Are Aston Villa genuine title contenders? – Football Weekly podcast

Summary

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Football Weekly – "Are Aston Villa Genuine Title Contenders?"

Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Max Rushden
Panel: John Bruin, Jacob Steinberg, Sam Dalling
Theme: Premier League title race drama, Aston Villa’s stunning run, and deep dives into key matches, players, and managers.

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Episode Overview

In this lively and insightful episode of The Guardian’s Football Weekly, Max Rushden and the panel dissect whether Aston Villa’s outstanding run of form makes them true title contenders in the Premier League. The panel recaps all the latest action with their trademark wit and journalistic depth, spanning Villa’s tactics, Arsenal’s nervy win, City’s resilience, crisis debates at Manchester United and Newcastle, plus lively dispatches from the rest of the league.

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Aston Villa’s Title Credentials (Starts ~[01:08])

Villa’s 11th Straight Win at Chelsea

• Villa’s Performance: Outplayed for much of the first hour at Stamford Bridge; Villa’s XG at halftime was zero, highlighting Chelsea’s dominance early on ([01:39], Jacob Steinberg).
• Tactical Changes: “Unai Emery changed it and then Villa just came and won the football match.… Emery’s ability to change a game because those three substitutions… made a huge difference…” ([04:34], Jacob Steinberg).
  • Ollie Watkins’ introduction led to more pace and directness.
  • Sancho, after a disappointing Villa spell, was excellent and influential.
• Key Insight: Emery’s in-game management and mentality are described as “maybe slightly separates them from Chelsea. Just that ability, that experience to stay in the game and take the chances when it came” ([05:20], Jacob Steinberg).

Is Villa Seriously in the Race?

• Skepticism and Hope:
  • “They’re in the race but they’re not going to win it.” ([09:09], John Bruin)
  • But “maybe there's a couple of things they can do during the window to make this even more plausible” ([10:44], Jacob Steinberg).
• Remarkable Stat: “They've picked up 18 points from losing positions this season… gone one nil down in each of the last six away games and won five of those” ([10:06], Jacob Steinberg).
• Managerial Praise: “Emery is the master… of the in-game management, which I’m not sure Enzo is” ([07:32], John Bruin).

Notable Quotes

"If he keeps doing these season-long loans, eventually he'll have played for everyone in the Premier League and then he'll have a point to prove in every game he plays."
— Max Rushden, [05:23]

"I know Emery tried to shut down talk of a title race but… you're definitely in the race."
— Sam Dalling, [08:32]

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The Top Three and the Title Race

Arsenal: Surviving and Winning Ugly ([14:29])

• Brighton 1–2 Arsenal: Raya’s crucial save underlined as the match-winner.
• Squad Depth and Injuries: Arsenal forced to play Declan Rice at right back with defensive absences ([18:44], Jacob Steinberg).
• Mood in the Stands: “People get very anxious at this team, don’t they, Arsenal?” ([15:15], John Bruin).
• Winning Mentality: “You need to win those games and you need to ride out wobbles in matches.” ([14:41], John Bruin).

Notable Moment:

"I made an involuntary noise because I just thought, it’s some save."
— Max Rushden, on Raya’s stop ([16:41])

Manchester City: Grinding Out Results ([21:44])

• Forest 1–2 Man City: City’s fifth straight win; Pep’s team praised for “so, so good” moments, but Forest unlucky.
• Pep Guardiola’s ‘Patronising’ Praise: Light-hearted debate about Pep’s sincerity in heaping praise on opposition managers ([24:11]–[26:16]).
• John Robertson Tribute: Warm note honoring the Forest legend before the match ([26:47]).

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Managerial Hot Seats and Club Identity

Chelsea’s Oddness and Maresca’s Future ([10:44])

• Inconsistency: “Sometimes you watch them and it really clicks… sometimes it doesn’t…” ([10:44], Max Rushden).
• Managerial Instability:
  • “I would be surprised if he’s the manager next season.” ([11:15], Jacob Steinberg)
  • Players frustrated, notably Palmer’s reaction to substitution ([13:40]).
• Mentality Gap: “Chelsea have dropped 13 points from winning positions this season, 11 of those at home” ([13:08], Jacob Steinberg).

Manchester United: Mediocre but Six Points Better ([28:13])

• Beating Newcastle: United’s win gets less attention than Newcastle’s toothlessness. “It’s very rare to see Manchester United sit back like they do and invite a team onto them at Old Trafford. But I think they were actually quite comfortable.” ([28:50], Sam Dalling)

Newcastle and Eddie Howe: When Should Progress Mean Pressure? ([28:59])

• Nuanced Debate: “Two things can be true… Eddie Howe has done an absolutely magnificent job… [and] might have reached a ceiling—there are question marks as to whether he is the man to take them forward.” ([29:18], Sam Dalling)
• Media Environment: “A lot of reporters can be… pro the club.… in return for access, maybe the local media isn’t as critical as they have been…” ([32:34], John Bruin)

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Quickfire: Notable Matches Across the Premier League and EFL

• Liverpool 2–1 Wolves: Scrappy win, “not a convincing win… but it was still a win.” ([35:56], Max Rushden).
• Brentford 4–1 Bournemouth: Charter scores a hat trick; “Brentford have shown that it can be done, that you can survive” amid summer upheaval ([39:42], John Bruin).
• Sunderland 1–1 Leeds: “Fun, I think, is the right word. It was end to end. Two sides enjoying themselves and playing with a bit of freedom” ([43:12], Sam Dalling).
• West Ham 0–1 Fulham: Bleak for West Ham: “It feels somehow even bleaker than it was under Avram [Grant], which is some going” ([46:30], Jacob Steinberg).
• Spurs 1–0 Crystal Palace: “Kevin Dano, you’d have to say, was the best player for Tottenham… Palace couldn’t really create decent chances.” ([52:32], John Bruin)
• Burnley 0–2 AZ: “Weekly dose of deflated Scott Parker saying I’m so proud of my players…” ([54:05], Max Rushden)

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Memorable Anecdotes & Humorous Moments

• "XG People Are Angry": “Crisis at XG Towers as Morgan Rodgers hammers in another one from 25 yards and they have to have a meeting about it.” ([21:08], Max Rushden)
• High-Voiced Terrace Songs: Discussion of fans singing in falsetto — “the ultimate, ultimate high voice would be to do the Bee Gees Too Much Heaven…” ([35:14], John Bruin)
• Shout-Outs to Past Greats: Remembering John Robertson with warmth and wit ([26:47], Max Rushden).

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Key Timestamps

• Villa Tactics & Substitutions: [01:39]–[05:20]
• Are Villa Title Contenders?: [05:54]–[10:44]
• Chelsea/Maresca Analysis: [10:44]–[14:29]
• Arsenal’s Narrow Win & Raya’s Save: [14:29]–[18:44]
• City Save v Forest, Pep Praise: [21:44]–[26:47]
• United v Newcastle, Eddie Howe Debate: [28:13]–[34:02]
• Leeds v Sunderland: [43:12]–[45:12]
• West Ham’s Mismanagement: [46:12]–[51:53]
• Spurs 1–0 Palace, Archie Gray Goal: [52:32]–[53:24]
• Burnley 0–2 AZ, Scott Parker Therapy: [54:05]

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Conclusion

The panel concludes that Aston Villa, emboldened by Unai Emery’s tactical nous and newfound resilience, are undeniably in the title race—though still outsiders compared to Arsenal and Manchester City. The conversation joyfully bounces through match analysis, managerial intrigue, footballing culture, and witty banter, making this a must-listen for fans craving both insight and amusement.

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Notable Quote of the Episode

"Emery is the master… of the in-game management, which I’m not sure Enzo is."
— John Bruin, [07:32]

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Summary by Football Weekly Summarizer. Listen for the full depth, drama, and laughs!

Transcript

[A]

This is the Guardian. Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly. The top three all win those kind of games you have to win if you want to win titles. Going to Be tough for two of them, isn't it? Aston Villa's 11th win in a row outplayed at Chelsea for an hour. A couple of changes from Unai Emery and it all changed. Cue the contractual obligation to ask if they are in the race. Arsenal squeeze past Brighton. What a save from David Raya at the end. While City win at Forest. Shaun Dyche not happy with the decisions elsewhere. Crisis club Manchester United are sixth after beating Newcastle. Should Eddie Howe be under more pressure? Crisis club Liverpool are fourth after just getting past two points. Wolves. Kevin Schada scores a hat trick for Brentford. Bournemouth's winless run continues. A good game at the Stadium of Light. West Ham look bleak. Spurs get a desperately needed victory and Burnley almost beat Everton. We'll do all that plus your questions. And that's today's Guardian Football. On the panel today, John Bruin. Welcome.

[B]

Hello there.

[A]

Hello. Jacob Steinberg. Hello and welcome. Sam Dalling.

[C]

Hello, Max.

[A]

Barry says. Not that Barry. What day is it? I can confirm it is Monday for those of you not too sure. Or maybe Tuesday. I mean, it kind of depends when you're listening. But it's Monday when we record. We'll start with aston Villa, their 11th straight win. They won 21 at Stamford Bridge. It's an amazing achievement and. And Jacob, you were there and it was an odd game, wasn't it, because it Chelsea was so much better for quite a long time. Unai Emery changed it and then Villa just came and won the football match. I guess they last 90 minutes and Chelsea didn't play for that long.

[D]

Yeah, Villa's XG at half time was zero. So that was a reflection of how dominant Chelsea were in that game in the first half and how poor Aston Villa were. They were quite passive. The system that Emery used, this sort of 4222 with Morgan Rodgers and Donyle Marlon through the middle and Ollie Watkins on the bench, which was a surprise to people who cover Aston Villa more closely than I do. And it just didn't really work. They also missed the physicality of Inanna in midfield. They had these couple of early breaks where Rodgers got through the middle but there wasn't really enough support and he was closed down very quickly. It just looked like they didn't really have quite enough attacking wise to trouble Chelsea. And it was probably about as well as I've seen Chelsea play for about an hour. 55 minutes this season, certainly at home in the league. They were aggressive, intense. There were a few chances, and then they get the goal that they fully deserved. And there's this period after that, suddenly at the start of the second half where they were really pummeling Villa. And even though Maresca was sitting behind us in the press box because he was serving this touchline ban, it looked like he had out tactic unai Emery and Emery had got it completely wrong. And CH obviously really looked like they were going to get that second goal didn't come and it left Emery the room to make the changes. And it could have come earlier if he'd made three changes at half time, you couldn't have argued against that. Instead, he makes them around the hour mark and straight away there was this complete shift. Once Watkins came on, he moved Telemans further through the middle, a bit higher. Watkins, the pace and the directness just really stretched Chelsea, they didn't look like they were ready for it at all. There was no reaction from them. And straight away there was this chance for camera. Sanchez makes the save. But the very next move is kind of a similar kind of move, a similar kind of attack through the middle. And Watkins scores. And after that, you could really only feel that one team were going to win. Obviously, the goal comes quite late, but Villa had so many chances and it's just testament to Emery's ability to. To change a game because those. Those three substitutions, Anana made a huge difference with how powerful he was in the middle. Jadon Sancho, who really hasn't been very good for Villa since joining them from Manchester United this season, came on and obviously this is a bit of a subplot because he was at Chelsea last season on loan and did okay, but they decided against signing him on a permanent last summer. And in that little half hour he was really good. They actually, it was one of those games where Sancho looks like the player you thought he was five years ago and they couldn't. They couldn't get the ball off him. Half an hour. Chelsea, maybe he had a bit of a point to prove, but Watkins as well, that also probably comes on with a bit of a. With a point to prove after being being left on the bench. And we've spoken before about how he's not had his best season, but the fact that they've been going so well without him scoring goals is firstly fantastic. And then the fact that he's then come on and maybe looks like he's going to maybe have a really big second Half of the season, scoring the second goal, which is brilliant. The header again, maybe suggests that if they can get him going alongside Rodgers, they can stay in the race. And it was interesting with Emery how he said afterwards, although they were poor in the first half and they were deservedly behind, that they had the experience and the desire and the mentality to hang in there and make sure they weren't out of it, that they defended and that they stuck to it, which is maybe slightly separates them from Chelsea. Just that ability, that experience to stay in the game and take the chances when it came.

[A]

I suppose Sancho, if he keeps doing these season long loans, eventually he'll have played for everyone in the Premier League and then he'll have a point to prove in every game he plays. And that's when you sign him. Because I had. And he was brilliant, wasn't he? And I'd completely forgotten that he was at Villa. I suppose the question now, John, that we do have to ask is, are they in the race? And the last of their nine victories have been by one goal. And as producer Joel says, not to be all Mick McCarthy, but it can't go on like this. And maybe it can, it can, it can, it can.

[B]

I mean, they. They play Arsenal on Tuesday. Now that is a title. A title six pointer. You know, perhaps the schedulers didn't think it would be. It's funny listening to Jacob's analysis of it, because I actually came into the game at 55 minutes, so I missed the Chelsea goodbye. I was. I was at Brentford and went to the pub next door, which is very nice. Villa were all over them. And it's something that I found watching Chelsea quite a lot this season is the lack of discipline within that team, the amount of yellow cards. I think one of the first things I noticed in that game of our saw was that, do you see when Rodgers was booked for shoving in the box, do you see this incident? And he was booked, I don't know for. I don't know for what. Because the Chelsea players were sort of shoving him in those. One of those box wrestles like a school bully. Yeah, yeah, Just sort of shoving him around and then he gets booked and it's so I was three of them at that. And you know, the lack of discipline, I suppose is reflected by the fact that, you know, Enzo is sat at the back of the press box, which I recognize very well. I recognize the rather uncomfortable seats, as Jacob will know much better than I do. And they just were. Chelsea look to rabble in that game and when you think about Villa's title challenge, think about the, the goals Morgan Rogers scored against United. They're supplying big moments, aren't they? And United Emery is making those changes which get that get big moments from his players and that's something that Chelsea perhaps aren't doing and that's why they're not in the race. But Villa have been fantastic and you know, we all cast back to that doom and gloom over the summer. Now they will end the year on a high and it's been a good year for them overall with a couple of lows. But Emery is the master, as Jacob says of the in game management, which I'm not sure Enzo is.

[C]

Well, it's worth remembering it wasn't just a summer like just how bad they were at the start of the season. They had two points from five games and only scored once. And I watched him draw Neil New at Everton and I watched Morgan Rogers try and make a very simple 15 yard pass and he, there was no one around him and he completely fluffed it. And there was ironic cheers from the Everton fans. He just thinking maybe this is the end of the Emory era and he has done a magnificent job. And it pains me to give Villa credit but they could run five away games in a row having come from behind. That's the fan's dream, isn't it? As long as you know you're going to win. It's a bit like well, I'd love to get promoted via the playoffs as long as we know we're going to win at Wembley. And on Watkins I was having a look at his career, right. He's a manager's dream. In nine and a half years since he played his first full season of Xter, he's only missed 13 games. There might be more talented, more exciting centre forwards out there but to be and always willing and then to score an average of 14 and a half a season and provide goals I think is magnificent. And they, they've won 12 from 13 in the league. Like they. I know Emery tried to shut down talk of a title race but he didn't really get the question, did he? He said, well you know, if the season ends now, Arsenal win the league. Yeah, but you're, you're definitely in the race.

[A]

And yet Jacob, I don't know. I reckon most people listening are like they are in the race but they're.

[B]

Not going to win it.

[D]

But I don't think, I don't think they'll win it. I think it'll, it's still between Arsenal and Manchester City. The Villa fans were probably thinking back two years when I think when they had that little similar kind of run under Emery two seasons ago, and they beat Arsenal and Manchester City, I think, in the space of four days at home. And they had a chance, I think, to go top around Christmas, and they drew with Sheffield United at home and it kind of. It slightly fizzled out. And it was still a fantastic season because they finished in the top four and qualified for the Champions League. But this time they've actually been able to push that a little bit further and not immediately, as soon as the talk of the title begins, immediately drop off. So that's something that's different. Maybe this time it is incredible as well that They've picked up 18 points from losing positions this season. I think they've gone one nil down in each of the last six away games and they've won five of those. That takes in, like the West Ham, the Spurs games there were two nil down. So they were two nil down at Brighton and came back. So that mentality that he's speaking about is probably in evidence there. I don't think that they're. I think they're in the race as it stands. I don't think they'll. I don't think they'll win it, but it's. It's hard to rule anything out when. When they're on. On this run at the moment and perhaps with. With January coming, they obviously didn't do a lot in. In the summer, which was a big bonus contention. Maybe. Maybe there's a couple of things they can do during the window to make this even more plausible. And.

[A]

Look, Jacob, you covered Chelsea, right? So I've said it so many times that it feels like I'm just being lazy by saying they're an odd team. But sometimes you watch them and it really clicks and you think these guys could really challenge and sometimes it doesn't. And maybe it's an experience thing. Then you've had this weird time with Maresca. I think we've spoken to you since Maresca sort of publicly said what a terrible time, two days at least, that he's been having. So how do you. How do you work out what you think will happen? Will Maresca be there? Will he get everything together like it sometimes looks like he will?

[D]

I would be at this stage, the way things are post his terrible 48 hours before the Everton game, which he still hasn't really explained. And it's left a lot of people at Chelsea quite bemused baffled and not really knowing what, what he is exactly talking about because he's been reluctant to talk, to explain it, I think in private and he's not explained it as well in public, despite being repeatedly questioned on it by the media. I would be surprised if he's the manager next season. As it stands, they are reluctant Chelsea to make mid season changes. They obviously went through that quite extensively in the first season of this ownership and they appreciated probably how much that upheaval disrupted that first season. When they start with Tuchel Potter end up with Lampardis, the interim manager. If you look at Pochettino, they let it run until the end of that first season. Then they had the review with Maresca. Obviously because of the club World cup there wasn't really that opportunity to do that last summer. They would like to go into the end of the season, have this review with him at the end of his second year. And I think at that point I would be quite surprised if he remains their manager and if we're not looking at someone else. I also think that there is the increasing possibility, the way that results have gone over the last few weeks, but not just the results, just this sense of a split between him and the hierarchy there which never really ends, never looks like it's something that will end well. Whether or not he does remain the manager. I think that probably, I think they have enough probably in that squad and I think he has the buy in from the players as well to keep ticking along. They will qualify for the latter stages of the Champions League. Whether that's going to be the through the top eight or they'll have to go through the playoff, we'll have to see. It probably looks like the latter at the moment. They're obviously in this semi final against Arsenal in the Carabel Cup, FA Cup. We don't know how that's going to play out, but I would be very surprised as well if they're not in the top four come the end of the season. So I'm not sure the results will get bad enough for him to be sacked before the end of the season. But I don't think that that can be entirely ruled out because it's. It's hard. It's just as you say, there's such an odd team. It's hard to tell which way it goes. And in contrast to Villa with the ability to win from losing positions, Chelsea have dropped, I think it's 13 points overall from, from winning positions this season and that's 11 of those are at home and that's from, you know, that's the Brighton game, Sunderland game, which they, which they managed to lose. Now this one. Is that the bench. Is that the mentality, the inability from him to. To manage. Manage. That ends up with him having these tactical and technical feedback sessions with the, with the sporting directors that maybe he doesn't. Didn't appreciate too much after the Atalanta game. They're just such a strange side. And worrying as well was probably that reaction from Cole Palmer when he got taken off. He really wasn't very happy. Maresca played it down afterwards. But I think that's maybe going to be one to watch as the season progresses.

[A]

To the Emirates, then Arsenal 2, Brighton 1. I mean, John, I. I fear of the amount of times I say these are the sort of games you need to win to win the league. But you know, like it is, they all did it this weekend, didn't they?

[B]

Yeah, yeah. And you need to win those games and you need to ride out wobbles in matches. And I mentioned moments before, and this time the match winner was the goalkeeper, which. And that counts, you know. Yeah, you know, because I was thinking about this, it's probably a little unfair. Who's the worst goalkeeper to have won a Premier League?

[A]

Oh, good question. As in like the first. The starting keeper for a team.

[B]

The starting goalkeeper, like, who has been. I mean, because you run through them, you know, Schmeichel. Tim Flowers was an excellent goalkeeper. David Seaman. There's a couple of seasons where United had like Bosnic and Fabian Bartez that are probably the rogue.

[A]

Oh, come on, let's not stop. Boza Boza.

[B]

No, of course.

[A]

And a brilliant goalkeeper, like. Brilliant.

[B]

A brilliant goalkeeper. An unhappy time at Manchester United, let's say that.

[A]

Yeah, no, that is true. That is true.

[B]

But Bartas. And then you've got Pet check who was absolutely brilliant. It's difficult, isn't it? I mean, like, Casper Schmeichel was a fantastic goalkeeper for Leicester, essentially. What I'm saying is that Riot who has, I suppose, exceeded my expectations and many others, pulling off those saves is. Is a good sign. It's a vital sign. And you know, Brighton are one of those teams that can cause people problems and you know, with a player like Minta, who is very, very difficult to deal with, to ride out that. That slight wobble they had in the game. And I suppose the thing is, a friend of mine was over from Australia who, you know, is not particularly well versed in the Premier League. He just said people get very anxious at this team, don't they? Arsenal. And it was the Wolves. Yeah. And it was. It was the Wolves game, of course, which, you know, they won through those own goals. But she. She was. She was taken with the. How enraged and on the edge of their seats people were. And, yeah, it's. It's going to be a tense season for Arsenal. They're fully capable of getting it done. Those are the games that you need to get done. Let's credit Raya for that one. Fantastic.

[A]

Yeah, it is a brilliant save, Sam. I. It was the first sort of moment where I was like, I made an involuntary noise because I just thought, it's some save. And then I couldn't work out a bit. Like John was saying, does every Premier League keeper save that? It just looks brilliant. Or is that utter brilliance? And, like, you're not a goalkeeper either. So I. I don't know what the. I don't know if you have an answer.

[C]

Well, you say that. I was drawing back. I was thinking about my time as goalkeeper for Churchingford under 16s. We were a side, okay. Who used to get. I take it back, we got battered every week. So it's one of those. You could lose seven or eight nil and still be man of the match as the goal.

[A]

Got it. Okay.

[C]

I think we went away to Minehead Town once and lost like 8, 1. Yeah, it was really tough under. Windy by the Sea. And afterwards, one of my teammates told a member of the opposition coach that I was actually on trial at Manchester United and he believed him. And that's probably my career highlights. I could quite believe that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yes. I think it was a speed, actually. If you look at it. Is it the reverse angle? You see how little reaction time is. And often, again, from my technical expertise as a goalkeeper, often goalkeepers go top hand, so to the right, they'd go left. He actually went right handed, which maybe saved him a fraction of a second. So what I'm saying is, from a technical goalkeeping analysis, it was a wonderful save. Does every goalkeeper in the Premier League make it? I don't think so. You know, I don't think so. Like, it was a superb moment. And it's that old cliche of, well, you might not have much to do in the game, but actually it's those little moments. Yeah, it's all very well playing for Churchyford against Minehead, conceding eight, but still making eight saves. But when you've just got one save to make and the Premier League title is on the line, you need a goalkeeper who's going to make it a brilliant signing.

[A]

Yeah. And Odegaard scored one of those goals that he used to score every week about two or three years ago. And okay, look, it's another set piece. It's a bit frustrating, I think, for Brighton to concede that own goal from Router. But I suppose you have to credit Arsenal, Jacob, in the sense that they do have a lot of injury problems and if this is their blip and they're still winning another cliche alert, then that is good.

[D]

Yeah, obviously they built this massive squad and full of opponents, about 100 defenders and now they're down to about three. Calafiore go out in the, in the warm up and Miles Lewiskelly comes in for his first league start of the season. Timber. Who pretty much never gets injured this season. He's out as well, out of nowhere. So you end up with Declan Rice at right back. Maybe not too unfamiliar for him because he played as a defender for West Ham when he came through, but he'd never played there for Arsenal. But it didn't affect them too much. The big thing for them is that while mascara's out, Gabriel was back on the bench for the first time. Be interesting to see if he comes back in on Tuesday night because that would be massive for them.

[B]

Declan Rice at right back. That's the position that top midfielders can do because remember Steven Gerrard when he played right back for Liverpool just when he started out and he was absolutely immense as a right back. Roy Keane as well, fulfilled it about 30 years ago, was absolutely amazing as a right back and I, for some reason I was like, well, maybe we should keep him at right back. And it's like actually he's, he's quite a good midfielder, maybe put him in there. But you've got to have faith that Rice could be that position. But yeah, that game, it's huge. I didn't realize until last night that I will be there and I think it's going to be tense at the Emirates. And Villa are good away, aren't they? And good on the break. Ollie Watkins, who was linked to Arsenal, I think back in January that they, they considered making a move for him, something to prove. Yeah, that's. I mean, I am not going to dismiss Villa's chances of the title. And you know, Jacob mentioned XG at the start. They're outperforming xg, aren't they? To a ridiculous level. So shades of Leicester type of thing. Leicester 26, 15, 16. Though chatting to Wilson, he is of the view that in this Era of set pieces and throw ins and all that, that XG is not quite the measure it used to be. So maybe that's it. Villa are the team of the future.

[D]

There's another thing that around that which is, you know, the XG people are very unhappy I think with them scoring so many long range goals, but I guess maybe that's also a function of them playing against deep defenses and you're going to have more shots from outside the area and if you've got people like Rodgers and Telemans, maybe they're going to end up in the, in the top corner.

[A]

I like the idea that XG people are angry. They're going to release a statement going, Aston Villa have got to start underperforming their xg. This is not good enough. You have to fit the stats. You can't, you can't this, these stats are too important. You know, Crisis at XG towers as Morgan Rogers hammers in another one at 25 yards and they have to have a meeting about it. Get everyone in. Any ideas? Dave at the back, Any ideas? Let's go to the City grounds, man. City won 2 1. They're two points behind Arsenal after 18 games, they've won five on the spin. Really good game as I thought. Sam and I thought Forest were really good in this and perhaps unlucky not to come away with something.

[C]

Yeah, I enjoyed watching it completely. I enjoyed their goal in particular. It was almost, it was so easy, like it was so difficult but yet so easy. It was the kind of goal that you might expect to see, you know, a Premier League side playing at home to a League two side in the FA cup where there's, there's no sort of magic and they just score goals on demand like. It was a lovely move. Reinders takes a bad touch on the edge of the area and Morgan Gibbs White nicks it away, does those couple of stepovers and suddenly Forest are away and it's just a quick counter attack and the space at the back post that Hutchinson is left with. I'm glad that Hutchinson gets his goal. He's one of those big money signing young English player in the summer. Didn't quite start like Forest really needed him to, having lost Alanga on that right hand side of midfield. But yeah, it was a beautiful goal. You could see Guardio just like how we can did that Lewis Skelly's given him. So like I don't quite know who's, you know, being a goalkeeper, I'm not quite sure as to how to analyze defenders. Someone didn't go with their man. Left too much space there, I thought. I've talked about him loads. Elliot Anderson was brilliant. He plays one Gerard esque pass across the field from left to right, touches him where you go, oh, there's definitely shades of there. So Forest, okay. They're still hovering a little bit above the relegation zone. There is a gap there, but they're starting to find their feet in a bit of identity under Dyche. And maybe is Ruben Diaz a little bit lucky not to get a second yellow? Does that change it? Flip it in Forest's favor a little bit? I think it probably does. Interesting with the goalkeeping situation as well. Matt Sells was so brilliant for Forest last year, but actually Victor, one of the three signings they got over from Brazil, is keeping him out of the side and I thought he had a decent game. He makes a very good save at his near post from Cherokee where he tips it on to the post. So, yeah, in answer to your very simple question, yes, Forest were a bit unlucky.

[A]

John, you are a huge admirer of Pep's so, so good moments and he was, he was all he was. So he was unreal. So, so good form. Sean Dyche is so good. He has a team with huge personality. It's so difficult to break Igor. Jesus won all the duels. You know, Gibbs White is brilliant, Anderson's brilliant. And then he was Pep Linders is so, so good. Maybe I'm just the assistant and maybe he's like a really generous, giving guy, but I always feel like I just don't buy it. I, I think he thinks he's the best. But you know, maybe that's, maybe that's unfair of me.

[B]

What are you suggesting, Max? Yeah, that he's genu flexing towards the, the cult of pep. We'll miss his patronizing when it's gone, won't we?

[A]

Yeah, we will.

[B]

You know, from, from the days of, you know, when Eddie Howe was an up and coming manager at Bournemouth way. Oh, the way they play is so, so good and they'd. And you know, he is so good at it. And the thing is though, he does, he spares an extra special so, so good for the real football man. You, you Warnocks, you. Sean Dyche obviously is the descendant of the Allardyce Pulis Warnock school, isn't he? And of course, you know, he feels that he's among, you know, stout English yeoman and really wants to show that he's among these people. And the Lindis thing's interesting. Isn't it? Because he obviously shared that. I think I've compared it before to remember. Here's one for the kids. Roy Barraclough and Les Dawson relationship they had with Juan were lilo. That sort of like. Oh, I know, yeah. Oh, you know, sort of, you know, the snug of the, of the Rover to return. But slightly more formal relationship with Pepin Linders a bit more. But he did blow smoke right up him. You know, I like this guy, you know, working with Jurgen as well. And of course, as I said, yet we'll miss him. He has patronized just about everybody in the league and it's, it's very different from the days when managers were openly hostile to each other. This is just a different type of hostile, isn't it? It's the other way around. Yeah.

[A]

Who was that clip that was just. You must have seen it. It's doing the rounds where Jimmy Hill is in between, is it? Malcolm Allison and Alan Mullery.

[B]

Alan Mullery, yeah, yeah.

[A]

And basically, you know, Malcolm has just said, I think you're not very good. And then they have a long chat about whether he's good or not. It's like absol. Brilliant clip from the 70s or something where you're just like, why doesn't this happen more?

[B]

It's a man to man chat in the way, the way that things used to be. And you know it. That's how it's done. Now listen, do you know what? I actually think Pep probably does mean what he says when he's saying it.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

But you know, that, that's just, but that's just, that's just how he is. And I suppose one thing about Pep, we should say this is that he has enjoyed English football. You know, he's not, he's not come here and just sort of said, all right, yeah, you know, that was easy. I've just smashed you all and see you later. He seems to like being in the muck and nettles of English football. It appears to be what, what Jose Mourinho used to call it, his natural habitat. And I think that's the same for Pep. He's, he's, he gets the buzz, doesn't he? You can, you can see that it's.

[A]

Worth giving Turkey some credit. Lovely little ball for, for riders and, you know, good winner as well. There's controversy over the winner, whether O'Reilly fouled Gibbs White or Gibbs White fouled O'Reilly. Before the game, tributes were paid to John Robertson, complete club legend, you know, passed away at the age of 72 last week scored the only goal when nothing for us retained the European cup by beating Hamburg in 1980. He put in the cross from which Trevor Francis headed home the previous season against Malmo Forest. Have announced the stand will be renamed after him at the City Ground. He was still in and around the club doing lots of things for the club. I met him once. He was a delightful guy. You and Murray wrote a brilliant tribute. We'll put a link to in the show. Notes it said Robertson was two footed albeit much more devastating with his left. Capable of bamboozling switch of pace over five yards at a wondrous crosser. He was Brian Clough's favorite. For goodness sake. A footballer key to two crucial European cup final goals. It's a pity that only now may Robertson be properly cherished in Scotland. He was very different in style to Dennis Law and Kenny Dalglish. It should not be sacrilege to suggest he was their footballing peer. Yeah. So look. We obviously send our best wishes to his friends and family. But an absolutely wonderful footballer. And we'll be back in a second. Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. To Old Trafford. There. Manchester United won Newcastle nil. Sam. You went there for an 8pm Boxing Day kickoff. At what point did you regret that decision?

[C]

That's a good question. Probably about 15, 20 minutes into the second half. Where I just felt. I've seen this from Newcastle so many times. Lots of the ball. And there's a question. People say Newcastle controlled the second half. I'm not so sure they did. I think actually it was. It's very rare to see Manchester United sit back like they do and invite a team onto them at Old Trafford. But I think they were actually quite comfortable. So probably 15, 20 minutes into the second half. I would say when it became evident that just pumping aimless crosses somewhere in the direction of the penalty back box probably wasn't going to work out well for Newcastle.

[A]

And you wanted to talk about Eddie Howe. Actually. United winning is always a story. They're sick. Dorsey's goal was brilliant. But you're sort of interested in the lack of pressure that Eddie Howe is under.

[C]

It just feels a bit strange. And there's a growing sense in the media in particular. There's no question marks. If you look at someone like Thomas Frank who's been under immense pressure at Tottenham and he's got three points more than Eddie Howe. And this is one of those occasions in life and there are plenty of them where two things can be true at the Same time and it seems to be that a lot of people can't get their head around that. You can say that and he had but this is a true statement is that Eddie Howe has done an absolutely magnificent job at Newcastle. He's brought Newcastle fans like memories most haven't had in a lifetime. And will unless he does something Isaac esque always be a legend like that can be true. And then also saying he might have reached a ceiling at Newcastle United and there are question marks as to whether he is the man to take them forward. That can also be true at the same time. And it just seems that every Premier League manager should be under pressure, right? It's the very top level and people then say oh they go back to this whole oh yeah, you're deluded. Remember where you're from. Remember where you were a few years ago giving away like 10,000 season tickets. And like at what point do you have to let that go right? You don't go right my iPhone camera isn't working so well so I'm going to go into the Apple store and speak to a genius in a blue cotton T shirt and you would not expect to hear ah yeah but do you remember the days where you just got 20 photos on it on a camera and you had to take it into Jessups? That's not an adequate answer to that question. And so where do you where are my expectations as a fan? I don't know but I said it before on this podcast, right the club is coming out and openly saying wants to beat in the conversation for the number one in the world by 2030. So I think being top five in England right now is probably not unreasonable and it's just this lack of identity, right not taking a point, having gone behind this season, dropped 13 having gone in front plus games in the Champions League and Howard had a lot of control and you looked at it, okay, we need a goal, right? Well he's taking one striker off, bringing on another, he's bringing on runners. There's a lot of athletes, a lot of focus on this old style Newcastle where they didn't have possession and used to like break on sides and and they're trying to develop it and they just haven't like the I think of the of the fifth of the seven league games have had 55% or more possession this year. They've won two of them single goal victories against Wolves and Burnley. They just haven't found a style. They need an unlocker. They need someone with a little bit of guy or and there's Ross Wilson is coming to sporting director. House has a lot of control over transfers and he certainly did in the summer be interesting. I think he needs someone a little bit stronger above him. And so I think there, there are definite questions and he should be under pressure like you know, six points from nine away league games. Right. Extrapolate that over a full season and you get to what 12 maybe let's say 13 being generous. Well Ipswich finished third bottom last year and they had 15 points away from home and Newcastle still haven't been to Man City, to Liverpool, to Chelsea or to Arsenal. They've had games they they couldn't should have been winning. So it's this idea that it's okay to. To question and say maybe, maybe he can't go to the next level. Who do you get instead? That's another fair question. But I just find it this sort of complete shutting down though you're an idiot. You feel you're entitled if you dare question the man that bought Newcastle the trophy like the same things can be true at the same time.

[B]

I was going to say it's a different media environment isn't it than perhaps in years gone by in that Newcastle is a one club City and you almost have to be on the bandwagon don't you these days And a lot of reporters can be partisan can be pro the club. It's not like in times gone by a lot of the reporters were not from the air and just happened to end up working in the area and therefore are able to be a bit more critical of the club. But I suppose in these days sometimes in return for access and stuff like that in return for knowing the manager you have to give more positive coverage and maybe the local media isn't as critical as they have been of well certainly previous managers when you think have Steve McLaren, Steve Bruce the the treatment they received and media coverage has changed People have clubs have cub reporters a beat reporters as they call in the States and they report them in a slightly different way to the way that you know but back in the days when you know the Manchester even news would be critical of Manchester United if they were bad as with the City reporters. Paul Hints was his name and it would hammer City even though they was a big City fan. His name was Paul Hints. He was a former City player.

[A]

Right, got it. I like the idea of the governor the governor reporting and playing for Man United and reporting on City. They were garbage again.

[B]

He had a similar relationship with Alex Ferguson as the Paul IDS actually towards the end yeah, but anyway. But you would have a guy that would come out and say this isn't good enough. And I do wonder if that happens now. Now I'm not, I'm not digging out my colleagues in the press, but because you have to do things a slightly different way because fans want read nice things about their club. That's what you find as a reporter.

[A]

I suppose that's interesting, isn't it, Jacob? If you had an in with Maresca, right, and he was giving feeding you all sorts of like juicy lines, like you've got your integrities as well. Like, you know, what do you, what do you do with that? You sound still going to say you were rubbish on Saturday. And that dries up as it's a different kind of journalism, I guess. Unless you do have a great in with Mariska. I don't know.

[B]

I thought you were well in with Enzo.

[D]

Oh, Enzo loves the media. Yeah. Yeah, he. I mean that's why he sat right behind us on. It wasn't because the press box.

[B]

He wasn't even banned. Yeah, yeah.

[D]

Conveniently located for the Stanford Bridge dressing rooms. That's, that's, that's not why he was there. Yeah. When, when he went one all he was asking us for, for advice.

[A]

What do you do? How do I turn this around, lads? Quick one on United, Mark Watkins. Quick one on United, John. Sort of lovely goal. What else is there to say?

[B]

I I. Heaven. Good player, isn't he? Talented. Apologies for this frippery, but have you noticed that the terrorist songs now have this bit where everyone does a high voice bit? He's heard this. Everton have one where what, the full setup? Yeah. There's a falsetto is big on the terraces. I've noticed that Brentford have got one and Everton.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Everton do this one. Which is Everton never shone so brightly. And there's a bit where they go, whoo. Okay, now I was thinking the ultimate, ultimate high voice would be to do the Bee Gees Too Much Heaven, which is if listen back to it, it is incredibly high vocals. I would love to hear the Stratford End attempt Too Much Heaven.

[A]

Danny Baker used to get. I think you get people to ring up to sing Life on Mars and obviously gets higher and higher and higher. It doesn't matter. Wherever they start the caller eventually they will just not be able to do it. Doesn't it? Wherever you pitch it at the start heart it just. Anyway, well done to Manchester United. Liverpool 121 against Wolves. Not a convincing. I'm a really emotional day, obviously because of the connection with Diogo Jota to Wolves and to Liverpool and for his kids to walk out on the pitch. I mean they're incredibly young but like I don't know, it just really hits you, doesn't it? And, and I thought both those clubs have since that tragedy done everything that they possibly could and they did this incredibly well. And you know, we should never forget that that happened. You know it wasn't a convincing win Jacob, but it was still a win. And they're now fourth Liverpool in this terrible season that they're having. And I guess it's only Wolves who looked okay for. For only having two points.

[D]

Yeah big for Liverpool that they finally got the goal from Florian Verts who obviously it's been a wait for that for him to finally score but I think over the last few weeks there's been more from him. I think he's shown a few flashes. I thought he was very good against West Ham for especially in the first half. Thought that everything during that game which was obviously the start of the move away from Salah, everything kind of went, went through him and he was. I think he was unlucky not to score in that game. Then this gets the assist against, against Liverpool for Isaac, against Tottenham for Isaac last week which obviously extremely frustrating because they've been waiting for this moment where the 200 million pound players finally click and then one of them in that moment breaks his leg. But obviously it's massive for them that he's finally got off the mark and they'll hope that especially with Isak out and Salah not here that this can be the moment where Wirtz really steps up. Because it's slightly strange with Liverpool in that they obviously spent so much on the attack last summer bringing in Ekatika and Isaac. But they, they slightly look a little bit light there at the moment. Gakpo's been out and obviously Salah's not here at the moment. And people are sort of looking at and going why are they suddenly back in for why are they suddenly being linked again with. With Semenya? Don't they have enough? And you sort of. Then you sort of look at it and go well okay, but he's. He started Chiesa on, on on Saturday against Wolves and Chiesa more or less has not had much. Well he's just not had a look in at all really. Under under slot. He's come up with a few important goals here and there but he doesn't seem to trust him, trust him at all. Not sure he's really he's just a bit of an afterthought of a signing and not sure he's really cut out for the physicality of the. Of the Premier League. And then I think that Ngomura has been on the bench quite a lot and he. Although he's had that huge moment against Newcastle early this season, he's. He's only a kid. So they. They just feel with the injuries and the absences at the moment that they're a little bit light up there. So Verts can. Can really start to produce what they expected from him in. In the summer. That would be. That would be massive for them during this, during this period and they still don't look very convincing. But ever since that thing with Salah's happened, for whatever reason, they've been able to dig out the results a little bit more. I don't know whether there's been an element of a reassertion of authority from slot or whether there's been just. Without Salah there, there's been a little bit more of a move towards a bit more solidity. It looks a little bit more encouraging, but I wouldn't say entirely convinced yet.

[A]

To the Gtech Brentford 4 Bournemouth 1. You were there, John, to see a Kevin Charter hat trick.

[B]

Yeah, Brentford were really, really good. Credit to Keith Andrews. If you consider they were playing Bournemouth, a team that was similarly stripped of assets over the summer. Brentford have shown that it can be done, that you can survive you. I mean Brentford lost manager. They also lost some of the managers, coaching staff. They lost a captain and yet they're flourishing. They're two points above where they were this time last year when everyone was talking about Thomas Frank getting the top jobs around which eventually he did get one of them as good as Charlotte was and he on his day, he is so quick and. And a decent finisher though isn't always his day. This is the season of the big striker, isn't it? We spent that summer everyone chasing the big strikers. Isa Thiago, what a find he was. I mean he is genuinely. He ran Bournemouth ragged. They had no answer to him. Dkita and Sinese had an absolute nightmare with him and Charda. Yeah, we're going into the transfer window. Brentford don't need to sell but there will be a few teams that would have thought where did they find him? Can we get him? Because he is an excellent, excellent player. And all credit to Brentford's continued success. Absolutely excellent. Bournemouth, you begin to worry. They do go through these spotty spells but it's been going On a while. And in the press conference after Andoni Iriola said, well, the big problem is that we turn 45 minutes late. And everyone was thinking. And I was thinking, but I saw the bus arrive. I was here. And it got here at. It got here at half one. And then I thought, oh, right, he's actually talking about the game. And he missed the first half. But, yeah, well done. Brentford worry about Bournemouth. I think they'll be okay. Of course, though, someone did point out that they are with 331 to be relegated. And, you know, obviously certain teams, one of whom Jacob knows all about, may save them. It's not been a happy season. You. The flavor of the month can soon lose its taste, can't it? That's the thing.

[A]

Well, it can, but I guess just because the league is so, you know, Chelsea have 29 points and Bournemouth have in fifth. And Bournemouth have 22 in 15th. Yeah, you just need to get. If you win a couple. And suddenly Iriola's brilliant again. My favorite goal was actually the. The own goal that Santiago caused. But really, really good fun, wasn't it? That was great to see that in the best league in the world. Bouncing off anybody who was close. It was total joy.

[B]

It was difficult to describe. That was the thing. It was like it came off him and then him and then him again, and then you just. Oh, it was just a farce. You know, watch it. You know, watch it rather than read me. That's. That's probably the best way to describe it.

[A]

Be a good way to do your match report at the G tec. John Bruin. Don't read this. Just soon. Newspapers will have the highlights, won't they? You'll open the paper and the highlights will just be there. It'll just be a QR code and that's all you'll need to do. All right, that'll do for part two. We'll do the other games in part three. Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. At Stadium of Light, Sunderland, one leads one. I thought. Sam, I thought this was a really good. Really interesting game. Really fun. Two really Lovely goals, actually. 1. That pass from Jacques was brilliant. And then the Leeds goal. This flowing team move. I enjoyed all of it.

[C]

Yeah, Fun, I think, is the right word. It was end to end. Two sides.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Enjoying themselves and playing with a bit of freedom. And the xhaka. I mean, again, pains me to say it, like, if he's not signing of the summer or. Well, up there. I mean, that pass. He does have a little look and then just plays this reverse pass and actually he doesn't put it on a plate though for a dinker it's still a very good finish. And you know he was left out of the Ivory coast squad. And as. So maybe as a bit between his teeth and there's something to say. Barry was saying that he was looking forward to people getting their chances. Like Chris Rigg played. I enjoyed a young Chris Rigg they've talked about. I enjoyed on commentary. I can't remember who the commentator was but he had Michael Bridges alongside him. He said I something like, oh, you know, Chris Rigg is the youngest Sunderland player to have played 10 first team games. The start 10 first game games before the age of 19. Who do you think the other one is? And Bridges like pauses for ages and then come around. I think he said Mickey Gray or someone like that. He goes. And the commentator said, no, no, it's a man sat next to me and I'm just like, okay. I love the fact that players are so out of tune. And actually I think he'd started something like 20 so the fact he'd forgotten that was just endearing. So yeah, that, that was lovely. I felt a bit for Joe Roden.

[A]

Who had two goes.

[C]

Oh, you see it turn. And I think he just, he'll regret. So he did an interview in the week. Norman Hunter had started 113 league games in a row for Leeds between 62, 65. And I know the player doesn't drive the narrative right. It's the journalist picking the angle. But I think that was Roden's 104th start and the piece was all about how he was chasing that Norman Hunter record. You know, maybe he'll recover for that. And then the Leeds goal, I mean everyone gets a touch. It was like Bielsa esque leads, wasn't it? It was one end to the other. Everyone gets a touch. And actually Dominic Calvert living, what's he got, like seven in six now or something? He's the top English scorer for the Premier League and naturally it's all ah, can he make the World cup squad? Maybe he can.

[A]

Yeah. And like all his goals in a straight line which they showed on Match the Day, which I really enjoyed and actually, you know, like all these goals within the frame of the goal which is, you know, where you want your center forward to be. The first Leeds player to score in six games in a row in the top flight for 65 years. On the radio yesterday, the reporters sort of. He did say that but it sounded like it was you know, if he said if Donald Calvin scores, it'll be the first time he scored for six games in a row in the top five for 65 years. I thought, God, he's been playing a long time to be doing that, but maybe he's got a chance. But Fart changed something. He sort of went back to his, you know, he was playing 251 back to 433 when Roden got injured and you know, he's doing really well. Daniel Farker, considering they would think about getting rid of him when they got up. And it's worth saying credit to Sunderland because all their players are afcon. So you know this. And they lost Dan Ballard as well. Fulham won 1 nil at West Ham. Jacob. I mean you could. Brackets will get relegated like. It's looking bleak at the moment, isn't it?

[D]

Yeah, they had. I've been. I've spent a lot of the last few weeks comparing the previous relegation seasons and looking back thinking was, was it this hopeless at this point when they went down in 2002?

[A]

03 as in what you're comparing other West Ham relegations. What a fun thing to do over Christmas.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. So they had more points at. They had more points at this stage under Avraham Grant in 2010, which was due to a Boxing Day win over Fulham, which in the end didn't help them. They had 16 points at that stage of that season when they finished bottom of the Premier League. This time they've got 13 points. So. So it feels somehow even bleaker than it was under Avram, which is some going. But someone close to the club yesterday was saying to me, well yeah, this is three or four years in the making and it's hard to disagree with that. It's just a long time of long period of poor investment in the squad. It's not been due to a lack of investment. They have spent. They've spent extremely badly. They've put the wrong people in charge in certain situations. So you go back back to Tim Stockton as his ill fated stint as technical director towards the end of the Moyes era, taking in the Lopetegui era as well. A lot of money wasted by Tim. Had some lovely photos on social media of him with his signings triumphantly on private jets. But none of those signings have turned out to be any use at all. So some great PR but not actually turned out to be anything on the pitch. Not only are these players not done anything at all for West Ham, they've been signed at such an expense and for certain players on such level of wages that they're really difficult to shift. So that hurt them in the summer, where the way for them to bring in money was not to sell people like Fulker or Alvarez or Guillerme, who's this kid from Brazil they spent 25 million on in 2024, but was to sell Kudas to Tottenham now. Well, Kudis had a certain problem at West Ham in that he wanted to play in the same position as West Ham's best player, Jared Bowen. And so tactically, was he the right fit for them? Maybe not. But he was one of their best players and they weren't really able to replace him adequately last summer. And the recruitment last summer was again, pretty poor. You had Kyle McCauley, who was brought in by Graham Potter, yet another head of recruitment who was brought in by. By the manager, which is a recurring theme under this ownership. And they never seem to learn. Graham Potter gets sacked. McCauley leaves two seconds later. Which is not the way that these things are meant to work. It's not meant to be that the recruitment guy goes with the manager. It should surely be that the director of football is. Technical director, is somehow removed and is challenging the manager and is looking for the next guy. That's not the way that it works at West Ham, because they are. Are ultimately quite a stupid club in many respects, and they're being. Despite being bigger than a lot of the teams that they are now lagging behind, they don't have the. They've not invested in the. They've not put enough thought into the structures that are required now to compete with the likes of Brentford and Brighton and Crystal Palace. And although they're struggling at the moment, Bournemouth, who. Bournemouth, while they're struggling at the moment, are going to bring in a lot of money for the players that they. That they sell and should therefore be able to reinvest that into the squad quite wisely. So then you get into a panic and you sack Graham Potter, you bring in the next available guy. They never hire a manager who's in a job. It's always somebody who's out of work. They bring in Nuno, he's got seven defeats from 13 games. There's been no real uplift at all from this guy. I don't really get the sense that he's just watching from afar. We've never really had the sense that he's that thrilled to be there. He's not got much of his backroom staff from Forest isn't helping him. I wonder if he was right to take this job so soon after it ended so badly at Forest whether he should have taken some time out. Instead he's come into a situation where he's got a squad that's pretty poor. And I don't think that the players are thrilled by him. I don't think that the mood at the place is fantastic. Losing to Fulham at home around Christmas to me just screams relegation. That's nothing against Fulham. It's just the kind of game that you need to be winning if you're going to get out of it. They weren't capable of doing that. Things like Olly Sculls. Okay, he was crying at the end of the game. Academy kid who'd made an error. But I actually don't think it was the biggest error. I wasn't at the game, but I saw it back. I thought it was going to be much worse than it was. It's actually just a slight miskick and then there is actually then a cross that comes in and an expensive experience defender in Todibo in the middle, who is nowhere near the very experienced, wily Fulham striker. So I'd also be looking at Todibo, who's been another useless Tim Stipton signing.

[A]

And apart from that, Jacob, it's all. It's all right, isn't it?

[D]

Other than that Skulls is a confidence player and a young kid. This was foreseeable that they would be having to go into this period without. Without two of the. Two of the biggest players. They've got in deep and. And won Bissaka because of afcon. But that was a recruitment decision they made and it's come back to bite them. The other thing is, I look at Leeds with Calvert Lewin scoring yesterday. Striker, why are you repeatedly not playing Callum Wilson in these big games, a striker?

[A]

If anything, it's been a good therapy session for you, Jacob. The last, I think I'm gonna say half an hour. I don't know how long it was.

[B]

But, you know, other than that, it's all good.

[D]

They've not beaten Brighton at home in. In the. Not beating Brighton since Brighton came up and that. That included a long spell of Chris Hootson's Brighton, so.

[A]

Well, good luck. Good luck. Spurs one one, Palace. John, you're on the minute by minute. You have my sympathies. Palace were better, spurs scored one and Richarlison, or as producer Joel says, Richard's off every. You know, by the second offside I was like, oh, no, there's no way spurs are holding on to this. But they somehow did and go. Frank needed.

[D]

This is.

[B]

He did need that. Kevin Dano, you'd have to say was the best player for Tottenham in that game. Play very, very well. Which shows you the defense was key to that. Palace couldn't really put it together. Couldn't really create decent enough chances. It ends up with being Archie Gray's first goal in senior football, which was the nice story to come out of it. And he. The broad smile. I did think it was amusing that he did this pretty smart celebrate and then he just had to put on the. The game face after it when you could tell that he probably wanted to smile the whole time. And his interview after with Kelly Kate, he just could not stop smiling. He, you know, he really, really enjoyed it.

[A]

And what a lovely guy. Seems too nice to be a footballer.

[B]

It's funny because he's 19 now but we felt we've been talking about him for quite a long time it feels like because obviously he is of that of the Gray clan though I. I put this in him. He is an England, you know, representative level but his dad played for Scotland, his uncle played for Scotland and his grandfather played for Scotland. Yeah, he's English. How. How's that?

[A]

He feels English.

[D]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

I mean you have the thing with.

[B]

Darren Fletcher where his. His Darren Fletcher's two sons a play for England and Scotland. So yeah, he feels English. When I just think of the Grays or a Scottish football clan. There you go.

[A]

Yeah. I enjoyed your note. 71 minutes. A note from a colleague about one of the assistant referees. He has personal boots marked with ledge. His name is Scott Ledger. Surely more egregious than odd colored boots. You can't have ledge on your boot if you're a lino. Come on. Finally. Barely know that to nil. Ah Z. And Fleming when he hits the post he might be offside but that moment, I don't know. I'm. I do like a weekly dose of deflated Scott Parker saying I'm so proud of my players. It's just like. It's just like on. It's just like a. The constants in life you need, isn't it? When we don't know what day of the week it is, we're all thinking about what to do in 2026. A deflated Scott Parker saying I'm so proud of my boys. It's another step in the right direction. They're almost out of time. Wilfry Nancy watch Hearts lost the Edinburgh Derby Celtic one. He's just three points off the top for Mr. Venn Diagr. Man, I'd love him to win the league now after all that. And Afcon is taking place. We know it is. We're trying to do a lot at the moment. We will do an Afcon special at some point, but well done. Uche Igpiatsu, Cambridge legend, scoring for a diving header for Uganda. Amongst other things that other people are following. But that'll do for today. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. John.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Cheers, Jacob.

[D]

Thank you.

[A]

Thank you, Sam.

[D]

You're welcome.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

Football Weekly is produced by Joel Grove. Our executive executive producer is Daniel Stevens. Back on Wednesday. This is the Guardian.