🎙️ Football Social Daily •September 9, 2026 •⏱️ 43 min

Champions League returns but are there too many Premier League sides in Europe?

1. Executive Overview: Core Theses & Key Revelations

The global football economy has reached a transformative inflection point where structural expansion, hyper-financialization, and calendar congestion intersect. As UEFA's revamped 36-team single-table "Swiss Model" Champions League takes center stage, the delicate equilibrium between domestic league integrity, supporter accessibility, and high-performance squad management has ruptured. The recent episode of Football Social Daily—featuring hosts Nile, Joel, and Marley—serves as an authoritative empirical barometer for this industry-wide realignment. Their wide-ranging conversation provides a rare, unvarnished window into how top-flight clubs navigate the tension between short-term commercial extraction and long-term competitive sustainability.

At the center of this editorial breakdown is the realization that the Premier League's unprecedented financial dominance has generated profound internal paradoxes. While broadcasting revenues position English clubs at the pinnacle of global wealth, domestic fixture intensity leaves them physiologically taxed compared to continental rivals who operate in single-dominant domestic environments. Simultaneously, top-flight ownership groups are executing aggressive yield-optimization strategies across matchday ticketing, systematically displacing legacy supporters in favor of transient international tourists and corporate partners. Within this overarching structural landscape, eight key revelations emerge from the podcast discourse:

  • Administrative Constraints of the Swiss Model: UEFA's new league phase introduces complex draw mechanics, including strict venue-repetition prohibitions that prevent teams from hosting the same opponent three seasons in a row (such as Liverpool being restricted from hosting Real Madrid at Anfield under specific draw conditions).
  • The Economic Valuation Shift in Ownership Strategy: Top-flight club owners increasingly view Premier League mid-table permanence (e.g., maintaining a top-10 finish for a decade) as vastly more profitable than winning domestic cup competitions, shifting strategic capital away from traditional trophy pursuits.
  • The Erling Haaland Generational Scoring Pace: Manchester City's Norwegian forward has reached 115 Premier League goals in just 135 appearances while surpassing Raúl as the sixth-highest Champions League goalscorer of all time at age 26, putting Alan Shearer's 260-goal record within realistic reach.
  • Hyper-Inflation in Matchday Ticketing: Admission costs for young adults (ages 18–20) at major Premier League venues have exploded by over 125% within a three-year period, rising from £20 to £45, while adult ticket prices push past £60 to £70 and project toward £100 per match in new stadium developments.
  • Asymmetric European Tactical Paradigms: Continental monopolists such as Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich enjoy the domestic structural luxury of treating the Champions League group phase as a rotational tactical laboratory, whereas Premier League clubs face relentless weekly competition that restricts squad rotation.
  • Over-Saturation of Continental Slots: The potential expansion of England's European allocation to nine clubs is diluting the competitive narrative of domestic football and directly damaging the prestige and viability of domestic cup competitions like the Carabao Cup.
  • Contractual Insulation and Market Buyout Realities: Haaland's landmark nine-and-a-half-year contract extending to 2034 effectively insulates Manchester City from standard transfer market threats (£350M–£500M market valuation), forcing prospective suitors toward precedent-setting equity-sharing acquisition structures.
  • Agenda Displacement in Football Media: The early September kickoff of the Champions League league phase, combined with the elimination of the traditional September international window, has permanently reordered the football calendar, eclipsing early-season domestic storylines in favor of continental league-phase battles.

2. Context & Background: The Landscape Leading to This Conversation

To grasp the significance of the arguments presented on Football Social Daily, one must first evaluate the macroeconomic and administrative developments that defined European football heading into the current season. UEFA's decision to eliminate the traditional 32-team, eight-group Champions League structure in favor of a 36-team Swiss-system single league represents the most substantial structural shift in European club competitions since the tournament's 1992 rebrand. By expanding the group phase from six matches against three opponents to eight matches against eight distinct opponents, UEFA expanded the total competition inventory from 125 to 189 matches. This restructuring was designed to maximize broadcasting rights, appease elite European clubs, and permanently dismantle the threat of a rival Super League.

However, this structural expansion has collided directly with the economic mechanics of the Premier League. As English broadcasting rights hit historical peaks, Premier League clubs operate within an isolated economic ecosystem. The financial penalty for domestic relegation or dropping out of the top flight dwarfs the monetary rewards of domestic cup success. A single place in the Premier League merit table yields approximately £3.1 million in distribution money, whereas winning the Carabao Cup generates just £100,000 in direct prize money. Consequently, executive boards have aligned operational strategies around top-flight broadcast revenue retention, viewing domestic cup competitions as secondary developmental events.

Simultaneously, matchday venue operations have undergone aggressive monetization. Drawing inspiration from North American sports entertainment models, executive leadership at major English clubs has implemented dynamic pricing algorithms, digital ticketing controls, and strict attendance enforcement. Traditional local supporters—historically the vocal foundation of stadium atmosphere—are increasingly viewed through a corporate lens as lower-margin "legacy fans." These traditional match-goers are systematically displaced by higher-spending international visitors and corporate hospitality clients capable of absorbing steep price increases. This economic re-indexing reflects broader consumer shifts across live entertainment, as seen in Glastonbury Festival tickets breaking the £400 barrier and Edgbaston test cricket pricing increasing over 100% in a single season.

Finally, tactical development across elite clubs is defined by managerial transitions and player performance benchmarks. The post-Pep Guardiola landscape at Manchester City, under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, offers a compelling case study in squad maintenance and tactical adaptation. At the same time, Erling Haaland's goal-scoring velocity challenges long-standing statistical records established by Alan Shearer during an era when top-flight seasons consisted of 42 matches. Analyzing the Football Social Daily transcript requires contextualizing these intersecting financial, administrative, and tactical dynamics.

3. Deep-Dive Thematic Breakdown

3.1 The Financialization of Matchdays: Legacy Fans, Ticket Inflation, and Ownership Priorities

The podcast exchange brings into sharp relief the rapid escalation of matchday admission costs across English football. Host Joel provides compelling empirical evidence regarding ticketing trends at Old Trafford, noting that ticket prices for young supporters in the 18-to-20 age tier have surged from £20 to £45 within three years—representing a 125% increase. Adult tickets routinely range from £60 to £70, with industry projections indicating that standard matchday seats in proposed stadium developments will settle near the £100 baseline. This steep escalation illustrates a deliberate economic strategy focused on maximizing yield per seat.

Ticket Category / Entertainment Event Historical Baseline Price Current Matchday Price Percentage Increase Primary Market Driver
Young Adult Tier (18–20 Age Group) £20.00 £45.00 +125.0% Yield optimization & demographic re-indexing
Standard Adult Matchday Ticket £40.00 – £45.00 £60.00 – £70.00+ +50.0% – +55.5% Corporate tiering & category-A game surcharges
Edgbaston Ashes Test Cricket (Day Seat) £82.50 (vs Pakistan) £167.50 (vs Australia) +103.0% Dynamic demand pricing & marquee opponent tiering
Glastonbury Festival General Admission £265.00 – £280.00 £400.00+ +42.8% – +50.9% Production cost pass-through & venue monetization

This ticketing inflation is strictly enforced through administrative regulations. Season-ticket holders at Manchester United face strict attendance mandates, where failing to attend non-marquee fixtures—such as European matches against lower-ranked opponents like Sabah Baku—can lead to season-ticket cancellation under automated "two-strike" policies. In addition, digital ticket transfer platforms require recipients to purchase official club memberships, eliminating informal ticket sharing among working-class fan networks. The institutional intention is clear: restrict season-ticket allocations to free up inventory for high-margin, single-game international visitors.

Joel highlights the core financial philosophy driving modern club management: ownership groups realize that maintaining Premier League status in 10th place for a decade generates far superior financial returns than winning domestic cups. The Premier League's broadcast distribution model guarantees each club over £100 million annually regardless of silverware. As a result, domestic cup competitions are treated as secondary operational concerns, while ticket pricing is structured to extract maximum capital from domestic and international markets.

3.2 The Swiss-Model Dilemma: Tactical Rotation, Asymmetric Leagues, and Domestic Attrition

The implementation of UEFA's Swiss Model has reshaped squad management tactics, exposing a structural asymmetry between Premier League clubs and their continental counterparts. Analyst Marley notes that clubs in single-dominant domestic leagues, such as Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, possess a distinct tactical advantage. These clubs can treat the eight-match Champions League league phase with rotational flexibility, resting key starters in domestic fixtures without risking their league standing.

In contrast, Premier League contenders navigate a demanding weekly schedule. As Marley points out, "everyone in England has to worry about everybody." The competitive depth of the Premier League—where bottom-half teams possess broadcast-funded squad valuations that match upper-tier European clubs—prevents English managers from deploying reserve line-ups in domestic play. Dropping points in mid-autumn against mid-table opposition can compromise top-four qualification. This relentless environment restricts squad rotation and increases physical strain during autumn continental fixtures.

PSG's operational approach illustrates this competitive divergence. In recent Champions League campaigns, the French champions finished between 8th and 16th in the league phase table while preserving peak physical conditioning for the spring knockout rounds. Because their domestic league title was largely secure, they could absorb group-stage losses. For English clubs, managing squad fitness across eight intense European matches alongside a 38-game Premier League season presents a much higher physiological hurdle.

Administrative draw rules add further complexity to campaign planning. Nile details UEFA's venue-repetition regulation, which prohibits clubs from hosting the same opponent at home in three consecutive seasons. For example, had Liverpool been paired with Real Madrid in the current league phase, administrative rules would have mandated playing the match away from Anfield to prevent a third straight home fixture against the Spanish club. These administrative constraints introduce additional strategic variables into European campaign planning.

3.3 Erling Haaland and the Economics of Inevitability: Contracts, Buyouts, and Shearer's Benchmark

Erling Haaland's goal-scoring output continues to set unprecedented statistical benchmarks. At 26 years of age, the Norwegian striker has registered 115 Premier League goals in 135 appearances for Manchester City. By passing Raúl to become the sixth-highest all-time goalscorer in Champions League history, Haaland has established a scoring pace unmatched in modern European football.

A major focus of the podcast's analysis centers on Alan Shearer's long-standing Premier League record of 260 goals. Marley and Nile deconstruct the historical context of Shearer's mark, noting that Shearer set his record during an era that included 42-game league seasons. During his peak four-year stretch between 1993 and 1997 across Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, Shearer scored 31, 34, 31, and 25 goals, accumulating 115 goals in four seasons—matching Haaland's current total. However, while Shearer benefitted from additional fixtures in 42-game seasons, Haaland operates at a significantly higher goals-per-minute efficiency rate in the modern 38-game format.

The panel concludes that only two scenarios can prevent Haaland from breaking Shearer's record: a serious injury or an early exit from English football. However, Manchester City's contractual positioning makes a transfer unlikely. Haaland is signed to Etihad Stadium through a landmark contract extending until 2034. In the current economic landscape, no European club possesses the liquidity to fund a traditional transfer fee valued between £350 million and £500 million.

Neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona, constrained by financial regulations and stadium debt, can execute a standard cash purchase of this magnitude. As the panel notes, acquiring Haaland before his contract expires would require complex equity-sharing structures, similar to the multi-entity revenue model that facilitated Lionel Messi's move to Inter Miami. Without such radical financial models, Haaland remains locked at Manchester City, putting him on track to surpass Shearer's record within four to five seasons.

3.4 European Over-Saturation: Nine Teams in Europe and the Degradation of the Carabao Cup

The potential expansion of England's European qualification allocation to nine clubs across the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League represents a tipping point for domestic football architecture. Marley frames the primary structural question: "Nine teams in Europe. That's too many, isn't it?" Incorporating nearly half of the Premier League into European competitions fundamentally alters domestic competition dynamics.

The main victim of this continental expansion is the Carabao Cup. With nine clubs managing midweek European fixtures from September through January, top-flight managers routinely field secondary or academy squads in domestic cup ties. This reduces the tournament's prestige, turning historic trophy competitions into developmental platforms. The scheduling congestion also leads to awkward travel demands, such as Manchester United undertaking a long Thursday night trip to face Sabah Baku in Azerbaijan before a quick domestic turnaround.

This fixture density impacts overall performance quality. When half the league is managing continental travel schedules, domestic match preparation is compromised. Squad rotation becomes a tool for managing injury risk rather than a deliberate tactical strategy. Over-saturating European qualification spots risks dividing English football into two tiers: an elite group focused exclusively on European and Premier League targets, and a lower tier competing in diminished domestic cup tournaments.

3.5 Tactical Re-allocation & Post-Era Transitions: Maresca's City and Trent's Madrid Experiment

The panel also analyzes managerial transitions and tactical adjustments across major European clubs. Enzo Maresca's early tenure at Manchester City offers a compelling study in post-Guardiola continuity. Starting his reign with four straight victories—including a 2-0 Champions League win over Porto and three consecutive Premier League wins—Maresca has avoided the transitional drop-offs experienced by managers succeeding long-serving icons, such as David Moyes following Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United or Unai Emery replacing Arsène Wenger at Arsenal.

Maresca's system relies on a newly structured central midfield pivot. The pairing of Enzo Fernández and 18-year-old talent Boardi delivered exceptional technical efficiency against Porto, with Boardi completing 98% of his passes. This midfield structure provides the defensive stability and progressive passing required to maintain Manchester City's possession-based style following Rodri's absence. However, the panel notes that Maresca's tactical framework will face its truest test during high-intensity fixtures like the Manchester derby.

In contrast, Trent Alexander-Arnold's transition to Real Madrid presents immediate tactical adjustments. Deployed in a defensive midfield role by Carlo Ancelotti, Alexander-Arnold has experienced positional difficulties, as shown in a recent Champions League match against Inter Milan where defensive misassignments led to a goal. While his passing vision enhances Madrid's build-up play, his defensive vulnerabilities in central areas highlight the challenges of transitioning an elite full-back into a central midfield position without adequate defensive cover.

4. Speaker Perspectives & Analytical Contrast

The dialogue on Football Social Daily provides a clear cross-section of modern football analysis, blending administrative insight, fan-focused critique, and practical tactical evaluation. The three hosts—Nile, Joel, and Marley—bring distinct analytical perspectives to the table, producing notable points of agreement alongside sharp contrasts in focus.

Host / Analyst Primary Analytical Framework Core Philosophical Stance Key Focus Areas & Strategic Warnings
Nile Institutional & Governance Analysis Regulatory realism & historical statistical analysis UEFA draw rules, long-term contract structures, historical scoring benchmarks (Haaland vs Shearer).
Joel Supporter Economics & Fan Culture Anti-commercialization & matchday culture defense Ticket price escalation, season-ticket enforcement rules, displacement of legacy supporters for tourists.
Marley Tactical Realism & Competitive Balance Pragmatic squad management & competition architecture Asymmetric league fatigue (PSG/Bayern vs Premier League), European over-saturation, Carabao Cup devaluation.

Nile approaches the discussion through an institutional framework, prioritizing regulatory rules, draw mechanics, and statistical data. His breakdown of UEFA's venue-repetition rule demonstrates how administrative regulations shape fixture scheduling. Similarly, his analysis of Haaland's contract through 2034 emphasizes how long-term contracts allow elite clubs to secure key assets against transfer market volatility.

Joel delivers a direct critique of football's commercialization, focusing on the financial burden placed on match-going supporters. He details how rapid ticket price increases and strict digital ticketing rules exploit fan loyalty. Joel directly challenges ownership priorities, arguing that yield-optimization strategies degrade the cultural foundation of traditional supporter bases.

Marley focuses on tactical and competitive realities, examining how structural competition changes influence on-pitch performance. His analysis of the competitive divide between single-dominant domestic clubs (PSG, Bayern) and Premier League teams underscores the physical demands placed on English squads. Marley warns that expanding European allocation to nine teams will continue to devalue domestic cup competitions, turning historic tournaments into rotational events.

Despite their differing entry points, the panel reaches a shared consensus: elite football's ongoing commercial expansion is placing severe strain on traditional football structures. Whether through ticket inflation pricing out young supporters or fixture density diluting domestic cups, the drive for continuous revenue growth presents long-term challenges for the sport.

5. Strategic & Industry Implications

The points raised during the Football Social Daily broadcast mirror broader macroeconomic shifts taking place across the global football industry. The intersection of expanded UEFA competitions, dominant Premier League broadcasting rights, and corporate ownership models is driving several key structural trends:

First, matchday ticketing is undergoing permanent operational re-indexing across top-tier sport. Clubs are moving away from traditional static pricing models in favor of dynamic demand-based pricing systems designed to maximize per-seat revenue. By tiering matches and restricting ticket transfers, clubs can systematically replace lower-margin season tickets with high-yielding single-game sales targeted at international tourists and corporate clients. While this strategy increases short-term matchday revenue, it risks eroding the local fan culture that gives matches their distinct atmosphere and supports global broadcast appeal.

Second, player contracts are expanding in length to protect asset values against transfer market inflation. Manchester City's nine-and-a-half-year contract with Erling Haaland reflects a strategic effort to lock in elite talent and eliminate mid-contract transfer leverage. For rival clubs, acquiring elite players under extended contracts will require complex financial solutions—such as player exchanges or equity-sharing agreements—rather than traditional cash transfer fees.

Third, the expansion of European competitions is reshaping the relationship between continental and domestic football. As UEFA adds fixtures to the calendar, domestic leagues face unprecedented schedule friction. For the Premier League, sending up to nine teams into European play creates significant calendar congestion that threatens the long-term viability of domestic cup competitions. Without coordinated calendar reform between UEFA, domestic leagues, and national associations, traditional cup tournaments face continued devaluation.

Finally, competitive balance in European football is increasingly tied to domestic league structures. Elite clubs in single-dominant domestic leagues enjoy a structural advantage in managing squad rotation across expanded continental formats. Premier League clubs, despite their financial resources, must contend with a demanding domestic schedule that taxes squad depth and limits rotational flexibility during European campaigns.

6. Looking Ahead: Unresolved Questions & Next Milestones

As the expanded European football calendar progresses, several key indicators will determine how these structural trends develop. Industry analysts, club executives, and supporters should track four main operational and competitive metrics over the coming seasons:

  1. Supporter Action and Ticket Retention Rates: As ticket price increases move toward £100 per match and attendance mandates tighten, monitoring season-ticket renewal rates, secondary market activity, and fan organization campaigns will show whether supporter pushback can influence club ticketing policies.
  2. Swiss-Model Points Benchmarks: Tracking the point totals needed to secure top-8 direct qualification versus top-24 playoff spots in UEFA's 36-team table will clarify how managers approach squad rotation across the eight league-phase fixtures.
  3. Erling Haaland's Goal-Scoring Pace: Tracking Haaland's scoring trajectory relative to Alan Shearer's 260-goal record will remain a major narrative in English football. At his current rate, Haaland could surpass the record well before his contract ends in 2034, assuming he avoids major injury and remains in the Premier League.
  4. Calendar Reform and Cup Competition Structure: The scheduling friction between expanded UEFA tournaments and domestic cups will eventually require governing bodies to make structural decisions. Future discussions around Carabao Cup formatting, winter break schedules, and international match windows will determine whether domestic cup football can maintain its traditional role in the English game.

💬 Key Quotes & Speaker Breakdown

Champions League draw rules

"Teams are not allowed to draw another side three years in a row at home. So had Liverpool drawn Real Madrid, they wouldn't have been allowed to play them at home, at Anfield, because it would have been a third season in a row."

— Nile

Club ownership and ambition

"It's just way more valuable for new ownerships to come in and feel like staying in the Premier League for the next 10 years, finishing 10th, is more valuable than winning any cup ever will."

— Joel

Erling Haaland

"Erling Haaland has just turned 26. He's got 115 Premier League goals in 135 appearances. And he's just gone past Raul as the sixth highest Champions League scorer of all time."

— Nile

Ticket pricing

"My mate went to the game tonight and he said for 18 to 20 ticket age, it's 45 pounds. And about three years ago, that was around 20. It's astronomical the increases."

— Joel

Tactical approach to Europe

"I think only PSG and Bayern Munich can take this approach of prioritizing the Champions League, because we'll win the domestic league anyway. Whereas Real Madrid have always got to worry about Barcelona, and everyone in England has to worry about everybody."

— Marley

Premier League European qualification

"Nine teams in Europe. That's too many, isn't it? You look at competitions like the Carabao Cup suffering because of that."

— Marley

Alan Shearer's record

"If he stays fit, which he generally does, he's 26. He'd need to score at the same rate for the next 10 years to get close to Shearer. But if he does stay in the Premier League for the rest of his career, Shearer's record is going to go fairly easily."

— Marley

Champions League

"For the first time this season, we're not going to be talking about the Premier League. We're going to be talking about the Champions League, because the league phase kicked off last night."

— Nile

"There's nothing quite like hearing the Champions League anthem at your home stadium."

— Marley

Fan culture

"When traditional supporters are referred to as legacy fans, you know that you're in trouble."

— Nile

Champions League format

"No league phase winner has ever won the Champions League yet."

— Marley
📜 View Full Episode Verbatim Transcript 47,897 characters
What's going on? Someone's fixing the window. Yeah. Exciting. River Tim. Adult life, eh? Future stage. Sometimes in life, age gets to the better of us. Well, I don't. You don't need to look and tell me that. Sometimes I like the Tim. I've come from Wizard of Oz, we need a bit of an oil in on a few of the limbs. If he only had a brace. I swear to God, I don't get up. I currently can't walk without, like, around my house, without, I've now got recovery sliders. Because I've got plant, plant, I've got a view of plantar facitis, facitis in your feet. Basically, it means it's actually the wood. Yeah, plantar facitis. Yeah, F-A-S-C-I-I-T-I-S, facitis. Trushooter of that Marley. Yeah. Basically, you feed your fucking kill. Is it like you need a great way to know off the bottom of it or something? Is that hard? I just need to stop playing 7-S-I, but I refuse to stop, so I'm just going to deal with it for the rest of my life. What's the actual issue, like, what do you feel? I feel like I'm at a GP here, but you know, when you've been walking around, like, let's say you've gone touring, like a tourism trip around it, and you sit at any walk, 10k in a day, and you walk around everywhere, and you feed your killin' at the end of the day. It's like that, but all the time. And it doesn't just get the robbing patent. Yeah, you just, like, you feed your... Welcome to Football Social GP, where... For myself and now we've diagnosed in Marley. We've shied us over it. Get yourself in of one of those soulbash your soy self out. A soulbath. Yeah, soul. Nice soul. Getting the Gen Z shit, is that? Ah, these three in the room, in times where you can get your soy self out. Yeah, I've got redox. That's all that's as far as I go. Bit of blue redox in a bath after 40. That's what you need. Do you need recovery from walking up the stairs, Marley? If you reach that point, I do. I think I'd say one of those now. Anyway, it's getting a bit of a hassle getting up stairs, regardless. StanestayList.com. StanestayList, one of the spawns of the barge, I think, could be an opportunity for everyone to win there. I mean, we need a sponsor or some of that. All options available. Maybe some anti-histamine brand, so Joel stops sneezing every fucking two seconds. Oh, yeah. I could be on Bob and... We're not even in June on May. We're not even June on May. Any more... Pirates are swear to God. Anyone knows any connection. Pirates. Send them over. I'll... We'll look after that person. I swear to God, and they'll look after us. And I'll know this. This is Football Social Daily, a Premier League podcast, where for the first time this season, we're not going to be talking about the Premier League. We're going to be talking about the Champions League, because the league phase kicked off last night with Estonbiller and Manchester City, the Premier League representatives in action. It's only early September, and already the Champions League has started, but did we learn anything from the two games last night? Welcome to the show. I'm Nile, joined by Marley. And Joel, this morning. Morning, boys. Good morning. Good morning. Champions League football returns for Manchester United fans, Joel. You excited? Absolutely buzzing. Tomorrow's game is against the... Who wants to be a millionaire guy? Marley, the one that we talked about, the Azerbaijani guy, which I'm really excited about. Look, he's not going to be answering any questions on the day. Saying that, actually, unfortunately, because he did shine in the show. Everyone's going, unlike he won the whole thing. What did he win, Marley? Was it like 4,000 Lithuanian... Oh, the name of the Lithuanian. League versus? Lithatists, yeah. Yeah, which is £993 by the name of me. So he got beat in the first five questions, yeah, he's in the wrong career choice, then. But yeah, I'm so, so happy as bad. There's nothing quite like hearing. Well, Marley can actually resonate. I was nothing quite like hearing the Champions League anthem at your home stadium, especially old child. Hang on a minute. Hang on a minute. Before you get into that jib, you've never even heard the new fucking Champions League anthem because you've been out of it for two years. We've got a new one now. Yeah, the group stage. It's different of you at the group stage, one. Yeah, we're regional. We qualify for the group stage, mate. That's what it is. The OG. Yeah, we qualify for that group stage when it was a two group format. We lost our first three games in one year, and then we won the next three games to qualify the first team in history to ever lose the first three Champions League games and still qualify for the group. You better put it in your memory box, Marley, because you don't need to be digging out of it. Back into the scene, that scene. Oh, is that when it happened 2002? I think so, yeah. Yeah. Back when it was five teams in a group. No, four. Was it five teams in the Europa League, wasn't it? I seem to remember. I always remember Pompi having five teams in our group. I think we had, I think we had Levercuzin, was one of them. Potentially event-less. I can't remember who else. But yeah, got it done. So there you go, Joel. If you can beat the Azerbaijanian Champions, powered by 993 English pounds, slash 4,000 Lithuanian liters converted into Azerbaijanian rubles or whatever they use. You know what? The price of a ticket these days, old truff is not far from that many liters. My friend went to the game tonight and he said, for 18 to 20 ticket age, 18 to 20 is 45 pounds. And about three years ago, that was around 20, which is, it's astronomical the increases. And for adult tickets, it's north of like 60s, 70 now. I reckon when we get the new stadium, it'll be close to 100 for a ticket as it is normalized. Easily, because if you look at some of the other things, Glastonbury, obviously the biggest music festival in this country, the tickets and the prices for the tickets have been released for next year. They've broken the 400 quid barrier for the first time. Ash's Cricket, which is of course the big series between England and Australia that comes around once every four years, for next summer, ticket prices in the cheapest seats at Edgebaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, 167 pound 50 for a day's cricket. It was 82 pound 50 for the same ticket against Pakistan this summer. So it's gone up almost double pretty much. It's absolutely ridiculous. And then just on the ticketing thing, I know that clubs stagger it, don't they? They do a tier system where a game against Real Madrid at home will be gold tier or A tier. So tickets are going to be more expensive because it's a more palatable game. Manchester United against Sabah, 45 quid a ticket for an 18 to 21. Yeah, when you lose all your young fans who are going to be the next generation of United fans to take over in that strat for them, for example, and they get replaced by, and again, not against tourists or anything, but it will be a natural term on it of people who can come and grab those tickets who are out of town and we're not going to be regulars. You need your regulars there. First is a wider conversation, and this is exactly why I put the Hildgit Dickinson Stadium into the sea. Yesterday on Football Social Daily, because Premier League football is going that way. Not just Premier League football sports. Yeah, totally. And when traditional supporters are referred to as legacy fans, which is what happened a couple of years ago, you know that you're in trouble, and actually Manchester United are kind of at the forefront of this ticketing fiasco, because I've seen some people post on social media, season ticket holders, old Trafford, texts they've received from the ticketing department at the football club saying, if you don't buy a ticket for the Sabah game, you are liable to lose your season ticket. And they don't get how long you've had it for. It's like, I think you get two strikes in your out, basically, if you don't turn up and scan your ticket, and it makes it even more difficult, because they have to have a certain membership, which accepts season tickets, or accepts memberships, which they have to pay for. So if you've got a friend from out of town who wants to take your season ticket, they have to buy a certain acceptance ticket, just to take your season ticket from you. My mate used to just give me his card, and I go and scan it in and go, but I've made it so difficult in such a close society now. It's like they're almost willing to trip these guys up, so they can move on their season ticket for a different, I don't know, I just don't like the way it's going. But anyway, Champions League's back, and I'm very, very happy to be back in it in the league format. Well, we don't like the league format, or at least I still don't. I don't like the new music. Have you guys learnt anything from it, by the way, before we get into it? Like in the last two years, have we learnt anything? Not anything that I didn't know before, that it's massively weighted towards the bigger clubs who have got more chances to finish in the top echelons of the league, therefore progressed through to the knockout stages. One thing maybe I have learnt without being facetious and cynical, is when you look at PSG the last two seasons, they've not finished anywhere near top of the league phase, and they've saved their best till last. Is that really an indicator? Is it of who's going to win it? Not really. I mean, Arsenal finished top a couple of years ago, and got to the semi-finals. I think Liverpool finished top last year, didn't they? And then got knocked out in the quarters, I think it was. I can't quite remember. I think as the other way, I think Arsenal top did last year, they won eight out of eight, and got to the final. But yeah, my mistake, no league phase winner is ever won it yet, so. Yes, there we go. I knew it was something along those lines, but it just proves that maybe there is stock in tactically planning your approach to the Champions League, because like I said, it's only the first week of September, second week of September. Most of the top five European leagues have only played two or three, some of them four, top flight domestic games, and already they haven't to think about balancing their squad with the transfer window, having just shot and factoring in who plays when and minutes for certain players and fitness, and making sure that they've got enough squad rotation to see them through to Christmas. Whereas before, the Champions League group stage wouldn't start until at least a month into the season, we also don't have the first international break of the year anymore in September, that doesn't happen. So in terms of what managers need to do, maybe they do need to take a leaf out of PSG's book, and I'm not saying play a weakened side, because when you're a team like PSG, you've got really good players in every position, but there's no need to go all guns are blazing and win every Champions League game. Yes, it was beneficial for Arsenal, because they got to the final. But PSG have finished between 8th and 16th for the last couple of seasons, and they've reached the final. So I guess that's why I've learned from it. Yeah, I mean, look at PSG this year. They've not won a league game yet. In the first three games, I think they've drew two in loss one, and it's caused the saving players for the Champions League, because it was when Dembilis started the Champions League, and he started nine league games last season. I don't want to say the elite teams, because PSG are kind of in a rare situation, but I think only them and by Munich can can take this approach to we're going to prioritise the Champions League, because we'll win the domestic league anywhere. Whereas Real Madrid have always got a worry about Barcelona. Barcelona has always got a worry about Real Madrid, and everyone in England has to worry about fucking everybody. Because if you turn up with a second team, if you're Arsenal, Man United Chelsea, and you make five, six changes in your team and play Bournemouth, they could beat you. And that's not going to happen in other leagues. Like, what's going to happen for Bayern Munich to lose a domestic game to Mainz or something like that? It just doesn't really happen. Saying that, though, there is merit in actually winning the league format. I didn't realise that Arsenal last year, because they won it, got on a way like all the way to the final in the first game, which is... Didn't help me in the penalty. You are a significant... Yeah, I mean, that doesn't help you when you need it. You know, you need to put the ball in the net from a few yards out, but it's a very good advantage. Maybe it's a change in where, if you finish top, every single penalty shootout you get is in front of your own fans. I don't think we're going to win in that little circulation. Gabrielle was pointing that into Rosa regardless. He was written that one. I think it's a sound point that Marley makes, though, because even things like media pressure, we know what the media pressure is like in this country. If Arsenal lose a Champions League game midweek, it's, are the wheels coming off? Is that form going to translate into the Premier League at the weekend, where they've got bottom of the table, Coventry, or whoever it is? It just feels a little bit more like the pressure is piled on to Premier League teams if they lose a Champions League match in the week. Look at Aston Villa, for example. We'll talk about them in a sec. Winners in the Champions League last night over Club Bruges, but have had a poor start to the Premier League season. If they don't get a result against Bruges, even though it's away from home, people will start questioning Unai Emery, and they'll be questioning whether the transfer policy was sound in the summer. And all of a sudden, these questions stack up in the pressure mounts. That's not going to happen at PSG. If PSG lose to Atalanta midweek in the Champions League or someone like that, I don't think any of the journalists in France are going to be saying, well, are PSG going to be able to beat Toa the weekend, because they've lost to Atalanta in midweek in the Champions League? I think you're absolutely right, Marley. I think particularly in Germany and France, with the lesser scrutiny on the big clubs, because you just know what you're going to get from them. It probably does make it that little bit easier. And PSG have a chance to be the fourth side ever to win the three in a row European cups. So I think if anything, they're going to definitely prioritize the Champions League this year, but they can also win the Leisure by prioritising it still, because their second team probably win that league at this point. And that's no real disrespect to the league, but it's just that far and wide. They are away from everyone financially. It's just insane. But yeah, it's going to be a strange one going into the league format for the first time. Two extra games as well. Everyone wants to see Real Madrid vs Barcelona, or Inter vs AC Milan, or Dortmund Bayern, not necessarily Darby's from the same country, but just those big matches, Juventus vs PSG, whatever. Everyone wants to see those matches. But the more that you see those matches, the less entertaining they become. Not necessarily in terms of the football on the pitch, because we've seen some really good stuff over the last year or so in the Champions League. But it becomes less of a spectacle, because it's more regular. It's not as exciting. Like Manchester City Real Madrid, how many times have we seen that over the last couple of years in the knockout phase, and then in the league phase, and then Liverpool Real Madrid? In fact, so much so. We have seen Liverpool vs Real Madrid so often in the last couple of years, that the rules around the Champions League draw, brought to light this summer. Teams are not allowed to draw another side three years in a row at home. So had Liverpool drawn Real Madrid, they wouldn't have been allowed to play them at home, at Mfield, because it would have been a third season in a row. That would never have been a thing in the old format. Yeah. You're creating a problem for yourself there, because in the old format, it was two-pot-one teams. Can't draw each other anyway, because there's one team from one-pot-one, team from pot-two, and it's a group of four. It almost makes two-much sense. Next two-much sense. If it's not broke, don't fix it. It's just ridiculous. I don't know whether you boys agree. Seeing PSG vs Bayern come out in a league phase match in week three of the Champions League. Does it get my juices flowing in the same way it would have done two years ago in the group stage, where both teams needed a point to go through? No, because it's too early. It's like looking at a Premier League game this weekend and thinking, if they lose this, they're going to drop the title. That's not going to happen, because we're too early in the process. At least with the group phase, there was jeopardy almost throughout, because there was only a handful of games, and now there are so many games for teams to make amends. It only gets intense when it gets to the knockout, doesn't it, though? Because even, don't forget in the group stages, there were some big fixtures between first and second. Example, if one of the bigger top-seeded teams ended up finishing third, that season, they go into pot-two. So it's not like you were ever away from those fixtures, just mud now, them off frequently, but it's like you said, now, I think they lose their... I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm really excited for the buying game, old trufford. I think it'll be a great game. I think that's probably just because we've not been in the competition for two or three years. But at the same time, it's a very different prospect to play in someone this early in the league phase versus in the quarterfinals. Because I think there's probably just more stake, isn't it? But saying that, though, I guess everyone will prefer seeing those games, rather than, you know, Barcelona pumping Celtic 7-0 every single group stage. I'm not going to get some hate for that one, but... That's kind of funny, though, right? It's true, though, isn't it? It's not like I've pumped by some... Nobody's to fail to make it this far, but... Yeah, it's like last night, we had Real Madrid versus Inter. All right, that's a quality game, but also there's nothing on it, so Inter don't care if they lose. And neither did Real Madrid don't really care if they don't win. If you put that in the quarterfinals in the knockout stage, or even the round of 16, that becomes, like, an unmissable game, like two massive giants slugging it out. And last night, it was just like, oh, two, one to Real Madrid, Inter will probably win five of the next remaining seven games, and they'll probably both go safely through, but... Yeah, it's just... it's about like little storylines, instead of, like, Christine Kiwi won the... won the treble, playing for Jose and Reno, and now he's managing against him in the same competition, which is great, but that's it. That's all that makes that game interesting now. And yeah, say no, though. I think it's good in the fact that it prevents teams from not playing. It should have for decades. You know, for example, with Man United and Real Madrid, I think we've played them twice in the last 20 years. That's because you've not been in the Champions League for half of those years. No, but I'm saying pre-liked, because we played them in 2013, and we've played them in 2003. Apart from that, we've not played them. And I'm more for pre-liked, I've got that. Of a standard ovation, yeah. Yeah, I'm more for playing. I don't want to go... I don't want to go decades without... But Marley's right, though. Marley's right. Those two games, you remember exactly what happened, because it was about the two respective Ronaldo's. It was about R9 scoring a hat trick and getting a standard ovation. And 10 years later, it was about the prodigal son, Cristiano, returning to Old Trafford for the first time since he left. And that's what you remember. Luckily, though, even with this format, you can get the best of both worlds, though, because if both teams make it to the knockouts, you can still play them again. It doesn't feel the same, though, does it? A league game, for example, next week against whoever, is not going to feel the same as a group stage game from the old format. Just isn't. I don't care what anyone says. There are too many games for it to feel significant. I'll let you know when we play Madrid in the quarters. But Marley's probably best place to answer this, because when Newcastle first got in the Champions League, played PSG, didn't you? In the group stages at St. James's, and that kind of goes down as a modern Newcastle classic. So that was in the group phase, right? Yeah, rather than the league phase. And it was a 14-group consisting of PSG, Dortmund and AC Milan. I do like the fact that you can go home and away in the groups, and I feel like we're just these old guys looking back, saying the new system's shy, but it was nice to go home in a way. I still remember the man United and Celtic games when Shinji Nakamura scored that unbelievable free kick home and away against those in 2005. But they were great fixtures, just because they could get revenge the next couple. Which team back to back, wasn't it? That was good. That was good. Well, that was good heritage. It was Shonsuki, so, you know. Shinji Nakamura, you're getting a mixed up. He could score a free kick, too. Racist. Oh, sorry. Yeah, that's two favourite guys. Well, I don't have a seat at the table when it comes to Champions League football, but just going back to what you were saying about being able to play big teams home and away. You boys, no, I've got this team sheet framed on my wall and a shirt from Pompey against AC Milan. Now, a small club like us in the context of Champions League football. We don't play against teams like AC Milan. It was an AC Milan team. Let me read the team sheet. And Shalotti is the manager. Gatuso, Inzagi, Zambrota, Kaka, Chevchenko, Sador, Pilo, Ronaldinho. I mean, it's just ridiculous. You don't get these kind of players come to Fratt and Park. And it was one of the best nights, but I would have loved to have gone to the San Zero. But because of the way the groups worked back then, you only played the team in your group once. And I know it's Europa League, so it's different to Champions League. Do I regret playing AC Milan at Fratt and Park? Absolutely not. An iconic legendary game, which is why I've got stuff from the game framed on my wall. But would I have loved to have gone to the San Zero and experience that, pompier way at the San Zero? Yeah, absolutely. Of course I would have done. You know, you know, he's going to the San Zero now. Sunderling. Sunderling. Half the Premier League is in Europe. It's absolutely mental. And I know about it. The competition. I know these teams aren't in your group. Well, what was the chat that you can say? I'm going to be able to see the mac coming in the light. Or you will be this season. It's just the last time. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It was written as soon as they qualified for the Europa League on the last day of last season. I looked around Europe and thought, I wonder what's happening in other leagues because it's all coming to an end. And AC Milan needed to beat somebody on the last day. I think it was Caliary at home. And I think they were won the look and they fucked it and lost 2-1 in the last minute. And they went from second or third in the league to fifth or sixth and dropped from Champions League to Europa League. And as soon as it happened, I thought there was no way in hell that their mac and bastards are not going to draw AC Milan away. It's just definitely going to happen. And it's happened. But if you want to see Sunderland, you still can because there's shit loads of tickets available for their first home game in Europe in I think it's their history against Izzy, Alkmaj. You can still buy tickets. They're all on sale now. So general sale in your first ever European game, you're embarrassing twice. Arsenal Man City, United, Villa Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton, Crystal Palace, all in Europe. It's crazy. Nine teams in Europe. That's too many, isn't it? Because you're looking at competitions like the Carabell Cup, suffering because of that. And it does have an impact on domestic football. You look at some of the fixture rescheduling. It's great for the run of the mill Premier League football fan because there's football nonstop every day of the week. But is it too much? We've got too much European football. I mean, I don't want to take away opportunities for teams like Palace and Brighton and Sunderland and Bournemouth. I mean, all of those teams in Europe sounds odd even to say it, but credit to them for qualifying. Is it just getting a bit too much now, do you think? Well, why is it about opportunity? Why is it like we should give them the opportunity to experience European football? The opportunity is always there. You've just got to go out and get it. Like, there's nothing wrong with four teams qualifying for the Champions League, two for the Europa, and one for the Conference League. But then you had two more in there. And it's like nine Premier League teams. It's like, wow, come on. But don't forget, though, the Premier League was a victim of his own success last season because we've got five Champions League spots. So it was just a knock on effect of that, really. In the end, it might have just been an anomaly season where majority of the English clubs dominate to Europe, well, apart from Arsenal. But they went far. So obviously, that means that the Premier League gets rewarded for it. It might become a more normal occurrence, though, because Premier League teams now, when they drop into the Europa, so when they're in the Europa League and when they're in the Conference League, they're far and wide stronger than the majority of the teams in there. When you're looking at their expenditures and their squads and what kind of plays they have versus like Mark, like an A's at Alkmar versus a Sunderland, the quality is different. It's far and wide, it's chalk and cheese at that point. Isn't it? So we might end up having 10 teams as a norm going to Europe in the Premier League. But it's easy for us to judge, but if you asked that there are fans of those clubs, I'm sure they're absolutely kind of way to go. I think you're right, because the only reason we got in in 2008 is because we won the FA Cup and all of the other spots were taken. So it just defaulted to us as the winners of the domestic cup competition. The Europa League spots didn't drop down that far and there was no Europa Conference League. For the people saying that the Premier League is harder now, I think it is. I think the players are better generally across the board. I think it's fitter, more dynamic, faster paced. There's PSR and FFP to adhere to. But I'm not having people tell me it's harder to get into Europe now. There's more opportunity, like Marley said. There's more chances to get into Europe and the big boys are still hoovering up the trophies, which pushes the qualification spot down the Premier League. So surely it's easier to qualify than it ever used to be. It will be, and I'm really interested to see how the teams, for example, Sunderland's a really good one, since they just came up and then got Europe again up for the first time. Is how are they then going to manage? Are they going to be a victim of their own success? Where did they really have the squad capable of competing and going to European places on a Thursday than competing in the Premier League on a weekend? Would their fans, I know we go back to that same old topic, would you accept stating the Premier League if it meant you weren't in Europe? I feel like you can do both, but I think it's a lot of strain on a club who've just come up to try and manage the pair of them. I don't know how many times it's been successful in the past, but it's difficult, because even some of the biggest teams can't cope when it comes to injuries and Premier League schedule and care about cup in the FA Cup kicks off. And then you've got to go to Azerbaijan on a Thursday and then come back for the Sunday game and wait somewhere. It's difficult to probably contend with that. So I'm interested to see how Sunal and Coke. But again, if you ask any of the Sunal and fans, are you happy to be going to the San Siro? But at the same time, it's going to be difficult to remain in a Premier League course or take it course or take it. That's what those nights are all about, basically. David Moise, we spoke about him earlier this week. Marley was speaking about listening to him in preseason and how his discourse has been some of the most interesting stuff a Premier League manager's had to say this summer largely around the transfer window. But what I did hear him say is before the carabell cup game against Preston, or maybe it was Postmatch, I'm not sure. He was asked anyway by the media about team selection and about what the priority is. Everton haven't won a domestic trophy since 1995. And he was asked, what the priority is, do you not want Everton to win a cup? And he went not really the priorities to stay in the Premier League. And managers do see it that way. And we always say whenever the cup competitions come around, why don't managers take it more seriously? Because look at what's happened to Crystal Palace. They won the FA Cup, they went on to win the community shield, conference league, you know, the possibilities from winning a trophy are absolutely huge. Crystal Palace for years in there, I remember taking the piss out of them, was it two years ago when they said what's the answer this season, it was like staying the Premier League and it was there that were going into their tenth season in the Premier League and I criticized them for lack of ambition since then they won three trophies and then ironically where it's all ended up is what are their goals for this season right now? It's probably still in the Premier League because they've had all the best players taken and the manager goes because they weren't ambitious enough. And they were too scared to really attack the next era of their sort of progression as a football club. But it's the trade off you've got to have. Or they think they have, like they've got a better understanding of it than those of what it takes out the players and stuff like that, what it, you know, the percentages you lose from 100% fit to maybe 87, 88% fit going into the game at the weekend and that 12, 13% can be the difference between winning the losing at the weekend and the Premier League and stuff like that. But that's the trade off. It's European football for you. I upsundal and get absolutely smashed in Europe and get relegated. That would put a smile right back on my face. But still, we don't know who knows. You know, I hate to say it and I think it's probably true but I think it this landscape in football right now with the money coming into the game and the changing of hands of ownership. It's just way more valuable for new ownerships to come in and feel like staying in the Premier League for the next 10 years, finishing 10th is more valuable than winning any cup ever will. And I think that's the kind of hard reality of main. I think that's where the way he's gone though to the point where if they can retain getting that Premier League money in 10th, 11th every season I don't think they care about winning a cup genuinely. I'd go back in time enough for Leicester fans. Leicester fans are the chance to keep Harry Kane for the rest of his career like he was on when he was on loan at Leicester. Right, you can keep this guy for the rest of his. Yeah, no, because they would never win any James Bayer done that. No, Jim, there's a pitcher. Jamie Vardy's gone to be. Vardy and Kane on the bench. There's Vardy going to be going to Burnley. I thought he was going to go back to Shiffield Wednesday, but that's a decent old boys club. Now we call it a walker. Let's talk about Aston Villa because we were meant to talk about them. And we haven't yet. Half an hour ago. Four-neil thrashing and a red card. On the opening day of the season, it went bright and then a tough second game. Monday night last week against Arsenal at Villa Park. Then a goal as draw with Hull, representing their first point of the season still yet to score a goal in the Premier League, but they put that right last night by scoring three against Club Rouge. Javail Gomez not suspended for the Champions League, so he's able to play there. And Villa scored some goals and got a win. Last season, Marley, we saw Aston Villa not win for the first five or six games, and it looked really ropey. And then they end up finishing fourth. It just feels like they've had another slow start. There have been a lot of changes at Aston Villa, so I'm not entirely sure we're going to see them go from 17th to fourth this season, but I still think they're more than good enough to finish in the top 7-8, the end of the campaign. Yeah, I think the way Villa had to react to everything late in the window is not going to help them in the short term. I think it's probably going to take until probably October, November before you start seeing them turn the corner and gel and mix and everything like that, and get sort of to where we know Villa can be, because the signed good players is just to sign them all late in the window, so there's been no real chance to integrate them as soon I am ready would want to do. And I'm sure he's absolutely fuming about how things have gone down this summer with console leaving late in the window and a couple of other players walking, obviously going late as well. And Jackson arriving, did he arrive after the first game or near like too late to sort of hit the ground running type thing, but he was off the mark last night, Goddie's first goal. One of my favourite things about Europe every season is looking through teams, lineups and going, oh, he plays there now, and I had a massive moment of that last night when I looked through Bruges lineup, but I went, Yann Summer, is it Bruges? What a sign and that is, and I watched the game and he was fucking shite for the whole kid, there's a reason he's there. He made the cock up for Jackson's goal, which ultimately cost them the game. There was one period where he tried to throw the ball, change his mind halfway through and then course it when he's out the area. And I was like, is this the guy who's been one of the best goalers in Europe for the last 10 years? He's been watching too much André O'Neil because that's what it reminded me of how bad he was, but Villa, yeah, Villa, they got off to it, they shot some good good signs, sort of thing. I've gotten back to where they were, interesting that they've got young lad starting, like George Hennes has started every game this season, which is a little bit strange when you've got Garnacho and Bi on the bench. So I don't know whether there's a, maybe not something going on, but maybe there's a reason why he's not picking them to, probably because Garnacho is a ballbag. And as I know about it, he mumbides on if he's fully fit or whatever, all I know is that he's mum and dad are the most pushy parents ever, like they did on the sidelines thinking, my son should be playing, because he was hauled out to every club around Europe in the week in the summer. So they won't be able to see him not starting, but it may be his unfair or whatever I don't know, but yeah, Villa got back to where they think this should be, and we'll see if they can go and build on it in the coming weeks, because the league's tight at the end of the season, I can guarantee you that Villa, if you'd give them three points against Hall and a point against Brighton, those four points at the end of the season will move Villa up, probably two or three positions, because at the end of the season, you obviously that really tight, sort of goal different, one or two points here and there can move you up from Europe league to Champions League, it always ends up so tight, and you always end up looking back. And I always think, you know, I probably look back at the start and think, five, Watkins hadn't gone, if Conner hadn't gone at the time they did, we could have hit the ground, we're running a bit more, but long way to go since then anyway. Ashton Villa with a three to win, a two-neil win for Manchester City, who were away in Porto, and there's a bit of a raucous one, I think it was a fair bit of hostility and aggression between the two sides, I think there was some stuff that spilled over into the tunnel as well, but it's another couple of goals for Erling Harland, five goals now for him in just four games, three wins at a three in the Premier League for Enzo Maresca, now one from one 100% in the Champions League. We always ask when a top manager like Pep Guardiola leaves a football club, how will the success of fair? We've seen it so many times, we've seen it with Unai Emery trying to succeed Ars and Venga, we saw it with David Moise trying to fill the shoes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Enzo Maresca with four wins from four, Joel. It's a pretty good start, but I think the test will truly be when they lose a game and how they react. Yeah, I mean, let's not forget, he's inherited a great, great team, did a domestic double last season has got, you know, Black Marina said, inherited from the past, what did he say in that? In that case, you know, it's a guy's from the past, but he was that last one of those iconic press conferences I've ever seen, but yeah, he's inherited a great team. So it's it's not shocking for me to see him start so well, it's not like when David Moise came to Man United and all the team were ready to go into the local old people's home. He's got a great team that can definitely challenge for the league, definitely go far in the Champions League. I was more interested to see how the pivot of Enzo Fernandez and Boardi did. One of them definitely went the way it went, I thought in my mind how it would go, which was Enzo Fernandez getting into a fight in the tunnel at halftime, which I thought was just nailed on anyway. But Boardi, I think he had 98% success rate in his passing, which is pretty phenomenal at the same time. That's the kind of profile they needed, coming in straight away from Rodry, who was the guy. Bramay's to be seen if he's going to do that in high pace, intensity games in the Premier League. He's only 18, but he showed it in the World Cup too. But yeah, I like you say, I think the best, well, the great test they've got is at the weekend in the Manchester Derby, which I think is going to be a real big test for them. Not in terms of quality, because obviously the Man United team, I don't think he's up to pace at the moment, especially compared to that city team. But Manchester Derby is a very different kind of prospect. His propositions aren't the you can throw wherever you want any kind of performance for me, the team. But yeah, I'm not I'm not I'm not massively shocked, because it's just a great team. I mean, you've got Erlin Harlan who scored two yesterday. If you're in Erlin, Erlin Harlan, I think he'd score a few for us if we took over a city. The guy is just then he's a freak of nature. He's going to go down as one of the best ever Premier League strikers, potentially one of the best ever strikers the way he continues. So he's he's he's very lucky in that sense. But yeah, I'm really interested to see how he deals with a bit of adversity for the first time when he come. You definitely will get it next this weekend. Erlin Harlan has just turned 26. He's got 115 Premier League goals in 135 appearances. And he's just begun, I think it's the sixth highest Champions League scorer of all time. He's just gone past Raoul, which is absolutely absolutely. He scored a load for Dortmund as well and Salzburg, which people forget about. You know, so he's already got a head start before getting to Manchester City because he was scoring a decent amount of goals for those two teams. Alan Shira quaking in his boot, Smarley Harlan's going to break the scoring record, isn't he? Surely 115 in 135. If he stays fit, which he generally does, he's 26. I mean, he'd need to score at the same rate for the next 10 years to get close to Shira. But and doesn't that say something about the longevity of Alan Shira? Like that is staggering in it. It also says that he played more Premier League, was it a fight two game to season? Well, Shira also played for one score goals in the top division before the Premier League even started. Exactly. Thank you. Now, the voice of reason there, rather than the voice of jealousy, jealousy that Rude Vanistaroi never got there. I'm so jealous, we dominated the 90s. And we're in really jealous. Nobody got there. All your players turned fat and all the way back to everything when they had chance of sniffing that record. It was those four seasons at the start of the Premier League. Three at Blackburn, one at Newcastle, which gave him such a good platform in terms of goals. 31 in 40, 93, 94, 34 in 42, 94, 95, 31 again in 35 appearances in 95, 96, then he goes to Newcastle, 25 and 37. You know, there's 115 goals there in four seasons. So Harland is operating at the same level that Shira was operating at in his early years in the Premier League. There's only one thing stopping Shira from not having that record or from keeping that record. And that's Harland leaving. I just don't see him at City for the next 10 years. I feel like he'll do a good stint there. And then you've got Real Madrid and Barcelona or even Bayern Munich when Harry Kane eventually starts tailing down whenever that is. I just don't see him there for the rest of his career or at least for the next, I think three more years. And then he'll soon be looking at, you know, another challenge or another, you know, another country. The worry for City should be when his contract runs out because no one's going to be able to afford to come and buy him. If you imagine, imagine somebody put a bid in now for Harland and City were forced to say a price. It'd be 350 million. It might be 500 million. You know what I mean? It's almost priceless at this point, isn't it? Yeah, he's completely priceless. So yeah, if he does stay in the Premier League for the rest of his career, Shira's record is going to go fairly easily. But yeah, that's the sticker for Newcastle I've got. But if it does go, I've got a lot of excuses as to why Shira's still the best ever. But we'll cross that bridge room. We come to it. I've got my essay written. It's already there. Oh, Marley, we've got an outsider, which is that Harry Kane comes back to the Premier League and gets 30 gold seasons in just the clips, is it? Harland signed a new contract, didn't he? A couple of years ago, a nine and a half year contract. So he's at Man City until 2034. 2034. Oh, Jesus, what's that? Seven years away? Right. So he'll be 34 at that point. Okay, we could see it get broken then, couldn't we? That'd be honest. We could see it get broken. But obviously, if they want to sell him, then the price is going to have to be huge. And if you think of the clubs that he could go to, you think of the inflation by that point as well. I think at that point, you'd have to give him equity in the club that he's going to. He's the only way they're affording it. Well, it would be like a messy situation when he went into Miami. You know, he got shares in the club. Yeah, I actually think it might have to be that the way the football, the transfers are going, but there's only three clubs really that he could go to. I know, but if you think of those three clubs, unless Rail Madrid changed their policy, which is picking up good players for free and using the pull of the club to bring them in, they're going to have to wait till 2034 before Erling Island becomes a free agent. Barcelona don't have any dough. So it's not going to be them. Well, they've got nine years to start saving. Actually, no eight years. They want to get him on air one year before his contract finishes. And who's the other club buying, but they're not typically a team that will go on selling them, spend 250 million on a player. I don't think you'd even go to buying to be honest. Honestly, I think it's nailed on for rail and rail are not scared to go into the market and potentially pay big, but I don't think they'll be willing to wait until these 32, 31 years of age. It's unless they do some kind of swap deal with Vinny Jr or something of that kind. I don't know what it is. He's locked in at man city boys. I'm telling you, he's not going anywhere. Rail Madrid would have to do that thing that they do where they float their eyelashes and float and say, we want you and when they have a new, when they have a new president, the president says, if I get in charge, I'm trying to sign Erling Harland and then maybe he get to wind of it and says, oh, I'm quite fancy that. I've been at city for seven years. I'm quite fancy the move. That's the only way it happened. That an end of contract. But that's hopefully that doesn't happen because I ate it when Real Madrid did that. It's it's frustrating. It doesn't always work. Astrid Alexander Arnold. It was dog shit again last night in defensive midfield for Real Madrid. Lost his man for the the inter goal, but that's a separate issue. I keep forgetting that games are being played on Thursday. So Manchester United are playing on Thursday. God knows why. It's so many United are used to it. Like, remember when they won the Europa League and the Atifa and their Thursday throughout like. I think it's the travel. I seem to remember that in the Champions League previously, when you've seen like an Azerbaijani team or someone from deepest Eastern Europe, the games generally tend to kick off either the day before or the day after most of the other fixtures. Surely it has to be to do with the travel. Sabras Azerbaijan. Five and a half hours, but probably more like 11 hours of the connecting flight. And I don't know if Sabra are going to be able to use private jets with the 900 quid that their owner has got in his bank account. Exactly what I was about to say. The Lithuanian leaders are getting pissed at the wall on a private jet. That's it for today's social daily subscribe or follow links in the description and that way you'll never miss an episode. Again, we'll be back with more later this week. We'll see you then.