"Predictable and formulaic." That’s how Mark summed up the interviews surrounding Sutton United’s latest performance, but it could just as easily describe the familiar rhythm of being a football fan – the hope, the frustration, the occasional burst of optimism. In this episode of Sutton United Talk Time on Podcast, Mark and George join me, Mike, to dissect a tough trip to Rochdale and look ahead to Maidenhead’s visit.
00:58 - 01:30
Sutton Podcast: Hello and welcome to another episode of Sutton United Talk Time on podcast. It's the Sutton podcast in association with Lucky Sajin. I'm your host Mike and joining me today we have Mark and George. In this episode we're going to cover the trip to Rochdale and we're going to look forward to the visit of Maidenhead who I may call Mansfield or Maidstone or whatever. I'm messing these things up so don't worry too much. As always we love hearing from you, love the engagement, please like, share, retweet or X whatever they call it and comment on the social
01:30 - 01:41
Sutton Podcast: media posts. It is really really good and it helps get the podcast out in front of other people's eyes so we're gonna jump right in george welcome back thanks
01:41 - 01:45
George: for having me yeah not too bad all good
01:45 - 01:52
Sutton Podcast: good good We'll get the clamor on TikTok again to have you back in. Well, I think it was get George on, are we riot is what I think I heard last time.
01:53 - 01:54
George: That was my bother's mate.
01:56 - 01:59
Sutton Podcast: And Mark, it's been well a few days. How have you been?
02:01 - 02:12
Mark: 2 weeks. Yeah. Quite a lot of beer was consumed in Rockstown and it's on their arms yesterday and the day before so I've been in sort of recovery mode today.
02:12 - 02:54
Sutton Podcast: Perfect, well I won't talk too loud hopefully. So I sent you the knowing me knowing you question, Mark, you had a problem with your email. So you saw it about 2 and a half minutes ago. We'll start with you, George. And This probably would have been more appropriate for last week's 1 actually, but how do you think the club's history influences the current identity? Obviously last week we had the FA Cup and there was a lot of talk around our history in the FA Cup, but how do you feel the history influences our identity?
02:55 - 03:19
George: I think it affected our identity a lot more last year because we were seen as a smaller club and fans of other clubs might have thought like would have been easier or like better to play against us and in FA Cup I think a lot of people expect us to cause upsets because of Coventry, Wimbledon, Leeds.
03:22 - 03:28
Sutton Podcast: Perfect. Mark, how do you feel our history influences our sort of situation now?
03:30 - 04:09
Mark: Frankly, not much. I think a lot of the people who are now making the key decisions at the club weren't around in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s when we had a lot of success in the Cups etc. And I just didn't quite sense there was the build up to this game that there might have been 10, 20 years ago. Obviously, having been in the Football League, it's a bit of a come down now to be back as a non-league club. So that skewed the perspective a little. But back in the day, I would always have
04:09 - 04:44
Mark: been really excited coming up to a game in the first round of the cup. But before the Birmingham game, I just felt flat. I didn't feel enthused about it at all. I went to the game more out of a sense of duty or routine than any sense of anticipation. And I was pretty unmoved by the result. I'm half expecting us to lose anyway. And I didn't really get any kind of emotional reaction to the result at all It was just another game and it's quite an interesting game to talk about perhaps but in terms of you
04:44 - 04:48
Mark: know Emotional response, so I just didn't really feel anything
04:48 - 04:57
Sutton Podcast: Do you think that's? Possibly a lot to do with how the FA Cup has seemingly devalued over the years? A lot
04:57 - 05:32
Mark: of people. I think it probably has, yeah. I think that's probably relevant background. Obviously we've lost FA Cup replays from the first round this season which is not a change I'm at all comfortable with. There were 9 non-league clubs who got draws in the first round after 90 minutes or 120 minutes and were denied replays and again just had to be by penalties which I think in most cases they lost. Yeah. So you know that for me is not a positive change. I've got to understand the reasons behind it but I don't think it's something that
05:32 - 05:33
Mark: should have happened.
05:34 - 05:59
Sutton Podcast: No, they're never going to listen to me. My suggestion on that should be the 2 clubs should agree. And if 1 club wants a replay and the other 1 wants a draw, you state to the club that wants to draw, OK, then your choice is either you agree to a replay or you've got to win in 90 minutes because if it's a draw, the other team go through and you go out and then that'll give them the option to say, okay, we don't want to replay. So they then have to win the match in regular time.
05:59 - 06:32
Sutton Podcast: Yeah, As I say, I don't think they're gonna ever listen to me on things like this, but we'll see. So, good news, the ladies lost today. Three-one, they pulled it back to one-one and they were hoping to push on a little bit and then they conceded 2 very quick fire goals, so lost three-one. However, Hannah Baptiste, the podcast sponsor to Hannah Baptiste, has scored a goal. So I did say to her, right, you've got to do 20 and she's now got to do 19. It's going to be light work so we'll see how that goes. On
06:32 - 06:47
Sutton Podcast: to the match. So the lineups, Mark will start with you. We had Edwin back, we had Harris back in the team. What was your thoughts on the lineups and what was your sort of expectations of this match?
06:47 - 06:47
George: Because I
06:47 - 06:54
Sutton Podcast: think they were sixth when we started and we were twelfth, I think. But what were your thoughts on the match, the lineup and the expectations?
06:55 - 07:28
Mark: Well, apart from Barjie starting, I think it was his first match for us. He'd been on the suspension before, but not actually come on. So he started at fullback and you say Harris was back. Apart from that, I think it was all rather predictable. The usual players playing in their usual positions. There's nothing wrong with that. We need a bit of continuity sometimes so that's not criticism but I don't think there are many surprises in the starting 11. In terms of expectations, our record against the sides near the top of the table this season is not
07:28 - 07:44
Mark: very good So I wasn't particularly optimistic. On the other hand our away form this season's been a bit better than our home form so there was a hope we get in maybe a point out the game but we almost did of course but so it wasn't to be.
07:45 - 07:48
Sutton Podcast: And George what about yourself? What were you thinking about the lineup? How did you
07:48 - 07:59
George: see? Formation I kind of expected that lineup, but yeah, I didn't expect Edwin to play so quick I've way my god subdom but and to be honest, I thought we're gonna lose the game a bit negative
08:00 - 08:09
Sutton Podcast: Well, I I didn't actually realise he was back with us. Last I heard he had gone to Ipswich and we'll see him when we see him, I think Steve said.
08:09 - 08:09
George: So it kind of made
08:09 - 08:12
Sutton Podcast: me think he's not coming back, but then all of a sudden he's in starting.
08:13 - 08:17
Mark: I think Steve said he'd gone back to Ipswich to do a bit of training with them
08:17 - 08:18
Sutton Podcast: yeah yeah I think it was
08:18 - 08:20
Mark: I think you mentioned that in his pre-match interview
08:20 - 08:43
Sutton Podcast: okay I might miss that bit right so george first 20 we were quite solid we were we were quite good and we were doing all right They always say keep it tight for the first 20 when you're away from home and don't give anything silly away. How were you feeling at that point of the early stages, the first 20 minutes ticked off?
08:45 - 09:04
George: I thought we came out very defensive, like the Birmingham game or the Gateshead game, or even the Bowling Street game to an extent. And I didn't expect us to play like that. I thought we'd go a bit more at them. But and then when they scored their goal, I couldn't really see the goal very well because we were down the other end, but I thought their goal was just inevitable.
09:05 - 09:21
Sutton Podcast: Yeah, right. We'll talk about that goal in a sec. Don't worry. Mark, what were you thinking that first 20? I know you said earlier somewhere that obviously if we give away that much possession they're going to get chances but how were you sort of feeling in that first part of the game?
09:22 - 09:51
Mark: Well I'm just glad that we hadn't conceded you know they had a lot of the ball we defended quite well up until the goal but as George said the game was rather reminiscent of both the Gates Head and the Birmingham games very different opposition of course but we just seem to concede possession and you know you can see that much possession unless you defend exceptionally well it's always likely the opposition will get at least 1 chance that they put away.
09:53 - 10:00
Sutton Podcast: It did come and it was a free header in the box. What was your view of the goal at the time and have you watched it back?
10:01 - 10:29
Mark: I have watched it back. Like George, I couldn't see it very well because we were at the other end across across came in and then the ball was in the net and have you seen the replay I saw the guy had it used pretty much unmarked midfield or I've made a forward run maybe I think it was a downward header and I don't think Jax seems to have much chance with it because of the bounce. It's a well-taken goal but I think there was a bit of a lapse in our defence at that moment.
10:31 - 10:33
Sutton Podcast: George have you watched it back?
10:33 - 10:34
George: I haven't actually watched
10:34 - 10:34
Sutton Podcast: it back.
10:36 - 10:44
George: I Thought it was quite a soft goal to concede. It was just like a ball in the books and a free header, but it was always going to happen when we give them so much as a ball.
10:44 - 11:03
Sutton Podcast: Yes, but we did come back very quickly that goal then would have been in front of you guys so Will went in you take a shot and then robbed the keeper or there's a bit of mix up possibly a foul on the keeper What was your view on the goal, George? What was our goal?
11:06 - 11:24
George: I can't remember who put the ball over the top. Someone put a ball over the top and Will Davies was running onto it. I don't actually know if he quite got there but the keeper didn't get to it and it just felt a vase and he had loads of time and space. I think it was a bit against the run of play but we take them.
11:24 - 11:27
Sutton Podcast: Maybe 1-1 absolutely yeah. Mark what did you think of?
11:28 - 11:58
Mark: Well it was against the run of play It's about our first chance and he could run from Will Davis. I think he rode 1 or 2 challenges and powerful shot which the keeper parried he couldn't hold it and Vaz still had a bit of work to do, he didn't come straight to him. He had to do a bit of a sideways jink, but he got to the ball ahead of the nearest defender and just drilled it past the keeper. So a well taken goal, we know Vaz is quite a good finisher, you've seen that already this
11:58 - 12:07
Mark: season. So Yeah, a bit of an opportunist goal, but well taken. You've got to take those chances in tight games like this 1.
12:07 - 12:29
Sutton Podcast: Absolutely. And I mean, at that point, we were putting on a bit of pressure. I know, obviously, the result didn't go our way, but we were putting a bit of pressure on. We're getting a bit of joy down either wing with Vaz and Kohli. Once we pulled it back, were you slightly hopeful that things were going to go better, Mark?
12:29 - 13:00
Mark: Yeah, a little. The first Rochdale goal did seem to wake us up, and we started to show a bit more attacking intent in this 5 or 10 minutes after that opening goal, and of course that's when we got our equaliser. But after that, we seemed to lose momentum a little bit again, continuing to the second half, we seemed to again surrender a lot of possession and I think Rochdale finished the first half on the ascendancy again so I think there was a starting to be a feeling that we just got to try and hang on to
13:00 - 13:05
Mark: this point if we can because we're not getting many chances and they look the more likely to get another goal.
13:06 - 13:12
Sutton Podcast: Yeah. George, what about yourself? How are you feeling about our players? Do you think we'll get into pressure on there? Do you think we're doing well?
13:13 - 13:26
George: I thought, but after they scored, before we scored, we were, I think we were a better team and we were attacking more but then after we scored it just looked like we went back to how we were playing before Rochdale scored like we were giving the ball away too easily just defending
13:28 - 13:53
Sutton Podcast: and unfortunately just before half time or almost on the half time there was an injury to Abjibay It was a bit of mix-up he got up tried to carry on then went down again but he came up. We had Hayden Muller come on to replace him but how did he seem in that first half to you George? Cause as Mark said, it's the first time we've had a chance to have a look at him.
13:53 - 14:06
George: Well, I think he was playing wing back or on the wing. He'd seem very offensive, but yeah. I mean, we didn't get forward much, but yeah, he looked solid defensively.
14:06 - 14:09
Sutton Podcast: Yeah. Mark, how did he look to you? Yeah, I mean,
14:09 - 14:42
Mark: to be honest, I didn't notice it very much, which is sometimes a good thing because if a defender's doing his job, not making mistakes, you tend not to notice it much. But obviously he's had injury problems this season. He was unfit when he came to us, I think. This is his first game. I don't know whether he went off because there was some kind of recurrence of the injury he had in the weather. He came up the wrong end of the challenge. I couldn't see very clearly, but clearly there are some fitness issues there. Yeah, it's
14:42 - 14:46
Mark: obviously some bad news for him to go off early in the game.
14:46 - 15:09
Sutton Podcast: Absolutely, but then good news, Hayden's back as well, so good and well. So, half time it's 1-1. Second half there was a few chances each. Were you still very pessimistic or were you thinking we could take 1 of these chances? We had a bit of pressure with those. I think it was a good chance
15:09 - 15:46
Mark: that Will had. Yeah, we didn't create many chances. I mean, I think there was 1 shot I remember their keeper saving. I think we had a couple of shots blocked or deflected out. And then quite late in the game, is probably what you're referring to, Mike, I think Josh Coley fed Ashley Nadez and he put a low cross across the face of the goal, low shot, low cross rather, which Will Davies almost got to but unfortunately he didn't quite get there in time and the ball went out and the chance was gone. That was probably about
15:46 - 15:48
Mark: our best chance to get a second goal.
15:48 - 16:04
Sutton Podcast: That's probably I've noted the last 15 we were looking alright. We were we were looking like we were pressuring Which a wife home you probably question why you're doing that and we might just settle for the point But George, how did you feel the second half and did you feel at any point we were going to nick it?
16:06 - 16:23
George: Not really to be honest, but we had we had that chance and I remember Will Davies, I think it was Vaz maybe put him through and it, keeper, keeper saved it. There are only really 2 chances I remember. I thought Lutchedale were very dominant in the second off
16:24 - 16:58
Sutton Podcast: Yeah, I mean When you look at the stats, I think They had 4 shots on target and we had 2 they scored 2 and we scored 1. So it's definitely like that, but going into added time, I think I was, I'm like, oh, this, this sounds like it's been a bit of a ding dong battle. And, I think it was 93. I said it on the, it'd be gutting for any team to lose obviously I want to win but it would be gutting for a team to lose it and They lost so Blame for manifesting it
16:58 - 17:03
Sutton Podcast: but George. Did you see it coming in added time or were you thinking we're going to just see how to draw here?
17:05 - 17:15
George: I thought Lutchedale deserved to go, but I thought we would defend for the last 7 minutes or I think that's what was added on. And yeah, we just can't clear the ball.
17:16 - 17:19
Sutton Podcast: Yeah. Mark, what about yourself? How did you feel?
17:19 - 17:51
Mark: Yeah, I mean, the 7 minutes added on because there was an injury to Jayden Harris. It was stretchered off. That's obviously bad news for him. If the player is stretchered off, that's not good news and he could well be without him for several weeks, maybe even longer, we'll have to wait and see. I haven't heard an update on his situation, but yeah, there was quite a long stoppage for that, for him to receive treatment and be taken off. So that's why there were the 7 minutes. And, you know, we've been soaking up their pressure from much
17:51 - 18:20
Mark: of the second half. And I think there's a feeling we've got to get through another 7 minutes of this. And I think when the opposition, who feel they've been in the ascendancy but haven't got their reward. Given an extra 7 minutes or so, you know, that gives them a lift because you think, oh well we would be winning this game, we've got a lot more time than we actually might have done to get the winning goal. So I think that may have incentivized Rochdale when they heard it was 7 more minutes and they just seemed at
18:20 - 18:58
Mark: an extra 10%. We were really up against it in those final minutes and eventually, you know, they got that winner which we can talk about. I think it was Finlay Barbrooke who muffed a clearance. He did possibly slip at that moment so maybe there's a mitigating circumstance there but he didn't get any sort of clear connection with the ball in his own box and it fell to a Rochdale player who teamed up with Devante Rodney who scored against us in the past and he's quite a good finisher and put that chance away.
19:00 - 19:17
Sutton Podcast: I think it was the slip slash air shot, but there was another 2 chances to clear it away. So yeah, it's bad luck that the first thing happened, but it did sort of seem like, we could have cleared our lines after that. But George, how did you,
19:17 - 19:17
Mark: how did
19:17 - 19:18
Sutton Podcast: you, oh, sorry, Mark.
19:18 - 19:32
Mark: I don't think there were the opportunities to clear it but a very easy or clear car I think you know we lost possession yeah basically and I think once they got that decisive bit of possession in our box we were we're in trouble.
19:33 - 19:35
Sutton Podcast: What about yourself George how did you see their winner?
19:37 - 19:38
Mark: I
19:38 - 19:55
George: thought Finlay Barbrook should I don't know if he slipped or not but just get the ball in their half somewhere and then they fell to their man Sid you slid in and didn't get the ball and then when he takes the shot with that many bodies in the box if it's on target it's always gonna go in.
19:56 - 20:34
Sutton Podcast: Right so we've lost on the road late a late goal which everyone's obviously up in arms about, that we've lost to a late goal again. George, you mentioned it earlier, the defensive setup has been a change fairly recently and Steve kind of was earlier in the season saying we're playing a very open, expansive football, we're going to concede goals, we're going to score goals. Do you think this new style of a slightly more defensive is working? Not working? Will it work? What's the situation for you?
20:35 - 21:10
George: Well it's hard to say because we're not winning any more games now than we were when we were playing attacking, flowing football but it feels like, especially I get it when we're playing Birmingham, because they're a better team than us, but when we're playing teams in our league like this, it feels like we're sitting up to lose, because if you're letting them have that many chances, the quality of football in this league, they're usually going to take 1 unless we defend very well. And we don't get many chances to score if they do take that chance.
21:12 - 21:18
Sutton Podcast: What about yourself, Mark? Do you prefer the more attacking football that we get back at every now and then?
21:18 - 21:58
Mark: I think I'd probably do. I mean, you know, if you surrender so much possession, you're relying on either defending extremely well throughout the game and having some effective counter-attack, effective breaks. And we're not quite doing either of those well enough. We're defending pretty well, but not well enough to keep clean sheets. And when we break forward, our counter-attacks are not quite good enough, not precise enough, not fast enough. So it doesn't seem to be working. So it remains to be seen whether Steve will persevere with this sort of approach. But we've now lost 4 out of
21:58 - 22:12
Mark: our last 5 league games. So obviously the first 2 of those were high scoring games, the 4-3 defeat at Hartlepool, the 3-1 home defeat to Oldham. And since that Oldham game, I think that this change seems to have come in.
22:15 - 22:26
Sutton Podcast: I wonder if a little bit of he's saying, right, I've proved you can defend you prove you can be disciplined. You've got to do the 2 together now. It's simplistic, I guess, but he
22:26 - 22:28
Mark: could be a manager, I think.
22:28 - 22:49
Sutton Podcast: He didn't seem obviously didn't like the result. We didn't seem overly down with the performance. He kind of basically said long lines of, we'll get more positive results than negative results if we keep playing that way. What do you think Mark? Do you agree or do you think he's just saying what he has to say?
22:49 - 23:25
Mark: I think his interviews are quite predictable and formulaic and I think he says what he feels he has to say rather than what he actually thinks or believes So I wouldn't put too much weight on his actual words. But I'm sure that behind the scenes, he is working on ways to try and get a better performance out of this group of players. I think that's in them. And there'd been more than glimpses of that this season. But there have been too many matches in which they haven't really performed to the required level. Yeah. And 1 of
23:25 - 23:26
Mark: those was yesterday.
23:27 - 23:30
Sutton Podcast: George, what about yourself? What have you have you listened to the interview or?
23:31 - 23:38
George: I think he said it was like the perfect away performance, which I don't think it was by any means.
23:38 - 23:39
Sutton Podcast: You might say almost.
23:39 - 23:41
George: Yeah, maybe. Yeah.
23:42 - 23:45
Sutton Podcast: Off my 2 bells. But
23:45 - 23:57
George: I think if we set up like that, we're just destined to concede, because we're not good enough to not concede a goal, taking that many chances against us. I think he has to change something.
23:58 - 24:32
Sutton Podcast: Yeah, well, on that, I mean, there was 2 kind of threads that I've picked on. 1 was saying, we're making the same mistakes over and over. Now this is why I was trying to work out about Finley's air clearance, that's bad luck. I mean that's not something you're going to be able to coach out or something that was that was either a slip or miss here. Yeah. Do you think that's fair to say that we're making the same mistakes as we have been throughout the whole season? Or do you think that there is slight improvements but
24:32 - 24:36
Sutton Podcast: not quite there yet. George that's to you.
24:36 - 25:03
George: Oh okay, I'm sorry. I think we're definitely making a lot of mistakes. I don't think they're the same mistakes and the last goal well it's it's not it wasn't really Finlay's fault you should be able to defend the ball in the box easier than that but and then their first goal that seemed a very soft goal to concede
25:03 - 25:03
Steve: but I don't
25:03 - 25:05
George: think we're making the same mistakes every week.
25:05 - 25:08
Sutton Podcast: Yeah. Mark, about yourself.
25:09 - 25:45
Mark: Yeah I think there has been a change in the way we've been playing as we've been discussing so you know I think there are signs there that Steve is trying different things. I think underlying all this is the fact that this squad of players, again we've discussed this in the past, is still quite young and inexperienced. I was on here 2 weeks ago talking about the Braintree game, which we narrowly won away from home yesterday. We narrowly lost. I know Braintree and Rochdale are in the same division, but they're almost worlds apart. Braintree, part-time side, they
25:45 - 26:14
Mark: worked hard, but they are clearly a team of limited technical ability. We were the better technical side on the day and we won. The boot was on the other foot yesterday. Rochdale was a better technical team. They had most of the ball and they looked a class above us. So there's a big difference between the Braintrees and the Wokings of this world this season and teams like Oldham and Rochdale. And that's why Oldham and Rochdale were in the top third of the table, Woking and Braintree were in the bottom third, and we're somewhere in the middle,
26:14 - 26:33
Mark: because that's where we deserve to be on the basis of how we've been playing. Now, whether we can take a step up and move up into that top third remains to be seen. I think, as I said earlier, this squad of players has got potential, but I think there's some way off that potential being fully realized.
26:34 - 26:58
Sutton Podcast: That's actually led really well to the next point that I'd written down is there were some grumbles starting that it's November. We shouldn't be talking so much about it being a new group. They should be gelling a bit better than they are now. Do you agree, or do you think, no, it's still going to take time? Because it's not just a new group. As you said, it's a very young group.
27:01 - 27:33
Mark: I think we've probably reached a stage of the season where the team should be jelling, they should be familiar with each other, how they play together. Obviously, if you've got a team, I think a lot of the Rochdale players have been together for a number of seasons, so there's clearly an advantage there, if they've been playing together for 2 or 3 seasons, let's say, compared with the 3 or 4 months, oh, a lot have been together. So I think there is a point to be made there, but I think the team that Steve's put together should
27:33 - 28:12
Mark: be approaching their best now. That said, players do learn through playing matches and players learn from their mistakes. So I think all of these players have got the potential to improve. The question is whether they improve enough. I've been looking at our next sort of half dozen fixtures coming up to Christmas. We've got, I think it's 6 league games. We've got 2 quite tricky away trips to Halifax and Altrin. I know we beat Altrin up earlier in the season quite comfortably, but I think for the turn match it's going to be quite different. So we've got
28:12 - 28:43
Mark: those 2 long distance away trips. And then the other games are all at home. I think Solihull might be quite tricky because they're on the fringe of the playoffs like Halifax and All-String but the other 3, you've obviously got Maidenhead coming up that we can talk about shortly and then Fylde and then Tamworth before Christmas And I think we should be looking to win those games without being presumptuous. Those are the sort of games we should be winning. And if we don't win those sorts of games, then I think come the second half of the season,
28:44 - 28:55
Mark: when the fixtures get a bit tougher, in the 8 weeks after Christmas, we've been playing all the tops by all the way from home. Then, you know, we could find ourselves in the bottom half of the table.
28:56 - 29:14
Sutton Podcast: No, light work will be fine. George, what do you think? I mean, as I did, there's a few sort of not loud, but quiet grumbles that come on with we sort of 3, 4 months into this now we should be doing a bit more with instead of saying it's a new group.
29:15 - 29:39
George: I think, to be honest, I don't think you could still really use the excuse that they're gelling. They've been together for almost every day for 3 to 4 months now. Like they should know each other well enough. But then again, everyone makes mistakes and They'll just they'll just get better by playing more games together. So you can't we'll sell.
29:40 - 30:07
Sutton Podcast: Yeah I mean I've said for a little while that I think we need to be patient up to Christmas nothing after Christmas that's why I said it's light work, Mark. I think there's going to be a switch and we're going to just go on a great run. Whether we'll be too far away to do anything with it at that point, I don't know. But I hope, I hope, I hope it doesn't come back to bite me. Don't record these things. Right, we're going to move on from this game any second. But first of all, we will
30:07 - 30:31
Sutton Podcast: be having the good, the bad and the funny. George, what was... George what was again it's the whole day you don't have to check about the match What was good yesterday?
30:33 - 30:34
George: Probably my McDonald's.
30:37 - 30:41
Sutton Podcast: Okay. That says a lot about the day. What was so good about your McDonald's?
30:41 - 30:43
George: I don't know. Better than the game.
30:43 - 30:48
Sutton Podcast: Fair enough. Mark, you may have hinted at yours, but what was good about the day for you yesterday?
30:50 - 31:10
Mark: Well, I went to very good pubs before the game that I've been to before in Rochdale that the flying horse and Excellent got a few other decent places as well. So that was that was good. You know, good days drinking rather ruined by a poor game of football in the middle. We've said many times in the past in
31:10 - 31:13
Sutton Podcast: the way before. Yeah. What was bad for you yesterday?
31:16 - 31:40
Mark: Well, I could say the lack of possession in the match, but that's been an aspect of the number of games lately. So instead, I have to say the injury to Harris because, you know, if a player is stretched off, as I said earlier, that's not usually good news. And he's been quite an important player for us he just in that advanced midfield role just behind Will Davis
31:40 - 31:40
Sutton Podcast: and
31:40 - 31:49
Mark: he's done he's done pretty well he scored the odd goal I'm not sure who will play in that role or whether Steve will just change formation
31:50 - 31:50
Speaker 3: as
31:50 - 31:59
Mark: a consequence of missing Jayden. But yeah, that's obviously a bit of a blow and that was a bad aspect to yesterday.
32:01 - 32:02
Sutton Podcast: George, what was bad for you yesterday?
32:05 - 32:14
George: Probably our lack of attacking intent, particularly in the midfield, nothing going for us.
32:16 - 32:16
Speaker 3: Fair
32:16 - 32:19
Sutton Podcast: enough. What was funny about the day for you yesterday?
32:29 - 32:47
George: Probably, when we got to the service station on the way back, as we were leaving the team coaches pulled up, some of our fans at the back were complaining it was quite funny
32:49 - 32:54
Sutton Podcast: don't say what they said, leave out the naughty words Mark what was funny for you yesterday?
32:55 - 33:28
Mark: Well, there weren't too many light moments yesterday. I'm going to come back to the pubs. Some of us went to a new-ish micro pub in Rochdale town center called Our Gracies, which is named in honor of Gracie Fields, who of course came from Rochdale. And there were pictures of Gracie Fields around the bar. And like many of these micro pubs, it has a unisex toilet that was used and you know in a lot of loomis there's a sign up on the wall saying now please wash your hands
33:28 - 33:28
Sutton Podcast: and
33:28 - 33:40
Mark: there was a big sign on the wall of this just said wash your hands you filthy animal. About the funniest thing I came across that day.
33:40 - 33:41
Sutton Podcast: Fair enough.
33:43 - 33:46
Mark: Didn't think he was particularly in channeling Gracie Fields.
33:47 - 33:48
Sutton Podcast: No but it's
33:48 - 33:50
Mark: slightly more amusing than it might otherwise be.
33:50 - 33:50
Speaker 3: There should have
33:50 - 34:24
Sutton Podcast: been a picture of it next to it. Right, so we, we, we football, we move on. We always move on. It's 1 of the themes of Johnny's book, Matchfee, if you haven't read it yet, is there's always another match, another season, something to move on. So we do have Maidenhead coming to visit us and I did catch up with 1 of their fans earlier and you guys are going to have to listen to hear it. But I'm going to stop the interview in here. Okay, we are now being joined by Steve for the free Q preview,
34:24 - 34:41
Sutton Podcast: where we get insights onto our upcoming match. And Steve is a supporter of MakeHead and we are going to find out all about him. So Steve, can you tell us a bit about your history and why you started supporting and a bit about just yourself really?
34:42 - 35:10
Steve: Yeah, so I grew up very near to the ground could see the floodlights out my bedroom window. I went to the my first match at York Road in 1979, but really started going week in week out from the sort of early 90s. And then been going home and away ever since then really so well over 30 years now. And then done lots of stuff at the club, edited the program for 10 years, so I've written for the Sutton United program before.
35:10 - 35:11
Sutton Podcast: Have you? Very good. Yeah
35:12 - 35:45
Steve: and then did lots of other bits like when something called Twitter started then the websites appeared or things like that. I did the PA for 8 years and then I was asked to become a director of the club in 2007 and I'm a trustee of the community section and the ground itself which is many people know it's 1 of the oldest grounds for ball grounds in the world and is held in trust rather than owned by the club. So yes I'm quite heavily involved over a long time period. Away from that I live in Hammersmith now
35:45 - 35:54
Steve: and I've been a teacher in inner city London for over 25 years. I currently just moved to a job in Tulsa Hill, so
35:54 - 35:54
Mark: not too
35:54 - 36:17
Sutton Podcast: far away. You're not too far. Excellent. Nice easy journey for you. I don't see the hat rack behind you but that's many different hats you're wearing as a supporter and a fan and doing all different things that's amazing. What were your hopes for the season and did that align with sort of the general view of fans and how's it going so far?
36:18 - 36:48
Steve: So this is our eighth season in the National League. Unprecedented. When we won the National South that was amazing as champions and really we had no idea what to expect playing in a league with at that time a lot of ex-league teams, there's a few now, but as you know there was a lot more then. And obviously we come from a similar background, like Sutton, we're a genuinely non-league club, we like to be friendly and open and really to see where the journey took us. And then we found out that we got the knack of survival,
36:49 - 37:20
Steve: which is quite tricky because because of our financial circumstances, most of our players are on 1 year contracts. So if any of them are any good, someone else comes along and picks them up. So Alan Devonshire, the manager, he's been the manager for that period, but it's in his 10th season now, in the second period of the club, with 7 years there before in the late 90s. He's got this brilliant ability to acquire the players at a very low cost, we're kind of part-time, to make sure we stay up with relative ease. There's only been 1
37:20 - 37:46
Steve: season that's gone down to the last day of the season. Obviously, the Covid season was a bit of a funny 1 as well, but we survived that. So, yeah, so really, the first 1 is always survival, 50 points. So we're looking at which 4 teams might finish below us. And then really, it's as far as we can go, because we have a new set of players pretty much every season. Yeah, and then see what to make of them. Unfortunately, many of them have got injured in the first few weeks of the season. So that's why it's
37:46 - 38:19
Steve: a struggle. I couldn't gel as a team because they were just changing every week. It settled down in mid-September and then we've been on quite a fairly good run since then. Just lost the last couple of league matches and absolutely gutted by our stoppage time considering equalizer against Crawley in the FA Cup last week. So pretty good in September and October, it's dipped a bit recently but we're quite hopeful we can, I know we dipped into the bottom 4 yesterday on goal difference that we can once again it's above water?
38:20 - 38:24
Sutton Podcast: Very good. I mean, is it a 3 quarter time model like we had?
38:24 - 38:32
Steve: That's why we actually copied your model. Yeah, the Monday and Tuesday mornings and then Thursday evenings.
38:32 - 38:52
Sutton Podcast: Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful. So at this stage of the season, obviously you've mentioned players not gelling, we've had a fairly similar thing with we've got a lot of younger players. What do you see as your main sort of strengths and weaknesses and who is it that kind of gets everyone up and who should we be looking out for?
38:52 - 39:19
Steve: Yeah, so we've kind of settled down a bit in the last few weeks. Some of the lone players have stayed a bit. So I suppose in terms of players you should look out for our sort of playmaker is Reece Smith. He can play anywhere kind of behind the striker. So most supporters like him to play in that number 10 role. He generally has been playing on the left wing at the moment. Our manager likes inverted wingers. So he plays on his right foot on the left wing and we've got Sam Barrett on the right wing left-footed
39:19 - 39:51
Steve: but sometimes of course they swap over depending on what the manager thinks of Sutton. So he's particularly 1 to watch out for. We've also got I think our centre-back pairing of De Havilland and Kevin Locco, long careers at this level, particularly lethal from set pieces as well. Locco, 1 of our top scorers this season, all from set pieces and De Havilland again yesterday, he scored our goal for a free kick inside our box and got his head on the end of it. So yes, centre backs and Reece Smith, Sam Barrett, the wingers.
39:52 - 40:08
Sutton Podcast: Perfect. And how do you see the match going? Both of us seemingly a bit stop-start over Some of our supporters are melting down at the mid table. So interesting. But
40:09 - 40:09
Speaker 3: how do
40:09 - 40:15
Sutton Podcast: you see it? Do you see it as a tight game, open game? What do you think it's going to be?
40:15 - 40:42
Steve: Well, I think despite the fact that Sutton have obviously been in a higher division for the last few seasons, they're a club that we know well and I'm sure many of the players are well known to not just our team but our management team so I think we'll be going there looking for a win and we've got a good record at Gander Green Lanes, particularly in the National League. I remember when we first came up, beautiful sunny, I think August or September afternoon, 1 of our first away wins, Harold O'Daventie with a fantastic goal and I
40:42 - 40:58
Steve: think we won another game there as well before you went up. So, you know, it doesn't hold any kind of terrace for us going down there we're looking forward to it I think the main question yesterday was from our supporters was will we be allowed in your bar because we all love going in there and socialising with you.
40:59 - 41:17
Sutton Podcast: Yeah there is a sort of fans only thing behind because you're now in my favorite part of the ground The open curva and I think you are the Parkside Terrace as well so There is a fan zone bar behind there, but yeah a lot of it segregated and
41:17 - 41:19
Steve: yeah that
41:19 - 41:36
Sutton Podcast: was 1 of the big disappointments going up it was like oh everything you don't get to even look at another support now and so yeah but yeah he said great but I'm fairly confident that if we just finish the match and wander around to the bar, no one's going to come in, no, you can't come in here. But
41:38 - 41:40
George: here's the big question, this is going to
41:40 - 41:47
Sutton Podcast: be the headline for the program as you know as the editor, former editor, what's the score? What's your prediction of the score?
41:47 - 41:49
Steve: I'll go 2-1 Maidenhead.
41:50 - 42:02
Sutton Podcast: 2-1 Maidenhead, excellent, lovely. Well thank you very much Steve, good luck for most of the season obviously with the caveat of our own games and look forward to seeing you on your short trip on Saturday.
42:02 - 42:03
Steve: We'll do see you then.
42:03 - 42:42
Sutton Podcast: Take care, thank you. So there were a few things in there, 1 that I quite liked is they copied our 3 quarter time model. They basically said They're trying to fit into the full-time league. They can't do it. They haven't got the money. So they basically used our model as a sort of a thing to copy. So that's quite flattering. But they have struggled. They have just dropped into the bottom 4 after a quite heavy defeat to Forest Green and he described Forest Green as the best team they've seen this season. Mark what do you think
42:42 - 42:54
Sutton Podcast: about the match? I mean you hinted at it earlier you think that we should be aiming to beat them and win these games? But what do you think about that? How do you see it going? Are we going to be pagey or are we going to go for it?
42:55 - 43:25
Mark: It has to be said that MadeNet have got quite a good record against Sutton, including at our ground. We've lost quite a few times to them. So they are a bit of a bogey side, although we did do the double over in our promotion season in 2021, so that has to be mentioned as well. So, you know, it's a little bit hard to be too bullish about this game but you know I think I think Steve will be looking at this looking at where we are in the table where they are looking at highlights of their
43:25 - 44:01
Mark: last couple of games he'll be thinking this is a game we ought to win. We've only won 2 games haven't we at home this season But I think this ought to be the third. It might be quite cagey. I suspect it'll be a more open game, perhaps a bit more like the Braintree game than the 1 yesterday and the 1 against Gateshead. I think we'll be a bit less defensive, a bit more of the ball, get forward a bit more and I think that that's what will be expected and I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll get the
44:01 - 44:11
Mark: win. I don't think it'll be a thumping but you know, 1 by maybe 1 or 2 goals. That's what you know I would be expecting from this next match.
44:12 - 44:45
Sutton Podcast: Well I did look up some stats, I haven't actually had a chance to verify them so this may not be true at all but apparently 18 games we've played they've won 8 we've won 6 and 4 draws so if we did the double over them again this year we'd all be level But as I say you can't trust these things because I very confidently wish Charlie Waller a happy birthday This week and he sent me a lovely message saying thank you very much, but my birthday was in March Excuse me, and he said Wikipedia someone's put
44:45 - 45:12
Sutton Podcast: it wrong on Wikipedia. I don't know why and I'm like Great and there's another birthday reply. It's supposed to come out this week So I looked it up and I've got 2 different sites 1 saying his birthday again is the date I think it is and 1 saying he's a year older than I have and it was in March as well so it's like okay I might need to reach out to winnings your birthday but yeah we'll take a prediction in a second from you but George how do you see the game going?
45:13 - 45:16
George: I mean I think it's game on paper we should be winning and we
45:16 - 45:17
Sutton Podcast: don't play on paper
45:18 - 45:36
George: we saw that against boston and I think steve should be quite optimistic going off their poor form and their last game but yeah I think I I'm a little bit optimistic I think we should win that game.
45:36 - 46:04
Sutton Podcast: Let's see their last game for me yeah it always looks great oh they just lost 4-1 but that's gonna just rally the troops like a lot of people were saying for the Birmingham match oh we should take heart from Tanworth winning and I'm like, well surely that's going to make the Birmingham players go yeah that's not happening to us. So yeah it can go either way but what's your prediction George? If you're playing the game you can always change it later in the week so don't worry, it's set in stone. What's your early prediction?
46:05 - 46:15
George: I think it depends how we play if we play defensively which I think we probably will again I think we will win the game 1 nil.
46:15 - 46:18
Sutton Podcast: Okay and Mark what do you reckon?
46:20 - 46:24
Mark: In an unusual burst of optimism I'll go 2-0 to something.
46:24 - 46:55
Sutton Podcast: 2-0 well I'm gonna go not because I've always said it I have changed my thing but I'm gonna go 2-1 because I genuinely think it could be to 1 I think we will concede there will be grumbles and moans and then Come back and we'll win it. Hopefully the last 96 minutes winner or something 2 goals and 90 plus that would be lovely. I just wish people that and But Thank you very very much. Anyone wants to play along with the prediction league please do so. There will be tweets and everything goes out every week so
46:55 - 47:23
Sutton Podcast: you're probably bored of them now although I do change it. The music stays the same, the format stays the same but some of the things do change if anyone's actually noticed. But we're gonna wrap up this episode of something podcast. As always, we appreciate your attention and feedback. Get involved, let us know how you think the club's history influences the current identity, if it does. Follow, like, share, give me the thumbs up on all those different socials it's lovely and subscribe to the podcast I've got like 200 on YouTube now I feel like I should do
47:23 - 47:47
Sutton Podcast: woohoo hit that subscribe button that's never gonna work is it George I can't I can't do that and thank you to our sponsors LuckystarGin thank you to Mark and George next week we will be back talking about Maidenhead with Joe and Harry, I believe, I think it is. But I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Something Podcast. Thank you for listening, take care and we'll catch up soon bye bye thank you
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