EFL Extra: New faces and lofty ambitions

0:04Hello and welcome to the game football podcast from the Times. This is our EFL Extra Show with me Tom Clark and the former football league legend, Gregor Robertson, looking at the highs and lows and plenty of managerial changes in the championship, League One and League Two. Gregor, we're back. I'm taking a little break next week. There's been so many managerial changes that we thought we'd come back for back-to-back EFL extra shows. We've got some managerial appointments. We discussed them last week, some potential names in the frame. There's some names here that we're about to discuss that were never even on our radar.

0:38We could have done a nine-hour show and some of these names wouldn't have come up. But let's start with one that we did briefly discuss last week. Kim Helberg in Middlesbrough, Utah, at this one last week, predicted this one coming. We believe this was happening. They drew one all with Oxford at the weekend. He's got an exciting job on his hands, I'd say, Kim Helberg, hasn't he? He certainly has, yeah. And he said as much. He said the way the team are playing, the way that they want to play, the power behind the team at the moment within the stadium, within the riversides, meant it was definitely the job for him.

1:11If you listen to the noises coming out of Middlesbrough, he was someone who'd been on, it sounds like he'd been on quite a few championship clubs' radar. We obviously know he was in talks of Swansea as well. Swansea looked at him before they appointed Alan Sheehan, but it seemed like he's certainly one of the more up-and-coming managers in Scandinavia. And it has been quite a rise. He played pretty much lower league football in Sweden. and he's been a coach for a decade, worked his way up the ladder and he's done a good job at Hammerby. He's finished second back-to-back seasons in the Swedish top flight.

1:46He says all the things that many managers do nowadays. I want us to play quick and aggressive football, try and win the ball as quickly as possible if we don't have it, be quick on goal, create a lot of chances. Sounds good. So let's see how he can, you know, the proof in the pudding. In fairness, Hammerby side scored 60 goals, which was the most in the last season had the highest expected goals in the division as well just shy of two per game so there is some evidence more evidence than some other recently appointed managers we'll have behind them we'll come to that later and you know a bank of experience so an exciting one for Middlesbrough but obviously as with any managerial appointment it will come with an element of risk the championship will be a step up and it's a unique league as we know and love.

2:39Yeah, definitely. I love that. As you say, quick and aggressive. All managers want to be that. I'm waiting for a manager to take over a club and say, I just want to be slow and cuddly and friendly. Just get on with everyone. No aggression whatsoever. No pace. Just let's slow everything right down. I don't think we'll ever get that. One day, you never know. We're going in circles, aren't we? We are going in circles. It would be very original if it did happen. But yeah, interesting times and exciting times for Middlesbrough. They are still second in the table. We'll come on to talk about the leaders Coventry just in just a second.

3:11You teased it there talking about some managers that we hadn't necessarily heard of. Swansea, their appointment of Vitor Matos. This was the one I was kind of referring to in the intro where I said last week we could have talked for about nine or 10 hours and we wouldn't have stumbled across this name. It's an interesting choice, isn't it, Gregor, in terms of his history within the game. Not much, if anything, of a playing career. worked at some big clubs he worked on Jurgen Klopp's staff at Liverpool from 2019 he then went with Petlinders to Red Bull Salzburg he got a big break as a manager at Maritimo but only managed 12 games he's got 6 wins from those 12 games and apparently that was enough to persuade Swansea that he's the man for them it's a remarkable appointment, a 4 year contract it is yeah and you know Swansea in their statement said that this is kind of you know this is a club that has a track record of offering promising you know technically focused young coaches and opportunity kind of think to Roberto Martinez Steve Cooper Graham Potter but they all had a bit more kind of experience in the bank and you're right I mean he's worked for some big clubs he worked at FC Porto that's where I think he first crossed paths with Pep Blunders and then you know after a spell in China I think he brought him to, he kind of recommended him to Liverpool and he was the elite development coach which was a kind of bridging role between the academy and the first team and so there were quite a lot of players obviously over that period who made the step up to Klopp's first team but you're right, I mean he's just taken just in the summer taking his first job as a number one in the Portuguese second division, I think they're third in the league so he's had a promising start but it's a dozen games is nothing and there's kind of within the sort of reporting of this there's a sighting of looking at the data from these 12 games and what his team represents and that's no sample size at all so the statement again said he's selected for his ability to implement a high intensity possession based style of play it's the same sort of stuff we'll see how it goes he's referenced a desire to return to the Swansea DNA.

5:29He feels that they've lost their way a bit in recent years. It's an appointment that also got a sign-off by Luka Modric, apparently, who, as we said last week, is minority shareholder. What did Snoop Dogg say, though? He wasn't having him, so he didn't mention it.

5:46Didn't like him. So, yeah, look, Swansea, there's an element of truth in that. They've lost their way, but they're kind of, in the last year and a bit, there's been a sort of re-injection of a bit more ambition with sort of new investment. But they've had five, this is their fifth new manager, sorry, in the last five seasons. So, you know, he's going to have to do something that the previous incumbents could not. Could you, and forgive me, listeners, we're recording this in the afternoon. I'm a bit cranky. I've had a bit of a frustrating day. My computer keeps breaking. I need another cup of tea.

6:23But can we do away with this DNA nonsense? I mean, and with huge respect to Swansea, the Swansea DNA get in the bin will you for goodness sake I mean if honestly anyone starts talking at Lincoln about the Lincoln DNA I'll be like what conceding last minute goals and ultimately causing heartbreak for the Clark family like that what on earth what on earth are you on about like I mean and I know this isn't specific to Swansea every club does it these days but get back to the Swansea DNA I mean give me a break honestly I suppose the thing to say about Swansea is that they were you know they were a club that that were playing in the lower leagues for most of their history played at a rickety old ground and then the period of time where Martinez was there and there were a couple before Kenny Jacket as well the period when they moved into the Liberty and then Brendan Rodgers came and the football really changed and they were promoted to the Premier League and they became an established club in the Premier League for a while so their rise was remarkable and it did have underpinning it a kind of commitment to play in a pretty expansive possession dominant style play.

7:35All their managerial appointments were influenced by that desire and it worked for a long time, but then, as I say, they lost their way. That's my point and I should just clarify, absolutely, I can understand that outlining that you've just given us there, but DNA goes out the window once you start losing games. So when people talk about appointing people based on a DNA, ain't going to work if he like you know they lost 3-0 at the weekend I know he had nothing to do with that game against Bristol City but he's got a big job on his hands with this Swansea team in a very competitive championship he can have all the good DNA or nonsense whatever he wants if he doesn't win a load of games in a very packed schedule over Christmas he's going to be under pressure by February anyway sorry a little grumpy rant I need to get ultimately the truth that is the truth chocky biscuit but it's you know this is the EFL extra show it's about winning games it's about promotion it's about a bit of romance and it's about playing in rain and wind and like not trying not to concede last minute equalizers or last minute defeats you know that's a bit reductive Tom I mean look you can't have aspirations you can't have aspirations to want to have an identity and that's what Swansea feel they had and they have lost so he's entitled to say I want to return to an identity that you know a recognisable way of playing for this football club he's entitled to do that but he will have to win games to get the opportunity to do it so that you're right in one sense but also I think it's fair enough for them to want to look to the past and see and for that to inspire their future I wish him all the very best I should just say Vita Matos and Swansea fans that is not specific to you every club does it these days that's just my little personal rant about the DNA issue that is plaguing football these days let's move on to another club who made a new appointment last week Philippe Clemon in at Norwich, Gregor.

9:27We suggested a few names for this job. This wasn't one of them. He was in place in time to watch the team lose 4-1 at Birmingham. Some of the goals they conceded in this game, if you go back and watch them, suggests what a massive job he has on his hands defensively. Very, very sloppy, some of the goals they conceded at St Andrews. What do you make of this appointment? You know, he had good times and bad times at Rangers. probably bad times by the end of his reign there it's an interesting call from Norwich I don't know whether it'll be one that will work you talked last week about what a big job this is and how much trouble you think they're in do you think this is a good call?

10:07It feels like a kind of I don't know it feels like a cliche to say safe pair of hands but he's someone with a good pedigree like you know he won league titles with Ghent and Club Bruges I know that's in the Belgian League which is not one of the strongest in Europe but then he went to Monaco and I think he finished third with him and qualified for the Champions League. Rangers, you're right, he kind of ended badly but if you look at in the context of what came next and how difficult Rangers have found it to kind of compete with Celtic after Stephen Gerrard and before Stephen Gerrard since the kind of, you know, since the dark old days and they've had to start at the bottom of Scottish football.

10:50A lot of people have done worse and it's a hugely highly pressurised job that. He's saying it's always been a dream for him to manage in England and that Norwich are a club that should have aspirations of returning to the Premier League but that's a long, long way off and he was pretty stark in his assessment of where they are after this 4-1 defeat and you're right in saying that the goals were a shambles really. The first one in particular it was like a ball over the top in behind Jack Stacey the right back I think Damari Gray ran onto it and like there was just no one near him and he just rolled the ball across the box for Marvin Dukes to to score the first of two goals in the day for him and then Stan Seald scored two really easy looking goals like Birmingham were on the up but it kind of did underline the scale of the challenge they have they have some quality players like Josh Sargent is one of the best strikers in the division like I mean beyond that he got kind of Darling and McLean but McLean's best days are behind them.

11:55Darling a really good footballer but whether he's kind of a defender who you kind of, you think is going to be part of a defence that can, I don't know, keep out enough clean sheets for them to rise up the table. I don't know. I mean basically the recruitment has been really, really poor for a couple of seasons and there's still a lot of pressure on Ben Napper but even more so now because this appointment has to be right. If it's not, they're going to find themselves back in League One and it is a very big job. But I think when you look at the full picture, Clement's not a bad appointment. Excellent.

12:32Interesting, given your views on what a big job this was last week. I'd say that's pretty high praise for Philippe Clement on his chances of getting Norwich out of trouble. Gregor, just when you mentioned Birmingham there on a bit of a mini kind of charge, it's an interesting little grouping in 8th, 9th and 10th, all on 24 points, Ipswich, Birmingham and Leicester. Probably three teams that a lot of people, including ourselves, tipped to be a bit higher in the table. But when you factor in Middlesbrough in second, those three teams only six points behind. Leicester getting a 2-1 win at the weekend.

13:04Ipswich drawing 0-0 with Wrexham and Birmingham getting that excellent win. They've all had a bit of inconsistency. Leicester had a terrible run a couple of games ago. Do you feel like they're starting to click? Do you think they're going to start working their way up the table? Of course, Leicester, I think they got a win against Stoke. I think they, of course, have been in third and have been excellent so far this season. What do you think? Yeah, Leicester have been really strange. I mean, only a few weeks ago after, you know, the loss at Blackburn, I remember watching that. That was a televised game.

13:34They'd lost at Millwall the week before that. Got a decent draw against Middlesbrough and then wins against Norwich and Stoke, as you say. And they kind of, it is remarkable really after the season that they've had, which has been pretty disappointing. disappointing sorry that there are a couple of wins off second that sort of tells the story of the division so I mean of those teams sort of bunched there definitely Birmingham are the ones that are starting to click into gear, they've scored 13 goals in the last four games on four of their last six like they feel like they've finally found their feet and you know this was a big week for them, it was the 150th anniversary of the club, there was the stadium announcement which was pretty extraordinary highlights the underlying the scale of their ambition so you look at the team now and think there's a chance that they'll be in the mix for the playoffs but really the league is very very hard to call I mean we've got Hull Hull in sixth and they've been on a brilliant run until losing at the weekend yes but they're scoring a bucket a load of goals scored 28 goals which is the second behind Coventry like a long way behind Coventry 15 but still the second most in the league conceded 27 so they're the kind of the team to watch for for goals and just very quickly on Birmingham Gregor just before we look look at some of those teams in the playoff places you were there you mentioned at the announcement of their plans for a new stadium you wrote about it on the Times website and in the football newsletter that subscribers get exclusively every Monday it was a very big flashy event in keeping with the new Birmingham way isn't And this was not a club expecting to be in the championship for very long.

15:21When we saw the pictures and images that these events always share with media outlets, I was thinking, this is a club that is acting like a Premier League club and a big Premier League club at that. Yeah, as soon as you said Premier League club, I'm glad you can have added something on top of that because they're acting like a club that are going to be in the Champions League. That sounds nonsense like when they were in League One last season. but they've spoken that way for a long time and Tom Wagner, the kind of bullish chairman and co-founder of Nighthead, the investment firm that took control in 2023, his favourite saying is, if you can't say it, you can't do it.

15:58And they are saying a lot but you just get the feeling more and more that they're probably going to do it.

16:08It's staggering. It's staggering, the sort of scale of it. And the stadium itself, the build cost is£1.2 billion. And that's just the centrepiece of the sports quarter, the broader sports quarter, which covers 135 acres. That's 55 acres larger than Manchester City's Etihad campus. It's just going to have a training ground for the men's, women's, senior teams and the academy. It's going to have pitches for use for the community. It's going to have a whole host of kind of entertainment, including a separate 10 ,000-seater stadium for the women's team, a separate 20 ,000-seat arena for like music concerts.

16:50They're also going to bid for and compete for NFL games to be hosted at the Powerhouse Stadium, as it's been named, with those 12 huge red brick chimneys, which kind of evoke the city's industrial heritage and the brickworks which once stood on this site, which is like wasteland now and it's in a pretty unique part like for a major city it's the second biggest city in the country it's really it's a mile away fromst andrews less than a mile away and not far from the city center and it's just this area of wasteland uh and it's it's amazing if it comes off it's like it's not just a game changer for birmingham which it will be it's like it's a kind of a massive infrastructure project for the city itself and yeah really it's impossible to set limits for Birmingham if this happens the stadium itself in time for the 2030-31 season there's still a lot of scepticism about it but I think it should be falling away now because they've overcome the biggest hurdle already which was getting investment from government to spend money on like transport like on a tram a metro that ferry enough people the problem was could we get enough people to the stadium using public transport that's done that's been confirmed and pledged so really that was the biggest hurdle and now it looks like it's going to happen and it's going to be like there's you're tempted to say Birmingham could be one of the biggest stories in football in the next decade yeah absolutely one to keep an eye on And if you haven't seen those images, do go and find Gregor's article on the Times website.

18:32It's got loads of fascinating images and artistry that shows the vision that Birmingham are wanting for the future. A couple of other big results at the weekend, obviously in the Sheffield derby. Sheffield United getting an important win. Chris Wilder for them. They're still in the relegation zone there. Sheffield Wednesday still a minus four points. Looking very bleak for them. Just back near the top of the table, Gregor, you were running through the places near the playoffs. Millwall just outside the playoffs in seventh, then Hull inside the playoffs in sixth, then Preston, Bristol City, Stoke and Middlesbrough.

19:03And let's finish with a look at the leaders. Should I say runaway leaders, Gregor? Seven points in November? Maybe a bit early to say runaway leaders, but Coventry keep on winning. 37 points, 43 goals scored. 43, that is absolutely extraordinary. They've got a goal difference of 28. Middlesbrough in second, just for context, have got a goal difference of six. It is an absolutely remarkable season that Frank Lampard's side are having. Exemplified perhaps by going 2-0 down at home to West Brom at the weekend and winning 3-2, not in the last minute, but with about half an hour to go. This was a cracking game played in some of the conditions that I was talking about in my stereotypical version of the Football League earlier.

19:48But it was a brilliant game. I thought, just say for the West Brom fans, I thought Malumbu was a bit unlucky with that second yellow card. I don't know about you, bit soft little tug of the shirt on the halfway line you can't do it you can't do it honestly DNA and soft yellow cards the game's gone everyone the game has gone but Gregor as I say Coventry crosses into the box corners always looking dangerous on attack as much as I'm saying they were 2-0 down they did hit the bar they had good chances they just create so so many chances don't they it just looks like it's all going to plan for Frank Lampard and this team yeah well no no leader in championship history has ever been this far ahead of second place after 16 games.

20:29Yeah. The important thing too is it's 10 points over Stoke. And it could well be if they beat, we were recording this on Tuesday, if they beat Middlesbrough. It's a tough game. They're going to the Riverside, you know, first versus second. But if they beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside, they're 10 points clear of second as well. We're entering a really intense period of the season. So we've had teams that have been in a lead similar to this in the past and not seen it through. Even look at Walsall last season, it's a different league, but it's possible. I think they've got 10 games in the next 40 days.

21:10And the one thing we've said, raised as a question mark since the start of the season, is the squad depth. and we should say that they managed you know they won this game without Thomas Asante or Hadji and I think Thomas Asante came on right at the death but neither of their top scorers were in the starting line-up and as you say they came back from 2-0 down but you're right it's like Coventry scored some brilliant dynamic goals but they're also really good at playing direct football like they they're the best team in the league by a mile from set plays. They've scored 16 goals from set plays.

21:50Derby are next with 10. The winner came from a corner, half cleared and torp, smashed in on the volley. Great finish. Even the second was like Grimes sort of ball to the back post, headed back across goal and then Sims flicked it in. You see a lot of goals like that. They put a lot of crosses into the box. And if you look at the season as a whole, They had a fairly kind of slightly slow start, too many draws. Then they had a period where they just blew teams away. And then recently they've shown a lot of grit and, you know, they've come from behind and they've beaten some teams that would be categorised as rivals.

22:33Like West Brom, you know, probably are a team who should be in and around the playoffs. Beat Stoke last week with a screamer. So, yeah, I mean, it's been an extraordinary, extraordinary start. it's not the start we're pushing halfway it's hard to see it's hard to see who catches them but football has a habit of surprising us yeah loads of surprises still to come as you say briefly mentioning there West Brom Ryan Mason in 17th only one win in 6th you wonder whether he starts to become under pressure soon we've also got to sorry before we move on a quick mention to Southampton because yes I was just going to say wow what a win wow what a win yeah and one of the few clubs without technically a new manager Tondra Eckhart in interim charge three wins since sacking Will Steele they've got a home game against Leicester tonight they absolutely blew Charlton Athletic out of the water at the Valley at the weekend yeah I mean it's three wins in a row now for Eckhart and you know he's a 32 year old who's kind of largely been a youth team coach beat QPR on Sheffield Wednesday but this was obviously going to the Valley Charlton although they lost to Wrexham before the break we're in the playoffs for a good part of the season.

23:47They've been on a great run. They've been great at home. They've been great defensively. And boom, they scored five goals in the first half. And you kind of, you watch this and you watched, you saw the quality of some of the goals and sort of individual brilliance. And it's just a reminder that this is why every year when a team is relegated and they've got some players who've been in the Premier League, they've got the parachute payments that allow them to invest in some of the best players in the championship. it's impossible to say anything other than they should be challenging like if you look at Tom Fellow's wing play to set up the opener in the 14th minute I think it was Manning's header brilliant, he was 10 million in the summer Leo Sienza cost best part of 10 million searing run for the second goal Kasper Yander, 10 million in the summer finished off an unbelievable team move that started with the goalkeeper for the third and then Fina Zaz who cost 15 million in the summer scored the fourth in the 22nd minute and then the fifth before halftime and he's just these are all really really good players there's a reason he cost that amount of money and just with the right sort of direction and chemistry who knows it could be Eckhart they could just alight on him really fortunately you know Will still for whatever reason it just didn't work like there's no reason why they shouldn't start to climb the league Yeah as I say Southampton playing Leicester tonight in a couple of games in the Championship.

25:18On Tuesday night, there's a few more on Wednesday. So if you are listening to this on Thursday, we apologise. Everything's probably completely out of date and we sound even more stupid than we normally do, but we'll give it a go. Anyway, we'll be back after a short break in just a second to talk about League One and League Two. Greg, I've got a little quiz question for you and it links to the league leaders' commentary who, as we say, have scored 43 goals in 16 Championship matches this season. only one side in the past 20 years have scored that many goals from the same number of games who was it in 2021-22 we'll find out after the break

26:07welcome back to the game football podcast from the times this is our EFL extra show with me Tom Clark and Gregor Robertson. He's been back in decent form, but he was still struggling with this one. The answer to the quiz question about which team has scored as many goals as Coventry in 21-22 season, 43 goals from 16 championship games. It was Fulham. Fulham. His season's all mixed up, didn't you, mate? Too much knowledge. Too much knowledge. That Mitro. That'll be Mitro's year, man. In that wee head of yours, too much Football League knowledge. That's the problem. Let's have a quick look at League One, Greg.

26:44And the Jinx was firmly, firmly locked in for Luton Town last week. We were praising them and their manager, Jack Wilshere, for a decent start. Decent defensively. They then went and lost 5-0. 5-0 to Barnsley at the weekend. Let's see some of the other scores to pick out. It was a good point for Blackpool away at Lake Norient, getting a late equaliser. Cardiff, 3-1 winners at Northampton. They've now got 29 points from 15 League One games this season, which is their best start to any league season since 2017-18 in the Championship under Neil Warnock when they finished second. So decent signs for them.

27:21Just in the break there, producer Neil quite rightly pointing out in the League One table, Bradford still in second behind Cardiff despite being without a win in six games, Gregor. Maybe last week when we were talking about what a great league this was, maybe it's actually just a really poor league and there aren't any good teams in it because we had Stockport last week, brilliant top of the table, lost two on the spin, down to fourth, that rubbish team in third that I'm not allowed to mention. No, it really is up for grabs this season, isn't it? And I wonder whether we're slightly, slightly jarred by last season where Birmingham were so dominant and then Wrexham and, you know, you had a bit of a top four, didn't you?

27:59And then a playoff pack behind them. Maybe this season, maybe it's not about quality. Maybe it's just a lot of teams who are pretty similar because, as I say, you've got Cardiff top on 29 and then you go all the way down to Wickham, who we'll talk about in a minute, in 10th on 23. So it really is up for grabs for absolutely anyone, isn't it? It is, yeah. Bradford is pretty remarkable. Six games. There have been five draws in that, I think. But yeah, they lost to Burton Albion a couple of weeks back. So the thing is, there's a lot of big clubs this year and they're with a lot of expectation and no one has really grasped the nettle yet.

28:37It looked like Cardiff City were going to run away with it earlier in the season, but they've got a really, really young team, inexperienced, and it was always unlikely they were going to be able to maintain that. And they've had a bit of a wobble. They lost two before, to Bolton and to Blackpool, just before the win against Northampton the weekend. And yet one win fires them back to the top of the table and they've got at least one game on hand on all the teams around them as well. so they're still very well placed. But even you look down to Peterborough United now, who were woeful, and Luke Williams has come in, and he's beaten Wimbledon 5-0, and Stockport 3-0 in the last two games.

29:22So they look like they're on the rise. Blackpool named Ian Evatt, and they look like they're going to, well, they'll be very hopeful to be on the rise soon. Even Plymouth got a win at the weekend, so it's really hard to sort of predict anything at the moment in League One other than Port Vale who are plummeting. Yeah, absolutely. Port Vale really struggling at the bottom of the table. I mentioned Wickham there. They and Rother are in 10th and 11th, both on brilliant runs unbeaten in the last six games. Wickham beating Lincoln City at the weekend 3-2. They were 2-0 ahead. Lincoln got it back to 2-2 and then Wickham finding a winner late on.

29:56It's a good sign for Michael Duff so far after taking over nine wins in 14, four wins and two draws in the past six games. He's a good manager, isn't he, Gregor? He's had a kind of indifferent stop-start career. I wonder whether this is a good fit both for the club and manager to get them up near the top of this table, which, as we say, is really up for grabs and open to anyone. Yeah, I absolutely think he's a good manager. He did a brilliant job at Cheltenham. he did a decent job at Barnsley but it didn't work out for him in the end Huddersfield he was very very unlucky not to be to get the sack even though they were on a bad run I actually didn't look at this and think it was a sort of immediate match because Wickham are a club with that have taken a big kind of change in direction in terms of their approach Don't start talking about DNA again No they're just focusing really heavily on an academy, on a data-led recruitment model, trying to basically develop assets and be a club that can sustain themselves that way.

31:09Although they have one of the richest owners in probably an English football now, a Kazakh billionaire. They've also kind of, I don't know, the way they want to play might not really tie in with the way Michael Duff Michael Duff plays really quite direct sort of dynamic football it's not expansive it's not all those things we've just been talking about in relation to some of the other jobs in the championship he plays pretty kind of in your face football so it didn't feel to me immediately like it would be a perfect match but my god he's done really well so far and he is a good manager he's someone who can motivate a group of players, heavily influenced by his time working with Sean Dyche and I think he's actually a better manager than his career so far warrants so I hope to see Wickham continue to climb the table Yeah, really interesting to see if Wickham can get up near their promotion places Let's finish with a look at League 2 There were some big scoring games at the weekend including in the Gregor Robertson Derby, Crewe, Alexandra against Chesterfield that one finishing 3-3 both those teams hoping to get in and amongst the playoff places.

32:25A win for Walsall there near the top of the table. Gregor, anything catching your eye in Leap 2 this weekend or over the past week? I mean, it's got to be the appointment of Christian Fuchs at Newport County, rock bottom of the league. Someone that obviously won the Premier League with Leicester City, had a really, really successful playing career. He's just been assistant coach for Charlotte FC in the MLS. and this is a team that won three I think of their 17 League 2 games this season including his first game at the helm which was a 3-0 defeat at Oldham and I mean as first jobs go it's a tough one he referenced out Newport a really family orientated club where everyone's pulling in the right direction, he feels he watched a lot of the games and they they were unlucky in many of them and he sees something that can be improved but it's a tough old job and it was also a pretty remarkable appointment he's been given a long term contract they're going all in on this guy and on what basis I'm not entirely sure he's not got any real managerial experience he might be a really good coach he certainly had a very good playing career but there were some lines in the statement, more of an essay, in fact, that was published on the club website that were remarkable.

33:58There's one that says, Newport Gaines, not just a manager, but a storyteller, someone capable of transforming the routine of matches into a shared journey in which responsibility, vision, and human complexity matter as much as formations and tactics. On you go there, Christian. Yeah, I mean, crikey. Crikey. I thought I was triggered with Swansea's DNA. He really wound up with that one. My goodness. I mean, he must interview really well. He must have really cast a spell over these guys because that sounds a bit too cynical. He's a big name and for them to attract him to the club is a bit of a coup in one sense, but it's still a risk and it's still a very, very, very difficult job for Fuchs and Newport look like they're heading back to the National League Yeah Newport in a lot of trouble at the bottom of the table well Gregor as you say it's two weeks until we'll be doing an EFL show again so maybe Vito Matos and Christian Fuchs will have two weeks to prove us wrong and then we can come and eat some humble pie in two weeks time but we'll leave it there for now Gregor Robson thank you very much for joining me as usual thank you too for listening if you're off to a game in this midweek or at the weekend I hope you get a win or just some decent DNA on offer.

35:16We'll see you soon.