Manchester United thrashed as race for Champions League heats up – Football Weekly podcast

This is the Guardian.

Hello, and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly, the race for fifth place.

Newcastle Hammer, Manchester United at St James's Park, presumably surprising no one but puts them into fourth.

Andre Anana dropped from the squad by Ruben Amarin, who now has two out-of-form keepers to choose from for the huge game against Leon on Thursday.

Game of the weekend at the Etihad, Crystal Palace 2-0 up, so close to a third before Kevin De Bruyne decided to show us all and whoever gets him next season that he can still do it.

Chelsea are desperately trying to avoid the bind of Champions League football, scraping a draw at home to Ipswich, while Aston Villa can afford to miss two penalties.

Some goal from Ollie Watkins too.

And there's a disappointing defeat for Nottingham Forest, a deserved and last-minute winner for Everton.

We'll discuss whether the Premier League is any good, round up the rest of it.

Another calamitous defeat for Spurs.

Leicester finally scoring a goal.

Liverpool keep meandering to the title and Arsenal draw with Brentford.

Also today, Rangers keep Celtic waiting.

Just some Swindon players are very mean to a Bradford City defender.

And Tranmere turned to Brazil 1970 for 12 minutes.

All that plus your questions.

And that's today's Guardian Football Weekly.

On the panel today, Barry Glendenning, welcome.

Hi, Max.

Sam Dalling, hello.

Good morning, Max.

The up-and-coming broadcaster, Mark Pugach, hello.

Hello, Max.

Don't be nervous.

Just be yourself, Pugas.

You'll be alright.

I'm a bit short of sleep because I stayed up so late to watch the golf last night, which was, I mean, we're going to talk about the Premier League, what it is.

That was so emotional.

That was just pouring out of every bit of Rory McElroy.

That was incredible to watch.

Yeah, I mean, Dwayne did say the Premier League was pretty boring this weekend.

Should the pod be exclusively about the Masters for one episode?

We will get to whether the Premier League is any good.

But I suppose the race for the Champions League spots is interesting.

Nottingham Forest, third with 57 points.

Newcastle have a game in hand on everyone else.

They have 56.

Man City, 55, Chelsea, 54, and Villa, 54 as well.

Let's begin at St.

James's Park at Newcastle, beating Manchester United 4-1.

Sam, you were there.

How was it?

It was lovely, Max.

I think it's a strange world we live in, isn't it?

Because Newcastle had Manchester United on Sunday, and then Crystal Palace is their game in hand on Wednesday.

And where most supporters are thinking, actually, Palace is the tougher test here.

It's just a show of how Manchester United have fallen.

But as a child of the 90s, as as someone who has lived through those years

of Manchester United glory, of having people goad you, despite the fact that if they fell over on Matt Busby Way and Fred the Red picked them up, they would have no idea they were at Old Trafford.

It will never not be funny seeing Manchester United be rubbish and watching Manchester United come as an away team and sit back and try and hit a team on the break, which they did in fairness to them.

It's just a complete change in outlook.

But Newcastle were very good.

I thought it was quite an even first half.

I thought Newcastle were excellent second half.

Not at their absolute best, but they didn't need to be, really.

Mark, some lovely goals.

Tenale's goal was beautiful.

I didn't realise what a mean podcast this was, kicking Manchester United while they're down.

It's funny Sam says that, because actually plenty of people say to me, because I'm a little older than Sam, Manchester United can be rubbish for the rest of our lives and it wouldn't be long enough because of all the pain that they've inflicted.

Tenali's goal was brilliant and Isak's assist because the first touch actually wasn't quite good enough, but he readjusts so brilliantly to play that little lobbed, Sam, obviously you would have seen it close up, that little lobbed pass over the defence and then Tenali smacks it in from an angle.

The extraordinary thing is now that Newcastle beating Manchester United convincingly is just not a surprise.

And you said it, Sam, the harder game for Newcastle this week is Crystal Palace, who until last weekend had been brilliant away from home.

I mean, Man United just seem to be going round and round and round in circles, don't they?

And it's hard to think of, apart from Bruno Fernandes, any player that Amarin can hang his hat on next season going forward.

And how long would he want to hang around?

I'm talking about Bruno Fernandes if this carries on.

So it is, it is, I mean, it's still looking at the table last night when I was working and see what are they, 14th?

I mean, it's just baffling.

You know, Manchester United are in the lower half of the table like that.

Yeah, apart from obviously for Spurs fans who look up at 14th with

dreamy eyes, don't they?

Have we done Baz Enough Newcastle before we go on to another

sort of painful

unravelling of what Manchester United are and the Andre Inanna story, which was kind of the most interesting story going into the game?

Well, I suppose it's worth mentioning Jason Tyndall was in charge because Eddie Howe is ill.

We wish him well, obviously.

This was Jason's time to shine, to do what he was born to do.

Newcastle are on a

tidal tsunami of confidence and I can't see them not qualifying for the Champions League the way they're going.

And the fact that Manchester United were just so poor, I expected Newcastle to win this game.

I think most people did.

I didn't expect them to win it quite so emphatically.

But whatever about Manchester United being not very good, it's so many of their players aren't even making an effort.

They're not trying.

Tackles being missed, players walking when they should be running, not sprinting back.

It was just very, very easy for Newcastle.

The goalkeeping situation is one that Amarim is going to have to deal with, one that he probably hoped he would.

It probably wasn't on his to-do list when he arrived, but it very much is now because Andreonana has not had a good season.

He was terrible against Leon in the Europa League.

He was

not only dropped for this game, but didn't even travel.

Bayinder came in in his place.

He didn't cover himself in glory.

His mistake led to Newcastle's fourth goal.

And so that's a problem that United are going to have to solve in the summer.

We know they don't have a huge amount of money to spend.

Good goalkeepers don't come cheap.

So, you know, how are they going to deal with that?

I don't know.

But

while united being rubbish is not

no longer a story it remains a big story because they're manchester united you mentioned pugos you know he amarin doesn't can't hang his hat on many united players i mean could he if he puts the hat on a nana or binder would it just fall off is the is is the question i mean i don't know if if taking a nana out of the firing line obviously the keeper that comes in lets in four and one of them is a big mistake but it might not have been the worst decision to just tell a nana to have a day off this game doesn't really matter to them.

No, I think he had to do that.

I I I I'm wondering, are footballers so do you have to worry about their sensitivities so much now that you have to come up with increasingly weird euphemisms for dropping them?

Because what did he say about Inanna?

He needs to Sam, I think you might have heard he needs to reconnect and something else.

I mean, just say it.

He's dropped.

He's been rubbish.

He's a big boy.

He can deal with it.

You have to get back on the training ground and get his place back.

W it's, you know, the rested, rotated, refreshed, reconnects.

Just say what it is.

He's been crap.

I don't know if it was a good idea, though.

I do get the logic in it, but if what you're trying to do is divert attention from someone and take them out of the spotlight, to do that in the middle of two very big European games.

It could have gone the other way.

What we're saying basically is it's Tom Heaton's chance to shine and he's going to be there.

Manchester United's number one for the Europa League, having done his years as a training goalkeeper.

Look,

Ruben Ambryn probably knows what his Manchester United best 11 is, right?

And not many of them are currently at the club.

The young lad who came in on debut, I thought he did okay.

And actually, Bruno Fernandez is someone who is an opposition sport you're never going to like, right?

He's there to wind you up.

He's in, you're going to hate him, and that means he's a good player.

But what I did notice was while he was moaning at a lot of his teammates for not doing the thing, the senior teammates who should have been doing things, he actually came over a couple of times.

I sit in the east stand, and it was right in front of me.

And he was talking that 18-year-old through that first half, which I thought was really good and actually sign of the captain.

And I thought, okay, yeah, fair enough.

Respect to you for that.

Max, you must like the fact that Harry Amas is named after a Latin verb.

I mean, you must have clocked out and enjoyed that, given your classical education.

Well, my GCSE, my A star in GCSE Latin, it was a long time ago.

Cabrus in mensa state, Pugas.

Where are you taking this podcast?

I'm a man of the people, for goodness sake.

Frank Lampert would get that reference.

Yeah.

Jews says, is Jason Jason Tindall now in contention for manager of the year?

Yeah, you mentioned it, Barry.

A club statement said medical staff kept Eddie Howe in hospital overnight for further tests, which are ongoing.

He's conscious and talking with his family and has continued to receive expert medical care.

Everyone at Newcastle United extends their best wishes to Eddie for a speedy recovery.

Of course, we all do as well.

I just wonder, Jason Tyndall, Sam, is such a pantomime villain outside of Newcastle United.

I think everybody just finds him so infuriatingly annoying.

That will make him in a bit way, in a bit like the way Fernandez is loved by Manchester United, but he's sort of doing something we don't really know what Tyndall does but clearly Eddie Howe loves him and he must be totally loved by Newcastle fans yeah he is fans nicknamed him the mad dog a while back but they share an office right they work so closely together he'd have been missing his good pal but the beautiful thing about tyndall is he is not actually the character that everyone portrays him as i think he's probably on the touchline but if you watch him in an interview he like really doesn't want to be there he's quite awkward he's quite shy he's just coming out with clichés um because he's just saying saying what he needs to say and he just wants to get out of there and i wasn't sure about the questioning afterwards about anyhow i sort of feel that if

like if you put a statement out basically saying personal reasons it should be left there i think it's a bit unfair that he has to talk about that i'm not sure the club helped themselves with the statement the wording about um he's conscious and i think he's conscious of talking like i that was a weird word to use that really was i assume consciousness unless i'm told that there is a lack of consciousness my starting point is consciousness and that's where where the confusion came.

But look, it's a sign of a good leader, right?

Because if a leader has a lack of ego and doesn't make it all about themselves, which a lot of football managers actually do, if you set something up, it should be able to operate completely as it was without you there.

And actually, that's what it did.

for Newcastle.

He wasn't at training all week and they came out and they still played exactly the same.

So I think kudos to him.

And I know you want to move on, but I just want to quickly mention Harvey Barnes because he hasn't had any...

He's had no luck, right?

And there's no ill-will towards him by Newcastle fans.

He's been there best part of two years.

I think everyone thought it was a bit odd, given this PSR restraints, to spend that much money on a player where you already have another player in that position in Anthony Gordon.

And it's felt like he's known for the first 18 months of his career that...

Every time he gets a start in the cup, he has 45 minutes, 60 minutes.

He doesn't change the game until he gets taken off.

So he hasn't had that confidence.

And the Anthony Gordon sending off against Brighton in the FA Cup, everyone thought, thought that season defining right it's pivotal Gordon is going to miss three games he can't play in the final but what it actually did was allowed Harvey Barnes a little run where he can he knows he's going to be number one he's not not looking over his shoulder and actually so he's played five full games scored three goals a couple of assists won a cup and he's shown what he was signed for and that second goal I'm thinking he's won the ball back and I'm going right you've done that now Harvey play an isaac because Alexander Isak is always the better option but actually he's now got the confidence to keep going through the middle and so it's nice to see Harvey Barnes smiling and giving a run.

I'm I'm going to the hospital later today to visit a friend of mine who broke his leg skiing last week and the reason I'm going is because he's conscious and sick of talking to his family.

Let's go to the Etsy Had, Man City 5, Crystal Palace 2.

Baz, this was a cracker, wasn't it?

Yeah, I really, really enjoyed this first half.

I was doing the minute-by-minute for the Guardian and it absolutely flew by that first half.

And it was a very strange game.

It was a really, really good game up to around 70 minutes when it went beyond Palace.

And then there were free kicks and injuries and substitutions and it sort of got very scrappy for the last 20 minutes.

But

Palace went 2-0 up.

City weren't playing particularly badly, but they went two goals down.

They should have gone three down, but Ebericia strayed offside when he didn't need to.

So his effort was ruled out for offside after a var check.

Ishmile Esar missed

a really, really good chance.

He pulled back to him from about

he was about six or seven yards out, and he ballooned the ball over the bar when he should have hit the target and scored.

Kevin De Bruyne, I think, between those two chances hit the post, and then City got a free kick

from him.

Yeah, it was a silly foul on the edge of the area.

City got a free kick.

De Bruyne hit the post.

Again, the ball went in on this occasion.

And then

City just were rampant from then on.

They scored five.

De Bruyne was back to his very best.

They probably should have scored eight or nine.

James McAtee got a great goal from an Edison assist, Ederson's fourth of the season.

And he should have scored at least two more.

He missed quite a few chances.

And Kevin De Bruyne missed a couple of chances.

Omar Mamouche missed a good chance.

Gundgan missed a good chance.

So City, having been 2-0 down, could have gone 4-0 down and ended up winning 5-2 and could have won...

10-3 or 4.

Great game.

Who goes afterwards?

It was interesting.

De Bruyne coming out and saying, look, they made a decision decision, and I'm at peace with it, and now I'm just going to just be as good as I can be.

Interesting that we didn't, we weren't totally sure who'd made that call if it had been like a conscious uncoupling or whatever.

But also, the fact that he just decided, okay,

I'm going to.

He was so, he was so unplayable.

It was quite a nostalgic performance from him.

It makes me wonder, didn't it?

Because he said it was the first time in a long time he played pain-free.

Yeah.

So it makes me wonder if he plays that well when he's pain-free.

Mancidia made their decision.

I don't know, they'll go for Florian Vertz or somebody, probably won't they?

Leverkusen.

My point is: are we being too hasty and writing him off and saying, oh, he's definitely going to go and play in America or definitely go and play maybe in Saudi?

Might he actually stay in one of the big European leagues if he can play that well?

And obviously, you can't use him in the way that City have used him up till now because of his age and the fact that he has broken down a bit recently.

Do you see my point?

Maybe a big club, maybe in Italy where the game's a bit slower, maybe in Spain, maybe they might say, I mean, I can't see anybody in England, although it'd be interesting if anybody had a dabble, but maybe if someone goes to him and says, Listen, you're too good to go and play with Respect in America just now.

What is he?

He's 33, I think.

So have a couple more years in a major European league.

Then you can go and play in San Diego or into Miami or whatever.

So I think, yes, I think it was really interesting, his performance, in that maybe a few people are looking at it going, oh, right, there is still a bit of mileage left in him at the top level, having to use him as a sort of special player or use him sparing.

I mean, his free kick.

Barry, didn't you think it was extraordinary?

They had two walls, Crystal Palace, didn't they?

They had a big wall and then a smaller wall, and then two Mancini players in between.

And then Henderson seemed to get his studs caught or whatever.

He sort of fell over backwards like he was coming out of the pub at 11 o'clock at night and it went in off the post.

It was

a bizarre goal.

Yeah, I think Henderson is just not expecting it to go that way, and his weight is completely no, well, through the middle of the walls, yeah, yeah, and he catches it, doesn't it?

It's nice to have a big wall and a little wall.

Like one is like a showball, yeah, it's like,

but talking after the game, De Bruy, Bruy,

he's generally a very honest player, very forthright.

And

he genuinely doesn't seem to know what's next on the agenda for him.

And I suppose it's down to his ambition as a footballer, or has he kind of decided, right, I've won everything.

I need to win.

It's time to put my family first now.

And he did say, look, my kids were born in Manchester.

They've grown up in Manchester.

he's got three children I think two girls and a boy they're all maybe

about nine down I think in age and he said you know they're they're quite scared and nervous about what comes next so it might be a case that he he puts them first and his wife first rather than his own footballing ambition because he may not have much footballing ambition left if they don't want to get homesick he could just sign for Manchester United and then it's or Stockport County yeah absolutely right would you like would anybody like a list of players that Edison now has more Premier League assists than?

Here we go.

Daniel Agar, Miguel Almiron, blimey, Sean Bartlett, Steve Bold.

I mean, he didn't play that many incisive passes, but he must have done a lot of flick-ons at Cornerstone.

Oh, Steve Bold played the pass for Tony Adams's volley that day.

That's one assist.

Yeah, but

that's not enough.

That's not enough.

Diego Forlan, Jeff Hendrik, Shinji Kagawa, Ben Mee, and Mido, amongst others.

There we are.

Yeah, what a player.

And farewell Darren Kahn.

Do you know what he looks like now, Barry?

I do.

I do.

I didn't realise.

He'd done a World Cup final and he got very emotional at the end of the game.

There were a few tears that various players, I think, knew that it was his last game, so they were coming up and having a little word with him.

And yeah, got to him.

He doesn't look like...

If you met him and he wasn't...

you know, dressed as a linesman and carrying a flag, you would not guess in 100 years what he did for a living no you're right fortunately darren always dresses that way and has promised to remain dressed like that for the rest of his life but we wish him well uh and that'll do for part one part two uh we'll do the other sides trying to get into the top five

Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly.

So at Stanford Bridge then, Chelsea 2, Ipswich 2.

Chelsea just five wins in 16 now.

I mean, it could have been worse, Sam.

They were 2-0 down to Ipswich.

They did have 34 shots in the game, the most they've had under Maresca.

So

what did you make of their performance?

It was strange.

I was following it from afar.

People had the BBC live text or various other live texts that are available, and we were desperately hoping as Newcastle fans that Ipswich would hold on to that.

They started brilliantly, didn't they, Chelsea?

battered them early doors and then find themselves 2-0 down and Ipswich without DeLap and without Hutchinson.

So a lot of their top scorers out of it.

And they were a bit shell-shocked, weren't they?

But they did, they came back into it.

I know, I think last time I was on, we were talking about Mareska and this idea that it's a bit boring.

Like it doesn't, it felt like that with Leicester.

They weren't infused by him when they won the championship in style of football.

But 35 shots sort of speaks for itself.

Like that seems to be quite exciting.

I think the Ipswich keeper, right, Alex Palmer, how he's made those free saves at the end.

I mean, whoever was on the the match of the day commentary to get, they've had Palm Sunday waiting for absolutely ages to go as a pun, and it just fell perfectly.

I mean, Fernandez, his face, when he's hit that volley, he has struck that so sweetly.

And actually, he's properly, and this sounds weird, he's made that save, Palmer, right?

It hasn't just hit him, he's put it, he's somehow had the reactions to put his hand there, and it's a hell of a strong fist.

Um, so like it opens things right up.

Mareska afterwards, sort of of talking about, I think it says we're stronger with our fans, it's up to them to decide the way.

And I'm almost a bit wary if like it's not up to them to decide the way, is it really Enzo?

It's more on you and the lads in the shirts, no?

So I always think it's a bit of dangerous ground if you're starting to criticise the home supporters.

Yeah, and because he has sort of said, look, there's not pressure to finish in the top four.

But, you know, Chelsea have still spent the billion pounds that they've spent, right?

And they are dysfunctional.

I mean, in a way, they're sort of lucky.

They're just not as dysfunctional as, you know, Manchester United or Tottenham.

But, like, now it is the top five.

And you look at what they've invested compared to, say, all these sides are spending a lot of money.

But, like, they should be one of those teams.

Well, not to go into the top five, as you say, let alone the top four.

I mean, at Christmas, we were talking, if you remember, look at the table at Christmas.

I'm sure you were doing it.

We were all saying the various places I were.

Liverpool are obviously favourites.

Then there's Arsenal.

But Chelsea are just behind Arsenal.

There's very little, you know, Chelsea had almost as much of a chance as Arsenal at Christmas.

And if you have a look at their last 16 results compared with the first 16, I mean, it's day and night.

It's absolute day and night.

And you can't just say, oh, well, Cole Palmer's gone off the boil.

What?

So it's all about a 21-year-old.

It's literally, that's what you're saying.

If a 21-year-old, whatever he is, can't carry the team.

They don't look very settled at the back, do they?

Their centre-halves, I mean, they've bought...

1,400 centre-halves, and none of them are really coming up to the mark, are they?

Colwell's got a long way to go.

Rhys James is in and out of the team.

Coca-rela with his hair has done well.

I mean, you've got Kaisedo and Fernandez.

I agree, Sam, it was astonishing say that from Fernandez.

They look settled.

Nicholas Jackson, when he's fit, but there are just still so many question marks over the team, having spent a billion.

As with Sean Wright-Phillips last night, working said, do you think they'll get rid of him in the summer?

He didn't think they would, actually, even if they missed top five.

Now, listen, if this had been a Bramovich, they definitely would have done.

They probably would have done by now, wouldn't they?

But it's hard to see the thread of narrative, isn't it, with Chelsea?

It really is.

I'm disappointed that you said working.

I just hoped that you were just having dinner with Sean Wright-Phillips.

There was this lovely moment on Match the Day, and obviously I love Dion Dublin, but he was sort of saying they were running through clips of Chelsea missing chances, and he was just saying, look, the trouble is they're missing chances, and no one is getting angry with anyone.

And then it just, as he was saying this, it just cut to a Chelsea player having a shot and missing a Cucarella going apoplectic in its hair, like bouncing up and down, being genuinely, utterly, absolutely furious.

Well, look, he's the winner, isn't he?

euros winner he probably you know he is the one who is getting cross and the others aren't no i mean dion

that's his bit one of his bugbears isn't it dion for sure yeah they lost at ipswich didn't they as well actually so they're the only team so they've dropped five points against ipswich like if they don't finish in the top five that is their thing but kudos to ipswich by the way that pink away kit that should be mandatory for all teams you should have to have a luminous like a proper awake hit nothing that could ever come close to the home team just get the stabolo pack out pick a colour at the start of the year and have an awake hit like that yeah Yeah, I'm with you.

I wonder, like, we often hear Barry about, you know, a team doesn't have any leaders.

And I'm just trying to think if, I mean, I know they've have people that have, you know, and Enzo Fernandez has clearly won something, Kukarella has, but, like, it doesn't...

It doesn't necessarily sort of jump out at you who is sort of leading this sort of this set of people.

And because it changes quite a lot and different players come in and come out, maybe that is an issue for Chelsea.

Yeah, it could be.

It isn't something I'd really thought about until Deion Dublin raised the issue.

I, too, am a big fan fan of his, particularly on Homes Under the Hammer, which I which I try to watch as often as I can.

Although I have lost all faith in it ever since.

Someone had a house near mine, which was almost derelict.

Okay.

And they did it up and then claimed that

the entire renovations had only cost 60 grand.

And I'm thinking, it cost me nearly that much just to get a new bathroom window.

You're lying.

You're calling them a fraud.

Imagine if it was Holmes Under the Hammer Weekly.

It would be a more insightful podcast.

Anyway.

Anyway, sorry.

Chelsea's leaders.

Yeah.

I think the likes of Fernandez and Cucarella should be more vocal.

Not having played in a sports team for...

many, many, many, many years.

I can't even remember the dynamics of how it works.

I was very much a follower,

more of a follower than a leader, as I am in all walks of life.

I just do what I'm told.

So I do appreciate if someone is barking at me and telling me what to do.

Well, that's good to know.

Let's go to St.

Mary's.

Aston Villa won 3-0.

First time three substitutes have scored for the same team in a Premier League game.

Easy enough in the end, Mark.

Should we start with that beautiful opening goal?

Because the ball from Tielemans, who has been brilliant, and the finish from Watkins is so nice.

I'm glad you mentioned Tielemans because do you remember when he was coming to the end at Leicester, there was all sorts of chat about he was going to go on a Bosman, where was he going to go?

Would it be a big club?

And all you ever heard was, yeah, good player, but

I'll be blood.

Is he quite fit enough?

Sometimes he doesn't look in shape.

I mean, that's what everyone was saying.

And so to go to Villa and play as consistently as he has, it just shows everything about Emery, doesn't it, as well?

My immediate reaction on watching it was, I'm going to the game tomorrow night at Villa Park.

I really hope he doesn't go to penalties, Aston Villa PSG, because Ascencio's confidence will be through the the floor because he's twice done the old hitch kick, stop, wait for the goalkeeper.

And I'd like, I would love to see a camera pan in on Ramsdale, who presumably just looked him straight in the eye and went, and, yeah, what?

I'm not going anywhere.

Because obviously, he's waiting Asencio for him to shift his weight, and he didn't this time.

The fourth player to miss two penalties in a Premier League game after Juan Pablo Angel, Darren Bent, and Saido Berrahino.

And you can see how really irritated he was after the second one, even when McGinn popped it in.

He was fuming, wasn't he?

So that's not going to be good if it goes to a shootout tomorrow evening.

But look, Villa, I think Villa obviously got the semi-final against Palace, but Emery, he's so smart.

I don't think they'll get through against PSG because I think PSG are absolutely different gravies, especially their midfield.

But I think with the momentum they've got, I think they will reach the Champions League actually from here.

I mean, I know they've obviously all got some big games, but he rotates the team so well.

You know, Watkins comes off the bench and scores.

Ascencio has obviously been brilliant.

Rashford's, he's had his moments.

I don't think he's done any more than moments myself.

I know a lot of people think he's been amazing there.

I don't think he's been that good.

But, you know, Emery's got them in exactly the right place.

And Southampton, I mean, it's when I watched the highlights, at the first shot, it was so empty.

I thought, have they gone to the 88th minute or something?

And I thought, well, no, Crikey, this is like the 25th minute.

There's just nobody there.

Yeah, I mean, I don't necessarily blame them.

I don't know.

Winning doesn't really matter.

As a fan, it wouldn't bother me, you know, because the teams I follow,

I wouldn't end up going ever, basically.

I think they'll have a Newcastle soon, don't they, Sam?

That feels like a big one in this.

Yeah, that's next Saturday, so that feels huge.

Nickasa went there last year thinking they were going to lose in 1-3-0.

But yeah, I mean, Emery's got a great squad, and you have to admire, as Mark said, what he's put together, the way he's picked up Tillamans as a free.

And I like the fact that Donielle Mallon...

Must have been difficult for him because he was signed presumably on the basis, oh, I'm going to play Champions League football.

And that's a tough conversation to have and say actually we we've given you three four five years whatever you got but actually we're bringing a couple of lads in on loan and we're going to drop you out of the champions league squad so a good bit of man management there to get him going and they just have a squad that some of the other sides around there haven't got so it's see how they get on against psg and maybe that'll sap them we've wondered if nothing forest would slip um before and they haven't and you know they sort of proved us wrong they've obviously proved me and barry very wrong because we both predicted they'd get relegated this season but they did slip up barry Barry at the weekend and actually were quite outplayed by Everton either the goal was very late but definitely didn't deserve anything from this game no they didn't Everton were the better side at the city ground

and an uncharacteristic error from Murillo

led to their goal which was very well taken by Decouré whose celebration I loved.

So it was basically, you haven't, you know, he did the signing a contract thing and the phone phone call thing.

As a, what's going on here?

Will someone call my agent so I can sign a new deal?

And he explained that is exactly what he meant after the game, lest there was any doubt in anyone's mind.

They are, of course, going to lose games, but I think the teams around them are also going to drop points or lose games.

So

I wouldn't be panicking.

Well, a few of them are playing each other.

As Sam said, obviously, Bill and Newcastle will help.

They're at Tottenham this weekend, Forrest.

If they lose that,

I'm waiting for a reaction from Max.

There we go.

I'll set him up.

If they lose that, I think Forrest are in real trouble because I think everyone else has got the momentum.

Villa, Newcastle, City.

Arsenal look like they're going to sort of pile their way to a score, which we'll get them in it.

But I do, I do, I would love, I mean, we would all love Forrest to be in the Champions League.

And I was listening to the kickoff on the radio I was driving and hearing them sing Mull of Kintar before kickoff was brilliant.

I'm thinking, oh, bring it back.

Brian Clough, yada, yada, yada.

But I just worry if this whole counter-attacking way of playing, it was almost like on Saturday we went, right, Nil 0 will do.

This is what we do.

Counter.

Nil 0's fine.

And then Everton picked them off.

And I'm like, you know,

it's like the Grand National coming to the last, isn't it?

And they're not traveling as well as a few of them behind.

Yeah, I mean, you mentioned DeCore.

I did like the fact in the interview he said, I can't say much about what's going on.

Before we've produced Joel Wrights, explaining in quite a lot of detail exactly how long he left on his deal, who he hadn't heard heard from, who he wanted to hear from.

Forrest play Chelsea on the last day of the season.

I think that's going to be massive.

It's just the wrong...

It's not just that they lost, it was the performance.

Like Everton were far better than them, and it's the wrong time of the season to have your wobble go into the finals straight.

Decorate,

A, lovely to see David Moyes looking happy again, right?

Because he looks younger and fresher.

And he turned into this David Brent-style figure at West Ham because whatever he did, it wasn't good enough.

And he'd come into press conferences and he'd sort of make these dad jokes and and then look around for the reaction, the laughter.

It was really quite awkward.

And he seems to be freed up a bit.

And I think they'd be something like sixth if the season started since he came in.

Fifth, I think.

I think fifth.

So like they've been brilliant.

And we're quite an average squad of players.

And Decore is one of those.

I love him because if you support a team, there's always some, which most people probably listening do, there's always a player that outside fans, opposition fans, assume is brilliant.

But you know when you watch them week in, week out, actually they're the most frustrating player in the world.

They're inconsistent.

And I think Decore is one of them because he's a moments man, right?

He scored the goal that kept them up, was it against Bournemouth after the Lampard die season?

He scored like they won down at Brighton unexpectedly.

They beat him three or four nil.

He scored a couple.

He had that moment yesterday.

So we all assume our Decore, absolutely like top-level Premier League player.

He's brilliant for Everton.

And I think if you're an Everton fan, you sort of love him, but also wish he were a bit better so you could have replaced him earlier.

I think he's in that category.

I think if you're a manager who

can't get laughs at a press conference by cracking jokes, you're in big trouble because

there is no more sympathetic comedy audience than a room full of

obsequious football journals.

They'll laugh at anything.

Maybe centre court.

Maybe centre court.

I think centre court might be the easiest a pigeon gets, you know, a standing evasion.

They were one point clear of relegation when he took over, Moyes.

They're now 17 points clear.

I mean, there we are.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Tremendous from Moyes.

Jake says, looking through the Premier League fixtures, was there a single one that the panel thought was interesting or had any jeopardy?

I can't find any interest in this game week.

Not great for April.

You brought this to our attention.

It's something we sort of touched on, Pugas, haven't really talked about in detail.

Clearly you want a title race and a relegation fight, right?

And is it just a coincidence that one team is so much better than everyone else this season?

Like, had it been Man City, I think you'd be right to say this is terrible.

But there is every chance Liverpool wouldn't have been this good.

And then we'd be saying, oh, look, it's between two and six.

Or is that just a hypothetical argument?

I think relegation is more of an issue with the gulf between the championships.

But maybe it's just unlucky that one team's better than all the others.

Maybe we just have these seasons every now and then.

I was just thinking the other day that

this season hasn't really taken fire.

Now,

Liverpool, it's not Liverpool's fault and it's certainly not their fans' problem because obviously they get a little bit, oh, well, what do you expect us to do?

Nothing.

You've won the league and you deserve to.

But in terms of a title race, Arsenal have let us down badly.

And obviously,

I don't think you can say Man City have let us down badly because they have one four in a row.

They are allowed an off-season.

But we've just had a situation where we've had no excitement at the top.

We've had no excitement at the bottom.

I've enjoyed Nottingham Forest.

I've enjoyed Fulham and Brentford at times.

That's been good.

But I just feel that sort of visceral thrill of the Premier League that I associated with it has been missing this season.

And I do think that we've sort of reached peak, it's a hard word to say, peppizization of the games, you know, where possession and keeping the ball is absolutely everything.

And the elimination of risk, especially in the final third.

Although, interesting, of course, there's no elimination of risk when the goalkeeper's got it.

It's like they flipped it.

Goalkeeper, you take all the risks you can and give away goals, but at the other end, when you get the ball out wide, oh, no, no, because the percentage of something happening from across is this.

So don't do that.

Check back inside and let's horseshoe all the way around to the other side of the pitch.

I'm looking at you, Arsenal, because that's what they do all day, horseshoe it round to Saka.

So I'm thinking,

when is actually, are we just in that phase now?

Is it just a rogue season?

But I just haven't had that,

the word is visceral, that's such that thrill of exciting games, maybe of wingers getting the ball in the area.

Everything seems terribly pre-programmed at the moment.

I may be on my own, but that's, you know, I've watched far too much football over the last 50 years.

That's what it feels like.

Yeah, I'm interested to know what you think, think, Sam, as someone who goes week in, week out.

Because obviously, when you saw the Everton fans score, they didn't think at that moment this is a boring season.

When Brentford scored at the Emirates, they didn't think that.

But I just wonder, do, you know,

is it boring or is it just because

someone's won the league?

Yeah, I almost think the opposite.

It's strange.

The natural places to look are right at the top.

And basically, we're saying it's Mikel Arteta's fault that it's boring because they've dropped 16 points from winning positions.

That's not good enough.

That's as many as in the last two seasons.

If they drop half as many, we've got a title race.

But around that,

we've still got five or six teams vying for that top five place.

I would say this.

A new team has won the Carabao Cup.

The FA Cup semi-finals, unless Manchester City go on and win it, that's going to be fun.

And I almost feel like we're in this post-perfectionism era, actually.

Whereas

for a couple of years, it became really boring and really structured.

And it was Man City.

There were no errors.

And now, actually, there are a lot more errors.

The number of goalkeeping errors we're talking about, we're changing goalkeepers.

and i watch games where actually we're below perfect which is actually quite good fun tottam have lost 17 games manchester united have won 14.

we've talked about how good brighton fulham and bournemouth have been yet they're still going to be mid-tables yeah the obvious thing is down at the very bottom because i'm not sure how we fix that in the current psr regime it's two years in a row the three are going to come up and three are going to go down but until everton and wolves change managers wolves and ever so it was three from five so you've got to give them kudos.

Look, we'd love to have a Guerrero moment.

We'd really love to see Michael Owen in full kit stood on the pitch in Stadium of Light watching the title slip away post-final whistle.

That isn't going to happen.

So that's the obvious thing that we are missing.

But I found it quite fun.

You made a really good point about the cup competitions, and I am talking absolutely about the Premier League, because obviously I cover a lot of the cup.

And the fact, I never thought I'd feel this because I am a child of the 70s, and I'd have four three plays at Highfield Road on Thursday nights if I could.

But those days are gone.

So the fact that every Cup game is decided on the day has definitely given both, and now the FA Cup obviously does it, has definitely given them a different feel and a different hue because the game's got to be decided.

So I think

there is a very noticeable difference between approaches in the Cup and the league.

So I take your point entirely about the Cups.

Barry, I mean, I feel like Football Weekly fits in a post-perfection era better than a perfection era.

But

what's your sense of this?

I think it has been an underwhelming Premier League season.

The worry is always that if you point this out, you're accused of not liking football.

Obviously, individual games can be good, even if there's not that much at stake.

The City Palace game being a case in point,

although City

do need to win.

But agree that it's all it's not all Michel Arteta's fault.

I would also like to throw Kieran McKenna into the mix, because I think Ipswich could have made a far better fist of trying to stay up than they have.

They have, between them and Arsenal, they've lost 43 points from winning positions.

Now,

you would expect Ipswich to lose more points from winning positions than Arsenal, but I think if I was an Ipswich fan, I wouldn't have expected a huge amount from this season.

I would have expected more.

Okay.

So you're blaming Arteta and McKenna.

I got from Pugas that he was blaming, solely blaming Liverpool fans.

Okay, Liverpool fans, Artessa and Kerry fans.

It's all their fault.

Anyway, that'll do for part two.

Part three, we will go to Molyneux to discuss Tottenham's latest defeat.

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Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly.

First time ever then Wolves have won four Premier League games in a row.

Vita Pereira has been so good.

Greg says, could you please say a quick word about the job he's done at Wolves?

Pick them up in 19th place.

They just won four in a row for the first time since 1972.

Then he walks into the Wetherspoons uptown to hang with the fans.

I mean, there's huge optimism, Pugas now, around Molyneux, about next season.

I think he had a game...

About two or three games ago, was that not 600 club games in management?

I think it was.

You're thinking, wow, this guy guy is seriously experienced, obviously in Iberia and I think in the Middle East.

I think it's absolutely fantastic what he's done.

I mean, assuming he'll probably lose Cunha in the summer, but there we are.

He's proven that he can, you know, he's proven he deserves to get the money, Pereira, and spend it wisely.

Oh, I think Wolves fans will be massively encouraged.

I mean, it seems a long time ago, Gary O'Neill and all that, doesn't it?

It really does.

And the whole sort of conversation about British managers and why aren't they getting more of a chance and when he he left, why don't they give it to a British manager?

But, you know, Gary O'Neill's been replaced by two managers now who've been outstanding, Ireola and Pereira.

So it's not doing the British managers,

what's the word I'm looking for?

Their badge much good, is it?

People coming up and stuck their brand.

Thank you, Max, for being the grown-up and remembering that word.

And doing, you know, so good.

Maybe Tottenham should bring in Gary O'Neill.

And then the next person they bring in will be really good, won't they?

Many pointing out, I mean,

this game was hilarious because I think all the goals, Barry, were terrible.

I'm just trying to think like they were all bad.

And I really enjoyed how bad they were, apart from obviously, you know, the agony of wanting Spurs to do better.

But many pointing out Spurs could finish 17th this season, right?

Their form is so much worse than West Ham and Wolves, who are behind them.

They last finished outside the top 10 in 07-08.

Their worst finish in Premier League history is 15th, 93, 94.

And just lost more games this season than Poch lost in three seasons from 2015 to 2018.

And yet there is still part of me, Barry, a tiny part of me that believes.

Well, I'm happy to concede that I was wrong.

I thought he would do really well at Spurs, and it's been little short of a disaster.

The goals they conceded yesterday were just ludicrous.

I was laughing, just laughing.

And like the first one, so Papisar fouls.

I think it was Bellegarde needlessly.

Bellegarde whips the free kick, which is punched by Vicario, needlessly, should have caught it, didn't have enough command of his area.

Ryan Aitnuri follows it into the ground and scores, and then Spurs are sort of half-heartedly appealing for an offside against a player who had no impact.

He wasn't impairing Vicario's view, nothing.

And all this happened within inside the first two minutes.

And you think, okay, well, you know, they might bounce back from this but then just a comedy of defensive errors and even the goals spurs scored were you know bad efforts the bad errors from those players the the semido air back heel uh being a case in point

but uh

wolves were thoroughly deserving winners they could have won by more

And

I don't know where Spurs go from it.

I'd be very surprised to beat Aunt Trek Frankfurt.

But, you know, their eggs are very much.

It doesn't matter whether they finish 14th or 17th, really.

Their eggs are in the Europa League basket.

But had they not scored more goals than anybody apart from Liverpool?

That's possible.

That's possible.

I mean,

I know it doesn't help if you defend like, you know, that was just shambolic.

That was completely shambolic.

I think they've won some games convincingly, but then they've lost a lot of games by one goal.

I guess the question for Andrews, and we obviously we did the pod on Thursday and the Arntra Frankfurt game sandwich

that evening.

And actually, they played well against Frankfurt.

They had loads of chances.

They definitely should have won.

You can't pin that on Ange, I don't think, because, you know, he set them up.

Yeah, they're third in the goals club behind Liverpool and Man City.

The question for Ange is, even if they won the Europa League, it feels...

Like they can't keep him.

But then Tottenham never win trophies.

How could you sack a manager who's won a trophy when you never win trophies?

I think the thing he needs to do, because yeah, I was pondering that.

Like, do if you're the board, like, do you want him to win that trophy?

Because otherwise, you end up in an Eric Ten Hag winning the FA Cup style situation where you sort of go, well, he has won the second biggest European competition.

Do we have to...

Or Mourinho, who they couldn't afford to win the trophy.

When they sacked him at Tottenham, I mean, just for the League Cup.

That's true.

What they need is basically Ange to win it.

That would be the ideal scenario.

I want to see Ange smiling again.

His interview yesterday was very much eyes down.

It was very awkward.

The interviewer did very well for the BBC.

But they

Ange needs to win it and actually say, right, thanks very much.

I told you that I win a trophy in my second season.

I have won a trophy in my second season.

I need to be humble enough to realise that this ain't working because it's tough now.

How do they recruit?

If you're a player, you're looking...

If he's still there, you're not going to come because you're not expecting him to be there for much longer, really.

So it's just prolonging agony, right?

So the ideal for Tottenham is winning that Europa League.

And And Ange says, Thanks very much.

I've done my couple of years.

See you later.

Let's move on.

That's got to be the best case scenario from here, right?

That would take the humility that does any manager have.

Obviously, it could be that all the Spurs moles fault.

We've narrowed it down, says Ange.

We've been looking at it for quite a while.

We have a fair idea where it's coming from.

It's disappointing because you'd like to think everyone who's in our camp is working with us, not against us.

It's just waiting for it's Rebecca Vardy, isn't it?

Like, that's what we're waiting for from Ange.

It happens quite a a lot in Europe, actually.

Managers win trophies and leave because they're always flouncing out over the wrong suit or the wrong contract or this.

So it's not unusual in Europe to win a trophy and then go, well, was it Spoletti who won the trophy?

He won Serie Arwood Napoli.

He went straight away, didn't he?

Yeah.

So, so, I mean, it could be.

It would be quite classy of it.

It'd be amazing.

Let's go to Anfield, Baz.

Liverpool 2, West Ham 1.

They're stuttering over the line, but perhaps fitting, Baz, that it was Salah's corner that Van Dijk headed in, and they're both going to stay and everyone's happy.

After it was announced that Mo Salah had signed a new contract and he's posed for pictures on his Barack throne at Anfield, Arnest Slott gave this,

it was like a speech an actor gives after winning an Oscar, you know, thanking everyone for their incredibly hard work in getting the deal over the line.

And

if you look at it,

was it that difficult?

Salah wanted to stay, but he wanted more money.

Liverpool wanted to keep him, and they've given him more money.

It seems pretty straightforward and maybe

wasn't as complicated as we've been led to believe.

But he has been quiet in the last few games, but he was brilliant yesterday.

It probably helped that he was up against a very inexperienced left-wing back who didn't get a huge amount of help from his teammates.

And

he set up the goal or set up both both goals.

We did have that comedy own goal from Liverpool, which looked like Mice cost them two points.

Again, it wouldn't have mattered if they'd only drawn this game, but the sight of Andy Robertson going full Basil Faulty with Virgil Van Dijk after

they'd combined to to score the own goal was highly amusing.

And

now Liverpool have

well, yeah, they just need six points.

They could win the the league next week if results go their way.

I think they'd probably prefer to win it at Anfield.

Interestingly, Allison was really, really good in this game, pulled off some superb saves.

But what does the future hold for him?

Because Maramadash-Ville is coming in, isn't he, during the summer.

And I presume he will not be expecting to be second-choice keeper.

So could Allison leave during the summer?

I don't know.

That's a good question.

To the Amex Brighton 2, Leicester 2, Pugas.

Leicester scored a goal and they didn't lose.

This is extraordinary.

The turnaround begins from Rude van Nistelroy.

They scored two good goals.

Mabadini scored the first one, didn't he?

Occoli's header for the second one.

It was a great header.

What a great goal.

Well, that was in there.

I think.

I don't really care about XG and stats, but there were two this weekend.

Here we go.

I'm now going to shoot down my own argument.

Wow.

One was Brentford's XG was 0.19.

I thought that was impressive that Arsenal let them score.

And Brighton's XG was four, I think, four point something.

And yet they only scored from two penalties.

So no wonder Fabian Herzegovina was a bit like, I think Brighton just looked a bit...

Brighton looked a bit like, oh, we'll win this game.

We're not going to Europe.

We're out of the cup.

We'll win this game.

Where are we going on holiday?

And it all went wrong.

Fair dues to Leicester.

I mean, you know, nobody does gallows humour as well as football fans, do they?

I mean, you can imagine what they were singing.

You know, you've let us score and all this malarkey and all the words.

So I can't see Van Nistroy being there next season.

Really, I can't be.

I mean, it's been absolutely, it's been shambolic, hasn't it?

It really has.

The fact that we're talking about them scoring a goal, you know, we're not talking about them getting a win, and we're talking about them scoring two goals, you know, says, says it all.

But it smacked of end of season, didn't it?

Brighton complacent, nothing really to play for.

Leicester knowing they're down, but happy they get a goal.

I did find the booze at full-time, Sam, sort of, I know football fans have short memories, but sort of from where Brighton have come from to just get to this level now where they're just like boo this you know I don't know I'm not there every week feel felt a bit soon to be booing Brighton for being okay in the Premier League yeah it did but I think Fabian Hertzler would have booed based on what he said post-game and he seemed pretty angry about it

unlike Pep going come on yeah Fabian he's like boo them boo those idiots

exactly so yeah but as football fans we know what football fans are like Max and if if your manager's leading you, you follow, right?

Yeah.

Disciples.

No, fair enough.

I did like how Connor Cody sort of tried to pretend that it hadn't hit his arm.

You know, somebody who hates all hand balls.

Even I thought that was a handball.

The Emirates then Arsenal won, Brentford won.

I mean, very much all eyes on Wednesday.

On Five Live, they said Declan Rice took five free kicks in the warm-up and missed them all.

That's what's the only...

What was interesting in this game, look, the goal is a wonderful run from Rice.

He carried it, as Bridge Joel says, about 300 yards.

The Norgard red card shout, I think, is this this interesting Barry in that especially because it's in between these games against Real Madrid it's almost like a sort of unsaid come on don't don't hurt anyone today and I think he could have gone for that yeah at the time I thought the booking was fair having seen it a couple of times since I

a red wouldn't have been overly harsh I think

It wasn't a great challenge.

It was late.

It was a scissors challenge.

He got nowhere near the ball.

So yeah, could have gone for that.

That was probably the highlight of the first half.

That and Leandro Trosser almost killing a pigeon with a shot in the ball.

Kieran Tierney had a goal disallowed for offside.

It's nice to see him get a start for Arsenal.

This is his first one in over two years, I think.

It's just, it's typical Arsenal.

It didn't, again, it didn't matter whether they won this game or not, but more drop points.

That's 10.

They've only got 10 from the last 21 available that's their 12th draw of the season and

they're not able to close out games and that's costing them and

they

i i thought the title race was over at christmas others say it ended in february or

even went on as late as March, but I've just never been any doubt in my mind that Liverpool would win the title since Christmas.

If you are an Arsenal fan, which you are, Pugas, you just go, look, we just beat Real Madrid 3-0.

They'd have sat there in the Emirates Hall just talking about that game still.

I mean, you could talk about that for so long, as long as you don't mess it up at the Burnabout, which is possible because it's Real Madrid.

Oh, but it's Real Madrid.

I think

the worst thing they could do on Wednesday is retreat into their shell.

You can't do that.

And inevitably, Real Madrid will have plenty of the ball.

But you know what I mean?

If they try, you know, low block, blah, blah, blah, and all that, they'll score, won't they?

But somebody will score.

Vinicius Mbappe.

What a terrible tackle by Mbappe.

Oh, yeah.

Have you seen that?

Oh, the awful.

Mbappe, Rodrigo, Moderic, whatever.

They have to try and play in the same sort of manner that they did.

And I mean, I don't want to damn them with faint praise, but talking about how they've been very, very stilted this season, Arsenal.

They did beat Rambadrid 3-0.

Two of them were set pieces.

I mean, they were sensational set pieces.

So, you know, it just underlines their real struggle in open play to get any fluidity going.

So, anyway, on Wednesday, just don't go into your shell.

Don't try and retreat.

You're not going to hang on for nil-nil for 90 minutes

away in the burnabout.

But listen, there'll be a chance,

it'll be, it's an amazing chance for them.

Let's see what they've got.

Let's see what their ticker's like.

That's what it's about.

Let's see what their cajones are like.

Celtic looks set to win the SPL yesterday.

They needed Rangers to lose.

They were 2-0-down Rangers down to 10-minute half-time.

Turned it around, scored the equalize in the 96th minute.

Still alive.

Seven United have lost three in a row.

Wrong time to do that in the championship.

Now a five-point gap.

And they lost against Plymouth.

Buffalo side Plymouth.

Leeds and Burney both won.

So yeah, five-point gap to Sheffield United in third with four games left.

Birmingham won the title without playing on Saturday because Wrexham only drew 0-0 in League 1.

But then they lost 2-0 to Peter Brabu in the EFL Trophy Final.

First time Asside has retained it.

In the Max Rushton, producer Joel Derby, Charlton Athletics did the double over us, which means we're probably relegated.

Two great games in League Two.

Will says, are you going to have time to talk about anything else once you've all finished analysing the Swindon winning goal and celebration?

This was Swindon five, Bradford four.

Swindon scored two in the 90th minute.

The winning goal was an own goal from

the Bradford right-back.

Three Swindon players, Sam.

It felt so mean.

And I don't have the context.

I don't know if this player was horrible to them all game.

But when he scored that own goal, they stood over him like school bullies.

If they'd been a toilet, they'd have flushed his head down at that moment.

it was it was like keon on vanisteroy to the power of ten because he was on the floor as well and uh kudos to him because he didn't really react rightly a couple of his teammates did but he sort of lay there in shock and i think it was a bit of a a bottle job from bradford but it's an odd mentality isn't it when you've you're at home as well and you've just scored a a last-minute winner or an injury time winner in a 5-4.

Surely your first reaction is to run off and celebrate with your fans and teammates, not go and scream at the poor bloke who's lay on the floor.

He's just nicked it past his own keeper.

Come on, Twindon.

John Aldrich did it to Brian Laws in a cup semi.

He ruffled his hair after scoring.

I think a known goal.

Don't do that.

Don't do that.

Calmer.

Brian Laws did, there was a YouTube video of Brian Laws jumping over a canal, just a small canal.

I think like his family put up in early days of YouTube.

And so I started the brand new feature on soccer where managers jumping over things.

And then just, you know, played this and kept playing it in the hope that some manager would just jump over something and send it to us.

And I don't think any of them did, the bastard.

We should mention Tranmere Overs, right?

So they're playing Accrington Stanley.

They're both 21st and 22nd.

Now they are in

League Two.

And they were 3-0 down with 12 minutes to go.

And they drew 3-3.

Has anyone seen the three Tranmere goals?

They are

unbelievable.

Like if you squirt one of them in a season in League 2, you'd talk about it forever.

To do three like that is absolutely insane, Pugan.

They were all through.

The first is a free kick, isn't it?

And what I like about it is the ball bounces out the net really far.

So the Tranbian player running in.

So there's not a fight in the goal, which there would have been otherwise, wouldn't there?

He boots it back to the center circle.

Then the next two are absolute worldies as well.

Oh, fantastic.

Yeah, so good.

So good.

Anyway, look, that'll do for today.

Please listen to the Guardian's excellent audio longweed podcast tomorrow.

It's an archive episode on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

David Kahn's piece, The Great Betrayal, How the Hillsborough Families Were Failed by the Justice System, featuring a new introduction from David.

That's wherever you get your podcasts.

But thank you, everybody.

Thank you, Baz.

Thank you.

Thank you, Pugas.

Thank you for having me.

Thanks, Sam.

You're welcome.

Thank you for having me.

Football Weekly is produced by Joel Grove.

Our executive producer is Danielle Stevens.

We'll be back on Wednesday.

This is The Guardian.