World Cup Predictions and Points Bet

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Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with All Trails This episode of the TFo Football podcast is sponsored by Boss, businesswar provider for the US men's National soccer team Long before kickoff, the performance has already begun. For the players, the crest is not simply worn, it's earned Boss understands what it takes to build something worthy of a crest, constant refinement, precision in every stitch. and as the US men's national team steps into the spotlight on home soil, Boss is outfitting those who wear the badge, empowering them to step forwards with confidence, express their individuality, and be their own boss in relaxed, lightweight and breathable tailoring from Boss Performance And soccer fans, Boss has you covered too, whether you want to look and feel as sharp as your heroes in boss performance, or show your pride from the stands, in jerseys, polos and jackets in national colors and badges. Own the moment with confidence. Discover the Boss pererformance collllection, as worn by the US men's national soccer team and the fan capsule of jerseys, polos and jackets in national colors. Wear your passion your way and be your own boss at boss. com or at your nearest boss store Welcome. do you know my hello's got more like your impression of my hello. I don't remember how I used to do it. Dfinite. Hello. That's it. It's not the Hello and welcome to the TFo Football podcast. I'm Joe Deivvine and today I'm delighted to be joined by John MackKenzie. Hello JJ Bull. Hello Roban Pnder Hello and making a miraculous return. All the way From wherever it is that he lives now, it's Joey Durso. Hello There you go.. Joey Durso, of course, ex employee of the athletic. So let me back in. Currently unemployed. Unemployed freelance euphemism. Yeah, same thing. Out of work. I think that's how I say, isn't it? But yeah of course, he's written a book whichich is actually fantastic. and later we play a very exciting and impressive game with Mr. Durso. I'll get to that shortly. Now also Steve Hanky' here. Hello. That's right. And this is the final TFo podcast in this form For the season, ever. He wants me to say ever, but I think people will have traumatic memories.es. let's not do that. Now. J just kidding, I'm not doing that again, of course. It's the final one in this one before we go to World Cup mode We'll be back to the usual schedule in August. But for now, we pause for the rest of this week until Sunday upon which time we will be live forever during the World Cup. Almost every day, we're live for four hours. Is it good for our health? Doctors are undecided. No. we don't know. Anyway, we'll find out. But you can join us live on Sunday or you can listen to the podcast afterwards as usual your decision What do we talk about today? Now, we started with England. Yes, that's right. We debate the chances of the three Lions. Are we getting oververexcited as England fans? We think not, we think not. or can Thomas Tules's boys Bring it home Hopefully it's home to Germany, no. 'cause that would be 'use that would be a that would mean we didn't win. At one point we didn't make on England. I'd just like to weave in here. I love the squad. I trust him, even though a lot of people don't like a lot of the decisions like taking Jes Spence, for example. Sure, lot of whatever I trust him with it. However, the one thing I'm worried about is there is a lot of right footed players on the left side of the pinch. Right. That's an old old conundrum. Yeah. and you know, do we need Waynebridge to play left mid? you know? No, but like two years ago when we had Foden and T tripi are on the left side of the pitch. The problem was that neither of them wanted to hold width. Right. And now we have players who will hold width, but they're all right footed., including the backup left backs. Understood. So that could be a slightly awkward clunky thing, but other than that, other than that, absolutely flawless is coming in. Got it. I wasn't expecting your insert to be a serious one, but it no really was I should have known when you said it was about England that were you weren't about to make a joke That's right. Anyway, we played a Rondo. Can anyone topple Kaya Kineak Rondo deel Ray? Well find out today. After that, we move north of the border to Scotland who've warmed up well for this World Cup and will continue to warm up when their campaign starts. That refers to an accident that Steve may had earlier. The construction workers above us are clearly excited about the World Cup as well. You may hear them hammering home their support for the home nations at times throughout the podcast. veryer upsetting Of course, but you can't get upset with people for supporting a football team. Now we play another game. This one was very fun. We test Joey's shirt knowledge of teams at shirts and their' deeper meaning outside of sports and this sometimes moves into heavy territory, which made the wheel of Fortune format feel a little insensitive at times Yeah lot Juggling with hand grenades. I was scared Ver sm somebody stuff. We'll find out later if you have offended anyone. Now. We throw forward to what we're most excited about for this upcoming World Cup and who could be the dark horses of the Taorwny? And as we draw to a close, I share some of my fun football jokes with the room to tease a sort of jokes we'll be telling this summer. Ver exciting. You you think that marketing technique has worked? Which one They're sharing the jokes with us to get people excited. Only time will tell. Only time will' tell. That is of course, a promotion for a new segment we have during the Wor Cup TF for foootball podcast called the Excellent Football Jokes segment. And let me tell you How about that? Now Oh, and we talk about how we're going to do points band for the World Cup as well. So stick around for that and that's the whole show. thatid I miss anything, Ste U no. I mean we've done the thing about me not being here at the end. you leave that until I'm not here this for the Wld Cup everyone so yeah I like how you said who've done that. we can leave it and then you did it you did it did. Steve's not with us for the World Cup. but he will be back in August. Yes, there we go. Now all right and that's it, yeah Happy, sureure, happppy. Hy quuick selfie Oh yeah, let's do a selfie before the intro ends. Great. Oh was it not finished? No, no take. pict there. Yeah. Slfie. W. Yeah sideideways for the Yeah. Here's the show Where else to begin, of course, than with England Eleirl Three celebrs during tournaments. V Ver exciting, isn't it? Now off course, England started warming up for the World Cup with a pretty forgettable one they'll win over New Zealand in Tampa, Florida, looks pretty Hot a moist a fair, John That wasn't a question. I just wanted to say a moist affair to you and see what you would do. You looked panicked. Well, yeah, because I didn't watch that game and I have very few thoughts on it. Don't worry about it. The three linions play Costa Rica on What game did you watch? Whated a Scotland game? I watched a few games this weekend. This What what game did you watch? Yeah, it was Scotland. It was Scotland We don't worry we can talk about them too The three Lions, that's England. They play Costa Rica on Wednesday as well at nine PM UK time before the real business gets started on Wednesday, the seventeenth of June when England take on their twenty eighteen Nemesis, Croatia Dallas, Texas. Fortunately it's basically the same styring line up for Croatia four years later. so they should be okay. is not what's his name? the guy No, the guy who played for spurs for a while Parisic in it's Paris is still in the squad. He playing the Netherlands now, I think. Yeah I think so. what's funny about England playing Costa Rica is because we did the same thing in twenty eighteen. We had Panama in our group, so we played Costa Rica as a warm upp and we're doing the exact same thing now. It's that like weird thing the international teams do where they think I will play somebody nearby as a warm upp even though they might play completely different styles Roughly geographically approximately No was that was it the dead rubber in twenty fourteen, England Costa Rica? Oh, that was a tough one. No. Is Joel Campbell still in the team probably not. Well perisagees, who could say? Who knows? Okay, Wh should we start? I mean, I will actually start with you, John. I know you didn't watch the game the other day, but why do you think people are so down on England? We've talked about this a little bit over the last couple of weeks, but it seems as though there's a sense in the country amongst the fans that people aren't excited in the way that they have been for previous tournaments about the possibility of their success I mean, I was thinking about this. There's two things. One is that maybe this squad doesn't feel as good and as likely to win as other squads where they haven't won the tournament they've been in. so people have just naturally muted because of that. L let's come back to that. Yeah. part of me kind of wonders whether or not There There's a sort of national double bluff going on where everyone's like, let's downplay it. Yeah. And it's the kind of thing we'd do. happens every time. Yeah, I mean, I guess no, I don't know. I feel like previously there's there's more hype at this point I dont I think I might agree with JJ. I think this does happen every time and then as soon as they play once every everyone loses the ability to keep the bluff going. I think every time because your memory of the World Cup is like a Worldup quarterf final in the pub with all your mates and it's the most exciting thing ever. And now we're just like chatting about matches that haven't happened yet. It's obviously not fun. Yeah. And also you remember being a small child. I Wellor cups are amazing. I think it' be really good. But we're also trying to like deal with the fact that in twenty eighteen, when England got to s exceeding expectations. exxpectations were really low. and then Southgate gradually built them back up. and somehow got to the Euro twenty four final. Yeah. But now that they've hired two goal and all of those tournaments kind of there was progression throughout that era. Yeah. Now there is suddenly like Well, they should get that far this time. So we all have to go like, no actually we're not that good. just it's like I'm ready for love though. I don't mind being hurt. I'm open to pain. but want I want I ready for love. I'm ready for love. I'm to pain. Yeah. So like qualifiers are so such a non event now. I rememember like like, David Beckhams famous a kick against Greece. that was needing a point at home against Greece to qualify. That meant something But now it's just winning every game withouticting a goal is that almost the same goal? And it's just You're not feeling anything because they're pretty good. Yeah, I agree. No John, you said one of the things you think is that maybe just people think the squad isn andt, you know what it has been over the last few years. are there have people retired? I'm trying to think like how is the squad significantly different than it has been over the last sort of a couple of tournaments? I don't think necessarily personnel wise it is, but you know, we're going into this tournament seeing a lot of those players who haven't had as good seasons maybe as they have in the past, right? So on paper someone like Bakka Saka is a fantastic player hasn't had a great season, right? And then on the other side it's this big debate Rashford versus Gordon. A lot of people very down on Gordon, A lot of people haven't watched Rashford for a while. And then in the ten spot, you have the interminable conversation about Phil Foden and Cole Palmer not being included in favor of someone like Morgan Rogers. And again, that's like a play style decision on the part of Touool. So I think also people haven't warmed to Touool Potentially, yeah. I don't know why because as Jerry said, they've like they've won all ler games and they've not conceded a goal in qualifying and it seems like a I mean, it's a very sort of neat and tidy way of playing. It's not particularly awe inspiring. as a one as you say, a one their win against a New Zealand team who seem to be struggling to get results recently Actually, they've had some goodult. I'll take that back. But even still like one nill against New Zealand isn't exactly inspiring a huge amount of confidence that this England team is going to be. a ri roaring team in the World Cup, right? Not true That is true, although I will say reports suggest that the players didn't want to get injured, which I think was was the biggest thing and also that it was like so hot in tampper that I don't think sure. But I think to sure I'm not sure you can take that much from the results is what I'm saying. Well, I mean, yeah, an England fan would say that. I don't know. also a neutral watching the game would say that No no, but I've watched I've watched a lot of warm upp games where I simply disagree that these teams are one trying to avoid injury and two playing more slowly than we've seen in previous tournaments. I think potentially with Tkool, it's like his playstyle almost feels a bit outdated. It feels sort of very Psession control U fine margins, someone's trying to come through the roof. there's a banging in the studios U But yeah, yeah. and because of that, like again, with with this team, they will go deep playing that way and it will be very safe Um, but I think, uh you you know, that When it comes tole anyway, I think there's more exciting football out there to watch in this tournament. and so maybe mayaybe again. I think sometimes people confuse excitement for like efficiency in tournaments, which is I don't know, maybe a miserable thing to say, but I think that that means that if you're scraping through games quite safely, people will be like, oh, this isn't actually that good a team Whereas, you know, I watched Norway versus Morocco last night, which was just like an very exciting game. whether or not either of those two teams are going to go deep in the tournament. I don't know, but it was a fun game. So it's probably that as well. I mean scraping through games safely the biggest criticism of England the last couple of tourn shows, I would say. J, have you've got a perspective on why people seem so down about it all And also like John, would you like to get your first annti England swipe of the Wld Cup in? Oh yeah, let's start let's go with it So I think this is what Egland fans do every single time, having worked in England for fifteen years or something like that now Every single time Tes over here. He takes our money, our English money. A few months before the World Cup, everyone's like, Yeahah, we're going to be really good. Th when actually gets closer to it, they start being like, n a bit sca. a bit sca you don't want to look stupid I think is what it is particularly Oh no, we could possibly look silly in front of everyone else. No. Yeah. I have to show some emotion. And then what happens is the game starts, they win the first one a bit one or two nill against Tunizia and then Somet somethinghing they're gonna w the World Cup and it just ramps up from there. The first game also is Croatia, which is arguably I don't know maybe the hardest game of the group of England. I think they could draw every single one of those games in England. Well, and go as a result of the form of the tournament. Absolutely. yeah. So that's one of the reasons. I think also the other thing is like people who maybe fell out of love with England national team because it was followed by loads of dick heads who were going around and throwing chairs at everyone. that stopped when Southgate sort of came along and made them nice boys. there wass a nice group of boys like Saka, what a nice boy, you know So then you have that, like people can They're actually quite proud of that team. They represent something that they want to see and it's lovely and everyone's been behaved that's become more polite and more arsenalish in the fan base. and that's a good thing. On that note, my main thought about the theme you're talking about there You know, we made this video about Spurs recently and it was written by our friend Nathan Clark, who tracked back about eight and a half years to that summer where they didn't buy anyone. Do remember that transfer window or the dispurers just didn't buy anyone? I think there was like three of them where they bought one player was it was for it. Yeah. anyyway, the prevailing sort of theme at the time from people at the club in senior positions was Well, Proatinine did a great job. All we need now is a real winner to come in and take over. and that's like the difference between us finishing second or finishing third and finishing first, right? whichich you know ended up not being the case. And I've thought something similar about England because Garth Southgate came in, he completely rebooted the culture. you know he brought them up, but still everyone was like, well, he's not a very good manager. He's just like he's just a good man manager or he's done a really good job with the culture All England need now is like you know a good winner to come in and take over and then they'll win. On the one hand, that's like a potentially convincing argument. On the other hand, it reminds me a lot of merini spurs. Well, the other thing is that like the England manager's job is not just, you know, putting players on the pitch in the right shape and giveiv them some tactics because to be Prime Minister as well, is it absolutely. is like being a national spokesman and protecting them from the press and trying to make them come across well And Trule is not the same as Southgate. He does not come across nice and lovely in press conferences. He's not desperate to try and welcome everyone in and make it all Pally and Maty and he's like doesn't care. He wants to win And he wants to win as of like professional athlete w And he doesn't seem bothered about that side of it, does he? toooo cool? Like doing the whole playing to the media and worrying about how his words come across. like in some interviews after the squad. He was asked about excluding Fodin and Palmer And I think somebody from the BBC said, like, you appreciate it's a gamble. And he was like it's not gamble. I know what I'm doing and he preempts questions at press conferences by basically explaining everything that he knows they're going to ask first Yeah to try and kind of reassure or not even reassure, but just like to layer on. I have my reasons. I'm not an idiot. Like I know you think your favorite player should be here, but trust me, I've got a plan. And I quite like that because I feel like Southgate For all the good that he did toowwards the end, he did buckle to the pressure of The clamour for having Foda Bellingham Soccer all in the same teamamour. The clamor. the hashtag. You're thinking with the clamouror this time There's always a clamour. Greish In twenty twenty one it was Greelish and he didn't start in much at if at all even in the Germany game, obviously, he left Mount Foden and Greidish on the bench to play a quite unpopular shape. So Southc stuck to his guns for in that way for so long like Tuo is doing now and then buckled at the end because he had a squad that kind of Trent was it as well in midfield. Yeah. we don't have one in there. Yeah Wh who's the current like Rogers Bellingham? Maybe but like I don't think anyone's going being clamour for Roger No exactly from Jo. But they would clamour for Bellingham if Rogers was starting. Yes. they would clamour for Bellingam. Yeah.. I mean, it should be Adam Morton, but seemingly Toolle' not on. You can't cl. You can't clam for someone's not on the ble. Ruben As Tule himself said, you shouldn't be angry if your favorite player isn't going to be there. The sc is just so much better than twenty eighteen, right? You think so. Yeah. Yeah. tellell me why. starting lineup was pretty The starting lineup in twenty eighteen was Pickford Walker Stones MagGuire. It be It's begun, J. Well this is're on our own It's not better. It's not. I think it's not better It is. Tripia Lingard Henderson D Triper Scholarazing Cain and some then was like you know, it was new. Yeah Yeah Right I think and Spenson's role ones are much better options, you're right? I mean they're not going to start are they? And Jesse Lingard and Jordan Henderson started in twenty eighteen. Jordan Henderson might start Yeah. He's not. No he's not. Ashley Young was a left wing bad guys. comeome on, of course his team is better ave Platt there somehere as well, which should be fine. I'm just trying about what The best team was twenty sixteen is Earis one who's Oh That was Chris Smalling That was Joe Hart Walker Smalling K Chress of Rose D Dya, Rooney and Delhi. So not really any midfield is in midfield.ight. And then Lalana, Sterling and Canne. twenty twenty two Is that the one? twenty twenty two a year after the Euros was those two teams are the best ones, I think? Yeah. I think kind of Ruben Sin there was kind of what I was trying to get to is that like at the end the team feels not like the same team of lovely boys that they'veraders. It's no more of a fununcting to win Yeah. And so that makes you love it l. So if they lose you're like lost even you had I just sayy Anderson has less personality that we know about than Calvin Phillips twenty twenty one. I that kind of thing. I was going to look this this is the England Chenizer game from twenty eighteen, okay? This is the team that you're saying is better than the current team be clear that these are the stakes before I read this out. Why't you pick the Tuninisi again? because Be it was the first. there's the squad.ick Chuni. Yeah's the there's a whole squad. I'll give you a whole squad if you want to like Pickford was in goal, still findine Walker Stones Maguire Lingard Henderson, Harry Kanain Sterling, triripia, Young and Del Ally Right That was the team that started the game Coming off the bench as options, you had Rose, Dyer, Vardi, Butland, Wellbeck, C Hill, Jones, Delph, Rashford, Lftless Cek, Alexander Arnold and Pope. That team is not better than the current squad No, I agree. but I thought we were talking about last Pro on Yeah, I think it's probably on it's not far off it, I think I just wanted to see it was like the purpose that the p. you got so excited in twenty eighteen. I was really excited. I'll be excited this year. only reason I'm saying this is because you two locked eyes and said, Oh, look, they're st. Oh, listen to them and go, Don't try and pretend now. That' just not the case it more rational take once you get your original question about why? I can't believe you're going to America and leaving me here with these You me I didn't realize The I think the In the last couple of World Cups, especially twenty eighteen JJ says it. We had a very good run of games to the semis and then Croatia, who we thought would be tired. they should have been tired. They should have been tired. They went to p power. Hopefully they' be tired now. Yeah. Well Luca Rog for. As soon as we played them We lost because Henderson started yeating the ball out of play every time it dropsed him. That's a great comp fi. can't get over that comp. I love how it drops every world comp. I didn't recognize this happening at the time because I was too druns but it's depressing. And then in twenty twenty two, it's like, okay, well Battered Senegal, that was really good performance. And in France, it's France is what are you going to do? Okayay, Mr. Penalty things happen. They're never tired. This time, there's an extra round and there's extra kind of like factors to consider. extxtra weather extra weather Yeah. And it I think's it's much more difficult to predict the bracket because of the third place teams going through and nonsense for. timeform one of those Yeah. There's four hundred ninety five combinations of like eighth place the most fun thing is first place all out Yeah, well it was back in the day of thirty two, sixteen, eight, fourteen I think if we win our group in Mexico win theirs, then we may well play Mexico in Mexico at one AM UK time I think. Wow. Ay Azteeka in the round of sixteen, I think because we play somebody else in the round of thirteen. Yeah. So That like that's a banana skin Oh, sure. and beyond that, the run is incredibly tough L If we can just get so hard If we get past Mexico hard Brazil and Miami. Yeah, yeah. there's potentials facing Brazil, France, Portugal, Argentina on and then Spain in the final if you if you get Argentina and Portugal conveniently lined up to meet in the quarters. Lly. I think it's incredibly difficult world cup. And I think it's never been the case where becauseuse usually it's just kind of like who's going to be in the semies? you work it out and it's that sort of plays out, but this time aroundound there's so much potential jeopardy. I think you even a lot of people complained about the forty eight teams. and I think format wise yeah there's as we've said like there's so many permutations that it almost makes any kind of plan for forward planning in this tournament impossible. but I do think that you don't go I don't go through that list of teams and see anyone. There's a couple who are going to be like, yeah, walkovers, but there's a lot of teams in there who are actually going to be very tough to be Even someone like Kate Verd who people will say, oh, they're only in because of the forty eight teams, but they won they won their qualifying group. And again, they're a team that every big European team should be But it's not guaranteed at all. People said this before the Women's World Cup and it expanded and there's load of teams that None had heard of and they all just played really defensively lost three n notot twelve, nil or whver which I'm sure all these teams that are at their first world cupbarders have extremely defensive tactics. Plus we say this all the time about, you know, teams in the Premier League, for example, when you get to final day, they still got they're still battling for something, they still want to show whatever The interesting factor of this World Cup will be there are a number of teams playing in it for the first time who in theory are smaller nations with less good players, but they'll be absolutely desperate to glance at least land at least one blow, right? Like that will be the hope for some of these teams is to get one win in the group stages. I think it's also worth saying as well because people think that if you add more teams, the quality goes down But I don't actually think that's necessarily true. I think it's going to because there's so many teams now, There's a lot of teeams who are in a group where three points will get them to win and there's comparative levels at the bottom of the group in a way that there hasn't been before. So previously you'd have one minno who would just try and get three draws potentially through against three teams that they're much better than that are much better than them. Whereas now I think there's definitely this situation where there's two minnows in a group. And so actuallyually the stakes are much higher for them to go for a win. so I do think there's going to be like, I think the group stages are going to be quite fun. I think there's going to be a lot of potential fixtures that people are like, what's the point of this game? But then the football will be quite quite entertaining. What would you guys think about going to a sixty fourteen World Cup and then losing the weird third place playoff issue. It was all knock out. That wouldd be great. mean I mean have every country I think I'd prefer. It would be six sixteen groups. how many countries are in the world? two hundred and six. let's do that and then have them all undericat. I mean, they do that. they started the qualum.ver, though yeah ye, yeah That would be better You not Back when I work here at the Athletic I did an artle from India went to India. Back back in your peak, me back in my pee.'re now on the downward curve. Of course. But I spoke to some Indian football people, and they were like, obviously India not good at football. very low in the FFA rans, but they were like this forty eight team thing means it feels possible in a way it wasn't. And that does not mean that Ind you' going to qualify Next time of the time after that, but it means if you're like a kid, ye. Maybe in twentyeth time, India will be at the forty eight teamorld cup. they were never getting get the thirty two. if you times that by every country in the world. Yeah, it means that Hopefully it sort of raises the levels everywhere a bit. So I'm kind of cautiously worth I mean, I think they're talking they're talking about sixty four Pantino wants it. I mean, he would have like the m playing because The obvious downside would kill me. the obvious downside There are very few countries that can host that number of teams, right? So you end up with more World Cups, which are like the one we have now, you know spread across an entire continent, for example, which I found I think the football's you been good at the euros recently, but I haven't enjoyed I didn't enjoy the one that was like spread all across Europe. That didn't really feel like as much of an event to me Except for England p Germany at Wembleley. Yeah ye. I'm sort of know what you mean though, it's like without that central hub, it's kind of You want it sort of like a local thing O like a ela thing. That's honestly onene of the good things about Doha at Qatar. I think like, you know, there was a lot of criticism of that World Cup ahead of time But one of the things that was fun about it even to from a view, I didn't go there, but it just seemed like it was a lot of fun. All the footage that came from Doha was of all different fans in a big melting pot together. My concern about this current Wld Cup the time as well. You'll be very diffuseed. Yeah, I mean, that's very helpful for. Let I say as well, like the World Cup is a process. It starts a long time before the actual finals It does seem weird to just sort of move the need along where you're starting the bit but agree. Everyone watching. I would prefer to be a hait first youT. So simultaneous games is a completely new thing. So there's always the last round of the group stage, you have to be simultaneously after the was it nineteen eighty two where Austria and M Germany played out this disgraceful draw or oneill win. So after that, the last group Group games have always been simultaneous. Yeah. but now you're going to have overlapping games in different groups in the first and second round of the group stage, which we've never had before. They've always been like four in a day carefully separated so you can just sit down and watch them all So it's just going be like a complete, you know And of in the middle of the night here, so you wake up and before four it happened and it's like, a Yeah, I'm a little sad about that. Do you remember the twenty eighteen last final group game when England and Belgium desperately both wanted to lose. Oh ye, he got on the right side of theraw. That was. I was on a pressure at once so these two Belgian journalists were reminiscing about that game and they were like, When Yanz and I shaped up to shoot, we were like, no, no Eng lost to Belgium twice enough We did yeah. Okay, S we have a quick Rndo, Stehen and then talk about Scotland after? Yes, please. Yeah. okay. look before we play a Rndo, let's have an advertisement break and then we will return It's smart to always have a few financial goals, and a really smart one you can set, earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can this, Discover automatically matches all the cashback you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it, and we trust you to make smart decisions. After all, you listen to this show. See terms at discover d. com slash credit card. We all belong outside We're drawn to nature, whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to, or the succulents that adorn our homes Nature makes all of our lives well, better Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With Alltrails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently. W offline maps and on trail navigation. Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with All Trails Today, we'll attempt a feat once thought impossible, overcoming high interest credit card debt. It requires merely one thing, a soFI personal loan. With it, you could save big on interest charges by consolidating into one low fixed rate monthly payment. Defy high interesterest debt with a soOFI personersal loan. Visit soopFi dot com slash stuck to learn more Loans originated by SopFi Bank NA member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply NL S six nine six eight nine one. Yes, we're back. Okaykay. Let's play a Rndo, Joe, you know what the Rndo is? Yeah, if you use someone else first, I've kind of forgotten the. All right, I'm gonna explain it anyway donon't worry. Welcome to the Rndo. Here's how this game works. I ask a question that has multiple correct answers today. There are twenty six answers, hey Hey, guess for that number. Rresents gang, he? The year? No. Anyway, we go round in a circle and get we get given correct answers until somebody can't do it. If somebody can't give me a correct answer they are re ejected from the Rndo. If they take too long if they dillally or dally I will object them myself D Rndo, and then the final person standing is named Rondo Del Ray, I know that's wrong. I know it's wrong Okay, here we go. Now today's Rondo question is I would like to hear from you members of the US men's National Team World Cup Squad. Oh Yes win Why are you gonna win? Because I know all of them. John's just done a long form video on the USMNT. All right, so John should have a handicap. He should have to name two each time it gets to him 's you' gonna use them all up. No,' going gonna use them all. All right, fine. John, let's come to you last, so Ruben will start with you Chris Richards. Chris Richards DJ Iian Psic? Yeah, there you go. you can go out next round Had J J, sorry, Joey, Had'd you write? Had'd you write is correct. Matt Turner Matt Turner, of course. notot the only Matt there though Timyay. Okay, I thought you were going go for the other mat but that's fine. Timothyayer Yes T Tylo Adams. Tyler Adams, Yes, that's right Cent Wester Mcenney. Yes, Western McKenney. Congratulations. Okay, John. B. Sebastian Bear Halter. Yes, Bear Halter, of course. Now one good thing about him, one of the reasons they brought him along so that he can stop in case there's any attacks from bears. Yeah. He can halt them. You get it? Ruben, I'll give you a little bit of extra thinking time there. Do you appreciate that? Yeah, I do Anthony Robinson. Anntony Robinson is there Jed Ii Ricardo Peppi, Ricardo. Pppy Pappy, yes, Puppy G, Ryna. Yeah, Jan is there isn't? I finish off the strikers with foollow and Balligan. Yes, foollow and Balligan I like he's just a little bit of extra bragg atociousness in there with her finish off the strikers. He knows the strikers inside them how they? Yeah. Ruben, this is what Ruben feels like. No wonder he's always so smug Tim Rem. Tim Rem, of course. Captain fantastic. There you go, JJ Jon some help. Yeah. Okaykay Um, What would in the olden days in England wasn What would you call a kid? this? What would you call a kid that was like doing something a bit cheeky in a shop? If you were the shopkeeper and you thought he was like, you little hey. scamp. all very so close, so close. Oh no. The first three letters of that are correct Ga Gy Yeah, yeah. yeah, who? Who? someomeone's Gally? What's my name? Joe Scally. There you go Joe Scy. I know him well. Joey. So I've got the player I can picture his face. He played for Norwich and Leeds A A Aronsson. Ar Adamson, Arrenon. Aonsson. Brendon Aronsson. Well done. Well done I'll go with not Anthony Robinson' his brother but Miles Robinson in particularly that Miles Robinson is there year riven Ruben, of course about to travel to America on the strength of his knowledge of the Um'snational. They won't they't let you in. They won't let you in. if If you get this Rndo wrong, I'll play this game at. Terjginio Dest. Tgginio Dest is there, of course, of course. It'sone with the two right wing banter Jerj. What am I doing? What am I doing? U What happens if you I think the clues are not fair. What's the third of No let me go out g like proudly We just one more. Casey Keller Okay, you're out. Yeah Joe. Alexi Lallas. Alexei Lallas? No were you doing Mat Freak? I was doing Matt Freaks,'re right youre absolutely right. That's thinking of. Well that's. I published a video of him and I remember. didid you? Yeah ye Hopefully he doesn't freee when he's in gl he won't playing back until that turnnight. Damarcus Beasley John, would you like to win? Can I win with my namesake? Mark MackKenzie? Mark McKenzie. John, can you name the remaining seven players? We' not nameamed Chris Brady Bris Brady's one of them Zend Alexandro Zendias. Yeah. That's right. He's also from the film D. Max, Max Astan Austin. Is it Maxim Max Afston yes that's what's written as. I don't know. Alex Freeman hasn't been named Alex Freeman. Yeah. Brian' there? Aandon Diamon. Malic Aallex Tilman. Yes, makeaking people There's two names left. I'm struggling to think of Brad Guzan. There's a cent backack I've not named yet. Carlos Bockenegra. One of them's religious like a fish They're just like a film. I mean, that's quite a complex glue One of posicians would be moreo at this point. I don't know where they play. I've never heard of these people before. One of them follows Jesus Christ. Christian Rllan. There you go Christian Rollan. And then you can rely on this next one to do a good job. He's always reliable based on his name. Yeah, I mean I'm not my head is not in word pump mode. Okay his first name is similar to a big city in Texas and he's very reliable. Houston Dallas. No, the other one ust Yeah I'llust trusty. there we go. I knew was a sent about the sent old Austin trrusty. Well, congratulations Car. No, was't winning the Rndo. I think it's the first time you've ever won foootball I won the periodic table once. that one I think we discussed that one didn't count. I only remember a useful thing. It's not footballs. Yes, of course the elements of the periodic table very useful, very useful for us. Now ere do we go next? Well, JJ, we go we go to Scotland, don't we next? We go to Scotland because Scotland of course also in the World Cup. Now right Steve, Scotland meananwhile got their warm up to the World Cup off to a fantastic start, didn't they with the foril thumping of Bolivia In New Jersey recent Rangers signing Lawrence Shankland opened the scoring for Scotland before Scottmac Toms. Sored and Shay Adams Bag de brrace as well. Scotland's second warmp game it gets hiti on Sunday For they begin their group C campaign against AfCon champions Morocco game that will be on Friday the nineteenth of June in Foxborough. Massachusetts. like hatey and a friendly hate you in a friendly and then for real That's right Wait, No no No, we play Haiti Fast grou great game. Yeah, Fast. Oh. Well, not according to Steve. According to Steve, as we know is the letter of the law around here. They're going to have to change the whole format of the World Cup now, Steve. Unfortunately, they're going to have That's quite problermatic for FIFA because they will be playing Haiti on Sunday in their final warm upp game, won't they Steve Now finally one game is also our first group game. That's good. So so Sunday they play is that he's right, but it's just not a friendly. it's a real game. Yeah There could be nothing friendly about it. I was going to say The first games on the nineteenth of I'm pretty sure they play before. Yeah them they do. they play Haiti. They play Haiti. Correct. Yeah, okay, good to know, good to know Anyway. I think it's the thirteenth of June for them but fourteenth for us Yes because it's two in the morning for us. Right. It means they live in the future. I think that's what it means For the past. Pre pretty sure. They live in the bath. Yeah. Isn't that nuts? Youubs open for that? A pubs in Scotland are gonna be. Yeahah you' get different licenses. but like, doesn't that mean that someone could be born at like in the past, you know? Well, there's always that thing, isn't it? You're born on the fourteenth in America, but then it's the thirteenth year. you're born in the future. Well, if you were born in Australia And then one one day Yeahah, by the by the international dayline and then you fly west But ye I guess you could fly east a little bit Yeah I don't hadJ in New ve the first millennium, he did a set in New Zealand at midnight and then roe to Hawaii to another one. Right, there you go. And if you were to do that just once and then stay in Hawaii You would technically be at sort of almost a day time longer in reality than you are you can travel through time. It's cool South Korea, the aging convention used to be different where you would considered one as soon as you were born and then everybody got a year older Does that make sense because that is your birthday. is so like that would be your first birthday. You should be one rather than zero, you know when you're born. No I think it makes more sense to be zero when you're born. Yeah, because you haven't you haven't lived. You're a year old,? is technically your nine month. But it is your first birthday. say? Yes, technically yes. So'. It's your second birthday when you turn one. Yeah, yeah. I guess that's right. But mean it's technically But then basically somebody could be three days old and also two years old in South Korea Yeah. That's interesting. I will actually I'm just gonna recount what I just said though, because I actually think your birthday Yeah, you only have one of those. It's the day you're born and there's a space between birth and day. and then your first birthday, which is one full word. That's the first one you have. and that's a year later on your first birthday. you turn one. I actually think Scotland are going to do fine in the Worldup. U'm woroingly I'm starting to think the similar between b. L thought hereere they go. they go They're always on it, aren't they? Ruben? Arogant Scots. Yeah. L time I thought I thought we'd beat Germany in one nil and we lost like what was it eighteen two one And then and Steve Clarark made that joke recently in a press conference. He said something about all the positivity and it was like, well yeah, the l's felt positive go to Germany as well and look on that ye ye. There's the thing like it's sort of a bad thing that we've beaten two teams by four goals each because I've never really seen that ever in my lifetime. So That's one good thing. The as we talkking about the the amount of teams in the cup, it means that if you basically win one game and then don't concede loads of goals to the other games, you're probably through game. But Haiti you've been putting in some lovely performances recently. I mean, Steve Clark said they're not a pop four team when they scouted them. Good job. We got that Walm up game against them, isnt? Well, exactly them out. Straight after that, we play them for real R That' be a real test Yeah spepeaking of the fact that a lot of third place teams are going through You know which recent tournament winner cameame third with three points in there. Oh No Portally Portugal in twenty sixteen. Thre all three of their group games and then All of their knockout games went to extra time. They're in a tough group. They were they in Spain in their group No sixteen was Hungary now they were f kid. twenty eighteen, yeah. course. That was a great game. Fox. Let Portugal feel like the only team who would to do that. You know, I don't think lookre quite exciting now You say that, but they've still got Sella Ronaldo so I say awayters allty one year olds up top. Yeah, I mean's nothing wrong with that, I don't. We saw that even during the last tournament, didn't we? It was almost frustrating to watch Portugal. I think you might le Well like, this worldup is so, you know, Dald Trump and therasmatas and football is like these Renald are messy, L like are they just too old? Like Is that going to be I think Rinaldo's definitely too old Yeah. I don't know. I haven't watched Messive vages, but I feel like Rinaldo is one hundred It feel like it's so much more individualized than it used to be still that way. With Ronaldo being so much more like a play who relied on his physicality I feel like that goes and like Messi's lost most of his physicality as well, but like the technique and the vision never really leaves him. So he can still be effective, but Four years ago, Argentina creating a system where Rodrigo DePul essentially played as Messi's bodyguard and did all of his running for him and everything was geared towards winning that tournament for Messi. Now that they've done that and all of their good players are four years older And like, you know, maybe they've got some stars coming through that I don't know about I don't think Argentina are going to be as motivated or as sharp as they were in twenty twenty two. Dito Portugal, I feel like they've got a great midfield, some good defenders But what about Scotland, Rubens I don't know. Yeah. I think Scotland will get a result against Haiti They'll lose their other two games to Brazil and Morocco. they'll go through in third place and they'll get knocked out in his first knockout round. Is there a possible draw in there against Morocco or Brazil? Yeah, I think so. I think there is a potential for the draws. I think Haiti is going to be more difficult than anyone thinks. that Johnson, there's going to be lots of teams you don' think are good that actually are I think you'll need to win that one. Maybe yeah, probably I mean, it's the bically the workup final for us. if we win that, then there's a good chance we get through and then we can dance our way through the rest of the tournament. Brazil will probably be Su by that last game so' a good chance they play their reserves and then don't need to win so much, which might really help as well in the final game for a draw or something like that And I might expect teams to do that more often in this tournament because there is one extra game, right? Yeah They're more incentivized to restst players. Yeah, doesn't mean you know fun in because those players will want to like short what they can do whatever And also it's Brazil. But their second team is probably quite good. Yeah I think that probably is. I think Morocco I've not watched enough of Morocco yet. The L last World Cup were they similar to the last World Cup when you watched they got to the sevies didn't they in last Yeah, they'll play they'll play very transitional football where they can. and they were frightening yesterday against Norway like the speed and the precision of that. counter attacks was might Yeah. So if Scotland don't give them a chance to counter atttack by not having any of the ball, which is likely, then that sort of rules that out. So maybe you get draw there and Nil Nil. never know. Like there's that's the thing. So Scotland won't win the World Cup But it' we actually really enjoy being there and just being part of it. But also we've got some decent players could probably do something now and again. There's always random team to do al right. I think it would be just fine. What wass quite fun is there's a bunch of them Like Steve Clark's got some youngsters in the squad that you wouldn't think would get minutes. but Findley Curtis is this young player who's been on loan at Kilmarnic from Rangers, couldn't get game for them I've seen him play and hardly really noticed him play for Karmariic. He's played two gam for Scotland. It've been amazing.ight. So he's just this like really young kid who plays in the left wing, really direct talking to my friend about him and he says, yeah, like the thing about him is he's always like direct, always goes towards goal. thingsings always happen when he gets the ball and he's doing it in international friendlies sureure enough against Kurosawo tenen And and then against Bolivia came off the bench as well later on Ben Ganondke, you hardly see him play at all is it Bournouth, is he? He injured all season Right. So his hamstrings are got to protect him because like they're going explode any second, but he's so quick. So if you're sitting on the break, you just ping over the top. he is faster than most players will come up against. That's a real benefit. evenven Scotland's Ronaldo Naria. He's more like that really fas player you got on the old mastereag team in proro evo So show. You'd have specialists in each of those master leeague players. you know, one's the passer, one's the runner, onees the the big tall strikeer I can't remam individually But you've got all those players individually there So although the Mashle team wasn't great individually as a team They could master all leagues. Yeah, veryer nice. S like that yeah But were you going to say something before Joe.? I wasort in a team like Scotland where you've got players like you know Mc Tomyame again and Andre Robinson who have very top and then's Christy as well, ye. And then obviously some are a bit of a drop down for that. Do you think opposition players, opposition teams will be sort of targeting what they say as like the weak link arent international football the club football Well I think what see a lot of managers do is they'll target one side of a team's build upp for the press. so they'll try and work out with the weaknesses. Cw' Grant Hanley if he plays.'ve told Antiloti now. Yeah. Well I don't know. like there's different options. Drend who starts half of it like Angus Gunhampp be the goalkeeper. I don't enough about him to say he can play from the back. He seems safe enough when they pass the ball back to him. I don't know if you want to play and risk it too much What formation is got in play these days? It's normally two forwards and then It'll change between three and four t the back. you' going to be a four for two is' that what Steve Clark just switched to He's been playing it now and again. Yeah. So sh So sh they' got five strikers in the squad. So it implies heavily I think he'll play at least two of them at one time If you play a back for you that I just crush that on the air. Well if you play a back four, then when you try and start pressing high against someone's buildup Th then you've got two wingers there that can make that for or forty four ship everyone does now and you go m to man further back or make it safer play with wing backs So that should give you a bit more protection further back. you think it's Brazil, can go M Mount at the back when they've got, you know, all their five pushed forward against you as well So I think it will change depending on the opposition, it'll change in game as well. Having these water braks will be It wouldll make a lot of difference because you can probably tweak things, especially like how you're like what your shape is doing what're doing off the ball, what youre doing on the ball more often you'll have more chances to do that. So that is one thing that's probably relevant. You can maybe switch that in between I But yeah, it'll be Probably a four for two but in so much because you'll have to go over the top a lot against teams like Morocco and Brazil. So then you want to have players close by. so you've you win the first ball, you w when you're right to win second We also got Ben Gun and Dke ping it out the wing Iopefully the character gets minutes because he's been great Okay, great. Well, fingers crossed for Scotland. Is Ben Ganon Doke the same person as Ben Doke? Yeah. Yes. What's going on with Gannon? It's to do with his what's Gannon? Parentage, I think. So it's a choices mia to now Beginning of last season, he decided he wanted to go down againon Eered the again and I like that. Okay, would Joey would you like play game Thereame. Right. Now listeners might recall Last time. our guest Joe Durso joined us was to talk about his book You moreore than a shirt How football shirts explain global politics, money and power? Well, it's now out in paperback. Is that in paperback? Yeah. How are sales? Pretty good, I think. just just happy. Yeah that. Are you happy? I'm happy. Yeah, He's gone freeelance, so must be happy. Did you add any chapters? No, I just sort of made everything up to date. There's a whole long thing about how PSG are this doomed tragic team who buys stars never win the Champions League, that's fixed. Newcastle It Oellian rewriting of a That's amazing.' just fing things to be up to date. Yeah I saw it in a shop window yesterday when I was a shop window a shop window BP garage. G. Window a yellow sticker on it. What' mean. Well, I really lik the book, but I thought I'd read just a few Amazon reviews because we want to make sure that there's a balance there's balanced Gid. Now here's the first one from Anna Bazanova Andab at five stars This book is full of surprising insights and discoveries I just like what a lovely thing to say about a book that it's full of surprising insights and discoveries It's probably going to be a rule of threes here. Matthew Handley Five stars Oh no, He's a man. Oh. Well, New Yorkhire's manour friend He says F Stars thoroughly researched and filled with fascinating vignettes. Oh thanks Rory Stewart style explainers. Good l. Wh Rory Stewart. The prose makes the author soundound so it Italic. It's an Italic so that I rememember to say Rory Stewart. Okay like that. you added that then, you know's two excellent star reviews I don't personally know the first one, but I've always thought of you as a sort of, you know, centrist toory type football writer, you know I haven't, I haven't, just talking about I thought of you as au at whiff of the Farraage about you. Well, you know You invited that? I did invite that. It' sort of my deeanor, I't say, Nhing that. I wonder what Farage smells like. Now, bigig palace fan of course. Mister M. Oh, two stars from Mr. M. Mister M says, it's not actually about shirts. That's what mter a classic misunderstanding things like that from sort of real shirt nerds who want to talk about like collars, R And seems Yeah, but what's the fabric made of Joean? Well I'm sorry I've disappoged. you can't. The the book's called more than a shirt though, isn't it? It's It's not just about a shirt. It's not called a shirt. Yeah Exactlyt. and Cy set. I think you deserve two stars. I think, you know, he could it like a one to be honest.. The reason I read it was because I thought it was the only was it's your only two star review. Yeah, you don't get many tw twoos and thes I think I don't get Its only five or what? Yeah.'ve got a couple of fours in there for people who are taking the Amazon. Good reads much more discerning Good reads good read crritical community. Should we find a good if you've got a favorite one No I'll find it. find It's more just like three or four stars. I really liked it. but quite sort of cutting and did fair criticism Right ye yeah. I liked it, but it was overwritten by a simple center of story. Now listen, let play let's play I don't think of you like Roy Stewart at all, just to be clear. Do you think of' a very rich man? very successful. Do you think of me like Nigel Farage or Alfon Right now, in the interest of making your podcast appearance as difficult as possible, I've conceived a game for you to play. actuallyctually you conceived the game then I stole it It's called the Sin the Randomizer Wheel full of world cup fixtures and tell us how the specific game is political game. Yeah. although we have agreement that if I accidentally trivialize a historical atrocity, Yeah you're not going to hang me out to drive We'll try not to. We'll try. Now here's how high risk is a thin I say Every World Cup group stage game I've included in the randomiser wheel So there's how of many of sixty four say sixty four of? L a group games. There's sixty four in there, right. What we're going do is we spin the wheel, and then Joey is going to tell us why that match is political. Yeah. I like this because it reminds me a little bit of that bit of Al Murray standup. The Saprist Al Murray, rememember that one? Mur he spins the globe. Well, it's where he gets the audience to shout out a country name And then he tells them when England was in a war with that country. It's a very impressive display of knowledge. And we're about to see something equally as impressive down what you're gonna f out of backag. All right, here we go. I'm spinning the wheel And the first World Cup game is a real whel. It is a real whel a real whel Yeah. The first game that comes up is Oh. It's Cot d'vois versus Ecuador Now Coco ye. okay continue. Ca d' voir is of the biggest exporter of cocoa the world. I think it's like forty percent of worlds coocoa. Ecuador is also big on the cocoa scene. Really? I think Coco Derby. Cocoa Derby.. I believe Ecuador is a more So if he makes videos about these, I am kind of slowly writing them into a long kind of put on substat which I'll put like Yeah for the start of the World Cups. Yeah done Yeah My research here. Ecuador is fine cacao, which sounds like ye fine cacao. Wow. So when we watch this game, we' with a nice warm cup of hot chocolate. How about that? Okay, I love that. I like that. Right, let's remove that one and we will keep it in. Well, no that's impressive. I don't want it to run again. I'm talking about like beenin it. Right, I'm spinning the wheel again. Here we go now next up is o okay, Spain versus Cape Verd. So they're quite close together on a map by the Canary Island, which I be through all that which iss part of Spain and Right, Cape Verd. And it's quite grim this one. there's a lot of migrant boats Right We willll go from Africa to Spain, Canary Islands, which is the first point of Europe and then often Cusian people die and the Spanish Navy picks them up around d and there was a recent one, I think a couple of years ago where Yeah I said pretty grim. lot of them are quite grim, gotot it. That one wasn't as fun in the No that's sad. But Bpanitish Navy pic up people have died in the sea off Cape Bird happens quite a lot. This is the risk of the game. Yeah, a lot of there's a lot of bad stuff in this. I Here's the. Senegal versus Norway Boyo. Oil So Norway has its massive oil fund, which is very cleverly invested in its massive ion doll fund So it's like the model of how to invest oil. L you get load of oil. So England, UK, load of Northld, Scotland, Margaret Thatcher just kind of spent it. It's all goneight? Aberdeen. Aberdeen, yeah. We stole the oil? Yeah. Yeah spent on I don't know. We ate our nest egg. Yeah. Norway has a massive nest egg Senegal is now I was in Senegal about a month o just literally struck oil couple of years ago. And they're trying to you know, and that's sort of what we do with it trying to because there's a lot of countries have squandered it, including some African countries pretty recently. I like it. So Norway is the Okay. So maybe they'll be like off the pitch they'll be saying What should you do at all thats that's good. Can I interrupt Of coursease. while in awe of your knowledge, make one tiny correction that Ibitha is a Bllyric island and Yeah, that's a howllo I just went there as well. Canaries are like Tenorifa Yeah, yeah, no, that's a hound. So that direction not down. Yeah yeah. I'm glad you pick me on. that's the only thing I can trust anything he says two star review inome Yeah. No wonder the athletic sctive all those you. It's the only thing I'll correct you on. This thing when when you shoot from the hip, you're gonna hit some civilians, Don't worry. You got to keep shooting I b the teny they're a little the same. Shoot from the hip, England versus Panama Canal Canal. No, no, better than that I be better than that. So England England Scotland it's weird because they're not actual the UK is the country, but England and Scotland can compete separately. The act of union between England and Scotland, which was seventeen oh seven? Sure. It will all happen because of. Panama scheme. So load of Scots went out to settle The jungle in Panamarks called the Darian schem Lots of Scots and it was a complete disaster and then the Scots kind of needed money or needed. So they were like, we're going to have to throw in a lot with England. because they were sort of separate countries before that. Did you know this? was great Great Britain was formed because of Scottish Misdventure in Panama. Wow How about that? that's good. That was cool. I think' be presented in my favourite It's technically more Scotland Panama than Englandana No because England I think it's good it's fine. I like it. Overall oververall I think of England playing as a non sovereign nation comes fromes. I like No, you were fine? I Some of these are very tenuous. These are good. Where do you get like Yeahah? France, Senegal. That's easy. It's Conial power. Got it. That's yeah next. Okay, spinning again. My favorite part of this game is Steve nodding along going yes, I did know that.. At least a third of these are like completely tenenuous or I forgotten. I exclude all the History podcast. Well I wore a hat to school. Or, Australia versus Turkey Gallipi. Gallipoli. The delightful restaurant in Angel Islington. Really? Well, Al also a horrible battle in the First World War. Oh loads of people died. And lots of Australians died. Right And AzZac Day, which is there like Australia New Zealand Ay cool. Amy cool And loads of Aussies died in Turkey for that. and it's like Austalia' a huge Australian. It's like they're kind of an origin national story because got it. Before that, they're sort of part of the British the distinct identity of Australia was kind of formed in Turkey. It's a great film about that bat,'t This was that the Churchill thing where they they blamed him for Yeah, that was definitely Churchill was involved. It was also Ataturk was the Turkish commander and he was then the sort of first leader of the Turkish Republic. That was the Ottoman Empire then of course Can we keep doing this, please? Yeah, I'm going to run out spinning again. I'm spinning again. There are some that I'm not I'm gonna I love this U England versus Ghana. I was the first it was a colony Gold Coast and it was the first one to sucedede the first African colony after the Second World War. Oh really? And queen the young quQeen danced with the president Ghana, whose name I'vegotten. I remember that I' in the crowd. Yes And it was like, you know, yeah, the young queen danced with this new president and Gana' kind of a sort Rative success story when it comes to post cololonial African countries. and yeah, it was a British colony until nineteen fifty seven. I think this one's going to be hard. But then maybe it won't be South Korea or Korea Republic versus the Czech Republic T searated two separated countries. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, there you go. So Korea was split Korean more into Northern South Kore. Yeah of course so there something parallel communists, north and capitalists south and Czechloakia split into Slovakia and Czech Republic after That works. Okay, I'll do one final spin on this game And then we'll do a version of this with shirts as well. Oh, this one's fun Qatar versus Switzerland. Neutral, neutrals There you go. Yeah So Switzerland is like has been neutral for hundreds of years. It saysll things set out to Wor Wars. That's why we've got the United Nations there big international organizations. Qatar, not quite the same, but in their sort of which football and the World Cup is a pass a part pass a part of trying to be this sort of You know, like the Hamas, Israel, the talks all he Taliban are there. Yeah. So they're trying to be this kind of arbiter international thing which Switzerland has been doing for hundreds of years. Yeah. Okay, I like that right now. Next up, I want you to tell me about the shirt of Uzbekistan. Yeah the blue of Samakand which is the Silk Road. And there are all these kind of beautiful blue buildings and it's this hundreds years old empire and blue like blue is a very rare color the world. You know, it's quite artificial. But in the blue, tiles of Azbekistan there are all these beautiful buildings, so the shirt is blue. That's lovely. What about Egypt's shirt boring white one, isn't it? got him. I got him guys. Are they are like Pan Arab colors That might be how it' it's like that's black white the middle and then red and it's got some kind of symbol in the middle as's of leegal. and're also the curls of Syria and I believe they're sort of pan Oh, I like this next one because we just actually did a short video on this. The Netherlands Orange, William of Orange. But why? Be it's not in the flag? Yeah. So William of Orange was basically the founding father of the modern Netherlands He was from a place called Orange in the south of France, where I've been actually Very nice place And he was a sort of principality and it was all very complicated these sort of empires and whatever, but he was a the chief of Orange or whatever, and then the Netherlands. So he the name and then there was the French then No, he was Dutch, he was ht his family around this bit. But then the name sort of came after the fact it was like, what should I color be? Well, obviously orange because we' But then It became he the Potestant of the sort of Northern Ireland Uh, sixteen ninety eight. and Northern Ireland becoming Protestant settled under my brrows, and then it became the colour of Protantism more broadly, the orange order. And the last one blue this is very old and it's like an ancient color of the imperial. So yeah, So interesting thing that this is an old color of the French monarchy as you're being going for eight hundred years, but then they obviously chop their heads off The monarchs but they cared of the colour because it was also the colour of Paris. Do you hear the people sing singing the songs of angry men This is the music of the people who will not be slaves again When the beating of the font the beating of the dram I about to start when Joey does, so to speak. Blizard people. Not the Revolution, Paris commune. Oh R the wrong one. The blue was color of Paris, so when they chopped their heads off, they were like, well let's just stick with blue, even though it is the monarch. Lovely. I like it. I wished It changes shade though so much. sometimes it's really bright, sometimes it's really dark. The chicken thing as well. Is that old? Yeah years old. I did a video about this. The rooster It's a pun. Gallas. means like Gaul, the old word for the French and the Romans and Galus also means rooster in Latin. So this sort of like medieval banter they were like, Oh that's no way. I've made a video about that. I know of French people replied to me something I'd never heard which you say it's because we still sing when our feet are in the shit. That'sice love say shit. Yeah, you can say that. shit, shit, shit. So's I think that's like a more you know, a lot of these stories are like actually someone's kind of come up with it in a marketing campaign twenty years ago. Yeah, sure The root of the rooster is two thousand years old, but the A modern French thing it's a symbol because We sing while our feet sittit in the shirt. which. In the Eururos in twenty one, they had that weird hoop shed and there was like two different shades of white. Yeah, it was like two different shades of blue. I've always thought the color looks different depending on how many goals ahead they are, you know, But that's just me. So Heighti is' a French fl blue and red, height with the white ripped out because The slave holder revolt of Haiti two hundred years ago when the black enslaved people of Haii overthrew the French powers. and so White out for obvious reasons so then blue and red. Well, a round of applause for Joe Dursso's knowledge there. I well done. If you want to read more of Joey Dursso's knowledge, I don't know where you could find that. know I did it Gubstack. goodood reads. more importantlys. Rinse me in the comments because I definitely made some small small mistakes there. Get him, people. G him. He deserves it Yeah, there we go anyway. Let's have an advertisement break It's smart to always have a few financial goals, and a really smart one you can set, earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can this Discover automatically matches all the cashback you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it, and we trust you to make smart decisions. After all, you listen to this show. See terms at discover d. com slash credit card. We all belong outside We're drawn to nature. Pause to us Whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to, or the succulents that adorn our homes. Nature makes all of our lives richer, calmer, and frankly, Better Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. 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Jon what do thinks the most interesting thing about the World Cup from a tactical point of view. You interpret my question as you choose. That make me do all the work for you. I'm really looking forward to the welcub. I think it's I'll be doing a lot of Woke up prep and ites It's just a really nice way of bringing a lot of different parts of the footballing world together and experiencing them interacting. I think that's quite fun. U I think everyone likes to sort of make big picture analyses of these things but I actually think like diversity might be The watchword for this World Cup even from like a tactical point of view, I don't think that there's going to be one way that is going to win. I think there's going to be lots of different countries playing in lots of different ways. But not even just at the group stage level. I think that and the knockout level as well, we might see this could be a tournament where, you know the classic way of big teams playing isn't going to necessarily translate to the best teams or at least the teams who are going to win overall. So yeah, that's that's what I'm looking forward to. I think there's there's so many interesting little I don't know just like off the top of my head like even things comparatives like South Africa having a squad where everyone was born in South Africa. so very sort of like indigenized football and culture there But then you get someone like Caate Verdy where they have a much more diaspora focus in terms of the players that they have at their disposals that those kind of The way that those kind of things bleed into the tactical side of things, I think will be very interesting because the South Afric team is obviously built up of teams from Mamalode Sundowns or Orlando pirates. So again, like the football tactics will be resembling what the players in those teams produce. Whereas obviously in Cape Verde it's a much more, you know, everyone is coming together and then it's kind of interesting. what kind of football tactics do you produce when when you have so much of a diaspora focus that there's not really continuities. Those are the things that I'm really looking forward to, I think. Yeah, o. And we also think that there are a few teams that are Re it just relying on one star player Yeah, well this is just a conversation that we had in a WhatsApp group the other day, right about The England team, I think is very clearly built around Harry Kane, which I think is the smart thing to do as it should be. Yeah I think so yeah, because you know, he's He's arguably the best player in the world right now. Certainly when it comes to like productivity in front of goal as an out and out goal scorer So it makes sense to take him and then think how do we service him as best as we can? And obviously the question is, you know, if something happened to Harry Cain, what then would happen to England? And And then I was sort of thinking about that with respect to a lot of the other big nations and wondering whether or not England are the team who are the most reliant on a play. I think Spain I mentioned Spain not having Yamal as maybe a correlate, but I mean,' he's going right He's going missed the first game or a couple of games. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, it's hard to know with that. But then you take something someone like France, right? where Yes, obviously, they rely on Killian andbape as a source of goals, but if Killian andbape is not there, Hsman Dembell is there. Deseri Du is there. Ryan Sherkey' there, Michael Eise is there, you know, they've got all of these these exciting players that fill in. They it may just be that France are just outlier good in that respect in terms of talent. but 's win the C Jey You just madebe think France now I think that pure depth is incredible. and given how much depth is going to matter in this World Cup. Yeah U and like the best teams going to be one that manageed carefully that and And you know, can Hurricane C't play ninety minutes times eight surely But Fs can just rotate and the floor is so high Even if like could Spain's perfect first team in complete condition beat Frances? Yeahah, probably but yeah I'd ass thinke the squad depth is going to make such a difference in Yeah Jegia U I thought for ages it would be France because they've got the best players. The best players tend to win and they play in a very non risk way, which is probably the best way to win But having watched lots of teams and reading lots of bits and pieces, I now think it might also be one of Brazil, Portugal I also think like Germany a weird outside showout. Yeahah. No one says Spain,ah, I can't think of m. I also think Spain, I'm just going to name all the favorites obvious but like it will be really tight. I think genuinely when you look at If you go through all like different teams, there's different things each team has that you kind of need to get there. another one is like the Netherlands are actually better than you think as well. Yeah. And it could be a random thing that happens to get teams through But obviously, it will actually be U Scotland. me let me ask I know you don't like to answer these questions. So instead let me ask you thisight different one. otherther than the teams that JJ just mentioned are favourites, who who do you think is like the team from outside of that group that could win? Well, he's not mentioned England. I thinkng Englland are a favorite right. But like asides from the favorites, which, you know, like we saw Morocco go very deep four years ago, for example, they went it to the semifinals, there is there an outsider team that you think might go really deep in this on Yeah I don't know what people would say in answer to this question. Maybe Norway, but then having watched Norway yesterday. Yeah, they've got incredible forward options. Who is that defense Yeah. well and with Hand Holland in the first half yesterday, he he had one pass, which was a kickoff, right? that if you can't access your incredible attacking talent, then did you see their team photo though Yeah They went hard, I believe. is what the kids say. I was do you know the the amuse HI are real? No it was real. Soing like wokeen me wondered, Is it okay to recreate a photo of like a bunch of people who raped and builled? that I know it's cool to like Vikings are cool and stuff, but like they were pretty fucking Yeah, I guess if you do any kind of historical showoy? then it' a thousand years ago. Back on the back on the mic Iess it was a thousand years ago. It's fine. Yeah. What's the sort of like the statute of limitations for pillaging? Thousand years thousandousand years. All right, it's cool.'s cool. I've got an outside team I think that do go quite well. Yeah. Japan. Right. Ive watched a lot of them. I think they're really good at everything. Yeah because they're decent in transition and they just got good players around the whole team, them I think Ard de Gouer is so good that Turkey might be they're not dark horses, but like he'll get always dark horses Dark horses. They always are, yeah, but I had them I've not watched him yet, but a lot of players seem to think Ecuador would be really good. Yeah. They were great last time did you remember Anna Valenci scored a hundred goals last? He's still playing's still playing. He's a central striker and my boy. boy is. That's the opening game of the ataaror Cup wasn't? Yeah A against Catar, Yeah. Yeah. I orially spent week in Uuguay which on a lot But obviously that is the most deeply like football place I've ever been in my life sort of They're inpain' group, aren't they? They'd be disappointing under Biasa, haven't they? They really have. It's weird. Yeah, even having even BLsa is a massive fraud Well, yeah, potentially. But like yeah, it made me sad watching them because They just don't look like a Belsa team. I got a result against England, though,. Ruben, who do you think iss going to win the World Cup I think Scotland. Yeah. Yeah. that makes Scotland. That makes the most sense. Yeah. Scotland' homay Right? No I I think Probably France or Spain, who will I believe are lined up to meet in the semifinals and then hopefully play England in the final. will who will welcome. ye no. Yeah, no left it. Yeah Yeah. ca it. That's the moment when England lost No listen, don't be afraid of pain. It's fine. I think France have more weaknesses than people appreciate. I've always thought about France, always They have all the best attackers. You can only play three or four of them at once. yout play them all at the same time. Yeah Adam Baet as brilliant as he is kind of, you know, does need to be accounted for in other areas. You must account for him in terms of like defensive work and stuff in the same way that Portugal and Argentina have to do similar things Bain or annoyingly good without as much stardust as those teamsust also It's beyond L Min Mal. it's kind of and you know, a lot very sort of tidy young men Hedgy, Danny Allmo, like they were brilliant in the Euros because of that But I'm Yeah,, I think Franance's central midfield does not ire massively and their defenders have all got mistaken them This is me clutching at straws, obviously But I also think Brazil and Argentina, this could age very badly. I Brazil and Arentina are going be Argentinea moreso would be quite disappointing razil I have no idea. because I have carardo enchiloti Um They have quite a lot of like old, seemingly washed players, but they might be fine if in a slower game environment. Argentina, I don't think for reasons I believe disiscuss at the start of the show I'm not gonna I' probably didn't do that one. Yeah. So England. Fair enough. Okay. that's a great trophy by the way. It's the one. It's weird that it's called aorldup isn't it? but it's not wayu like It's gotot handle so much better than all other trophies. only Is it the only gold one I can't think like I know the club Wor Cups a bit weird. It's bad the FFa letter uss have it here in the studio. I know ye. I'm surprised gonna fly it out from Mexico pretty soon. Cid you see that Kevin Bridge's documentary where he goes to Cafu's house and he's got a trophy worldld Cup in his house. G gets Cafu to say Clyde Bank Yeah, ye it's great. It's onene of very few people to won multiple since that Brazil's going outin the three consecutive finals. won two of them. Oh was in the ninety four squad. Yeah yeah O mental one three Plly Yeah another bike Well there we go. That's the whole World Cup. Now in a moment, we're going to play points of b, but before we do that, let me just tell you what's happening for us this summer. There are no more shows this week until Sunday That's when we do our first liveestream. So we arere aware that the World Cup starts on Thursday, but because of the weird kickoff times and the nature of the games, we're not going to start until Sunday We are live most days of the World Cup. There are one or two game days where we're not live, but if there's games on, virtually every day, we're live streaming on a TFo YouTube channel on the athletic FC YouTube channel will be live between well from eight PM in the UK UK time, most days and will be live until a little bit after midnight. As part of that, we'll be doing watch alongs where we're watching the games and sort of not really talking about them or just chatting or whatever, having a nice time. Then we're going to do TFO podcasts afterwards as well. You'll get to watch John and Jay Day do some Lve tactical analysis. JJ. Jay. Yeah, that's what we' calling him during the World Cup. Jay. Yeah Very exciting, good. We get to watch them do some live tactical analysis. If you like watching their tactics videos, you'll basically get to watch them make one behind the scenes If ever have youve ever wanted to see what cars crashing into each other actually looks like? Join me any night of that week where I have to do one of those live Yeah yeah yeah. because then also we're going be joined by a series of special guests not every day, but we do have some comedians that we really like joining us for the live stream. So as part of it, I've spent the last few days I've written over a hundred