72+ EFL Pod: Fearing for Leicester & WBA spa days

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72 Plus, the ESL podcast with Aaron Paul and Joby McEnough.

Hello everybody welcome onto 72 Plus, the EFL pod from Five Livesport.

As ever this week, Joby McEnough with us and Jobes,

there's been a big celebration this week in the McEnough Household.

There has indeed, my old man has turned the ripe old age of 90 years old,

still going strong, plenty of good food and a little touch of Jamaican rum

is the secret to long life and longevity.

So plenty of celebrations, I've also had my modern laws 75th over the weekend.

So a busy household but a very wholesome and really enjoyable weekend.

A lot of cake knocking around too much at the moment.

Remember you sitting in the stand of a game with him actually as once

and I think he tried to convert him into being a man United fan for the day?

Is that right? It's something like that.

A nice pick of him in a very daft hat but again, he loves it, he gets involved.

I mean, he was disappointed when they wouldn't let me buy him a rum and coat

to take his sandwich and like that.

And so he's like, oh, I'll have a lemonade, I'll have an lemonade,

reluctantly, reluctantly here at the end of lemonade.

So happy birthday, Uncle John, 90 years old from one John to another,

the Wimbledon Boss Johnny Jackson with us on 72 plus the home of the EFL from Five Livesport.

Good to have you with us. It's a shame it's after a defeat.

A player lane last night and it very much was a game of two halves.

Yeah, it was, it was a mad game to be honest but to be fair to warrant.

They come out second half and they changed it round and felt like

it could have finished five all but they took the chances come their way

and and we didn't unfortunately.

I mean, the boy in King looks like some player, don't he?

Favorite junior to play in the EFL?

Oh gosh, that is just put that on me there.

Favorite junior to put it in the EFL?

Junior Lewis.

Junior Lewis.

Oh, that's Peter.

That's Peter Tate's post to somebody.

Go on, give me a few.

Spit a few out for me and I'll say yes or no.

Junior Hoelert?

Yeah, that's not a bad show actually.

The best tweet I ever saw, I mean, this is sort of like peak Twitter where you sit there

and just chuckle to yourself.

When did Junior Hoelert become senior Hoelert?

It's also, his real name's David as well.

I mean, I just see him a fair amount.

His little ads at the red in the academy actually.

So our boys play against each other.

You've got this new sort of next generation of

little ads sort of trying to follow in the footsteps.

So I actually see Junior.

But that's not a bad show.

Some spectacular goals he scored during his career.

That's not bad one.

I can't fit in any others.

For a pub?

Yeah, he was probably at the EFL, man.

Lewis was a proper EFL man, money.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

He just followed Peter Taylor everywhere.

John, we have Peter Taylor in the podcast a couple years ago

and I was like, why did you sign Junior Lewis everywhere?

He's a good lad to be fair,

I think he has a gaffer.

You want to know what you're going to get from players,

don't you?

Not just on the pitch, but in the dressing room.

But yeah, I think it's probably not as easy to get away

with that anymore.

We've all these sporting directors and recruitment analysts

and all that.

So why do you want to get him in?

He's a good lad.

Not sure that washes any more as does it?

Junior Marias is the last one I'm going to come out with.

It's got a piece of Peter one.

So I'm going to have a finger on that and see if we can come back on the end.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So later on, we'll be joined by the Cambridge United

Director for the Marbana with the race of promotion

in lead to getting tighter and tighter.

But in the championship on Tuesday night,

what would be Rex and Phil Parkinson said?

Sometimes you're not your best and for whatever reason

the few players levels were below where they needed to be.

It's frustrating, but I take a lot of heart with the way

the lads responded in the second half.

I thought we were excellent.

Jobs, you were there Friday night under the light

at the race course.

They beat Swansea 2-0 in what's kind of a derby slash not a derby.

What happened at Watford?

Good, good question.

And it was interesting you say about Friday.

There was a lot of noise around the game.

Obviously we had Robin and Ryan in attendance

who were actually great.

I've got to say that really, really good with their time.

And a lot of distractions off the pitch.

And I think one of the greatest thing that Phil Parkinson's done this season

is been able to try and control that and make sure

there's no excuses.

And they can focus on the job which they have done.

They did look a little bit leaky at times.

And we spoke to Phil before the game.

And he felt there was a little bit of a down sort of shift

in terms of just where the players were emotionally

and physically off the back of what was a real tough week.

And then as they got another game to go and follow up that.

And sometimes you just get caught with probably a team

that's got a little bit more energy than you obviously

just switched off a couple of times, which isn't like Rexham.

So yeah, really disappointing one.

In terms of the playoff race, it was one of those results.

You feel like going beat Watford.

Maybe that's one more team that can't catch him.

But just make sure that it stays nice and tight.

Watford's still in the mix.

And Rexham got a bit of work to do still.

Johnny, having won the playoffs last year

and sort of experienced in different results

in the final 10 games, how do you how do you recover

from a gut punch like that where you're going?

You're landing blows in some games.

And then you are taking hit like that.

Well, I think I think that's a nature of the championship

for starters and Phil Parkinson will know that's coming.

He'll probably look to his squad and think about freshening it up.

There'll be players there that are chomping at the bit

for an opportunity.

He's got a big squad to choose from.

So he'll be looking at that with eight games to go

and thinking, is this maybe the time after a tough schedule

just refreshing it up?

Give some lads that haven't had opportunities.

The chance really.

But it won't be wholesale changes.

Look, they're in a great position.

Yeah, they've lost a couple of games in the last three.

But before that, they'd won three in a row.

So I don't think it'll be panic stations,

but he will look at the table and know that Southampton

are closing in.

Darby are right there too.

So I think perhaps going fresh with the line-ups

might be a way to go.

Where are we capping off the teams in the run

for the playoffs down the championship?

Is it down to Birmingham?

Patrick Roberts has come out and said that the belief is still there

that Blues can clinch a championship playoff place this season.

There's seven points off it.

What eight games to go?

Can they do it?

Oh, I'd have to say no.

I feel like seven feels a bit too big at this stage of the season.

And there is a few teams above them,

obviously, in really good forms.

Southampton, I've always said, you know,

for me, the ones that I believe will come through

and maybe actually end up getting in that playoff place.

In at the expense of who?

Well, again, a couple of weeks ago,

I would have said there's probably only one place up for grabs,

but that sort of change.

Hull have been really inconsistent.

If picked up at the odd win,

but then they're losing games as well.

So they've been sort of brought into it a little bit more,

well, a lot more now because then you've got Southampton

and Derby only six points.

I just feel with the six points,

you've got an Easter coming up.

You know, that can go in a week.

You know, you have a couple of quick turn around.

You know, you have a really good week and all of a sudden,

we've seen it up and down the league.

You look what Norwich are doing now.

You know, listen, that's a sustained period and they've been excellent.

But if you can put that runner games together,

you can really jump up, you know,

three, four, five, six places that, you know,

in the space of a few days.

So I think anyone down to,

I'd probably say what for, you know,

your five points again,

it's a couple of wins.

Birmingham for me just feels a little bit too far away

at this point of the season.

The top two commentary and Middlesbrough

have both drop points over the last match day.

So the gap to second now for Ipswich is two points.

Mill, obviously, in there as well.

They're two points off of Middlesbrough

but having played a game more than Ipswich Town.

Is it advantage Ipswich now over Barajobes?

Why is it, I think, once they win that game in hand

because that's what we've been looking at all this time

where Ipswich have got games in hand,

you know, once they win them, then they could,

but they've got to win them.

You know, and we've seen, you know, of late,

it hasn't always been the case where,

you know, they're going to go and maybe get the results

that we feel that they're going to get,

you know, they're like a couple of draws recently

that, you know, really for them, I think,

would be disappointing.

But then you look at Middlesbrough

and particularly those games at home

where teams are coming and sitting in

and making it difficult.

They haven't been able to really find a way

to win those games more often than not

despite what has been a great run under Kim Helberg.

So, I've always fancied Ipswich.

I just think the squad depth, you know,

the strength in depth that they've got the quality,

not just starting 11,

but they've got to bring off the bench.

I do believe that Ipswich potentially

have got more ways to win.

And I think if Middlesbrough

don't unlock that sort of formula of breaking teams

down when they're sitting in that low block

and making it hard,

then that could do for them in terms of that top two plays.

Do they say more ways to win?

Is that through the sheer volume of options

that Kim McKenna has to win?

Absolutely, you know, I think that we all know,

you know, Ipswich can outfoot booyer

if they need to,

but even in those games sometimes where they're going to be tight,

they're going to be nervy,

you know, there are going to be teams

who are fighting for everything,

which we always get at this stage of the season.

And sometimes it is those substitutes to come on and, you know,

get yourself that result that you need,

but have to say the game they've got coming up against Millwall

this weekend,

which I'm actually covering cannot wait for that.

That is going to be absolutely huge

and there's a load of games where these teams

are all playing each other between now and the end of the season.

They've got Middlesbrough as well to come.

So listen, it's in their hands.

I just feel they're going to have to quality to get over the line.

Yeah, they're starting to motor,

they're looking at their recent form,

you know, picking up four wins at the last six,

no defeats, like you say.

They don't lose very often.

This calendar year, they've been excellent,

the squad that he's got as a disposal.

And I think the other thing is that

they've been there and done it in recent times,

you know, obviously having that promotion,

they know what it looks like,

they know what a running looks like.

He'll have learned a lot from previous campaigns here,

and so he's been there around it.

And I think that is a big thing.

You know, looking at that table now,

and Middlesbrough just stumbling in the last cutler games,

and when you've got an opponent behind you that has history

of getting over the line,

I think that adds even more pressure.

Let's hear it from the Ipswich boss,

Keir McKenna, he's talking about the pressure they're running.

Maybe a little bit of tension in a couple of the first half,

where we didn't quite, you know,

play with a confidence that we needed to.

So yeah, that can happen.

It's just now about staying loose.

The motivation is really, really high.

Everyone wants to do well for themselves

and for the team and the club.

So it's just about trying to keep that confidence,

that belief, stay loose going into the games,

and try and impose themselves on them as early as we can.

When you say tension, is that the pressure of the situation

played a part of the thing?

No, not really.

Look, it's just, of course, everyone wants to do well,

and we'll come into the back end of the season,

and the players all really want to do well,

and finish it well.

So yeah, it's, you know,

especially when you game after game after game.

Some spells of the season,

you feel really, really confident,

even just on an individual level,

and other times it comes a little bit harder,

and that comes in waves.

And, you know, when you're in a spell like this,

at this stage of the season, at the moment,

that it can be like that.

And it's good now.

We've got a few days to freshen up,

and I'm really trying to go on and attack it next Saturday.

Kieran, I'm kind of speaking to Brenna Willey.

I want to put some respect to Millwell's name,

Joey, because Alex Neal's side

have been fantastic this year.

And the fact of the matter is there,

they've got the same amount of points as Ipswich town.

If they turn up, Millwell,

and play as they have done for the large part of this season,

they'll go and win that.

Yeah, I've got to say, first of all,

I mean, that decision in the Millwell game,

and to send off Zack Sturge was a shocker.

You know, you're one new up,

you're doing what you need to do to get a result,

and then that goes against you.

And then, obviously, after that,

I probably didn't hand or couple of the big moments

in the game end up losing.

But again, I think it's one of those

that you go into Ipswich might suit Millwell

in the way that they can set up.

You know, they're organised.

We just know everything that they've done well this season.

I do think it lends itself almost saying to Ipswich right,

go on then, you've got to go and beat us today.

You know, you've got to be the one

who's going to take that extra little bit of risk at times.

And we know we've got quality

that we can go and hurt you with at the other end.

So I do think it's a good game for Millwell.

I've had a really, really good record away from home.

You know, that is there for everybody to see.

And there's a reason for that.

And again, I think with that added quality,

they're found in attacking areas this season.

You know, it can be a real potent force on the break,

which is how I'd expect that game to pan out.

Johnny, is the Premier League ready for Millwell football club?

Well, it'd be funny, wouldn't it?

It would be, I actually think it'd be a great story.

Millwell going up to the Premier League.

I think if they managed to pull it off,

would the Premier League be ready?

I think they might catch a few by surprise.

They'll definitely go up there,

ruffle a few feathers,

traveling their numbers,

cause a bit of chaos wherever they go.

And I think they've got a really good manager,

experienced manager in place that will be ready for that challenge.

But yeah, as a neutral,

I think it would be a great story.

You know, there's some really good stories,

commentary, returning, but potentially,

Middlesbrough haven't been there for a long time.

But obviously, Millwell having never been there,

I think would be the real story for me.

Just on Millwell, I've got to say,

when I did a shoot yesterday with Tristan Kramer,

I saw you eating pie a mash.

Top-Lad to be fair.

It was my first taste of proper, authentic pie a mash.

You know, obviously I've had pie as a mash before,

but from a proper...

You had South London pie a mash?

Yeah, South East London.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I didn't obviously divulge the fact that I used to play for West Ham,

cause I might not have got out of there.

But no, it was lovely.

So a big shout to everyone down there,

and yeah, enjoyed it.

It was decent.

The good thing was, they'd run out of jelly deals.

Oh, got to.

Because I was absolutely.

Yeah, but they told me I had to do it all.

You got to do it, probably, yeah.

The thing is, if you asked for gravy,

flip the pie, cut it open,

bit of pie, bit of mash,

bit of a spoon all day in it.

If you asked for gravy,

they'd finish you off down there.

I went to a pie shopping in Greenwich,

just before a chocolate game,

a few weeks ago, Gaffron,

and literally some tourist walks in

and asked for gravy with their pie,

a mash of them all,

it's like, you can't eat in here,

you have to get outside,

it's like, what?

Yeah, it's a no-no in it.

You can't eat it.

You've got to get a liquor, I mean, yeah.

I don't know, it was so liquor as well.

So kind of like meticulous in terms of like the order,

and she would get a lady called Juni,

who was in there running it,

what a woman, right?

And she's like, listen, once this goes out on socials,

if you don't do this, right,

you're going to get absolutely battered.

So Tristan Kramer, fair play to him,

got involved, wolfed it down,

and yeah, it was top-top stuff,

so yeah, we'll good.

Joby, I thought of another one.

Juni is Stanislaus.

Juni is a quick turner.

A quick turner.

Juni is a quick turner.

Juni is a quick turner.

His real name's actually Armando,

Juni is a quick turner, but hey, there you go.

You can have that one, Gaffer.

Stanislaus, do you remember the ECB of that play

that played for Nottingham for us past

a few years ago?

Juni are a go-go.

Yeah, yeah.

Juni are a go-go.

Anyway, let's turn our attention

to the racer survival and the championship,

as we know, Chefiel Wednesday are already relegated,

but it is tight down there.

Leicester City on 38-point,

Oxford, J9-39, West Brom and Jabium,

and Portsmouth on 40.

It is nail-bitingly tight.

Let's hear it from Fox's boss,

Gary Rowett, after Leicester's story,

you want the feet to QPR at the King Power?

It's like Christmas morning, I think,

if you're a QPR, we've given them three goals,

and I'm not taking anything away from their performance.

I thought they worked incredibly hard to stop us.

Getting into good areas for the defended world,

defended diligently, but to concede a game

in such a manner for me showed our worst side

that's been a apparent film of the season.

We're not tough enough for those moments.

We're not hard enough to play against,

and we have to be better than that.

It's really, really simple.

We can't come in twice at the end of a free game.

We can say, we lack energy or we lack to the basics.

You know, this is the championship.

You've got to go and do it, weaken, weak out,

and sometimes I'd rather play really poorly

and draw the game nil nil, and at least see some real resilience,

because I know we've got good players,

but when we don't do that side of the game,

then that is a disappointment.

So how damage it will be, I don't know,

that's two defeats at home in two games,

where it's almost a game just peated out.

I can feel for our fans,

because I think they've probably seen something,

and they've probably seen a number of times before this season.

It's very difficult to get behind.

So we've got to do some about it.

It's what do you do next?

Like I said, I haven't got a magic wand,

but I need to start looking at, you know,

players that I really can trust to do it weak

and weak out and not once or twice.

I dare not speak enough to decide to throw you on the feet to QPR.

If there's one game I thought Leicester would probably win,

it would be QPR,

because they've been dreadful in the past few weeks,

Toby, and you're nodding along to me.

That's why this result was so alarming from my perspective,

because I've covered QPR a bit recently,

and you know, I know we've had a little bit of a laugh,

it's not funny to their fans,

but they are the team that has been on the beach

with the flip flops on Suncreme out the lot,

and to go and turn Leicester over away from home,

it was just such a bad performance defending.

I know, listen, as a manager,

you've got to be a little bit careful.

It was absolutely shocking.

Some of what I was seeing on that football pitch, you know,

from players.

Proper Benny Hills.

Ah, and again, you can just imagine a fan sitting there going,

what is this all about?

And it is just, you know,

it has been a question for Leicester.

It's not whether they've got good enough players,

it's the character, you know,

have they got enough leaders,

have they got enough people digging in there

to get through situations, you know.

And the overwhelming answer at the moment

is just no, because the results haven't been good enough.

I think it's only one win for Gary, since he's come in.

Looked as though maybe you're going to start seeing a bit more

of a Gary Rowett type win,

in terms of the last game,

2-0 clean sheet,

which has been in real scarce supply for them this season,

but then to go and ship the goals that they did,

all comes flooding back and, you know,

big, big questions over those players, you know.

And again, sometimes it doesn't matter,

who the manager is on that touch line.

The responsibility lies with those players.

Once that whistle starts to go and do the job,

and unfortunately on too many occasions,

those Leicester City players have let that club down this season.

Yeah, you have to face up to it,

and you have to get back on the training pitch.

There's no point sort of hiding away from it,

and, you know, shying away from it,

you have to be really sort of upfront and forthright

where your players, it's not good enough.

They're running out of time, like he said there.

He needs a reaction, you know,

he's talking quite sternly there.

So I think it'll be, it'll be work on the training ground

if they can, or it'll be, you have to make changes.

You can't allow mistakes like that,

and then you're in the team the following week,

you know, you have to be culpable,

you have to be responsible for the show,

and if you're giving it, and you're giving it up

and giving away goals, your responsibility is a defender

to do the basics, and he spoke there about the basics,

and not doing them well enough,

then you come out of the team.

That's your ultimate currency as a manager,

is that you pick the team, you select the 11,

and if you're not doing the business,

then you've got to come out.

I don't even know what to say about this lottery,

because I'm sat down and it's like,

you know, the kid that leaves is like,

cool sweat, it's GCSE, cool sweat,

until like the day before it's like,

well, I'll pull something out of the bag.

You're running out of games, Easter's what, two weeks away,

and you know, as soon as you're out of Easter,

it's the slippery slope downhill to the end of the season,

and that's it, it's game over by the end of it, it's done.

They're running out of games.

Yeah, and you can't keep sitting there,

and listen, I'm probably guilty of this,

because I look through that squad still,

even after I lost to QPR, and I see Mavadidi,

I see Fatah, I see Jordan James,

you know, Harry Winks in the squad,

like quality players for this level,

but you can't keep saying they're going to turn up,

they're going to turn up, all this is a mentality,

and I've been in a team that thought they were too good

to go down and got relegated, it happens,

and I think for Lester City, you know,

you can't keep saying they've got good players individually,

because they're not doing it as a squad,

there's no togetherness there,

some it goes against them, just like against QPR,

after getting a decent start, they do not respond,

and that is a lack of mentality,

strength, togetherness, whatever you want to call it,

actually fighting for the player next to you,

fighting for those fans who are traveling,

and they're not doing it as that is why they're not winning games,

and I think that is the real troubling thing

about that football club at the moment,

and I look at some of the other teams down there,

who might not have as good players,

man for man in that squad, but there's a togetherness,

there's a we knew we were going to be in this,

and we're willing to do whatever it takes to get out,

Lester City players are not willing to do what it takes

to get out of this situation,

and you know, for me that is why they're in such a dire situation

that they're in at the moment.

I'm looking at Oxford at the minute and they're fighting

every week, you know what I mean,

I haven't got the best players like Joby said,

but they're giving it absolutely everything,

and you can feel it coming on top of you,

like Joby said that they had really good players,

but it starts to build on that pressure,

and you see players that normally,

you know, you're talking about,

Lester, Mavadidi, Winks and players like that,

would normally be doing the business at this level,

but when the pressure and the reality comes

that you are banging it, that affects players in different ways.

I think the big problem is just on that,

going back to Miami and I'm talking about my late and orange team,

that was, you know, in League One, the finished third,

got to play off final the season before I arrived,

and there was that sort of error of like,

oh, we should be there next season, regardless,

and even by a sort of Christmas January when we were in it,

you know, we would bang in trouble,

that your favourite phrase there, mate.

B-I-T.

Can you set it properly?

B-I-T.

Bang.

Bang in trouble, thank you.

But then what you get, and this is our feel like,

I get from Lester City,

because those players in there will be feeling,

well, if we do get relegated, I'll go nicker-moves still.

You know, I'll have another club come after me,

whereas, again, with the greatest respect to Oxford,

a lot of those players are thinking, mate,

for me to be in the championship,

I've got to be at this football club,

I've got to do everything I can to be at Oxford United

and make sure I stay in the championship,

same with Portsmouth, you know,

and I mean this respectfully,

whereas I think there's a lot of players at Lester City

that go, if we go down, I'll be all right.

I have players, you know, drawing that season,

like, you know, January got nice,

fine, I'm gonna be leaving anyway.

And you're like, mate, I don't care if you're leaving in January,

if you're leaving at the end of the season,

just give me everything you've got,

and then we'll live with whatever happens,

and that is the worst thing when you get to an end of the season,

because it tarnishes you, man, like,

once you've been in a team that's relegated,

people are looking at, well,

why did you get relegated?

What's your contribution in it?

You can't have been this, you must have been a panic,

you know, and this is the thing that players have to understand.

Unfortunately, at Lester City, it doesn't seem

as though that's getting through to enough of those players.

My name's Steve Bratnell,

a system manager at Royal Oak F-Sig.

You may have seen me online, we've had a...

Vinyl sensation.

And now, the BBC have given me the chance

to set the footballing world bankter eyes.

This could be a great opportunity for us

to have the podcast for the BBC.

Can I just say, what's the podcast?

Brilliant, right start.

Well done, Bob, brilliant.

Weak, complete, let show,

utter chance balance set,

to Royal Oak F-Sig.

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Games gone, the Sealed Bratnell podcast.

Watch on YouTube, listen on BBC Sam's.

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7-C-2-plus B-E-F-L podcast with Aaron Paul and Joey McEnough.

Another team involved in the relegation scrap.

I've never heard of anything like this before.

Where's Froman Jalbi and Beat Hold by Three Costs and L?

Into emboss James Morrison said,

giving his squad the spa treatment was a factor

in ending their long-sertro win.

Morrison sent the players for a spa day on Thursday

as part of pre-match preparations in an attempt to calm tension.

The team responded by beating Hold by Three Costs,

the nail Johnny while other teams are out there doing shape his lads.

Well, they're in a steam room.

They're probably getting a massage,

maybe enjoying some bubbles,

who knows a light lunch, you know, a robe,

maybe a nail buffing or something like that.

That is mad.

I've never heard of anything like that.

Well, I'm sending my last time to Sparta.

My rod is trying to get a chewed out of him.

But look, it's, I know where he's coming from.

Like when you're on these bad runs and you've tried everything,

you're, you know, first of all,

you've doubled down on the training ground, right?

We get out there, we'll work harder.

We'll drill defensively, you do that for a week.

The weekend comes, you get beat.

Then you try something, if we'll go five hours this week,

we'll just have a little bit of fun take the pressure off

and you do that for a week and you get beat.

We'll change system next week and like you try it and try it

and in the end, you just start trying to think out the box.

Like, let me just, what can I do?

What can I do different?

Well, we won't train today, like we'll go,

we've done it where managers have said,

like, come on, we got to the cafe, you know,

have a, like, a fright or a bacon roll.

Or that's probably a few years ago now.

I'm not sure they do that anymore.

But he's just trying to think of different ways.

Does this get a tune out of his players?

Spar day, why not?

Let's try something different.

I've done everything else.

How do you reward your players?

Days off.

That's all they want.

Players, players want to know, how much money they're going to run?

Are they going to win any medals?

And how much time off they're going to have?

So you can't guarantee medals.

Obviously, their money is what it, you know,

they know what they're earning.

So the little carrot that you've got,

Joe, you remember it when we come in on a Saturday

and you don't place it or follow in Saturday

and the boys are waiting in that way.

And you've won the game.

It's, oh, you're just waiting for the managers to go

see a Tuesday, lad.

And you won't get a, you never hear a reception,

like it for an extra day off.

You're Monday off.

So it's a big thing.

It's a big thing.

Just giving, giving players that extra day,

they can go and do whatever they want to do.

Play golf, spend time with their family, whatever.

But sometimes that works.

Have you ever, you know, pre-match an adresser room

said, you know, you score three goals,

you get an extra day off or something like that,

you go out and they can't beat

and you come back and just rub it in their face.

Yeah, it's happened.

I have used it as a carrot before games,

like, especially like some, some cup games, you know,

where it's not about performance.

It's like, let's get through and you get your extra day.

That's all I care about.

And you might just scrape a one meal or,

well, if you go out, you got to stick to it.

You ain't getting your extra day, you know,

if you're gonna, if you're gonna dangle that carrot,

you got to stick to it even way.

But honestly, it often works.

I think it's a really interesting conversation

about it's not just the physical demands.

It is, there is a psychological impact that, you know,

being in a run that they've been on, it's tough.

No matter what anybody thinks, you know,

they're going through it, you know,

I'm sure there's players there,

listen, we know Jed Wallace extremely well.

He's a man that I would love to score today.

I bet he loves to score today.

I bet he loves to score today.

I told him to sort it out.

But listen, if that has made a difference

in the sense of the players and staff,

maybe getting an opportunity just to switch off

from it all for a moment, you know,

a bit of a feel good factor back in the squad

because it is tough when you're losing games all the time

and, you know, you're in the run that they're in

and all the pressure around that, you know,

yes, listen, we're paid to go out and win games

in football, of course we are,

but we are still affected at times.

And it, listen, from his perspective,

he's identified something he felt might help.

What you're absolutely then banking,

I think what it does give you is,

gives you that extra bit of credit with a boy

to say, listen, I need a performance today

because I've done something that we're going to get battered for.

If we do not win this game of football

and that comes out that we've been down the spa

and, you know, we're in a relegation battle,

we are all going to get absolutely killed here.

So I think that extra demand,

you know, that probably that buy any gets back from the players.

I think, listen, it's, it's work to treat,

simplify it, 442.

So I think we're coming back round again.

As I think the days of the fry up in the cup

on the Monday's not far away,

Chuck, we're going to get back to it soon, mate.

Fry up all round tomorrow.

Yeah, love it.

Love it.

Bubblance, quick for me, please.

I'll tell you what I think.

Point mesh.

There you go.

Yeah, oh, can you imagine, that'd be great.

Jet, Jet's a kind of person who would be so committed as well

with the spa.

He'd be first on with the robe.

He'd be in their cucumbers on his eyes.

Nice little agatha Christie on the coat.

Like a little book to date with him.

He'd be, he'd be bang up for it.

You know that's the best of luck to West from Joey.

And hey, who knows?

They might be in a spa right now.

Let's bring some fresh news that has broken this morning

in League One, rather him United.

They've parted ways with Matt Hampshire

after their 5-0 defeat away to Peach, but Tuesday night.

Real concern about their situation.

Joey, six points from safety, nine games to go.

But the fact of the matter is, they've been quite bad for a while.

Quite bad's probably putting it mildly.

I think there's been a lot of sort of what's the right word.

We've been waiting for it.

I think that's the easiest way to put it really.

I think, you know, wondering when is it going to happen?

Not if because clearly the run they've been on.

I've got a saving look at some of their recent fixtures.

You know, obviously that result last night and performance.

There are types of performances that end up

getting to this situation because, you know,

getting beat 5-0.

You know, but if I bolt on Huddersfield,

Plymouth Bradford in the last few games, it's a tough run.

But yeah, listen, it's been worrying times there for a long time now.

And unfortunately, it feels as though the inevitable is going to happen.

Listen, there are a couple of wins away now, you know,

from being safe and with the form they're in.

Can you really see them getting the points that they need to stay up?

It's obviously a last roll of the dice.

Maybe a fresh impetus, a bit of fresh energy in the building

that they hope can do the trick and get those wins.

But yeah, it's been a real disappointing season.

Do you know what, Joby?

I sit here after every match then.

Last night was one of those where you sit.

And I don't know if it's just,

just me, I've gone the BBC sports sort of website.

And I look at the result and I'm like,

oh, yeah, it's pretty cool.

It's like, it is the most baffling season,

the most sort of turbulence season.

The others feel they're in, weren't they?

In a while till the end of the game, they get pegged back.

And it's just how it's going to be now between now and the end of the season.

Like you say, just that chopping and changing,

not even week to week throughout the days as they go by.

And yes, this is, listen, this is brilliant.

This is the time of the season, I think,

except for the managers over there.

We all love it, don't we?

Let's push on and drop into league two, five of the top seven.

All one on Tuesday night, the other two MK play on Wednesday in Cambridge.

And I did, who drew Neil Nill away at Walsall delighted to say,

at Friend of the programme,

Cambridge and I to Director Football Mart Bonner

is with us, Bondo, how are you?

Very good, I was very good, Jens, good to be here.

You're looking well.

The director's box life looks like it's treating you well.

Good lunches, good teas, drink, seats.

I mean, it's better than being a manager, isn't it?

It's very different as there's parts of it

where I miss the bit that Johnny's going through,

but you don't miss that.

You should see a bit in his morning, bud.

He's nice thinking, yeah, this is quite nice.

Tell us all about it, back working at Cambridge United.

Neil Harris, down in the dugout,

you were above him watching on.

This is some combination you've got going

and you're hitting form beautifully.

Yeah, Neil's done a brilliant job this year

and him with the staff, I think,

we've built a good side, put ourselves in a position

that I think if you just said at the start of the season,

you see how difficult it is sometimes for teams

that suffer relegations to have success the next season.

If you just said we're 69 points with nine games to play,

we'd have definitely taken that

and we built a cushion of four points over fourth place

on Saturday after a good result.

Didn't get the maximums last night,

but are still in there and we've nine to play

and five at home that include

Salford, Swindon, Nott's County and Grimmisby.

We've also got to go to Barrow.

It's a great end to the season to be on it.

I think having you there, obviously,

someone who's an absolute legend of the club

and been a big part of those successes previously

is such an important thing because I remember that team

where you got promoted when I was at late in Aurean

and again, I think if you looked at the budget of that

versus a lot of the other teams at the level at the time,

there would have been nowhere near the top end of the table

and I look at your side defensively, Mark.

I mean, is that something at the start of this season

between you and Neil that you wanted to set out?

I mean, 28 goals conceded at this stage of the season

is outrageous, really.

And it just goes back to what does it take to get promoted?

Being together, being solid, being organised, hard to beat,

which I feel sometimes is going out of the game a little bit

with modern day coaches all about the other end of the pitch.

But it just goes to show if you want to be successful

over extended period of time,

that defensive stability is so important.

Huge, a huge and any successful team

usually got that to fall back on.

And if you look at us over the year,

we've asked our goal scoring rate

and our possession rates have increased and improved.

But yeah, there's no doubt we started fairly pragmatic

that we were attempting to be portvile

bounced back straight away, but desperate not to be Carlisle.

And when you've got that sort of broad spectrum to work with,

the starting point is be hard to be

and then try and improve and build on that.

And we have done.

We've put ourselves into a really good position.

And when the time comes that we go back to league one,

whenever that is, we'll be a much better club

for that this time round than we were last time

and hopefully able to compete even more so.

How do you plan then for a season

where you don't know what division you're going to be in?

Yeah, it's an interesting one.

I mean, the little bits around pre-season

become a bit more challenging,

maybe with the games that you want to organise.

I think the reality is, we've missed out on players

in the summer and in January that chose to go to league one.

The financial landscape isn't a whole much difference

between league two and league one.

We'll have a bit more, but not huge amounts.

So the truth is the pool of players that we're looking for,

whether we're towards the top of league two

or fighting to be in league one,

it's really similar groups of players.

So actually from a recruitment perspective,

it don't really make too much difference.

We're trying to get the best players we can afford

that fit what we want and usually,

whichever division we're in, it's a similar group.

Can I just say, Joe, the invasive part of my mind

is reminding me that Junior Shammardy

plays at the spoke city, Mark,

you'll have to listen to the pod and come back and work that one out.

Let's hear it from Neil Harris,

the Cambridge United boss after his side's goal of stroke also.

The negative tonight, and I'm going to say it straight as it is,

the impact from the bench was horrific tonight.

I was so unhappy with that.

The four lads that come on off were terrible

and didn't help us at all.

And the difference in games over the last five months

has been that impact from the bench and today wasn't good enough.

What were the specifics behind why you were so unhappy

with that aspect of it, Neil?

They played terribly, Doug.

Man, they've got to be better now.

Come on, they've got to come on and change games.

So you can come come on and make mistakes and turn the ball over.

You're a fresh and come on the pitch.

Look, they're brilliant players.

They've done brilliant for us.

But I'm just getting just being really honest.

You know, the first person to say,

our world, they've done when the players have come off the bench.

Our world, the lads have done as a group.

And they've done brilliant.

It's just another strong point tonight.

But when you need lads to come off the bench and really impact it,

we didn't tonight.

So listen to them, you know, heed my words.

Please be better than that when you come on the pitch.

And we have to be more consistent.

You're always going to get refreshing honesty from Neil Harris.

I'd run through brick walls to that, man, though.

Literally with one leg, I don't really care, Joe,

but I do it for him because you just listen to him there.

The frustration in his voice, the anger in his voice,

the disappointment in his voice as well.

You want to go out and do your best for him.

I think the big thing with Neil is

we all know whether we've played against him.

We've worked with him, played against his teams.

He is honest, first and foremost.

And he would have said exactly that in the dressing room.

I'm 100% sure before he then comes out and says it.

So as a player, you know, and you know,

deep in yourself, whether you have done as much as you could

or whether you have had the impact that you wanted.

And actually at this time of the season,

I think it's really important that everybody

does know the demands and the expectations

because it's very easy to sort of fall into.

Yeah, we've had a decent season, you know, we're okay.

No, you know, you look how tight that top of the table is

and the difference between going up automatically

and maybe ending up falling into a playoffs

where anything can happen can be you coming on

and having an impact and nicking a game 1.0

in the last minute of the game.

So I only think I'm a little bit worried about my old mate,

James Brophy, I think was one of them in his crosshair.

So Mark, when you see him next, just make sure he's all right.

I'm going to send him a little text today just to check on him

because I know he's a, can be a little bit sensitive

about Brophy, so just make sure he's all right for me.

Of course, as I, I think like the interview's brilliant

and like people want to hear honesty

and that's exactly what it is.

I mean, when you say, you said exactly that in the dressing room

if he said, please be better lads.

I'll be quite surprised.

But I think the impact from our substitutes this year

has been exceptional and the reason he's at the career he's had

now and the impact he's had here is because he's relentless

and his drive is not going to, he's not going to let up

and I absolutely love that.

And the honesty makes someone so easy to work with

because people don't hold stuff back.

Like we're quite open to be able to speak to each other

any way that we want and that's really refreshing.

Do you, do you guys buy heads?

It's interesting, why not?

I think we challenge each other.

But I think was, you know, I heard David Moist say once

when you're a manager, there's enough people

that want to disagree with you and challenge everything you do.

Sometimes you need people to just support you

and help you work out what's going on in your mind.

So I was trying to find that balance between the two things

and support him every way that I can.

But I certainly offer an opinion and we're not afraid

to disagree with each other.

But the fact that we can do that really honestly

with complete trust and move on quite quickly

makes it really healthy relationship.

I'll just be interested to hear about how you find the

the match day experience now, Mark,

having obviously been down there in the dugout

doing it yourself sort of hands on on a match day.

Now you're up in the stand, watching like the different pressures

of that.

For me, I don't mind admitting like match days

my least enjoyable day at a week.

I like the Monday of Friday and then I feel, you know,

the match day, obviously the pressure,

the nerves that come with that.

Just interesting to see the difference in feeling for you now

doing your different role, having done both.

Yeah, it's a great question, John.

And the answer is like, I don't love it, to be honest.

I mean, I love the fact that you can watch a game

and you're not tied to the outcome in the same way.

And the defeats or the bad performance

is don't do the same thing to you

that they might have done when you're on the touch line.

But the same thing is also true.

I agree with you that match days are tough when you know,

manager, but the highs of the highs have been the manager

and the good bits that are there.

I don't think you can replicate that anywhere.

And for those of you that played,

you'd say the same thing.

I'm pretty sure.

So you can't help the fact that I do miss that bit too.

Because as hard as it is, when it's good, there's nothing better.

Do you plan that the celebration, if you go up,

is that a direct to a football sort of, you know,

to come out of your reach?

Absolutely not.

Do not let the, do not let the car come before the horse

as I do not, I mean, that's probably the next game

is the only one that matters.

Well, it's great speaking.

You're best of luck in the race of promotion.

Mark Bonner, Cambridge United Director of Football

with us on 72 plus.

We will talk about Tram at some point on this show

in the next few weeks.

Let me bring you one stat to do with them.

Out of a possible last 42 points available.

Do you know how many they've picked up, Toby?

Out of 42.

I'm going to go for six four points.

Oh my gosh.

Four points, Pete Wildside.

Absolutely stuffed on home turf.

Three nil by Harrogatown.

I am very, very worried for that football club right now

because there's six points off safety.

Obviously you've just beaten by Harrogat.

Barrow absolutely tanked as well.

It's a rocky, rocky situation.

Now the one, I'm sure Christian Fuchs, by the way,

if he's able to get Newport County out of trouble,

then you know, massive good on him.

Good on him.

Even Trammer Overs, they've stopped this club in reverse

and it's very, very worrying.

So we'll talk to Trammer over the next couple of weeks

and know that you're heat up over Easter.

Let's finish with this.

17, 2 plus, 72 minus on the football daily.

Yeah, it's time for Toby's best and worst EFL moment

to the week, who's on your radar, Jobs?

Well, I've got to say we've got a couple of absolute crackers

this week.

So I'm going to rip up the script and instead of doing a plus

and a minus, I'm going to do two minuses

because we've had two situations.

I'm scratching my head in all the time

I've been involved in football.

I don't think I've ever seen them.

We get two in one week.

So we're going to do two minuses first up.

It's going to be Birmingham's Jack Robinson

with an absolute moment to forget.

The ball was actually still in play.

Goalkeeper rolls it out to him.

Robinson thought the ball had gone out

and he thought he was going to be the one to take a goal kick.

So he stops, picks the ball up, marches over to the six yard

box and puts it down as if it's going to be a restart.

Referee blows up.

Everyone's looking around that.

I'm going to minute.

Surely that hasn't gone out of play.

Ends up giving a penalty.

Here it is.

What have they seen?

They've seen something and the referee is coming up.

I thought for a moment he'd given the corner

too long.

He's given an end ball and the blues are suddenly

going to protest to the lines from on the far side.

The ball is live.

Well, if he is, then he's suspended.

Job's 10-10 description of that.

I mean, it took longer than the actual clip.

Well, I've got to be honest.

It's something that, as I say, I don't think I've ever seen

before.

If you haven't seen it, go and go and watch it.

It's absolutely bonkers.

Your other 72 minus then.

Another crazy situation this time.

It's Oli Norburn of Not County.

Obviously, a team chasing promotion in League 2.

He's already on a yellow card early in the game.

And then he does this.

Norburn gets a 14-dog with boots come off,

but no foul given.

And Norburn then picks up Dog with boots and thrown it off the pitch.

You've got to be a little bit careful things like that,

having been brought to Oli Norburn.

There's Nick Sirola, and Norburn's going to be off.

Oli Norburn is off.

Oh, my word.

The referee has seen the fact that he's chucked Dog

with boots off the pitch.

And Norburn, inside the open 20 minutes of this one,

has been sent off for two yellow cards.

Nothing wrong with that.

Tidying up.

Tidying up, loving the boot off.

I thought it would be harsh to be fair.

Yeah, no.

I thought that was harsh.

That's not nice.

That's not nice.

Johnny, key stage one maths.

A minus and a minus, a double negative equals.

Plus.

Exactly.

Let's have a 72 plus.

And I'm going to bring you this one this week.

Great to see Eduardo Bove scoring for what

for someone who's had a real tough time over the past year

and a half.

He suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Fiorentina

in December 2024.

And he fired home whatford's third against Rexham last night.

So really, really good to see Eduardo Bove scoring.

And the celebration was unbelievable.

And it was, can we call it the Robin Van Persie

going and standing on sort of like the advertising

hall and opening his arms up like Christ the Redeemer.

You know what?

I love it.

I love it.

It's what it's all about.

Where is everyone this weekend who's doing what?

All right.

The game that we spoke about in the show.

So Ipswich Mill will, which I cannot wait for,

going to be a massive game at the top end of the table.

So really looking forward to that.

Peter brought home for us, Saturday, 3 o'clock, looking forward to it.

Happy days.

Don't get beat 5, no, mate.

You know what happens after that.

Don't beat 5, no, away.

That is it for this episode of 72 plus.

Thank you to Johnny Jackson and to Joe B. Mac and up.

And to you, for your company as well.

Oh, and to Mark Bonnet, Cambridge United director football.

Forgot to say thanks to him.

Thanks, Bonso.

As for us, 72 plus will be back next week.

Catch you there.

Gaffa, we're making the playoffs.

Yeah.

You've jinxed it, didn't you?

How much jinxed that, mate?

How much jinxed it?

I said we will lose two more games to the end of the season.

Then we lost them.

Yeah.

Oh, there you go.

Well, I didn't change anything in the way that he drops it.

So casually, yeah, I think we just need to win seven of them.

I just like the way he's going.

So a lot of the play-orium beat them.

And then we'll go there and we'll beat them.

All right, we'll give Lincoln one.

But then we'll go there and we'll beat them.

He's a bad game, isn't it?

Bad talk, mate.

Right, do you want me to reach out of a set now?

No, no, no.

No, next game, next game, next game.

I'm Rich Hall.

And this is Sports Strangest Crimes Presents Confessions

of a Super Bowl striker.

When people ask me what I do, I say to them

well, by day or by night.

The story of one man's mission to conquer

the holy grail of streaking the Super Bowl.

Mark troubles us too largely for this body.

He's just like the entertainer.

Mark pushes the boundaries of what is socially acceptable.

No chance, Texas.

It's really strict, but then the more folks

don't say, you don't fall behind God.

What are you about?

Sports Strangest Crimes Presents Confessions

of a Super Bowl striker.

Listen on BBC Sounds.

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