It's quite easy to understand what happened to Utd this season. Pre-Season tour was a shambles (travelling here, there and everywhere in the US, rather than West Coast to East to minimise body clock issues). That and the World Cup hang over lead tor the injuries (most clubs have experienced this season with zero rest for international players). Our whole back line has been injured, key midfielders off the boil/injured, forwards completely out of from and out of sync with each other. Players purchased were mostly injured or coming off an injury hit season. We got our pants pulled down on each purchase (except Onana based on his form last season), we didn't sell any of the unwanted players - Maguire, Lindeloff, McTominay, Van der Beek, Martial, plus Sancho, Dalot possibly. The summer was a disaster, a 2nd striker was sorely needed, given the unreliable Martial was that last season, a new central defender was sorely needed given the drop off when one of our first choice CBs were out (let alone both). Neither were purchased. So the injuries come, and guess what we're left with? The unwanted, not good enough players (it's no wonder why Maguire didn't play much last season for example) come in and we look a shadow of the team that was playing post world cup. We're still missing our best player from last season (Martinez), our most effective midfielders too (Casemiro & Eriksen). Look at how City have done without KdB, Stones & Rodri out. How can a highly technical gameplan be implemented with players that cannot play that way? How can patterns, understanding and relationships be built when players are unavailable on a regular basis? EtH is managing with his shoelaces tied as well as his hands tied behind his back. I don't see the value in completely changing the way the team plays to benefit those that aren't good enough and will be out of the team/door when summer comes at the latest let alone when first choices are back fit.
They could all play seven days a week. It’s about being able to play at the optimum level and recover to play at the optimum level again, then again. No need to conflate the issue into something contentious for clicks. But hey, that’s how everyone does it now. For context: In 19 seasons as a pro Al reached 50 games or more in a season only 3 times. Gary also 3 times in 17 seasons. Bruno Fernandez played 70 games in 22/23. And that’s not rare these days. Nobody sh*ts on the pros of today like the pros of yesterday. It’s toxic. Al and Gary did make me think of Coach Beard and a retired Roy Kent “yeah, and you can’t walk upstairs” As Al sits there stapled together all sore in the morning and Gary with his fused joints. Players definitely can play every day. But there’s generally a pay-off. I understand, appreciate and remember the football of Gary and Als day. The playing not 100% fit and having 1 sub. And the result of that was a quality of football so far behind where it is today.
funny hearing Alan reference sports science as a reason why players dont get tired. It's that sceince which measure fatigue and the data leads to managers resting players
So Alan mentioned how much better everything is for players nowadays, then why not listen to the physios who've been saying that players are playing too many games. The game is a lot more athletic now even since Micahs time so players are far more depleted physically and injuries are on the increase like hamstring injuries that have gone up 90% this season.
Players are getting blowed at, & they go down like they've been shot.... I blame var, ruined the game. Bin var imo....... I agree, however with most of what you say......
@@rysie-fire Why does he know more about the fitness of players than current physios when he retired before some of the league's players today were even born?
@@safebans1369 I’m guessing he still knows people in the game I.e physios, coaches etc and it’s also his job as a pundit to know about the modern game so that he can pass comment
I loved this podcast!! I agree with almost everything you guys have said however if you look at the amount of injuries that every team has suffered it is a little crazy to say that you don't buy that the players don't get tired and they should push through.
the game has moved on, everything is high pressing, high intensity and constant running now. will be interesting to see how running stats from gary's and alan's days match up to the modern game. willing to bet that players now run far more than they used to, hence all the injuries and complaints of fatigue (not to mention the ridiculous schedule)
Well isn't that on the managers? They're playing a style football that the players physically aren't able to do in the long run. Even with extra subs they still run out of juice. Maybe the managers needs to look inwards, cause i fear what the players have to do to themselves to keep up.
@basquat76 Yeah lets go back to Big Sam hoofball football and have no pressing and no defenders with any technical quality so that players can play 3 games a week and you can prove a point
The thing with getting rid of VAR is........as soon as a ref makes a bad decision and it obviously can't be overturned as there's no VAR, all those people that wanted rid of VAR will be whining about the poor decision.
@@TheModedEzio Subscribing isn't mandatory but to say 'I don't care' and to watch at the same time is a little too much. Also, channels would quit without subscribers and this podcast wouldn't pop up in your feed
@@tyronevaldez-kruger5313"channels would quit without subscribers", kids channels ? If a channel got around 1.5 million views per video and the channel has 500k subscribers do you think that they would quit ? Do you think Gary, Alan and Micah podcast for subscribers ? "is a little too much" ????? What. Wtf are you typing about, they get money from ad revenue if the fkn channel is monetised. Did you think youtube pay them a certain amount per subscriber rather than something to do with channel views and advertisement ? WHAHAHAHHAHAHHHHH
Honestly the Keep/Scrap VAR thing, Goal line technology is the thing we really wanted after 2010 world cup. That always works perfectly and just tells the ref, did the ball cross the line. From there he can subjectively decide if the goal stands or not with all his context, the purpose of the machine is to say yes or no, did the ball cross the line. If we got that with the ball being out of play and maybe to a lesser extent offside and left the rest up to the refs then I think everyone would enjoy everything a lot more.
With VAR, why not just have the onfield ref ask them to look at the incident if he himself isn't 100% sure? That surely would cut down alot of hanging around
well to be honest with you pal I think that they have to find something to talk about even if its wrong 🤣 listen I suppport liverpool and it aint been perfect in terms of performances of late but we are still top of the table just and thats the best position to be in at this stage aint it really even tho its more important to be there at the end 🤔 I think the performances will improve tho personally so I aint complaining really😁I mean there is a biased nature with pundits tho my friend this is what you have to remember re micah richards he wouldnt say the same thing about m city I doubt but you are correct liverpool have scored the most goals and conceded the joint fewest level with arsenal that is a fact 😁
Hi guys! You three together are pure gold. I don't know if you can help,but I've been trying to remember the referee who would stand over a player he thought was lying on the ground faking his injuries and the ref would make out he was playing a violin 🎻 thanks guys.Vinny Warren.
We should be using the more games at high intensity to promote larger squads with home grown and academy product requirements for match day squads/starting line ups. At least in cup competitions or something.. use it to boost young english players game time to keep the talemt coming through.
so glad you mentioned James McAtee,out of 37 appearances,he scored nine league goals and half a dozen assists for us last year in the championship and of course we were so chuffed he was returning back to Bramall Lane but we couldn't understand why he was a pale shadow of himself whilst Hecky was the manager but it seems based on the two games so far he's come alive now Chris Wilder is back in charge and scoring a magnificent goal will do wonders for his confidence and self belief.COYB
There’s a lot of injuries, but they get paid an absolute fortune. Some of them earn in a week what 99% of people earn in 5-10 YEARS. Some earn in a year what 99% of people earn in their lifetimes, or in 100 years. That being said, it is obviously difficult to justify the damage done to their bodies, and there are too many matches in a calendar year. but no one is forcing them to play an entire career. A lot of players could retire at 28, even 25, and easily have enough for generations. Theres an argument to be made for greed, and if they aren’t going to protest or find a solution and just complain. I struggle to sympathise.
@@MxJJM I would work harder on sympathizing, personally. The numbers are huge, but wanting players to reap most of the revenue that the sport generates isn't particularly controversial, especially when they are the producers and the product that we watch. A complaint and a solution seldom appear all at once, and a lot of parties are involved, so I wouldn't knock inviduals too hard on that. Lastly, people find it hard to retire in general, in all walks of life, living and working past "necessity". Some of that may be chalked up to greed, but it's reductive and dismissive, or maybe just a bit narrow to not imagine all the reasons people work--and it's work even if we call it play, and keep working past necessity.
@@somethingcleverhere Why should I work harder on sympathising? What is there to sympathise with? The numbers aren’t huge, they’re astronomical. For what they do, and what they provide to society, it’s ridiculous. Considering that, I don’t blame them for wanting to continue to play, but you can’t simultaneously complain about the amount of work you do and also do the bare minimum to remedy that, while being paid roughly 50x more than the average UK salary to do arguably as difficult work if not less difficult work than some of the population. It’s greed, plain and simple, they want to work less and earn the same. I concede some players work because they love it, and some players play because of the financial incentive, but if it’s to the detriment of your own health, and you ignore it for the sake of the benefits, I’m not sympathetic. For example, Suarez has spoken in the media recently, about how the toll of football has made it painful to simply walk.. thats his fault, that’s not an immediate problem, he’s known about and lived with that and decided to continue playing where most people would acknowledge its literally affecting their health and quality of life, stopped working, received financial and disability aid and tried to prolong their future. But he did not because, maybe partly he loves to play, but if there was no financial incentive he would’ve stopped, so it’s obvious what the conclusion is. It’s not narrow minded to deduce that. I’d suggest it’s brainwashed to think working, not simply past necessity, often past your body’s ability to move itself, is not down to greed and is because someone would continue working in these circumstances for any other reason.
I feel like it's going to the best season in years (at least since COVID) With Vila, Spurs, Everton playing well and now Bournemouth and Fulham getting big results along with the promoted clubs starting to pick up points. It feels like anyone can beat anyone i know that is the appeal of the premier League globally but it seems on another level this year. Poor Man Utd can't even win a game at Old Trafford comfortably 🙊
Loving pod, keep up the great work. VAR needs to be unnoticeable, in the same way a good refereed game is. Rules need to be simpler to allow VAR to speed up, what rules need to be simplified other than handball?
Offside is also a subjective rule, in that a player in an offside position is only called offside if deemed to be active. Where do you draw the line between active and inactive, in the same way as where do you draw the line between an arm being in a natural position or not.
It would be interesting to analyse the average distance travelled per match since 2000. Also remember that a lot of footballers when they retire physically cannot walk as they had to have injections before any session.
Always disappointing to see pundits fail to recognise how much the game has changed. Players cover probably 30-50% more distance in a match with far more high intensity runs. Alan saying they were never going into games feeling 100% is just proof he's wrong about today's game.
Doesn’t matter which team you follow..fans knows that fatigue amd injuries harm their team a lot Everyone wants their best team to be on the pitch..match fixtures should be about quality instead of quantity
I think Alan is also missing something very important, that is travelling by the players. Look at Man City vs Liverpool, the players from both teams are tired and Liverpool has to make substitution in order to improve their play, while Man City players looked completed wasted. Given the amount of matches, plus the style of play (high press, high intensity etc.) couple with travelling for European or International matches etc., it will impact players' performances. The wear and tear, the risk of injuries, the amount of time players need for recovery etc., will play a part in modern football, especially when sport medicine continue to improve. Of course, player's diet and their daily routine will help increase the players' career, but ultimately, it is the player's responsibility to take care of their body in order to play.
Micah and other pundits keep saying Liverpool are conceding a lot of goals but the stats clearly say differently. Liverpool got the BEST defence in the league so far as well as the best attack. Micah we don't care if you feel we concede too many because at the end of the day we don't!
Wow, you mean premier league fans just make up fictional narratives online and in the media and never look at the stats or the league table? im shocked, shocked i tell you. Next you'll be telling me the imminently sacked Ten Hag had a chance to go level with city this weekend, ridiculous
Lads love it as always. VAR suggestion, say 45 seconds max no tech bar real time review! Plus goal line, so it’s if it’s is a howler someone can say no have a look ref, so no big toe offside if it’s clear they got it very wrong someone can say have a look.
There is no doubt in my mind that these three make the best football podcast, by some distance. Oddly, for me, whilst I dislike Gary’s naive politics and I wish he would just keep it to himself, he is so knowledgable and a master at putting his football views across in an entertaining and informative way. Same for Alan and Micah is hilarious as well as a good presenter. All round a brilliant mix of players and I find myself stuck to the screen when they are on. This is great stuff by all concerned by three likeable people
On Man Utd’s problems, and as a Utd fan, I’ve thought this for a while now and still think it holds true. Things have never got bad enough for the club to want to make the major changes required. So long as we’re in and around the champions league spots, etc and business is good then why risk changing something? It will take a massive drop off in results, a few seasons in the bottom half maybe for the current owners to feel like something needs to change. Just my take on it. Love the podcast guys, become a must listen for me straight away.
At the beginning of min 48, Lineker actually explains that the problem is the people, not the technology. Bring var technicians from Italy, Spain, Germany, etc. Replying to Alan, on futsal and other sports, you can appeal and there are no delays as it's done on the moment. Plus, Alan mentions that "they said that var wouldn't refereeing the game but it is" (not in so many words) but why not? Let the tech aided by refs do some more judging, including on our moments of the game as two yellow cards can send off a player in an unfair way, or simple throw in on the halfway line can decide a match.
Blokhin scored the signature goal in a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid, at the end of a beautiful, sweeping attack that methodically moved the defenders out of position like chess pieces. This time he was partnered in attack by Ihor Belanov, who became the second of Lobanovskyi's players to win the Ballon d'Or when he pipped Gary Lineker to the prize that year. Extracted from the news item written by: Neil White, BBC Sport 12 Dec 2023
The problem is the handball law were if it hits a players hand by accident or not a goal can't be allowed. VAR only says yes it did hit a hand, and the ref then has to dis allow the goal.
The appeal process for VAR as Mr Gary has suggested will be the perfect way to implement VAR…each coach per match has 2 chances to call for a review, and they lose a chance per call even if the decision goes their way or not. If there’s no call from the coaches, continue with what the referee ruled in game..keep offside and goal line tech of course. Upgrade offside tech to the semi automated one though, instead of the drawn lines.
VAR is the same as Cookies on your web browser. They were both brought in to make an improvement and have actually made things worse. There both one of the most talked about topics if you discuss their subject ("football" or "internet").
That’s not the match schedule though is it? Which is what they are morning about, managers shouldn’t train them so hard when they have games so close together
The way I would implement VAR is that there's a governing body in the office and the game just carries on as normal - the referee has no communication with the VAR panel AT ALL. And the panel are watching the game and if they spot something like a Maradona hand ball the can interject at any point before the end of the 90 minutes. They can take as long as they need - no one in the stadium knows about this. ANd then they are judged retroactively after the game like any other official. This means referees having to make their own calls on penalties like the 'good old days' and if they fluff it they fluff it. However if someone has scored a goal with their hand or elbowed a player that the ref didnt see and the VAR panel catch it 5 mins after they can just bell the referee and tell him that the player is sent off. Long story short - VAR panel can do red card calls, or cancel any illegal goals after the fact. Don't get me wrong - this would take some getting used to - but I think we leave penalty calls in the hands of the ref and his staff. And then the VAR panel can just dial in anything he missed.
Chelsea haven't spent nearly a billion, they owe nearly a billion Alan. Talking of chelsea, losing Abramovic as owner ,look how the mighty have fallen. Well run under abramovic , an owner who wanted to win , an owner who wanted the best - Now compare that to man united, pretty much the same thing happened losing David Gil and sir alex and having owners like the Glazers who just want money from the club , no wonder manchester united have fallen and are in a state.
I think it should be the opposite of what Gary suggested. Teams should be allowed 2-3 VAR calls per game that once used are gone when they call to use them
the players could play for 500 minutes straight 7 days in a row 365 and people like alan would still just call them soft. Its disgusting. Does he actually believe there isn't an upper limit to the bounds of human physiology? There's way too many old people bringing this game down. All the respect in the world for alan but there's a reason he isn't involved in the sport anymore. Its especially mind blowing when you consider how many hours and days fans spend crying about how much money is in the sport but then here those same fans are defending the premier league's blatant greed while simulatanouesly blaming the victims. At the end of the day its all just so that old men like Alan can soothe their fragile egos and pretend like they were so much tougher and better than everyone else.
I think the VAR problem is fairly easy to fix and the money they've already invested will go to good use. Personally I feel it has done more good than people give it credit for, a lot of diving has gone away and referees are brave enough to punish it when it does occur, but overall it is still a net negative. Step 1 - Keep it around for anything the referee hasn't seen. And I mean that literally, if it happens behind his back or out of the refs eye line, let him review the footage and make a decision with VAR explaining what is going on and why attention was called to the incident. Step 2 - If the referee wants he can ask for a VAR referral himself, where he will say something like. 'This challenge on (Player) looked a bit dangerous to me, could you please play it back on the screen for me and advise.' Step 3 - Start thinking of VAR as part of an entertainment product. Get the live audio from the ref, put it up on the big screen. Let everyone see and hear the exact process. Not only is it more transparent, it's just better to watch. There will still be times where something happens and we all think it's the wrong decision, we'll complain the ref had the tools and didn't use them. But it'll be more enjoyable for everyone.
No idea what sport you’re watching. Diving happens multiple times per game in every team, no exceptions. They do it because it goes unpunished or VAR look at still images or slow motion for the slightest contact. Contact doesn’t equal foul, but seems like football is now a non contact sport
I agree with Micah on this one Al ..You need time to recover...playing at pace relentlessly at that level...you need recovery time ...but Al is right players moaning is not right given how much they earn..but play in Gary's day with all those terrible pitches!.
When you've gone from being on loan to the lower leagues and never breaking into your Premier League club's team to getting a chance via injuries, then winning an FA Cup, got your dream move, broke into Argentina team, won the Copa America, then the World Cup, won the Yashin trophy being voted the best GK on earth and finished higher than most keepers ever in the Ballon D'Or, all in a 4 year stretch, you can understand Why Emi Martinez is a believer!
VAR stopping the game every 10 minutes is what I believe is what is causing all these injuries. When the modern player goes from intense running to a 4 minute stoppage for an offside allowing the muscles to go cold and let the adrenaline drain out, its two extremes that is stressing their bodies. Don’t know if I just hate VAR (Which I do) but I believe it has no place in the game!
Love the podcast. Gary for weeks now I’ve been wanting to say that your art frame is not level. Can you please re adjust it as I have OCD when it comes to things like that 🧐🤣
All the talk within the prem about ‘player fatigue’ and ‘too many matches’ while teams in lge 1 & 2 play 46 lge matches rather than 38, more fa cup and carabao cup games than the premier lge teams and the efl trophy on top of that is disrespectful imo. The top teams also have better staff and facilities for the players to recover at a faster rate. I just don’t think it’s right on the lower lge teams that all the rich top clubs that actually work less don’t stop moaning about doing too much. U don’t hear a peep from the likes of Notts County or Portsmouth. They just get on with it.
It's down to the managers to rotate more. We have 23 man squads and reserves and youth teams. The managers are the ones picking tired players over and over again.
I am an Ice Hockey fan as well as a Man Utd fan, and yes I am from Manchester. In the NHL they play 82 games in a regular season and get the absolute shit kicked out of them (although they do rotate lines every 2 mins or so) They also sometimes play back to back games, one night after the other. So footballers moaning about the amount of games, pull the other one.
I think we should scrap VAR and go with a more American sports approach. In the NFL theres like 8 Refs on the field and whenever there is a call they all get together and make a decision(in the last 2 mins all scoring plays go to booth review and coaches have challanges). In football why is there only one guy making the call on the field? Lets add more refs to the field 2 either side of each goal and an extra line mans on each side. Isn't perfect but takes a lot of the direct pressure of the ref. Feel like they often dont make a call knowing VAR will take a look.
Unfortunately a few years ago (approx 2013/2014) thiis was tried in the Italian Serie A. There was the main referee , linesman on both sides and two referee on the bylines, plus official between team benches, so in total 6. Still didn't anything because bad decisions were made.... Including some ridiculous handball calls. It was soon scrapped a few years later. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a good alternative to VAR, which itself is becoming cancerous to football.
Hi guys.. love the podcast but is it possible to lower the volume when Micah is on.... I like to relax when listening but it's almost scary when it s big meeks turn cause it s a lot louder comparing to when Gary or Alan are talking... sorry guys. But it s a tip ... cheers from Belgium ♡♡♡
Compared to the 1990s. Players in the top English League now run nearly up to 50% more per game, than the Pro's of the 90s did. 1990s players averaged 7-8K per game. EPL of today average 11-12K. I appreciate the state of the pitches in the 90s needs to be taken into consideration, but IMO. It's unfair to compare the 2 generations. Way too many variables. Al's just grumpy because the barcodes lost at the weekend. 😁 COYS!
VAR should be used for the howlers only. I.e. ref pointed to the spot when colwill got the cross to the face. VAR should get involved then. If the ref is unsure he can then ask VAR to have a look at other decisions because right now VAR is reffing the game and NOT the referee.
Should be about whether any of the officials would have seen the incident clearly and whether any error was avoidable. Could the Lino's have seen the offside. Remove the still shots and the lines. Could the human eye have seen it in real time.
It's quite easy to understand what happened to Utd this season.
Pre-Season tour was a shambles (travelling here, there and everywhere in the US, rather than West Coast to East to minimise body clock issues). That and the World Cup hang over lead tor the injuries (most clubs have experienced this season with zero rest for international players). Our whole back line has been injured, key midfielders off the boil/injured, forwards completely out of from and out of sync with each other.
Players purchased were mostly injured or coming off an injury hit season. We got our pants pulled down on each purchase (except Onana based on his form last season), we didn't sell any of the unwanted players - Maguire, Lindeloff, McTominay, Van der Beek, Martial, plus Sancho, Dalot possibly. The summer was a disaster, a 2nd striker was sorely needed, given the unreliable Martial was that last season, a new central defender was sorely needed given the drop off when one of our first choice CBs were out (let alone both). Neither were purchased.
So the injuries come, and guess what we're left with? The unwanted, not good enough players (it's no wonder why Maguire didn't play much last season for example) come in and we look a shadow of the team that was playing post world cup. We're still missing our best player from last season (Martinez), our most effective midfielders too (Casemiro & Eriksen). Look at how City have done without KdB, Stones & Rodri out. How can a highly technical gameplan be implemented with players that cannot play that way? How can patterns, understanding and relationships be built when players are unavailable on a regular basis?
EtH is managing with his shoelaces tied as well as his hands tied behind his back. I don't see the value in completely changing the way the team plays to benefit those that aren't good enough and will be out of the team/door when summer comes at the latest let alone when first choices are back fit.
They could all play seven days a week. It’s about being able to play at the optimum level and recover to play at the optimum level again, then again. No need to conflate the issue into something contentious for clicks. But hey, that’s how everyone does it now.
For context: In 19 seasons as a pro Al reached 50 games or more in a season only 3 times. Gary also 3 times in 17 seasons.
Bruno Fernandez played 70 games in 22/23. And that’s not rare these days.
Nobody sh*ts on the pros of today like the pros of yesterday. It’s toxic.
Al and Gary did make me think of Coach Beard and a retired Roy Kent “yeah, and you can’t walk upstairs”
As Al sits there stapled together all sore in the morning and Gary with his fused joints.
Players definitely can play every day. But there’s generally a pay-off.
I understand, appreciate and remember the football of Gary and Als day. The playing not 100% fit and having 1 sub. And the result of that was a quality of football so far behind where it is today.
funny hearing Alan reference sports science as a reason why players dont get tired. It's that sceince which measure fatigue and the data leads to managers resting players
Expecting Shearer to use logic was your first mistake
They don't rest players anymore, that's the problem.
So Alan mentioned how much better everything is for players nowadays, then why not listen to the physios who've been saying that players are playing too many games. The game is a lot more athletic now even since Micahs time so players are far more depleted physically and injuries are on the increase like hamstring injuries that have gone up 90% this season.
I’m guessing Alan knows more about the inner workings and what a footballer goes through than us general public
Players are getting blowed at, & they go down like they've been shot....
I blame var, ruined the game. Bin var imo.......
I agree, however with most of what you say......
@@rysie-fire Why does he know more about the fitness of players than current physios when he retired before some of the league's players today were even born?
@@safebans1369 I’m guessing he still knows people in the game I.e physios, coaches etc and it’s also his job as a pundit to know about the modern game so that he can pass comment
@@rysie-fireJermaine
Jenas and Michael Owen are pundits ... i dont think knowledge is a requirement for punditry.
I loved this podcast!! I agree with almost everything you guys have said however if you look at the amount of injuries that every team has suffered it is a little crazy to say that you don't buy that the players don't get tired and they should push through.
Totally agree
It’s two out of touch old men rambling, a rare occurrence that Micah has the good take
It's so funny it's coming from Alan who could barely walk near the end of his career.
the game has moved on, everything is high pressing, high intensity and constant running now. will be interesting to see how running stats from gary's and alan's days match up to the modern game. willing to bet that players now run far more than they used to, hence all the injuries and complaints of fatigue (not to mention the ridiculous schedule)
Gary has talked about how he was told to NOT close down the defenders while he was at Barca!!
Well isn't that on the managers? They're playing a style football that the players physically aren't able to do in the long run. Even with extra subs they still run out of juice. Maybe the managers needs to look inwards, cause i fear what the players have to do to themselves to keep up.
@basquat76 Yeah lets go back to Big Sam hoofball football and have no pressing and no defenders with any technical quality so that players can play 3 games a week and you can prove a point
@@safebans1369 Are those the options? There's nothing in between those two types of football?
If you think running stats exist from Lineker's era exist, you don't realize how old he is. They were not recorded then
The thing with getting rid of VAR is........as soon as a ref makes a bad decision and it obviously can't be overturned as there's no VAR, all those people that wanted rid of VAR will be whining about the poor decision.
Nope. That was the historical quirk that made people love football. I want VAR gone but goal line tech retained.
@@mediacenterman8583what about blatantly wrong decisions made you love football more?
If anything you'd hate refs more and get fed up with the game.
How this podcast does not have more subs is beyond me...the best football podcast by far !! thanks lads ...
It’s only been running a few months and has 150k following, what you expecting?
A lot of people listen on other platforms, Spotify etc
Comes up on Home feed for me without subscribing and I dont really care for subscribing
@@TheModedEzio Subscribing isn't mandatory but to say 'I don't care' and to watch at the same time is a little too much. Also, channels would quit without subscribers and this podcast wouldn't pop up in your feed
@@tyronevaldez-kruger5313"channels would quit without subscribers", kids channels ? If a channel got around 1.5 million views per video and the channel has 500k subscribers do you think that they would quit ? Do you think Gary, Alan and Micah podcast for subscribers ? "is a little too much" ????? What. Wtf are you typing about, they get money from ad revenue if the fkn channel is monetised. Did you think youtube pay them a certain amount per subscriber rather than something to do with channel views and advertisement ? WHAHAHAHHAHAHHHHH
Honestly the Keep/Scrap VAR thing, Goal line technology is the thing we really wanted after 2010 world cup. That always works perfectly and just tells the ref, did the ball cross the line. From there he can subjectively decide if the goal stands or not with all his context, the purpose of the machine is to say yes or no, did the ball cross the line. If we got that with the ball being out of play and maybe to a lesser extent offside and left the rest up to the refs then I think everyone would enjoy everything a lot more.
That's a good point whole thing
With VAR, why not just have the onfield ref ask them to look at the incident if he himself isn't 100% sure? That surely would cut down alot of hanging around
Micah - "Liverpool concede too many goals" - errr joint best defence in the League 🙂
well to be honest with you pal I think that they have to find something to talk about even if its wrong 🤣 listen I suppport liverpool and it aint been perfect in terms of performances of late but we are still top of the table just and thats the best position to be in at this stage aint it really even tho its more important to be there at the end 🤔 I think the performances will improve tho personally so I aint complaining really😁I mean there is a biased nature with pundits tho my friend this is what you have to remember re micah richards he wouldnt say the same thing about m city I doubt but you are correct liverpool have scored the most goals and conceded the joint fewest level with arsenal that is a fact 😁
I think he meant concede too many goals first
I think he meant it’s take you lot to go 1-0 down to get a win
Glad gary put his signature on the rawannda thing . A disgrace that britain can't sort out its own mess.
Best performance by Micah this. Spoke a lot of sense and countered the other 2 well!
Hi guys! You three together are pure gold. I don't know if you can help,but I've been trying to remember the referee who would stand over a player he thought was lying on the ground faking his injuries and the ref would make out he was playing a violin 🎻 thanks guys.Vinny Warren.
Let's be honest, Son ran circles around Trippier.
Honestly 😂
We should be using the more games at high intensity to promote larger squads with home grown and academy product requirements for match day squads/starting line ups. At least in cup competitions or something.. use it to boost young english players game time to keep the talemt coming through.
so glad you mentioned James McAtee,out of 37 appearances,he scored nine league goals and half a dozen assists for us last year in the championship and of course we were so chuffed he was returning back to Bramall Lane but we couldn't understand why he was a pale shadow of himself whilst Hecky was the manager but it seems based on the two games so far he's come alive now Chris Wilder is back in charge and scoring a magnificent goal will do wonders for his confidence and self belief.COYB
Hes been in my FPL team for a few weeks now. Great player.
At least Micah has stopped saying "UnDogie" like on MOTD2
3:24 Surely there are too many injuries in the premier league this season for you to think that?
That would depend on the reason for the injury
There’s a lot of injuries, but they get paid an absolute fortune. Some of them earn in a week what 99% of people earn in 5-10 YEARS. Some earn in a year what 99% of people earn in their lifetimes, or in 100 years. That being said, it is obviously difficult to justify the damage done to their bodies, and there are too many matches in a calendar year. but no one is forcing them to play an entire career. A lot of players could retire at 28, even 25, and easily have enough for generations. Theres an argument to be made for greed, and if they aren’t going to protest or find a solution and just complain. I struggle to sympathise.
@@MxJJM I would work harder on sympathizing, personally. The numbers are huge, but wanting players to reap most of the revenue that the sport generates isn't particularly controversial, especially when they are the producers and the product that we watch. A complaint and a solution seldom appear all at once, and a lot of parties are involved, so I wouldn't knock inviduals too hard on that. Lastly, people find it hard to retire in general, in all walks of life, living and working past "necessity". Some of that may be chalked up to greed, but it's reductive and dismissive, or maybe just a bit narrow to not imagine all the reasons people work--and it's work even if we call it play, and keep working past necessity.
There aren't anymore injuries this season than there was 20 years ago - you can look into the stats
@@somethingcleverhere Why should I work harder on sympathising? What is there to sympathise with? The numbers aren’t huge, they’re astronomical. For what they do, and what they provide to society, it’s ridiculous. Considering that, I don’t blame them for wanting to continue to play, but you can’t simultaneously complain about the amount of work you do and also do the bare minimum to remedy that, while being paid roughly 50x more than the average UK salary to do arguably as difficult work if not less difficult work than some of the population. It’s greed, plain and simple, they want to work less and earn the same. I concede some players work because they love it, and some players play because of the financial incentive, but if it’s to the detriment of your own health, and you ignore it for the sake of the benefits, I’m not sympathetic. For example, Suarez has spoken in the media recently, about how the toll of football has made it painful to simply walk.. thats his fault, that’s not an immediate problem, he’s known about and lived with that and decided to continue playing where most people would acknowledge its literally affecting their health and quality of life, stopped working, received financial and disability aid and tried to prolong their future. But he did not because, maybe partly he loves to play, but if there was no financial incentive he would’ve stopped, so it’s obvious what the conclusion is. It’s not narrow minded to deduce that. I’d suggest it’s brainwashed to think working, not simply past necessity, often past your body’s ability to move itself, is not down to greed and is because someone would continue working in these circumstances for any other reason.
I feel like it's going to the best season in years (at least since COVID)
With Vila, Spurs, Everton playing well and now Bournemouth and Fulham getting big results along with the promoted clubs starting to pick up points.
It feels like anyone can beat anyone i know that is the appeal of the premier League globally but it seems on another level this year.
Poor Man Utd can't even win a game at Old Trafford comfortably 🙊
God what a fun pod! Thank you so much for another fun and informative one, lads!
I think Eddie Howe said they had played a lot of games and of course players sit on coaches when travelling within UK.
Any weird and unusual food you guys would eat ? For example I seen recent andros Townsend said he consumes chicken feet boiled 👀 love the pod lads !
Players do a 12.5 km a match these days
I remember if a player in the 90s did 10km, he'd be in the news a super player
Really love the show. Keep up the good work 👍
Loving pod, keep up the great work. VAR needs to be unnoticeable, in the same way a good refereed game is. Rules need to be simpler to allow VAR to speed up, what rules need to be simplified other than handball?
Offside is also a subjective rule, in that a player in an offside position is only called offside if deemed to be active. Where do you draw the line between active and inactive, in the same way as where do you draw the line between an arm being in a natural position or not.
It would be interesting to analyse the average distance travelled per match since 2000. Also remember that a lot of footballers when they retire physically cannot walk as they had to have injections before any session.
Always disappointing to see pundits fail to recognise how much the game has changed.
Players cover probably 30-50% more distance in a match with far more high intensity runs.
Alan saying they were never going into games feeling 100% is just proof he's wrong about today's game.
Doesn’t matter which team you follow..fans knows that fatigue amd injuries harm their team a lot
Everyone wants their best team to be on the pitch..match fixtures should be about quality instead of quantity
Didnt shearer himself used to complain about schedule when he was playing?
I think Alan is also missing something very important, that is travelling by the players. Look at Man City vs Liverpool, the players from both teams are tired and Liverpool has to make substitution in order to improve their play, while Man City players looked completed wasted. Given the amount of matches, plus the style of play (high press, high intensity etc.) couple with travelling for European or International matches etc., it will impact players' performances. The wear and tear, the risk of injuries, the amount of time players need for recovery etc., will play a part in modern football, especially when sport medicine continue to improve. Of course, player's diet and their daily routine will help increase the players' career, but ultimately, it is the player's responsibility to take care of their body in order to play.
Gary is a masterful broadcaster and had a great footballing career
Micah and other pundits keep saying Liverpool are conceding a lot of goals but the stats clearly say differently. Liverpool got the BEST defence in the league so far as well as the best attack.
Micah we don't care if you feel we concede too many because at the end of the day we don't!
Wow, you mean premier league fans just make up fictional narratives online and in the media and never look at the stats or the league table? im shocked, shocked i tell you. Next you'll be telling me the imminently sacked Ten Hag had a chance to go level with city this weekend, ridiculous
Never let the facts get in the way of an opinion! 😂
Let stick football joke is class.. you guys sre the better pod ❤❤🎉🎉
Alan’s never heard Howe say Newcastle are tired? It was literally one of his excuses on Sunday hahaha
Lads love it as always. VAR suggestion, say 45 seconds max no tech bar real time review! Plus goal line, so it’s if it’s is a howler someone can say no have a look ref, so no big toe offside if it’s clear they got it very wrong someone can say have a look.
Audio is so much better! Love the podcast!
Alan has upgraded from his former cup and string set-up
There is no doubt in my mind that these three make the best football podcast, by some distance. Oddly, for me, whilst I dislike Gary’s naive politics and I wish he would just keep it to himself, he is so knowledgable and a master at putting his football views across in an entertaining and informative way. Same for Alan and Micah is hilarious as well as a good presenter. All round a brilliant mix of players and I find myself stuck to the screen when they are on.
This is great stuff by all concerned by three likeable people
On Man Utd’s problems, and as a Utd fan, I’ve thought this for a while now and still think it holds true.
Things have never got bad enough for the club to want to make the major changes required.
So long as we’re in and around the champions league spots, etc and business is good then why risk changing something?
It will take a massive drop off in results, a few seasons in the bottom half maybe for the current owners to feel like something needs to change. Just my take on it.
Love the podcast guys, become a must listen for me straight away.
At the beginning of min 48, Lineker actually explains that the problem is the people, not the technology. Bring var technicians from Italy, Spain, Germany, etc.
Replying to Alan, on futsal and other sports, you can appeal and there are no delays as it's done on the moment. Plus, Alan mentions that "they said that var wouldn't refereeing the game but it is" (not in so many words) but why not? Let the tech aided by refs do some more judging, including on our moments of the game as two yellow cards can send off a player in an unfair way, or simple throw in on the halfway line can decide a match.
Loving the old man rant
Sorry, not football related but Alan’s jumper is wonderful!
Micah going full Frank lampard when talking about fatigue. HAHAHAHHAHA no seriously had me dying 😭
Including Guehi, Dunk and Braithwaite over Konsa is absolutely hilarious
Branthwaite is unreal
Gary loves touching his nose when he's talking 😆🤣
He cant touch hes ears aswell their covered up hahaha
Blokhin scored the signature goal in a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid, at the end of a beautiful, sweeping attack that methodically moved the defenders out of position like chess pieces. This time he was partnered in attack by Ihor Belanov, who became the second of Lobanovskyi's players to win the Ballon d'Or when he pipped Gary Lineker to the prize that year. Extracted from the news item written by: Neil White, BBC Sport 12 Dec 2023
Fantastic point from Micah re. Spurs. It really begs the question, are Spurs a better team WITH or WITHOUT Harry Kane?.. 😜
The problem is the handball law were if it hits a players hand by accident or not a goal can't be allowed. VAR only says yes it did hit a hand, and the ref then has to dis allow the goal.
funny how newcastle fans are the ones making the fatigue noises 😅
Never heard a manager or player say they play too many games after a win
Are we going to ignore Gary and his nose rubbing??the man rubs his nose like thousand times an episode 😂😂😂😂😂
I'm going to ignore it, yes, because it's pretty irrelevant.
Nervous habit, soothing. But once he’s aware I’m sure he could stop it…
all the car salesman at the dealership i worked at had the same thing going on every morning when i came in
Weird stuff happens when you get older, kid. Clearly, you wouldn't know.
The appeal process for VAR as Mr Gary has suggested will be the perfect way to implement VAR…each coach per match has 2 chances to call for a review, and they lose a chance per call even if the decision goes their way or not. If there’s no call from the coaches, continue with what the referee ruled in game..keep offside and goal line tech of course. Upgrade offside tech to the semi automated one though, instead of the drawn lines.
Gary, fix the alignment of the painting behind you😅😂❤
VAR is the same as Cookies on your web browser. They were both brought in to make an improvement and have actually made things worse. There both one of the most talked about topics if you discuss their subject ("football" or "internet").
Love the pod guys!
It's the gift of the 20 PL clubs to vote on the VAR , it would be wise for the clubs to fan involvement ie do a poll/survey the same as Gary has done
Potter was the other manager at Chelsea you were struggling to remember Gary 😉
Hilarious that he's been forgotten already - seems to have dropped off the face of the earth
VAR should be transparent convosations and images on the big screen in the stadium. As it is in rugby union internationals.
Micah is spot on. Players have much more physically demands each game and training session than Alan and Gary's days.
They have 5 subs better pitches no hard tackles imagine r9 cruyff pele Maradona today football wow big babies people are 400k a week
@@andrewwright4195& the best physios & sports sciencetist
@@marlee2309 100% before 90s people are so disrespected
That’s not the match schedule though is it? Which is what they are morning about, managers shouldn’t train them so hard when they have games so close together
Great talk lads
with handball all they have to do is institute minimum distances & reaction times so if you're >2m away or >2seconds to move your hand out the way.
The way I would implement VAR is that there's a governing body in the office and the game just carries on as normal - the referee has no communication with the VAR panel AT ALL. And the panel are watching the game and if they spot something like a Maradona hand ball the can interject at any point before the end of the 90 minutes. They can take as long as they need - no one in the stadium knows about this. ANd then they are judged retroactively after the game like any other official.
This means referees having to make their own calls on penalties like the 'good old days' and if they fluff it they fluff it. However if someone has scored a goal with their hand or elbowed a player that the ref didnt see and the VAR panel catch it 5 mins after they can just bell the referee and tell him that the player is sent off.
Long story short - VAR panel can do red card calls, or cancel any illegal goals after the fact.
Don't get me wrong - this would take some getting used to - but I think we leave penalty calls in the hands of the ref and his staff. And then the VAR panel can just dial in anything he missed.
Caicedo joined Chelsea instead of Liverpool to win trophies 😂
Chelsea haven't spent nearly a billion, they owe nearly a billion Alan.
Talking of chelsea, losing Abramovic as owner ,look how the mighty have fallen. Well run under abramovic , an owner who wanted to win , an owner who wanted the best - Now compare that to man united, pretty much the same thing happened losing David Gil and sir alex and having owners like the Glazers who just want money from the club , no wonder manchester united have fallen and are in a state.
I think it should be the opposite of what Gary suggested. Teams should be allowed 2-3 VAR calls per game that once used are gone when they call to use them
Chelsea have spent something like £1.4B since Arteta was appointed at Arsenal.
Eddie Howe mentioned fatigue in his post match interview
After a defeat, they never mention it after a win
Poch being nice doesn’t cut it Potter was the same and got destroyed weekly
the players could play for 500 minutes straight 7 days in a row 365 and people like alan would still just call them soft. Its disgusting. Does he actually believe there isn't an upper limit to the bounds of human physiology? There's way too many old people bringing this game down. All the respect in the world for alan but there's a reason he isn't involved in the sport anymore.
Its especially mind blowing when you consider how many hours and days fans spend crying about how much money is in the sport but then here those same fans are defending the premier league's blatant greed while simulatanouesly blaming the victims.
At the end of the day its all just so that old men like Alan can soothe their fragile egos and pretend like they were so much tougher and better than everyone else.
The offside should be clear and obvious where this a clear space between last defender and attacker and nor decided by a hand or a toe
I think the VAR problem is fairly easy to fix and the money they've already invested will go to good use. Personally I feel it has done more good than people give it credit for, a lot of diving has gone away and referees are brave enough to punish it when it does occur, but overall it is still a net negative.
Step 1 - Keep it around for anything the referee hasn't seen. And I mean that literally, if it happens behind his back or out of the refs eye line, let him review the footage and make a decision with VAR explaining what is going on and why attention was called to the incident.
Step 2 - If the referee wants he can ask for a VAR referral himself, where he will say something like. 'This challenge on (Player) looked a bit dangerous to me, could you please play it back on the screen for me and advise.'
Step 3 - Start thinking of VAR as part of an entertainment product. Get the live audio from the ref, put it up on the big screen. Let everyone see and hear the exact process. Not only is it more transparent, it's just better to watch.
There will still be times where something happens and we all think it's the wrong decision, we'll complain the ref had the tools and didn't use them. But it'll be more enjoyable for everyone.
No idea what sport you’re watching. Diving happens multiple times per game in every team, no exceptions. They do it because it goes unpunished or VAR look at still images or slow motion for the slightest contact. Contact doesn’t equal foul, but seems like football is now a non contact sport
Love the podcast and great show as usual. I would interested to hear your views on joey Barton’s recent comments?
I agree with Micah on this one Al ..You need time to recover...playing at pace relentlessly at that level...you need recovery time ...but Al is right players moaning is not right given how much they earn..but play in Gary's day with all those terrible pitches!.
When you've gone from being on loan to the lower leagues and never breaking into your Premier League club's team to getting a chance via injuries, then winning an FA Cup, got your dream move, broke into Argentina team, won the Copa America, then the World Cup, won the Yashin trophy being voted the best GK on earth and finished higher than most keepers ever in the Ballon D'Or, all in a 4 year stretch, you can understand Why Emi Martinez is a believer!
Ahhh Mica 😂 the Rustee Lee of the pundit world ❤
Micah and his DVDs 🤣🤣🤣
Did that guy just say Liverpool concede too many goals?😂😂😂
They have a very strange view of Liverpool on this pod 😂
VAR could also look at managers getting 1 challenge per half for a referee's decision. And then keep Goal line tech + automated offside.
VAR stopping the game every 10 minutes is what I believe is what is causing all these injuries. When the modern player goes from intense running to a 4 minute stoppage for an offside allowing the muscles to go cold and let the adrenaline drain out, its two extremes that is stressing their bodies. Don’t know if I just hate VAR (Which I do) but I believe it has no place in the game!
Love the podcast.
Gary for weeks now I’ve been wanting to say that your art frame is not level.
Can you please re adjust it as I have OCD when it comes to things like that 🧐🤣
😂
All the talk within the prem about ‘player fatigue’ and ‘too many matches’ while teams in lge 1 & 2 play 46 lge matches rather than 38, more fa cup and carabao cup games than the premier lge teams and the efl trophy on top of that is disrespectful imo. The top teams also have better staff and facilities for the players to recover at a faster rate. I just don’t think it’s right on the lower lge teams that all the rich top clubs that actually work less don’t stop moaning about doing too much. U don’t hear a peep from the likes of Notts County or Portsmouth. They just get on with it.
Var is easy to fix. Just have 3 people in 3 separate booths. Each call comes down to a 2/3 vote. No interference on each individuals point of veiw.
To say I never liked these 3 as players but never doubted their ability I don't half love this show 👏👏
Great show 😎
How big is Gary’s mic?
It's down to the managers to rotate more. We have 23 man squads and reserves and youth teams. The managers are the ones picking tired players over and over again.
Great relationship between these 3.
Well said Micha on the var debate and let the refs ref
Nkunku fit will be a game changer for Chelsea. He’s class!! Gutted for his start. He’s so good he didn’t deserve it.
I am an Ice Hockey fan as well as a Man Utd fan, and yes I am from Manchester. In the NHL they play 82 games in a regular season and get the absolute shit kicked out of them (although they do rotate lines every 2 mins or so) They also sometimes play back to back games, one night after the other. So footballers moaning about the amount of games, pull the other one.
The VAR technology is fine - just the officials behind it aren't great at using that to arrive at decent decisions.
I think we should scrap VAR and go with a more American sports approach. In the NFL theres like 8 Refs on the field and whenever there is a call they all get together and make a decision(in the last 2 mins all scoring plays go to booth review and coaches have challanges). In football why is there only one guy making the call on the field? Lets add more refs to the field 2 either side of each goal and an extra line mans on each side.
Isn't perfect but takes a lot of the direct pressure of the ref. Feel like they often dont make a call knowing VAR will take a look.
Unfortunately a few years ago (approx 2013/2014) thiis was tried in the Italian Serie A. There was the main referee , linesman on both sides and two referee on the bylines, plus official between team benches, so in total 6. Still didn't anything because bad decisions were made.... Including some ridiculous handball calls. It was soon scrapped a few years later. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a good alternative to VAR, which itself is becoming cancerous to football.
Love Micah 🙌
😊my bestie likes the podcast so much.
Hi guys.. love the podcast but is it possible to lower the volume when Micah is on.... I like to relax when listening but it's almost scary when it s big meeks turn cause it s a lot louder comparing to when Gary or Alan are talking... sorry guys. But it s a tip ... cheers from Belgium ♡♡♡
Yeah just change the volume mate. You know he's coming after all
We love big meeks he makes this podcast
Tell me you're old without telling me you're old😜🤣🤣
Hahaha ♡
If I lower the volume I only hear Big Meeks bro ♡haha cheers mate
Compared to the 1990s. Players in the top English League now run nearly up to 50% more per game, than the Pro's of the 90s did. 1990s players averaged 7-8K per game. EPL of today average 11-12K.
I appreciate the state of the pitches in the 90s needs to be taken into consideration, but IMO. It's unfair to compare the 2 generations. Way too many variables. Al's just grumpy because the barcodes lost at the weekend. 😁 COYS!
Maybe MU are at the early stages of what NUFC went through under Ashley....I can see the Glaziers NOT accepting Sir Jim's offer
VAR should be used for the howlers only. I.e. ref pointed to the spot when colwill got the cross to the face. VAR should get involved then. If the ref is unsure he can then ask VAR to have a look at other decisions because right now VAR is reffing the game and NOT the referee.
Arteta said you do not play at the highest level without some degree of pain or tiredness
ur a great person gary thanks for all the memories so far
Should be about whether any of the officials would have seen the incident clearly and whether any error was avoidable. Could the Lino's have seen the offside. Remove the still shots and the lines. Could the human eye have seen it in real time.