Ep. 28 - Community Shield Recap & Premier League Player Draft

Brandon and Shaun breakdown Arsenal's 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield and discuss whether it meant anything at all. 

Most importantly, another draft is in the cards. The guys each take turns selecting one player from each Premier League club for a season-long competition. The rules are fairly straightforward and it's easy for you to play along with your friends at home.

If you want to compete against Brandon and Shaun, join our FPL league at the link below for a chance to win a bunch of FoF merch!

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Email: friendsonfootball@gmail.com

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Hello, friends, and welcome to another episode of the Friends One Football Podcast. I'm one of your co-hosts, Brandon Johnson, and joined with me as always, my good friend, Mr. Sean Boyle. Sean, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Brandon, I'm doing well. It's a pleasure to be with you this evening. How are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:38

I'm great, Sean. Sean, it's it's game week. We got we got full Premier League matches this week, and uh I'm I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

No, I'm equally as excited. We are an enthusiastic bunch here tonight.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Yeah, so tonight we're we're gonna get a little closer to the start of the season, but we have a little bit of a draft, Sean. Uh one of our specialties here on the friend zone football. This one will be a fun one. We'll get into that in a bit, but we did have some football this weekend, Sean. Some I guess you'd call it unofficial, official football. We can we can have that discussion right now as well. Arsenal beats Manchester City 3-0 in the FA Community Shield. Sean, break it down for me. Do you care? Do you not care? Does this game matter? What are your thoughts around this?

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Since Arsenal won, quote unquote, a trophy, of course, I don't think this game matters. I don't personally care. But in all honesty, I do think there's some things you could kind of learn from the community shield. I just think they might be half-truths each year. It's exciting, people get excited for it because it is the first game on the calendar, and there is a trophy at stake. It's just also in the club's minds, the last tune-up before the real games begin. So it's kind of like a glorified friendly. It was played in Cardiff, Wales. It wasn't even at Wembley, like it's been in years past. So I would hate to say the phrase Mickey Mouse, but I will go ahead and say this is as Mickey Mouse as it gets in terms of a competition. Brandon, we did our European trophy draft last week, and of course we prefaced that draft by saying we were not counting trophies of this nature. It's just one of those things where, yeah, it's a piece of silverware. It will go down in the history books. It's just a one-game friendly that did tell us some things. I think there were some things we can glean from it. It just wasn't super competitive. I don't think either side was dying to win that one. What were your takeaways?

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Yeah, I had the same, the same feeling, Sean. Sean, I did not watch it live, but watching the highlights, even you you could tell it the game meant something, of course. These guys are gonna go out and they're always gonna give their best, but you could you could tell there there wasn't that extra little bit of passion that you see from a typical Premier League match. For me, yeah, I I agree with you. I don't think this is something to really scrutinize and and look over. The result is interesting, though. A 3-0 win for Arsenal over Man City, the top, arguably the top two teams in the league this season, coming into this season. Uh, do you gain anything from the result of the game? I I know we talked about how it's kind of a glorified friendly 3-0 is still 3-0, Sean.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

Yeah, I don't want to overreact to it because, again, I don't think it necessarily was City's best effort, but I will say my alarm bells are ringing for Manchester City. And this is kind of an opinion I've formulated over the course of the last couple of months. And it's mostly to do with Pep Guardiola leaving. I think that loss might be being underrated by some pundits who are just slotting Manchester City in to finish second, to contend for a title, to be a guaranteed top four team. They will likely end up being a top four team just because of the depth of talent that they have. It's outrageous. They still have so many good players. But I don't want to toss the fraud word at Enzo Moresca just yet. I just want you to monitor the situation. I want our listeners to monitor the situation. His managerial career basically comes down to he won the championship with Leicester and got them promoted. That's his claim to fame. Is that enough to get you the Manchester City job? I really think he got the job because he was a longtime assistant to Pep Guardiola. He's familiar with the club, and it was a it was a comfortable hire. But in terms of what we've seen on the pitch from him, he he left Chelsea in the middle of last season. It was kind of his own doing, it was kind of Chelsea sacking him. I really don't like what I'm seeing from Manchester City, and it's not just Pep Guardiola, it's also Roger leaving. I don't think it's as easy as just paying $100 million for two 20-year-olds in Buati and Elliott Anderson and saying, hey, you know what, we're good in midfield after losing a Malin d'Or winner and Rodri. The kind of combination of all those things has me a little bit more worried about Manchester City than most other people. I'm interested to see if you share that opinion, or are you saying, no, you know what, Manchester City, they're gonna be fine.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

I do think they'll be fine. I think with a team like this, a new coach, some new players, it may take some time to gel. It may take some time to really get going. And a lot of these teams, Sean, in preseason, they don't play very strong sides. And then when you play that first match, whether that be this community shield or first Premier League game in this upcoming weekend, there seems to be that punch in the face where it's like, oh wow, this is real. These teams actually care, they're a lot better. We're not playing a reserve team. And so I do I do worry a bit, but I do think they will put it together fairly quickly. It might be uh, hey, first couple games in August, early September, we're still learning how to walk. And by October, November, when the games get thick and fast, that they become into form. So I'm probably a little bit more bullish on Manchester City than you are at this point. But I I don't think you're coming coming out of left field in some crazy analysis. I do think there is a little bit of a worry there, but I think I'm I'm a little bit more of a wait and see at this point.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

I'm glad we're kind of coming at it from two different perspectives, and I I don't think there's too much ground between us. I don't think I'm saying something irrational, Manchester City's gonna finish outside the top four or five. I don't think that. I just don't think it's prudent or wise to slot them in as the main contender to Arsenal, as much of the media seems to be doing when they're losing, arguably the best manager in Premier League history and one of the best midfielders of the Premier League has seen in the last 20 years. So I just don't think it's as easy as, you know what? Oh, we're gonna snap our fingers and they're gonna be up and running just like the Manchester City of old that we've all grown accustomed to. I hope they actually do get it figured out quickly because quite frankly, as Tottenham fans, we've turned into Manchester City fans these last few years to try to fend off Arsenal winning. So the hater in me really does want Manchester City to figure things out quickly, and maybe that's why I've got this heightened sense of I'm not so sure it's all smooth sailing right now. I just think it's something to watch out for these first few weeks of the Premier League season. And I do think, I will reiterate this, I do think Enzo Moresca has a lot to prove still, especially at this level. I'm not saying he's a bad manager, I'm not saying he's clueless or out of his depth. I just think my eyes are going to be on him.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

No, I like that, Sean. And it's it's an interesting storyline because you're right. There the headlines all say Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal, which is fine. They deserve it. But who is that second team? Is it Man City? Maybe, maybe not. Is it Liverpool? Is it Chelsea? Manchester United. You know, there are Spurs, like there are so many other teams that you can put in this conversation, and I think maybe there is a little bit of history bleeding into these headlines where it's like City's always up there, they're just gonna be up there again, they're gonna figure it out. I mean, they still do obviously have top, top world-class players, but we've seen it. You gotta put it together for 38 games, and it's not always easy. And teams will figure you out, and you're playing in other competitions. So there's a lot of question marks there, and it'll be something that I'm I agree with you. We'll definitely keep our eyes on, especially early, early here in August and September as the season gets going.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Yeah, we'll get into it more on our second episode this week, which will be much more of a deep dive into the Premier League. We'll make some bold predictions. We will give our final table predictions. So we'll talk about it more there. But I do think a lot of the reason for me personally why I feel like Arsenal are the clear favorite, it's not so much to do with Arsenal, it's more so to do with those challengers. And I kind of touched on it in the last week's episode where a lot of these teams are in a state of change, a constant state of flux this offseason, and Arsenal are very settled. And I think that's what's creating the narrative, at least in my mind, where there is a clear title favorite, and then we're kind of asking a lot of questions as to who is going to be pushing them. And I don't think right now we have too many answers.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

Yep. I I don't. I certainly don't have an answer for you either. As much as I wish I could point to two or three teams and say these guys will definitely be in that race. I don't know if if they will be. So a lot to look out for, Sean. But I think it's time for our draft. Sean, this is this is a big one. This is a this is gonna be a full season draft, essentially. Would you like to dive into the rules here? And I'll and I'll follow up with anything else.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

Yes, I will probably miss something, so please, Brandon, make sure I don't. Listeners, if you haven't joined our fantasy Premier League yet, please go ahead and do so. The link will be in the episode description. We'll also remind you at the end of the show. But this is a variation of that. This is a dummy-down, simplified version. Basically, what we're doing is we are drafting one player from each Premier League team. So we will have 20-man rosters, of which five of those players must be a defender. They at least must be listed as a defender on the Fantasy Premier League site. That was our that was kind of our source material for this. So we need to have five defenders, we'll have 20-person rosters. You will be able to anoint one captain. You put the armb around somebody, that person's points will be doubled. The scoring is very simple. For non-defenders, each goal is worth two points, each assist is worth one. For defenders, those points are doubled. So it is a four-point goal for each defender and a two-point assist for each defender. Essentially, your captain can score the same amount of points as a defender if your captain is an attacker or midfielder. If you decide to double your captain who happens to be a defender, you could be in the money for eight points a goal, four points and assist. Brandon, did I miss anything?

SPEAKER_01 10:33

No, that was that was good, Sean. The only thing I would add is the captain will stay for the full season, so it's not week to week like in the Premier League fantasy game. And all 20 players are all playing every week. So it's not like we have to pick a starting 11 or anything like that. All 20 players' points will count every week. That's the only thing. So I think you missed, might have missed, Sean.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

I think that's a great clarification that gives some the some more context to what we're doing. It's more so we're drafting here for the preview element of this podcast, and we want something to follow and monitor as a podcast throughout the season. We're also going to give each other some grace if there's long-term injuries. We're not doing this necessarily to go tit for tat and spite each other. We want it to be a fun thing, come down to the wire. So if one team is ravaged by injuries early in the season that are season enders, we will allow maybe a substitute substitution or something of the sort to try to keep things fair and balanced. So we have something or someone to root for on each team throughout the season. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

This one is. We're not out for blood on this one, Sean. I think this one's just a friendly, friendly friends on football uh draft between the boys. And listeners, if you like this, grab a couple friends, steal this idea. I mean, Sean and I sat together and we just kind of drew it up, but I'm sure someone else is doing something similar, and we'd love for you guys to do this as well. So feel free. Reach out to us, we'll we'll be happy to explain or send you our template or whatever. But just just just trying to have some fun, add some juice to some games that maybe don't mean it mean as much to you.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

A hundred percent. That's a good point, Brandon. And also, we just exchanged some niceties. With that being said, I intend on winning, I intend on trash talking. So don't let that fool you. Yes, we'll show some grace if injuries occur. I'm still out for a little bit of blood. You know, it's it's not full of hate. I hope Brandon does well. I just hope I do better.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

That's fair. No, that is fair, Sean. And yeah, I I think I think that's all the rules. We have. I know we have our big boards. You got your list, I have my list, and we'll see how it all shakes up. Sean, do you want to let us know the draft order for tonight?

SPEAKER_00 12:38

I just randomized it again, and I need to stop doing this because I am 0 for 2 on the receiving the first pick, Brandon. You have once again gone first. So it is Brandon 1, Sean 2.

unknown 12:50

All right.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

I I'm not upset with it. I was comfortable in either slot. So we talked about that a little bit pre-show as to where we wanted to pick. I think there is a clear first pick, but it's not going to break my heart.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Yeah, there's I mean, I hope I'm picking a clear first pick because I'm known to mess that up, but I already wrote it on my list. And we ready to go, Sean? Are we doing this?

SPEAKER_00 13:08

We're ready to go. You could start things off.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

All right, with the first pick in the uh 2026 Friends of Football player draft, team Brandon will be taking Erling Holland for Manchester City.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Big upset there. I was can't believe you went that direction. Another thing, listeners, before I'll let Brandon talk about why he chose Erling Holland, which does seem self-explanatory. But now that Brandon has taken a Manchester City player, he cannot take another. So I will be waiting until my last pick or in the later rounds before I take a Manchester City player. That's just draft strategy. It's going to work that way for both of us.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Yes, good point, Sean. Uh I'm picking Erling Holland because he scores a ton of goals. And he is on a team that feeds him the ball regularly. And yeah, I don't have his actual stats from last year, but I know he scored a ton of goals and had a ton of assists, and I expect nothing different.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Yeah, golden boot winner. He will likely win the golden boot again. He's the heavy favorite to do so. I'm a little bit worried about Enzo. I have to reiterate that point. No, I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 14:09

Here we go.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

I can't know. I can't act as if I wouldn't have done the same exact thing if I had the first pick. I think Erling Holland is the clear top choice. He's the best option. He's also probably the safest option. Yes. So he will be the captain in, I would say, over 60% of people's fantasy Premier League lineups as well. You don't need to make the decision yet, Brandon, about who you're putting the armband around, but I think we would we'd be stunned if it wasn't Mr. Erling.

SPEAKER_01 14:36

Crazier things have happened, Sean. We'll see. We'll see how this shapes out.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

So I'm up to the show. That's just called, Sean. That's just called a tease. So you gotta keep the listeners engaged, but we probably don't know how this is gonna go.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

You're a pro. Hey, listen, I don't need to tell you. We are going to go on Team Sean. I this is a classic Sean Boyle overthink. It's one of my favorite pastimes. I love overthinking. I this guy, I don't know. I I think both of these guys could be reaches, I think both could be good picks. I am very worried about scarcity on some teams. So I'm targeting teams early that I don't think there's as good of a second option for. So I'm kind of comfortable letting Brandon have whoever on this team because I think there's one main guy. So I'm gonna go Igor Tiago from Brentford. He scored 22 goals last season. Igor, if you want to run that tally back, I would take it immediately. That would be brilliant. I think the drop-off at Brentford, after Igor Tiago, in terms of good fantasy options, it's limited. So I feel comfortable having him in my team leading the line. I'm a bit worried, first game of the season, Brentford plays Spurs. I don't want you to score in that one, Igor, but we could pick it up next week.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Good good choice, Sean. I mean, you're up for two, so I'm interested to see what you do with the second one. Because I don't know if Chiago would have been my first pick. He was high on my list. Very high on the list. I don't know if he was that high.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

Well, I could tell you though what this guy might not be that high either. I am going off the beaten path here. I am taking a player from a newly promoted side. Second pick for me, third overall. I will be taking Milan Van Uick from Coventry City. He is a defender, so I would like to note that we have to have a minimum of five. I'm checking one off of the box there. Milan Van Uick had 10 assists last season for Coventry. And while I don't expect 10 in the Premier League, if he can get me six assists that all count for a couple of points, and he's one of the only players I trust from Coventry to put points on the board. I think those reasons are why I have gone him with my second pick. Admittedly, it's a bit crazy that the draft board looks like Erling Holland, Igor Tiago, Milan Van Uick, but that's how things broke.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Sean, that's an interesting one. He I will say he was high on my defender's list. Well done to you. Alright. Back to the boys. See, maybe I'm just you're you see, you you talk about the overthink. I might be doing the underthink, Sean. I gotta I just gotta get big dogs when when big dogs are available. So I'm gonna go with my second pick, Bruno Fernandez, Manchester United.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Yeah. Yep. That was that was the guy I was deciding between, and somehow I ended up on Elon Van Uick.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Yeah, I gotta keep it, I gotta keep my same energy that I'm on right now. I'm gonna go. Yeah, let's do it. Alexander Isak. Oh, that's a good one.

SPEAKER_00 17:35

Yep. That's a good one. And also what you've done, Brandon, wisely, whether you intended to or not, is you have now kind of dominated the draft graphic because what it's gonna look like is I I have put a complete de-emphasis on all the best teams in the league. You you have made it so that I don't need to touch a Liverpool, Manchester United, or Manchester City player. That's gonna look bad for me, but I'm not worried about how it looks, I'm worried about the results. I think that's a really good pick.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

Graphics aren't gonna win you when you win you uh this competition, Sean. So no, it'll be a good I like your strategy. It's definitely very different than mine, but I I like your energy. I like your energy, don't worry.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

My strategy was too. I wrote down strategy, mostly going to try to get goals from the big boys was my exact quote I wrote down, and I spit in the face of it with my second pick, and I'm gonna continue to do so here. Uh-uh. Doubling down. I'm gonna take another defender, I think, and I'm going to go. I I hate doing it this early, but I'm gonna take my talents to Bournemouth, and I'm gonna take Adrian Truffert. Adrian Truffert, he is a left back, he has a brilliant left foot on him. I I trust him to provide some quality crosses in the box. Get me a couple assists, maybe we get a goal or two, and we're filling up that defender position so that we can hunt some goals later in the draft.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

That's a no, it's a good shot. Very, very high on my list, Sean. So good shot from you.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Thank God, because I was worried that he would not be anywhere near your list, and I just reached.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

No, he was high up. Very high up.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

I have another one as well, right? Yes. I will go to London and I will take Joao Pedro from Chelsea. I I think he's the best of the Chelsea options, and I think he's a brilliant player. I I do think it's a bit crowded in that attack in terms of who scores the goals, but I do think Chelsea are a team I'm pretty bullish on this season. I think they're gonna have a good year, and I think Joal Pedro is the most reliable goal outlet for them. It's a good shot.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Yeah, another guy high on my list, so no no problem there, Sean. Alright, back to the boys. You know what? We're having fun. Why why stop having fun? You know, Sean? I'm gonna go. There's three guys I want, and I don't know if you'll take. Let's do this. First choice, I'm gonna go Ollie Watkins Aston Villa. I think he's their best option. I think he's going to get me a lot of goals and assists, and I will take him first.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

I don't hate that. I don't like Ollie Watkins just because he was a Boyhood Arsenal fan, and I'm just not a huge fan of his game. But objectively, I think that's a pretty prudent pick at this point. He's pretty reliable in the goal department year over year. So he was one of the two players I had down for Villa.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Yeah, okay. And I guess since you don't like him because of his Arsenal childhood, you're really gonna hate my next pick. I'm gonna take I'm gonna take Gabriel from Arsenal. First defender off the list for me. I know I know it's leaving an Arsenal whole offensively, but I will take that risk.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

He was the first Arsenal name I wrote down, actually. And actually, I only had two defenders written down from Arsenal. I was thinking along the same lines as you. Gabrielle is brilliant in the air. That's his best quality. I hope he's not allowed to cheat and push people like they were allowed to do last season, but if he is, you could expect a few goals.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

Yeah, yeah, and you you expect Declan Rice to be putting in those passes and hopefully he's finishing those corners and free kicks. So and I have to get five defenders, like you said, obviously following the rules, but I think that was my my next big one. I have one other guy that I really want in the next round, so I'm hoping you don't take him, but we'll see how it goes.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

I I don't know. I am gonna stick on this little defender kick that I'm on, I think. And I'm gonna cross Sunderland off my board, and I'm gonna take Trey Hume from Sunderland. He is a reliable defender, and he's also got a bit about him going forward. He he's a quality passer of the ball. Hopefully he gets a goal, a few assists. I just think he might be the best bet from Sunderland.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

Okay. I will say he was not on my board, but does not mean he's not good.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:50

By any means.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

And then I will go back in the attacking world here. I'll take a player from a team I'm pretty bullish on as well, at least compared to how they finish. Last season, I'm gonna take Dominic Calvert Lewin from Leeds United. I think he's a reliable goals threat. Anytime he's healthy, the issue with him is just getting him fit and keeping him fit. If we can do that, I love where we're at. He had 14 goals last season. I would think he would approve upon that just a little bit more in his second season back up in the Prem.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

That's a good shot. He was very high on my Leeds list, so I think that was the uh correct choice from you, Sean. However, I can get who I want to get now. Um all right, so I get two choices here. My first choice, we are going to take from Evangelos, Maranakis's boys, Nottingham Forest, my guy, Morgan Gibbs White. Morgan, Morgan and I have a love and hate relationship. On his day, he's classed when he wants to play. And I'm expecting a lot, probably a little bit more in the assist department than the goals necessarily, but he'll also bag a goal when he needs to bag a goal, so I couldn't let him sit any longer.

SPEAKER_00 22:59

I I think Morgan Gibbs White's a brilliant player. So I really I'd be lying if I was gonna chirp him. I I don't love Maranakis, but I do have a soft spot for Forrest, and I think Gibbs White is the best pick from Nottingham Forest.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Thank you, thank you. And oh lord, Sean, here we go. It's getting it's it's crazy. This is only our this is only my seventh pick, and it's already getting a little tight here.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

A little grim, a little bit grim.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

I'll go. You know what? We'll go promoted side. I'll take whole city, I'll go Ollie McBurnie.

SPEAKER_00 23:33

Yeah. Good old Ollie. I need some goals. I don't think they're gonna score many goals, and I think Ollie's gonna be in the mix for any goals they do score, so that's tough for me.

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Yeah, that was literally the the reason why I did it. Like there was I don't have faith in too many other guys on the team.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

Brandon, how many defenders do you have so far?

SPEAKER_01 23:56

One, which is Gabriel, but I have based on your choices, who you picked, like I have someone from a team that you already picked. Gotcha marked as my so basically two.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Okay. That makes sense. I I'm gonna have to do it. I I the reason I've been putting off doing it was because I think there's a couple of options on this squad that are pretty good, but I mean, home is where the heart is, and I've got to take World Cup winner, Pedro Porro. Just just yeah, just Bez right back in the league, maybe the world. I absolutely love Pedro. I hope he becomes club captain, even though I think it might be James Madison. I think Pedro is just brilliant. He is so good going forward, he's developed as a defender as well. But hopefully, under De Zerby's system, he can get up there, play some balls into the box, score a couple bangers himself. Thrilled to have Pedro in the side. Just an absolutely lovely bloke. Happy to have him on team, Sean.

SPEAKER_01 24:55

A great choice, Sean. He was on my list, very high on my list. I thought maybe he'd he'd make it make it a couple more rounds. Of course not, but that's a that's a great choice from you.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Okay, we were playing, yeah. We were kind of feeling each other out there because I kind of sensed he would be on your list. So I was like, you know what? I'm doing it before he does it to me.

SPEAKER_01 25:13

Yeah, no, no, it's a it's a good shot for sure. Oh, I'm up again. Yeah, one more.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

God, I'm not ready. I'm not ready for it. I have four defenders already, so I'm really cornering the market on defenders. And yeah. I think a couple of the I don't even need to take another because, like you said, a couple of the ones I want are on teams you already have picked from. So I'm gonna go with a guy. I really hope he I really hope he bags a few goals this year. It's admittedly dangerous. I'm gonna take my talents up to Newcastle, basically Scotland, and I'm gonna take Yoan Vissa. He has been he has been their main man in the preseason, according to my good friend Joe Zweibel. I asked for a scouting report. See, I'm pulling the people here, Brandon. I want to ask the experts. I've asked Jeff Josewski for an Aston Villa scout. I've asked my friend Joe for a Newcastle scout. He told me Yoan Vissa with a bullet. He said, stay away from the tall German. So stay away. I shall give me Visa. I need a better season than last year, Joan. You were pretty brutal last year. You were a big signing, you disappointed. Let's bounce back.

SPEAKER_01 26:17

It's a great pick. He was he was my number one at Newcastle. I think. Again, another guy. I thought he'd maybe slip. Had a good summer with the Arkongo and the World Cup.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:25

So no good, great choice for me, Sean.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

Love, love to see it. And also, we uh we should say you could take more than five defenders. It's a minimum of five. So if you think the strategy is hey, those goals are gonna hit double, maybe that's wise. And I think I might be in that camp because there's a couple of defenders I have my eyes on.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Yeah, me too. I think I'm gonna actually take. I might take two this round. I can actually leave one based on your choices. So we'll leave him till later. My first pick, I'm gonna go to They're in London. Yes, they are in London. Crystal Palace, I will take Tyrick Mitchell, defender.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Yep. He played he could play on both sides. He's been there a while. Apparently, the system that the new manager, Pierre Saj, is playing is very similar to Oliver Glasner's, where he will utilize some wing backs getting forward. Tyreek Mitchell appears to have one of those spots locked down, so I think that's a pretty good pick.

SPEAKER_01 27:22

Thanks, Sean. Alright. So basically, because of that, because of your other picks, I have two verbalized two defenders, but I have two in the in the chamber, so I will go with an attacker here so I can save those guys for later. I think we're gonna go to the south coast to Brighton. And I think I'm gonna take Pascal Gross.

SPEAKER_00 27:45

Yeah. The return of Pascal Gross to Brighton. He should be on penalties there as well, which is a good a good little bonus. Steal a couple goals anyway. Was that your second pick, or are you you have one more?

SPEAKER_01 27:56

Yes, that was a second pick because I took uh Tyrek Mitchell from Christmas.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

Okay. We're getting kind of few and far between in terms of teams that we haven't selected from. I'm gonna go to Everton. I'm gonna go to Everton, and I'm gonna take a guy close to the heart. A new signing, part of a player swap. Bad season last year. Bad. He's getting chewed out in the media. But I know my guy will bounce back, and it's back post Brennan Johnson. Backpost Brennan. Somebody cross him the ball at the back post, they'll slot it in for you. He's a great backpost finisher, he's quick, he doesn't do much else. Dreadful in possession. You don't want to see him with the ball at his feet, trying to take somebody on on the wing. But this is a goal as an assist draft. And I think if David Moyes is wise, he will utilize Brennan as a back post runner, a back post finisher. So give me Brennan Johnson.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

That's a great choice. That's literally my guy. I love Brennan.

SPEAKER_00 28:54

I love Brennan.

SPEAKER_01 28:55

Obviously, you hope you hope he gets back into form this year. But when he when he's on his day, he's a good finisher. Like you said, he's not going to do much in the buildup of the attack, but he'll make that back post run and get those tap ins. So hey, they all count the same.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

No, he will infuriate you in possession most of the time. But he will also get on the end of some goals. He won us a European final, so Brendan Johnson will always be a legend to me. Yes, he did. This is going to be a bold one. I'm going to head to Ipswich Town. I'm going to take a tractor boy, and I'm going to take club record signing Emerson, a young Brazilian forward, likes to run in behind, has a lot of pace, but he is not a proven goal scorer. But since he's the club record signing, I'm going to put some faith in Ipswich, at least playing some attacking football, and Emerson getting on the end of some goals. So give me Emerson. I love that he has one word name. That doesn't for you. That does it for me. Brazilians are the one-word name, all in.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

All in. No, I like that. Yeah, I think that was the only team, like you said, that we didn't touch yet. So good choice for you there, Sean. I up for two. Give me one second here. I'm gonna go. We'll stick on the uh actually. No, no, no. We're gonna we're gonna pick a defender here. We're gonna go back to London. I'm gonna take Anthony Robinson at Fulham.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

And you know what? That was another club that we I didn't take anybody from, and you didn't take anybody from, and somehow it was an oversight by me. Oh yeah. I I he was Jedi was on my list. I don't know why I didn't take him.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

Yeah, no, I think Anthony, you know what you're gonna get from him. His left foot is cultured at this point. He's been at Fulham for a while. He knows how it goes. As long as he stays healthy, I think he's he's always good for a few assists each year. So maybe not the flashiest pick, but I think it's the solid one to help us continue.

SPEAKER_00 30:45

I think that's fair. He was high on my board, but he was my number one full on player. That's nice.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

Um, all right. Cheers. Yeah, now it's getting into the now.

SPEAKER_00 30:53

I believe it should be out of teams that we've somebody's drafted from already moving forward. Everybody will have one player on these teams, so now we're just finishing it out.

SPEAKER_01 31:02

Yes, yes, 10 10 so far. This is my 11th pick. Let's go to let's go back to Ipswich. You were just there. I will take Jack Clark. Former Tottenham Academy lad. Yes. I don't know what Jack's gonna give me, but a few goals wouldn't be the worst. Or a couple of years.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

Yeah, hopefully he's assisting to Emerson if he's assisting to anybody. I don't hate that. I think Ipswich was a shallow pond to fish in, so yeah. I'm gonna go, Brandon. I'm gonna take a guy who is not technically on a team in the Premier League yet, but he he will be soon. I'm well I'm hoping there's a chance a deal falls through and I take a goose. So that is the downside of it. I will take Bradley Barcala from Liverpool. I would rather Alexander Isak, admittedly. I think that's a much safer option. He's a striker as well. But he's on the team. And he's on the team, which is a huge thing. So I'm taking a leap of faith here, but I kind of was just indifferent on all of the other Liverpool options. And I do think Barkla, if he joins, is a ceiling razor for them. So I'm hoping that that one comes to fruition. I don't love taking a guy not on an active roster, but I think his talent is worth it. I just kind of have to roll the dice with a potential zero.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

No, big upside, Sean. Big upside for sure. Will it pan out for you? We'll see.

SPEAKER_00 32:25

Would I trade you straight up for Alexander Isak? Yes, I would. But I can't do that.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

It doesn't work that way.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

No, it does not. So now we're we don't have to worry about taking players from teams that haven't been drafted yet. We're just filling out our boards with who we think the best person available is. For me, I still need one defender. I don't know which one I think is the best of the group I have, so I'm gonna wait a couple rounds and try to figure that dilemma out. I'll take another attacker who I think could have a good year. I just am a bit worried that the the season isn't resulting in a ton of goals and assists, is the issue. I think he's a good player. I just don't know how much output he'll have. I will take Ismail Asar from Crystal Palace. I wanted to take the big lad, John Philip Matetta, up top, but I'm worried about whether he'll be on the team or not. So he he's one of those guys that seems available to purchase at the deadline day for a pretty fixed rate at this point. It's open open information. So I'll take Ismail Asar. I think he's a really good player. I hope he's able to show that this season at Crystal Palace.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

That's a that's a good choice, Sean. Yeah. He was, I mean, if I didn't take Mitchell as my defender from Crystal Palace, he was my first attacking player. I am just doing a quick check on something here. No, no. Alright. I'll just take because I I already have a few of these locked down. I'm gonna go to Everton and I will take uh Kiernan Dewsbury Hall. Another former Arsenal guy, right?

SPEAKER_00 33:59

He definitely was at Chelsea. He was at Leicester. No, he was at Leicester with Moreska. Yep. And then when Moresca took over Chelsea, he followed him to Chelsea and then Moreska just benched him. So that was cool. That was cool.

SPEAKER_01 34:14

Yeah, I'll take hopefully he turns up for me at Everton. And then I will take my fourth defender from Newcastle, Malik Fial.

SPEAKER_00 34:27

Yep, yep, that's a good shout.

SPEAKER_01 34:29

Hopefully, again, I feel like now at this point we're just hoping and praying these guys do something for you.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

Yeah, yeah. We're this is the bottom of the bottom of the barrel here. We're hoping for any kind of goal or assist. Yeah, just a just a couple. Okay, I'm up. I really don't love a lot of the currently available options. So I'm gonna go ahead and I'll just fill my last defender spot that is required, and I'll take a big old lump. I will take Harry Maguire from Manchester United. I hope Bruno, when he assists, plenty of goals. I hope a few of them find their way onto the blockhead's head.

SPEAKER_01 35:07

We love Harry Maguire. He might have a little bit of um, you know, extra juice not being picked at the World Cup. So he might come in. That is true.

SPEAKER_00 35:16

Come in hot. I need it. I need it, Harry. So, man, there's just not a lot of quality attackers left, is the problem. It's there's really just not a lot of guaranteed goals anywhere around here. I'll go to Brighton and I will take Jorginho Ruter, the kind of cam kind of striker. He'll play in the nine role for Brighton. I'm pretty sure he's a talented player. He's a bit frustrating at times with his lack of finishing, but he has a bit of flair when he gets the ball, so I'm happy taking Jorginho Ruter.

SPEAKER_01 35:47

That's a good choice from you, Sean. He was obviously I already took my Brighton player, but he was my next one, so we're on the same page there. I am going to take with my first one uh we're gonna go to the cherries. We're gonna go to Bournemouth, and I am going to take Justin Louiebert.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

Yep, Cloyvert. Cloyvert. He's a he's a good chow.

SPEAKER_01 36:10

Yeah, hoping for some magic in his boots. And then my second choice. I'm so conflicted on this, it's not even funny. But you know what? Gotta go with my heart. Changing what I had written down. We're gonna go James Madison at Spurs.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

Matt is he's back, he's hopefully, you know, hopefully back to full fitness. We saw him at the very end of last season off of his Tony CL. He looked okay. He looked to help out in the game. I mean, he did not play very much, but I'm hoping for some magic in him this year. Hopefully, he'll be on some set pieces. With the forward situation at Spurs a little up in the air, I didn't feel comfortable taking one of the forwards, so I'm gonna go James Madison at the 10.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

Yeah, I love Matters, one of my favorite Tottenham players. He is special when fit. I think we're gonna get a strong bounce back season for him. I think it might be a slow burn at first. I bet he doesn't start the first few matches, but he will eventually be the, without a doubt, starter at the 10 for Tottenham. Yeah, yeah. This is fascinating. I really don't know what direction to go in. There's just not I'm looking at the board for guys who put the ball on the net, and there's just not that many. I will go, and I'm just gonna start picking with the heart here. I love watching this guy play, but he burned me so bad in the player draft for the World Cup. Jeremy Doku, he was a big goose egg. So I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna reward him with his mediocre performance in the World Cup. I will I'll go Ryan Cherokee for Manchester City. He's just brilliant to watch. Yeah, just he's he's not the most reliable in terms of fitness. He maybe is more of a brilliant to watch player than an out and out goal scorer or a sister, but boy oh boy, is he fun to watch. He's a Sean Boyle type player. Happy to have him.

SPEAKER_01 37:58

Yeah, he he is tailor-made for your team. Maybe not for a competition like this. Probably why he fell so low in the in the draft, but oh my lord, that boy is so fun to watch.

SPEAKER_00 38:09

We're giving out style points, Brandon. I'll take a few.

SPEAKER_01 38:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:12

For Mr. Cherokee.

SPEAKER_01 38:14

You win the style competition right there, just with that pets.

SPEAKER_00 38:17

That's all I wanted. We'll look good going down. I will also take my fulum pick. I was gonna take Jedi Robinson. That was a good pick by you. I will pivot and take their new signing at striker. I'll take Gonzalo Garcia, young boy who came through Real Madrid, played under Arbaloa there, hoping it carries over and he's able to score some goals in the Premier League. It's a bit of a leap of faith, but I look around the Fulham front line and I see a lack of class. I think Gonzalo Garcia might provide just a bit of it. It's a good pick for me, Sean. And the board is officially almost tapped out. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

We should have I should have one, two, three, four, five choices left. Yep, and I have four. Okay, cool. All right. I will take Anton Stosh from Leeds. I think he'll sort of slot in as that number 10 playmaker role. I hope. To see him provide some, I mean, assists, probably to Dominic Calvert Lewin, but I mean hey, there's not many options on Leeds. And as much as I love Brendan Aronson, I don't know if he's just has that final third quality. Style points. I think he's he's not he's nowhere near turkey, don't get me wrong. But he'll give you a little style, he'll give you that flair. But I couldn't pick him for this, so I went with Anton Stosh instead.

SPEAKER_00 39:30

Yeah, Stock is an interesting one. He he is brilliant with his passing distribution. He's he's a big lad too. He could get maybe a couple headers for you. I'm not sure what his heading stats are, but he's an absolute lump in midfield, and he could kind of play any midfield position. So you get a little versatility with him as well.

SPEAKER_01 39:47

Yeah, hopefully he plays higher. But my luck, he'll play as a six and just sit and kind of call it a my next pick. I'll take my fifth defender. I believe he's injured, but seems to be coming back. I'll take Nordi Mukiele from Sunderland.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

That was your second pick, right? Yes, yes. Okay. I oh man. I'm gonna stack up on some defenders just because, you know, I think a couple extra can't hurt. And especially when I don't love any other attacking options on some of these teams. So I will be taking Marillo from Nottingham Forest. I think he's a brilliant defender. Not only out of possession, he's brilliant on the ball, he's physical, maybe a couple headers, maybe a couple assists with some long diagonals. That's kind of my hope for him. And also, just outside of Morgan Gibbs White, I don't really trust any other goal scorers for Nottingham Forest. I think the ones we've seen, Chris Wood, he's gotten a bit on in age. And I just am not so sold on the rest of their options. So give me Marillo, and then I will of course be not taking an Arsenal player to last. That's just par for the court. I'm only doing that because I have to. That's out of protest. So I will take a little bit of a flyer here, and I might regret this. I was gonna go Maddie Cash, but since he basically snapped Rodrigo Bensoncore's leg in half, I just hold a bit of a grudge there. So I'm gonna take Johan Manzambi. I I spoke highly of him at the World Cup. I sung his praises. He's another one who's injured currently. There's a risk associated with taking him, but I'm hoping for a breakout this season. I think Villa selling Morgan Rogers creates an easy pathway for minutes for him, and I love him as a player, so I'm just happy to have him on board.

SPEAKER_01 41:38

No, that's a good, it's a good choice. Um, yeah, it's hard to pick Matty Cash for what he's done to Spurs in the past. So um I don't I don't blame you there. I'm surprised he didn't go with uh Garnacho, though. That's a no thank you. That's a no thank you for me. Lord, all right. We got three choices left. I already got my guys all locked in. I'll save my Chelsea guy for last in solidarity for uh hating other London teams. We're gonna go to Brentford with my 18th pick. And I'm gonna take Kevin Shade. Oh, exciting. Igor Tiago is absolutely the right choice from Brentford, but I believe Shade, again, this might be another situation where I'm helping you out, Sean. But if I can get a piece of that goal from an assist from Sade, I'll take that. So that's what I'm thinking there. I don't I don't hate that at all. I don't hate that at all. Thank you. 19. I'll go to Coventry City. I have Coventry City and Chelsea left. Coventry City, I will take Haji right, the American. I don't know what Haji's gonna get me in the Premier League. I know he scored a lot last year in the championship. It's a different beast, but let's be honest, it's Coventry City. We don't have many options. And I think at least I'm picking a guy that I know and and can cheer for.

SPEAKER_00 43:00

So I'll take Haji. I had Haji on my list as well. Just as like you said, kind of a fun one to root for, a late round flyer. I just am concerned that not only will Coventry be bad, they're also actively signing strikers and kind of left wingers. So I'm just worried about him getting lost in the sauce, but he was the only other name I really had down for them at this point, too. So it's kind of one of those things where you have to take somebody from Coventry, and it might not be the most glamorous.

SPEAKER_01 43:22

No, no, yeah. If he gets me gets me six goals, I'll be happy. Six goals.

SPEAKER_00 43:28

I will go ahead and since oh gosh, the the whole city conundrum outside of Ollie McBurney is tough. I will take Joe Gelhart, who was on loan there last season. I believe he scored around 14 goals. He signed permanently this offseason from Leeds, I believe. I guess it's worth a shot. I I think he's kind of a secondary forward option, very much to Ollie McBurney, but you never know. Whole city's gonna be grim. They're not gonna score many goals, so hopefully a few of them fall Gelhart's way. And then lastly, this is tough. I was Dead set on taking Ricardo Calafiore for Arsenal, just as another defensive option. He scored a goal in the community shield. He's a former Roma player, so I don't hate him as much as I hate the rest. But I think I'd be foolish to not take Bakayo Saka. So I will go ahead and take Bakayo Saka. And I hate having him on my team.

SPEAKER_01 44:20

I was gonna say that would be a wild player to skip, but I I know your hatred from Arsenal goes deep. We had a uh viral clip from the last episode where you happen to call them terrorists.

SPEAKER_00 44:33

So out of context, out of context. It's a comedy show, too, you know, it's not just football.

SPEAKER_01 44:38

Yeah, yeah. Football is comedy, it's everything, it's jokes around here. Now, Sean, that's the that's the right choice. I mean, I I know you have the connection with Cal Fiore, but Sokka's gonna score goals.

SPEAKER_00 44:49

Yeah, I'm hoping he's fit enough to score some goals for this competition because he's another one who's been injured for seemingly a year now, if not longer.

SPEAKER_01 44:58

Yeah, and you hope Arsenal, I mean, sorry, that sounds wild saying it like this, but for this competition, you would hope you, as in Sean, would hope they'll score more open play goals because they score so many goals for corner kicks and set pieces. It's like Sokka's probably not getting a lot of those, but you hope they can get it, get him the ball in the wing and let him do his thing. Because on his day, yeah, he he is. We know the quality he has. Obviously, it's hard to say that in cheer for these guys, but yeah, you'd you'd hope that they would score more in the open play, not just off of set pieces like last year.

SPEAKER_00 45:33

I do agree. He's I will I will I'm big enough to admit he's a good player. I'm not I'm not gonna admit it. He's a good player. I hope he scores zero goals and zero assists. I will say that though. I hope he does not score. I'd rather lose this thing dramatically than Bagayusaka score one league goal. That's a fact. Now, will that happen? Of course not. So if they're going to score goals, yeah, sure. Let them come from number seven. But I could care less if he never scores a goal again, quite frankly.

SPEAKER_01 46:03

Oh my gosh. Sean, Sean, your initials are your initials are SB, but I'm thinking BS and not for that BS, but it's it's it's just bold statement, Sean Boyle. BS bold statement. Like, what are we doing, Sean? That that is crazy. You just willing to not have any goals and assists for your guy?

SPEAKER_00 46:20

Yeah, none. Oh, I uh that's a firm statement for me, Brandon. I oh my god, yeah. If it means Arsenal suffer just a little bit and I lose this, for sure. I never want to see Arsenal score a goal again. Every time they do, it brings me pain. I don't like them. I never will. I'm fine taking Sokka, hoping I tank him personally. That's a great the Trojan horse. Get inside, tear him down from within.

SPEAKER_01 46:46

Then why didn't you just take like a youth player or something? Somebody who's never gonna play for the first team.

SPEAKER_00 46:51

Well, because I also am not dumb. It's like, well, they're gonna score goals. He's probably gonna score a few. I can't stop it. You know what I mean? I'm not playing left back. If I were two foot, two foot. No, two foot and I'm off. Yeah, that's if I could get near him to two foot him, maybe set a piece. Maybe we're all in the box standing around each other. I just go to ground. But that's yeah, of course. I'm not I'm not man marking him for four seconds.

SPEAKER_01 47:20

Sean Boyle, five career Premier League minutes, one red card. I can already see it.

SPEAKER_00 47:24

I'd be gassed after three.

SPEAKER_01 47:27

Lord. Wow, this draft has gone off the rails, so I will bring it back. My final choice.

SPEAKER_00 47:32

You have one last pick, right? Final pick.

SPEAKER_01 47:33

Yeah, my final choice. A Chelsea player. You want to know who I'm gonna guess? Who I'm gonna take?

SPEAKER_00 47:38

It's one of the two that do this. Cole Palmer.

SPEAKER_01 47:42

Cole Palmer. Yeah. I saw Cole Palmer play in the uh Club World Cup a couple years ago here in Philly in the summer. And my god, this guy he looked like he was just on a different level from everybody else. He wasn't even running that fast, wasn't even doing that much, Sean. But talk about control of the midfield. I believe he had two goals in the game that I was at. Just uh it was different. And I and I again another guy who now in the World Cup squad for England. Maybe he'll have some you know some extra motivation to play with this season. Yeah. For the last pick in the draft to get Cole Palmer, I will take that every day of the week.

SPEAKER_00 48:21

Yeah, that's the structure of this allows the last few picks to be Cole Palmer Kayosaka. So that'll look like great value. And I do think he would have been the person I took from Chelsea if it wasn't Raoul Pedro. So I think that's a good pick. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:34

Pedro is Pedro was it was like Palmer and Pedro in my one and two. So I was happy with either.

SPEAKER_00 48:40

Yeah, I think that's I think he's due for a pretty big bounce back season, and I trust Javi Alonso. I actually think he is a good manager, so we will see what's in store for Chelsea. But Brandon, I'm excited to root for most of these guys. I would say 19 of the 20, I'm fully behind you.

SPEAKER_01 48:55

Hey, me too. I will look I like to win, so I'm gonna root for all 20. If Gabriel gives me a couple of goals, hey, I'll take them.

SPEAKER_00 49:03

Yeah, you showed your colors during the team draft where you selected them. So that's fair. That's duly noted. It is duly noted.

SPEAKER_01 49:09

Doubling down Sean.

SPEAKER_00 49:12

No, I mean the rules required us to do so, so you might as well get a good one.

SPEAKER_01 49:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:19

This was fun. I had a good time.

SPEAKER_01 49:20

No, this was this was good, Sean. Thank you for hooking this idea up with me. Um, I know you were kind of the the brainchild behind it, but uh glad to add a couple bullet old pieces to add to this. So yeah, it's gonna be fun. We're we got guys to cheer for on all these teams, Sean. It's it's gonna be a uh it's gonna be a cool year getting to watch these guys.

SPEAKER_00 49:40

Yeah, we certainly refined it into something that I think will produce a good season-long pool to follow. So I think I like my squad. We're gonna see after the first few match weeks. We'll we'll be doing quarterly reviews and audits of just where I went wrong, who who needs to improve. We'll see what it looks like in a few weeks, but I'm mostly excited to have something to cheer for in some of these games as they get underway this weekend.

SPEAKER_01 50:06

Yeah, me too, Sean. Me too. Yeah, I feel like it's sort of like how I thought about Manchester City, that wait and see approach. Give me a couple of weeks, see how the boys line up, see how we start playing. Inevitably, one of my guys is just gonna get benched by some other guy who just comes in over him and plays the whole time. But we do what we can, and uh yeah, it'll be it'll be fun to keep our eyes on this.

SPEAKER_00 50:28

Yes, certainly will. And listeners, we've got a seriously high-energy, fun episode coming for you. I believe it'll be Thursday morning, but later this week, for sure, we're going to dive in, we're gonna do bold predictions, we're gonna give out preseason awards, and we will be giving our 20 to 1 rankings of how we think the Premier League will finish. So a lot to look forward to here.

SPEAKER_01 50:51

And listeners, as you know, bold predictions from Sean are just predictions at this point because every prediction he makes is bold. My predictions will be bold. Light, light, light, bold, because you know, according to Sean, I'm just I'm just too easy and I just take the easy route. But uh no, we'll have some we'll have some fun on the next episode. We'll we'll give you some some thoughts, some, some rank, some rating, some rankings, and see how this season will line up. Again, listeners, join our player pool. Uh starting to starting to fill up. We've seen some names in there, some friends, some people I don't know. Definitely want to get that as up as you know as big as we can because Sean's giving away some merch for the winners.

unknown 51:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:32

Yeah, merch, merch available on the website. The link for that will be in the show description as well. The link to join FPL will be in the show description. So you can get all of the information you need right there. I think it's safe to say I will not be winning that competition, so you'll get some bragging rights on me basically just by setting a lineup weekly.

SPEAKER_01 51:52

Yeah, same. Uh, this is not my skill for whatever reason. I did pick my team and uh and I edited it over the weekend, and I feel I feel good. Again, this is that preseason optimism, Sean. Give me three weeks, I want to trade the whole squad. So we'll see how that goes. I believe I actually might have a couple guys on this team as well that are on my team. Um double up, yeah. Double up, yeah. But but no, it'll be it'll be a good time, Sean. I'm looking forward to it. Listeners, thank you as always. We appreciate your support. It's been fun. We're getting into the season now, Sean. Match week, match day minus whatever, four, three at this point. And then yeah, stay with us, follow with us. We're gonna be breaking down a lot on our next episode. That'll be much more maybe I don't know if structured is the right word, because we're not really structured guys, but much more in-depth uh about on the field play, not just these fantasy hoping guys will score goals. We'll give you some more closer to facts, not just our uh our wishes. But no, all as always, thank you. We appreciate the support. Tell a friend to tell a friend, be a friend. Until next time, take care.