Everywhere and nowhere: A Sheffield Wednesday podcast - They've rebadged it you fool
The Sheffield Wednesday podcast from The Star is back, somewhat shambolically, with a new name, some other fresh treats and a promise that we won't be away for so long next time.
Chris Holt is your host and head of making a mess of recording and this week The Star's Sheffield Wednesday writers Alex Miller and Joe Crann delve into the latest Owls transfer news and gossip, ponder what the future holds for Michael Smith, wonder at who will be taking up the regular place in goal and take a brief look forward to the weekend's match against Coventry City. Plus we play, for the first time, 'Who said that?'. All will be revealed.
Chris Holt is your host and head of making a mess of recording and this week The Star's Sheffield Wednesday writers Alex Miller and Joe Crann delve into the latest Owls transfer news and gossip, ponder what the future holds for Michael Smith, wonder at who will be taking up the regular place in goal and take a brief look forward to the weekend's match against Coventry City. Plus we play, for the first time, 'Who said that?'. All will be revealed.
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 it's absolutely amazing. I'm so excited to be here.
00:07 (upbeat music)
00:10 - Welcome to everywhere and nowhere.
00:17 A Sheffy Wednesday podcast brought to you by the star.
00:21 Joe Graham, Alex Miller and your host, Chris Holt.
00:24 - It's absolutely freezing out, but guess who's back,
00:34 back again, et cetera, et cetera.
00:37 We're here with Transfer News and Gossip
00:38 and all the latest happenings at Hillsborough,
00:40 as well as looking ahead to the weekend's fixture.
00:42 We've got a new name, a fancy new theme
00:45 and some new features, but as Alan Partridge said.
00:48 - I've rematched it, you fool.
00:53 I've rematched it, you fool.
00:55 I've rematched it, you fool.
00:57 I've rematched it, you fool.
01:00 (laughing)
01:02 I've rematched it, you fool.
01:04 - That was an absolute shambles.
01:06 (laughing)
01:08 Absolute shambles.
01:10 Right, this is what happens when the presenter
01:11 has to be the producer as well.
01:14 I've put that on a loop, but I didn't mean to.
01:17 I'm not sure if the intro worked
01:19 because it went a bit jumpy for me, but here we are.
01:22 Here we are.
01:24 - What a bold, royal start to the rebrand of the-
01:29 - Brilliant introduction.
01:30 We've rebranded, we're ready to go again.
01:33 After all this time, you'd think we'd work out how to do it.
01:36 - I need a timeout, lads.
01:39 I'm sorry.
01:39 (laughing)
01:41 - Absolute shambles.
01:42 I mean, next week I'll not have so many different buttons
01:48 that I have to press, but there we go.
01:51 Right.
01:52 Anyway, I'm Chris Holt.
01:54 I am joined by Joe Cran and Alex Miller
01:58 for the first shambolic episode of "Everywhere, Nowhere."
02:02 As I said, we have just rebadged it.
02:07 It was the Star Arts Podcast.
02:10 We've given it a new name and we're promising,
02:14 definitely, definitely promising
02:16 that we'll be here every single week.
02:19 News said every Wednesday.
02:20 We're certainly recording on Wednesday,
02:21 but if they're putting it together,
02:22 is anything to go by the edit,
02:24 it's going to be an absolute disgrace.
02:26 Goodness knows when it's actually going to go out.
02:29 But here we go.
02:30 "Everywhere, Nowhere."
02:32 Join us every week, subscribe
02:34 and all the things that you need to do
02:36 to make us listen.
02:39 Just do it.
02:40 Anyway, right.
02:42 We are slap bang in the middle of January,
02:44 which is, of course, a transfer window.
02:48 And Wednesday, we're busy.
02:51 Lola's in the Fox Security with us thinking,
02:54 oh, look at this.
02:55 There's going to be a full reshaping of the squad.
02:57 We brought in two players in a week
02:59 and there's been nothing since.
03:01 However, as news brought to us today,
03:08 in the star, there is a brand new player on the radar.
03:12 Alex Miller, he's in.
03:14 - Yeah, there's interest, as far as I understand it,
03:19 in a 20-year-old Arsenal striker.
03:27 Denmark, under 21 international.
03:29 On loan currently at Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership
03:34 and his numbers up there have been pretty decent.
03:39 I think he's got 11 goal involvements in 14 league games.
03:43 His youth scoring record really puts him amongst
03:48 the most highly rated and hotly tipped
03:51 in whatever phrases you want to churn out
03:54 young strikers in the country.
03:55 He was at Arsenal, sorry, he was taken to Arsenal
03:59 from Fulham where his scoring record was very, very good.
04:02 Signed a pro deal in 2021.
04:06 Has been training with the Arsenal first team
04:09 during this little--
04:12 - I thought you were calling the Arsenal there.
04:15 - Yeah, the Arsenal.
04:16 - Yeah, I was like, well, I'm a 50-year-old man.
04:18 - Like this is 1963.
04:20 (laughing)
04:22 - Could go from the Arsenal to the Wednesday,
04:24 which would be fine.
04:26 But yeah, look, at this stage,
04:29 it's a player that Wednesday are interested in.
04:33 There's a lot of moving parts.
04:34 We've seen with the two bits of incoming business
04:36 that they've done already that the sort of terminations
04:41 of loans, you know, that can be done.
04:43 But they're a little bit fiddly.
04:46 Motherwell, their winter break is sort of finishing up
04:51 as we speak and they've got a game again on Saturday.
04:54 So it'd be interesting to see where things have moved along
04:58 and hopefully we'll be able to bring you news
05:00 in terms of whether he's involved
05:01 with Motherwell at the weekend.
05:03 But yeah, it's just one to keep an eye on for now.
05:07 He's an exciting player.
05:09 I'm told that he's a good player and football manager,
05:11 which is usually a good indication
05:13 of these things these days.
05:14 But yeah, with Wednesday very much in the hunt
05:17 for a goal getter and someone to certainly help out
05:22 or maybe usurp Bailey Kadimarty
05:26 and that sort of central player,
05:28 a game sort of role,
05:30 then Beareth would sort of fit that bill, I think.
05:33 - I was gonna say, I was gonna say,
05:36 did you say his name at the start of that?
05:39 - Did I not say?
05:40 This is the click-baitery that has been drilled into me.
05:47 - Maybe it was like Cluedo trying to work out who it was.
05:50 - Mika Beareth, that wasn't intentional.
05:54 This is an absolute--
05:55 - Mika Beareth with a candlestick in the ton room.
05:57 - This is an absolute shambles of a podcast
05:59 and we should all be thoroughly ashamed of ourselves.
06:01 Mika Beareth is the player, there you go.
06:06 - Mika Beareth.
06:10 Joe, the fact that he is young,
06:12 some people will say,
06:15 well, you've got Bailey Kadimarty,
06:17 you know, he can do that job,
06:20 but Bailey is a little bit younger
06:23 and you can't expect to get even a half a season,
06:27 week on week, out of young players like that,
06:29 given the kind of, the physical demands
06:32 that the championship places on any player,
06:35 let alone one who's 18.
06:37 How old is Beareth, by the way?
06:39 20, did you say?
06:40 - He was 20, yeah.
06:42 - 20, so you've got a 20-year-old and an 18-year-old,
06:45 there's no reason why they can't complement each other
06:47 or take turns, they take turns,
06:49 but you know what I mean,
06:50 like courses for courses.
06:52 - Yeah, I think the thing with Bailey as well
06:55 is he's going to tire because of,
06:57 it's his first season in big, like proper senior football.
07:01 The way that Danny plays is so intense
07:05 and the role that Danny wants him to play specifically
07:08 is so fitness-based.
07:10 I mean, he runs around so much,
07:12 like the pressing side of what Danny wants
07:15 is, like I say, so intense
07:17 that you can't expect him to do that week in, week out.
07:21 And I think there's also the element
07:22 of just having something a bit different as well.
07:24 You want to be able to bring on a like-for-like
07:27 if Bailey does tire, not just between games,
07:30 but during games as well.
07:31 If, say, something does happen with Beareth
07:35 and he's tiring towards the end of the game,
07:38 you've got Bailey to come in as an example as well.
07:39 So, when does he need more striking options?
07:43 That is very, very clear
07:45 because Michael Smith has not really been around it.
07:48 Lee Gregory is completely out of favour at the moment
07:54 and there's talk of one or both of them possibly leaving.
07:58 And when does he need more goals?
08:00 And I think someone who is youthful
08:03 with not just a scoring record,
08:05 but a creating record like Beareth as well,
08:08 is one of those that sort of ticks the boxes
08:10 in a lot of ways.
08:11 And I imagine Danny has looked at him
08:13 and as he has with a lot of players that he's used so far
08:17 and seen him as someone who can play in multiple positions
08:20 because that is what he wants from his players.
08:22 He wants them to be versatile.
08:25 You know, we've seen, not just with Danny,
08:28 but like back in Fomero, centre-back played as a left-back.
08:31 You've seen Josh Windas moved a little bit further back
08:34 into an attacking midfielder.
08:35 You've seen Anthony Massaba played
08:38 in various different roles as well.
08:39 So I think that with someone like Mika Beareth,
08:43 if Wednesday are to make a move for him,
08:45 then I think it's one of those where Danny will have said,
08:49 this is a player that I think can perform multiple roles
08:53 for us and maybe get some goals as well.
08:55 - Alex, what was the status of his deal with Motherwell?
09:02 Was he supposed to be there for the season?
09:05 - Yeah, season long loan.
09:06 I had a look this morning.
09:07 There was no sort of mention specifically that,
09:12 you know, on either Arsenal or Motherwell's part,
09:14 that this will be subject to review in January,
09:17 but they never do.
09:18 They never, ever do.
09:19 - Apart from Blackford, who made it very, very clear
09:23 that John Malkin's probably...
09:23 - Yes, yes, sorry.
09:24 But yeah, I mean, this is what you come to expect now,
09:33 isn't it, from season long loans.
09:36 It's interesting, you know, Wednesday got stung
09:39 with the Mark McGuinness thing last season to an extent,
09:44 the Theo Corbin thing the season before,
09:46 and we were all talking about how much of a disgrace
09:49 it was that these clauses sort of sit in.
09:53 Wednesday have signed two players on the basis
09:55 of loan terminations and are looking at least another one.
09:58 So yeah, the phrase season long loan,
10:02 I think within the next year or two,
10:06 I think that'll end up getting looked at
10:07 'cause it's very, very common that these things
10:10 get terminated now at the January stage.
10:12 - Joe, where else are they looking?
10:16 We know that a striker is sort of a forward,
10:20 not necessarily...
10:21 Is it a striker?
10:22 It's certainly attacking players he's looking for anyway.
10:25 Is there anywhere else on the pitch
10:27 that needs to be done, do you think?
10:30 And is there any movement elsewhere?
10:32 Are they looking in other positions
10:35 other than the forward positions?
10:37 - Well, I think that the striker role
10:40 is obviously one that they're looking at,
10:42 but that attacking mid sort of as a number 10,
10:45 whether it's a central 10 or more wide,
10:47 as he's used Josh and Anthony,
10:49 and it's something that he's looking at.
10:52 I think a defensive mid is also a role
10:54 that they're sort of considering,
10:57 but it's changed, hasn't it?
10:59 Because the way that Wednesday were looking a few weeks back
11:04 and the position that they find themselves in now,
11:06 obviously the Southampton game
11:07 was a bit of an outlier there in terms of results,
11:10 but I think there may be a situation
11:15 where they maybe think that there isn't
11:18 as drastic need for change
11:20 as there would have been a few weeks back.
11:23 There's obviously, there is a desire to get players in,
11:26 and that is something that they're trying to do
11:27 as soon as possible.
11:28 Danny looks...
11:32 He's had a few where he's looked a little bit drained.
11:35 You know, when we've asked him
11:37 the 150th question on transfers,
11:40 it's almost just,
11:41 "Can you just leave me alone, please, guys?"
11:43 But yeah, obviously the Connor Coventry one
11:46 that he wouldn't mention him by name
11:48 and didn't say that that was something
11:50 that did fall through,
11:52 but that was that kind of role.
11:55 Someone who's a bit more defensive-minded
11:58 can sit in front of the back four,
11:59 but can also play in sort of
12:01 a bit more of an advanced eight role
12:02 if they want to as well.
12:04 Alex, what about outgoings?
12:07 I mean, no well and good looking
12:10 to bring these players in,
12:11 but that would leave,
12:14 particularly two players
12:14 that we just mentioned there a few minutes ago,
12:18 that would leave them further down the pecking order,
12:19 which at this stage of their careers,
12:23 Michael Smith and Lee Gregory I'm speaking about,
12:25 you know, they don't want to be just sat on the bench.
12:29 They want to be playing as much as they possibly can.
12:32 Where do things stand with those two
12:35 and potentially anybody else going out the door?
12:38 - Well, those two, from what we can gather,
12:42 there's certainly good interest in both of them
12:47 and the club have been contacted on both parts.
12:53 I think with Lee Gregory,
12:55 that one's maybe a little bit more clear cut
12:59 on where Wednesday stand with it.
13:00 I think he's made one appearance
13:03 in the best part of three months now.
13:05 And I think if the right offer was to be there,
13:10 if Lee was happy to do it, I think,
13:13 and I spoke to Danny about it on Thursday,
13:17 there were some interesting lines in there
13:19 about the human side of it
13:21 and the decision that all three parties need to come to.
13:26 Lee's a player, obviously, at the back end of his career
13:31 with a young family, settled in Sheffield.
13:33 We know that location was a big, big thing
13:36 for him deciding to come to Wednesday.
13:40 So there's a lot sort of thrown in the mix there
13:44 that I think would have to satisfy all three parties,
13:49 including Wednesday.
13:51 You know, we don't know the sort of deal
13:53 that perhaps they might be looking for.
13:56 In terms of Smudge, a little less clear cut.
14:00 We know that there was interest in him in the summer
14:03 and approach is sort of turned down.
14:06 He offers something different to the likes of,
14:12 you know, if you're gonna have Calum Archery, Windass,
14:17 if this Arsenal lad comes in.
14:19 You know, he's got a proven record of being a headache
14:23 for senior centre-backs.
14:26 If not, you know, the 20-goal championship season
14:28 that would probably make him a 20 million pound player
14:32 or 50 million pound player.
14:33 And we saw in the Rotherham game when Wednesday
14:36 do set up to go a little bit more direct
14:39 and match up the opposition,
14:41 being a bit more physical than he can be,
14:44 he can be a really important player.
14:47 So it's worth remembering that he's been injured, isn't he,
14:50 in the last couple of months,
14:51 and perhaps he might have featured a little bit more.
14:54 We don't know.
14:56 But yeah, certainly want to keep an eye on
14:58 and hopefully over the next couple of weeks
14:59 we'll get a bit of clarity on where he's at.
15:02 - I was just saying, it's been fairly quiet.
15:06 - Sorry, 'cause I was gonna say,
15:08 Smudge is the sort of player you want
15:09 in a relegation scrap, isn't he?
15:11 You know, like the things that he brings to the table,
15:14 the attributes that he's got, you know,
15:16 when things are getting a little bit like rough and tumble
15:21 towards the end of the season,
15:22 I can think of a lot worse players than Michael Smith
15:25 to sort of utilise either from the start or as a substitute.
15:30 - Does that point, and this has only just come to me,
15:34 and I don't want to be critical because
15:36 we're trying to remain positive here.
15:40 Does that point to an early suggestion
15:44 that Danny Royal could be overly stubborn
15:47 in how he wants to play,
15:48 given that once we get back into the season,
15:51 there's a possibility you're just gonna have to dig in?
15:54 And if you want players in your squad to dig in,
15:56 Michael Smith is certainly one of those.
15:58 Do you understand what I'm saying?
16:02 - Sort of, I think, well, it's like you say,
16:04 it's depending how you look at it.
16:06 He drew some criticism on Saturday, didn't he?
16:09 In terms of the way that Wednesday
16:13 was set up to play at Southampton.
16:16 - For the first time, really, as well, wasn't it?
16:19 - Yeah, the first time there was, you know,
16:21 it was still a minority, I'd say,
16:23 but it was a conversation that was clearly being had
16:27 on social media.
16:29 And his explanation was that, you know,
16:35 there were certain principles
16:36 that he's trying to embed at Wednesday.
16:38 And let's have it right,
16:41 if they'd settled with two banks of five
16:44 and gone down there,
16:45 the chances are that they're still lost anyway.
16:48 So there's something that he's,
16:51 I think there's a mentality and a culture shift
16:54 that he's trying to implement
16:55 in terms of the way that he's playing
16:57 and being really, really consistent with that message.
17:01 And whether they're going away to Southampton
17:03 or wherever it might be,
17:06 the FA Cup next week against Coventry,
17:08 they're going to play with certain principles
17:09 and continue with it.
17:11 Now, he's shown, I mean, that Rotherham game
17:14 is the example that sort of jumps to mind,
17:17 albeit it was pretty early on,
17:19 that the style of play can be tweaked,
17:25 but the principles sort of remain
17:27 in terms of the high intensity and the pressing
17:29 and all the rest of it.
17:30 And that's where someone like Michael Smith
17:34 can probably step in.
17:35 If, you know, you're going to play particularly at home
17:38 in a, I don't know if any games are bog standard now
17:42 in the position that Wednesday are in,
17:43 but set up the way that Wednesday have done at home,
17:47 certainly in the last few games.
17:49 Could Michael Smith be that man sort of leading the press
17:52 and blitzing around for 90 minutes?
17:55 I don't know.
17:56 I don't know.
17:58 He's clearly gone with Bailey Kadamatri
18:00 ahead of some of the other names
18:04 in a good run of fixtures now.
18:05 So, yeah, I don't know if that's a cop-out,
18:09 but it's always on what side of positive or negative
18:13 you want to sit on when it's, you know,
18:16 being true to principles and being consistent
18:18 or stubbornness and results usually determine
18:22 the way that that's framed, that sort of thing.
18:24 - I can, I only say it because I can see at some point
18:28 when we get to March, excuse me,
18:30 when we get to March or something
18:32 and Wednesday are still there, you know,
18:35 it would take a point.
18:37 - I mean, would it last-
18:38 - Drawing the unknown with somebody and, you know,
18:42 it's prime for somebody like Michael Smith
18:44 to just come off the bench and give the defenders
18:47 a bit of a bruising.
18:48 And people will, I guarantee you that people will call for that.
18:52 There'll be games later on in the season
18:53 where people will say,
18:55 we needed somebody like Michael Smith there.
18:58 - With the output that Bailey's put out recently,
19:01 would it be a massive surprise
19:03 if Michael Smith started this weekend?
19:04 Do you know what I mean?
19:05 Like with all the work that Bailey's done.
19:07 And I think that that's kind of where we're at
19:09 and why, like Alex is saying,
19:11 I think the one with Michael Smith
19:13 is a lot more complex
19:16 because a lot of the reason he has been out
19:19 is because he's been unavailable
19:20 rather than because he's been, you know,
19:22 left out of the squad, so to speak.
19:24 - Okay, that's enough transfer talk.
19:27 We are now going to bring a new feature to the podcast
19:30 called "Who Said That?"
19:32 - Who said that?
19:33 Who said that?
19:36 Who said that?
19:38 - Is that you?
19:39 - No, it's a fellow down the street from me.
19:43 (laughing)
19:45 In this feature, I've put together,
19:50 brought out some quotes from stories
19:53 that Joe and Alex have written.
19:55 And Joe will have to guess something that Alex has written
20:00 based on a quote or something that Alex has said himself.
20:04 So, and vice versa, obviously.
20:08 I probably haven't explained that very well.
20:10 However, it will be-
20:11 - It will be made loud and loud.
20:12 - We'll crack on with it, right?
20:14 I think, first up, this is something that Joe wrote.
20:19 And Alex, you have to guess who it was who said it.
20:25 I've got a thing about that song, "A Faint Mind at Spurs."
20:28 Callum is a big Sheffie Wednesday fan
20:30 and I sent it to him during the playoffs last season.
20:33 And where I live, isn't far from Aston Villa,
20:35 who sing it too.
20:36 But it's Sheffie Wednesday's "Let's Have It Right."
20:40 Who said that in an article written by Joe?
20:43 - I think I know.
20:43 I think it's a fairly recent one.
20:45 Was it Chris Powell?
20:47 - It was Chris Powell.
20:48 Good stuff.
20:49 Well done.
20:50 One, no, Alex.
20:51 I say one, no, there's only four here.
20:53 It's just too easy.
20:54 Probably gonna end up with one if you're right.
20:57 But that was an easy one, I think.
20:59 Let's see who's next.
21:05 This one-
21:06 - I think we should break our flourishing,
21:10 long-held friendship and working relationship.
21:13 - You can do it whenever you both realize
21:15 that neither of you are reading each other's.
21:17 - I'm not reading that garbage.
21:19 (laughing)
21:21 - If we want any good ones, just go for Alex's ratings.
21:24 'Cause Alex's ratings are always-
21:26 - Funny you should say that.
21:27 Funny you should say that.
21:29 'Cause that's coming along a little bit later on.
21:31 But first off, for Joe,
21:33 this is something that Alex wrote.
21:37 When was this?
21:38 Earlier on this season.
21:41 In the last three weeks,
21:42 he has shown himself to be a fighter,
21:43 durable through a whirlwind of festive fixture schedule,
21:48 and able to offer a competent hand to a number of roles,
21:52 important to the way-
21:55 I just went there, didn't know if I'd even got to see it.
21:58 Important to the way they go about things.
22:01 - Is that Liam Palmer?
22:04 - It is Liam Palmer.
22:05 Like I said, two very easy ones to start off with.
22:09 That's one apiece.
22:10 The next one.
22:12 Trying to find out now.
22:20 The next one is, let's see.
22:25 Oh, this is Alex again.
22:29 Sorry, Joe, so you're up again.
22:31 In a defensive line that in all honesty
22:32 didn't take much marshalling, he marshalled.
22:35 And with the quiet authority of a dad reading a book
22:37 on a sun lounger, he marshalled well.
22:40 This is from-
22:41 - Oh.
22:42 - This is tricky, 'cause this is going back a bit.
22:45 So this is from a match against Morecambe
22:47 almost a year ago, February last year.
22:49 Who has the authority of a dad on a sun lounger reading a book?
22:55 - What does that even mean?
22:57 It's so incredibly new.
23:01 (laughs)
23:02 - These are the perils of doing reading
23:04 straight after matches.
23:05 You're just rambling, you're just throwing
23:07 random words in there.
23:09 With the authority of a, well,
23:12 if you look at it again,
23:15 in a defensive line that in all honesty
23:19 didn't need to be marshalled, he marshalled.
23:21 - I just don't know which,
23:24 I'm presuming it's a centre-back,
23:25 but I'm not sure which one.
23:29 - Take a promise.
23:30 50/50 shot.
23:31 - You're saying Morecambe when?
23:34 - February.
23:36 - The second half of the season.
23:39 I don't know if Hickey was still injured at that point.
23:46 - Gonna have to hurry in.
23:50 Only because-
23:51 - I'm gonna go with Hickey,
23:52 but I think he was still injured at that stage.
23:54 - Who are you going with?
23:56 - Michael Iequa.
23:58 No, it was Aidan Flint.
24:00 - I had to go with Flint.
24:03 I remember I was very excited about Aidan Flint
24:06 at that time, and writing some absolute
24:10 nonsensical paragraphs.
24:12 - Smoked in by the long hair and the-
24:13 - Yeah.
24:14 - The headers.
24:16 Okay, finally, Alex's chance to win.
24:19 This one,
24:22 as said by Cisco, earlier season,
24:27 he's an animal, he was our best player in the Jules,
24:29 he's strong, he plays forward,
24:30 he understands the situations,
24:32 and he's one of the guys he is closest
24:34 to what the championship demands.
24:36 Who was Cisco talking about?
24:37 He is an animal.
24:45 - There was some great lines from Cisco.
24:49 I enjoyed Danny calling people a weapon.
24:56 - Was it, I remember you headlined this, Joe.
24:59 I think I remember you headlined animal.
25:01 - He did.
25:02 - I will go for
25:06 George Byers.
25:14 - No, it wasn't.
25:16 Do you know Joe?
25:16 - No.
25:18 (laughs)
25:19 - I was!
25:20 - This is not like to catch you out,
25:22 and he doesn't even remember the one word.
25:24 This was only-
25:25 - I remember that.
25:27 - Joe and I have buried the Cisco era
25:30 deep into the back of our retoridos of our minds.
25:34 It wasn't Tyreek, was it?
25:38 - No.
25:39 - No, it wasn't Tyreek.
25:41 Is it, was it Masaba by any chance?
25:50 - No, it was Hakeem Fawzi.
25:52 Hakeem.
25:53 - Oh.
25:54 - You know, you know.
25:56 - Yeah, I do.
25:57 I remember, like I say, I remember writing it.
25:59 We've written a few stories since then.
26:01 A few bits.
26:02 - Alex didn't get that either, so I finished 1-1.
26:06 I'll take a tally of that,
26:06 we'll kind of wrap it up at the end of the season.
26:08 There you go.
26:09 There you go, that was the end of,
26:12 who said that?
26:14 (laughs)
26:16 Who said that?
26:18 (laughs)
26:20 - No.
26:21 - The secret of great comedy is timing.
26:26 - Yeah.
26:27 - And, okay, we're going to finish off,
26:30 no, we're not going to finish off,
26:31 but want to talk very quickly for a couple of minutes
26:34 on the goalkeeper situation.
26:36 We'll keep this very quickly,
26:37 very quick before we move on to commentary.
26:39 Just very briefly, Joe,
26:44 where do you think things stand in terms of the goalkeepers,
26:48 given that Cameron kept his place last week,
26:51 which obviously it would have been very unfair
26:54 of him to have lost it,
26:55 given the events of the week before.
26:57 But are we to guess that James Beadle
27:01 will come in quite soon,
27:02 or is the place Cameron's until he loses it?
27:06 - It's an interesting one,
27:08 because he's spoken quite regularly
27:12 about how he doesn't like to change keepers around,
27:16 and that he would prefer to have a number one
27:20 that stays number one.
27:21 But then when we were chatting to him
27:23 after the Southampton game,
27:24 he sort of hinted that it will be done
27:26 based on performances, based on training sessions.
27:28 So maybe it is a case where he looks at them
27:32 and decides more on the game
27:36 than sort of on continuity sort of thing.
27:39 The tough thing now is obviously
27:42 with the Coventry game coming up,
27:43 James Beadle's cup tied for the cup game,
27:47 the following one.
27:48 So if he doesn't play in,
27:52 he obviously didn't play against Southampton,
27:53 if he doesn't play in this Coventry game,
27:54 he can't play in the next Coventry game.
27:56 So by the time it comes to the next one,
27:58 we're talking like two or three weeks
27:59 since he's last played a game of football.
28:01 And at that point,
28:01 you're starting to lose that momentum
28:03 and sort of, I suppose,
28:04 what's made him so good for Oxford this season.
28:07 So it's a big call.
28:09 I think, even though I don't think Cam
28:12 was to blame for any of the goals at Southampton,
28:15 I think, you know, conceding that many,
28:18 it gives a bit of an out, I suppose,
28:21 to put Beadle in and see how he does.
28:24 I wouldn't be surprised if either scenario happens.
28:28 I think it's difficult to say
28:29 without knowing what's going on in the background,
28:32 but there is absolutely no way
28:34 that Brighton have pulled him back from Oxford
28:37 where he's flying and sent him to Wednesday
28:39 without a sort of very distinct hope
28:41 that he's going to take the number one spot.
28:43 And, you know, I think, obviously,
28:45 Cam's coming for a fair bit of criticism this season,
28:48 but I think it's just the harsh reality of football,
28:52 and he's in a tough situation, Cam.
28:54 But I think that Danny will be fair,
28:58 and I think Danny will be, you know,
29:00 he will allow the goalkeeper
29:03 that deserves to be there to be there.
29:06 I'm just, because of the situation
29:09 that they find themselves in now
29:10 with the Cup game coming up specifically,
29:13 it's a tough one to call.
29:14 - Okay, thanks for that, Joe.
29:18 Very finally, in the very final stages of our podcast
29:22 and our triumvirate return to be podcasting, Alex,
29:26 Coventry this weekend, they're in superb form.
29:32 This is going to be really tough.
29:34 You're hoping that the home form and the home crowd
29:37 will kind of drag Wednesday along a little bit
29:39 because it's a really difficult challenge for them, isn't it?
29:43 - Yeah, I think so.
29:44 I think Coventry's formal way isn't quite so hot,
29:47 certainly in terms of wins.
29:49 Yeah, I think to bounce off the 4-0 defeat
29:57 at Southampton quite quickly would be nice.
30:00 I think it would be even better if they could agree
30:03 to carry the result over to the FA Cup,
30:06 and then we'd have to go through the ground dog day
30:09 of two Coventry City at home in eight days.
30:12 Yeah, I think Wednesday have got results
30:18 against these sort of teams
30:19 relatively consistently over the last couple of months,
30:25 and I see no reason why they can't continue that.
30:29 - Thanks a lot.
30:32 Thanks for coming back and joining
30:35 what was an absolute shambles.
30:38 But we promise everyone we will be better next week,
30:40 and I won't be frantically trying to put together videos
30:44 within a few minutes of us recording.
30:47 So thanks, Alex and Joe, for joining us.
30:50 Thanks, everybody, for watching and/or listening.
30:53 We will absolutely, definitely, I promise,
30:55 be back next week, and we will be better.
30:58 I promise you that.
31:00 We will be better.
31:02 Thanks a lot.
31:02 See you next time.
31:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]