[Applause] hello everybody and welcome to the official efl podcast with me David pruton as you look back at the second half of a season that has certainly been Lively to say the very least just when we think we’ve experienced some of the toughest battles at the very top and bottom of our English football in pyramid the Sky Bet Championship League one and League two serve up an absolute Feast of football and I for one have loved every single minute of it at Christmas we brought you the best of the guest part one so there’s no prizes for guessing what this episode is all about sit back and relax as we bring you the very best of the guest part two right here on the official efl podcast January’s New Year Blues were blown away by a well-traveled Star Striker playing his trade amidst the holid with Glitz and glamour of North Wales rexam Steven Fletcher was knocking them in for fun at the time but despite having enjoyed a glittering career himself he’s the first to recognize the quality around him and certainly not too old to learn some new tricks along the way we’ve got a good group of Strikers we have um got a good two good young Lads as well with Sam Doby and and bicker staff bier’s obviously just signed a new deal as well which is great for him and the club um and all pal obviously O’s out injured just now but he will be back um relatively soon so we’ve got a good good competition and it’s it’s good for strike is I think it’s because you need to you need to be kept on your toes you need to be kept on your toes because um I’ve played in a lot of clubs and we’ve had a lot of Strikers and you know for the fact if if you’re formed dips someone will come in and and if they if they stay in the team you’re you’re sit and watching from the side so it it’s good it’s a good competition we’ve got going just now competition between Strikers um I I know that goal is a odod Strikers are their own kind of um little characteristic as well so in that sense do do you are you all rooting for each other and pushing each other on is it you smiling so as as I’ve got as I’ve got older I love like obv done done my coaching a few years ago so I’ve always had when I was younger I’ll be honest I just wanted to play I was I was selfish I wanted to play but as I’ve got older I’ve kind of I love helping the young Strikers on and and even even not they don’t need to be young with you just your straight partner just kind of like little things that you’ve picked up over your career let’s said I’m still learning as well and you see the game’s changed the technique of even the way like even from from the way Mo hits the ball it’s ridiculous is finishing and stuff and then the young Lads as well they can all put stuff on the ball that I could only dream of the way they hit it and I’m like how how the ball’s going it looks like it’s going about 30 yards Over the Bar and next minute it just dips in then you’re thinking that’s ridiculous I’d do my back out trying to hit a shot like that but it’s I just do you know what I mean you so I’m always learning this well I’m Lally asking them how where do you hit the ball for that to do that you you mention coaching though and badges um and and presumably in the little period that you weren’t attached to a club that next step must have been looming pretty large so now you’re back with the boots on playing is coaching part of your future I’d like to think so yeah would I I will complete my Badges and I will um I’ll have them there I do I do enjoy it I do I before I done them I kind of got pushed into doing it and I was like I don’t know I don’t know but see when I started it it it became it I got addicted to it and I was like this is this is good and see before when I was I went away for a week with with the Scottish fa and I didn’t want it to end and I had to go back to my club and I was thinking I don’t want to go back I’m going to carry on doing this it was that enjoyable but then obviously you you take time away and golf takes over I’m not going to lie and yeah and then I was back playing so I will um I will I will carry on doing bets and pieces but yeah right now I’m concentrating on playing I’m playing goal well you do to get to an age where golf becomes a basic human requirement from one former Scotland International now to another and fli with Town manager Charlie Adam when we spoke to him at the beginning of the year he’d not long been in the post at the Hybrid Stadium up in the Northwest but was fully aware of what would be deemed as success or failure and almost more than happy to admit using the experience of another well-known Scottish manager he knows only too well I have a good relationship with David Moyes um somebody that I my agent is his brother so I’ve known David for a long long time somebody I trust um and I have uh people that I would use I don’t have any problems picking up the phone to managers or or former people because that’s the way I want to be I want to have a relationship with people and ultimately if you have a relationship with these types of people you know because they’ve been there they’ve seen it and done it David gave me great advice um uh the reasons to take a job not to take a job but again ultimately you have to make the own decision on your own so I would say somebody like a David Moyes um you know old managers I’ve had in in hallway people like that that I I’ve worked with um would would bounce things off so I’ve got a lot of support out with the game um that I can can rely and pick the phone up to and uh yeah it’s just having that moment in that time that I I will eventually speak to the people that that that are going to really benefit and help me go forward and and hopefully be part of the journey that that is going to be successful over the years to come what was the biggest reason for taking the job then having spoken to the likes of David Moyes and and Ian Holloway what kind of reasons did they give you to to pursue this career well Julie I always wanted to be a number one um I was really intrigued as a as a player about coaching and management why what decisions were made the reasons for it um tactics were massive for me and um you know I’ve reached out to a lot of lot of managers over the last couple of years to maybe get advice or or go and meet them um to to have a chat in terms of what their their expectations are or their experiences they’ve had as a manager and ultimately a lot of them are saying just be yourself be what you think is right for you don’t change be a good human being because you’ll get rewarded with that and U it’s important that these players feel loved you know me and prz as a player you want to be loved and and if you give that back then these Lads will will they’ll run through brick walls for you and at the moment I’ve B managed to get good reaction from the players and uh hopefully that can continue but I keep saying it I have to win football matches that’s that’s the drive that’s the excitement about setting your team up in the week and then ultimately trying to win a game at the weekend Norwich City fans have enjoyed the samb sunshine of their Brazilian magician Gabrielle Sara this season and they’re not the only ones as Gabby himself has also been loving his time in East Anglia in fact he loves pretty much everything about playing football over here except for perhaps the weather which is not quite so enthusiastic about Gary when when you play you obviously as we say you play with a smile on your face you’ve got that sort of infectious smile if you like we we say in this country have you always been that sort of positive when you’ve played football and in life as well yeah I think so yeah uh I think I got this from my dad uh he used to say to me when you do something with passion you know like if when you do something that you really love we will be happy doing that you know know so in life if you if you love life and you love play football you definitely will be happy doing this so I think I I I always try to do like this you know makes sense to me it I mean it makes perfect sense the way you’re describing it I mean not all of us could do the things that you can can do Gabby with the football that’s probably why you find it so much fun but given as I said at the top um football life and the life of a footballer is wonderful fun it’s a wonderful profession just give us a sense of what it’s like geographically though because it’s safe to say I mean you are a long long way from home aren’t you how have you found that how have you found England how have you found English football uh it’s quite it’s quite good to be fair um the beginning was a little bit tough because of the language and everything and a new country and the weather but uh I have started with the weather the weather is the hardest thing to get yeah definitely is the hardest thing but fair is is quite good the football here is more uh physical and tactical so uh it’s it’s it’s a little bit different than Brazil but I I feel like all settled now so I can enjoy myself here uh the fans they they they adopted me here like so well like a like if I I was born here you know so I think a few things was easier to me and uh um and I’m happy to to that I can enjoy football here it’s it’s amazing to play football in England the pits are so good dmos faer are amazing uh well as I said the the weather is not that perfect but I think the best football in the world is in England now so I’m really happy to be here sa to say Gabby we’re happy to have you here as well and it’s lovely to see someone play with such a huge smile on their face and from one little r of sunshine to another now and all Charming chops himself Neil Chopper Harris who certainly had Jes perplexed at the concept of milers I wanted to ask you when you went back to milw you said you wanted to bring the milw worldness to the club milw worldness what what’s milw willness know it’s a lovely way of putting it but it’s like what what does what does that kind of mean or is that just more you rather than the team yeah but you know what Jo ultimately it’s hard to explain yeah part partly is me and my character and my affiliation with the club um you know it’s a comment that’s that’s sort of gone a bit viral at times into sort of people asking the question and Randomness to it um what what is MIL us what is a m like team what’s a Neil Harris team look like Pro probably the same thing as a m like team is what my team should optimize me um you know we we have to be difficult to play against hard to beat you know we have to be a a strong mentality side um we have to be a team at the Den that doesn’t get out run out fault um that can competes the best ability players that that don’t always play well as an individual but play with a lot of heart and desire um because ultimately we have got a hugely passionate fan base that demand um but they demand in a different way they don’t demand a thousand passes in their own half they demand they demand a team and an individual that that gives their all for the badge um and and all I’ve done is try and sort of enable the players to understand that and um you know feel what that should look like at the den and sometimes you do it with with system and and and then trying to pick the right individuals that that can deliver that off the point of you talking about mil warness and it’s only because I don’t keep this here for any of the for anything and it’s just literally just jog my memory and this won’t work if you’re not watching on YouTube but I’ll describe it in a second right the sense of what milal n is J look look how scared you are now Jo it’s fine I’m just thinking what you’re going to show what is is is to make people like this feel really welcome at the Den yeah he yeah I remember that I remember really popular yeah so that is if you’re listening that’s me with shoulder length playing for leads at the 10 that’s you which uh yeah that is and that’s real look look how shocked you are that’s that’s real her Jo oh my goodness what happened a couple of chants AED your way wasn’t there but you can you can discuss with you’re right you’re right yeah and I I’ve thought I made a lot of friends that day obviously not I think they were waving but I can’t remember but you know I set you up that I set you up for that perfectly didn’t I and we didn’t even like it’s almost like I keep a picture of myself long here I don’t I promise you I don’t it was used for something else it came in the post with a of anthra I don’t know what to say can you sign it for me and send it dear J best wish you I I’ll send by a chopper and he can put his name on it as well or he might put something very explicit anyway can something be very explicit or is it just explicit either way I wouldn’t trust chopper as far as I could throw him God love him this season we’ve seen some masterful displays in football’s toughest challenge the FM 72 in 72 just 72 seconds to name as many of the efls clubs in England and Wales as you possibly can against the clock some have made it look easy others have made it look n on Impossible but I’m pleased to say that LE unit’s Patrick Bamford fits firmly into the first of those categories hi I’m Patrick bford and this is the 72 and 72 Leicester ips switch leads Southampton centry Hull Sunderland middlesbor Swansea Cardiff Bristol city um Plymouth Stoke car oh I said Cardiff um Stoke Birmingham QPR Sheffield Wednesday Ram Stockport uh barnesley Leon orian um carile um MK Dons Wim wooden Oxford uh rexam KN County barnesley Lincoln um Portsmouth derby [Music] um I think I’m done what how many seconds I got 22 22 still oh uh Burton albian um coester United T trir Harley pool don’t know if it um miss a very decent score that beaten only by two others but more on that a little later I’m talking of high scoring displays Blackburn Rovers Samy smodic has been quite simply a goal scoring machine this season so myself and David stal felt it was about time we had a catch up with the man himself live from the car park of his local Burger King whose Wi-Fi he was making the most of at the time do you know what I sat down my agent at the beginning of the season and you know Drew up a plan for for goal contributions and you know I think we passed that in in October um so yeah so it’s been a bit of a surprise to me the season with the amount of goals I’ve scored um but it’s not been a surprise that I have scored because you know every level I’ve played I’ve always scored goals um but you know to do it in such a competitive league like the championship is is probably a bit of a surprise to myself um and you know it’s something I always knew I could do and at the at the old at the old age of 28 finally you know I’ve got the chance in the league and and um I’m scoring goals from that point of view of of you mention your age because obviously football I mean you get anywhere near 30 people start thinking you’re really old but what comes with age is maturity uh ity of thought um composure have you found that that’s been potentially part of it everything coming together at exactly the right time it’s amazing to think that you actually sat down and planned out what you wanted but then to actually do it I mean that’s another thing all together isn’t it I think this season especially you know last year was my was my first year at Blackburn um and you know in the summer we lost a lot of big mature names at at Blackburn you like to Bradley Dak Dan AA um and I felt like it was a bit of a duty of mine being one of the oldest players at 28 because it’s such a young team to to step up off the pitch um and I think that maturity is just sort of just reflected onto the pitch um and I’ve I’ve I’ve sort of grown up off the pitch and it’s it’s carried its way onto the pitch and that’s why I’m putting in these performances and you know the goals are just a bonus for me um you know I think scoring so early on in the season um you know scoring a brace at Ram I think second or third game in sort of kick started my season and the confidence just grew from then on and you know with three games to go you know hitting the 30 Mark last weekend uh was massive for me and hopefully luing had a couple more in the last three games I don’t know whether you were aware of of your numbers over the past few years Samm because obviously you you know as as PR says we’ve we’ve watched and admired your play at Peter bro and then obviously you got the move to Blackburn and and all of that but you’ve scored the same number of goals this season as you have in the previous three campaigns combined so what’s what’s sort of clicked I mean I know you’ve played a bit further at the pitch to a point so obviously there there’ll be more opportunities but there’s it’s more to it than that isn’t it yeah it’s tough I was on talk sport yesterday or the day before and I got asked the same question it’s quite a tough question to answer because I’m sort of planning that free Freedom role where it’s sort of like you can do whatever you want so I can sort of go wherever I want um which is why I’m enjoying my football so much because it’s sort of just like a free flowing game and like I mentioned you know you score a couple of goals and your confidence goes up and you know everyone starts talking about you and you know as a footballer who doesn’t like to be to be spoken about um and I think as games have gone on you know you’re playing for such a big team like Blackburn you’re on the Telly more you know you’re you’re over social media you know I think it’s like probably this season I would say I’ve I’ve probably focused and really concentrated a lot more on my football um obviously previous years I have as well but just being at a club and being one of the main players and one of the oldest players at Blackburn I’ve just felt like it’s a lot not serious cuz every season’s been serious for me but it’s been a lot more to sort of take in and you know a lot more people are watch watching your games and I don’t know if that’s just reflected and like I mentioned earlier my maturity is has has followed that and and with that come confidence and with that come goals it’s all about confidence and positivity not just for Samy smodic but also for Nigel Atkins back with his beloved trir Rovers if njel can’t get the most out of you as a player I really don’t know who can and his outlook on life is truly infectious as we discovered when we caught up with him in April everywhere you’ve been be it’s scunny Chef you be it’s adant you’ve always always absolutely cared about who you’re with and what you’re doing and the job in hand and you don’t see it as a job you see it as vocational do you it’s part of who you are so then you mention tramier and your ties to tramier your family ties to tram your professional ties to trir does that M does that give you then both ends of the spectrum that when it’s sweet it’s very very sweet but when it’s bitter my word you feel it more than anyone else well as you say of um you know just tra your own was I made my debut as a 17y old way back in 1981 you know I used to come and stand behind the goal and uh run on the pitch after the game you can’t do that now try and get Ron Ronny Mo’s TI up or Dicky Johnson’s TI and then scar wood and try not to uh back T so you know it’s interesting now the players don’t have ties they obviously got tight socks but if you notice on the back of the socks on the Cs so it’s a trend because we had one player the other day I’m I’m in the dress I’m looking at him he’s got the smallest cards in in the world and he’s got two cuts in the back and just I’m thinking what let’s get you in new gym and get bigger cars to start off they’re not they’re not cut I start a new pair of socks every game this is what I was asked by my son cuz my son’s 12 he sees it and he says what Dad what they do that farun as a dad you go well that cost me a load of money buying a new socks every week mate so you’re not doing that for St but I presume it’s just one pair of socks I yeah so they do that and obviously what you’re fine with the the socks as well theyve cut the ankles off so they have some under socks on they’ve got like little stuck G so grips to the boo so see all of that and then you have your sock going down to your ankle if you like but it is you’ve got all these socks all these all merchandise done so we go don’t throw the socks away you can still use them the little bits you know keep keep your feet warm in bed at night you know how you got TI when you get older you know I mean you got to keep warm well good man management is often about incentivizing those around you with goals and rewards at the end of the season that was certainly the case for Derby County and their recent promotion success back to the Sky Bet Championship as James Collins was only too happy to explain in detail um basically start of the Season I’ll take you back to the start of the Season you obviously you know yourself being an ex Captain you go and sort your bonuses out and for the lads and this that and the other and and the club said that they’ll put us a trip on they give us a pot to um us to go away if you manage to cheap promotion so we agree to figure and stuff and then obviously you know what the lads are like these days it’s like right go it’s got to be Vegas it’s got to be so uh when when it got down to like the last couple of games we were thinking right there’s a chance here um so we saw Vegas not promotion there a chance well I think that that was what spurred a few Lads on they’re thinking right we have to get promoted here because I need one more shot because we got quite a lot of older Lads in the group so they might never get to go again you know what I mean so uh so yeah so Conor Horan was brilliant he was speaking to the the uh secretary and uh we kept it underw wrapped for a little bit and soon as we done the deal on Saturday he was straight on to CLA the secretary and managed to get our flights and stuff sorted and and yeah we got we go Thursday morning Thursday morning till Tuesday wow yeah I mean go wrong it was taken out of our hands because the flights we couldn’t get all each other on the same flight so we we had to go for five days because otherwise you come back together of course you did yeah that team spirit mate is what carries you you got to stick together mate you can’t fly in dribs and drabs can you never leave a fallen soldier and nobody declined obviously the offer to go for five days absolutely no I don’t I think it’s compulsory and the good thing is you’ve got a good what six weeks to pay for it when you get exactly yeah so it’s um I think that’s the important thing is like seriously to get it done straight away so you can celebrate in the moment together and it’s still fresh and in your mind and then you obviously you can come back then and then you’ve got the the rest break with your family and you can do get back training and what Etc so we just wish we could have um you know helped you with the back Crest Fallen that she’s not going to vac five days I was expected to be go on Thursday back on Sunday yeah no jo you know it’s a long way away don’t you it’s it’s that’s what I mean I think by the time you fly and come back the time difference so I think we actually land Wednesday morning in England but you you don’t have to justify to us James I’m more than happy with you going my I feel like feel like jwes needs us to justify though no not all I’d be there I’d be there if someone offered me a trip to Vegas go on Thursday come back Sunday I’d on first first Seas I think I think the funny thing is I think we obviously you know a lot of people in football so we know a few LS at pompy I think pompy are going the same time I think re I think rexam are going again i’ heard a rumor that Mansfield were going as well so it could be like three three or four teams there as well wow I mean you that’s that’s just what you want to do you want to you want to travel the world don’t you and see Paul Mullen with his top off by the pole that’s that’s literally what you want to do big aen Flint in Encore on Saturday been trying to avoid him for years honestly can you imagine having all of those celebrating teams out in Las Vegas at the same time there are bound to be some stories and as soon as I hear them I’ll be sharing them liberally success comes in many forms over the course of his season but for our next guest he really did scoop the ultimate in terms of personal achievements this year he was pushed hard by the runner-up it has to be said but for now we must applaud and celebrate the magnificence of sford City’s Star Striker The Sensational Matt Smith right 72 and 72 has been going all season long you caught me on the Hop last week and it is so hard on you actually get stuck into it as your brain goes blank there’s been some real highlights this this year not least Stephen fletchy just saying I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know saying that more than actual names of teams however this is our final table 28 people have stepped forward at the bottom Aaron Ramsey the a forementioned Steven Fletcher Ruben coell Stuart Dallas Gary rower Alfie May Valerian ishmail Andrew Moran Matt Bloomfield Lea Lucas jovic Joe Bryan Markel Brighton Matt butcher Sam Byrum CER John Coleman Joby MCU David artel Tom Bradshaw EO Adams Wayne Rooney Pete wild Danny cowy Patrick Bamford Richie wellins in third some fellow called David pron in second but at the top leading the way well pretty much all season from what I can remember is sford Matt Smith and he joins us right now Matt congratulations how happy are you for this honestly delighted it’s better than my 25 goals this season for sure best thing that’s happened to me absolutely over and the wonderful thing is of course um we we we’ve made sure that you feel special that you get the reward you deserve and we’ve given you a certificate haven’t we this will be framed and hung in the in the Smith household absolutely actually looks like a proper certificate that’s there’s some work going into into that that deserves a place in the toilet at least and that would have been an obvious Place throughout this season’s best bits and we very nearly did until this next clip crept up on us and demanded to be used as something of an encore apparently it wasn’t my choice I hastened to add as it still makes me cringe a little bit but I’m duly obliged by producer Dave to relive the moment I said this to Sheffield Wednesday’s Josh windas speaking of contract talks you’re about to sign your biggest contract ever are you in in a few weeks with a certain lady friend oh yeah well lady friend lady friend I don’t I don’t I don’t how old are you lady friend Josh is getting married very soon that’s what that’s where I going that J are are you are you all sorted are you looking forward to it have you agreed with everything because that’s basically what you got to do mate yeah I just need to turn basically and it’s ac across the pond as well isn’t it it’s not um it’s not in Sheffield town all it’s over in America yeah in America so going I go and over there in my few my pals and there should be a good couple weeks Josh top stuff mate really enjoyed your company apologies for calling your fiance lady friend that sounds more eggy than more I think around look at J’s face so embarrassed for me oh no she won’t watch this anyway she won’t watch this anyway well I for one certainly don’t blame her as I wouldn’t be watching that cringy interview either if I wasn’t paid to be here to be fair I thought Juliet was actually going to wet herself at one point but she managed to hold it together thankfully as she has done for most of the season and so that genuinely is your lot so I’m afraid for this episode and indeed the season as a whole a huge thanks to all of the guests who have very kindly joined us thanks to David Stow Gary Weaver and Juliet f who have been fantastic to share a virtual sofa with this year but the biggest thanks of all go to all of you who have listened watched subscribed and supported us throughout this campaign as it’s been an absolute pleasure my name is David pruton wishing you all a lovely and relaxing summer break and we’ll see you again soon for some more top quality action from the efl [Applause]

Write A Comment