SussexWorld's Matt Pole is joined by Brighton & Hove Albion writers Derren Howard and Frankie Elliott, and Crawley Town expert and Sussex Cricket League umpire Mark Dunford. Brighton & Hove Albion have announced their 33-man squad for their US Summer Series games against Chelsea, Brentford and Newcastle - with some surprise inclusions and exclusions. Crawley Town have been busy on and off the pitch. The Reds have recruited four more players ahead of the new season, and have played three more pre-season friendlies. We take a look at all the latest goings on in Sussex Cricket League as the fight for the Premier Division title intensifies.
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00:00 Welcome to another episode of Sussex Sport Weekly Podcast. I'm Matt Poulton. This week
00:07 I'm joined by Brighton and Hove Albion writers Darren Howard and Frankie Elliott and Crawley
00:10 Town expert and Sussex Cricket League umpire Mark Dunford. Crawley Town have been busy
00:15 on and off the pitch. The Reds have recruited four more players ahead of the new season
00:18 and have played three more pre-season friendlies. We'll also take a look at all the latest goings
00:22 on in the Sussex Cricket League as the fight for the Premier Division title intensifies.
00:26 But we will start with the latest of Brighton and Hove Albion. Albion have announced their
00:30 33-man squad for their US Summer Series games against Chelsea, Brentford and Newcastle with
00:36 some surprise inclusions and exclusions. The big news is that Chelsea and Liverpool target
00:40 Moises Caicedo has been named in the travelling party to America. This week saw Albion turn
00:46 down a £70m offer from Chelsea for the Ecuadorian as the club stands firm in their £100m valuation
00:51 of the player. Darren, how big of a surprise is it to see Caicedo named in the touring
00:56 party for America?
00:57 Yeah, no major surprise I don't think. Matt, the deal hasn't gone through yet. He's still
01:05 contracted to Brighton and he just has to wait really. It must be frustrating for him
01:10 but it's just one of these waiting games where he just has to get his head down in the meantime
01:15 and prepare for the season the best way he can. Like you say, he's in the squad but I
01:22 don't think he'll be playing in any of the matches if I'm honest. I think that's another
01:26 matter. I can't see Brighton risking an injury to him in a pre-season friendly and potentially
01:33 missing out on a £90m, £100m fee, whatever it's going to be. You certainly wouldn't want
01:41 to be the one to go to Tony Bloom and say, "Oh, by the way, you know that lad who we're
01:45 going to sell for £100m? He's just broke his leg in a friendly." So, yeah, I don't
01:51 think he'll play. I think it would be a chance for the likes of Steven Alzate who's coming
01:58 back in from a really good loan spell in Belgium and he'll have a chance to really make a mark
02:05 on De Serbi. Apparently, he's made a very good impression in pre-season already. I think
02:12 he's a professional guy. I don't think the transfer tour will disrupt the harmony of
02:18 the squad. So, the likes of Alzate, James Milner, Adam Lallana, Billy Gilmore, Pastor
02:26 Gough-Gross, Mahoud Dahoud, I think they'll be playing in those central areas in this
02:31 friendly and it could also be a good chance for Jack Hinchelwood, who we spoke about on
02:37 the podcast previously, to get some minutes and Jenson Weir, who were both included in
02:42 the squad. Two very, very good young midfielders. So, yeah, I'm not surprised Casado's in but
02:49 I don't think he'll feature too much at all in the actual matches.
02:53 Well, Deren kind of alluded to it there, Frankie. Do you think Caesaro's inclusion has got any
02:58 bearing on him staying at Brighton or is it just a matter of time before he departs?
03:04 It just feels like a matter of time, to be honest. I feel that the negotiations are going
03:09 quite slowly. I have to say that's Chelsea's fault. I feel there's been a lot of discussion
03:16 over the last year or so about these new owners and their gun-ho approach to spending last
03:22 year but they seem to be working really slow this summer. I mean, you look at the great
03:27 clubs that are well run, deals get done very quickly. I think about Cody Cackboe in January
03:33 to Liverpool, that was a rumour on the 1st of January. The next day it was completed.
03:38 I think this Guavardi ordeal, the centre-back going from Leipzig to Manchester City, that
03:42 will probably be completed in the next couple of days. That hasn't taken very long. But
03:45 this Caesaro drama, if he looks at his team-mate partner from last season, Alexis McAllister,
03:51 he was gone by the end of May. This has taken nearly two months. The real rumblings of this
03:57 story started in January. So, it's hugely frustrating for everybody because Brighton
04:01 aren't holding on to him. They're just waiting for the price to be met. I don't think they'll
04:05 be particularly hard negotiators. They've said what they want and we know from previous
04:11 dealings that they don't really flip from that very quickly. So, the history is there.
04:18 The clubs clearly made their stance. I don't know why Chelsea are taking so long. I think
04:22 it's not fair on Caesaro because pre-season has now started. So, he will want to get up
04:28 to shape with his new team-mates. It's not fair for his mind as well. His mind will be
04:32 all over the place. He's currently in America with Brighton but he's thinking about playing
04:36 for Chelsea. Pochettino, we wanted to work with him quickly. He's only got two centre-mids
04:40 on the books at the moment. So, the only people that are at fault currently are the Chelsea
04:45 boardroom staff that are taking forever to get this deal over the line because everything
04:49 seems to be ready in place. Brian happy, Caesaro's happy, Chelsea want him. Why is it taking
04:54 so long?
04:55 Well, as mentioned, Abbey have held firm in their £100 million valuation of Caesaro.
05:00 They're reportedly looking for a similar fee to the £105 million Arsenal paid West
05:04 Ham for Declan Rice. The Seagulls view Caesaro as being the same bracket as the England midfielder
05:08 and also point to the fact that he's three years younger than Rice. But with neither
05:12 Chelsea nor Liverpool coming close to matching Brighton's valuation of the player, is there
05:16 a danger, Deron, that Caesaro's exit may not materialise now and he will potentially be
05:21 stuck with an unhappy player until at least January?
05:26 It could happen. I don't think it will, personally. I think Chelsea are going to likely come up
05:33 with a figure very close to £100 million or £90 million, around about that mark. And
05:39 in my opinion, I think Brighton are quite right to hold out for that type of fee. You
05:46 know, looking back at Caesaro, he's absolutely one of the best in the business in that role
05:49 and he's a complete player already at 21. He's ready. He's in that same bracket as
05:56 Declan Rice, who, as you say, is three years older. And Caesaro is on a similar, very similar
06:06 level. Those two, I don't think there's much between them. And with Caesaro, you're looking
06:11 at a player who you're going to have for the next 10 years. He's 21 and if he plays for
06:16 Chelsea for 10 years, that's up until his 30s. And then, you know, you look at that
06:21 fee in the mad world of football finances, you know, and you think £100 million over
06:25 10 years, well, maybe that's not such a bad thing. Or even if he plays, you know, five
06:30 or six years at Chelsea, he's then going to be 26, 27 and they can then sell him on to
06:35 perhaps, you know, and still get a substantial fee for him then. So I think he is in this
06:43 age, he is a £100 million player and Brighton are quite right to hold firm in their valuation
06:51 of that. I don't think Liverpool will pay that. Chelsea are in desperate need of midfielders.
06:59 They've let so many go this summer. Pochettino needs a midfielder and I think Brighton know
07:05 that as well. And that's why they're just saying, look, this is the price Chelsea have
07:10 been messing around at £70 million, £80 million as we understand it. And it's just
07:15 not going to get the job done. And I think they are going to have to get up to £90 million
07:20 to meet Brighton at around £90 close to £100. And then it will go through. I don't think
07:26 Caicedo will be at Brighton by the end of the window. I think he will be a Chelsea player.
07:32 But as Frankie said, it's taken a very, very long time, which is a bit frustrating for
07:38 Brighton, Chelsea and Caicedo.
07:41 Another player who looks like he probably won't be at Brighton come the end of the transfer
07:43 window is Robert Sanchez. He's been excluded from Brighton's summer series squad. Now appears
07:50 to be persona non grata at Albi. The Spaniard wasn't named to the squad for Albi's last
07:54 five games of last season, while the signing of the highly rated Bart Verbruggen has further
07:58 pushed Sanchez down the pecking order. Is this the end of Sanchez's Brighton career,
08:03 Frankie? And is there any indication of any clubs who may be interested in taking him
08:06 off Brighton's hands at the moment?
08:09 It points towards it being the end of his Brighton career. He would, by all accounts,
08:14 be third in the pecking order, if we are to be believed by the new signing coming in.
08:18 Obviously, Jason's still taking the number one spot at the end of last season. He's not
08:22 gone on the American tour, as you said, so that also points to him being pushed towards
08:27 the exit. But the issue he has is that there's not many potential shooters. The one that
08:31 was looked most likely would have been Manchester United. Obviously, David De Gea was released
08:36 and Manchester United had a plan B with Sanchez if they weren't going to get Onana, the Inter
08:41 Milan goalkeeper. But that deal has gone through. So, therefore, they don't need a goalkeeper.
08:47 Sanchez isn't going to want to move and become a second choice goalkeeper. This is the problem
08:50 with being a goalkeeper, you can't really move and become part of a pack of... As Levi
08:56 Cole was finding, he might be in a pack of four or five centre-backs at Chelsea. You
09:00 can't do that as a goalkeeper. You're wanting to move to a club and be the only goalkeeper,
09:04 the number one. So, there's not many real opportunities. The main opportunity I can
09:08 see personally is at Chelsea. They've just sold Edouard Mendy to Saudi Arabia. Kepa Arisabalag,
09:17 as we know, is not particularly trustworthy, he's very unreliable. Would that suit the
09:24 club? Would that be potentially a move for him? I don't know if they will go for that
09:31 deal. I don't know if they see him as someone that's better than Kepa. I don't think he
09:34 really has proven that he is better than Kepa, to be honest with you. So, that seems to be
09:39 an issue. I think he's got two years left on his deal. If there's no potential clubs,
09:44 and I'm sure they will find there will be one found before the window closes, but potentially
09:49 like a release on his contract, an early release on his contract, termination might be in order
09:52 because it was very sanctimonious the last five games, telling the club he didn't want
09:59 to be a part of the matchday squad. De Serby seemed very upset by that. He was wanting
10:03 to work with Sanchez on a professional basis and he wasn't getting that back. And then
10:08 obviously what's followed this summer. So, they want to get something sorted quickly
10:12 because you don't want to have a player like that hanging around the club for too long.
10:15 But I do feel for him because obviously he's in that bracket of exciting young goalkeepers.
10:21 So they're looking for a sort of £30-40 million price tag, I would say, maybe a little bit
10:25 less. But there's not many clubs that want to buy him. So it's a really difficult situation
10:31 because this all aside, it's a real shame because there is still a lot of potential
10:35 there. He has put in some very, very good points for Brian. I know he wasn't brilliant
10:39 in the penalty shootout and the FA Cup semi-final, but that save he made in extra time was fantastic.
10:44 He is a brilliant shot stopper. He might not be as excellent with his feet as some of the
10:48 best goalkeepers in the league, but he's not terrible. So I hope for his sake he deserves
10:53 to find another move and move to a sort of top 10 club in the European League because
10:59 he still has a bright future ahead of him. He's a Spanish international, for crying out
11:03 loud. So, yeah, it's a real shame this has gone the way it has, but I don't see him being
11:08 at Brighton much longer.
11:09 One club that I did see that were, again, this is on Twitter, so take it with a massive
11:14 pinch of salt, Frank, he was apparently Bayern Munich looking at Robert Sanchez as a potential
11:18 replacement for Manuel Neuer. Obviously, if you're Robert Sanchez, you go, 'Yes, please,
11:22 I want to play for Bayern Munich.' But for Bayern Munich, is that a sensible option?
11:27 Was he on par with Manuel Neuer or is he a bit of a downgrade, do you think, or am I
11:31 doing him a bit of a disservice?
11:34 I think the thing about goalkeeping is the standard of goalkeeping required or the different
11:39 sort of level of goalkeeping required in Europe is much different to the Premier League. Obviously,
11:43 it's a thing we know. The Premier League is a lot more physical and that goes for goalkeeping
11:47 as well. I remember when David De Gea first moved over, he really, really struggled with
11:51 that, as did Claudio Bravo when he moved to Manchester City. So, I feel that he may not
11:56 be a goalkeeper that would be used by a top club in England, but moving to Bayern Munich,
12:01 I could see that working for him. I really could because, like I say, there is a lot
12:05 of potential in that player. A lot of top clubs see him and a lot of top managers see
12:09 him as a real one for the future. Obviously, goalkeepers' primes don't really start to
12:14 the sort of late 20s, early 30s. So, there's still a lot of development and work to do.
12:18 Playing in Germany with a club that don't really face many shots, he won't be tested
12:24 that much playing for Bayern Munich, let's put it right. Working alongside some of the
12:28 best players in the world, that could be the launchpad he needs. So, yes, something like
12:33 Bayern Munich, a move abroad from England, I think, would suit him best. I could see
12:37 that working. Whether they go for him, I'm not sure. But, yes, working under Thomas Tuchel
12:42 as well would be brilliant for him. The move away from the Premier League might be the
12:48 way to rejuvenate his career.
12:50 Going back to the summer series squad, Michael Kovrovnik, I can't say his name, Michael Kovrovnik,
12:57 something like that, Ray DiCadra, Andy Joukiri and Aaron Connolly have all also been admitted
13:02 from the squad that will travel to the States. I think we'd expect to see those four potentially
13:07 loaned out or gone by the end of the window. Darren, it wouldn't be a surprise to see any
13:10 of those four go, would it?
13:12 No, I'd be surprised if any of the four you mentioned will be there. Kovrovnik, he had
13:19 a good loan last term in the second tier of the Bundesliga. He's similar to a lot of the
13:27 players at Brighton. There's a lot of potential in him. I remember when he first came to Brighton,
13:35 Barcelona were looking at him, Tottenham were looking at him and it was quite a coup that
13:41 Brighton got him. But he hasn't seemed to have kicked on and he's never really been
13:45 anywhere close to the first team, to be honest. I don't see him in Deservey's plans. But I
13:51 still think there'll be a few takers for him during the window. I agree, I think he'll
13:58 likely be gone.
14:00 Cadra, he's closing in on a four-year permanent deal to Reims in the French top flight. He
14:07 had, again, an exciting talent. He had a couple of loans in the Championship, Blackburn, Birmingham,
14:13 Sheffield United and he showed glimpses of his potential. So maybe Reims will be managed
14:20 by Will Steele, the English manager. He could be a good one for him.
14:26 Zakiri, he'll be gone as well, I think. Brighton have just got so many options in the attacking
14:33 areas. People like Undab, Ferguson, Welbeck are well ahead of Zakiri. He scored loads
14:40 of goals actually last year for FC Basel in Europe and in the Swiss top flights. So they
14:47 did have an option to buy him, which they could still do. He's on a loan with an option
14:51 to buy and that could still materialise. But again, I think Brighton will get a few million
14:57 for him as well, whether it's at Basel or somewhere else.
15:02 Aaron Connolly, he just needs to go somewhere where he can get fit and play football really.
15:07 He had a great start to his career at Brighton, fizzled out. By his own admission, he took
15:12 his eye off the ball and wasn't quite as committed to his football as he should have been. Had
15:18 a very strange loan in Serie B with Vincenzo. It didn't work out, came back, went to Hull
15:23 City and did okay in the second half of the season until another injury scuppered him
15:29 a little bit. But yeah, I imagine he would have a loan in the Championship or maybe someone
15:36 like Luton Town or something. He had a loan at Luton earlier in his career or somewhere
15:42 like that. So I guess he would be around about that level. But again, there's a player in
15:46 there who, if he can really knuckle down and get sorted, I think he could still do a good
15:54 job for a team. So yeah, I think Brighton will be looking to trim a few players. It's
16:00 a big squad they have at the moment when you look at all the loans and everyone. But those
16:05 four I think will definitely be gone.
16:07 I would also like to apologise to Michael Kabaunik and all our Polish listeners for
16:11 me completely butchering their name. It wasn't even a half-decent attempt. A number of Brighton
16:15 Academy stars and players who spent last season on the line have also been named in the Semi-Series
16:19 squad. Darren, you mentioned a few earlier, like Jenson Weir. Darren and Frankie, which
16:24 players are you looking forward to taking a look at during the tour? I'll start with
16:27 you Frankie. Who are you most excited about seeing who didn't really feature for Brighton
16:31 last year?
16:32 So for me, I'm really interested in the midfield debacle. Obviously, we're not expecting Kai
16:39 Seder to play. McAllister has gone. So who does De Serby play? Obviously, we've got Mahoud
16:44 Dehood who will be likely to feature in the new signing. But I'm hoping that Alzate will
16:48 feature a lot because I remember watching his goal against Liverpool during Covid. That
16:55 was such a magical moment. He's always been tipped as a player that could go very far.
17:02 It never quite happened from after that goal. But this loan move has really worked. I have
17:07 to say, I remember when I first heard that he was moving on to Standard Ledge, I thought
17:12 it was the beginning of the end of his Brighton career. I assumed it would be the loan followed
17:17 by a transfer the following season. But he's worked incredibly hard. He's played well in
17:20 a very struggling liaise side. They did not play well at all this season, but he was their
17:24 one shining light. And he could be the answer. He could be the answer. I mean, we're yet
17:29 to see. But if he can take that form from last season and produce it in England, he
17:34 could be the sort of midfield partner to Dehood or Gilmore, whoever's used as those, if he
17:40 continues to use the double pivot like he did last year. He could be the answer. So
17:45 they could have saved themselves having to find themselves another centre mid to buy.
17:49 So Alzate for me is the most interesting one. But all those midfield options, Yassin Ayari,
17:56 Gilmore, Dehood, Milner, of course, how they will be utilised without those two exceptional
18:04 world-class players is a really interesting thing that De Zerby's going to have to get
18:07 his head around.
18:08 Darren, what about yourself? Which Academy players or last year's loanees are you looking
18:11 forward to seeing? Are you looking forward to seeing Simon Dedinger play? He scored a
18:14 bucket full of goals in Belgium last season.
18:17 Yeah, he's another one that's really going to add to De Zerby's options in the attacking
18:22 areas. And I think many, many fans are going to want to see how he progresses. His stats
18:29 last year at Union were excellent. And apparently they were because prior to that, Matoma had
18:35 a spell at Union as well. And they operate in similar positions. And yeah, he outperformed
18:43 Matoma in the Belgian league from their stats. So he's going to be a great addition by the
18:50 looks of it. And one that should get some game time in these three games in America.
18:56 So they played Chelsea first, then Brentford, then Newcastle. So I expect him to get some
19:02 game time there.
19:03 And yeah, and as Frankie said, I think all eyes are definitely going to be on that midfield.
19:10 It's one of Brighton's biggest challenges yet. They've had great succession planning
19:14 in the past, but losing Macalester and Caicedo, that is the absolute hub of that team last
19:21 year, aside from Louis Stoke. And that is going to be vital, how they cope with that.
19:28 And just another player I'm looking forward to seeing is Tarek Lamptey as well. I still
19:31 think he can really offer a lot to this De Zerby team this season. He's been so unlucky
19:40 with injuries, had a terrible hamstring injury. He was just getting back to his best and then
19:44 his knee blew and he wasn't seen for the rest of the season. So he's now looking good in
19:51 training by all accounts. And I think he can add so much pace to that right-hand side.
19:56 And if he can get his defensive duties right and his discipline right in his defending,
20:02 Brighton are going to have a very, very useful player on their hands. Him and Veltman are
20:07 a good solid combination to have on that right side. So, yeah, it will be good, interesting,
20:12 lots to look out for in the pre-season.
20:14 And the first Brighton game is Saturday, is that right?
20:18 Yeah, Saturday in Philadelphia against Chelsea. So, yeah, we'll leave Eiko well-played for
20:27 Chelsea and we'll play Caicedo well-played for...
20:30 Stop over half-time, that's what I reckon. Also on the Brighton front, the 2023 Women's
20:36 World Cup has officially got underway and five Seagulls players will represent their
20:40 nations in Australia and New Zealand. Rebecca Stott on the Kiwis recorded a shock 1-0 win
20:46 over Guro Bergsvand and Norway in the opening game of the tournament earlier this morning,
20:50 while Lydia Williams and the Australians are currently in action against the Republic of
20:53 Ireland. Meanwhile, Katie Romington and England begin their tournament on Saturday against
20:57 debutants Haiti and Gwimin Lee and South Korea kick off group H against Colombia in the early
21:02 hours of Tuesday morning. This year's Women's World Cup is on track to become the most attended
21:07 standalone women's sporting event ever, with more than one million tickets sold. But which
21:12 countries are in contention to win the tournament, Frankie? And of Brighton's contingent, who
21:16 do you think will go furthest in the competition?
21:19 Yeah, it's incredibly exciting. I mean, starting with the opening game, New Zealand haven't
21:24 won a World Cup game in any of their first 15 games, playing against the world champions
21:28 of 1995 and a very, very good Norway side and they win 1-0. What an amazing achievement,
21:33 what a great start. Yeah, incredibly exciting. This is the most talked about and most high
21:40 profile women's event in football that we've ever had. And it's great to see because we've
21:44 seen not only some brilliant teams and brilliant players, but now we've got some world stars,
21:48 like genuine celebrities that are playing and I'm incredibly excited to be watching
21:53 it. In terms of regards to the favourites, it's unfortunately, it's pretty much can anyone
22:00 get past America because the USA are by far and away the best team, streaks and streaks
22:05 ahead. Won the last two tournaments, I think they've won 21 of their last 26 games, incredibly
22:11 well run. Alex Morgan, Megan Raponi, Kelly O'Hara, some brilliant MLS players. They've
22:17 also got some very good young players coming through. One of the players to watch, 18 year
22:21 old Sophie Smith and Trinity Rodman, two strikers that have been tearing it up this year in
22:26 the MLS. Whether they start games or not is yet to be seen, but they could have a real
22:30 major impact. So as much as this is a great event for women's football, it's a case of
22:35 if anyone can beat America, simply put. But other than that, your other two favourites,
22:41 I would say, are the Euros finalists from last summer. Obviously, we'll talk about England
22:46 in a second, but Germany, you can't look past them. They are a very, very strong team as
22:51 well. Alexandra Popp, their captain and striker, one of the best players in world football
22:55 playing for Wolfsburg, who were European Champions this year. They've also got Jule Brand as
23:01 well, another Wolfsburg player. Again, meant to be the next big thing in women's football.
23:06 I'm very excited for watching her. I watched her against Arsenal this year and she was
23:10 fantastic. So that Germany team, although they didn't win the Euros last year, which
23:14 I think was only the second time in the 10 European competitions since the 80s that they
23:20 haven't won. So that was an amazing achievement from that England team. So Germany and America
23:25 are your two main favourites, as they are for every Women's World Cup, to be fair to
23:28 you. And then, of course, England. European winners last year, a fantastic team put together
23:34 by Sarah Whiteman. So many great players. They have the issues, of course, of Nobeth
23:39 Mead, which is such a shame because she was a brilliant player at the Euros last year.
23:43 They've got Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze coming back from injury. They are fit, so
23:48 they say. They are fit to start the first game on Saturday, but whether they'll be 100%
23:53 will really basically play a part in whether England go far or not in this tournament because
23:58 you need a good defence. As we all know, a good defence is key to any tournament football.
24:03 And Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze are two of the best in world football. So to have
24:07 them playing well and to be there for the whole competition will really stand them up
24:11 in good stead. But it's really, as I'm taking my Brighton hat off for a second, the two
24:17 Brighton players that are playing for Australia and South Korea, they have a really interesting
24:22 sort of the dark horses, I would like to say, because they have two of Chelsea and the WSL's
24:26 best players. Australia, obviously Lydia Williams is the Brighton player from Australia, but
24:31 she'll be playing alongside Sam Kerr, who to my mind is one of the best strikers we've
24:36 seen in this game. She was Chelsea's best striker for the men's and women's team last
24:41 year by a country mile. And she is phenomenal, scores goals from everywhere, brilliant with
24:46 her head, brilliant with both feet. That Australia team is not the strongest side, don't get
24:51 me wrong, but they have a star in their midst. So if she can take them to glory, that'd be
24:56 a brilliant story. And then for Min Lee, the South Korean Brighton player, she's playing
25:01 alongside Ji Sung-yoon, who is another phenomenal Chelsea player. She joined in 2015. Since
25:08 she joined, I think Chelsea have gone to another level. She's a Bourne winner, has been a fantastic
25:11 player for the last eight years, won 11 trophies. Again, that South Korean team is not as strong
25:16 as the other teams that are competing at this World Cup, but those sort of star players
25:21 can make a real impact. So very exciting for those two Brighton players. I hope they can
25:25 go far with those two teams. And obviously Katie Robinson with the England team. I feel
25:30 they can do well again this tournament. I know their carrying injuries and missing some
25:34 key players, but if they win their group, they will probably play either Australia or
25:38 Canada, probably Australia. I can see them getting through that. And then from there,
25:42 you never know. But like I say, there's some great teams and great players that are going
25:47 to be showing around this World Cup to the biggest audience it's ever had. But it's being
25:52 that American team, which will be the key. But yeah, very, very exciting. Looking forward
25:56 to it.
25:57 Can I just, can we go to Sporting Official Corner for a second? I watched the end of
26:02 the New Zealand game. Obviously, there was the penalty that they missed. But how much
26:07 did we enjoy the referee announcing it on the stadium that it was the result of the
26:12 VAR? I love that. And I wish I could have that on a Saturday in the Sussex Cricket League.
26:19 Did everyone else enjoy that?
26:21 Absolutely.
26:22 Nice to know what's going on, isn't it? Which makes a change.
26:28 100%.
26:29 Shall we segue into Crawley Town or Sussex Cricket League, Mark? What do you think would
26:36 be the better way of doing it after that?
26:40 Let's do Crawley Town. Let's get that out of the way.
26:43 Let's do Crawley Town. Crawley Town, the transfer market. Since the last podcast, the Reds have
26:46 signed striker and again, I'm going to butcher his name, Kydee Lollos, forward Addy Adeyemo
26:51 and defender Jay Williams on permanent deals, while goalkeeper Luka Ashby-Hammond has joined
26:55 a season-long loan for Fulham. What's been the reaction been to these signings, Mark?
27:00 I'm sure Crawley fans have found something to complain about.
27:03 Yeah, most of them have. Obviously, when you look at it, none of them have got a huge amount
27:10 of experience in the football league. They all have some kind of experience. But I think
27:16 the one that's got the best signing probably on paper is Luka Ashby-Hammond. Somebody's
27:25 going to push Corey Aday. Because I think there's still some Crawley fans who have their
27:29 concerns about Corey Aday, even though he finished the season brilliantly last year
27:32 and essentially helped keep Crawley up with a couple of wonderful saves in important games.
27:39 But yeah, I mean, there is always that worry that they bought them all from non-league
27:46 teams. And that's all some Crawley Town fans see. And the ones that are most vocal on social
27:52 media are worried, considering as well who you've lost. One of the reactions when they
27:58 announced Adi Adeyemo, one of the things was, "Oh, good, we've got someone in non-league
28:03 to replace Kwesi." And you look at Kwesi's record with Crawley Town, it was really good.
28:08 So much experience in the football league. So yeah, there is that worry. But I mean,
28:13 I had a quick look back and you look at the players that Crawley bought from non-league,
28:19 Max Watters, for example. They got him and then sold him on for six, seven figures. He
28:26 only played 15 games for Crawley, but he had been somewhere. He played a bit for Doncaster,
28:30 but he made most of his game appearances in non-league. Jack Powell, who all the Crawley
28:35 fans were moaning about leaving player of the season last year, he played most of his
28:40 games before he joined Crawley at Ebbsfleet. And then I know it's slightly different because
28:47 they were part of the team that got promoted to the Football League with Crawley, but Matt
28:50 Tubbs, Kyle McPhazden, Pablo Mills, three players who most Crawley fans would probably
28:55 have in their best ever Crawley XI, they were playing non-league and they performed in the
29:00 football league. So I'm not saying these players are going to do that and replicate, but it
29:06 has happened in the past. They have had non-league players come in and actually do really well
29:11 and hold their own in the football league. So yeah, on paper, they don't look the most
29:16 exciting. You don't think, oh, they're going to win us the league or anything, but is anyone
29:19 expecting Crawley to win the league this year? No. So Scott Lindsay's building his squad.
29:24 He likes these players. The sense I get from Scott Lindsay, he can judge a good player.
29:31 And yeah, Addy Adeyemo in particular, I saw him in the East Winstead game and he looked
29:36 quality. He came on in the second half and the first question I asked Scott Lindsay afterwards
29:40 was, who was that player? He looked quality and Scott Lindsay is really excited about
29:44 him. He thinks he's going to have a really good career, but he's just been playing at
29:50 Cray Valley Paper Mills. And yeah, you can imagine what some of the Crawley Town fans
29:56 said about that sort of thing. Who's this player? Some of them never even heard of Cray
30:00 Valley. But yeah, I think he'll be good. I think some of them will be good. Some of them
30:06 we might not see him play as much, but it's going to be exciting.
30:10 Well, Crawley can never have the good without the bad. And we've heard rumours that potentially
30:15 there might be an outgoing transfer. Sorry. And we've stressed that these are rumours.
30:19 There is nothing official confirmed at Crawley Town that might end up upsetting the apple
30:24 cart. Mark, would you like to elaborate a little bit more on that?
30:27 Yeah. So it's on Twitter. There's somebody called Wagmeleaks and to be fair to them,
30:34 they've been pretty spot on with what they've said so far. And it looks like Ashley and
30:39 the club have accepted an offer from Sutton United for Ashley Nadesan. So another player
30:44 who made his name at non-league at Hawley Town and then has cut it in the football league.
30:50 So yeah, for £15,000 by all accounts. That's what Wagmeleaks said. And they've also suggested
30:59 Nick Sarula and Joel Lynch could be on their way out as well. So that's three more players
31:03 who were from the previous regime, as it were. So I mean, if they all go, you look at it,
31:11 this is a purely Scott Lindsay squad. And I think that's what most managers want. They
31:16 want their own team, don't they? But you look at those three players, Nadesan, who's got
31:20 vast experience, he's not a 30 goals a season man, but he can terrify defences on his day.
31:27 Nick Sarula would be a huge loss. I think he is a quality and could play league one,
31:33 and championship. Joel Lynch has just got vast experience in defence. A little bit injury
31:39 prone at times, but he has been quite every time he plays, he's absolute quality. If you
31:46 lose those three, I mean, yeah, probably fans. They're not going to be best pleased. And
31:52 I think they were all three huge losses. They do go. But like you said, they're all rumours
31:57 at the moment. But the pattern has been all the players that played under John Yems are
32:04 suddenly all slowly going. And if those three go, I think that is pretty much the last three.
32:10 So yeah, it's very interesting and concerning in the sense that it does look like a much
32:18 weaker squad than last year.
32:19 Yeah, I was going to ask you, without making it sound like a doom monger, if those three
32:23 do go, you do fear for Crawley in terms of their football league survival? Or is that
32:28 an overreaction, would you say, Mark?
32:31 I think at this stage, it's an overreaction. I mean, I think we can probably talk more
32:36 on it when it's sort of two months into the season. Yeah, because you look at that, you
32:40 look at that, you look at that first five or six fixtures, they're playing against teams
32:43 that are all you'd imagine want to be going up again. Like they've got MK Dons, they've
32:48 got Bradford teams that have come down from League One, they want to go straight back
32:51 up, play off Bradford who got into the playoffs last year. So it's going to be, yeah, I think
33:00 it might be a bit too sort of doom mongery to say it now. But yeah, let's talk about
33:06 it again after maybe after the first month when we get into September and then see where
33:11 they are and how many points they've picked up. And they could surprise a few people,
33:15 could surprise a few people, who knows?
33:17 Well, on the pitch, the Reds have continued their pre-season schedule with games against
33:21 Three Bridges, Dover Athletic and Premier League Crystal Palace. How have Corley got
33:25 on in these three games, Mark, and have there been many positives to take from these matches?
33:28 Yeah, I think so. Like I said, they've used a few trylists and a couple they've now signed
33:34 in one of the MO who look really good. But they beat East Quincy 2-1, I was at that game
33:40 and they, yeah, they should have won. They should have won by as many as they did last
33:45 year when they beat 9-0. But the East Quincy keeper had an absolute world-class performance.
33:53 And yeah, they just lacked that cutting edge. But they were creating plenty of chances.
33:58 And when I spoke to Scott Lindsay on Monday, I said to him, are you concerned by the lack
34:03 of goals in pre-season so far? And he said he would only be concerned if they weren't
34:06 creating the chances and they are creating a lot of chances. So if, I think I said it
34:11 on last week's podcast, if Harry Forster, Danilo Orsi, Don Telford, well, and I said
34:17 Ashley Madison, we'll see about that. But Adeyemo, for example, if they all click, they
34:24 are going to be quite an exciting front few. And Liam Kelly as well, Scott Lindsay singled
34:30 him out last night when Sam Morton of this parish, he was at the game for the Crystal
34:36 Palace game, Corley lost 4-0. I mean, it was a masterclass by Eze from Crystal Palace by
34:40 all accounts. Sam Morton asked him about that. And Scott Lindsay said, oh, yeah, it was great
34:47 to play against somebody of that class kind of thing. But he then quickly moved on and
34:51 said, if you look at the game, Liam Kelly was superb. And he's a new signing. He's got
34:55 the experience of Rochdale last year. So, yeah, so I think that there are promising
35:02 signs, new signs, like Liam Kelly, Harry Forster looked really good against East Grinstead.
35:09 So and Danilo Orsi scored two goals against Three Bridges and that friendly. So there
35:13 are good signs there. Don Telford, he hasn't scored yet, which is a bit of a concern. It
35:21 would be good to see him to have like a morale boosting hat trick. But they've still got
35:24 Bromley to play. They've still got a league one, non-league, league one unnamed outfits
35:31 on Saturday they're playing. So, yeah, so there's still opportunities for the likes
35:36 of Don Telford to get up. And I'm sure there'll be more signings coming in as well. We've
35:40 had Sonny Fish, he's been at Leighton All In, he's been on trial there. There was a
35:44 defender from Arsenal who I never got his name, but he looked very impressive, very
35:47 young guy. But he looked really good against East Grinstead. So, yeah, so I think there's
35:53 a lot of positives to take. But if you do start taking Nadesan out, Nick Cerrulla, who
36:00 scored against Dover on Tuesday night, if you start taking those guys out of it, then
36:08 yeah, the positives are sort of outweighed by the negatives, I think, at the moment.
36:12 Well, off the pitch as well, Crawley have also confirmed that they will be discontinuing
36:16 their matchday programme for this season. The club said increasing costs and a significant
36:20 drop in demand have made the matchday programme no longer financially viable. It is a shame
36:24 that the club has taken this course of action, isn't it, Mark? But I can completely understand
36:30 why I know that a number of football league clubs have moved away from their matchday
36:33 programme, purely because the printing costs are just on the rise, aren't they?
36:37 They really are, yeah. We know that more than anyone with the industry we work in. We cover
36:42 price rises every few months. But yeah, it is understandable. A lot of league clubs did
36:47 it last year. They stopped the programmes completely. There are some fans, obviously
36:51 old school, who just think it's part of their matchday experience. They love getting the
36:55 programme, having a look in that. But I mean, I've been to a few football games in the last
36:59 couple of years and I don't even think about a matchday programme anymore, kind of thing.
37:05 Sometimes it's interesting to read the manager's notes and stuff if something's happened in
37:09 the last couple of weeks, etc. But yeah, it does seem quite old school now to have a matchday
37:17 programme. I mean, I know it's nice to have something in your hand and read and that,
37:21 but yeah, but it's not a shock for the club at all. And I'm surprised they're not doing
37:26 any kind of free electronic version. Something they could just go with a QR code and pick
37:31 it. I mean, I don't know what you think, Darren. You've obviously, you're a similar age as
37:37 me, not these two youngsters that we're talking to. But what do you think about programmes?
37:42 Yeah, well, I think you're right. We know how it is with working in regional publishing
37:49 and the print costs and everything to that. And it'd be lovely if they can keep it going.
37:55 Many of the clubs do at the higher level, but I think it's something that will be happening
38:02 more and more where clubs just look at it and think, is it worth our time and money
38:07 to produce this? But I agree with you. I think it'd be nice if they can offer sort of a digital
38:13 offering as well so that they can sort of see, perhaps get an app or like a link to
38:19 the website where they can just, from the ticket, where they can read the manager's
38:24 notes, read the chairman's notes if they have any, and just get a little bit of detail
38:29 on the teams that they're playing against. But yeah, so I think that is the most sensible
38:36 option. It is a shame because it's something that we're all used to as going to the football
38:42 matches. And it used to be a thing, didn't it? People used to collect their programmes
38:45 and as part of it. I've got a box full of them in my loft. I know I have. Me too. So
38:51 it is a pain in that respect. But yeah, you can totally understand why a club would make
38:58 that decision.
38:59 Do you think there'll be an unofficial fan driven one, Mark?
39:05 Well, look at it. Yeah, looking at the reaction there, I mean, there could be. I know there
39:12 are people who are either former journalists and that or people who work in that kind of
39:16 industry who are Crawley fans. So yeah, no, I think it would be a good thing if they did.
39:22 I worry about what the content might be, depending who does it. But yeah, no, it'd be good for
39:30 someone to do that. And it'd be interesting if someone did take that up and do it. But
39:35 yeah, but like I say, the cost of printing things these days, yeah, it's just getting
39:40 higher and higher, the cost of living with everything, isn't it? So yeah, but there you
39:45 go.
39:46 So you're putting your name forward for doing the programme next year then, Mark? Is this
39:50 exclusive?
39:51 Absolutely not.
39:52 Well, think about it first and then give us a decision.
39:57 Meanwhile, in the Sussex Cricket League, is Grinstead continuing to pursue leadership
40:00 at Cookefield at the top of the Premier Division? Grinstead picked up a 50 run home win against
40:04 East Bourne while Cookefield ran out winners by seven wickets at home to Mayfield. The
40:08 game between the two teams at Cookefield on August 9th is increasingly looking like a
40:12 title decider, wouldn't you say, Mark?
40:15 Yeah, I mean, Preston Nomads are still in there. And interestingly, the two weeks leading
40:20 up to that game, Preston Nomads are playing both those teams. So depending how those games
40:26 go, it could be Preston Nomads could suddenly be top. But yeah, but if it's going the way
40:33 it is at the moment, it looks like that game could be an absolute cracker. But the reverse
40:38 fixture when it was East Grinstead-Cookefield first time round, East Grinstead hammered
40:42 Cookefield. It's the only game they've lost. So East Grinstead, you would imagine, would
40:47 be the favourites going into that game. But Cookefield, they just keep winning. And it
40:51 wasn't Josh Hayward this week. It was Will Goss, another spinner, who took six wickets.
40:55 And then their overseas Wes Marshall with 100. So it was, yeah, I think they just shocked
41:01 everybody this year, just how they've just kept up winning and winning. So I mean, part
41:07 of me, the romantic in me, I'd like to see Cookefield go on. But I think on paper, I
41:12 always said it before, East Grinstead are probably the strongest team, man for man.
41:17 Such a strong batting line-up, such a strong bowling unit. Yeah, I think the bookies would
41:23 have East Grinstead as the favourites, assuming the scores go. But like I say, Preston Nomads,
41:28 they got Roffey this weekend. So on form, you would imagine Nomads would beat Roffey.
41:34 And then if Nomads can beat Cookefield and East Grinstead, they'll be right up there
41:38 again. And they won it two years ago, didn't they, Preston Nomads? So, yes, it's certainly
41:43 interesting. But I mean, probably, yeah, the most interesting title race we've had for
41:47 quite some time. But you can't write off Horsham either with the team they've got as well.
41:51 So yeah, but they just keep seem to be just dropping off a little bit Horsham at the moment.
41:55 So I was going to say a disappointing result for them against Three Bridges at the weekend,
41:59 wasn't it, Mark, for Horsham? Yeah, yeah. They just couldn't seem to penetrate the batting.
42:05 Bridges, they took a few early wickets and that, but Bridges just shot a shot towards the end and
42:10 they just couldn't get through them. But yeah, just lacking being able to bowl teams out,
42:15 especially in these timed games. But the last four games of the season obviously go back to
42:20 win or lose unlimited overs. So it'll be interesting where they are at that point.
42:25 So I think it's August 12th is the first game of the last four. So, yeah, it's going to be
42:31 an exciting end, I think. Well, at the opposite end of the table, Eastbourne are now rooted to
42:35 the bottom of the division following their defeat at Grinstead. The East Sussex side have won just
42:40 once in a league season and are at 37 points off safety. Where has it gone wrong for Eastbourne
42:46 this year, Mark? Is the absence of Sussex players early or Archie Lennon, Wally Carter and Henry
42:51 Croke have hindered Eastbourne this season or is there just a bad season for them?
42:55 I mean, yeah, you lose those four players. I mean, Archie Lennon did play on Saturday,
43:00 but he didn't bowl. He only played as a batsman because I think he's had a back injury this year.
43:05 That's why he hasn't been playing much for Sussex either. But if you take Ali Orr out,
43:10 Wally Carter, Henry Croke, that's three absolute quality players. Ali Orr and Wally Carter are
43:16 both in the hundreds in the Premier Division. Henry Croke can take them with hits. So, yeah,
43:20 you lose. Any team would lose those three. They would all struggle. And they've got some good
43:25 youngsters there at Eastbourne at the moment. Their bowling attack is relatively good. You've
43:29 got Joseph Saro, who was at once in Sussex's books. Jack Meach is a good player, good bowler.
43:36 But Jacob Smith is their star player. He's their captain. He opens the band, sometimes opens the
43:40 bowling with a spin. But, yeah, it's replacing those players. And they've got, like I say,
43:47 good youngsters coming through, but they're not of the quality of Ali Orr, Wally Carter,
43:52 Henry Croke and Archie Lennon. So, it's a shame, really, because they've got such a big history
43:58 in Sussex Premier Division. James Kirtley playing for them, Ollie Rayner, Tom Smith,
44:02 Paul Hacker, Roger Marr. They won the National Cup at Lord's in the late 90s. So, yeah, really
44:10 good. It would be sad if they do go down a game. Obviously, Mayfield possibly going with them.
44:15 That's the way it's looking at the moment. And if that does happen, it looks like either Worthing,
44:20 West Chiltington, Hayward Tee for all in come up. We won't have any East Sussex side in the
44:26 Premier Division next year with the way it's going, which will be quite sad, really. It'll
44:30 all be in West Sussex. And, yeah, short of travelling for me for my umpiring. But, yeah,
44:35 it is a shame for them. Yeah. So, yeah. But, yeah, you never know. They could fight back. And,
44:41 I don't know, Sussex, are they going to win anything this year? Get all Ali Orr and that,
44:46 let Eastbourne have them back. So, yeah, why not?
44:49 We'll see, won't we? Any more for any more chaps? Anything that anyone would like to mention before
44:54 we sign off?
44:55 Uh, just the fact that I sung Sam Kerr's praises for about five minutes and she's out the first
45:00 two games with an injury. So, I read that just after I finished speaking. So, ignore all of that.
45:08 But points, I think Australia are going to be really, really struggle.
45:10 Is there any praises of any American players? Well, we've got you Frankie.
45:15 We can list off the 23 and say how brilliant they are and hope they all get injured.
45:19 Yeah, well, Alex Morgan will be the one. But I don't, yeah, I mean, all 23 of them are going to
45:26 be excellent. So, even a couple of injuries won't knock them down.
45:29 Probably not. Thank you very much for your time this week, chaps. Another cracker as usual.
45:34 You can catch up with all the latest sports news covering everything we've talked about today
45:38 at sussexworld.co.uk/sport. Thank you very much for listening and we'll speak to you next week.
45:43 Cheers, guys.