Elliott Bennett | Stink Bombs, Fireworks & Super Car Fridays | Undr The Cosh

15:45Browny:how much did they pay him for you?

15:47Elliot Bennet:250 grand.

15:48Browny:It's a decent amount of money that back then, I think. Yeah. For the amount of games that you've played and whatever.

15:53Elliot Bennet:Yeah, and then Tony Bloom invited me and my dad to, let's say this was happening on a Monday. They were playing Huddersfield on a Tuesday night. He says, oh come to Huddersfield and watch the game you and your dad come and have some food with us and we'll chat and stuff so I was like nothing to lose so me and my dad went up there

16:09Browny:don't have to pay for my tea again no washing up yeah exactly that's another fucking

16:13Elliot Bennet:three and a half hour slap to Huddersfield from where you are isn't it yeah but it was free dinner the free dinner parking so we went up there and they got absolutely battered 7-1 so Tony Bloom's like looked at me and my dad after when we leave and he's like really sorry about this game and I'm like Like, ah, it's fine. Like, don't worry about it. Got in the car and I said to my dad, I'm signing there. Just because of how he was with us, Tony Bloom. Felt one side. Yeah, like really good. Obviously, I kind of knew that my Wolves thing was done anyway. You know, and they showed a lot of faith, like you said, for a young lad to try and sign him for 250 grand.

16:50Elliot Bennet:So yeah, I ended up going down the next day and signing. To be fair, like, it was the best thing I ever did. One of, it's probably the biggest single moments in my, you know, football career, really, going down there.

17:02Browny:It's a coming of age moment, isn't it, when you've, like you say, you didn't want to do it, but you're forced into moving from, yeah, surviving yourself. Ruthless enough. It's a ruthless thing, man. But that Labine, because Mick probably didn't have a pot to piss in, he said they got promoted that season. Yeah, they got promoted to the Prem, so. Ila needed that 250 grand

17:20Elliot Bennet:for his thingy.

17:21Browny:A player's loan or something like that.

17:23Elliot Bennet:I don't even think they needed the money, I just think it was just, I wasn't, listen, I knew I wasn't ready to play Premier League football, do you know what I mean? I'd only played in League 2 at Bury like training down at Lower Gig and that on the park you know what I mean dogs running around I wasn't ready to be in that environment so I needed another step I just thought it might be a Brighton say in League 1 but on loan not cut all ties with Wolves and there's no if it goes wrong here there's no going back there for your you know little shelter and stuff so yeah I think it was like you said coming of age moment really

17:54Browny:Did you enjoy the Bury you don't like the shit though

17:57Elliot Bennet:I loved it man it's fucking brilliant

17:59Browny:you know like you're in this everything at Wolves you're full with your kit everything and perfect but when you go out and you get like into the shit it's good isn't it

18:08Elliot Bennet:it was the fucking best thing I did absolutely just like being around the lads do you know what I mean you see these players that I'd come through with at Wolves and I'm training with them but I never felt like part of that I wasn't on that money and I wasn't that kind of way and then you've got these lads I'll go to Bury and they're just like, like my dad, do you know what I mean? Like, love going to the pub, like, oh, there's no lunch today. Butty shop, so we go down to fucking body shop, have our lunch and we all have our boots on at the ground and walk down from Gig Lane down to Lower Gigs, it's like a fucking, it's like a council park, I think.

18:46Elliot Bennet:You walk down with your boots on and people are driving past going, meh, meh, and the lads like, Nicky Adams and Andy Bishop, people like that. It was, yeah, it was great, man. I absolutely love my time there and And just, I felt like just playing football with a pub team, but without being disrespectful, it wasn't a pub team, but it had that really friendly feel to it. Do you know what I mean? Obviously when it come to match day, it was meant something. But yeah, I just love being around that group of lads.

19:14Browny:Them lads will be playing for the mortgages as well. I imagine.

19:18Elliot Bennet:Yeah. It's a completely different match.

19:20Browny:That's more of a,

19:21Elliot Bennet:more of a lot of thought. And you learn a lot from that. So winning on a Saturday, getting that couple hundred quid bonus was great. Do you know what I mean? And even if it wasn't for the mortgage, it was like, fucking hell, winter day, couple hundred quid, that's our fucking weekend next week. Do you know what I mean? And I just love that kind of side to football. It was dead. It was just about football. It wasn't, you know, going in with your wash bag under your arm and getting your kits all laid out nice for you. Someone's cleaning your boots. It's like, no, we get back from training, get your boots, get down the thing and clean them yourself.

19:56Elliot Bennet:I properly liked it.

19:57Browny:I think the hardest thing, what you mentioned about getting forced out of wolves, it's almost like a safety blanket that, you know, I wanted to go on loan. It's like, if it goes tits up, I've always got, I can come back in that wolves thingy. But then if that gets cut away from you, is that right? I need to, I'm on my own two feet. Yeah.

20:14Elliot Bennet:And like, that's the one thing that Terry Conner said to me, just said, look, go and create your own path. Stop wanting to come back here if things don't go right, wrong, right for you or you know just go and go and do it go and be your own person and to be fair like it was really good advice and then nobody ever achieves anything in comfort do they nah

20:37Browny:i can get to sleep in comfort that's true achieve sleep it's a big achievement

20:44Elliot Bennet:winner but even like just off the pitch it was good for like me and my girlfriend we'd always be both from the same place so you know you have a little row when you're first getting together like she goes to her mom's and i'll go to my you just like we had we went to brighton together there's nowhere you can't run home it's three and a half hours away she got to like kind of grow up

21:01Browny:and sort it out that's a big thing for you moving down there but i think it's an even bigger thing

21:06Elliot Bennet:for her how old was your missus she's um 18 months older than me so she was nearly 21 but still like to leave her family and friends her job and just come down there and i don't know if she ended up getting a job but you know i mean she had to go and apply for a new job and leave all her family and friends and you know it's a big was a big thing for her to do and um yeah still together

21:29Browny:now so it's good you experienced the alan nil and chris wilder the role reversal didn't you yeah nil is the manager and chris wilder's the assistant manager yeah so chris wilder was his

21:41Elliot Bennet:assistant not they did they were really good for me like in terms of um helping me grow as a player and person. They played me every, basically every minute of every game. So that was obviously good when I was on loan. And then, yeah, obviously years later, I see now the whole switch around and Chris is the manager and Nilly's the assistant. I never would have seen that coming because Chris was very, like matey with the players. Whereas Nilly was kind of like, stayed away a bit, like more definite manager and he was like...

22:10Browny:Good cop, bad cop.

22:11Elliot Bennet:Yeah.

22:12Browny:Kind of scenario.

22:13Elliot Bennet:Whereas I couldn't, obviously now when you see him, I can see why it's the other way around because obviously Chris Wilder's a nutcase, but I never saw it when I was at Bury.

22:21Browny:Did you ever get involved in the D-bagging? We had a lot of lads on in a short space of time who spoke about the... At Brighton. At Brighton, yeah. You know, his sister manager got his rib broke from... Thingy? Is it Charlie Oatwares? Yeah, Charlie spoke about having a key ball or something. Somebody would just shout D-bag him and everyone would just charge. rugby tackle them into a puddle

22:47Elliot Bennet:nah it didn't happen to me so I thankfully when I first went there so the first season like Russell Slade was the manager like great guy Russell like proper nice but he didn't last very long because well yeah just didn't work out the lads were a bit like unruly we had Glenn Murray what he's doing now is unbelievable by the way BBC and that because I fucking thought he hated football when we were playing he hated the thing he hated it man we had like people like Liam Dickinson just out every weekend like people just you know to Brighton we had a group of young lads after every game you know what I mean win or lose we're on the booze if we draw we'll drink some more that was the mentality of everyone

23:31Browny:so kind of similar to what you'd experienced at Bury

23:34Elliot Bennet:yeah but just

23:35Browny:but a bit more

23:36Elliot Bennet:in the sunshine in the south coast right with the beach and the bars and obviously big university there as well so it's like every night of the week you could go out and do something there's one story about Dick I think he told you about the sun

23:51Browny:what was it

23:52Elliot Bennet:in the newspaper going out and he said he was ill did phone and train and said he was ill but then next day it's on the front of the page did he pick a bird up

24:00Browny:or something picked a bird up

24:01Elliot Bennet:some bigger lady got her in his arms he got a very good lift he got a strong lift yeah great lift and he rang in the next day he said he was ill and yeah that probably did for Russell Slade to be honest the fact that we were losing every week, but the lads are getting pictures in the sun on the front page, not the back. So then he went, and then Gus came in, Gus Poyet, and him and Tano, Charlie Oakway just...

24:26Browny:Who's Tano?

24:28Elliot Bennet:Maurizio Tarrico. So he used to play for Spurs, West Ham, but he was just Gus's assistant, like nasty, nasty fucker, man. Was he? Oh, yeah. He'd bury you in training. His sister manager used to train. Not bothered, one bit.

24:41Browny:Verbally are. Tackle, yeah.

24:43Elliot Bennet:Bury you. Not bothered. I promise you, he was a mad, mad guy. And then you had Charlie just running around, like, causing chaos with people. Do you know what I mean? He was having a laugh and a joke, banter with everyone. It worked really well, though, because Gus kind of stopped the whole, not the whole drinking thing, but just very much like, we're here to play football. You're acting like you're fucking at college or university going out drinking. Like, we're here to play football. Let's have a good go at it.

25:11Browny:it worked out worked out well you mentioned the unlikely duo the nill and wilder switch but i would never the gus paw yet i don't know him but he just looks sensible yeah serious and then with charlie always he's a first team coach assistant did that work that's why i think it worked i think

25:30Elliot Bennet:gus realized like you know obviously being obviously a great career himself and had these ideas of like foreign kind of style of play and all these tactics you can't get people to buy into it at league one level or you know league two level maybe championship as well without having that british side to it so obviously he'd been at chelsea and been through it but he'd not been at those kind of levels whereas charlie knew brighton needed that connection with the players to him so any problems everyone goes to charlie you don't go to the manager charlie has to deal with it. Banter, Charlie's running around.

26:04Elliot Bennet:So Gus used to say, we only ever train for 90 minutes. So before the training session, Charlie would always have his mess around like boxes, pulling people's kecks down. Do you know what I mean? Just going around like causing chaos. But then soon as Gus started the time, Charlie knew that switch off time. Once it blows the whistle, it's all banter again. So it kind of was a really good blend really. And I think Gus really has realised he needed Charlie to kind of keep the chickens in the cage, you know what I mean, in the pen. Because he knew that Charlie could look after that and Gus would just look after the football kind of stuff.

26:43Did he get backed financially, Paul?

26:46Browny:Because he's one league one, didn't he? Yeah. Was that just good management and coaching or did you sign loads of players on big money?

26:53Elliot Bennet:Nah, didn't sign loads of players on big money. We had got a few loans. Kazenga Lawalawa, we had him from Newcastle. Glenn Murray still was there. But I think Gus just got, I don't mean this in a bad way, but he kind of got rid of like, you know, like Dicko, like Liam Dickerson. Not in a bad way. I love Dicko, like great guy, but he knew that to be successful, we needed that kind of side of it gone and more people that want, you know what I mean? So we signed like Ashley Barnes, the lad has obviously gone on to have a great career at Burnley.

27:25Browny:Chris Wood on loan.

27:26Elliot Bennet:Chris Wood on loan. So we had like our three strikers, Chris Wood, Glenn Murray and Ashley Barnes. Obviously, it's easy to look, you know, say now or fucking hell, but at the time, that's what we had and they've now gone on to have, you know, all three of them great careers.

27:42Browny:He's still, Lewis Dunk's still fucking playing now, isn't he?

27:45Elliot Bennet:Dunk, he was coming through, so he didn't always play either. He's older than me, isn't he? It's mad how long he's been. He's been there about fucking four years, hasn't he? I think, was he 17, 18, when he came training with us, he'd just train with us and then he'd play sometimes. Yeah, unbelievable what he's gone on to do at Brighton.

28:02Browny:Is that the first run in the team that you got under Paul yet? Like where you thought, I'm a stable?

28:08Elliot Bennet:Yeah.

28:10Browny:Staple.

28:11Elliot Bennet:Yeah, so from the minute you come in, really, I played. Played all the way through the second half of the season that he was there. Went into his pre-season, which was a fucking joke. Hardest pre-season I've ever done, man. Was that like an old school pre-season? You'd have fucking hated it, Parkin. old school you know like

28:29Browny:they're running up hills old school

28:31Elliot Bennet:which we had the first day you go in on your own do a thousand metres so two laps of a 500 metre track just on your own no time no one's telling you how fast to run just run round that twice as fast as you can come in the next day you get put into your groups based on your time you do two of them not you do a thousand metres you'd rest for the same amount of time it took you to do it and you do it again and then the afternoon was training so you do like 11v11 all the tactical stuff for the season ahead come in the next day three of them all the way to seven so on the this is the first week of pre-season by the way so on that Sunday Monday to say Sunday on that Sunday you've got to do 7 ,000 metres and you're training in the afternoon but you're blast like it's fast fast you know when you you know that feeling when you feel like you're going to shit yourself I'll get it regular and I'm only plodding.

29:27Elliot Bennet:That feeling, that feeling, horrible.

29:30Browny:And I suppose you don't know why you're doing it the first two laps, you don't know why you're doing it. You know, time-wise. Yeah, you don't have no idea. You just... If you knew, then you're probably going to come off the gas a little bit, aren't you? Yeah.

29:41Elliot Bennet:Oh, big time off the gas. They've been creating a whole new group, I'm telling you. And did you have to get somewhere near your first time as well? No, no, everyone had to be in the time. So whatever your... Say your first time was three minutes, they'd add on 15 seconds because they knew that you were doing seven at some point. So you'd have to get in in 3.15, but every one you had to get in. Still a slap then, isn't it?

30:03Browny:That's 28 ,000 metres that in the week.

30:07Elliot Bennet:Plus training. So it wasn't just, that was it. We trained in the afternoon or the morning, depending on what they were doing, but you'd train as well, 11 v 11. And then they took us out to Spain, played a match over there, got abandoned, fucking fighting.

30:23Browny:Was that the battle of flipping? whatever it was called.

30:26Elliot Bennet:Yeah, fighting in that pre-season game.

30:29Browny:Oh, he was involved in that one. Yeah, of course. Go on, talk us through what happened. Who were involved?

30:34Elliot Bennet:Remind you all, Charlie. I can't remember exactly what happened in the game, but something's gone on. And you know what it's like when your English team, barred tackles and that, and you've been pre-season, everyone's fucking knackered. You're playing against these fucking, you don't know who these players are, but their technical, they're bopping it round you, and you're thinking, for fuck, someone's lifted someone. So it's all kicked off. On the field? Yeah, I'm on the pitch. I'm only 20. like just like everyone's like this is going on Oakway's in there running in like fucking doing what he does Gus is in there Tano's in there referees like abandoning the game so Gus gets us back in the dressing room and he's like and what I'm thinking oh no like ruined that night out here ruined everything he's like I fucking love it Charlie's like stick together that's what we do we stick together that's the making of this season that ain't fucking brilliant and like I'm thinking alright great I thought I was walking in there thinking oh fucking Illinois it's gone you know you've done pre-season you get that little carry at the end of the week still give it us was it he's got previous

31:35Browny:because that was a different one to Charlie Charlie was still a player when Ireland won it yeah yeah when he got followed but you're seeing how hard that pre-season was won the league

31:46Elliot Bennet:HMS Pistol League unbelievable first 10 games I think we won nine and drew one or lost one so we were flying from the start but it just carried on like snowboard. You know, when you just get into that rhythm and Gus had a really good tactical brain. He's probably the one person that taught me the most about tactics in football. Before that, obviously, I used to just fucking run around, cross the ball and blame someone else, striker if they don't get their head on it, Parky Brownie. You know what I mean? Whereas he was teaching me about numbers and finding the spare man and all that kind of stuff.

32:20Elliot Bennet:And he just had a way of getting it all over, getting it across to everyone. and everyone took it on board and we just just carried on going and Southampton at the time in the league and their team was like we should never have been anywhere near them

32:32Browny:like the Ricky Lambert

32:33Elliot Bennet:Ricky Lambert Lallana Snyderlin Lallana Jose Font Oxlade-Chamberlain their team was a disgrace we should have been nowhere near them and we beat them to win the league like great season like my my most successful season like personally as well like goals and assists I was just involved in all the games and then I tried to fuck it up for myself in January

32:57Browny:Did Norwich come in for you in January?

32:58Elliot Bennet:Yeah yeah

32:59Browny:Fucking hell So is this the January in the championship the season after or is this the league one?

33:06Elliot Bennet:No so I'm we're in league one we're top of the league flying Norwich are in the championship and they were I want to say eighth round the playoffs and they ring my agent that agent this time he's like we want to want to buy Elliot so he's like but your agent rings, you're done, he's like, no, which one to buy you? And I'm thinking, fucking hell, like, great stuff, championship, earn a bit more coin, do you know what I mean? Brilliant. They put these bids in, they put, I don't know, say four bids in, but this is like daily, so one goes in, rejected, next day, so like keen. So I'm like going to my agent, like, what do I do?

33:44Elliot Bennet:He's like, oh, you need to go see the manager really, and like, get his thoughts, so knock on Gus's door, Charlie's in there, Gus, Tano. Obviously, I say, oh, Gaffer, like, what's going on? It's a lot of money they've bid here. I think they got up to 1.2 million. Bearing in mind, I'd only been at the club for...

34:03Browny:18 months?

34:04Elliot Bennet:18 months, and they paid 250. So I'm thinking, you know, like... Good deal for everybody. Good deal for everyone. And Gus said, look, Benno, like, for me now, the money where it's at, I think, is acceptable, but I'm not the owner. Tano's just sat there, all quiet, just listening he goes you're too fucking nice if this was me I'd be kicking balls all over this fucking training room I'll be like that's not me I can't do that do you know what I mean so I've gone home that night and I'm like what the fuck and my agent's like the only thing you can really do is hand the transfer request in bearing in mind I don't know anything about I'm 20 years old I'm thinking but you just go off like what people tell you to do and all that so I've gone to the ground handed this transfer request in.

34:52Elliot Bennet:Did you write it out yourself? No, he'd wrote it and I just had to sign this piece of paper. Straight away. Put it in below. Yeah, straight away, owner, on the phone to me. But he's in Australia, Tony Bloom. You're not going anywhere. Transfer request is rejected. I'll see you when I get back. So I'm like, well, that's Norwich all done and dusted, drive away. After obviously, then it all comes out in the newspaper and that. Wearing a mind lock, I've not had no bad anything. I've just been playing and we're top of the league so Gus calls me and is like I understand why you've done it there's no hard feelings between all of us in here the lads like we've got the FA Cup game against Watford just forget it's ever happened but you're not playing but this is the first time I've not played under him so I was thinking oh no I've fucked it man I've fucked it my move's done and I've fucked it so I go to go to Watford I'm sat on the bench and he's like oh go and warm up and I'm thinking the Brighton fans right here I've got to warm up down that side I'm thinking I don't want to warm up man so I can't go and warm up Gaffrey goes go and warm up I was like fuck running down like run down the wing they're all clapping me singing my song and I'm like thank fuck you know a big weight just lifted up I just didn't want to see anyone and then it was all alright go in I think we lost that game and then yeah just ended up backing the team for the league games and fair play Tony Bloom he got back from Australia and straight away meeting with me and Gus and just said, not no amount of money, but I don't need the money.

36:26Elliot Bennet:You weren't going. Flying. Yeah, the team's flying. Seagulls, aren't they? Yeah. Flying. The new stadium was due to be ready at the end of that season. And he was like, this team has to be in the championship for the new stadium. And, you know, that's worth more money to me than the money that Norwich have offered. So here's a new contract.

36:49Browny:I'm going to ask you for a new contract here.

36:51Elliot Bennet:Here's a new contract for three and a half years. But this is between me and you, so this isn't in your contract. This is a gentleman's agreement between me, you and Gus. If Norwich get promoted and we get promoted and they come back in for you in the summer, you can go, shut my hand and that was it. That was it, done. Fair play. We got promoted four games before the end or something. So the owner takes us all out to Marbella. Still got games to play in the league. he's like we'll go to Marbella have a good time so we're all out there I say do a bit of training fucking hell not really just getting pissed really and then going on the pitch kicking a ball about and then going in and then we went he took us to this Italian restaurant on a Tuesday night Spanish one I can't remember we were all out having a good time and just get this little tap on a glass Gus stands up and he's like congratulations to everyone but they'd been doing that throughout the night like Tony Bloom and all that he's going just one final congratulations Congratulations.

37:49Elliot Bennet:Just everyone raised a glass. So everyone's thinking like, what the fuck's going on here? So just like that. It's like, oh, Benno, you're going to be a Premier League player next year. So everyone's like, eh, like buzzing. Norwich have just beaten Portsmouth at Fratton Park. They're promoted to the Premier League. So everyone's like saying, oh, you're going to the Prem and all that. And I'm just like thinking, fuck off. Do you know what I mean? Not, just fuck off. Fair enough, they've got promoted, but I know we've got that gentleman's agreement, but that doesn't mean that Paul Lambert still wouldn't want me now.

38:17Elliot Bennet:Do you know what I mean? you're shopping in a whole big yeah well you've got it's a big pond innit then you've got all that Premier League money can attract anyone really like why are you coming and getting a donut from League One do you know what I mean and yeah sure as it happened I was on holiday and got the phone call to say they've put in the bid and we've accepted you can go to speak to Norwich it's all worked out

38:41Browny:perfect innit yeah yeah I know you've had your two pair rises that you never got your second one did you but you've effectively So the two pair risers at Brighton, they've got promoted and then you've got your move to the Prem anyway. Yeah. It's like... Without ever playing in the Championship.

38:57Elliot Bennet:So I played League Two, obviously, at Bury. Played League One with Brighton. Got promoted, but never actually played in the Championship and then go straight to the big league. Mind-blowing. And bearing in mind, I'm still in the mindset, even though I'd had a good season, I'm still in the mindset that that's not... that was never meant to be my destiny. That's my brother's. Do you know what I'm trying to say? Like, not in a... So you felt as though you'd not even proven yourself in the championship. Yeah, I didn't deserve to be there. Like, think about all the amount of players that had been in the championship for three, four years.

39:33Elliot Bennet:This is going to sound mad, but even when the bid got accepted, I actually rang Gus Poiet and was like, I don't think I'm ready to do it. And he's like, you have to go. Not that he needed to convince me to go to Norwich or go to the Premier League, but he's just like, you have to go. You might never get this opportunity again. What happens if we go to the Championship and you get injured and you don't ever get that? He said, at least if you go there and it doesn't work out for you, you can always drop to the Championship. I was like, yeah, but I'm comfortable here. And like...

40:04Browny:That comfort again.

40:05Elliot Bennet:Yeah, I know where I'm at. But you know, because I didn't ever think I was good enough to do it in terms of like Premier League and all that, I just thought, how am I jumping from here to then playing against heroes, you know what I mean, match the day, all that kind of big stuff. And then I ended up getting to Norwich, speaking to Paul Lambert and he was like, just saying, fuck all that stuff. Don't give a shit about it. The pitch is exactly the same as the ones you've been playing on, but better grass. The players, they're still 11 and 11. The goals haven't changed. There's a few more people in the stand and you used to always say like, I don't give a shit about the cameras, all that crap of the day.

40:42Elliot Bennet:That's his favourite one. All that fucking crap of the day. was that a good accent yeah yeah and just from that and then obviously I joined that group of players and they were all similar to me in terms of League One Championship players it wasn't like there was a group of I wasn't joining a Premier League squad I was joining you're all sort of finding your own way together yeah and similar kind of characters like Grant Holt Anthony Pilken like we were all just really like little good lads League One League Two Bury, Stockport, Rochdale, you know, that kind of group of lads. But just fortunate enough to be in a Premier League team.

41:21Elliot Bennet:That's how it felt.

41:23Browny:Can we just jump back a little bit? Because I thought we skimmed over, was it Tanner saying, get your move by kicking balls around in the room with the manager. I mean, you know, you'll say it about getting a move, force a move, but not the assistant manager in the room with the manager. what was Gus reaction like

41:45Elliot Bennet:didn't say anything he just knew Tano I don't think Gus would say anything to Tano I think he'd kick shit out of him sounds like a lunatic Tano lunatic is he Argentinian yeah Argentinian just just a madman yeah you're too nice I'll be kicking balls all over the training ground I was like yeah he just he just said it Gus didn't say it it wasn't like we were in the room and Gus is saying oh no no don't tell him to do that Tano he just sat there going They're all just looking at me. And he says that, and I'm looking at him going... Literally that. I remember you walking out, and he's going,

42:20Browny:what are you saying that for? You fucking idiot. What are you doing?

42:23Elliot Bennet:Fuck off.

42:24Browny:Bush, have that, Gus.

42:25Elliot Bennet:I went down into the dressing room. They're like, oh, what did they say? I was like, just told them what they said, and they said, what did Gus say? I was like, didn't say anything. What did you say? I said, didn't say anything. It's just so awkward.

42:36Browny:I just left it, yeah. Like I said, it all worked out. Do you know on Tony Bloom, you know when he took the club over? well that is thing to get him to the prem or did he just take on because they're not struggling at the time financially yeah really I think he got to the point where he thought I tell you what I've got a chance here I might keep putting more money and more money and more money in

42:55Elliot Bennet:he's one of the smartest people I've ever met in terms of like his vision for what is next so obviously he built the stadium but he built that all out of like his money loaning it to the club to do it so like no interest and like with a bank it would be end up costing a lot more and he just always had this vision of within a certain amount of time we'll be in the Premier League now I think it might have happened say a year or two earlier when they ended up eventually getting there but you just see what they're doing now like the players that they sign sell the managers that they get and everyone goes oh that's them foot now Graham Potter's gone Chelsea that's them foot now the next one comes in and it's like he's always thinking three, four years ahead so right now you might look and go oh bloody hell they're not pushing for anything but a couple of their best players might leave but then someone from nowhere comes and fills that gap and he's always got it yeah he's just really smart and does it in a way that not many other football clubs manage to do it

43:57Browny:he's doing it at heart isn't he yeah

44:00Elliot Bennet:top of the league that's what I mean it's incredible the amount of players

44:03Browny:can't be luck can it he might get a lucky season here and there

44:06Elliot Bennet:it's not luck obviously he's very stats driven and he's got this Sal Griffin thing and they call him the Lizard, don't they, from his poker days.

44:15Browny:Have you ever played with him?

44:16Elliot Bennet:No. I think he'd beat me on any hand, him. He'd beat me on any hand, him. He'd beat me and he'd put it all in.

44:26Browny:Just take it. Yeah,

44:27Elliot Bennet:he's on the horses as well, isn't he? Like, does all the horses and that. He's just a really... Busy sound. Top man. Recently, Wolves played Brighton and he knew I was at the game because my little lad wanted to go. And he found out I was there and he called me up to the director's box at the Molyneux and he comes out and he's chatting to me for half an hour and Paul Barber and his brother Darren Bloom and they're all, yeah, just saying like how thankful they are for my time at the club and I was just saying like how great they've done. And he's just like, yeah, but it's from that League One season and the build-up of it and all that.

45:04Elliot Bennet:So yeah, it's just a proper top man. That just makes you want him to do well, doesn't it? yeah I've got nothing but bad nothing but good things to say about Brighton like unbelievable football club what they do and what they're still doing is all down to his vision really and what he thinks is possible

45:22Browny:you might be good at poker but the lizard's not a name that you want sounds a bit creepy but yeah he used to be on Skype yeah he used to be on Skype just squittling around the table the lizards are you you know when he's in the sky sports

45:35Elliot Bennet:poker I've been watching him years and years was it yeah

45:38Browny:years and years ago the lizard the lizard mate I just think long tongue out of nowhere he's playing with the devil fish that was the devil fish the devil fish and the lizard Tony Warner speaks about him yeah that was his rings like full across his thing devil fish what is that I just watch poker like I'm talking 20 years ago yeah long time ago when it used to be on eh what was on the last one he got the figure misses

46:09Browny:the fish were just a bit bigger than the devil I think going back to Norwich we speak about and we've spoken to a lot of lads that Lambert took them from League One not journeyman but you know the lads who you thought are going to be playing League One all their career to Premier League players I mean money aside it's unbelievable I'm talking about Wilbraham I think he said he's pound for pound he's best signing he just loved him as a lad and he did well for him Crofts did he Andrew Croft Holtby Holtby Holtby's probably the

46:43Elliot Bennet:biggest example like League One really good striker get the ball up to him cross the ball in the box fucking ill-head it in defensive corners ill-head it out just a big target man do a job in the championship but might only get eight ten goals but Paul Lambert has had this way of making everyone feel really good and I don't know how he did it just I don't know we'd go into games we'd go into where did we go like Arsenal away the Emirates do you know what I mean they've got fucking Van Persie they're going for top four all these players and you're thinking oh fucking hell he'd be like don't care about all that like this is how we're going to set up we went and played four at the back two sitting midfielders two tens in me and Wes Houlihan and two strikers no one out wide no one because he said they don't want to go out there.

47:36Elliot Bennet:They want to come through the middle of us. So we'll make the middle really tight. Let them go out there because they're only going to come back in. We drew 3-3 with them at the Emirates. But even going back to the first pre-season we had with him under Lambert. So you sign there, he takes sort of Germany, he loves Germany. He's like, right, this is going to be a horrible week, but at the end of it, you get your rewards. So we had this barbecue on the last day, but all the new signings had to sing for everyone. You do it, you had to do it in pairs. So me and Bradley Johnson went together, did spy skills don't know why but we did had a barbecue and he said like listen I'm trusting you all now there's only two rules no getting arrested and be back on the bus for 10 o 'clock in the morning so we're all like I've never had that before we've always had like you've got to be back at one he just knew that giving a curfew is probably going to cause trouble trouble so we were all like fucking hell let's have it off we go into this little German town you know the pints are about that big.

48:36I wasn't a big drinker, so I'm trying to get down these pints, but

48:40Elliot Bennet:they ain't going nowhere so big. End of the night, man. Fuck's sake. Big fight. Big fight with some German, this guy is a man, he must have been a kickboxer or something. Fly kicking people in chests and all sorts, man. Obviously, but we're English. He's German. Police turn up. Obviously, I'm all right, because I'm in another taxi. The second taxi, we get pulled over by this german police wagon taxi drivers like no no not these lads these were in my taxi the lads behind taxi had to follow this police wagon to the police station arrested bradley johnson uh chris martin few of them knew we'd be involved chris yeah and the only rule was don't get arrested and be on the bus at 10 o 'clock so we had to go back to the hotel and get, there's a guy called Gary Carzer.

49:33Elliot Bennet:He wasn't the assistant manager or anything. He was just like a coach, like just funny. Helper. Yeah, helper, funny. The gaffer like loved him. Great guy around the place. So we had to go back, knock him up and say like, listen, like we need these five lads. We need their passports. You've got to go to the police station and get them out before. 10 o 'clock. Before he finds out, before the madman finds out. The breakout. Before we're all fucked. Didn't work. They got him out. Even knew about it. Found out about it. Don't know how. Gets on the bus and he was fucking... I've never been so scared in all my life, man, sat on the bus.

50:10Elliot Bennet:You've got lads like Leon Barnett, sat on the bus with his shades on, still pissed. But he's been in the cells in Germany answering questions. Can't speak a word of English. Just sat there with his glasses on. I thought we were all... Bearing in mind, I've just signed. I'm thinking, we're all fucked. He's going to fuck us all off. like we've just got here fair play to him didn't say anything to the club club never found out about it kept it between him and we all got fined like don't know where the money went

50:38Browny:that rings a bell

50:40Elliot Bennet:but he was you know what he was like with the fines unbelievable £500 tomorrow cash and you all sat next to him and you had to witness it so you say £500 tomorrow and if you don't bring it in you're paying it

50:58Browny:fuck off Paul

51:00Elliot Bennet:that's what you'd want that's what you'd want to say but you couldn't say it to him could you no so you just you used to walk in the dressing room you used to say no phones in the dressing room that was his rule at training no phones so lads obviously know what they're like put it in the locker hiding behind locker doors out of nowhere be like a fucking ghost you just walk through your locker and he's still walking in your he got your 100 quid and I'm like have a like slimer coming through Yeah, do you know what I mean? I'm looking round my locker door, there's no one there. Oh, great, I have a little look.

51:31Elliot Bennet:I've looked at it for 20 seconds, he's fucking here. Looking at me and I'm like, oh.

51:35Browny:And how much are we talking though? 100 quid.

51:41Browny:Quick break in play, gentlemen. That's usually my job, but carry on. Have you heard about TalkSport Bet? No. I know TalkSport. Well, they are our new partners. But as you said, we've all heard of TalkSport. well TalkSport Bet are sponsoring the whole of this series it's exciting and like you said you've just made me aware of it John but they're sponsoring the whole series and it's another and as under the cost listeners and viewers they're providing an unbelievable offer I'm talking bet£10 get£40 in free football bets not just that they do super boosts daily price boosts and best odds guaranteed on your horses, which is a very, very good special.

52:27Browny:All you've got to do is head to talksboatbet.com slash UTC and you get that unbelievable offer on sign up. 18 plus terms and conditions apply. I'm excited. I think we're going to do some magical things. Give us a fist bump then.

52:49Elliot Bennet:dearly ever cook for you nah never cook she got me a cookbook though she gave us all a cookbook for Christmas once her own oh fuck off yeah her own her own signed yeah signed not too she said oh you can have it if you want it and I was a bit like I don't want it my mum might like that so I got it signed it to my mum happy Christmas do you know what I mean so she's done that she's a lovely woman though like proper a proper nice woman just like oh I've got all them fucking books

53:16Browny:in the garage tell you what lads are like I actually genuinely

53:20Elliot Bennet:think that's what it was it's better getting a fucking cookbook off Delia than it was a turkey from Blackburn that was that I didn't mind them the hamburgers the hamper thing that was a fucking massive turkey you might have come

53:34Browny:the first year I was there we got the full spread the hamper yeah what's all them things you put out like the cranberry juices and the chutneys I think they must have skimped it down oh yeah it was a turkey I was like I don't want the turkey someone has to have a turkey the thing is if you don't know you're getting a turkey you've already got a turkey haven't you I've got two turkeys yeah and then what do you do with it got one oven I've just about got enough room for the turkey let alone your big turkey

54:00Elliot Bennet:is that your favourite ever goal wide heart lane yeah yeah I think not probably my probably not best in terms of like the way it's gone in but just the magnitude of it, do you know what I mean? Playing in the Premier League, again, go back to it, didn't think I'd play there in the Premier League and then to score a winner at White Lane against like Defoe and Modric and Gareth Bale and these players and I'm like, and I score a winner and they're my face some match of the day not fucking Gareth Bale. Like, you can go to Real Madrid and fucking, do you know what I mean? It's a bit surreal. Superstar and then I'm like, how the fuck am I on there?

54:36Elliot Bennet:Little freckle-faced kid from Telford, do you know what I mean? I remember your celebration.

54:40Browny:Did you just sprint?

54:42Elliot Bennet:Just ran to the Norwich fans, didn't know what to do. I had no, I think I just put my arms out like that, got there, stood there, like all the emotions come out of me and then see the lads are all come to me. And I remember Bradley Johnson, like literally put his arm around my neck, just ragged me back, snapped my neck back. I don't know why. And I've got the video, I'm just like fucking, my back ear, face is all mashed up. Yeah, and then get back to the halfway line, I'm just like, what the fuck have I just done?

55:10Browny:was there an actual pinch me moment where you were stood in the tunnel or something before and you like you look at the badge and think what the fuck like

55:17Elliot Bennet:this is unbelievable Old Trafford yeah my dad was a big Man United fan so I grew up just sort of Beckham and you know all that kind of team and stuff and yeah obviously because he was a big Man United fan like for me obviously he's in the stadium as well I'm like I'm playing at his team do you know what I mean and that team was fucking Rooney and all these players, people that I class as heroes, do you know what I mean? So we get into the tunnel. I'm just stood there. I'm like, right, come on. It's all right. It's just a game. Come on. Get into the tunnel, get to the corner flag bit and obviously you've got nothing but to do but to look up.

55:58Elliot Bennet:But straight opposite. It's that fucking big Sir Alex Ferguson stand with 100 tiers. Looking around, I'm like, oh, shit. in that moment if I could have fucking ran in I'd have fucking ran in All the best lads Yeah I wanted to be anywhere but there at that time even though now I look back and it's an amazing moment I wish I'd have been kind of a bit old and like I am now a bit wiser and stood like whereas at the time I'm like fucking hell get me the fuck out of here now 150 ,000 eyeballs do you know what I mean I remember standing there lining up you know when you do that the whole handshaking thing I remember looking around thinking there's a fucking lot of people in here 75 ,000 people 150 ,000 eyeballs probably I don't want to do this there's the pirates and they're all and they're about to watch me get the fucking run around that's all I was thinking even though Lambert sent me out going come on you can do this fucking and I'm like in the dressing room I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

57:05Elliot Bennet:Come on, lads. Have a go. Let's have a go. Walk out. I'm like, fucking hell. Shit myself. But yeah, we got beat 2-0. But that was probably the pinch me moment for me. Just obviously my dad being in the stand, Man United fan, seeing his boy like, you know, play at Old Trafford against like Evera Rooney, all these people. It's good times. Real good times.

57:26Browny:How was Chris O 'Han when he come in?

57:29Elliot Bennet:Yeah. I really like Chris. Like a great person, but completely opposite end of the scale to Lambert. So when you've gone from like ruling with an iron fist, everyone's fucking shit scared of him, to Chris, really nice, like dead placid, doesn't swear. You know what it's like with football? It's like give the lads an inch. They're taking fucking a mile. And that's exactly what happened with him. He was just, he was just so nice and like trustworthy, trusting in the lads that lads just, yeah, they just took the piss to be honest.

58:03Browny:That's the League One, probably the League One mentality coming back, isn't it? You're a Premier League club now. You can't imagine that happening at a Premier League club, can you, where players will fuck the manager off.

58:14Elliot Bennet:And then we signed a few, we signed Nathan Redmond, Robert Snodgrass, Snoddy, what a fucking character, so funny. Just take the piss all the time. But when it comes to football, dead serious, but Chris kind of came in and was trying to change the way, when we were under Lambert it was like don't fear anyone get after him so his whole thing was like just chase the ball we used to do whole sessions where you'd have like six of you against 15 don't look behind you wherever the ball is just fucking run after it like B's so that's how we'd press Chris came in was a bit more like 4-4-1-1 shuffle across the pitch don't come out your shape he used to always say don't come out your shape so everyone just used to take the piss like do you know what I mean so we used to sit in and we started feeling like we're just sitting ducks.

59:02Elliot Bennet:We'd been used to rock and roll a bit, like just fucking have a good go. You get beat. Who gives a fuck? We've had a go, whereas he was more pragmatic. And then people like Holt used to just get frustrated and start kicking balls away. Because Chris never used to swear, it was hard, do you know what I mean? Because he'd try and be aggressive, but it didn't land the same way as like...

59:26Browny:Yeah, you've got to chuck a fuck in every now and then again.

59:27Elliot Bennet:Yeah, what did he say instead of fucking... So he kicked the ball away. Was it Wes? Wes kicked the ball away. Wes is like a fucking little magician. Do you know what I mean? You need him on side to be good. And he's kicked the ball. He's just gone, go and get it. And Wes is like, fuck off. Which you say that to Lambert, you're in big, big trouble. No one was doing it. That's a thousand pound tomorrow, isn't it? I just think you'd, I don't even know what you'd do to your Lambert. It wouldn't be good though. So Christian's like, go get the ball. he's like fuck off instead of like in that moment snapping back to shut the whole thing down because everyone sees that to someone like Wes he shuts down for everyone he's gone no no you so everyone's like oh my god like you what like he's just told you to fuck you're the manager he's just told you to fuck off in front of everyone he's just gone no no you so from that moment mate open season lads booting balls away listen like great person like I really got on with him like if you had any other players that have played under him no one would have a bad word to say about him other than we just needed a bit more like steel yeah we needed or having an assistant that's going to bring that if you're going to be the good one you need someone who's going to be the the horrible one to like put people in line when it's needed we got beat away to I don't know Man City or something so the manager's like right we're having an afternoon session of watching the game back so everyone's like you know people are pissed off trained you want to go home don't want to watch the whole 90 minutes back in silence you already know what's bad but he's like stopping it going back gets to like I don't know say quarter past three but Leon Barnett's got to go pick his kids up from school so obviously you know what it's like in these meetings you've got your watch and checking it thinking I've got to go like look at the thing but you can see the time can't you of like how many minutes are left there's like 62 minutes of the game going to your nose there's another at least half an hour without stoppages so he's like bearing in mind if this is Lambert you're not doing it before you've gone in there you're telling your missus you're ringing school fucking anyone you fucking you know dog walker go get the kids I can't book your neighbour anything he's not done that so Barney's just gone go for um I thought we'd be done by now.

1:01:57Elliot Bennet:I've got to go pick the kids up. And he's gone, no, no, we're all in here. Ring your missus now. You've got five minutes. Everyone have a piss. He's got five minutes. Ring your missus. Tell her she's going to have to pick them up. So obviously Barney's like, fucking hell, he's gone out. His missus is not even there. Like, he needs to do it. So he comes back in. He's like, Gaffer, like, I've got to go. I've got to pick the kids up. In that moment then, the gaffer's got a choice. You either, but because he was trying then to be a bit more forceful, but really didn't have it in him. Do you know what I mean?

1:02:26Elliot Bennet:He's a nice guy, understands that you can't just do that to people. Go on. Okay, Leon, but you need to come back after you've picked the kids and watched the last half of an hour. Obviously, he didn't go back. He just didn't go back. He picked the kids up. He ain't fucking going back. Do you know what I mean? But we got fatigue, Dad. Yeah, do you know what I mean? We were watching half an hour of the game. Just no great person but just no like just needed a bit more from him first. No, it's just...

1:02:50Browny:I mean, that's like a bit of school, isn't it? You're a dickhead now. you're a dickhead

1:02:54Elliot Bennet:but he wouldn't even say you're a dickhead he'd just say no you he didn't have no authority in that way which is mad because that second season after Lambert had left we finished 11th so we finished 12th the first season and then 11th under Chris that last season do you think that's why

1:03:12Browny:he's probably been a better assistant manager than manager Houghton I don't know

1:03:17Elliot Bennet:because he's done well as a manager he finished 11th he did well got Newcastle promoted I just think I think you do need some, it's all well and good at being good at things and being really nice, but you have to have certain traits, I think, to be really, really like an aura about you or something that makes you. To stand out and the players, not fear you, but to fully respect you. You just didn't have that. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, do you give a player an inch? It is probably a player's thing. It's not a him thing. As a person, you couldn't wish to meet someone nicer.

1:03:53Elliot Bennet:But then when it comes to a group of 24, 25 men that all think they should be playing, that all think they're the best and all think this and all think that and all want to win, but then you can only pick 11. then you've got the other 14 if you can't control the other 14 it's fucking Bedlam mayhem so the second season under Chris is exactly what it was and that's why we got relegated because it was fucking Bedlam we're signing players from I signed a player Ricky Van Walkswinkel 10 million quid bearing in mind we hadn't spent any of that kind of money Lambert probably assembled the team we had for fucking 3 million we signed one player 10 million so he comes in from somewhere in Holland comes in as the big bad wolf.

1:04:36Elliot Bennet:That's a great name. Anything but the big bad, big bad fucking clown. All he wanted to do was fuck about. He's bringing in like, you know them little glass jars that stunk of shit? Smash them on the floor and it smells everywhere. Stink bombs? Them things. It's coming in, stink bombing things. In the physio room in Norwich, he got like a tape on the inside, got that fucking squirty foam inside. So when you pulled the door open, squirty foam fucking flies out. Just fucking about, honestly. I like Van Malt's big club. I do. It was fucking great.

1:05:11Browny:No good for staying up in the Premier League. Nah, not when you...

1:05:14Elliot Bennet:We were right down the bottom as well and all the shit's going on. And because it was rare in that season that we were winning, we signed this lad called Leroy Fur, right? Honestly, mate. I'm trying to look if there's anything as big as it. His fucking piece massive, mate. Biggest of sin, right? Used to do this thing if we won. Bearing in mind the gaffer's in there. we're not having a great season but we win a game Leroy pulls his trousers down because everyone knows he's got a chopper gets it grabs it by the bottom of the shaft mate big fucking piece and swinging it round the dressing room at Carrow going like a fucking air raid siren everyone's in there obviously everyone's laughing great gear do you know what I mean we're like what the fuck is going on he's doing it on the Lambert mate he wouldn't have dared do it he got a new pair of boots right so we had all like who was in there Colin Calderwood great guy Paul Trollope he's a Hewton's assistant so I think Leroy was sponsored by Nike or something so he got these new boots takes the boots out cuts a hole in the bottom of this fucking box of boots and he's like he puts his cock through it shuts the lid and he's like oh do you like my new boots lifts up the lid and his cock's in there this is just like daily everyday like something stupid's going on not allowed to ride motorbikes Leroy comes in and he's one of these fucking what do they call them?

1:06:43Elliot Bennet:a Can-Am so he's like two wheels at the front one wheel at the back and he's just got the full levers on helmet on just fucking razzing into training just like no fucking rules do what you want do you like me new boots?

1:06:56Browny:I think I'd have enjoyed that season most out of any

1:06:59Elliot Bennet:Honestly, I was injured that whole season as well, but every day was just banter. Bearing in mind where you're in a bad place in terms of in the league, we've signed all these players and you're expecting more, but it actually was just fun and we got less out of it because we ended up getting relegated.

1:07:23Browny:I'm just trying to think if it's the biggest... What just happened in that five minutes? I don't know which was my favourite. I think the stink bomb the best I like the squirty

1:07:32Elliot Bennet:I like the squirty crew what was it foam

1:07:33Browny:yeah like foam

1:07:34Elliot Bennet:coming out every day just doing stupid stuff like we had I was injured at the time so I'm just having my crutches I'm just having my ACL done I'm in my house so I'm just minding my own business you know game ready and just boring shit I get a knock on the door so I'm slow getting up when I've got my fucking crutches so I'm just getting up to the door go to the door no one there I'm like it's Halloween so I'm thinking knock a door run or whatever sit down another knock I'm like nah taking the piss bearing in mind I've got Halloween sweets just outside the door so just fucking take them take the old pumpkin for all I care I've left it out there so I don't have to keep getting up to the door anyway me being mean nice go to the door no one there again I'm like for fuck's sake so going back in the kitchen just sat there and I see like two people running down my garden.

1:08:28Elliot Bennet:I'm like, little bastards, who the fuck's in my garden? My dog's going mad like, so my missus is like, oh, just let the dog out. Bear in mind, the dog's a beagle, so he's not fucking doing anything. Do you know what I mean? He's making out like we had some sort of fucking staffage. Fucking beagle. What's he going to lick him today? Just fucking bark and then lick, exactly. So the dog goes out. Next thing you know, mate, so I'm stood at the thing trying to look down and see if I can see what I can see. no I can't say anything just say fucking firework right by my head whoever's in the bushes is setting fireworks off at me you know the ones you just hold and just don't do it anyone who's watching don't do that fire this firework at me so I'm like obviously the dog shit itself then ran straight in the house I'm like oh fuck my missus like right ring the police ring the police I'm like now fuck the police I said go and grab me a hammer now so she grabs me a hammer but I'm on crutches so I've got an hammer I can't stand on my one leg still.

1:09:26Elliot Bennet:So I've got an hammer. I'm standing there and I'm like, wherever the fuck you are, get the fuck out of my garden. Don't hear anything. No other firework goes off. So I've got all like, you know, the little gravel borders you could get around plants and stuff. So I thought, right, I can't fucking walk down there because I don't know who's down there. It's on a slope. I'm on crutches. It's slippy as fuck. It's been raining. So I just grab handfuls of stones. I'm just fucking launching stones down there and I can just hear, ah, ah, ah. I'm like, let's fucking get them out. Kept doing it. Went back and I was like, right, they're going to go now because whoever it is.

1:09:59Elliot Bennet:So I'm going back in my house and I see them start walking up the side of the fence, but they've got masks on. So I'm like, right, I'll meet them around the fucking front because they've got to come through my back gate and come to the side. So I'm there with a hammer waiting. Not that I was already used it. Do you know what I mean? I'm a fucking pussycat. You know what I'm like? I've got fucking blown over. But if I've got something, at least it's scaring them a little bit. Come and then this mask just comes around the corner. and starts to come towards me, but I'll get the hammer and lift the hammer up.

1:10:27Elliot Bennet:So then this thing starts running off up this hill and I'm like, go on, fuck off, fuck off. They run up there off my drive. I'm like, what are you fucking doing? Who are you? They're not saying anything, just looking at me with these masks with their heads tilted to the side. I'm like, oh, for fucks. I'm not going to do anything with a hammer. So I get some more stones, start throwing the stones, go back. They start backing off so I can't hit them. Next one, fireworks. I'm like nah taking the piss but this time my missus is in the window upstairs like look watching it all unfold so she's like I'm ringing the police so she rings the police Norwich being Norwich police car doesn't come guess who comes geezer on a fucking bike what are they called community fucking support worker or something fucking on a bike it's like oh there's been a bit of disturbance I'm like fucking a lot of good you're gonna be here anyway fucking he rides off on his bike into the fucking night sky.

1:11:25Elliot Bennet:Next thing you know, these two masks are back. Take the masks off. Fucking Bradley Johnson and Sebastian fucking Bassong just come to wind me up. Apologise. They only come back because they knew my missus was like upset because she thought, who the fuck is it? Rings the police. They saw the geezer on his bicycle go past. They come back to the house and they're like, oh, get your missus, tell her we're really sorry. Like, we're just joking, just joking. I was like, what are you doing? I'm on crutches. The bad thing is Bassong and his missus have got kids they've left the kids with a nanny because his missus has come and doing it as well she was the third fucking person in her mask and it was his missus fucking bumped Bankstaff's stone off her head you know what I mean so they're apologising to me and I'm going I'm really sorry Marie for hitting you with the stone I thought you're lucky I didn't swing the hammer at you for fuck's sake man

1:12:18Browny:but that was the season that summed up that season it's dangerous fireworks setting fireworks off at people. Was anybody else expecting Van Wolfskenberg or whatever he's called? If you'd have asked me about a player

1:12:29Elliot Bennet:that had done that, I'd have said Wolfs, Winkle and Johnson. Not Bassong. And his missus. And his missus. With a three-year-old and a two-year-old in the house.

1:12:36Browny:I just imagine it's Scooby-Doo, you know, when they finally have masked him. You know what I mean? Bassong! Just stood there, taped up or in the net. And his wife!

1:12:47Elliot Bennet:I wasn't even... I was raging at the time, but then after I realised it was them, I wasn't raging but my missus Bradley's missus and my missus got on really well so he was like oh please like tell her to come to the window and missus no I'm not coming I'm so angry I'm not coming and the next time he said I'm so sorry and she was like obviously saw the funny side in the end but oh mate that summed up that season

1:13:12Browny:A quick break gents from one of our favourites the creme de la creme of VPM services NordVPN. The best in the business. If you don't know what a VPN service is, it allows you to vouch your location anywhere in the world. Anywhere in the world. And where have we been lately? Swindon. We didn't need it in Swindon, but we did need it in Dubai. I did need it in Swindon because I went on the hotel Wi-Fi. Ah, Scandinavia. Yes, because that's another thing about NordVPN. Security, absolutely unbelievable. And when you go in on those... You know, hotel Wi-Fi's. Just go with that. Everybody can get involved.

1:13:53Browny:Yeah. Public Wi-Fi's. That's your boy. Security. None of them hackers get into your bank details, your passwords. No, no, no. I'll tell you what I'm watching at the minute. Obviously, I'm going to on my honeymoon soon. I've started watching Dominican Republic Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Yeah. Obviously, there's going to be times where she's getting ready and that. I'm only watching the telly. You've seen all the millionaires over here. Yeah. So now you've got Aunt Domi. I'm Aunt Dominican Republic ones at a minute. Well, that's the thing. You can bounce your location anywhere in the world. So even if you're in the UK and you want to watch Dominican Republic Millionaire, you can get it on over here.

1:14:34Browny:Just bounce your location over to Dominican. I can watch anything I want, Chris, from around the world because I've got NordVPN. Sports. Series. Millionaire. Cut the tosh, lads. What is the script? Do we have an offer? Of course we've got an offer because as under the cost listeners, you've just got to follow the link in the description and you get a heavy, heavy discount and get this, a 30-day money-back guarantee. So if you don't like it, get your money back. That's why they're the goats for me.

1:15:04Browny:Did you almost sign for Villa? Or was it... Yeah. Were they in for you?

1:15:08Elliot Bennet:Yeah, so when... Obviously, Lambert left after the first season at Norwich. Chris Hewton came in. So we had the next year, I stayed at Norwich. And then I had a year left on my contract, I think. Yeah, a year left with an option. So then I played, I don't know, 60 games or something in the Premier League at that time, over two seasons, which I was probably happy with. And then we started signing, as I said, like Leroy Furr, Bassong. There's loads of people started coming in. I thought, oh, it's going to be tricky here. So before the first game of the season, I was down in London and I got a phone call from my agent saying Norwich should just offer you a contract, a new contract.

1:15:48Elliot Bennet:But I'm not ringing to speak about that. I'm ringing to speak about, would you want to go to Villa with Paul Lambert? So I was like, well, fucking obviously. No, no, I'd sign for him. Villa's half an hour from where I'm from. It's a massive football club. Yeah, I'd love to. So they put a bid in, rejected, put another bid in, rejected. Chris Hewton's like, we need a chat. And I was like, yeah, yeah. He's like, oh, it's just about the contract. And obviously, I know you know about this Villa thing. And I was like, oh, look, Gaffer, like, we've got the first game of the season on Saturday. We'll just deal with it on Monday.

1:16:23Elliot Bennet:He's like, yeah, great, Benno, great. So, played a game, played full 90 minutes. We drew 2-2 to Everton. But after the game, my knee was killing me. So, I ring the physio and he's like, oh, come in tomorrow. We'll get you a scan, like, proper quick Sunday. Take me to the hospital, get a scan. Going on the Monday, just think, well, my knee's still hurting. but I've had my scan now it's probably not that bad I'll go and see Chris Euton we'll talk about my contract but as soon as I walk in there's no one about it's just a doctor a physio he's like oh can we have a chat I was like yeah he's like I don't really know how to say this to you it's not an easy thing to say but like you've done your ACL and I'm like obviously at the time I'm fucking crying my eyes out thinking well I'm not going to play for the rest of the season I'm definitely not getting a new fucking contract now that I could have signed on Wednesday but I haven't because I was thinking about the Villa thing and where do I stand in this?

1:17:18Elliot Bennet:We're going to chat on Monday and the Villa thing's fucking done as well. It's obviously gutted. And then Chris Euton actually pulled me in after they let me digest the first news and ring my missus and whatever. He pulled me in the office and he was like, look, I'm gutted for you. And I know we were speaking about contracts and that, but the last contract that we offered your agent is still on the table for you.

1:17:46Browny:To be fair, that's incredible. Yeah. From them, isn't it? It's the best, like... But to me, on the flip side of that, Norwich have had two years in the Prem now, so they've definitely got another three years of Prem money even if they went down that year. Yeah. So financially, it's not a risk, but it's fair play to them.

1:18:03Elliot Bennet:It's just, I think it, for me, it was like, shows how good Delia and that was as a club. Chris Hewitt as a person as well, like just when I said you wouldn't have a bad word to say about him like they easily could have just said well you've still got a contract we'll see how you are when you get back and we'll give you your option year but they didn't I got a brand new three year one on more money than I was earning in the two years I'd been playing in the Premier League and now they knew I couldn't play for a year but willing to pay me more was but because they'd offered it me

1:18:36Browny:they were saying that that's You know what might have really worked in your favour the fact that you went I tell you what look, Gaffer, we'll just get the game out of the way. I'm not going to cut, like, the game out of the way, we'll speak about it Monday.

1:18:46Elliot Bennet:Yeah, maybe, yeah.

1:18:46Browny:You know, if you'd have gone, nah, I want to fucking talk about it. Nah, Chris. Yeah, and kicked off or kicked balls away.

1:18:52Elliot Bennet:See, that's what I mean. I think sometimes, like, in the moment, you can feel a type of way, but then when it comes back round or something comes back to bite you, that then, because I could have kicked off, still ended up playing because Snoddy got injured, was ill, then got injured, and then him go.

1:19:09Browny:Fuck you. Yeah. what supercar fridays was that what you're on about with turning up in the leather and that

1:19:16Elliot Bennet:no no no it's not fucking up is this is this in the chaos season no this is the year after so um we had neil adams for a bit he's like the academy manager and he won the youth cup with norwich for against chelsea so he was like you know in youth football he'd done really well and ultimately it didn't work out for him and then we got um your mate the mad scotsman alex Neil

1:19:42Browny:I played with him sort of 28 25 28 years ago and he was an angry bastard is he an angry manager you wouldn't want to cross him

1:19:51Elliot Bennet:on the first day he was just like right lads in his accent I ain't going to try and do it but fucking aggressive as well Scottish accent's always more aggressive for some reason he's like don't give a fuck if any of you know who I am don't give a fuck if you like me or you don't like me you lot are underachieving massively for this group of players I'm here to make you fucking understand what it takes to get back up. If any of you don't like this appointment or you don't respect me, I'm not expecting you to, come and knock on my door and you can fuck off. I've already spoke to the club already.

1:20:23Elliot Bennet:Any of you's want to go, any of you, you can fuck off. Do you think anyone went in the sinning? Not one fucker. But straight away, first day, bang. That's how we're doing it. That's almost going back lambetesque, isn't it? Yeah, but that's what that group needed. So we ended up going on a mad, I think we were mid-table when he come in, and going on a really good run, got to the playoffs, beat Ipswich in the playoffs semi-final, and then had Middlesbrough in the final. So just goes back to the supercar thing. They, it was like Lewis Graben, Gary Hooper, Bradley Johnson, Martin Olsen, Gary O 'Neill, does that say him?

1:21:04Elliot Bennet:No, Gary O 'Neill. they're all like chatting so if we get promoted we're going to do Supercar Friday who wants to join in so that little group all said yeah yeah Ben are you joining in? I was like no they're like right well what we'll do is we'll line up what we want if we don't get promoted we ain't doing it but if we do we can just say to the car guy yeah we'll have that one, that one, that one great so they all do that so obviously we go play the playoff final win 2-0 obviously everyone's buzzing but you have that little like lulling between the game finishing celebrate you go back in but then you come back out to do the whole trophy thing as soon as we get in there they're all set on their phones them six grabbing O 'Neill Olsen Johnson texting the super car the car guy saying order order order they're all ordering it obviously at the time when they're talking about it I'm thinking they're chatting shit they ain't gonna do it mate first day first Friday day when we come back from pre-season they all turned up in them supercar fridays swear to god lewis grabben red lamborghini beautiful car like parks and alex neil spot just parks in the manager's spot you know what that how that would have fucking gone down we had a lad called john boy but he's a kit man now so grab cinnamon was like oh there's bird poo on the lambo like can you give it a wash for me so this john boy's like yeah of course like goes in gets his the wash washing the car Alex Neil looks out his window sees firstly the Lambo's parked in the spot and then John Boyd cleaning it so he's like knocking on the door the fuck you get in tell him to get in so we're all in the dome doing like preab or whatever it was Alex Neil comes in face like thunder shuts the whole session down is like get everyone in who's whoever's fucking red Ferrari that is in my space, get it fucking moved.

1:23:05Elliot Bennet:So at that point, everyone should really just be quiet and someone just go and move the car, grab and go. It's not a Ferrari gaffer, it's a Lamborghini. But in front of everyone, obviously in front of the lads, I'm thinking that's brilliant, like really good, really funny. Alex Neil did not enjoy it, mate. Got him out. He had to apologise in front of everyone. Like they fell out about it. and then he had to apologise in front of the whole group to say that sorry for being disrespectful but all because of Supercar Fridays

1:23:39Browny:so all six of them bought Supercars and they could only drive it in on Fridays only on Fridays and I just feel like Fast and Furious

1:23:46Elliot Bennet:type thing when you did training there that's what it was like though but they didn't drive it any other time they might have done it at home but to Norwich it was just Friday

1:23:55Browny:only on a Friday we'll get on the coil sharpish hopefully but I just like from your spell at Blackburn I remember because I think we had one season and it was a bad time for the club the fans were on everybody's backs I think when you first signed you got a bit of the bird from them didn't you yeah you know you were struggling with your knee and this and that how did I think it was on about before about your attitude and your your will to succeed you end up leaving a club legend yeah two or three four years later what was your

1:24:30Elliot Bennet:your journey really? I think, well, obviously you were there when I first come and like, and obviously I shared with Brownie and Corey, Corey Evans and like, I got there and I wanted to do really well and I was desperate to do well, but like, I was just fucking crap. To be honest, like just nothing was working for me. I was not training hard. I was still training hard. I was still trying to work on the pitch, but everything I was doing was just not working. And then Paul Lambert took me out of the team and I did end up doing an interview with the local paper up there, Lancashire Telegraph, and they were like, oh, you know, how's it been since you've signed?

1:25:03Elliot Bennet:Blah, blah, blah. And I just was honest and just said like, I can't finish it. I've not been good enough, so I'm out of the team. And I think from that moment, they stopped that, they stopped it because I wasn't trying to like...

1:25:15Browny:You weren't hiding from it. You were being honest. Being honest and saying,

1:25:18Elliot Bennet:I've just fucking not been good enough, so it was good. Was it getting on top of it?

1:25:22Browny:I tried that and it didn't work. just just leave us alone 3 ,000 fools up on the post I am the worst player Blackburn's ever signed you're not fucking wrong I totally agree but yeah he ended up being club captain yeah

1:25:39Elliot Bennet:like yeah I think after that moment I then obviously got back in the team and started to find a bit of rhythm under Lambert again like scored a few goals then went into the next season with your mate and And yeah, it just wasn't working for me at that time either with him at the start. Just Kyle? Yeah. I wasn't, no, it wasn't working. I just wasn't playing. I wasn't playing. We were getting beat all the time. And I mean, he's another, you could do a whole podcast on him. Because anyone who's played for him, I'm sure you've heard all these crazy stories. And then I ended up getting in the team from an FA Cup game.

1:26:23Elliot Bennet:And I went on a little runner score in goals and fans would really like him. And then he got sacked and Tony Moe came in and I played all the time and we started doing well. And then obviously, like I said, when you start doing well as a team, fans start liking players more. Do you know what I mean? It can be the same group of players that they've said is the shittiest player we've ever had. But if they're part of a team that then wins 10 games in a row, it's all fucking ole, ole, ole. Do you know what I mean? It's fickle, isn't it? That's how quick it changes, and I think that's probably how it changed for me, really.

1:26:57Elliot Bennet:I went from having a bad time, not playing well, and being slagged and rightly slow, but not trying to make an excuse for it, and then come kind of back round the other way. What's your favourite coil story? Fuck me. What about the one where you're the Christmas lunch one? No. Have you not? It doesn't ring a bell. Oh, for fuck's sake. So we're in the mud, mate. Proper in the mud. Terrible. Right down there. So, you know, it's like at Blackburn, Christmas, Si and Lewis used to do Christmas dinner. So they set all the tables up lovely, Christmas dinner. But lads are like, well, we need to have a meeting about how we're going to get better because what we're doing in training is not going to get us better because we're just fucking around playing five-a-side and fucking crossing and finishing.

1:27:48Elliot Bennet:It was great fun, but we need to really fucking try and work out how we can sort this out. So, most of the lads are in there. We're all just chatting. The assistant's in there, the analyst team. We're all talking about it. Everyone's going back and forth, putting in their information, you know, saying what they feel could make us better. Is this not behind Coyle's back, but so some of his staff are in? No, not behind his back, just, he's not interested. He's not interested. He's not bothered. Fucking not bothered, He sat in there with his can of iron brew. He probably had his cup of tea with seven sugars in just somewhere.

1:28:22Elliot Bennet:He was anywhere other than in that room where he needed to be, but he wasn't. So we're all in there and he's floating around. And he's knocking on the door. He's like, how long are you going to be? So the assistant's like, oh, not going to be long after. He's like, right, okay, okay. So he goes off.

1:28:40Browny:This is Owen Coyle asking how long are you going to be? Yeah. In the crisis meeting.

1:28:44Elliot Bennet:How long is this meeting going to go on here? How long are you going to be here? So Danny Guffrey sat. He's not in the meeting. So Danny Guffrey's just sat waiting for his Christmas dinner like he wants to go home. So Gaffer walks past and Danny Guffrey goes, oh, Gaffer, do I need to be in that meeting? And he goes, nah, nah, Guffs, they're not talking about anything that me and you don't already know. Goes fucking waddling off. Obviously, we only find out that he said that afterwards. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, the meeting carries on 10 minutes. We're talking about like, oh, we're too open here and centre-halves are blaming the midfielders for this.

1:29:20Elliot Bennet:Anyway, 10 minutes later, he called me back. Knocks on the door again. He's like, right, that's it. Come on, out of here. Someone's like, what's going on? He's like, fucking pigs in blankets are ready. Fucking pigs in blankets are ready, mate. So we're all fucking, we're all trying to help. We can get better. He's worried about the fucking Simon Lewis's pigs in blankets getting cold. We all fucking walk out of there going, well, at least we got a little bit across. He's like, he'll get everyone to sit down. and he's like, right then, pour your crackers. So we pour your crackers. We've all got to sit there and you fucking party out on.

1:29:54Elliot Bennet:Fucking honestly, mate, honestly. And when I say this is all happening, all this is great. Like when he was at Burnley and he got unpromoted, I'm sure it was amazing because they're winning. You're top of the league. That stuff is brilliant, isn't it? When you're winning, nothing's rolling. You want that fun side and that. Not when you're bottom of the championship. you need a bit more than like fucking pigs in blankets in your party hat

1:30:20Browny:they are big though aren't they

1:30:22Elliot Bennet:pigs in blankets they are big they're a vital part of the dinner outstanding oh it's a vital part to the Christmas dinner and they work up really well you can just imagine him in the head tapping looking at his watch are these fuckers going to finish or what honestly he had a when I wasn't playing in this little moment I weren't playing but we lost like three or four games on the bounce I think 3-2 it was we had like 3 or 4 resorts 3-2 or 4-3 real tight games but we're getting beat so obviously as a player when you're not playing in them games you go in and asking like in a respectful way because I was never disrespectful so I walk in knock on his door ah the Benno come in so I go in 9 o 'clock in the morning do you like like an iron brew he's offering me an iron brew I'm one of his players it's 9 o 'clock in the morning want an iron brew I'm like no I'm good for a bit of fizzy at this time in the morning thanks Gaffer I ain't had my fucking coffee yet so anyway sat chatting I was like Gaffer like just want to know what have I got to do to get in the team I'm not coming in here to talk about anyone else's performance just what do you need to see from me out in the training pitch to play he went Benno I've got to be honest with you if you were a defender you'd be playing because them cunts keep conceding three and four goals a game the midfielders and wingers look we scored 2-3 in the last four games it's not their fault if you were playing at the right back you'd be in but I'm not so what can I it's basically saying get the fuck out of my room take your iron brew and get out

1:31:56Browny:yeah he's not leaving your wondering though is he nah you know he's done the front eight

1:32:02Elliot Bennet:are doing alright everyone else is shite but you're not one of them shite so you're not playing

1:32:08Browny:yeah you're a crazy guy the stars must have just aligned at Burnley mhm they had a good

1:32:14Elliot Bennet:squad of players and like I think they had enough I say this in like proper men experienced professionals that just already knew how to

1:32:26Browny:think could manage the dressing room didn't need babysitting didn't need breastfeeding yeah like

1:32:34Elliot Bennet:honest do you hear about the one where he tried to catch a ball he used to always do like sidewinders with a keeper keepers fucking sidewinder they hit him straight on his fingers He dissecated his finger. No. Honestly, mate, there's fucking so many. We'd be warming up and the keepers would be kicking it to each other. He's like, hey, hey, Steely. So was it Steely at the time? I think it was. Jason Steele. He's like, Steely, come off your line. So Steely like fucking sideways into him. He tried to catch it at the end of his finger, dissecated his finger. He's like, well, you need to come a bit further out.

1:33:05Elliot Bennet:His fucking hands are killing him. His finger's like, ah. Get Steely to come off his line and then tries to dink him. He was left for, Coyle! Please, Coyle! He was here running around the dressing room doing that. He's like, for fuck's sake, man. But if he, like I said, if he were doing well, it would have been outstanding, but as it was, we were dog shit.

1:33:26Browny:Loved his head tennis, didn't he, apparently? Was it his head tennis?

1:33:30Elliot Bennet:Yeah. Head tennis, anything to do with, anything to do with not playing football. So everything fun, outside of crossing and finishing, fun. football golf, anything to do with not tactics. He was fucking fantastic. Fantastic. Loved him.

1:33:48Browny:I can't remember who told us, but he must have been partnering with Walshie, the masseur. Oh, yeah. And Walshie was doing his job, giving one of the lads a massage before a game. And Coyle's come in, basically told Walshie to come and get on the head tennis court and leave the player. Needed treatment. That would have happened.

1:34:07Elliot Bennet:100 % that would have happened. you ever have much to do with Venkies? never met him never see him

1:34:13Browny:never met him never seen him Christmas turkeys I wonder what what's their crack why would these Indian fucking chicken men think I tell you what I'll buy Blackburn

1:34:20Elliot Bennet:and then have nothing no day to day not even day to day but even when we got promoted so we got promoted and they said to Tony at the time we'll buy everyone a Rolex obviously it's a nice gesture so I'm thinking and they're like, well, the fuck's my Rolex? But Tony Mobley was like, oh, no, lads, we're not taking the Rolexes because all that they've had since they've been at the club is the money taken off them. So we're going to show them that we're like, that's not what we do. Like, we've just done our job. We've got promoted. We shouldn't be in League One. We should be in the Championship. I'm thinking, fuck off to us.

1:34:55Elliot Bennet:Fuck me. You better fucking sort me out, won't they? You know what I mean? You might not want yours. What about asking everyone if they want theirs? Yeah, other than that slight interaction, I've never had any...

1:35:07Browny:What I will say though, like, considering probably the most hated owners, the fans hate them, don't they? Like, it's unbelievable. The players never used to slag them off or out. You know, I know we never met them, but they never used to say they're parts of fucking shambles. Any staff that you spoke to, like, could only say good things about them. They used to fly them over to India and look after them. So it was only positive things from the changing room and the staff. I'd be fucking raging if Sunday flew me to India. Fuck that. It was obviously a nice... Yeah, Palace, they've got Palace and that, yeah.

1:35:39Browny:He's gone to India for two weeks. Fuck off, I'm handing my resignation in. But, you know, like when we were at Preston, we were like, the borders, you know, I had to clear the decks and the killing us kind of thing. There was none of that. I think it was maybe the people they've employed haven't been good enough.

1:35:58Elliot Bennet:I agree. And I think that they've, look, like, for my whole time there and from what I know, they've never not paid wages for everyone I don't just mean players but you know there's loads of clubs that are they have these bad owners if you like and they don't pay people's wages and they don't do all these things and like look running a football club that's not been promoted back to the Premier League must cost an absolute fucking fortune but I think for the fans frustration is the people that they've employed have never been good enough do you know what I mean so the club's gone through like seeing loads of the Venkis take over and get linked with Ron Ardino and fucking all these, David Beckham and all these people that they're on about bringing in, get relegated in the first season at their owners and then never get back up.

1:36:43Elliot Bennet:And, you know, people like Michael Keane get the job and the fans didn't like him. And it's just been, I think, a catalogue of things that makes the fans not like them. But as players and they never didn't pay the wages and the staff that I, you know, they've always kind of looked after that. But you know, it's like fans want a successful football team and so they should. And I think because they're never at games, there's not a clear line of communication, I think.

1:37:10Browny:Doesn't seem to be any interest really, does it, from the outside? And that hurts.

1:37:13Elliot Bennet:And when you're from a place like Blackburn, like working class background and real hardworking people, they want to know that the person running their institution is the same as them and feels the same way about them.

1:37:27Browny:He's a shit as much as they do.

1:37:29Elliot Bennet:But because you don't see him, they don't. Do you know what I mean? So it's understandable.

1:37:34Browny:Somebody did say, and they said you wouldn't answer it or you wouldn't say anything, and I haven't got a signal about it. Somebody, Sahel? Sahel? Sahel, yeah. Who was he? He wasn't there when I was.

1:37:44Elliot Bennet:No, so he's the Venkis person, if you like. So he runs the day-to-day stuff, so a manager would go to Sahel. Do you know what I mean? And then he's kind of the link then to go back to India to say, right, we need X, Y, Z for this reason. And then it comes back for him.

1:38:05Browny:Is he hated?

1:38:07Elliot Bennet:Yeah. Yeah, he is, yeah. So as players, we didn't hate him. Again, he never did anything untoward to me until the end, really, when I was leaving. in. Obviously, I don't hold grudges, but I can understand why the fans don't like him because they're seeing what they're seeing. They're seeing the decline of a squad of players that got close to the playoffs with John Eustice to him then leaving to go to Derby. All that squad then being ripped apart and being replaced by a team that now sits lower end of the championship so to a fan it doesn't make sense and the person behind it is not the manager because the managers keep changing but the one constant Sahil so you can't you can't vent at the Venkis

1:39:01Browny:because they're never the so he's the he's the figure man yeah and so then you know I mean and

1:39:07Elliot Bennet:it's understandable why they why they feel that way and look like Sahil's always been as I said good to me other than my time when I was leaving I didn't appreciate the way it was handled but that's football and I ain't gonna fucking cry about it

1:39:22Browny:I didn't think it'd happen but Tony Mobley's gone on the shit list why? for the fucking Rolex I want my Rolex

1:39:30Elliot Bennet:you're joking me Tony

1:39:31Browny:nah keep him off man he's given me a good few contracts in top man Tony I'm really sorry but Tony's on it good for you apart from the Rolex he's just nicked in above Blackwell good for you personally

1:39:44Elliot Bennet:yeah unbelievable yeah unbelievable like always speaking to me obviously made me captain put a lot of trust in me yeah just get he made I think after having Coyle oh I mean Coyle sorry it's not calling Coyle Coyle he just made me feel a type of way about football again and understanding like about winning and losing and like what it really means to be a footballer whereas under coil I wasn't playing so I didn't know what it meant to win and lose and we were losing anyway and we were just fucking about every day in training like it was just it was literally a fucking mess about it felt like I was on a when you send your kids to half-term holiday camp and they're going fucking juggling the ball around you get a fucking lollipop at the end of the day sticker yeah I mean so yeah he he was he was really really good for me and he was quite good because he got a group of lads to manage the dressing room.

1:40:39Elliot Bennet:So instead of him being the iron fist, we set the standards. Even though we had a good laugh and fucked around, we set the standards and then he kind of didn't have to do that anymore. So he was quite clever in that way that he got lads that he knew the other lads respected to kind of do that kind of stuff for him.

1:40:57Browny:I think that's what Neil wanted, didn't he, at QPR? With your Clint Earls and your Sean Derries. I got them together and said, look, you as a group need to sort this shit out. You're my... Nuclear, so the... You're my men. Yeah. Type thing. My enforcers. Yeah.

1:41:13Elliot Bennet:And even though we didn't have to enforce anything, do you know what I mean? It was just more setting the standards for everybody else to, say, follow. But like I said, lads need something to follow, whether that's a manager, a group of players, an individual in the team. If you've got nothing, then, as we've spoke about a bit, you know what I mean? Good problem. Chaos, yeah.

1:41:34Browny:As an enforcer then, what did you do when someone took a shit in a perotting shaker? For fuck's sake. Oh, that was fucking fantastic.

1:41:43Elliot Bennet:What a fucking bit of banter that was. Oh, was it Daki? I'm sure it was Daki that did it. So anyway, we had Daki and Bradley Dach, Dom Samuel, there was a group of them. Danny Graham used to get involved with all them because he's like a big kid. So when we're not playing football, we're in the dressing room. We had a good group of lads. like people didn't like try to shoot off home or everyone was like hanging around the training ground really so anyway like they're always messing around and i used to always say like listen like it's funny what yous are doing don't touch my stuff yeah i ain't touching your stuff you touch my stuff i'm i'm not gonna tell you what i'll do to your like it won't be to your clothes i'll do things to your car like i don't want to do it just don't fuck about my stuff yeah that's why i'm saying don't touch my stuff because i don't want to get involved in from that are you

1:42:30Browny:protected there

1:42:31Elliot Bennet:no because you probably set yourself up then to someone go I'll see how far he'll go yeah and then it can be never ending so I just never used to get involved and then we were going way on we had like four days off international break so Daki thought it'd be a good idea did he do it to Dale Williams or Dom Samuel he did it to one of them it's regardless we're reading it it's fucking disgusting goes in the toilet sits on this protein shake and just shits in it it's still got obviously the powder in but instead of like just leaving it curled up on the top it puts the lid back on and fucking shakes it up so it's just in there so it's just in there and then puts it back in the cupboard so obviously four days in a fucking hot dressing room you can imagine how it fucking and then protein shakers they stink if you leave the tiniest bit of protein in there let alone a piss and shit and protein honestly the fucking dressing the dressing room stunk man Leslie comes remember Les Les comes in she's like you gotta sort that out I don't know what it is so I'm going around like I say what's happened and then Daki's like doing all that and I'm like what you done he's like I was shitting that protein shaker didn't I I'm like well yeah you did but did you not fucking just let him see it and then throw it away or just leave it there no it's been there for four days disgusting man fucking disgusting

1:43:58Browny:rotten It's bad when your own's mech and you get.

1:44:01Elliot Bennet:Yeah. Do you know when you smell a protein shake at the end when you've left it for a couple of days in your car and it's like, oh, but that was shit and piss mixed in. Fucking disgusting. That's got to go, hasn't it? You can't clean that one out. Dishwashers out there in the jar. Just wash that out for us, will you?

1:44:20Browny:Straight bin jug. Oh, dear me. Was your plan to head closer back? back home you end up with Shrewsbury is that just travel I think

1:44:33Elliot Bennet:to be honest I think I would have stayed at Blackburn I think I would have ended there had things have worked the way I tried to make it work out but as I said it just didn't materialise in that way so we had the Covid year sorted all the money deferrals out for all the players to defer money so that all the rest of the staff kit men cleaners everyone who was going to go on furlough would get topped up to their full 100 % money. So we did that, sorted all that out.

1:45:04Browny:Are you figureheading? Yeah, so me and Charlie Moore grew.

1:45:07Elliot Bennet:Yeah, so obviously we were off for three months and Steve Waggett at the time was the chief exec, this is a Hale, Tony Moe, but they were all having, me, him, me and Charlie and them three were having conversations. It felt like every fucking day, like, oh, we need to send money here. We've got to do this. We need the players to defer 50%. And that's how it started. so obviously go to the group of lads you know how that went down like a fucking shit sandwich like the protein shaker yeah like that everyone's like nah fucking not doing it which is everyone's right to say no so anyway me and Charlie went back to him and was like listen like what do you need to make sure everyone at the club that's not a player that goes on furlough gets topped up to 100 % you tell us that number from the players and we'll go back to the lads because then I felt like that was a reasonable way of convincing people to do the right thing, not just an owner that's a billionaire in India that we've never met, go, help us out and defer 50 % of your money.

1:46:03Elliot Bennet:For what? So they come back and it's 33 % is the number that we need. So I was like, right, okay. So me and Charlie trying to work it out going. But anyone younger lads under two grand a week, they're exempt. Keep them out of it. They don't have to give up anything. Everyone over that, 33 % of your money to get paid back when football gets up and running. So we don't know how long that's going to be. But it is what it is. So that every member of staff that goes on furlough doesn't have to go down to the 80 % of their money. They still get 100%. Because mine and Charlie's thing was like, the kit man gets paid 100%, but he might live to 99%.

1:46:40Elliot Bennet:And he has 1 % left over a month that he saves for his holiday at the end of the year. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. That all got sorted. Everyone agreed to that. Lads were like, yeah, that's fine. We've come back after COVID. It's all sorted. bear in mind I've been a part of that and I'm the captain and I'm playing still playing got a year left on my contract going pre-season Tony Mubry pulls me in the office first day he's like you can't hit your I think I had 18 games appearances and I got another year on the same money you can't they said you can't play so Gaffer after all this what do you mean I can't play they don't want you on that money for another year I said right okay well why don't we scrap that contract you give me a two year contract so I've got a year with an option just give me a two year straight on less money than I'm on now but for two years so over the two years I benefit but it takes away the restriction of I can only play 18 I can't play more than 18 games and I'm on less money this year so they save this year but next year I'm still on less money but just another year longer they come back to me go to my agent say oh yeah we'd like to offer Benham a contract it's half of the money that I was on for that year anyway they just put it in half for two years oh come on sale so my 100 % of my money that I've got for the season they've gone right you can have 50 % of it this year but we'll give you an extra year and give you the other 50 % so my agent's like you do know he could go and play for the fucking red lion for 50 quid a week next year and be on more and just stay on the money he's on this year and they're like yeah yeah but that's where we see it and I'm like so I went back to the manager I was like look I'm not asking to be on what I'm on earning now I just want a fair deal that puts me in the middle of the group with you know some other lads but for an extra year so I get to have a bit longer at the club and blah de blah he's like Ben I'm trying to tell him and then Shrewsbury came in and said look like we want to we'll offer you a contract and stupidly Blackburn then go oh at the end of the season yeah we'll give you we'll offer you another year on less money but by this point I'm already fucked off just because I feel like I've been there five and a half years gone through a lot of things relegation, promotion done well for the club been captain sorted out the Covid stuff like without needing an applause for it I didn't want a pat on the back just that was all between like you know us lot and then it comes to a situation like what I was saying before when I'm saying about just sort me out a two-year contract now and no one has to worry about games give me less money I just didn't even I didn't even wait to hear what they was going to offer me for that second year I just like I'm going home I end up signing for Shrewsbury and I've I like to think that things happen for a reason and like I meant end up going back you know going home going to Shrewsbury and it just coincided with it was the year my kids were starting school so I could take them to school every day pick them up because Shrewsbury's 20 minutes from my house and I could go to their plays and sports days and like my dad was struggling with cancer and he actually ended up dying when the first year I was back at Shrewsbury but if that same night that he died Blackburn were playing at home in Blackburn and I would have been in Blackburn as it was I was playing at home at Shrewsbury my dad was in Shrewsbury Hospital so I got from the game to Shrewsbury Hospital and was there you know with him when he was dying so then I look back and go who gives a fuck about another year at Blackburn certain things you can't ever rewind on do you know what I mean so it is what it is

1:50:37Browny:it says a lot of obviously the treatment at the end though but you've still got that affection for Blackburn as a club and you know that that intermediate that we talked about between having that affection for the fans and the club itself and yeah bridging them gaps you've still got that in you yeah well i think when you spend

1:50:55Elliot Bennet:such a long time with so many good people and you know people wanting you to do well and i really enjoyed my time there so i'm like just because of a bad interaction at one stage yeah can't ruin everything you know i mean because you know i probably at the start like i was saying to brownie i was fucking crap so they had every right to think i was crap and not give me another opportunity to turn it around but they did so you know things aren't always how you want them to be

1:51:28Browny:but you just have to get on with it first bit of advice for this sir hale you know if you get this role just time to go into a local paper at blackburn just say look i'm fucking crap at my job my fucking crap at it aren't I my mum did they be like he's a hero carried in front of the streets they'd be like

1:51:44Elliot Bennet:you know what I like that a bit of fucking honesty

1:51:47Browny:I'm fucking shit at this role what you're up to now mate are you happy yeah

1:51:52Elliot Bennet:really happy mate kids well yeah just just been around the kids a lot around the missus my little lad's just got into Wolves Academy so fucking just just a taxi mate Uber a fucking taxi mate driving everywhere Has he got a brother? Nah. Sister. She don't like football, so he's all right. He can safely say he's the best out of the two. She's better at netball. Yeah, just doing that. And then I'm trying to build some houses and do that sort of stuff. Yeah, just keeping busy, really. Staying in about it. Do you miss it? Match days, yeah. Don't miss anything else. Just the match days. obviously the lads and the banter and that sort of stuff, but because I've been like helping out on site and that, I feel like I'm, do you know what I mean?

1:52:41Them lads are fucking just as mad really.

1:52:44Elliot Bennet:Do you know what I mean?

1:52:45Browny:Take some stink bombs down with you. Say again? Take some stink bombs down. They shot plenty of foam down there to spray at people, isn't they? Who's took a shit to me, butsy boss?

1:52:53Elliot Bennet:I don't take no stink bombs. Some of them fucking stink themselves. But yeah, just keep him busy. My brother's obviously doing his coaching thing as well and he tries to get me involved in that.

1:53:05Browny:He's the best coach in the house.

1:53:07Elliot Bennet:Do you know what the worst thing is? He's really fucking good at it. And because it's his company, I can't bring myself to go and work for the cunt. Better than me at football. Better than me at fucking coaching.

1:53:18Browny:For fuck's sake. Have we still got that picture, by the way, from when we played just in the cup?

1:53:25Elliot Bennet:Yeah, Norwich Donny. Yeah, I've got the... That hell of a picture, I remember. Yeah, I've got it in... We actually got my shirt and his shirt framed. Had them split in half, so it still reads Bennett, but half of it's Doncaster, half it's the Norwich one. Mine had the Premier League badge on.

1:53:41Browny:That's where I get one over on him. Fuck you, Ben. Because you were your arm round him, innit? Yeah, and then we've got the picture at the bottom

1:53:47Elliot Bennet:with me with arm round him and another one. And it's up in my mum's house. Yeah, my mum's got it. So it's nice. Is that the only time you've played against each other? No, I played against him. Blackburn, Portsmouth. I won again. and then I played against Blackburn, Bristol Rovers. I won again. Three for three. So he might be a better player than me but I always play for better teams.

1:54:09Browny:Well, Ben or Topman,

1:54:10Elliot Bennet:yeah, brilliant. Really enjoyed that.

1:54:29Elliot Bennet:thinking and a guaranteed nervous breakdown, Lunatic in the Newsroom is for you. It's news like you've never heard before.

1:54:36Browny:The only newsroom with a panic button. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and gasp in horror as the show spirals completely out of control. It's not just news, it's emotionally unstable. Lunatic in the Newsroom. Listen today.