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Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:26 PM
Hello and welcome to another episode of Sutton United Talk Time on Podcast. It's the Sutton podcast in association with Lucky Star Gin. I'm your host, Mike, and today we're having another peek behind the amber curtain and it's our Match Day Programme Editor, Lyle Reynolds. We are going to find out all about Lyle. He doesn't know that. And also what he does, the role and how we can kind of help as fans, as contributors, as all sorts of things. So keep listening.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:26 PM
Because you are going to be needed. Always the engagement. Love the conversations. Love it when people join in. And I do see it all. It's great. Thank you very much. And the ones who do it regularly, I really, really, really appreciate it. I know I say it all the time. It sounds like it's off-pat, but honestly, I really do. So Lyle, thank you very much for joining me. Yeah, it's your debut. I have kind of been always thinking, right, I've got to get Lyle, I've got to get Lyle. And then I did worry because, well, as the kids say, you ghosted me for a little while. And I was like, he doesn't want to do this, does he? But I finally badgered you enough. So there will be lots of people who do know you, obviously, because...
Lyall - 6:27 PM
Well, I'm Lyle. I'm the Programme Editor. You've possibly even seen me stewarding by the tunnel a lot over the past decade, or however long that's been. I was the one in the picture behind Wayne Shaw when he ate the pie, as Mike and I were discussing. We're not bitter. My footballing journey, I moved from Yeovil to Battersea when I was about eight, I think, got into football. Moved back down to Yeovil, we went from West Yeovil to Yeovil Village via Battersea, and by then my dad took me to watch Epsom and Yeovil play. It was literally two minutes up the road over the back. And then we went along, I think my second ever game was Aldershot vs. Fulham at Aldershot, freezing cold, nil-nil on a December night. My first ever game was Wimbledon vs. Palace. Colton Fairweather scored two-one direct from a corner for Wimbledon, and then we started going to watch another local side, Sutton, and that just seemed to click. I think it was the same sort of era when we were knocking in sevens against people like Telford and the likes, and Kettering, I think, people like that. And then, yeah, kind of got hooked. My first full year, I guess, was 1989, 88-89. For those who are recognising the date, that makes me a massive...
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:28 PM
Wow.
Lyall - 6:29 PM
...glory hunter. I'm only here for the FA Cup. And I've stuck with it ever since. So coming along a few games with my dad, and then as I became an adult, a little bit older, I still followed the club, came now and then, and then saw an advert on the website for a programme editor. I think Tony was stepping aside to look after his daughter, who was obviously quite young at the time, and met up with Tony up the road from where we both worked, had a chat and he said, yeah, do you want to go for it? And that was about 22 years ago. It's certainly grown a lot at the early stages. I used to do the youth programme, the reserve programme, the first team programme. Most of it was pre-printed, so you couldn't really make any changes. Other than potentially everyone goes, well, you can get it on the internet. But we can't. We desperately struggle throughout, Tony and I, to make sure that everything we put in, where we can, is unique to the programme. The manager's article is normally unique. Mark Frake's bit's unique. We have articles from people like Louis and Andrew Church and a few others who make it all unique, and people still now just go hooking it online. No, you can't. But, yes.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:30 PM
Mhm.
Lyall - 6:30 PM
That's where I am. And then, weirdly, I was given some award at the end of this year, I think, for long service. It was brilliant seeing Tim Vine and myself on the pitch, getting my Clubman of the Year. So thank you to the club. Thank you to Tim. And then having to be presented a second time with the same trophy because the announcement didn't go out properly. And Tim then said, again, is this the second time you've won this award? So that was a good one. So that's where we are. And now I'm on the Sutton United podcast with the podcast guy. So I've obviously moved up in the world. Yeah, although how on earth do I follow Gary Otto? I thought, as I said to Mike in the pre-chat, I thought that was a brilliant interview. I thought Gary was very, very excellent. So again, a good reflection of the club.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:30 PM
Oh, right. I was like, is it a second time? I know, things moved up in the world. I had to wait for you to get that club for the year, really.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:31 PM
Yeah, he made it a lot easier for me, just answering your questions. I was like, oh, this is great. So, you've mentioned obviously a little bit about coming along and Sutton clicking. What made it click? Kind of what I'm asking is, who made it click? Which of those two strikers? Come on. Or was it someone else? Yeah.
Lyall - 6:31 PM
Well, actually, see, everyone always goes, was it Lenny or Macca? And for me, it was actually Prince Nazeem Akrur, the young lad still playing in France at the age of 50, isn't he now? And then Dominic Felton. If I ever pick my starting eleven, those two are up top for me. Just the guy, all the grace. I've had the privilege of playing on the same pitch as Dominic, and it was amazing. It was where I used to coach football over in Epsom, his son was at the club and he played on the same pitch. I loved it. It's just effortless watching people, even non-league level and amateur level. I played with Abel as well, so Micky Stevens, just their brains are a different level to what we all want to be. So what made it click? I just guess I've always liked the non-league sort of scene. When I moved up to Manchester for uni, I used to go and watch Altrincham and Stockport, who were lowly.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:32 PM
Yeah.
Lyall - 6:32 PM
I used to watch a small club called Man City, in what was the third tier, play against the likes of Wigan. It was the season, in fact, when I was up there watching them, that they scored in the extra time against Gillingham in that ridiculous final to get promoted up and start their climb.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:32 PM
So, I think you may have covered this as well, was the Programme Editor your first volunteering stint? Or was... Yeah. With the club, yes, 100%. It was the first thing I got involved with. Otherwise, I was just coming along with my dad now and then, or just popping along with my mate Alex, a school friend, who, the only school friend I'm still in touch with, so we'd be pleased to get a name drop. But yeah, we'd walk along now and then to watch the games and I saw it, volunteered, and I have really enjoyed it. It's a labour of love, especially early on before I kind of honed the...
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:33 PM
Yeah, I don't think people realise, and obviously, I've got some questions later about what the actual process is. So, as a supporter, right, what has been your personal highlights of being associated with Sutton United?
Lyall - 6:33 PM
I mean, you can't ignore the promotion to the Football League. That was just surreal. I think I was almost in a state of shock as we were beating Hartlepool that day. We're a non-league club and even when we're in the Football League, it's like we're a tiny little club playing well above our league, but we deserve to be there. That was great. The FA Cup runs have always been good. I mean, under Doz, we just never... It's always interesting to get one going until, yeah, we obviously beat everybody. Leeds was great. The Wimbledon away game was the best of all. Other highlights, a Dundoe chip against Salisbury many moons ago was wonderful. Dundoe's, you know, a legend of all sorts. So, yeah, just lots and lots of... I think it's always been the fun times. The Barrow FA, not FA Cup, the Bob Lord Trophy. I was quite young, must have been late teens, and they're chanting, who the F in L's Bob Lord, to which my dad turned around and just told me exactly who Bob Lord was. It was a former councillor or something. And then when we won one of the leagues, I can't remember, it must have been, it wasn't National League South, it was even, it must have been the Isthmian Premier. It was the game that was delayed to the first week because of the rain, when we beat Aldershot at home 5-0, I think it was, or 5-1 to win the league. And I'd come down from Manchester to London to work in the London office, because all the Essex managers there, they were all Canvey boys. So they said, yeah, come and work in the London office. And I was there in my suit because I knew I had to go to work the next morning, running on the pitch, getting it filthy, hugging Goku and just delighted that we'd won a league. So that was another silly highlight.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:35 PM
the game? Obviously, you've got the Stewarding to chuck in now as well, but before the Stewarding, how did your role affect the experience of watching the game? I know the Stewarding is vastly different.
Lyall - 6:35 PM
It's quite interesting because, yeah, when you start to then get to know the players more, I know this is the thing, everyone knew the players before we kind of started our big rise up. Players would chat with you all the time, we'd chat in the bar, so, you know, great relationships and friendships of people like Matty Gray and Danny Bolt and all those guys, and you kind of think, this is the sort of club we are, we are that friendly, but then also chatting with John Raines and getting to speak to him every evening when I was doing the programme notes, that was sort of lovely. Did it change the way I... No, I'm still a fan, I still look at it and think, that's annoying, but I guess I kind of see more what the club was trying to do or what the players were trying to do. Yeah, it hurts when you lose and you're still happy when you win.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:36 PM
Of course. Yeah, I remember I saw Tony at the club that won the women's game and it's just one of those things, because I work in the borough as well, and I saw him and I kind of kept looking thinking, I know you, I know you, and he was with his daughter and grandchildren and we were like looking around places, I can't remember, it was weird, but one of us said, oh, do you know your way around? And she kind of just smiled and went, yeah, my dad's played here one or two times, it's time we know where we're going. And I suddenly went, oh my god, I've realised who it was now, do you know your way around the club? Yeah. But the role obviously we keep sort of talking about, what does it kind of entail? We have kind of discussed, I'm assuming.
Lyall - 6:37 PM
Yeah. Well, it has sort of changed over the years. So to start with it was a case of this is the official publication, you put out all the official notices and we tried to get as many articles as we could and it was great but it was just full of adverts, we know this, and then it sort of evolved a bit more. I was also part of the management committee, so I was part of, there I guess just for a younger opinion and then they brought on Gareth Miller, who's obviously even younger than me, and so they sort of work our way towards helping just listen, advise and add a comment, but then in terms of the programme it was, I was given free reign really to make it what we wanted it to be and I knew that we wanted the best programme it could be. Oh, our flag's falling down. There you go, it shows you it's live ladies and gentlemen.
Lyall - 6:38 PM
So, yeah, so I've kind of always had carte blanche, knowing that I couldn't get, I wouldn't bring the club into disrepute, it's still an official thing. I remember once in an editorial having a big discussion about the respect campaign when it first came out and how referees actually still need to earn the respect, not just presume they should be respected, not saying you should be rude. And I walked into the boardroom after the match and Mr Turvey, the chairman of the league, was in there and he went, you're the programme editor, and I went, hello, and he went, I really liked your article. And I went, oh, thank God for that. I thought I could potentially have just got us into trouble there. Back in the day, I think I managed to use a couple of gandamonium match reports and accidentally forgot to take out a couple of swear words. Just totally missed them.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:39 PM
Oh, phew!
Lyall - 6:39 PM
Not bad ones, not bad ones. So yeah, that's a bit, but it really, yeah, it's, I mean, it was only a two-word match report in the end, and one of them was a swear word. I'll blame Taz. But I think, yeah, essentially, I've been allowed to do what I want. And the design of it has always been me. So if people have liked it, and thought, oh, that's quite handy. It's just I've taught myself graphic design and developed it and written it and I've always had enjoyed writing. So yeah, this offseason, I've finished writing a second draft of my book that I'm eventually going to publish. So everyone's going to buy one. But it's a, it's a, and it's not a football one. So it's not going to compete with Johnny. Don't, don't worry. And yeah, so and that's it. And then stewarding, I guess I just, we always needed volunteers. And this has always been that family club where everyone just mucked in. And I just came along, helped out, I've done the gate. And they just tend to be that here to help by the tunnel where you tell them they can't go down the tunnel and the same people every week go, can I not get to the bar that way? No, still can't. Still the same rules.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:40 PM
Oh no. No. Yeah, that's kind of what I was saying to Gary. It's like, one of the little things I've just got into a habit of doing last season is going into the park, getting my drink and gathering my thoughts and wandering back out up the tunnel to take my little silly video. And every time I'm like, I shouldn't be allowed to do this. Someone should be saying, no. We are a professional football club. Stop wandering around. But hopefully they won't. Please don't. Please do. So summer is obviously a nice quiet time for you when you don't have to do any editing at all. You just got to think of a whole new different concept and designs. What's the kind of process from your planning stage?
Lyall - 6:41 PM
Well, first of all, my day job is I'm a teacher. So ideally, and people go, oh, you get so much holiday. Yeah, because we cram, flipping 10 months, 12 months work into 10 months. But ideally, I'd wish the school year went with the actual football season, because that'd make it so much easier, because then I'd have proper downtime. Because I'm now still teaching, obviously. And yeah, I'm about to hit preseason. My process, though, is, as I mentioned, I trawl the internet, I look for programs everywhere I can, look at nice layouts, nice designs, nice features, see how people run stuff, and then kind of try and recreate it myself. And what I do is I find them, stick them on a concept thing, send it out to a few people and go, what do you reckon of this? Again, it's another one that a PDF accidentally ended up in your inbox, which seems to be the norm. We won't mention any kit emails, but it's so again, I've deliberately sent you this one. So that wasn't accidental. And the idea is a few people are looking and go, actually, that works quite well. Obviously, we've got Matthew Disley and Jack Ryan. Is that is it Jack Ryan? To me, that's something that's like he's the bloke from the FBI. Yeah, daily, that's it. So he's those two have kind of emailed a couple of times.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:42 PM
Daily. Yeah, it's daily. Yeah. Yeah.
Lyall - 6:42 PM
So the commercial side and the media side can have an input, the covered design may well be more like the corporate brochure, but with a slight lielification, and, and the inside is still going to be roughly how I want it. But I think they want more opportunity for commercialism. But then I'm also erring on the side of, but you go to commercial people stop buying it because it becomes a brochure, not a...
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:43 PM
And also, a lot of the people buying it aren't going to be the target for a lot of the commercials because most of us are going to come buy whatever is produced or get the tickets or whatever anyway because we're there. So yeah, there's lots of things like that. So obviously you do your work, you literally rock up.
Lyall - 6:43 PM
8.45 is my first lesson and four o'clock is when the lessons end. If you want the actual time in, and I do leave at five past four, I'm not hanging about, I'm going to go pick my son up.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:43 PM
school at nine o'clock and you're out of there by three o'clock. Right, sorry. So what does your typical week look like? So let's go, we're not in the summer, you've...
Lyall - 6:43 PM
So, a Saturday match day, yeah, so a Saturday match day I'll, depending what obviously I'm doing over the weekend, and if it is football started, whether I'm actually at the game or if it's an away game, when I don't tend to go to because family takes sort of priority, but I'll do a bit on Sunday, maybe then a bit more on Monday night and a bit more on Tuesday night, and then it all has to be done, dusted, on Wednesday. And when I've finally finished it, I'll send it through to Tony and he'll proofread it at silly o'clock in the morning, normally about, I send it for about 11 or 12 o'clock at night when I've finally finished it, and then send it over to the printer. So, they've got it to print straight away on Thursday morning to get ready and delivered by Friday before they close. So, we've got it for the weekend. Some Tuesday night games become a bit more tricky, and this was an interesting discussion. Rob Oates ran the data. It's like we weren't selling any more on Tuesday night games, the print costs were just too silly. So, we thought we'll just merge them, and actually merging the programmes meant we sold about the same amount, but without the print costs going through the roof. So, that's why we started to do the double-header programmes for when we had Saturday, Tuesday games. If anyone wondered why we did it, it is purely to save money, because we're still a club as you know, the up-top people would say, that need to make and watch our pennies. And the programme, unfortunately, isn't as profitable in any sense that it used to be. People have stopped buying it. It's an added cost when you're already thinking, well, hang on, I've got to pay how much for a beer, I've got to pay how much for my ticket. A programme drops down the pecking order, which is a shame, but I can only offer what I'd like to offer.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:45 PM
Of course. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Exactly. Oh.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:45 PM
Yeah, I mean, you've won Program of the Year, or there were certainly nominations for Program of the Year a few times. I'm sure you've won it. Okay. Right.
Lyall - 6:45 PM
I don't think we've actually won it for, since Isthmian days. Not that I'm aware of, no one's told me, but I know that a lot of people will say, even a few opposition fans will say, no, yours is very good, which I'll take as a compliment for the six readers that we have. So that's quite nice.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:46 PM
Yeah. Yeah. So you've mentioned a little bit already about the content. What do you, what's your ideal aim to have in a program, a normal one game a week program? And do you, do you have themes? Do you ever get hit with a hole?
Lyall - 6:46 PM
Yes, so normally when I send stuff over to Tony, remember I've already said this is 11 or 12 at night when he should really have gone to bed as well, and then he'll go, oh, I just realised you haven't included this. You probably weren't on the mailing list. So there's been group chats going round and I've not been told about it. And all of a sudden I've got to re-juggle and re-edit and re-put in pages. And programmes are still printed in blocks of four. So if I want to add one page because we've got to add one advert from the league, to be fair, the league are actually normally quite good. But if it's a campaign that's internal, we've done a partnership with Royal Marsden, if I'm not told about it and we've got to add one page, that actually means I've either got to delete a page or find three other pages. Not always easy to do when you want to go to bed at one or two in the morning. So, yeah, I've had that a lot. That must have happened three or four times this last season.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:47 PM
Yeah. No, exactly. I should imagine so.
Lyall - 6:47 PM
In general content, I always want it to be as fresh and as new as possible, but there's so much that I look at and think, oh, that's just repetition. I've got to include the kit sponsors. It's on the website, that's why we dropped it for a little while. But then people go, but I want it, my name's on that, I want it in the programme. Travel may or may not appear, depending on if we've got an away game. And then you think, the supporters club doesn't change a lot, except for the travel part, the coach part, and obviously you've got all of the different people who, it doesn't necessarily change. So the only thing changing was the manager, and obviously last year we had two managers. And the first one was like, yeah, we'll come through this, we'll come through this, and it didn't quite happen. But the message was on track the whole time. And then you've got Steve, who, when he first came in, was like, we're trying something new, we're giving belief, stick with us. And obviously that did turn around. The results, but the message was the same throughout. And I think he'll, as Steve gets to know us all more, that will change slightly. But that was all we could do at that point was, look, seriously, keep believing. We're trying all we can. And we did come quite close. A couple of results could have gone our way and we might even have fluked a survival. But over a season, as they say, it's a marathon, not a Snickers.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:48 PM
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we're trying, yeah. Yeah. Exactly, yeah. Yeah. So what... I mean, this might be really harsh and horrible, you might not want to argue this. Are there any contributions or stories that you featured that are your personal highlights? Is there one you look back on going, I enjoyed that, I thought that was a good one? Obviously the ones I'm going to help with soon are going to be there, but...
Lyall - 6:49 PM
I don't know. I mean, the podcast ones that we're going to have very soon are going to be probably the best ever. When we got forced offline, so to speak, or even online last season when the print cost, essentially the printers were putting their prices up and up and up and our sales were down. The full, bigger, bigger program that started last year to see if that would increase sales. It didn't. And of course, the print cost had gone up. So we just stopped for two games, we went online only. And at that point it was like, I'm putting in all this effort for you to just give it away for free. I thought that doesn't seem to benefit me. What's the point? And moreover, I didn't want the club to lose out. You know, this is at least get some money. So I wrote an article in one of those two. So it's like, no, I'm someone who believes that we should have a program and if we're not going to have a program, I don't think we should give it away for free. I know that might go against everything, but it just didn't feel like I'm putting in all this effort to do it for free. And there are others, you know, I've got, as I say, three or four people who regularly contribute to the program and they want to see it and they're putting stuff in and anyone who I've always said, anyone who wants to give me an article, I'll try and get it in. I've had one person, which is the opposite of what you've said, highlights, lowlights in a sense. I've had one person who sent me an article, but bearing in mind, I live much nearer Eastleigh than I do Sutton. So when you get someone going, why didn't you put my article in, it's because we haven't had a home game for free games. So I haven't been in the club to check my pigeonhole where it had been delivered. So that's why it wasn't there. And I do get a lot of stick for that. But in fact, you only ever hear the negatives. It's very rare that you get people go, oh, I like that program. It's like two or three compared to the end that go, oh, that was rubbish. Yeah.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:50 PM
Yeah, that's what I was kind of saying in my intro, it appears by magic, and it's always been there, so people don't realise. I mean, the repetition stuff is something I kind of embrace, I do these stupid things and I just keep doing them, because the more I do them you will enjoy them. Some of the audience aren't seeing it as repetition, that's the first time, so that's why it feels weird to us doing it, because we're like, how many times have I done that, and you've done it for 22 years, so to you, it's like there's a lot of repetition, but other people won't get it. One of the things that has always held me back, because there's things I've kind of wanted to do over the years, but one of the things that has always held me back was, this looks like something I'm going to get very excited about, and I'll do it for six weeks, and then I'll be like, oh, I'm bored now, I don't want to do it anymore, and obviously that's no good, if you designate someone a whole, like with Frankie's history corner, or whatever, and then they suddenly go, I don't want to do it anymore, that causes you a big problem, because suddenly you've got this gap.
Lyall - 6:52 PM
Well, it's even that. I mean, Mark has been saying for probably the last five to 10 years that he's still not 100% sure what to do each year. Like, he's exhausted so many different avenues. So he gets to the point where he's like, I don't know. And then because I think over this last season, the program has kind of been like many volunteers, sorry, sorry, club, I do love you, but we have felt a little bit pushed out as volunteers. So someone like Mark is, you know, on the fence. Even I went, I don't know if I want to do the program anymore. I put in this effort. I don't feel it's appreciated. And it's such hard work when you kind of just feel like I'm just going through the motions. And I chat with my missus, she goes, but you do love it. And I do. It's a lot of hours. And it can be quite draining, especially can get in the way of the family stuff. I do really enjoy doing the graphic design. I do really enjoy the writing and seeing what people put, you know, adding Louis's take on the sort of the season review. And I know he wants to update it. I've potentially got another one looking at managers from different clubs, not by me. And a league historian wants to get involved if we can, if I can get back hold of him. So there's lots of stuff. And I always think if you want to put in.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:53 PM
Yeah. Well, that's kind of where I was going to lead on to there. How important is the fan and community contributions to the success of the programme? And you've kind of answered that. You really need it, because you can't...
Lyall - 6:53 PM
Well, keep keeping the program fresh. And if fans want to put stuff in it, then hopefully it makes it more relevant to them than just, oh, there's a page on this that I'm not interested in. It might be something that they're more interested in. So who knows? I mean, we've had two historical articles last year running quite a lot. And maybe people think that's too much on history, but I'm only putting in what I've got. You know, I haven't got time to write loads and loads.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:54 PM
Yeah, I mean, there's also, I've seen them and probably been guilty of going, yeah, we should, of more things of around the club. But again, it relies on someone bringing that together and going, here it is, but you're the editor, you're not supposed to be the writer of the programme, you're supposed to just take it all together. So how can fans get involved? How can...
Lyall - 6:54 PM
I'll just send it. Let me, as editor, be the judge of whether it's good enough, because I can always help rewrite stuff or just edit poor spelling if you're thinking, oh, I can't write. Don't worry about that. Tony still picks me up on grammar every now and then. So I wouldn't overly worry. I think if people want to, they can email me. There's normally contacts throughout the program, if not, it's lyall.reynolds at SuttonUnited.net. And that's L-Y-A-L-L and then Reynolds is R-E-Y-N-O-L-D-S at SuttonUnited.net. Just, just email me. And if you have to rewind that, just, I'm sure Michael put links there, but grab me on Twitter or X if you're modern and just get in touch or speak to me at a match. As I say, anything is welcome.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:55 PM
Yeah.
Lyall - 6:55 PM
If you think it's relevant, even if it's just, oh, I've been watching sort of third division Brazilian football. Do you think people are interested? Why not? You know, if it's just half a page or a paragraph, we might find an ex-Brazilian wonderkid who wants to come and play for Sutton. If we can get him when he turns 18, when they're allowed to come over, you know, five years residency. I don't know what the new, new, yeah, the new government immigration laws might have an impact on it.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:55 PM
We'll find out. Yeah. Yeah, we'll chuck him at Chelsea. So is there anything specific that you're looking at or is it just you're kind of...
Lyall - 6:56 PM
I think it's, I've always needed reliability. So even if you say, I'm going to do just do one article, is that all right? Absolutely fine. But try not to leave it till last minute on Wednesday night when I'm hitting deadline to then go, oh, I've not had time, sorry, because then I have to find either a filler or remove it. And sometimes people go, oh, we should get, for example, the board should put an update every week. Well, they haven't necessarily got an update every week, as we've seen on the website, we've seen everything else. Plus, I have to get someone to do it. And, you know, not all of them have got time to write, you know, 200 words every time. The manager doesn't always have time, you know, you ring up and you're kind of catching them on the car driving home from training, trying to get a message. And they're talking while I'm frantically scribbling and I don't do shorthand. So...
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:56 PM
Yeah. Yeah.
Lyall - 6:57 PM
it's like when I've... a few times it's been good fun, actually, to go back to the early question of ringing up different people. So when John Barden had his really bad accident on the pitch and ringing up Eastie just to find out, well, what's the mood in the camp? And I got Eastie to do programme notes as well as the managers, just so we could get the captain's perspective. And I've quite enjoyed that side, so. It's more about consistency, reliability. If you can volunteer and you want to do something regularly, just keep me in the loop. And if you are just somebody who fancies doing a one-off, just send it. But don't necessarily make it two times specific, because time can then run away.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:57 PM
I was just going to say, yeah, it might be a good idea for people to put stuff in that could be those fillers that you were talking about, so if you had a little stock of, here's a load of stuff that might be nice to put in at some point, it'd be nice to play with.
Lyall - 6:57 PM
Yes, yeah. Well, I think the laws of the game one we've just had towards the back end of the season from Andrew, I really quite like that, because most people, we all watch the game. We all hear Mark Frakes shouting and berating the refs, and we all think, you know, you hear swear words aimed at referees that just don't normally exist. So it's quite good to then see the laws again. And we all know that VAR luckily isn't at our level. And we all know that the handball rule is just ridiculously rubbish, because it's surely there's got to be a level of sort of intent rather than, oh, well, he didn't have his hands tucked behind his back when no one in the world runs like that. But it's like, I mean, Craig Hicks, who I've known since way, way back, who obviously now refs in the Football League and has done well for himself, whenever he pops up at Sutton, because he's a local lad, and we have great chats, because I've known him for...
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:58 PM
No one ever does.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:59 PM
I have asked different referees, not just Harry, different referees, if they would come on and talk about different things. I think there was one case where things were just, it was just like, how on earth does that decision be made? And I was just wondering that, and literally all of them going, we're not allowed, we can't do this. So yeah, obviously private chats are different, but they're like, no, we can't do that. So fair enough, I won't ask.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 6:59 PM
So you mentioned feedback earlier, where people will be like, okay, oh, oh, I didn't like that, I didn't like that, and it's really difficult because if you're getting the feedback where you're hearing from people going, I didn't like it, it's going to put you a slant on, oh, no one liked that, and then you'll have other people going, oh, I really missed that, I really liked that one. So how can people give you feedback and how do you kind of engage with anyone to do it? Has there been anything where...
Lyall - 6:59 PM
I don't think I've ever put anything bad in, because I've always, as I say, the company line has been the key. It is an official product. I've done surveys a couple of times. I got some feedback, and I've asked people, you know, what do we think? I've put questions out. Most people, as I say, they tend to say in person, they'll come and say, well done, I like that, well done again, you know, what passed, and then occasionally read on the forum, oh, I wish we'd got this. There's a few people always go, are you going to put the sort of like the pyramid leagues underneath us? It's like, well, not when we're in the EFL, I didn't need to bother, but when we're in the Ryman Premier.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:00 PM
Mhm.
Lyall - 7:00 PM
I didn't need to know what the Combined Counties League were doing. Not for the programme, it's extra space. So again, that's my editorial decision. And it might be, as you say, although I've been around for 20 odd years, in a role that is more prominent than just occasionally as a fan, people might not know who I am. They might just see me as, that's the bloke who steers near the tunnel, rather than that's the one who also does the programme. I mean, half the players probably just see me standing next to them.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:00 PM
Yeah.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:01 PM
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. This is fun. So, you did also touch on this earlier. The... The future.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:01 PM
I mean, when you did that decision of... when the decision was made of going digital for those couple of games, there was a lot of kickback from people saying, no, they like a physical program. There's no getting away from it, that it costs money to produce, and the more money you could...
Lyall - 7:02 PM
I think we just keep producing stuff that is unique, not to be reproduced from the online stuff. Printing costs hopefully will actually weirdly come down, just because technology will make it more efficient and easier to do. The problem is all these people who went, oh that's not fair, we want a printed one. Well then why didn't you buggers buy it in the first place? We had to stop it because no one was buying it. So it's that weird thing if you get like a loud minority saying we really want it, unfortunately that's not enough and you look around the league and there were so many clubs who would either stopped it, they went digital only or and some clubs like people going yeah but Newport are able to do this, they've probably got a full-time media team. Again we go back to the fact that I'm part-time, I'm not even...
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:02 PM
Yeah.
Lyall - 7:03 PM
Part-time I don't get paid for this job. I steward, I don't get paid for that job you know I'm just doing it because I love my club and I think it's one of those that how do I think we'll do it I just we're gonna keep doing it as long as we can do it until it really becomes not profitable. Tim Allison has said he's a big fan of the program so I know he wants to keep it and he just pulled the plug.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:03 PM
Yeah.
Lyall - 7:03 PM
Whilst we renegotiated and found a better price to printer who luckily I think is you know it's a bit of a fan driven one because they're fans of the club the printers which meant that they may be doing us a slight deal I don't know the exact figures but they probably helped us out a little bit which is good you know it but a lot of the time when we had hundreds of adverts a lot of that wasn't money to the program either it wasn't it was contrary it was like well they've just fixed the windows of the of the you know the the lounge so we'll put an advert in and then people go your program's not made money what about the adverts yeah but they didn't get any money for the adverts yeah I know so it's been a tough balance the one I hated was the the Arsenal program which I think ended up being like 100 odd pages and and because at the point we were just selling advert after advert after advert because we could and you know Arsenal...
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:03 PM
All right.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:04 PM
Yeah.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:04 PM
I mean, you mentioned that the, oh, everything's online and that line that people take. I mean, they're referring to things like the team news, which is on Twitter. And obviously, you can't put up-to-date team news in the program because...
Lyall - 7:04 PM
We've tried QR codes and stuff so but all that is is just repeating what they would have gone online it just gives them a route to find it
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:04 PM
I mean, we only told it an hour or two hours before. Yeah. Which is kind of, yeah. It does kind of need to be blended, but would you... With the articles being fresh, is there kind of any thoughts on putting some of the articles online after the event? Or would you rather just keep it completely, completely separate to the only places?
Lyall - 7:05 PM
We could do and you know I would always I've always made the PDF that I would have sent to the printers available to the likes of Pat Carr as it was her remit previously so it's been available and sometimes we've tried to use it to help promote certain things coming up but not necessarily done a lot with it I guess and and in terms of I forgot what I was going to say but I think it's more a case of when people say oh yeah it's I don't buy it now because I can get stuff online I think that might even just be them being polite they don't want to go I don't want to buy it sorry and I mean it's fine if you don't want to buy it or it is another cost and I do appreciate that in a world where money is a lot tighter I'm not going to say you've got to buy that and not your actual sustenance
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:05 PM
Maybe you could do some leaflets.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:05 PM
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah, that, that, yeah, exactly, so that, that will be a decision for a lot of people, because everything being expensive now. And, so...
Lyall - 7:06 PM
We're both sitting at the football in the background the team news will be out soon for those who don't know this has been recorded on the day that England beat Netherlands and of course edit that if we lose it's the day that we face the Netherlands
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:06 PM
Well, coming to the end, don't worry, I'll let you go soon. Have you got... Well, we still have a chance. You seem to think I do a lot more editing than I do. Is there any kind of...
Lyall - 7:06 PM
I'm trying to get more no I am trying to get more stuff in and again any volunteers who want to put forward an article frequently or otherwise I do want to do I have a more regular update from the board even if it is just a paragraph and haven't seen how well as I say Gary did on the podcast potentially there could be scope for any of the directors to chip in with under their roles because they all have the way the management system has now been set up it has been more towards a role rather than just people involved so maybe that will work and obviously I am going to promote the podcast but it's more the reason by the way we're trying to get this involved is because I think it's really interesting Mike has brilliant access to all of the opposition fans who kindly volunteer their time and I just thought it'd be really nice if we could marry that and instil some of those ideas into the programme so that we get an opposition view built into it and rather than two of us chasing because I've never had much luck because I don't have time to chase Mike is quite persistent in his chasing so he'll be able to grab ideas so we might be able to just use, sort of help each other he can then promote the podcast which I think is, it really is worth a listen I loved quite
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:08 PM
Yeah. Well, yeah, it's highly likely, but I promise everyone it's not my voice or anything going on in the podcast, so don't worry, it's going to be the away fan answering my inane questions. So, I think my final question was, what message would you...
Lyall - 7:08 PM
A lot of ideas from the previous segment and I think we'll be able to use them in the future as well." So thank you very much for that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:09 PM
Yeah. Well, that's a great way for some people, because I do know there are some, uh, some stat fans who do like doing all these things, um, so some of the young'uns, um, really get involved with that. So, yeah, um, and also, I think it's important that, A, Lyle's not going to go back to you and just go, no, or, okay, well, then you have to do it. It might be, that's a good idea, we need to explore it. Have you got the ideas who could do that?
Lyall - 7:10 PM
It's about reliability, if they have the time to do it and then actually send it over in time.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:10 PM
If it was presented to them as, you're going to be doing two a season, and it's going to be in 20 weeks' time, most of them are like, oh, okay, yeah, I can spare two, I can spare five, ten minutes twice a year. Um, yeah.
Lyall - 7:10 PM
Yeah, one now, one at Christmas, because I've noticed that once again we've got the funny... Everyone might think it's lovely when you see the Christmas fixtures, but I'm thinking, brilliant, we've got the New Year's Day one, which means the printers are shut all over Christmas, so we'll be printing that Christmas New Year's Day edition, not the Boxing Day match, because we're away at Barnet, but we've got the home match, I'll print that about the 12th of December. And that's the stupid thing about this, it's just, oh, just, yeah, I hate the fixtures.
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:10 PM
Yeah, I know that, because Boxing Day is a big family day here, and I do just about get away with, I'm popping down to Gander Green Lane for a couple of hours, but even if it's Wimbledon, it's like, no, that's like a 45-minute journey, and the game, and then back again, so it's like, no, I can't do that. The mum's, the mother's up, so I can't just go, like, see you later. So, but anyway, I've rambled at the end there, sorry. Lyle, thank you so much. I know everyone, every single person, when I ask for behind-the-scenes stuff, they're always like, oh, no one's going to be interested in what I do, and you will be genuinely surprised at some of the comments that will be out there. I didn't know all that was involved. But we are going to wrap up this episode of Sutton Podcast, and as Lyle said, we're...
Lyall - 7:11 PM
That's all right. Thank you.
Lyall - 7:11 PM
It's team news. Harry Kane is playing at left-back."
Mike Sutton Podcast - 7:11 PM
Going to go and watch the football in a minute, to see if everyone's going to be delighted, or miserable, tomorrow. Don't wind me up. We always appreciate your attention and feedback. See, feedback again. Feedback. Follow, like, share, and all the other stuff on social media at Sutton Podcast. If you do want to get in touch with Lyle, and you can't remember those details, and you haven't rewired it, drop me a message, and I will certainly pass it on, and give you his details. Don't forget to subscribe, on your preferred platforms, to stay up to date. You can leave us reviews. I did get a review the other day, and we're going to keep coming back with different things. I've got an interview with Jack Daly already recorded, and I'll be slotting that in at some point, and I've got other names on my hit list as well, who are going to join me. Thanks again to our sponsors.
Lyall - 7:12 PM
Bye.
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