The Mostly Football Show
Four mates from Down Under dive into the world of American Football and beyond. KG Butler, Matt Wiggins, Adam Rowey, and Pete Thompson bring their uniquely Australian perspective to NFL coverage, plus plenty of chat about NRL, AFL, hockey, baseball, soccer, and whatever else catches their eye. Born from casual catch-ups about gridiron, this show delivers fun, informative discussions perfect for Southern Hemisphere sports fans who can't get enough of American Football. Equal parts analysis and banter – because the best sports talk happens between friends.
The Mostly Football Show
UFL shenanigans
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This week the original Dallas Renegade KG returns and updates us on his chicken watching. The UFL season has begun and has been massively underwhelming and we start tracking who is in the shirt buying seat. Baseball season is underway though the Giants are yet to believe that. We also discuss latest thoughts on Baltimore from the anonymous owners
This is The Mostly Football Show, a uniquely Australian take on the NFL and all things in the world of sport.
SPEAKER_04Over to you, Pete. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Welcome to episode 22 of the Mostly Football Show. This week I'm joined by the original Dallas Renegade, KG, and the only Birmingham Stallion, Matt. Good evening, boys. How are you doing?
SPEAKER_02Very good. Very good. It's good to be here hanging out. Glad to see your faces.
SPEAKER_01Good to have you back, mate. We've missed ya.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. We have, of course. You know, we just don't get on when you're not here. That's what it is. Well, I I don't believe that.
SPEAKER_02When I listen, it look it sounds like uh you don't need me, so but I thought so you don't forget me, I'll come hang out every once in a while. So glad to see you.
SPEAKER_01It's great to have you back, mate. Tell us what you've been up to while you've been away. It's been weeks. I know you went to see the chickens play the rabbits.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that was a good game. Um so for those who are used to NFL, I was uh in the NRL state, and yeah, I'm a Roosters fan. Uh I've been I guess made to be a Roosters fan, but I'm enjoying it. Um it is kind of like being a Cowboys fan, you know, not quite there, you know. So um so far, um the same as I would expect, which is win one lose one, win one lose one. Uh, but you know, it's a good good start to the season. The the the the bunnies game was good. Um the most recent game with uh DCE returning to Manly was even better because when we win, it's always better. And the fact that he won uh shout out to Roe Ground on that one. Yes, I know, I know. I've got a another mate who's a Manly supporter, and it was we wouldn't talk to each other for two days, and that was true. He didn't want to talk. I was like, okay, I'll leave it alone. But uh yeah, that's what I've been doing, just kind of um and doing a little bit of um research on um you know the Dallas renegades and all those things. So yeah, yeah, just um trying to catch up on sport because without uh NFL it's been tough. But uh I'm learning, I'm getting there.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, just need to find a baseball team. That's all you need. I know, I know it covers you all across. But uh you've you've touched on it there. UFL has started. The UFL is underway uh with victories for the Dallas Renegades. I know for the Birmingham Stallions. Did anyone watch a game?
SPEAKER_01I did. I did watch the Birmingham Stallions game, and I have to say it wasn't very pretty. Um there were lots of passes dropped, um, passes thrown at wide receivers, knees and ankles. Um yeah, it was it wasn't pretty at all. It was the game's pretty low scoring up until I think the last few minutes actually. Um, and Birmingham did finally get over the top to to get a week one victory, but um, yeah, it was ugly um and certainly uh not the standard that I would have hoped for. Ian Wheeler former Bear played for the um opposition. Um and um I saw him fumble in the end zone. So um if he hadn't have fumbled that ball away, he was playing with the Kings. I think the Kings would have won the game, but he he fumbled in the end zone and the uh at the end of the first half uh it was the last but one play, I think. And the and the Stallions recovered the ball and um kept every it was about I think the score was nine-eight or something silly, nine-seven, something like that. Or almost final score, yeah. But it was nine-eight into the you know into the fourth quarter. So uh yeah, so good good to get the win one and oh. Um, but uh yeah, let's hope there's room for improvement there.
SPEAKER_04And the Dallas Renegades, the most dominant team in week one with a 5 36-17 win over the Houston Gamblers.
SPEAKER_02Well, I don't know if it's because the Gamblers are bad or the Renegades are good. I don't know yet, so it's too early to judge. But um and I watched um the I guess highlights. It was like a 22 or 25 minute version of it. So I probably saw a little bit better action than you did, Matt, because for me it was mostly uh the big plays and you know where they were making progress. So I'll have to watch a full game to see if I get the same experience, but they looked strong, they they looked like they were uh it was big plays, so it reminded me of um my Dallas Cowboys uh leaky defense because pretty much any um you know uh slant was going to be straight through for a touchdown, which you know you don't want to see. You want to see uh kind of a um defensive uh hold here and there, and I'm sure there was, but in the highlights it looked like wow, they're leaky defenses, but uh that's okay. It was uh a good game to watch. Especially when you win.
SPEAKER_04Very good. And the St. Louis Battlehawks came through beating the defending champions, beating the defending champions in an absolutely awful game over American football. Um was fascinated to see the first ever four-point field goal. Ooh, yes, that's like 60 yards to get four four points.
SPEAKER_02Oh wow.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, and I I don't think that's that's too bad. So that was the first uh ever four-point field goal. Uh notably uh St. Louis Battlehawk seem to have invested a lot on defense uh because their offense was shite, but the defence had seven sacks. So uh we'll see how good the Dallas Renegades are on Wednesday morning airtime, uh Gary, because uh they will face off against the St. Louis.
SPEAKER_02This will be the high-scoring offense against the Steel defense. This is good.
SPEAKER_04Yes, so so I'm gonna try and test Matt's memory. I know that McKund uh was a Columbus aviator. Um we also sucked a Gordy into the bet, but his team has uh uh gone from my mind.
SPEAKER_01Slipped your old man's mind. Um I believe he went with it was either the gamblers or the defenders. It definitely wasn't the Orlando Storm.
SPEAKER_04Then either way, um right now one of those two is in the shirt buying seat.
SPEAKER_01That's uh that's a way that we're getting I think it was the gamblers, but I would need to go back and listen to um to the previous one.
SPEAKER_04I think you're very right. And I think having watched the the Battlehawks, um the the gap between NFL and UFL is uh rather enormous. I can't even see aged players from the NFL wanting to play in there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I sorry Peter, I stand correct. It was the Kings because my team beat his team in first in the first. By the way. So we were we did swap a text message or two. Um but uh the uh about it, yes, just to say, are you watching this rubbish or should or are you watching the blue jays game? And we both turned over to the blue jays game, so um, yes, uh apologies, Gordy. Your team is the uh is the Kings.
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_01Who were very close to a shirt buying position, as you say, Peter.
SPEAKER_04Definitely in one of the shirt buying positions. We'll have to work out if we have the same number of games uh lost at the end, whether it's a double situation or we'll go on point scored or something like that. Anyway, that's uh that's a UFL. Week two is on the way. I say the renegades will take on the Battlehawks. So looking forward to that. Uh I think Birmingham are um Birmingham are up against the Hookers. Oh, they beat the Houston Gamblers, didn't they?
SPEAKER_01Birmingham are playing the Gamblers this week, Monday, the 6th of April. Um, so uh that's our week two opposition. I would imagine that game is in Alabama.
SPEAKER_04Very good. Very good. So let's uh let's move away from the the secondary American Football League to the actual NFL match. What's the latest news?
SPEAKER_01The latest news is um JSN signed a monster four-year contract extension with the Seahawks, 168.6 million. So Super Bowl champs have wrapped up their WR1 for uh the foreseeable future. And um Mystic Matt's Kirk Cousins to the Raiders uh prediction actually turned out to um to um materialise. So Kirk Cousins has signed a very interesting one-year 20 million um guaranteed contract with the Raiders. Now, what that contract actually looks like is he'll get 10 million in his first year and 10 million after the end of his first year as he heads into free agency. Only 1.3 million of that 10 is um uh salary, um, which will be paid by the Raiders, and the Falcons are on the hook for the balance of that um contract, so 8.7 million. Um, also built into the contract is a further two-year $80 million option should the Raiders want to keep him around after um this one year. So um Raiders will pay him 1.3, Falcons are paying 8.7, 10 million gets deferred until the end of the season, and then he can sit down and talk to the Raiders about a two-year option. Now, I dug a little bit deeper into all of the money that uh Kirk Cousins has earned. He's the third highest earning player in NFL history. Um he's signed contracts, or sorry, he's earned $321.5 million. Um, and he's the only quarterback in the top five highest earning quarterbacks who know who've never won a Super Bowl. So um that's a little bit of news around um around uh signings and extensions.
SPEAKER_04KG, what are you feeling about that? Yeah, yes, we're not like that. Yeah, yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02How does he do it? I mean, look, he's a nice guy, but wow, that's that's that's amazing numbers. I mean, I knew his contract with the um with Minnesota was huge, but the fact that um he's still able to earn so much money, so much guaranteed money, is uh yeah, it's it's phenomenal. So yeah, good on him. But um let's see what happens after this year, because I I suspect that that two-year option I don't know if anybody's gonna take him up on it because it's a lot of money for someone who is hot and cold, because when Kurt is good, he is really good, but um when he goes cold it's ice cold, so it's a tough one.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, look, I I I know the Packers were looking at him as uh kind of backup to Jordan Love, and he was incredibly resistant to that. Um probably no wonder they were looking at it if he was only gonna cost 1.3 million in salary for this year. I think it's an outstanding piece of work by the Raiders. Undoubtedly they they they drafted uh the number one quarterback. And having him sit behind Kirk Cousins for a year or even two is not a bad thing at all. I mean, as long as he doesn't give him his Roy Rogers habit of uh you know drinking that after every game, then it he should be alright. But yeah, I think quietly, very quietly, and Rowie, I'm not gonna say this uh too often, I think the Raiders have done a a very good deal in in the in this uh post-pre-season, if you like.
SPEAKER_01You wouldn't it'd be hard to Pete and Kerry. I I think it'd be hard to actually go through the league and think of a better active mentor to you know the guy who's going to be the number one draft pick this season. So, you know, whether or not they throw Mendoza in and Cousins is his backup, whether you know Cousins plays the first six or eight games of the season, then Mendoza comes in. But I think you know, we we saw in that documentary, he is a gold star professional. You know, the the the with the grace and class with which he took the news about Michael Penix taking his job. I I can't imagine, you know, with the egos of pro sportsmen, there'd be too many people going around these days, you know, who would have taken the stance that he did, which is the team comes first, I'm here for you. You know, the first person that called Michael Penix to congratulate him was Kirk Cousins. So I I think he's a he's a real stand-up individual. And as you say, Pete, I think this is a you know genius move by the Raiders. You know, it's costing them 1.3 million if they keep him around for a year. Mendoza gets a year of you know tutelage and um um development under somebody who's shown enormous amounts of longevity. And as we said, Kerry, last season he won his last four games when he was thrown back in into the starting role. So the guy's still got game. Um, and I think you know this is brilliant, and I think Fernando Mendoza will be all the better as a as a young quarterback as a result of this.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. Uh and I'm struggling to find anyone who's had a better uh postseason than the Raiders right now in terms of uh deals. Uh I know Max Crosby coming back was not their intentions, but uh it's happened and I think they're a much stronger team for it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, interesting. Um, just some other news around um it's less to do with good news. Um Puka Nakua has voluntarily checked himself into a facility um to get some help. Um it's not substance, well, it doesn't appear on the face of things to be substance abuse uh related. Well, he um he's been in some hot water. So allegedly on New Year's Eve last year, he um two very major transgressions. He allegedly bit two females um at group dinner um and then went on more famously to um have been um uh recorded um making a number of anti-Semitic um um uh comments. Um he also got into a bit of hot water about bringing some, I don't know if they were TikTok or YouTube streamers into um uh Rams either practice or it was a game. Um it was it contravened league and team rulings, but he snuck the guys in um irrespective and then um very um uh was very open in his criticism of officials, um, specifically saying that there were some officials in the league who called fake penalties just to get on TV. Um so yeah, he's not been um you know, he's not been that sort of gold star pro that we we've just been talking about in respect of Kirk Cousins, but he has taken the brave step of checking himself into a facility to get help on you know his personal state of mind. Um I think the the article I read talked about you know um guidance on um professionalism, etc. etc. So that that's going to be an interesting one to watch.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, wow. That's uh uh and look, let's hope he gets the help he needs, but it feels like that we won't be seeing him here in Australia in in week three or four of the season or whenever it is the Rams come over. And and that's a big loss if he can't make the start of the season for the Rams because he was their standout wide receiver at the back end of last year.
SPEAKER_01In some other bombshell uh news, uh I know I say this frequently, but another outstanding article in the athletic. Um this week um they have split the league in two, and under the veil of anonymity, have reached out to um uh front office executives around the league. Um, so uh the early part of the week they focused on the AFC. We're waiting for the article on the NFC to come out, but clearly um the Baltimore Ravens have have come up again extensively in um in this article. Um, most notably um the fact that many, many league insiders continue to suspect Baltimore acted in bad faith with um Max Crosby. Now, specifically, they believe that um that quote was I would not have put it past them to agree to this trade and then purposely slow play the physical. Um, so the Ravens and the Raiders agreed to trade on the Friday before free agency. Crosby underwent his physical exam with Baltimore on the Tuesday. That was one day before free agency officially opens, but after the Raiders and the other teams had reached significant agreements with a number of players during the you know the now legal tampering um period. One front office exec from another team said, if you really wanted the guy, you'd have got him in there for his physical as soon as was earthly possible. Another exec went on to say you'd pull your doctors off whatever they were doing. It's just that easy. It was so advantageous for the Ravens to slow play the physical and keep their options over open. This is why this narrative continues to circulate. So um, yeah, not good, um, not good, not good feedback and not good narrative circulating around the league still, um uh around the Baltimores and Baltimore Ravens and Max Crosby.
SPEAKER_04That's well that that I'm uh I'm not surprised, uh but when you hear owners, you know, uh anonymity gives you everything, right? You can say whatever you like, but yeah, um you hear the owners coming out and openly criticizing other clubs uh and not even in terms of a rivalry, right? This is just what the hell were you doing type stuff, right? You know that that's damning enough, right? I think I think Kerry, what are your thoughts?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's just uh it's interesting to me because uh if people are saying you wouldn't put it past them, it it it just means that you know they suspect that um this is how they do things. And that's what's interesting because I I um you know it's one thing to say, hey, it it sounds like it went wrong, but it sounds like um people are uh you know feeling like this is just how they do things and they were keeping their options open on purpose, which you know I think it does um, you know, just it's put it puts a bad taste in your mouth, especially if you're um not um if you if you if you were thinking about the Ravens as the good guys, no longer, right? At least from what we hear in this article.
SPEAKER_01One other um topic, Pete, that we just did cover a few episodes ago that is probably worth mentioning. Uh the Buffalo Bills were uh frequently referenced in uh in this article as well, most notably around their trade for DJ Moore. Umerous executives said everyone around the league knew DJ Moore was going to get cut, and the Bills ended up sending a second round pick to the Bears to get him, um, along with 40 million in guarantees. What on earth were they thinking? So um that's a very interesting one as well. You know, when we talked about it, I lamented the fact that I thought, you know, DJ was a big loss, but there was um talk circulating in the Chicago press that they were gonna have to cut him loose or do something um to create cap space. But for NFL execs to say, under the veil of anonymity, that it was widely known that DJ was just going to get cut, um, that's an interesting one. That takes that one up to another level as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it makes you think what was their office thinking, right?
SPEAKER_04Well, I mean we could uh get in with our our friendly neighbourhood Buffalo fan and and ask him the question. Absolutely. I mean it could just smell of of of literally that you know, if if we want him and they cut him loose, then he has the power to go anywhere he wants to. So so you can yeah you can say it might be a bad deal, give him a second round and what whatever. But if they really want DJ more um then that that's the only way they Definitely going to secure him, right?
SPEAKER_01And I think that you know we talked a lot about the the GM being under pressure to show Josh Allen that you know they were going to invest in wide receivers. So that you know that's a very fair point and it brings some more balance to this. But um, yeah, very interesting. It's a great article. I I don't, you know, if any of our listeners have got um a subscription to the athletic, it's very well worth a read. There's some some super interesting narrative, and um uh there's a little bit of a section on all the teams, but the um the sort of flagship news for me was the Baltimore Ravens and specifically the Bills around DJ Moore.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. So, Chris, if you're listening, uh send us something with your thoughts. We'd be uh we'd be very interested. So um look, I I I also think they're they're trying to appease Josh Allen a little bit, right? So uh rather than uh go to the draft and get a rookie wide receiver from the pile and uh let's face it, it's not actually uh a standout group coming through the college system this year. I I think it helps appease him that they've got someone who's tried, tested. And and I'll say it again, he's clutch. Uh the Bears getting rid of him. I I know it creates salary cap and all that, but your clutch moments bar one, DJ more. Yeah, yeah, absolutely DJ more.
SPEAKER_01There is no around you, you know, the regression in his numbers over the last couple of years, you know, the fact that he's in his age 29 season, um, him being a non-traditional in the eyes of NFL execs, a non-uh traditional receiver who didn't fit the you know the the the the mould and the game that um Ben Johnson and and Caleb uh he Ben Johnson was building for Caleb in Chicago. So yeah, there's a little bit of uh a little bit of additional narrative there, but but super interesting stuff. Um Peter, before we move on from the NFL, I do I do I'm gonna get out in front of this before you tease me about it. There is some more news today about the bears maybe closer.
SPEAKER_04Um Gary Bears, are we? Is that what you're saying?
SPEAKER_01We are we are well it would appear we're we're there's there's lots of talk and not a lot of movement. So today's update is that um, and this will make you smile, but I I I'll uh I'll warn you not to get too excited too quickly. Um, Indiana has passed legislation to create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, um, and that will give power um for them for that group to acquire and finance land for the stadium. However, the site in Hammond, which has been earmarked for the new stadium, still needs to be vetted um on a number of levels. Number one to infrastructure uh to assess infrastructure needs, um, the second one is environmental issues, and then the third one is more financial, they want to just deep dive into build-out potential. So that's the Northwest Indiana um Hammond site side of things. On the flip side, uh the Arlington Heights side, the Bears bought 326 acres of land there in 2023. Um, it feels like that's still the favourite, and obviously, given the backlash in the Chicago um land area about the bears potentially moving to another state, um, that's understandable. However, um the bears are still seeking assurance um from the state of Illinois of infrastructure aid um to support the building of that um stadium, and that is believed to be um in excess of 800 million US dollars. Um, they also need to have a passage of a state of Illinois mega project bill. Um, and this uh mega project bill provides uh the bears and moreover the state of Illinois um property tax certainty over the uh first part of the life span of that stadium. So they're the two sides of of the um of the site. What's made things even more interesting is Roger Goodell came out this week and has put extra pressure on um specifically stating that Soldier Field has been left behind in terms of technology, advancements, and fan experience. His um his exact words were Soldier Field is far from the top of the list in both of these categories. And he went on to say the bears need to find a resolution soon. So um interesting stuff.
SPEAKER_04And let's hope you're not uh relying on any federal money because uh the current president is well known for his love of Chicago and the area around there.
SPEAKER_01So yes, it's all uh all state of Illinois stuff. Just on land and stadiums in Chicago, the um Chicago fire are building a new stadium by uh they've broken ground, I think, two weeks ago. That's on the shoreline of the Chicago River, so about half a mile inland from the lake. Um, the White Sox are reportedly getting close on acquiring a massive block of Amtrak-owned land directly opposite the land that the Chicago Fire owning. So we're talking very much in a south, almost in a straight line in land from where Soldier Field sits, you know, very much downtown Chicago. So if the White Sox are eyeing up this land, the Chicago Fire have gotten state support to build a soccer stadium there, it just makes you wonder what has gone on in the past. I know there's been an awful lot of angst around, you know, um, the state of Illinois and Soldier Field and the Bears being tenants there, but it it smacks to me of you know this being less than simple for a myriad of historical reasons. So um that's all going on in parallel to the bears trying to decide whether they're going to be the Hammond Bears or they're going to be the Arlington Heights Bears in the next uh five to ten years.
SPEAKER_04We won't be ever known as the Gary Bears on this podcast.
SPEAKER_01So it's done. Kerry, thank God for black for talking with this thing. It really is becoming tiring. Very good.
SPEAKER_04Well, look, before we do move on from the NFL, let's uh let's bring it back to our feature of our favourite number 22s uh for each of our teams. I am going to throw to Kerry first because his favorite number 22 should also be the number 22 from the entire NFL. Uh Kerry.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean it is uh natural, right? If you know um uh the Cowboys and if you know their winning times, you know Emmett Smith. So uh he is the 22 that I would say. And look, I uh I I don't know uh of anyone else who could wear the number 22 better, uh if I if I have to say, although when I was doing the research I saw that Bob Hayes uh uh was the other Dallas person who had 22. So actually there's a a lineage of of uh good number 22s in Dallas, but um mine for sure is uh ESM.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and and cool 20. Well uh it's slim pickings when it comes to the Packers for notable uh number 22s. Probably the one that I would uh remember the most as a nice cornerback, but very inconsistent is Josh Jackson. Um who played 2018 to 2021. You can go back to the 80s where Mark Lee uh featured at number 22. Again, he was a reliable, very reliable cornerback um back in the day, but uh the Packers weren't that good back in the day. So I would say Josh Jackson is probably um the current one that I would have seen play. I probably could go back to the 60s, but uh that would be um giving away my age, but also uh lying because I wouldn't be watching America back then. It it is quite stark when it comes to the number 22. So I'm very envious of uh Kerry's 21s and 22s with Deion Sanders and Ambert Smith. There's uh lack of research that uh needs to be done just uh to cover that off. From a uh a Chicago Bears uh standpoint, then Max?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we're we're quite the opposite. Embarrassment of Richard's two very notable standouts. The the the first one is um it has a sad story. Both both of these players are on the 100 greatest bears list of of all time. So at number 47, Dave Dewison, who was the safety for the Bears in the Super Bowl winning team, um he uh he wore number 22. Um very, very sadly, um Dave Dewison died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest um when he was aged 50 in um February 2011. Um following um research and a post-mortem, um, it was found that he'd got chronic CTE and he'd obviously been struggling with um mental health issues for a long time. So, very much a tip of the hat to Dave Dewison. He was a very, very formidable safety. Um, played alongside Gary Fenc in um in the Super Bowl um All Conqueror in 1985 team. My number one choice, however, is um number 34, ironically, in the Bears 100 greatest list. It's Matt Forte. Um Matt Forte um actually holds the second most rushing yards in uh Bears history. Wow. Um, you will know who to. Um he rushed for 9,796 career yards. He was a silky, smooth, um, high knee lift running back who also caught an enormous amount of passes out of the backfield, two-time pro bowler, drafted out of Tulane in 2008, a second round, pick 44th overall. Um, he was voted to professional football's 2010 all decade team. Um, so um yeah, Matt Forte uh he was the nearest thing we ever got to the great man himself, Walter Payton. Uh Matt Forte is my favourite ever bear wearing number 22.
SPEAKER_04He appears in the the famous number NFL, number 22s in the MFL. He appears third on the list. So obviously Aaron Smith is top. Um second is Paul Krauss, uh Minnesota Vikings, has the NFL record of 81 career interceptions. 81 interceptions.
SPEAKER_02Wow, I don't know him. 81 interceptions.
SPEAKER_04That's amazing. You wouldn't because he's a Viking. So you know we don't. Yeah, that would be eliminated.
SPEAKER_02I just don't hear it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Yes. And just like we should carry number six on the list, or number five on the list, is Dwayne Thomas, another famous Dallas cowboy. Um I think that's uh wrapping up the NFL. Yep. A lot of facts there we didn't know, a lot of uh insight into how people see Baltimore and obviously uh a few other things that hopefully you guys didn't know as well. Let's move on to uh maybe uh one of the saddest stories of the week, if you're Italian. For the third World Cup in a row, the Italians have failed to qualify. Boy oh boy is there whinging going on. Oh my word. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, that's a shocker, isn't it? No nobody's on the espresso machine and the Italian football team.
SPEAKER_04Okay, well I was gonna say after after the world baseball classic and the Italians lining up, beating the US and and uh a few others and getting through to the semi-finals with their celebrations, big hitting, and general merriment. Um yes, it's all come down to earth for the Azuri again. Again. So um I should ask Kerry what's his thoughts um as the non-football supporter, but uh you go online with the whinging about how countries like Iraq, uh Kurakao uh can be in a World Cup and Italy can't be, is is uh at its highest level.
SPEAKER_02So you'd have to be whinging, right? Because you know that they have great uh history of um players and great players uh in general, uh but they can't pull it together for you know uh uh when when you need to do it for your country. And that that makes it tough, right? Because you think uh you know um you know you you you expect more and I I would winch and I I I get it, but um yeah, I I I can I can be sad for them, but um I don't get it, so they're on their own.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, well exactly. I can't be sad for them. They should have done better, they didn't. They they are the wrexum of international football. When it doesn't go their way, they whinge like hell. So anyway, that's uh that's another beef off my back. Matt, what's your thoughts on not having some of the the best players in the world again at the World Cup because Italy can't?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, look, um I mean I think if you if you had a look at that Italian team, to me, Tonali is the standout player. I don't think there is you know, they're still a formidable opponent, and I certainly am not at all upset from an England supporter standpoint to see them not qualify. But I don't think they're you know they're the powerhouse they were in you know in the years that we were younger men, Pete, and we can remember those great Italian teams, and we've seen them win how many World Cups now? Three, I think. Um they'd be up there with Germany as the the the winningest European team in World Cup history. I I would have thought. Um, yeah, look, I I think um on the one hand, um, they probably have some justification to have a little bit of a moan about um the qualification process, but you know, this is I don't know how many teams we've got in the World Cup this year. 32 is it? 48. I mean it's ridiculous, and um it doesn't, you know, yes, New Zealand and you know tiny other, you know, insignificant nations have qualified, but the vast you know, the highest number of of uh of teams come from Europe.
SPEAKER_04That's just so this is the opinion of Matt that New Zealand is a target nation.
SPEAKER_01Well, I'm just going through the world rankings as well. So um um, but yeah, look, I I I think um it's gonna be an interesting World Cup. I mean, I hope I hope when all said and done, it you know, it does come down, you know, people talk about this World Cup for football.
SPEAKER_03Um they're not gonna be talking about it for football.
SPEAKER_01There's some there's some more for I mean price hikes and you know the cost of parking. Um I I just you know So here we go.
SPEAKER_04Here's a question for you guys then. Just uh just a guessing game. The bid that Canada, the USA, and Mexico put together had the category one seats at the World Cup final priced at $1,550. What do you think the actual price is?
SPEAKER_01I bet they're going for 20 times that amount at the moment.
SPEAKER_04Not quite. Gary, you want to have a guess? Yeah you're both uh are gonna be welcome to FIFA in open arms for that amount of greed, gentlemen. Um, but it's 10,500 and something for a category one C. So it's 10 times almost what they uh originally said. Um and I think obviously there are still gonna be major concerns around uh people being able to get there, when they do get there, what it's gonna be like, and and just the general awfulness of uh everything that's going on in the world right now. So yeah, it's gonna be an interesting tournament to come June, July time. I do just hope that we are at the end of it talking about the football and and nothing else. I think that's my my wish for that.
SPEAKER_01Peter, I know you um I I know you and I talked about England's chances, but I had a look at the um the bracket, if you like, and I don't know if you're aware of how hard England's journey to the finals would be. So I think if they win the group and they get through what this nonsensical round of 32 or whatever it is is, they would then have to go to Mexico City in all likelihood to play Mexico, and then if they win that game, I believe they would face Brazil, and then if they win that game, um, I think they come up against another powerhouse. Um so um I think it's gonna be a very hard journey, and but and judging by the way they performed in their last two games, I mean that performance against Japan was almost as bad as the performance against Uruguay, but the excuse that Tuca would have given us for the Uruguay game is he picked all of his fringe players, but he didn't in the Japan game, he picked pretty much everybody except for Harry Kane, and they were all look I I'm I'm gonna put my neck on the line um because I I want to do that.
SPEAKER_04We're gonna win the bloody World Cup.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Well, I think we're gonna win the bloody world. Writing it down. Yeah, it's not that not even the first, not even the first of April before 12 o'clock. Right.
SPEAKER_04So so I I've I've said that for the last two World Cups and we've we've semi-finaled and quarterfinal to this is probably the best chance we're ever gonna have. Um so because I'm gonna go to the city.
SPEAKER_02I think it's the best chance, just the best it is. Oh, okay. So you think it's the best team you've put together?
SPEAKER_04I think it's our best chance because uh I think we've got uh uh a manager right now who's not afraid to make tough decisions and not going to be led by what the press says. Uh again, that's my opinion. We could get to the World Cup and find he's still playing bloody uh uh Jordan Henderson and a few others, right? But but he has stuck to his word, he's playing players who are in form and he's dropped our best players, or our our perception of best players are to play the players in form in qualification. Now I think if you if you go look back at all the friendlies we played, we've been pretty shit in most of them. Um but I think when it comes to this World Cup, I think this manager will make tough decisions if he needs to. And I I'll I'll in for it apart from the fact he's German, um, you know, which is which is always gonna be troublesome. But then our other best manager was Swedish.
SPEAKER_01So I think we've learned something, Pete, in the last week or so, um, and it may have been so obvious that we've just been ignoring it, but you know, I I think if you were to put a gun to the head of most England supporters, a large majority, if asked who's our best player, would say Jude Billingham. Now we've seen England play over the last 12 months, and he's picked Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers at number 10 and on form, and Morgan Rogers has really emerged as a spectacularly good player. And you know, really now it's a coin flip, I would imagine, amongst the press and most England supporters as to who should start in the number 10. What we have ignored is the fact that if Harry Kane doesn't play, we are bloody useless up front.
SPEAKER_04So we don't have anything.
SPEAKER_01Harry Kane is a legend, he's the record goalscorer for England. I think we've taken him for granted. But with the drop-off after Harry Kane, if if he goes down, England's hopes disappear. In the past, you would have said if Duke Bellingham went down, England's hopes disappear. But I don't think that's the case now because Tuchel has been brave and he's picked other players on form and they've stepped up. And you know, that drop-off between our true world-class players, and I would say we've probably, you know, arguably Saka, definitely Deccam Rice, definitely Bellingham, definitely Kane. There are four standout world-class players, I would say. Um and Jordan Pickford, maybe, but you can't, you know, talk about faces you want to punch people. Anyway, um what's going on? You are playing. What's he ever done the over there? What's he ever done the over there? Um I can't stand him. Anyway, um, you know, we've got four or five world-class players if you look at it like that. So we should be we you know, we should be challenging. I just feel that our hopes are very much dependent on Harry Kane um being fit. And, you know, obviously he's getting on a little bit. I can't how how old is he, Pete? 32, 33. I mean he's still having a spectacular season. He's playing the Bundesliga. Germany um he is you know he is really, really world class. So I think that's been interesting for us to um be reminded of this week. But it took having said all of that, Pete, he does pick some really weird teams at times. So, you know, we've got to trust him. I I agree I'd rather have him as head coach than Southgate. I think Southgate really squandered enormous opportunities for us to succeed in tournaments. You know, the fact that we've gotten so close, and then we, you know, we shat the bed in finals in the last two major tournaments, finals, semi-finals, that wasn't down to the players, that was down to the way you wanted the players to play. Instead of going for the juggler and killing teams off, we sat back and we were passive, and we're not, you know, we can't look after the game in the way that South American teams can, and the really elite European teams. So, you know, I think Pete, I could counter your argument, which is a very strong one with this is the best chance we'll ever have of winning the World Cup. With I think we've had the best chances we've had with winning the World Cup. The difference is we've got a coach, I think, who will be bold and go for it, whereas before we had one who was passive, and his priority was not losing before it was winning. Um, and I think that's really important.
SPEAKER_04I can't disagree with that, but Kerry, you're obviously gonna have to be playing referee between myself and Matt when uh when England are playing, and uh Jordan Pickford is outstanding, and Matt just uh wants to have someone like Robert Green. Yeah, I want him to be at Pete, I want him to be outstanding for the game.
SPEAKER_01I can I can even cheer Jude Bellingham on into blue nose when he's playing for England. I can. Um we should talk about another coach in appointment, Peter. We should. Oh sorry, I we should talk about another coach who's been appointed.
SPEAKER_04Oh De Zerby has got the talk. He has. Um the reason I'm hesitant to talk uh uh about him, um, and I'm gonna be quite forthright on this. He said one of the first things he'll do is bring Mason Greenwood back to the Premier League, and that person, and I'm being very polite, has no business being in the Premier League or any football league. So I my kind of disturbing is he can pack his bags and right off. There you go.
SPEAKER_01He's had an enormous amount of heat from Tottenham Hotspur and Premier League support. Rightly. He has he did a press uh presser this morning and he's backed up a lot of he's clearly Tottenham have told him to go into damage control. So this morning there was a press where he talked about his daughter and you know the importance of you know um and he he has come out today and said he regrets the stance that he took on Mason Greenwood. So that's either when we thought the Tottenham Photosburgership couldn't think any deeper. The drama.
SPEAKER_04You can only hope it's like you can only hope that yeah, yeah. Well, unfortunately, you're not you're not far wrong. I don't want to go into details on here about Mason Greenwood uh Carries, but uh if you look it up, it's not pleasant. It is very much not pleasant, uh, and the excuses that they use for him now are just unacceptable. Having seen how Major League Baseball uh dealt with Trevor Bauer, um so so uh you know there's a leaf out of uh their book that they can take in these uh situations, even though both I have to be very clear, even though both have not been uh found guilty of any misdemeanours or anything. So um but the the way MLB dealt with it versus the way football has dealt with it, uh two separate things. Take a deep breath. Oh, he's he stirred me up on the stirred. He stirred me up so I see sweat layer brown. Allow me to stir Matt up. MLB, the major league baseball, has kicked off uh in a very weird way uh with a Netflix game on a Thursday night that was just goes to show if you don't do sports, please don't do sports. Absolutely atrocious coverage of the Yankees. Giants game.
SPEAKER_02Was it? Oh no.
SPEAKER_04Oh yeah. And even though the the the Giants got handed their backsides uh in the first three games by by um the Yankees, it turns on that's not a bad outcome given the Yankees through the next four games. However, bottom of the National League Central on three and three are the Cubbies. Matt, what's your feeling about that?
SPEAKER_01But there are two other teams three and three, and there are only two games from the Brewers. Yeah, I've watched I've watched most um I'm trying to think. I've watched three games live and three games on highlights, and they're very gentlemen hide. We're awful one game, and then the bats are on fire the next game, and then we can't score a run the following game. Look, it's early days. Um, I'm not getting too worried about it. What what I've taken from watching the Cubbies games, Ecade Horton pitched a beautiful game, Edward Cabrera pitched a beautiful game. Inhap his bat is on fire. But the big news for the for Cubbies fans is PCA signed a six-year extension, 115, and Nico Horner signed a $141 million extension over the same six-year term. So I think the Cubs are doing things finally getting down to business. Uh, you know, um scoring runs at Wrigley Field, I saw it was a 21 mile an hour wind the other day, and balls that would be flying out of the stadium and into the rooftops on Waveland were you know, were falling short of the um the warning track. So I'm not getting too worried about things. I did watch a game um the start, I think opening day. The temperature was in the 70s when um uh when the game started, and it was down in the uh low teens uh when the game finished. So um Chicago weather. Um it's just unbelievable. And people shouldn't be playing baseball in Chicago in uh April. You know, we should be on the road playing in the sunshine um and um coming back when it's a little bit warmer and um home runs aren't um ending up as ground balls in in the in the near outfield. Um but uh how are the Giants guaranteed?
SPEAKER_04Three and four, so uh disastrous series against the Yankees to open things up. Uh you know, scored one run, four hits over three games, just awful start at Oracle Park. Uh it's interesting a lot of people uh jumped on the coach, Tony Vitello, because you know it's a big leap from college into Major League Baseball, uh deciding his inexperience and a few other things. Uh I think right now the Yankees are on fire. If you look at their uh ERA across their five pitches, it's something like 0.73 through the first six games, which is just you know next next level. Uh they will falter, they will uh fall over at some point. But uh you know, Aaron Judge has played uh five or six games at uh uh Oracle Park now, and he's home at in five of them. So um you can pretty much guarantee you'll start a run behind if if he's playing. Uh uh Logan Webb has always been a bit of a slow starter, so quite happy with that. More encouraged um that we went to Petco Park and won two out of three because our record at Petco Park has been atrocious and we have um beaten the Mets today, which is also exceptionally good. Uh Robbie Ray, uh again, Robbie Ray and Logan Webb still trying to find their zone. Uh but I do think the ABS has been uh very interesting um over the course of the last uh few days. Um knowing that some people have now been told that you are never challenging anything ever again because they're challenging stuff that was so obviously a strike. Um it's a bit like uh for any Australian fans, there's Steve Smith always referring his LBWs because he's never out LBW except when he is. But it's also you've only got two challenges. And if you challenge and you're wrong, then you lose a challenge. So that becomes quite tricky if you want to give something up in the first inning. So certainly in the the Mets Giants game today, uh an early challenge from the Mets uh certainly favoured the Giants with some close calls later on. So yeah, not too bad. I I have checked out the Rangers as well, Kerry, so don't feel left out. Your team have the best record of all of us with four and two at the moment. Sitting actually in second place behind the play Houston Astros.
SPEAKER_02Astros, two Texas teams, go to the show. Yeah, that's five and two as well.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. And uh yeah, you just can't like the Astros though, so uh Yeah, it's gonna be interesting. Uh and Matt, I'll be interesting in your uh because Matt's uh put his hand in his pocket and bought the MLB subscription, so he gets the opportunity to watch somewhere in the region of 150 something of the 162 games, classic playoff games. Um my highlight is always the commentators because the local commentators are way, way better listening to the crap they put out on Netflix. And that's harsh because Barry Bonds was on there, and you can you can't not like Bar Barry Bonds, and Hunter Pence was there as well, and Hunter Pence is a phenomenal commentator, but the main commentators they had no, they were interviewing a guy, you know, missed they missed two outs because they were interviewing someone in the dugout, and it's it's just oh yeah, that's not good enough, is it?
SPEAKER_01I don't think um anyone's having as tough a start to the season as umpire C B Boker. Um Pete, did you read that he got six out of AC?
SPEAKER_04Uh overturned, but the following day, if you look at the game the following day, he was he was first base umpire and he gave someone out who clearly stood on top of the base. Um he gave them out and it was horrific. Uh uh look, there's you know, there's always been uh umpires like him. Angel Hernandez was a really poor one as well. Um and if you Google or um go on YouTube and look for Angel Hernandez versus Mike uh Trout or uh uh Bryce Harper, you'll see uh some very angry men being given out uh some very bad calls, um, and it is quite entertaining. But we've also had some ejections as well. One coach ejected over uh uh uh ABS call as well, which I just uh for the life of me can't understand why you'd object against something that's been proven to be right. But it's uh you never know, it's all all good fun. All good fun. So I think that's uh for us this week, everybody.
SPEAKER_02So uh I was just saying I'm definitely gonna have to catch up because I have uh just watched a couple of highlights, but um it's it's gonna be a good season, so I'll I'll I'll start to check out a game or two as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Jump on that ranger bandwagon, mate. They play Creed, there's a winner. You've gotta get behind the rangers, mate. And uh they're putting our two teams to shame at the moment. But I have faith. I'm I'm confident that in two weeks, sorry, in four weeks, when I hit the north side, the covers will go on an enormous winning streak and uh will win all eight games that I'm gonna attend. So I've been learning the words to Go Cubs Go, and um very look much looking forward to singing it and recording it to play on the podcast.
SPEAKER_04Um we look forward to uh covering our ears while you do it. Well done. And on that box that Matt will be singing to us in four weeks' time. Uh thank you very much, gents. We will see everybody in a week's time where either KG or I will be happy about our UFL team, and maybe one of us will be in the shirt buying seats. Thanks for your time, everybody. Gary, Matt, thank you very much.
SPEAKER_00That's a wrap on another episode of the Mostly Football Show. Don't forget to subscribe and review or get in touch at Mostly Football25 at gmail.com. See you next week.