1998/99 revisited with Marv Dickinson & James Cook

[00:00:00] Do you know what Marion Pahaz's nickname was?

[00:00:02] No, go on.

[00:00:04] The Latvian Michael Owen.

[00:00:05] So I think Michael Owen's nickname should be the English Marion Pahaz.

[00:00:10] My mate who was a big Southampton fan, when he mentioned Pahaz,

[00:00:13] he'd do it in the style of Alan Partridge.

[00:00:15] Pahaz!

[00:00:16] I remember it, there was a big thing about being a man called Marion wasn't there?

[00:00:20] There were loads of footballers around this era.

[00:00:23] There was BT, there was ED, there was Flo.

[00:00:28] It's just old woman names in the Premier League and of course Hernan Crespo.

[00:00:33] Hello and welcome to the last in the current series of When Football Began Again,

[00:00:39] the podcast that bathes in the tranquil waters of Premier League past.

[00:00:44] Today's show reunites two guests who were on my first ever episode.

[00:00:50] Marv Dickinson and James Cook are joining me again.

[00:00:53] Last time we were discussing 92-93.

[00:00:56] Today it's 98-99, a good season by any standard,

[00:01:01] especially if you're a Manchester United fan and perhaps less so a Villa fan in their cases.

[00:01:07] More from them in a moment.

[00:01:10] Before we do that thank you as ever for all of your support of the show.

[00:01:14] A lovely reaction to last week's show which was all about Manchester United's treble winning season.

[00:01:19] We kind of discuss other things today although there are a few other themes

[00:01:24] as we reach that 25 year point.

[00:01:26] Beckham comes up a lot, there's the decanio push,

[00:01:29] there's the title race going right down to the wire.

[00:01:32] David Unsworth's brief stint at Aston Villa and how that all ended in tears.

[00:01:37] That and so much more.

[00:01:38] It's a really really fun episode.

[00:01:40] Lots of trivia, lots of anecdotes.

[00:01:42] I think you're going to really enjoy it.

[00:01:44] It's a great one to end this series on.

[00:01:47] I will be telling you more about plans for the next season,

[00:01:51] season four of this show at the end so do hang around for that.

[00:01:55] Also you will also find out there how you can vote

[00:01:58] for your Premier League greatest Cameroonian.

[00:02:00] The lads discussed that today as well but let's crack on with it.

[00:02:04] Today's show with Marvin Dickinson and James Cook all about 98.99.

[00:02:09] Enjoy!

[00:02:14] Today's show is a continuation of our season by season reviews.

[00:02:18] We're up to 98.99 and joining me today are two guests who made their debuts on the show

[00:02:26] in our pilot episode all the way back in 92.93.

[00:02:29] We have reached the end of the decade.

[00:02:31] It's Marvin Dickinson and James Cook.

[00:02:33] Hello gents, you okay?

[00:02:35] Morning!

[00:02:35] It was so long ago that we did the pilot that it feels like it was in 1993.

[00:02:41] Was it not?

[00:02:42] Quite a bit of water under the bridge for the Premier League

[00:02:46] and clearly for both of our guests as well.

[00:02:48] Marvin, we'll start with you.

[00:02:50] What was going on for you in 1998, the summer of 1998?

[00:02:55] Right, okay.

[00:02:56] Summer of absolute turmoil, Carl, to be honest.

[00:03:00] Beckham thought he had a crap summer after giving Simeone a little dig there

[00:03:04] but I just completely fucked up my degree basically.

[00:03:07] I'd completed my degree minus a dissertation.

[00:03:11] So that's an oxymoron or whatever that is isn't it?

[00:03:14] It's because I've literally not completed it have I?

[00:03:16] So yeah, I was minus the honours.

[00:03:18] So I was about but I did get lucky Carl.

[00:03:21] I got lucky because I did sports science

[00:03:25] and I was invited back in September of 1998

[00:03:29] to start helping with some postgraduate sort of like research

[00:03:32] that the university were doing

[00:03:34] in conjunction with the FA and Umbro on the 1998 World Cup.

[00:03:38] Oh wow, well that's a touch.

[00:03:40] Turned into a right touch, yeah.

[00:03:42] Met illustrious people from the FA like Kenny Swain

[00:03:45] who was part of the youth set up

[00:03:48] and was introduced to him by one of the lecturers at university as Malcolm.

[00:03:52] So that was a great moment.

[00:03:53] Yeah, so Kenny Swain thinks that bloke he met back in 98,

[00:03:56] the young lad who fucked up his degree was a young lad called Malcolm.

[00:03:58] So that was my life at the time.

[00:04:00] Can you hear that in the background?

[00:04:02] Is there like a, it almost sounds like a bin lorry.

[00:04:05] Yeah, there's a bin lorry outside my house.

[00:04:07] It's literally a bin lorry, right, okay.

[00:04:09] It's quite a problem though that bin lorry turns up

[00:04:11] whilst we're talking about my degree James to be honest.

[00:04:13] Is it really loud?

[00:04:16] It's gone quiet now, that's fine.

[00:04:18] And James the same question to you, summer of 1998.

[00:04:22] We left you in May 1993 last time on the show.

[00:04:24] What's happening in the world of James Cook?

[00:04:27] I had just finished my degree which I am,

[00:04:32] yeah I didn't get a great degree but

[00:04:35] the start of this season I was in Edinburgh

[00:04:39] for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1998.

[00:04:42] As a fresh-faced 21 year old doing gigs, hanging out,

[00:04:47] having I had two friends in Edinburgh.

[00:04:51] They both had mental breakdowns.

[00:04:53] I'm trying not to take that personally

[00:04:55] and then I moved back to my,

[00:04:59] back in with my parents in Solihull after that

[00:05:03] as I desperately tried to work out what I wanted to do.

[00:05:06] And then basically in this season I was in Edinburgh

[00:05:11] and then I was in Solihull with my parents

[00:05:13] and then I moved to London in January

[00:05:17] and then moved out again in the March

[00:05:20] and moved back to Solihull because that did not work.

[00:05:25] So I was in that sort of post university limbo of,

[00:05:32] oh no I've got to figure out what I'm going to do now.

[00:05:35] And it took me a long time to realize

[00:05:37] that I wasn't actually going back to university.

[00:05:40] In fact I only just realized that now in 2024.

[00:05:43] James you're right it is a difficult time.

[00:05:46] I mean we're going to talk about the 98-99 season eventually

[00:05:49] but I think it's suddenly become a podcast episode

[00:05:51] about dealing with leaving university.

[00:05:53] I think that's what the listeners really want.

[00:05:56] I was actually working that summer,

[00:05:58] I'd left university at my mum's place where she worked

[00:06:01] at a place called Askews in Preston

[00:06:03] which was a library books supplier.

[00:06:05] So they get the books and they prepare the books for library use.

[00:06:11] And you can get through that Carl

[00:06:12] when you know you're going back to Liverpool John Maul's in September.

[00:06:15] But it's much more difficult to get through

[00:06:17] when you know you've got nothing.

[00:06:19] I mean obviously Kenny Swain did come through in the end

[00:06:22] but it was a difficult time.

[00:06:24] Is there a player that either of your teams almost signed

[00:06:28] but didn't have gone on to become a club legend?

[00:06:31] Or conversely is there any players that you were linked with

[00:06:35] that you were pleased that you swerved?

[00:06:37] All the players Villa got linked with that we bought

[00:06:40] that I hoped we'd swerved were players we ended up signing.

[00:06:43] There was a rumour after he had not exactly

[00:06:47] set the world alight at Manchester United

[00:06:49] and we often were there for Manchester United cast-offs.

[00:06:52] There was a rumour in the early 2000s

[00:06:55] that Aston Villa were going to sign Diego Forlan

[00:06:57] which I really, really wanted to happen

[00:06:59] because that would have made our front line Forlan Angel.

[00:07:03] Perfect.

[00:07:05] Pun based transfer rumours, that's what we're here for.

[00:07:08] That's why I always wanted just to sign Owen Hargreaves

[00:07:10] as well because then on midfield would have been

[00:07:12] Barry Hargreaves who was the male ballroom dancer

[00:07:15] from Heidi High.

[00:07:22] I mean Man United linked with many players over the years.

[00:07:25] Yeah, yeah I mean I don't know for some reason

[00:07:27] I just thought it's nothing to do with the question

[00:07:30] you're asking but because we're talking about puns on names

[00:07:33] Jeff Horsfield used to play up front for Birmingham.

[00:07:36] I've got no idea why he didn't just change his name

[00:07:38] to Jeff Horsfield.

[00:07:39] I mean it was already nearly there wasn't it?

[00:07:40] That was by the by.

[00:07:45] I've met Jeff Horsfield and annoyingly as a Villa fan

[00:07:50] he's really nice.

[00:07:50] Well, he did spend a lot of time in the lower leagues

[00:07:54] didn't he?

[00:07:54] I think it maybe adds a humility to the man

[00:07:56] and he's called Jeff he's got to have humility isn't he?

[00:07:58] Yeah.

[00:07:59] So anyway moving on from the lovely Jeff Horsfield

[00:08:01] slash Horsfield slash centre half slash centre forward.

[00:08:04] I think David Hurst might tick both boxes you know.

[00:08:07] Ferguson wanted him so so badly so badly for so long

[00:08:11] and I think there's a story that when he didn't get

[00:08:14] Shearer from Southampton he went in all in with a

[00:08:17] massive bid in 92 for him and Francis turned it down

[00:08:21] but then just after that happened we signed Cantona

[00:08:24] and David Hurst broke his ankle and then David Hurst's

[00:08:27] injury started to the beginning of the end for him really.

[00:08:30] So I think a player that I wish would have signed

[00:08:32] would have been David Hurst because in his pump

[00:08:35] he was unreal but then probably luckily that we didn't sign him

[00:08:40] because I mean other players I mean Gaston's an obvious one

[00:08:43] that could tick both boxes as well and Shearer was the one

[00:08:47] that I'd sold desperately wanted him in 92

[00:08:49] and even more so in 96 after his performance in the Euros

[00:08:54] but it wasn't to be but I'd say David Hurst probably just nipped it.

[00:09:01] Let's jump headlong into 98-99.

[00:09:05] We're going to start with the battle at the top of the league.

[00:09:07] In the charity shield reigning double winners Arsenal

[00:09:10] put down a marker against Manchester United winning 3-0

[00:09:12] with goals from over Mars, Reyne and Elka.

[00:09:14] They will be the two main players in the title race again

[00:09:17] but as always let's look at the few of the runners and riders.

[00:09:20] Chelsea recover from an opening day defeat at Coventry

[00:09:23] to go unbeaten for the remainder of the calendar year.

[00:09:25] They're actually top after Boxing Day before defeat to Arsenal

[00:09:29] and costly drop points against mid-table opposition

[00:09:31] in the second half of the season.

[00:09:33] Season four off the pace and just short

[00:09:35] in both the title race and in Europe.

[00:09:37] And Aston Villa start the season in the same form

[00:09:40] they'd finished the previous season

[00:09:41] despite losing Dwight York and Steve Staunton.

[00:09:45] Top at Christmas a 10 game spell between mid-January

[00:09:48] and April does put paid to any hopes though

[00:09:50] of a serious title tilt.

[00:09:51] I mean James in the calendar year of 1998 only Arsenal

[00:09:56] pick up more points than Villa.

[00:09:57] Having been plucked from relative obscurity

[00:10:01] just how good a job did John Gregory do?

[00:10:03] Yeah he was great he'd come from Wickham

[00:10:05] and of course ex-Villa player and that's what we like.

[00:10:09] We like it when ex-Villa players come in.

[00:10:11] He replaced Brian Little and that was the same.

[00:10:14] I mean he was at Leicester which was a more high profile job

[00:10:17] but he was ex-Villa player so that was the sort of the thinking at the time.

[00:10:21] We get an ex-Villa player in with some managerial experience

[00:10:23] to see what happens and you know he was good

[00:10:26] and he was a character and I remember him saying

[00:10:31] to reporters that when Dwight York came to him

[00:10:35] and said he wanted to move to Man Utd

[00:10:36] he said if I had a gun I would have shot him.

[00:10:41] No filter whatsoever.

[00:10:42] Yes I would have shot Dwight York.

[00:10:45] If Josh Pugh was here Josh Pugh would say

[00:10:47] well that was the gaffer.

[00:10:48] What's the gaffer?

[00:10:49] That was the gaffer.

[00:10:50] He did a really good job and it's that thing.

[00:10:53] It does entertain me this kind of in the calendar year we did such and such

[00:10:57] because I mean 2023 Villa had like oh in the calendar year

[00:11:01] but it is kind of it is the thing that losers say.

[00:11:04] It is it's not it's the real quiz

[00:11:07] is throwing the shoes over the pub isn't it?

[00:11:08] This one it is.

[00:11:09] Well in the calendar year the calendar year doesn't mean anything.

[00:11:12] That's not how the football season works for me.

[00:11:14] I was going to say James alluding to your podcast

[00:11:18] World Cup of Euros I'm sure we'll talk about at some point.

[00:11:20] If you had World Cup of calendar years Villa are about up there aren't they?

[00:11:24] Yeah we're really good at the calendar years.

[00:11:26] With the Villa Christmas party God knows what happens

[00:11:28] and then it just sort of all goes to part after Christmas.

[00:11:31] That start to that season was so ridiculously good and unexpected

[00:11:35] that my granddad who was in the sort of final stages of dementia

[00:11:42] in a home you know and a Villa fan when he was his whole life as my dad and me

[00:11:49] and pretty much the last time I went to visit him in a home

[00:11:52] and he had no idea what was going on who anyone was or anything

[00:11:56] but it was around about it was late November that year

[00:12:00] and I remember sitting in his room in the in the old folks home

[00:12:05] and then he looked at me and then there was sort of

[00:12:07] then you could see in his eyes a sort of moment of recognition

[00:12:10] and he just went hello James like that and I was like oh hello

[00:12:16] and his first question was how are the Villa doing?

[00:12:18] And I said because it was true they're top of the league

[00:12:23] and he looked at me as if to say no they're not.

[00:12:27] Stop humoring an old man.

[00:12:35] We were a decent team that year we there was a big thing I remember

[00:12:40] I went to see them lose to Celta Vigo in the UEFA Cup

[00:12:44] and there was a big deal about how our first 11 it was an all English first 11

[00:12:50] and how amazing that was and I remember at the time thinking

[00:12:54] yeah I'd rather they were like an old German first 11 though

[00:12:57] because that'd be better you know it's all very well being patriotic

[00:13:00] but England weren't that good at this time.

[00:13:02] A team full of lads called Klaus.

[00:13:04] Yeah you know we John Gregory sort of got a team with we had some standout

[00:13:10] performers Dion Dublin was really good this season we got Paul Merson

[00:13:14] who could still turn it on you know we had some solid defenders

[00:13:17] and some good sort of journeyman players and he coalesced them

[00:13:21] into a team that for a brief while were really good

[00:13:26] but as soon as we had to start playing the best teams in the division

[00:13:30] we got found out and actually sixth was a decent finish for that squad

[00:13:35] I mean but we always remember that year with like oh it could have been

[00:13:38] and a lot of the fans groups were like the reason is because

[00:13:42] because Doug Ellis didn't give John Gregory any money to spend at Christmas

[00:13:46] you know had he I mean yeah sure if he'd bought Ronaldo

[00:13:51] maybe we'd have won the league but you know

[00:13:54] we were always only ever going to be a sort of top mid-table team

[00:13:58] I think at best.

[00:13:59] Did the bill of fans James ever think about obviously Gregory alluded to

[00:14:03] shooting Dwight York when he left?

[00:14:06] Does the narrative ever prevail that if we'd have kept Dwight York that year

[00:14:09] we might have won it?

[00:14:10] No no I don't think so I mean because with the Dwight York money

[00:14:15] we bought Dion Dublin and Paul Merson and I would say that that's you know

[00:14:19] Dublin scores like 14 goals which is a decent return

[00:14:23] and you know Merson does his thing so it wasn't that big a deal

[00:14:28] it wasn't like we were a one-man team and Dwight York was that man

[00:14:33] so we were kind of we just we kind of resigned to the fact that our best

[00:14:38] players will leave I mean we're in a strange place now

[00:14:41] in 2024 because the reason players are going to leave now is because we

[00:14:47] have to fulfill FFP criteria which is obviously because you

[00:14:52] know Villa massively overspending has completely ruined football.

[00:14:55] Yeah you're the bastard.

[00:14:57] Yeah but us Forrest and Everton we're ruining football for everyone.

[00:15:01] Honestly we could just stop.

[00:15:03] But we've always been the kind of if we had a player who was really good

[00:15:06] it's like well he'll be here for a bit and then they'll go somewhere

[00:15:10] better you know when we lost we lost Milner and Gareth Barry and

[00:15:14] we lost Grealish not long ago that's kind of expected so it wasn't really

[00:15:18] that big a deal we were you know we were annoyed and he's to go to Man U

[00:15:23] particularly at that time who were the team that everyone hated

[00:15:27] that was annoying but we get over it we used to it.

[00:15:31] And the thing is with the Dwight York thing as well when we signed him

[00:15:35] I don't you obviously know he's a decent player but was it 18 million

[00:15:39] 18 and a half million something like that?

[00:15:41] It wasn't even that.

[00:15:43] I think United fans overall were quite not underwhelmed might be too strong

[00:15:46] but it wasn't like we were elated.

[00:15:48] Aston Villa being the last team the last top flight team to name

[00:15:52] an all English side in this season can you remember which match that was in?

[00:15:57] I don't know what this says about naming an all English team.

[00:16:01] I don't know which game it is but it was certainly a big deal amongst the fans at the time

[00:16:05] and in hindsight it sounds really sort of right wing and

[00:16:11] Well I think it was at this time where obviously there's a lot of force

[00:16:13] and a lot of focus on the amount of overseas players coming into the Premier League.

[00:16:17] Obviously we now know that that's part of the cause.

[00:16:19] It was actually a 4-1 defeat at home to Coventry City which is probably not fondly remembered.

[00:16:25] This is why no one does it anymore.

[00:16:29] That whole thing of oh how do we get more English players in the Premier League

[00:16:32] that only ever happens when England are doing badly internationally.

[00:16:36] You'll notice since 2018 no one has mentioned it at all.

[00:16:40] Yeah yeah yeah no very true.

[00:16:42] So coming to the two main challenges then for the league title on opening day David Beckham

[00:16:48] inspires a late comeback for Manchester United assisting Teddy Sheringham before scoring a

[00:16:52] last minute free kick salvage a 2-2 draw against Leicester City.

[00:16:55] He celebrates in front of the jubilant crowd just weeks after his red card on Diego Simeone

[00:17:00] had made him public enemy number one.

[00:17:02] Marv there's been a lot of recent chat about this.

[00:17:05] Quarter of a century later the release of several documentaries including Beckham's

[00:17:09] own documentary.

[00:17:11] What do you remember I guess as a Manchester United fan welcoming back because the hatred

[00:17:17] that was around for him at that time in the media and at stadiums up and down the land was

[00:17:23] I mean vitriolic wasn't it?

[00:17:24] Yeah it was horrendous.

[00:17:26] Going back to that place I worked in Preston a very working class place full of earthy

[00:17:31] northern sorts they were absolutely vitriolic towards him in the immediate aftermath.

[00:17:37] The following day in work which was a Wednesday or Thursday I can't remember it was immediately

[00:17:42] it's his fault it's that little bastard's fault.

[00:17:45] It's you know and it just grew and grew and there was the sun you know printing

[00:17:52] dartboards on the front of the newspaper with Beckham as the bullseye and the hanging

[00:17:57] effigies and all that sort of thing that came it was absolutely it was so over the

[00:18:03] top and that was before Twitter man do you know what I mean?

[00:18:06] Yeah.

[00:18:07] Imagine what it would be like now and it was although you could argue that the tabloid

[00:18:11] press was Twitter back then you know but it was a disgrace and let's be honest it

[00:18:17] was because of who he was and who he played for and who he was married to all that sort

[00:18:21] of stuff wasn't it?

[00:18:22] But United fans there wasn't I don't remember any sent in voices about it it was like

[00:18:29] you know fuck him getting back here and let's just crack on because there was an

[00:18:34] anti-England feeling around United fans anyway because often United fans United

[00:18:39] players would be getting booed when playing for England.

[00:18:41] West Ham away early in the season as well in particular that's a really spicy atmosphere.

[00:18:46] Yeah I went to West Ham away and it was so moody it was unbelievable and you know

[00:18:51] just in the streets you let your country down you let your country down it was just

[00:18:57] relentless and some of the United fans there that day honestly I've never seen

[00:19:03] harder-looking Reds away from home it almost like everyone just turned up who

[00:19:08] could handle themselves.

[00:19:09] It was me and my mate Nadim who couldn't punch our way out of a paper bag

[00:19:13] and it was intense that day.

[00:19:16] I mean Beckham will begin to begin his redemption during this season as we'll

[00:19:21] cover with Chelsea and Villa leading the way for the first half of the season it

[00:19:25] does put extra focus on the Man United versus Arsenal fixtures its advantage

[00:19:30] Wenger on their first meeting as Arsenal demolish the Red Devils 3-0 goals from

[00:19:34] Adams and Elka and new boy Freddie Youngberg with his first goal for the

[00:19:38] club.

[00:19:38] Marv you're coming off the back of a tropic this season opening five games

[00:19:42] eight points it's a slow start by Man United's normal standards you've

[00:19:46] comprehensively lost to Arsenal twice in the space of a month if you

[00:19:49] include the charity shield is there a genuine fear here that there's a bit

[00:19:53] of a changing of the guard coming man you've dominated so much of the

[00:19:56] night is Arsenal have won the double is it are you genuinely thinking we're

[00:20:00] handing over the baton at any point?

[00:20:02] I don't know if it was as negative as that you know but my god we were

[00:20:08] scared to death of them I was scared to death of them as a fan

[00:20:10] you know they weren't you know there was such an intimidating side

[00:20:14] you'd have big lads throughout Bergkamp and an Elka up front like

[00:20:17] six foot plus you got Viera you got Petit you got Pace on the wings of

[00:20:22] over Mars they were just such a threatening intimidating side with

[00:20:26] threat from everywhere and they absolutely you know they handed

[00:20:31] you know they handed us a bit of a paste in it and the charity shield

[00:20:34] and then obviously the game at at Highbury but it's all on the back of

[00:20:40] how they've caught us up 10-point lead at the back of the previous season

[00:20:43] and done what they've done so it did definitely feel like it

[00:20:47] definitely felt it felt like as a kid I remember playing against around

[00:20:51] under 13s under 14s I was late to puberty I remember if I was played fullback

[00:20:56] I remember suddenly you'd be up against a winger who had a better beard than

[00:21:00] you Carl and it felt like you were up against you're just up against

[00:21:03] bigger boys yeah yeah it definitely felt like United were

[00:21:07] up against bigger boys and Arsenal were the bigger boys at that time

[00:21:10] yeah yeah they get they completely changed and I think we've talked about

[00:21:13] this a few times on this show as well but I mean you know I think

[00:21:16] Fergie was genuinely like I think with Blackburn with other sides it

[00:21:20] had always felt a little bit like a flash in the pan and actually with

[00:21:23] Arsenal and Wenger it certainly felt like this was a sustained challenge

[00:21:27] and a proper a proper rival but they were they were but they

[00:21:31] were just like I say that there's such a good side and with so few

[00:21:34] weaknesses and I'm sure as the season goes on we'll talk about other

[00:21:38] things but about how they raised the standard of United and everyone else

[00:21:41] but you get these teams that come along don't you like Wenger comes

[00:21:43] along Guardiola comes along Mourinho comes along and everything

[00:21:47] just goes up a notch and that's definitely what Arsenal were doing at

[00:21:49] the time I was going to talk about how Villa beat Arsenal yeah in December

[00:21:53] they've been you know yeah in December of that year Villa actually

[00:21:57] beat Arsenal they came from two nil down at half time to win three two

[00:22:01] which is the opposite of what Villa normally do Villa usually throw away

[00:22:04] two goalies we don't ever sort of overcome them and you know

[00:22:09] D&W scores twice in that game do you remember though what happened at

[00:22:12] half time in that game oh I feel like no I do give me a clue

[00:22:17] come on let's go let's go into quiz mode Santa Claus

[00:22:20] parachute yeah Santa Claus on a parachute amazing yeah I am why doesn't

[00:22:25] it happen anymore well I'll tell you why because he hit

[00:22:27] the roof of the stand we hit the roof yes

[00:22:31] and and lost the leg right that so so I think we've established why it

[00:22:35] doesn't happen anymore haven't we James yeah

[00:22:37] yeah but that was such a huge news story around here because you know

[00:22:41] happens at Villa Park it's supposed to be part of a charity

[00:22:43] parachute jump the guy yeah ex-forces hits the top of the

[00:22:48] Trinity Road stand falls to the ground the second half is

[00:22:51] delayed while the medics run on everything eventually

[00:22:56] he loses a leg but he marries his rehab nurse

[00:23:00] and goes on to row the Atlantic but hang on why why isn't this a

[00:23:05] film somebody needs to write that screenplay

[00:23:08] well I think we know what we're doing this afternoon don't we

[00:23:10] gentlemen that was a game I remember listening to on the radio

[00:23:12] it never happened before and obviously after the leg thing it was never going

[00:23:17] to happen again was it so he actually good idea but he actually

[00:23:21] later apologized to anyone who was in the ground that day who was traumatized

[00:23:26] they came to watch a game of football and ended up seeing Santa Claus

[00:23:30] bounce off the stadium roof and he was

[00:23:32] actually he was in a coma until the new year they and as you

[00:23:36] say James went on to marry have two sons with

[00:23:40] his his nurse which is you know incredible absolutely incredible so

[00:23:43] and he made the apology that's classic that's just classic Santa

[00:23:47] humility at the end of the day it's the most

[00:23:49] British thing I've ever heard yeah I'm so sorry I I broke I lost a leg

[00:23:55] as it might have ruined your football match

[00:23:57] Nigel Nigel Rogoff what a guy and he's still

[00:24:00] he's still alive and well and doing doing charity events to to this day

[00:24:05] in the end Manchester United's defeat at Highbury is just one of three

[00:24:09] all season in the league as they hang in on the leading pack's coattails

[00:24:12] before putting pedal to the metal after Christmas

[00:24:15] to rise to the top of the pile including a remarkable

[00:24:18] 8-1 away win at the city ground against a hapless

[00:24:21] Nottingham Forest Olly Solskjaer comes off the bench to score four

[00:24:25] in the second half could be a useful sub to have later in the season

[00:24:29] I stood next to Ken Doherty that day at the city ground

[00:24:32] the snooker player who'd just been oh yeah Ken Doherty yeah yeah

[00:24:36] world champion at the time I know that's not really the story that's just

[00:24:40] simply a fact of what happened to Marv that day in his life

[00:24:43] and but we've beaten the Scousers we've been in Liverpool the week before

[00:24:47] 2-1 in the cup and Solskjaer had scored the winner

[00:24:51] he was subbed that day at Forest before coming on to score four

[00:24:55] and you've never seen a substitute warm up as much in your life because

[00:24:58] all he wanted to do was just be near us because all the United fans

[00:25:00] were saying who put the ball in the Scousers net

[00:25:02] Olly Gunnar Solskjaer just for the whole game

[00:25:05] so by the time he came on it was like the king returning from battle to come

[00:25:10] and be in front of his people and then he gets one and we

[00:25:14] went berserk even though he puts like 5-1 up we've gone

[00:25:16] absolutely bananas and then he gets a second

[00:25:20] and then he gets a third when he got when he got the fourth even we've

[00:25:23] gone even though we've gone 8-1 up and you should you know normally a

[00:25:26] crowd is just like yeah whatever by that point if you look at the

[00:25:28] United fans behind the ground there's limbs mate they're going

[00:25:31] absolutely we went absolutely bananas it was there it was a Sunday and

[00:25:36] and even though Forest were awful that year you did came off you did you came

[00:25:39] off the ground and you knew you'd seen something

[00:25:42] that day you know sometimes you come off a football match and you think

[00:25:44] I'm not forgetting this one skipping away from the ground it was

[00:25:48] unbelievable yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah not known for his enthusiasm

[00:25:54] it certainly is one of those I mean still to this day there's not many

[00:25:57] I can't think of many players who scored four in a game

[00:26:01] away from home and certainly not from the bench

[00:26:03] I mean that's a yeah an incredible incredible achievement as you say

[00:26:06] albeit against a pretty poor Forest yeah and Dwight York was fuming with

[00:26:10] Fergie apparently for coming off having scored two

[00:26:14] and then so Sean goes on and scores four

[00:26:18] he wanted his hat trick obviously Yorkie Arsenal are involved in one of the

[00:26:21] Premier League's most bizarre incidents to this day

[00:26:24] they lose to an 89th minute lead Briscoe goal at Hillsborough this is

[00:26:28] quite early in the season in a game best remembered for Paulo

[00:26:31] de Cano's push on referee Paul Alcock that would earn him an 11 game ban

[00:26:36] I mean James we don't see many Santas bouncing off stadium roofs

[00:26:40] um what about talismanic strikers pushing over a referee what do you

[00:26:44] remember about that match I I remember watching that and thinking

[00:26:49] if that had been someone like Paul Durkin he wouldn't have gone down

[00:26:54] it was is it Paul Alcock he was the really scrawny referee

[00:27:00] and I just you know if it was someone a bit more solid

[00:27:03] yeah Durkin was quite a squat character wasn't he he would have gone

[00:27:06] he was just gone yeah he can't do that mate that's that's the same

[00:27:09] Uriah Rennie would have lamped him yeah and he kind of goes he goes

[00:27:14] down in installments so quite similar to sort of how

[00:27:17] George Foreman goes down in the rumble in the jungle

[00:27:20] yeah I've never seen anyone fall like that before or since

[00:27:24] yeah but that's you know that's how people fall in real life

[00:27:27] it's not like in the movies when you see violence in real life it's

[00:27:30] it's really jarring how non-cinematic it is

[00:27:35] yeah yeah there's an ugliness to it wasn't there that there's a

[00:27:38] there's a a moment that's often forgotten where

[00:27:42] Nigel Winterburn known as probably a bit of a hard man himself

[00:27:45] is he's really laying into Paolo Di Canio

[00:27:49] and and and he sort of flinches back as if I think don't think anyone

[00:27:53] knows what Paolo Di Canio is going to do next

[00:27:55] although I think the story goes that Di Canio was kind of giving a relatively

[00:27:59] playful shove in the back of Vieira's in the back of Vieira because they

[00:28:04] used to be teammates and and that that's what causes Keown

[00:28:07] to kick off and the red card so the whole thing is potentially based on a

[00:28:11] bit of a misunderstanding it does end in an 11 game ban for Paolo Di Canio

[00:28:15] you've said Winterburn flinch let's have it right he shit himself

[00:28:20] I can completely see how Martin Keown would misunderstand a bit of

[00:28:23] playful nonsense for something way more

[00:28:26] sinister having met Martin Keown that is an

[00:28:29] intense and serious man right there is that like a sporting dinner thing or

[00:28:33] a villa connection or what how come where did you meet Martin Keown I was

[00:28:37] on the football's on Ian Stone's show on

[00:28:41] TNT Sports earlier this year at Villa Park

[00:28:45] and for some reason well I know the reason because Ian Stone's an Arsenal

[00:28:49] fan he as the ex-villa player he put on

[00:28:53] Martin Keown who everyone at Villa hates so

[00:28:58] hardly anyone showed up to the recording anyway

[00:29:01] because Martin Keown's story about playing for Villa is we got relegated

[00:29:05] then we got promoted then I left but yeah and I was trying to keep it

[00:29:08] light and he was going off on one event you

[00:29:11] know what's it what it's like being relegated and things

[00:29:14] very much from the Chris Sutton of the School of Punditry isn't he

[00:29:17] really just it's it's a bit dry it became a thing though afterwards

[00:29:21] like my I was already not a fan of Winterburn I had so it was

[00:29:26] something about him that I never liked and then when he flinched forward

[00:29:32] slash shat himself honestly it took it to new levels

[00:29:36] I could really go into how much I hated him to be honest but I won't

[00:29:39] because it might end up yeah James is just like no Marv don't go there

[00:29:44] but honestly it was such an irrational dislike of Nigel Winterburn

[00:29:48] there's a bit of sick coming up now which isn't helped by my hiatus hernia

[00:29:51] but let's move on after a one-one draw between Arsenal

[00:29:54] man United in February and a pivotal night where United blow a two goal

[00:29:58] lead at Anfield as Arsenal win 3-1 at Spurs

[00:30:00] it will all eventually come down to the final week and with two games

[00:30:04] left to play Manchester United and Arsenal are on

[00:30:07] equal points an identical goal difference in a title race for the

[00:30:11] ages if you thought recent examples of

[00:30:13] teams supposedly not being motivated to benefit their rivals was a new

[00:30:17] phenomenon 98-99 had more storylines than EastEnders at Christmas

[00:30:21] first off Arsenal went to Elland Road on a 19 game unbeaten run

[00:30:25] to face their hero of yesteryear David O'Leary

[00:30:28] a late Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank goal would put the title race firmly

[00:30:32] in Manchester United's hands at relegation haunted Blackburn the

[00:30:35] following night Man United go to Ewood Park and a

[00:30:39] goalless draw means they can't fully seize the opportunity to all

[00:30:42] but secure a fifth title in seven years

[00:30:44] but it is still Advantage Fergie going into the final game

[00:30:48] with Arsenal at home to the villa on the final day

[00:30:51] all Manchester United have to do is match the Gunners result

[00:30:54] against the Spurs side who surprise surprise were expected to roll over and

[00:30:58] have their tummy tickled that's when Les Ferdinand put the

[00:31:01] Libby whites into a first half lead to silence the home end and some of

[00:31:06] the away end Marv there are more than a few moments

[00:31:09] this season when the treble dream looks dead and buried

[00:31:12] this is one of them when Ferdinand put Spurs in the lead

[00:31:16] how worried were you? Well I was very worried but

[00:31:19] because well what worried me more I'll be honest Karl

[00:31:22] was the chances that we started missing after the goal

[00:31:26] you know you can handle you know because Spurs are all right let's have

[00:31:29] it they're a better side now I mean back then they were Spursy

[00:31:32] sorry don't no no offence intended well that's where the original

[00:31:35] term started was because of teams of that sort of era wasn't it

[00:31:39] so going one down to Spurs early on wasn't the issue but it was the

[00:31:42] chances we started missing and luckily Beckham equalizes you know

[00:31:47] quite close to half time but if we'd have gone if we had gone in

[00:31:49] half time one nil down there was there was anxiety there was

[00:31:54] definite growing anxiety but also referring back to

[00:31:57] back to that time and our running we drew the last four away games

[00:32:01] yeah you know it wasn't like we were just like all conquering

[00:32:04] because that's what title runnings were like back then teams would fall

[00:32:07] apart a little bit and then come come again and also went to

[00:32:11] Leeds and lost the boring predictability of modern

[00:32:15] runnings now is it really is turgid and it turns people off

[00:32:21] but back then runnings title runnings were proper

[00:32:23] runnings I believe yeah yeah Man United win the league this

[00:32:27] year with 79 points exactly mate yeah 79 which would you

[00:32:33] know it would get you fourth most seasons now but you know we

[00:32:36] lost there was a period in mid-December where I think

[00:32:40] Middlesbrough were third Middlesbrough were above us at one point in

[00:32:42] December they won they won at Old Trafford

[00:32:45] and my mate Nadima used to go to the match with there was a writer in

[00:32:49] the telegraph called David Miller and after that game where

[00:32:52] Middlesbrough win it in 1932 in mid-December this guy

[00:32:55] wrote in the Daily Telegraph the question now is

[00:32:59] not whether Manchester United will regain the title but whether

[00:33:02] Middlesbrough will win there first and you and you know and you know when

[00:33:06] you know when coaches and managers read something like that and they put it in

[00:33:09] the dressing room for the rest of the season

[00:33:11] my mate put it up in his room

[00:33:15] he's part of the United setup that he's going to use that as motivation

[00:33:18] for everyone we've got that fucking David Miller

[00:33:21] honestly I'll make that bastard eat his words

[00:33:23] it's like Nadima you're a history graduate get a grip of yourself

[00:33:26] Middlesbrough were a good side that season at times yeah they were yeah

[00:33:30] back up they were such a strange team in that period as well weren't they because

[00:33:32] they had such ambition but never quite realized it but yeah I

[00:33:36] mean Middlesbrough like top four for like the first half of the season I

[00:33:38] think this is a promoted side and James I mean I imagine maybe your

[00:33:43] focus on this final day was on Villa at Highbury was it what would

[00:33:47] you remember about that final day because Villa hold off nothing I

[00:33:52] remember this being a theme that actually if there's very little on it

[00:33:54] for Villa it's not it's not something you tend to store

[00:33:58] no I'm just trying to think where I was May 1999

[00:34:01] now I think I remember listening out for what was happening in the

[00:34:07] the Man U Spurs game because that sounded more interesting

[00:34:10] you know we were on the we we'd been on the beat since January

[00:34:13] but as soon as actually it was when we lost to Fulham in the FA Cup

[00:34:16] who were in the third tier at that point that I think that was when

[00:34:21] we just went out of seasons done let's just play it out despite

[00:34:24] conceding just 17 goals in their league campaign with David Seaman

[00:34:27] keeping 19 clean sheets it had been defeat at Ellen Road that had

[00:34:31] shifted a title fight for the ages back into Fergie's favour

[00:34:35] right at the last the rivalry between the two teams and managers

[00:34:38] was ramped up even further on matching Sir Matt Busby's five titles

[00:34:43] Fergie's asked if he can match his European record and also

[00:34:46] go on to win all three as well that was the hardest one he says

[00:34:49] we go to Wembley now we go to win and then to Barcelona

[00:34:53] for the greatest day of our lives we're going to enjoy it he says

[00:34:56] in a let's face it pretty decent prediction of what his next fortnight's

[00:35:00] going to look like so Manchester United win their fifth title

[00:35:04] in seven years but remarkably their first one in front of the old

[00:35:08] Trafford faithful since the days of Sir Matt Busby all of their other

[00:35:11] title wins have either happened while they've been

[00:35:13] watching on tv or away from home and so on were you there that day

[00:35:17] Marv when you won the title? I was I was on the

[00:35:20] Stratford end yeah yeah and yes I was I was it was

[00:35:24] one of them I was I was quite close to you know you can hear Schmeichel fall

[00:35:28] into the net on the tv because the microphone

[00:35:31] but obviously on the day I just remember hearing a pin drop

[00:35:37] when the goal went in there's just that you know a couple of thousand

[00:35:40] of Spurs fans going absolutely berserk yeah you had those moments where

[00:35:44] sometimes it's just that absolute stillness

[00:35:46] and it's just like shit and shit yeah so I'm contradicting what I said

[00:35:51] earlier on when I wasn't that worried but obviously when the goal

[00:35:53] goes in you are worried yeah it's like you know because our

[00:35:56] format had been amazing going into that so

[00:35:58] but yeah it was unbelievable and so I was at the same end where

[00:36:01] you know where Cole scores the winner and

[00:36:05] yeah it was amazing and even though we're obviously it's our fifth title

[00:36:09] I'd grown up watching Liverpool win everything

[00:36:12] and hating Liverpool and despising Liverpool and

[00:36:15] and you constantly feel like you're that little brother who's probably been

[00:36:18] bullied when they were younger you might know my big brother used to put

[00:36:21] fags out on my arm it felt like that sort of child that I had because of

[00:36:24] Liverpool and so when you suddenly start winning

[00:36:28] even though it was the fifth it still felt as amazing as the first because

[00:36:31] we're still catching Liverpool up you know I still felt a real

[00:36:35] complex still do about Liverpool Liverpool and Nigel Winterburn are my

[00:36:39] things so yeah it was an amazing day

[00:36:43] and like you say winning it at home was just unbelievable

[00:36:47] it's unbelievable

[00:36:51] we're going to move on to the top scorers for this season it's a

[00:36:54] comparatively low bar by modern standards that

[00:36:57] will get you a place on this list here's the top 10 in full

[00:37:00] there's four players in joint seventh

[00:37:03] Dion Dublin now of Aston Villa Robbie Fowler of Liverpool

[00:37:07] Alan Shearer of Newcastle and I think an injury hit season

[00:37:10] and Julian Joachim who emerges for Villa as well

[00:37:14] as a real useful player during this season

[00:37:17] Hamilton Ricard is sixth for Middlesbrough with 15 goals

[00:37:21] and Andy Cole and Nicholas and Elka have 17 each in joint fourth

[00:37:28] but with the golden boot for shared three ways once again this season with

[00:37:33] 18 is Michael Owen Dwight York and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank who's still

[00:37:38] at leads Jimmy by the way is also joint top of

[00:37:41] the assists list with 13 meaning he contributes to

[00:37:45] exactly half of all these United's goals this season

[00:37:48] this is the second season in a row that 18 is enough to get a golden

[00:37:51] boot and also the second season in a row it's a

[00:37:53] three-way tie with Michael Owen a recipient once again alongside York

[00:37:58] who's now gone to New Pastures and Hasselbank who is

[00:38:01] about to now what was significant

[00:38:05] about Michael Owen's goal against West Ham United in December 1998

[00:38:11] that actually did have an impact on where the golden boot landed

[00:38:15] and this is a bit of trivia that I don't necessarily know was

[00:38:18] open knowledge until very recently Michael Owen's goal against West Ham United in December 1998

[00:38:25] Was it originally sort of put down as an own goal or because they had that

[00:38:28] dubious goals panel who would assign who scored which goals something like that?

[00:38:33] You're along the right lines not an own goal but maybe the dubious goals

[00:38:36] panel should have been looking at this one

[00:38:38] Oh was he like was that was he on the line or something and tapping in

[00:38:42] or there was a deflection of one of his own players maybe?

[00:38:47] So what happened have you got have you got a guess Marv I can see you like

[00:38:51] deep in thought

[00:38:53] I've got nothing I keep thinking about Santa losing his leg every now

[00:38:57] and again to be honest with you

[00:38:59] Can you get PTSD for something you weren't there for that's the thing

[00:39:02] that's what we're just going

[00:39:03] Well this is what we're soon going to find out aren't we but no I've

[00:39:06] got nothing on the Michael Owen goal mystery

[00:39:09] So Jamie Carriger actually scored the goal very recently on Monday Night Football

[00:39:15] Carriger admitted that he did a deal with Owen to agree that his right footed shot

[00:39:20] from a corner had been flipped in by Owen who was going for the golden boot at the time

[00:39:24] In Carriger's words he doesn't get anything on that and maybe being the lad that I am

[00:39:28] I let him have it and he's got a golden boot at home

[00:39:31] Gary Neville responds by saying sounds a bit criminal that isn't that illegal

[00:39:35] When you actually watch the goal Carriger kind of hits it across

[00:39:38] and Owen sort of swings for it there doesn't appear to be an angle that shows definitively

[00:39:42] whether Owen scored it or not so I assume the referee checks Carriger agrees that

[00:39:47] Owen got it and without that goal he would not have won his second golden boot albeit

[00:39:52] jointly so there you go the previous season Owen also jointly won the golden boot with

[00:39:57] 18 goals there's only ever been one other season in the Premier League era where under

[00:40:02] 20 goals has been enough for a golden boot do you want to take a guess it well I'll tell

[00:40:06] you I'll tell you I'll give you the season see if you can guess you've got it 2008-2009

[00:40:11] I think it might be a Manchester United player I think it might be Dimitar Berbatov

[00:40:16] It's not Berbatov

[00:40:17] I will try Drogba

[00:40:20] No you're closer though Nicholas Anelka

[00:40:24] Nicholas Anelka with 19 goals in 2008-2009 and because football wasn't invented in 1992

[00:40:30] I have been back through the archives to see if any other player has ever won the top flight

[00:40:35] golden boot with 18 goals or fewer at no fewer that's the lowest it's ever been although

[00:40:41] Jimmy Settle for Everton did equal it with 18 goals in 0-1-0-2 but that is 1901-1902

[00:40:50] so there you go yeah I imagine back in like the 50s like the top five goal scorers would

[00:40:55] have been minimum 30 goals wouldn't they it was a cylindicrous back then yeah hi yeah and

[00:40:59] probably more games as well in the league season as well obviously the cut down other

[00:41:03] things that probably contributes to it but yeah still you know 20 you're going to need

[00:41:07] 20 plus goals for a golden boot pretty much any other season in the in the top flight

[00:41:12] so moving on to the battle at the bottom big spending blackburn rovers are the shock side

[00:41:17] to lose their premier league status this season in a campaign that began in the UA for

[00:41:21] cup Roy Hodgson is dismissed after a slow start sees them drop into the relegation zone

[00:41:27] perennial caretaker Tony Parks would fill the void until Brian Kidd stepped away from Old Trafford

[00:41:32] and into the hot seat he gets off to a great start lifting them out of the drop zone with

[00:41:36] a five game unbeaten run and actually wins December's manager of the month in the process

[00:41:41] but it will all end in tears literally as Jack Walker watches on from the stands as that

[00:41:45] 00 draw at Ewood Park against Manchester United in the penultimate game of the season

[00:41:50] in front of the tv cameras helpfully sends the title race to a nail batting final weekend

[00:41:55] but also feels like a bit of a wake for one of the premier league era's first

[00:41:59] fairy tales at marv i know we've kind of covered it from a manchester united point of view but

[00:42:04] what do you remember about that game and what it meant for blackburn and of course brian

[00:42:09] kidd there's a relatively frosty handshake at the end actually with fergie what do you

[00:42:14] remember about it yeah well i think i think the reason for that the story went amongst

[00:42:18] united fans that kidd even at that stage i mean Ferguson was going to go on for another

[00:42:22] 14 years wasn't he i think something like that i think kidd at that stage was starting to angle

[00:42:27] like how much longer are you going to be around question one question two will you put me forward

[00:42:33] as the one to take over like he did with moys much later on and ferguson's reported response

[00:42:40] was sorry brian no and that was sort of the moment where kid went okay so i'm going to

[00:42:48] move on then and i think that was the story anyway behind the frostiness at the time

[00:42:52] it would it will be a good explanation i guess so the blair and brown of football

[00:42:57] at that point and an off kid goes to kid goes to blackburn walking out on let's face it one

[00:43:03] of the most historic seasons in english football and to take blackburn down probably not a

[00:43:08] great decision in the in the scheme of things and i think i'm right i think i'm right in

[00:43:12] saying this he's replaced by steve mclaren isn't he as number two at manchester united

[00:43:19] so maybe had he not gone there's no mclaren arc that ends with england

[00:43:26] not qualifying for the 2008 euros yeah i think i think you've got a good point there and

[00:43:31] clubs now i mean will bryton have their next manager off the rank next cab off the rank

[00:43:36] sort of thing ready to go like now that deserve his left i don't think fergie was

[00:43:40] necessarily ready to find a new number two so i think he was good mates with jim smith i imagine

[00:43:47] that what fergie did he just rang a few of his mates and said any coaches any good lads

[00:43:53] yeah any chance of enniquing them it turned out to you know and it turned out to be a

[00:43:59] huge benefit to mclaren and like you say all ends with the wallie with the brolly etc

[00:44:05] charlotte athletic began life back in the top flight with points at st james's and high

[00:44:09] britain which in a five nil win over south hampton at the valley that season briefly

[00:44:13] topped the table david howells does a spelling goal for southampton during that game after

[00:44:18] paul jones is sent off despite the strong start a spell without a league win that stretches

[00:44:23] from halloween to the end of january will take it to the final day but ultimately charlotte

[00:44:27] and finish 18th alan kerb she retains the support of the board and fans though

[00:44:31] and they will be back speaking of southampton that five nil defeat on match week two will

[00:44:36] leave them bottom and they'll remain in the bottom three all the way through the season until may

[00:44:41] when a three game winning streak to end the season will be enough to lift them out the

[00:44:44] drop zone for the first time all season at charlton's expense the bargain additions of

[00:44:49] hassan kashloul and marian pahas helped them over the line as well as a healthy

[00:44:54] contribution from matt latissier whose magic is beginning to show signs of fading

[00:44:58] do you know what marian pahas's nickname was no go on the latvian michael owen oh well

[00:45:04] that's quite a complementary nickname i suppose yeah so i think michael owen's

[00:45:08] nickname should be the english marian pahas correct correct and then my mate who was a

[00:45:14] big southampton fan he used to talk about marian well every mentioned pahas in in the

[00:45:19] pub it do it in the style of alan partridge and another one also on that and i remember

[00:45:29] there was a big thing about being a man called marian wasn't there that was often

[00:45:33] said in the media i think hang on there were loads there were loads of footballers around

[00:45:38] this era there was bt there was edie there was flow he's just old woman names in the

[00:45:47] premier league and of course hernan crespo brilliant meanwhile at highfield road the

[00:45:52] goals of noel wheelan and darren huckabee are just enough to replace the outgoing dianne

[00:45:55] dublin at pierre van hoydonck the dutch striker who'd fired nottingham forest back

[00:46:00] into the top flight returns from france 98 and requests a transfer after feeling let down by

[00:46:05] what he considers a lack of strengthening to the squad that had been promised he promptly goes on

[00:46:10] strike after this request is refused the standoff lasts until november by which point

[00:46:15] he realizes he's going nowhere he goes on to score six times in 21 games with his

[00:46:20] teammates notably refusing to celebrate with him for his first goal back against derby he

[00:46:25] gets his move back to vitessa for the following season as far as finish bottom and return to

[00:46:30] division one james pierre van hoydonck strike perfectly acceptable behavior from a unionized

[00:46:35] worker or spoiled mardi bellend little column a little column b he's right he is his grievance

[00:46:43] isn't you're not paying me enough money or i want this he his grievances you said you

[00:46:49] were gonna we've we've got we were going to strengthen the team and you haven't done that

[00:46:52] you've actually weakened it so i want to leave which i think is a a fair enough stance for

[00:46:57] footballers to take but also he's he's he's like 29 30 at this point so it's yeah you know

[00:47:05] who's going to come in for him realistically but i do think you know going on strike is just

[00:47:10] come on mate just play the just play football you've made your point as as for a

[00:47:14] transfer be put on the transfer list but you can still show up and in fact maybe

[00:47:18] looking like you like playing football and getting the odd goal maybe that will make

[00:47:23] it more likely for someone to come and buy you then oh who should we buy should we buy the

[00:47:28] guy who's sulking no the one who's potentially gonna just you know ruin the atmosphere in

[00:47:34] the dressing room no they're not going to buy you so i think i think he had a valid

[00:47:37] grievance but i think he handled it very badly i remember going back to the city ground

[00:47:42] the eight one yap stan was marking him and there was a ball played into the channel so

[00:47:46] it was more towards the touch line to be honest and yap just came across and just absolutely

[00:47:51] yap stand him over the touch line and he went flying into the side for his fans i just

[00:47:56] remember almost like the whole ground like sort of smiling about it really for his fans as

[00:48:01] well but yeah unlucky but there wasn't there wasn't much love for him really but i agree

[00:48:05] with james you know he did have a point but yeah just just get on with it you're not

[00:48:07] making yourself an attractive proposition are you no no i mean i tell you what he didn't ask

[00:48:12] for some goals everywhere he went his goal record is absolutely incredible this is this

[00:48:16] is one of the few seasons probably due to this this level of harmony with it or disharmony with

[00:48:21] his teammates he doesn't actually get so many everton endure what is seemingly their annual

[00:48:26] flirt with the drop bobbing just above the red line for much of the season and falling below

[00:48:30] it as late as april the inspired loan signing of kevin campbell though one of the players

[00:48:35] that forest sold that upset pierre van hoi up quite so much is enough to fire them to

[00:48:40] safety in the end then it's blackburn charlton and forest who go down while perennial

[00:48:45] survivors southampton and coventry do just enough once again so we're going to leave

[00:48:51] 98 99 behind for a moment uh for one of our features when you boys were on last time

[00:48:57] we did the first ever premier league of nations hall of fame and we put an albanian into the

[00:49:04] premier league of nations hall of fame we've been doing it alphabetically since then we're

[00:49:07] pretty much up to cameroon so i'm going to give you the four players that i've shortlisted

[00:49:14] as the greatest cameroonian premier league player you just have to tell me which one you think is

[00:49:19] the best and before we do that there have been 35 cameroonian players in the premier league at

[00:49:23] the time recording here's a few that didn't quite make the cut it's not cameroon legends

[00:49:29] samuel etou or rigor bear song whose best days were outside the premier league let's face

[00:49:34] it it's not andre anana or brian imbuermo who both perhaps have a little more to do in their

[00:49:39] premier league careers to trouble the four men you're about to choose from and it's not

[00:49:42] eric jember jember so good we didn't shortlist him twice so here are the four players that i put to

[00:49:49] you are the premier league's greatest ever cameroonian so is it alex song losing his

[00:49:55] father age three his uncle rigor bear helped guide his journey into football in a career

[00:49:59] that took him six years at arsenal in the premier league and later a return to west ham

[00:50:04] via barcelona where he won the first and only major trophy of his career lifting the

[00:50:08] laliga title he made 190 premier league appearances across nine seasons or is it lauren another

[00:50:15] cameroonian with arsenal connections with 184 appearances most of them in the red of high

[00:50:20] bry he also appeared 25 times for portsmouth with two premier league titles to his name

[00:50:25] the most memorable came in 304 where he's one of arsenal's invincibles having gone an entire

[00:50:30] season unbeaten or is it jeremy the two-time premier league winner for chelsea who also

[00:50:35] played for newcastle and middlesbrough he'd won two champions leagues with rail madrid before that

[00:50:40] and also has 118 caps for his country or is it mark vivian foe a perhaps a sentimental choice but

[00:50:47] the popular midfielder who made 73 premier league appearances in manchester city and west ham

[00:50:52] was representing his country for the 62nd time when he collapsed and died during a match in

[00:50:57] the 2003 confederations cup he'd been ill before the match his manager had tried to

[00:51:02] substitute him just a few minutes earlier but he'd been adamant that he wanted to play in the

[00:51:05] stadium of his adopted hometown of leon he was just 28 a somber end to our cameroonian players

[00:51:12] marv i'll come to you first any thoughts on any of those players or any are perhaps missed out

[00:51:17] well i mean we all wish that roger miller had played in the premier league don't we

[00:51:21] i mean whenever the word cameroon is mentioned it's quite a basic thing for a middle-aged

[00:51:25] white man to say but i'm immediately taken to roger miller's dance so once i've got

[00:51:29] past that in my head i can start to answer your question i think lauren was a great player i

[00:51:34] think he was a really really good player and i think if we're going at it from a

[00:51:40] purely playing perspective he's got to be the man hasn't he really but alex song you know

[00:51:47] losing his hand and having an uncle rigabay imagine having an uncle rigabay it's just a

[00:51:52] nice thing to have is it you know at christmas time or they're all here uncle len

[00:51:56] uncle walter uncle steve rigabayers on it again just a nice that's a nice image of an uncle

[00:52:02] rigabay around at christmas but despite that festive thought i mean we've got the the sanchez

[00:52:08] in the corner with no leg as well obviously i'm moved towards him i'm gonna go for lauren

[00:52:11] just because of the playing side but but yeah alex song is a nice story and and having

[00:52:16] he might not have had a dad bless him but he did have an uncle riga but still does

[00:52:20] yep yeah absolutely james annoyingly i'm going to agree with marv also lauren has a woman's name

[00:52:27] and we like football how did i miss that yeah i spotted it sooner than i was like oh wait we

[00:52:32] found another one here yeah mention for eric jemba jemba who um villa bought off man united

[00:52:39] in such a such a big con by alex vergson that transfer was vergson conned villa into

[00:52:45] buying eric jemba jemba and you mentioned alex and his uncle riga but riga but song he played

[00:52:50] he played in the premier league for liverpool yeah he's a fun question what does riga but song

[00:52:56] and zinadin zadam have in common that no other players do in the history of football

[00:53:03] riga but song and zinadin zadam they're the only players to have done something um

[00:53:07] i mean going with it because i feel like you would have played at france 98 is there

[00:53:11] a france 98 connection i mean sort of okay is it actually a football connection or is this

[00:53:17] no it's football it's football connection i've got no idea have they both headbutted marco

[00:53:22] matarazzi no you're close and it is the thing 50 percent of the things that they have in common

[00:53:29] happened at france 98 is it something to do with violence yeah ish uncle riga bears kicked

[00:53:35] up again have you seen what happened when zadam headbutted matarazzi he got a red card

[00:53:42] yeah okay so if they both oh so they've both been sent off yeah you're gonna have to finish

[00:53:47] that sentence for violent conduct in a world cup no they they're the only two players to

[00:53:53] have ever been sent off twice at world cups in two different world cups oh wow okay wow

[00:54:00] song in 94 and 98 and zinadins are down in 98 in 2006 fair play fair play i'd nice yeah hey have

[00:54:09] we done this do you know who pat nevin's cousin is pat nevin's cousin i'll give you a clue it's

[00:54:15] another footballer yeah well yeah yeah yeah i mean i don't even know where to begin on that

[00:54:20] where no go on terry butcher is wow terry butcher and pat nevin are cousins

[00:54:27] all right and kevin phillips bong of sunderland and he's his cousin's by marriage with someone

[00:54:36] who's not a footballer but is in the public eye and will probably be quite a lot in the

[00:54:41] next six weeks i'd say okay and the clue is the surname jess phillips yeah is it kevin

[00:54:48] kevin phillips well jess phillips is married to kevin phillips's cousin wow okay right well

[00:54:54] there you go we'll see kevin phillips out on the campaign trail presumably being settled by

[00:54:59] nile quinn so you've heard what the boys think about the greatest ever cameroonian we will put

[00:55:03] this out on x as usual for you to have your vote so we're going to move on now to some of

[00:55:10] 98 99's biggest transfer stories at our stall bring in freddy youngberg and nguanqo karnu

[00:55:16] while all-time leading top scorer ian wright is at the time at least is allowed to lead

[00:55:21] for west ham chelsea's star studded foreign legion grows with pierluigi casaragi marcel

[00:55:27] desailles brian loudrup and albert ferrer all joining manchester united signed white york from

[00:55:33] aston villa with john greggory telling the media that upon hearing the news if he had a

[00:55:37] gun he'd have shot him and villa replace their star man with deon dublin and also

[00:55:42] signed david umsworth for five minutes while blackburn sell james beattie to south hampton

[00:55:48] and replacing with kevin davis nathan blake ashley ward and matt yanson

[00:55:52] clearly blackburn collecting strikers is not necessarily going to do him much good

[00:55:57] marv how big a statement of a sign in was dwight york you mean you've already got col

[00:56:02] shearingham soul char as you mentioned maybe fans were a little bit underwhelmed

[00:56:07] how quickly did he win over the fans pretty quickly i i think he brought an energy to the

[00:56:14] team and i think quite early on i think we played someone like charlton at home who were poor

[00:56:19] that season obviously we talked about they went down and him and him and col just seemed to

[00:56:24] something just seemed to happen really really quickly and you saw a side of col that you'd

[00:56:28] never seen so it wasn't necessarily what you were seeing specifically from york sounds a bit

[00:56:33] cliche i would say but it's what you saw from col that was only brought out because of york

[00:56:39] yeah and you know i'm not even sure that fergson intended to have those four brilliant forwards

[00:56:44] that season i think he might be thinking i bring york in and i get rid of one and

[00:56:48] you know to see where united are now with just one striker is bizarre but i mean back

[00:56:55] to the original question i was i was a bit worried that he wasn't going to be all that

[00:56:59] he did turn out to be all that and he was absolutely brilliant but i was i wasn't alone

[00:57:05] in thinking that not sure about this but it was amazing yeah the goal they got the champions league

[00:57:10] goal that gets shown a lot of away at barcelona in the champions league in the group stage

[00:57:15] him and col the combination play it's just beautiful beautiful yeah yeah they're a proper

[00:57:22] partnership back in the day as well when you saw two strikers up top you know it was a bit

[00:57:26] more a bit more common than what you see these days and i think you're right as well

[00:57:29] about the number of strikers he kind of collected ollie solshar very nearly moved to spurs as well

[00:57:35] and how different that could have all been james i mean you signed deon dublin as a

[00:57:40] replacement how successful was he and does coming from coventry mean he has to do a bit more

[00:57:45] to win over the fans or is that not really i think it's not really a thing not not it's

[00:57:50] such a one-way rivalry the villa coventry rivalry they they really hate filler particularly

[00:57:56] because a couple of seasons after this we relegate them or it's in the game against

[00:58:00] villain that they are relegated whereas we just see them as oh look it's carpentry

[00:58:07] we want to beat them obviously but we don't care so yeah we always we were always buying

[00:58:12] players off carpentry and vice versa by the way those buying players office and it wasn't

[00:58:16] a big deal at all we like deon dublin he still thought so very fondly around villa park

[00:58:21] yes for the goals he scored but also for the headbutt he put on robbie salvage

[00:58:25] i was actually really lost it that day didn't me that night oh i was there that game was

[00:58:31] not fun those games are toxic and i don't want to go to them anymore and me and my brother

[00:58:37] left halfway through we left just after dublin went off and we're just gonna let's just get

[00:58:42] out of here because it was just horrible we were in the halt as well and you know and we

[00:58:48] were looking around and we could see fights breaking out everywhere where rogue blue fans

[00:58:52] got in and we just like we don't want to be here for this so we left but that wasn't this

[00:58:58] reason so yeah we liked him apparently according to alex fergusson he's got a massive cock

[00:59:07] once alex fergusson say big it was magnificent about deon dublin yeah pretty sure and i think i

[00:59:13] think that's i think that's accurate accurate accurate in terms of what fergusson said i

[00:59:17] don't know about the dimensions of dublin's old fella hey hey alex fergusson saw us lose

[00:59:22] five one to newcastle the open day and say i think we're going to be all right this season

[00:59:26] so i believe everything he says about everything now well there we go deon dublin

[00:59:32] current it's very rare you have such in-depth knowledge on the foulest side of a daytime tv

[00:59:40] presenter isn't it it's not it's not common so yeah that's great going back to the moment

[00:59:45] sorry he invented a musical instrument does everyone remember this the the jude was it

[00:59:52] called the jude the jude yeah yeah he looked at the orchestra and he went this is missing something

[00:59:59] going back to david unsworth at the time he was at west ham he was keen to be closer

[01:00:05] to his wife's native liverpool for the sake of his young family his old club everton were

[01:00:09] in for him but john gravery who had a steve staunton shaped hole to fill on the left side

[01:00:13] of his defense after the irishman's own move to merseyside sealed the signing he asked unsworth to

[01:00:18] get a place closer to the club as soon as possible after one training session and one very long

[01:00:24] return commute back home up the m6 in the players words it took him two hours breaking all

[01:00:29] speed limits to do so unsworth told his new manager that he felt he'd made a terrible mistake

[01:00:35] gregory who in his unmistakable style and had unveiled his seemingly ecstatic new signing

[01:00:40] just a few days earlier thought it was a wind-up at first after one appearance in a friendly against

[01:00:45] wiccan which gregory later described as reluctant unsworth's mind was made up gregory placed the

[01:00:51] blame firmly at the feet of mrs unsworth's reluctance to give the west midlands a go

[01:00:55] and the now farcical football story had its villain or not as the case may be after

[01:01:00] completing a switch back to goodison for a small profit on what doug ellis had just

[01:01:04] walked out to west ham the transfer followed unsworth for the rest of his career whenever

[01:01:08] he returned to villa park he was always greeted with chance with does your missus know you're

[01:01:12] here villa backfilled the position with a teenage gareth barry who rose to the challenge and then

[01:01:18] some james is david unsworth the greatest defender astin villa sort of never had he wasn't

[01:01:24] that great as a defender he was all right he was a decent premier league level player who

[01:01:28] could take penalties the fact that this happened we'd see it as funny rather than

[01:01:34] at the time it's like oh but yeah as you say i mean we buy steve watson from newcastle instead

[01:01:40] and also gareth barry he was only 17 in this season he plays a whole bunch of games

[01:01:45] came through as well actually villa we had we had lee hendry as well we got into the england

[01:01:49] team based on his performances this season and so yeah he he was like oh we've we do that

[01:01:57] sometimes villa we just we pick up players who are kind of workmen like journeyman

[01:02:02] footballers who are just shuffling around like it happens now we had leander den donker in our

[01:02:06] squads this season and you know or oh we've got the end bachner eck for a bit all right

[01:02:12] it's our turn with him so we babysit these journeyman players as they move from club to

[01:02:18] club yeah this is one of those things that villa have always done so yeah and we don't

[01:02:24] think about things like the fact that when football has moved clubs they have to move

[01:02:28] their entire family and you know they they might have kids in school there might be

[01:02:32] family issues that we don't know about and if a player doesn't think about those things either

[01:02:38] and makes the rash decision to go to a club that's going to completely ruin his personal

[01:02:43] life then you know this is something that's happened so i'm i'm glad that it ended as

[01:02:50] quickly as it did and he wasn't there miserable for a year playing like shit and taking up

[01:02:56] space and costing us money that would have been worse because you know we see footballers as they

[01:03:02] can just go anywhere and they can't this is not realistic to expect that i once saw david

[01:03:08] unsworth taking a crap at belfield was it magnificent it was magnificent i tell you what

[01:03:13] big thighs magnificent thighs basically everton at belfield if you ever closed the door while

[01:03:18] you were having a crap it was basically you were it was all and it was fair game you

[01:03:23] could throw anything into the cubicle so every player and coach would have a crap with the door

[01:03:28] open then i walked i took the wrong turn ones because because earlier i mentioned that i did

[01:03:33] post-grad research with the fai i did have a bit of a career in football and yeah i was

[01:03:38] at goodison i needed to go and relieve myself when i say relieve myself i needed a pair of

[01:03:41] pair i wasn't i wasn't masturbating in training grounds at that stage that was to come later

[01:03:46] well not initially me and dion and i took a wrong turn i took a wrong turn in belfield and there's

[01:03:53] david unsworth reading the daily mirror with his magnificent thighs and defecating so anyway

[01:03:58] should we move on again it's not not the david under the anecdote i think anyone this has

[01:04:04] been quite a section of the newly promoted sides middlesborough bringing experience with

[01:04:08] brian dean gary palester colin cooper and dean gordon forest recruit nijal quasi and neil

[01:04:13] shippley in a bid to replace striking pierre van hoydonck and charlton add neil redfern chris

[01:04:18] powell and eventually john barnes for their maiden premier league campaign in what could be

[01:04:22] said bringing in a bit of experience it doesn't neil redfern get relegated every year for

[01:04:28] about five years in a row i think it was the law and the premier league in the late 90s that

[01:04:33] you can only you can only be relegated if neil redfern is playing for your team he's got

[01:04:38] bradford to come hasn't he yeah yeah but also he's one of those he's like you know phil was it

[01:04:43] phil ford who was at rochdale who had 900 appearances neil redfern is right up there

[01:04:48] for all-time outfield player appearances so that was his thing he just went on for years

[01:04:53] getting people relegated that was his thing i mean he was a decent player he was like

[01:04:57] one of those really in between players where he always seemed too good for the second tier

[01:05:01] and maybe not quite good enough for the premier league but you know he scored quite

[01:05:05] a few goals especially for barnesley and the in the clinton morrison limbo yeah yeah yeah yeah

[01:05:11] there's sort of a yeah a middle ground there where teams like the player version of norwich

[01:05:16] spurs bring in tim sure would miss out on ollie solskjaer how different things could have been

[01:05:20] while west ham pick up the newly disgraced paolo de canio for a bargain fee the recently

[01:05:25] disgraced john harts and join wimbledon for seven million after footage of him volleying

[01:05:29] i'll burkovich in the face during training effectively went as viral as something can

[01:05:34] in september 98 because cameras were filming the open training session duncan ferguson

[01:05:40] presumably becomes the first player with an everton crest tattooed on him to play for new

[01:05:44] castle united that's the transfers in 98 99 don john a duncan ferguson fact go for

[01:05:51] us a finnish composer wrote a what would it be called it's like it's not a whole like

[01:05:56] symphony it's like about an 11 minute long musical piece about duncan ferguson and about

[01:06:02] him being in prison and the night that it premiered duncan ferguson scored for everton

[01:06:08] against manchester united while it was being premiered in finland wow in the premier league

[01:06:14] duncan ferguson was scoring for everton against manchester united that's that symphony

[01:06:18] of course known for its dupe solo that was quite a beautiful moment you see i would jump

[01:06:23] masturbating in training grounds to classical music in scandinavia with such

[01:06:33] we're going to come to the goal of the season now this is premier league goal of the season i

[01:06:39] think we will also cover there are quite a few iconic non-premier league goals in this

[01:06:44] season we will put the link in the description so you can go and see what we were choosing from

[01:06:48] this is kind of from a sky sports kind of amalgamation of goals i'm not sure what

[01:06:53] they've done to the footballs this year because there seems to be a much higher proportion of

[01:06:57] absolute screamers from outside the box and fewer team goals which i remember james you in

[01:07:02] particular are more of a fan of special mentions for steve guppy and steve froggart

[01:07:08] for absolute thunder bastards and neil redfern who put so much curl on one for charton

[01:07:12] against we would have neil sullivan sort of just leaves it because it's so obviously

[01:07:16] going wide and then it curls into the corner but these are i think the four for one reason

[01:07:21] or another that are the best from our shortlist is it michael owen's goal against newcastle

[01:07:27] fresh from announcing himself to the world in saint etienne with a glorious solo run

[01:07:30] against argentina he sort of recreates it to complete his hat trick nicking the ball just

[01:07:35] inside his own half getting the better of three newcastle defenders and putting it beyond

[01:07:39] the onrushing shade given it's inside 32 minutes as a nation pauses from burning beckham

[01:07:44] effigies to marvel at the global icon we've now clearly got on our hands or is it muzzy is it

[01:07:51] against spurs who turns a decent clearance from steve guppy's free kick into a gold the

[01:07:55] season contender by putting it into the top corner on the volley he sprints away and slides

[01:08:00] on the floor with his walkers crisp sponsor logo showing or is it haracio carbonari versus

[01:08:05] nottingham forest bonus points for it being an 85th minute winner in a local grudge match

[01:08:09] that all but relegates your rivals admittedly but the defender who was nicknamed bazooka for

[01:08:14] his powerful free kicks almost falls over the ball receiving it before momentarily being

[01:08:19] inspired by the spirit of diego maradona which is impressive because he won't be dead for

[01:08:23] another two decades he turns cuts inside and then indeed bazookas it into the bottom corner

[01:08:30] or is it the wonderfully named nuanko okanu versus middlesbrough a ball in from the right

[01:08:35] is slightly behind the nigel and he doesn't care about things like that and back heels it while

[01:08:39] airborne like he's down the park and not scoring arsenal's fifth of six of the afternoon down

[01:08:45] by the riverside so karnu carbonari is it michael owen there are four premier league goals

[01:08:54] that sounded like a question then is it michael what are you going for james that michael owen

[01:08:59] goal was that that was had rude hullett just taken over as newcastle manager at that

[01:09:04] point was that the start of the sexy football that he promised he never arrived yeah and in

[01:09:10] the sky preview beforehand there's just geordie's obviously walking around everywhere outside the

[01:09:14] ground with dreadlocks yeah yeah it's a theme whenever newcastle get a new manager or owner

[01:09:20] isn't it i was there when they all literally i remember driving over the time bridge and

[01:09:24] just seeing a single bloke just walking along with a tea towel on his head and that

[01:09:28] was just it was sort of a beautiful a beautiful culturally inappropriate site he might

[01:09:33] have been on his way to play a shepard in the nativity you don't know and james this is the

[01:09:38] thing with carl he's always jumping to presumptions like this yeah really yeah yeah just an innocent

[01:09:44] geordie on his way to play joseph and you are honestly making these assumptions can i break

[01:09:50] from dion's the brins winner against arsenal purely because of this really odd celebration

[01:09:55] he does he lashes the ball in from about six yards and then he does a sort of old man

[01:10:00] style walk for a bit yeah yeah oh yeah yes ah remember that what are you doing he's in the

[01:10:09] moment he's dancing to the dupe in his mind well i've got a few things to say yeah the owen dribble

[01:10:15] versus newcastle so reminiscent of the argentina goal like you said and later on in the season

[01:10:20] he tears his hamstring and he's never got that same explosive pace after that he said it

[01:10:24] himself hasn't he and maybe that maybe that hamstring injury was always going to come

[01:10:29] because of his physiological makeup we don't know but like when rooney held us to ransom in 2004

[01:10:36] because we always remember how if he'd have stayed fit in 2004 we win that tournament i'm

[01:10:40] pretty sure we've got we'll win it and he's never the same for england after that owen's

[01:10:46] never the same for england after his injury and i just feel like we had those two brilliant

[01:10:49] plays in the last 20 odd years and they lost something quite early on in their careers and

[01:10:55] that's my philosophical moment two other things say i've got no respect for goals like what

[01:10:59] connie scored with the flick because i can do them i'm not the best player in the world but

[01:11:04] and you mentioned he did it like as if he was on the park i could use to be able to do them

[01:11:08] on the park so i've got no respect for any goal that scored that i could do okay i'm just

[01:11:13] laying my cards on the table there it was whipped in with pace all he had to do was

[01:11:17] angle his heel and the rest is done for him call so let's have it right mate okay

[01:11:21] but the goal i choose is you use the term thunder bastard early on and i'm a lover of the volley

[01:11:27] is it is it muzzy muzzy is it's thunder bastard is unbelievable it's a great goal

[01:11:32] yeah i mean there are some great like steve froggatt scores an incredible one on his left

[01:11:36] foot like into the top corner like that there's some absolutely fantastic ones but is it's his

[01:11:40] on the volley it's it's incredible yeah guppies was a goal of significance as well because it

[01:11:45] was a hammer blow to chelsea's title aspirations yeah yes it was that was a goal of some stature

[01:11:51] as well but yeah there were some unbelievable strikes and actually i do want to just as a

[01:11:56] footnote to what i've said about carny's goal i thought carny was a brilliant player one

[01:12:01] absolute breath of fresh air he was he had he looked like he couldn't run but he was quick

[01:12:06] and strong he's such a such an interesting player to watch i loved him i thought he was

[01:12:11] a great player he does actually probably score a slightly better goal than this depending on your

[01:12:16] opinion against spurs where he receives the ball with his back to goal and just kind of knocks

[01:12:21] it in the air and over luke young's head and this is again this era where sky have now got

[01:12:27] like cameras everywhere showing things in slow motion one of the most delightful bits about

[01:12:31] that goal is luke young's face as he kind of realizes what the hell has happened and you

[01:12:36] know it that is in that kind of it's a bird camp s goal really that carny scores against spurs which

[01:12:43] is also quite a important goal okay so that i mean they're the premier league goals let's

[01:12:48] just mention perhaps one or two iconic goals james have you got a favorite from kind of

[01:12:53] the other games that happened well look it's 98 99 so obviously we're going to have to talk

[01:12:57] about the two iconic late goals in a big final scored by a manchester team by kevin

[01:13:05] hurlock and paul dick of in the division two playoff final where they end up with

[01:13:11] machester city beating jillingham on penalties because honestly had that not happened

[01:13:17] majesty might not have been a premier league team when abu dabi were looking to buy someone

[01:13:23] so we don't know what the the implications of those that goal actually means yeah i was

[01:13:28] at christening that day and i saw that city were two nil down and i can't remember if we

[01:13:33] just won the treble or it was just before we were going to go i think might be the day after

[01:13:37] cup final or something like that and i just remember being so smug just thinking they are

[01:13:41] so shit they will never be like us james they will never ever be like us i imagine you

[01:13:50] being at christening the day of that game is a bit like the christening at the end of the

[01:13:54] godfather where you're being asked if you renounce straight just as paul dick of equalizing

[01:14:00] against dealing yeah exactly yeah fucking paul dick of is he assumed nijel winterburn's stature

[01:14:08] in that moment didn't he yeah paul dick of is of course what beyond dublin was doing in that

[01:14:13] minstrel and ryan gigs ryan gigs his famous goal in the semi-final and david ginola scores a

[01:14:22] pretty good one at oakwell as well in the fa cup can i just say i went to the first

[01:14:26] first semi-final against arsenal also at villa three days or four days earlier

[01:14:31] the drabbas nil-nil you've ever seen and we were going to so many games and i thought

[01:14:37] i just i didn't just come out of university i wasn't really earning anything i thought

[01:14:40] i'm not going all the way back down the m6 we'll just watch it on the telly

[01:14:44] and what a bad choice that was wasn't it to not go to the replay yeah yeah it seems quite

[01:14:51] like archaic now to have a replay of that stature a neutral ground like three four days later and

[01:14:58] as well as before the internet and buying tickets like the the cogs that must go into

[01:15:04] i suppose it's all prepped and ready but to basically sell another match out at that scale

[01:15:10] four days later incredible it wasn't sold out it wasn't sold out it wasn't a full house that

[01:15:14] night and then and four years at yeah 1995 you know when roy keen stamps on southgate in that

[01:15:21] replay oh was that the first game anyway the replay i was sat in the hall ten with my mate

[01:15:26] and there was just seats around us empty i think there's only like 28 000 on that's

[01:15:30] not the replay of the semi-final in 96 i can't remember it was like that during the euros in

[01:15:36] 96 as well yeah yeah yeah most of the grounds in the country about half full yeah yeah okay

[01:15:44] so let's move on to the managerial changes of this season sheffield wednesday and everton begin

[01:15:49] the season with new men in the dugout as danny wilson and walter smith take charge respectively

[01:15:54] it's also a little more crowded on the anfield bench as gérard juliet budges up alongside

[01:15:58] roy evans in a pioneering new managerial setup that won't last long uh rude what a stupid

[01:16:05] idea that was ridiculous just give juliet the job oh we don't want to sack roy evans because

[01:16:11] we like him yeah it was such a weird scenario i think it's vengarite is catching do you not

[01:16:17] think because actually again everyone's trying to follow our store's blueprint juliet is

[01:16:22] a successful coach in france and i think basically liverpool are probably feeling already

[01:16:27] like most teams were at that point that they're falling behind yeah and spurs get

[01:16:32] christian gross yes they do yes they do weird rich man with a train ticket yeah although

[01:16:38] yes that's that's the main thing that i long for the return of christian grills because was

[01:16:42] he not a man who just loved going on the tube he was the manager spurs but just loved

[01:16:45] traveling on the tube he brought his tube ticket to his first press conference and uh

[01:16:50] and and yeah and was pretty successful everywhere except for topnum he always put it

[01:16:57] down though to the fact that he couldn't bring his assistant over i think it was like

[01:17:01] a visa issue or something but he basically his his long-time collaborator who he worked with

[01:17:06] all of his clubs couldn't come to spurs and and he always put it down to that being the reason

[01:17:11] yeah i could imagine and on the northern line though actually could can yeah oh yeah yeah yeah

[01:17:17] absolutely yeah that would yeah yeah managers on managers on public transport that feels like

[01:17:21] an entire new feature we're gonna have to explore at some point yeah rude hullet promises

[01:17:25] to bring his brand of sexy football to the geordie nation replacing kenny del glasier st

[01:17:29] james's early in the season while christian gross is on a tube out of topnum david pleat and

[01:17:35] chris hewton step in for a month until spurs eventually get their man from leeds a month later

[01:17:39] in george graham a man i seem to remember having an arsenal emblem on his driveway but

[01:17:44] i can find nothing about that i wondered if either of you two knew about this i i seem to

[01:17:49] remember that he was spurs manager he got an arsenal crest in his driveway but anyway i think

[01:17:56] i think as soon as spurs got george graham as their manager they became arsenals bitches forever

[01:18:01] i'm gonna remember this when it's been 25 years still it's still true and another former arsenal

[01:18:07] hero david o'leary steps up at ellen road but only after a prolonged pursuit of lester's martin

[01:18:12] o'neill is spurned roy hodson leaves blackburn bottom in november after picking up just nine

[01:18:17] points in his first 14 games to replace by brian kid who finally steps out of fergie's

[01:18:21] shadow and in doing so walks out on one of the most successful club seasons ever recorded just

[01:18:26] as it's getting started dave bassett isn't partying like it's 1999 when he's sacked a

[01:18:32] week into the new year to replace by ron atkinson in the most nostalgically 90s

[01:18:36] managerial change around of the season in the final year of the decade he kicks things off

[01:18:41] by sitting in the wrong dugout before a one-nil home defeat to arsenal big ron i mean

[01:18:46] there's there's something that obviously his his reputation has been somewhat soured not not much

[01:18:53] longer after this actually as a as a pundit he's kind of running out of magic i think in the

[01:18:57] dugout as well especially in the wrong dugout isn't he yeah what's lovely about this clip

[01:19:03] a big ron going to the dugout is that he's in he's in his typical sort of managers

[01:19:08] like camelcote type of thing and the cameras are on him and the photographers are snapping

[01:19:12] away he's in the wrong dugout and you can see the arsenal subs to his right and he's not

[01:19:17] clock yet has he no but he turns to look to the players on his right and even for a moment he's

[01:19:22] sort of like acknowledges them as if it's like are you in the wrong dugout lads and then

[01:19:27] he just ever so nonchalantly goes yeah it's me isn't it yeah and let's let's face it returns

[01:19:32] to a dugout with a slightly less strong bench sat behind him yeah it's a really good sign

[01:19:38] that your time's up as a manager when you're having senior moments like that isn't it i

[01:19:42] yeah yeah absolutely and joe kenea also steps down in march due to health reasons before a game

[01:19:47] against sheffield wednesday in what will actually be wimbledon's final win of the season

[01:19:52] mick harford and terry burton take the reins to the remainder overseeing nine defeats in their

[01:19:56] final 11 games thankfully wimbledon have done enough to not quite be dragged into the

[01:20:01] relegation zone for that we sadly lost joe kenea recently definitely a character of the

[01:20:08] particularly of the 90s in the premier league what how's he remembered by you

[01:20:13] my my main roy kenea memory joe kenea sorry when he took his daughter around that chocolate

[01:20:19] factory that was the best thing exactly exactly he was once on football focus i think and he

[01:20:26] kept calling gabriel batty stutha batty toaster and you know when you know when people in

[01:20:31] the game are more senior obviously they're more knowledgeable than the presenter and the

[01:20:36] presenter will never pull them up on a presentation of a player's name but this was

[01:20:41] quite a long in-depth chat about the argentinian forward and so he called him batty toaster

[01:20:48] eight nine ten times and he just kept doing it he wouldn't stop doing it so god bless him he

[01:20:54] did a lot of great things in the game but i remember him for that yeah yeah nobody ever

[01:20:59] pulled david pleat upon calling chimbonda chimbumba for most of this i mean it was

[01:21:04] literally phonetic i don't know what was going on there but you know i tell you what i mean the

[01:21:09] the sort of increased cosmopolitan nature of the premier league has brought us many benefits

[01:21:14] but i do miss the mad old managers getting foreign players names wrong for ages trope

[01:21:20] which doesn't really happen anymore and that's such a sad loss i just have to leave it to my

[01:21:26] dad to do that joe kenea by the way i didn't realize his manager managerial career actually

[01:21:31] started out in the 80s in asia with his old teammate dave mckay it does mean that his

[01:21:37] managerial record reads as the well trodden path of india napaul and don caster rovers so there you

[01:21:44] go marv brian kid leaving old trafford we've kind of touched upon it how like destabilizing

[01:21:50] does it feel to fergie do you think or you know i mean obviously as we as we covered perhaps

[01:21:55] bringing in well yeah he brings the trouble it turns out blind kid was holding him back

[01:22:02] you know it wasn't too long ago that you know we had dugouts where it was literally just

[01:22:07] the manager the assistant manager and the physio so you know i imagine that united's

[01:22:11] backroom staff was starting to develop a bit more than that at that stage but on the 99

[01:22:17] documentary on prime now i think you do sense that fergson was you know he's a bit put

[01:22:22] by it you know suddenly losing your right-hand man and he's obviously fergson wasn't a training

[01:22:27] ground coach either you know he wasn't a man that was out there taking sessions

[01:22:31] so you know something had to happen pretty quickly so it will have destabilized him to an

[01:22:36] extent but obviously he just rang his mate the bald eagle and nicked his coach and and the

[01:22:42] rest is history really isn't it so but yeah i was at blackburn that night that we you

[01:22:47] know well we didn't send blackburn down because it was a it was a draw and they've been

[01:22:50] poor all season but you know it was a bit sad really because you know you'd obviously seen him

[01:22:57] from where he was and then what united go on to achieve that season and you see him tumbling down

[01:23:02] into the next level i don't think he's even stayed on did he leave blackburn i can't remember

[01:23:05] but i think yeah soon after that's how unmemorable it was you know a bit of shame for him really

[01:23:10] it goes on to um yeah and leads yeah leads for a while yeah i suppose i suppose i was

[01:23:17] thinking about it from a villa point of view which backroom member of staff would i be gutted

[01:23:23] in losing and it's probably the bloke who looks like rick wakeman who does the set pieces

[01:23:28] i love him yeah yeah i just hope yes don't tour anytime soon because we don't want to lose him

[01:23:35] if that coincides with you getting shit at corners we'll know what's happened

[01:23:39] another we mentioned liverpool pioneer a brave new manager will set up former french national

[01:23:43] coach gerard juliet joins as joint manager with roy evans they do get off to a winning start at

[01:23:48] the dell but it doesn't work evans leaves in november after 35 years anfield he'd later

[01:23:53] describe it as an impossible situation liverpool actually eventually finished closer on points

[01:23:58] to bottom side nottingham forest and eventual champions manchester united in seventh there

[01:24:03] are better times ahead under juliet though so on to the individual awards of the season

[01:24:08] top names david ginola is both the players and writers player of the year

[01:24:12] nicholas and alcoyn's young player of the year alex ferguson takes the managers award

[01:24:17] the team of the year then is goalkeeper nigel martin of leads for a second year running

[01:24:22] gary neville at right back dennis erwin at left back yap stamm in his maiden season in

[01:24:27] england at centre back alongside sol campbell for spurs don't remember that um right midfield

[01:24:34] yeah yeah david seaman concedes 17 goals all season yeah keeps 19 clichés and he's not the

[01:24:40] best goalkeeper in the league no but not according to um not good to this team um

[01:24:46] pfa play these pfa team isn't it pfa team of the year yeah this is voted by

[01:24:51] the peers so whether it's a person i don't know i think there always was a lot of that

[01:24:55] like gary palester great player obviously but gary palester was in it like about eight years

[01:24:59] like it was like he's incredible how many times gary palester's in it so i do think

[01:25:04] unless he just had a brilliant like jess phillips slash kevin phillips campaign trail to kind of

[01:25:10] bring bring everyone's votes together so yeah beckham's in midfield ginola on the left

[01:25:15] viera and patty are the central pairing both double winners the previous season

[01:25:20] neither of them made the pfa team of the year last season losing out to nicky butt

[01:25:23] and david batty but patty and viera are this season in the pfa team of the year and

[01:25:28] it's dwight york and nicklas enelka so actually for the first time the pfa team of the year

[01:25:33] starting to take a slightly more international look and even though i mean chelsea finished

[01:25:40] third but only by four points they lose the same number of games as man united

[01:25:46] none of their players are in the team of the league but spurs who finish 11th have two players

[01:25:52] and the player of the year what the hell is going on united united drew it onto chelsea

[01:25:57] that season one one and chelsea battered us they absolutely murdered us that night from memory

[01:26:05] yeah they were a really good side i remember poyett just being superb yeah really good side

[01:26:11] really good side and they were kind of always on the coattails of the title without like i

[01:26:15] mean as i say up to christmas they're like top at boxing day and into january they much

[01:26:20] like villa obviously villa dropped off more dramatically chelsea really kind of hung in there

[01:26:24] but when those two teams kind of really put their foot down in the second half of the season they

[01:26:28] were kind of always on the edges of it and that they lost that two goal lead against lester

[01:26:34] that really kind of ended their mathematical hopes i think the arley kind of says yeah we

[01:26:40] could still win it if we win our final game and the other two lose theirs like 12-0

[01:26:44] we should be fine but yeah chelsea kind of always on the edge of it i mean yeah

[01:26:48] you know the winning player and writers player of the year for a very average spurs side

[01:26:53] i mean surely at least one of the treble winning players has been robbed there or

[01:26:57] what i mean well i think i mean i don't know what the timelines were in terms of when the

[01:27:02] votes have to be in but obviously maybe united players split the vote and he came through

[01:27:08] you know he scored that wonder goal at barnsley was it about that time that the the votes were

[01:27:13] going in we we don't know i mean he was a good player let's have it right he was an

[01:27:18] excellent player and but it does seem a bit crazy that you can just reel off five or six

[01:27:23] united players that you think might have been player of the year especially someone like york

[01:27:27] to go to a massive club like that obviously forgive me james obviously bill are a huge

[01:27:32] club in their own right but he's just yeah yeah it's a step up and to go there and have

[01:27:37] the impact that he did on that stage and to and then you think well he scored a goal

[01:27:42] in south yorkshire on a tuesday night and that's got him that i say yeah can he do it in barnsley

[01:27:49] on a tuesday exactly so let's summarize the final season of the millennium then manchester united

[01:27:57] secure their fifth title in seven seasons in what will be the first leg of a historic treble

[01:28:02] arsenal have to set up a runner's up spot while chelsea finished the their highest finish

[01:28:06] since 1970 david o'leary's lead to fourth west ham continue to improve in fifth and newly

[01:28:12] promoted mills but are the only side to survive finishing a comfortable ninth at the bottom of the

[01:28:17] table ron atkinson can't save nottingham forest who make an immediate return to the first

[01:28:21] division with fellow promoter side charlton 1995 champions black van rovers joined them

[01:28:26] in relegation as brian kid reflects on his life choices the departure of joe cannear combines

[01:28:31] with wimbledon's lowest top flight finishes their promotion more than a decade earlier

[01:28:35] finishing 16th in what is the beginnings of the slow and drawn out death of an entire

[01:28:39] football club more on that next season manchester united emulate arsels achievement of completing

[01:28:45] the double with an identical two nil win over newcastle united in the fa cup final

[01:28:49] teddie shangham opens the scoring within 90 seconds of replacing the injured roy keen

[01:28:54] before paul scoles finishes the job just after half time spurs lift the rebranded

[01:28:59] worthington cup with alan nelson's last minute goal enough to beat lester one

[01:29:03] nil despite being down to 10 after justin edinburgh's red card and manchester city

[01:29:08] secure promotion back to the second tier after a dramatic comeback in the division

[01:29:12] two playoff final against gillingham i'm sure that's the last we'll be hearing about them

[01:29:17] manchester united secure a historic treble in the most dramatic fashion possible coming from

[01:29:21] one nil down in added time to beat brian munich 2-1 sharing them is again on the

[01:29:25] score sheet before olly solskjaer writes his name into old trafford folklore marv i know you

[01:29:30] were there at the new camp that night i mean you know children aside where does that day

[01:29:35] rank in the best of your life i wish i'd not got as pissed let's start with that i was

[01:29:40] absolutely i was absolutely hammered and it's one of my big regrets joking aside that i wasn't

[01:29:45] more sober for that game but it was unbelievable i might not be able to recollect all of it

[01:29:49] because of my drunken state but i remember the feelings i mean i remember the feelings

[01:29:54] it was just that thing of like we're still like getting our breath back from equalizing

[01:30:00] and you look down and we're taking a corner i'd not you know the whole buildup

[01:30:03] to the goal to the second goal of getting the corner we're still like sort of like

[01:30:07] holding each other and still it's going to extra time we're still with a chance

[01:30:11] and you look down we've got a corner you don't even think we're going to get the second

[01:30:14] and then suddenly we've got the second yeah and it's done and it's over and i just i was

[01:30:21] just sobbing my mate said i was just absolutely just sobbing it was it was amazing

[01:30:26] it was incredible it was yeah it was a brilliant brilliant brilliant night yeah unbelievable

[01:30:31] absolutely incredible i had jim white on the show who mentioned united fan who was in the press box

[01:30:36] and he said that some kind of irate man united fan had walked down the press box punching

[01:30:43] the laptop screens of all of the journalists just as he was having to like file his final

[01:30:48] report that was entirely rewritten as well by the way that's an incredible story of what

[01:30:53] was going on because from him as a man united fan also worked in a professional capacity

[01:30:58] incredible so yeah so there's all sorts of little quirky i mean that's obviously a violent tale but

[01:31:03] like there's a story of lennart johansen going going you know from was he like going down to

[01:31:08] the pitch to present the trophy and then from him leaving the stand to get to the bottom

[01:31:13] he was suddenly presenting it to a team that he thought weren't going to win the trophy that

[01:31:17] night so yeah yeah he couldn't work out why basically the biomechanic players were

[01:31:21] inconsolable they just won the european cup as far as he was concerned absolutely and

[01:31:24] obviously sam yorker for is a big memory isn't he obviously i wasn't aware of at the time but

[01:31:29] punching the turf wasn't he yeah and with the certain camera angles where you see the united

[01:31:34] fans delirious in the backgrounds and it's some sporting image let's say yeah yeah an

[01:31:39] incredible night elsewhere in uafers competitions palmer lift the ua for cup in

[01:31:44] moscow with a three-nil win over marseille villa park hosts the last ever cup winners

[01:31:49] cup final as lazio defeat meyorka 2-1 with goals from ne'ed ved and vieri meyorka by the way had

[01:31:55] knocked out reigning champions chelsea in the semis they were real underdogs that season james

[01:32:00] i imagine you've enjoyed watching villa in the conference league this season going deep into the

[01:32:04] latter stages it felt like it like the the conference league feels like it's got that same

[01:32:10] bonkers spirit that the cup winners cup used to have i mean is that is that do you agree

[01:32:14] what was it like to experience it yeah it's probably the closest thing we've got to that

[01:32:17] now it you know it's the third tier european competition and it was great to be in it because

[01:32:23] you know we scraped into it pretty much on the last day the season before so just to be in it

[01:32:29] was good and we were doing all right and we should have won it because we are the richest

[01:32:33] we were the richest team in the competition so we should have won it but by the end of the

[01:32:39] season with the amount of injuries that villa had they were just knackered they were the

[01:32:46] walking wounded for the last four or five weeks of that season and olympiakos were really good

[01:32:53] that striker who scored five of the goals against us he's not gonna be there much longer and you

[01:32:59] know and so yeah they were just much better than we were but we're playing against teams

[01:33:05] like iax and leal and olympiakos who've been in europe pretty much every season

[01:33:11] for the last 20 years and we haven't so you know it's a learning experience for us and we've

[01:33:16] got to learn very quickly because we're in the stupid multi-league champions league thing next

[01:33:23] year with 35 other teams so yeah that's gonna be and we're not allowed to buy anyone so

[01:33:31] we're gonna hope ross barkley joins us and his turns out to be president

[01:33:36] it'd be a good signing i think it'd be a good signing we need cover for kamara who just gets

[01:33:40] injured a lot so hopefully he can do that job some some of the bigger news stories during this

[01:33:46] season the euro is launched across much of the eu but not the uk england manager glenn

[01:33:51] hoddle is dismissed a few days after controversial comments about disabled people

[01:33:54] are published by the times the minimum wage is introduced in the uk at three pounds 60 an

[01:33:59] hour and crime watch presenter jill dando is shot dead on her fuller doorstep in one of the

[01:34:04] 90s most shocking and high profile murder cases um yeah that's it finish on a other light one at

[01:34:13] the cinema in 1998 i didn't think that when i saw that happen that year i thought there's no way

[01:34:18] he'll mention that we've gone for it we've gone for it he's gone for it all angles are

[01:34:23] being covered actually it's quite a smattering of tragedy in this episode isn't it there's

[01:34:27] santa li's in her leg there's the death of a news presenter like that's not well yeah no no

[01:34:33] um at the cinema in 1998 we were watching there's something about mary saving private ryan

[01:34:38] armageddon and godzilla but those four movies combined couldn't match the box office pull of

[01:34:43] titanic in the 1998 music charts you'll find run the mc and jason nevins it's like that

[01:34:49] leon rhymes has had why live and chocolate salty balls by chef in the top 10 best-selling

[01:34:54] songs of the year uh quick quiz selene deon's my heart will go on is the second best selling

[01:35:01] selling single of the year in the uk behind which other north american songstress making

[01:35:06] a career comeback in 1998 the top selling song of the year it's not selene d on share believe

[01:35:13] share believe indeed it is and that brings to a close the 1998-99 season can we just do in

[01:35:21] any other business at the higher was the most Dutch looking man i've ever seen

[01:35:26] that's it that's it and can i just say and i'm not i'm not here to gloat i'm just pointing out

[01:35:31] a statistic the season that has just finished 2023 slash 24 is the first time astin villa

[01:35:37] have finished ahead of manchester united in the premier league era there you go you see this

[01:35:41] is why it may it may well be the only time that happens ever so so in about 15 years

[01:35:47] time when i reach this season on the podcast i'm going to get you both back on

[01:35:50] and you'll be able to do that so gentlemen thank you so much for joining me once again

[01:35:55] marv what have you got coming up at the moment what's going on and also you

[01:36:00] i mean give us a plug for your your podcast that you mentioned earlier well i'll be honest

[01:36:04] carl i've got nothing going on at the moment i have i've literally nothing going on for a

[01:36:08] third time nothing going on but the podcast that we've got it's called smith musk or fake

[01:36:14] up nostalgia podcast we had the likes of joe royale steve perryman andy thorn we had some

[01:36:21] really great guests and it was some really really good chats we keep trying to we keep

[01:36:26] talking about maybe re-energizing it and coming back but we sort of felt like when we got dave

[01:36:30] benet as a guest that was the episode that killed the podcast yeah you don't really move

[01:36:35] on from that do you as an fa cup nostalgia podcast so steve mckenzie might be the only

[01:36:39] one that could come back because we always talk about how his extra set of a volley in the replay

[01:36:45] which is the best fa cup final goal that no one ever talks about okay that could be the basis

[01:36:51] for it coming back but yeah smith musk or that's what it's called okay all right brilliant and

[01:36:56] james you well last time you were talking about the world cup of world cup podcast but

[01:37:01] now what are your what's your current one going on at the moment called it's called

[01:37:04] the world cup of euros where myself and fellow comedian and football fan paul savage deep dive

[01:37:11] every euros tournament there has been since 1960 in order to find out which one is the best so

[01:37:18] we've just been going through all the euros and finding out what happens to all the squad players

[01:37:23] and looking for the little quirky bits of nonsense um so yeah we've been working on that

[01:37:28] so that's going to be an entire series that'll stand alone the world cup of world

[01:37:33] is still available if you haven't listened to it yet we go through we do the same thing but

[01:37:37] with the world cup and it's you know it's it's very dense in terms of its content there's a

[01:37:43] lot in it but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts from on brand for this episode

[01:37:47] actually i've just realized the episode i did with you was world cup 98 so some of the

[01:37:52] similar themes yeah yeah yeah so a deeply nostalgic time at this period certainly in my

[01:37:57] life as well so yeah very well worth it i mean you look if you enjoyed this podcast

[01:38:01] you're gonna absolutely love that podcast it is so there's so much stuff in there

[01:38:06] so gentlemen thank you very much indeed it's been a pleasure to catch up with you both that's

[01:38:10] 92 93 we've done 98 99 so another six years time 0506 get you back non-committal

[01:38:19] talk about chelsea winning the league yeah yeah it's gonna be when marino was in his pump

[01:38:23] yeah i'll skip that one thank you both i'll see you soon

[01:38:30] so that was marv and james what fantastic guests just great trivia great anecdotes marv was

[01:38:37] homing away for man United that season what a season to have been at so many of those games a

[01:38:44] really really fun episode i really enjoyed that 98 99 i i loved that season and hopefully

[01:38:50] we've done it justice so i hope you really enjoyed that the vote for the premier league's

[01:38:55] greatest cameroonian is now live over on x i'll have to reveal the results at next series but

[01:39:02] you can go and vote now the lads were uh unanimous in voting for lauren you may agree

[01:39:08] you may not go and place your vote now on x at wfba pod on x all of the links you need

[01:39:16] as ever are in the description for this show so this is the end of season three we'll pick back

[01:39:24] up in season four but the 99 2000 season in our season by season as far as the all-time

[01:39:30] premier league table's concerned we're up to about 40 second there which i think is

[01:39:34] roughly Brentford who keep climbing that table so we'll cover them and various other

[01:39:39] teams that are just outside that top 40 and i hope to have some more incredible guests from

[01:39:44] the world of football on this show talking all about their favorite memories still not heard back

[01:39:50] from side of barahino but you know fingers crossed i've got some great guests lined up

[01:39:54] already though really really looking forward to having them on so i'll be busy recording them

[01:40:00] over the summer and hopefully who knows we may have a victorious england team to celebrate

[01:40:05] and discuss in a future episode some way down the line over that summer period obviously

[01:40:12] if you're new to the show there is a big archive of shows clive tillerly and henry winter if you've

[01:40:17] particularly enjoyed this season they both have quite a lot to say about manchester united 1999

[01:40:22] win so they are great episodes to go back to but as ever i really really appreciate it if

[01:40:27] you share the show if you are subscribing and leaving reviews it helps me discover more

[01:40:34] listeners it is a much appreciated thing when a new review pops up or people share the

[01:40:39] show so thank you if that's something that you've done i really appreciate it and if you enjoy this

[01:40:44] please keep sharing it but until the autumn that's it from me and hopefully you have enjoyed what

[01:40:54] we've done this season and i've got lots more in the pipeline so i'll be back fingers

[01:41:00] crossed in the autumn until then enjoy the euros enjoy premier league past in the archive

[01:41:07] of this show i'll see you back here in a few months time thank you very much for watching

[01:41:13] thank you very much for listening see you soon