City buzzing and United kicking off

Joel is in the studio to moan about VAR and ref decision's from the Manchester United game 

Nige is “somewhere” after his Wembley trip this weekend - expect serious gushing for City. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

What a night. What a day. It was like Arsenal had run out of ideas. I can see him back at Old Trafford next year. Do refs not want to give another penalty. Welcome to this is the season podcast. I'm Joel. I'm a Man United fan. Unfortunately, uh Wingman Nigel is not here today. I can see him on video screen now. He'll sound like he's uh under the covers. I've no idea where he is, and I've known Nigel for 20 odd years. I don't think I've ever seen you looking this rough.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Wemberley! Wemberley! We're the famous Man City and we're going to Wemberley. Yay!

SPEAKER_02 0:37

Now we always said at the start of this podcast, 50 episodes ago, 51 episodes ago, we said, it's gonna be in quality. We're gonna see each other every day, but I'm glad you're actually not here. Uh you do sound like a bag of spanners, but I just feel like if you're breathing over me and Nicole who's producing today, we would I won't be able to drive home with all the vape.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

What a night, what a day, what a weekend. It's just been unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Right, right. You you start you start from the start and then and then go through it. So when did you get down? What did you do in the fan zone? Did you expect to win? When you won, and more importantly, where did you go afterwards and with who?

SPEAKER_01 1:14

So I watched you guys, uh, first of all, on Friday, but we're not starting from the very start. Um, so I watched you, which was great. I watched you in Hale, I was in a pub in Hale, it was lovely. Uh, and then we set off early on Saturday morning, got the train down uh with all the staff. We went down to London, uh, got to the hotel, had a bit of a chat about what we're gonna do the following day, and then just got drunk. Um, and then the day after we hosted the fan zone, it was absolutely insane. There was about 3,500 people down there in that particular fan park. Um, had a few guests, did some team announcements, loads of giveaways, and uh a couple of beers, and then headed into the game.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Right. So you go into the game. Now, I'll I'll I'll be honest with you. I I I thought, you know, Arsenal were favourites. I thought they'd have this in the I thought they'd have this in the bag, and I saw your team sheet, and I'm thinking, maybe. And then you look at um Arsenal had a few people missing, and uh you know, you've got to leave it to a left back. Now, what do you what do you what do you think of the first half, in all honesty?

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Uh I thought in the first half, Arsenal part of the bus. It was very difficult for us to break them down. They didn't have much of a threat going forward at all. Um, and I think that we were getting a little bit frustrated because of how defensive Arsenal were playing. Um, I do think though, moving into the second half, uh, we upped our tempo a little bit. We were much, much better in the second half. Uh, we absolutely I mean we controlled the first half, I'd say. Uh, there was a couple of good saves from from Trafford, but they just played very arsenal, Arsenal.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

Very, very, very arsenally, right? Very arsenal. It was like Arsenal had run out of ideas, uh, and you came out second half going, you know, I I presume Pep's in there at half-time going, look, this this can be a nil-nil, and we can take an extra time and we can try and fluke penalties, but let's try something a little bit different. That's what I thought of my head. If you look in the body language of the Arsenal players, you know, especially Declan Rice without looking, going, right, hang on, we've tried all the set pieces, we've tried, you know, we've tried everything, and it's it's not coming off. And and back to what you said about Trafford, that it was that triple save, wasn't it? I told you he was the best, best um keeper at your club.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

That triple save was absolutely fantastic, it really was. It was it was insane. Uh, anyway, uh the second half, uh, we we we started to you could just tell it was coming. We were getting chance after chance. Arsenal again just had nothing. Um, and then you know, obviously we got we got the goal ahead. Uh, it was a little bit um the keeper should have done miles better, but it was a great little uh, you know, quite a he's just got his head on the end of it, O'Reilly, and we just went absolutely crazy. By this point, I'd lost uh my voice, so it was only gonna go downhill from there. Uh then uh we got the second goal, which again was O'Reilly. It was some brilliant play from Turkey, and uh yeah, amazing. 2-0 up. And at that point, honestly, I I honestly thought, right, we we've got this just because Arsenal just weren't uh there were there was no threat from Arsenal at all. But after that, they did hit the bar and the post. So uh there were opportunities, but all in all, I think City batted Arsenal yesterday. Would you agree or not?

SPEAKER_02 4:37

Uh yeah, I thought second, I thought second half uh it was there. I mean, look, I I backed Arsenal, I backed both teams to score, and I backed over two and a half goals. So none of them came in. But apart from that, you know, apart from that, it was it was great. And also, I was watching it at um Sambach Rugby Club, and there was loads of city shirts there, and I thought, you know, and a few guinness here. I thought I'm leaving at this point because I've got to start cheering these Arsenal goals here. And and I genuinely I saw it as it was gonna be one-way traffic. You might you might nick one. I thought you'd score, but I thought it was gonna be like 3-1, something like that. Yeah, and it didn't turn out to be, did it?

SPEAKER_01 5:09

It was absolutely brilliant. I honestly God, it was such such a great day. Uh, and then you know, walking, I'll tell you what was the the highlight was walking out of Wembley. Uh we had to go in, we we we had to uh obviously get back to the hotel, and as we were walking through, obviously, with all the city fans, we were walking past loads of Arsenal TV people, loads of Arsenal fans having complete meltdowns, and everyone was just singing second again, Ole Ole, and it was just uh it was amazing, and the Arsenal are now freaking out. I told you this would happen, and I told you that City would win the league. Now I'm not getting too excited. I think the international break kind of uh I don't know, maybe it's come at the right time. Arsenal are still in the Champions League. We have got um obviously to play them at our place. We've got that we've got a game in hand, and you know what? Anything could happen. Maybe the fact that they're still in the Champions League could be an absolute bonus for City. But I'll tell you something, I'm excited, and it's you know, that there's a long way to go in this title race here. I said we'd win it, and I still believe it.

SPEAKER_02 6:23

Right, okay. So uh yeah, are you still are you still hammed by the way? You you I I I know people can't see you, but you don't actually have any eyes, Nigel.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

No, no. Well, I'm very tired. Um do you see any of the lads last night?

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Any of the players? Any anybody going out for uh did Jack Greenish turn up on uh on crutches to go and see his old mate?

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Jack wasn't there, no. I didn't see Jack. Um I had a drink with a few of the kit lads, um, a few of the behind the scenes people. Didn't see any of the players. Um, I mean, a lot of them will have headed off to international duty now, wouldn't they? Uh and just had to go and uh go to whichever country their team's performing in. So I mean it wasn't it's not one of them where you can celebrate really because they're they're literally off. There's a lot of uh champagne being chucked everywhere yesterday. But yeah, honestly, it was just just amazing. So yeah, brilliant.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

So well done. Um, you know, arguably one of the biggest clubs in Europe has now won the Carabao Cup. So fair purpose. We've won a trophy, Joe.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Yeah, you've won the trophy. We've won a trophy.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

Yeah, all right, okay, right.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

The first trophy available this year, and we've won it.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Did you watch the Man United game on Friday?

SPEAKER_01 7:25

If you say I did, I was in the pub.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

You watched it, all right? So I watched it. Uh Man United have put in an official complaint over VAR. Um, did you see what happened where Ahmad got uh hacked down in the box and no penalty was given, the ref allowed play on, and then Bournemouth went to the end and scored.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

It would have been a soft penalty that really, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

Right. So you say you right, you're saying that would have been a soft penalty, but then you go up the other end, um and what's his face, little Brazilian? Uh um Avan, what's his face? Uh Evan Nielsen, is it? Um yeah, so he gets he gets uh a very soft arm on him from Harry Maguire. The referee gives a pen and gives a red card as well, right? What's happening?

SPEAKER_01 8:10

Harry Maguire should have known better. I mean, at that position, he's he's he's ahead of Harry Maguire. So as soon as he pulls him back, the referee, it's an easy decision for the referee. I know what you're saying. I'd be devastated if it happened to our team, but I think it's absolutely brilliant that at the same weekend that we've won our first trophy, you're crying about a penalty that you should have had.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

But it shouldn't have done. I'm I'm not I'm not one of those because you add them up, and sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't get them, and what have you. But it was it was if you're gonna give it one end, you've got to give it the other end. I've got no problem with Harry Maguire um being sent off and and conceding a pen, but you've got to do it at the other end as well. You know, that's that's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

I know what you mean. You all the only thing we want in this game is consistency. I would say they are slightly different, though, the penalties. I think he's because he's ahead of Harry Maguire, I think it it makes it makes it um uh a slightly easier one to give.

SPEAKER_02 9:05

Do you not think as well? I'm in this camp, he gave away well Cunny got the penalty in the 58th minute. D do refs not want to give another penalty because it there was you know that's that's that's what I'm thinking.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

Sometimes I I I honestly again I completely agree with what you're saying. I think it's ridiculous. We've had opportunities like this before where they very rarely do. Um, sometimes you always feel like the referees want to almost give the other side a penalty sometimes because they've already given one to them, and it's a weird one, and they do it with cards as well. Sometimes it winds me up. They don't give a yellow card for something because it's in the first 10-15 minutes of the game. But then if the same challenge happens with 10-15 minutes to go in the game, uh they'll give a yellow card for it. Sometimes they don't want to understand what I'm saying, they don't want to give a yellow card too early in the game. But rules are rules. It's like if it's a penalty, give a penalty, if it's a red or a yellow card, give a red or yellow card.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Before VAR, that used to be a thing in any sort of big derby, didn't it? You know, Man United Liverpool or the Manchester Derby or North London Derby. If there was a horror tackle in the first sort of five, ten minutes, it might be a yellow. I mean, it's a straight red, but it's it might be a yellow because you don't want to ruin the game, which is essentially what it's doing.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

This is the thing with VAR now, it's it's gone too far and it's only gonna get worse. I mean, we've spoken about it on the podcast loads of times, but that it's never gonna get any better, it's only gonna get worse because now you've got VAR. So, you know, the second they stop the referee from refereeing a game, it's literally the referee's just there to blow his whistle because VAR tells him he's got to, because we're all going off VAR. So they need to give less control to VAR instead of more.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

Trending worldwide on Friday night was Bluetooth goal. Now, I've never heard this before. Apparently, the kids are calling it, bro. He scored a Bluetooth goal. Harry Maguire, when he scored that goal and came off running, going, Yeah, saw the replay, wasn't anywhere near it. There's no goal. So apparently, that was what you call a Bluetooth goal.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

You sound like you're down with the kids here now. I know, I know, I know.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

My Bluetooth goal. Right. Uh, a couple of rumors rumours this morning that were uh going in for the two Brunos uh at Newcastle, uh Gimaraish and not you one from Strictly Come Dancing, Bruno Bruno not Tommy Arley, it's other one, the Italian fella. Um so imagine this. Who would have thought a few years ago that we might have three players called Bruno in the midfield?

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Bruno would just be amazing. I'd love that. And Bruno gives it Bruno, and Bruno gives it Bruno, and Bruno gives it back to Bruno, and Bruno passes it to Bruno, and Bruno scores.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Um right, so that that that is it uh from United's point of view. Um putting an official complaint uh about about who they are. And and and we haven't got a game now until the 13th of April anyway, with international break, but we wouldn't have had a one anyway, wouldn't we?

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Um it's international break. Uh you guys are you you've got to be frustrated because you've you've dropped some some easy point. The thing is, as well, the weird this is the weirdest thing now at Man United. You you've won games under Carrick that no one expected you to win, and it's these easier games where you've got to be getting the points, but um it's getting tasty at the top and the bottom now because people have literally got few games left now. Uh and if they're in the playing for either survival, Europe, or to win something. So it's not it's not as easy to pick up uh points as it was against certain teams at the beginning of the season. Uh but anyway, uh have you made your mind up yet? Do you keep Carrick?

SPEAKER_02 12:46

Um there was there was the rumors again about um what's his face um this morning? The uh Deserbi. Um I don't know. Um I'm just gonna talk a couple of things very quickly, Nigge, um, before you get off. Um we've just had in that Ben White and Harvey Barnes have been called up to the England squad.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

Um because of injury.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

Yeah, um, so that has just come in now. But Danny Wellbeck, we are 80 days out now from the World Cup. Danny Wellbeck, now the leading English goalscorer in the Premier League, and I know he's what was he, 35, 36, whatever?

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:25

And we keep talking about having Jordan Henderson around the camp because he's you know he's good for the younger players or whatever. Danny Wellbeck, he's probably got better and better with age, he's still going, he doesn't play all of the games. Um you're telling me you're taking uh Dominic Calvert Lewin, Solanke over uh Danny Wellbeck. What's your thoughts?

SPEAKER_01 13:44

I I I'd take Wellbeck over them any day. Uh, the only the only big problem with Wellbeck is you know, all through his life, his career has been um affected by injuries, hasn't it? And you can't take an injury-prone player to a World Cup when you've got a limited squad like that. But on form, he's he's he's better than any of them, especially at the minute. He's banging in goals for fun this season, he's having an absolute incredible season. Uh, and you know what? He's uh I can see him back at Old Trafford next year.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Why why are you like this? Do you know what? I'd take him as well. Look, uh Nigel, um you haven't actually said where you are, so I'm not even gonna ask where you are. All I'm seeing on a picture. It looks like something like that. What's that um that that movie that was all shot about 20 years ago that was all not the scary movie? What the hell was it called? Blair Witch. Blair Witch. Blair Witch Project. Yeah, yeah. I'm trying I'm trying to work out looking at you where you are at the minute. I can see a fluffy teddy in the background, so what even I won't even go there. You look like you look like you're some stock room or something.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

I always take my teddy bear away with me.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Uh, what's it called? Come on, Ruben.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Little Rubes.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Yeah, little Rubes. Uh well Nig, I'll let you uh get checked into rehab. Um well done on winning the um the Carabao Cup. I mean, yes, what an achievement. Uh and and good luck for whatever you're doing today, if I don't ever see you again.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

I'll tell you something now. I will see you very soon. Um after this international break, we're gonna have one of the most incredible ends to a Premier League in a long, long time. So I cannot wait.

SPEAKER_02 15:23

He's still am I doesn't he? Uh no. Come on, say I was gonna say it is you can have it now.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Have a brilliant week and thanks for getting involved.