9 new managers... Who'll be Arteta's next great RIVAL? - The Sports Agents

16:53Mark Pougatch:Well, that's what the interesting thing about the drop off in the second half is, isn't it? Because if they're managing to execute the way he wants them to in the first 45 minutes, then he's probably quite enthused by that and then disappointed when they're not able to sustain that. It's the thing, every manager's got different physical expectations from their side. It's not like there's one generic thing. So sometimes someone might say the fitness isn't there, but it's only because they want their vision to be 100 % accurate. And they will get there, but they're coming from a base where that hasn't been the way that they've played.

17:22And to be honest as well, Gabby, I think you've made a good point about, say, Irola going to Liverpool. But from what I've seen of Liverpool fan base, They are relatively patient. And I think last year, so Slott obviously helped them win the league the year before, and they started the season with the tragedy of Jota dying. But they were thinking about how Jurgen Klopp, I imagine, would have handled the situation, how he would have been throughout that season. And Arna Slott wasn't hitting the mark. Add into that, they've lost nearly 20 games in that season. Someone like Mo Salah, so significant, he's feeling like he's on the outside and feels he has to talk about it as much as he did.

17:56Some of those issues I don't think Areola will have to face in the same sort of manner. So I think his positives will be there.

18:02Mark Pougatch:I think we start to see a bit more of Florian Wirtz through the back end of the season, the person that they thought they'd signed or the player they thought they'd signed him. And then you've got Isak coming back as well. So, you know, I think he's got some, I think he's got some positives to play with, players that I think would suit the way of, you know, he wants to play. So Slott didn't get those two at their peak, did he? And if you get those two at their peak, you've got a very exciting attack potentially so you know i i'm not saying they're going to

18:29Nedum Onuoha:do terribly but i think it'll take him time no i i find myself involuntarily breathing in during the body fat chat on like i just couldn't help myself um so go on mark who's uh i well i would i was going to say carrick as well but not not because i think he will do a bad job and i'm very much in favor of him being of being the head coach my my feeling is is i think they could have backed more in the transfer market at the time of recording they bought in Tielemans and Santos and uh and Carl Darlow for accuracy um but and it looks like they're gonna get Belieber from Brighton I still think they could do probably with a with another striker and they obviously could do with another left back as well I don't think they backed him brilliantly there are some good young players coming through I the reason why I think he might feel it a bit is is because of I think wider expectation that they would definitely punch above their weight last night to finish where they did was a was a remarkable achievement and when you look at what some teams have spent this summer City and Spurs are two that spring to mind even I know Arsenal haven't spent a massive amount but who they've managed to attract, Konza and Bruno Guimaraes and Solis as well on the left I just think you look at Chelsea obviously and what they've done you look at other teams that appear to have strengthened more than United have and would it therefore relatively if they finish fifth for example would that be a massive shock when you look at what other teams have done no but because they finished third last season it looks like they've regressed and I think that is probably where he is under under pressure not under pressure but where I think there may be some negative judgement.

20:24Mark Pougatch:In the introduction to this we framed the question kind of around the rest keeping up with Arteta and that was obviously because these guys are new and you're including Carrick in that. Interestingly enough this is the first time in Premier League history, the Premier League era that Fergie, Wenger, Jose, Klopp and Pep have not been managing the Premier League and that is I feel like a severing of the DNA and you've got these new managers, younger managers, I don't want to say younger, they're going to be younger than that crop, but what I mean is quite a lot of them, unproven really, and only a few of them have won in any other league, won a title.

21:01Mark Pougatch:Does it even the playing field at all, Nadam, that? You could say so, you could say so, and I think we've spoken before about this because the perception of the league, for me, I perceive it based on the strength of the top as opposed to the strength of the middle. And I think the strength of the middle has really been consolidated. But at the top now, there's lots of, you know, managers like Xabi Alonso, it's a name, but we don't know how this season's going to go. We don't know how good Chelsea are going to be. Even now, like, Mikel Arteta's the longest serving manager. He's been there for six years.

21:34And then second longest, Izuna Emery on three years.

21:36Nedum Onuoha:Well, 10th longest is Roberto De Zerbe. According to what I've got in front of me, if you accept that Michael Carrick was only appointed permanent manager after Deserby came into Spurs. I mean, it is ridiculous.

21:50Mark Pougatch:On Deserby, there's obviously a lot of goodwill for him around Spurs fans for keeping them up. And they have spent big as well. Has he got a lot of pressure on his shoulders to get off to a flying start? I mean, Spurs managers often do, don't they? Yeah, yeah, yeah. They often have a good few months until the first international break or second international break. Yeah, he will be under some sort of pressure. But I think based on where he's sort of starting from, I think he'll be okay. Because the last two seasons have basically been like a relegation dogfight. Am I losing my mind here? Or did Spurs stay up on the last day of last season?

22:28Is that a thing? And then the summer comes and they spend£100 million on midfielder from somebody in Newcastle who once upon a time was probably a rival. So he will be under pressure. But I think the fact that they're backing him suggests that they're also going to give him time. which doesn't feel like what the last say to appointments were from a Spurs perspective. Given as well, I think the nuance of this and the ridiculous nature of this season, of the traditional, we'll say traditional, big six, Spurs and Chelsea not having European football and having a fully domestic season is almost, it's like a paradox I'm trying to figure out.

23:02Because at some point this year, say Spurs or Chelsea, they'll be playing Sunderland and you'll be like, oh, I really fancy those two teams because Sunderland have had to play away on a Thursday evening in Europe. and those two teams haven't you know i didn't think i'd be in this position so yeah there'll be some pressure with it but there's no more pressure than say comes with being in that position and they know that the season now as you've like eloquently the point you've eloquently made there's no guardiola there's no club there's no this so this feels like a brand new premier league almost so you're not chasing three or four superpowers you are just trying to do the best you can and who knows maybe finish high because sorry their transfer

23:41Nedum Onuoha:but that Spurs transfer business is absolutely ridiculous. Van Hecker, Sanessi, they've kept Van de Veem, Andy Robertson at left back, Matthias Fernandes, Tonali. At the time of recording, it looks like they're going to get Savinho and Marmouche from Manchester City. And there are still quite strong rumours that they may be Kodigakpo as well. That's before you even get Kuliseski coming back from injury and whatever else. Keeping that gang happy. Kudis and, yeah, well, I know, yeah.

24:10Mark Pougatch:There's a lot of doubling up on positions there. Maybe they're just anticipating that their injury list, their injury treatment list is not going to get any better. Oh, come on. We can always snip that out. We haven't mentioned Moresca and City remarkably, really, in the context of this. I mean, does he just pick up the baton? No. Okay, go on. For me, he can't just because so far this summer, they've lost John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Rodri and those are three significant players for the last 5-10 years at Man City they've got players leaving like Rinders you're seeing, as you've mentioned, Omar Marmouche, Savinho's going so the amount of bodies that he has becomes smaller and smaller and smaller and some of those ones that are left they don't necessarily have the experience they've got potential but they don't have the experience so Maresca's not entering a space where it's just plug and play you know it has to be different he has to sort of put his own spin on it and I know some people say oh but he plays 4-3-3 Pep played 4-3-3 listen lots of managers play the same formations but it's about the details and I think for the first time in a while those City players they'll do something and the manager will say they're wrong and the player won't know why so they'll have to ask more questions and add into that now that it's coming off the back of a World Cup where you know we we say in the media if a manager comes in halfway through a season it's so tough because you don't have a pre-season with them.

25:34Well, this pre-season, half the team hasn't been there with a new manager trying to create his new patterns from a club that has basically been the same for 10 years. So he's going to find it difficult. The league will always be difficult. He's thankfully got a few bits of consistent stars like Haaland's and so on who are still there, Foden's, Shirky's. But again, maybe in some ways, the fact that it feels like a new reset Premier League minus Arsenal will be a benefit in terms of him being given time.

25:58Nedum Onuoha:They've always been very good at City though, haven't they, at how they... how they move their players on but the next player behind is ready to go, particularly in the leadership case. When company left, you thought, oh, or David Silva left, or Kevin De Bruyne left, or Fernandinho left. But there was always the next person coming. As you say, Nadim, to lose Stones and Rodri and Bernardo Silva all at the same time on top of Guardiola, that's a massive sort of group of this is how we do things and maybe they don't want to, this is how we do things

26:39Mark Pougatch:I was going to say, could that be an advantage for Mureska though? Because what you don't want to hear is, well we didn't do it like this before

26:45Nedum Onuoha:Which was an issue for David Moyes by all accounts when he took over at United was that there were players there going well we don't do it like that I think Mureska's positive is the fact that he's worked at City before so he doesn't come in and his eyes are wide open to seeing everything being new. And some of the players that we've got now, he was with, say, three years ago. And obviously he's got his own managerial standards, the way that he does this when he's the leader and so on and so forth. But he knows that training ground. He knows these players. And he can understand that he can't be the same as the old guy, but he can't be completely different to him either.

27:19Because the players need to understand the language that he's trying to give to them. And I think he'll do well. I don't think they'll be incredible. but I think the point which we've not gotten to yet is that essentially now in some crazy flip all of a sudden Arsenal are like the protagonists of the Premier League season they have all the players that they need they have more players coming in and they have a Premier League title and they're the team that has so much like continuity in a time where everyone else is new like it's a new Premier League except for Arsenal

27:58Mark Pougatch:Unsurprisingly, at six years and seven months, he is the longest-serving Premier League manager, Mikel Arteta. So we'll turn our attention to new managers, nine new managers. And in fact, you've just read off one of the managers, the most surprising kind of, that Roberto Dzerbi is the 10th on the list. But actually, the one that really kind of gets me is that Regis Labrie at two years and one month is the fourth longest-serving manager in the Premier League. I mean, it's truly a new look. in terms of managers, new names, obviously. And also, I was thinking the other day, coming from different parts of the world in a way that we had this one time about maybe 20 years ago, there was loads of French managers, you know.

28:39Mark Pougatch:And now we seem to be kind of, there's a lot of German managers, you know. We haven't necessarily got these kind of the same names.

28:46Nedum Onuoha:I think nationality is less important than making sure you all look quite similar in crisp white shirt and trousers and kind of, you know. The uniform. The uniform. I thought that. I thought when Matthias Yesler was announced, I thought, there is your archetypal modern magic. I was disappointed you went with Regis Labrie there, because I thought you were going to do some of the new ones, and then I could learn the pronunciations of you, which will be the case. I've said Yesler. Are we going Yesler? Yesler. Yesler. Yesler. Yesler.

29:19Mark Pougatch:I think we're going Yesler. Are we native? You know, you've mentioned someone, by the way, on this podcast, because we're talking about the league being new and refreshed, but we forgot that there's one manager who's seen all those managers off, and that's David Moyes. Yes. When you think about, say, Wenger's... Yeah, he might only be a year and seven months this time at Edmonton. Yeah, but listen, he's put his time in. He certainly has put his time in. So, yeah, in all this youth and inexperience, you've got that guy, David Moyes, who's doing it again and again. And he doesn't go for the same look.

29:46Mark Pougatch:No, he doesn't go for the same look.

29:48Nedum Onuoha:so we've got how are you saying it again?

29:51Mark Pougatch:I thought it was Yasel Yasel yeah I need to get that right ahead of Sunday tell me if they say it a different way I will do yeah

29:58Nedum Onuoha:you've got Yasel at Newcastle Arbelower

30:04Nedum Onuoha:Arbelower at Fulham Marco Rosa at Bournemouth Pierre Sarge who came from Lunds to take over Crystal Palace I'll put Oliver Glasner here at Forest as well only because you've got a group of clubs there, Nadam, who have all been successful in their own ways over the last couple of years. And obviously Newcastle very much so in that. And I think even though they have all been successful over the last couple of years, there is a sort of feeling throughout football of, crikey, this could go either way for these clubs. I think you're right. And if you will allow me this, there is something about being a team in the mid table which is really dangerous and that is you are very close to almost making into europe but also very close to being relegated at the same time it can sometimes come down to maybe three or four results in a season but when you are in the middle like the the team i'd use as an example for a team that almost accepts it which is probably one of the reasons why the manager left is crystal palace because they've won the fa cup they won the community shield but that didn't mean they're going to spend 50 60 70 million pounds over and over and over it's like no, this is who we are and this is who we will be.

31:18And I think for Glasner, his ambitions were higher. So he wanted to go somewhere else where maybe they aimed higher in Nottingham Forest, even though they might not necessarily be that big at this moment in time. But the changes are there. And once you feel you have stability in the league, I think fans and just players, you just want to aim high. But as is the case with every pre-season, it makes me laugh so much. Every team that goes into pre-season believe in this will be the best season they've had in a long time. And then you realise very quickly about a month to a month in, it's like, no, I think I've seen this one before.

31:51So, yeah. Like, I wish all these guys well, but all the new people in, they can't all do well. That's the thing.

31:57Mark Pougatch:No, no. That's so true. Somebody, somebody kind of, that we're not expecting is going to have a really tough season. Can I have your opinions on Newcastle?

32:06Nedum Onuoha:No, I want your opinion on Newcastle.

32:10Mark Pougatch:Obviously, we don't really know very much about Yasel until we started doing a little bit of research on him and his career. Obviously, they've seen something in him. I think the signings are really interesting because there's a lot of trying to be like for like. If you look at Bruno, he was very, very important to Newcastle. And he was a player who I feel like drove us. When we got victory, it kind of dragged out of the jaws of defeat at times because of his energy and his passion. And so I think he'll be a massive, massive loss. And I wonder, I think Bamba from Monaco seems to be kind of potentially the signing that's supposed to replace him.

32:52Mark Pougatch:Anthony Gordon was responsible for a brilliant run in Europe and didn't always produce in the Premier League the kind of goals that he did there. We've got Toure from Hoffenheim coming on the left wing. So we've got kind of players that look like they're supposed to fit into the jigsaw puzzle of the pieces that have gone. We've got two new goalkeepers. we haven't lost Pope just yet but we will be you look at the Tonali's a huge loss he was also responsible for some of the best kind of work in Newcastle creative work that Newcastle were able to produce last season when he was fit and obviously the experience of someone like Trippier is very important even though he was not consistently picked he was a really reliable and brilliant player in the early days especially for Eddie Howe you know the last season maybe less of a first kind of pick for him.

33:41Mark Pougatch:So I feel like there's a whole new era coming in terms of not just the manager, the players, the ethos, everything about around the club feels very, very different. So I'm, if we finish where we finished last season, you know, or there or thereabouts, just around top half, I'll be very happy with that. I would, because I feel like that is, from everything we've just said about all the new managers, new clubs, new players, I think you could go one way or the other, can't you, with that in mind. And I would be fairly chuffed if we didn't find ourselves in a relegation battle.

34:16Nedum Onuoha:I think your new era point is right. And therefore, I think it's a bit like the discussion we had on Manchester United, which is there could be quite a lot of excitement. If everything went to plan for Newcastle, young players, young manager, start of a new era, great. the problem is I suppose in the back of a lot of Newcastle fans mind well go back 18 months and were we set up for something that we were expecting to be even greater because of the Carabao Cup and ISAC and the team that we had and Eddie and back in Europe and so on and so forth and the owners and what we may be expecting from them and I know the rules don't allow them to put that much money in but but we're also talking infrastructure and everything else that was so i think it all depends on on how much you you want to not live in live in the past i'm only talking about 18 months ago how much maybe you think god what a missed opportunity and we're starting again or whether you think well that was great fun and they were great let's see what we

35:25Mark Pougatch:can do this time i think and probably a lot of newcastle fans might disagree with me but i think sometimes when you're not a top six when you're not a big six you have to be realistic and for all the reasons you just said before as well about you know but they do feel like a big six club yeah and there is that feeling when when we won the carabao we got back into you oh this is where you know that i hate this expression and adem i'm sure you're this is where we belong you know because nobody belongs there you know and nobody nobody has a right to be there it's you And so maybe I'm too long in the tooth and I've seen too many different transitions and eras.

36:05Mark Pougatch:But I think I'm a bit more pragmatic and realistic about where we might end up.

36:10Nedum Onuoha:What do you think, do you think Gabby's too long in the tooth? Listen, Shappas, that's a different question. I'll answer one on Newcastle. I think if you were to have your most disappointing season in a little while and then lose Gimmarish, Tonali, Gordon and Trippier, then things obviously aren't going to be looking great and I think from um from perspective about what to expect from them like it's all new and I think for me the way that I see the teams up near the top I think they've got really like high ceilings but they've also got really like high floors so the variance isn't that big and I like to build the floor first then the ceiling I think from Newcastle's perspective I think some of the incredible days that you've seen in recent years they seem less likely now but I just worry that because of the lack of experience for some of the players who are coming in to replace very experienced players in the league that maybe the floor is going to drop down as well and I don't think they'll be involved in a relegation dogfight but as I say last season was for the most part like a really bad season.

37:08Mark Pougatch:That's all you want to see if you've got a lot of new players and a new manager you want to see an identity this is the way we play you know and this is the style that you know we're going to kind of try and build at the club and feel like you're you're backed you know as a manager you want to feel you're backed and that you've got the players coming in who can do that and so i think that's a journey isn't it until christmas we don't really know kind of how this team is going to look because it is so new look so you've got to have optimism and try and be a little bit excited and you'll you'll probably be treated i know you're doing that again you'll probably be treated to a fantastic game

37:41Nedum Onuoha:oh i honestly there's everything about that on sunday that i'm i'm really um i think it'll be hugely emotional because there'll be a big tribute to kevin keegan before before kickoff so i think emotions will be high newcastle liverpool are normally great games anyhow but because of the sense of the unknown with with both even last last season's game atst james's park when there was more of the sense of the known was a fantastic monday night game and angabo is late winner so i am really i'm really looking forward to that on sunday it's the the emotions as well and the tributes will be lovely but the game itself who knows i mean honestly anything could happen listen

38:19Mark Pougatch:we've kind of flirted with the r word occasionally with various teams and managers but should we

38:24Nedum Onuoha:discuss relegation next yeah quick reminder you could catch up on our previous episodes youtube global player or wherever you get your pod subscribe or follow and leave us a review whilst you're there gabby mark so after you put me on the spot the other week about transfers hang on nadam is this your is is this you presenting this bit is it this is me presenting this bit yes here we go again another pundit thinking they could do our jobs listen man this is this is how we do it this is new media this is it as long as i've got a microphone i'm presenting my own podcast okay so it needs to get you both nice and ready for match of the day and we want to make sure you're across all the new rules oh yeah we need to make sure you cross all the new

39:03Mark Pougatch:rules okay right yeah that's where we're going so do you remember you are the ref yes yes yeah Yeah, of course you do. Of course you do. So a quick explainer for the younger viewers and listeners anyway. So it was a comic strip which tested out football fans' knowledge of the rules of the game. And each week you were given a different scenario, something like, what happens if you kick the ball off somebody's head that goes into the net, that sort of thing. Goal. So today, you two. Yeah, well, well done. It's a great start.

39:30Nedum Onuoha:One nil mark. Excellent. One nil to mark. One nil to mark. Well, today we're going to be testing out your knowledge about the new rules being brought into the Premier League this season. I sat on the referees.

39:41Mark Pougatch:Did you sit on this the other day? No. I sat in on it. On the referees' call,

39:46Nedum Onuoha:where they brief us all.

39:47Mark Pougatch:So I feel like, oh, God. Fair play, Gabby, because you're taking your craft seriously. The guy next to you clearly is not. No, but how much did I take in, though? Because I kept thinking, I kept thinking, everyone I was thinking, this is the World Cup stuff. This is the World Cup stuff. So I feel like we've just adopted most of the World Cup changes into the Premier League. Am I right? Okay, if you say so.

40:08Nedum Onuoha:So who volunteers to spend their spare time with referees? I mean, come on. Oh, right. Top professionals. Right, anyway, let's get back to it. The rules are incredibly simple, okay? I'll describe an on-the-pitch incident, which incorporates a new Premier League rule, and you, as the referee, are going to tell me what the outcome is going to be, okay? Two goals each, no conferring. Gabby, you're going first, okay? You've done that deliberately, because I bet first and third are easier than second and fourth.

40:37Mark Pougatch:What are you trying to say? he wants collusion yeah for a price trappers for a price trappers you can be no no no it's fine no no you can be bought what kind of official are you duh can we not all be bought not referees but he's quite important to point that out one position not referees hope not referees okay so gabby the first one yeah the first one it's a slow goal kick okay we're deep into second half injury time okay and a goalkeeper's taking his time over a goal kick you decide he's deliberately time wasting so you start your five second count five four three two one and you get to zero what do you do uh you the the goalkeeper uh has to give the ball to the opposition effectively for a corner it's not a corner it's a free kick from outside the box this is a paradox mark chapman who's not supposed to be involved in this section has answered the question correctly for the person

41:35Nedum Onuoha:who was on the referee's call. We've always been a team until you came in to try and divide us.

41:42Mark Pougatch:I thought he was trying to throw me when he said corner. I thought no, he's trying to throw me. Okay, so it's a corner. Once the referee decides a goal kick or throw-in is taking too long, a five-second countdown begins and if the time limit is exceeded, a throw-in is awarded to the opposition team for a goal kick, the opposing team are awarded a corner. I think this only happened twice in the World Cup. Right. from... So you're saying it did happen? It did happen, yeah. But I think there's a lot of leniency, is what I picked up from the call. What I didn't pick up was what your penalty was for exceeding that five seconds.

42:16Mark Pougatch:Can I also show a yellow card as well? Not on this document I've got here, Chappers, no. So anyway, your turn, mine. This is number two, this is obviously the difficult one. What about if it was multiple offences? Say you'd done that a few times in the game, surely a yellow card would be appropriate. Or absolutely persistent time wise. Yeah, sure, why not? So Mark Cornered, you award a corner, but before it's taken, the VAR sees clearly the ball came off the attacker and it should have been a goal kick. Do you change your decision?

42:45Nedum Onuoha:Now, which way round is this? One way round, yes, you do change it. You do change it that way round because they don't want a goal being scored from an incorrectly awarded corner. If it was the other way round and it had been given as a goal kick and it should have been a corner, that wouldn't get changed. Honestly, incredible, because the answer's no. At the 2026 World Cup, VR could flag incorrectly awarded corners, but the Premier League has not adopted that rule in 26-27. Then they're dickheads, aren't they? Because this is like... It's meant to be one... The game is meant to be simple. How can you...

43:25Nedum Onuoha:I mean, nonsense. Yeah, course, chappers. Do you know what I mean? Air your grievances. Do you know why they haven't adopted it? I've just given you the reason. No idea. Listen, this is the best nil-nil I've ever seen. I've got one more for you, Gabby.

43:40Mark Pougatch:Let's see if I can salvage something here. Okay, so Gabby, this is the slow sub. Not the slow in terms of speed, but the slow sub. A player being substituted takes more than 10 seconds to leave the pitch. When do you allow his replacement to come on? At that moment. It's taken longer than 10 seconds. The player has to be off the pitch within 10 seconds. Yeah. And if it's gone longer than 10 seconds, Oh, a minute later. Okay. I'll give you a point for that. His team temporarily plays with 10 players. The sub can come on at the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed. I'm taking that as a correct answer.

44:17Mark Pougatch:That was correct. Yeah, you'll take that. Listen, no, no, we'll take anything. That was a scrappy off the shin. Yeah. A meter out. But it's a goal. Yeah, it's a goal. So a 10 second time limit for players to leave the field when substituted. If the time limit is exceeded, the substitute cannot enter until the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed. That's the new rule. But you can think about kind of how you can do a little bit of housery towards the end of the game. Yeah, in terms of, yeah, and just keep that, you know, that ball in play for a while. Put that block. With all these rules, all I'll say, there's going to be housery regardless, because there's always a loophole to every single thing, good and bad.

44:57So, Mark, here's your chance for 1-1. Are you ready? Yeah. Okay, so it's the goalkeeper.

45:01Mark Pougatch:Technically, I think it's 1-1 because I had an own goal, didn't I, for the first one? Ah, you did, yeah.

45:06Nedum Onuoha:Okay. So just before I ask this, I was having the conversation with the producer for Sky on Sunday, and I was saying, can I just check all the new rules? Are you going to do what you've done on the EFL coverage and just put them as a graphic so I don't have to explain to him? He went, yeah, we'll do that. I was like, perfect.

45:20Mark Pougatch:And can we do the same on Match of the Day? Can we do a rolling ticker tape at the bottom?

45:23Nedum Onuoha:Sorry, yes. Come on, then, this scenario. This is a big one. So this is the goalkeeper injury. quote unquote. So you stop playing so an injured goalkeeper can receive treatment. Outfield player has to go off for a minute. Has to go off for a minute? Okay. I'll give you that. If the physio comes on to treat the goalkeeper then an outfield player has to go off for a minute. Okay, so I'll give you that but do you have anything else to add on to that answer? And the team are not allowed to approach the technical area. okay so that's not it but anyway that should be it that should be it so that's another thing so if the if the game is stopped for a goalkeeper injury their manager or head coach will have to nominate an outfielder to leave the pitch immediately they have 10 seconds to choose if they don't choose the captain goes off right and the nominated player has to stay off the pitch for at least one minute after the restart so it's going to be down to that 10 seconds again otherwise captain off you pop what i'll say interestingly so this is based on my experience of having been at the carabao cup i'm not the carabao cup the community shield sorry and i think some people say for example arsenal a team that's been spoken about for say playing at their own sort of speed which doesn't suit everybody like herzler said last season for brighton he hates how long it takes for them to restart a lot of this stuff is down to the referee's discretion so the five second count and the 10 second count doesn't start straight away and what i saw in the community Shield was there were points where the Arsenal players from goal kicks were looking at the referee waiting for him to start his count so they still had time on the front end and then they only played it with a second two seconds to go which is perfectly within their rights but it doesn't speed the game up at all because they're still doing it at their own tempo.

47:08Nedum Onuoha:I'm also looking forward over the course of the season to seeing which players the manager chooses to bring off for a minute and just keep in tally of who gets pulled for that minute. That's not great.

47:22Mark Pougatch:Do you think overall that these changes are positive and necessary? I think when it comes down to positive, I think it's potentially yes, but it also allows people to enter the realm of conspiracy even more because if your team is penalised for taking longer than five seconds, you'll see every bit of footage come up where somebody's taken a second longer and nothing's happened. Oh, God. But overall, I think some of the ones...

47:47Nedum Onuoha:I don't want to talk about this on my actual day. I thought the World Cup changes were in the main actually worked. I actually thought that I didn't see every bit of the Community Shield. I saw the majority of the Community Shield. I thought corners were better at the Community Shield. There was nowhere near as much grappling because that's been... That was definitely a massive change in the World Cup, wasn't it? Taken out of it as well. Yeah, the tolerance levels. I'll give them... Having called them dickheads earlier, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Wow, what a number. What a U-turn.

48:15Mark Pougatch:Thank you, Nadim. That was not just entertaining. entertaining it was useful so okay so it's good to know as well so you were on the call and you lost so i was i was i was on the call but being heavily distracted by a household who were asking my yeah asking me things but um yeah chapas doesn't go on the call because he's he's bigger than that that is not but wow right should we talk relegation

48:50Mark Pougatch:OK, so we started this episode saying that you need around£100 million, it would seem, to retain your Premier League status. If we're going on the past few seasons, what teams have spent to stay up? It seems a bit rudimentary, but that would appear to kind of play out. So if we look at the teams that have come up this season, Ipswich have spent£152.2 million, Coventry 93.8 million so close to that£100 million mark and Hull 53.8 are we writing Hull off straight away there? The only reason why I wouldn't write Hull off

49:27Nedum Onuoha:because you went to uni there because I went to uni there yeah that's what I also wouldn't write them off because this time last season they were favourites to be relegated from the championship I spoke to Dean Holden their assistant manager a few times over the course of the season who obviously raves about Jekirovic and the football that he plays. They were under a transfer embargo last summer. They couldn't spend a fee on anybody and were still canny enough to bring the players in that they brought in. Now, it is a different level, and I would suggest that they are probably the favourites to go back down.

50:08Nedum Onuoha:But I wouldn't necessarily write them off completely. and they they just have two or three things that you never know may surprise may surprise a few people they also have quite an interesting start to the season with a united at home coventry away a fellow promoted side and then villa at home which is quite similar to sunderland start last season two home games and sunderland went away to burnley another promoted side and lost it But I look at those two games and United and Villa are the kind of opponents that are going to get that stadium bouncing. You know when there might be less of an atmosphere.

50:54Nedum Onuoha:So I think they could have quite an interesting start. They've given themselves a chance. Look, they're favourites to go down, but I wouldn't write them off completely. That's all I'm saying.

51:04Mark Pougatch:Ipswich are the first promoted club since Hull in 2016-17 to start the Premier League season with a different manager from the one who took them up, which I was quite surprised at, actually, because there's always, you know, kind of that talk at the end of a championship campaign when a team have snuck up or have, I don't know, Ipswich didn't sneak up last year. But when that happens, you kind of, you know, the club gets a bit giddy, doesn't it? And makes changes. So consistency has obviously been a factor in promoted size until obviously. And this wasn't all in Ipswich's hands, obviously, was it?

51:36Mark Pougatch:They would have liked to have gone up with the same manager. So the money that they've spent, though, because it is right off the charts, 152.2 million. Does that show us that they have learned from their last kind of Premier League experience of two seasons ago? Do you think, Nadam?

51:56I think if Kieran McKenna Was still in charge Then I would say yes But I think the fact That it's Gary O 'Neal Who is on his own Sort of redemption story As such with the Premier League again But in a completely new space Like the stuff that got them promoted He's not really felt I think to be promoted From the Championship Is always a huge achievement Because it's It's so tough down there The Football League Is so so tough And in particular The Championship Like escaping it Is such a big deal say for all three of these sides. So I think he has his philosophy, Gary, and he'll have his ideas and he's very much somebody who works incredibly hard at his craft.

52:29Things haven't necessarily gone his way, but he's had some very good moments. And I think the investment that they have is a realisation that, and this is one of the toughest things I think about Championship to Premier League. In the Championship, you're the favourite, you're the protagonist in the Premier League now. You're the team that everybody, almost talent-wise, is better than. So how do you find the right players that don't make every other team be on your level, but how do you become more competitive because say last year as well was probably one of the tougher ones because if you need 40 points to stay up like we always used to say then you do need to bring in more talent but if it's a year when it's 32 33 like we've seen in years gone by then it's sort of like those seven eight points it's completely different mindset with the players that say you can have on board so i think they're investing into it they know how much it might cost but they also know the reward they'll get if they do stay up because then you can talk about the the incomings of the Premier League for more years.

53:19Nedum Onuoha:And they're at a different level this time when coming up to what they did last time. So when they came up last time, they were very much about them buying the best players in the Championship. So then if they went back down, they'd have a good chance of going back up, which is exactly what they did do. I think this time their transfer policy has been different.

53:37Mark Pougatch:That's what I mean. It's something that they've almost, either they've learned or they've got more confidence. Yes, I think so. What sticks in the Premier League. We give it a go a bit more. Just a little sports science aside here, because we were talking about body fat earlier on and I was reading one of the edges that they have and I'm not sure, there might be other Premier League clubs who've got this, but they've got new urinals because they, wait for it, they have got a new training facility which is, you know, very state of the art and in this urinal, they measure various things in the player's pee.

54:08Mark Pougatch:Do they? Yeah. Oh, in the... What did they do?

54:12Nedum Onuoha:Yes, I cried.

54:13Mark Pougatch:Chappers! It's not carry on up the sports agents. that measures things and hydration, I'm presuming, is the main thing. You knew exactly what you were doing there. And this is potentially going to give them the edge. Obviously, we're all looking for those 1%. Again, stop it. We're all looking for those 1%. And this could be... Sorry, Nadim. Nadim, you all right? Nadim?

54:38Nedum Onuoha:You okay? I'm doing fine, yes. There's something about that London air that's really affecting the two of you. You're just letting us get on with it here. Yeah, please, please. Coventry? Should we move on to Coventry? no the the urinal thing like brilliant yeah sure test the hydration but like if you're not good enough you won't be good enough hopefully for them they will be but yeah whether they're hydrated or not um i don't know if that one percent is actually one percent i think it's just something a bit

55:03Mark Pougatch:easier function coventry frank lampard's experience in the premier league and his experience you know generally in management does that count for for something here do you think uh yes i think so

55:17Nedum Onuoha:I think so. I think they are. The top level. I think so. I think they were obviously great last season. They had so many different attacking options last season. They haven't let many players go. They've brought some players back. So Rushworth, the goalkeeper who is on loan, they've now made a permanent deal with Brighton over here. I was looking at their transfers last night. There's a real mix of ages there where they've brought people from, some Premier League experience, like a one-year from Forest, but then a couple of players from Europe who were much sought after or had good World Cups.

55:57Nedum Onuoha:So they've got a real blend of the players that they've brought in. They've got a difficult start, haven't they? I mean, it's Arsenal away first, then that home game with Hull. And then I think, are they Man City away third? I think they may be. So they've got a difficult start. But you would like to think with Coventry and after what Lampard has done, no matter what happens here, a bit like when Kieran McKenna brought Ipswich up, that there's no panic. You would hope. But Nadam's sighing, so I don't know. No, no, because, listen, I'm going to some deep files here to try and get my knowledge on Coventry long term to see where the fan base is at.

56:41Because I'll be honest, I don't really have it. But it's so significant for them to be promoted that it feels like, say, when Forrest were first promoted a couple of seasons ago or three seasons ago. And as a consequence, they do want to back the manager. And managing Frank Lampard, who, from my part, I think speaks very well for the players, for the club, and has given the fans something that maybe they never thought they'd be seeing. So we spoke before about David Moyes. David Moyes is obviously a hugely experienced Premier League manager. Subtly, so is Frank Lampard now. Yeah. So even though they arrive as a new side with a bunch of, relatively speaking, new players trying to attempt something for the first time, they have somebody on the side who can now make a difference.

57:17And from their perspective, hopefully they can do that. And I think I've got to say as well, from my thing here, having been someone that has been relegated twice, I think one of the biggest things you can do is have a team whereby you want defence to be good, but you need to feel like you can score goals. because I think the amount of goals you score will give you more of a chance than trying to hold on for like 1-0s and 0-0s because the teams you're playing against, they're all capable of scoring goals which maybe you don't see in the Championship.

57:45Mark Pougatch:Thank you very much, Nodem. Just briefly on Frank Lampard, you kind of always think of him as being up-and-coming young manager, right? I don't know, he's nearly 50.

57:57Mark Pougatch:That's mad. Do you know what I mean? I don't think that's mad that Frank Lampard's nearly 50. Yeah, for sure. Do you know what I mean? Outlandish take. So I'm a bit biased. I really like him. And I've just got this, I just want him to do well. I don't know why, but I think two years' time, if he does well for some part of this season, I think he's going to be the next England manager.

58:18Nedum Onuoha:Oh, wow. Okay. Over-ready how? Over-ready how? Clip that up. Wow. Clip it up. Clip it up and then put it in the bin when it doesn't work out.

58:26Mark Pougatch:Nadeem, thank you. Thank you very much. That's it for today.

58:29Nedum Onuoha:Get in touch about anything we've discussed. email us the sports agents at global.com you can message us on social media at the sports agents all of our past episodes on youtube global player or wherever you get your pod so please subscribe leave us a review and we'll see you on monday

58:48Nedum Onuoha:this has been a global production