England Excel Again & The Cristiano Ronaldo Saga

Before this, there's this. As you celebrate the game, take a deeper look at its roots. The people grow in the grass, david the lots, weld in the goalposts, inspecting every football. The hardworking people to make every Sunday possible. Carhartt is proud to outfit the crews behind the game. Visit carhartt.com/jointhetrades to learn more. Hello and welcome to the rest of football with Alan Shira, Micah Richards, me, Galenica, and joining us from Wembley, just after England have beaten the Czech Republic. Rob Jones. Welcome Rob. How was it? It was good. The natives weren't home happy, didn't they? I think it was pretty comfortable from an England perspective. I think the one thing you'd pick up just from talking about the crowd right away, the manager's name, so I'm at the start and at the end. So maybe people have just started to get over what happened in that World Cup semi-final. I would think so. Overall, it was another very good display, lots of excellent football, some brilliant moves, and much to enjoy, I would have thought. Yeah, I totally agree. I think it's been a very positive four games, three weeks, after what happened in the World Cup and I think in the main. It's been very positive. I think the way the manager has sort of changed it around and brought players in, left players out, the players that he brought in, have all given him something to think about. Who stood out for you, Al? Tonight. Yeah. Lewis Hall again, obviously Harry. What you laughing at, straight in the new castle immediately. Remember the discussion we had, Nico or Riley or Lewis Hall? I think Lewis Hall has been a huge positive the last couple of weeks, don't you? I thought both fullbacks were excellent, neither of them obviously made the squad for the World Cup. I thought Trent was really good, particularly in the first half, he was very dangerous. I think Lewis Hall was really good as well. Mars Lewis Kelly was really pretty much there. What about that bit of play, Micah, when he turned, went through, not make someone, and then then put in and Harry Kane hit the bar. I mean, that would have been some goal. He can play that kid. It is one of my favourite players. He's technically very good, he's strong, he's fast, he's got football intelligence, and he's so young, he's still 19 as well. I remember the performance against Real Madrid and for someone that young, I'd not seen a performance quite like it. Obviously, Khalifa always played left back for Arsenal and then the brought in Bruno, obviously Decker Rice is going to play. I know he started the season and older guards been in really good form. But he's too good to be on the bench. Yeah. He's one of the best players I've seen at that age, and I'm not even exaggerating. He's unbelievable. I can't believe the oracle didn't say. I told you about him, 30 years ago, he's going to be an England midfielder. It's going to be honest, I can't claim this one. I can't. I can't. There'll be many more. Don't you worry, there'll be many more. I can't claim this one. He's such a delight. Wow. Hey, what about Morgan Rogers ball across for Harry? Oh, thank you. First time cross. How good was that? I thought he'd wasted a couple earlier in the game. I had some other knee Rogers where he'd got himself into good positions. I mean, the final ball just let him down, and we just said that. I mean, moments later, he lays that wall on the plate. It's a brilliant ball, actually, but a great angle of it out from Elliot Anderson. And then Rogers and obviously Harry Kane does the rest quite simply. You've played out in the wings as well. You've played on the right, haven't you guys? Well, occasionally when forced, when forced to. When forced to, yeah, when I put you in a team of the year. Anyway. And I think it's an interesting conversation with right footers playing on the right wing. Obviously, he's a number 10 or he can play on the left like he does for Chelsea. But you mentioned there, Rob, in terms of he sort of was in the area. And he wasn't used to when you're going down the right hand side, especially the winging now. You started just looking for that cut back. And it was interested to see a right footer play on the right side. And he was sort of when he was going to connect to the ball, he was going at speed. So he didn't have control of the ball. But because he's not used to it, it was strange. He didn't want the right, if you know what I mean. And the assist he didn't think about it was his first time, wasn't it? It came over and he hit it first time. But every time we had to think about when he was going on that right hand side, what type of ball. And I'm not people say it's a professional football. It shouldn't be able to put the ball in the box. But the technique when you're running is difficult to do when he's not used to doing it for so long, if you understand what I mean. I think as strikers though, you'd encourage them to just hit those early balls in the box. You can time you run off it. And when they check back and it goes out, they might, you know, they might hit a nice cross. But by that stage, the defense is in position. There's no kind of corridor of uncertainty between the keeper and he's back for. And it just makes life more difficult for a striker. But that early first time ball that he hit for Kane, Harry doesn't miss those sort of chances. I mean, we should have a word on, obviously, Harry, because he's equaled Peter Schultan's appearances record 125. He's now got 90 goals. Two more goals. He hit the bar as well. And he's just been so consistently good in front of goal for such a long time. Amazing now. Phenomenal guys, he keeps on going, keeps on scoring, keeps on putting in performance. So as you can see, how much goal scoring means to him, it's his life. It's what he lives for. It's just, I just look at him and think, I know, I know how you're feeling because it means that much to him to score on the ball. It's the back of the net. He's just, his record is just ridiculous. Only three players have scored 12 goals for England in a calendar year, George Hillsdon in 1908. No, Micra, I didn't see him play. Dixie Dean in 1927 and Harry Kane, three times, 2019, 21 and now in 2026. Very special. So wait, wait, come on. Could you admit now he's better than you? I'll give you up to the last two years. Well, he is now. I haven't been retired 20 years, yeah. Do you get to say here's a striker when you're on a hat trick to stay on a little bit longer? And I think we might go on to touch on the lack of contribution and the lack of minutes. Maybe the dominant count that Lewin's got over the last four games. But is there just a little nod from Kane to Thomas Tuckle to say, "Leave me on as long as possible because we've been talking about injuries and welfare in the length of the break?" He just wants to stay on to get that hat trick. I remember when we beat Holland in '96, we'd be and tell you both got to each and he took us both off. And I remember thinking, "What are you doing?" "What a hat trick, man. We got like 50 or 20 minutes to go." That's the mentality, though, isn't it, guys? Oh, absolutely. You never want to go off, but if you manage it once you're off, you have to go off. You don't, you know, regardless of what you think. To be honest, even if you're not scored, you're thinking, "Oh, I need to play another 10 minutes to score a goal." But particularly, I think, for the hat trick thing, because it's always a special moment. Even then, Harry wouldn't have wanted to come off. He wouldn't have wanted to equal Pete Schultan's record, scoring his 92nd England goal because he's now on 91. And I suppose the hat trick, as well, we're at that. I don't know whether they're voted for the ball on door yet or not. It's got to be Harry, isn't it? It's got to be Harry Kane. Well, the bettion is very, very equal. It's him and LeMini Amal, a pretty much even money on the bookmaker's odds. I mean, he's so difficult. I mean, Harry Kane's had an incredible year. He won the double with, obviously, by Munich. LeMini Amal, though, won the double with Barcelona and a World Cup to boot. Although he probably wasn't. He's absolute best in the World Cup, but he still had some great moments. Winning the World Cup might make a difference. He's got plenty tight on his side. I'd love to see Harry get it. I mean, he's coming to not towards the end of his career, because he still seems to be banging in more goals than ever. But you know what I mean? Compared with, well, he's pretty much double the age of LeMini Amal. So I'd love to see him get. It's been a hell of a long time since my clone won it. Obviously, back then, it was European football of the year. It wasn't it, rather than, you know, world player of the year. So it would be a special moment and a fitting tribute to not only a great player, but clearly a really good guy. You're the ball and door. Who would you go? Harry. Yeah. All day. It's so hard, isn't it? The number of goals he scored this year is really something. I mean, he's done it as well as any body. But I mean, they always take into account, you know, whether you win the Champions League or the World Cup or the Euros, whatever it is that particular year. I just think that means if you're a player playing for a club that are not particularly great that year, and you excel, that should also be taken into account. But so I don't, I don't, I don't, I think it's, it's a tough one to call. I'd love to see it be Harry. I really would. Because LeMini Amal's going to win a few of them. But I don't think that's how they think. I don't know. What do you think, Micah? It's a difficult one because Alisa was probably the best player, wasn't it? in the Bundesliga last year, although Harry scored a lot of goals. And he was. - He's that thing, isn't it? Goal scorer or footballer? - Oh, footballer, exactly, exactly. - He also does amazing things on the ball. I mean, when he drops deep and he plays like the quarterback, but I know what you mean. - But then a Bappi was amazing. Even in the World Cup. But then he didn't win anything for it. He didn't win the league or dribble and jump his league. Did he? So obviously, and Bappi's probably not gonna get it. Then Lamyne, he mentioned he's been outstanding, but he was going into World Cup with an injury. And like you said, he had great moments, didn't he? But it wasn't on fire the whole tournament. So I think this year, it's actually quite difficult, I would say. - It's tight one. It is a tight one. - But for Harry Kane, like you said, because he's an Englishman, yeah. I call him Harry Kane this year. - These numbers are insane. - I think only Messi has scored more in one year, didn't he? Isn't that some kind of record? Well, he got 91 once a year, didn't he? But I mean, Harry's been, I mean, he's finishing. He's finishing, he's so good. With both feet, with his head. And he's also really, really good footballers, well incredibly intelligent. And England have kind of really, I think now learned how to play. - I think that's also, I think that's key as well. - I think that's key. I mean, I listened to Thomas Tuckle before the game and his interview saying that when him or Jude are coming deeper, they've learned, and they've worked on it a lot. That others have to get in there. And perhaps that's why they're scoring some many goals. That's why other people are getting into the box and scoring too. And I think because, I mean, we said, didn't we a couple of years, but whatever it was about. He didn't look as great. He was carrying injury, players weren't getting beyond him. I think that's totally different now. And everyone can see that. - Yeah, they've certainly worked it out. I mean, and I love the way you're playing high, the pressing, the two fullbacks we're playing so high. I really think that's a style. They've got to show that they can do that in a major tournament when there's game after game. But I suppose this has been a bit like that, but you're playing in nice conditions, rather than, you know, severe summer heat, as summer seems to be getting hotter and hotter as well. So, really encouraging, Rob. And I think, I mean, you know, you mingle amongst the press. I think even those guys are probably quite mildly encouraged at the moment, aren't they? - Yeah, I would say more than the mildly encouraged. I think if you play Spain in France, the two, and with a Euro's coming, and if you're going to get to the knockout stages of the nation's league, if you finish second in the group, there's a chance that they could play France if they go on and win it. Maybe Spain later, if they get semi-finals and finals, it feels significant, particularly if England is a play, France may be over two legs. If you can prove you can do it in two legs against a team like France, and that's really where you start, make it a big big pro. - That's the next step, though, isn't it? - Yeah. - Winning against a big country with, you know, one of the top two, two, three teams, and well, football at the moment. - But I felt that he said it after the game against Croatia at the weekend that he liked that the relentlessness and that sort of swaggered it, not just stop at four and then just start knocking the ball around the back, try and go, and they did go 5, 6, 7, and then the same again tonight that only really when it got to stop each time, did they just sort of stroll through it and check the public at a couple of pot shots, but there was that sort of desire from guys, like Ezair, particularly when he moved in field, which I think suits him more than playing out wide, from Morgan Rogers to have an impact on the game, from young Rio when he came on, that they wanna have a bit of relentlessness about them to keep them momentum going. And I think I would say it's more than mild encouragement at the moment. And as you said, Gary, I think the next step now, France and Spain, you would say are the two teams that are probably in and around and are touched better than them, go and beat one of them, go and win in Madrid to get yourself top of the group, and that would be a big statement in itself next month. - I think after what's happened in the summer, I think the last three weeks have given, I mean, Mike has mentioned Louis Schellian midfield. Obviously he spoke about Alex Scott, you the day. You've got Rice in there, you've got Anders in there. You, we mentioned Louis Hall coming in and left back, wasn't in the squad, we mentioned Trent, mentioned James Trafford playing the two games. So I think what the last three weeks has given is certainly given the manager plenty of food for Thor and plenty of options, which perhaps we didn't have that many when he wanted to change it up in the summer. - It was sort of by his own choice, but I think the depth now is really showing itself. - What is the next step, guys? You know when you said, okay, well, yes, we want to be a France, we want to be a Spain. - It's that, Michael, 'cause once you do, you believe it, and I think even if it's subconsciously, it's that sense of, we own that we're the bosses here, we are, because you know what it's like, when you're playing and you're winning things, you just feel superior. And even if it's a mild arrogance, that's what I can see in their play at the moment, but they've got to show that against the big teams. And winning, that's ultimately the next step, is not only winning against the big teams, which if you can do that, that's just the difference between wearing them down at the moment and winning a major tournament. - But what are our weaknesses, would you say? So we've always talked about maybe defensively, I think the role of Anderson, especially in these four games, I think he's been outstanding. I think he's timing the way he starts attacks, he's always in the right position now, he's grown into that position, just to give that back for a little bit more protection, that I would say, I'm looking at it from a defensive point of view. But then when you compare us to the likes of Spain, and then France, so we know what France are, they're unbelievable in attack. Probably the best attack in Europe, maybe we would say. We know how Spain are going to play, and even if they don't play a certain way, you've got people like Marano who comes on and scores, and can be the difference. I think going forward, England will always score goals. In midfield, I think the balance is a lot better now with more options like the guys have said. I just think defensively now, although we were chopping and changing, which is really good, Ireland's mentioned all the players there, but it'd be nice to have a consistent back for, which you can then go forward with, and everyone knows what they want to do to build that chemistry and build that cohesion, I think is the last little step, and you don't have to be the best in the world. People have won tournaments and having the best defence, but they have to be more organised. What would be your form, Ike? What would be my four? I think I would go with Gain Conzer for now. Maybe in two years, I said, maybe introduce someone like Bramphway who come on tonight. I think he's really good. I think he's got all the ability to be whatever he wants. He needs to stay fit for a long period of time, so I'll go with Gain Conzer at the moment. I'll mention Hall either day. I would go a Riley, but I wouldn't mind Hall either or, because I think the way Hall's played in basketball games, he showed that he can do it at this level. Brilliant. I would then introduce someone like Trent, just for his confidence, and I thought he was outstanding tonight. You know, he gives England a different dimension when he's going forward, and he's just got that quality. Although, I want to give a shout out to Conzer. Whether he's playing right back, or whether he's playing centre back, he's not letting England down. I know he had the problem with the World Cup, and he got sent off, it was against Mexico, wasn't it? He got sent off, and he's going to make their mistakes. But for all the doubters of Conzer being a squad and then starting, he's never letting England down. So, I think, yeah. So he played really well in all of that. Yeah, I did. Whenever he's played. Yeah, Thomas Tuchler's reached 20 wins in the fewest games of any manager in England's history. And 26 games, not bad. Just got to beat those big teams. That's the difference. Let's take a break, and we'll be back shortly. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) We are getting in statement from the 10th of that flight with 350 passengers on board. (dramatic music) The great game, strategic struggle between Britain and Russia. We assessed Prime Minister with high confidence it was Russian. Holden the Russians accountable is World War III. They took down a British passenger jet containing 350 people. When in the Kremlin is playing, Alex, go to ask yourself, "You want to play?" Or not? You're the Prime Minister. If done, nothing! We would need to understand the policy context. All the relevant context will be structured as a framework today and disseminated into an operation order, or Fragile. The Fragile that says to kill the president of Russia. Yes. New from Goldhanger. 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Very good. Yeah. Would recommend looking forward to it, they're serving up against Croatian next month and of course the trip to Madrid for the decider. You need to be a really good player to score a few goals in there and learn about for England. We know when we had a little discussion, didn't we in the last episode? I'm talking about comparing Jude with the big three of Skullslam pod and Gerard and we did a poll on social media and let's say Jude came out on top 72% of the vote he got. It's not really fair though, that is it because it's on the moment and he just done it. Jude's relevant but now and Jude is unbelievable. I've been said, how good is Jude? He could be anything he wants. I said the thing in line about Palmer and Foden and I was actually giving him praise, people are like, oh, he's not better than Palmer, I didn't say that. I was basically saying their attributes are different. He comes with something different. If everyone had the same confidence that Jude has, then they could go in the euros. That's what I'm saying. He's mentality is like nothing I've ever seen. He's incredible. He's incredible player, but yeah, of course you do a poll like that. Jude was always going to come out on top, wasn't he? He was always going to come out on top. Can England win in Spain, can they win in the Bernabéu? I think that's what is next. It's tough on 40 games of beaten, aren't they? We mentioned about England defensively. After the first game, we were all seeing, they can't afford to make that money. There is going to get punished and we saw what happened, but it's not until they do it against that opposition. That will give you the belief and the confidence that they can do something like that. It's very difficult to judge when you're all playing. I'm not taking anything away from them because they have been brilliant in the other three games they've played. But they weren't really tested. Tonight's opposition, I thought, were really poor. Haven't said that. Can only beat what's in front of you, but until they go and do it against the big teams or the fear of it, will all be thinking, well, okay, that could be the issue. To pick up on what both Gary and Michael said about the attitude and going there with the swagger, I think that's what we need to do. It was interesting in Bellingham tonight. It sort of typified that. There was one moment where he was in a really good pocket space at 3-0 up, and he doesn't give them the ball. And he sort of throws his arms in the air, which was used as a bit of a criticism of Bellingham last year that always, you know, the body language isn't right, but actually to me, a lot of the times, that isn't a leap player because even at 3-0, he's not satisfied. Just a quick correction. It'll be Atlético's ground, the metropolitana rather than the Burnabuck. I was not at the Burnabuck, I was just at Metropolitana, was it? Oh, Metropolitana. Yeah, so take that back then. No one will be scoring in the Burnabuck again. No, go ahead. You know, that ground didn't exist either when I was playing with a band of few there. It's not. Overall, what do we make of these kind of new, let's call it a format of having a big break? I mean, there's been a few complaints because, I think, obviously, there's been a number of injuries, a little bit of a tet-a-tet with England and Bournemouth, with the Alec Scott injury. What's the latest, you can give us on that, Rob? I think Thomas Tucker was asked about it a couple of times in his press conference yesterday and said, "Oh, medical team is in conversation with Bournemouth's medical team." I get it. I feel sympathetic for Alec Scott as a player because he would have played having been so good in that game against Croatia, again, the frustration from Bournemouth's perspective, but he's got to play someone, and Alec Scott hadn't felt any pain, and he actually, I think, before the Croatia game went out and did a little bit of extra work. He was asked, I think, after an hour. If he wanted to come off and stayed on the pitch, so you can obviously get the club's frustration, but it doesn't sound to me like there was a huge amount more than England could have done about it. I guess, I mean, you guys would know better than me. When you're getting your chance, particularly when Alec Scott is in that part of the pitch where there's rice, there's Anderson, there's Colby Maynid, there's Adam Waterne, who haven't really spoken about too much, that even if you're feeling a little bit of a niggle, and Tomas took away some pointed remarks at those who didn't choose to be part of the camp and didn't play that someone like Alec Scott, even if he is a fraction sore, he's going to try and soldier on, isn't he? I think Arsenal looked like they've had the worst of it from the injuries in the international break. Cai habits, Ezri Conzer and Christot Solis as well, injured, although Sunderland particularly bad, Dan Bollard and Brian Robby, two very important players out for quite some time. It looks Van Hecker for Spurs, O'Reilly, Erling Harlan got injured as well. What? Harlan, yeah. What was this? Yeah, he did two or three days ago, I think it was when he came off. Yeah, I think, soon as he heard the guilty charge, I think he got injured. We'll finish this episode talking about, we've not really discussed it, and I think it's a bit of a shame, really, on the night that Lionel Messi is finishing his international career and it's all beautifully done, the turnout is unbelievable. It's all got a little bit messy between, I didn't mean that, it's a pun, by the way. It's all got a bit untidy with Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, a bit of a shame. The last two or three tournaments, it's been building up to this, hasn't it? Four years ago, he fell out with the coach and then obviously two years ago as well as the tears, and this tournament didn't really turn out that brilliantly. I look at it and I think he's been so great, Cristiano, I don't know, he's overconfident, let's say, in his own abilities. But I think it is a bit of a shame that if it ends, I hope they find the coaches obviously said things, Cristiano said things, he's now issued an apology Cristiano, and it's a very long-worded sort of apology, but I think it'd be a bit sad if it ends badly. It'd be nice to have a similar thing to Messi because he's been incredible for Portugal for a long period of time. It's the hardest thing though, isn't it, is to accept that your perhaps won't as good or not as good as you have been over the years. And I think any statement, didn't he say that he told them in the summer or the federation that he was going to retire and it was them that sort of persuaded him to carry on? Did I read that right in the statement? Yeah, he'd written a letter at the end of the World Cup and said that that was where he wanted to finish and that the Portuguese football federation sort of convinced him and spoke to him about who the new coach might be, but it was one of those very long, sorry, but sort of not sorry, actually, in a way, wasn't it? Yeah, wasn't a apology in there to the coach or was it just for walking out of camp? Just for walking out of camp. Yeah, that's very clear. I think the apology to the manager, yeah. He's still got a couple of years left in him though, I mean, come on, guys, we know, he can still score, he's got a couple of years left, I'm not having this done yet. I know, I know, I don't want to see him done right now, obviously all this spot is not great, is he? But he's a ghost, he's still scoring, isn't he? He's still bagging him in, mate, he can still score. Mike, he didn't score from open play in Qatar, he didn't score at all at Euro 2024 and then at the World Cup, he scored twice against Uzbekistan, so he was fine. Oh, we've got teams into it now, I guess he's gone against Bloody, yeah, I'm not, not, guys, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll score against top teams back then, I'll score against some terrible teams. And back. It is, it is such a, I just, it shouldn't, it shouldn't be happening this way for someone who's been a giant football, I won't still is one of the best players we've ever seen. It's, it's not, it's not nice seeing what, what's happened because I think I guess the questions are always going to be there with the coach that goes into managed Portugal while Cristiano's there. I mean, Roberto had it, didn't he as well? And yeah, so it's a really difficult one, but there's only, there's only, there's only Cristiano that's going to decide when he's finished. Yeah, George Jesus on Ronaldo leaving the squad said, I pick whoever I want. I said to Cristiano that he couldn't end his time with a national team by losing and crying in the World Cup. He came here to play. He was supposed to play here today, but everything turned out differently. If Chris wants to play and he's playing for Al Nassir, he'll be in the next squad. When asked if he would apologize for the situation, Jesus said, apologize for what, to whom? What was the issue? I was supposed to apologize for. How many players warmed up today, but didn't come on? Will there be a problem? No. How many appearances has he got now? Seven. Seven. Seven. Seven. Seven. Of course. I think it's in in around 200, isn't it? [BLANK_AUDIO] going and going. So I just see it to the manager, right? Okay, every time we're, you know, a couple of just put me on. I'm coming on on my zither frame. 83 years old. Just on the off-chance I can get on the edge of the six yard box and bang one in. It's hard letting go football. It's hard. It's it really is. Do you think his some of his teammates will be having those conversations sort of behind his back saying, God, we might be better off without him or this, you know, Gonzalo Ramos has come in and he scored a couple of goals and some of them thinking, well, maybe we function a bit better when when he's not around, but no, they did look really good without him, but they may have played really well as well. 234 appearances. That's what we get to 250. Get to 250 at least. I can see him now in the euros. He's going to the euros, mate. I'm back in him. I'm back in him. All right. Well, let's, we know when to end it. We know when to end that. That's one thing we have learnt. So goodbye from me. Goodbye from me. Goodbye for me.