Episode #222 - Battle of the Titans: Man City vs Arsenal preview OR David vs Goliath showdown: Wrexham vs Sheffield United. FA Cup 4th Round Preview

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hello and welcome to the squeaky bum

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Time Podcast presented exclusively on

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the chop Sports channel of the premiere

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streaming Network we record we're

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recording this on Thursday January 26th

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I am your host Laurent core teens in

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this episode we're gonna preview the

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whole FA Cup fourth round and find out

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whether people are into heavyweight

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clashes or David vs Goliath

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but first we will start with the Great

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and Powerful

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Arsenal verse Manchester City

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wow so this game's a big deal this is

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the first time both clubs are meeting

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each other this season very odd for this

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time of year very strange but uh because

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of the Queen the the death of the queen

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and because of where both teams have

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been we now have the first view of

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Arsenal versus Manchester

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City

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this is a big game

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um while it's the FA Cup and it's not

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the league it will be a marker for both

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teams to see where they are we've seen

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in the last couple weeks Pep Guardiola

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very concerned about where City are

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emotionally mentally whether they're up

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for the fight with Arsenal and on

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Arsenal's side they've come across every

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hurdle they can renewing rivalries

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beating all comers beating Spurs beating

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Manchester United they are in the form

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of their lives they are in the shape

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that they need to be to face

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um their biggest test of the year now

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let's get into it

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City have defeated Arsenal

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very frequently especially over the last

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six meetings City have won

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all of them

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Arsenal have not beat Manchester City

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since: 2020

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Arsenal do have good pedigree in the FA

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Cup against City but not in the league

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but they haven't met each other for 18

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whole months craziness craziness

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um

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City come into this game

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very

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in very good shape I think they've sort

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of righted the ship

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um no injuries City have everything to

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play for

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um the mahrez greelish partnership has

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been really good uh de bruyne is in good

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shape especially after his last game and

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then we'll see what lineups are put out

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for this game I would imagine knowing

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Guardiola knowing arteta he's going to

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want to see where his team is and not

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mess around maybe we'll see trust art

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start I'd expect to see Holland this is

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one of those where we don't know what'll

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happen but for City it's less of a

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change

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if City you know play whatever their

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alternate lineup is oh we're gonna play

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fodin and Alvarez instead of

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um instead of Holland and grealish oh

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we're gonna play Bernardo Silva instead

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of and gundogan instead of uh instead of

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Kevin De bruyne so for City they have

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the depth and that's that's the reason

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why team why they're always picked to

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win the league is they're one through 15

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or 1 through 18 is better than anyone's

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in the league but we know with Arsenal

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because we talked about it last week

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they are grooved

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for their their they have seven players

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don't miss the game all year whether

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they will play and show their hand uh is

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unknown unknown just a few facts here

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just that can run off for you guys

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City have actually won 12 of the last 13

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meetings versus Arsenal but this is a

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new Arsenal so the new narrative is

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going to be written

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um this is really about

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you know where these teams are this is a

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mentality check this is a are they there

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for Arsenal it's about

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not getting beat badly or not getting

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beat at all uh actually it's about the

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performance and how it works like if

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City come on and have one of their games

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and blow Arsenal off the park I very

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doubt that'll happen then there's a

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psychological blow then we have another

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Narrative of oh is Arsenal ready

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if City

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lose

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then we get another Arsenal's get ready

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for the title alternative is ready for

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the title they're on for the double

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these are things that go on I'm trying

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to think of all the all the narratives

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if you if City win they're supposed to

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win and now they have they have a a leg

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to stand on for the league

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and then if it's a close match

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that City Edge but Arsenal play well in

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bloody City then then there's less of a

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oh Arsenal's ready then these things are

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up up and in decent places so every one

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of the outcomes has a little bit of um

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of uh of a step about where we want to

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go and how we want to see this and what

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is going to happen next so from that

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perspective it's really super duper

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interesting and I wonder where Arsenal

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go and what city do my prediction is

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city will win this game because they win

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every time at home

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um I am afraid of course because I'm not

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naive I'm not silly I'm not dumb I know

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the power of Arsenal I know where they

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can go but I think the FA Cup is really

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about

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small teams about growing about seeing

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friends that you don't see very often

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and for us that's really

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um for us that's really about talking

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about our friends from Wales

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um our friends from wrexham to see what

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they're up to so rexham we know are

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still in the cup uh owned by

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owned by Rob mcalleninny and Ryan

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Reynolds they still are in this

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competition they get another challenge

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after defeating carpentry right now they

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are flying I know from our group that um

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that everyone loves rexham they love the

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narrative they've done a great job of

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putting this team on the map of putting

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this team in a position for people to

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fall in love with them we know about the

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city ground being sorry about the

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racetrack and wrexham being one of the

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oldest International uh stadiums in

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football we know all the history from

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following along uh on the show and uh

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it's fascinating to get this game rexima

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now box office they've got to be

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televised we've got to see them

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um we've got to find out where they are

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and what they're up to and how they can

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play we know we'll see Mullen up front

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he's the star of the team but all the

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other players are stars in their own

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right

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um that that are making a go of it for

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themselves

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um

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and we just want to see that story come

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through uh rexham are on an incredible

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run they have not lost since October and

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they actually have won their last six

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games in a row uh and like I said they

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knocked out Coventry already Sheffield

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also in incredible form this is

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Sheffield United the blades last of our

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friend Chris Wilder who had a great they

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finished a ninth uh but they they had a

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tough second season

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where they couldn't really move on and

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then Wilder left the team there was a

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little bit of internal turmoil but they

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still have their Premier League money

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they still have the buys and the core of

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that team is still on this team and they

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are flying in the championship eight

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points clear of the of the third place

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finish so they're going to come back up

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um where they'll be okay and like I said

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they're both in incredible form

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um

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but with this game being at the

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Racecourse ground

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in wrexham

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we really have an opportunity for an

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upset The Bookies already have rexham as

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a as an upset for two to one it's a good

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bet

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um they've got a Crest running for them

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for Sheffield

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I know they're in great shape flying in

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the league right now but

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do they need this game do they have

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extra gear they have a lot of injuries

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John Fleck end of Stevens George Baldock

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all out

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um for for Sheffield United I do have

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one player to keep an eye on and die

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he's got 10 goals he's been real Illman

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undai he's up front for

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um

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for Sheffield and he's quite good so

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this should be a good one this is the

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Sunday late game that we'll all be

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pulling for we'll all be rooting for and

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I think from the perspective of a fan

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rexham has got so many American fans now

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that we all can't wait to see

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um uh the racecourse

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explode with joy and see if they can't

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get another round a cup run for wrexham

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is just pure magic for them and their

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fans and where they're moving I do want

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to move on to some other games because

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um we have to talk about my friend Mr

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Jesse Marsh who

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takes his lead side to accrington

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ackerington Stanley I'm literally

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bringing up names of teams because

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they're ridiculous so accrington Stanley

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just has one of the great

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one of them great names in football but

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what's interesting about this is they

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are going to present a problem to Leeds

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um they are gonna house this game

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up

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442 two blocks of four just sit behind

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the ball and make leads break them down

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and the issue for leads is they can't

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break anyone down they're all about

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transition and running through and

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attacking and barely getting the right

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decision uh barely making one or two

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passes together but running and carrying

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the ball

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um I don't I think this is an upset I

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don't think leads can pull it off but

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worth a worth a look for our friends at

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Leeds and the Great and Powerful uh

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accrington Stanley uh just because I

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need to say it Leeds can't buy a win

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they are just completely drawing

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everything their last game they won was

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against Cardiff in the FA Cup but

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otherwise they're winless in their last

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five with lots and lots of draws they

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can't seem to stop drawing you know West

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Ham they drew Newcastle they drew they

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had a draw first Brentford nil nil in

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their last match while Atkinson come

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into the game

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winning in boring wood on the replay

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just just today just the other day but

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they haven't had a win either they beat

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Bristol Rovers uh the other day moving

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in to this game I don't know much about

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accrington Stanley to be fair but this

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is the magic this is what makes the FA

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Cup so wonderful

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um and and where we want to go and what

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we want to check out

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next I do want to bring up uh for

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because we have so many Liverpool

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supporters that we have to check in on

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um

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Liverpool you've got uh Brighton

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how are you feeling about that good

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uh Brighton who I shared earlier are the

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fourth in the league in scoring

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um they're really flying in the Premier

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League they've scored more goals than

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United they've scored more goals than

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Liverpool they've scored more goals than

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Newcastle so this is a team in Brighton

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at deservey he somehow solved the

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problem of um

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that was going on with them

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with Brighton where they couldn't finish

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and he has found a striker in young Evan

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Ferguson with matony matomi next to him

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and Sally Marsh they are now this

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attacking force with McAllister casero

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engross behind him I mean this team's no

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joke like don't with

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Brighton they are better than Liverpool

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I don't think this will be an upset like

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I said I already bet on it in the league

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uh I don't know if I'm gonna bet on it

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again but there's no reason to think

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Liverpool's gonna win this game away

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from home the only thing that I think

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about for Liverpool is perhaps

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they're too good to have seen Liverpool

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a third time so this will be the third

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match that Liverpool have seen Brighton

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they drew

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at home 3-3 that's the trossard hat

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trick game he's no longer with the side

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he's joined it he's joined Arsenal but

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then they got the doors bowling all from

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two weeks ago what makes us think that

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Liverpool won't get the doors blown off

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them that's that's the question right

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like

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what has changed at Liverpool since they

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played Brighton that thinks they won't

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get beaten by Brighton again Brighton

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are better

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um mentality this is a tough team

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there's a lot going on with it maybe

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klopp will play all the kids but as far

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as I can tell there's no reason there's

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no reason that that Brighton should lose

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this game but a draw might be you know

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might be there uh the prediction here

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from who scored is is three two if this

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game is 3-2 it's going to be the

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greatest single three-game series

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against two teams that the world has

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ever seen so I'm praying for it they're

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a dark horse in this I think Brighton

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there's no reason that Brighton cannot

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win this thing uh it's a fast fantastic

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Little Match that we should check out I

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do want to kick off into some carabao

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Cup highlights just because

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uh uh I'm gonna kick off into the

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caramel Cup highlights because we've got

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our semi-final legs already done we've

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got um

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Newcastle

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up on Southampton and United up on

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Nottingham Forest both played their home

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legs and have gotten the teams moving

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the way they expect so we we can expect

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likely that the final will be Newcastle

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versus Manchester United and what a

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moment for both these clubs specifically

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Newcastle who haven't won a trophy since

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the 50s United will feel like it's their

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Birthright will feel like they're better

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uh no you're not you're not better than

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Newcastle

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all the underlying numbers say that it's

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not true Everything says that's not true

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I would be surprised if this isn't a kg

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semi-final they still have a leg to go I

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don't want to put my cart in front of

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the horse uh again Marcus rashford just

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against against Forest just went through

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them it was a goal of pure beauty uh we

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were talking about it in the chat

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um is he the most likable United player

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for a non-united fan

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no the answer is no him he's a red

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uh United can go suck an egg please uh

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nuke uh Southampton don't really have a

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fight they have to go up to St James's

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Park to try and get something from uh

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Newcastle down a goal Newcastle don't

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give up goals at all uh

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Nick Pope is on I don't know 11 clean

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sheets in goal he's saving their ass I

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wonder what we do look like if he uh you

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know been in United instead of the hair

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listen I'm not killing the hair I'm just

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saying Nick Pope is better

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um and then um our friends from forest

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their their Journey ends but they have

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bigger fish to fry to try and stay in

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the league versus worrying about whether

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they're gonna make it to the carabao Cup

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Final although the League Cup is

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something that they have history with I

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think it's the last trophy that Brian

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Clough won when leads when when forests

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were still part of the league so good

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history there but not not not the trophy

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they're looking for right now I'd say I

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would first they're all about staying in

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a leak and they have a very good shot at

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doing that so

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very cool stuff a couple of little uh a

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couple little cultural things that um

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that were brought up that that I looked

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into uh around this and it's

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um

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just the

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FA Cup brings up weird stuff

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so

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Bristol City are in this thing against

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West Bromwich Albion and you get like

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little tiny weird anecdotal story so I

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was listening to the totally football

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show

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um and they were talking about how

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Bristol City's fans have a website that

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is just a timer

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for the Last Time Bristol city

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um scored a penalty I believe they're on

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uh over 400 Days

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um that that Bristol city has not had a

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penalty drawn against them it's just the

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little things that fans do that that

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drive themselves nuts uh and they have a

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fair shot against West Brom but you know

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it's just one of these funny funny

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little things funny these little like

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anecdotes about uh about football around

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stuff like that like Bristol City

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thinking they're hard done by not

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getting penalties by the way Liverpool

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have not had a penalty called for them

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this year either so it's a normal thing

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that happens you know on a big season

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the team will get four penalties called

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their way on a bad team on a Bad season

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you know you might not get any City I

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think only have one or had had one last

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year and it's very weird and you feel

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like your team is under psychic attack

18:16

for not

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um getting a uh a penalty but the

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Bristol City fans have taken in it a

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little bit further than you would expect

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on that one

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um yeah I don't have a deep uh a deep

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feeling about this one but we should

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probably talk about our friends at

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Everton so we know that dice has been

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sacked

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um sorry we know that Frank Lampard has

18:43

been slacked the sort of diametclees

18:45

daishakles has hit Everton

18:48

they have not hired a manager yet

18:52

they are not in the FA Cup

18:54

they are nowhere and the club is right

18:59

now rudderless

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they cannot go to their friend Duncan

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Ferguson because he's taken the forest

19:05

green Rover's job which is the most the

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weirdest job for him because if you

19:08

don't know this look up forest green

19:10

Rovers they are owned by a uh

19:13

sustainability sort of entrepreneur and

19:16

wealth and millionaire who is all about

19:19

like the club is green they wear

19:22

um

19:23

the whole stadium is covered in in um in

19:26

in solar panels and they wear you know

19:29

sustainable clothing and bean burgers

19:31

and no meat it's a very funky little

19:33

club that uh that Duncan Ferguson has

19:36

taken the job over but um

19:40

Everton I don't I think I should

19:42

probably give a little bit of History

19:43

Everton are a massive massive Club this

19:46

is not some rinky dinky Club I mean in

19:50

through the 80s

19:52

Everton had won the league they were up

19:54

there with with Liverpool it was not

19:57

Liverpool was gigantic through history

20:00

of football Everton and Liverpool were

20:02

right next to each other and it's only

20:03

the 70s it's only the 70s and 80s that

20:06

really pull Liverpool away from the rest

20:08

of the clubs but through their history

20:09

they've been neck and EXO you know

20:11

through the 60s Everton were right there

20:14

um

20:14

they've never been relegated from the

20:16

Premier League and is only a handful of

20:18

teams that can say that especially over

20:21

the last 20 30 years

20:23

and they're looking at bielsa which I

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think is crazy uh he's not

20:30

a firefighter guy otherwise why wouldn't

20:33

he be stayed at Leeds

20:35

right

20:37

Everton's problems are

20:39

defensive and spirit in some sense

20:43

um the other option is daesh but

20:47

it doesn't seem like daesh is a cultural

20:51

fit for Everton right now

20:53

I think fundamentally

20:56

Everton fans want a team that reflects

21:00

passion and caring and and something

21:03

that will Mark the club and and move

21:05

them forward and I don't think they're

21:06

going to get that with daish whereas

21:08

bielsa does tap into emotion and does

21:11

bring you to a different place but you

21:14

have to be all in on blc's Mo uh

21:16

otherwise

21:18

um you're going to be in trouble

21:20

so I'm not sure what Everton does but

21:22

watch this space they have had some

21:24

terrible terrible things happen uh

21:27

players want to leave Onana wanted to

21:29

leave didn't go to training

21:31

um uh they had a transfer get stolen

21:34

from them so danjuma had made a

21:36

commitment to Frank Lampard to come to

21:39

Everton

21:41

and because they fired

21:44

Frank Lampard he reneged

21:46

uh I don't blame him I don't think it's

21:48

it's bad he didn't sign the contract yet

21:50

but he did have a physical with Everton

21:52

and now he's gonna be with Spurs so

21:55

danjuma are not danjuma who was really

21:58

good

21:59

helping Bournemouth go up

22:02

two seasons last two seasons ago two

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seasons ago and then they sold him and

22:08

he went to Sevilla where he's been very

22:10

good if you watched him under unai Emery

22:12

he made a huge difference in their

22:13

Europa League run and Championship so

22:15

danjuma is a really good player I don't

22:17

know how he fits in to Spurs plans but

22:20

he's more depth maybe you know maybe

22:23

maybe Sunny gets moved off he plays on

22:26

that side that Sunny normally plays on

22:28

so we'll see it's another attacking

22:30

person maybe kante will play him as a

22:32

uh as a as a wing back who knows

22:35

so we'll see what happens there but

22:37

Everton in trouble not able to get any

22:39

transfers over the line it's going to be

22:41

them against the world and they already

22:43

went to that well can they go to the

22:45

well again Ken bielsa bring the team

22:48

forward can it happen for them again I

22:50

don't know and I do worry for them a

22:53

whole whole lot but let's go through

22:56

some more final FA Cup uh fourth round

23:00

games we'll start

23:03

um with like I said here's the schedule

23:04

just go through the the timeline City

23:06

the Arsenal that's tomorrow get involved

23:09

Warsaw vs Lester man Lester are freaking

23:13

terrible Warsaw just hanging in there

23:16

just a champ a league one side you'd

23:18

expect lesser to handle it we're glad

23:20

that James Madison's back then we have

23:22

Abington Stanley also League one against

23:24

Leeds but at home so that should be

23:26

interesting then the salty Bristol City

23:29

versus West Brom that's a battle of

23:31

Championship clubs West watch Bristol

23:33

City get a penalty

23:35

lewton Town versus Grimsby lewton is the

23:37

higher team there so we'll see what

23:39

happens there then Blackburn with their

23:40

new manager play Birmingham city

23:42

Sheffield Wednesday oh the Wednesday

23:44

against Fleetwood town I love these

23:46

teams please let all the small teams

23:48

drop out so we get weird teams uh Fulham

23:51

V Sunderland Fulham at home against

23:53

Championship level Sunderland who have

23:55

been playing better they're the original

23:56

wrexum with uh Sunderland until I die

23:59

much sadder than the wrexham show

24:02

because they were on the way down versus

24:03

on the way up uh Ipswich Town versus

24:06

Burnley

24:07

Vincent company you beautiful bald

24:09

bastard has Burnley playing well could

24:12

he get further he should he should feel

24:14

favorite against Ipswich Town not sure

24:15

if he's going to rest his team he does

24:17

have a 13-point lead and then

24:19

Southampton play Blackpool after getting

24:22

beat in the carabao cup Blackpool has a

24:24

new manager as well and then Tottenham

24:26

play Preston North End you know I have

24:28

to say in my last episode I Carter sort

24:30

of said

24:31

um

24:32

Tottenham didn't have much to play for I

24:34

was wrong Tottenham has the FA Cup to

24:36

play for the league to play for

24:37

especially fourth place and the

24:39

Champions League I sort of felt like

24:40

their season was petering out because of

24:42

the way they had been losing games but

24:44

not so not so they're in decent shape

24:46

and they can keep moving on and then

24:48

again

24:49

um not Manchester City but Manchester

24:50

United have a not a cakewalk they could

24:53

lose to reading reading our Championship

24:54

side uh under

24:56

uh underperforming their sort of middle

24:59

of the table but United at home against

25:01

reading you'd expect ten hog to push for

25:04

them that's the late game on Saturday

25:06

and then on Sunday like I said

25:09

Brighton Liverpool's the early game then

25:11

Stoke stevenage our friends from Stoke

25:12

they used to be sexy sexy Stoke under

25:15

Mark Hughes they've been uh in the

25:17

wilderness in the championship staying

25:19

there for a while and then finally

25:20

rounding out the round wrexham for

25:22

Sheffield United for our viewing

25:25

pleasure

25:27

wow I got notes uh by the way during the

25:33

podcast I have to uh mark this down

25:37

that uh the stickers I sent I was cheap

25:39

I was not cheap I don't have a lot of

25:42

stickers and they were 20 people who

25:45

sent us stickers so I gave out as many

25:48

as I could to a reasonable amount of

25:50

people I was not cheap John and Finn I

25:53

just had what I had uh if you want more

25:56

stickers send me your own goddamn

25:58

letters and we'll send them your way so

26:01

fans if you don't know in the in our fan

26:04

group chat uh I asked people on WhatsApp

26:07

to send me their addresses and I sent

26:10

them stickers for them to to have and

26:12

about 10 to 15 people got stickers and I

26:15

sent two each to everyone but uh that's

26:18

because I didn't have a lot of them I

26:20

only had like 25 stickers so I sent what

26:23

I had and I have exactly

26:25

nine stickers left uh but uh you know

26:28

just in case anyone writes so Finn

26:31

I don't care if you're punk rock

26:33

SD suck it up you get one goddamn

26:36

sticker

26:37

all right I don't care how many people

26:38

are in your house do you listen to the

26:40

show no so be quiet

26:44

anyway I'm gonna end it on a negative

26:45

note for Mr Finn Santana that was the

26:49

squeaky bum Time Podcast with Laurent

26:52

courtens we are the football wing of the

26:53

chop Sports channel and presented

26:55

exclusively by the premiere streaming

26:58

Network we record on Tuesdays and

27:00

Fridays so be sure to subscribe wherever

27:02

you get your podcast so you never miss

27:04

an episode we need you we love you and

27:08

thanks

27:11

[Music]