Predictions

The league starts this week and the lads make there predictions as well as discuss Tuesday defeat and aberdeen on Saturday

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Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:54

Welcome back to Old Castle Rock Podcast, the place where we talk all things heart of midlody in the moments that lift the roof off the Tin Castle, the ones that test your patience, the history, the stories, and everything else around the club. This is episode 1.5. Gavin Fleming is still on his club 1830s holiday. Um, but as just me and Gavin Kennedy, how are you doing, Gal? Obviously, we spoke the other day. Yeah, sorry, could he I was just gonna say uh Wisney Gate, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Hi, good day. Sort of uh expected last night to happen the way then, to be fair. We'll talk about that shortly, obviously. So uh yeah, it was just nice to be back at the old place and uh try to get closure on the previous season of your getway. So I'm glad that sort of size up away now.

SPEAKER_03 1:42

So yeah, that's good then.

SPEAKER_04 1:44

Um I suppose we should probably just get buttered anyway. So what we're gonna do tonight is we're gonna talk Stum Gratz, we're gonna make our season predictions, and then we're gonna look towards Aberdeen on Saturday. So, um, first of all, Gavin Kennedy, second leg Champions League 30, second round qualifier. Stom Gratz came to Tynecastle. We thought we had a chance, and and it didn't go the way we thought. Um so before we go into it, do you think we got ourselves maybe overhyped that we had more of a chance than we did?

SPEAKER_00 2:23

I think so. Like I said on Monday, I still feel there was a sense of like the fans maybe underestimated how good this team actually were. Um because they're like, oh, we were worried about who else he might like was it not Ferdinacci, like you know what I mean, for another sort of potential draw of that. Um so we're like, oh, we're at least so much good, but we proved it that we were an experienced like Champions League TV. Um we knew what we were doing. There wasn't really much savvy about them, but you can see definitely more organization, more sort of like calmness on the ball on that. Um so aye, aye.

SPEAKER_04 3:01

Well, let's let's go on here then, let's go into a little bit more detail. Um, well, there were three changes from the team that went to Graz. Uh Botchovinch dropped out, uh Jimmy McCart drops out, and uh who was the other one? Because Gundes came in, Cabore dropped out, that was it. Uh so Gundes came in, Jordi Albtena came in, and Stephen Kingsley were the three that that came in, which meant that we still went with a midfield of Blair Spittle and Ocean McIntyre. And it was obviously Deltena, Figan Walco, Kingsley Milne, Spittle and McIntyre in the middle, Gwendus, Kizzy, Bragar, and Calvin Miller. Thoughts on that team, Kennedy, when you seen it?

SPEAKER_00 3:48

Um well, I think I remember, I think I did predict uh Kingsley coming in and on Deltena for the swap as well. I did say uh Spittle would they play, it would be Reynolds, to be fair. Um so I was quite disappointed not to see that. I didn't think what one was, I can't know if I can pronounce his name yet as usual. Um got would have got an odd to be fair either, but I wasn't too surprised that he did either, to be fair at the same time, because he was in the squad for it, if you get me. Um so I the only one that was maybe surprised was uh Miller getting the nod again, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_04 4:24

But who did you think might have come in for him?

SPEAKER_00 4:28

I would have said Crogotta to be fair, eh? Um possibly, uh depending on how fit he was, obviously. So um but at the same time I never said it on on the Monday night sort of thing, eh? But um I was just rethinking of it sort of after a game sort of like hindsight, uh you know what I mean. Um so but same time it I was a team I wasn't really I wasn't like not confident with, but at the same time it didn't excite wave, you know what I mean? So um I thought he might have hit an early goal possibly with that team if he set up right in the first few minutes, but it was just it was just murdered again.

SPEAKER_04 5:12

Well that was to be fair, I was when I seen the team come out and that team came out, right? So that team came out throughout the day, and you're like, has that been leaked? And it still had Macinty and Spitler's in middle too, and you're like, surely not. And I to be fair, when I seen the team, was it all it was I just I don't know, I just had that feeling because I felt that we needed somebody a little maybe a wee bit more protection of the defense, like uh like a Renault maybe in there as instead uh asterisp. Um and I think that but I mean as the team came out and the the game started, I thought we'd done we'd done quite well. We had a good 15-minute spell um into that game where we were we looked positive, we looked like we wanted we were trying to create chances, and then it just kind of fizzled out after 15 minutes. It was like they stepped up, and as they stepped up, it we probably we probably just started to get a little bit worried because we probably thought we need to score early doors. If we score early doors, it might knock their the wind out of their cells a little bit, um, and then we could maybe chase down any chase down any differences in goals, but uh it just wasn't it to be. Uh unfortunately they started to get a wee bit more of a grasp in the game, I thought. Um and then I can't think of the the minute it happened, but it felt like the ball bounced over Fagan Walcott's head, and the boy takes a shot, and then Swallow makes a really good save.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:53

And at that point I was like, oh, we could be in trouble here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Um it was like sort of like as soon as they started up in their levels, they got more comfortable, and we just started pushing more back and back without actually challenging anyone. And that and I just invited them on, and that was really frustrating to see. As far as the charges go though, before that, to be fair, I was gonna eventually that. Um the only real ones we had was really Smetle having a couple of pot shots from outside the box, which didn't really accumulate too very much. And then that one with Braga where he was you I don't know if he was just too close to the keeper, but um he didn't even decide he should have done better, I think, to be off air in a way, but um it was one of those quite quick uh last minute. Oh, I've I could have it here, but you couldn't capitalize on it sort of give a k. Um that was uh sort of a issue for me because I apart from that, we had no threat. Cause he is just like he's just a one quick one-trick body to me that way. Um he just has his run down the wind cut inside and then hope for the best, eh? And uh he's got to try something different, man. I don't know. Uh hopefully that Bragg can be able to coach something better out of the way this season, eh, in the next few games of management training and stuff like that, eh? Um, because right now it's uh it's just the same as last season, really. Um and then obviously, like you say, they came back into the game and then with that shot and uh the goal that got chopped off as well just before half time. I was convinced that there was nothing wrong with that goal. I didn't see the triple build to be fair.

SPEAKER_04 8:42

Um we obviously sat just slightly closer than I do, but to be fair, I I was confused, like sitting there properly confused on what happened. I couldn't we couldn't understand it, but no, they didn't tell us it didn't come over the the tanoy or anything like that, it didn't say VAR check or anything like that, they just kind of let it go, and you're like, What are we doing? Why what's happening here?

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Uh so I've been uh even when you went to the monitor, I still said to the Folk and Army, I'm not taking anything for granted after my mother all gave me. So um even if it wasn't uh SFA officials, you know what I mean? So um, but when he did overturn it, I was still like you say, confused because we had no idea. I thought it might have been interference of play with one of the boy when he was on the ground in front of a go or something like that. I don't know if that could have been it, but obviously it turned out for a triple villain after we heard of the group chat. Obviously, so that was the thing.

SPEAKER_04 9:45

I read it online, that's what it was for. It was for a triple milner miln was bundled into the box. And but I mean at that point you're like, right, okay, we're still on this then. Um quite a few left at that point as well. Oh, I noticed quite a quite a few left. You'd say that you were leaving to go to your bed.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

Oh I'd never leave before half time, I'm not that bad.

SPEAKER_04 10:09

Um before half time. Depends on it. Depends if you're wanting a vodka. That's let's know why about.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

Well, that's true.

SPEAKER_04 10:18

I did have a car, Ray, so um, it was it was one of the aims, and then obviously I'm kind of thinking much else that happened in at ha in the second in the first half, to be honest. We obviously we got in it now now. And I think at that point you're probably thinking, as long as we get as long as we win the game, you're not not really fussed about you kind of realised at that point we are not going through. Like we are not going to go through. Unfortunately, um, we will be going into the Europa the Europa League. But you just probably you just want to win the game, just to build a bit of confidence. And I mean obviously Kingsley gets injured just before half time as well.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

You know what I mean? Just to sort of say, well, we didn't take a battery like we did the last game, eh? Sort of thing. It'll be a bit like Tottenham, you know what I mean? When we played Dev and we got half our day. Um if you get a draw with no one else, like halfway days. But uh, we can't even do that at Dyncastle, eh? It's just really s sort of like not a good start stead to the season, eh? You know what I mean? When you're starting on Saturday.

SPEAKER_04 11:29

So Well, this is the thing, you're obviously you're talking the you're talking about the you're obviously talking Kingsley comes off, and it's obviously must be quite bad for Kingsley. We've also not heard I've not heard anything today in regards to how bad it actually could be for him. Um but the fact is they took him straight off and they didn't even try to to get him to half time and to bring Finlay on. Probably means that if he could be out for a little while, um, and to be fair, it it's edging closer and closer to probably the end of his heart's career. Um just because we're now getting to the point where we're now coming, we're now getting to this point where you're actually um getting it. He can struggle to keep himself fit as well. Um, but the thing is, he's probably the best that we've got to try and play that position. Um, so I I think we need, although probably no problem to try to write him off at the moment uh until we actually find out exactly uh what is wrong. But again, you could we do we could be went in at halftime, and I thought, okay, we had we we weren't creating a we weren't creating many chances, and I thought that there were still lots that we could we could do well, but at the same time, we were actually we were technically still within the game within the 90 minutes, so it probably wasn't as bad. I'm actually getting a wee bit of feeling a wee bit positive over the whole thing, but I'm trying it's more probably me just trying to grasp positives more than anything else. Uh, what was your thoughts at halftime?

SPEAKER_00 13:08

Uh it's not similar to you, mate, to be honest with you. Uh the worry for me was this uh ver quality um like going forward there. It was like our lack of like challenging of us or uh coming forward to us, eh? Um and it was only a matter of time before we were gonna take one of our chances, eh? Um and not enough being created the other end as well. I mean, uh Bragging to be fair, he was like running about after the chase balls and stuff like that, eh? But he was more or less sort of isolated on his own for the majority of the game, eh? And and that's a worry when you've got two eggers on either side of you, you know what I mean? And he's doing their job for him, basically, eh? Um, so I felt I actually felt really exactly.

SPEAKER_04 13:53

Um would you have made any changes at halftime?

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Because I I would have uh nah, unless there's an injury, um I don't see the point of changing it, but it's still no nil. Um I really don't. I know people like to do it just uh like from the last live when we went or one or down in four minutes. Um that was slightly different circumstances. You're away from home, obviously. It's a first game, and you don't know your defense yet with your new manager. So you can understand why fans were like conscious of maybe let's change it now and then maybe tie it up a wee bit. But this is not the way this guy plays football, eh? He likes to play heavy metal football, and it's like the defense is like the least of his concerns, it's more of his attack.

SPEAKER_04 14:39

Well, I wasn't even for his defence. I I probably would have I wanted to bring on I wanted to take Spittle off. I'll be honest, I wanted to take Blair Spittle off. I'd I I wanted to take Calvin Miller off as well, but I'm not having Calvin Miller this season at all.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

I haven't seen him so far. I've not been impressed with anything that I've seen from him. Maybe what he was friendlies, but he's not a sister. I think if it was a minute game or something like that, possibly. Um but other than so far, he just likes about miles off it. Um it's not to say he's not gonna have a good career at Heartsey, but I just think maybe being chucked to the deep end in the Champions League game in the first few games at home is a bit too much of a step up for him at this point. You would rather have come on at a game at home against Falkirk or Dud United or something like that. You know what I mean? To ease him into the crowd and expectations of the crowd, you know. That's a game I would rather actually maybe played Wilson, even ahead of Villa, to be honest, yeah. I don't know how many here.

SPEAKER_04 15:43

Your statement, mate. Pop-up, you've to be fair, mate. I think your statement you've just actually said to me is probably something that sums up quite a lot of the players, and that's something that I was going to mention before uh before later on, and is that do we think that some of the players that we've brought in the step up is massive? Okay, because in the second half as well, I thought that like um I thought that something somebody like Fegan Walcott, who was I don't know what he did looked so out of his depth, but I think we need I think with that you've got to also remember um that I think we've got to also remember that he was I mean it's a massive jump for him. He's came into a he's has come into a brand new team um as well, and I think that it's a a a brand new system that we have. So I think it's it's quite one of these things, is that and I I think but that's probably something that's very similar for them all, is that like most of these players when the teams such as Falkirk, I mean Falkirk and St. Johnson are probably the two highest calibre teams that we've actually dealt with with this summer. Okay, forget I'm not having anything to do with all it's a second French football and everything else, right? Like I'm not having that at all. Um what I mean is that like when the standard where they are, you've you've seen a premiers a Scottish Premiership team and a team for the Scottish Championship. I okay, you can argue about some of the quality, but at the same time, um like some of these players have come through quite a low standard, and you're you're you're taking them up against teams that have like Stum Grass played Champions League or Europa League last season, can't remember which one it was, off the top of my head. So they played in a very, very high level last season, and some of these players like Fegan Walcott played in the the non-league. So I think this step, this jump and this this jump up has probably has been too much for him at this point. I think that we need to, I think we will get a better judge of players such as him uh on Saturday, but we'll we'll certainly come to that. And I think it showed in the second half, it showed it showed that when they turned the screw, they just had they just had too much. I mean, Big Stan of Stankovich and number four, the bold one, he looked outstanding the whole game. Like both games, he was everywhere. Um and I was like, wow, and then he was obviously he's the one that won the ball for the second for the first goal, he wins a header, it comes down, and I mean the boy takes it amazing. The second goal four minutes later, and when they scored after that, I was like, Oh, here we go. Um here we go, because you could just understand what was coming, like, because it kind of felt like it was coming for the week before.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

Despite the what you said about the header, to be fair, the first goal, right? Uh what a fucking goal that he scored. Uh I mean, there's like the keeper it actually had nothing to do with that, to be fair. Neither could have a defense. It was just one of those, you know, wow European boats always like a sort of like Bordeaux type goal when it's just so well taken, you know what I mean? And there's there's just nothing you can do about it, eh? Um so I mean it's just uh I was clapping a goal, eh? It was one of my view, but it was just a joy to watch him how he did it, eh?

SPEAKER_04 19:13

Clapping it. I was I wasn't clapping it, I was like, oh for fuck's sake, here we go again. But yeah, it was a cracking goal, kind of taking him away from, and obviously we start to make we start to ready the subs, and by the time that we've got these subs ready to go on, they were 2-0 down for an absolute comical defending again. Um but he makes the subs, he brings his, but he brings the subs on, and you're like, right, okay, it's a little a little bit too little too late um at that point. But I mean the bonus probably is also that we're um we're getting minutes in the legs when we brings on Kabori, Basi, and Renault.

SPEAKER_00 19:52

We were actually waiting to get subbed on as well, even before we scored. And we still we didn't bring them on. It's like why why did it take so long for him to do it? What was he playing? What was he doing there?

SPEAKER_04 20:04

I'm sure I'm sure I've not watched the highlights back because I've been at work, right? But I'm sure we had a corner. Right. Um so we had the corner, and basically what happened was is that we're waiting to meet the subs and they score the second goal. It comes from our corner as well. So these boys have just been standing waiting, and it is a little too little too late.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

Um yeah, that's uh that's a that's a shader, mate.

SPEAKER_04 20:35

To be honest, um not that these boys would have made a difference, but um it's it's frustrating more than anything else, and then just we control the game, really. From there, I can't think of there's been too much else that obviously we start to get a couple of shots here and there. Uh Braga gets himself he gets himself really frustrated um because he's basically he's three on goal at one point and he decides to actually rather than rather than passing it to Kobore or passing it to uh Kizzy, he decides that he's just gonna have a shot himself. And I I wasn't sure if it was he was wanting just to take a maybe one final goal um and deciding that was what he wanted to do, but yeah. Um just felt like we just went out in a whimper. Um what was your thoughts finally on the game before we discuss to go back into not much really more than what you've already mentioned, to be fair.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

Um it was just like it was a difficult watch, yeah, because like I say, it just seemed like a very underestimated team that's uh we've faced in like Europe for many, many years. But if he didn't uh come for himself. We were not we were totally underprepared, like really badly. Um it's not of the Ragged's fault either. Uh I believe it's solely on Derek McKinnon's because of his cancellation of pre-season games, etc. Um, like bucking up fighting sessions and stuff like that, like not uh just stay itself if you don't want to come back from like holidays for payers and stuff like that. It's like when you have a schedule of effect of a Champions League game, we shouldn't have been like shouting up these players to come back from our holidays and stuff like that. Because the majority of internationals don't get any holidays at all in football these days, you know what I mean. So if there's guys that as fringe in the fringe squad is trying to qualify for Travis League, we should be up and running, ready to go. Um, so I think I don't really necessarily big club for it. I'm more blamed like the previous assessor. I think he's done always a bit of a self-sabotage for his game, as is my best personal opinion.

SPEAKER_04 23:00

Um I've heard different. Okay, so I've heard different. I've heard that McKinnon's wanted them back.

SPEAKER_03 23:08

And that William Jones was the one that was the one that said no, and it was the one that rejected that. So I mean that's something that I've heard it up, mate. Right. Did you hear the what we're saying about Graham Jones?

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Yeah, they have a thought of that, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:46

Yeah, right. So basically from what I heard that Graham Jones was the one that knocked it back.

SPEAKER_04 23:52

He was the one that He's the one that said No, he wanted them, he wanted to give them five and a half weeks off. Uh McInnes wanted them back early, because obviously McInnes was the one that arranged pre-season. Yes, he did knock back uh playing Portal uh at Tynecastle, he knocked back playing River Plate. Um but from what I understand and what I get is that it was Graeme Jones because Graham Jones is the one that's been signing, he's been the one that's been arranging everything, he's the one that's got the access to the data for the players. Um, and he's the one obviously that's that's signed the players, he's the one that appointed the manager, and a manager that only plays one way as well. So if anything, if we're looking at we're actually in the wrong place at the wrong time, it's because we've signed players that we've signed players that possibly could not and don't or can't play in the system that we've hired a manager to play. And this is we're we're now in a position where we're going into a league season where we've gone out of the the Champions League qualifiers with a whimper. There's every chance that we could go out of the European League qualifiers with an even bigger whimper. Um, and then obviously we've got a tough trip to Aberdeen where we've never won in 10 years. So and we've got a manager who's trying to embed a system to players that could be good enough, right? They might some of them might not be good enough to play in a system that that McKinnist would have wanted. Um so it's it's it's a hard it's a hard thing because I was talking to Monk all the day about this, right? And I was like, we've seen players, and again, I mentioned it earlier the the biggest calibri teams of Falkirk and St. Johnston for the for the players. Well, Falkirk anyway, right? And you can argue about St. Johnston because obviously they were championship last year against non-league and all this shit, right? But Falkirk are they when it comes to league standards, they're the highest um that we were technically dealing with here. And had we seen had other teams, Aberdeen and Hibbs, for example, been signing players for the English non-leagues or signing them from those standards, we would be looking at it and going, wait now, what are you doing? Or we would be laughing because I'll look at the players that are signing, and when you look at the fees that we're playing for players at that point, you're like, right, okay, I understand the Jamestown thing, and I'm not dissing that at all. Okay, I totally understand that that this is what Jamestown does. What worries me is that we've that Graham Jones, the man who's in charge of this, hasn't actually went, hasn't actually moved up a grade, hasn't looked up a step and gone, we probably need a higher quality or a higher calibre. Now, we're obviously we are implementing new players at this point, we're implementing a new system, and it is going to take time. So these players might actually come and actually be really good, and it's just it's taking time to work on it. But as we speak, it feels that we've maybe signed players for our previous level, and then when we when obviously when we've gone up against the the best, and obviously the Champions League, and we're going to get a really tough tie in the Europa League, and probably just a tougher time as tougher tie in the conference league. This is where it you can it's highlighting the gap. Although, what I will say, and I've probably already said it, is that it'll be the the proof the proof will be in the puddin on how far away they are from the likes of Aberdeen, because Aberdeen on Saturday aren't going to be as good as Stum Gratz were last night, they're not going to be as good as Benfica or even St. Gallen are going to be next week. Um but it's how do they handle how do these players handle that? How and again, how do they handle the the formation that they want to that Franken wants to play? And how how does Franken handle this as well? Because we're gonna get to a point where we kind of we can use the excuse of trust the process, trust the process, but as a style manager, it's all about style, it is all about style, and I I get it's all about style, but we need to see substance at this point. What what point get bombed out of the League Cup we're in Vernet or we're eighth in the league come October, November? Like, are we still going to be going trust the process? Because we can't as a we can't as a club with the expectations at our club, we can't afford to just sit on our hands on on this. Okay, questions need to be asked. And this is this is the thing is that how long are how long are we willing to give it?

SPEAKER_03 28:23

And I'm not writing them off.

SPEAKER_04 28:33

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 28:34

Yeah, no, I do. Uh basically, I do not agree with what you're saying about this, to be honest with you. Um it's like we've like we talked about this with our sister uh pod, as you know, on um two chains of red. I'm not comparing us to Man United, but when Amaron was at Man United, he stuck to that same system week in, week out. No matter what, he didn't change it and he just kept it the same way, even in the Europe uh the final of Europa League and all that, he still kept it the same way. You can even argue the same thing about Adjab, Tottenham, and stuff like that as well. And it's like clubs don't buy into it if after so long. It's like because you might have one good, decent result, and in three or four you're getting beat by teams that you shouldn't even get beat because they work out your system, but you're just told to be patient with it, eh? And it's like, but how long do you be do you write off a season already? Yeah in this time, and think, okay, let's give this guy the full year, see what he does with his squad, see how he builds it, and then see where we are in 12 months' time, and then but then it's like you just came from like a wonder season where like you almost win the league with like 87 minutes left to go. You come from from a high of that to you know I mean, it's like we've done it so many years, like we've done it in 2006, after 2008 for the Scottish Cup with Vlad, and then almost getting relegated that year, and then it's save with the Scottish Cup in '98, we almost got relegated in 99. The year after that, where uh Jeffries had to uh or Jeffrey's Greek Levine had to come back and save us and stuff like that as well, you know what I mean? So it just seems to be a sort of like spiral way of hearts to do, and it's like, but when it's like as fans, we're supposed to be told, be patient, just wait for it to have a trusted process, like you say. And it's like, but it's like we're we're meant to be a fan owned club, so we're not allowed to have our say on how things are going when it's bad, you know what I mean? It's like, well, when are we allowed to have our say? So I it's it's uh it's a it's a hard one dad's radical mate, to be honest with you, but that's why it's sort of censored it if you like it.

SPEAKER_04 30:51

Yeah, it is. I mean, I think it's hard, it's hard not to jump as jump on this, it's hard not to be an absolute pant witter when it comes to it. But I want to see, I'm worried about substance. I worry that there's there's maybe it's too much still and not enough and not enough substance. Um, but I think we it's one of these things. I mean, watching it last night, I felt that we we looked very easily carved open, and that's the way the system is. Um, and we didn't look like we had too much up front. And I understand with the system the way that he wants to play, if it's like if you if we used if uh if you concede five, we'll score six. Well, at the moment we're conceding these goals, but we're not scoring them, and that's my worry. It's my worry, but I think what we'll do, well, we could be here on it going round and round in circles, and instead, what we're gonna do is we'll move on to our season predictions just to teat us right up, Mr. Kennedy. How does that sound?

SPEAKER_00 31:48

Oh, yes, fantastic, mate. Let's go.

SPEAKER_04 31:51

Let's go, right? Okay, so what we'll do is we have Gavin Fleming's predictions as well. So what we'll do is we'll go through our predictions one by one, and then at the end, we will play his predictions as well. Okay, yeah, and I'll add beam in. So uh first, do you want to go? Do you want to go first or do you want to go second?

SPEAKER_00 32:12

Yeah, if you go first, I don't like it, not a problem.

SPEAKER_04 32:15

Right. Two seconds, I'm just going to get them then. Because you've and for for this, I have not altered any of my predictions that I had prior to this. Okay, unlike Mr. Kennedy, who's probably altered them about three or four times. Okay, so Gav, where are we finishing in the league? Fourth. Okay. Any reason why fourth?

SPEAKER_00 32:39

Yeah, uh simply because I don't think we're gonna challenge you on firm this year, sadly. I don't know if Rangers are gonna have a bad start like we did last year. I don't think we're gonna have a good start like we did last year, so that's gonna put us a wee bit behind maybe challenging for them. I think fourth is like my worst case position, if you get me. Um originally had us on second.

SPEAKER_03 33:06

Did you?

SPEAKER_00 33:07

I actually did die. Um I thought it was gonna be a slow burner to second, but we were we weren't gonna be like top of the league and then second like it was last year. Yeah. I had this like fighting for like third majority of the season, but then like us like getting a few other games with after we split and get a second, something bad like that. But I think realistically, I think it's gonna be fourth with a potential of third uh at the maximum, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_04 33:39

Yeah, fair enough. Um I was going for third, to be fair. If you'd asked me last week, last Tuesday, I would have said we I probably would have said second. Um maybe even one in the league. But that was prior to Gratz. That that was prior to playing Gratz, and that had I had probably a good drinking at that point, and I was high as a kite. But yeah, I think third. I still think we'll finish third. Um or I yeah, I do I still think we'll finish third. I think that it might be it might be like a a fight for third. I don't think it's gonna be as much of a like a stroll. I don't think we'll I don't think we'd stroll third. Although I probably I've not changed my prediction, but I probably thought even la up until last night I thought we might have finished we might have strolled third.

SPEAKER_00 34:28

Yeah, um fairly I just think with everything going on with the changes and stuff, eh? I don't uh we're sort of touching the process if you like. I just think being consistent third is very difficult to do, eh? Especially with what we're gonna do in the transition. Um, so that's why I picked fourth basically. So but I hope I'm wrong. I really do.

SPEAKER_04 34:52

Oh, I think everybody wants to be wrong when it comes to something like that, don't we? So um Scottish Cup.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

Well, this is uh real kicker, eh? Final versus Rangers, and we win it.

SPEAKER_04 35:06

Scottish Cup champions, Gab Kennedy.

SPEAKER_00 35:10

We're gonna get revenge on Shackland and McKinnon all that for leaving us, and everyone's gonna rub it right in our faces, and it's gonna be glorious.

SPEAKER_04 35:19

Wow. I was gonna say the quarterfinals. But aye, I'm not as confident this year. Have you noticed? Yeah, um but yeah, I think the quarterfinals I think will be um I think so. I think the quarterfinals it'll probably be uh losing to the old firm uh away or something. Um but probably a stand probably just your standard Scottish Cup, isn't it? Like again, you should always aim for it, you should always aim for a semi-finals. I just think it might just obviously come a bit short. Um Europe League Cup.

SPEAKER_00 36:00

I said sort of similar, but this time I've went semi-final, and we're gonna lose the Celtics, sadly. We're gonna avoid them right up until the semi, and again then just like they'll just do us over again somehow, Avar or something.

SPEAKER_04 36:17

Wow, okay. Fair enough. Um I think we'll beat Inverness. I think it'll be another quarter final basically. I think we'll beat Inverness and it'll probably be we'll get beat again in the quarterfinals. It'll probably not be an old firm team, it'll probably be someone else, and it'll be because we're still figuring a lot of stuff out. What was that?

SPEAKER_00 36:40

Like a St. Murrin sort of type team like this.

SPEAKER_04 36:42

Ah, yeah, St. Murrin away or something. Maybe no St. Murrin, but like I that type of thing where we're still figuring everything out, um, and it just takes us a bit too. We're still we're still in that period to try to figure it out, and I think that the League Cup probably is just that bit too early, and even though that we we still obviously want to win it. Hey, where does Europe end for us?

SPEAKER_00 37:07

Conference play off our playoff or good stages. We'll get a good stages, I reckon, but I reckon we'll have two difficult teams again, even if it's one dud, and we'll still struggle against them just because of everything else going on. I think at first up in the up past the winter, it's gonna be quite a few difficult few months for us to be honest. So, yeah, yeah, that's another reason why we're reprinting forth.

SPEAKER_04 37:33

So yeah, fair enough. I think we'll our Europe will end on the 27th of August, and it'll probably end up some end somewhere like Amsterdam or Copenhagen or Monaco or somewhere like that. Um so yeah, that's probably it'll probably end in St. Gallen or something after we end up getting name in it when they win their next game and we get them in the the conference or something like that. Or Benfica, we'll probably still end up with Benfica. Um so yeah, I think that's what will end up 27th of August when we get lose our our playoff or conference, and then what's probably for the best because we don't need to go stinking up um stinking up Europe for much longer, especially if it is going to be this with your predictions here so far, Decor worse than mine. Well, I was I mean I've not changed any though. I've not changed any and I'm being realistic. Um but last year I was caught up and I was caught up in the moment last year. I was properly going for it. Uh I believed at the moment I don't believe. Um and I won't be wrong. Of course I want to be wrong. Um of course I want to be wrong uh about this. Um next one, player of the year. Renault.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

Okay, versus either, but yes, Renault. French gav, give it a bit.

SPEAKER_04 39:02

Um Renault. Or it's no hello, hello. Christ almighty. Aye, Renault. Um I've I want it to be Gunde Gundes, eh? Aye. I that's what I want. I want a cash player. What's that?

SPEAKER_00 39:23

I would love it to be Braga Gare, but uh as one of those is he still gonna be here. That's uh the dark shadow yoga.

SPEAKER_04 39:30

Well, I don't I don't think he's gonna be there, eh?

SPEAKER_00 39:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:34

Um I can't see it him being there most improved for last season.

SPEAKER_00 39:39

You're gonna laugh at this one. Kabore.

SPEAKER_04 39:43

Alright, okay.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

Because I know you hate him so much, eh?

SPEAKER_04 39:48

Well, I'm running out of players now. I've got to pick somebody. Like, but the by the way, the all the rain last night and he kabori didn't fall over once.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

I know, exactly, mate. So he's improved already.

SPEAKER_04 40:00

Wow. I didn't change that.

SPEAKER_00 40:03

I didn't change that either. I'll keep that one the same.

SPEAKER_04 40:09

Wow, I was gonna say Altena, but that's my my most improved will be Altena. Um best sign in Mendy. Okay, so Renault will be the player of the year, but Mendy'll be the best sign in.

SPEAKER_00 40:26

Aye, I don't know how that works, but uh we'll see.

SPEAKER_04 40:31

Fair enough. I'm still obviously I'm nearly on my clock.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

I just thought it'd be different, eh?

SPEAKER_04 40:37

So I've just okay. Fair enough. I'm still sticking with uh with Sabra Gwendos for that as well. Total goals for the season. Now bear in mind we've played two competitive games already and we've got the square root of fuck all.

SPEAKER_00 40:51

So I've only went two more goals that I've predicted from the last season, so I can't say it this year. So I'm gonna go 71.

SPEAKER_04 41:02

71. Well, that's good. Well done. Uh I'm going for the thing is I'm actually going for 74, right? Because I think we will. We'll all score a few more goals. Yeah, we'll probably not win as many games, but we'll score some goals. Total number of points.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

I don't think I was on your list, eh? But uh it was.

SPEAKER_04 41:23

I I sent it separately.

SPEAKER_00 41:25

Alright, okay. I must have missed that.

SPEAKER_04 41:27

Um I forgot to add it on.

SPEAKER_00 41:30

Right, okay, fair. Uh just over your guests here after last year. Well, it won't be anything close to 82.

SPEAKER_03 41:36

Unfortunately.

SPEAKER_00 41:38

I'm gonna do it so I can see it again then. 69, dude.

SPEAKER_04 41:42

Oh my word. Wow. I actually forgot to Kenny Fleming's even noticed the the points one, but he's done when I he's done that one. Um I think we'll what did you say 69?

SPEAKER_00 41:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:56

I think we'll get 65. Right. No, I know. Um, and has Wolf Franken still be manager at Christmas?

SPEAKER_00 42:08

Yes, and only because we'll still be in a conference league in Europe. It'll be like it'll always be like Grichley, we might have to wait till that sort of signs finish and then they can make a decision after that. I know Critsley stayed on a wee bit longer because he was uh Scottish Cup conference, but I can't see him staying on in a Scottish Cup to be honest, eh? If we get punted out of uh by Christmas time, eh?

SPEAKER_04 42:34

Fair enough. I asked my brother I asked my brother-in-law for his predictions. Do you want to hear them?

SPEAKER_00 42:40

Uh what's uh Jamie Foot?

SPEAKER_04 42:43

Right, so we'd finish third. Scottish Cup semi, League Cup quarters, you were Europe will uh ends in August. Play of the year and most improved are both AJ. Right. Best sign in, Fagan Walcott. Now this was done obviously before last night. Total 60 goals all season, but Franken will not be the manager at Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 43:09

Right.

SPEAKER_04 43:10

And then we Ryan that go to the football. I went to Gratz, we asked him as well. Um so he says we'll finish third, semis, and we'll win the League Cup. Uh Europe ends in August, AU player of the year, most improved Magnus in, signing Fagan Wolcott, 75 goals, and then ranking will be at Christmas.

SPEAKER_00 43:35

The only thing I would maybe say about that list would be uh Magnus and most improved player. I thought it was quite decent last year, to be fair, eh?

SPEAKER_04 43:42

It was, but it wasn't, he was quite underrated when you looked at again Bevlin Benny Leonard in front of you.

SPEAKER_00 43:48

Ah, yeah, that's true, actually. But he did have a lot of injuries as well, eh? Yeah, argue that one as well with it. But I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 43:55

So what we're gonna do now is I'm gonna we will pop in Gavin. Kenneth Gavin Flemond.

SPEAKER_02 44:03

Hello, Chat. Right. Predictions as difficult as this is to actually do. League, I'm gonna be original and say third. I think it'll be a slow burn. Third, because I think it'll be a bit of a difficult start. But I think by um Christmas time and then new year, we might be a bit better and we might improve and eventually get the third place. I think Scottish Cup. I'm gonna say semi-finals, League Cup. Aye, very good. Knocked out by Inverness at Tynecastle, 3-2. Fans writing in stands, and people wanting Vouta Rankin out. Europe think we might actually somehow sneak into the conference group stages, but obviously subject to the draw. Signing of the season, I think, could potentially maybe still be to come. But I like what I've seen from Bassi. I think he's gonna get us some goals. Most improved, that's a really difficult one just now, based on everything. Let's take a punt at maybe James Wilson, just because he's come back. Rank into last past Christmas. I think so. Maybe, but I think there'll be quite a bit of up and down bits and pieces between now and when we get to the sort of Christmas time. And I think it'll be looking a bit dicey, but I think um we'll start the motor in about two or three months' time. Sorry if I've forgotten any other ones, lads. But aye, all the best. See you later, guys. Love you.

unknown 45:44

Bye.

SPEAKER_04 45:45

Right, so Gav's predictions. What he'd forgot to say is he thinks we're going to get 91 goals, but if we're in the conference group stages, that's a lad on goals as well. Um, and he thinks the Renault will be player of the year. I thought I listened to his ones and I heard your ones, and I'm thinking you're being a bit optimistic, thinking we'll get the group stages. Like, honestly, like you all had a pop used had a pop-up meal last year for some of my predictions, but oh my word. Um the I try to think other ones. Obviously, the Inverness one, I could see why he thinks that. Um that would cause a that would cause absolute chaos.

SPEAKER_00 46:23

Yeah, Frick Babies are the bitch of everything, like.

SPEAKER_04 46:26

Oh, I definitely. Um but yeah, I mean, to be fair, pretty most of them seem pretty standard. I think we all think, well, me and him think third, you think fourth. Venol could be player of the year. The James Wilson one most improved, I think. Nick, I think.

SPEAKER_00 46:43

True.

SPEAKER_04 46:44

Before it before anything else. That as well, uh so aye, um aye, they're not too bad, mate. They're not too bad. We can we'll grill you from them when you come back for your club 1830 holidays. So um, so we can we can discuss that later. But it's good to get them. We've got them, we've got them there, and he kinda I kind of accuse him of cheating when he comes back and tries to give them in two weeks' time or something, and we've won two games on the bounce and we've bet beat Ben Fika. Right, anyway, that was Gav Fleming's uh predictions. We've just done a two-minute segment on this whole thing with us still being on pause, so that was a that was handy, wasn't it? Um he'll be back for his Club 1830 holiday in two weeks' time, and or a week's time or so we can grill him on what we think his predictions are or what we think of them. But to be honest, they're actually not too bad, they're not too dissimilar to in really what we think. I think we're all we all probably think similar things when it comes to where we're gonna finish this season or how it's gonna go, although getting beat Fem Verness in the League Cup is quite pessimistic. But at the same time, I do understand why he certainly thinks that that could happen. Um he did also say that he thinks Renault is going to be the year, which obviously matches up with what you said, Gav. And he also thinks we're gonna score 91 goals, so he must think that we're gonna bring an absolute goal machine in somewhere. I don't know if we've got the second incarnation of John Robertson uh coming through the door. Um again, though I think I generally believe the wildest shout that you used to have is that you both think that we're gonna be playing Conference League football next season, eh? This season. It's honestly I cannot see it for whatsoever.

SPEAKER_00 48:34

I I really hope we're right on that one, to be fair, eh? Because for us to be like out of Europe of all the attempts that we have to get into, you know, just be humiliating.

SPEAKER_04 48:44

What is it though? Is it humiliating? You've played Stum Gratz, right? You could play Benfica. Now Benfica played quarterfinals of the Champions League last season.

SPEAKER_00 48:53

Three three chances, Nicole in three different competitions.

SPEAKER_04 49:00

We're not playing Diddies, we've not gone and got beat for Burka Cara and Petra Cup. We've got beat for Stum Graz, who are regulars in the Europe in the Champions League and the Europa League. You've been beat for a team that played quarterfinals of the Champions League last season, and then you could go into the conference league and play Atlanta, they've been a European final lately. Ajax, Monaco, Copenhagen, who have turned us over already, Antlecht are a good Belgian side, Panathan Icos, Steu Bucharest. Partizan Belgrade are a good side, Dynamo Kyiv, right? And so and then obviously if you didn't get if you didn't get St. Gallen this round or Benfica in this round, you could get them in the conference play, and the conference won. So like there is a lot of quality in that conference league that you could get. So I I could understand, or you've been pumped out of two competitions in three weeks, fine. But we've played uh some really good sides. Like there's no there's no there's no disrespect in losing to these teams. Where it comes down to is the way that you lose to these teams, yeah, and how you lose to these teams. Like there's no there's nothing wrong with getting beat through Benfica, but see when we get beat over two legs 14 now. That's when that's when that's where it comes from. And that's that's the bit I just kind of see because I've just read all the seeded teams, right?

SPEAKER_00 50:28

And I to be fair, I've never read that, so what do you go?

SPEAKER_04 50:33

Right, like even like Parfos, like I'd I'd like I'd I'd expect Hartz should be able to beat Parfos, right? But they're a seeded side, and like that's who you'd want, somebody like that. Or the like you know what I mean. This is where you're you're looking at some of these teams because St. Gallen, St. Gallen are they've technically got a lower coefficient than Hartz have, but they're seeded and they're 2-1 up against Benfica. So if we got St. Gallen I, that we've probably got a chance, but they must know be they must have something about them because they're currently leading the tie against Benfica.

SPEAKER_00 51:08

To be fair, we even me and Dieter were talking last night, right, under the carway home. And uh I was like to can you even think the last time we've actually won a year if I don't know what if you yeah, so hearts fan of the part the only one I can actually remember was Riga.

SPEAKER_04 51:24

We won that we won in the we won in that way to that Belarusian team when we played them in Kazakhstan or Hungary or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 51:33

Oh yeah, I forgot about them as well.

SPEAKER_04 51:36

Um but then oh Danny, with with we're on predictions, right? But uh we're back to Europe, right? Is that sitting going through all the away, like even all the away games, right? And I was like, I say, who's I talking to? Wednesday, it's like the last few away trips, I think I've seen Hutch score two goals, one at one at Anfield and one in Fiorentina. Like, it's it's so pissed poor because I didn't go to Riga and none of us could go to Belarus.

SPEAKER_00 52:05

Aye, and we went to that was nil now.

SPEAKER_04 52:07

So I was nil now, and then obviously I didn't go to Bruges either, I went to Copenhagen instead, and we don't know how that went. So um it's aye, it's it can be away ties, away away games in Europe can be can be quite piss poor when it comes to goals and stuff. But again, I can see when you when go when you break it down, there's teams in there I think that we've got a chance against, and there's teams that if you get them, then well it's game over already before you even kick the ball. So um it's again I can understand why you think it I'm just a bit more pessimistic when I think that I can see us because if there's all these teams that we should be able to beat, we'll get Ajax or Atlanta, you know what I mean? Monaco, like all these teams that we'll probably that'll that'll turn us over again, like Benfica. You know what I mean? So it's uh it's difficult. Um but again at the same time, like the conference league is what we probably should be aiming at. Like that should be the competition that we should be aiming for to try and progress, and the aim should be to get in the group stages and progress past Europe, past January, and they'll get pumped off a team like Petra Cub or somebody like that. So that's uh it's difficult, but can what I mean? We'll see how we'll certainly we'll see how it goes. Um now what we'll do is we'll wrap that up there and we'll look forward to the league opening on Saturday, Mr. Kennedy 5.30 at Petodre. Can you name the last player to score a winning goal for Hearts at Petodre?

SPEAKER_00 53:48

Oh, she knows as well. That's pathetic, I've been mentioned so many times, especially with lately, because it's been so long, but no, you're gonna have to pick me up a misery.

SPEAKER_04 53:59

Alsa Dowder, uh, Aberdeen, March 2016 was the last time a hearts player scored a winning goal there. Um, so not uh not I um not an easy task for anybody going up to Petodre on Saturday, um obviously 5 30 live on the television, uh Sky Sports. How are you feeling about this opening league game, Mr. Kennedy?

SPEAKER_00 54:25

Well, I'm extremely nervous to be honest, especially after we witnessed. I know Aberdeen are are nowhere near that sort of side that they are. My worry is that we've played uh Wraith Rovers recently on Friday night and we struggled against an injured Rafe Rovers. Aberdeen have also had competitive games, I know it's the League Cup, but we might laugh at it.

SPEAKER_04 54:50

I will take absolutely no slander against against the League Cup.

SPEAKER_00 54:55

I was about to say because uh that that propelled us last season in terms of confidence and fitness in my view, and it helped us like work out his team earlier before than it possibly could have if he was saying like in Europe like this year.

SPEAKER_01 55:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:11

Um so you know what I mean. If I would end up being at home, I think it it could just be a too strong attached to it early. Uh for me it's just performance and fitness for the I know it's somebody saying for a league game because it's competitive and we should be going for the homicide with three points, but it could just be a case of minimum damage and then see what we get. I'd think it should be a downer on that.

SPEAKER_04 55:41

No no no, definitely. Um it's one of these things, isn't it? It's you're you're setting yourself, you're going, how's it uh how are we gonna go? How's it gonna look? And um you you you want to go off to the the best possible start. Um what would your team be?

SPEAKER_00 56:01

Uh well I've obviously got my new boy, Bell Rose, uh, as a keeper.

SPEAKER_04 56:06

So he plays, he goes straight in. There's none of this Xander Clark or anything like that.

SPEAKER_00 56:11

I wouldn't I would uh if I was gonna put a keeper in ahead of Bel Ross, it would be Fulton. Really? Yeah, I wouldn't put Xander Clark in a more comfortable with Fuller. I think uh he's got huge potential as a young keeper. Um he's just is it because he played for Liverpool? No, I don't just that, but uh it's right.

SPEAKER_04 56:36

Question Gaff, how old do you think Ryan Fulton is?

SPEAKER_00 56:39

Uh I know he's he's he's obviously in his twenties, isn't he? If I remember rightly.

SPEAKER_04 56:43

How old you right? How old do you think Ryan Fulton is?

SPEAKER_00 56:46

Is he not in his late mid-twenties sort of thing?

SPEAKER_04 56:50

He's 30.

SPEAKER_00 56:51

Well that's close. I was close, I was I thought he was.

SPEAKER_04 56:55

This is up there last to the last the other night when we were playing um why you couldn't why you getting mixed up with a Polish team in uh St. Gallen the other night.

SPEAKER_00 57:08

I don't know where that came from either. Um but uh I see now the old age already.

SPEAKER_04 57:14

So but yeah, but okay, you'd play the young star, Ryan Fulton, if anybody, okay.

SPEAKER_00 57:19

Going with my uh team. You're going with so I I know I've been mentioning about having a right back and a right back position for absolutely god knows how long in this pod for the last year and a bit. But I would actually take I'll tell it out and I would put Macinty in. Alright. Right as a right back. I was sort of right there. Um simply cause it gives he gives the extra two midfielder as extra cover and it would sort of help balance uh the sort of back four if you like it.

SPEAKER_01 57:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 57:53

So Fegan Walcott obviously stays. If Kingsley is okay, I would still keep him in, but obviously it's probably gonna be more likely McCart because of the injury sort of situation. Um and then I'd have no one on the left, obviously. Um in the field, I would have uh Mendy. But believe no, I just want to put Magnus in for shits and giggles, eh? Because he's not really had a featured yet, so I don't think Petrius would be quite a good chance to bring him into the game, his experience away from home and stuff like that. He plays better way from Tycastle a few other times as well. Okay, so that's why I put him in there. I know he I know I probably still go for Spetaway, uh because that's an easy choice for him. I think he does very much. I think he likes the fact that he does take Wells Jots from nowhere and stuff here. So but my choice would be Magnuson. Uh on the right, I would go with Gerd Jota. I'll take Miller out because I just think his Wells off and Aberdeen is way too far for him. Uh I think he'll get crucified at Aberdeen to be honest. I really hope I don't see him on a TV shape. Anyone but anyone but Miller to be honest with you. Even Kobori. Um obviously Bradger keeps his place. Um I'm hoping Basi is ready for Saturday. Um hope he gets on. And obviously because he just goes we've got no one else done that side really at the moment. I can replace him at the moment.

SPEAKER_04 59:37

But so I would as much as I joked about like obviously joking about goals, you probably are going to put Royce in. You'd hoping that they've been working on something. Um you probably you'd hope they have be they have been working on something there with where he's getting used to playing with the defenders. Altena play for me, Altena plays Finley plays there's a bit in me that would like to see McIntyre playing at centre half. Because he played against he has played centre half before, he played centre half against Livingston as well. Uh but again it probably will be Fagan Walcott, um obviously Harry Mountain. I'd then like to see the midfield uh Mendane Renault as your midfield two, like the double pivot if that's what he wants to play. Um I would then play um sorry, my cat's going mental. I would then play uh Magnus in front of them, so it's a more of a solidary on midfield three. Okay, so the two Tams and Mendy. Because the thing with Mendy, right, is that he might not he might have only just arrived at the club, but he's had a proper pre-season, like so he's fat, if you know what I mean. So you're gonna have to worry about that, he's not been doing anything because he's gone through the preseason at Forest Greenovers, and then I would play. Obviously, you're gonna probably play Brager through the middle, I'd play McPake on one side on the right, and I'd play McMuller on the left. Because I think it might be a little struggling because he's played it on the right, yeah. That has to be because he looked as much as I'm not having him, and there's reasons why I'm not having him, but he looked better when he went and played on the left yesterday. He looked a better player, and he's a left-sided player. At least he'd be he's he started at left back and moved forward, he's a left midfielder, really. He can play up and down that left side. So you've got to for me, you've got to play him on the left, you've got to play him on the left, and they're probably be more suited, and again, Franken's not going to think about this, right? He's he's not gonna think about anything like that, but they're probably be more suited to be playing against a Stephen Robinson team than than some of the players that are the wingers that we've got, um than your Kajotas or your uh your Kizaridis or something like that. And again, you've still got these boys that can come off the bench and and things like that. And you don't know obviously how how injured Kizzy actually is. Is it cramp or is it was it something more serious that he got taken off when they brought McCart on last night? So that room I live in, I can see if I would I could see a ranking team mute being more along the lines of Macinty and Renault in the midfield with uh Sabre in the middle, and then if Kizzy doesn't play maybe a basse or a in the middle through the middle and then brag out one side or whatever. But I think if you're James, if you're Josh McPeak, um I think you've got to I think you've got to be asking questions on why you're not on the team. Um because obviously you've not been in the European squad, um so like okay, I'm not in the European squad, I can play this game, uh so give me my chance. You've just watched your team no score goal, two goals in two games, so it's an attacking player. You've got to see you've got to be sent saying to the manager um that okay it's my turn, Gaffa.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:05

Could you not say the same thing about Wilson then?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:08

Absolutely, of course you can. Absolutely, you could say the same thing about Wilson, you could say same, you could say the same about a few of them. Um to be fair, and uh on a serious point, when Braga looks like he could do a striker alongside them. I think I was thinking last night, could we not just maybe try Wilson through the middle? Um and see Braga, Wilson playing along because he likes that he looks a he looks a better player when that Shanklin type players alongside him. So could you know try that as something? Because Wilson was probably as close to a number nine as we had after Shankland last season, but again, it's what what does the gaffer see in training? What's his plans? And he's what he watched him try and do his system at the same time.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:54

Yeah, no, uh quite a good guy. Um you start to be fair, like you say, yeah. Um to see if he's up to his level from last year, because he had a very good year in the championship, eh? But obviously, that Aberdeen away from home in your first game where we've not won since you know what I mean, would be uh of course it would, but at the end of the day, you've got to depends if he takes it like a dark tomorrow. You never you always say if he's old enough, he's good enough, sort of thing, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 1:04:22

So why not the thing is McPeak's older than he? You think is you're you're horrendous wages, but McPake's older than you looks as well, eh? Yeah. So it's because he's been stuck in that Ranger system. I mean he's twenty f he's 24, he's 25 at the end of the year. He's no he's not a 17-year-old laddie anymore. No, and and that's the thing, is I think that we need to I think that's probably something that we need to he needs to realise himself. And he said he's building on a really good season uh coming up as well. So I think that I think the timing's right for him. I don't know how much of the how if I'll turn the telly on, if I see uh Jamie McCartney playing centre half, I'm gonna be honest. Um but aye, it's uh unfortunately I kind of go. This I kinda go Saturday, so it's uh it's one of these things. But I'm not gonna ask you for a score because I don't know what to predict a score either, uh mate, to be honest. Um anything else for Saturday? Anything feeling about the league or anything else you want to add before we before we go and we call it a day?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:26

Um not even much more. Just like um if anything like miracle happens and we do get our first result there in what 10 years it is now, it would be an absolute joyous occasion. The only thing is what I would say don't get carried away with it either at the same time. Um because it's not gonna be that's gonna be like last season now. Um so people have to be that way. So aye, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:53

Um what was I gonna say as well? Obviously, did you talk me things in the club as well? Obviously, the the tickets for either Benf.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:04

Yeah, I know. That was the thing I was I was gonna I was gonna rant about it as well, I totally forgot about that. Um I don't know if we've got enough time now to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:11

Oh you've got time if you want to rant, I'll take a rant if you want to.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:14

The only thing I'll quickly say on it, EZ, is like how much of a disgrace of a ticket. It's not for my lack of time to announce it, say, only a few hours, like 10 o'clock, and our own sale at 1 o'clock. But what about the fact is that we cannot reserve seats for season ticket holders until the general goat sale goes on. That's absolute disgrace. Who were only like me and deer, who didn't get their seat because he weren't quick enough on it, and were sitting in like random places. Like I have a boy, an older boy that normally sits along from me, and he was actually like sitting right in front of me because of like the some people like deciding to steal the seat and take it from away. And I think Hearts have needlessly pissing people off who come season upon season, have won their own seat. Uh sometimes you're not always able to get on with like three hours' notice. For club, but ticket always really needs to have a shake because they don't treat the fans well in that place. Don't give me a few.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:17

To be fair, if I had thought about it, I would have went and bought out. I I if I thought about this morning, I would at one o'clock I'd have wait and bought your seat instead of mine, eh?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:27

I was saying I've when I've logged on this morning, I was like, Deer's not a find some messages, he must be busy at work, so I jumped on it myself. And I actually thought to myself a fair game before Ticko signs on and fucking steals it from me or somebody.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:41

Yeah, that's fine.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:43

I wouldn't be dear seat either, it'll just be mine, just to be spiteful way. I've got a self-producer just to piss me off, eh?

SPEAKER_04 1:07:53

I'd sit in my seat. But uh but like nah, for me it's for me, it's a timing. Like it's the timing. They couldn't wait to do it Friday morning. Can what I mean? They couldn't wait to Friday. Like Friday, they could have went so that we knew who we were playing. They could have just went play, you've got St. Gallen or Benfica. They could have just waited. It just felt a desp for me, it felt like a desperate measure of just give us your money, get give us the money now, get the tickets sold so that if we when we take an absolute do-in.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:24

Oh no, it's probably because they thought if you save that as Benfica, we're probably won't have as many sales. So let's uh get as many sales in as we can now.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:32

They want the money, they just want the they just they just want the tickets sold, eh? They just want the tickets sold um so that they can actually uh so that they can basically before we get a doing for Aberdeen or a doing or we a prospective doing for Benfica. Um but aye, we'll leave that we'll leave that on a positive note. Um and again, thank you, thank you everybody for listening to another episode of Old Castle Rock Podcast. Thanks for sticking with us where your support generally keeps the whole thing moving. If you want to stay connected, make sure you follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads at Old Castle Rock Podcast, and on X and Twitter at Old Castle Rock Pod. Come join the chat, share your stories, and be part of the community. Before we wrap up, we want to get we want to touch on something close to home, meant men's mental health. Football teaches us a lot about life, the big wins, the rough defeats like last night and the week before, the weeks where everything clicks, and the week the ones where nothing goes your way. Just like in football, you're not meant to face tough spells on your own. If you're going through a dip in form, feeling the pressure or carrying something heavy, there are places you can turn to. And the man's club offers a space where men can talk openly, honestly, and without judgment. Breathing space is there when you need someone to listen to during difficult moments, and the Samaritans are available any time of the day or night when you need a calm, supportive voice. Reaching out isn't weakness, it's the same strength it takes to step back onto the pitch after a hard match. Support is there and you deserve it. Take care of yourselves and look after your mates, and we'll see you the next time on Old Castle Rock Podcast. Goodbye.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:11

I thought you were gonna say take care of yourself and each other like Jerry Springer everybody. But seriously, uh uh thanks for listening, guys. Hey, sorry it's not been uh very positive this week, but uh there might be a few more like me in the coming season. But as always, we'll always support our club, no matter what. So on sure everyone.