the A1.

1:06:57It doesn't really happen with any other sort of major road. But you have a load of kind of restaurants and hotels, but you also have sort of a bizarre amount of sections. And I kind of think it's... Is the audience there? You know, are that many people sort of travelling and driving and sort of needing to go? But maybe they are.

1:07:20Chris Stark: Well, it appears so. I mean, Sid's was doing a training day at Watford and he's ended up in Leeds, so... LAUGHTER He's on the A1. He's on the A1.

1:07:32Sids: I was going to say, just over my right shoulder, sorry, Costa's getting quite busy now. Just over our right shoulder, there is a Holiday Inn and there is a few pumpkin, not pumpkins, pineapples in a few windows. So I think you might be right, Chris. This could be a good football in a way day, maybe for a few fans, I don't know. Yeah, unless I've got it wrong, but I just don't think I have. It's just really odd. You don't really get it on any other road. But, you know, we're always looking for new ways to pass the pod and perhaps if they're listening, they'd like to get involved and sort of promote the podcast on the way why not yeah um and also sidz i would have just thought knowing where you live it would have been quicker to go via the m1 but obviously you prefer the scenic route there by the uh by the one but that's that's fine yeah i liked the a1 steve sidroff it used to be because the other thing that used to get on the a1 a lot was i don't think they exist anymore but again i don't want to get it wrong but do you remember little chef love a little chef yes with the curly sausage yeah yeah where's that gone where's that gone well game's gone little chef's gone oh crouching you would be the perfect if they brought back the little chef but you were the face of little chef you know like big man little chef it would be can't we bring

1:08:53Chris Stark: a vat like the long chef the long chef oh mate mate Let's bring them back to service stations. It's a long show. Let's have a look, because I don't know if Little Chef, I don't know what the story is there, what's happened, but it would be a great brand to bring back, wouldn't it? Nostalgic. Yeah, yeah. Anyway, predictions, right? This league's caused me major problems, not going to lie. Well, yeah, the Minister of Mayhem got involved, and he's completely... The Chaos cards have caused absolute carnage. Sid's got 10 points by the way he got the three points plus the six point bonus which put him on five point bonus wasn't it for the goal so it's a total of six points then he got you know the correct he got the draw in the Spurs-Brighton game then got another correct score in the Newcastle-Borneau game which has put a massive you know that is cat amongst pigeons again and then you know it's put him on 73 points are uncatchable for me at 65 and Chris you're on 54.

1:10:01Yeah. I think I'm done personally. I can't see a way back for me at the moment. I really can't. And yeah, I sort of feel sort of in line, you know how Arsenal fans have kind of come away and gone, no, no, no, it's still possible. And in many ways it still is, but I don't know. I can't help but feel I'm watching you two drinking bottles of my tears already.

1:10:24Chris Stark: Well, you know, Jamie, Jamie obviously tries to he mutes himself he's an Arsenal fan and he doesn't put his face on just when you mentioned Arsenal bottling it there he's come on and done a done a horrible gesture but it does look like that's the case I want to say the game's back as well for you know for that game I really enjoyed that game of football also I enjoyed the battle between Harlan and Gabriel and I wanted to give the ref a little shout out for the bookings he gave up when I think he quite clearly could have sent off Gabriel that battle was you know such a great battle like two warriors going at it I really enjoyed watching it and I would have been ashamed to see them get sent off for something like that like they both squared up didn't hurt Haaland you know he's not even he's not even flinched does he let's just crack on with the game so I want to say you know potentially is the game back slightly just for that moment yeah

1:11:20Sids: I totally agree it was like it was like Vieira and Yapstam, wasn't it, back in the old days? So, yeah, but I'm, yeah, I mean, just to go back on the league, I'm cruising. I don't want to say I'm on the beach, but I think I might just book up another couple of days away. You said cruising down the A1 there.

1:11:39Chris Stark: I think I've deserved it. No, you have deserved it. This next part of the podcast, supported by Paddy Power, is the big weekend fixture. Arsenal versus Newcastle. Arsenal favourites, they're 1-2. Draws priced at 7-2. Newcastle win is 9-2 10 against you 55 quid but before we get into that lads Paddy Powers at Ministry of Mission has sent in another letter shall we have a look at this it says hi Crouchy Chris Notorious SID, well that escalated quickly seems the chaos cards are making quite a stir, first of all congratulations Sid for scooping up the 5 point bonus funny to think how panicked you look when the cards were introduced only to further extend your lead Crouchy, respectable effort, but let's be honest, you'll need a bit more than respectable if you get a reel in SIDS before the season's out.

1:12:31Chris Stark: And Chris, oh, Chris, scumbagging your way to within a minute of Crouchy on the golden goal. Shameless behaviour, but I respect it. Alas, it hasn't paid off. We don't panic just yet. We're five weeks of the season left, which means five more chaos cards to come. So that brings us on nicely to this week's card, and one's a little bit more democratic. I call it ask the audience that's right no tactics no gut instinct no last minute bottle jobs one of your beloved Instagram followers will be making the pics for you random selection their predictions are your predictions silly pull up the DMs and choose your fighter if they deliver you'll bag yourself a tidy five points if not we'll take it up with them best of luck lads the party power minister of mischief P.S.

1:13:17Chris Stark: Chris try not to overthink it this time it's giving you a bit of grief

1:13:21Sids: Oh, he's coming for you, Chris.

1:13:25Chris Stark: Right, we've got the CrouchPod bet builder. We each pick a leg of the CrouchPod bet builder and it gets put on the Paddy Power website or app and it's boosted by 20%. I'm going to go to score first for Arsenal, Victor Jokeres. I'm going to go player to be carded. I'm going to go Tenali. Yeah, unfortunately, SIDS has vanished. Again, a shambolic ship we're running. I'm going to go player with two or more shots on target, Harvey Barnes. The odds are correct at the time of recording. Please go and responsibly. No idea where Sid's gone. Yeah, and the problem is, Crouchy, I've got to pick up my kid in the next four or five minutes.

1:14:05So what I might have to do...

1:14:08Chris Stark: I love these remote records. I absolutely love it. So you're just going to leave me to... I think so. You might have to desline him it. you might have to go alone and just read out the predictions. I can text them over to you and you can just read them out. You know, like for the classifieds. This is bullshit. Okay, Chris can go. I reckon we can just... I'll just read this out like a video printer. Okay, so we've all got the predictions. There's bonus points at stake. I'm going to screen grab a DM from someone who sent over their predictions and I'll fire it over to you now, Crouchy, all right?

1:14:48Chris Stark: Perfect, yeah, fire it over. All right, mate. Well, as you can see, guys, absolutely shambolic scenes. I mean, you know, Chris has just got off. I get it, you know, he's got to pick up his daughter. Sid's is... Well, apparently, in the adult shops down the M1. But all good. I'm due by Des. I'll carry this on my own. OK, well, Sid's has gone with Charlie Newman. It says, Hello Dubai Dez, one born just since. He's a one club man with EE. Arsenal two, Newcastle United, nil. Liverpool two, Crystal Palace, one. Wolverhampton Wanderers, nil. Tottenham Hotspur, one. Regards to your families. Chris has gone for Lee Norman Jones, a lovely double-barreled name.

1:15:40Chris Stark: He's gone for Arsenal two, Newcastle United 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Liverpool 2 Crystal Palace 1 And for me personally, I've gone for Kyle Stenhouse 95 Who's gone with Arsenal 1 Newcastle United 0 Liverpool 1 Crystal Palace 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2 That concludes your games for today. Thank you.