In this season preview episode of Sutton United Talk Time on Podcast, I was joined by the always brilliant Claire, the ever-passionate Joe, and the freshly fertilised Neil (we’ll explain that). We looked ahead to the 2025–26 season with cautious optimism, plenty of laughs, and a shared belief that something special might just be brewing down Gander Green Lane.
Mike Dowling
00:59 - 01:09
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Suck United Talk Time on podcast.
It's the Sutton podcast in association with Lucky Star Gin. I'm your host, Mike. If you've listened before, welcome back. Remember, I will only take responsibility and apologize for the first one.
Mike Dowling
01:09 - 01:33
The rest is on you. If you are a new listener, you're very welcome. If you come back to us after listening to Steve's interview, Yeah, this is more usual, I just generally slapdash some questions and I get very lovely people to come and answer them and pretend I know what I'm talking about. Talking of the lovely people, we've got a frowny Claire, we've got Jo looking a
Claire
01:33 - 01:41
bit derailed. I just felt like you're about to downplay us in comparison to Mr. Morrison and I don't think that's fair. I built you up, I said you were lovely,
Mike Dowling
01:42 - 01:43
awesome people. Okay,
Claire
01:43 - 01:44
carry on,
Mike Dowling
01:44 - 01:54
sorry I interrupted. Yeah, wow, I was being nice. It was me being slapped, Ash! On the engagement, we love hearing from you.
Mike Dowling
01:54 - 02:11
Don't tell me I'm slapdash, because I know that. Stay connected, join the conversation, follow us on social medias, at Sutton Podcast. Do join in my amazing new Lucky Star lounge, because I've pushed it, and not one comment in there yet. But that's fine, it's a long season.
Mike Dowling
02:11 - 02:31
But we're going to do instructions. Neil, how has your summer been? And more importantly, I think we had this last year at the start of the season, how's your lawn? My lawn, my beautiful new lawn, looks better than Gander Green Lane, though I am growing a lot of mushrooms out of it at the moment.
Mike Dowling
02:32 - 02:48
Okay. Magic? No, not magic, but it was grown on mushroom compost, so the mushrooms are growing through, but it is beautiful. I might be out there every morning taking my mushrooms for free.
Mike Dowling
02:49 - 03:02
And how was the rest of your summer apart from your lawn maintenance? It was fabulous. It was fun on my allotment and planning a few holidays and going to pre-season friendlies. Lovely.
Mike Dowling
03:04 - 03:11
Joe, Joe, the media team now. Joe, have you got any autumn content planned? Because Steve was asking about that.
Joe
03:12 - 03:23
Oh, yeah, I was not involved at that point. Not me. No, yeah, been a crack in summer. Summer, everything I could want in a summer.
Joe
03:23 - 03:33
Yeah, working. So this is good. I don't want to be rude because I'm going to see Claire tomorrow and she's going to say, he was being all cute. And he was saying how much fun it was.
Joe
03:33 - 03:42
It's very rare in the office. When I went to training for the first time, and Aaron was like, you're not going to film it. And I'm just standing watching. mouth open.
Joe
03:43 - 03:49
I don't know, I was fumbling. But no, it's amazing. I had a good summer. I'm getting results next week, but we don't talk about that.
Joe
03:50 - 03:57
So yeah, it's going to be fine. It's going to be cool. And then, yeah, it's been a really nice summer in Spain and I've had a really good time.
Mike Dowling
03:58 - 04:01
Excellent. And Claire, nice quiet summer for you.
Claire
04:03 - 04:27
It feels like, I know everyone's talking about how excited they are to be back and I kind of feel like I've never been away. I think I've possibly spent more time at the club over the summer than I spent there during the season, or at least it feels like that. But yeah, lots of really exciting stuff happening over the summer. Lots of redecoration and DIY and lots of planning for what's to come next season.
Claire
04:27 - 04:42
I've got lots of exciting events up my sleeve for 25, 26. So, yeah, it feels good. I had a week away last week as well, which was a nice little break and spending quality time with Joe. So, you know, it's been a good one.
Mike Dowling
04:44 - 04:50
Talking of quality time, Jo, did you listen to the Hampton-Richmond game on MixLR or were you not able to get it?
Claire
04:51 - 04:54
I was there, so I didn't listen to the Hampton-Richmond
Mike Dowling
04:54 - 04:54
game. Oh, I put you away
Claire
04:54 - 04:59
on that one. No, I came back Saturday lunchtime so that I could go to Hampton.
Mike Dowling
05:01 - 05:02
It must be on his flight.
Claire
05:03 - 05:09
I didn't know it was on a flight down in, so it's down in Dorset. So it was a, yeah, motorway job.
Mike Dowling
05:10 - 05:28
Neil, you were desperate to mention the commentary. Go on. Well, I was very impressed by Joe's commentary, but he came out with two of the best lines. John Motson and Barry Davis would have been proud of them, which the first one was, do they get a lot of beavers in Surrey?
Mike Dowling
05:29 - 05:52
And this is a creature that's been extinct for 400 years, that's only just slowly been introduced into various parts of the country. That was fantastic. But the best one was really, and Terry started laughing and couldn't stop, was when Joe couldn't work out which side of the penalty area was left and right. And he was getting very, very confused.
Mike Dowling
05:53 - 06:09
And it was very confusing with the commentary. And Terry was telling him, it depends on where you're standing, which direction you're kicking in. And that didn't seem to make any difference to Joe, who was still getting his lefts and rights mixed up. Did you not write it on your hand, Joe?
Mike Dowling
06:09 - 06:11
You know, when you put your hands out in front, this has got an L.
Joe
06:14 - 06:30
I'd like to say that it was a rollercoaster of a commentary. I thought, you know, the whole, well, the Hampstead and Richmond are called the Beavers. But then nothing was happening in the game and everyone was getting substituted. So we kind of delved into the history of the Beaver and why it's called the Beaver.
Joe
06:30 - 06:38
And then someone in the chat, oh no, Tony, Tony Dalbert, the man himself, told me something like, on Beaver Road. And then we just got into a whole kind of...
Claire
06:42 - 06:55
They used to have a beaver as a mascot and just between visits the beaver disappeared. So Andy and I often, and we sung it on Saturday, sing our favourite chant of Where's Your Beaver Gone?
Joe
06:57 - 07:02
What to what tune? Where's your beaver gone? Where's your beaver gone? What tune?
Joe
07:04 - 07:13
So all of you that want high quality commentary where you can't figure out your left and right, tune in at the season opener against York on Saturday.
Claire
07:13 - 07:17
So you didn't get this kind of level of content with Steve, did you? I
Mike Dowling
07:17 - 07:27
did not, no. Steve definitely did not talk about beavers. Firstly, right, Neil, beavers can't be extinct if they're coming back. They can't be extinct for 400 years.
Mike Dowling
07:27 - 07:49
They live just in decline. No, extinct in the UK. Sorry. And Joe, that commentary sounds very much like the old days of Amber Planet, where you'd click on a thread thinking it's about the next game, and you'd be reading about something completely different within two or three posts that used to be absolutely off a tangent at any given
Mike Dowling
07:49 - 07:59
opportunity. I don't know if there's still an archive of some of them, but some of them were just great. You'd be like, why has this had so many comments? And you realize, right, so let's quickly cover all the signings.
Mike Dowling
08:00 - 08:10
I didn't do my... my little scouting reports because I got destroyed last year. I was like, I can't do this. But Claire, we'll go with you.
Mike Dowling
08:10 - 08:24
Anyone? Anyone standing out so far? Anyone you're a bit surprised at? Do you think there's any weaknesses?
Mike Dowling
08:24 - 08:34
Did we think there's anywhere we could improve at this stage? Obviously we've just done the pre-seasons and we're looking mighty fine, so there probably isn't, but how do you feel about the signing so far and how they've filled in?
Claire
08:37 - 09:08
Yeah, I mean it's been really exciting to watch, not just the pre-season games, but I think like Joe and I have kind of been in a bit of a privileged position where kind of obviously we get to see things behind the scenes and being around the players at the club and kind of get a bit of a feel of kind of what the vibe is behind the scenes as well. So I think like you not just see them as as kind of their playing ability, but you see kind of how they're all gelling together. And actually I think like, I don't think like from what we've watched so far that there is something missing.
Claire
09:08 - 09:37
I think we've got a really good mix of people. I think it's been really exciting to see kind of a step change from what was there before. I think we've all talked about, I've definitely spoken with all of you about kind of the lack of communication last season and the fact that people weren't talking to each other on the pitch. And it didn't seem like we were really necessarily driving forward As a team and I definitely think you can see the difference of that on the picture was massively evident on on Saturday.
Claire
09:38 - 09:55
With the way that they were communicating and also like the communication coming from the bench and the fact that they were listening to that and doing stuff about it. So I think that I wouldn't think there's anything missing. I think from a behind the scenes perspective, they just seem to have gelled so well. There's a real good ethos and vibe about the place.
Claire
09:55 - 10:30
Everyone seems to be kind of laughing and joking with each other and the camaraderie is really, really there, which is very exciting to see. and I think you've seen a step change in some of the people who are still around from last season, like fitness has really upped and the way some people are performing I think is really, really exciting and really encouraging. I think kind of the the, what's the word, the experience that we've added to the team. So the likes of Jonesy and Phipsy have really kind of added to that.
Claire
10:30 - 11:05
And then along with Woody, like have really kind of added to that kind of, I'm not going to say senior because it sounds rude and they're probably all still younger than me, but that kind of experience level and they're really kind of bringing people with them. So it's really, really great to see that. And I think like, Woody in particular, for me, feels like a completely different person to watch. Saturday, he was just, yeah, the last few games where he's been playing, just been phenomenal and really excited to watch kind of what comes from that.
Claire
11:05 - 11:09
So no gaps for me and exciting to see what they all do on Saturday.
Mike Dowling
11:11 - 11:14
And beyond, obviously.
Claire
11:14 - 11:14
But yeah,
Mike Dowling
11:15 - 11:21
one game at a time. One game at a time. It's probably too exciting. It's not the end of the season yet, as Steve quite rightly said.
Mike Dowling
11:22 - 11:33
Neil, what do you think of the signings in general? And has anyone stood out for you or any gaps for you? I have to agree with Claire 100%. Now, there's a first.
Mike Dowling
11:35 - 12:00
I'm so privileged. I, you know, I think every single one is an absolute upgrade on what we had last season. And I think the player that's potentially going to be the most exciting, I think, actually, is Jayden White. He looks, he's David Adjuboy-esque, but actually seems to have much better ball control than David Adjuboy, but not quite as fast.
Mike Dowling
12:00 - 12:21
So I think he's going to be absolutely a key player and I think he might actually make himself one of the first players on the team sheet, actually. Very impressed by him, particularly. Joe?
Joe
12:23 - 12:52
Yes, obviously echoing what Claire said. I feel like every player has improved. Like in every way, no matter if they were here last season, just one, they're all a year older and a lot of them either had never played at this level before or had played at a higher level, but hadn't got any games. I mean, Steve said on the podcast the other day, he said about Sims playing the most games he's ever played in a season.
Joe
12:53 - 13:15
But he just, again, seems like so much more compared to where he was, let's say coming into the game against Tamworth on the first day last season, such a different player. For me, Um, I mean, you can always talk about, you know, signing that is on a permanent. I think Henk Ritschlo is a good signing. I think one player who I think was already here, who I think could be another key player, Jack Wardham.
Joe
13:15 - 13:52
He was really good on Saturday and he just seems like He was playing in that kind of attacking midfielder role, and now he's kind of settling a bit more into midfield, and he just seems so much more fluid and comfortable with his game. I think he could be really, really crucial for us this season if Simms takes a more attacking role, if they're playing together. But obviously, we've got such depth of decision, Woody. I think from the new boys, I think Liam Vincent, I think the long throw, especially in the National League, is a massive potent force to have, and I think he's as equally defensively minded as he is going forward, and he does both duties.
Joe
13:52 - 14:26
But I think someone who maybe because he didn't score goals, like you'll see Fipsy, I think even Pruti, is another player who has a lot of potential, so strong in defence, a killer pass on him as we saw with the goal for Nadesan against Crystal Palace, but just so composed on the ball, a leader. But I think all of the defenders in particular, just how loud that defensive unit is, it's so nice to see. And even I think Tears had a bit of a shaky first 10 minutes on Saturday.
Joe
14:26 - 14:49
But then for the next 20, he was excellent. But I saw it because I was kind of commentating on the side where Jonesy was. Every time he had the ball, Jonesy was shouting, completely guiding through it because he'd had a bit of a rocky start to the game and he came into it and he was one of the best players on the pitch by the end of the half. And I just know that looking back on last season, let's say that Tyler French and Ryan Jackson, it's not the same.
Joe
14:49 - 15:00
It's not the same connection. It's much more quiet. It's much more separate. It was almost like when we were playing that back five, it was almost like the centre-backs were playing a different game to the full-backs.
Joe
15:00 - 15:26
And it was like the centre-backs were expected to kind of take the burden on that. Whereas now that it feels like the defensive unit is not only connected to the keeper, but so much more each unit is part of a collective rather than just get it from defensive attack, which I think will pay massive dividends. especially earlier in the season, because that can take time to develop and some teams won't have done it. Top teams who maybe are just making signings now, the likes of Forest Green, York with so many good players, I think it could be another one.
Joe
15:26 - 15:39
So I think that is something which is a really, I don't think people will see how important it is. You can see all the individuals. But to have a team which is so kind of cohesioned, I don't know the word. Cohesive.
Joe
15:39 - 15:45
Cohesive. I was going for the verb. I didn't know if cohesive was right. But it's so cohesive.
Joe
15:45 - 16:04
It's really nice to see. And I think it could be really good, especially if you've got quite a few difficult games, games where we go into them last season thinking, right, we might struggle. actually, if we're on it, then these games turn into, let's not settle for a point away from home, let's turn this into something more and really get momentum.
Mike Dowling
16:06 - 16:10
So I asked which player stood out for you, and you named all of them,
Joe
16:10 - 16:10
I think.
Neil
16:12 - 16:13
We're
Mike Dowling
16:13 - 16:13
just so
Neil
16:13 - 16:16
good.
Mike Dowling
16:17 - 16:38
So we'll stick with you for a minute, Joe. The preseason calendar, fixtures, whatever, a really good mix of teams, different levels, different styles. I really enjoyed it. Obviously, it's nice and easy to say that when we've it's pre-season, but we've got good results.
Mike Dowling
16:39 - 16:56
But watching the team play some of those games, especially the Millwall game, for example, people near me as I was passing and so on that would normally complain, was actually quite good. In fact, Claire, you were with me when Frankie said he really
Claire
16:56 - 16:57
enjoyed it.
Mike Dowling
16:57 - 16:58
I wasn't. Oh, weren't
Claire
16:58 - 17:00
you? Okay. No, I wasn't. Not at Millwall.
Claire
17:01 - 17:30
But another game, yeah, where he, I think it was possibly the first friendly where he said that, but I do think that, I mean, I watched the Millwall game online and I have to say, like, I think The scoreline flattered them, to be honest, like we should have had a couple more than we actually did. And you're right, you know, in any other situation, you might look at something and go, oh, that's cool. I'm like, OK, cool.
Claire
17:30 - 17:46
Like, you'd be disappointed. You'd be upset. But actually, like the. the level of competition that we gave them, given the gulf between us in a league sense, is really, really encouraging.
Claire
17:47 - 18:24
I don't suppose any of us really went into that match thinking, OK, well, we've won every single other preseason friendly that we've had, so we're going to absolutely batter Millwall, because none of us are drinking from that cup, right? it was really, really encouraging and it was so good to see how we responded to that challenge. And actually, I think it was a really good learning opportunity to actually kind of battle back against them. So, like, I don't see how anyone could have left that being, you know, upset by it, because I do think we could have walked away with a couple more goals and actually, you know, really push them a little bit harder.
Claire
18:24 - 18:28
We were unlucky not to get a couple more in some of the situations that occurred.
Mike Dowling
18:30 - 18:33
if we had, I think people would be getting way too carried away.
Claire
18:34 - 18:52
And that is the risk, right? That we've had this amazing pre-season and that people will go, oh, going into this, this is how it's going to be. And I think you kind of have to go, okay, this was pre-season and it's been a really good learning opportunity and it's been a great place to build a foundation, but now it's time for the league.
Mike Dowling
18:53 - 19:03
It's nice to be able to do it this way round, isn't it, Jo, to say, oh, it's only pre-season rather than Oh, it's only pre-season. We'll be all right. So what did you think of the mix of teams, Joe, and performances?
Joe
19:04 - 19:35
I mean, they're all tests in their own way, and they're all difficult tests. I mean, Wickham and Wimbledon, two league one sides, one who was inches away from the championship last season with one of the most hotly sought after strikers in the country who was kept in Jack Taylor's back pocket for the entire game. for when he played. Wimbledon, yeah they had chances but we we were just better and we looked more complete.
Joe
19:36 - 19:53
Yeah, they've got places to go. They might struggle this season, but they are two leagues above. Chertsey, another difficult game, you know, playing on a very different standard of pitch against a very different style of team, not passing focus, much more physical. And, you know, it wasn't the best first half, but is that a good thing?
Joe
19:53 - 20:06
Yeah, because it's how you bounce back from that. And we certainly did. Crystal Palace, Academy put out very similar teams to who they played against Barnet and Bromley. And Barnet and Bromley got a draw and I think they beat Barnet and drew with Bromley.
Joe
20:06 - 20:31
And we comfortably, bar playing the last 15 with 10 men and a few, you know, wouldn't have liked to have conceded two at the end, but again, dominated them and well deserved the win. And they all flattered us in Hampton and Richmond. again, a really good result in a team in a very competitive league below. I felt like we had for the first time last season because it was all away, they were all lower league opposition.
Joe
20:32 - 21:04
You might have been forgiven going into this pre-season that you think, okay, we've got upper league opposition. This might be tough, but it doesn't necessarily show where we are. I think actually for the first time, I'm quite not confident, but I'm like, yeah, we might actually have a good indicator of where we are because, you know, they're at different points in their programme. We seem very settled, despite the number of new signings coming in, despite there's still continuing change going on behind the scenes and on the pitch and tactically and how each player plays.
Joe
21:05 - 21:37
I think the pre-season was pretty much bang on in terms of what it needed to do for us, which it didn't last season. I think, you know, we had some rubbish performances. Dartford, I remember being a very bleak day and then a really good game at Welling, the game after. you look at it now and you think, okay, we've faced the lower league test, you've faced, you know, Churchill might play a team like Tamworth and Wheelstone might play this season, but you've also faced the passing and you've kept, in every game we've seen that pressing, which we
Joe
21:37 - 21:53
saw at times last season, but never got consistent. But we've got it consistently now, it seems in every game there is that like front three pressing all at once. And we've done that against the Wimbledons and the Wickhams. And that will be what the likes of York, Southend, Carlisle for a screen will be playing like.
Joe
21:53 - 22:11
And we've managed to deal with them. So we've got quite a good parameter for how everyone's going to play. Not everyone, but kind of just, we've played all stars of football and that's a really good thing to have. And a young, still quite a young squad, like the average age I read in the scouting report is just under 20, 23.
Joe
22:13 - 22:20
or just above, I'm not sure. So it's still a very young squad and they look, they don't look, last season they looked inexperienced. I
Claire
22:20 - 22:21
think
Joe
22:21 - 22:45
that is pretty evident to say. This season, you look, they're a very, they're a one or two at different points. They show they're inexperienced and maybe there's a lack of games at the level. But as a group, There's no difference between this and let's say a squad from three or four years ago in terms of how they look on the pitch because you did have young players in that squad as well and they really do kind of, it's such a big
Joe
22:45 - 22:49
jump in that sense from last season and the pre-season fixtures that we did reflect that.
Mike Dowling
22:52 - 23:27
And Neil, the sort of overriding thing is the results, especially for me, the Wiccan game sort of came away from that going, okay, we won, but I actually wouldn't have cared if we hadn't won because it was the way we were playing and the confidence and the, Terry, Terry Bullivant loved it when I sort of said the next day, the swagger, he was like, oh, I like that, I like that word. But what did you feel about the friendlies in general and how we performed? We've had as good a results in past years, but some of those results have been lucky or the opposition haven't taken them really seriously.
Mike Dowling
23:29 - 23:44
I think we can tell a lot from this preseason because all of the teams played. They didn't look like preseason because nobody was taking any prisoners. They were everybody. We looked as if we were desperate to win, but so did the opposition.
Mike Dowling
23:46 - 24:12
And we didn't get any lucky win. Basically, the performances deserved the results that we got. So, for me, it was always the performance to see how well the teamwork were gelling. It's obvious, because they've all been together right from the beginning of pre-season, they've been training every day, they arrived fit before they even started pre-season.
Mike Dowling
24:12 - 24:33
That certainly is manifest by Rudyard, who's a different player. He's like a completely new signing. He's speedy, he's got stamina, he doesn't look shattered after five minutes of getting onto the pitch. So, I just thought this was the most impressive pre-season I've seen.
Mike Dowling
24:33 - 24:43
And I think you can see how it can extrapolate into a proper league season. And he's got to, facing the teams we've got to in the first month.
Claire
24:44 - 25:05
I think the thing that I'd like to build on what Neil says, they started pre-season on the 30th of June. This team have been playing together for five weeks. If you can't be excited about what we've seen in the last three weeks of that, when it's only five, it's in its infancy, that's very encouraging, I think, as well.
Mike Dowling
25:06 - 25:17
Yeah. Mauro marked it as a B. I'm just going to say it. I was surprised he went that high, just because of who he was.
Mike Dowling
25:18 - 25:23
I'm not saying I didn't deserve it, but I was just like, oh, OK. What would you have marked it, Claire?
Claire
25:25 - 25:34
Oh, do I disagree with him? No, I mean, it's very encouraging. I'll give it. I'm going to go higher than him because she likes to show off.
Claire
25:34 - 25:35
But I'd say an A minus.
Mike Dowling
25:36 - 25:40
OK, fair enough. Neil? B plus. Excellent.
Mike Dowling
25:40 - 25:43
Joe, do you even know what we're talking about with the letters?
Joe
25:46 - 25:49
No, I do. I do. I'm doing A-levels. I need to know.
Mike Dowling
25:50 - 25:50
Oh,
Joe
25:50 - 25:54
fair enough. I've been doing A-levels for so long. I got scared. I heard A, and I just went into freeze mode.
Joe
25:55 - 25:55
A-levels
Claire
25:55 - 25:59
are still letters, but GCSEs are numbers. Yeah, I know. I know. That's
Joe
25:59 - 26:01
stupid. It
Claire
26:01 - 26:01
is
Joe
26:01 - 26:06
stupid. But they still talk about it. Teachers still talk about it in letters. They're
Claire
26:06 - 26:06
like, oh, 7's
Joe
26:06 - 26:13
an A. B plus. Excellent. Lovely.
Mike Dowling
26:14 - 26:35
Right. Claire, you can drop out of the question if you want, but Joe. off the pitch, you see things like Morgan and Hartley Poole's little letter from Jeff Stelling, or to Jeff Stelling, don't don't let him in your ground. I'm going to tell Jeff, by the way, don't cost that much to be a match day sponsor.
Mike Dowling
26:35 - 26:57
So be a match day sponsor, you get invited into everyone's boardroom anyway. But do you think some people may have What's the word I'm looking for? Overreacted to some of the changes that we've put into place, considering, as I say, how other clubs run. Go on, Joe.
Joe
26:58 - 26:59
Yes.
Mike Dowling
27:00 - 27:05
All right. You're on the media team, so I'm going to leave you there. Neil.
Joe
27:05 - 27:06
I'll go
Mike Dowling
27:06 - 27:06
on.
Joe
27:09 - 27:11
I mean, yeah, Neil, you go, because I'm
Mike Dowling
27:15 - 27:30
The Sutton fan will overreact to everything. They seem to overreact and underreact to the serious. And I think that that's that's the paradox. We are an oddity.
Mike Dowling
27:30 - 28:05
You know, we're perhaps unique, but but it's it's been like that for the last 40 years. Yeah, it's something we don't necessarily realize, but we have been spoiled so much to feel, to have a voice at the club, a strong voice that you can literally go, hey, this is how I want it, and people will listen. So I mean, I work for a local authority, and we get complaints and act upon them. Other boroughs nearby get complaints, and they just shrug their shoulders and go, so what?
Mike Dowling
28:05 - 28:06
And people go, what's the point of complaining?
Claire
28:08 - 28:38
I think to give a slightly kind of politician's answer to it, I think that what it might do, and seeing some of those things, if you look at Morecambe, and we wouldn't wish that on anyone, right? No one wants to watch the demise of their club, and if you put yourself in their shoes, like that's heartbreaking. No one would ever want that to happen to Sutton. And I think, if anything, it should act as a little bit of like a kind of a reminder that actually, like, you know what?
Claire
28:38 - 29:20
Some things might happen that I don't like, but I'm very grateful that I do have a club, that it is managed very, very well, that there are people in place who are, you know, putting a lot into it to keep it going, to sustain it so that, you know, some of us have been watching it for 30, 40, 50 years, that there will still be that club in another 30, 40 years for people to come and watch and be involved in and enjoy. And I actually think if nothing else, maybe it won't stop people from voicing their opinions, but it might make them a little bit more grateful for what there is there. Because I definitely think from from my perspective, I am so grateful that that's not us.
Claire
29:21 - 29:46
I'm heartbroken for them that that's happening to their club and it's happened to other clubs around us locally and things like that in the past and it does just make you very grateful that we are so lucky And maybe that, you know, it does give you a little bit of perspective, I suppose, is the words that you're searching for. But Neil's right, everybody's got a voice, right? So they're always going to exercise it.
Claire
29:46 - 29:46
But
Mike Dowling
29:47 - 30:00
yeah. The Hartlepool letter makes me kind of giggle because that was like, oh, my God, that is badly reflecting your club. And then Aaron makes a typo putting 2024 instead of 2025. And people go, oh, he's ridiculous, sack him.
Mike Dowling
30:02 - 30:06
Calm down, it was a small typo. Go on Joe, you put your hand up, very sweet.
Joe
30:08 - 30:21
I don't want to interrupt. The other thing I would say is, you know, this is Compared to all of you, you've been coming to Sutton for how many years? You found a button you'd like to speak. I didn't realize.
Joe
30:21 - 30:32
How am I the most technologically illiterate one? And I'm meant to be the one who knows it. No. Obviously, you guys and so many people I meet at the club have been going here for so much longer than me.
Joe
30:33 - 30:50
And initially, that's quite a, I think, as a 14, 15-year-old young man, that's quite a daunting thing to come to a club and try and fit in. That's kind of always been my thing. I'm like, oh, I'm just going to try and join in. But that's the one thing I've always loved about it, because it always felt like a welcoming place, a place where it didn't matter how long you've been going.
Joe
30:50 - 31:03
I'd only been a fan for a year and a half, and you were like, hey, come talk about it. And I was like, OK. So that meant a lot. And then I just think about it, and you saying, I want to see it in 30, 40 years.
Joe
31:04 - 31:25
I can't wait for the next 30, 40 years. It's such a big, important part of my life that I think everyone else just needs to think, when you look at it in perspective, We're in a, compared to, you know, feel the mood around the club two years ago, or a year and a half ago, it's so different. And, you know, things are changing, things have to change because things are changing.
Joe
31:26 - 31:58
And, you know, some reasons are those you'll know, and some reasons, if you don't understand them, there'll be, there's always a reason for doing something. It's not just because, like, oh, we don't care, or the club doesn't care, or people don't care, because they care. From working with someone who, on this call, who literally spends her day trying to make sure that people who care are okay, that they care. So, yeah, it's really not, and it does feel big because nobody likes change.
Joe
31:59 - 32:02
So yeah, I mean, I didn't. Everyone
Mike Dowling
32:02 - 32:04
likes change as long as it doesn't affect them.
Joe
32:05 - 32:06
As long as it's just
Mike Dowling
32:06 - 32:06
traffic
Joe
32:06 - 32:09
lights. Yeah, if it
Mike Dowling
32:09 - 32:09
affects
Joe
32:09 - 32:10
me, then
Mike Dowling
32:10 - 32:13
it's bad. But if it affects you, I don't care.
Joe
32:13 - 32:19
I don't care, it doesn't affect me, no. I think everyone's in a good position. So let's be happy.
Mike Dowling
32:20 - 32:24
I was going to wrap it up because Neil looks like he's getting ready for bed, but he's
Joe
32:24 - 32:24
got
Mike Dowling
32:24 - 32:50
his hand up as well. My nearest charging point, I thought, oh my God, we're getting on for eight o'clock, Neil's going to bed. If anyone makes old men comments about needing to go to bed at eight o'clock, I will kill you. There are things which don't make sense, but I'm sure there is a reason why the club have done it.
Mike Dowling
32:51 - 33:08
And I think that is I think that the criticism sometimes is there isn't the explanation why something's been done. And I think that's the bit that would help if they got that over. So they take one on the catering point of view. And it wasn't just me.
Mike Dowling
33:09 - 33:21
The Millwall. Yeah, the Millwall game wasn't it was why there's no more bacon rolls. Now, that does seem quite bonkers because I always associate a bacon roll with football.
Claire
33:23 - 33:37
I mean, like, different people associate different things with football, right? For me, I'd always say I'd have a burger at football. But so many people would say to me, oh, no, it's a pie, or it's this, that and the other. And there are so many different things that people want.
Claire
33:37 - 34:19
But I think that like, and that's not to say that the menu won't change or evolve or get bigger than what it is. But ultimately, you know, it's, it's weak. three for Rob doing all of this stuff and actually like let's start small, do a smaller menu amazingly well and then build on that and whatever and if lots of people lobby for things then there potentially could be you know scope for different things and there are going to be guest appearances for different dishes for different games and things like that so I think it's exciting and yeah it's frustrating when the thing that you really want possibly isn't there but It's a chance to try something different, Neil.
Mike Dowling
34:21 - 35:16
I can roll Sunday morning football, not Saturday afternoon football. But Neil, that very point, I'm not picking on you, that very point of what we need to be told why is what I mean by we've been so spoiled because lots of other clubs just say this is what we're doing and that's it there is no why no explanation and that's why we've been support for the last x number of years because we've always been told why or someone's come and explained um and it doesn't necessarily have to happen you don't see other businesses because that's what it is um coming out and explaining all the decisions but anyway certain people don't listen you're going to uh yeah stop that anyway I can't believe we've made this far into this episode, and Claire hasn't managed to squeeze in the fact that tomorrow night is the fans party.
Claire
35:17 - 35:26
My party. Claire's party. My party. I don't expect gifts, but if you want to bring them, you're more than welcome to do so.
Claire
35:27 - 35:49
But no, in all seriousness, it's something that myself and Alison from the Supporters Club have talked about numerous times in previous seasons. and have really driven this to try and make it something quite exciting and interesting. Kicks off from half past five in the fan zone. There will be, you know, the bar open.
Claire
35:49 - 36:00
There's a cocktail cart, I believe. There's a face painting. The Arison are playing at around six o'clock. There's some kind of surprise.
Claire
36:00 - 36:47
at some point during the evening, I want to say around about seven o'clock, not sure what that is. Lots of the players, I think pretty much most of the players will be there from 5.30 for a period of time. I'm sure those that live further away will peter out earlier than others, but I'm sure that you'll be able to monopolize John Meaney into talking to you for hours and hours and hours if you start him off on a topic that he loves. And yeah, it's just really, it's a really good opportunity to come down, mingle with fans, meet some players, talk to some of the coaching staff and, you know, get involved in a kind of, you know, the penultimate day of the close season, as it were, because, you know,
Claire
36:48 - 37:12
we're on the cusp of the start of 25, 26. So, you know, enjoy celebrating the summer that was and looking forward to next season. But I think it's a really good opportunity to see people talk about stuff, you know, come and ask some of those questions if there are things that have happened that you don't, you don't understand, there'll be staff available as well to talk about bits and pieces. So it should be a really good, a really good evening.
Claire
37:13 - 37:16
And the weather looks good. So that's always helpful. So yeah.
Mike Dowling
37:17 - 37:22
Yeah, no, good. And we still don't know what that surprise could possibly be. No clue.
Joe
37:22 - 37:27
It's me. I just turned up at seven. He's jumping
Claire
37:27 - 37:29
out of a giant cake.
Mike Dowling
37:30 - 37:44
I did tweet it out yesterday and I tagged the club but they haven't responded yet. Ipswich gave out their squad list and their number 17 is a certain Ed Sheeran. I'm feeling we should give me a squad number so people can go around with my name on the back.
Joe
37:47 - 37:50
I'd rather have my face in a deep fat fryer.
Mike Dowling
37:52 - 38:02
What? Wow. That was brutal, Joe. He's not very nice, is he?
Mike Dowling
38:02 - 38:04
Before he's even started. Let's mute Joe.
Claire
38:07 - 38:12
Do you think you have the same level of gravitas as Ed Sheeran? Me? Or him? No, Mike.
Claire
38:13 - 38:14
More...
Mike Dowling
38:14 - 38:16
But
Joe
38:17 - 38:20
his legs actually don't work like they used to before. That's the
Mike Dowling
38:20 - 38:26
problem. Very good. You've seen all those tweets as well. Right.
Mike Dowling
38:27 - 38:39
On to the season. Neil, what are your feelings of this season? What are your hopes? I put it out the other day, but I want to know what your head says, what your heart says, what your gut says, and what is your bottom limit?
Mike Dowling
38:40 - 38:51
No one got that. Mojo for Peach for your bottom limit. No one got it. I've gone on the record to say that I can see us finishing fifth.
Mike Dowling
38:53 - 39:08
But there's that nagging bit in the background that, you know, it's time for another fifth year title and promotion. I didn't bring my hub yesterday, the other day, I just thought I'm not going to do it.
Claire
39:09 - 39:09
I thought I
Mike Dowling
39:09 - 39:21
pushed my luck a bit too far. So often you get a surprise package and I think we are going to be grossly underestimated. Fair enough. And this comes from the world's biggest pessimist.
Mike Dowling
39:23 - 39:39
Fair enough. But what would be your limit on, okay, that's acceptable? It's acceptable, I would say, you know, with the talent they've got. Playoffs.
Mike Dowling
39:40 - 39:47
OK, fair enough. Joe, do you want to answer what your head, heart, gut and backside says?
Joe
39:50 - 40:01
Right. Head says sixth, seventh. I do think we have the... I think there are teams in that top four that are shoe-ins.
Joe
40:01 - 40:12
And I think there are some who would be disappointed. I think I'm going to make this controversial. I know we're about to play York. I genuinely think everyone's like, York will win the league by miles.
Joe
40:12 - 40:17
I know this enough. I don't think they will. I think this league is harder than everyone's thinking. And that's why I'm not saying it's a necessary playoff.
Joe
40:17 - 40:29
I think, you know, I don't know what Forest Green have been doing. They've had a mental last six hours. They've signed one of the best players in the league last season, Nick Horton. And then they've let go of Joe Quigley, Charlie McCann.
Joe
40:29 - 40:36
They've let go of four players for a free who they signed for about 500k combined. So it's Robert Savage just having a clear out. He's doing whatever he wants to do. They're not a shoe-in.
Joe
40:36 - 40:50
Southend look good, but haven't had the best pre-season. Rochdale have had a very good pre-season. Eastleigh have got good signings. Carlisle, I've made brilliant signings again, but Mark Hughes, there are so many unknowns in this league.
Joe
40:50 - 41:15
So there's a part of me which is like, if we start off really well, we could be up top four, top three. My heart says lower end of the playoffs and a day out of Wembley ending very nicely. Well, whether that be an FA Trophy final or whether that be a playoff final win, not sure. But I do think this could be a very good year for the club.
Mike Dowling
41:16 - 41:21
Fair enough. And what's your limit? Where do you say that's a bad season?
Joe
41:22 - 41:44
I think anything below 10th, it's harsh. I know we finished 12th last season, but I think with the way things feel right now, I think if we get anything below 10th, it should be seen as, yeah, we haven't made a big of a step. We wanted to make this season, last season was a building block season, this season is the jump. And if we don't really improve and we don't really get anywhere in a cup, then we've got to think, all right, what's going on?
Joe
41:44 - 41:50
Because either we have to adjust, we're going to have to adjust something at the end of the season, but I don't think that's going to happen.
Mike Dowling
41:52 - 42:02
Well, Steve said his target is better. So that's 12 with 15, 15, 16. Again, I didn't want to pull him up because he said that's bang average. And I was like, bang average is 15, 16, 15.
Mike Dowling
42:03 - 42:05
But OK, I'll let you do what you like.
Joe
42:06 - 42:08
I'd love to see the look on his face if you said that.
Mike Dowling
42:10 - 42:15
Yeah, me too. It would be a black screen. He's gone. OK.
Mike Dowling
42:15 - 42:18
Claire, what about you? What do you heart, head, blah, blah, blah?
Claire
42:20 - 42:42
My head and my heart and my gut, for once in a very rare occasion, kind of all agree with each other. And I come to this as the second most pessimistic person on this call after Neil. And I genuinely have this feeling that, yeah, playoffs. And I don't care what number that sits in.
Claire
42:42 - 43:34
I think that we to the top of it. But I really do have this immensely good feeling about everything that I've seen so far and everything that I know is kind of planned and is part of the ethos of what we're looking to do. I think the main thing is that anyone who came to an evening with Morris and Amini will know that the thing to take away from it is that we're focusing on ourselves and our game and how we play and obviously not worrying as much about what everybody else is doing and actually just focusing on how we get the job done and I think that will be the switch and I think Jo's right, I think people will massively underestimate us and that's always bloody handy, isn't it, that people come into it thinking, oh, it's just the
Claire
43:34 - 44:05
likes of Sutton. And yeah, just, well, I mean, we've never been a pub team, let's not start that argument, but yeah, like, I do think that playoffs, I'd be, I think my bottom limit is probably, again, like Jo, it needs to be better. I'd be really, at this moment in time, I'd be really disappointed not to find ourselves somewhere in the playoffs. Anything less than 10th, you know, would be disappointing.
Claire
44:05 - 44:25
It does need to be building on what we've done. And he's right, you know, questions would be asked, I guess, if we were in the same place at the end of this season that we were last season. But I do have, I have a good feeling. in my gut, my head and my heart, which is very unusual.
Claire
44:25 - 44:27
I'll
Mike Dowling
44:27 - 44:29
be honest, I just want to
Claire
44:30 - 44:31
watch
Mike Dowling
44:31 - 44:33
football. I just want to be able to go, that
Claire
44:34 - 44:54
was good. That would be amazing. But for me, and I know I said it to all of you last season, like I found it, everybody was, there was lots of people that were very upset last season about where we were and where we ended up. And I really struggled to be upset about it because it's kind of like, for me, the worst happened the season before.
Claire
44:55 - 45:26
Like, we took it right down to the wire and we could have, you know, if things had gone our way on that last day, things could have been massively, massively different. if a couple of things had happened in a few different fixtures, we could have been, you know, still where we wanted to be. And I felt like it was really hard to be disappointed with what happened last season, because, like, you know what, it was a whole new squad and it was, you know, just what it was. And I really hope that people do enjoy watching it this season, because if pre-season's anything to go by, I think we're in for a real treat.
Mike Dowling
45:26 - 45:34
Yes. Whichever you said you wish, you could see Steve's face when asking the question. Did you see it when I told him it was our 15th highest finish in history?
Claire
45:35 - 45:37
I don't really think it moves much.
Mike Dowling
45:38 - 45:43
I don't care. Same as he thought about my prediction spreadsheet for the whole season.
Claire
45:43 - 45:44
Well,
Mike Dowling
45:44 - 45:49
I believe utter waste of time might have been what he said or paraphrasing it.
Claire
45:50 - 45:53
I've seen more reaction in him when I've offered him a biscuit that he doesn't like, quite frankly.
Mike Dowling
45:54 - 46:04
Yeah, to be fair. Right. I've kept you all very long. Neil does definitely look like he's ready for a nap now because he's settling into that pillow.
Mike Dowling
46:07 - 46:15
So rude, Mike. Right, I'm going to wrap up this episode of Sutton Podcast. As always, I really appreciate your... Come on, Joe.
Mike Dowling
46:16 - 46:16
Come on, Joe.
Joe
46:18 - 46:18
Attention.
Mike Dowling
46:19 - 46:21
Attention and your feedback.
Joe
46:22 - 46:27
Why are you all in on it? Neil, Claire, and Mike, the beam in green as I said that is unbelievable.
Mike Dowling
46:28 - 46:38
Because the first time I said it, Joe sat and literally rolled your eyes at me on the screen. So it's like, don't you roll your eyes. So now I'm making you say it. Everyone needs a little catchphrase.
Mike Dowling
46:38 - 46:50
I've got millions. Do like, share and follow us on social medias, Matt Sutton podcast, subscribe. Thank you to Lucky Star GNR sponsors. Big thank you to Claire, Joe and Neil.
Mike Dowling
46:51 - 47:04
Thanks everyone for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode and the season's back. The season's back on Saturday. See a lot of you on Thursday, but then if you're listening to this on Saturday, then you missed a great evening on Thursday.
Claire
47:05 - 47:07
But I can't believe you behaved the way that you did.
Mike Dowling
47:09 - 47:15
well you shouldn't give out cheap drinks so i'm just saying take care and we'll catch up soon bye bye
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