Big wins for Wales and Scotland in the Nations League – Football Weekly

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Hello, it's Grace Dent here from The Guardian's Comforating Podcast. This week, I sat down with comedian Phil Wang who dish the dirt and the importance of a prompt post-show meal. My wonderful tour manager became expert at timing the delivery order so that it arrived literally the second I got off stage. And people say that famous people are treated like babies. That's Comforating. Listen, wherever you get your full time.

Hello and welcome to The Guardian Football Weekly. First off, a surprising one-year contract extension for Pep Guardiola. Not sure any of us saw this coming, does he know something we don't about the charges? Well, has he signed up regardless of whether it's Premier League or Vanarama next year? And then on to a great international break for the home nations. Promotion for Wales and unbeaten campaign.

and a 4-1 hammering of Iceland, while Turkey lose surprisingly in Montenegro, which means Wales will be in the top tier next time around. A last-minute header from Andy Robertson means Scotland rescue themselves and now have a playoff to stay in the top division. Promotion 2 for Northern Ireland, despite giving up a 2-0 lead in Luxembourg. And then to the big stuff, promotion for the World-ranked bottom side, San Marino, probably makes the entire Nations League worth it by itself. The first time they'd ever scored three goals, away from home 2, in Lichtenstein.

Also today Paul Watson takes us to Vanuatu and back Ian Holloway on Swindon's training ground being haunted, your questions and that's today's Guardian Football Week clean.

on the panel today for the duration. Barry Glendeny, welcome. Hello, yes. And Paul Watson, hello. I'm Alex. And we will be joined by various luminaries, Ben Fisher, you and Murray, and a pre-recorded Ellis James in just a second. But we'll start with Pep Guardiola's one-year extension. We'll be more on this tomorrow when we look ahead to the Premier League games. But it is

Huge news. City are apparently refusing to comment unless they've commented since I wrote this down. On a story that was first reported in the athletic, multiple sources of confirmed Guadiolis elected to sign a new deal to take a stay at the club to 10 years. So we joined in 2016. He's won 18 trophies so far. Very good news for Manchester City, Barry. Not very good news for everyone else, I would say.

Yeah, probably. As you said in the intro, I didn't see this coming. I presumed he'd be off at the end of the season. My first thought was like you, because we're such cynical people Maxis. Does he know something about this tribunal that the rest of us don't? I have no idea. It probably doesn't.

and it's good for a city because it will help with the handover when Gerstein leaves the directory football leaves at the end of the season Hugo Vienna comes in from sporting it'll add some what's the word i'm looking for

Continuity. Yes, thank you, Max. I think you said that about 20 seconds. I think I was going to be there. Anyway, right. That's not very good. Continuity, isn't saying continuity. And they're not being able to remember. I just said continuity.

Anyway, I've already said the word continuity far more often than I had planned in this. My response to this question, which suggests it's reached its conclusion.

I think it has. Paul, what's your immediate reaction to the news? I think he'll bring a lot of good continuity to the club. I'm hoping you'd go there. You don't have to be a sort of conspiracy theorist to say that he may well know something, right? Because I can imagine when you're discussing what you're going to do

with a new contract, a lot of the question is going to be, are we going to be in the Vanna Rana? So I would imagine he may well know something to be totally honest. I don't think I'm going all deep state on that. And then it may mean that there's at least another year before anything particularly gets done about the charges. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to seeing him down here at Forest Green. I was going to say that, but actually, Forest Green could well go up this season. So who knows?

Who knows? Yeah, as I said, we'll continue this chat tomorrow. But lots of international stuff to get through. Let's start with Wales. It would be Iceland 4-1. Promoted from League B Group 4. Gordo said, should England have gone for Craig Bellamy instead of Tukel? Nigel says, it's half time in Wales at topping the group. What chances of Ellis James doing the school run in the morning? Well, he doesn't let us know if he did the school run, but here is Ellis James on last night.

Oh, Max. They should prescribe thumping winds in the nation's league on the NHS.

That would do an awful lot to ease the burden on the NHS. If a successful campaign in the Nations League was a pill or a tablet, we'd all be taking them. Wales for Iceland won. Craig Bellamy's sixth game in charge, he hasn't lost yet, was being promoted back to league A.

We are big in the back time and almost certainly guaranteed a World Cup playoff spot if we mess up qualification by the traditional route that is. And it means we're guaranteed being in part two of the World Cup draw, which is great. We don't have playoffs in March.

which is what I expected. Harry Wilson has now scored four goals in the past five games for Wales, scored an absolutely fantastic or real scream at the fourth goal from Harry was an absolute belter. He's such a talented player. I don't know why he doesn't play more often for Fulham. Incredible. When you think about it, it's really five months ago that the team were booed off

in Slovakia and we were unable to be Gibraltar. So the transformation into Craig Bellamy, since he took over from our page, is just huge. I mean, we didn't have it all our own way. Iceland certainly got off to the better start. They were one and up up to seven minutes. It was the first time I was a fallen behind into Craig Bellamy, actually. What's so exciting about it is that it feels like we're at the beginning of something rather than clinging on to the end of something.

Liam Cullen, shout out to the Kilgette Messi. I thought he was fantastic. There's an awful lot of Swansea City influence in this Welsh team and Swansea fans obviously have seen a lot of Liam Cullen over the last few years. I think I've always known there was a player in there but we're really starting to see it now. I love Liam Cullen and long may this continue. I think that Brendan Johnson scoring the goal can be significant because

if we are going to do well, and if we are going to succeed, he is such a vital player for us, him and Harry Wilson, of course. Yeah, it's just really exciting feeling like you're at the beginning of a project. It's a really, really nice feeling that. I couldn't go tonight. I don't miss very many, but I'm currently doing a tour of Welsh language, stunned up, and I've got six gigs this week.

I actually took the night off to go to the game and I realised that my kids had probably disowned me. And what I should have said was, yeah, kids, I mean, kids are great, but this is the nation's league. But it's all building up to a show I'm recording at the Lyric Theatre in Kamal then on Saturday night, Saturday the 23rd, which is going to go on as we'll see the Mushroom Language Channel for over Christmas.

So, actually, this is a kiss left. If you love Welsh-language stand-up and who doesn't, I really am one of the titans of the Welsh-language stand-up comedy scene. I'm doing two shows at 6pm and 8pm on Saturday, the 23rd at the Lyric Theatre in Khmer. The only Lyric, if you ask me, yes, sod the well in Hammersmith.

But anyway, Max, it feels good. I feel good. I'm one of the titans of Welsh language standard comedy for crying out loud. I'm willing to say it now, you know? I'm willing to come out there and just...

Just puff my chest out. Craig Bellamy's done that to me. Craig Bellamy. Thank you. Listen, I would go as far to say that you are the Titan, not just a Titan, but the Titan of Welsh language, stand up comedy, and everyone please go and watch his show. Let's talk to Ben Fisher. Who was there? Hey, Ben. Sorry. Sorry. Just hold on, Max. You say everyone go and watch your show.

with the greatest respect. I would quite like to go watch this show, but I don't speak Welsh. So it would be a waste of my time and the time of someone who does speak Welsh who might like to go and see his show. Ah, so you could buy a ticket and then give up your ticket for somebody who actually speaks Welsh. That's like giving it up for a real fan. Okay. But you're not accusing Alice of you sort of

keeping us away from his comedy. We don't know if it's good, do we? Well at least he admitted it's a Welsh language show. It's not like when I went to see what was that Tim Burton movie about the barber, the demon barber,

Which ended up being a hands. No, no Johnny. It was anyway, it ended up being a musical like Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd Yeah, so it ended up being a musical but they didn't tell you that in the trailer. It was very nice. I'd say so at least you know Ellis has front adopt this easy and Welsh

If you are Welsh and you speak Welsh, or if you're not Welsh and you speak Welsh, or you understand Welsh, enjoy Ellis's show. To Ben Fisher then, who was there last night? Hey, Ben. Hey, Max, how's it going? Yeah, very good. What did you make of last night? What a great result and what a brilliant campaign from Craig Bellamy? Yeah, just an amazing sort of absorbing campaign from Craig Bellamy. Obviously six games in charge, three wins, three draws.

And, you know, there have been little minor bumps, but it feels, coming off the back of the campaign, it feels sort of semi-flawless, really, given how well things have gone. I think it must be beyond what he was expecting, even if he sort of, it pains to say he wants Wales to be this top team and not just get to the World Cup, but complete it a World Cup. But I think we have to remember, I mean,

He is basically working with more or less the same tools that Rob Page is working with, his predecessor. But he feels like he is eating that bit more out of them. And I have to say, I wasn't too sure if that was possible. But so far, so good. And yeah, just an extraordinary start. He's clearly enjoying it. I think he is a bit worried about what he's going to do for the next four months because

As you said the other day, he needs to keep busy and obviously he's had these three camps in three months. But yeah, what a start. We knew when he came in the door that, you know, he's quite a highly rated coach of the side, Victor Vincent company. And let's face it, he took kind of quite a good game. But actually he has backed up. He has delivered the players who've certainly bought in their kind of waxing miracle about him. Lots of meetings.

Lots of detail, but they seem to be loving it and it is showing. It's not like he wants one thing, but we're not really seeing it. Okay, it's not perfect, but there are so, so many positives. And just to reiterate the point, you know, it's not like he's working with a sort of team full of

Elite Premier League players, there are still a couple of gaps, if you like, where maybe you'd want a top player in there, but he's getting so much from them. Ben, can I ask? What is Bellamy doing that is noticeably different from what Paige was doing, if anything?

Yeah, I mean, now, Barry, it feels like almost everything. I mean, it's so intense that, in fact, it's funny because last night, obviously an amazing win comeback win 4-1. Actually, it was probably the first time they'd started so sloppily. You know, these fast starts have been a thing. This will two goals in three minutes out of Montenegro.

I don't think they'd scored a second half goal until last night, and obviously got a couple of them. They're moving the ball with such intensity. The forward players playing with such freedom now. Bellamy keeps saying, you know, Wales don't play formations. The Craig Bellamy team supposedly doesn't play formations. They play shapes in terms of how he alludes to how flexible they move, how interchangeable everything is. And again, in fairness, it all sounds a bit

A bit peppy. You're seeing it on the pitch. It is very fluid. Ben Davies has played left back centre half. Lots of players have played different positions. He's used something like 25 players. He again rotated four players to keep that freshness last night. He's flip-flopped with a goalkeeper. Danny Ward and Kyle Dalo, neither of whom are playing regular football at their clubs. It has been an amazing team effort. Is Bellamy was desperate to point out last night.

And sort of like you've mentioned, it feels like the end of the Galactico's, right? And like players like Liam Cullen, who most listeners probably won't have heard of and who wasn't doing brilliantly at Swansea for ages, and you know, Mark Harris playing in the championship for Oxford, to get those guys to sort of raise their game and then to get players like Brendan Johnson, okay, he's been pretty good for Spurs, but Harry Wilson, not playing out for full and play absolutely brilliantly, is just testament to what Bellamy's doing.

Yeah, I really love Brendan Johnson, you know, really liked him for a while, but I have to say last night felt even like a bit of a moment. In a way, I suppose it was a bit of a shame he didn't end up sort of capping the scoring, as it were, because he felt like he needed that moment in a well shot, weirdly, even though he's been so good in sort of glimpses, to hopefully there's more of that to come from him. But as you say, Max, you know, people like Josh Sheehan, who's playing for Bolton in League One,

You know, in midfield again last night, Harry Wilson played deeper basically because they don't have loads of options in there with Amper do out injured. Joe Allen, you know, can't get through 90 minutes at the moment having come back to the team. But I mean, I would just say sort of lastly, in terms of the team, I think Nico Williams, Joe Road on and Ben Davies played every minute under Bellamy. And those three, all defenders have been incredible. I mean, Ben Davies,

It's sort of stacked with me really, and it doesn't play more for Spurs, but every time he pulls in a whale shirt, he's just superb, blocking and heading and everything that comes his way. I know, I appreciate he probably doesn't bomb up field, maybe it's posted cobbly we'd like to in that system, but invite wise Joe Rodon has been brilliant in Nico Williams too. So there's so many kind of, you know, there's not one superstar now, as you said, in this sort of post-bail era that we're still actually weirdly adjusting to.

And there's not one superstar. Johnson hasn't quite picked on those levels, but everybody's doing their bit. And like I said, yeah, Danny Walton come in, barely playing a game for Leicester, and puts in an amazing performance last night. Perhaps less importantly, or more importantly, depending on who you follow, you wrote the piece, Ben, about Ian Holloway thinking that Swindon Town is haunted. Yes. Which is a great story, isn't it?

Yeah, no. He'd actually flagged it a while back, saying how doors were opening when they shouldn't have been, that, you know, doors he'd shut had suddenly started opening behind him. I mean, it was quite the move for a post-match interview at Atkinson Stanley off the tour drill. Yeah, it's about to be a big game this weekend. They've got more commit home. He's yet to win in the league. I think he's had three games in charge. But yeah, obviously, we know him, don't we? He's obviously this hugely colourful character. I remember a few years ago, I brought back memories. I remember

trying to do an interview with him after he took over at Grimmsby. I said, oh yeah, can you ring me on whatever day it was? And he ended up, remember you woke me up because it was at 6am or just after. Who's that ring me? It was Ian Holloway on the way into training. And next thing, he's singing super kind of fragileistic, expialidocious down the phone. You know, he's just this, we know him as this kind of madcap character. And I suppose this is just a kind of late, it's his installment. We should say as well, he's inching towards 1,000 games as a manager. I think he's, I think that is due around Boxing Day.

If the stars align so I think that's something that probably semi-driving him as well To be part of that gang as he said the other day, so yeah

You know, I am, he hasn't done amazingly recently, but I have all the time in the world for Ian Holloway. Like every dealing I've had and, you know, me and Barry have had, I'm sure he just, he rang our radio show at some point when he was out metal detecting. And no one has said to work, arty fact, better than it. Not even you could say it better than him. He says here, some really, really strange things are happening. He's asked his wife, Kim, to quote, cleanse the area because the training ground in, I think it's,

Call calm CA. Oh yeah. Calm is near an ancient burial site. I'm absolutely devastated. So I'm going to try and cleanse the training ground area because people are telling me it's haunted. Seriously, there's a graveyard somewhere near. I'm not joking. I'm going to get my wife to come up and say sorry to all these people and hopefully we'll have a bit more luck. But you have to earn your luck as well, you said.

I liked it because he kind of had a semi dig, I think, some of the reporting in the aftermath, you know, people who picked up his comments, obviously, ourselves included, and he sort of reserved the word for the times who apparently are going to go to extra links to pick up the CCTV, which he claims, you know, is evidence of this. So we should, you know, look out for that, I suppose.

I'm curious to know if his wife came has sort of why an apology from her would be in some way worth more than an apology from him or anyone else. Is she a qualified exorcist or something? He said that she is a fan of following. I remember the name of the YouTube channel, some YouTube channel where is that?

a vet fielding and someone else. I'm not sure. I think it was called Casper Ghost or something I want to say.

Well, you clearly haven't done that as much research as the times, as far as I can tell. I like the idea of them driving around in a little mystery mobile. They'll eventually pull a mask off. It'll be the groundsman at the training ground. It'll be Yanaga Fyorta when it'll be a Swindon legend who doesn't want them to repeat the heights, yeah, or it'll be Squires or an Oxford United legend. It'll be John Aldridge. Anyway, cheers, Ben. Off you go. Thanks, Josh.

Ben Fisher there, and that'll be for part one, part two. You and Murray will join us from the Jazzbar. We'll talk about Scotland's last-minute heroics.

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Hello, it's Grace Ben here from The Guardian's Comforating Podcast. This week, I sat down with comedian Phil Wang who dished the dirt and the importance of a prompt post-show meal. My wonderful tour manager became expert at timing the delivery order so that it arrived literally the second I got off stage. And people say the famous people are treated like babies. That's Comforating. Listen, wherever you get your full chance.

Welcome to part two of the Guardian Football Weekly. Let's go straight to the jazz bar. You and Murray joined us. How are you in? Morning. So what a win then for Scotland in Poland. Last minute, Andy Robertson, bullet header into the top corner. That was something else, isn't it? Yeah, I think probably the best moment for Andy Robertson in a Scotland shirt. That was his atheist cat. I don't know why that says more about Andy Robertson and more about Scotland and more about anything else, but it was a fantastic moment for him.

And I think just the combination of, and I've written this and said umpteen times, Scotland finally got more out, sorry, got the proper reward from the Nations League. I thought until Monday night they hadn't quite got the Nations League what they put into it. And it was a great moment and I think

setting reward for what they contributed to that group. Yeah, and he put out a great photo of, you know, my first cap and my 80th cap. And yeah, we all know, we all know people age, but when you put them together, you think, God, he was just a child. And now he looks like a sort of a grizzled old man doesn't mean it's by probably being, you know, more than a decade younger than any of us. Yeah, I'm pleased for him on a personal level, because I think he suffers a little bit with the thing of going

Watch the national team don't quite appreciate how much he brings. You know, great Scottish players in the past have had that kind of wish being the main one. I think Robertson's performances for Scotland are still on a very, very high level. And maybe he is a slight point to prove that he's not playing as much for Liverpool. I don't know that'll be part of it, but I was pleased that he got a moment like that.

for people maybe just to appreciate more of what he brings to the team. So do you think much has changed in Steve Clark's approach to these results? Or they've just got some results? Yeah, that's an interesting point. A lot of people believe post euros. He's thrown the shackles off and maybe get rid of his natural instinct and let the team play with gay abandon and all this kind of stuff. I'm not sure that's true. I think what's happened, well, two things have happened.

They have played with a back three stroke back five to allow Tierney and Robertson to play in the same team. The Tierney is injured, so that's not a factor. They're playing with a back four, and they look very comfortable with the system they're playing, basically four, two, three, one. I think more importantly, in the summer in Germany, too many are all of their main players didn't play well. And Scotland don't have enough good players that when the main guys don't perform, and it's fine naming them, I think, McGinn, McTominay,

Roberson himself, Colin McGregor was playing then, Billy Gilmer. I think for various reasons, they struggled at the Euros, and when that happens, Scotland don't have enough other guys in the squad to prop them up. And I think basically, again, for a number of reasons, Gilmer and McTominay obviously have been rejuvenated in Italy, been the main one, McGinn's come back in the team and playing well at Villa.

I think those players are back and forth and that has just massively helped with what Steve Clark is able to do. You indeed, this was a really terrific game, just end-to-end stuff, really entertaining. And we spoke a bit about it on Monday, but I'd just like to hear your thoughts on Ben Dolk, who has really been impressive in those two games. Yeah, I mean, as you guys will know, I am more cautious than most when it comes to young Scottish players and talking about them saying how wonderful they're going to be.

I think excitement around dork is justified sorry i should have said that to myself that's another part of why things i think i've improved but don't cuz god and alone to the middle's bra he's playing every week he's playing well every week.

which means it's very easy to pick him for the national team. And when he comes in, you see that he is different. He has searing pace, his decision making is decent. He's got a lot to learn, his final ball can improve, et cetera, et cetera. But he is that different attacking option that Scotland have been crying out for for a long, long time. And I think it's fair to be excited by him. And I think the fact that Steve Clark now picks him in a starting 11, what three games in a row. I think that shows that he believes that the hype is justified and that we can be

excited about what Doke can bring. You're right, Barry, to say about the game. And actually, that's another resurgence, if you like, that shouldn't be lost. They've started getting breaks. And the break on Monday was that Lebodoski was injured. I think if he played that game, it was reasonable to think, pulling with a score more than one goal. They got a break against Croatia. And that Croatia played the second half with 10 men. These things have started to fall in Scotland's favour again, for a while. They definitely weren't. But yeah, Doke's exciting.

One that he's going to be Liverpool's answer in the future, I don't know, but I think it's definitely clear that he can have a very good career and be a very big part of the national team for a long time to come. It's rare, you and that you get Misty Eyed discussing a footballer. But at the other end of the scale from Ben Doke, Craig Gordon, again, had another brilliant game, didn't he? I regularly get Misty Eyed talking about Craig Gordon, yeah, that's not what we're doing. He had a cringey against Ronaldo and Portugal, cringey against Croatia, played well again the other night.

Yeah, I mean, there's not much I can say about him that haven't said before. At some point at some time, Scotland will have to think that you goalkeeper take turns 42 next month. But for now, I think we can enjoy what he continues. And he will certainly enjoy what he continues to bring to it. And it's the top level of international football. He's not playing against... I was going to say San Marino, but they're good now, aren't they? He's not playing against Gibraltar in Armenia. He's playing against...

proper international teams and he's doing exceptionally well then it's a continuation of our wild story at you it's probably quite boring but can you explain for the benefit of people who might not know why i had to watch this game on youtube

And at one point, there were over 400,000 people watching it on YouTube. It seems ashamed that a game this good isn't on terrestrial television or even pay-per-view, you know, that it's so hard to find. A lot of people might not have even known it was on YouTube. Morning answer is that via play, wouldn't the rights to these games? And that's a centralized deal that wasn't the Scottish F.A. or F.A. and England or anyone else. But via play, what the rights to these fixtures

via play, I've obviously shut down their operations in the UK subsequently. So they can sublet those games, but now it's this ITV and the BBC didn't buy them. I think Scotland's first set of Nations League fixtures in September were an ITV3. The game's October weren't, which was a surprise to me because you had the Modrician Ronaldo fight, they never mind Craig Gordon.

And then when it came to these games in November, basically no one else bought them from via play. So the answer is that, by a play, at no cost, obviously to them, just stick them with their own YouTube channel. The Scottish Arsenal team put it on their own YouTube channel, because there are no other takers. I disagree with you, Barry, slightly. And I think, well, I think the coverage on there is perfectly fine.

Surely everyone can use YouTube nowadays, can they? It's not difficult to find. Oh, no, I appreciate that, but it's just a lot of people might not even have known it was on YouTube who wanted to see it. That's all. It becomes a... Every time these games come around, it becomes a political debate in Scotland. It's a disgrace, an outrage that the BBC especially, or another free-tier broadcaster doesn't take these games. Now, they would argue, that's a commercial decision. I wouldn't have a clue what money Viya played for them.

But I just think if you want to find the game, you can fit in as long as the stream is fine, which it was the other night, you know, there's no analysis. There's no post match stuff. It's just the football.

But I think in terms of finding the game is reasonable enough if you want to do it. That's me told absolutely just about Barry the last dinosaur switches on the telly goes one, two, three, four, nothing. I do this a lot. I mean, if you just Google, you know, what channel is such and such a game on, there's actually articles written there, there are various outlets telling you precisely where you can find it in any given country.

There was a great moment where Scotland Croatia was on because obviously I was scrolling down on the YouTube and it was 475,000 people are currently watching and then I was scrolling down so I could get to San Marino at Gibraltar and it said 480 or whatever.

It's the future, isn't it? You know, it's the future, isn't it? You're right. Most tellies now have a button that says YouTube, and it is there. But it's interesting that there's no studio analysis, I guess, you in, because I think people will watch the game regardless, but some people like that. Yeah, and some people are absolutely delighted there's no studio analysis. Some people love that element of it. It's quite funny.

I'm kind of in the middle, I don't mind. As long as the technology works, I think it's a reasonable enough place to find it. But I think down the line, you would hope that I agree with Barry and that the wider point down the line, you would hope a team and a Scotland team that continues to do well should have a better platform. I mean, the Wales game was on S4C last night. I watched it.

The England game is obviously untresty, so that jars with people and that's not unreasonable. That the other home nations are on, you know, trestled television in Scotland or not. So I get the point that that would stick. But I think if you want to find the game, you can find the game. One minor disappointment, I guess, is the fact that Slovakia and Czech Republic both won last night, which means that Scotland World Cup qualifying group, they'll be in Pop 3, so could come up against two big guns. How big a blow is that?

Yeah, again, not to be your sound contrary, which is always not me. I don't think that's a bigger deal. Two parts of this. One, Scotland have shown they can not qualify from every pot going in previous years. And two, more importantly, I just think they've shown they can compete against the best teams in Europe. They might not pop the group when I accept that. But I think regardless of any group, they've got a decent chance of finishing second, given what we've seen

in recent times under Steve Clark's team. And I look at a lot of part two and part three and think it's much more than muchness. Of course, you've got a stinking job, but you could always get a stinking job. So I've noticed downbeat about that, I'm obsessed with that as some people are. I didn't think, the other night, put it this way, I didn't think that the work up parts thing was the key element. I thought the key thing was, can they avoid the allegations from this nation's league group? Which thus far they have, they've got to play off the play. And again, I think they've got a decent chance of coming through that.

playoff. I think they can negotiate the World Cup in parts regardless of being in part three.

And Scotland will be based in New Orleans, so you can go to the just bar there. You know, plural. It's all my team in the US coming in golf. I've never actually been there. So that would be a that would be a bonus on various levels. Great, Sizzy. Aberdeen fans keep getting in touch with us to say spend more time talking about them, please. They're level on points with Celtic after 11 games. Can you talk about them, please, you and I think we did talk about them, didn't we?

Yeah, we did. Yeah. I think there were eight games and level with Celtic when we talked about them last, but, you know, we can talk about them some more. For Celtic, beat them six now in a week up, seven fail. No, no, I just listen, I think for Scottish football, the longer that can last. A Faber team can make it 22 games, 33 games, you know, they wouldn't win the week unless Celtic made major major errors, which I don't expect them to make. And to be fair, we've seen how strong Celtic are in a wider sense in terms of their

They're excellent Champions League performances. But the longer Aberdeen can stay around there, it's good for the game. And what Jimmy Toen has done, you know, the point in front of capacity crowds every week. And I think that the one club city thing helps here. You've really rejuvenated the football club, the city in terms of its relationship with the football club.

And the longer that lasts, the better. We should all talk that up. I've got no problem. I'd rather it was hearts, but in the business it's not hearts. But someone else could do it. That's fine by me, because it adds a different dynamic to a league that is not nearly competitive enough. Willie says, I'd love you in to explain more about space retrieval practice in mathematics, please. Can I apologize to the UN Murray that I did tag on Blue Sky when asking for questions who is a PhD student at York University?

Looking at spaced retrieval practices in mathematics, which if you're interested, is when students are tested at spaced intervals on the material they've been learning. First every day, then after two or three days, they're with longer intervals. The act of retrieving the information forms part of the learning process. If you don't have anything to add to that, you may go. No, no, that is me. I do that must be a time.

you. It basically sounds like the academic equivalent of a beep. Although it gets slower. It gets slower, but it's a more acceptable bleep test. I'd like to think they're throwing up at everything like a bleep test. It's hard to get to buckets. Vomiting out nuts. Thank you, you and always a pleasure.

Ah, happy birthday, you are. Happy birthday. Fiction. Before we end part two, let's do a bit of Northern Ireland. Richard says Northern Ireland's average age in 2017 was over 30. Last night was barely over 22. One lad, Rory McConville, also got his first start in senior men's professional football in an international and did well. Surely we get up to 90 seconds of pod time from those stats. Barry. Yeah, well, that listener is basically stolen half my bit. It's interesting facts. So thanks for that.

And yeah, Northern Ireland. I mean, we're raving about the great job Craig Bellamy is doing with Wales, but a cubby argued Michael O'Neill is doing just as well, if not better, during his second stint with Northern Ireland. In this window, the Beep-Ogaria 2-0, they were 2-0 up against Luxembourg and allowed them to come back and draw. It's a game Northern Ireland through way. They should have won it far more easily.

But anyway, regardless of that result, in Luxembourg, they top the group and win promotion to league two in the nation's league. I suppose if you go back to the March friendlies, Northern Ireland were coming out with this really awful effort to qualify for the Euros. They'd lost the likes of Stuart Dallas, Stephen Davis, Johnny Evans, who contributed in no small part to the average age of

that side being over, you know, 45. And Michael O'Neill has basically introduced 11 or 12 new players that started giving them regular game time players who had never played for Northern Ireland before or were only in, you know, had a handful of caps.

And some who have never played senior football for their clubs. Pierce Charles, brother of Shea. He's a goalkeeper at Sheffield Wednesday. He's never played for Sheffield Wednesday. He's never played a league match. Rory McConville, as we mentioned, he's in Brighton's academy. He's never played a senior match for Brighton.

Brody Spencer plays for holders field, he's a 19 year old so the average age of the Northern Ireland side that drew with Luxembourg and beat Bulgaria is 22 years old. A lot of these guys are incredibly inexperienced.

but they're developing a style they've played ten games together now between friendlies and the nation's league. Michael O'Neill is just doing really well with very, very limited raw materials. He's been rotating the captaincy, so Trey Hume, who I think is 22, Sonderland player, Connor Bradley,

and Shea Charles who were all like 2021. They've each had two games as captain and O'Neill has yet to decide on who get the gig full time. But it doesn't really matter. He has stressed we have a lot of leaders in this team and it's a very young team. Only two members of the squad yesterday are over 30. So exciting times for Northern Ireland.

I don't watch as much Northern Ireland as I probably should, but I did see when they beat Bulgaria, they tore him apart 5-0 and that Bulgaria game. It was amazing to watch because the one thing I've always seen in Bulgaria is they're just a very solid, quite dull defensive team and the way Northern Ireland set about them was a real joy to watch.

The Conor Bradley, Isaac Price, they just have players on that pitch that were just really enjoying setting about this Bulgaria side. It was really brilliant to watch. I haven't got a lot to add, but I massively enjoyed watching that game. It's really nice to see Northern Ireland playing like that.

Also Paul, we glossed over a big part of Wales winning their group was that Turkey lost to Montenegro, which is Montenegro's first three points of this entire Nations League campaign. What on earth happened there? Well, Montenegro had lost their last seven games. They were

in dreadful form. We mentioned their chain smoking boss, Robert Pozzoneski, didn't we, before on the pod a while back? And they were not in a good state. But what happened was Nicola Kustovic of Letche in Serie A put together this hat trick, brilliant hat trick. And Turkey just didn't look like they were there. It was, but of all the results, you know, when people were saying in the build-ups this, what Wales needed, I was thinking, well, yeah, but it's moot because there's no way Montenegro beat Turkey.

So that was that that for me was one of the biggest shocks of the night really right now do for part two part three We will begin with San Marino

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Welcome to part three of the Guardian Football Weekly. Paul Watson's world of football. Ryan says, our San Marino now too big time for Paul. Michael, our San Marino now too good for their cult status. Jack, will away fans traveling to San Marino have to ask, where were you when we were shit in future? I watched these highlights, Paul, of their three one-minute listings time. Genuinely, I was just sitting in the garden.

And I sort of burst into tears at the end with just the absolute, you know, that's reminders of why football is so great and just what it meant to those players. Yeah, and I think I've spoken before about the fan club, the Bragata Moana Joya, the Never Any Joy Brigade, who are this Samarino fan club who are mostly Italians. There's a few Germans in there. There's even some guys from Argentina and Spain who occasionally come over.

And the idea is that they have, like, basically adopted San Marino as their team, and they go to all San Marino's home games at least. And the idea was that they kind of reveled in never seeing them win. It was like the whole purpose of this group was, you know, oh, well, we got a corner this time, that sort of atmosphere. But the nation's league has just completely changed the whole dynamic, because in the past, San Marino could only really go so far, because every game was just damaged limitation. You know, there's realistically no way they're going to keep

the score down against certain nations, so they play in this incredibly defensive way. And what's been lovely to see is, this whole nation's league campaign, they've been able to actually play like a team who won a score a goal, and it's a real mentality shift for them.

Oh, sorry. I thought I just presumed you were going to do 25, 25 minutes on it. I could do a hard hour. I do wonder if you're listening to figures might be hit by that. You'll see your retention rate and it will just go plummeting. So, so is, is, um, is them beat English and Stein comfortably a surprise? Because I don't presume Mr. Stein are that high up the world ranking. Well, Max Lichtenstein is a famously hard place to go because I'm sure you remember in 1995,

Jack Charlton took an Ireland team ranked ninth in the world. Two Lichtenstein for a Euro qualifier. I think it was played in front of about 4,000 people. Most of them Irish. Lichtenstein had one professional player on their team. They had a draftsman, an architect, several bankers, the obligatory postman that plays on all part-time amateur teams.

And Ireland had forty shots on gold, somehow failed to score and drew nil nil. And Lichtenstein's players celebrated wildly after this game, which, you know, Ireland, as I say, ranked knight in the world, were basically held by a ski resort.

So, a tough place to go. San Marino, this was their first ever away win at their 101st attempt. Yeah, I was just going to say Paul has the Lichtenstein squad developed a tour in the last 29 years, or is it the same? Exactly, same guy.

What I would say is it's literally a hard place to get to. It's very expensive. There's no easy way to get the vadots. I'd also say that when I did go there, when I was a kid, I nearly got run over on a zebra crossing, because I nearly died in Lichtenstein, which would have been a very fitting way for me to go, but I wouldn't really have realised until I never would have had a career. So what sensors waste died in vadots for the age of nine? That's pretty much what I was going to do.

But yeah, I mean, Nixon's trying to be in a bad place, to be fair, they're not doing well. And if Sam Rino are your bogey team, then you know you've got a problem. What I would say, genuinely, Sam Rino are playing much, much better football. And a lot of that started under their last boss, Fabrizio Costantini, they started to get a few goals. I remember that little run where I think I had to do an emergency voice note because Sam Rino just scored a goal, and that was enough at that time.

But then obviously they were playing against Denmark and losing 2-1 in Kazakhstan and Finland. Now they came up against teams more of their level and took that into that environment and suddenly felt like, you know, we can score here. So on the one hand, there's a side of me that wants to get carried away and say they are still in contention for a world cut place here because of the new system. There's the other side that says that Nicola Nani

Imagine. Just imagine. On the other hand, Nicola Nani, who scored the penalty to make it, he scored the penalty in the 3-1 win, has now got three goals for San Marino, which makes him their second top scorer of all time. So, you know, we do have to slightly temper expectations, I think. Yeah, but I mean, I suppose then being in League C, you imagine they will just get actually ripped apart, but it's still, you know, to have promotion just for that whole footballing nation is just insane.

Yeah, and I saw someone tweeting to say that there's a good chance they might meet the Faroe Islands, and my god, you couldn't keep me away from that game. Faroe Islands is just a submarine.

I mean, just to mention Sweden who beat Azerbaijan's six-nil, because I said on Monday that that front three looked fun and then could have actually got two and Yokores got four in that game and he looks very Premier League. You know, people say, well, I'm not sure he could cut it coming from Europe. Of course, he was good at Coventry as well.

Yeah he looks excellent and Richard Denmark's press conference after their Serbia draw yesterday ended after 20 seconds because no one had any questions to ask. If you've ever done those I don't know if either of you have gone to a university or school to give a talk on getting into the media and at the end you go any questions and there's absolutely nothing and you're just there going oh this is sad.

I'll tell you who would like the press conference like that is Ghana's manager. You know, Ghana in a terrible state. I don't know if you've seen Otto. So Ghana didn't qualify for Afghan for the first time in 21 years. Terrible state, lost 2-1 to Niger in the final game of the group. And afterwards, there was a press conference and Otto, the coach, came out. And a journalist said, what are you, a scout or a coach? To which he said, well, I did scouting for six months. I've been coaching for 12 years. You know, where are you going with this? And he said, well,

coaching, you're no good at all. And there was like this absolute sort of clamour of it. So I think probably Otto would have liked no questions. So you basically got ripped pieces in this way that was really not at all professional, but I think said how frustrated people in Ghana are at that kind of result.

I suppose, in a way, it makes a difference from sort of the twee, Premier League press conferences, you know, a phone rings on the desk and everyone laughs. It's good to someone to just put their hand in the car. I think you're hopeless, mate. The soccer rules drew two two in Bahrain. They went one little up after 40 seconds. This is a World Cup qualifier, considered two in two minutes. Both scored by Maddie Abdul-Jabbar. The first is brilliant, equalized injury time. I don't know, Paul, if Bahrain is a tough place to go, but I sort of feel if you can't beat Bahrain, getting to the World Cup is probably, there's not a whole lot of point.

Well, it's an amazing group. Have you seen group? Yeah. You see tables. What table? I mean, Japan are basically done with it. They've washed the hands of it. They're through. And then you just got Australia on seven points, Indonesia on six, Saudi Arabia on six, Bahrain on six, China on six, isn't it? Amazing group table. And Saudi Arabia losing to Indonesia. That was one of the results of this window. Indonesia, I should say the other way around really, credit to Indonesia. Fantastic result for them.

but honestly Saudi Arabia after having Roberto Manchin who did absolutely zero in charge wouldn't even stay for their penalty shootout in the last competition they're knocked out of. Suddenly Saudi Arabia looked like they're in real crisis and in easier on the up so it's going to be one of the most interesting World Cup qualification groups there is that one I think.

second place gets through to the World Cup of course so that is a real fun fight for that and then I think there's a playoff below them but presumably you will not you don't come to us for those sort of details do you but yeah endless playoffs to qualify and apologies if I have you know I've done Bahrain and insert a disservice they could

They could easily qualify. Well we're on Australia, congratulations to Sam Kerr and her partner West Ham and USWNT's Christie Mewes who announced on social media they're having a baby it was met with the depressingly expected homophobic responses which have been met with strong condemnation from Chelsea amongst others but yeah have a great time get your sleep in now if I were you.

Just across from Australia, of course, New Zealand have been having a much more comfortable time of qualification in the Oceania section. They won their games this international break, 8-1 against Vanuatu and 8-0 against Samoa. Chris Wood scored about 10 of them, producer Joel writes. There are so many. We just couldn't count all the Chris Wood goals.

It seems, you know, because Australia went into the Asian qualifiers, didn't they, Paul? Because it was more competitive, and I think it was more chances of qualifying. And now the World Cups expanded, and New Zealand should just walk into it every time.

Yeah, and it's definitely setting up for a slightly difficult situation for OFC because it's becoming the stranglehold that Australia had on the continent before they moved out. New Zealand now has sort of got that same situation. And there's constantly talk about whether OFC's days are numbered. Is it going to be amalgamated into AFC in some capacity?

I don't know that that's necessarily the worst idea. It's just almost become a two-tier system where you've got New Zealand and very possibly on their day Fiji or actually Solomon Islands are looking shocking at the moment, but they can compete New Caledonia possibly on their day, but really it's become New Zealand plus possibly one other team and then you've got everyone else really below that. It's very hard to see a situation where New Zealand

don't always walk away with it and I don't think he's doing anyone any good that that eight one New Zealand Vanuatu result was a shocker because Samo have come a long way you know Samo in many ways with a slightly overachieved just even being where they are but Vanuatu are established football nations so to be getting crushed eight one is is a bit of an embarrassment really. You wanted to mention toilet roll?

Yeah, so I'll shamelessly plug again, but you know, I read a podcast called The Sweeper and we like to talk about, yeah, we like to talk about weird, wonderful stories. And I got sent this about nine times that Vanuatu, when they lost eight ones in New Zealand, they were then dumped out of the World Cup. They lost two notes at Tahiti. Their FA chose slightly unfortunate time to announce a new sponsor for their league, which is a local toilet roll company.

So they got all these photos taken of them receiving actually doesn't look like very many toilet rolls, but it is toilet rolls literally for the national stadium. And it was slightly unfortunate timing. I pointed out it's probably the second least embarrassing thing that's happened to Vanuatu's national team. The most embarrassing was that in 2022, they hosted this tournament called the Prime Minister's Cup. And it's like a regional tournament. They didn't have enough teams. So Vanuatu thought that we're hosting it. We'll put in our like B team to make up the numbers.

And sure enough, the beating dumped out the 18 in the group stage, which was like, you don't always love to see that, don't you? JK says on Monday, Michael Antonio, Mr. Maker's conca-calf nations lead quarter-final against the USA, because he lost his passport. Do you know more about this, Paul?

Well, yeah. They had a few players not show for this game and lost the passport. I think two of them said they've lost their passports. There might be more to it. I'm not going to say there is, but there might be. Obviously they lost to the US 4-2 and there was some great typical Steve McLaren heads in hands kind of pictures. But I think there's been a lot of chaos internally in Jamaica's Football Federation. It's not always the

the most organised or sort of misharmonious, so there could be a little bit more to that story I think.

I remember years ago John Hartson couldn't travel with Wales just for some game because I think his passport had either been used so often or had been through the wash or a combination of bolts but it was just so tatty and tore with pages falling out. It was basically unreadable so they wouldn't let him through whatever airport he was trying to get into. So there was no picture of

John Hartson left. John Hartson. Just fly in full kit. Tell us about Kitmas Paul before we end the pod. Yep. So we're doing Kitmas again this year. It's the fifth year we're doing it. And it's a campaign I started in 2020 when I used to send football shirts out to refugee camps. And I had some left over towards Christmas. I went to my local food bank and said, look, these are brand new shirts. Would they be any use?

they were delighted and said actually a lot of families struggling to give presents to their children this year and these will be ideal. So I put a little call on social media and the football community was amazing. We ended up donating a thousand football shirts to community centres around the UK and we've kept this going for now our fifth year and I think to date we've given about 5,500 shirts to different community groups, 25 around the UK who

work with families who perhaps won't find it so easy to give a present to their kids this year. And we accept donations of as new shirts, because obviously they have to be present for kids, so they have to be in really good condition. Or we take donations to buy new shirts for them on our crowd funder page, which is crowd funder forward slash kitmas 2024. So if anyone does want to help, it really does sort of make a difference to these kids.

You're a good man, Paul, doing good things. So well done to you. We'll of course donate and stick all those details on our socials as well. That'll do for today. Thank you to the two of you for sticking with me for all of it and recording it out of sync, like Memento.

Well, to be clear, I was... I'm the only one who was here for all of it, because Paul had to duck out in part two to do the school run. Part one, actually. It was... Oh, right, sorry. I'm mixed up. I'm having an impact, so I came on as an impact style. It's important we point that out. Paul doesn't hate the Welsh. He just wasn't there while we were doing the Wales bit. He would have liked to have said something, but there was no time to do it. His exact words on the WhatsApp group, I have to, quote, wrangle some children.

Right, this is all sounding bad, a bit like the way you said it don't pay the Welsh when you didn't have to say that and it makes people wonder if I do. Alright, well that'll do, thanks both of you, thanks Bads. Thank you. Thanks Paul. Thank you. And for more weekly experience by Joel Grover, executive producer is Daniel Stevens. This is The Guardian.