Joel Ward: The Untold Story Behind Palace’s FA Cup Win & What Really Happens When You're Released

0:00Hello and welcome to That Peter Crouch Podcast with me Peter Crouch. We are remote this time lads. I'm here obviously with Chris Stark and the Notorious SID. How are we, lads? Very, very good. Yes. How are you, Sid? I'm really, really well. I've had a great weekend. We'll come on to the results and the scores, which has got me back in the game. And yeah, I had a good weekend. I had a bit of a tiring one, actually. I had a charity night on Friday. Justin Rose and Niall Horan's charity night. Oh, you were there. I was there. Jessie J how good is she singing by the way really blew me away honestly first song she had everyone in that whole room like there it was incredible they raised over a million quid as well great for cancer research really really good night really good night I enjoyed it wow these are the circles you're moving in now Sid well I mean I was fortunate enough to get an invite I mean during the auction I sat with my hands under my bum.

1:07So I didn't dare cough or sneeze because there was some outrageous bids going in. Outrageous. Yeah, notorious. I'm not doubting that you should be there, but where's this invite come from? Because, yeah, I definitely wasn't invited. Not that I would expect that, but yeah, these are mad circles you're moving in at the moment. Well, I'm just trying to keep up with you two. I really am because, you know, One's just sitting away and enjoying themselves. And the other, you, Chris, you're just always a man of mystery. So anyway, enough of me. Crouchy, you're alive. How was your weekend? Yeah, yeah, it was quite a lively one, mate.

1:50I had a little trip to Ibiza. Obviously, it was the international break. Coincided with some closing parties in Ibiza. So I thought I'd venture over there, have a little frappuccino. and um absolutely love this by the way love that you're doing the closing parties in ibiza this is how to do it there's there's an old school crouchy that's coming out at the moment it's it's a very playful one i love it so out in ibiza closing parties now my my scouts on the ground report back that the weather was not ideal this weekend yeah difficult weather wise um but uh it kind of makes you feel less guilty about lying in after a big one and that's exactly what I did so it's like you know you look out and you think oh I should go back to bed so that obviously made things slightly heavier on the old drink in front I've actually got a McDonald's just in front of me here now and I'm just kind of in recovery mode really but you know we go again next week it's it was international break and if you can't let your head down into Ash to break in when can you absolutely absolutely so uh it was good did you get to any of the closing parties or what was it or yacht based what what was going on well yeah we had we had to sort a boat out but the weather wasn't great so we had to kind of pile that one uh I ended up in in Pasha um you know I had another big one uh one night and then I I also So everyone went to Universe, but I'm going to throw her under the bus.

3:26Ab blew out.

3:30I'm going to blame her. And yeah, I ended up not going. And the boys had an absolute crack. I said it was an unbelievable place. Yeah, but I didn't get to sample it. She didn't fancy it or was it just sort of exhaustion from a weekend apart? I don't think she was feeling very well. Yeah. But she must have had a dirty glass or something. well look to be fair Crouchy it's kind of the theme of the weekend because obviously San Marino the national team had a bit of a shocker as well yeah awful really you know we were kicking off it was worse every five minutes it felt like we were kicking off I have to say Abby you know no issues whatsoever she didn't kick off at all she was very well behaved but San Marino on the other hand you know non-stop kicking off mate i hate to say it i think i'd be the same as abby now like i can't do you wait let well let's let me work this out you were there friday till the time recording this podcast so friday night saturday night sunday i can't i can't do that that much i can i struggle with that well i'll be honest with you it's one of those where like i'm like look it was i think we should go everyone else is going she said there's absolutely no way and it was one of those where I was like, I can do that.

4:53I'm all right with that. Because three in a row now at this age is a bit heavy. Sounds like you needed a little pep talk from the Notorious. You should have got on the phone and left a voice note. That would give you a pick-me-up fight. No, I should have just passed the FaceTime Abbey to Sid and just let him do his magic. We'd have been in the universe, no doubt. Well, look, big respect for getting straight back to the UK and then jumping straight on this podcast, which is why we're remote. Most of the podcast that you're going to hear today is with the brilliant Joel Ward and a chat that we had with him a few days ago.

5:30But obviously we just wanted to jump on as close to when this podcast comes out on a Wednesday as possible so we can get our scores up to date because this league has switched up something unbelievable. This has been a big weekend, this international break in terms of our mini league. this is the it's one of the best leagues in the world if not the best league in the world the turnaround's been phenomenal I got two points Chris you got one you were obviously our leader and Sid's stormed into the lead with five points over the weekend that put Sid's top on 17 Chris second on 16 and Pete or Crouchy if you will bottom with 15 points unbelievable scenes the ginger cat is well and truly in amongst the pigeons now on fire on fire bonfire huge weekend this is the problem with the international weekend it throws curveballs no one knows what to do with the predictions I was moving mad the comments that I've had my way heavy abuse on my Instagram for daring to believe that Wales could get any kind result against England.

6:45I watched the first, I'm saying three or four minutes of that game, I knew I was absolutely fucked. I felt like, I genuinely felt like I might have cheated you out of a point there because it was like, there was 3-0 in 20 minutes, wasn't it? And it was unbelievable. I felt hustled. I really did. I felt hustled. It's good for the integrity of the league anyway, you know. it's uh yeah it's cost me no because you know what up to now yes someone described it as missionary maybe dare i say boring but my my tactics so far was to go very much with my head over my heart and i don't know what happened with this international weekend i just thought i've got points to spare and that's where it bites you so here is my vow from here on in no more mucking around there will be no risks taken no silly deals made i i'm seriously annoyed to have lost this lead was it was it anyone to have anyone to have blamed for that Chris in terms I can't really remember last week in terms of some of the some of the names that was cropping up on your IG feed or did you just yeah well I mean there was several several people sort of baiting me into it into a Wales well I mean it was it was any it was a Wales win by any score would have got me three points and you know as we all saw they were they were absolutely dreadful and do you know what like I'm going to blame it all on the outgoing Watford manager because you know in the time you've been to Ibiza Crouchy another Watford manager has been fired um Javi Gracia is back up back at the wheel again I'm even hearing reports Emmanuel Dennis might be coming back to the club for what must be his third or fourth spell I mean it's just one normal day at Watford please but it's never going to happen is it I swear boys if we do not get a call up to manage this Watford team by the time GTA 6 comes out I will be flabbergasted this is madness isn't it it is mad Al Watford are carrying on like what is the deal there it's just manager after manager do you know what they've stopped doing the announcements now so what used to happen is there used to be an Instagram post with a corner flag that went up when the manager was fired.

9:07They've done away with that now. It's happened so many times that what they did is they just announced the new manager and just kind of put a line at the bottom, you know, thanking the other manager for his services. They don't even bother announcing he's been fired now. It doesn't sound like you're optimistic though, Chris, about the new manager. No, I am. I actually really, really like him. And in a way, it's kind of nice to have someone back that you like. But, you know, I liked Tom Cleverley. I never wanted him to go. But I guess if there's going to be someone at the club, at least we're back to someone that I've heard of.

9:41I didn't even bother learning the last manager's name. I mean, it was so predictable it was going to happen. So, look, hopefully some good times at Watford. But, I mean, there's a few odd stories going on at the moment. Look at Forrest. What about Big Ange as well? Like, what are we saying about all this? yeah I think he's struggling isn't he and yeah the crowd seems to be turning already it didn't feel like a fit really did it when you think about Nuno's style of play and Andrew's style of play it was chalk and cheese he's just come in I suppose trying to make changes but they had great success under Nuno so I don't think that is going to end well if I'm being perfectly honest doesn't seem to be heading in the right direction does it?

10:29No. Agree. Couple more games. No. Yeah. Okay. Should we get into the games this week, lads? Let's do it.

10:40This next part of the podcast is supported by Paddy Pats, the big weekend fixture. For me, the biggest game in English football is Liverpool versus Manchester United. Liverpool are four to five, as you would imagine. Manchester United four to one. Liverpool coming to the game they are sitting second in the league but at fault we're losing three games on the trot and as we know United decent result was at Sunderland the last time they played but still not firing Yeah what we're saying about Liverpool lads because I think the first five games they was five for five didn't play well scoring late goals everyone was like oh the league's done and dusted already now they've firing blanks they're in they're in more need of a blue than I was last week I mean they're they're in trouble I mean it blows the league wide open I think I honestly think this league is going to go the whole way because everyone's going to start dropping points everyone is dropping points

11:44do Arsenal go go favourites now this is well this is the problem I think you've nailed it Crouchy is that as much as we can talk about Liverpool here, you can't really have the conversation without looking at what Arsenal are doing and where the consistency is going to be in between these two teams. The one thing is though, Arsenal do tend to go quite Arsenal about the situation. I don't want to be that guy right now. They are playing brilliantly. I love watching them play. I absolutely love, I'm almost jealous of how good that Arsenal team is and to see all the fans behind them. And I do actually think it's an incredible club and what they're doing.

12:32However, there is a track record there which must be in the back of the mind. I don't know, you boys tell me, can you restart a season and completely lose that kind of, that bit in the back of your head or that reputation that comes with the club that you're playing for? Can you completely block it out? Or is it actually just the thing that is talked about in the media, but it really doesn't mean much to the players? I think when you've got that hanging over you I do think it's definitely an issue mentally to be able to deal with you've just got to get over that first hurdle I think Arsenal, they go and win a league title I think they can go and win three or four it's definitely when it comes to the crunch, there's more pressure on them because it's like are they going to or not and you don't want to let it slip so much it becomes a little bit more pressure and it's just it's only a tiny little amount but it can it can weigh heavy but I look at Arsenal's squad now I just think like that it's absolute class right the way through um perfectly capable of winning of winning the league as capable certainly as Liverpool um but they haven't done it in recent years so and that is the only thing why I would just give Liverpool the edge yeah I mean I look at Arsenal and I'm exactly the same as you two but I think if I'm in that dressing room if I'm a Declan Rice and I'm seeing the new signs come through the door it's got to back you in going well we've come so close the last few times when we were second now we've added heavy artillery and the defence are looking strong I think this has to be their year but in saying that you can't write off Man City like you can't you know or Liverpool for that matter so I honestly think this is going to be one of the most exciting leagues to date in terms of getting down to the wire I think there could be two, three or four in the mix come three or four games to go I really do and you could even you could yeah Liverpool are definitely in that this is a huge game this is a huge weekend for Liverpool having Man U come it's at Anfield isn't it as well they cannot lose this they cannot lose it especially after losing three on the bounce they can't they can't well look i i have thrown this out on instagram um as ever hundreds if not thousands of replies it seems to grow and grow every week uh just a quick appeal please don't change your name on instagram because i think because from what i'm seeing from a couple of messages you can't automatically change it back very easily there's some sort of block process on it so it takes a few days I've had a couple of messages about that but hello and boys just stop me when you hear someone you want to delve into Danny Ash Matthew Garden Dan Staples Alex Forsyth do we think part of the great Bruce Forsyth legacy do we think you never know do you remember Bruce Forsyth that FA Cup final where he entertained the crowds if I was to offer For one bit of homework, go and look at a video of Bruce Forsyth before.

15:46I'm going to say 1974, 1975 FA Cup final. And Bruce Forsyth is sent out to entertain the crowds. And it's brilliant. All the old boys there dressed up smart going to the football, you know, flat caps and everything. And Bruce Forsyth being the one to entertain. Is it Chris, is that similar to Chris Richard at Wimbledon? I don't know what the equivalent would be today. I don't know if we've got a TV presenter that really sort of matches that feel now. I mean, you couldn't send Stephen Mulhern out before the FA Cup final, could you? As much as I love him, I'm not sure it's the right... It's not the right vibe, is it?

16:25Yeah, I don't know. Bruce was a legend. Vernon Kay? Vernon Kay? I don't know. I don't know what we do. Anton Deck, maybe. Oh, yeah. Kat Deely? Kat Deely. I'll tell you who'd be good. Oh, who's your man? Who presents the chase? Bradley Walsh. Bradley Walsh. Yes, there he is. Yeah, 100%. I reckon that. All right, listen, Manchester United are struggling, I would say. They played better against Sunderland, but I'm going to go for a 3-1 Liverpool win. Nice. I've just spotted a guy on Instagram called Chris Tancock. so naturally I'm going to go with him I think 100 % mate I'm dying to hear what Tancock's got to say

17:21what's the history of that name I mean when you have to go back through time and like there he is I really want like what's that DNA show is it Davina McCall I'm not sure yeah the history of some of these names it'd be great remember when we had Fiona no we didn't have Fiona Bruce when we had Susie Dent on with a different football word maybe we need maybe we need someone to delve into firstly Crouch Sidwell not me but we can go for different names you know and give a little history into some of them it could be a nice why don't we start with Tancock let's start with Tancock if anyone's a kind of historian that can do a bit of digging here.

18:13And don't make it too long, just something we can read out in 20, 30 seconds, the history of Tancock. He is going for a Liverpool 2-0 win, so I'll join him on that train. Liverpool 2, United 0. I'm just writing in my notes now at the moment. Ask Susie Dent to delve into the history of Tancock.

18:38Am I right? Every name has got some history though, hasn't it? It's got a story as to how it's come about. Fascinating to know. Right, okay. Getting off of Tancock, I'm going to go for a missionary 2-1 Liverpool. Okay, we've got Paddy's Boost. This is where we each pick a leg of the CrouchPod bet builder. The odds on that bet builder will then be boosted by 20 % and put on the specialist section of the website and app. I'm going to go this week with... I'm going to play to score first, Mo Salah. Nice. Chris? Okay, I'm going to go player to be carded. I'm going to go Casimero. Oh, that's a good shout.

19:23I like that. Okay, a player to have two or more shots on target. I'm going to go for Gakpo. For me. Lovely. Odds are correct at the time of recording. please gamble responsibly moving on lads we've got Nottingham Forest versus Chelsea obviously Forest without a win now in nine matches across all competitions since they won on the opening weekend of the Premier League season against Brentford Big Ange has not he's not gone in there all guns blazing I do think it takes time of course you can't give a manager however many games he's had what six or seven games and I don't even think it's that is it and no and then get rid of it I do think you need I think if you've given him the job in the first place he probably deserves a little bit more time we all get a bit trigger happy don't we Chelsea had an amazing victory against Liverpool in the final few moments you know Esteveo who scored the winner yeah my little boy met him in a restaurant and had a picture with him so he's kind of he's kind of like our favourite Chelsea player now so when he scored my little boy was like almost like buzzing I'm like mate that's the last minute he gets Liverpool and he was like oh yeah he really likes Esteveo as a player he's only young as well isn't he do you yeah he's really nice to him in a restaurant it was actually before he'd played a few pre-season games but he hadn't he hadn't played in the league yet when we met him and And yeah, he was really, really nice to my little boy.

21:06So we're Estaveo fans in this house. Do we think, I'd be interested to know your little lad's take on this. Do we put enough respect on Chelsea being the champions of the world right now? No, they don't get anywhere near enough respect for that, really. It's a brand new tournament. And no one knows what the hell it was. so so they don't I mean it's not like a Champions League winner I think the respect I think the longer the competition goes on it will it will gain a lot of respect but there was a lot of teams top teams not in it right you can't be the world champions if if all the best teams aren't in it but the badge says world champions doesn't it it does it does I think yeah I think that's more of a PR thing I think I think I agree with Crouchy but I do think that a bit more respect needs to be put on that they've won every single European trophy which is unreal good point that's whether that's long term history or short term history they've still done that and there's not I don't think I think they are the only club to do that as well I believe which is phenomenal I think the PSG as well like in the final they absolutely dismantled them in that game and I still think yeah I think you know if you look at it there like they they've got to beat Liverpool there they're capable of beating anyone you know do they have consistency?

22:38Well I'm going to throw consistency in and I'm going to go straight off the bat that Chelsea win this 3-0 Oh 3-0 I fancy that it's hard with Ange this isn't it because you're right he does need more time like he does need more time but because of the situation there and the whole you know the owner being a bit of a character and stuff like that all of these discussions are already starting with him how long's he got and i don't even think that's necessarily just an ang thing i think it's just the idea that the guy at the top you know does seem to react to the sort of noise that comes around yeah he does but I do think he has a good relationship with Ange Postacoglu he obviously does I did like Ange's comments about everyone thinks he's Greek now when he was at Tottenham everyone thought he was Australian because it's amazing how I've gone from being an Australian I've been an Australian now I'm a Greek it does though doesn't it he sort of morphs quite brilliantly it's like mental everyone was going like you know Aussie he's an Aussie and then obviously the Greek chairman hires him guys because he's Greek how can he switch so quickly it just for me it's just laughable at like the narrative isn't it of like yeah if we've got narrative we have to just we go with that and everything just gets put to the side but I found it funny I think what Ang is really good at is I think kind of batting away the negative comments and going actually this is the job I'm doing this is hard I don't think he listens to too much of the noise he managed to block out quite well but he's got to win games he's had so much experience in this now Pete though hasn't he I mean I feel like I've always liked him and I just feel like there's been so many months of negativity that comes his way and to me he seems like such a nice character and as you say you've got to win games haven't you and patience will run out Do you know what I spoke to Steve Bruce once I think he said his dad stopped coming to games at Newcastle when he was getting so much flack and I think his dad at the last game his dad just went how do you stand in that square little box and get absolutely abused for 90 minutes and don't say anything back or react to it.

25:18It's a hard thing to do, isn't it, if you're getting a bit of grief like that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. And also, I think with football, and this might sound like a tiny bit of a cop-out, it's always easier to criticise than to actually... We could do a whole segment here when we don't even talk about the fact that people are already questioning how long he'll be there or the negativity around it and actually try and go point for point to what they need to do or what needs to happen there to actually turn it around. But it's very easy to criticise. And that's just the nature of it in some ways, but it's worth remembering, isn't it?

25:57You know, I was thinking, Chris, you know, like when you talk about managers going to work, doing their job and getting absolutely abused. Can you imagine walking into the capital in the morning, right? And a load of fellows are outside, stark fuck off you're getting sacked in the morning can you imagine think about it in any job think about any job if you are listening to this right now wherever you work if you work right and there's a thousand people outside your door on the way in every morning and when you leave telling you you're getting sacked you're getting sacked in the morning you're bringing you're bringing this company down do one you know fucking run it into the ground fucking shite the thing the thing is as well the thing is as well it's not even from people outside you could be at home like you could have finished work at home and turn on the TV and you're getting it or you're on your phone and you're getting it as well it's non-stop unbelievable it's non-group social media you actually think about it it's crazy really like in no other job were you getting that were you it is crazy and as you say you know this isn't just about and like he does seem like a very resilient guy as you're saying but god yeah when you put it like that the whole thing is mental isn't it and worth remembering but on that on that might not help the cause here but I'm going to go did you go 3-0 Sid I did yeah I'm going to go I'm going to have to go 3-1 then okay I'm going to go 2-0 Chelsea clean sweep okay let's move on to Sunderland versus Wolves this is obviously at the Stadium of Light Sunderland are ninth in the league at the moment fantastic really but I think and Wolves are at the bottom of the table they've only got two points this season I did shout Wolves at the start of the season to be the potential team to be in the mix, to go down.

28:11I thought Sunderland, out of all the three promoted teams, would be best equipped to stay up. I thought they'd signed well. And it's kind of working out that way so far. Sunderland being at home, I can't see Wolves getting anything now. I think Sunderland would be too strong for them. Yeah, I agree. I agree. Wolves are... I wouldn't say they look doomed, but they're not I mean the manager has just signed a new deal as well which is unreal but Sunderland are looking good to stay up considering Wolves and the clubs like West Ham are struggling puts a bit more pressure on someone like Burnley which is I don't like to say it because obviously he's a friend of ours Scott Parker but he's got to be looking at Sunderland and Leeds doing well that they need to pick up and on top of that I've got to back our man Jacques Jacques Granit Xhaka has gone in there and he's he's brought in a bit of leadership and a bit of experience to that team so I like Sunderland at the moment I think they got I think they got more than every chance to win this game especially at home but I'll let you boys go with a score first I feel like Granit Xhaka's kind of become friend of the pod you know from his interview we love him he's gone about his business brilliantly and he's dragging Sunderland with I think he's been a class act I am going to go for a Sunderland 2-1 win

29:42good shout do you know what I'm going to give Wolves I think we need a point of difference here I'm going to go I'm going to go Desmond I'm going to go 2-2 Sunderland 1-1 1-1 Wolves 1-1 yeah 1-1 all right lovely well that concludes the scores for today we've got Joel Ward coming up what are you doing rest of the evening lads? Chris has started Chris you just going to crack on? I just have a little bit I like when we occasionally have to do these remote ones because it makes me feel like we're in COVID again which wasn't nice but I did enjoy doing the podcast occasionally so this was I don't know if you remember Cratch this was my beer of choice throughout those times rebellion red and it's a lovely job just reminds me of them times but no i'm gonna go to bed because i'm up at four in the morning to go do the radio hopefully i won't be getting sacked in the morning all right let's get to john ward

30:53right ladies and gentlemen we've got uh mr joe ward with us today how are you i'm very well yeah You know what, so we were talking about being, we did a whole episode last week on being a free agent, right? And what that's like. How is it and what are you up to at the minute? It's a little bit, I'd say a little bit unsettling in many ways. But also, I think like for me, the type of guy I am, I'm staying fit. I'm in with the academy. So Palace have been amazing. So I spoke to the manager over the summer and just said, listen, can I come in? train with the first team for a period of time and he was like yeah absolutely come in keep yourself fit take yourself over until something gets sorted out and then kind of obviously they went away to to Austria for a pre-season trip and it kind of naturally then was a good part in place for me to go over to over the road to the academy um and just tick over there and offer a little bit of advice to some of the younger lads and stay fit and then um just see what see what happens having conversations constantly so see you mate and obviously you're doing quite a bit of the media stuff i've seen you doing various games and obviously coming on the pond and stuff like you're obviously very good at it is that something that you enjoy doing i do i do i think i've always enjoyed it i've done years ago i've done um like one for bt back in the day and i really enjoyed it and then since then just kind of done little ad hoc bits um but back into the season i kind of started to think about right okay i want to try and get my foot in the door to to do a little bit more um because i think the more you do obviously the more comfortable you get like in this sort of environment so um yeah i've really enjoyed it and then obviously with with palace being palace and doing what they're doing with obviously the community shield as well it was kind of it was kind of perfect to kind of dive in um and i've really enjoyed it it's been good learning a lot You know, obviously, you know, we, I don't know if the lads know, but we go right back to the early days at Portsmouth, right?

32:54So, but since we started on Palace there, you've got to talk, I kind of want to get to the ending first, if you know what I mean. Because, I mean, you were there for so many years and then to end it the way you did, like, was, I was so pleased for you. And it was a serious, like, fairytale watching you. It's a dream, that. Yeah, with the trophy, you know, like, what a finish. Yeah, I don't think you could have written it. I think there was a bigger hand in play, to be honest with you. Obviously, I grew up with a Christian background, so I do believe that. And I think, yeah, it was special. It was special kind of to have that moment, you know, in my first season to lift what was obviously getting promoted.

33:37And then in my last season, last moment in there, at the club to lift the FA Cup, their first major trophy was something special and something that will yeah go down obviously in the history books did you have a feeling on the day that you was going to do it because you'd done a speech didn't you was it before the game after the game to the team did you feel as though something special was going to happen that day did you think it was just all a line did you have it or was it literally like this is going to be tough we before really like months in advance wow we're going to we're going to win this um and uh on the day i remember i can't remember who i was speaking to but it got to about 55 60 minutes and i was sat there on the bench and i was just like just almost like relaxed all the stress kind of went and i was like nah this is it's happening it's happening okay like it was a sense of like peace almost just like come over and i was like i was like wow this is this is we're getting this across the line yeah and to be fair the lads wow they just put in a huge performance in there and made history you know what I think everyone it's kind of like I went to the Caraval Cup when Newcastle beat Liverpool and obviously my little boy is a Liverpool fan he wants Liverpool to win but it's almost like everyone else wanted Newcastle to win because it's a special club right with a special fan base and I felt the same with Palace like you saw growing you know there was grandmas you know like there was you know old fellas who'd watch Palace their whole life and you lads have given them kind of the best moment they've ever had well I think like for Palace obviously in what was it 90 when they got to the final there and then 2016 we lose in the final and you never know if you're going to ever get back I think obviously if you're at the Liverpools and you're at the Chelsea's and places like that you've always got a chance of getting further in the competitions or winning the leagues and stuff like that but I think where we were it's almost like once in a lifetime opportunity so to do it in 2016 and then losing and to be back there last year was it was crazy and I speak to so many fans and they're just like we just never thought it would happen in our lifetime So how do you deal with that pressure before the game like what did you guys do differently to make that work how did you prepare for that because I think those opportunities come so rarely what was the difference with this that got you to take them?

36:12I'm not sure really. I think obviously the set of lads who are in there mentality-wise are, I think for me, like a group I've not really experienced. But then also with the manager, he's got his reputation as well around Europe coming in and instilling that kind of belief and that confidence in us, but also just giving us the license to go out and enjoy it. We had already made so many people's day. Well, because it's such a build-up, but that's what always strikes me about that day as well, is the build-up to it is unlike really any other game. It is kind of the whole journey of going to Wembley, like the whole feel of that day has always been so special to me.

37:00Yeah. God knows what it's like as a player. Some of the lads, obviously, you look at, say, Chris Richards had been with Munich and had been in that sort of environment. You know, Danny Munoz and Jefferson Lerma had been on the biggest stage with Colombia. The lads are international players and played in the biggest stadiums and played in massive games. So I think everyone was comfortable with it. And I think just the balance and the cohesion of the group was just something special. Yeah, look at Palace now. I don't think there's probably enough people talking about it. I think it's like 17 or 18 games now, like unbeaten, right?

37:41And obviously unbeaten this season, but you've beat City, Arsenal in the Community Shield. Was it big games and gone unbeaten? How good is Glasner like as a manager? For me, he's the best that I've had when he came in. the way in which he articulates his message, how it's so clear. I think for many years, a lot of people saw Palace as almost like a one-man team, obviously with Wilf and what he'd done for the club and kept us in the league for so many years. Obviously, it's not taken away from the players that were there to help out as well. But I think now it's more that it's a system. So it doesn't necessarily matter who goes in.

38:26You look at Justin coming in to Vennie or you know jeremy jeremy coming in now it's like kind of you just slot it in and it's it it works the system works and he's got everyone on the same page and i think when you do that you've got the recipe for success um and i think he's he's he's intense he's wants the standards to be maintained and held so high um and he's constantly driving it and i think he leads from the front in the way in which like he applies himself kind of infiltrates right through the dressing room it took him a while didn't it because at the start didn't win for a number of games in that season and I don't know a lot of Palace fans I was going they were saying football is terrible it's really bad to watch but I suppose it's just because that is literally a new manager a new sort of getting a team to sort of find its way and as soon as it clicked like you just said there I mean obviously it came in after Roy yeah um which is a set way isn't it with Roy yeah which was a set way so there's a little bit of time to to adjust um and then there was a few like kind of okay results couple of draws here and there and then you know Michael Eise comes back and he's firing and Ebs is firing and it just clicks and you're just like wow it's unbelievable um and then you go into the the start of the next season and we have a real struggle but that's also i think down to the fact that jp didn't come back until thursday because of the olympics the thursday before the season started and then you had the american boys and a couple of american boys coming all back within a week of the season starting so there's so much there was so much like kind of disjointedness in leading into that season and no one actually like from from my side of things obviously the results weren't going our way but there was never from my side never any worry because I could see what was being put in day in day out and you had that feeling that it just needs one thing like obviously the Brentford game the opening game of the season Ebs' goal gets disallowed and that can change everything but when it then started to tick the way in which we were set up and just the attitude and professionalism of the lads just then just starts to take over and it turns into a snowball.

40:47Did you get the big coat from the manager, would you say? Were you the guy? Well, Tony Pulis, you had Tony Pulis at Palace, didn't you? Yeah, did you ever do the big coat where he put the big coat on? I can see managers really liking you. And he put a big coat and like, it's basically like, you know, quite often at Stoke, he'd put a big coat on and said, we need you Saturday, don't train today. And you'd be sitting there and he'd put the big coat on you like that. And he'd put the big coat and you'd definitely had the big coat you're giving you're giving big coat big coat vibes you know what he wants everyone out on the pitch like no matter what he wants you out on the pitch you're in kind of six days and I think time on feet is key for him but how did you find him I kind of felt my well we had a conversation in the summer so when we were away on pre-season trip and he kind of wanted to see where I was at and like kind of what he thought like what I was seeing sort of thing um and I kind of had the sense that obviously my role was slightly changing anyway at the club um but I think in my character I was kind of like listen I'm whatever happens it doesn't change the person I am I'll go out and train I'll go out and play and I'll be ready for when when you need me um but also I'll maintain and hopefully maintain the standards of the lads and help push everyone on and almost just like kind of give them the platform to just go out and and try to take care of the other little bits around the around the club you know when i hear you talking now like it feels to me that you've got like a passion for coaching or helping or giving your knowledge and experience to others have you are you do you think about moving into coaching or managing?

42:38Yeah, so I think certainly for a season of life, like I said, I've enjoyed the punditry side of things and the media side of work that I've done. But I think with my upbringing, being in the church, I think there's like a little pastoral kind of character within me to maybe come along and try and help. There we are. Just in time. Every week. It's still going. It's mid-winter, isn't it? We're in October. Like, it's crazy. Who is buying these ice creams? I'm a sucker for ice cream. It's a kryptonite as well. Oh, what? We'll have a little break. We'll get ourselves a 99. I didn't realise quite...

43:25So are you still very religious then? Yeah, I've been a Christian since I was kind of day one. I grew up in Bible college. I lived in a Bible college. so in the house there was any time from like maybe 30 to 40 people living there students from all over the world from south america and france and um my parents were on the leadership team within the church and so us like they maintained the grounds and were involved with all the students everything like that so we lived on on site um and uh yeah so quite a unique that is unique isn't it um but in the same breath we had that we were very fortunate and in that the grounds were pretty vast so my old man ran a like a football school summer camp um we had i think it was about 300 kids in the summer that used to come along for football and we had like little tournaments set up and all the students would be in there and they kind of would be the refs or helping with the kids and stuff so it was like a big big big community um is it is it easy to combine with with with the with your job as well as in you know do you go to church every sunday for example and obviously it's got to go around the fixtures but have you found it easy to kind of be able to um it all comes down really to uh like the schedule um and and management i think it's been trickier recently just because we would train sundays um i've got a young family as well so kind of doing an evening service um isn't always the best they're getting tired yeah and uh we all know what happens when the kids get tired they get a little bit emotional at times but um yeah church has been a big part of my life but also it's like when i'm not able to do it it's about having the people around me and i've got very close close-knit people who um i've always kind of been in contact with and obviously my family and and uh my immediate family as well with my my missus and and wife jess so um yeah i've been i've been around it from from day one yeah and it's been something that's been like a bit of a like more like a cornerstone for me something like an anchor to hold on to throughout my career um and obviously now you can see our palace is you know a vast number of the first team who are all christians we all prayed before games we'd all kind of when we go away we'd do little bible studies and get together and bits and bobs and actually it's almost like a full circle because when I went in at Portsmouth, Limboid Primus and Mick Mellows.

45:56I was just going to ask you about that because I was obviously there at Portsmouth at the time. You were obviously a young lad kind of coming through then and Limboid used to, obviously he got quite a few of the lads involved, didn't he? I imagine you were involved in that as well, yeah? Yeah, yeah, I was involved in it in Kev's room. Yeah, it's Kev's room but they turned into kind of a prayer room, right? yeah so like Kitman Kev before you know a big Kitman Kev yeah he's a very legend on this podcast sofa on his back Kev yeah yeah so yeah the story went he put the sofa on my back because I couldn't get it in my flat and he went up the outside of my apartment on a ladder with a sofa on his back and Kitman Kev was running so that's your version of Christ being carried on the back of St.

46:40Christ there you go there you go that was his room sofa on the back of Kitman Kev I'm not even we used to have some tear ups with Kev oh legend he used to do the boot room trip with us with the scholars yeah so we'd all go in for a tear up with Kev oh really yeah because you know he's a boxer really so you'd go in and have it yeah we'd all yeah and we'd pile in and then he'd flick the light on in the boot room shut the door flick the light off so it's like pitch black and he'd just hide in the corner and we were all beating each other up going at it just like a bunch of 16 to 18 year olds having it off oh my god I mean absolute legend at Portsmouth that team there so you talk about the prayer room so before games would you you would play how many people would do that what at Palace or no at Portsmouth because I remember seeing a few of the lads I think definitely Linvoy organising it but it was a few of the players doing it yeah King would come in Johnny Sacher all those sort of lads we had a few boys from other teams as well come in every now and again really but there'd be a good number of us in there anywhere up from 6 you have some from whoever you're going to play against like guys that knew yeah because it wasn't about help us win today it was more kind of thanks for the opportunity to be walking out onto that pitch because I remember obviously there was some religious players at Portsmouth at the time you'd all do it and all of a sudden I seen Defoe in there and I thought he's definitely praying for goals there's no way he's saying thank you he's asking for goals definitely but you you're basically just you're sitting around kind of thanking god i imagine for the opportunity to be on the pitch and stuff like yeah and i think like for us it's a it's a it's a platform really to to i guess shine a shine a light on what he's doing through us um because it's not about us it's not about what we do it's it's more what god is doing through how we operate and how we run our lives and what we give out so um you know even at at palace obviously with with ebbs and mark and max aunts and jefferson and danny munoz and some of the young lads who were all coming in as well everyone was in in the room it was you know t and eddie as well so there's a there was like a huge number of us that you would go in to room palace last season and just pray and even at the times when it was difficult or anything like that it's just being around each other, fellowship and hanging out together as well.

49:13Such a good insight. So does that happen now? Would that have happened at Palace in terms of opposition? Obviously I know not anyone but friends of... No, it didn't happen when we were there but even now we'd be on a WhatsApp group so Trev, Shalabar's in it and Ebs is still in it so we're all still like in in communication and and kind of just i guess going on the journey together right yeah so you're regardless where you go who you play for you're on that journey together and you're able to help out and talk to each other and lean on one another in in many ways wasn't it a barcelona you said there's a little yeah little like a chapel little chapel yeah down the tunnel yeah it's like american sports it's massive you go over there and everyone's on giving thanks or kind of doing it or praying before games and it's a lot more open i think since obviously i've been in the game it's become so much more open when i first started breaking through and coming through it was a little bit like i always wore my heart my sleeve and everyone knew where i stood but it was also like i'm maybe the only one or there's a couple of people that you know of but now it's it's such a big open open space for people to kind of be involved with express themselves it's really interesting I think it's something obviously very personal to the individual but it's you don't hear many people talk about it you know so it's good to hear you come out and be open and honest about it all you know because I don't know it's just you don't hear anyone talking about it do you?

50:48this is the first that I've heard of sort of doing that before games and even like little rooms off of like dressing rooms or you said there Kev's room and like it's I didn't realise and that's probably ignorance to me I didn't realise it was as big as that in the game you see like even the boys now like I used to pray before the game on the pitch before the whistle went yeah but then everyone's in it as well and obviously as we were celebrating and after goals at the end of the games you'll see it so it's now that you've kind of opened your eyes you'll see it more and more regularly definitely yeah okay well you know we were at Portsmouth together that was a long long time ago there um I remember the second spell for me but you came through at Portsmouth didn't you in the for the youth team yeah yeah so I was there from what six seven years of age yeah okay good club and and what I will say with Portsmouth is obviously I was there in the early days when it was kind of what championship uh and then obviously it goes full circle I mean we end up with the players that we had certainly when I played in my second spell that was an unbelievable team win the FA Cup get into Europe and then it kind of dips again it's a roller coaster of emotions at Portsmouth isn't it yeah it certainly it certainly was um like yeah I mean obviously I I was in the terraces as a school boy watching on um and saw some great things and when I got promoted and bits and bobs and and then obviously kind of getting my scholar and and being a part of that time where like yourself and people coming in and it was a lively group it was a lively group it was a lively group and the old what was it the three wheeler the three wheeler the A team I'm coming through I'm like I'm like what is going on here what an introduction to like kind of first team football and what these guys are up to yeah I was talking to Dave about that the other week yeah I mean it was some group we had there it was a lot of fun yeah but a fucking good team as well, like some seriously good players in that dressing room.

52:59I remember like coming down my first training session with the first team and I was like, I'll come over, got to show respect, but I'm going to get after it. I was always like, I put myself about, but I'll make the teas and do the coffees and do the pleasantries after I'll get off the pitch. And I think the son of Diara was going down the side And I've come across him and hit him off the pitch like a shoulder barge. And then play the ball. The next time I got it, I've just like, it's like an assassin's hit me. Really? Like from behind. And I'm on my floor and I'm like, fair play, happy day. I'm in there.

53:37I love it. But then you had like Herman. Heridersen. Like you'd maybe go past him, but you weren't actually getting part. Especially me, the young lad. He was just like around the net, back in the cup. The way Herman would It must have been a baptism of fire for you Herman O 'Riderson His hello is like a neck choke I've had one I've had the claw I think I've had the three marks He broke Glen Little's arm By just getting behind him It was before a game I think In the hotel Just get behind him, threw him on the floor I think he broke his arm We were in Charleston For pre-season and one of the lads is funny guy Wayne Gill he's like a physio and you might have come across him I like Gilly yeah Gilly so he's he's got like I don't know like a five pound note on like a bit of string that kind of retracts and Herman's like walked past and he's like tapped him on the shoulder and he's like pointed to the money on the floor so Herman's gone down to pick it up and he's drawn it in and oh no how did that go down he's grabbed it and he's got him in like a like a choke I'm throwing him on the bar and he's like gone back because his neck was hurting and he's in a neck brace the next day one of the physios and I'm like this is class I was like done with the wrong person there like unbelievable but back to that time at Portsmouth right how some of the best some of the players there who's the best at Portsmouth in that era like Diara was a ridiculous player wasn't he obviously he went to Real Madrid for 20 odd million Arsenal for Chelsea and the referentiality to Portsmouth.

55:20But then you had like Sully as well. Yeah, but you think about that midfield we had, right? You had Crenshaw, Mantari, Diara, Utaka. Yeah. It was mad. Papa was in there as well. Who? Papa. Yeah. Booba Diop, yeah. Serious, mate. Squad. I'm a squad. I self-advocate up front. Yeah. David James, back four of Sol Campbell, Distan, Glenn Johnson. Do you want to hear? Like, it was an unbelievable team. I thought, I genuinely thought really that we were going to kick on it was like Champions League yeah the thing is when you have that success and you have those sort of players there's always going to be that ambition for yourselves to to kick on as well and if the clubs come calling by the Real or the Inters and the Liverpools and everything like that you're going to be tempted right and you're going to go and do what you've got to do for your career so I think like there is that element of and it's the same with Palace like you you have the success but there's always going to be like the convey about of people going on and wanting to achieve and wanting to go on to different things and trying to make a different pathway yeah what was your circumstances with leaving Portsmouth was it one of the months where the club needed the dough or was it time that you wanted to leave or was it a mutual thing for me for me obviously I broke through I went out on loan for my first year pro to Bournemouth in the season that we were on minus 17 points we stayed up that year so that was we went in as Kevin Bond and then it was Jimmy Quinn and then Eddie and Jace took over looking Christmas and we stayed up that season and then I went back to Portsmouth and obviously with everything going on with the financial side of things I got my break I played in the Carlin Cup and then I was out injured for a bit and then back into the season when they got the points deduction and stuff like that that's when I made my debut in the Premier League and kind of then when they got relegated and went into that trouble that's when I kind of broke through in the championship and played 90 odd games over the two years and that kind of although it was a difficult time for the club for me as a young pro I was like yeah like this is brilliant because it was as well like I played in pretty much every position that year those two years I was at Portsmouth hardly ever played at right back I was playing in midfield I was playing on the left I was playing in the hole like center back in the hole literally yeah like i was like is that just is that just where you were needed i was like i was like what am i doing up here did you did you try and move yourself around or was it just how you were being used i think because yeah i think because i was young and i was enthusiastic and would work hard first and foremost i think the managers could trust me to put in a shift first and foremost um never in goal though?

58:12Youth team I did. 75 minutes and a clean sheet just dropped that in there. Wow. Yeah. My debut against Wigan I played left back to start the game and then second half I moved into centre half. And then I think a couple games after that I was right back and then back in the centre half and then obviously after that next two years I played everywhere but I saw it as a positive and I thought well like I find it funny nowadays when guys are like nah I'm not going to play on the right or I'm not going to play on the left I want to play here because I'm like you're on the pitch it's an opportunity to showcase yourself it's an opportunity to be in that first team environment playing with the spotlight if you want to call it that and like it's also I saw it as just adding strings to the bow to develop and learn positions as well position wise you would class yourself as your main position as a right back yeah right back and obviously right side yeah or like centre back yeah but you can play in the hole as well oh yeah I do laugh about that we had Glenn Johnson when we played AC Milan at Fratton Park Glenn played in the hole he was inverted in behind it the false two way behind the back they had to bring Ronaldinho off the bench at Fratton Park to score I don't think you see yeah what a night that was I remember being in the terraces that night watching that that was amazing wow we were tuning up against AC Milan I remember watching it I remember being down obviously in the change room how tight it is in Fratton Park right I remember seeing like Maldini walking down there going like where am I it's mad it was and you know it's obviously and the plays were rocking under the lights some of the best best light atmosphere I've ever ever they draw they draw Maldini scored a free kick in the last minute it was like his second touch of the night I think I did actually yeah it was like his second touch I was devastated because I wasn't on duty that night because obviously as like scholars and pros and stuff like that we would do duties and do all the changing rooms and clean up after and a few of the lads were like getting shirts and I was like oh yeah that's one that'll kill them they were packed full of like stars as well top players but yeah we dominated them Portsmouth it was a good time to be there Joel question one player Elise Issei, Saha, Eze?

1:00:43You played with all three of them in their pomp, like the highest. Who are you picking? For what he'd done for the club, Will, for me, holds the mantle. Like for Palace. I think like in terms of sheer like game effect, he was just next level for us. and he like single handedly kept the club you know in the Premier League for so many years so I think for that reason I'd say him I think obviously Mikey was an exceptional talent yeah like I would have loved to have seen him play more here yeah but I love watching him what he's doing now is tearing up the world world football but I think like for Palace like Wilf sets that marker for what he'd done for the club but Ebsen Mike here like top top like what a player though I remember the playoff final against Watford and he took a penalty you would have been playing in that I reckon 2013 2012 yeah the first season I was at the club yeah 2012-13 is this Palace v Watford playoff final playoff final at Wembley yeah yeah what a annoying player did he score yeah Yeah.

1:02:04He's got the winning penalty. Oh, yeah. That was it. Yeah. Fuck. That is so strong as well. Like, you couldn't knock him off the ball, Sar. You couldn't knock him off the ball, could you? So 1v1, when he's going at you, he was scary. Yeah. Scary. But he also had that nasty side to him, I think. Yeah, he did, yeah. Not just, yeah, he had that attitude where he'd go and make something happen. And that's what I saw in Michael O'Seay as well. it was happy to take the burden take the kind of the game by the neck and go give me it I'll make something happen for you and I'll go and get you out of trouble or whatever but yeah Wilf was Wilf was We had Wilf on one side you had Balassie on the other as well it was like coming in from all angles it was a tough game when you're playing against those two imagine being a fullback you were training against them every day must have made you a better player absolutely I always thought it was like a positive when you're up against these guys and even when you're in more recent years when you're with Ebs and stuff like that and Mikey obviously I'm testing myself against the best and that's why you get into the game that's why you want to be and that's why you probably want to stay at the highest level game because you want to keep that consistency you want to keep that challenge and when you go into the weekend fixture you're kind of like well hopefully if I can if I can kind of hold myself against them hopefully against anyone else you kind of fancy your chances cool one best thing about Joel that we haven't uncovered yet oh right what do you want to use this platform to admit it to everyone well I don't know what's coming no it's not it's nothing crazy you can't be proud it's nothing to keep inside I am I am certainly on the side of the barbecue like oh for fun it's a BBQ C plus like I can't I can't hide it it's one of those things don't get me wrong there's a time for just chucking some like bangers on and burgers on a gas barbie but I like the process this is why he's so respected in this game you know yeah yeah you know like we've been messaging about this you've been messaging about it yeah yeah he's well into it oh my good god he's well into it you see there's and there's a number of footballers who are crouching yeah at some point you're just going to have to my just just my missus right she for my for one birthdays she got me um a guy to come in and give me basically a lesson on on the big green egg so that literally came in for the day right so it came in for the day they're getting coaching honestly it started at half seven in the morning he's turned up and he's he's come along with his truck and he's got another four different eggs and laid them out on the patio and we've just had a cook-off till about half four or five o 'clock at night when everyone came and turned up at the house were you the best barbecue seeer at Palace what was that yeah yeah yeah I'm always happy to jump on even at someone else's house I'm like another man's room take control of someone's house I was going to be in the comments, never sign up, I'll do this for you.

1:05:28Just how far, if you're not feeling confident. Yeah, I enjoy it. Don't get me wrong here, I love a barbecue, I'm a huge fan of it. My issue is, I don't think it should take all day. I don't think it should. He's not in for the prep. He's not marinating. I've done the brisket the other week. Yeah. How many hours? He tells me, look at Chris, he's got a swivel of raising. He's fully erect. He just takes these bags, I'm really a wrecked. I'm having an equation. Job. No, but this is the difference. Look at him. There's a different pod there that's a pair of on the couch. But I respect it and you're not the only one, trust me.

1:06:06There's so many people who come on here who are barbecue fans, right? Like to smoke a biscuit for 18 hours, that sort of thing. It's hard crudgy. You've got a family. It's hard to find things that you can do out and about, you know? It's a little escape though. I'm not going to lie. Jess is sometimes like, do you need to stand out there and watch the sharp egg for two hours while I'm struggling with three kids. I'm like, well, I can't get out of here. But you say you're cooking dinner, you know, it's an important thing to do. It is good. I enjoy it. I enjoy the process. How are you with ribs and that?

1:06:40Not really done a huge amount of ribs from one of the few. We'll talk. What is your speciality? What is your go-to if you're just going to do something on the barbie? Well, a brisket's impressive. That takes time. Yeah, for me, like a picanha. So like a reverse sear picanion. What's one of those? Who do you play for? The South American. No, that's it. That could be the next move. Reverse sear it. Keep it low. Reverse sear. So low and slow. Low and slow. Best guest ever. And then what I do is I take it off the body. Hold on a minute. What's a reverse sear? The reverse sear. Reverse sear. So you're cooking it slow and then at the end just before you serve it up you almost like fire it up on the like turn it right up and sear it get a bit of heat for me I put it on low and slow and then I'll take it out and he taught me a trick where you put like hot water boiling water inside like a cool box like a Yeti or something like that right and you then let that sit in there pour out the water when you want to rest your meat when it's got to its temperature stick it in there in the cold water?

1:07:53No, no, no, it's hot. No, hot water. So then it maintains the temperature. Oh. So you can leave it in there until the evening if you wanted to. It'll stay in there for hours. So then you can cook everything else. Oh, I didn't know that. And then I'll take everything off the grill. Yeah, I see that. Unbelievable. That's controversial. So you're throwing it in the water? No, no, no. You don't put it in the water. Oh, bloody hell. You pour the water out and then you put the meat in. Oh, got you. That's clever. And then you can leave it there, cook everything else. Right at the end, take all the grill off and just chuck it dirty in the coal.

1:08:24he knows what he's doing I think he's better than me sounds like you need to have a cook off I think you should have a cook off we'll get you round, couple of green eggs you can go at it all day it's not like you can reverse it's not an egg it's not an egg it's not an egg you buff, it's an egg off I've done quite a funny place in football now, it's like Wayne Bridge FaceTimed me with questions about his barbecue you you've got one now you enjoy it I do enjoy it yeah I mean I don't he's not he's a closeted no I'm not I'm not I'm the same I love cooking on a barbecue but I don't know how you do like briskets but that's why that's why Jess got me a a lesson because I was like I needed to understand what this thing could do and we done we done everything we done we done like we done pork we done all the potatoes we've done all the veg we've done then we've done fish it's like a macbook we've done like flatbreads like in there so it was like a whole like list of things that we've done and then we've done pudding in it as well like a sticky toffee pudding oh I see again now we're talking who's cooking pudding on a barbecue it's crazy right but it was unbelievable I'll give you one I'll give you one cabbage right buy a cabbage take the lid off oh my good god what is this this is not happening on my watch you get a cabbage right listen Just very quickly, very quickly.

1:09:54You've got a couple of minutes. Cabbage. Cabbage! Lid off the cabbage, right? So like the top of the FA cup. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. So like the top of that, off. Fill it. Yeah. And then hollow it out a little bit. Then what you're doing, you're putting in there, you're putting some shallots, olive oil, garlic. Nice. Bit of chilli, bit of rub onto that. Yeah. Lid back on. Put that straight on the coals. Okay, yeah, yeah. So dirty. let it cook whilst you're doing your beef on top the beef drip onto that right so sounding good it's music to me is it give this an hour or so maybe even more obviously all the leaves on the outside you take off chop that off with a bit of mayo and that and you're basically making your own coleslaw there you go yeah have you done the beetroot on there as well the beetroot's good on there nah is it turns into like a jelly how long have we got crunchy I don't know I don't get it you've got to go now John Sub him off Get him out Pleasure having you on though