S16E09 - Just Give Porro The Armband

16 Aug 2026 · 50 min · 29 chapters

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In short

Q&A-style discussion focused on Spurs and modern football—player value across eras, why flair seems rarer now, transfer-rumour skepticism, Spurs’ penalty luck, goalkeeper confidence in Guglielmo Vicario replacement (Kinski), and Pedro Porro as captain. Guests/backgrounds: The hosts are Cal, Alex, John, and Al (plus occasional mentions of Ricky, Flav, and “Cow” as a personality). They debate as long-time Spurs fans; one host references prior episodes with Harry Brooks and personal match attendance.

Key claims

Modern football is harder and more system-rigid, reducing “creative” players; 1980s/90s talent would scale up with today’s fitness/nutrition. Spurs should be “due” penalties (math: 9 in a season based on 3 per 5). They’re “relatively comfortable” with Kinski for ~6 months, avoiding a £40–50m goalkeeper gamble. Transfer ITK is mostly bullshit; only a small fraction is reliable.

Notable examples

Glen Hoddle valuation; Ndombele’s “unpressurable” best; Adel Taarabt highlights; Salah as a chaos/flair exception; Romero/Van de Ven context; Porro World Cup homecoming guard of honour; Porro quiz facts (Sporting, debut vs Leicester, Conte manager, first goal vs Southampton, initial shirt number 12).

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Podcast Format Update

1:07 to 1:33

The hosts discuss the change in the podcast format from Q&A to a new discussion.

“Right now, get up to 15 % off Select Storage Solutions.”

Podcast Format Update

1:38 to 2:34

The hosts discuss the change in the podcast format from Q&A to a new discussion.

“So you might have listened to what was supposed to be the Q &A podcast yesterday.”

The Value of Glen Hoddle

2:34 to 5:24

A discussion about the market value of a young Glen Hoddle in today's football.

“So the first question, Boxster718, he says, given the crazy fees paid for players these days, how much do you think a 22-year-old Glen Oddle would be worth in the modern market?”

Evolution of Football and Player Standards

5:24 to 11:46

The hosts analyze how football standards have evolved and the impact on players.

“Do you think Steve Howie wasn't doing gear on a Saturday night?”

Ndombele and Flair Players

11:46 to 14:01

Discussion on Tanguy Ndombele's skills and the decline of flair players in football.

Reflections on the Everton Game

14:01 to 15:10

Discussing the team's mentality shift after the Everton game.

Life with Kids and Travel Woes

15:10 to 16:58

Conversations about the challenges of parenting and traveling.

“Can I just say, I haven't gone away either.”

Life with Kids and Travel Woes

17:03 to 17:40

Conversations about the challenges of parenting and traveling.

“Use the fighting cock at checkout, get your 15%.”

Life with Kids and Travel Woes

18:54 to 20:21

Conversations about the challenges of parenting and traveling.

“Before the season even kicks off, soccer fans are already making predictions.”

Discussion on Player Transfers

20:54 to 24:02

Analyzing player transfers and potential impacts on the team.

“54446, he says, what does it say about me that the person whose opinions I tend to agree with most on the pod is Cal?”
Show all 29 chapters

Assessing Goalkeeping Options

24:02 to 28:00

Debating the team's goalkeeping situation and player confidence.

“Because I don't think we're going to sell any more midfielders other than that.”

Assessing the Young Keeper's Confidence

28:00 to 28:33

Discussion on the young keeper's confidence and performance expectations.

“where we go, maybe we need to address this in January.”

Transfer Rumors: Where Do They Come From?

28:33 to 29:36

Exploration of sources and the reliability of transfer rumors in football.

“And so much passion takes them along the way.”

Skepticism on ITK Information

29:36 to 30:15

Discussion on the trustworthiness of insider knowledge in football.

“a broom club for an old one in the poop and give me the scoop?”

Hearing Transfer News from Various Sources

30:15 to 31:00

Personal anecdotes on how transfer news is shared among fans and pundits.

“But I've heard that what I heard, if it's any interest, was that Savino's been done since the 17th of July.”

Rising Food Prices and Economic Frustrations

31:00 to 31:34

Discussion about the rising costs of living and food prices affecting everyday life.

“But didn't you say that about Bergwau as well?”

Dining Out: The Cost of Family Meals

31:34 to 32:26

Frustrations about the high cost of dining out with family.

Subway Sandwich Controversy

32:26 to 33:30

Discussion about the quality and price of Subway sandwiches.

“Yeah, Subway is the one that gets me the most angry because it is just a sandwich.”

Memorable Moments and Inside Jokes

33:30 to 34:29

Sharing of personal anecdotes and inside jokes among friends.

“They're not allowed to say this is bread.”

Sources for Reliable Football News

34:29 to 35:26

Discussion on various sources for reliable football information.

“One, whenever he cooks spag bol and two, whenever I take shoes out of the loft shit.”

Sources for Reliable Football News

35:50 to 36:12

Discussion on various sources for reliable football information.

“Put heavy duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you.”

Sources for Reliable Football News

37:52 to 38:18

Discussion on various sources for reliable football information.

“The amount of people that have mentioned that.”

Choosing the Next Captain: Porro vs. Madison

38:18 to 38:47

Debate on who should be the next captain of the team.

Porro's Impact and Team Dynamics

38:47 to 39:26

Analysis of Porro's influence on the team and recent gestures of respect.

“is a good question for me it has to be porro interesting because what i want to ask you a I'll ask you a question about what they did to greet him home.”

Evaluating Player Leadership Qualities

39:26 to 41:32

Discussion on the qualities that make Porro a suitable captain.

“Like, answer the question, I guess, Alex.”

The Importance of a Defender as Captain

41:32 to 42:00

Exploration of why a defender like Porro is an ideal choice for captain.

“and is like interacting is because he cares you could just run down the tunnel right like and And he gets stick for that as well.”

Debating the Captaincy: Porro vs. Madison

42:00 to 45:08

Exploration of potential captains for Tottenham, focusing on Porro and Madison.

“I think he basically is one of very few players in our squad who would start every game, who would be in consideration to be one of the best players in their position in the world.”

Van der Ven's Contract and Team Dynamics

45:08 to 46:51

Discussion on Van der Ven's new contract and the emotional intelligence of players.

“But Poirot will be the captain on the pitch, then that would fill me with a lot of confidence.”

Pedro Porro Quiz Challenge

46:51 to 50:24

A fun quiz segment testing knowledge on Pedro Porro's career with Tottenham.

“Anything that doesn't get you too upset.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Before the season even kicks off, soccer fans are already making predictions. Who wins the league? Who qualifies for Europe? And who's lifting the trophy at season's end? On Calci, America's number one prediction market platform, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there's no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position. For a limited time, download the Calci app and use code CUP26 to get$10 when you trade 10. K-A-L-S-H-I. Calci. Trade the beautiful game. 18 plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors.

0:32Prices, values, and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, see calsheet.com slash regulatory.

0:59Okay, tough guy. And Guy Pearce. Arm up! The Dog Stars, directed by Ridley Scott, in theaters August 28th. Get tickets now. Rated R. Under 17, not admitted without parents. Right now, get up to 15 % off Select Storage Solutions. Put heavy-duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you. The solid, impact-resistant design prevents cracking. And the clear base and sides make items easy to find, even when the totes are stacked. Find select shelving and tote storage up to 15 % off at the Home Depot to organize every room in your home, from your garage to your attic. Visit homedepot.com, how doers get more done.

1:39It's the flight in. It's the flight in. Clock. It's the flight in. It's the flight in. Clock. So you might have listened to what was supposed to be the Q &A podcast yesterday. We released that on Friday. This is Saturday. It's just getting another podcast, which is great for everybody involved, apart from John and Alex. It's shit to do. Yeah, busy. I'm so grateful for you boys. I really am. Because we were supposed to do a Q &A podcast and didn't do any because Alex got in a tizzy about Romero again. I literally said, do you want to talk about this? Because I appreciate you talking about someone else.

2:24and you went, yeah, yeah, yeah, go for it. Yeah, well, I didn't realise you were going to get that into it. Well, I'm passionate about him. Next. So this is purely Q &A, right? Sick. So we don't know what's happening. So the first question, Boxster718, he says, given the crazy fees paid for players these days, how much do you think a 22-year-old Glen Oddle would be worth in the modern market?

2:49Probably a lot. A lot, but also, like, it's so hard to scale up players from early eras because they sort of players like hoddle who have like a bit of like flair and ability and a free thinking would just be like coached out of it in youth football like they just don't exist anymore so assuming that for whatever reason no coaches were able to prevent his like uh under development in youth football and he just emerged at 22 then he'd be worth shit loads because you could have like a creative player like that in your midfield would would be amazing um but that is that is the big problem is that there's just they just don't translate anymore like where would he put like where would he play like a number 10 i guess um is this controversial to say that the standard of football in the 80s was atrocious compared to what it is now i can't i can't say because i didn't watch i wouldn't have watched any of it live you've not seen any tapes of games in the yeah but yeah and you know when you compare and it's almost, because of the different changes in some of the laws of the game, like it's almost a different...

3:55Yeah, fair. That is fair. I would say that the game, the Premier League is harder now than it was 10 years ago. Yeah, but then the thing is, it's like everything moves on, right? So like this is what I was saying about when you compare players. If you're basically scale them up. So if you say Hoddle's like growing up in an era where like the nutrition is better and nobody drinks, you've got like the best equipment, best training grounds, like the fitness levels are set at a certain point right because most players were at a certain fitness level so you would fit into that level as time's gone on they've had to be fitter and fitter and stronger and stronger and quicker and quicker so kind of everybody's at that level so when people are looking going oh look how like rubbish they are it's like yeah but in comparison to everyone else they're like way better than the average bloke on the street whereas now they're like elite runners but if you had Ronaldinho now that was as fit and as quick as them and was made to train he would be miles better than these lot today so it's like if you if you scale all the stuff up that you can improve right which isn't talent it's just fitness nutrition all the stuff yeah he would then those players from like the 80s would be would be really good like the best ones would be the best ones but all the strikers were playing against fucking alcoholics all of this is the point it goes both ways though doesn't it because you've got now everyone is at a much much higher level as the base in terms of you being an athlete so you have to then be talent has to be another step on from that to be able to be good enough to to break that line of a base level athleticism and professionalism whereas in the 80s and 90s that baseline didn't really exist it was kind of up and down because you if you you relied on not every one of the other member of a team not being super professional super athletic and knowing where those gaps were to go and exploit and that's where certain players like, you know, the types of, you know, Aspriers and Janinos and, you know, those type ones where I'm not sure they were probably as, if they were to come along now, they wouldn't be the mercurials that they were then.

5:58Do you think Steve Howie wasn't doing gear on a Saturday night? Steve Howie definitely was. Yeah, yeah, exactly. But this, yeah, this is the sort of tragedy of modern football. It's not that they're not good now, like they're amazing now. The problem is that everyone's amazing now. There's no like cloggers in a team that basically makes the flair players stand out. No one drives your imagination now. Yeah, it's not. It is much more like rigid and system. And so like flair players have been crushed out the game. One thing I think you did a lab episode. Sorry. Yeah, sorry. You did a lab episode with Harry Brooks, which I thought was really interesting about like the cycle of how football changes.

6:34And basically the reason that like the football has been done in this way is to like counter attack like previous ways and then kind of over time things have evolved and i think like the next evolution of football is that a manager is going to go if i just have this player who's just like supremely talented and nobody knows what to do and i can just create a system where i go just go wherever you want do whatever you want that could create like chaos in a world of like very rigid systems effective yeah so i feel like it will shift again and you might have a like a world where they're suddenly there's up there are these like ridiculous players and you've seen it a little bit with like players like doku and stuff and people go oh my god these players are amazing i'm like guadriola was pivoting i think he was pivoting slightly to that's more chaotic and salah to a degree yeah salah was probably the only other one that i can think of that was consistently playing at that level who you know he drifted you know there wasn't really a kind of set position he turned up in different areas of the pitch and would do crazy things and and as much as I love players like Jude Bellingham and stuff you know even Jude to a degree is just an absolute freak of just athleticism and and and professionalism it's just he transcends the kind of static football we've got so the same to Salah like you say I agree with you well I think I think Salah probably in the given how effective he was and how much flair he had and how how much the the will to go past players, how he was so effective in a system of football that became so rigid, just shows you what a great player he was and probably even better than people think he is.

8:09It's why people cling on to, you know, laugh at me defending Romero, but it's just because everything I love about a football and footballer, but it's why people hung on so long for the likes of Lamella and Dombele, you know, people like that, because you want those guys to work because why wouldn't you? Because they're just brilliant. Alex I was watching an Instagram reel some geezer said like just he goes I just want to take you back to to what is it 2016 17 maybe 17-18 when we signed in Dombele and he showed clips and not obviously clips of his entire play the good and the bad just the best bit he was un-fucking-believable like if you're new we've had a few new supporters join the football club during the after the World Cup and what not like Ndombele was a catastrophic disaster of a transfer right and we won't go we could do an entire episode of the lab on what Ndombele but when he got it right he was completely unpressible unpressurable he would find ways out of tight situations that was it's unlike anything I've ever seen he was like Dembele and Modric he was like a in moments I'd never seen someone be able to turn like that so low whilst having such a big frame.

9:31He had eyes in the back of his head as well. Yeah, and it was like Yaya Toure type stuff, but almost quicker. At his best was almost quicker. And that's a bizarre thing to say. It's true. Yeah, but the difference between Yaya Toure and Ndombele is Yaya Toure did have that athleticism. He did have that drive. He could fit into the modern game. He was able to put it together. but the mentality for it, right? He was like a much more, in some ways, much more intelligent footballer because he could understand that. But I think like the end on Bello one, the closest one, and it's a player who also underperformed his like talent, was Terape.

10:05He is one of the most, he's one of my favourite players of all time is Adele Terape. And he never achieved what he could have achieved with the talent. Certainly not for Spurs, but at QPR, at QPR, that season when he got them promoted, if you just want to have a lovely afternoon, just go on YouTube and just watch highlights of Adele Terape tearing it up in the championship now i know it's the championship but football's supposed to be fun and the way he played the game just taking the piss out of people was so great i'm like where are the adel to wraps now like even the ones who aren't that good but they're just entertaining they just don't exist he was also really like that year in qpi i actually went because i was living not too far away from there so i used to i ended up going to quite a few of those home games that promotion year and he was tenacious yeah he loved to tackle at that point as well He was captain for a lot.

10:54Scoring goals. He was just, he was everything that you'd go, people would go into those games just to watch him, yeah. I mean, our mutual friend, James Alcott, he has a framed picture of Adel Serrapt on his shirt, match-worn shirt on his wall. That's how much he loved him. And that's what we want. That's all we want. We understand system players. You know, there's nothing more boring than a system player. Who stays in your head? I think one of the last, as my life peters out to its flickering ember, I think the last flash that will spread across my internal eye before I disappear into the inevitable tundra of nothingness it'll be David Ginola skinning a left back yeah it will be we've got to move on boys that's one question I was such an interesting topic though I love it it's one of my favourite topics about how the games change I find it fascinating yeah 100 % there's a question for Ricky but he's not here so apologies for that Ken Rain he says can we stop bringing up Flav's mum it was funny at first but at this point it's really old I agree we can't like all of our mums probably need to be off limits to a certain degree because it's just not funny anymore although saying that someone Flav did tweet me going when we were talking about strikers and who we need to sign they went surely we need to sign your mum because she's great up top which I thought was pretty good to be fair brilliant excellent I enjoy it but he has a second part of his question he says now on to my question if you have to have sex with your dad or Ricky's dad who would you choose Dennis you're listening to this I know you are it'd definitely be you mate yeah the noble platypus he says how many penalties will Spurs be awarded this season we didn't get one last year did we single one no the average per season for the last five is three how many would it take for you to feel like there wasn't conspiracy against spurs so we we're due if there's for the last if there's five in a sorry if it's three penalties in five seasons and we didn't get one in one how many are we due this season what's three times there's nine i mean there's a there's some really we've had some really weird penalties that'll be fine yeah i mean that would be i could not get a whole penalty for the whole of the season is mental like i just arsenal didn't concede one yeah or get a red card or get a red card yeah like people think they're walking the title they can't hold in the box anymore yeah which is like 30 their goals and they're going to give penalties up yeah and they get players sent off finally and they're cunts yeah there's been some we've had there's been some proper weird stats like that we've had like not having a penny i think i don't think it was a couple it wasn't too long ago where we had another season where we only got one or something like the for the whole year we're something like the most carded team as well like over the last like two years as well uh like it's and with a team that you would think are pretty relatively spineless and that was half the problem uh so yeah i just i feel like there's a well i'm hoping so but there's just this massive line in the sand that happened after the everton game and we just go right everything else beyond that was just mental and really weird for the last since pochettino left until now there's just been a waste of everyone's time scribble it out and start again starting from now is where we is where we mean it uh and everything is just brilliant from that one that's my hope yeah there could there could be that trim like you're right i remember like having loads of weird times where like stuff would go against us but then that poch era when we started being quite an exciting and fun team and we for whatever reason for a very small period of time became like media darlings where we were sort of everyone's favorite second team and stuff i feel like there's the potential for this deserve be team to be like that where we actually are really great to watch and people really enjoy watching us and we start smashing up a few teams and we might have like a season where we get a little bit of grace and actually people like us until we start challenging again and then it'll go the other way so you know we might be due a little bit of luck Alex you didn't go another day this year did you not abroad no because you're too poor partly that but also actually not that's not actually the issue bizarrely it's just kids kids

15:28they have them it's horrible they laugh they're all laughing about it now because John's got none Flav's got really old ones I've got three where you have to take them everywhere with you everywhere and you know what we had in our group the other day like oh I really miss my kids I've been away from for four days I'll fucking grow up honestly like there are five days here they never shut up any of them I'm doing this right now I'm sat in the living room I've got the door shut I've banished them all upstairs I'm sweating in here it's hot as hell right and the reason being is because I can't just go up and do it in like a nice cool room upstairs because I don't know the kids need anything in here it's I'm sick of it I would use whatever product you're trying to recommend.

16:08I'd definitely use it if I went abroad. John, you're not poor, are you? No, mate. Not in the minute. So you're going away. Can I just say, I haven't gone away either. I don't think I'll be going away for about four years. But John, you have gone away this year. Yeah. And what do you need? What doesn't Alex need? Alex doesn't need Salie, does he? He doesn't need Salie. He might need Salie, actually. But Cal texted me saying, Cal, let me know that you can text other birds on it. Exactly. And that's the real use. That's the real benefit. No, no, no, it isn't. Just if Salie are listening, the real use is saving money abroad using an eSIM app to reduce your cost that your general carrier would charge you, right?

16:48So Salie's going to save you money. It's available in 190 countries. You just download it once, choose a plan, you connect it the moment you land, whether you're city hopping in Europe or exploring Asia. Salie has recovered. but it also adds added security powered by NordVPN as well. So you get your 15 % off your eSIM right now. Use the fighting cock at checkout, get your 15%. Link is in the description below. But yes, if you're not going away, but you want to treat yourself to an extra broad. Yeah, you want to play away. You're not going abroad. You just want abroad. Let's just be clear here.

17:22It's not, it doesn't, like you can, you're gonna if you just decide to do something dishonorable is cheat on your beloved you're gonna get caught and you deserve to yeah but that is to say that i deserve to but yeah i mean i'm just saying that it's not it's not like although there's built-in security your wife can still find out yeah okay so maybe actually work in your marriage yeah in your relationship before you go out cheating and using eSIM as some sort of way to get around your Wi-Fi and it out. Because you, to me, if you're listening to this and you've downloaded the app, you're fucking disgusting to me.

17:59You're fucking disgusting to me. I'm proud of you. No, do use Fighting Cock. I'm proud of you. You're taking your life in your own hands and just live a little. You're proud of me? Well, not you, because I know you'd never do it because you're the most in-love person I've ever met in my entire life. I just love her, Al. I just love her. No, but can we have her one day where we don't talk about it? Next. She's a good girl, Al. Good girl. Good girl. Yours is a good girl. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's all right, yeah. And yours, John. She is, yeah. She is a good girl. Good girl. Almost like part of the family now.

18:33Yeah. She's the best housemate I've ever had, to be fair. I'm now the godfather of your child, I don't know, Alex. You told me the other day. Well, Ricky's upset me, so yeah, probably. Good. Anything I need to do? Not right now, apart from ask a question, because we've still only done two. When's our birthday? Sixth of January. And a name? I'm joking. I know a name. Abigail. Before the season even kicks off, soccer fans are already making predictions. Who wins the league? Who qualifies for Europe? And who's lifting the trophy at season's end? On Calci, America's number one prediction market platform, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there's no house.

19:13And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position. For a limited time, download the CalShe app and use code CUP26 to get$10 when you trade 10. K-A-L-S-H-I, CalShe. Trade the beautiful game. 18 plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices, values, and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, see calshe.com slash regulatory. Imagine buying your kid a toy only to find the batteries aren't included. Or buying furniture but missing the tools to build it.

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20:27Right now, get up to 15 % off select storage solutions. Put heavy-duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you. The solid, impact-resistant design prevents cracking. And the clear base and sides make items easy to find even when the totes are stacked. Find select shelving and tote storage up to 15 % off at the Home Depot to organize every room in your home, from your garage to your attic. Visit homedepot.com. How doers get more done. It's not. 54446, he says, what does it say about me that the person whose opinions I tend to agree with most on the pod is Cal? Wow. Can't be two of them.

21:10Fucking hell. Unless that's Cal's burner. uh cow i think upsets the most amount of people when he's on the pod only on reddit no i think generally people go cow's opinion is i think it's not these i think generally cow's opinion is correct i just think the way he expresses it is so definitive and and without measure and and no not not without measure without room for negotiation that it might it's the best honestly when you first we've all gone through this journey like when you first kind of meet cow i think it's like you say oh that's a bit strong but now uh now after you've known for a few years i'm like say it again cow say it louder stronger make it worse he's like encouraging is a good idea it's good a lot of his life he's on his own and he might sort of you know it spill out cow is one of the he's the personification of you know there's that meme where it's like all those people that are really really like nice publicly are actually like some of the worst people on earth and and the ones who are just like say the most mental shit and horrible shit and you just got they're like the nicest people that's actually what cal is like yeah yeah he's actually one of the nicest people ever but he'll quite happily go oh this player that we don't like i don't care if his whole family gets wiped out in a car crash a lot you're like fuck no need for it but that's he's generally the kindest geezer you're me yeah the best he just needs to get that sort of out sometimes.

22:33Yeah. This is a question from, it's just a noise, this name is. Is this just, it doesn't matter. With Jed now leaving, who do you think the next first player to win an England cap? Archie Gray, isn't it? Yeah, Archie. Archie boy. Going to have a big season, I think. Do you reckon? Yeah. Is it a play? Mate, it'll just come in and do a cameo. Someone will get injured out, obviously. Someone important will get injured and he'll play and he'll play great. I don't think you're going to see Tonali and Fernandes play in 90 minutes regularly. I think he's going to bring in Baraval and Gray to... Is he going to stay now, is he?

23:07Baraval. Someone told me that the forest thing was done. Yeah, I think that was Ricky. ITK's dead, Al. Ricky said that. I don't think that was the... I think that was... I'm not sure the Frenchman had much to do with that one. Yeah, well, this one didn't come from the tentacle or the source. this just came from a bloke in a pub so I might have jumped the gun there but I do think he'll sort of be very fluid with that midfield I don't think we think Tonali and Fernandes they're going to play 90 minutes in every game I don't think it's going to be that way I think we need Tonali, Fernandes there's not been any noise about has there really and if Bobo does stay and Gray my only worry about Gray is that is that he might with spence going now is that he is our backup right back and i think if he ends up playing again it might be another season where it's kind of you know the whole kind of whether people think gray is mustard or not like again he won't get chance to answer either of those people because he'd be playing in a position that you know is ultimately not his position yeah i think that's fair and i think that there is a chance that that might happen now like i think bearing in mind where he's been playing pre-season that we even if we were to sign a quote-unquote backup right back because Poro won't start the first few games so I think Gray probably will start there I just feel with him that it might not be like necessarily that it's you know the first six games and all of a sudden he's getting England call up in the first international but the question was like the next player and there aren't that many players in the squad who are you know potentially like England internationals I feel like eventually it's going to click with Gray and they'll find a position for him and he will start playing more games.

24:56We'll see what happens. Because I don't think we're going to sell any more midfielders other than that. I mean, Saar will go. Saar, maybe. But it doesn't sound like there's many takers for Saar. I was quite excited when there was Saudi interest to Saar. That's the most exciting, isn't it? Yeah. Money. It's like 60 million quid for someone who's just not very good. It's mad. Because if he goes to Saudi, he might be our most expensive Sal this summer, which is completely mental. More than Romero and Spence combined. The Noble Platypus also asks, the average goals allowed over the last four seasons is 61.5 per season.

25:32Goals allowed, what does that mean? Goals against. Goals conceded. For us or in general? Spurs, I think. Okay, that's mental. Kinski, it could be as well, it could be generally as well. Anyway, if Kinski is healthy for all Prem matches this season, how many do you think gets past him how i don't know the answer to this and we'd just be punting numbers out anywhere but you are you supremely confident boys that we shouldn't have bought a proper um goalkeeper or are you happy with kinski given what he done after the madrid debacle i mean i'm not supremely confident is not the is not the phrase i would use i what is the phrase how do you I am relatively comfortable with Kitsie coming in.

26:19The fact is that he performed well towards the back end of the season. And so it's not... Out of all the other positions that needed to be prioritised, I think we could take six months of him being in goal. And if we need to do something in January, even if it's bringing in an older head or whatever, then maybe. for what it's worth, I think the likelihood is he probably just does absolutely fine, be all right. But, you know, and we've said before, spending fucking 40, 50 million on a goalkeeper is well boring and no one wants to do it. So if there is a way around that, even if it's for a season, then I'm all right with it.

27:03Alex, your mum wears goalkeeping gloves.

27:10When she's making a cup of tea. Yeah, it's to be able to hold on to that. moist joint of your mum that's why moist joint joint wow yeah you know whether you know when you pass it around and it's moist pass it around oh my mum okay uh john sticky stuff on the glass okay what you're saying is disgusting talk about my mum like that just like both your mums i'm pretty satisfied um i think um i think that basically there's not there's not great options out there like like i said i don't really want to be spending 40 50 million on james trafford who I think has proven himself to be no better than Kinski anyway.

27:47So it's not like there's an obvious go and get him type keeper. It's a gamble, which is exciting to me. The gamble could massively pay off. And we've got this young ball-playing goalkeeper that we can have for 10 years. And to Al's point, it might just be a bit underwhelming where we go, maybe we need to address this in January. But I think it's good that we saw the end of last season and that will have given him a lot of confidence going into this one. So it's not like we've just brought this young keeper in and we're hoping for the best. we can see that he's got talent. So I think we'll be facing anywhere near as many shots from distance as well.

28:19And that was my only bit where I was a bit like, but yeah, I just don't think that's going to happen as much with the way that we're going to play. So yeah, I think we'll be right. Yeah. Better defenders now as well. Romero's gone. So that's a big, big plus. Lack of players can actually head it and defend properly. That'd be good. And so much passion takes them along the way. a little cuck that he is. Go on. So now you're attacking Spurs defenders because they're not Romero. I reacted. You pin an animal back and they react. Question here from Q Stew says, where do you guys pick up transfer rumours from?

29:00Although some make it onto fish wrappers and Reddit, namely Gakpo and Liao. I only find out about the links to Mamouche, Ossiman, Mika Toewesi. Flavich, etc. through the fighting cock or other Spurs, YouTubers and podcasters. So Vinjo being fully coy has been public knowledge since Harlan's family raided Lindensvarn. Okay, but is... I don't know what I mean. But is Madden's... I don't know. But is Madden's right about your ITK isn't truly ITK or has Ricky been pulling the Lewis kids into a broom club for an old one in the poop and give me the scoop? I would say that 99 % of the rumours that we hear are bullshit.

29:50It's all bullshit. And Madison is right when he says generally that your ITK isn't ITK. If anyone knows, it's Madison. So don't believe it. It's bullshit. We all like it. We all like hearing stuff. It's fun, but it's not real necessarily. No, exactly. it's uh i mean in fact if you're only getting stuff from us then jesus like you need to yeah we don't know anything like ricky generally i think ricky generally thinks oh no no doesn't think he's proven a couple of times i mean you keep doubting him and and no i don't doubt him i just don't like him when he gets a bit cocksure about it that's my issue so no no it's because he's been right and i and i and i'm here to say because rick has told us that if we don't believe in in the information he's given he won't give it to us anymore and i just want to say that i i've i've said it from the beginning rick that i believe in in the stuff you're saying To answer your question though, because of YouTubers and podcasts, people send you stuff that they, I don't know why, they like to and you hear about stuff and I'm always open to hearing about stuff as well.

30:51But I've heard that what I heard, if it's any interest, was that Savino's been done since the 17th of July. But didn't you say that about Bergwau as well? Yeah, Bergwau is going to be sold for£45 million this summer. Yeah. But things change. you don't know yeah yeah okay that's such a great line at ITV all the ITV as you want that's basically all the big ones as it stands as it stands like one minute there's a ceasefire in the strait of Hamas next minute there isn't I don't know things change things change yeah can you open it up now lads though like stop fucking about I understand £1.70 a litre up here it's unreal it's unreal like just open the straits of Hamas stop you but you stop fucking wanting to blow up israel you stop making fucking nuclear bottom bombs you stop nuclear bombs that's your favorite that is um and and you lot over there stop trying to police the fucking world and then the rest of us just can get on with our lives yeah we just want some cheap cornettos we're not asking for much we just don't want to pay a fortune for food is that right fuck everywhere is mental expensive right now and it is mental also just because of the drought there's like lower crops so the only food we can fucking grow here that's also going up as well so yeah yeah i went for italian went to italian five like two adults three kids uh three kids meals which comes little star and little a little pasta right and a lemonade each right i had a a fresca with uh fruited the mare you know linguine and she had like a lasagna 110 quid

32:33this isn't like in a real place like london this is in the north i went to my local shop it was a londis at the top of my street i went in there for like a couple of cans of like sparkling water a bit a bottle of evian and some popcorn right and it was like it was like fucking something mental like nearly 30 quid and even the guy even the guy behind the counter went that's expensive yeah sure shop mate i've got to pay for this he went oh he looked at it and he was like have i put too much they went quite expensive and i went to subway subway with with me subway's mental my wife and the two kids are practically adults like the boy is like taller than me he's like six foot three and um you got the daughter as well who's now over 18 we spent about 65 quid on four sub.

33:19Yeah, Subway is the one that gets me the most angry because it is just a sandwich. It might have been less than that, but it is just a sandwich. You know, the law proved that it's not actually bread that they're making. What? It's not bread. What do you mean? They're not allowed to say this is bread. What? I don't know what it's made of, but it's not made. When you get a war buttons, loaf of war buttons out, you know, your cupboard. That can be classed as bread. the stuff the roll you eat in Subway the law says you're not allowed to say that this is bread it's not bread it's made of some cheaper than bread yeah it's like Pringles Pringles can't call themselves potato chips because there isn't enough potato in them they're not potato that's alright what's it called many it's mezz or something it's like mezz mezz mezz mezz I love a mezz mate there's nothing greater i want to be in cyprus or greek greece right now and just eating them is it smash but pringles are honest about it because he says it's like you once you pop you can't stop and it's true i mean we know it's because of the chemicals but it is true you do want to eat it more subway i like halfway through and i'm like i can't eat good for this yeah yeah anyway chelios says there are two moments every day uh but sorry there are two everyday moments that when they happen always make me think of Ricky.

34:45One, whenever he cooks spag bol and two, whenever I take shoes out of the loft shit. That's like literally 10 years old he said that. Yeah. Shoes falling out of the loft. It sounded like shoes falling out. It's so good. I nick that all the time when I'm with the lads and someone will go for a shit and I go, God, it sounded like shoes falling out of the loft and they're fucking cracking them and I'm going, oh, go on, Lance. It's the greatest. it's the absolute greatest uh iq jumps as we are waiting for transfer bombers what your itk is saying the source there's not we don't know anything um the source is one the tentacle is one the frenchman is one i think that's all of them i had the oap which is actually my dad and he just sends me stuff on facebook that you see which is as good as any as the office yeah it might as well be he texted me yesterday and he went have you seen we're after barcola and i'm like, oh, I haven't seen that.

35:40Where have you found that? And he went, I saw it on Facebook. I was like, dad, get off Facebook. Stop getting your news off Facebook. Right now, get up to 15 % off select storage solutions. Put heavy duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you. The solid impact resistant design prevents cracking and the clear base and sides make items easy to find even when the totes are stacked. Find select shelving and tote storage up to 15 % off at the Home Depot to organize every room in your home, from your garage to your attic. Visit HomeDepot.com, how doers get more done. This episode is brought to you by Facebook.

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37:04And Trax brings style with value you can count on. All infused with tech that has your back. So your drive always hits the right chord. Chevrolet. Together let's drive. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web. like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability varies 18+.

37:44Please. Cal Dong says, when will the fine cock be sponsored by the company that makes those frozen pizzas you always bang on about? It should. The amount of people that have mentioned that. Yeah. Nice pizzas. it's great they want to send us any again costo molico they're not listening oh no you're talking about white rabbit aren't you anyone that wants to send yeah they i mean that was very kind but they did that it was really nice and i enjoyed them thoroughly that was when i was on my own as well you know that was quite lonely at that point and i'd you know pizza delivered it was a real perk up so you know uh i haven't been away this year so if anyone wants to put me up again so you talk about your time in london quite a lot where you're just alone and you didn't have any problem that was after i'd moved up here and that was the first time i'd left you lot yeah but when you was in london you should stroll the yeah you just stroll the streets of farringdon looking for cheap whores to pick up yeah yeah it was farringdon as well not the fact that you remember that but not like what i do for a living or my daughter's name um yeah i know his name do know i've already said it in this podcast um sharon says who would be your choice as captain this is a good question for me it has to be porro interesting because what i want to ask you a I'll ask you a question about what they did to greet him home.

38:54But the guy really gets injured and seems to genuinely care. He's a world champion. And judging by his return video, his respect to the other players. What did you make of that? The fact that they gave him a guard of honour. He's won the World Cup. They didn't do that for Romero last year, four years ago when he won it. Things have changed. They're opening the club up and you're seeing a lot more. So that was probably the reason for it. I thought it was very heartwarming. you had the young players, you had the staff, and then finally the first team players that were there as well. And then he gave a speech and they were kind of watching.

39:30Like, answer the question, I guess, Alex. Who's your captain? Is it Madison or is it Porro? It's Porro. Like I don't... It is Porro. Yeah, 100%. Like I... Who doesn't like James Madison? Don't get me wrong. But again, if push comes to shove and we won't be in a situation like last year, but if we are in a situation where it requires a step up or someone dragging people along. I don't see that as a Madison role. Porro is clearly very well thought of, very popular. I know we had a few people kind of went back and forth on him at certain points last year, but he's always been one of my favourites.

40:08He's tenacious. I just, yeah, I think he's a natural choice for me. I struggle to see anyone but him personally. but like you said it was a really nice way to work on him back you're right he didn't do that for Romero when he came back and it might be how well he is thought of within the club it's the right thing to do yeah he was not only that he was one of the best players at the World Cup on top of that I don't think all of us were quite relatively surprised that he was involved not in the squad but he finished 17th he conceded chipping goals for two years and they you know they trust him he got a lot of stick though and again I remember we kind of having a bit of a back and forth on Poro last year he lost the ball 47 times against Maidstone or wherever the fuck we played on a plastic pitch so he deserved it then yeah but also like I said there was a couple of bits of pieces with the fans I can't remember there was it might have been you actually he defended Baccaria someone on the way went back and forth where they were like he's a prick he doesn't get it or yeah I've had some moments with him where I'm like I just think he's a bit of a spoiled baby and he's frustrated me and i've gone back and forth on it now because i actually think that it comes from a place it comes from a place of care it comes from a place of passion right and and that's that that is the cultural difference i guess like you know for different players where i'm looking at that going just get on with it but the fact that he's there and is like interacting is because he cares you could just run down the tunnel right like and And he gets stick for that as well.

41:43Exactly. But actually, a lot of players just ran down the tunnel and didn't get stick. And this is the thing, right? Like, the same reason why I always give like Tell, for example, for coming out and, you know, talking to the fans and stuff. That's true. It shows a level of backbone. And yeah, I did have my issues with him. But I agree. I think he is the right candidate to be captain. I think he basically is one of very few players in our squad who would start every game, who would be in consideration to be one of the best players in their position in the world. And I think that's also important.

42:13I think having a defender as a captain, for me, it's either a defender or your central midfielder. They're the ideal scenario. And I think he's shown enough, to your point now, grit and determination in that running where we really needed him to stand up. When it really mattered, he was there and he was really fighting for everything. And as for the Spain selection, I think what that's actually demonstrated to us is similar to what Al raised earlier, which is when you're in a settled team with good players, guess what? The best players look even better. And we now are going to have a lot more quality on the pitch.

42:47We should have a lot more stability, not just on, you know, like the sideline, but also in the boardroom, right? It seems like they're settling into what we're going to be. So it does feel like the platform is set for him to come in and do a good job. I'd like to see Madison be part of any, if there's going to be one, some leadership group. The reason that he can't be captain is because he can't stay fit. Like you can't have a captain who just doesn't play all the time. So yeah, I think it would be great to have him involved. he's already a leader anyway Madison but I think Poro should be our captain and that sort of excites me even though like I said I've had the sort of you know back and forth with my love and hate for him so yeah it didn't even occur to me until he started addressing the players in the squad that he could even be considered as a captain and then I was watching it I was like I was watching it I was thinking very quickly when oh my god I think he's going to be our captain just the way he spoke to him the fact that Romero wasn't there as well told you nothing about Romero let's not get on that again but he wasn't there he's still in Argentina or wherever it is we're not pressurising to come back the fact that the winner of the World Cup is back before Romero shows you how far gone he is and we know that is the case but yeah to the way he spoke and what they were looking at the only sort of moments doubt I had is that the way Madison engaged with him and he always does he engaged a little bit more and a few more pats than anybody else he did that with Sonny as well being that maybe Madison is the captain but it almost doesn't matter given the command that he has and the respect that people have for him and now that he's won the World Cup and he's in effect the world's best right back before the season starts maybe it is I don't have any issue with it I don't I like I said I like James Madison a lot and even but even take the fitness thing away and let's say that he was going to be fit in there I just don't that's not what I he's just too nice yeah i know what you mean enough it'd be tonali wouldn't it over madison it's like i'm talking just purely player on the pitch if you were like we need to look to someone which is not a bad thing it's not a bad thing just all vibes but yeah you're right john tonali and would definitely be another shout yeah van de ven would be another one as well just from like the player profile so yeah i think yeah yeah i was gonna say we could just make madison like some sort of club captain or part of the captain's group, it's fine.

45:08But Poirot will be the captain on the pitch, then that would fill me with a lot of confidence. I think that would be a solid choice. Also, we haven't even talked about Van der Ven getting a new contract. He's gone from him looking a large part of last season like he doesn't want to be there. And I'm like, this geezer, he's done. You're so emotional when he fouled and got sent off against Crystal Palace. You're just thinking, oh, he's given up. He's not done the right thing. he's a part of the problem. And I felt like at the time because I was just drained by the whole thing. For as soon as De Zerbi to come out, the noises that were coming from De Zerbi, sorry, Van der Ven and his camp was that he's going to sign a new contract and then he has.

45:51I mean, how do you feel about that? I mean, it's a positive indictment and I think, but for me, I think it just, it boils down to just these individuals and I forget, I think we just all forget these players are young men who very and are individuals and have different ways of looking at life and different ways of looking at their career and you know again with the with the Romero stuff there was a period of times where I thought Van der Ven was the one that had given up and Romero was the one that was still there kicking it along and Van der Ven gets sent off and doesn't so we all have preconceived notions and some people are more emotionally intelligent to then realize actually you know maybe I'm acting like a bit of a dick this is coming down the line and I better pack my ideas up or whatever.

46:35Or you think, no, that's it, I'm done. So, yeah, the fact that we've managed to secure one of them when really in reality both individually of security, I'd have been very, very disappointed if we'd have lost both of them extremely. So to make sure that we've got one is great. Shut your mouth. Okay. Anything that doesn't get you too upset. Oh, fuck's that.

47:01Welcome to... The world's hardest Pedro Porro quiz. Bob Monkhouse's mad quiz. It's that time again. It's Bob Monkhouse's mad fucking quiz about Pedro Porro. Question number one. It's you two versus the audience. Which club did Spurs sign Pedro Porro from? Was it Benfica, Sporting, Porto or Braga? Sporting. It was Sporting, but wasn't it technically Man City? Was he still owned by City? No, they had bought him. No, they had bought him. It was bought him. But what did you want? An extra half point for that, John? No, no, I don't know why. I just had it in my mind, but then I know it was at City, so I didn't know.

47:43I can't believe we're doing another one of these. You're praying on my downfall. Porro made his Tottenham debut against which club? Was it Leicester, Chelsea, West Ham or Man City? Leicester. And he was fucking awful. It was Leicester, correct. Number three, who was Tottenham manager when Porro joined the club? Was it Mourinho, Nuno, Conte or Postacoglu? Conte. Conte, I think. I don't think it was Postacoglu. It definitely wasn't Postacoglu. It was definitely earlier. But I wonder if it was at that weird period. Did we sign him in the summer and then we binned off the thingy and brought in Conte?

48:28No, it was a January one, wasn't it, Porro? Oh, then it's Conte then. It's got to be. I don't know if it was January, but it was Conte. Correct. So that's three out of three, boys. Four. Against which club did Poro score its first goal? Was it Southampton, Bournemouth, Man United or Leeds United? I was at this game. I think it was Bournemouth. No, if Flav was there, I was going to say it was Southampton. How the fuck is me being there going to give you evidence? Southampton's quite close to you, isn't it? Ah, shit, I shouldn't have said that. Well, Bournemouth is also equally close to us. What way are you going to go?

48:59Southampton or Bournemouth? Go on now, I'll go with you. You've been good. Good on this. I'll go Southampton. Southampton's correct. Yes. It was a belt in goal as well. Beautiful technique. We drew 3-0. That was Conte's last game. Number five. What shirt number did Porro initially wear when he joined Spurs? 12, 23, 24 or 27? 23, wasn't it? He's still 23 now though, isn't he? Did he change number? Has he changed it to 12, 24, 27? I think he started at 12. I don't know. I've got no idea 12 incorrect John was right 23 Poro says number 6 Poro scored a spectacular long range goal in Spurs' final game the 23 24 Premier League season but who was it against Burnley Sheffield United Man City or Liverpool one of the first two

49:59Burnley was in the cup was in the cup so Sheffield United yeah go for it no I don't no memory of this nor have I what's your what's your final answer Sheffield United the Sheffield United is correct that's 5 out of 4 5 out of 6 because that 5 out of 4 doesn't matter doesn't mean anything 6 out of let us know if you've got 6 out of 6 at home it doesn't matter either if you did good alright bye bro

50:37Cock Cock F-I-G-H-T-I-N-G Cock F-I-G-H-T-I-N-G Cock We're the fighting cock and we don't give a fuck Like a dog through a whore when she throws her bucks Everybody wanna come and run it but they're funny like a dummy in the barbie or your mommy. Ha ha! Fighting car, could we don't give a shit? Everybody knows flat bait's a prick. We can get it sticky in the mini socket willy. When you're getting grilly, yeah, you gotta bang the milly. Bang!

51:14Ha ha! F-I-G-H-T-I-N-G Cock! Bang!

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51:58You're vibing. then her energy completely changes what do you do i'm raven smith and i wrote and read a real love story about this exact sitch listen to the free audiobook now

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A proper Fighting Cock Q&A. We ask what Glenn Hoddle would be worth in today's market, whether modern football has killed the flair player, and why the game doesn't seem to produce mavericks like it used to.

There's also Spurs' penalty drought, whether Kinsky is good enough to be number one, the truth about transfer ITKs, Archie Gray's future, Van de Ven's new contract and whether Pedro Porro should be Tottenham's next captain.

Plus expensive sandwiches, listener nonsense and the world's hardest Pedro Porro quiz.

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