Matt Pole is joined by Brighton & Hove Albion writer Frankie Elliott, Steve Bone who covers all things sport in Sussex for our newspapers and online at sussexworld.co.uk, and freelance sports journalist Will Hugall. Last weekend was one to forget for both Brighton & Hove Albion and Crawley Town. The Albion suffered their first loss of the Premier League season, going down 3-1 at home to West Ham, while the Reds were thrashed 6-0 at Swindon Town in League Two. We’ll pick the bones over both defeats and preview Albion’s potential Europa League opponents ahead of Friday’s draw.
We also have the latest from the Sussex non-league football scene, as well as the Sussex Cricket League.
We also have the latest from the Sussex non-league football scene, as well as the Sussex Cricket League.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [LAUGH] >> Welcome to another episode of
00:03 Sussex Sport Weekly podcast.
00:05 I'm Matt Palm, this week I'm joined by Brighton and
00:07 Hove Albion writer Frankie Elliott.
00:08 Steve Bone, who covers all things sport in Sussex for
00:11 our newspapers and online at sussexworld.co.uk.
00:13 And freelance sports journalist, Sue Hoggle.
00:16 Last weekend was one to forget for both Brighton and
00:17 Hove Albion and Crawley Town.
00:19 The Albions suffered their first loss of the Premier League season,
00:21 going down 3-1 at home to West Ham,
00:24 while the Reds were thrashed 6-0 at Swindon Town in League Two.
00:27 We'll pick the bones over both defeats and
00:29 preview Albion's potential Europa League opponents ahead of Friday's draw.
00:32 We'll also have the latest from the Sussex non-league football season,
00:35 as well as the Sussex Cricket League.
00:38 As mentioned at the top of the broadcast,
00:39 Brighton suffered their first league defeat of the season,
00:41 going down 3-1 at home to West Ham.
00:43 Pascal Gros hit a late consolation for the Seagulls after earlier goals from
00:46 James Ward-Prouse, Jared Bowen, and Mikel Antonio.
00:50 I understand you were at the game on Saturday.
00:52 Will, sum that up for us please, and
00:54 what was the prevailing mood after the game?
00:58 Yes, I was unfortunately.
01:00 I mean, it was a strange one.
01:02 I mean, I was sat right next to the South Stand with all the West Ham fans.
01:07 So, I got the massive reaction from them.
01:10 They were delighted, absolute limbs everywhere.
01:13 I don't think they were really expecting the result at all, to be honest.
01:16 Obviously, we were top going into the game and
01:18 back-to-back four on wins, you couldn't be happier really.
01:21 But, I just felt it was a complicated game and
01:26 a very simple game at the same time.
01:29 We were obviously going to go into it playing our own game and
01:31 West Ham were going to go into it playing their counter-attacking style.
01:35 And neither of them really adjusted.
01:36 And it was just down to two or three moments in the game,
01:41 two breakaways in the second half that won it for West Ham.
01:44 I don't think we can complain about losing, but
01:47 I just felt like there's a little bit of naivety, maybe from Brighton.
01:52 Sometimes they stick a bit too much to Deserby's favourite style of
01:56 creating chaos, sort of like Pep Guardiola-like football,
02:01 but not quite with the ability that Manchester City have.
02:04 I don't think we're going to be happy with it at all.
02:08 I mean, there's lots of lessons to learn.
02:10 And it's kind of like a gauge of where Brighton are so far,
02:13 a bit of a reality check, perhaps, on how good we are.
02:17 Well, I'm absolutely delighted you brought up style of play there, Will,
02:19 because it leads us on quite nicely to my next question.
02:22 Brighton had 77.8% possession against West Ham,
02:25 which is their second highest figure in a Premier League game,
02:27 but created just two big chances, apparently, compared to West Ham's six.
02:31 Albion also outshot the Hammers 25 to 12,
02:34 but struggled to trouble Alphonse Arreola in the West Ham goal.
02:38 Will has kind of touched upon it there, Frankie,
02:40 but does Brighton's style of play mean that they will struggle against a team
02:43 who kind of have a sit-back and counter game plan?
02:46 West Ham executed that method perfectly, didn't they?
02:49 They did. They did.
02:51 There is a clear blueprint there of how to beat Brighton at the moment,
02:56 which is to sit in the low block and take them on the counter-attack.
02:59 Obviously, Brighton are playing like a big team, as Will alluded to,
03:02 they're sort of keeping the ball for large periods of the game
03:05 and sort of suffocating your teams or your opponents in that way.
03:09 And the difference between, again, as Will alluded to,
03:12 between Brighton and the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal who do it,
03:15 is they don't have someone like Kevin De Bruyne or Martin Odegaard
03:19 who can unpick those defences with world-class bits of play or passes.
03:24 Brighton certainly can't do that when we have Danny Welbeck playing in the No. 10 role.
03:28 That's not his qualities as a player.
03:31 So, it was really set up for West Ham to play that game,
03:35 and they executed it perfectly.
03:37 I remember last season, Fulham did it excellently as well
03:40 when they won 1-0 at the Amex Stadium,
03:41 and of course, famously, Everton when they won 5-1.
03:44 That is the blueprint there of beating Brighton.
03:48 But I would also like to stress that it's not just simply playing that style of football.
03:52 You have to have the players there to execute it,
03:54 because Luton and Wolves, that was their game plan.
03:57 100% that was their game plan, but they didn't execute it well,
04:00 and they lost 4-1 and got beaten handsomely because of it.
04:03 West Ham, you have to give them their credit because I thought they played brilliantly.
04:06 Jared Bowen and Ward Prowse were exceptional.
04:09 Their running off the ball was the reason they won that game.
04:12 That's the reason they got those two goals.
04:13 I mean, if you look at the first goal, Ward Prowse starts that attack
04:16 with a sort of nothing ball from his own half,
04:19 but then 10 seconds later, he's in the box and he's got a goal.
04:21 If he doesn't make that run, they don't score that goal.
04:24 And same with Jared Bowen in the second half,
04:26 that run before he takes it down beautifully in the box,
04:30 he's really run 40, 50 yards.
04:32 And that's two exceptional bits of play.
04:34 So you have to give West Ham their credit.
04:36 They are now top of the league.
04:37 They haven't lost it yet this season.
04:39 I think they're going to be one of the stronger teams this season.
04:42 So I think Brighton, yes, it's a reality check,
04:45 but I think that's one of the teams they're going to be competing against this season.
04:49 So you can look at it from two ways.
04:50 I don't think Brighton played their best in regards to...
04:52 There was a lot of sloppy errors at the back.
04:54 Obviously, we saw the Webster mistake for the first goal.
04:56 I don't think Lewis Dunk had his best game either.
04:59 So, you know, there were errors there as well in regards to...
05:02 Although Brighton played well in regards to...
05:04 They kept the ball very well.
05:05 They were slightly sloppy, which would upset the Zerby.
05:08 But, you know, sometimes you have to hold your hands up when you see people like Antonio
05:12 playing at his best right now.
05:13 I think he's bullied the back lines of both Brighton and Chelsea in the last two games.
05:17 I think you come off the pitch and go, yeah, well, maybe we need to be...
05:19 As Will said, we need to maybe have a plan B, be a bit more cute and clever in regards to
05:24 playing against the better teams in this league, like West Ham will be.
05:28 But in some respects, you just have to come off the field and just say, look, that was...
05:31 They played us at that game and they outdid us.
05:36 And that can happen.
05:37 I don't think they can look back on it too much, because if you look at last season,
05:41 especially, Brighton were beaten quite heavily in a number of times.
05:44 5-1 against Everton, 4-1 against Newcastle.
05:47 I know it's towards the end of the season when they had a lot of players missing.
05:49 3-1 away in Nottingham Forest.
05:51 This is the Zerby style of football.
05:52 High scoring games.
05:53 He's not looking to keep clean sheets.
05:55 And I don't think Brighton will keep many clean sheets.
05:59 It's about how ruthless they are in front of goal.
06:01 And I think that is why he's looking to...
06:03 And we'll talk about it later.
06:04 He's looking to sign another attacking player because it's about outscoring teams.
06:08 And they just didn't do that on Saturday.
06:10 Yeah, Frankie's mentioned it there, Will.
06:12 Did the loss at the weekend kind of highlight the gaps that Brighton still need to address
06:15 in their squad in his press conference last Friday?
06:18 Does Zerby mention the need for a midfielder and a striker?
06:21 I think they've addressed the midfielder, but you still think, as Frankie said,
06:24 a striker is a priority?
06:26 Yeah, I would agree.
06:28 I think we did lack variety, which is weird to say,
06:32 considering the amount of attacking options that we have at the moment.
06:35 I think the Welbeck gamble didn't pay off, quite frankly.
06:41 I mean, I wasn't quite sure on what his role was in the team watching him on Saturday.
06:47 And I'm not sure any of the fans would have been, to be honest.
06:50 He wasn't playing as an out-and-out striker.
06:53 He wasn't playing in the hole.
06:55 He wasn't playing on the wing.
06:56 He was kind of drifting everywhere and not doing a great deal.
07:00 So it's probably one of his most disappointing games in a Brighton shirt.
07:03 And Evan Ferguson sort of lost out because of it.
07:08 I think Ferguson improved when Hal Pedro came on in the second half.
07:12 So I'd like to see more of Hal Pedro going forwards.
07:15 But I think Ansu Fati, with rumours last night going into this morning,
07:21 would be an amazing addition.
07:23 Obviously, the calibre of a Barcelona player coming into Brighton
07:29 and the attacking verve that they just have on paper playing for Barcelona
07:33 coming in, it would be brilliant.
07:36 And it would certainly engage all the fans and expand Brighton's possibilities
07:41 even further under Deserbe.
07:42 And I think it's entirely down to Deserbe that we are in for him
07:47 and that he would want to join the club.
07:50 So that's brilliant.
07:52 And I also thought, to be fair, looking at how we played on Saturday,
07:57 that the nature of the breakaway goals, it kind of exposed the lack of a Moises
08:02 Caicedo in the defensive midfield position.
08:06 Because I think, as Frankie said, Webster and Dunk were very exposed
08:10 when Brighton broke away and there wasn't that player sitting deep.
08:13 I don't think Grose or Gilmour naturally are those players who do want to do
08:19 the defensive dirty work.
08:20 They are more creative players.
08:22 So with Carlos Baleba coming in, I'm quite positive, even though he is 19
08:28 and hasn't played that many games at a senior level, that we could have someone
08:32 who will do the Caicedo role moving forward through this season.
08:36 And hopefully with the likes of Dahoud and Milner sort of stepping in
08:41 in the meantime, we should be able to address those issues, I think.
08:47 Well, as Will mentioned there, Frankie, Brighton have brought in Carlos Baleba.
08:50 The Cameroon-born 19-year-old, his son, Fyvie O'Deal, he comes in for £23.2 million
08:56 from French side Lille.
08:58 It's quite obvious, I think, that he's been brought in to replace
09:02 Moises Caicedo.
09:03 But would it be fair for us and Albion fans to make comparisons between the two
09:07 players at this early stage?
09:08 Or would that be saddling Baleba with probably a little bit too much pressure
09:11 at this juncture?
09:13 Yeah, no, I think it's always very, very dangerous to, especially when a club
09:17 from outside, the top six loses an elite player when the next player comes in to go,
09:22 'Oh, he is the next Moises Caicedo' or 'He is replacing Moit Caicedo' or someone
09:27 of that calibre.
09:28 I specifically remember when Leicester sold N'Golo Kante back in 2016.
09:34 Lampley's Mendy was signed that summer for a record fee at the time.
09:37 I think they broke it again later down the line.
09:39 And it was very much a case of, 'Oh, this is the next N'Golo Kante'.
09:42 Leicester are known for this brilliant scouting regime.
09:45 Here they've done it again.
09:46 And he went on, I think, played eight games that season.
09:48 Obviously, they really struggled.
09:50 He never really seemed to kick on his career, probably because he was burdened
09:53 with that tack.
09:54 And I think you've got to be very careful with that because, like I say,
09:56 he's a young man who's played less than 50 career games.
09:59 He's only 19 years old.
10:00 And obviously, he has been brought in to do the defensive midfielding work.
10:04 But he's not Moises Caicedo.
10:07 And you can't expect him to be like Caicedo.
10:10 So, I think the way that the Zerby works, I don't think we'll see him in the first
10:14 team for a number of weeks either.
10:16 I think you'll want to protect him.
10:17 I think you'll want to make sure that he's up to it because he's coming into English
10:19 football as well.
10:20 It's a huge step up from Liga 1 football.
10:23 He's going to have to get adjusted to the English game and playing the Zerby
10:28 football because he's coming into an elite side now.
10:30 Brighton are now an elite team, one of the best in England.
10:33 And playing the Zerby-nism, as it's called, is not easy.
10:36 It's not easy for any player, let alone a player, like I said, who has not played
10:39 much football.
10:40 So, give him time.
10:42 He'll need time and he'll need protection from what is now a big, glaring media
10:47 spotlight on this Caicedo replacement.
10:50 But hopefully it works because, as Will said, from what the Zerby has said and
10:57 what we've seen already at West Ham, players of those qualities, defensively
11:02 in midfield, are going to be needed because the way that Brighton are playing in such
11:07 an attacking way, it can leave them exposed defensively if they don't have someone
11:11 that can do that, especially now Caicedo has left.
11:14 But I think Caicedo benefited because, obviously, you remember that Basuma left
11:18 last season.
11:18 I think Caicedo benefited because he seemed to slot in as his replacement because
11:23 he played six months towards the end of the season before.
11:26 So, he was already up to speed with the Premier League and already shown he was
11:31 good enough.
11:32 Bail becomes him without having that time to be in the squad before Caicedo leaves.
11:36 Caicedo's already gone.
11:37 He's now the man.
11:39 And that can be dangerous because Brighton are a bigger side now.
11:42 So, it's no longer a case of, oh, well, they got this player from MacAllister and
11:46 Caicedo, they just seem to have come out of nowhere for four or five million pounds.
11:49 He's one of their most expensive ever signings at 23 million pounds.
11:53 There's so much more scrutiny.
11:55 So, I do feel for him in that sense.
11:57 And I really hope it works because he's got really, really big shoes to fill.
12:01 - Well, speaking of summer signings, Bart Verbruggen was handed his full debut
12:07 against West Ham on Saturday.
12:08 And the Dutchman was surprisingly chosen ahead of regular first-choice keeper,
12:11 Jason Steele, for the clash against West Ham.
12:13 How did he get on, Will?
12:14 Goals didn't seem like they were particularly his fault.
12:16 - No, not at all.
12:18 I mean, I felt sorry for him, to be quite honest.
12:22 And I was behind the goal for West Ham's two goals in the second half.
12:26 And I agree, there wasn't anything really he could do for them.
12:30 I mean, he's a big man and his frame should be able to stop most efforts on target.
12:36 And unfortunately, West Ham found the angles on the breakaway,
12:40 beat the defenders, and then slightly finished past him.
12:42 So, we can't complain too much about that from a goalkeeping perspective.
12:47 And actually, I thought it was interesting reading the programme notes from the game
12:53 because they had an interview with him in the programme.
12:55 And basically, the headline of the interview was that he said he sometimes feels better
13:02 playing with his feet than playing with his hands.
13:04 And that may well be the stereotype that follows him in his early career at Brighton
13:09 until he really proves himself.
13:11 I don't think there was that much opportunity for him to prove himself with his hands.
13:20 In the game, I can't remember many shots that he saved, if any,
13:23 beyond the three attempts against him.
13:25 And I think in terms of playing out the back, he did just as well as Jason Steele would do.
13:30 So, there will be other games for him to prove himself.
13:33 And really, I don't want to burden him.
13:37 And I don't think any Brighton fans want to burden him with looking back on this
13:40 as his debut. It wasn't a reflection on how he played at all.
13:43 Why do you think Jason Steele got dropped? Were we out of interest?
13:48 It's a difficult one. I think most fans were expecting this change to come slightly later in the season.
13:56 And maybe it's just an early check from De Serby on how, well,
14:03 the expectation of how he's going to use his goalkeepers this year.
14:07 I think he has been fairly clear that he's going to rotate and use both as equal number ones.
14:16 And obviously, we're going to need that going into the Europa League and other competitions.
14:20 So, I suppose it was just an early check, making sure Steele doesn't get too ahead of himself,
14:26 giving Verbruggen a little bit of a debut. It's nicer at home, of course,
14:30 rather than making a debut away in front of vociferous supporters.
14:34 I can understand why he did it. It was a bit of a surprise, but I don't think it went wrong, really.
14:40 Frankie, do you think that we're going to see Bart Verbruggen stay as the number one?
14:44 Or will it be a case of chopping and changing, which could unsettle the defence, potentially?
14:50 Well, I mean, yeah, there's been lots of talk already, De Serby's stressed already,
14:54 that he's going to be rotating a lot. I think he fears the three games a week coming up
14:58 and he wants to prepare himself for that by using his whole squad.
15:02 I personally don't like it. I don't like the rotation of goalkeepers.
15:05 Your number one goalkeeper should be your main man. It helps relax your defence,
15:09 helps relax your whole team. I don't think it's ever been successfully done where you rotate your goalkeeper.
15:14 So, it's not for me. I was very, very surprised by it. I think he got that one wrong.
15:19 I don't, as much as we are wary of what Jason Steele is capable of, obviously, from before he played at Brighton,
15:25 he hasn't done that so far. I think he's got every right to go knock on De Serby's door on that Monday and say,
15:30 'Why did you drop me? We've just won two games, 4-1, and I'm not playing in the side and you've lost 3-1.'
15:35 And, you know, let's be fair to Bvrg and he wasn't at fault for any of those goals.
15:42 But again, as I said, changing your goalkeeper affects your whole team.
15:47 And there's an argument that he clearly did. So, I would expect TJ Steele back possibly this week.
15:53 I'm not sure, but I feel that he has every right to still have the number one shirt.
15:58 Elsewhere on the Transserv Fund, Will mentioned it earlier,
16:01 Abbey in a set to complete a surprise season-long loan deal for Barcelona and Spain winger Anssi Fati.
16:05 The 20-year-old is widely viewed as one of the most exciting young talents in European football,
16:09 but has fallen down the pecking order at Barcelona.
16:12 How big of a coup would the loan signing of Fati be for the Seagulls' Frankie?
16:17 It seems like he's a talented lad, but I had a quick look at his injury history
16:21 and it seems like he's got a bit of an issue with his knee.
16:25 Yeah, I'm still trying to get my head around it, to be honest,
16:28 because when you look at it on paper, it's a bonkers signing.
16:32 Because two years ago, obviously, Barcelona were in a bit of a rut.
16:36 They just had to sell Messi and Griezmann and the financial side of the club was in disarray.
16:42 And the one thing that came out of that season was those three young players from La Massa,
16:46 Gabi, Pedri and Anssi Fati.
16:49 Fati, probably the least polished out of the three of them,
16:53 but had a lot of potential, incredibly explosive and a real handful for defences across the Liga.
17:00 The injury record has been an issue.
17:02 He didn't start many games last season.
17:03 He was only starting 12 games all season, was used mainly from the bench
17:08 because Xavi preferred to use Gabi as a left winger.
17:10 So he has fallen down the pecking order.
17:13 But this move is still, you know, they're still signing a La Liga winner.
17:17 Barcelona were the champions last year and he was wanted by clubs
17:22 much higher up in the pecking order of European football than Brighton.
17:25 But from what we're hearing, he wants to move to Brighton.
17:30 I think the major issue then step into is, well, why is someone like Fati moving to Brighton?
17:35 Because, again, historically, people like Renato Sanchez, when they joined Swansea,
17:40 that was a complete disaster because clearly he did not want to be there.
17:43 He found himself to be a better quality player than playing for Swansea.
17:47 But, you know, Fati has said he wants to play for Brighton, which is a credit, again,
17:51 I think to Roberto Di Zerbi because the style of football and the way that Brighton are playing
17:57 is getting noticed, is getting noticed around Europe.
17:59 And people like Antti Fati, who, as we said, was in, I think, the European Golden Boy nominations
18:04 for 2022 or 2021, is moving to a club that was, you know, playing, you know,
18:10 Championship football, you know, 12 years ago.
18:14 So there's a lot of question marks surrounding, you know, what is his physical status?
18:19 What is his form at the moment?
18:21 He hasn't played a lot of football.
18:23 If they get him anywhere near, and it doesn't need to be, it's best if you get him anywhere near
18:27 to what he was playing two years ago, they've got a really serious player there, a really serious player.
18:32 I mean, they've got to enjoy it because there's no way they can afford his wages or transfer fee
18:37 beyond this season.
18:38 You know, it's ludicrous.
18:39 But in regards to a low move for a season for a player like Fati, if they can get him playing,
18:44 you know, like I said, close to his best, it's, you know, it's a serious player.
18:47 It is a serious player.
18:49 But again, the only evidence of that is he is a left winger.
18:53 Matoma is a left winger.
18:55 I'm not really sure how that works because Fati is not particularly, he can't really play along
18:59 on the right-hand side or as a cam.
19:01 Neither can Matoma.
19:02 So question marks regarding that.
19:05 But other than that, it's incredibly exciting because this is such a, it's going to be one of the biggest stories
19:09 of the transfer deadline.
19:11 Will, two years ago, would you ever imagine a player like Ansu Fati was playing for Brighton?
19:17 No, not at all.
19:18 I think back to the days when we got first into the Premier League and the profile players we were bringing in then,
19:24 we were impressed with a Davy Proper back then.
19:27 How we turned our noses up at a Davy Proper.
19:31 But yeah, I mean, Ansu Fati, incredible.
19:34 I think anyone who supported Brighton for more than 10 years, seeing where we come from,
19:40 whether I first started supporting them when we were in League One, people remember Division Three back in the day.
19:46 I mean, it's just incredible to think how far we've come and little old Brighton from Sussex,
19:52 Bathursey signing a player from Barcelona, a winger, no less, with an incredible amount of talent.
19:57 He's been to the World Cup with Spain, banging in goals, getting assists, still very young.
20:03 Took the shirt from Messi at Barcelona.
20:06 I mean, it would be incredible to see it happen.
20:09 And I really hope it does.
20:10 Fingers crossed it does happen.
20:12 On a semi-Brighton related note, later on today, Gareth Southgate will be announcing his England squad for next month's Euro 2024 qualifier against Poland,
20:20 as well as a friendly against Scotland.
20:22 Do you think we'll see any Brighton representation in the squad, Will?
20:27 Solih March and Lewis Dunk must at least be in contention.
20:32 They should certainly be in contention.
20:33 I think for Lewis Dunk, it might be an easier equation.
20:39 I think with the injury to Tyrone Mings, that's definitely ruling him out.
20:43 And Jon Stone's potentially being ruled out.
20:46 I think the gap is open there.
20:48 There is still a young crop of centre-backs that could get in.
20:54 Look at Levi Colwell.
20:55 Obviously, we would have been delighted had he come here this season, stayed on with Brighton and then gone on to get England on us here.
21:02 But it looks like he stepped right into the Chelsea team, taking his chance and is going to get in the England squad that way.
21:09 Think about Tamori, probably going to get in, playing pretty well at AC Milan and maybe Ben White as well.
21:17 And I think Harry Maguire will keep his place.
21:20 So it might be hard to see a starting place for Lewis Dunk.
21:24 But I really do hope he gets in the squad because it was really unfortunate the way that he had to pull out of the squad at the back end of last season.
21:32 So I hope he gets another chance and he isn't just left on one cap in a reasonably meaningless game.
21:40 Wayne Rooney's testimonial against the USA.
21:44 But for Solly March, I see it being a bit harder.
21:48 I think the profile of winger and attacking player that England have available to them right now, it means it's very hard to sort of break in.
22:00 And especially for a player who's in his later 20s rather than his early 20s and has got a few more years to potentially develop under Southgate.
22:09 I mean, I would love to see it based on goals, assists, certainly his improvement under Roberto De Serbi.
22:16 He really deserves it in terms of hard work.
22:19 But are you going to get beyond Ebikayo Saka, Phil Fodor, Marcus Rashford?
22:25 I can't see it happening, but I would really like to see it happen.
22:28 Steve, are you positively beside yourself at the thought of watching England play next month?
22:31 You look cock-a-hoop at just the mere idea of them coming back and playing.
22:35 I didn't know they were playing next month.
22:38 It's always the same with England.
22:41 They get through their qualifiers quite comfortably.
22:45 Don't have to get into top gear, do they?
22:48 No.
22:49 I just get interested when they get to the finals next year.
22:54 I won't get too excited about who's in the team and who's not in the team until then.
22:58 But having said that, it'd be nice to see a couple of Brighton players in there.
23:01 I think Brighton are still in the bracket of being a club where England won't pick Brighton players unless they have to.
23:10 Unless they're really forced into a corner.
23:13 But maybe that's changing.
23:14 I fully expect Maguire to get picked and Dunk and March to be fully ignored.
23:18 But we will see later on.
23:19 I don't hold out much hope, but never mind.
23:23 Friday is also quite a historic day.
23:25 It sees the group stage draw for Brighton's inaugural Europa League campaign.
23:29 The draw will take place at midday and have been placed in either pot two or three.
23:33 We're not quite sure yet as the Europa League player frown ties haven't been settled yet.
23:37 But 22 of the 32 teams entering the competition have been confirmed following last night's Champions League qualifiers.
23:43 Of the teams that have qualified, Frankie and Will all look likely to qualify, though it seems less uncertain apart from Ajax, who I think absolutely batted someone.
23:52 Who would you like to see Brighton come up against in the group stage?
23:55 And conversely, who would you like Albion to avoid?
23:58 Starting with you, Will.
24:00 Well, it's a fascinating one because there's teams all across Europe that we could face.
24:06 And I had a little look last night at the teams that are sort of lined up.
24:12 And I suppose with it looking more likely that we're going to be in pot three, the ones that I noted down that I would really like to face are either Roma or Atalanta from pot one.
24:25 A trip to Italy would be brilliant, obviously for Dezerby and his backing team.
24:30 That would be great. And you think about the fans going to somewhere like Rome in autumn, wintertime.
24:36 Beautiful. My favourite city. From pot two, I'd quite like Lask from Austria.
24:45 I think they're the most beatable team in the pot.
24:48 I think they'd top them last season or the season before in the Conference League.
24:52 I remember they weren't the toughest opponents, so I'd like that.
24:56 Not too far to travel as well. Central Europe.
24:58 That's OK. And pot four, I'd quite like Panathinaikos.
25:02 Just on a personal note, my girlfriend's Greek and I've supported Panathinaikos through her.
25:07 So I'd love to see that happen. Go to the game either home or away.
25:11 That'd be great. And the ones to avoid is the real difficult one because there's so many quality teams.
25:20 Absolutely. We've never faced this consistent level of top team, I think, because the Premier League,
25:28 you might have three or four games in a row against big six teams, but this is going to be another level.
25:35 So the ones that I really think we should be looking to avoid, Dino Mozagreb, probably quite a physical style of team.
25:44 A bit further to travel. Fans are quite passionate, so that would be difficult, definitely.
25:51 On a similar sort of theory, Rangers.
25:54 I wouldn't like to play them. Be a very tough place to go.
25:57 Ibrox. And they are smarting from last night for sure.
26:01 And they want to take on the Europa League, I'm sure, and try and prove to their fans that they're really going places.
26:11 And also, I'd like to avoid Marseille, Carabag if they get through.
26:17 I don't want to be travelling all the way to Azerbaijan. No, thank you.
26:21 On a similar level, Maccabi Haifa. I don't want to be going to Israel.
26:25 And Aberdeen. Nobody wants a glamorous European tour to be ruined by a trip to Aberdeen.
26:30 So I don't want that. Where's your sense of adventure, Will? A trip to Azerbaijan is what it's all about.
26:37 Frankie, what about yourself? On that note, I know in the Europa League,
26:40 there is a game between a team from the Faroe Islands and a team from Moldova.
26:43 So that is probably one that Brighton would probably enjoy.
26:47 Yeah, no, absolutely. I think you've got to... you're balancing that thing of, as a Brighton fan,
26:52 of you want to play the best teams and go to... because you never know when you're going to be back in the Europa League.
26:57 So you want to have the best European days against the best clubs, but you also want to do well.
27:02 So you don't want to have too many great teams because you don't want the run to end at the group stage.
27:07 So it's that difficult balancing. I think you definitely want, as Will has already said, you want one big club.
27:12 To be saying, you know, I think Steve will remember when Portsmouth played AC Milan at Fratton Park back in 2009.
27:18 And, you know, I think Portsmouth fans still talk about that to this day,
27:21 because what an amazing occasion to be 2-0 up at Fratton Park with Ronaldinho and Ibrahimović on the other side of the pitch.
27:27 So it's an amazing thing to say you've played someone like Roma or Bayer Leverkusen or even Villarreal.
27:33 I know they're not as big as other clubs, but, you know, they have won the Europa League before.
27:37 So that's something to say. But then on the flip side, I think, as Will has also said,
27:43 you've got to think about the travel because Brighton squad are new to this and a lot of the players new to this.
27:47 And they won't be used to travelling, coming back very, very early on the Friday morning and preparing for a game on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League,
27:54 where it's going to be, as we know, all 19 teams will be given the good game if they don't turn up and play their best football.
28:01 So avoiding places like Slovenia, Slovakia, Belarus, where also going, as Will said, going away, you're not guaranteed,
28:08 even if it's a lesser team, going away from home and they're sort of in conditions, you very, very could very easily lose that game and not pick up the points.
28:17 So you don't want that double whammy of having travelled all that way, not picking up the points and coming back jaded and then losing again in the Premier League,
28:24 because as we can all know, what the worst case scenario is, they don't get out of the group stage and their Premier League season is going so poorly,
28:34 they're now fearing relegation going into Christmas and beyond.
28:38 So it's that difficult balancing act and they hope that the draw will help them out in that sense in regards to the travel sense.
28:43 But other than that, they'll just want to play, go to the best places, play the best teams.
28:49 You know, people like, as Will said, Lisbon in October doesn't sound too bad.
28:54 All these sort of scenarios in your head, it's a very, very exciting time and they should focus more on that rather than the practical issues of the footballing side,
29:01 because it's not their concern.
29:03 There's a team in Portsmouth, in the middle of nowhere in Serbia, and if that happens, I want to put my name down.
29:09 I'm doing that one. I'll be there.
29:12 I completely forgot about Portsmouth in Europa League. Who did they have in their group, Steve?
29:17 We played AC Milan, as Frankie has remembered that.
29:20 And yes, we do still talk about it.
29:23 We've got 20 minutes now, by the way.
29:26 We also played, now you're testing me, it was a long time ago.
29:30 We played Braga.
29:32 All right.
29:33 We played Heronveen.
29:35 All right.
29:36 A Scandinavian team.
29:37 And we played Wolfsburg in Germany.
29:41 And if we beat, I think I'm right in saying that, if we'd beaten AC Milan instead of drawing with them and we were 2-0 up, I think we'd have got through the group.
29:50 You would have done, yeah.
29:51 Because we won our final game.
29:52 We beat Heronveen.
29:55 And at the time, Pompey fans were thinking, well, that's good.
29:58 We'll probably be in Europe again next year and the year after.
30:02 We're still waiting for our next European adventure.
30:05 Yeah, make the most of it while it's here, Brighton fans, definitely.
30:09 I was going to ask you, as a team of a club that didn't and hasn't returned to Europe, how much did that Europa League, how much excitement was there by it?
30:18 Did it kind of feel like a sense of the club have arrived playing against teams like that?
30:22 Yeah, very, very much so.
30:23 Yeah, because we got into Europe because we won the FA Cup in 2008.
30:28 Firstly, nobody could quite believe we'd done that.
30:30 That was good enough in itself, winning the FA Cup.
30:32 And then you've got the prize of, it was still the UEFA Cup in those days, which I still call it now.
30:38 So we still had the reward of that campaign.
30:41 And yeah, we took massive numbers to the away games, sold out the ground for home games.
30:47 And yeah, just a shame it did for us at that time prove a one off.
30:52 We're thinking more about the here and now.
30:55 This Saturday sees Brighton host Newcastle United, who were stung by two late Darwin Unioners goals on Sunday, sorry, to undefeat against Tamman Liverpool.
31:03 How are Albion stacked on the injury front for this weekend's game at the Amex?
31:07 And I'm assuming we're going to be expecting quite a big reaction from Eddie Howe's side.
31:13 Yeah, we will be.
31:14 I think if you look at Newcastle's results, obviously they've lost two and won one.
31:20 But against Manchester City, they were second best.
31:24 But, you know, a 1-0 defeat away at Manchester City is nothing to be upset by.
31:29 And then against Liverpool, they were far the better team.
31:30 They've really got themselves to blame for that result, because against 10 men, they should have had that game dead and buried with the chance they had before the last 10 minutes.
31:39 But so they come in facing a wounded animal as are Brighton.
31:43 Brighton on the injury front are looking OK.
31:45 I mean, in CISO, we expect to still be out.
31:47 He's carrying a knee injury.
31:48 I have no idea what's happened to Jacob Moda.
31:51 There has been no update on, you know, he's been out with this knee injury for coming on to nearly 18 months.
31:58 And he came back to training on the grass in March.
32:02 He did pre-season, but he's nowhere closer.
32:05 And he's not being rumoured of being moved out on loan or being sold.
32:09 So we have no idea on him.
32:10 But other than that, it seems to be a clean bit of health.
32:13 But in that, we expect changes, obviously, because they lost last weekend and De Zerbis already stressed about the importance of rotation.
32:21 So people like Jal Pedro, we expect to see back in the side.
32:25 I do wonder if Matomar March may be given, because he is using them every week.
32:29 And I wonder if he might change that up a little bit to give him something different.
32:33 He's still not sure on his best two midfielders.
32:35 So I expect to see that change again as well.
32:38 But he has options to choose from.
32:40 And he will need quickly to find his best two midfielders, because that was the strength of Brighton last year.
32:46 You could rely on Kayseri McAllister every week and playing against people like Tonali, Bruno Guedemares and Joel Linton.
32:53 That's a very, very strong midfield.
32:54 And then the attacking firepower of people like Isak, Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes.
32:59 Gordon's come into a bit of form now.
33:01 Alboron showed his quality for the first time last season as well.
33:06 It's a dangerous Newcastle team.
33:07 You know, it was one of the best teams last season.
33:10 It's built on a very strong defensive unit.
33:12 And now it seems to be having the attacking firepower as well.
33:14 So Brighton will have to be at their best.
33:16 They'll have to certainly be better than they were last week, because I think this is a better team than the West Ham team that they played.
33:22 And I feel that the noise of tomorrow, the Europa League draw and the transfer deadline, I feel like De Serbi will just want to get this game done, because it's an international break.
33:32 He can reset, he can recalibrate about what his squad is going to be for the rest of the season.
33:37 It's quite an annoying time to have a game, I would feel for him.
33:40 So it will be tricky.
33:41 And I feel that Brighton might lose this one.
33:44 Ooh, we'll come to all your predictions later on, but I'm surprised to hear you say that, actually.
33:48 Meanwhile, Cawley Town enjoyed an afternoon forget at Swindon Town, losing 6-0 to Reds manager Scott Lindsay's former side.
33:55 Lindsay said the Reds were toothless and embarrassing against the Robins.
33:59 Would you say that's a fair assessment, Will?
34:02 Yes, very much so.
34:04 Looking back at the highlights of the game, Crawley really should have put two chances away in the first half.
34:11 And had they done so, as Scott Lindsay commented after the game, it might have been a different match.
34:16 But as he said, there's no point talking about if, buts and maybes.
34:21 Crawley need to prove themselves now.
34:24 They are a squad that has undergone massive changes over the summer.
34:30 I think 14, 15 players being brought in.
34:33 Undoubtedly, there's going to be changes and uncertainty because of that.
34:37 But a 6-0 defeat isn't acceptable at any level of football.
34:41 And it is equal to their biggest ever defeat in the Football League.
34:45 So that's a big embarrassment and not one that Scott Lindsay and his team are going to want to talk about for too long.
34:52 They're going to want a reaction straight away.
34:54 And to be honest, they deserve it because they put in a lot of work over the summer, bringing in a whole new squad of players,
35:02 a lot of them from non-league. So Will have required a lot of scouting in person.
35:06 You can't rely on statistics and videos necessarily.
35:09 So their work, identifying these players, coaching them and making them into Football League ready talents,
35:16 or at least bolstering the confidence of those who've come down as well to this level.
35:21 I think deserves a bit more from the players and he will expect that this weekend as well.
35:27 One surprise piece of transfer business, a Crawley Town striker, Dom Telford's apart to League Two rivals Barrow.
35:33 During his first season with the Reds, Telford made 47 appearances and scored 15 goals,
35:38 which saw him finish the season as Crawley's leading goal scorer in all competitions.
35:42 Telford's most significant contribution to Crawley will undoubtedly be his brace in the relegation six-pointer away at Hartlepool United in April.
35:50 Will, how much of a shock was it to see Telford go?
35:52 And do you think that he's gone on the proviso that they've got a replacement lined up
35:58 or do you think they're going to be scrabbling around tomorrow looking for a forward?
36:02 I very much do fear that they will be scrabbling around.
36:06 I can't see where a signing is coming from.
36:09 You let go your best player, your highest paid player.
36:13 I mean, I know some fans said he didn't really fit into the new style that they're adopting this summer
36:18 and potentially didn't fit in in terms of characters with a lot of players coming up from non-league
36:24 rather than down from higher in the Football League in his sort of profile.
36:30 It's hard, honestly, because you'd want an experienced striker,
36:34 someone who can get you 15, 20 goals a season in League Two to be coming in as his replacement.
36:41 But you can't find that in the last two days of the transfer window.
36:44 You want someone who's 28, 29, 30 and is either playing at this level already
36:50 or is looking for a move disgruntled at another club.
36:53 I can't see options for them in that respect.
36:56 And that is quite worrying because their batch of strikers that they have left at the club,
37:03 well, they're mostly new recruits, of course, but the goals that they scored last season,
37:09 I think at least half of the goals that they got were in the National League South.
37:15 So, Clydie Lollos, the Greek player, he scored 16 goals and that's effectively half of the goals
37:21 that all four of their main strikers scored last season.
37:24 The rest of them got two here, three there, so on.
37:29 So, I predict a difficult first half of the season if they aren't able to find anyone today or tomorrow.
37:37 I very much doubt they will be able to.
37:39 And I think a lot of fans will just have to hold out hope that the Scouts will be working hard
37:44 over the next few months to find someone to pick up in January.
37:47 It is a big worry, you're right.
37:48 But as you said, we'll wait and see.
37:50 But sticking with football, there were contrasting bank holiday weekends for Worthing and Eastman Borough
37:54 and the National League South, weren't there, Steve?
37:56 Could you tell us a bit how both sides have got on?
37:59 It doesn't seem to be getting easier for Borough either, does it?
38:01 No, they're going in opposite directions at the moment, those two.
38:07 And I was just thinking, both managers, for different reasons, have got cause to stress this week
38:13 that it is early days.
38:15 For Adam Hinshaw at Worthing, he's pointing that out because Worthing are top.
38:19 They've had five wins from six.
38:21 They won both their holiday games 2-0, won 2-0 at Dover and then won 2-0 at home to Weymouth.
38:28 He's delighted by that, but he is saying it's only six games and we've still got another 40-odd to go.
38:35 But so far, so good for them.
38:36 Eastbourne Borough, on the other hand, had a really bright start, had a great pre-season, won their first game,
38:42 haven't won since, and they've now lost four in a row and haven't scored a goal in those four games.
38:48 That's the problem. It's the goal scoring that's the problem.
38:51 And they are, as we speak, trying to bring in another striker before their game against Weston on Saturday.
38:57 They're not conceding many.
38:59 They're only conceding one or maybe two per game, but they're just not scoring.
39:03 And for the type of football Mark Beard is trying to play, that's a big worry.
39:08 He's trying to be very open and expansive, play exciting football, and the fans haven't seen a goal for more than 360 minutes.
39:16 So, some critical games ahead.
39:19 The next two or three for them are where they need to turn it around and start climbing the table.
39:24 And how have the five strong Sussex contingent of Hastings, Lewis, Horsham, Whitehall and Bogner got on so far in the Eastbourne Premier League, Steve?
39:30 I believe two of those are still unbeaten.
39:32 Yes, they're all doing okay.
39:34 In fact, if you look at the table, Eastbourne Premier table, you'll find all five of them within seven places of each other.
39:41 You've got Hastings in sixth, Horsham and Lewis not too far behind them, Whitehall after that, Bogner after that, but even Bogner are only 12th.
39:50 They have all won at least one game.
39:54 Hastings, I think I'm right in saying Hastings, Horsham and Lewis have all won three in their first five.
39:58 So, they're going to be happy.
39:59 Hastings in particular drew their first two of one three since.
40:03 So, they look on a roll.
40:04 I did say a few weeks ago, I'll boast about it now, but probably not for too often.
40:09 I did say Hastings could be the top Sussex team in that division this season and so far they're showing why.
40:16 They all have a break from the league this week because it's FA Cup weekend and all five of them are away from home with potentially quite tricky ties, winnable ties, but tricky ties away from home.
40:26 So, there's a couple of them that probably won't want a break from the league having had a good start, but that's the way the fixture list is at this time of year for them.
40:34 So, at least they'll be looking to get through a round or two in the Cup.
40:38 Moving on to cricket and there is just one more week of action left in the Sussex Cricket League.
40:42 Matt, as at both ends of the Premier Division have been resolved, with Cookefield taking the title after a 121 run win at Bogner.
40:50 Meanwhile, Eastbourne and Mayfield both suffered relegation after both their games were abandoned due to rain.
40:55 It's a great story, isn't it, the Cookefield one, Steve?
40:57 How much of a shock is it to see them lift the title following their promotion from the Division 2?
41:01 Likewise, is it a surprise to see Eastbourne lose their Premier status with the amount they've contributed to Sussex Cricket in the past five years?
41:09 Yeah, I'd agree on both counts really.
41:11 In fact, if you'd said at the start of the season that one of Cookefield and Eastbourne will be getting relegated and one will be champions, you'd probably have said it would be Eastbourne which would be champions.
41:22 No-one expected Cookefield to be champions, not even Cookefield themselves.
41:25 We've got an interview with the captain, Josh Hayward, in the Mid Sussex Times today and online on Sussex World in which he says,
41:32 'You know, we were delighted to get promotion from Division 2 last season. The aim then was just to try to stay up.
41:40 I don't think they really thought they'd be in the title mix.
41:43 But as we know from early on, they were top of the table.
41:47 They had a good start.
41:48 After a rain-interrupted start to the season, they won their first two or three and they've just kept plugging away.
41:53 Had a little setback last week but then went to Bognor.
41:57 Didn't know what the weather was going to do but they were able to play when others couldn't.
42:01 Got the job done in quite emphatic fashion in the end.
42:05 So, well done to everybody, not just the players but the whole club there.
42:08 Everybody's worked so hard to bring that about.
42:11 Eastbourne, yeah, it is a surprise to see Eastbourne go down.
42:14 When you look at some of the players they've brought through recently, a number of whom have gone on to get contracts with Sussex,
42:22 it is a surprise. I think that is one of Eastbourne's problems really.
42:24 I think in a short space of time, in a couple of summers, they lost almost half a team to Sussex duties and Sussex contracts.
42:32 You know, Ali Orr would be the obvious one that people know about but there were others as well, two or three others,
42:38 Archie Lennon and others.
42:41 I think that hit them hard, you know, I think that left them weak and I don't think they've kind of come out the other side of that yet.
42:48 I think they'll probably be looking to bounce back straight away next year.
42:53 I think they'll be strong in Division Two.
42:55 We've possibly got Hastings coming the other way so they won't be too happy about swapping places with them.
43:00 Commiserations to them and Mayfield, it's always a tough division, the Premier League,
43:07 and there's always two teams that have to pay the price at the end of it.
43:10 That brings us on quite nicely. You mentioned Division Two there, Steve.
43:14 There's going to be a final day promotion shootout in Division Two and Division Three West.
43:18 Could you tell us about the title races a little bit more please, Steve, and run us through the permutations of who needs what?
43:24 Yes, some last day nail biters in both, definitely.
43:27 Division Two, first of all, Worthing have been top of the table almost all season.
43:32 They now, after losing to Hastings last Saturday, find themselves level on points with Hastings.
43:38 So if both those two sides win their final game, Worthing are away to Crow House Park,
43:44 Hastings are at home to Brighton, so they should both win.
43:47 If they both win, they both go up, but nine points behind both of them, West Chiltington,
43:53 who go to Buckingham Park on the last day, if they win and one of the others slips up, then that changes everything.
43:59 West Chiltington could even still win the title if both Hastings and Worthing slip up.
44:05 You would think at this stage of the season all three of those sides would win.
44:09 They know what they've got to do, which would mean Worthing and Hastings going up.
44:14 But yes, you couldn't ask for a more tense final day in Division Two.
44:20 Same as well, as you say, in Division Three West, where you've got three teams going for the top two places.
44:27 The top three have been tight all season in Division Three West.
44:30 Findon are top, only a few points clear of Ifield, who they are at home to on Saturday.
44:37 So that's the sort of winner-takes-all type of game.
44:41 And then you've got Stenning in third place, waiting for, well, clearly one of those two teams is going to slip up,
44:47 unless it's a tie or a rained-off.
44:50 Stenning, if they win their final game, could sneak into one of those two promotion spots as well.
44:55 So, yes, great for all those clubs to be involved in the final day,
44:59 although I imagine some of them would rather have got it out of the way last week, had the weather allowed them to.
45:04 It's great in a sporting sense, but more importantly, Steve, it's brilliant for our newspapers, isn't it?
45:07 It all helps, absolutely.
45:08 Absolutely. That's what counts.
45:10 And finally, Will, I understand you covered Sussex Sharks' One Day Cup campaign.
45:15 I think we've said multiple times in this podcast that it's not been the best campaign for last year's 70 finalists.
45:22 They've finished bottom of Group B, having taken one win from eight games.
45:26 But how would you assess the Sharks' performances in the 2023 competition?
45:30 And are there any positives to take from the campaign they've had?
45:35 Well, the short answer is probably no.
45:38 I don't think any players really covered themselves in glory.
45:42 I think picking out the team, you might find three players who probably did as was expected.
45:51 I think Chechehsua Pajara, he played just as we expected him to, got a couple of centuries, played very well in the middle order.
45:59 Finn Hudson-Prentice did, I think, slightly better than fans were expecting.
46:05 I think he more than held an end up with a ball, was quite dangerous at times, even stepped up to share the new ball in some games.
46:13 So that was a positive as well. And his batting this season has been very consistent.
46:18 So that's good to see. And Jack Carson, who hadn't made a list day appearance before this year,
46:24 I think he stepped into the team and did more than a reasonable job.
46:28 I think he took 12 wickets in the end. And I was surprised that he was taken out of the team towards the end of the campaign.
46:34 I wasn't quite sure what Paul Fabrace and Tom Haynes and everyone was thinking with that decision.
46:39 But maybe rest him up for the county championship, despite the one or two weeks break until the next game.
46:47 But overall, I think it's just the campaign where I go back to what Fabrace said at the start of the season,
46:56 that experience for the young group of players that Sussex has is meaningless or almost meaningless if it's just constant experience of losing.
47:05 And that's what this campaign was. The game against Somerset was quite good.
47:09 It was encouraging. And though it came a bit later than we were expecting and hoping for as fans as the first win, it didn't create any momentum.
47:20 And that was the most damaging part of the campaign, I think, that the team was tinkered with slightly after that Somerset game.
47:26 And Harrison Ward was brought in as the opener. And there were a couple of changes in the bowling as well.
47:33 Sean Hunt came back in. Brad Currie came back in. But no formula seemed to work throughout the campaign.
47:40 And as I said in my piece earlier this week, there were big mistakes.
47:45 I think not playing Ari Carvelas as much as they should have done was a big error.
47:52 I think giving too much responsibility to Tom Haynes, who we've got to remember is still just 23, and he was an opener as well.
48:00 I think that's very difficult on him. And I don't think it was quite fair.
48:06 I think they should have brought in an overseas bowler probably to hold up an end and lend a bit more experience to the captain.
48:13 It's just a campaign, again, where we're left with more questions than we have answers.
48:18 And that has been a real frustration watching Sussex over the last three, four years,
48:24 shedding experienced players and bringing in the youth, but not providing them with the framework to succeed.
48:31 So, as I said, again, in the piece that I wrote earlier this week, the four championship games that we're left with at the end of this season,
48:40 potentially to get promoted into Division One and the Counter Championship, they are key.
48:45 Like, I don't necessarily expect us to go up to Division One, and I wouldn't mind if we didn't.
48:53 But I think Sussex need to prove that they are providing young players with the framework to succeed.
49:00 They're giving them experience that isn't just experience for the sake of it.
49:04 And really, they just need to make positive improvements going forward.
49:09 That means that these players will stay on next year rather than just go elsewhere in the winter or finish their professional careers entirely.
49:18 Final, final question to you both, Steve and Will. What does need to change?
49:21 What positive changes, as Will mentioned there, Steve, do you think do need to be implemented for, especially in the White Ball campaign?
49:27 The 2020 campaign wasn't much better, but what would you like to see improved or changed next year?
49:33 Yes, that's difficult. That's a difficult one to answer because a lot of these younger players, they've already given contract extensions too.
49:41 So clearly, they have got some faith in them.
49:44 You know, there was two or three within one week, about a month or so ago,
49:48 they were given extensions, people like Carson Crocombe, Ollie Carter, I think all got extensions, which is good for them.
49:57 But I don't know, it just feels like there's a there's sort of something in the air at Sussex these past few years,
50:05 which has led to the team really just struggling to win games.
50:09 And really, you have to say that last year's one day cup campaign was the exception to the rule.
50:15 You know, that was the one bit of success they've had in that competition.
50:19 2020 hasn't gone well last couple of years.
50:21 County Championship has been a struggle, although this year they've been quite positive in the championship.
50:28 They've only still only won one game.
50:30 They have to try to win a couple more now, but it's not easy and it's not a quick, you know, there's no quick fix.
50:35 I don't think you can't rip up the whole squad and start again.
50:39 You've got to work with the best of what you've got and look to bring in a little bit more experience, I think.
50:44 But easier said than done.
50:46 Yeah, as Steve mentioned there, Will, Sussex haven't been very good for a number of years now.
50:50 So how do you go about changing what has been?
50:53 I don't want to sound harsh, but it's been three years of absolute failure, really, isn't it?
50:57 In some regard. Exactly.
51:02 I think the signings will go some way to changing.
51:06 I think bringing in Chris Wright, even though he is in the last year or two of his professional career for next year,
51:13 I think that will be a positive step because I think he can lend so much experience to the likes of Henry Crocombe,
51:19 Sean Hunt, who I think fans would have expected to develop a little bit more than they have this season.
51:26 And they really do need an experienced head to sort of put their arm around them and lead them.
51:32 I think obviously they need to step up themselves.
51:38 But if they have a little bit of responsibility taken off them, that will be very useful.
51:42 And also in the next four games that we have left, if Ollie Robinson can play at least three of the four,
51:48 and he's allowed to by England, then that would be hugely positive for Sussex and the young bowlers because they can watch him do his thing.
51:56 They can learn from him in the field, see how he leads the bowling attack, but also helps lead the team.
52:04 And if he can sort of bring a bit more positive momentum back to the club by taking a few wickets
52:10 and at least turning up and playing in the first place, fingers crossed, I think that would be a positive move to start off with.
52:18 Yeah, fingers crossed we have a fully fit Joffre Archer next year as well.
52:22 I think he's been a bit of a bit of a big miss. Very, very, very, very.
52:26 Finally, shall we have a stroll down Steve Bowne's score prediction corner?
52:32 First, we'll start with Brighton v Newcastle. Frankie, you expect Newcastle to win, but what score line are you predicting?
52:39 Yeah, I'm going to go for, I'm actually going to go for quite a drubbing, I'm going to go for 4-1 Newcastle.
52:45 Blimey. Steve, do you agree with that?
52:49 Well, so far I've got every Brighton prediction wrong.
52:52 I've gone for three draws and they've had two wins and one defeat. So this week I'm going to go for another draw.
52:58 I'm about to get, if I keep on saying they'll draw, they will. I'm going 1-1.
53:04 Will, how do you, I'm assuming you don't share Frankie's level of pessimism going into this one.
53:09 No, not at the moment. I think things might go a little bit better.
53:13 I also feel that it could be a draw. I think two-all, a big game on the telly.
53:19 Be good to see both teams really going at it with some attacking vigour.
53:23 And I think Matoma, Hal-Pedro to score for us. That'd be good.
53:28 And Stockport, they're at home to Croydon Town this weekend. Steve Bowne, how do you see that one going?
53:35 Well, after last week, me saying how much I didn't like Swindon and they then thrashed Crawley,
53:40 I'm not going to say anything nasty about Stockport. I don't mind Stockport actually.
53:43 Can't see anything other than a Stockport win, I'm afraid.
53:46 I think Crawley might struggle to get over the memory of last week.
53:49 And I'm going to go 3-1 Stockport.
53:52 Frankie, how do you see that one going at Stockport?
53:55 Yes, that's a difficult one for Croydon. I'm going to go for 2-0 to Stockport.
54:00 And Will, are we going to see no professional Sussex team score any points this weekend?
54:05 Well, I sincerely hope not. I think it will be a difficult game for Crawley, no doubt.
54:10 I think Stockport did great things last season and I don't necessarily see them letting up this year.
54:15 So I'll go 3-1 to Stockport.
54:18 Oh dear. Never mind. Thank you very much for joining us, Will, for joining us this week.
54:23 You've been absolutely brilliant.
54:24 Thanks for having me.
54:26 No problem at all. We've been brilliant.
54:27 And thank you very much, Frankie and Steve, as ever, for joining us.
54:30 You can catch up with all the latest sports news, covering everything we have talked about today
54:33 at sussexworld.co.uk/sport.
54:35 Thank you very much for listening and we'll see you all next week.
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