August 4, 2025 • 36 mins
WELCOME TO THIS WEEK'S EFL PODCAST!
This season sees a brand new weekly EFL podcast from Sporting Life and the team behind our Thursday show, This Week's Acca.
A combination of Tom Carnduff, Joe Townsend, Jake Osgathorpe, Jimmy ‘The Punt’ Cantrill and Gab Sutton will be spending their weekends up and down the country, from Exeter to Middlesbrough, so we thought why not get some of the lads together every Monday to pick through the latest action for an EFL podcast, highlighting what they spotted and any "in case you missed it" moments.
Opening weekend saw Tom dispatched to Grimsby, arriving home with an inflatable haddock, via chance encounters with a club owner and a couple of EFL players who shared the same train home.
He and Joe also discuss Bolton, Stockport, Luton, MK Dons, Barnet, Oldham, Harrogate and the result of our first accumulator of 2025/26.
If you have any questions, comments or your own observations please add them to the comments or email thisweeksacca@sportinglife.com
🚨 And don't forget to like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode! 🚨
This season sees a brand new weekly EFL podcast from Sporting Life and the team behind our Thursday show, This Week's Acca.
A combination of Tom Carnduff, Joe Townsend, Jake Osgathorpe, Jimmy ‘The Punt’ Cantrill and Gab Sutton will be spending their weekends up and down the country, from Exeter to Middlesbrough, so we thought why not get some of the lads together every Monday to pick through the latest action for an EFL podcast, highlighting what they spotted and any "in case you missed it" moments.
Opening weekend saw Tom dispatched to Grimsby, arriving home with an inflatable haddock, via chance encounters with a club owner and a couple of EFL players who shared the same train home.
He and Joe also discuss Bolton, Stockport, Luton, MK Dons, Barnet, Oldham, Harrogate and the result of our first accumulator of 2025/26.
If you have any questions, comments or your own observations please add them to the comments or email thisweeksacca@sportinglife.com
🚨 And don't forget to like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode! 🚨
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to this week's cfl our brand new Monday podcast, talking, Well,
it's gonna work out EFL Championship League one and League two.
Tom and Joe with you. It's the first one of
doing these. I think that's what we're doing.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Is that correct? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I mean it's so brand new that I'm going to
do one of those things that apparently you're not supposed
to draw attention to that. The microphones we've got are
still this week's Akka, aren't they the other podcast?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
But I'm sure all branding as well. We've rebranded one
match day. We're going to actually have a this week's
EFLs branding as well. But cross promotion we've done it already.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
This week's ACHA will continue as normal on a Thursday,
less than about this week's Actually we did last week
the better didn't come even anywhere near winning on opening weekend,
did it?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
But only week opening weekend? Was still pretty fun as
a as a football fan, right, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
It was good, which is what we're basically going to
do on Monday, right, talk about what happened at the weekend,
spotted what we were up to, all that kind of I
think as Thursday's too far away, and we just waffle
on for too long on the actual ACA, don't we.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So we kind of wanted something to do on a Monday, then.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Just bored chat away about what we've been doing opening weekend.
Then talk to me, what do you think of it?
Very interesting? Yeah, there's there's a lot to there's a
lot to get into. But the first thing that I
really really, I mean, I came in like an excited
puppy this morning.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
I had to make sure everybody had seen this clip.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
I don't want to downplay the fact that Ian Holloway
was addressing something that's important.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
People should not throw.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Stuff on the pitch and throw stuff at players, So
I don't want to sort of make a make.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Light of that.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
But I think that I had Ian Holloway in the
top three best EFL managers ever when we did that
in the summer for our TikTok channel. And the reason
for that is because we've had one game of the
EFL season and Ian Holloway has already done a mad
interview where yes, condemn poor behavior by supporters, but only
(02:08):
in the way that Ian Holloway could do it. He
has done it as if David Brent was giving the
interview looking at the camera repeatedly finishing by looking at
the camera and calling out the certain fan if they
were watching, saying almost saying that he's coming.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
For them, and also halfway through it.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Somehow starting to compare that he felt a ladies football
saying ladies wouldn't do this, would they? So never change
in Halloway thoroughly entertaining, But that was the biggest stare
takeaway for me.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
The EFL is back.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
When you've got Ian Holloway doing an interview like that,
it was ninety seconds of gold. I went to Grimersy
versus Crawley on Saturday, which we'll talk about the league
two and a bit right, but I had quite a
good bit of nugget of info about Ian Holloway and
why his team's potentially terrible. On Easter Monday, I had
to go back and look through this after the bizarrely,
(03:07):
and I don't know why two Crawley players got on
the train the stop after the stop you meant to
get on.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I don't know how they've come about this.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Two players who've started and they were stuck in conversation
with two blokes who had a lot of cans on
the table which is exactly what you want when you've
just been hammered. Three, where's the train going? Then this
correct train. So obviously, as you're all familiar, to get
to Grimsby, you have to get to Cleethorps. You get
a lovely seaside day out. Part of the US traveling
around the EFL trying to find the best day out
(03:37):
in the entire EFL went to Grimsby. First you go
to Cleethorp. So you're on the TransPennine from Cleethorps all
the way to Liverpool. Right, if you want to go
to London, you get off a Doncaster. All Leeds like me.
So they were going Cleethorp's Doncaster. They're chatting away, they're
talking about all a range of the Ranger subjects and
then for some reason they got on to Swindon. I
(03:58):
mean one of the players Involvers four, Swindon player, and
they'll talk about League two and are you gonna not
going to name them, but I'm going to give you
the clues to basically work out who the player was,
because it's really easy when you kind of get to it.
And they talk about Swindon and he was like, oh,
who's the manager there? Now and it's still Halloween. He went, oh, yeah,
of course it's yeah Holloway.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah. He goes, well, we played them last season on
Easter Monday. Another clue for who they played on Easter Monday.
And I went back and looked at the result.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Right, Ian Holloway's really kind of famous, infamous for having
a really strict preseason fitness route regime is and it's like,
apparently it's horrible if you play for them on They
played the Easter Friday, obviously good Friday. They then played
again on the Monday. On the Sunday, he made his
players do a twelve mile run the day before a game.
(04:48):
Why Monday comes around, they lose one mill And then
I thought, oh, that's a bit weird, isn't it. I thought, Okay,
maybe he wants, you know, to keep them all in
tip top shape. I went them back and looked at
his time at QPR Millwall and his previous jobs. His
teams always don't win on Easter Monday. Is he making
his players do twelve mile runs the day before a
(05:09):
game before? I dig into Ian Holloway's potential lunacy a
little bit more than another little plug is that we
now have an email address you can get in touch with.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Sorry about tue information cross branding.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
So this week's acca at sportinglife dot com. So if
you think you know who these.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Players are, send it in.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, there are two of them. Comment on the social
channels YouTube. If you're listening to the podcast, then yeah,
GI give us a couple of guests and I can't
promise a prize, but we see if we can rustle
something up for the next episode. On Ian Holloway then
I've actually watched an interview with him a few years
ago about he is obsessed with the fitness regime of
(05:55):
rugby teams because when he was QPR manager, their training
ground used to back on to the Wasps training ground
when Warren Gatland was there, who ended up being one
of the best coaches of all time led Wales through
a dominant period Lions coach on three tours, and he
asked him for what they did for fitness because he
(06:17):
used to watch over the hedge meet him for coffees
all the time. And I don't think Warren galland to
getting the rugby team to go run for twelve miles,
but ever since then, you'll always bring it up anybody
asked him about the fitness.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
He's talking about, like Warren Gatland and all this. I
think they've probably adapted a bit more.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Over the years, but that is fantastic to know anybody
else knows anything about in Holloway's fitness regimes. Then let's know,
I didn't see it taking this turn. That was one
play first episode. The other player for your clue had
basically one of Crawley's own only shots of the game,
and he smashed it way up hi from that thirty
five yards out. So there's you're overclue on that. We'll
(06:56):
come back to leak two in a little bit. On
Let's talk League one first, because are you eager to
tell us how brilliant Barnsley are, because I'm not sure
how many opportunities you'll get this season to do so. Yeah,
well I was pretty optimistic actually going into going into
that first game of the season.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I was.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I copped a bit of flak in the one twenty
fours actually, people commenting saying it was just pure bias
that I put Bownsy seventh. And then on Sporting Life,
where we were able to put a little bit more
of an explanation. I put Bownsy seventh, but I'd say
anywhere between fifth and fifteenth. It's hard to know that
the business they'll do before the end of the transfer window.
(07:36):
But I am I was chatting about this with somebody
else last week that yep, we obviously do as much
research as we can on all the teams, but then
if your own team is in that division, you naturally
do even more because all the time you're picking up
the information. And it just looked like Barns who were
(07:56):
really well drilled for the start of the season and
had addressed a lot of a lot of the issues,
and they scored two goals against the runner play away
at Plymouth, so they definitely got the rubber of the
green in that respect.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
A horrific own goal.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
From WHI raydo is it on his Plymouth debut, brilliant
finished at the back post.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It's worth watching. The striker would be proud of it.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
And then a terrible bit of defending from Plymouth, great
strike into the bottom corner. And then Boundzi survived really
well in the second half because having conceded to go
to one poor refereeing men, they went down to ten
men and last season they would have just gone under
they did multiple times under pressure, so they played some
(08:41):
wonderful football when they were down to ten men, booking
after the ball, so very very positive signs. I actually
think for the longer term for them that when they
were down to ten men they controlled the game in
the final twenty minutes, which you would not expect. They
could have broken away and won four or five one
in the end. Would be very encouraged. But awful defending
(09:02):
from Plymouth for the third goal. So Plymouth showed a
lot of attack, really poor in defense, so I wouldn't
be really worried if I was a Plymouth supporter either.
Two teams that I think like small tweaks. They'll be
up there around the top six, top eight, but what
we expected really but definitely encouraging for Barnsley. They were
just one of two away wins. Mad there's no draws
(09:24):
in a league one ten home wins, two away draws,
of which the other away win was the one we
didn't want to for obviously are based reasons. But Blackpool
Steam Andage. I mean Blackpool was sort of drifting in
the build up to kickoff and took the lead naturally.
I don't know, I haven't seen enough of the game.
But I'm wondering if this lack of wingers and kind
(09:45):
of available options there has come back to bite them
a little bit because it's certainly a result I didn't
see coming. I think a lot of fans as well
would probably be the same. I don't know, probably one
of the surprise results of the weekend. Yeah, it's fair,
I'd say big time. I think it is tricky, as
you know, having only seen the highlights. So to take
(10:08):
the lead and then to go three one down and
I was nighly in this then scored ten minutes to
go to get to three to two. But the big
problem for Blackpool last season was defensively, so this summer
they have addressed that by signing and strong defenders in
strong central midfielders. So to concede three goals on the
(10:31):
only day of the season when they were spending all
summer trying to address their defensive shortcomings is a serious concern.
It's obviously a one game, but it shows that they
still have real work to do fixing their defense because
they're not playing against a very strong opponent. They're playing Stevenage.
No disrespect to Stevenage, so serious work to do for
(10:51):
Blackpool goalkeepers probably concern.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I think you don't want to target individuals and stuff,
but you do if you're a legionited fan I think
doesn't likee Bailey, Peacock Barrel.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Think Birmingham fans have obviously got a little bit to
say as well, And that was when I saw that
sign and I thought I'm not too sure and not
as hot on their kind of chances this season after that,
But again it's still forty five games to go, of course,
still a long old way to sort that out, and
you kind of read rumors and gossip et cetera.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
It seems like.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Blackpool will get further recruits in before Obviously that window
cliched slam shut promoted teams I think on the flip
side to talk them because don Caster won only one
who didn't let us down. Bradford beat Wickham as well,
and Dom's not here presumably still celebrating from that. But
(11:39):
I did seem earlier in the week and eat him
and his lad were kind of saying probably get battered.
Not too short because wickm weren't great under my Dodd
second half of last season going into that sort of
playoff campaign. It was more that their problems were playing
the better teams, the teams towards the top end of
the division.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
The results just weren't there for them.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
And this looked like a game where you go into
Bradford who kind of what's the word like the of motion,
but the atmosphere and the mood's going to be one
of kind of real high, real celebration. First came back
in League what and then to get the start that
they did where they tune up after what twenty odd minutes,
it's just the perfect start for a team that again
(12:19):
I struggled to sort of place in League one. I
don't think obviously that they'll do too much, but in
terms of relegation I wouldn't have had them down there either.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Just a superb result for them on the League one return.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Yeah, I fully expected them to win that game. So
do you look they went off as favorites.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah, they did. They were significant favorites.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
So from they opened up as as favorites and they
they shortened in the bank and there's going to be
that big club bias towards them. But also ye had
their home record last year one to seventeen, drawn for
lost two, so they're just someone they needs to be
wary of from that perspective. But Wickham's form is really
(13:01):
really concerning, and you do wonder how long they will
give it with Mike Dodds, because I picked out the
stats before the opening weekend for how it tailed off
last year. So they led the league after fifteen games
last year under Matt Bloomfield almost two and a half
points per game, and that just gradually declined under Mike Dodds,
(13:21):
so that they finished in the last nine matches averaging
one point two points per.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Game last season.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
And it was really really bad last fifteen games. It
really was just you look at a graph and it
was just worst worst, worst, worst, worst, worse. And then
to start by immediately going to and no down away
at Bradford. That's a serious concern. The Donnie game, I
can't say that I've seen much of it. Nip and
took a very like I wouldn't even say it's controversy.
(13:50):
It's a bit stupid late penalty conceded by x arm
in the air contesting a ball. Don't has to get
that rubb of the green and more than he puts
the penalty away. So brilliant for Donnie to start with
a they'll win God that game on Friday night to
start the season, Jesus Christ, terrific.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
It was so bad, so bad.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
I mean, the only shot on target we had there
was one wasn't there. And then the own goal happened,
which was the absolute perfect way the goal that game
deserved because it was just so bad and neither side
could get going I think for Loot and the positive
maybe could be that you could sort of see what
they were trying to do, even though they didn't quite
execute it that well. What could you see, well, just
(14:32):
try and hope that a defender puts the ball into
their own net. But in terms of obviously sort of
using the wing play trying to sort of combine moves
and get them going, it just wasn't quite there. It
very much felt like a first game of the season
where we all want our teams to be raring to
go after pre season and really flying into it. You
either get that where there were teams this weekend, the
(14:55):
likes of Bradford, the likes of Grimsby, teams that we've
already mentioned or will later on that, or you go
into it so leggy, so just still in that preseason mode.
Trying to shake it off that it probably takes a
couple of weeks to get going. But the main thing
for Luton was, particularly in that long run where you're
getting points on the board to go for a promotion push,
(15:15):
they did somehow find a way through, even if it
was in the most bizarre circumstances that own goal. That
it's three points and to give it another cliche, that's
all that matters at this point, because you don't want
that to be what costs you later down the line
when you were just still in this slight adjustment period
of then trying to get going. Yeah, it's really it's
a really funny one because do you know, the opening
(15:36):
game of the season, I think.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
You can take it.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
You can look at it either way, because you know,
if your team's played really, really well, like Bolton Away
at stopport, you come away from that game they've lost
too nil, but they were very good and it's just
the fine margins that have cost them winning. So I mean,
as somebody that I expect Borton to do well, but
if I was a Borton support coming away from that game,
(16:03):
I'd be very encouraged for the next forty five games.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Of the season.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
I wouldn't be coming away thinking we've lost with not won.
I would rather of us been awful and scraped out
a one they'll win, because you'd be thinking, what am
I even watching here? So obviously it is only the
opening game of the season. How much can you read
into it. I think you can read a lot more
(16:27):
into scenes. You know, the structure in place of a team.
So as supporters in the moment, we just really want
the team to win, so we have that.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Feeding when we're coming away.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
But actually it's the teams that are showing something like
they are together loot and I think it's tricky back
to back relegation, zero belief. They probably need the results
before you're going to see anything, so then that might
take a little bit more time. If they make a
bad start. I wouldn't say it's much too different to
Wickham make a bad start, that will just could just snowball.
(17:00):
So it's the teams who have shown encouraging signs that
obviously you want both. You can get it, but it's
it's a funny one. The arminion weeks of this season,
you just want to have something that you can cling
on from a positive aspect Bolton bizarre though you mentioned
there for that reason that they actually played really well,
(17:21):
particularly in that first half. It's just a case of
not scoring goals when you're on top and that's ultimately
come and what has cost them that game. Whether or
not they kind of get you know, reinforcements up front
before this window ends, maybe even January, I'm not too
sure if how long that kind of goes on it
in terms of converting those opportunities, But like I said,
(17:41):
there's lots of encouragement and we were quite hot on Bolton.
I know you were in a few of the lads
were on our preseason preview that we did on our
season preview. If anything, that just serves to show that
back up that belief that actually there are in quite
a good place here. And you know, on another day
McAtee converts that first half chance that someone else pops
(18:02):
up and gets a goal and that you know shot
that comes in from Stockport Mothersill either doesn't get to
it or deflex it wide and it's that sort of
fine margin esque sort of way about it. But it
just reinforces the belief that actually they look quite a
well well drilled outfit. This season and they will still
go well, yeah, I totally agree. I'll be seeing them
(18:23):
in the flesh air but a week on Saturday when
they go to Barnes this he'll be yeah, fascinating to
see what they look like properly live rather than than
just on the TV. I'm just looking down the list
of that the other teams that we've not covered that
we wanted to the other TV game Cardiff Peterborough, that
was that'd fall into the camp of what I was
(18:44):
just saying. Really, if Cardiff had, if k Id hadn't
managed to turn that game round having trailed one day
at halftime, I think there was plenty there. They did though,
thanks to a brilliant free kick from Ruben Colewell bringing
them back into the game. They looked phenomenally good down
the right hand side the caveat.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Being they were playing Peterborough.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Peterborough looked good on the counter attack, lots of pace.
But I really don't think they're going to be a
strong team in the league this season. But there's stuff
to be encouraged by for Cardiff in terms of how
they can grow. And I was talking about this earlier.
It's funny watching that the hard time analysis with I
don't think it's great having the guy who's just been
(19:23):
sacked as the manager of the club that's playing as
a as a pundit, because how can they be objective
unless they're the most level headed person in the world.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
I know more. Reesa left because.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
He lost the plot with the media and the supporters
kicking off at the pitch side at the end of
last season and he was just slagging off Cardiff based
at the half time saying how bad they were, got
to be better, blah blah, and everybody who else has
been watching like they were good. Brian Barry Murphy even
(19:54):
said in his post match in if you I didn't halftime,
I said, I'll just keep doing what you actually played
really well, I just do that again. They turned it round,
so yeah, encouraging encouraging signs. There another team, obviously strong
home performance Huddersfield who yeah, you call that fair play again,
it's the unknown. The only thing that with the greatest
respect could hold Uddersfield back is potentially the manager.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Real appointment.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Very good start, but the doubts will always be there's
not a great deal of senior experience. However, early impressions
are is going to be very good. It's just how
it goes across the forty six game season. They built
a squad that looks capable of competing for promotion in
League One. That is obviously the aim this season. Can't
quite say the same for Layton Orient, obviously after the
(20:38):
amount of players that they've lost over the summer from
that team that got to the playoff final. But for Huddersfield,
look in a really strong position, really strong contender and
in terms of laying down a marker of letting teams
know that you mean business, because that will be the
question mark of strong side, unknown manager.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
There's still for improvement, of course.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
But the result a three noo win at home on
your opening day, you can't ask for.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Much more than that.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
No, No, absolutely, As you alluded to their bigger tests ahead,
I think they played late in Orient at the absolute
worst time. You've just lost the playoff final, you've lost
in almost your entire team. You go into a club
we've got a new manager, heavily backed in the summer,
massive optimism, huge crowd behind them. It was all just
set up, really, wasn't it. For For holders Field? I
(21:29):
say with hindsight, but I mean, you did say before
the game Fordersfield to comfortably win, So yeah, they'll have
they'll have sterner tests for sure. UNTI League two then,
and the impression I'm getting is it's going to be
as unpredictable yet again as it was last season because
you look down some of the results here the teams
(21:51):
that will obviously discuss some of these games, but home
favorites against teams who weren't expected to do a great
deal this season, and they have not delivered, particularly those
at the top or expected to be at the top,
particularly those who have come down into the division being relegated,
and usually then you expect some kind of response and
(22:13):
that did not happen. It's shaping up after one week
and one very early call to be just.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
As unpredictable as it was last time. Yeah, I mean,
and that's all we need, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
We want one, which is fantastic for our Thursday predictive
podcast try and work out these are winning well? I
mean yeah, they The happy hunting ground in terms of
predicting results for us has tended to be leak one
because there's been not been that same level of unpredictability
to have ten home wins, no draws, two away wins
(22:46):
in League One and you contrast that with five draws,
four home wins, three away wins in League Two. Is stark,
isn't it? It absolutely is. And for the the heavily
fancied teams MK Don, the mk Don Olden one is
that while that is an upset, we discussed it on
our preview last week, that is such an interesting situation
(23:09):
that all of them having not won a promotion in
more than thirty years, and it's historically much bigger team
they've played in the Premier League. And then mk Don's
going through this almost cultural reset, lots of money being spent.
It was set up for old them going there, back
to the wall, scrapping for their lives and coming away
with something. So mk Dons probably saw that opening day
(23:33):
fiction and thought, bloody hell, could we not have just
had a mid table team, like a bit similar to
what Huddersfield had in League One where we can just
roll them over three nil and we're on our way.
Harrogat winning at Bristol Rovers that's probably the shock result
of the weekend. I think Bristol Rovers did hit the
woodwork a few times in that one came incredibly close.
(23:54):
But yeah, Bristol Rovers a team who again still have
a little bit to do when there are still a
couple of weeks to make that happen in terms of incummings.
But I particularly have expected them to go well. And
again everything was saying, here is the caveat of there's
only been one game, of course, but you start to
see how things are shaping up a little bit and
there's still plenty of time to rectify it. But if
(24:15):
they're going to be in that promotion race, you just
don't want this to be the result where you look
back and at the time you don't think anything of it,
but it comes to April, comes to Mainy go Harrogut
a twenty third in the table. Here if we just
beat them on that opening day then it would have
been a completely different story. But yeah, I think that
was a result that I caught us by surprise, but
I think caught a lot of people by surprise when
(24:37):
I was looking at weekend predictions and as such it
was basically a case of straightforward home win. There wasn't
a great deal of thought going into that one. No, Yeah,
I was, Yeah, I almost feel a bit bad for
Ryan harrogut off so easily because they do seem to
be one of those teams under Simon Weaver that they
(24:59):
did deserve enormous credit for still being here.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Basically, you think the budget that they've got, the size
of the club that they are, and.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
When you when you least expect it, then they'll dig
something out. So yeah, massive credit, massive credit to Harrogate.
I mean the game that's probably worthy biggest mentioned for
us is that the game that you were at because
Crawley were I mean crawling and Grimsby both teams that
I think rounded. We were looking at being top ten,
(25:33):
top seven in League two this season. And you'll know
more than Meming three nails to Grimsby three nil flattered Crawley.
They were so incredibly lucky, and I thought this at
two nail, you thought this could get silly. This has
all the potential to get silly. The penalty, it's not
a penalty. He's so unfortunate there and Crawley were every
(25:55):
right to kind of get annoyed on that the goalkeeper
was wearing a plain blue top with just the number
one there.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
It's a bit weird, and game's gone. Game's gone. Apparently
someone tweeted me, and I didn't. I just trusted them.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
I didn't actually bother the so that there was a kick
clash with Grimsby's home kit. So he wore that, but
he was really unfortunate in that fine. So that is
that like a keeper shirt that they've just gone and
bought from It was like I nearly showed my agent said,
JJB good.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
What is a sports shop now?
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Because people just direct just buy everything online Amazon, Yes,
sports direct.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
It was basically it was a plane.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
But there was no crawling, no nothing. I don't know
where they found this top. They just found it in
a local sports shops.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Go. It was like a plain blue like addied ask
template shirt. Maybe I'll show you.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
I'll get I'll get Nicole's standing in for Tom today
because he can't be bothered, can he? So I'll get
a picture look at that. What's all that about? That
is actually ridiculous. If you know I did tweet it,
actually look me up on the tweeter that in a goalkeeper?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
What's going on?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Just a blue shirt and they've printed just the number one. Yeah,
they've gone into the club shop and just stuck a
number one. Absolute bizarre randaler where do they even find
that top? It's not like Grimsby.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
I'm done by.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I don't know where they've found that. They've just found
a completely blue kit for him to wear. That is,
I'm not sure what's going on with absolutely reeks of
EFL does.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
It's so weird. It's actually that if there was ever needed.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
A bit of evidence about how the National League and
the EFL are pretty much the same thing now, then
that was it, because that is non league football at
its height. They've just gone and got a blue shirt
and printed a number one.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Don't even know where they've put it from.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
I don't even know where anybody got any shirt in
the bag, just a gym top. We'll just stick a
number one on it. It's so good, I tell you
what it was like. It Grimsby such a good club
to go to. Because when I was in the club
shop buying, we're doing a thing where on this series
we're going around with buying something and I should have
bought a horse trying to get himself into hospitality. I
should have bought it with me, because I bought I've
(27:52):
got it with me.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I just didn't bring it up here.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
I bought a big inflatable Harry the Haddock to having
the studio, which was one penny under the green ten
pound budget bargain. But Jason Stockwood, the owner, just came
over his lads just popped his head around with you
got a new shirt for him? By the way, I
saw out with you later. But you got a shirt
you know that got which one after the third? We
got the third shirt? She was because what size Jack
and he is? Now she was men small?
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Probably you have got that. I'll go out and get it. Yeah. Fine,
it's like it's just so good. You wouldn't see that
like that.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
It's just again another thing of you would see shape man,
just how closely And it was like clearly wasn't even
a pott of thingers. He clearly knew the person behind
the Oh yeah, you know I saw how You're like,
oh yeah, find it. Yeah, I'll go grab it for
him now, not a problem. And at this point I
want to jet. At this point you were standing there
with an inflatable fit. Yeah, going, can I just buy
my buy my fish? Yeah, I want to just hold
(28:43):
to take this into the ground. But lots of excitement
around Grimsby, a lot of excitement around there and it
was justified as well. They were just they were so good.
Crawley were terrible. Don't get me wrong, Crawley were really bad.
Got a bit better in the second half, but because
he generally could not get any worse than how they
played in that first half. Obviously Scot Lindsay had got
(29:04):
into them a little bit, started to get going. But
it was effectively what particularly gab and we'd spoke about
in the preseason thing. It was a Crawley team who
was set up to play this passing football without the
personnel to do it. It was players who just did
not feel comfortable. They just couldn't do it. And they
had a Grimsby team who just looks so on, it
looks so just the cohesion that they already have. It
(29:26):
is clearly that it was perfectly summed up. But they
did a four passing move just outside the Crawley box
where they kept they found space and everything, and a
bloke behind me, Genuy went, it's like watching fucking Barcelona.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
This that's how exciting it was.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Same Bloker kept checking the league table, going were top
of the league still, and he goes, look, if you
can't celebrate it now, when can you, but just such
a nice team.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
That they've gone together.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
It's one of my favorite things. It's so and it
always applies as well. There's no there is no support
that is like above that level of ridiculous enthusiast them.
So my dad his mid sixties, We're going to watch
Barnsley for sixty years. And when we went three one up,
literally within seconds, I got a message for him saying
we're top.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Of the league.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
And then he obviously checked the table and he went
well second because we weren't actually the top of the league.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
It was Huddersfield.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
So it is just that funny thing about being a
football sport that you just become an idiot, really, but
a happy idiot exactly. Yeah. And the thing with Grimersby
as well, They've still got Danny Rose to come into
the side. They've still got Jason's father awesome is it
the Icelandic finger. He's still got to come into this side.
So two of arguably they're better players you'd categorize, are
(30:39):
still to come in. And yet Charles Vernon out wide,
super brilliant, brilliant performance and kaba Is upfront scored the penalty.
Look really lively. I think they've got him from Truro
out of non league. Just the entire squad and Harvey
Rodgers as well rocked my world. Do you know what
a big fellow who plays out wide, you know, at
full back and then just with the ball because he's
(31:01):
just so big.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Everyone goes, I.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Don't really know what to do here. Instant positive in
my books. Yeah, Grimsby looked just super open at weekend, brilliant.
Where do you want to go next? Who do you want
to talk about? Anyone particularly? I mean you're kind of
looking through the results and we've mentioned the ones already,
the kind of surprise results that we saw, Bristol rovers,
Harrogate MK Doms we've discussed already, Barnet beaten by Fleetwood.
(31:26):
I mean, if there wasn't a goalkeeping error to kick
things off, would that have played out the way that
it did. I mean, it's one of there seems to
have been quite a few comical errors that have happened
this weekend. We spoke about getting the rust away from preseason.
It seems to be the case, what have you done?
What have you done away from the actual football, which
(31:49):
I mean football is exciting enough.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Then there was.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Already a contender for best message to be sent in
onto a big screen?
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Were you at the chest Field game?
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Was this you at Chesterfield and sending a message that
said happy birthday and divorce to Lisa? So if Luke
Chavonne or family are listening, then maybe Lisa, well done health, Yeah,
congratulations on your your birthday and your divorce Lisa. I
think there may be skimping on the messages there, because
(32:21):
obviously it'll be. It will be a set fee for
being on the big screen. That's really Lisa probably deserves
two separate messages, one for a birthday and one for
a harder I mean, I'm saying harder and divorce, but
I don't know the circumstances, do I? So I don't
want to get too involved in your love life. It's
very much a case, is it Lee Love Dawn marriage?
From the office. It's cheaper to get limited letters on
(32:42):
that they do have. Character limits are a thing with
hostage to those ourselves, aren't we It can be a
real bloody pain. Do you have to Is it like
moving a house? You know when you have an exchange
date and stuff like that. Is the same with divorce, as.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
You purposedly.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
As Lisa, anyone else, anyone else around. He's a.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Scheduled it for the birthday. I'm not sure what the
ins and outs of this are.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
If you ever had a message on it, well, i've
seen you mean in the program the Legion. Yeah. When
I was a little boy, I had a message, do
you know? So this is how long I've been going
to football before there was even a big screen at
Barnsley where they would read out, so you just had
a fellow holding up a so they would just read
it out saying I'll have a birthday to Joe Towns
and he's turning whatever.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
And I didn't even hear it. So my dad had
gone to the trouble of getting it and I'm never
doing that again. And he was like training, just listen
out to them.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
I think there might be something something important, and I
was like yeah, yeah, yeah, all right, they never heard it.
I think about the shout out of Worcester Warriors. I
don't even like rugb mutiny, so you know I was
there as a kid.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Yeah, they're extinct now as well, aren't they.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
I think they were playing a European game as well,
so we're clearly used to be quite good yeah, but
not the case.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
I've lost track of where we were.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
We were talking about Chesterfield and just talking about a
message and novelty moments of the EFL.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
You mentioned about the refer as well. Apparently a lot's
happened with the referees.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Oh god, yeah, I love this that you think that
is this a new prerogative? Supporters and players are excited
for the opening weekend, Well what about referees. They've been
doing nothing all weekend, or if they're not full time
then they've been doing the nine to five Monday to Friday.
So they're just excited to start telling footballers off. I
(34:22):
mean the Plymouth barns A game is a good example
of it, because the ref just could not wait to
get involved in everything. He sent Jack Shepherd off for
Barnsley in one of those brilliant moments where he unnecessarily
gave him a yellow card for a hand but very
harsh handball, and he just gave him it straight away.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Just he's thinking, oh, yeah, we can get really into
the action here.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Didn't realize he'd already booked him, so then the Plymouth
players had to tell him they're really kicking off. It's
about forty five seconds later, he's thinking, oh.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
What do I do?
Speaker 1 (34:54):
And I can't take the other card away, I'm gonna
have to send him off. So then goes to find
Jack Shephard and sends him off a second other card.
But overall the refs well done this weekend. Seven penalties
and four red cards on Saturday across the EFL, which
is the same game that is seriously good going in
twenty two matches. For there to be a penalty every
(35:14):
third game pretty much, that is nuts, isn't it. They
just can't wait to give something. Yeah, well done the refs.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Anything else you want to mention before we finish off?
Not for me.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
The only thing that kind of became a thing last year,
didn't it that EFL games on a Thursday, so you've
kind of got that extended weekend. So excited for the
championship to start this weekend.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
That'd be brilliant.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
But League one we're back at it on Thursday, port
Vale Stop Park.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Chapman notes Cardiff I.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Said we're on Thursday all the time last year, so yeah,
we'll be all over that on Sporting Live. So that's
where you can get all your all that we'll be
back on Thursday Thursday. This week Zakka our traditional podcast
looking out to the to the weekends game, and this
returns Monday. We'll have championships to talk about as well.
(36:09):
M m mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Welcome to this week's cfl our brand new Monday podcast, talking, Well,
it's gonna work out EFL Championship League one and League two.
Tom and Joe with you. It's the first one of
doing these. I think that's what we're doing.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Is that correct? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I mean it's so brand new that I'm going to
do one of those things that apparently you're not supposed
to draw attention to that. The microphones we've got are
still this week's Akka, aren't they the other podcast?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
But I'm sure all branding as well. We've rebranded one
match day. We're going to actually have a this week's
EFLs branding as well. But cross promotion we've done it already.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
This week's ACHA will continue as normal on a Thursday,
less than about this week's Actually we did last week
the better didn't come even anywhere near winning on opening weekend,
did it?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
But only week opening weekend? Was still pretty fun as
a as a football fan, right, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
It was good, which is what we're basically going to
do on Monday, right, talk about what happened at the weekend,
spotted what we were up to, all that kind of I
think as Thursday's too far away, and we just waffle
on for too long on the actual ACA, don't we.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So we kind of wanted something to do on a Monday, then.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Just bored chat away about what we've been doing opening weekend.
Then talk to me, what do you think of it?
Very interesting? Yeah, there's there's a lot to there's a
lot to get into. But the first thing that I
really really, I mean, I came in like an excited
puppy this morning.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
I had to make sure everybody had seen this clip.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
I don't want to downplay the fact that Ian Holloway
was addressing something that's important.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
People should not throw.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Stuff on the pitch and throw stuff at players, So
I don't want to sort of make a make.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Light of that.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
But I think that I had Ian Holloway in the
top three best EFL managers ever when we did that
in the summer for our TikTok channel. And the reason
for that is because we've had one game of the
EFL season and Ian Holloway has already done a mad
interview where yes, condemn poor behavior by supporters, but only
(02:08):
in the way that Ian Holloway could do it. He
has done it as if David Brent was giving the
interview looking at the camera repeatedly finishing by looking at
the camera and calling out the certain fan if they
were watching, saying almost saying that he's coming.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
For them, and also halfway through it.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Somehow starting to compare that he felt a ladies football
saying ladies wouldn't do this, would they? So never change
in Halloway thoroughly entertaining, But that was the biggest stare
takeaway for me.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
The EFL is back.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
When you've got Ian Holloway doing an interview like that,
it was ninety seconds of gold. I went to Grimersy
versus Crawley on Saturday, which we'll talk about the league
two and a bit right, but I had quite a
good bit of nugget of info about Ian Holloway and
why his team's potentially terrible. On Easter Monday, I had
to go back and look through this after the bizarrely,
(03:07):
and I don't know why two Crawley players got on
the train the stop after the stop you meant to
get on.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I don't know how they've come about this.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Two players who've started and they were stuck in conversation
with two blokes who had a lot of cans on
the table which is exactly what you want when you've
just been hammered. Three, where's the train going? Then this
correct train. So obviously, as you're all familiar, to get
to Grimsby, you have to get to Cleethorps. You get
a lovely seaside day out. Part of the US traveling
around the EFL trying to find the best day out
(03:37):
in the entire EFL went to Grimsby. First you go
to Cleethorp. So you're on the TransPennine from Cleethorps all
the way to Liverpool. Right, if you want to go
to London, you get off a Doncaster. All Leeds like me.
So they were going Cleethorp's Doncaster. They're chatting away, they're
talking about all a range of the Ranger subjects and
then for some reason they got on to Swindon. I
(03:58):
mean one of the players Involvers four, Swindon player, and
they'll talk about League two and are you gonna not
going to name them, but I'm going to give you
the clues to basically work out who the player was,
because it's really easy when you kind of get to it.
And they talk about Swindon and he was like, oh,
who's the manager there? Now and it's still Halloween. He went, oh, yeah,
of course it's yeah Holloway.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah. He goes, well, we played them last season on
Easter Monday. Another clue for who they played on Easter Monday.
And I went back and looked at the result.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Right, Ian Holloway's really kind of famous, infamous for having
a really strict preseason fitness route regime is and it's like,
apparently it's horrible if you play for them on They
played the Easter Friday, obviously good Friday. They then played
again on the Monday. On the Sunday, he made his
players do a twelve mile run the day before a game.
(04:48):
Why Monday comes around, they lose one mill And then
I thought, oh, that's a bit weird, isn't it. I thought, Okay,
maybe he wants, you know, to keep them all in
tip top shape. I went them back and looked at
his time at QPR Millwall and his previous jobs. His
teams always don't win on Easter Monday. Is he making
his players do twelve mile runs the day before a
(05:09):
game before? I dig into Ian Holloway's potential lunacy a
little bit more than another little plug is that we
now have an email address you can get in touch with.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Sorry about tue information cross branding.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
So this week's acca at sportinglife dot com. So if
you think you know who these.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Players are, send it in.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, there are two of them. Comment on the social
channels YouTube. If you're listening to the podcast, then yeah,
GI give us a couple of guests and I can't
promise a prize, but we see if we can rustle
something up for the next episode. On Ian Holloway then
I've actually watched an interview with him a few years
ago about he is obsessed with the fitness regime of
(05:55):
rugby teams because when he was QPR manager, their training
ground used to back on to the Wasps training ground
when Warren Gatland was there, who ended up being one
of the best coaches of all time led Wales through
a dominant period Lions coach on three tours, and he
asked him for what they did for fitness because he
(06:17):
used to watch over the hedge meet him for coffees
all the time. And I don't think Warren galland to
getting the rugby team to go run for twelve miles,
but ever since then, you'll always bring it up anybody
asked him about the fitness.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
He's talking about, like Warren Gatland and all this. I
think they've probably adapted a bit more.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Over the years, but that is fantastic to know anybody
else knows anything about in Holloway's fitness regimes. Then let's know,
I didn't see it taking this turn. That was one
play first episode. The other player for your clue had
basically one of Crawley's own only shots of the game,
and he smashed it way up hi from that thirty
five yards out. So there's you're overclue on that. We'll
(06:56):
come back to leak two in a little bit. On
Let's talk League one first, because are you eager to
tell us how brilliant Barnsley are, because I'm not sure
how many opportunities you'll get this season to do so. Yeah,
well I was pretty optimistic actually going into going into
that first game of the season.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I was.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I copped a bit of flak in the one twenty
fours actually, people commenting saying it was just pure bias
that I put Bownsy seventh. And then on Sporting Life,
where we were able to put a little bit more
of an explanation. I put Bownsy seventh, but I'd say
anywhere between fifth and fifteenth. It's hard to know that
the business they'll do before the end of the transfer window.
(07:36):
But I am I was chatting about this with somebody
else last week that yep, we obviously do as much
research as we can on all the teams, but then
if your own team is in that division, you naturally
do even more because all the time you're picking up
the information. And it just looked like Barns who were
(07:56):
really well drilled for the start of the season and
had addressed a lot of a lot of the issues,
and they scored two goals against the runner play away
at Plymouth, so they definitely got the rubber of the
green in that respect.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
A horrific own goal.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
From WHI raydo is it on his Plymouth debut, brilliant
finished at the back post.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It's worth watching. The striker would be proud of it.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
And then a terrible bit of defending from Plymouth, great
strike into the bottom corner. And then Boundzi survived really
well in the second half because having conceded to go
to one poor refereeing men, they went down to ten
men and last season they would have just gone under
they did multiple times under pressure, so they played some
(08:41):
wonderful football when they were down to ten men, booking
after the ball, so very very positive signs. I actually
think for the longer term for them that when they
were down to ten men they controlled the game in
the final twenty minutes, which you would not expect. They
could have broken away and won four or five one
in the end. Would be very encouraged. But awful defending
(09:02):
from Plymouth for the third goal. So Plymouth showed a
lot of attack, really poor in defense, so I wouldn't
be really worried if I was a Plymouth supporter either.
Two teams that I think like small tweaks. They'll be
up there around the top six, top eight, but what
we expected really but definitely encouraging for Barnsley. They were
just one of two away wins. Mad there's no draws
(09:24):
in a league one ten home wins, two away draws,
of which the other away win was the one we
didn't want to for obviously are based reasons. But Blackpool
Steam Andage. I mean Blackpool was sort of drifting in
the build up to kickoff and took the lead naturally.
I don't know, I haven't seen enough of the game.
But I'm wondering if this lack of wingers and kind
(09:45):
of available options there has come back to bite them
a little bit because it's certainly a result I didn't
see coming. I think a lot of fans as well
would probably be the same. I don't know, probably one
of the surprise results of the weekend. Yeah, it's fair,
I'd say big time. I think it is tricky, as
you know, having only seen the highlights. So to take
(10:08):
the lead and then to go three one down and
I was nighly in this then scored ten minutes to
go to get to three to two. But the big
problem for Blackpool last season was defensively, so this summer
they have addressed that by signing and strong defenders in
strong central midfielders. So to concede three goals on the
(10:31):
only day of the season when they were spending all
summer trying to address their defensive shortcomings is a serious concern.
It's obviously a one game, but it shows that they
still have real work to do fixing their defense because
they're not playing against a very strong opponent. They're playing Stevenage.
No disrespect to Stevenage, so serious work to do for
(10:51):
Blackpool goalkeepers probably concern.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I think you don't want to target individuals and stuff,
but you do if you're a legionited fan I think
doesn't likee Bailey, Peacock Barrel.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Think Birmingham fans have obviously got a little bit to
say as well, And that was when I saw that
sign and I thought I'm not too sure and not
as hot on their kind of chances this season after that,
But again it's still forty five games to go, of course,
still a long old way to sort that out, and
you kind of read rumors and gossip et cetera.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
It seems like.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Blackpool will get further recruits in before Obviously that window
cliched slam shut promoted teams I think on the flip
side to talk them because don Caster won only one
who didn't let us down. Bradford beat Wickham as well,
and Dom's not here presumably still celebrating from that. But
(11:39):
I did seem earlier in the week and eat him
and his lad were kind of saying probably get battered.
Not too short because wickm weren't great under my Dodd
second half of last season going into that sort of
playoff campaign. It was more that their problems were playing
the better teams, the teams towards the top end of
the division.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
The results just weren't there for them.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
And this looked like a game where you go into
Bradford who kind of what's the word like the of motion,
but the atmosphere and the mood's going to be one
of kind of real high, real celebration. First came back
in League what and then to get the start that
they did where they tune up after what twenty odd minutes,
it's just the perfect start for a team that again
(12:19):
I struggled to sort of place in League one. I
don't think obviously that they'll do too much, but in
terms of relegation I wouldn't have had them down there either.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Just a superb result for them on the League one return.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Yeah, I fully expected them to win that game. So
do you look they went off as favorites.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Yeah, they did. They were significant favorites.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
So from they opened up as as favorites and they
they shortened in the bank and there's going to be
that big club bias towards them. But also ye had
their home record last year one to seventeen, drawn for
lost two, so they're just someone they needs to be
wary of from that perspective. But Wickham's form is really
(13:01):
really concerning, and you do wonder how long they will
give it with Mike Dodds, because I picked out the
stats before the opening weekend for how it tailed off
last year. So they led the league after fifteen games
last year under Matt Bloomfield almost two and a half
points per game, and that just gradually declined under Mike Dodds,
(13:21):
so that they finished in the last nine matches averaging
one point two points per.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Game last season.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
And it was really really bad last fifteen games. It
really was just you look at a graph and it
was just worst worst, worst, worst, worst, worse. And then
to start by immediately going to and no down away
at Bradford. That's a serious concern. The Donnie game, I
can't say that I've seen much of it. Nip and
took a very like I wouldn't even say it's controversy.
(13:50):
It's a bit stupid late penalty conceded by x arm
in the air contesting a ball. Don't has to get
that rubb of the green and more than he puts
the penalty away. So brilliant for Donnie to start with
a they'll win God that game on Friday night to
start the season, Jesus Christ, terrific.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
It was so bad, so bad.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
I mean, the only shot on target we had there
was one wasn't there. And then the own goal happened,
which was the absolute perfect way the goal that game
deserved because it was just so bad and neither side
could get going I think for Loot and the positive
maybe could be that you could sort of see what
they were trying to do, even though they didn't quite
execute it that well. What could you see, well, just
(14:32):
try and hope that a defender puts the ball into
their own net. But in terms of obviously sort of
using the wing play trying to sort of combine moves
and get them going, it just wasn't quite there. It
very much felt like a first game of the season
where we all want our teams to be raring to
go after pre season and really flying into it. You
either get that where there were teams this weekend, the
(14:55):
likes of Bradford, the likes of Grimsby, teams that we've
already mentioned or will later on that, or you go
into it so leggy, so just still in that preseason mode.
Trying to shake it off that it probably takes a
couple of weeks to get going. But the main thing
for Luton was, particularly in that long run where you're
getting points on the board to go for a promotion push,
(15:15):
they did somehow find a way through, even if it
was in the most bizarre circumstances that own goal. That
it's three points and to give it another cliche, that's
all that matters at this point, because you don't want
that to be what costs you later down the line
when you were just still in this slight adjustment period
of then trying to get going. Yeah, it's really it's
a really funny one because do you know, the opening
(15:36):
game of the season, I think.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
You can take it.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
You can look at it either way, because you know,
if your team's played really, really well, like Bolton Away
at stopport, you come away from that game they've lost
too nil, but they were very good and it's just
the fine margins that have cost them winning. So I mean,
as somebody that I expect Borton to do well, but
if I was a Borton support coming away from that game,
(16:03):
I'd be very encouraged for the next forty five games.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Of the season.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
I wouldn't be coming away thinking we've lost with not won.
I would rather of us been awful and scraped out
a one they'll win, because you'd be thinking, what am
I even watching here? So obviously it is only the
opening game of the season. How much can you read
into it. I think you can read a lot more
(16:27):
into scenes. You know, the structure in place of a team.
So as supporters in the moment, we just really want
the team to win, so we have that.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Feeding when we're coming away.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
But actually it's the teams that are showing something like
they are together loot and I think it's tricky back
to back relegation, zero belief. They probably need the results
before you're going to see anything, so then that might
take a little bit more time. If they make a
bad start. I wouldn't say it's much too different to
Wickham make a bad start, that will just could just snowball.
(17:00):
So it's the teams who have shown encouraging signs that
obviously you want both. You can get it, but it's
it's a funny one. The arminion weeks of this season,
you just want to have something that you can cling
on from a positive aspect Bolton bizarre though you mentioned
there for that reason that they actually played really well,
(17:21):
particularly in that first half. It's just a case of
not scoring goals when you're on top and that's ultimately
come and what has cost them that game. Whether or
not they kind of get you know, reinforcements up front
before this window ends, maybe even January, I'm not too
sure if how long that kind of goes on it
in terms of converting those opportunities, But like I said,
(17:41):
there's lots of encouragement and we were quite hot on Bolton.
I know you were in a few of the lads
were on our preseason preview that we did on our
season preview. If anything, that just serves to show that
back up that belief that actually there are in quite
a good place here. And you know, on another day
McAtee converts that first half chance that someone else pops
(18:02):
up and gets a goal and that you know shot
that comes in from Stockport Mothersill either doesn't get to
it or deflex it wide and it's that sort of
fine margin esque sort of way about it. But it
just reinforces the belief that actually they look quite a
well well drilled outfit. This season and they will still
go well, yeah, I totally agree. I'll be seeing them
(18:23):
in the flesh air but a week on Saturday when
they go to Barnes this he'll be yeah, fascinating to
see what they look like properly live rather than than
just on the TV. I'm just looking down the list
of that the other teams that we've not covered that
we wanted to the other TV game Cardiff Peterborough, that
was that'd fall into the camp of what I was
(18:44):
just saying. Really, if Cardiff had, if k Id hadn't
managed to turn that game round having trailed one day
at halftime, I think there was plenty there. They did though,
thanks to a brilliant free kick from Ruben Colewell bringing
them back into the game. They looked phenomenally good down
the right hand side the caveat.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Being they were playing Peterborough.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Peterborough looked good on the counter attack, lots of pace.
But I really don't think they're going to be a
strong team in the league this season. But there's stuff
to be encouraged by for Cardiff in terms of how
they can grow. And I was talking about this earlier.
It's funny watching that the hard time analysis with I
don't think it's great having the guy who's just been
(19:23):
sacked as the manager of the club that's playing as
a as a pundit, because how can they be objective
unless they're the most level headed person in the world.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
I know more. Reesa left because.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
He lost the plot with the media and the supporters
kicking off at the pitch side at the end of
last season and he was just slagging off Cardiff based
at the half time saying how bad they were, got
to be better, blah blah, and everybody who else has
been watching like they were good. Brian Barry Murphy even
(19:54):
said in his post match in if you I didn't halftime,
I said, I'll just keep doing what you actually played
really well, I just do that again. They turned it round,
so yeah, encouraging encouraging signs. There another team, obviously strong
home performance Huddersfield who yeah, you call that fair play again,
it's the unknown. The only thing that with the greatest
respect could hold Uddersfield back is potentially the manager.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Real appointment.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Very good start, but the doubts will always be there's
not a great deal of senior experience. However, early impressions
are is going to be very good. It's just how
it goes across the forty six game season. They built
a squad that looks capable of competing for promotion in
League One. That is obviously the aim this season. Can't
quite say the same for Layton Orient, obviously after the
(20:38):
amount of players that they've lost over the summer from
that team that got to the playoff final. But for Huddersfield,
look in a really strong position, really strong contender and
in terms of laying down a marker of letting teams
know that you mean business, because that will be the
question mark of strong side, unknown manager.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
There's still for improvement, of course.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
But the result a three noo win at home on
your opening day, you can't ask for.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Much more than that.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
No, No, absolutely, As you alluded to their bigger tests ahead,
I think they played late in Orient at the absolute
worst time. You've just lost the playoff final, you've lost
in almost your entire team. You go into a club
we've got a new manager, heavily backed in the summer,
massive optimism, huge crowd behind them. It was all just
set up, really, wasn't it. For For holders Field? I
(21:29):
say with hindsight, but I mean, you did say before
the game Fordersfield to comfortably win, So yeah, they'll have
they'll have sterner tests for sure. UNTI League two then,
and the impression I'm getting is it's going to be
as unpredictable yet again as it was last season because
you look down some of the results here the teams
(21:51):
that will obviously discuss some of these games, but home
favorites against teams who weren't expected to do a great
deal this season, and they have not delivered, particularly those
at the top or expected to be at the top,
particularly those who have come down into the division being relegated,
and usually then you expect some kind of response and
(22:13):
that did not happen. It's shaping up after one week
and one very early call to be just.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
As unpredictable as it was last time. Yeah, I mean,
and that's all we need, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
We want one, which is fantastic for our Thursday predictive
podcast try and work out these are winning well? I
mean yeah, they The happy hunting ground in terms of
predicting results for us has tended to be leak one
because there's been not been that same level of unpredictability
to have ten home wins, no draws, two away wins
(22:46):
in League One and you contrast that with five draws,
four home wins, three away wins in League Two. Is stark,
isn't it? It absolutely is. And for the the heavily
fancied teams MK Don, the mk Don Olden one is
that while that is an upset, we discussed it on
our preview last week, that is such an interesting situation
(23:09):
that all of them having not won a promotion in
more than thirty years, and it's historically much bigger team
they've played in the Premier League. And then mk Don's
going through this almost cultural reset, lots of money being spent.
It was set up for old them going there, back
to the wall, scrapping for their lives and coming away
with something. So mk Dons probably saw that opening day
(23:33):
fiction and thought, bloody hell, could we not have just
had a mid table team, like a bit similar to
what Huddersfield had in League One where we can just
roll them over three nil and we're on our way.
Harrogat winning at Bristol Rovers that's probably the shock result
of the weekend. I think Bristol Rovers did hit the
woodwork a few times in that one came incredibly close.
(23:54):
But yeah, Bristol Rovers a team who again still have
a little bit to do when there are still a
couple of weeks to make that happen in terms of incummings.
But I particularly have expected them to go well. And
again everything was saying, here is the caveat of there's
only been one game, of course, but you start to
see how things are shaping up a little bit and
there's still plenty of time to rectify it. But if
(24:15):
they're going to be in that promotion race, you just
don't want this to be the result where you look
back and at the time you don't think anything of it,
but it comes to April, comes to Mainy go Harrogut
a twenty third in the table. Here if we just
beat them on that opening day then it would have
been a completely different story. But yeah, I think that
was a result that I caught us by surprise, but
I think caught a lot of people by surprise when
(24:37):
I was looking at weekend predictions and as such it
was basically a case of straightforward home win. There wasn't
a great deal of thought going into that one. No, Yeah,
I was, Yeah, I almost feel a bit bad for
Ryan harrogut off so easily because they do seem to
be one of those teams under Simon Weaver that they
(24:59):
did deserve enormous credit for still being here.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Basically, you think the budget that they've got, the size
of the club that they are, and.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
When you when you least expect it, then they'll dig
something out. So yeah, massive credit, massive credit to Harrogate.
I mean the game that's probably worthy biggest mentioned for
us is that the game that you were at because
Crawley were I mean crawling and Grimsby both teams that
I think rounded. We were looking at being top ten,
(25:33):
top seven in League two this season. And you'll know
more than Meming three nails to Grimsby three nil flattered Crawley.
They were so incredibly lucky, and I thought this at
two nail, you thought this could get silly. This has
all the potential to get silly. The penalty, it's not
a penalty. He's so unfortunate there and Crawley were every
(25:55):
right to kind of get annoyed on that the goalkeeper
was wearing a plain blue top with just the number
one there.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
It's a bit weird, and game's gone. Game's gone. Apparently
someone tweeted me, and I didn't. I just trusted them.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
I didn't actually bother the so that there was a kick
clash with Grimsby's home kit. So he wore that, but
he was really unfortunate in that fine. So that is
that like a keeper shirt that they've just gone and
bought from It was like I nearly showed my agent said,
JJB good.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
What is a sports shop now?
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Because people just direct just buy everything online Amazon, Yes,
sports direct.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
It was basically it was a plane.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
But there was no crawling, no nothing. I don't know
where they found this top. They just found it in
a local sports shops.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Go. It was like a plain blue like addied ask
template shirt. Maybe I'll show you.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
I'll get I'll get Nicole's standing in for Tom today
because he can't be bothered, can he? So I'll get
a picture look at that. What's all that about? That
is actually ridiculous. If you know I did tweet it,
actually look me up on the tweeter that in a goalkeeper?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
What's going on?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Just a blue shirt and they've printed just the number one. Yeah,
they've gone into the club shop and just stuck a
number one. Absolute bizarre randaler where do they even find
that top? It's not like Grimsby.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
I'm done by.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I don't know where they've found that. They've just found
a completely blue kit for him to wear. That is,
I'm not sure what's going on with absolutely reeks of
EFL does.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
It's so weird. It's actually that if there was ever needed.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
A bit of evidence about how the National League and
the EFL are pretty much the same thing now, then
that was it, because that is non league football at
its height. They've just gone and got a blue shirt
and printed a number one.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Don't even know where they've put it from.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
I don't even know where anybody got any shirt in
the bag, just a gym top. We'll just stick a
number one on it. It's so good, I tell you
what it was like. It Grimsby such a good club
to go to. Because when I was in the club
shop buying, we're doing a thing where on this series
we're going around with buying something and I should have
bought a horse trying to get himself into hospitality. I
should have bought it with me, because I bought I've
(27:52):
got it with me.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I just didn't bring it up here.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
I bought a big inflatable Harry the Haddock to having
the studio, which was one penny under the green ten
pound budget bargain. But Jason Stockwood, the owner, just came
over his lads just popped his head around with you
got a new shirt for him? By the way, I
saw out with you later. But you got a shirt
you know that got which one after the third? We
got the third shirt? She was because what size Jack
and he is? Now she was men small?
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Probably you have got that. I'll go out and get it. Yeah. Fine,
it's like it's just so good. You wouldn't see that
like that.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
It's just again another thing of you would see shape man,
just how closely And it was like clearly wasn't even
a pott of thingers. He clearly knew the person behind
the Oh yeah, you know I saw how You're like,
oh yeah, find it. Yeah, I'll go grab it for
him now, not a problem. And at this point I
want to jet. At this point you were standing there
with an inflatable fit. Yeah, going, can I just buy
my buy my fish? Yeah, I want to just hold
(28:43):
to take this into the ground. But lots of excitement
around Grimsby, a lot of excitement around there and it
was justified as well. They were just they were so good.
Crawley were terrible. Don't get me wrong, Crawley were really bad.
Got a bit better in the second half, but because
he generally could not get any worse than how they
played in that first half. Obviously Scot Lindsay had got
(29:04):
into them a little bit, started to get going. But
it was effectively what particularly gab and we'd spoke about
in the preseason thing. It was a Crawley team who
was set up to play this passing football without the
personnel to do it. It was players who just did
not feel comfortable. They just couldn't do it. And they
had a Grimsby team who just looks so on, it
looks so just the cohesion that they already have. It
(29:26):
is clearly that it was perfectly summed up. But they
did a four passing move just outside the Crawley box
where they kept they found space and everything, and a
bloke behind me, Genuy went, it's like watching fucking Barcelona.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
This that's how exciting it was.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Same Bloker kept checking the league table, going were top
of the league still, and he goes, look, if you
can't celebrate it now, when can you, but just such
a nice team.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
That they've gone together.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
It's one of my favorite things. It's so and it
always applies as well. There's no there is no support
that is like above that level of ridiculous enthusiast them.
So my dad his mid sixties, We're going to watch
Barnsley for sixty years. And when we went three one up,
literally within seconds, I got a message for him saying
we're top.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Of the league.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
And then he obviously checked the table and he went
well second because we weren't actually the top of the league.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
It was Huddersfield.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
So it is just that funny thing about being a
football sport that you just become an idiot, really, but
a happy idiot exactly. Yeah. And the thing with Grimersby
as well, They've still got Danny Rose to come into
the side. They've still got Jason's father awesome is it
the Icelandic finger. He's still got to come into this side.
So two of arguably they're better players you'd categorize, are
(30:39):
still to come in. And yet Charles Vernon out wide,
super brilliant, brilliant performance and kaba Is upfront scored the penalty.
Look really lively. I think they've got him from Truro
out of non league. Just the entire squad and Harvey
Rodgers as well rocked my world. Do you know what
a big fellow who plays out wide, you know, at
full back and then just with the ball because he's
(31:01):
just so big.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Everyone goes, I.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Don't really know what to do here. Instant positive in
my books. Yeah, Grimsby looked just super open at weekend, brilliant.
Where do you want to go next? Who do you want
to talk about? Anyone particularly? I mean you're kind of
looking through the results and we've mentioned the ones already,
the kind of surprise results that we saw, Bristol rovers,
Harrogate MK Doms we've discussed already, Barnet beaten by Fleetwood.
(31:26):
I mean, if there wasn't a goalkeeping error to kick
things off, would that have played out the way that
it did. I mean, it's one of there seems to
have been quite a few comical errors that have happened
this weekend. We spoke about getting the rust away from preseason.
It seems to be the case, what have you done?
What have you done away from the actual football, which
(31:49):
I mean football is exciting enough.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Then there was.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Already a contender for best message to be sent in
onto a big screen?
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Were you at the chest Field game?
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Was this you at Chesterfield and sending a message that
said happy birthday and divorce to Lisa? So if Luke
Chavonne or family are listening, then maybe Lisa, well done health, Yeah,
congratulations on your your birthday and your divorce Lisa. I
think there may be skimping on the messages there, because
(32:21):
obviously it'll be. It will be a set fee for
being on the big screen. That's really Lisa probably deserves
two separate messages, one for a birthday and one for
a harder I mean, I'm saying harder and divorce, but
I don't know the circumstances, do I? So I don't
want to get too involved in your love life. It's
very much a case, is it Lee Love Dawn marriage?
From the office. It's cheaper to get limited letters on
(32:42):
that they do have. Character limits are a thing with
hostage to those ourselves, aren't we It can be a
real bloody pain. Do you have to Is it like
moving a house? You know when you have an exchange
date and stuff like that. Is the same with divorce, as.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
You purposedly.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
As Lisa, anyone else, anyone else around. He's a.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Scheduled it for the birthday. I'm not sure what the
ins and outs of this are.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
If you ever had a message on it, well, i've
seen you mean in the program the Legion. Yeah. When
I was a little boy, I had a message, do
you know? So this is how long I've been going
to football before there was even a big screen at
Barnsley where they would read out, so you just had
a fellow holding up a so they would just read
it out saying I'll have a birthday to Joe Towns
and he's turning whatever.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
And I didn't even hear it. So my dad had
gone to the trouble of getting it and I'm never
doing that again. And he was like training, just listen
out to them.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
I think there might be something something important, and I
was like yeah, yeah, yeah, all right, they never heard it.
I think about the shout out of Worcester Warriors. I
don't even like rugb mutiny, so you know I was
there as a kid.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Yeah, they're extinct now as well, aren't they.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
I think they were playing a European game as well,
so we're clearly used to be quite good yeah, but
not the case.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
I've lost track of where we were.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
We were talking about Chesterfield and just talking about a
message and novelty moments of the EFL.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
You mentioned about the refer as well. Apparently a lot's
happened with the referees.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Oh god, yeah, I love this that you think that
is this a new prerogative? Supporters and players are excited
for the opening weekend, Well what about referees. They've been
doing nothing all weekend, or if they're not full time
then they've been doing the nine to five Monday to Friday.
So they're just excited to start telling footballers off. I
(34:22):
mean the Plymouth barns A game is a good example
of it, because the ref just could not wait to
get involved in everything. He sent Jack Shepherd off for
Barnsley in one of those brilliant moments where he unnecessarily
gave him a yellow card for a hand but very
harsh handball, and he just gave him it straight away.
Speaker 2 (34:41):
Just he's thinking, oh, yeah, we can get really into
the action here.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Didn't realize he'd already booked him, so then the Plymouth
players had to tell him they're really kicking off. It's
about forty five seconds later, he's thinking, oh.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
What do I do?
Speaker 1 (34:54):
And I can't take the other card away, I'm gonna
have to send him off. So then goes to find
Jack Shephard and sends him off a second other card.
But overall the refs well done this weekend. Seven penalties
and four red cards on Saturday across the EFL, which
is the same game that is seriously good going in
twenty two matches. For there to be a penalty every
(35:14):
third game pretty much, that is nuts, isn't it. They
just can't wait to give something. Yeah, well done the refs.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Anything else you want to mention before we finish off?
Not for me.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
The only thing that kind of became a thing last year,
didn't it that EFL games on a Thursday, so you've
kind of got that extended weekend. So excited for the
championship to start this weekend.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
That'd be brilliant.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
But League one we're back at it on Thursday, port
Vale Stop Park.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Chapman notes Cardiff I.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Said we're on Thursday all the time last year, so yeah,
we'll be all over that on Sporting Live. So that's
where you can get all your all that we'll be
back on Thursday Thursday. This week Zakka our traditional podcast
looking out to the to the weekends game, and this
returns Monday. We'll have championships to talk about as well.
(36:09):
M m mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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