okay

so i don't know i'm sure you've heard of that i don't know if brian has heard of that so i have so auditory processing is something that i have really have noticed something about myself, but I actually have just been really working on myself here in the last two weeks.

And I really, you know, just from, for example, our last podcast, there were several questions that was asked, and I really didn't answer it to what you what the question was sometimes I get lost on words or I don't hear the words that you're what they are or if a person keeps on talking then I lose the focus on that part for it's like okay where I should have went back said okay so what I'm hearing from you Jeremy is this right here but I don't so I just pull something out of my rear end and say something So you asked a good, what is auditory processing? So, you know, this is, I hear the sound of other person is saying, but not making out the words that they are saying.

So you may be talking along, you may ask them a question.

And then there's a word that I didn't, I hear it, but I don't make out what that word is.

So I get stuck.

Your

18th surgery? Since me and Jenny has been married for the last 22 years.

Ireland.

He did two different XI's.

He had that game against England, which the only thing it was good for was that it was better than a training session.

So, I mean, he should be fit to tell them, hey, go out there, you've got to go for it.

This thing of Holding back, it draws no good to Ireland.

I don't think it draws any good to Ireland because Germany and Poland are going to be one and two in that group, and it's a case of is it going to be Scotland or is it going to be Ireland that's going to be in the third spot? That's the way I read it.

But if Scotland could get

But what about Wales and Gareth Bale and all the rest of it? It'd be great to see them in the finals, at least.

That's a tough ask from anybody, isn't it?

Oh, and, and it's almost an impossible ask.

And I mean, I've been reading, uh, r- I read all the English newspapers, and, uh, apparently all the English players were asking the same question: "Why are we bringing on defenders?" You know, I, I, I'm going to give you a little one here.

Dan Burns, who is, like, 6'10 or something like that, uh, he's huge.

And against Mexico he came on and he cleared the ball, and they're talking about it was brilliant six times he cleared it.

The problem with these old-time defenders is he's nodding the ball down.

He's not nodding it to one of his own players.

But if Argentina gets the lead, how dangerous does that make them, and can they play the style necessary to defeat Spain if they get a lead?

Tommy, if Lionel Messi and Argentina gets it done and they win this World Cup, where does that rank amongst his career accomplishments?

Well, I mean, it has to be, it has to be the pinnacle of the whole lot.

I mean, i- it's a long time Brazil was the only team to have, uh, basically won back-to-back World Cups, and if he can inspire, uh, can inspire them to win a back-to-back World F- Cup for a team like Argentina who have very few changes, basically.

If you're looking at the overall picture, this is basically the same kinda team that won it four years ago.

And to keep a team together that long, I mean, okay, let's face it, they are the masters of the dark arts, as they call it in soccer, because they will upset you.

They will get you so teed off.

I mean, you even see at the end of the game Jude Bellingham giving one of the me- uh, one of the Argentine players a slap on the back of the head.

So where does England go next as they try to get back to the World Cup four years from now?

[laughs]

I mean, there, there should be a recording of it by now.

Uh, and nice to be on with you guys again.

Very disappointing last night.

Um, the US were outplayed from the beginning.

They looked nervous.

They looked very, uh, you know, they didn't want to really get involved and, you know, it's a case of you can only play as well as you're allowed to play.

Last night they didn't look like they belonged out there, Tommy.

Well, how do you think the matchup looks overall on paper?

Well, it's a pick-em.

You know, either team can get it.

I mean, Belgium backed into this one because they were behind two goals in the last game.

And they bring in Lecoq and he scored a goal.

So then they got an extra penalty kick.

and that won the game for them.

USA's prospects against Spain would look like what, in your opinion?

Well, how do you think the matchup looks overall on paper?

Well, it's a pick-em.

You know, either team can get it.

I mean, Belgium backed into this one because they were behind two goals in the last game.

And they bring in Lecoq and he scored a goal.

So then they got an extra penalty kick.

and that won the game for them.

USA's prospects against Spain would look like what, in your opinion?

Uh, keys for you in this match-up as we will have a decided eye on it here in the United States on Monday afternoon.

Yeah, well, definitely the one thing you watch for is, is he going to drop, uh, Ronaldo? Is he gonna put him on the bench? Uh, Ronaldo hasn't really performed well.

But last night I thought the coach got a break because he made a change of, like, four players, and he didn't take off Ronaldo.

And a couple of minutes later he gets a penalty kick, which is ideal for Ronaldo to take.

So the coach got a break there.

Ronaldo got a break.

So the coach said to him probably after that, "Okay, son, you got your goal now.

[laughs]

So when you look at the U.S. against Belgium, what has to happen for the United States to move on?

Well, the U.S. have to keep playing like they're playing.

I mean, they've played very well.

If they could repeat what they played in the first half against Paraguay, then, you know, they wouldn't have too many problems.

Belgium came in the back door because Belgium yesterday at 86 minutes, Belgium were 2-0 down and Lukaku turned things around for them, who everybody considers as an agent striker.

But you give the agent striker the ball in the right place and he puts it in the back of the net, it changes games.

And then they got a penalty kick, maybe a dubious kind of a penalty kick, and they come out winners.

He's tied for most goals in the tournament and the team that's a real contender.

Tommy, your thoughts?

Yeah, I mean, the way they played against Ghana, they should have won the game the way they played against Ghana.

But, like, I always ask the question, you know, without Harry Kane while we're in England, they're not very good, really.

And Harry Kane didn't get 48-19 touches on the ball in the Ghana game, and that's the lowest he's ever had in a game.

I know he scored 61 goals in Germany this year, and he's a fantastic goal scorer, but they have proved, Ghana proved the way to keep him out of the game.

And you can bet Panama... panama have unbelievable they have blazing skill speed i'm not saying they're the most skillful team around but uh this man thomas dukel he's very reluctant to make changes a couple of left a couple of players at home that he might have been fit to use like foden and palmer they're not there to be used so england could be under the gun today

Have we cleared our heads or is it still the same, the usual suspects that we think are going to actually go on and win the whole thing? I would think so.

I mean, France have looked decent at times.

Anything, uh, aside from the surprise we just watched, uh, what do you make of, uh, the first two teams in this, uh, round?

Well, the first two teams, I mean, uh, Canada did very well.

Not in a great game, but they got a goal when they needed it.

And basically, uh, Brazil did the same thing.

Brazil got a goal when they, they needed it.

Now, you know, you have to take Ancelotti and say, "Listen, here's a clap on the back, my friend," because he took on Mantella, and the crowd in the stand were saying, "What? He's taking on Mantella." And what happens? Mantella sticks the ball into your lungi bag, and Brazil continue on their journey in this World Cup.

It was a brilliant goal.

Uh, what do you see happening tonight down in Mexico? Can Morocco pull off the slight upset over the Dutch?

So what was your biggest takeaway about the United States' performance on Friday? And, uh, I guess to couple that, what do you make of their matchup on Friday in Seattle against Australia?

Well, I thought the, the performance was unbelievable.

I, like yourselves, have been watching the US team for, uh, 60 years.

You haven't been watching them that long.

Never saw anything like this.

Never saw this coming, uh, because if you looked at Paraguay, Paraguay had played 18 games in South America, and that's a very, very hard conference to come out of, and they only allowed 10 goals.

Here we are looking at the scoreboard at halftime, and the US have notched three goals against them.

Uh, what was your takeaway from the Morocco-Brazil one-one game?

Yes

... all I can to, to push the players ahead of me in the pecking order, uh, to perform to the best of their ability whilst waiting in the wings.

'Cause I understand now that, look, where, where I play and, and the levels the other center backs play at, they're probably, um, a lot more guaranteed to be starters than I am, and I can accept that, that's fine, but I will push them all the way.

And as for the, the off-field stuff, you know, it's something that we've been working on for a long time in the All Whites environment.

And, um, it's a, it's a place where I've really felt that I've been able to add value and, and help in terms of whether that's been bringing young players through for their, their first few caps and then helping them settle into the group, or equally, there's players that might expect to be getting more minutes than they are that are disappointed, but having, I'm having to sort of help them get through that disappointment and then still be ready to, to take to the field.

And I think it's really important, and especially with a 26-man squad, there's gonna be probably 16, 17 players that see regular minutes.

The rest of the players are gonna be sort of a little bit disappointed not to be involved, and it's about keeping that morale high across the squad because the only way a, a, a team's successful is if every member of that squad is as happy as can be, and hopefully I can help in that regard.

But in terms of getting to the States and getting into that first game and being a part of this team, what, what has Baz talked to you about in terms of, um, where he wants this team to play and how?

He just gutted on Tuesday night, Tommy, after the game.

Um, he was, yeah, and I think he conducted himself, well, he has conducted himself ever so well over these last sort of four or five days with, again, with all the stuff that's been going on with this Spygate incident.

Um, because one thing that has really jumped out at me, um, in this period is, and, and Kim said it, I've thought it, I know a lot of people will have thought the same thing, but throughout a season, Sim, uh, Hinchy you'll, you'll know h- how grueling this, this sort of championship season is.

46 games, relentless game after game after game.

The amount of detail that, and hard work that gets put into the season, certainly from, from a manager's point of view, from the coaching staff, from an analyst point of viewTo, to, to ultimately give your players the best resources to go out and perform and deliver to get the outcome.

Now, Kim Helberg made a, made a statement last night when he talked about, you know, he stayed away from his family to do as much homework, to get as much sort of match evidence that he can possibly get to give his players the best chance.

And I just, it, it, it made me quite emotional watching it because I f- I really did feel for him last night.

Is that gonna be something that maybe they think, and obviously a few fans mentioned it as well, that maybe if, if Helberg had been backed a little bit more, been given a few more options to bring off the bench, that Middlesbrough would've just got into the top two anyway and we wouldn't be talking about them here?

it's-It is like Tommy said, it is a blur.

It's really interesting, Lyle.

It's really interesting you say that because I, I'm with you, listen, I agree with you a hundred percent.

I think what's crazy is, I don't know whether you did this, but the day before we played, uh, the final against Reading all them years ago now, we actually went, um, and did a b- I, I say a tour.

We sort of did the, you know, where you go around Wembley, have a little look, and you sort of say, "Oh yeah, your f- your family will be sat up there." And that to me was like, "Wow, this is really happening." But then when you get to the stadium the following day, on the day of the game, that all becomes, like, completely...

You just got-- You just shut it off, and you don't pay attention to anything.

I mean, I remember walking out, leading out the, the, the lads and going out.

Mm.

What has it been like?

Very overwhelming, [chuckles] in all honesty.

Yeah, listen, I've, I've been fortunate enough to be invited today.

I didn't really know what to expect.

Every fifteen minutes has provided me with different insights to how football clubs work and, and, and ultimately trying to provide myself with the best sort of ideas moving forward, because my main job is to help Middlesbrough Football Club.

If I can get any sort of information from other clubs to do that, that's what I'm here for.

Does it make you appreciate it a little bit more, that there's a lot of people working hard to make sure that the people at the center of the game are in the right place at the right time?

You know, all I've known all my life is Tommy Smith being the football player, and I think coming into this side of it now, it's a completely different world.