S4 E09 - The NLD

@PaulHitsheet and @leebrown2 react to the NLD. A draw a fair result?

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Yeah, there's no place. Iknow if I would, I wouldn't want
to be right here. And youknow, in this winute of trying to
bring success to one of the biggestfootball clubs in the world, the basic
under line principles that, yeah,I want my team to play football that
scares a life out of every opposition. Right, that's that's kind of the

(00:25):
end game. Good evening, goodmorning, good afternoon, whenever you're listening
to this podcast, Well, well, well we we could have actually won
that. That was an actually reallyinteresting game. I thought, what did

(00:46):
you make of it? Overall?We will go like sort of through the
first half and the second half inbit by bit. But I just thought
that the Gooners were very cocky andconfident before and you've got the impression,
didn't you, that they thought thiswas a foregone conclusion. Yeah, it
wasn't just the fans. It wasall the pundits said they were going to

(01:08):
win. I can't remember anyone sayingthat Spurs had a chance, and it
felt like, you know, wehad nothing to lose, and to come
away having scored two goals and gota point there, that's such a rarity.
So it just shows absolutely up they'vedropped two points, we've gained one

(01:30):
point. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, you know, and to
be fair, you know, althoughwe'll cover this in more detail, really
it took towards the end, Ithink probably we will be the ones that
are the least happy, because youknow, in the last part with Sarah
and I we both said too too, we think this, you know,
we'll probably end up so we willbang on an actual fact to for the

(01:53):
last sort of like twenty minutes orso. I thought we probably would a
likelier to nick it and take it. Yeah, and when you think that
their two goals were one was anown goal, the other as a penalty,
you know, they hardly deserved anythingfrom that game. Really, now
we deserve to win. Yeah,I won't hear it we were lucky,
because how could you say we werelucky? You know. No, well,

(02:13):
let's let's get into the nitty grittyof it. Actually, because in
the first half I thought we lookedto be off it at the beginning,
So like in the in the firstI think I don't know whether it was
nerves or whether we were just ajack or they were, but they just
seemed to me a little bit sharperand a little bit quicker than we were.
We dwelled on the ball a littlebit too much, and they turned
over possession, like dispossessed us atquite a few times. Actually, at

(02:38):
at this sort of you know,first probably twenty five thirty minutes, Bissumer
and Sar to me looked a littlebit off it. I don't know what
do you did that you feel thatwas we were? I thought as the
home team, they had to attackus from the start and to see if
they could open us. I canget an early goal, which is what
they normally do. Yeah, butthey didn't manage it this time. And

(02:59):
when you think we had at leastfive or six players making their North London
debut. Yeah, you know,I thought we poked really well and we
were unlucky both times, and weweren't behind. It kind of felt,
didn't it, that we weren't carryingthat baggage with us, And you know,
in years gone by, you alwayskind of feel like some of the
players sort of know the score andeventually that kind of psychologically creeps in and

(03:23):
we just, you know, weend up just messing up. But this
lot are young enough and brave enoughnot to carry that, you know,
and as you say, like quitea lot of it was their first game
not to carry that baggage, andI think that worked for us. M
yeah, I mean right through theteam, right through the spine, you
know, Madison and Vicario and Horrow, Johnson, whoever. It was their

(03:46):
first London derby North London Derby.And absolutely we've dropped four points away from
home now and Arsenal' dropped four pointsat home. Yeah, yeah, good
point. We are the better teamand we're still in the top four.
Well know, I mean, andshe said, didn't he before the game?
He said, really, this willbe I'm you know, result society.

(04:06):
What will this game will tell meis how committed are we to play
in the way that I want toplay? And I think we saw that,
you know, because we did growin confidence towards the end of that
half. If we sort of goto the goal, which was the own
guy, I mean, okay,that did feel like that was coming at
that point, but it was,you know, but we had to score

(04:26):
it for him. Yeah, soas a shame for him. But actually
one of the things that I didpick up upon. I don't know if
you saw this as well, andthere were several moments that were kind of
in adversity for us, with theunity, the way the squad pulled together
to rally round Romero at that point. Yeah, Vicario gave him a little
hug and I can't be helped,mate, just get on with it.

(04:49):
Absolutely. You know, they were, you know, we they were in
the ascendency when they scored, soyou could see it coming. And we
had been playing that short out thewhole time, which is fine, and
I feel safer when we do itwith Vicario than whenever we did it with
Louris. It's always invariably ended upcoming back to him. So for that

(05:11):
goal that was that was nice aswell. So like you were saying about
that short ball, that the ideathat I mean, in the past,
I would have been really really nervousabout it. But and even the commentator
I can't remember who it was nowsaid, Spur has been very brave with
with you know, with the passingaround there, and you know it is
a bit a bit scary at timesbecause we do a lot of passing around
the area, but it's but itwas very technically precise and you feel that

(05:33):
that's what Ange is looking for.The bravery and and we did start to
see it more and more. Doyou do you feel the same, Yeah,
because I presumer lost the ball quiteearly on in a dangerous area.
But you know, he still keptto his game plan, which was just
holding on turning, distributing the ballbut at his own pace. But you

(05:54):
know it didn't start hoofing it no, as we might have done in previous
is under some kind of panic attackthat we were happy to be having.
Absolutely, Yeah. And then aboutfifteen minutes or so later, mad Madison,
I thought he was man of thematch, wasn't he mean he got
awarded but yeah again two assists.Yeah, what amazing of the somewhere without

(06:19):
a shadow of a doubt. Absolutelywhen you think, you know, obviously
Rice is a good player, butfor one hundred and odd million, it's
you know, Madison for forty minutesplus actually probably more like thirty because we
got we sent Winks the other way, you know, so that he is
the bargain of the season. Andwhen he you know, at that when

(06:42):
he cut in from the goal line, I thought that was going to go
out there and he was managed tokeep it in and knock it to get
so had a lot to do stilland he took it so well. Yeah.
Yeah, Madison's tenacity, you know, following that through and getting that
crossover an incredible goal to score atthat time. And both our goals came
at good times and they won justbefore half time, and then of course

(07:05):
the eiser in the second half straightabsolutely, So Son seems to have risen
to the challenge. Doesn't he havetaken on Kane's mantle? Do you think
do you think he's now the mainstriker or do you think Richie will sort
of come back into that well.With five goals in two away games,
I'd say Sunny as the main guynow, but he didn't do it away
from home. They're so at homewhere teams come and play a low block,

(07:28):
as they say. But I thinkthe relationship that he's built up already
with Madison just August very well.Doesn't it that they were they were fab
together and he's they've replaced Kane,the two of them between them have replaced
Kane because Madison's doing what Came wouldhave done in midfield and Son's doing what
Came would have done in front ofgoal. And I thought, sort of

(07:50):
as we grew into the game,which was maybe about sort of thirty thirty
five minutes into the game. Really, once we started to get it to
get we weren't getting dispossessed so easily, and then it started to look actually
we were in the ascendancy, likewe just mentioned. But even the commentators
kind of mentioned that, you knowthat basically Spurs now were on the up.

(08:11):
They showed it. That did showa lot of courage to do that.
I mean, it's a hostile atmospherethere, whatever you say. I
know the jokes about them being reallyquiet, but there is a different place
now. I think that they gotthis kind of swagger about them. But
I thought then they started to looknervous, did you Yeah, yeah,
they would definitely look nervous once wescored a goal. If we could have

(08:33):
got ahead in that game at anytime, we would have gone on to
win it, I'm sure, yeah, because the fans would have got on
their back and we could have justhit them on the break. I just
I'll take a point all day long, Yeah, thank you? Yeah,
yeah, absolutely, I mean tobe honest, you know, lots of
people would have said beforehand, willtake a point. So you know,

(08:54):
we're not unhappy with that. Butit did feel, as we've mentioned before,
that we could have sneaked that.I mean, you know, I'm
sure they probably felt the same,but but but it just felt to me
that the more likelier of the twowould have been asked to steal it.
Yeah. I think if they hadhad a harder game in midweek and their
Champions League game, you know,we we could have won that to day.

(09:16):
Yeah, but because they were ableto make their early substitutions on Wednesday
night, was it. Yeah,it was Wednesday, and you know it
helped them, but they would havehad the excuses ready, you know,
well we've more since Spurs Las playedand I'm sure they still will, you
know, and you know, Imean I thought actually might see entire a
bit towards the end. I don'tthink we noticed that because obviously they'd brought

(09:37):
on a lot of subs. Butyou know, the thing, if you
if you're going to challenge challenge forthe league, which they you know,
you know, professed to be inthat position right then you're squad needs to
be never we're doing so, youknow, we're still under the radar,
which is great. Absolutely A bigshout out to your DOGI who got booked

(09:58):
so early on. It was disciplinedfrom their own and got better and better
as the game went on. Andhe could have lost his nerve there because
the fans were a little bit thenon his back, trying to get him
sent off. He saw soccer abit later in the game, like all
that play acting really trying to gethim sent off. I'm amazed there wasn't
a red card because he was theref was given out so many yellows.

(10:22):
But I think that you know,that took a lot of courage. I
think there was a little wobble fromUdogi after that card and you could see
I think you could rest no lookback past straight after, which was like
but then he settled, didn't Ithink, I don't know whether that's the
team like rallying around him, buthe settled, and you know, and

(10:43):
and but he just real he readsthe game really well. Mm hm they
all do you know, Mickey vdvoh Man, what incredible you know,
becauld A Zepski had his best gamesince he's come back. I think today
just got stronger and stronger game wenton. No one didn't play well.
I mean everyone played to a levelyep and you know, no one really

(11:07):
had a stink going that wrote Romerowas the unluckiest player on the pitch,
obviously scoring an own goal and givingWay a penalty. Well, it says
a lot, doesn't it that,you know, so it's not a delusion
that we were playing so well becauseour player the way team got man of
the match, you know, andhe went off after about what seventy minutes
or something. Wasn't it like seventyfive minutes? I think was that Madison

(11:30):
or Song got Madison got man ofthe match, and bearing in mind Song
got two goals, he still gotman of the match. But actually,
you know, I think it couldhave even gone to Van der ven I
thought Van der Venn had an imperiousgame. He read the game so well.
I really didn't put a fot wrongfor me. He's a combination of
Richard Goffan and Yavi Tongan. Yeah, we really really got a player there.

(11:54):
And I think we said this lastpod pool that we you know that
there maybe we're a thought that perhapsof the two defenders we were looking at,
Tapsober might have been the one thatreally we were you know, after
I think we got you know,it seems to me we've got the right
one here. This guy has goteverything about his game settled in so quickly.
Yeah. But you know they're alllovable, aren't they. All of

(12:16):
all these signings, there's no onethere even Manner Solomon Yeah, okay,
yeah, needs to put up abit, I think in the same way
that Brian Hill needs to bulk upa bit. Yeah, but you know,
all the signings are great and theway that you know, we talked
about the unity, but then theway they come together whenever they make a
good challenge, you have the shouldercharge in each other and they're sort of

(12:39):
like they look pumped for it.There's there's there's a real kind of like
we believe we can do something.I feel about the whole thing, isn't
there There's a total unity in thatteam, which obviously we hadn't seen for
a number of years, And youjust wonder maybe maybe you know, obviously
Harry came going we thought at thetime was going to be, you know,
the worst thing they could ever happened. It is turning into the best

(13:01):
theme that could have happened. Andthe fact we've got one hundred millions for
him, so wouldn't it wouldn't itbe just incredibly beautifully ironic if we actually
won something this year and Caine wasn'tin the team. I mean, you
know, yeah it could, youcould. It would be poetic. Not
that you know, I'm hating onKane. You know, he's he's one

(13:22):
of our greatest ever players and oneday I hope he will come back,
but but yeah, it would.It just would be because everyone had written
us off at the beginning of theseason, your best players gone. You
know, we were literally tipped atthe beginning of the season to be one
of the relegation favorites by one ofthe bookies. Well, I've worked out

(13:46):
that we're going to get around eightyto eighty two points this season. Wow,
it's got to be enough for topfour, surely. Oh absolutely,
not enough to win the league becausethere's an odd seamer. We were on
a different planet to everyone else.But I still think coming second or third
would be amazing in his first season, and given the fact that we've got

(14:07):
so many young players and new players, Oh yeah, that would be in
That would be a huge achievement.It votes well, absolutely, yeah,
definitely, Paul, And I thinkyou know, I do you just get
these vibes. In fact, I'mgoing to read you a quote that's from
Madison. He's just he's just tweeted. Can find it one second? It's

(14:31):
bloody disappeared off my thing. Nowlet's have a look one second, SEEO
can find it. This is goodpodcasting, isn't it. And on a
second, I'm looking as well,Madison, James Madison, right, let

(14:54):
me try and let me try andfind it. I'll find the quote,
but it's it's it's a lot basically. I'll paraphrase it more or less along
the lines of everyone thinks that Spursis soft and you know, and and
and this kind of week mentally andall this kind of stuff. He says,
I think we've shown that this isn'tthe case and they were onto something
different now with this club along thoselines, you know, so yeah so

(15:18):
here, oh absolutely, you knowwith you know the results and the player
and the manager of getting those awards. So it says no trills talk about
Tottenham. They often say soft week, bottle it spursy, all that rubbish.
I think the last couple of weeksshows we might be going in a
slightly different direction, right, Andhe's also said proper game of footy that

(15:46):
points shared in the end, andon we go. Yeah, yeah,
yeah, And I like this.It's kind of like, you know,
it's a little bit under the radar. It's not quite fighting talk, but
it's like doubtless that you're peril.We feel we're onto something. Yeah,
And the beauty is we only haveone game a week. We don't have

(16:06):
to worry about anything else except theleague really until January, and there's plenty
of more home games than away gamesto come in the next few a few
weeks, although unfortunately there's another internationalbreak quite soon. Yeah, you know,
if we can go into that internationalbreak, is doing as well and
still unbeaten, still scoring two goalsevery game. Yeah, we're the new

(16:29):
Invincibles. It's gonna be hard todislodge us. Absolutely, So we'll get
into the second half. We pickedup pretty much where we left off,
and then a sucker punch. Wasthat a pen for you? Of course
it wasn't a pen. He wasfalling down. I mean his hand was
raised because where else would it go. It can't just locate his hand from
his body. That was ridiculous,that penalty. It's absolutely ridiculous. Although

(16:52):
I knew it would be given.Once as soon as he went to the
screen, I think Vaar kind ofbottled it. I think, you know,
as soon as he went to thescreen, you knew they were going
to give it. But I thinkthere's no way what else, Like you're
saying, there's nothing else that couldbe done. There a lot of this
kind of pundits were saying, reallynot a pen. But it was still
not surprised it's given. Yeah,it was so close to the ball.

(17:15):
It's not like ham was not inan unusual position. It was literally by
his side as he was falling downor going down. You know, it's
crazy, it wasn't you know,it was not him putting his hand out
to stop definite goal. It's notwhat he was doing at all. He
was breaking his fall. Yeah.Absolutely, And then again once more the
Carrio's reaction. I thought it wasnice. He went to went to Romero

(17:37):
and he you know, not forCario. So what we're talking about,
some of the other players sort ofrallied around him. He looked a bit
despond at that point, but they'rekind of rallied down him and then went
over to him. Yeah, yeah, that's it. Went over to him
no, God, you got meat it. Yeah, someone someone definitely
went over to him and then yeah, yeah he was was one of his

(18:00):
other captains. I just got sidetrackedby that Whanka Sakka who then steps up
and scores, but then does againthe dark celebration. I mean, what
is he doing, you know,his own celebration and he he's taking the
piss basically. I think he's tookumbridge to the fact that Madison went behind
Trump pick him up off the floorat one point because he was just rolling

(18:21):
around again. So I was desperatefor Madison to score. You know,
would have been so so delicious ifhe the scored a sort of free kick
and then could have done that celebrationhimself. Yeah, if the caio had
stayed where he was standing on thatline, he would have saved the penalty
quite happily. Yeah, it's straightat him, but there you go.

(18:42):
I mean Johnson should have remember now, I think it was the first half
he should have scored. He shouldhave scored that that, you know hard
enough. He scuffed it, buthe Yeah, but it led to the
goal anyways, So yeah, exactly. So I think you know, overall,
play was was really positive. Ifand to that degree this I think

(19:03):
this again is it shows you thesort of mentality the players literally from the
kickoff seconds later Madison robs Georgino.I think it was yeah, and then
I lovely waited past a Son andhe still had quite a lot to do,
but it was a lovely, calmfinish. Son's first finish, Staff
think was even more exceptional because hekind of ghosted in between free Arsenal defendants

(19:26):
and the way he connected with thatand placed it just in off the post.
Yeah he is. I mean youknow that the country said he is
a world class striker. There's nodoubt about it. And you know,
if we do manage to sign himup to another longer deal. Yeah,
And also doesn't it just show youwhat a tosser that previous manager was,
that he just couldn't get at thebest out of Son or any of them.

(19:51):
Son and he needs five more goals, so we called last seasons oh
oh yeah, yeah, and there'sthat crazy first two games to go.
It just shows you, Conte,I mean, the more the more I
think about Quante, Yeah, Ican't understand the South stand used to sing,
Antonio, Antonio, you know I'mnot gonna lie, I would sink.

(20:15):
I sang it as well, becausewe all believe that he was going
to be, you know, areally great manager for us, and and
that first season he did he didwell, but but it all just fell
to pieces and he was just excusemaking excuse me. He didn't play the
players in the right system or inthe right place, and it was just
an absolute mess. And I thinkhe's been shown up really as someone who's

(20:37):
not as great as he thinks heis. No pursumer has showing him up
totally because yeah, for some reason, sum wasn't learning the right way to
play well hello, yeah, exactlynow, the right way now. So
yeah, I mean there was onemove do you remember that in this in
the second half where he's sort ofdone this faint Yeah, I assume,
And how he came away with theball. I thought he was going to

(20:59):
turn one when pass it he seemedto sort of faint and go back the
other one, and then he wasin the middle. Yeah, was Excellent's
really really excellent. So we hadwe had when I had my head in
her hands. At one point whenMadison went down, he looked like it
hyper extended his knee really starts inthe turf, I think as well when

(21:19):
that like, but I just he'llget up. He's James Madison, You'll
get up, and he did off. I think it's precautionary. I think
he said in the post match interviewbasically he could have carried on. But
he said, in a game likethis, if you're not one hundred percent,
you can lose your team. Youknow that, you know the game

(21:41):
relatively. Yeah, yeah, andyou know who Bia came on and did.
Okay, Yeah, but yeah,Johnson also got injured, didn't he.
Yeah, tweaked to Hammy, didn'the. I think that's a worry
that hopefully Charlison could have scored Cantywhen he came on. Yeah, and
it was the one that the ballcame back to him and he could have
just turned and shot and it justkind of got snuffed out. But he

(22:03):
looked lively that was good, andtalked about looking lively and Katy I nearly
broke the Cario's leg. I thoughthe went into that scissor Chad. How
was that not a red card?Yeah? Exactly, totally scissor kicked Tim.
Yeah, I mean I don't understandwhy it wasn't a red. That
was a dangerous bit of play thatI mean also about White smashing the face

(22:25):
on a doggie as well. Ididn't even get a card, no,
and that was what led to therewas a goal at the end of that
for them. I think was itmaybe led to the penalty a bit more
poor referee and once again I thinkyeah, but that was his first North
London derby Paul rob Jones. Yeahso, and he was a referee for
our last two two game away fromhome against Bretford. So there you go

(22:47):
that. Yeah, time we gethim, you know what's gonna be.
That's it. We can all gothe bookies another two too. So fair
fair result, do you think?Or you would would which all real like
genuine, truthful reaction to that result. I'm happy we got a point because
it's a place where we traditionally getnothing. As long as we get three

(23:12):
points next Saturday, which just happensto also be my birthday, I'll be
very happy because that four points fromthose two games out of six. Absolutely.
Yeah. Well we'll get on tothat in a second. We'll get
the predictions for that in a minute. We'll just we'll make this a short
pod and wrap it up fairly quickly, so so like a two hour one

(23:33):
good No, no exactly, butyeah, so just just to finish off
then really, you know, Ithought this was a bit of a coming
of age game for us. Doyou think it felt that way to me?
Definitely, because any a lot ofSpurs fans prior, especially on social
media, were very worried about itand we're kind of being quite pessimistic and

(23:56):
thought we were going to be foundout as well. But what we're finding
out is that we're a great scene. Yeah, and we're finding out we're
resilient, we're finding out we've gotcharacter, We're finding out that we're brave.
We're finding out that they believe inthe manager because they're sticking to what
he's saying. And you could certainlysee that wasn't the case with the previous
manager. They didn't believe in thatat all. Towards the end that the

(24:18):
Newcastle game just was like the absoluteproof of the pudding, you know,
wasn't it. Although Newcastle have donethe same again today. So Sheffield United,
I would like to think we're alot better than Sheffield United. You
would like to think, wouldn't youreally? You know, no, we
made it hard work against him inthe last game. But actually we are
you know, we are player forplayer, We're just light years ahead.

(24:41):
Yeah. We are still in thetop four. Yeah, absolutely, and
above Arsenal. Yeah, above Arsenal. They're not even in the top four,
are they? What are they fifth? Sixth? Fifth? I think?
Yeah, yeah, great, okay, well long and bay that continue,
absolutely right. Let's looking forward tothe Liverpool game. There's do a
quick prediction for that. First ofall, how do you think this one

(25:03):
might go? What do you think? How do you think we will fare
in this game? And then giveus your prediction. What was the school
last season we lost? Didn't weI think we did. I think it
was two one. I think itwas two one or two nil. I'm
pretty sure. But I think Ithink it's going to be a draw,
which is you know, i'd likeus to win. Yeah, the Tails

(25:26):
are up. I thought they werestarting very well, but they actually seemed
to be sneaking games. Like thelast game, they kind of come back
and I think they were looked tome that they were going to lose that
and they ended up winning it somehow. That's the second in the league.
So if we beat them, wego above them, though, so there
is that intensive we'd go back tothe second. Well, I think it.

(25:48):
Despite what I've just said that,I think they're looking really strong.
I also think they're quite slow andold at the back, and I think
we'll have them. I think wemight, you know, I think some
of our players might have one toastin that game, and with the crowd
behind us, I think I thinkwe might win that one, you know.
And and just fifty games something beatenat home, so that's nice record
to have. And we're unbeaten stilltwo two at worst and free to win

(26:17):
at best. I'm gonna go.I'm gonna go two one to Spurs for
this game. And I think,yeah, I think that's it. We'll
wrap it up a nice short onetonight. And it's John Kipper as well,
isn't it so well? Over thefast? Well? Yeah, so
you know, I hope you knowthat that's that's not gonna be too difficult

(26:40):
for you. But you're you're gonnagonna start shortly, aren't you. I've
been starved of decent football for fiveyears, so food won't kill me.
I'm just in a happy place.Good good, come on, yeah,
come on, you Spurs. Yeah, there's no place I know if I
would, I wouldn't want to beRyan here. And you know, in

(27:04):
this minute of trying to bring successto one of the biggest football clubs in
the world, the basic under lineprinciples that yeah, I want my team
to play football that scares a lifeout of every opposition. That's that's kind
of the endgame.