Football Daily - Monday Night Club react to Newcastle’s historic Carabao Cup win

Episode Date: March 17, 2025

Hear from Eddie Howe at Wembley after Newcastle overcame their 70-year trophy drought with a win in the Carabao Cup against Liverpool on Sunday. What is the secret to their success? Is it due to the tactics, planning and preparation of Eddie Howe, and have they finally eased the burden of the last seven decades? Michael Brown, Chris Sutton and Rory Smith join Mark Chapman on this week’s Monday Night Club as they discuss the impact of Dan Burn, and the success of Newcastle despite missing a number of key players. Newcastle fan Kendall Rowan also pops by to give her perspective on an unforgettable day at Wembley. Plus, the panel look at where it went wrong for Liverpool – should more criticism be levelled at Arne Slot? Do they have enough squad depth? And what impact will this have on the rest of their season?TIME CODES:03:30 – Eddie Howe 04:55 – Newcastle Chat 25:00 – Newcastle Fan Kendall Rowan 33:35 – Other Clubs hoping for trophies? 39:30 – Liverpool Chat5 Live/Sports Extra Commentaries this week:Wednesday 19th March – Manchester City v Chelsea – Women’s Champions League Quarter Final – 8pm KO on 5 Live Thursday 20th March – Greece v Scotland – Nations League – 7.45pm KO on 5 Live Friday 21st March – England v Albania – World Cup Qualifier – 7.45pm KO on 5 Live

BBC Sounds music radio podcasts. The Football Daily Podcast with Mark Chapman. Welcome to the Monday Night Club. Michael Brown, Chris Sutton and Rory Smith are with us. MNC at bbc.co.uk if you want to send us an email. So just to get everybody's geographical locations yesterday, Rory was at Wembley as a fan? Well I'm a neutral obviously. Obviously.

But my son's a Liverpool fan so I went with him. Okay. If you had to choose one team though who would it be Rory? You know I was surrounded by a lot of Liverpool fans so I thought I might as well cheer for them. Did you wear a half and half shirt or scarf as you were neutral as opposed to your son? Do they do half and half shirts? Well you can make one yourself. There were half and half scarves. You could buy a half and half scarf, not a shirt I believe. All right. Did you buy a half and half scarf?

No, he did ask for one but I don't have a problem with half and half scarves. I think people should be allowed to buy mementos of things. So why did you refuse him one then? As a Yorkshireman I decided with the price point. Right. Where were you yesterday? I did it off yesterday. Did you? Yes, I'd worked quite a bit this week.

Did you watch the Sheffield Derby then? I flicked on a little bit, there was so much choice yesterday. You had Fulham Tottenham as well. Fulham Tottenham have played for both of those as you know. So it was a brilliant day, we were just discussing it earlier, so much choice, which one do you go for? But it was great to see the Blades just nick over the line as you can imagine, the pressure was on.

I tell you what, do you think, because this is a common common phrase at the moment and Leeds are one of your former teams as well. Yes they are. Are they wobbling? No they're not. Okay. No they're right in there. Leeds all the way and then it's Sheffield United or Burnley that's where I've gone off of that's my stance. Okay so Leeds 1, Sheffield United 2, Burnley 3. Two and three to be decided. decided and not getting carried away. I interviewed JJ Watt last week, former NFL player who is part owner of Burnley and will play that on Wednesday night on Five Live. He's a very, very big man.

How was Celtic Park yesterday Chris? It was very lively with the fans back in. Bit of a dead rub of the game in truth. I bet it was a brilliant game, Chris. You must have loved it. That amount of goals. You must have loved that game yesterday, being a new team. Do you know what? All joking aside, Michael,

it was a brilliant advert for the Scottish game. And the fans back in, big deal, it's been far too long, albeit they were Rangers fans, it did add to the atmosphere. I don't know whether you saw the winning goal, the winning goal of Donnisfrey. Yes, I know you think that you're the only person that watches or saves Scottish football, but we are all interested in it, we do watch it. Well you're saying that, I know that Rory and Michael are keeping quiet.

That was a brilliant goal from a big event. So what game was it, Chris? Yeah. Is that a big derby? Renting Celtic is this? Okay, yeah. Go back and watch it. Scott Arfield is very good on co-commentary, Michael,

if you want to watch it back. We're only one place to start though, at Wembley. Newcastle winning their first domestic trophy for 70 years, beating Liverpool 2-1 to lift the Carabao Cup. Before we get the thoughts of everybody, let's hear from Eddie Howe. So pleased with the players, under a lot of pressure today, under a lot of spotlight. Of course the length of time that we haven't won for. Oh no, no, no. No, no, no.

No, no, no. Eddie Howe's just been strayed with champagne during a five-lap interview. I need a shower. I haven't forgotten where I was, but yeah, an unbelievable day and an unbelievable performance from the players. We had to be our very best today and I think we were to a man. I thought Dan Burn in particular, you have to to mention his goal but not just his goal but his general play was really good and with Fabian I thought they both defended

really well. A lot was said in the build-up about you know the fact that two years ago almost getting to the final was sort of the big hurdle for Newcastle and also when you compare it to when you two played in the league at Anfield a few weeks ago you know what were the lessons that you took from the final two years ago and also from that recent league to when you two played in the league at Anfield a few weeks ago, what were the lessons that you took from the final two years ago and also from that recent league meeting? Well there's a few things we tweaked and we had to in our build-up, but not football related really, just staying in a different hotel, tweaking little things that could make a really minute difference. We learned a lot from the game against Liverpool at Anfield recently. I think you learn from every game.

You probably learn more in defeat than you do in winning sometimes. And we tried to put it to use that the players deserve all the credit. Hopefully this is the start of a successful period for us. One of the things he said to me yesterday as well, Michael, wasn't just about what they learned from playing Liverpool at Anfield, but what they kept back from playing Liverpool at Anfield, but what they kept back from playing Liverpool at Anfield, which I thought was a really kind of honest answer that he gave me when he said, look, there were some things that we didn't want to reveal in that game. And I know Isak was

injured for that game, so obviously he didn't play but I thought that showed the planning the preparation and actually a real honesty about it. It was very hard to do that isn't it you know to go and set up in a slightly different way not use all the set pieces that they work very hard on we know that he's very organized Eddie but I think just to get them over the line there's a momentum and that bit of whether it is honesty or whether it's not, it's easy to say that when you go on and get the result that you didn't do certain things in the game before. But I think it was full credit all around.

You said they changed certain things with regards to where they stayed. They stayed out of London because they felt, not surprisingly, if anybody's been in London when Newcastle have been in a cup final, they tend to take the place over for the whole weekend. So they felt that they'd been sort of swayed along by the Newcastle fans last time they stayed. So that's why they wanted to stay out. But as we know it well, you can stay opposite

at the hotel, can't you, which most of the teams do. And they obviously felt that that was too close for them. So they decided to go the other way. You know the one you stay in Chris, that one opposite. But the Hilton. But what's funny is, in the Cup final last time for Manchester City against Manchester United, they decide to switch it up, which they always stay at the Hilton. They went to a hotel in Hertfordshire and lost. So Eddie must have been thinking, are we really going to do this? Are we going to change our mindset and go away? And it's come for him.

Well, they were actually one of the other things he said, Rory, was you can, even if they hadn't won, he would have felt that because of their performance, lots of things that they had tweaked, he would still have counted as that worked for us. Yeah, I wonder whether two years ago there was such an emotional build up because it was the first final for such a long time. For the players, maybe to an extent for the fans, although as you say, judging by the state of London yesterday, I don't think the fans were kind of, the novelty's not worn off for the fans even of being in a final. But I think for the players that maybe made it slightly psychologically easier to handle. They've been through a lot of

the kind of the pressurized situation of feeling that this is a you know a huge moment for Newcastle, obviously 70 years without a trophy. They kind of been through all of that and they didn't look, from the moment the game kicked off, they didn't look like they were overruled by the occasion. Whereas I think two years ago there was an element of it seemed to be, it seems to be a lot for them. It ain't, you know, a Man United team that isn't as good as this Liverpool team, they seemed sort of cowed by the occasion, whereas yesterday it seemed to inspire them. They said, yeah, they seem to embrace the pressure yesterday. And when, you know, when

you think about the sort of, but I don't, yeah, it would be a burden 70 years. I played against the Kevin Keegan team in the early 90s who were a superb team. You think Bobby Robson's team, the players at Newcastle... Who's it a burden for? I think it can be a burden for the players. The pressure, Newcastle, massive club, massive fan base. They've documented however many finals they've been to, I think documented however many finals they've been to and not got over the line.

But I think, I think it's interesting what Rory says about a couple of years ago against Manchester United, maybe the occasion being a little bit too big for them. I don't know how you really measure that, but I'm not going to dismiss what Rory says, but with every, every loss, then, you know, it's about the next opportunity. Do you believe that with the players missing, Chris, that mentally those players felt like they could go win that game or were they walking thinking, we just hope we can? Do you really believe that they could go on and do it? Because the games have been involved in the last couple of years?

No, I didn't. I didn't think they'd win the game because I thought Liverpool, they played on Tuesday night, they had extra time. I thought that they would respond and produce a ferocious performance, a really intense performance. That wasn't there, but that was basically down. And you can look at it two ways and you could say,

well, Liverpool were flat and maybe there are reasons for that. But Newcastle were really intense and powerful and physically really blew Liverpool away. And since, to be fair to Eddie Howe, since he's gone in at Newcastle, he's always tried to implement an attacking approach to the way that they played. And with all the PSR stuff and what have you, I think that that's in many respects not allowed him to maybe recruit as he would have wanted to recruit.

But when you actually look at the team which he took over under Steve Bruce and he kept them in the Premier League and what he's built in a pretty short space of time and his recruitment has been really bang on in Alexander Isak, Tenali, Nick Pope, Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Liv Rimento. It's a team and a squad which he's put together really, really cleverly and them getting over the line. Big deal. I suppose it's now, is this the start for Newcastle? Are they going to kick on?

You'd know better than me, Rory, with all the PSR stuff, but do they need a Champions League spot this season for them to maintain and keep building, or will they be a club who has to sell in the summer? So I think the PSR thing with New Tassel is both accurate and I think it's slightly overplayed. New Tassel have spent, and this is not to downgrade their achievement, they have spent enough money, a lot of those players that you mentioned, recruitment has been, I can't think of one that's not landed well, I can't think of a miss they've made. But Isaac was a lot of money, Gordon was a lot of money, Tenali was a lot of money, Botman was a lot of money. It's not like this isn't a team

of farmers who've come together. They're an expensive squad. Well, so is half the Premier League. All of the Premier League chappers, because the Premier League's got way more money than every other league, as we talked about with Rick Perry last week. Way more money than every other league in the world. So I find any club pleading penury a little bit difficult to swallow. I think Newcastle are an unusual case with PSR, because as much as I don't believe PSR is an anti Saudi measure I think that because they've been running to the ground commercially by Mike Ashley He'd made no effort at all to kind of build up their commercial income

I think the amount of money that Newcastle bring in away from football is almost artificially low because there was so little investment under Ashley Which means they've got more to make up to kind of bring in that extra sort of non football income to build their PSR headroom, I suppose. This is great. So what you want to talk about after a cup final PSR headroom. I think with New Castle, there will be money to spend in the summer. But with all of these clubs, they kind of have to do what Liverpool have to do, what Spurs have to do, what Arsenal have to do. There comes a point where you have to sell someone for an awful lot of money and then that money, if you bring in £1,800, £900 million, that then can be spent on, just the way the rules are structured, four or five different players and you still break even.

And, you know, all of those teams have had to do that. City, maybe a bit of an exception, Man United, maybe a bit of an exception, but even they will sell bid if they have to. So, yeah, City, Newcastle will have money to spend, but they will have more money to spend if they think actually, if we get 90 million for Anthony Dordin, that will go an awful lot further to strengthen us in the aggregate. Blimey, that will have sobered up the Newcastle fans in the last five minutes. That's just what they wanted to. Shall we go back to the positives in Newcastle? You know what, in amongst all the players that were mentioned who have hit, who they've

bought in, the one player that wasn't mentioned was Dan Byrne. We were saving him. Yeah, who was bought in by Eddie Howe right at the start of him taking over to keep them up. Do you know what, it's just an unbelievable story isn't it, about never giving up, sticking at your football from wherever or however late you continue that journey and keep believing in yourself that you'll get an opportunity. Starting off at Darlington, playing games against a team I know well from Hartlepool, so it is a local rival in Darlington and you watch how he starts to progress, people are saying he's too tall, he's not necessarily one who

can move, he can turn, why is he playing at left back because you know he can't go and do that, then he's slots in at different positions, he's just been incredible, his attitude's fantastic and for him to be able to then get in the England squad to go and deliver a performance like that, still very, very level, you've said you've had him on the show as well, and it just seems that the perfect fit, it's a wonderful story. I'm delighted for him. And what a week of football ahead now that he's going into. It was one of those post-match interviews yesterday where you're not quite sure what to do with it

because I think he was still in a little bit of a state of shock, Chris, which I'm not surprised. And he did say to me, you know, I kind of, I feel like I don't want to wake up. I totally get it. I mean, it is one of the great football stories of the last, I mean, I don't know how Rory can give us some historical context, but if you think they hadn't even scored a goal at Wembley for 25 years, right?

Rob Lee, the last person to score a goal at Wembley, it's scored by a local lad who's a Newcastle fan who was one of the first players brought back under Eddie Howe in the week that he gets called up to an England squad and he's 33. Yeah, incredible story. Since he's come on the Monday nightclub, his career has really kicked on. I think we should take a little bit of a break. Which is unusual, actually, because a lot of people come on the Monday night club then tend to have a terrible six months.

Yeah. Do you know what was funny? The interview which you've talked about already with Eddie Howe, it did make me laugh and he said that they'd worked on set pieces and for a couple of weeks they'd been useless at them, but that was the one which came off. It was a brilliant moment because of the whole story, him going back up to the North East. I always thought he was a pretty handy player. I don't know where Michael was going, he's too tall Michael. I don't know how players, I've heard of too small, not too tall. No, but you know he's just not got that mobility to go in certain areas, and he's just kept

just getting on with it, proving people wrong, reliable every single week, you know, six or seven out of 10, just getting on with things, and finally, he's getting rewards now in a team that, he's had to play into a system, it's quite rigid at times, with Eddie, you have to understand your place, and he's just, I to understand your place and he just I don't know he just seems to get on with it. Never really phased, he's got a maturity

about him obviously and it's just brilliant that somebody like that right throughout his career coming very late can get this type of reward. He said that to us and I think he's done it, has he been on twice Dan? And he said certainly in one of them that all those Newcastle players know that system so well that it doesn't really matter where any of them play, they know exactly what they're all meant to be doing. And I think that, I remember when Hal was at Bournemouth, I remember talking to somebody about whether he was in line for one of the kind of bid six jobs. And they said that the question mark with his Bournemouth team was always that they were a little bit easy to play against. They were really expansive and beautiful to

watch but they were a little bit soft without the ball, against the ball as everybody says now. And he, after he left Bournemouth he went and had a few days watching Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid. And there was a little, my cynical brain kind of thought that's exactly what I'd do if I thought people in recruiting managers thought I was a bit soft and my teams were a bit easy to play against. I'd go and watch De'Ado Simeone and say that I'd learned from the best and I'd studied at Simeone's knee and I knew what to do now. But to be fair to him, it's really worked.

Newcastle are an absolute nightmare to play against, especially when they play like they did yesterday. The intensity and the kind of controlled aggression is a real hallmark of this Newcastle team and I think that the real measure of what he's done is not just that the recruitment has been pretty much spot-on it's not just the fact that he's got players like Dan Byrne and kind of built around them and with them it's not how well defined the system is, it's that Newcastle have a real identity you can tell, you know you could put you could black out the shirts of

both teams and you'd know which one was Newcastle. Do you know what I mean? That's why he got the job though, isn't it? Because of the way that he played and you know, you go back to Steve, when Steve Bruce was in charge, there was a negativity about the way that the team played and he always, his Bournemouth teams were always really attacking. Yeah, but they don't play the same way in every game. They have a variety to them. I think the stat was something like 27% of their passes yesterday were long passes compared to what they would do normally in a game which is kind of 9% or something like that. When they beat Arsenal in the second leg at the St James's, they'd switch to three at

the back and that's how they played in that game. But then that's a different way of obviously playing than how they played yesterday. It's not, they may have an identity when it comes to intensity and work ethic, but that does the sort of tactical tweaks and nuances of how and Dan Tindall and the coaching staff are disservice, doesn't it? No, I don't think so. I think you can have both. Yeah, but we haven't talked about both. That was my point. No, they are also very tactically versatile. And you're right, they clearly decided that there was a certain way to play Liverpool and they got it exactly right. Liverpool,

I think, didn't help themselves. But Newcastle took Liverpool out of the game almost from the first minute. That you could tell that it was being played, I think Slott said this, that it was being played on Newcastle's terms. But I think those attributes, those characteristics of the performance, the aggression, the kind of the intensity, I think that is the stuff that you wouldn't necessarily have expected from Eddie Howe while he was at Bournemouth that showcased kind of a lot of what he's done with the squad at Newcastle, repurposing Joe Linton as a kind of combative midfielder, people like Fabian Scherr who he inherited, who stepped into that system. To me that's the kind of the real hallmark of

the coaching job he's done. It's going to be interesting isn't it where Eddie Howe's future may be. I know because obviously we don't want to talk about Newcastle just getting over the line but we're obviously at 18 months time, we've got an England job potentially coming up was he obviously in the in the mix for that but showing that flexibility to go back to a three whether it's a like into a back five and at times you've even seen Murphy drop to even make it like a six at times to try and stay really solid out out of possession and then from building from there but East Saks has been incredible

that's give you an out at the top of the pitch and let's look at that as well no Hall no Gordon no Botman which was massive for them and that's why I asked Chris before about psychologically missing those players could they go on and do it but do you feel Chris that Eddie's personality is changing a little bit more because at Bournemouth when he got certain bigger type players, he necessarily didn't have that sort of patience for them or how to deal with them because they wouldn't fit into what he does. For him to go to the next level, does he need to change or has he already changed?

I was on my coaching course with Eddie so I spent a fair bit of time. How on earth have you only just revealed that? That's extraordinary. I've told you that before. You have not. You have never mentioned that. You've never mentioned that. Well I'll tell you what happened, you just probably weren't listening like most weeks.

You were probably thinking about what we're doing after. Did you pass Chris? I did my pro life. That's very good. Eddie was the only one who passed. The rest of us all failed. There's a reason for that. There's a reason why I'm on here tonight and Eddie's in Dubai celebrating his Cup success.

He always, you know, when he spoken in the sort of little classes that we had, he was always very, very positive in the way that he talked about setting his teams up and pressing high and we all used to have to do these little presentations. He was managing already and he was flawless. He's very impressive. He's quite sort of understated. He's not a loudmouth at all. He was one who everybody really looked up to.

But I always felt that even though you're talking about the way that he can be adaptable and play with a three or five or whatever, a four, he always makes sure that his teams carry a threat and are aggressive in the way that they attack. That was what I was getting at with Bournemouth. I'm not dismissing what you say about when he's gone to Newcastle. But even though they were happy to give up possession yesterday, they were so powerful and sharp and dynamic when they did attack with the ball. That's the way I've always seen his team. I know that they've formed this season, I think it was at the start of the season where they didn't quite hit the straps and dominate teams and that may be a little

bit flat but the energy they had yesterday was the way that I've always sort of viewed an Eddie Howe team. He did a presentation at half-time yesterday to the team, which I would imagine he gave no inkling in the build-up that he was going to do this but he gave them a presentation Michael on physical stats from the past two months showing that Newcastle's output dipped in the second half so basically urging them to go look this is what's been happening you cannot let it happen here and it did I mean they again they flew out of the box in the second half as well that's clever

management isn't it? Well it is it's just pointing out the detail what tends to happen. You would say that would be a, predominantly a sort of a stat that would happen. I'm sure that would be with a lot of teams. But from there on from being able to point it out to say well how important the intensity is. If we're going to go on and win this we've got to start quickly, we've got to keep those high intensity sprints up, we've got to run them the other way and just be focused and it's just a little pointers but I don't read too much into that because I feel like the adrenaline side that Newcastle would have had when they've got something to hold on to then I think that changes anyway.

I feel like once you get a lead and you can get after it but I think we look at anything don't we, we see motivational speeches we see yeah from from from from a somebody who says this is what we need to do to win special games that generally are before interest in that you went at half time. Women's Football Weekly on the football daily. I'm Ben Haynes. I'm Ellen White. And I'm Jen Beattie. And on Tuesdays on the Football Daily, we bring you the Women's Football Weekly. As a manager, I'm really proud of my players and the performance they had tonight in the

game. As we dive head first into all things WSL and beyond in the women's game. It's very big now, it's very alive, there's a lot of fans and supporters. Women's Football Weekly only on the Football Daily. all things WSL and beyond in the women's game. It's very big now, it's very alive. There's a lot of fans and supporters. Women's Football Weekly only on the Football Daily. Listen now on BBC Sounds. The Football Daily podcast with Mark Chapman. Let's bring in Kendall Rowan, Newcastle fan,

who was at Wembley yesterday. How are you? Yeah, good. Very fragile today, as I'm sure probably the thousands of other Jordies who were in London and not in London celebrating Newcastle yesterday as well but yeah I'm feeling cloud nine on top of the world. When did you get back, are you in the northeast now? When did you get back? Yes, I'm back in Durham now. When did you get back? But I got back last night at about three o'clock in the morning. So,

we left on Saturday morning and got back about three o'clock in the morning last night. And here's the daft question. Completely worth it? Absolutely worth it. Every, honestly, every part of the weekend, even the things that went wrong, like how a coach was an hour late, things like that. Even that, totally worth it. Everything, I wouldn't change a thing about the whole weekend, none at all. Would you have changed Liverpool pulling one back in about the 95th minute of injury time? Absolutely.

I was just thinking it was so Newcastle United that I was honestly, we're going to make it so hard for ourselves, but luckily we didn't. I mean, I was stood pit side at that point and I have never seen so many Jordies looking so sick. I had my hands over my ears and I was closing my eyes. I was like, please don't do this, please. I can't cope. It's already been the absolute, like, best slash most agonising 90 minutes ever.

Like, please don't do this to me now. What does it mean to you, your friends, family members, older generations of your family who have witnessed a lot longer, a lot more of the 70 years without trophy? Yeah, so I mean, like we started supporting Newcastle because my grandad supported Newcastle and he sadly, he died a week before the takeover and we always, it makes light of it now because that's the only thing you want and you just want us better for Newcastle United at the time. And my dad has never seen us lift a trophy, he was alive when we lifted the last one in 69 obviously, in the European one and then obviously before that one 70 years he

never saw that one never saw a domestic trophy so this is the first one me my dad and my brothers have ever seen us lift so that was so special to share that moment yesterday and just to see there was like 90 year old fans there who you know maybe you could remember the last one and never thought they were ever gonna witness another one so Newcastle anyone who knows Newcastle and and football, it's in our blood in Newcastle and in the North East in general, really. It's just, you know, such a, it's something that's part of the community and part of everybody's family. So it makes me emotional. Do you know what?

All I've done is cry. Do you know what, Kendall? I've got no. You know I've cried for years of cry. I've got no, apart from living there for a few months, I've got no massive affiliation towards Newcastle. But standing there yesterday after they'd done their second celebration with the Kop, and they all stood in front of the Newcastle fans and Sam Fender and they played Sam Fender. And I just, I just thought for anybody that has a connection to their city and their community to there, there's a fee, It brings a real emotion out because of what it means to you.

I can imagine if Leeds fans were there, or Everton fans were there, or Villa fans were there, or all these clubs who probably want a trophy at some point. Norwich. Norwich. But it goes right through you. Yeah, it was just honestly like I, as I said, I just wouldn't trade a moment for that yesterday and there's like players there who, you know, football can be so trivial at times and it can be so surface level, I think just the way that the game's gone now. Like just to

have that with a fan base who has been through a lot, you know, obviously subjective to our situation as many clubs who have been through a lot as well., obviously subjective to our situation, there's many clubs who have been through a lot as well, but just for us who have been through, you know, the ups and downs, and we are on the up now, so just to witness that yesterday and the players who actually cared, like Bruno was just absolutely just, he was as emotional as us yesterday, just to share that with everybody, it's like, especially when you didn't think you were going to see it, like I genuinely thought, even my dad said yesterday, and it made me really emotional, he was like, I didn't think that I would ever be here with you guys witnessing this all together. It was

like there was a point where I didn't think that was ever going to happen. So I have that yesterday and I know many fans will have felt the same with their families. It was just, yeah, it was really, really, really amazing. Does it feel like a weight's been lifted, the fact that it's not 70 years anymore? That it's like 24 hours? Yeah, that was always the thing that was hanging over our heads. Like everyone who ever said anything, well, you've never won anything major, you haven't won anything in the Premier League era especially, or Shearer should have gone to Man United because he would have won more and things like that.

That was always that one thing that everyone said to us. It was always that little, you know, that thing that made people try to push us down as a club and made us not into, you know, a big club that we think that we should be. So yeah, it feels like a way it's been lifted even just in the short term in terms of this season, like we've got European football no matter what happens now. So that's kind of immediately like a way it lifted off your shoulders because you think, right, well, you know, we can actually go out and yes, try everything we can, but it's not as like a pressurized pressure cooker situation as it was prior because, you know, there was people talking already how I might leave if they don't get European football.

It might be, you know, like a failure necessarily. And obviously we don't think that, but now it's just that weight's been lifted and going forward even in the longer term it's just with the most recent English club too and anything so we'll take that and we'll run away with it at the moment. Was there any chat last night Kendall about what the next step for this team will be and what the expectations are? Let them enjoy this you miserable so and so. People can dream can't they? That one's ticked off. Let's get on with the next one. Well, you know what? The chairman last night when he was doing the celebrations, he was saying number one. So obviously we know what his ambitions are as a club. This is all we've absolutely ever dreamed of. There's always that quote that follows. We don't demand a team that

wins, we just demand a team that tries. We've definitely got that now and we've also got a team that wins. So we're absolutely happy at the moment. We don't know what's going to happen and maybe nothing will ever happen again. We'll never see this again, but we all have witnessed it in this moment. So that's really all we could ask for as Newcastle fans. I mean, for me, I'm from the North East, Hartlepool. So to see what it means to lots of people, even to Hartlepool, there's loads of Newcastle fans there, to watch them celebrating right around London and the joy on everyone's faces, I just think it was incredible. Do you think now for Eddie how that's it, you'll walk on water forever?

Oh, he's gone down as a pure legend now, even if he didn't already just for what he did for the club when we were in, you know, we had no positive outlook whatsoever before he came in and before the takeover happened and obviously there's issues regarding that we don't need to get into for the moment but we had such a bleak outlook and just for what he did already and just the galvanisation of the team and the city to come together again because honestly like for us as a club and for us as fans there's nothing better when everyone's together and we're that's been missing for so so long so just for the fact that he did that anyway um and to get players you know like Trippie and Bruno actually believe in the project and to to join us at a time where we were literally looking like we were going to go down at that point no one had ever beaten relegation from where we were at that stage so yeah for now this team of players Eddie, Big, Mad Dog, Jason Tyndall are all just going to

go down in absolute history and honestly if they said tomorrow we'll put the trophy there for Eddie I'd be like crack on get in I'll be there I'll be there when it's raised. Is that his nickname? Mad Dog? Yeah I've heard that one. And Big Dan? Yeah Big Dan Burn absolutely get him a gold trophy for Big Dan Burn at this point because I said this could either be the best week of his life or the worst obviously with the England call-up and the final on the horizon but at the moment it's looking like the best week so yeah and just get them all I'll just just 11, well no more, 15 statues. I'll even, you can even put on for

Graham Jones, our assistant coach. You can even put the tea lady there. I will celebrate it. Cause honestly, like. So if they need some space for those 15 statues, do we take Shearer's down and put those 15? Shearer's gotta stay down. Oh that has to stay.

All right, okay. Just thought I'd, that has to stay. Oh, right. Okay. Just that I'd check. Thank you, Kendall. Thank you, guys. Enjoy your night. Kendall Rowan, Newcastle fan with us on the Monday nightclub. Just going back to that, all those different clubs who will show up before we come on to

Liverpool, who will, Michael Surely those fanbases probably were feeling it already thinking what we would give for that. Matt do you know what I would probably take Villa out of that at the moment because they're having an unbelievable time in the Champions League and getting into the Champions League has provided them with some magical nights this season. But those clubs. I know exactly where you're going with it, one in particular would be Spurs wouldn't it? but those clubs... I know exactly where you're going with it, one in particular would be Spurs. Well that's, yeah but there are a few. There's lots of others, yeah for certain. I mean I just think it's memorable moments, you know, of lifting that trophy, walking into Wembley,

it's just got that aura, that feeling about it and things you never ever forget. So yeah, lots of teams are dreaming for those sort of days and cup competitions when at times the managers change the teams and don't really necessarily take it serious because of league commitments. We understand why they do that at times but for these days and it adds the pressure doesn't it when the big club doesn't the the big club that wins everything doesn't win it. Newcastle is a huge club by the way but you see my point someone who hasn't won it that it just adds pressure to managers to players at other clubs and there'll be lots saying we need that.

And again, I just think the one that cries out for me is Spurs massively at this moment in time. But I think it's good for the Carabao as well. That's really good for the competition. It couldn't get any better, could it? For Newcastle United to win that yesterday, I think that's really good for the competition. It couldn't get any better, could it? For Newcastle United to win that yesterday, I think that's as good as it gets. But for that very reason, if you are Villa or you're Forrest or you're Leeds or whoever, those clubs that have been locked out of winning trophies by the fact that you've got this

group of six teams who have hoovered up all these trophies. Well, five. Five. Both Manchester clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. And that's really abnormal and we'll come onto other abnormal aspects of modern football when we talk about Liverpool I think. But this has never happened before that you've had five teams that have monopolised the trophies. It's not really how it's meant to work. It's bad that that's what happens. It's not good. We shouldn't be celebrating it. And it's meant that both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup have been seen more often than not as an additional, oh that's nice, it's a bonus, that's how teams see it all reconfigured.

Do you think that's changed O'Rourke? I think it's starting to change. It seems to me that that has turned and changed a little bit. And yesterday Newcastle winning it and a lot of supporters around the country watching the celebrations, they'll be thinking you know we want a piece of that. That's what I mean, if you're a manager of any of those teams kind of between yes let's say you know sixth or whatever and 15th, 16th in the Premier League you'll be looking at it thinking well well, that

should be what we're targeting. Certainly once we've kind of made sure that we look relatively safe in the Premier League. Again last week we talked about how it's getting harder and harder for the promoted clubs to stay up in the Premier League. So there should always, every season, be five or six teams in the league who are not at risk of relegation and probably not going to win the title or get into the Champions League. They should all be looking at the two domestic cups and thinking that's for

us because surely you see as a manager, as an executive, as a player, whoever, that if you can give your club a moment like that, then that's your name in history and for the competition that's exactly what both domestic tournaments need I think. And to be fair Chris, actually, if Bournemouth were to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals I'm not saying that's going to happen Michael, you've got a very wry smile on your face But if Bournemouth were to beat Manchester City in those in the FA Cup quarterfinal We're going to have something similar in the FA Cup actually because you'd then be with You'd then have Bournemouth, Brighton or Forrest, Fulham or Palaceham-O'-Palace, and more than likely, with all due respect to Preston, you'd more than likely get Villa.

Yeah. And for the neutral sort of fan around the country, that's what everybody wants to see. We get sick of Manchester City dominating the Premier League. It's not sort of what you want to see. You want to see the stories. What are you looking like that for, Michael? You want to see the stories. You want to see the stories.

You and Robbie were talking about how nobody will watch it if two smaller teams get into a fight. No, that was not me. I was on the smaller side. It's just your show, mate. That was your show. I was just wondering. We've never had anybody on the show that listens to 606 before, so is that what they were talking about? The problem was, Geoff, is I had no choice because I was in the 5.30 commentary. Oh, right, okay. Sorry.

So I had to drift into it. Can't put Radio 2 on in your headphones. I couldn't do anything about it. I was trying to fade me down and they dug me out and then took me down, it was terrible. Why were you saying that then? Well I wasn't, that's a misrepresentation. That was Robbie who was saying that you have to have two big clubs in the final. I don't think so at all.

The FA Cup is about the giant killing. I was surprised you didn't defend it more though, to be honest. I thought that would be... The fact of the matter is, Mark, just because Robbie beat Michael at paddle tennis, he's quite sour. Paddle. Paddle. Not paddle tennis.

Just paddle. Well, it's tennis, isn't it? No, it's paddle. Don't say that to people who play tennis. It's paddle. Don't say that to people who play tennis. It's paddle. It sounds quite elitist. I think we call it paddle tennis in Norfolk. You carry on.

You're part of the country. That doesn't make it less elitist just by calling it paddle. It's paddle. Okay, sorry. That's okay. I'm just trying to save you from getting a lot of abuse from people who are either on the paddle side of things or the tennis side of things because there's quite a rivalry. Anyhow, back to the football. What's weird about Liverpool, Rory? You said you

were going to get on something else. I just think there is a possibility that Liverpool win the league this season and I have the sense that it's been built up as though that's some sort of failure, they've not won lots of other competitions as well. But who said that? No, I've seen quotes from the last various publications pointing out that Liverpool's season is, I saw one, I think it was actually in the Athletic, I will admit to, that Liverpool's season needs more than just the lead, I don't think I've ever seen the words just the lead

written down, I've no idea. I think because we've got so used to talking about trebles and quadruples and when they got knocked out of the Champions League it was reported widely as Liverpool's double or treble dreams are over. And you think well that's not how it's meant to work I think it's really hard to win more than one competition in a season and I think there is a sense that Liverpool are kind of stumbling which is true in terms of they've had a very bad week getting knocked out the Champions League and losing the Carabao Cup final But the fact that they should from this point and the season as lead champions

That shouldn't be it's not like that's a that's not enough for a team to win one trophy. It's better when trophies are shared out, I think But what what what did we all think? Liverpool at the start of the season. What were they what were they capable of? Doing winning. I think you just said yes I think you're looking and going to know would be a steady return from a new manager. Yeah, and we would have all said that's really good. So for people who are looking at Liverpool's season as a disappointment now, I mean that's the most short-sighted nonsense you've ever heard. I do not get that in any way, shape or form. He made changes in the FA Cup, that's hence why, big reason they went out against Plymouth. PSG, brilliant

team. The Champions League are relentless, isn't it? To do it, that's the point. And going out on penalties, they had a bit of luck in the first 10 minutes and taking the chances, it might have been totally different. Liverpool have had a phenomenal season and if you ask I think any Liverpool supporter I don't know whether you're a Liverpool supporter or not Rory but at the start of the season the one that Liverpool wanted to win was the Premier League League and they're on the course to doing that. So, I mean, come on.

As we left the Liverpool end at Anfield yesterday, I turned to my son, who's only seven, and just said, you're right, mate, you're okay. And he looked at me and went, I'm half okay, I'm half wibbly wobbly. And it made me feel very sad. It was a big thing to watch the team he supports lose at Wembley. It was a big day out and I think he was quite affected by it. And then it took about five to ten minutes to walk out of Wembley. We were in the top tier. And all the way down, as soon as you got out onto the stairwell, people were singing, and now you're going to believe us.

Which personally, I think is a bit hubristic and I would stop short off just at the moment. But by the end he was smiling. I don't think, I think in the end... You'd stop short of singing that at the moment. I'm very, very superstitious as a fan. 12 points clear with nine games to go. Let me be. I'm a very superstitious fan. I think if Liverpool go on to win the league, then I think Sunday gets written off as a blip, not really a problem, don't worry, not an issue. If it does sort of suggest that Liverpool

are running out of gas and there have been times over the last few days, a few couple of weeks where it looks like they might be starting to feel the effects of the season, then it becomes more of a problem. But I think, yeah, if they get get over the line then I don't think that's a defeat that hurts for a particular player. If they get over the line I mean come on. Hindsight's a wonderful thing. Do you, and there are various factors that probably came into play with his team selection yesterday such as Cody Gagpoh evidently is not 100% fit and therefore that would have been, he would have been a primary player to bring in and leave Diaz out for example if you're

looking to freshen up. Are you surprised he didn't make more changes yesterday or is that hindsight? I think you just look at the team overall, I think there's every chance, I mean in cup competitions earlier on they've made more changes than they have. In the cup final, you say it's more than strong enough. That front three, I think the midfield three was the one really that got overrun, got dominated, that they didn't really have that control because we've been crying out for a system for Liverpool to go to the next level with the three in the middle.

How we can sort of play and how we can move that round. We've seen different flexibilities of how they've gone on and done that, even playing with no striker to try and stop teams at times which we have seen. But I mean they've got flexibility in the squad, are they missing some players? They will say yes, that's what's obviously sort of cost them slightly, but I'm not surprised no. I feel like he's got a strong enough team there that more than people have with it so I'm not too surprised. Does what happened yesterday

does what happened against Paris Saint-Germain it sort of increased the importance of their summer business do you think Chris? Does it put more questions about who they might look at what they might, even before you take into account the contract situations. And that's the biggest thing, isn't it? What will Liverpool look like next season? Because this season, very little change over the summer, so it's what happens with Salah, what happens with Trent, what happens with Virgil van Dijk, and will there be a major

overhaul? But I think they're the three big ones. I think for what it's worth, Liverpool, I think they clearly miss Trent Alexander yesterday and what he can give them going forward. I think Graven Burch's the last few weeks has maybe looked a little bit jaded. I never get the one you probably shoot me down in flames here, Mark, but I never get the changing of a goalkeeper. You play your best goalkeeper in a final. And for what it's worth, I think he may have saved the Dan Burnheader, Alisson.

That is the one where you're looking in the final of playing him. But I think when you go about the recruitment, I think what that recruitment team have done at Bournemouth, how they've planned, how they've now changed and gone to Liverpool, I feel like they will be more than up to standards for where they want and they've got everything already in order. I do think that. On the fatigue thing, I think that's related to the recruitment. It's not so much that I'm not sure I would have played Jota, certainly in the second

leg against PSG and I probably wouldn't have played him against Newcastle to be perfectly honest There are clearly a few players at Liverpool Who slot is not 100% sold on and he's been very loyal to a core kind of 13 players that midfield? Particularly he obviously likes that salad Diaz Jota frontline I thought Jones and Elliott both made a massive difference when they came on yesterday. That was the first real spark that Liverpool had. Chiesa as well, Rory? He discarded Chiesa, hasn't he? There has been. And look, bear in mind, Liverpool took a risk when they appointed the finaled

manager. Slot is not someone who would manage regularly in the Champions League. He has not managed in major finals against elite teams, with all due respect to the Champions League. He has not managed in major finals against elite teams with all due respect to the Dutch club. It was a step up for slot. That's a legitimate thing to say. There is an element of he is learning and I thought was interesting against PSG. He said it was the best game of football he'd ever been involved with and I'm sure that was absolutely sincere. But it's a reminder that he came in and this was a step up for slot and he has managed it brilliantly but there are clearly still aspects that he is improving and I think one is that he's not rotated as much early in the season as he might have done and I think that's why you've

seen the fatigue with players like Graven Burchmore Calister kick in and that's been coupled with the front line apart from Salah has not contributed at all for about two months. I think Diaz is in one in about 18 in terms of goals. Jota is not stored in 10. I think Nunes is one in 13, something like that. Ben, a Liverpool fan has emailed us. Gatpo has been a massive miss. Diaz, Nunes and Jota are all off the pace. Alexander-Arnold missing these huge slots. Should face some criticism. The lineup was predictable. The team are are clearly tired Elliott and Jones should have been used earlier. Thank you very much for this evening it's always enjoyable doing this

because you can see Chris's face throughout it, you know when he's lining something up. You can't wait you just you're looking and go here he goes and just whether it's Norwich, Ipswich or something it's you're ready for it. So I mean some to be fair sometimes it is just indigestion. Is it? You might have already had this tea mightn't you? Oh we will definitely have this tea yeah. I can't help my face. You can't no. Thank you very much Chris, thank you very much Rory.