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The MLS season is heating up and we’ve got takes. MLS analyst Matt Doyle stops by to help us separate early-season overreactions from real trends. Is Julian Hall’s breakout with the New York Red Bulls the beginning of a superstar arc or just a hot streak? Are Inter Miami CF papering over long-term roster concerns despite their win over Orlando City SC? And can the early momentum from the San Jose Earthquakes — and Timo Werner — actually last? We dig into what’s real, what’s noise, and what it means moving forward.
Then we head across the Atlantic for an incredible conversation with Steve Fletcher, assistant coach and club legend at AFC Bournemouth. Fletcher gives us insight into why Tyler Adams is one of the most respected players at the club, how his leadership extends far beyond the pitch, and why every team needs a player like him. If you’re an American soccer fan, this is one you won’t want to miss.
We also dive into the impact of manager Andoni Iraola and how his consistency, culture-setting, and tactical identity have helped elevate Bournemouth in the Premier League. Fletcher reflects on his own storied career — from signing in the early ’90s to becoming the club’s all-time appearance leader — and what it means to represent one club for over three decades. MLS chaos, Premier League insight, and legendary football stories all in one episode.
Timestamps:
(7:30) – Julian Hall is leading a youth movement in New York
(16:00) - Will Inter Miami struggle this season despite win?
(22:00) – Can San Jose and Timo Werner’s hot start last?
(26:30) – MLS weekend recap
(37:00) - Steve Fletcher joins The Cooligans
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📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
Sit down the cool again. We are joined by special guest co-host the one and only of tactics free zone Matt Doyle say hello, Matt Doyle. Hello, Matt Doyle. That's me
On cue on point. He's gonna bring that same
Intensity to this podcast and in the first segment. We're talking about the player kids move it
Julian Hall is we're leading the golden boot rankings in Major League soccer
He is 17 years old. Messy is quite envious. Also, we are joined by Steve Fletcher the assistant coach for
Bournemouth football club a lot of conversation about his career Tyler Adams and
Swan Cementio and everything going on at Bournemouth football club. So all this and more today on the cooligans
All right, I'm excited that Matt Doyle is here joining me to do the show because Alexis is obviously on a trip. He's in Ireland and
this weekend is
And I'm gonna ask Matt how you feel. I'll be honest. It's hard to get excited about
Wal-Mart soccer Saturdays when
When it seems like World War 3 is about to begin and it's really hard. So that's my first question and I'll share my thoughts as well
The the when the the world teams to be burning around us and we still have to do our jobs
How do you balance that I'll share mine afterwards?
So the first thing I do right like I go to my bar and I grab the good stuff, right? And then I open that bottle
God for a double that is how
That the quote unquote good stuff is not needles. You know what I mean?
We're in a good we're in a good place. It's not it's not too too bad
None of those needles. None of those powders. None of that
The tall all drink a brown liquor
All right, man. Yeah, and it's I don't I usually don't drink to
To deal with any to to to you know, sift through any emotions or any
challenges, but I
I guess I do the opposite I lean in to every news story every tick-tock feed every like I just
That's healthy. That's healthy. Yeah, yeah, I
Really smart. Yeah, I just like trying to want to understand and I think the point at the at the end of the day
I get to a point where I'm like there's no point in understanding
Because the bad people are just going to do the bad things whether you understand them or not
And that's a sad kind of reality to sort of come to but it does not mean we do not you know, push on with
You know as much grace and positivity as we possibly can find joy where you can my friend
Oh my god, and it's sometimes it's in Major League Soccer, which you know
Few people not enough people say that they don't know that it is actually a source of
Of joy of or a source of look. Yeah, you could be you could be upset
You could be but it's a source of passion and care and at the very least it's it can be somewhat therapeutic
I mean this even in these I feel like this MLS season which like this season
For you know for American soccer stands it it I don't know it just feels like if it feels somewhat different
And I don't know why I don't know if it's just the state of the world or whatever, but they it just feels like there's something
Meaningful to like Alex is always is oh he said this last week
He's like the first 10 games of the season don't mean anything. I think but but they feel like they mean a lot
I don't know I watch that Orlando Miami. I'm like this feels like it means something to somebody
So I don't know but yeah, man
What can you say I don't know I
Will say this and not to to be too earnest about it, but one of the things that
Means something more around sports. It's not just MLS
But I'm gonna use the example from Minnesota. Did you see their TFO this week? I did
Yeah, I did and given what Minneapolis St. Paul has been through with
Essentially fascist occupation by ice over the course of several months and to see the
Supporters come together and hang that ice out banner that the huge TFO
That meant a lot
San Diego fans the first week of the season during national anthem they turned their backs in protest
To get ice out of San Diego and
That's to me that sports that it's best. That's what we want
Our our fans are our fellow citizens even non-citizens
We want people to have that right to protest right to defend themselves and their neighbors
emotionally politically all of the above so
Things feel different. I think because of that and then you layer on all the
The other stuff with us apparently going to war in the Middle East because we got to do that every 25 years
Just because just
Just because they feel like you
No congress now we don't need to talk we don't need to check on anybody congress was alive. They would be very upset
They don't even you know how you send like you know a text just to be like yo, I'm gonna be here
Now not even doing that. I'm not they're gonna go start a whole damn war and not even tell anybody. So
Yes, that's why I think soccer
Sometimes in certain moments can be incredibly impactful and meaningful
And that's what we're trying to do here. So we're trying to move forward
Because even shows like hours or soccer wise or whatever or or tactics free zone
Bring people a little bit of peace and a little bit of joy and and you know
You know just find the positive moments in life and soccer can very much do that
So that's what this is all about. So let's get the show going welcome to the cool again
My name is Christian Polanco. I'm honored to be joined by guest co-host today
newly of soccer wise a new signing
I'm a man got a new
newsletter or is why would you call a website newsletter? Yeah, I call it a newsletter
But I guess at this point it really is like a website. It's just basically my column archive like all the stuff
I was doing for MLS soccer for 15 years. I'm just doing it for myself now tactics free zone
That's right Matt Doyle joining me today
Alexis is away and today show
We're gonna have a good time. We're gonna obviously week two in MLS
And we'll talk about everything that Doyle is up to but later on we're gonna be joined
By the one and only Steve Fletcher
He is the assistant coach at Bournemouth football club right now. He's a Bournemouth legend and
Maman got a ton of stories and we obviously talk a lot about Tyler Adams
Who's obviously the defensive midfield there at Bournemouth and for the US men's national team
But today let's start in MLS
As an NYCFC fan it honestly
Ain't me to say this about a Red Bull player
But Julian Hall seems to be the real deal the 17 year old is the future of Red Bull and also Michael Bradley might be a good coach
I never know whatever say those words
The kids have been the stars of the first two weeks of the MLS season
But Julian Hall might be the brightest of the bunch Doyle
You've been writing a lot about and tactics free zone about Red Bull
I hate seeing anything positive about that too
But what what they're doing on the pitch especially compared from last season seems to be a huge improvement
What are your initial thoughts on Julian Hall's first two games?
This is the top topic
I think he's here to stay
Right
He's got three goals for two games. He's tied for the golden boot lead
I don't think he's going to win the golden boot
But Messi's jealous. He's like man who's that can't catch up catch up right
What makes Julian Hall different for his age is like he finds happens
He knows how to be in the right place at the right time
And that's the number one skill for any consistent goal score because those are the types of goals
That don't dry up right that and that speaks to an advanced soccer brain
And then he has
You know the physical skills to go with it
And you saw it in next pro he was he was too good for next pro right
You played like 300 minutes. He scored five goals in 300 me
He was too good for that level and they took that and they plugged it into this system
The Michael Bradley is now running which is just beautiful soccer
And Hall is finishing off the plays that you would expect a veteran striker to finish off
And that's very different than what Josh Sergeant was 10 years ago
Or what Josie Altidore was 20 years ago
These were guys who didn't have that sense of how to get into the box to finish off
Those one place those those one touch
Finishes with right place right time. So I think he's here to stay. I think
He's not in Harrison to stay
I think very rarely in 18 months
They're going to get a lot of money for this kid
I just hope that when he goes he doesn't go try to go straight to the premier league or La Liga
I hope he goes to like a mid-level, you know, Belgium or war
Air division and banged home goals there
Groza into his body a little bit more
It doesn't make the leap to like a top-top league until he's in his early 20s
Rebel started
Three teenagers if I'm not mistaken. Yeah in the last game three children Chris not just teenagers
So these are under 18 years old three minors. Yeah, yeah, this is like is it is this one of those like
Like with Kevin Sullivan where they they couldn't play games after like seven p.m. Something
Because of labor laws
Can't see our rated movies. It's really sad. Yeah
It's like oh no, we can't we don't want any prime time games
Long as possible. So are these kids play? I in the in the post
Well, I think it was pregame. Mike Bradley was talking about
The they were asking I forgot who it was on Emma's wrap-up. They were like, oh, you know, you're starting all these kids or whatever and
He talked about them in a way of like, oh, you know, they're super important to the team and stuff like that
But as like you know, I think guys like us and then but especially I you know, I look to you
We we we understand um, you know roster rules and salary cap. So he's talking about them like
And they I'm I can't I they're so good and we don't have to pay them anything isn't this great
I see I'm like Mike. I know what you want to say. So he's like you want to use them
For as long as you have them at the club, but he's talking them in in very high regard being like
I can tell he's about to say like they ain't gonna be here very long correct
Correct
They are not gonna be here very long. I mean maybe the left-back
Maddie does Santa's so I didn't know anything about before he started in week one
But he already looks like one of the best left-backs in the league, but hall and then
Man, we we're talking about Julian hall of this and he's leading the gold. He's not even the best of them
Is Audrey Mimetti the defensive midfielder who I think is the best prospect of these three. He's just 16 years old
um
And like I hate to to even invoke the name, but like he plays like booskets
Right he plays like booskets where he creates these
Yannick bright right now is being like I wish you would talk about
Absolutely not Yannick good player, but absolutely not like
Mimetti creates tempo and rhythm in the game that makes everybody around him so much better
And the US has produced a lot of good soccer players over the years like there's a reason where top 15 team
In the world pretty much constantly a lot of good soccer players
We've never produced a midfielder like this never one
Like Tyler Adams great player plays on the front foot not a 360-degree player this kid days when Mimetti
Oh my goodness. He is not going to be with Rebel for a long time
It and watching the team and and you had posted that um that clip of just uh
A string of passes 17 passes. Yeah 70 passes and I'm like I honestly I can't really remember in the last couple years when
The this possession style kind of fun sort of free-flowing red bull
You know rebel New York team. I've just we just haven't seen it in quite a while even when they made ever
You could say you could say not the type of team that you could say ever we've never seen it with rebel
Okay, I don't know. I don't remember every metro starts game. I don't know how they were
Some of us are cursed my friend
Uh, but no man it and then to wrap up we rebel Michael Bradley um I I think we um for a long time we still kind of
I wasn't necessarily like this, but I I understood fans of like after the 2018 World Cup and missing out on the World Cup
For the US men and and him being blamed essentially right like being relentlessly booed him in Josie
um and there was a
Sort of bitterness. I think that
Uh, I think American soccer fans had with Michael Bradley about that even though
The dude contributed more than a lot of other, you know, US national team players
But him as a coach, I think it I'll be honest. I didn't think it would initially just like work out very well or be this like positive or optimistic or even in his
His press conferences. There's there's a
Sir a different side compared to his dad. We're obviously going to compare him to his dad as far as a coach
And he has like a more lightheartedness that I think I I really didn't expect what what did uh
What are your thoughts in his first two game managing?
I couldn't be higher on him after after two games um look man. I'm
I have aesthetic preferences for how I want to see the game played and um it was like like right
You know, you know, when you see it you're like a
And we're seeing it. We're seeing it in Harrison with this team like it's and it's not just the teenagers
It's a you know, Justin Shay is playing center back five years ago. He was
Julien Hall, you know, he was the 16 17 year old kid with Byron Munich coming and you know
The the world at his feet and he just hasn't lived up to it and he arrived this winter or kind of
Damaged goods and within two games. He looks like one of the best centerbacks in the league
And he's like overlapping and getting into the attack and getting to the end line and hitting pullbacks across the box
And just adding so much on both sides of the ball
And it looks like the best version to what the crew wear under wilford nancy and it's like the that's the soccer
I like and apparently as a soccer that Michael Bradley likes to and he's
Getting the children to deliver pretty good. Okay. All right. Now you love to see it. Um
I do not love to see it when it's red ball, but what are you gonna do? So you know at the very least we get a lot of
You know crap from rebel fans or whatever, but like
You got the you got some time you got some airtime on the show and so we I was forced to give you flowers
And that's it except them, please let me ask you this if Seymour Reed had finished one of those two breakaways that he had for
NYC if with this segment has been about the pigeons or we've been
Obviously not
No, man. That was that's well. We'll get to maybe now. I was such a look. It was it's frustrating
Um, but the fact that he had when he messed up the first time the 1v1
I was like, Hey, you know what? He's going up against his Jamaican national team teammate goalkeeper
Probably the lights sometimes a little too bright. This is one of the greatest goalkeepers
MLS has ever seen
I could understand why the moment might feel too big when you had the second one
Oh you want to see it we learned our lessons from the first one
Now is the time to grow up you got to grow real fast from the you know from the 83rd minute to the 85
You got to come man
So
Big window. Hey, yeah big one if I want to see. I want to get to
Miami and
Orlando because after the first half I
You know, I posted on blue sky like yo Miami UI because this is you know loss
So you essentially giving up five goals in a row
One of they're gonna kind of turn things around and man. This was a
That that second half was a movie. I mean they they
Um, I mean, we're always now the the I mean he created his own new meme
but
Messi doing that. Hey, you want my autograph?
Is like peak
Villainy just that's cold. It was cold blooded man. It was so good
So fantastic, but
Before we talk about their success. I mean, what is from from the game against LAFC to that first time?
against Orlando is it as simple as boost gets is not there and they don't know what to do always a more complex than that
I think LAFC might actually be the best team in North America
So like it was a really high bar in that first game and the way they're able to just kill teams on the break and just absorb
I mean, Miami's working a lot for new starters in so I think there was gonna be some issues with that
And then the first half of this game Orlando blitz them and credit to Oscar pariah. He changed the shape a little bit
Went with kind of like a three five two and
Miami couldn't figure out ball progressions and then
Havier, Masha Rano on the second half to screw it dropped a full back and brought in another attacker
And they played a three five two with like really flying wing backs
And suddenly Messi was getting on the ball in good spots and if that happens
Belly probably given up four goals
Yeah, I mean, Messi met you get Messi in bad spots and you still find the way
I mean his goal is is absurd and where in that that there were so many moments where I mean they sort of
Have been playing like this obviously since Messi got there, but they they really pack
The the the the D you know, I mean they packed that to the top of the box was just so many with defenders
Messi's obviously gonna track two or three people. So sometimes the the the center of the top of the box can get like
Go keepers are like, yeah, what's happening over there?
Y'all just a couple feet in front of me now. I really don't know and and and um
Why am I forgetting the uh
The goalkeeper Kropov Kropov
He that the Messi's goal was just like
I one it's like yeah, he's kind of blinded one and then he's also like there's no way he gets like a lot of
Power on a shot like this. He's not really taking and that's that the rules don't apply
Yeah
Be here that with the deep magic man. It's just like yeah, the the free kick though, uh a bad
Bad on Kropov great on Messi. I mean
It was good on Messi, right? You want to force the save and Kropov has to make that save
He just said he t-rexed it man like oh, you know, it was not it was not a great moment for him after he had been
Outstanding in the first half he had kind of a nightmare of the second half, but um my aim is gonna do that
Do a lot of people this year, so sure um, uh, I just remember did you remember the did you see the
The they in trying to play like a friend Liam in Puerto Rico. Yeah
This week and then Messi got like a tact. Yeah
Well, the guy was trying to take like a self. Yeah, so a bunch of fans ran out to the field
I think it was like middle of the second half or whatever and um the
You know security was I think a little bit lax
I guess y'all seen wasn't there because he would expect a couple of those guys
And they tried to yeah, they tried to get it and get a selfie with him
Um and and kind of knocked him down. It's like what the hell have bro every every
Isn't like Messi's legs like insured for like a billion. I would hope so
I would hope so
No, man. It it it's uh with
Not that I like like look do I care if it's about me like improve or not or whatever
But the the the the fact that you know the the loss
To lose in LAFC is you know, I don't think there's any shame in that but to lose three nil and you know
I said last week that they it felt like the leaks cup final where Obed Vargas just locked down
Messy and maybe that what that was gonna be the the move kind of like
Going forward and some teams would find success with that
But for him for him to have you know, Messi doesn't is rare to have two very bad games uh in a row
And and to see like the way that second I feel bad for land or city because
I when they scored those first two goals
You saw how the camera pan to the coaching staff and ask a prevail. We're just like yes like
Like not even not even like gloating. It was just like a
A they were at peace. I was like. Yes. Like this is the team. I want to see. This is what
I'm pasalit with his goal. Hey, that's everything and then
Like to break us. All right, we we've interviewed
Oscar Preja and I mean one of the
This is a certain like wise
Worms that he
Gives off that you're just like
Okay, where what do you need me to do coaches? Not even starting about running through a wall. It's like I'll run through steel if I
If I need to um
Okay, let's move on to San Jose because
Are
They good uh because this is uh a team
That for the last few years has just been a visible and and it's just been really really bad
Uh, but team over and it gets his first to say uh, so that's cool to see
But this is another team that your your stock seems to be pretty high up on. Yeah, it was
Higher on them going into this year than I think most people were because
Even though they were bad last year they were actually good
And what I mean by that is like
Not on paper right well on paper but not necessarily
I don't know we got to see some fart a little bit here, but yeah, yeah
Daniel had a terrible season just shot stopping right if your goalkeeper is gonna give up seven extra goals
You're probably gonna lose a few extra games
But more than that the guys that they were playing up top last year Joseph Martinez Chico Arango to a lesser extent
Christian Espanosa all of them are gone
All of them are attackers so you know book goals on the board good
But you still have to defend and none of them did and that made them really really easy to build to like right through the middle
Like they gave up so many easy line-breaking passes that just immediately put the midfield
And defense into a scramble and you don't win a lot if you're scrambling all the time
Despite that they were still much better than their record these
You know got unlucky at times Daniel Taylor-Bershastoff didn't love a lot
Bruce Arena said I'm gonna fix the structure. I'm gonna make sure we don't allow those passes through two weeks
They have it for two weeks. They have two shutouts
Daniel has not had to make very many big plays at all in goal. It's working the caveat
Is that they have played two games at home against two of the worst teams in the league
So don't get too far out over your skis man because
He had to produce the Carter from the Bay Area
It could fall apart, but I don't think it's gonna
I like I just look at how hard
Everybody in that front line is working and that includes team of earner now who for the past ten years
Has been one of the best defensive forwards in the world and like I know there's like he
Sometimes cash you're straight and that's a big shot. Yeah, why is not in the Premier League people listening to this are being like defensive
Forward man, you're finding what you're fine. You're like
picking
You're looking at every single set to find even something positive when everybody
I mean most of the internet is just like team of earner get him out of my clothe
I mean he has too many terrible terrible highlights. That's that's a
Obviously I think very easily going against him. Yeah, but he has a lot of good highlights too
There's a reason he's got like 60 caps for Germany what 25 goals and like he's you know
All right, it didn't work for him in the Premier League
But we've seen it like it didn't work for Andre Chefchenko in the Premier League either. He's pretty damn good forward
So I
I don't know. I just think it's all going to work
I wonder how it's going to shake out in terms of formation
But the cool thing is that Bruce has always tended to find a way and
You know, we talked that we opened by talking about Julian Hall in the youth movement with the Red Bulls youth movement with San Jose too
Like they gave the number 10 kit to Nika Chicares 20 years old. He was one of the stars of the US U20 World Cup team
This past autumn. He was great with that team and they've scored five goals so far
He's had a hand in four of them. He like looks the part of a real number 10
Who of course also plays defense because defense is important Chris
Gotcha gotcha and I mean
Look Bruce Arena, especially you don't you can't really
He's not
Used to just having bad teams for like a long time. He can like figure stuff
And I always I always go back to the
Bruce arena like you know, what's your coaching style? He's like well as long as my 11 guys are better than their 11 guys
We're good to go
And it's like hey, maybe that's that maybe that's the the advice and coaching that that they needed
To find some success. Uh, before we wrap up with the thing. I just want to make sure because you you had brought up the NYCFC field effort union the
Did you see the last two weeks in MLS? There've been some
Issues with refereeing and I know you've been very vocal that you don't like talking about this
This isn't your your wheelhouse
but I
What I said and I'll and I'll say this and and I'll give
Credit to I think you feel it that the union fans that were pretty upset. There was a a VAR call
The there was a foul by
Or a potential foul by who was it? Um, I don't remember who
Uh, damn who it was the where am I forgetting his name now the the center back
Um, uh, Raul Raul Raul Raul Gustavo
Uh, a foul right and it was inside the box and VAR said hey, uh, go take a look at this to Chris to Chris Penzo
And Chris Penzo looked at it looked at it for a long time. I said no, I don't see a foul here and then
Minus later a couple minutes later
He uh, uh, uh, Thiago Martins is holding on to uh, uh, uh, the the new uh, stars
Stop who is it is a is a Polish-American kid from the the Philly Academy. I'm really good. Yeah, holding them and not doing anything
And he goes down to the ground and Chris Penzo's like that's an blay in penalty and I'll say this
The first one
Was a penalty. I could not believe they didn't give it. I mean it wasn't
It would have been a very soft penalty, but you get you got it like give those right because he puts his leg
The guy's not able to control the ball. It's not necessary a lot of force
But he does do something
Get that's the penalty. Why give? I mean, and now we just feel like you're making up for the other one
And it's not cool dog. So I'm
But what do we think when that shouldn't happen in the age of VAR anymore like makeup calls and that really felt like one
Yeah, I don't disagree with that um, it was a weirdly officiated game man
Like the last 15 minutes
especially like
Makanya got a second yellow for like
Yeah, I'm saying disagree like I don't know. I guess like if it was his first yellow, okay
You know, but like I don't have a son and a guy off for
Terrible call
Can't do this at a ref you can't go
Damn. Yeah, like you just they they hate that so much
I mean, and he's like he's like 15 yards away. Yeah, it was it was it was weird
But it was also it shouldn't take away from the fact that NYCFC for really good
Keaton parks back in the middle for that team
Makes him so much more difficult to press and Philly's in trouble dude
Philly had a supporter shield winning team last year and like they went on a complete heat check getting rid of all of their good players over 25 years
Ahold um, I thought it was an unserious offseason from them if the goal is to win
But I don't think the goal foot with that team is to win. I think the goal is to make money and you know
Better count good job, I guess, but we'll see how that helps in the standings
Okay. Yeah, they I'm and there's they there's also the
Who's he the
That's supporting director turns tenor is being investigated
Yeah, there's a lot of distractions in house that they got to sort out. Maybe that's affecting the the team as well
So we'll see the other thing apple tv
There's a couple issues a couple now that we're two weeks into the season. I didn't even notice this but the
um
The
The there's some broadcast issues that we'll get to in a second, but the endless wrap-up is gone
Now it's just like a highlight show with like voiceovers from Kevin Egan and kind of just like
Just focusing on the highlights and and your look and maybe this could be a conversation about now, you know
Matt dole is is independent or
You you know your license
You
I don't loan, but you're done with them at last
And obviously it was in it's an interesting thing because
You you see in moments like this how much your work is appreciated and how much you're
Uh appreciated and I and I know you know, I sent you a message as well. I know uh uh that means a lot to you
but when you
Yeah, you can speak as as candidly as you want about
Now it's a little bit different now, right? But you can speak as candidly you want just like when you see these changes like that
How do you think it affects the future of the league and how the food how the league is received by fans?
I see the same stuff on social media as you um, and it's it's disappointing that there hasn't been more
There's just like no shoulder programming um, you know like I how do you how do you follow the lead? How do you get people more
Interested in MLS if you're not giving them stories if you're not giving them
Access points to learn a messy one MLS cup last year and now you know, he's playing in the world cup in three months and like
There was just no storytelling around that be like the greatest player of all time is here man like do do stuff around that and then whittling back on
You know the Spanish coverage whittling back on uh
You know wrap up as you said. I don't understand the strategy around it um
I never have the you know over the bet and like I'm no longer there. So I guess like I don't have to and I guess um
You know part of part of the things like I'm trying to fill that void myself and um, I'll tell you it's it's nice to see that there's
There's a hunger for that because it turns out I'm not gonna starve and I'm not going to have to sell my house
That's important pretty good to point. Yeah. Yeah. There's there's too many. There's too much delicious whiskey out there for a match and a drink
So I'm glad uh, it's still available to you. Yeah, it's uh, you know the
The during the San Diego game on Sunday against St. Louis the broadcast
Completely went out and we missed a goal and I mean you understand there's gonna be some hiccups along the way
But I mean you can't miss the main thing in the sport that we all want to see is effectively why we want to tune in
I know there's like they there's uh from a technical standpoint the the games are being
The broadcast of the games are being handled in the UK
Um to my understanding. I don't exactly know how I don't know where would it was originally
Don't I would imagine is that it was the United States seems like all
that from
I understand we got satellites and we got a lot of technology just get it just seems like
The there has to be some level of of challenges
There's a goal from from the UK to San Diego. There must there. It's gonna be the lines are gonna their lines are a little bit longer
It might be you're gonna have an issue here and there uh, but you know
It's disappointing to have those technical issues on top of like all these cuts that were made uh by majorly soccer because it feels like
All it feels connected informally. Yeah, I thought there would be more momentum at this point and like I said
It's disappointing that it's it's not there and look man the leagues got three months to try to capitalize on all this because
The World Cup is gonna be here
real soon and I hope like look
I'm still an MLS fan even after everything that happened over the past month
And I will always be an MLS fan and I want them uh to get it right so that we can kind of make up for lost time
But it
There are chances of that feeling kind of swimmer and swimmer by the day. Yeah
It's uh you know when you think about it. It's tough, you know to to have a league like MLS
Which is like where the the league overseas and operates
So much of how the league is run compared to the clubs having their own individual kind of you know everybody does thing their own way and stuff like that
So there's a lot to kind of manage. So you can imagine it's it's a it's a it's a difficult
Task but even as you know when MLS wrap up came on I'm like this is
We've needed this for ages just like after the games are over have
former players and pundits and you and everybody just talking about these games and giving some real insight because it's how you
Make uh fan give give not even just gives fans expertise, but get make them also
Experts as well right them be able to learn about the people who proselytize about the league and right make their their friends and family start following the league and like
Everybody else every other league does it and
Yeah, and you and you have to get to a point where you're like
Oh man, you know what Bradley Wright Phillips said what Sasha clutch said. I hate that. I hate Sasha question
I hate Max McCarty and it's like that's it. You got to be these like characters that people you know
How do people talk about Gary Neville? How do people talk about uh um uh you know real fernand or anybody like that's part of like
You know it's like wrestling you just like or it's like they're all characters and stuff like that
So we we kind of need that so it's a it's a bummer that that those changes have uh been made but I like I said like it's it's on
Of us. It's on you. It's on psychoized tactics free zone everybody to kind of fill that gap because people are very much looking for it
So uh yeah dude with keep up the good work, Matt. I mean that's bad
It was the cool thing to see because it it even when you posted the news about leaving uh MLS
I'm not even for a second was I like um Matt Matt's gonna be struggling right now like there
I mean, maybe you might have felt that way
But yeah, yeah, I think a lot of people uh you know
You you you're just you're that expert that people go to of like if I mean I even know this
I mean there's there's few people that uh I could
Talk to about MLS, but even talk to about MLS at a very like
In-depth uh level. So uh, it's just you know, it's me you
Goss and Douglas Reyes Jerome
That's it. That's it. Yeah, that's it. Hold me
All right
Let's uh, we're gonna take a break and we're gonna go to our conversation
With Steve Fletcher's like I said Steve Fletcher uh is the uh assistant coach at born myth uh football club
And obviously we talked to him about Tyler Adams and a lot of stuff going on also the upcoming premier league fan fest
That we have a little surprise about uh, so here it is. Here's that conversation with the one and only Steve Fletcher
I mean when we talk about legends on this show. This is exactly what we're talking about
And especially and this is uh, you know, there's not many times in that we we get to just hang out with legends and
And we we're like old friends at this point at this point
We've already talked to this person and it was so good. We're like you got to come on the show and Kansas City
We were standing next to him and we felt like toddlers never again. I say yo. I'm gonna get up on stage so we can see eye to eye
Okay, this guy is an absolute brick house. I don't think how those terms out there
The one the only assistant coach
Forbormid also club ambassador. I believe uh, the one the only Steve Fletcher everybody
Thank you so much for joining us
My pleasure. How are we doing?
We're doing great, but yeah, it's an honor to see you again
Yes, and it was awesome
hanging out with you in Kansas City, but I
Right now at that time was that your first ever fan fest or no
Yes, it was. I mean, I know the club had been to I think the one in Nashville went to
That was the previous year or the year before
And then we obviously Kansas was my first gig. So I'm really looking forward to the next one in April in Tampa
So yeah, I'm really excited the clubs excited. It was great. I had a fabulous three days four days in
In Kansas City
See, I say Kansas, but it's Kansas City and the people of Missouri. Yeah, it's like Istanbul. It's in two different places
No, I'm the people of Missouri what they corrected me soon as I said oh, I mean Kansas
They were like no you in Kansas City in Missouri. You know in Kansas city in Kansas. I couldn't get both both states wanted to claim
Kansas City. So they just put them in both. Yeah, the city in both of the states
But you know when we were when we were talking to you you are
I think one of the few players that we've spoken to who was well traveled in the United States
You've been to lots of different cities and you you were you would what I would call like a
I'm American a file, you know, we have angle of files, but you seem a little American man
I'm sort of partially obsessed with it because I just
Obviously when you live in the UK and probably obviously I live in England as well. I mean we're just before countries if you include Ireland
But it was so small. I mean when I see America and the size of each state and it's different rules and
Wears of life in all the states. It's my ambition to do as many states as I can and
Fortunately for me the wife's not interested. I should I say fortunately actually
Yeah, you don't want to come with me to Wyoming
It's lovely this time of year cheeky weekend in Wyoming
Thank you so much. The fair this my wife wants to go is on a beach in Mexico
So when I say I'm off to the stage. She's like you go by yourself. See you later. I'm like that
That's I'm happy with that. I go I go with my buddies my friends and I've been there. Yeah, so a lot of places
I've still got a lot of boxes to take
Tamber will be one of them. I've still haven't been to
San Fran. I want to go to Boston and then people when I'm around
The United States. They always give me ideas of where to go and it's usually predominantly the big cities
But yeah, I've got a few boxes to take. I've done that. I've done the main
The main stairs that you know, I've done in the New York come to New York and walk slowly people tell you exactly where to go
You know what wonder and that's just maybe an idea for the future next time you're in New York
Alexis is a a well-known pizza kind of sore in New York used to do pizza tours in the city
And if you want to have truly the greatest pizza in the world
This is coming with your best guide to do that. So we'll
It'll be got nothing on us
You talk about how big this country is I watched the video of you on
Bournemouth's
YouTube channel where you traveled. I believe the longest distance for a club match
You traveled from Bournemouth to the Northeast. There was an eight-hour coach
In any other bus if you will you've been in America a lot of time. Well, there's nothing for us
I know I know and you travel you travel out to go and see friends just for a weekend
Yeah, it's crazy at the distance
But I think because in England everyone's setting their own town or cities where they live in the very rarely unless you go to London the capital
Not many people travel around unless they're going actually on holiday
So they'll go on I'm doing a
Six-hour eight-hour round trip and that seems a lot, but you're right America's so vast and so big
I can see you can fit the UK inside Texas was eight ten times over. It's crazy
So if you want to go to another state in America and you want to drive
You're talking days. You're not talking hours. It's um that's hard to get your head round here
It's you can go the full length of England in probably
Seven eight hours your whole length of England and Scotland in about ten. So
Yeah, that's probably gone across a couple of states in America
My question is why be out of bus for eight hours. Why not fly isn't like flying like 12 pounds out there
Well, what happened was um being ambassador. I do a lot of content for the football club and we wanted to
Show everybody what it's like and what our supporters and fans go through when they have to travel
The whole length of the country just to come and watch the team play
So for us it was one of the furthest fixtures. It was it was a 16 hour round trip
We left it three in the morning for in the morning
And we got to the stadium round about one p.m. The kickoff was three and they didn't get back till three
Am so it was me on the coach with the fans
stopping off at the the services
Um on on on the motorway use call it highway
um
Been in in the pubs before the game being with the supporters at the game and just showing everybody what our fans go through
Go through and the sacrifices they make to see us week in week out home and away
So that's why I did it all for our social content. All right. I love it
No, I love the dedication. I want to talk about
Bournemouth a little deeper because
For us, you know, a Bournemouth
Getting back getting to the Premier League was like the I think for a lot a lot of people in the United States the introduction
To Bournemouth, but you especially when we were in Kansas City
Obviously you have a rich history with the club
You are beloved by the fans that were there
And I want to ask you directly like what is your proudest moment with Bournemouth football club?
I've been 33 years now
I've been at the club. I came down here when I was 19 years of age and signed a professional contract was a player and
When I moved from one end of the country from the other so that eight hour trip that we did when we went to Sunderland
I live literally 20 minutes south of there
So it was it was practically one end of the country to the other and that was in 1992
So there was normal ball phones around then there was no first time
You know, there was no communication between me and my family and I was
One of two children in my family. I have a sister one younger sister and my mum and dad and
We traveled down I traveled down my father in 1992 and you know, I was
Throwning at the deep end really and that was it. There was not much communication
I mean my I lived in in a house with a family to start with just to obviously
Comfort me in a little bit and she the the landlady allowed me to use the telephone once every few days to
Phone my parents and it was just a normal landline
That you know they do is not that long I'm fixing this in black and white
I know yeah, was it along this and it's called did you have the thing where you had the one piece to your ear and you hold the other piece of the phone
Yeah, hello dispatcher give me age for five
Was most cool from my world watch ticker tape coming out sending your mother a message
It was um pigeon carriers
It was listen
I went down right so I went into Trin and my hometown club of Hartley pool
That was a club I paid for that's where I came through the youth set up and got a professional contract when I was 18 and
Um, I went into Trin and one one July afternoon
We start preseason in July and two weeks into preseason Trin and the manager got me in and said look
Bournemouth are interested in signing you
Didn't really know much geologically where Bournemouth was on the map and had to get a big out of the south of
Bournemouth and the the whole of the UK and went all the way down and it was right on the south coast
So me my father got in the in the car
We drove down six seven hours in the car
We met the manager and the next day I'd signed for Bournemouth and I hadn't even told my girlfriend who I'd been with the five years
Um, she's not my wife now
It's my ex-girl friend
I can see no regrets no regrets
I'm not a my mother
Obviously couldn't get in touch because there's no mobiles. It was 1992. There's no mobile phones then
So we had to stop off at this service stations on the on the way home
Um, I don't know what you call them in America. You know you come off them all away and there's
Things service centers service centers. Yeah. Okay. Sorry. Stop there and the old english phone booths
You know the the red boxes like you see in London put that you we put 10 p in which is like 10 cent
Put it in for my parents form a girl friend said all by the way I've signed for Bournemouth and I won't be coming back
Um
That was it. Oh, you're free
Three and a half years later
Um, I'm still here. So yeah, it was a big it was a bigger people and
In that time, I've had some incredible moments at FC Bournemouth. I mean I arrived here as an 19-year-old boy
Into once I'm gonna be a granddad to
My eldest daughter
She's having a child um, congratulations. Yeah, I've got married here 26 years ago. I thank you very much
I got married. I've got two daughters. No sons. I got two daughters once 24
She's actually in Australia on the gold coast at the moment. She's been there for all. Yeah
She's just having a bit of time out there and your family loves coast. Yeah
Yeah
Yeah, do you know what when they were growing up the they were quite tall for their age
I remember when they were really young and they were having a right panic
I do not want to be six foot three
Because I'll stand out like a beacon and I was like I'm praying to God because my wife's five foot ten
So there was a but they've ended up the same height as my wife. So that's okay
Yeah, in the 33 years like I say I've had some great experiences on and off the pitch
Um, I've had a lot of we've had a lot of downs at this football club
We nearly went out of existence a few times. We went into administration in the late 90s and
You know towards 2008 2009 where the club nearly went out of existence and
All the fans have really known up until we got in the Premier League in 2015 is
The doldrums of the lower leagues of football. I know in America. You don't have promotion and relegation, but here it's everything and
Um, probably why we're doing this conversation now because we're in the Premier League and um, I would say my
Favorite moment ever would be breaking the club records of appearances
Because when you sign for a football team and you're 19 years of age you just
And growing up as a as a child through in the streets of Hartley pull my hometown
I just wanted to be a professional football player soccer player
And that was my ambition and then to come to a football club and break the club record
Which at the time was 425 professional games. I mean
You can't even see yourself being there more than one season never minds
33 so I think I broke the record in 2005
After 17 years at the club and I've went on to make
726 appearances
So I'm like 200 appearances ahead of anyone at the club and that's probably my proudest moment because
I know I didn't play Premier League and yeah, yeah
That was my dream as a child to play for for my country England and
Be a professional footballer and and play at the top level
But I've still achieved a hell of a lot of goals that I never thought I would when I was really young
726 games for one club
Is right up there with the all-time best of any football club and it is about
200
220 more than anybody else at a dfc ballman. So that is probably
My proudest moment because like I said, that's not something you even think about when you were child growing up
Yeah, it's then deserved. I mean you were there for a long time
I have a couple of questions. I want to ask but you mentioned
You know that you never got a chance to play in the Premier League
But you're kind of a so kind of you're associated with the club
You're getting to watch the team train and you're getting to see one of our proudest exports in Tyler Adams
Train week in a week out and play week in a week out
When you were playing for the team you probably never thought in American would play for boardman
But what do you talk to talk to me a little bit about what you see in a player like Tyler Adams and just the development
And how so much has changed for Americans
How much more we care about the sport how much harder we've trained to become better at that sport
Well first and foremost even if we had a Scottish or an Irish player in the team. They were frowned upon. I mean
It was always English
Never mind Americans and and the team is full of foreign players now
We got players from South America, Argentina, Brazil all over Europe
Tyler for me and I shouldn't really have favorites in the team because
I can say I've been a player. I've been a first-team coach. I'm club ambassador. I've been a player liars and officer
I've been everything for the team really
Shouldn't have favorites but Tyler's definitely up there because do you know what?
He's such a young lad and he's so mature for his age. He knows everything about
Everything what to do with soccer and
For him to come over to a country that is obsessed with soccer over here football
From a country in America where obviously you have your big five sports with your baseball basketball NFL and hockey
He knows so much. He's so intelligent. He's so
Heartwarming and he's approached to people who come into the football club. He's brilliant with everybody
So being ambassador I bring a lot of businesses into the into the football club
I bring a lot of children a lot of families and every time I bring somebody into this football club
Whether it's at the training ground or the stadium
Tyler is the first person who comes over introduces himself
Talks to people he has a just a great way with people and I think that's from his upbringing
I've been to their area. He was he was born in Newberg and as a Newberg. Yeah
Map address well as the
When we came to New York for the summer series we went I went to Newberg
Brewery and that is
The area where he grew up and his family and I think it comes from that it stems from that and
He's a great ambassador for American football in the UK
Not just on the field of course. He
He leads by example on the field. He's a natural leader
But he leads by example off the field as well and he's a great advocate for
for American
Men and women to come across to England in into the UK or even Europe to that matter and
And apply their trade and become successful
I can say his knowledge is second to none
Is attitude towards everything is brilliant?
I just think he's a top top bloke and I'm not I've said that a lot of times or it's not I'm not and I said it to his face
I think he's a really really superb lad and every team needs
Attila radams and he's a great example and a shine in light for anyone any young
Soccer player in America who's thinking about coming to Europe coming to the UK wants to
Apply their trade in the Premier League. You know, there's no there's no better example than telluradams
Yeah, Tyler Tyler's been on the show and you know, we're probably about you know
15-20 years older than Tyler and he's much more mature than we have
Beyond you know what when I hear him we have a lot of American
Nihano businesses companies come over yeah podcast people and
Did it want to do everything with Tyler and it gets honestly good stride from pillar to post he never complains
Listen to Premier League. It comes with a territory. I get that
But when I sit down and because I'm ambassador I stand around and listen to him
He is so articulate and so knowledgeable when he's speaking to people and
If you turn away from him and didn't know him you think he sounds like someone who's been in the game for 40 years
I mean, yeah, yeah, it's lads 20 this lads 26 27 or whatever he is
It's like I'm listening to a season pro who's probably the manager of a football club who's
Walking like he's in his 50s and 60s. He's knowledgeable the way he speaks. He's meticulous
He thinks about what he says and he's very good with words. I just think
That's got to come from you're upbringing. No, I mean in the environment you've brought up in because
You say he's been to legionated. He's been to born with us
He's not as if he's been in this country for 15 plus years and he's been the six or seven clubs. He hasn't this is his second club in
In England. Yeah, I know he's been in the like
Caught in as well a captain of the USA 18 hells because he's responsible
He does a lot of interviews
He's probably pulled upon a lot when the USA are playing because they want to get Tyler's interview
And I just think he's he's fantastic and like I say he's not only great
He's not only a great ambassador for EFC bombers, but I think for
America as well because the way he portrays himself is
Yeah, second to know buddy. I vote for you for
I want to talk about your your manager and don't eat out
He holds a special place in our hearts. He is you know, he played for New York City FC
We're you know season take a holders. That's kind of the reason this podcast even started was because of New York City
And he was there or early on
When you it's been yeah, I got to see him obviously
During the summer series and see him
You know as soon as when Bournemouth played Everton Everton my
Premier League club and and the first thing I
Left that game thinking of was just like one. I'm like proud of and don't eat out a lot for like everything
He's accomplished. He seems to obviously gets a lot of respect in the Premier League and then also
Semenio in the summer. I was just like this is one of the greatest I've never seen him in person
That was the first time was like this is one of the greatest players I've ever seen. So two questions
And don't eat out a lot while what's been like working with him the reception to him and the club and then also
Losing a player like Semenio obviously it wasn't necessarily negative or it didn't and badly
But the but losing a player like that and then moving on and the future of Bournemouth without Semenio
So firstly we'll speak about Andoni when he first come to the club
On by the way loves New York because when we came for the game
For the summer series well we were based in in Chicago
So we had the whole two weeks in Chicago and we flew to New York the day before the game like we would a normal away game here in England
And we stayed for a couple of days and afterwards he said I wish we'd stayed longer because he loves New York
He got off that plane got on the coach and when we pulled up at the hotel he was straight out
He wanted to go for coffee and he knew all the areas because he loved his time
He speaks about it all the time is time in New York the the players he played with
I mean there were so many names in there
Who's who?
And then yeah, he loves New York's that he he wish he said he wish he'd he'd have had a week in New York and a week in Chicago
But listen, that's just the way it panned out when you come to New York bring him with you
We'll take him from pizza as well. We'll hang out with with the gaffer, bro
He's topped you know what? There's he's sold down to earth. There's no hairs and graces with him. He doesn't
Act or behave like somebody really famous. He just gets on with his work. He loves football
It doesn't mind. He is knowledge of the Premier League is incredible. I mean
It's knowledge of world football in general is fantastic
But he knows everything about the Premier League
He just sits with anybody. He's not
He's not one of those managers who we call it having yourself thinking you're something you're not and think puts himself right up on a pedestal
He doesn't do that if anything. He's the total opposite. He's down to earth. He mixes with everybody all the staff people all the staff members at the football club
Um, and I think the one thing you'd say if you asked a player or a staff member about him what is biggest
Attribute. I think it's consistency. He is consistent across the board when lose or draw
So he never gets
Animated when we lose he speaks about it. We address it. He talks through it on a Monday
And when we win games
Of course, he's excited after the game in the managers room with myself and the other coaches
But he to the players and the staff he just keeps on a level on a level field
You know, he doesn't doesn't get too high on the highs and doesn't get too low on the laws and he's consistent with everything is training patterns
His organization the way he speaks to people and I think that's
The one thing you know with him
You think of other managers and you see a lot of on you hear a lot of stories about them getting very
Irritated and I read and thrown things in the changing room and screaming at the players and he doesn't do any of that
So the players know whether Alex Ferguson documentaries. Yeah
We call it the hairdryer treatments when you're in someone's face and you know is more of an oscillating fan
Yeah
Isn't in the background just ticking away in the background
But he's he's just console every week we come in we address the game we talk through it
He doesn't he doesn't ostracize any play he doesn't turn around and point fingers at the single play at heel
Discuss it more as a team so everybody feels part of it and that's good and bad and like you say he's just consistent with everything and
I just he's the first foreign manager we've ever had at this football club. We've always had predominantly English
I'm not sure if we've had a Scottish or Irish but it's always been a British manager
And he was the first time in this club's 126 year history
Um, we've ever had a foreign manager
So it wasn't just everyone at the club was taking back by it and don't you any sound it was all the fans all the supporters
And they love him. I mean, they've got a song for him and they're singing constantly and it's funny because
Within being Spanish the Spanish beer is a stroller. Mm-hmm. And I asked him does he like drinking a stroller? He hates it
haha
If you say he's paella he drinks a stroller you know
Just because it rhymes and he's like much flesh. I don't even like a stroller
That's what I meant. He's a great bloke and a great person you can talk to him about anything
So I sit with him and sometimes we don't even talk about football
We just talked about all the teams. Or we talk about what's going on in life and his family and he likes to know a lot about
the area of Bournemouth, or he embraced himself not only in the football club, but the area, the town,
and it's a lovely place Bournemouth, it's right on the South Coast, it separates the English
Channel, separates us in the French, and it's got 11 kilometers of golden sand, and he was like,
he's always there, and I have friends come up to me and go, I'm seeing the manager out and about,
so he's not a one who hides away and doesn't speak with the public, he's out and about, he's in
restaurants, and maybe not so many bars and clubs, but he's always in and around the town,
and he wants to know about the area and the people, so he's really took Bournemouth as a whole,
not just the football club, but as a town, he took it to heart, and I think that's great as a manager,
because he's knowledge now of the area, he can speak to people, and he's embraced everything,
it's really good. Yeah, and by the way, that's a good move to hire a foreign manager, because no
Englishman has ever won the Premier League, so as a coach, so very smart, but I do want to ask you
about your grandfather, Mr. Jack Howe. We'll put up his photo in the post. What a gorgeous human being
who has a grandfather, let me start there. Good looking guy, but he played for the English national
team, he played obviously pro, he was a coach for a little while. My question to you is, did he help
you become a better player, because he played it a very long time ago, and sometimes we'll watch
highlights of just football being played in the 80s, and I'm like, you know, these guys would never
hack it today. Would a guy like Jack Howe have been able to play and lead you played in?
Well, first and foremost, that's quite a controversial question, so I'm going to give you my
take on that. I would say, so that's like saying, would John McIneror, in tennis,
cope with playing against Djokovic in this day and age, or did Pele or Maradona or whatever
you wanted of the NFL, the famous people in NFL and NBA and would Michael Jordan in his practice.
Listen, they would have all the coaching, all the sports science, everything behind them,
and all the technology and the better football boots, but whatever it is, they're going to be
better being in today's game, because back in the day, they didn't have any of that. They just
turned up, they probably turned up half drunk. Nobody knew any difference, so all I'd say is
it's very, boxes, this is my homadali as good as Mike Tyson, Mike Tyson as good as whoever
the best. Yeah, it's impossible. It's hard to compare, because the only way you could ever
compare is putting them all with the same availability to them with the training and the equipment
or whatever they need, need to be the best. So it's very hard. They were the best in their times,
because in their time, that's what they had available. So my granddad played in the 40s,
late 30s, early 40s, and then after the war, the war came along the World War II came along in,
obviously, 39 to 45. So by the time the end of the war, he was towards the latter end of his
career, and he did play for England, and I've got some fantastic chords from top players back in
the day, who said, my granddad, Jack Howe was one of the hardest, strongest, most physical
fullbacks they've ever come across in their life. You know, I'm very, you've shocked me with
knowing about my granddad. I didn't know how many people knew about that, but yeah, he's probably
the reason I got into football. He's the person who took me in the back garden, in the back yard,
as you call it, and practiced all my skills when I was 45, 6, 7-year-old all the way through until I was
a teenager. Just when I'm all my friends around doing things, the shouldn't be, I was in the
back garden, practicing my head and practicing my control, passes left foot, right foot. Just the
basics, and he gave me the look for football, and when I look back at what he achieved, playing
for England, getting international caps for England, he won the FA Cup, the most prestigious
Cup competition in the world. He won the FA Cup, the only one time, Derby County, you've won it.
My granddad's there with a captain on his shoulders walking around Wembley Stadium,
and yeah, without my granddad, I don't think I would have probably got into football,
unfortunately, for me, just before I turned professionally, passed away at the age of 72, so
I was just about to sign professional forms, so it really haunts me that he never really
got to see me at, you know, do something that he would have loved to see me sign professional
and play professional, but hopefully he's looking down from above, and he's very proud of what
I achieved, so that always gets me that one, so without my granddad, yeah, I probably wouldn't
be satiating now, and I might know I've achieved a hundredth of what I achieved as a footballer.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
Yeah, but I'm glad you think you threw it on me, but there, go emotional.
Well, we know you got to go, I just want to ask, I want to give you the opportunity to
answer the thing about Semenio, obviously him, of course, pulling on, no, no, no, it's totally okay,
it's a tough question, because everyone asks me, do you think the best player ever is in
Bournemouth, in a Bournemouth share? Now, we had some legends play for the club back in the day,
I mean towards the end of his career, George Best played five games for Bournemouth in the early
80s. Now, of course, George Best was one of the best British players of all time, if not the best,
but in his prime, yes, he didn't play for Bournemouth in his prime, so I can only go by the ability
of what they contributed to the football team while they were in their prime, and I have to say
Antoine Semenio, I think, is the best by a long way. And we've had some good players, we've
had Nathan Ache, who signed from Ancestry, or Emilio, and we've had Dean Haush in last season,
Ilia Zabani, Milos Kerkers, we've got some fabulous players over the years, but Antoine had
everything, and you said about Brick House, he is a Brick House. I mean, I used to wind him up,
he said, mate, what does it feel like to be the second strongest player ever in the
country? Let me tell you now, he is the strongest player by a million miles. I mean, I've seen
players bounce off him, and not only that, the ability he has to drift past plays, his aggression,
his hunger, and you know what the most important thing is, he's such a great lad away from the
pitch, he has time for everyone, supporters, all the staff around the place, he's such a humble guy,
and that makes it even better, and I'm so glad he went to a big club and his real, let's hit the
ground running, there's been a real success, because he deserves everything he came to us from
a championship club, Bristol City, who are a big club, and they're a bit of a sleeping giant,
and when he first came here, which was probably three years ago now, we were a little bit like,
oh, I'm not sure about him, you know, he was a bit, he was a bit what we call a bit rusty,
he needed, he needed fine tuning, and then all of a sudden it just clicked, and he just
become this, this animal and this beast, and not only physically but technically as well,
it just seemed to click with him overnight, and he's got his dream move, and I know what you're
saying about it, it's tough to lose players, but at least you're losing them to big clubs,
we're not selling two teams like, right, and a fuller, more palace, or you know, we're not
we're selling them to Real Madrid, we're selling them to VSG, Paris Saint-Germain, we're selling them
to Liverpool, we're selling them to Manchester City, or you can't, you can never deny you play
that opportunity, because listen, we are probably that stepping stone at this present time for
big players who come through to go on to the next level, and that is the next level, it's where we
want to get there as a club, whether we do or not, one each time we'll tell, but the big boys,
you man you night, you're man cities, you're arsenals, you're Liverpool's, you PSG, you're by
you Munich, you're Barcelona, you're Real Madrid, they're always going to be in a position to take
players from teams like ourselves, I mean, you know, Isaac went from Newcastle to Liverpool,
and Newcastle were a huge club who'd gotten 50 plus thousand supporters every week, it's an
institution up there soccer, and you can't help it when the big boys want their players, and they're
spending 50, 60, 70 in Isaac's case 100 million, it's very difficult for a club like Bournemouth,
even Newcastle to say no, not only the money that you need to survive, and you can buy more
players with it, and it's almost like a conveyor belt you come in, and you sell players, and you build
again, and that's just the way it is, but also you don't want to deny a player of going to one of
these big, big clubs, and you know what, and a childhood dream of winning the European Cup, or
winning the FA Cup, or winning the Premier League, and playing international football at the top level
in World Cups, so it is a difficult one, and I understand it from our supporters, they're
very disappointed about, we have to sell those players, but the purest supporters know why,
and the reasons behind it, and at this present time, that's just the way it is, and from staff
members like myself and the manager, and everyone who's been around, people like Antoine,
you know, they want him to go on and have that success for himself, but obviously they're
disappointed because he's such a good person around the players, and he's a fantastic player for
FC Bournemouth, it's just the way of the world, you know, and it's just soccer at this time,
and players move on, and players come and go, and yeah, listen, it's disappointed, it's disappointed
when you lose your best players, but if you get good money for them and you reinvest in
the right way, and the club keeps turning, and you know, we can build and build and build and build,
and he's strong, and he's on his final match, the Bournemouth as well, so it's a nice,
much more going away, you know, present, you couldn't write it, could you, I mean, you're written
his own script, it's like someone pulled a pen out of the pocket, brought a paper, a paper,
a paper, and said, there you go, you write your script, right, I'm going to get the ball, and
I'm going to get the ball in the 90th minute, on your very last game, and strike 20 ads,
yeah, funnable into the bottom corner, I mean, it will give for the fans, yeah, like I said,
I mean, when I saw him play in person, I literally, I was like giddy, I was like, I don't think I've ever seen,
I was like, I've never, I mean, I've seen him on television, but in person, I was like, this is
clearly the best player on the pitch, it was incredibly impressive. My last question to you,
then we'll let you go, which player in the current squad do you think would have benefited the most
from having a prime Steve Fletcher to play off of? I'll tell you what, he's got about him as well,
Antoine, he's got an aura about him, when he walks in the room, when he walks in the building,
he walks on the pitch when you see him, he's got an aura, he carries an aura, and not many people,
you can't buy that, it's just, it's in you or it's not, and I think he, without trying to be that
person and, and, and Avanora, he just has it, and I think that's why people are overwhelmed when
they see him, like Ronaldo, if you see Miranaldo or Messi, of course, we're going up levels here,
but yeah, when they walk in a room or you, you're in the vicinity of them, they have an aura about
them, and you're like, wow, he just failed that. Go back to the other question, he would have.
It's, it's Messi Ronaldo, so many of you, according to Steve Fletcher.
Steve Fletcher, the aura came. I think I have a bit of an aura around the building here, but
you are 100% new. Not in the football, not in the football world, obviously, but just because
of, I suppose, my longevity at the football club, but I'm good with people, I like talking to
people as you can tell. Yeah, of course, great. This way I can be in a restaurant, I can be in
the supermarket, I can be having a drink in a bar, I will speak to anyone and talk to anyone at
any time I've been brought up that way, and I love the supporters without the supporters,
we don't have a football club end of, so. But are you perfect for America? We always
get out here, we get. Who would I, who would I probably partner up with the best? Probably
would do the little and large, me flick it on, and their score goals were probably someone like
Junior Crupe. I think he would benefit, because I would, I would take all the hits, I would be the
one backing into the defender, getting hell bored around the face, taking all the scars,
chesting the ball down, laying him in and he'd get the glory with all the goals.
Keep the paycheck, you get the bruises. I do have one more question, I know you have to run,
but you've mentioned the word soccer and football. You played in an era where the word soccer was
popular in the UK. We get a lot of stick for being Americans for calling it soccer. You remember
that era, right? Well, I'm not, we're not making this up. And because I've been to America that many
times, I can easily differentiate between being around American people and saying soccer and then
being around, you know, British people, European people and calling it football, because I know
football over in America is NFL. So as soon as I'm speaking to American people, I can just switch
like that and start saying soccer, which they find a bit strange because they're actually talking
to me when they come over to England and they say football, but when they say football, I'm thinking,
in my mind, I'm thinking, are they talking about NFL? Are they talking about English football? So
I just switch into soccer mode because yeah, you're right. From back in the back in the day, I
always called it soccer and we still use that term loosely over here as well, even when there's
not American people. Yeah, you have a show called soccer Saturday. There's a show called soccer
AM. You have stores called soccer soccer ball. I mean, what are we doing? It was a soccer ball.
It was what the football was a soccer ball. We used to call it a soccer ball. So yeah, I can
understand some respect on Americans. Well, we call it that because everybody gets annoyed
nowadays. All right, shout out to Steve Fletcher. My man, we hung out with him in Kansas City,
but I think Premier League Fan Fest over there. And I didn't know of Steve Fletcher's career
when I first met him. And I said alone, this man is a giant. He's a unit pilot. It says he
six, two on the internet. He might easily like six, three, six, four. And I'm like, oh, wow,
they said I and in the Premier League family, I've got luckily gotten to meet several like
Premier League legends and, uh, uh, and remained the foe, uh, Graham Stewart, uh, uh, and all this
guy. And you can clearly tell like that was that was a forward. That was a midfielder or whatever.
You know, you added you, you used prejudice. Right. And you say, I know what you're judging
by its cover. I got you. It's actually a type of person. Yeah. Fat person goes in gold like the
movies. Right. It's very, it's very ignorant. Uh, but I saw him, I'm like, damn, this dude must have
been a crazy center back. Well, Stu was a hold up beast of a striker. My man, whole fashion English
striker, man. Yeah. Just in the mud. Yeah. That's a year back. The cloud of dust.
So yeah, can you do it in a cold day in everywhere in England? Uh, that's, that was his, uh,
type of football. So, uh, but a great dude. So shout out to Steve Fletcher. Uh, and shout out to Matt
Doyle, uh, for hanging out with us, uh, uh, covering for Alexis, per usual. Uh, I, I,
I hate to call you the back. You're, you're fighting for that starting spot, Matt. You know,
keep it up. I don't, I feel like I'm okay. Be it a super sub. I think that suits me. You know,
I'm running from the daily grind a little bit. Alexis is getting nervous. This is all I'm saying.
Uh, keep him on his desk. Let everybody know where they can, uh, follow your work now going forward.
Yeah. I'm on weekly now on soccer wise with, with David Goss and Tom Boger and making occasional
appearances on Susanna Fuller's show, uh, kickback committee. And then I got my own thing happen
in tacticsfreezone.com. Like I said earlier in the show, it's just all the stuff I was writing for
mlsagger.com for 15 years, picked it up, took it with me, blocked it down in my new thing,
and the only difference is that I can swear now. So I work a little bit blue.
Okay. Good. I mean, I, I'm, I'm loving also your, uh, your creative thumbnails for all the articles.
Are you making those yourself? Or is it, uh, do you have a niece that is making that enough?
That's me though. I actually do have very talented niece. It's not that I think about it.
Put her to work. Okay. It is, uh, they're adorable. Um, you know, the super, but I just,
it's funny because we, uh, like after we're done with this episode, we have to have our conversation
with our thumbnail person, uh, uh, uh, and we go over like, what should this, nah,
those not doing that. No, no, no, no, no. He's like, let me go to some meme maker and
find best gifs to include in this, uh, in this time. But you, we go to you for your writing,
not for your thumbnails. Yeah. Well, I didn't change that though. I got to be a man for all seasons,
you know, all right. Uh, yeah, everybody go check out doors work. It's, uh, as always, it's
still, uh, incredibly fantastic, fantastic and in depth. So, uh, uh, make sure you follow us
everywhere at soccer coolagins on our socials, uh, follow some blue sky too. Um, make sure you
hit like and subscribe if, uh, if you're watching YouTube or if you haven't, uh, gotten over to the
you could, uh, yet, uh, anything else? Am I missing anything? I don't think so. Um, but we are
back on Thursday with the brand new episode. So we'll see you then. Everybody, take care. Oh,
thank you, brother. Take care, guys.
The Cooligans
