Best England match ever ?

It’s coming………DO NOT JINX IT 

Joel and Nige are back after a couple of hours kip.

Now that was worth staying up for. Had everything including a yellow card and a broken arm/wrist for Jordan Henderson and he didn’t even play 

Bring on the Vikings next !!! 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:13

So when they said they're gonna move the World Cup match between Mexico and England to 7 pm UK time, everyone went, Yes! And then they moved it back to the original time of one o'clock. Then it was raining and there was thunder and lightning, so they moved it back an hour. And everybody else who had worked the next day went, how are you feeling, Nigel?

SPEAKER_01 0:35

I'm feeling rope it. I blame that extra hour because that was an extra hour of boozing. The only people that were cheering were the pub landlords, to be honest, because they got an extra hour of trade. Um, but everyone else was like, Come on. Anyway, what a match. It literally had everything. There were moments there where you're thinking everything is against us, but wow, we we got the victory. What a game.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

I think if I'd have stayed up all night, I'd have watched that game and we'd 2-0 up and we'd lost 3-2. I wouldn't be here today. I don't think you'd be here today. And my missus came in the uh spare room this morning uh about eight o'clock, opened the door, you know, like they do. Open the blinds, open the window, stinks in here. I'm like, just leave me alone. Imagine if we'd have lost. Now, we'll go through some of the uh the talking points because first of all, it may be up there with one of the best England games I've ever seen, you know, not necessarily performance, or it necessarily could be performance, but I put Jude Bellingham's performance down there at times. It was like David Beckham versus Grease. Jude Bellingham, in his head, he was ready to go and he went.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

He's been amazing every single game. He went up a level yesterday. He was absolutely incredible. And the way he performs when he puts on an England shirt, honest to God, the guy is already an England legend, a proper, proper number 10. He's just amazing, mate. He took both his chances incredibly well. He was involved in everything. His fight, his passion, his goal-line clearances. At one point, he's literally his defending was amazing as well. Let's not forget that. He was here, there, everywhere. Bellingham, absolutely 10 out of 10.

SPEAKER_02 2:17

Now we called it, uh, and I think everybody did who's watched uh Mexico playing that stadium 40 years on from the Maradona hand of God. Uh and we said, gotta keep it slow and tight for the first 22 minutes or whatever it is, till the first hydration break. Uh Pickford, brilliant save. Also, Rao Jimenez. Now, Man United were looking at him 10 years ago when he was at Wolves first time around. I quite liked him, but he's never shown this ability at Fulham and now he's gone back to Wolves. If nobody heard of this player, somebody would be signing him for the Premier League now. He is so different in that Mexico shirt, isn't he?

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Yeah, he is. Similar to Jude. I know, I know Jude's amazing. I know he plays for Real Madrid, but when he wears the England shirt, for me, it's the best you ever see him play, and he's consistently amazing. But I know exactly what you mean with Jimenez. I mean, honestly, there's something about wearing your national to and being part of that team that just makes you find levels, even they probably didn't know they had. They should be dead proud, all those Mexican players. They they they've smashed this tournament, they've played really well. Uh, we said before the game, not one of those players would get into England's starting 11, probably England's squad, never mind starting 11. They've smashed it this tournament.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

I'm trying to look for some negatives. We'll go through some of the big key um things in a minute. Uh and I can't find any negatives. I think the difference, and everybody will get on um on Southgate now, but the difference is a world-class manager. And you're going, why are we taking big damn burn? And then look, comes on, does his job. Johnny Stones comes on when we had the sending off. Let's go the sending off first of all, then.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

When you first see it, you're kind of going, what a tackle. You really are. And then I mean, even I think the guys in the commentary, I don't know, I've not watched it back, but even they were saying, What a tackle, and it moves up, and we get a foul on the edge of the box because uh someone brings I think it was Anthony Gordon. Like the the game continues, but then when you look at it, he gets the ball, his foot bounces off it, it is high, and you're not getting away with that. I do think when you slow things down in slow motion, it looks a hell of a lot worse than it actually was. However, it's a high foot, it's uh you're not not getting a red card. But at the time in the pub, I was like, it's corrupt! It's corrupt.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

It's so bent, it's so bent this issue. I was like that. And then Saquanta gets himself uh gets himself sent off, but it was an accident. The Mexico bench are going absolutely nuts. And by the way, absolutely nuts, and I'm like, what are you doing? What are you doing? Red card straight away. Then you go and look at it. The first still on the VAR monitor was the high the high foot. So he's got to go there.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

So he's Saka comes off at this point, doesn't it? And then John Stones comes on for Saka. Yeah. And to be fair, as you've just touched on there, Stones absolutely did a job. Uh, I thought all the substitutions that he made were to perfection. Everyone was kind of like you've just mentioned there, Dan Byrne, what's he there for? I'll tell you what he's there for. If you're down to 10 men and you're playing in a knockout stage of the World Cup and you need to not concede, Johnny Stones and uh Dan Byrne, absolute units at the back, keeping it calm as well. Obviously, you know, experienced defenders, and that is what we needed. Substitutions to perfection.

SPEAKER_02 5:44

Jed Spence as well was was was phenomenal when he came on. I thought Gordon was he looked at the start of the game, he was up for it. I've never been convinced with Gordon and and people sort of he's going Barcelona. Yeah, I know what you mean. And and you're going Anthony Gordon. I mean he is half decent player. But yesterday he was playing with that. Do you know what? I'm gonna show you how good I am. Um what's your thoughts on the ref? He's the only ref ever to be in four World Cups, I believe. Is he from Iran and the move to Australia? I mean, it was a comedy yellow card in the first minute, 50 odd seconds for Declan Rice.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

So yeah, let me just mention that. I when you I'm glad you've mentioned that because I was panicking after that. From that, from that exact moment, I thought, oh, here we go. Plumbing Rice here, because you know, he's the kind of player that late on in the game you need to make one of those little tactical fouls and get himself a yellow card. But that obviously that was taken away from him within the first couple of minutes. And I thought, oh, hang on, this is gonna be a disaster. But you know, it's a fair play to Rice. He played a very, very intelligent game.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

Uh the Gordon penalty was um was obviously a penalty, and the Harry Kane smashed it away like he like he does. The Kane giving away a penalty. Now, I've heard lots of professionals this morning and last night. Uh Shera was doing the uh the co-coms on the BBC with uh Guy Mowbray yesterday, and he was not convinced, even after being told by you know the referee expert that it was a penalty under this law. Yeah, I'm not having that. I'm not having that, like, that's never a penalty. No, on first look, never a penalty. I wouldn't have given it, I wouldn't have given it, but there again, I'm not gonna use the line. We've seen him given.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

At this point, we're all in the in the boozer, ridiculously frustrated. Again, the word corrupt, corrupt is coming out. Everyone's going, the refs getting paid, the linesman's this, the whatever's this. But again, I I I know what you're saying. For me, not a penalty, but I mean, didn't it make it exciting at the end? And we can say that now because we got the 3-2 win, but bloody hell, it made it exciting.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

I think what would have happened, right, if uh Quantaranta got sent off. And I thought Saka was having a decent game as well. That ball for D Bellingham for the uh for the goal was for phenomenal. He looks like he's fit now.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

I mean, that first goal, he he he literally, I think um was it Rice who can't I think Pickford gave it Rice. Rice just went for it down the wing. Uh, I think a lot of them were trying to find some room. He dragged a couple of players towards him. Do you know what? It was a great ball from Saka, you're right.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

Yeah, uh the quads are if he'd not been sent off, you know, I don't think we'd have got the game we'd have got because when 11 minutes came up, he took Harry Kane off as well, which bearing in mind if that had gone up at you, yeah. Well I'm thinking, I think you're thinking it was quite Ivan Tony, if that's why he's brought him. Um my thing was big calls from the manager, world-class manager, elite manager. Um, he put on Rogers at this point, and then it was backs against the wall, and it coming up to 90 minutes, and then the 11 minutes went up, and you're going, Oh, I know how this ends. Nigel, I've seen it before.

SPEAKER_01 8:45

This is England, I know how this ends. The whole game was just absolutely nuts, and the celebrations at the end, it is literally one of the best games of football that I've witnessed England be involved in. Do you know what I mean? Like, we're going back to like your Italy 90s or that far back, it was just insane.

SPEAKER_02 9:04

Yeah, I thought I I just I enjoyed it so much. I think I'd have been happier if it was say Switzerland against uh Brazil or something, and you didn't have a vested interest in this. Did you watch the game beforehand? The Brazil game. I did, I did, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Um I mean, again, I mean the Viking, he is just insanely good, isn't he? He's amazing, Haaland. You can't give him the space that they gave him for that last goal, but again, it through the through the defender's legs, great finish. He's so strong in the air, he showed you what he can do with his head. He's just an absolute beast. Like people have said before, he's like a freak robot that's been sent from the future to to show everyone how good this is how you should play football. He's just a beast.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

You can only beat what's put in front of you, and uh that Brazil team, as we said from the start, uh, is aging and not very good. Probably Vinny Jr. that should have taken the penalty, Bruno Gimaraisch.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Um they missed chances. If you don't take your chances, then you go out of this competition. And even though they lost, I actually think Brazil had the best chances. I really, really do. How uh what's his bluming name?

SPEAKER_02 10:10

Um Hendrick was it?

SPEAKER_01 10:12

He literally was clean through. His first touch was great, his second touch was just shockingly bad, and he just there was nothing he could do then. He was he was already at full stretch and just put it wide, but he the ball to him was insane. Gotta finish those, you know what I mean? Not good enough.

SPEAKER_02 10:30

Carlo Ancelotti said beforehand, we're taking players who are on form and we're not taking injured players. He took Neymar who was injured and not on form, uh, and he looked horrendous when he popped on on the Scotland game and when he came on yesterday. If you'd never seen Neymar at his peak and you went, This is one of the best in the world for a while, this lad, you looked at him, oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

What was he giving it after he scored the penalty as well? He was embarrassing himself. He's like to say, I'm Neymar. Like the other guy must have just basically the keeper must have just looked at him and thought, you're out of the world cut, mate. Get out of my face. Yeah, so uh he was doing it. Do you know what? The nearest to Groblar I've ever seen as well, like keeper with his shaky feet on the line, it was brilliant, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 11:09

Yeah, he was uh good, another good keeper, and we've seen some really good keeping performances, but also I can't remember a tournament where we've seen a selection of so many bad penalties. You're right, mate, honestly. It's the stupid runner, the runner for the stuttering thing, and it works and it's great, and and honestly. But if you get an old school coach, we mentioned this before, you get an old school coach and you speak to anybody who's a brilliant penalty taker like Gerard Lampard, and they say, pick your spot, hit it as hard as you can, the keeper saves it. Well, I mean, when Bruno Fernandez used to do his hop, skip, and jump, and you're going, mate, hit it. You're a great penalty taker, just hit it.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

At City, we always had players who just used to just bang the ball in from penalties, and then we got Mario Balartelli. Now he never missed a penalty, he was insane. But he used to do that show boating, and I remember it just used to make me so nervous, but he was the master at it. If you do it and it works, you look absolutely insane. If you do it and it is saved, or you miss, or whatever, because I think it affects the amount of power you get into your shot as well, into your penalty, because you're pissing about with your run-up. I genuinely think that you look like an absolute idiot if it doesn't go in.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

I've seen it happen to Burbatoff. Alex Ferguson has done that to someone. It might have been Burbatoff. He scored and he fined him to two weeks' wages. Yeah. You never do that. It might have been. I'm sure it's Burbatoff.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

Well, it's just I think it was, but I think it was him. I listen, Salah did it a couple of days ago. He did the old uh what do you call it? Penang. Penang. It paid off for him. But the keeper will watch that back and think, if I'd have just stayed rooted, he would have just looked like such an idiot. But I know that's the game, I know what happens. You dink it, the keeper's just already committed, and you just chip it in. I just get my laces on it and boom, in it goes, hopefully.

SPEAKER_02 12:57

Right, so um, we're looking at the next match. It's Norway. Norway! Norway! Norway are we just putting two um two people on Haaland?

SPEAKER_01 13:07

I would have rather played against Brazil than Norway. They have got something going on now. This is similar to what we said about Mexico, right? Apart from the fact that they genuinely have got a world-class striker, they've got a decent midfield, they've got they've got an experienced, yeah, they've got an experienced team and it's working for them. And you know what? They've got the best fans in the World Cup so far for me as well.

SPEAKER_02 13:33

They're absolutely brilliant. I'll tell you what, I'm falling out of football, right? Because I know that Man City, Nick Deposner, and whatever. If if I start seeing people banging a drum next season, and they're all rowing, I swear, I'm I'm done with this. I am done with this.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

Okay, I'll remind you that when you get a ticket off me and you're doing it right next to me.

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Alright, so I've I mean I'm more confident about um Norway than I am about Norway! No way, no way. I'm confident about uh Norway, but I don't want to jinx it. And then what is it on to? Probably Argentina Argentina, who uh uh it's it's Messi in it. Messi wants a golden boot, that's it. They didn't didn't look great and Cape Verde as well. I've not even spoken about Cape Verde, they nearly blew it against Cape Verde, and then it'll be on to France or Spain in the final.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

This is ours to get to a final, you know, there's no better chance. Like you've just said there. Uh, we've beaten a Mexico team that when you actually step back from the occasion, altitude, attitude, whatever uh Liam Gallagher said that was brilliant. But that was a tough test, and I think we've come out of that, and it's going to give us more confidence. I think there's a real feel-good factor now amongst the squad. Players are stepping up. Bellingham, Rice, Kane, absolutely fantastic. Wearing that shirt, Pickford as well, made some brilliant saves uh yesterday, last night. I'm very excited, and I feel like a Norway team that has got a couple of great players in it, but again, we should be beating Norway. We really should. England are a better team than Norway, even their best player, Haaland, we've got Harry Kane. I'm a City fan, but let me tell you, there's not much between the two of them. Obviously, Haaland's younger, so he's a better player to have in his squad at the minute. But the two of them are absolutely they're almost like for like. But Keene gets involved, he scores goals from all over the pitch. It's gonna be a great game. And then Argentina, if we'd have said we're playing against the Argentina of the last World Cup, I'd have been a lot more nervous than the Argentina of this World Cup. I think it's all there is a really good chance that we can get to that final.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

Would you prefer tonight? It's Portugal and Spain, isn't it? Right? So I'd prefer Portugal to um to win. Because this is gonna be if we if we go to the final and actually win the World Cup and a million years of hurt and all this, it's gonna be two things. Who did you beat? And secondly, uh the curse of the right back. Now if if you got a call from Thomas Tuchel and said, Nice, you want you to come out of retirement and he used to play right back, you'd say no, wouldn't you, for a start? Because again, Trent Alexander Arnold is sitting there going, you know, we didn't want to be negative at any point, but who plays right back now? Because we've either got injuries at the uh you know at right back or suspensions.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

I I mean, listen, it's a one-match ban, isn't it? A red card. Am I right instead of the cards?

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Well, it depends if you are American.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

You could probably get it overturned. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, this was very similar to the American one, if I'm absolutely honest, very, very similar because he clearly goes for the ball. I I I I don't know, maybe you know, I don't know, maybe it wasn't similar, but I'm I'm just being biased there. I actually think that um this is potentially, it sounds crazy, maybe Rice starts right back for this game because uh we have to win and you've got to play a good defence against Haaland.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

But Jordan Henderson managed to get himself a yellow card and it looks like he's broken his wrist or and his arm.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Right, so I didn't see this, but I've heard about it this morning. Now, the reason why I didn't no, I've not seen it. Now, the reason being um at this point I saw the lollipop lady getting her lollipop from behind the bush near the pub that I was in, and I thought, shh, Jesus Christ, is it that time already?

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Right, so what happens was the England players went over the the hoardings, the advertising hoardings, got over there, and they were in my yeah, three or four feet away from the fans, and everyone's having a great time. And Hendo had picked up a yellow card earlier on for being Jordan Henderson. Uh, I think somebody gave him peas with his um chips instead of beans. They come over and he completely misses it or slips. And you know, when you just land and you and your arm, your hand goes back, and you go, oh. And then straight away from there, Dan Burns covering him and saying and telling the press to pretty much do one. And then the first interview is with the BBC with Harry Kane. Let me play this.

SPEAKER_00 18:04

It was uh a crazy game. We had we had to fight, we had to find something. Um yeah, I've just been sitting in there, I can't really talk, but um the occasion, the team, everything against us. It was one of those days there the ref games were all against us. In the end it doesn't matter, so um well, just look at him here. Incredible, unbelievable support, so brilliant, amazing.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

I think he's done that just so you can't do an impression of him, mate, because you do a pretty good impression.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

No, no, yeah, you're overthree, yeah, obviously. Well, it's the drinking game, isn't it? So um that you always send out uh Harry Kane before. It's always great to play with any um media trained footballer who's had the one media trainer. It's a shot for any time they say, obviously. Uh it's either yeah, no. So you ask a question, like, so it's a tough game against Norway tonight. We're through to the next round. Uh, yeah, no, obviously. Every time. Every time, every time. So you went to go see your grandma at the weekend and you bought her a cake. Uh yeah, no. Uh, obviously. Um but it's a it's a great game to play. Yeah, amazing. It's like you you could do it with me, but it'd be uh uh uh now I've got to sit in there for three hours and edit your uh uh uh it's out of it. I can't be arse. I need to go back to bed for an hour before I pick the kids up last three. Right, we'll come back then after the Norway game or maybe get one in beforehand, but it's a nice little five, six days off in between. There'll be a few knocks, there'll be a few sore legs today and tomorrow. They gave everything and um very, very proud of the lads. I couldn't knock any of them today. I thought elite manager, I thought everybody on the pitch uh was absolutely fantastic, and it was just it was one of the things for Kwanzaa. So, you know, I saw the ratings this morning and the eights and nines and nine point fives, and uh Kwanzaa got himself a 4.5 by one newspaper, and you're going, I mean it's an accident, mate. Things happen, and that's why you've got the elite manager in old Tommy Tuchel going, right, okay, sorry Saka, you're coming off. Johnny Stones is coming on, and uh, we're defending for our lives. Dampen, get changed.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Honestly, absolutely brilliant. Everything you've said, I completely agree with. Can't wait for Saturday, 10 pm Saturday. We will do another episode before that, where we obviously there's going to be a lot of fallout from this game. Uh, there's gonna be a lot of build-up for this huge match against Norway, so we'll definitely do another episode before Saturday.