Tottenham v Crystal Palace | CotC w/ Ricky Saunders & Ruaidhri McLaughlin-Dowd | Planet FPL 2023/24

Tottenham v Crystal Palace | CotC w/ Ricky Saunders & Ruaidhri McLaughlin-Dowd | Planet FPL 2023/24

Hello everybody my name is James welcome to another planet FPL clash of the correspondents and we’re looking forward to a London Derby in gameweek 27 on this cooc firstly let me introduce you to our Tottenham hbur correspondent Ricky Saunders how are you Ricky uh all good

Mate all good uh yourself yeah not too bad thank you mate and our Crystal Palace correspondent Rory mclen D is in hello Rory how are you mate much better after the weekend thanks James good stuff I can imagine so we’ll come back to that uh Ricky I I wanted to ask you

First though the important question I always ask you when you come on cotc could no we can’t right so not anymore no no not anymore there’s no point is there so what’s what’s the objective for for Tottenham for the rest of this season or or does it not matter well it does matter

Um we obviously we’re not going to win anything now so from where from where we are at the moment the objective now is to get into top four or five if the coefficients go the right way but from start of the Season it was basically embed the new

Manager get the players uh plan as a team watch enjoyable football but where we are at the moment the position the the um the goal has got to be get top four got to be is it realistic yeah very much so um there’s there’s uh obviously Chelsea

Are doing their best to uh to not qualify United after a little bit of a run seem to be doing exactly the same um Newcastle I know you you keep saying they’ve got a great run coming up and they have but I think they’re probably

Too far off the pace at the moment so it’s it’s it’s aen Villa really I me United’s you can’t rule out United especially uh if hiland’s uh injury isn’t isn’t too bad um but there’s there’s there’s three teams looking for one definite position in one possible position so I’ll rephrase the question

Then if Tottenham don’t finish top five from here is it a failure from from this point or this season from this point from this point yeah I think it is I genuinely think it is we we’ve now got pretty much all of our players back there there’s a few obviously I

Know we’ve there’s still some doubts over and doggy he looks like he’s back for the weekend and porro may maybe back for the Villa game um but other than that we’ we’ve got a fully fit team uh We’ve Got No Excuses we’ve got one game a week um there’s nothing nothing no

Excuses now this this is this is as good a chance as as as we’ve had in a in in a little while I’m gonna pull you up on that porro comment because there’s a lot of be waiting on that have you heard something no I haven’t um I’m waiting on

It as well mate because uh I’m not g to get rid of him ahead of 29 so I’m waiting on porro news as well okay cool Rory is neutral how do you see um I guess Champions League qualification how do you see that as as a neutral at the moment uh yeah it’s

It’s been primarily uh interesting because of all the injuries the teams have been having I mean you just mentioned your injuries there and you you sort of went off the ball a little bit after perhaps being you know could we kind of um in that sort of mold

Potentially running um running for the the title and then obviously Villa have had persistent injury problems United have had loads of injuries Brighton have had loads of injuries think Newcastle Newcastle yeah otherwise they’d be a lot better off um West Ham would say them as

Well I’ve had a lot of injuries so it’s primarily that I think it it seems that United had a bit of a shot in the arm when they got the new ownership in and that maybe could have um could have made them able to compete but I think some of

The momentums going out there I think the dissatisfaction with the manager is fairly widespread there at the moment among the fan base so I I think you and Villa will probably do it if it’s five if it goes down to uh just being four places or the

Regular top four I would probably just give Villa The Edge looking at some of the the sort of the underlying statistics and looking at um like their expected goal difference and uh that they are the fourth best team in the league I think you guys are a little bit

Further down behind that so yeah I would give Villa slightly The Edge on you guys but yeah playing one game a week’s obviously a bit of an advantage massive game next week Ricky isn’t it at at V Park therefore oh yeah it is it’s um in in terms of what we

Hope to achieve rest of the season it’s going to be our biggest game off the season I think and tough tough place to go as well we were both there last year obviously different team different manager but it wasn’t it wasn’t a good performance so I’m a little bit nervous

Going back I’m not going to lie and they’re much better now as well yeah I mean we we are as well to be fair but they are I mean Villa Park has has very much uh become a bit of a fortress uh this season you know not not so much in

Recent games maybe but overall that is a tough tough place to go and it’s fair to say look we’ve been picking up some uh some results but we haven’t EXA been in form you know we we haven’t been playing well we’ve been getting over the line in

Some games but it’s it’s not been the performances we were a put in at the start of the Season Rory M raised a very good point about this expected goal difference are you aware of what it is per game Ricky for tum uh I can’t remember exactly but I know that

We are quite low down on the list yeah basically 10th for unexpected goal difference per game or expected goal difference per 90 same same thing uh Palace for the record are 15th on that at the moment what’s perhaps more alarm alarming Ricky is expected goals against this season that’s gonna be

We’re gonna be high on the list of that one that’s for sure 13th yeah we give up a lot of big chances I mean it’s it’s quite fortunate I suppose for this weekend that Palace don’t really have any decent Strikers although that that’s a comment

That will come back and haunt me I know Ricky you are a sound can only hope Rory did you know where Palace are on that table I think we’re like um what the expected goals against or the expected goals expected goals against only I think we’re just just up above mid-table seventh

Yeah that’s good um but I think I mean you got to remember all the injuries we’ve had we haven’t had them in defense really so it is the sort of First Choice defense and sort doubling down and hodon style of play and everything like that we have um we have prioritized that a

Little bit but we we knew what we were going to do this season if we were going to do anything would be based on defense and we didn’t realize that it would be what we’re trying to achieve as safety again the data modelers Ricky would suggest on that XGA and

Xgd Tottenham aren’t going to come pay for f that is that is fair um but football uh who was it was was it Paisley was it or something about football’s not paid on paper it’s played on grass so yeah we last season we would have been quite

Similar and I forget last season that was rubbish the season before we would have been quite similar you know we conceded a lot of goals and and we managed to finish fourth um things went our way um probably more so than than ever before but yeah look it’s the these

These things for me they’re always guides um I I’ve never picked a player in F I’m talking about fantasy now a player based on XA or XGA or penalty goals goals minus penalty whatever I I don’t look at football in that way some people will and that’s fine but I’m I

Don’t look at it that way I just look at what I’m seeing on the pitch and on the pitch we’ve got enough to to push for that four spot but the model does suggest that Tottenham should basically be mid-table at the moment but it doesn’t feel like that is it just Ricky

That this team is way too open now I think it’s possibly fair to ask a question that I think a lot of the neutrals are beginning to think a little bit is an POA kogo getting away without criticism at the moment in terms of how

Open the team is yes he is um obviously there was there was Rumblings um and comments and criticism after the Chelsea game and I mean I I was as a fan I was criticized uh by my friends and I I did my best to try and um back him it was it

Was quite hard at times but we we are really open it when when when all the players are fit when the system works well uh we are beautiful to watch but it does leave us exposed and it does worry me sometimes that it’s plan a and if

Plan a doesn’t work you try plan a again and if that doesn’t work then hey we’ve got plan a let’s go and try that and I I would like to see him adapt more Styles and not not set up for particular teams you know let’s play our way but if

Something isn’t working adapt quicker you know change it up a little bit and we we we’re quite slow to do that and and even when we do adapt it a little bit we’re still wide open I mean look that’s you’re going to be when you’ve got uh inverted uh

Fullbacks like we have you know that spend most of their time in and around the opposition uh penalty area that’s going to happen but I think our our midfielders maybe need to do more defensively than than what they are yeah let’s move on to to Palace Rory

I I guess up until the last week Palace fans would have longed for a manager like an POA goo and perhaps more entertaining football I mean some up by the fact yes your XA is the seventh best in the league but XG you rank 18th yeah in the league that’s a

Statistical one Ricky rather than me just putting my foot in it um I think before we talk Oliver glas have a word on on Roy and and what he’s meant to to Palace fans and and now that he’s obviously his tenur has come to an end

Yes it’s a very sad way for him to have sort of ended I think he essentially was doing a favor for the Club I I don’t think he necessarily wanted to be managing when he was 76 I think in the summer they approached him and said will

You come back for us and do us a favor for one year and he said okay so he’s he’s a a palace man he came through um The Academy didn’t make it and he sort of high level as a player but then sort of went Globe trotting and managed quite

A few teams internationally and that’s um you know it was a sad way to to see him Pro I’m assuming he’s ending his career but it’s uh he he has been fantastic for us when when he first took over I don’t know if it was after dor and we actually lost

The first first three games um I think it was 10- nil and that we hadn’t scored a goal that season we lost the first seven games first four you were under the ball about scoring wasn’t it yeah and then Roy took over and we lost the

Next three and didn’t score um so he he saved us that year pretty sure we were written off by quite a few people that year and we stayed up with games to go like four or five games to go at the end of the season and gradually that team

Got older and he got quite a sort of bad reputation even among our own fans for being a very negative um negative manager which he was in part but he was sort of managing us through a transition period from being a sort of old-fashioned style if you look at the

Way you know like sundland and Stoke were run where you would buy players from Big clubs on big money because they’ll do a job for you you know like um get sundland getting John OA I think and and people like Dar Gibson and players like that in and Stoke did a

Similar thing that is almost how you used to do it in the 2000s say but modern well-run clubs are buying young players to then sell on for a profit and I think Roy was always a little bit annoyed that he didn’t get a chance to play with those players with young upand cominging

Players and he was having Gary kahill and Scott Dan and we we had to play a certain way so I’m pleased that he came back at the end of last season obviously was brilliant for us and we played some very good football that should have been

It and I think I think you said that at the start of the Season it was pretty much a holding pattern uh for this season and it sent the wrong message to our own players as much as anything else that this year we’re just treading water

It’s not um any player you want to bring in as well you’re sort of sending a message that we’re just stagnating so that’s that’s the negative things but I mean he’s been brilliant for us and we we’ll just try to think about the very good games that we we had you know

Beating uh Leicester 131 won over two seasons when they had just won the league I think Roy um managed to do that and there were quite a few other brilliant moments but yeah it’s a shame the way it ended just feel like a wasted nine months little bit a little bit but

Um it’s it’s difficult really to to gauge because what would the alternative have been um glasner supposedly he’s the guy that they wanted um he according to R honstein in the the athletic he didn’t want to take over last summer basically he and if that’s the guy they wanted

They think this is the right person for the club it’s not necessarily a waste as long as what happens now is good and this summer we go and show a bit of ambition and try and do something in the window because that the first viea summer will be out of the profit and

Sustainability window and we might sell a few but that means you bring in some money and we can invest a bit and make it more in in the manager’s image yeah I think the excuse Last Summer the only one we could really give and it wasn’t

Really a slight on Royal hodon I think you summed it up well it was if you’re going to go down this path it’s obviously not long term he’s obviously helped keep you up but what’s what’s the best case on know here has a couple of

Good years we are kind of keeps you safe and stable but like the club’s not progressing in the way that the fan base want if Oliver glasner was the first choice all the way through the one the one mitigating we gave last summer was if Palace know what they want and they

Can’t get it now and Roy’s got to be there till they can get it fine and if that’s what this is then I think we should probably all accept it and move on and understand this is um a new phase for Palace what can we expects from Oliver glasner we’ve seen back free

Previous we’ve seen your Club player back free in the last two games is that what we should expect and what else um epitomizes an Oliver glaz the team yeah I think it will be that um the 3421 formation which he used at Frankfurt is what he’s applied immediately at Palace

He has played back four before and I don’t know if it is simply a matter of who’s available maybe when we get some of the players back because you if they’re fit a Alis and Au are all going to play and then if you’re playing this formation you can’t play that and a

Striker would have to be Au as the the nine gonna say could he not could he be the nine he he’s done it before I mean he played up front under Roy um in a 442 he could do that yeah he has got that in him I think he’s done that for Ghana

Quite a bit over his career as well so you could do it that way and but Mata is doing quite well as well say you would lose something there I think as well if you did take him out but um yeah so it’s very kind of vertical football which is

You know a kind of buzz word I don’t really know what it means but it’s a it’s kind of like a it’s not as high pressing as we have sort of been led to believe in certain areas I think he is quite a pragmatic manager but it’s the

Back three will usually be there and a lot of the time that’ll become a back five and become a kind of 52 three without the ball and that would be the the shape that they’re taking and it’s um kind of two Sixers uh deeper so it sounds very very negative but I think

What he looks to try to do as you know most uh most managers do is try to to win the ball back quickly and transition he has said that you can um press in a low block so perhaps we will do that perhaps we will stay a bit deeper and I

Think we probably won’t see his style implemented until the summer because one of the things that he really likes is is pay and I’m not sure there is a great deal of pace like even Alis is probably the fastest but even him and E aren’t necessarily that um athletic they more

Technical players so it will be that it’ll be a 3421 the wing backs stay very wide and very high and we we’re sort of almost as a lot of teams build in a 325 at the moment that they’re the width in it and then the the two Central midfielders

Are they don’t go forward very much I don’t think so we won’t see the sixes more than eights if you will yeah yeah it’s it’s not like a double pivot where one of them will go forward they basically will both sit and the the three center backs are quite flat I

Think what what um he used to do was um one of their Players called so at Frankfurt he would pull out into the fullback area to pick up the ball and then distribute it they’re almost like you saw NE doing at wolves when they played with the the three at the back so

We apparently tried to sign so before so it’s obviously something we wanted sorry massively interrupted going for a snog with his [Laughter] misses that’s terrible for the audio bit Gold on YouTube Ricky carry on Rory I’m so sorry you’re good love i’ lost my place a bit Yeah so it

Will be quite quite direct transitional counterattacking football but I think we will primarily be defensive pragmatic for the rest of this season at least and I think you mentioned um in one of the podcasts earlier this week Muno possibly looks like someone who could be a bit of

An asset he he got forward quite a bit at um I get the wrong Belgian team I think it was gank think not gent but it might have been gent but he one of the G one of the two was it gank gank right

Yeah so he gets full quite a bit Gets In The Box and he’s quite big and physical and uh can win headers and I think and uh at Frankfurt they had a brilliant Wing back who he got a lot of assists from crosses and that they were quite good at set

Pieces which has been a weakness for us so maybe having a manager that prioritizes set pieces will also be good for us what we expect Saturday then because a lot of what we saw on Saturday we know it’s heavily influenced by Josh Brown Hill’s red card but everything looks

Higher up the pitch the back three look higher up the pitch the wing backs are like Wingers you’ve got forwards will end up quite narrow and quite High what do we expect at Tottenham cuz it feels like a halfway house I’m not sure at the moment whether because you’ve won and

You give yourself a nice little eight-point buffer over Luton at the moment do you go to Tottenham and be braver than you would have been under Roy or do you go well actually this is uh a team near the top of the table we’ll go there we’ve seen what the likes

Of wolves have done go quite deep frustrate and our explosiveness on on the counter what are you expecting primarily from that game specifically on Saturday well it would be difficult um to be more negative than Roy so it will definitely be more positive than that he

He showed the big teams too much respect every time but we will probably sit in and try and try and counter and I think the wing backs will Pro be primarily um used in in that kind of uh that way they’ll be trying to transition I think

The the two kind of TS I guess will probably follow your fullbacks all over the pitch to be honest and I think we will be quite negative and try and spring um out but we haven’t necessarily got the pace um that we used to have and certainly

Without Alisa there so yeah we we will be primarily counterattacking and and transitioning and trying to frustrate you which sounds like um is just what you you don’t want to happen Ricky hello how much did you pay that woman a lot mate I am now I’ll be working till I’m 90 the

Thing is Ricky we’re not going to get teams like Palace come and properly attack us anymore are we no no it’s um we’re not very good at breaking down a low block either uh which is quite unfortunate well do you know what in in in recent G you’ve watched back at the

Start of the season and uh we we seem to be able to to cut teams open um you know long Cross Field passes and you know intricate play we just seem to cut teams open very very easily and recently it’s been Ticky Tacker pissing about on the

Edge of the box trying to fed Fred for a pass and when you playing against a team that’s got 10 men in the box that pass is really hard to find so we possibly need to get back to uh to where we were at the side season we we’ve got the Personnel back

Now I don’t know if it’s maybe legs are getting tired as the season progresses and just trying to do something different not quite sure but yeah that what we’ve been doing in recent games isn’t working against teams that sit back I’m hoping that Palace won’t be

Sitting back um and they do come at us um I’m hoping that uh yeah glna plays that kind of way there is one comment he made in his press conference last week Rory that that struck me when reflected on the Everton game which we know he was

In attendance but they don’t think had any role in the team selection or anything did he or we think he did did yeah I think he probably did because yeah he probably did he said in the press conference before the Burnley game he said I’m told that a draw away from

Home in this league is is a good result um and I’ll accept it for now which was a very bullish thing to say almost likely in the future we’re going to go away from home we’re gonna our our goal will be to go and win football

Matches which I’m sure it is the goal but there’s there’s a way of doing it isn’t there like he’s not you could read between the lines of that and think he’s going to go to Tottenham he’s going to try and attack that’s not a good idea

Though I don’t think mate no I think he’ll do that next season I don’t I don’t think we’ll see that now uh in this game because we Haven got the players for at the moment so it’s possible that e will be back and then Edward will go on the bench and then

We’ll actually have a sub to make but it’s partly that’s the issue at the moment is there’s not a great deal of depth so we probably can’t it will be very similar to the Everton and Burnley games the way we set up because you can’t set up a different way and if he’s

Willing to accept a point of good result away from home for now then I think he’ll probably be not necessarily playing for a point but we will be restrained a bit in our Ambitions okay you you mentioned obviously about a a we think there’s a strong chance that he’ll

Play I take it understand he was in training before the Burnley game yeah so a week worth of full training hopefully he would go straight in wouldn’t he you mentioned there about Edward potentially moving to the bench So based on what you’re saying if if we say that Pedro

Porro is fit for Tottenham as well is e gonna go and follow porro around the pitch he probably won’t end up on the edge of his own box following porro but I mean in the the initial stage of buildup he’ll probably be involved in marking him but he’s not going to follow

Him into our own box but then we might all be in our box so I don’t really know he’ll probably hand him over to won or or Lura I would imagine but he yeah I think a will be back um I’m not sure about gei because it’s quite it’s not

Really clear what the injury was with him he went off early against Arsenal and then was slow getting out to the second goal that Sheffield United scored um he was quite slow in getting out to it and people criticizing him for that and then he got injured against Brighton

So I think he was probably carrying a knock through that so I I don’t know what’s wrong I know it’s the sort of um it’s a knee issue I think it just hyperextended at some point but damage isn’t too bad so he could be back but

The the main worry for me is probably Joe Ward as a right center half and Son running at him is probably the main thing that I’m worried about is that not mitigated a little bit by if you’re saying a kind of a flat fight of almost

Yeah without the without the bow in a fixtion like that you you’re going to avoid that sort of thing he might be that Ward comes into contacts more with Madison Poss under that circumstance what why is Ward specifically then is it a pace thing yeah yeah so it’s a pace

And one-on-one defending I suppose maybe he’ll be better than some center backs because he played fullback for his whole career so if he doesn’t have to get dragged out to the touch line and then cover the runs maybe it’s uh maybe it’s a bit easier for him but it is just you

Know 35y old Joel Ward is the the main reason if Gay’s back then Chris Richards will be on that side which might be okay from open play but yeah I I think Madison has a tendency when you guys have a lot of the ball to drop quite

Deep and pick up the ball so he might not necessarily be coming in contact with um within too much if you guys have got sort of 70% possession you might be doggy again going into that channel if he’s back available as well uh let’s talk a bit of fantasy Ricky um let’s

Start with sunny in fact no let’s take a step pack what Tottenham in your squad is it just porro at the moment or have you got rich as well no no no just porro so just before we we go on um I just want to just for the for the younger uh

Listeners um what about the older ones well the older ones might know s off the younger ones now you mentioned Roy um Roy is um for for people that don’t know haven’t been around very long uh they might just remember Roy um from from uh Palace or before then uh England or

Liverpool and they won’t realize just what an absolute Legend this guy is um an absolute footballing Pioneer um across um five Decades of football who has achieved more in his career than than than almost any manager um you still absolutely revered as a legend in in places like Sweden so yeah don’t just

People may not be aware um and you know Roy now he kind of paints a bit of a sorry figure with a terms in terms of his football philosophy and things like that but this guy is an absolute true legend of football and just I’d urge

People go have a little read on him um and just hear what he’s done and and see what he’s done because he is is a special or was a very very special manager there you go well said Ricky well said that was it 48 years of management I think was something like

That yeah he off his career um in Sweden back in like the mid um early to mid 70s yeah um and he won numerous League titles in swinder and he W tit was in Denmark and I mean people may not remember it took Fulham bloody Fulham to

The Waf for Cup Final or Europa League as it was then you know he has done um he’s done a lot in his career and and it’s it’s probably unfair that it’s uh it’s finished the way that it has a bit of a sour note with Palace because he’s

Better than that yeah you know what he’s well said unfortunately with these things people can this is why I think people retire early from from football or International footballs don’t want people to have that negative bad memory of them it’s like listening to Tottenham fans talking about Hugo laas and just

Completely for getting the Brilliance of him for nine or years beforehand right before a difficult end and that’s not a great comparison but I think he’s I get what you mean about the younger listener or viewer yeah ah hodon was boring at Palace yeah hodon failed at Watford

Hodon didn’t kick on at Liverpool and ignoring that ful andore was West Brom manager wasn’t he when he their highest finish in about 30 years he took Switzerland to third in the FIFA rankings qualified first first World Cup yeah yeah yeah qualifi for their first tournament they he he took

Finland to the ab to the brink of qualifying for a World Cup or was it a Euros or World Cup one of them yeah Switzerland under Roy Hodson with third in the world you know he was that good and he lost to Iceland yeah this is all we remember

Isn’t it yeah yeah that and that that’s that’s the unfortunate thing he’ be remembered for for moments like that that’s that’s one game in a in a near five decade career it’s um yeah it’s a pit that he won’t be remembered for for his legacy more than than just you know

One or two games I think across the larger football world he will be yeah yeah I wouldn’t say he failed at Watford James I think he did exactly what we wanted him to do didn’t he agent Roy what Watford I thought arsenal were your Rivals they hate us because the playoff

Final in the FA Cup semi-final and stuff uh yes okay makes sense yes uh I’ve forgotten what I you now Ricky fantasy right you’ve got por I’ve got porro and that’s it at the moment I take it even if he’s ruled out this weekend if you’re heading towards 29

He’s just staying anyways he’s he’s going to stay yeah the plan at the moment and obviously this week will determined a lot of that but the plan at the moment is go with what I’ve got um I should make um at the minute I’m on for with the transfers I’ve got planned I’m

On for seven players porro being one of them um one of those will be sun as well as as my current plan works out he s the right attacker to buy Here Ricky um from Tottenham yes I think if you want a Tottenham attacker I think he’s the only

One you can get why not Richie because Rich’s minutes are going to be in Jeopardy now uh we’ve got pretty much a fully fit attacking line uh Kulu is is playing really well I mean doesn’t get the returns he possibly deserves but he’s playing really really well um if

Richison starts he will be taken off for someone possibly Johnson or verer um to add a bit of pace later in the game if we’re chasing so if he does start he will get 60 65 minutes in my opinion okay and with sun are you then thinking he goes through the middle when

Rich Arison gets removed from the if he doesn’t if he doesn’t start down the middle in all honesty he might well do I it would be it would be harsh on Richie because he in while son’s been away he’s he’s done very well going down the

Middle he scored goals he’s a little bit of a dry spell last couple of games but on the whole he had a really successful spell down the middle um but sun is is the main man in that side and if it works out for me with the cut results and actually more defensive

Injuries Paul R got pal Tores as well then I’ll probably buy a sun this week I can just about get there uh from J but I’m not in love with it it’s almost it’s almost like well because I can and because I know there’s an explosive

Nature about him let’s go there as the one who’s most liable to go off big when I look at his data for when he plays on the left it’s not great mate and and I won this even after the day you saw a tripier apart and got the hall against

Newcastle was as an asset on that left hand side he’s not going to be great no and I’m I might still buy him and it sounds like you will as well yeah I mean I’m gonna I’m gonna watch this weekend’s game and see where he plays um hopefully

We’ll get a few more clues I don’t plan on getting him this week my plan is to move out kdb for sun after the weekend so I’ve got a lot there’ll be a lot thinking about doing that now Ricky yeah but I I I I think you mentioned on the

Pod earlier on you know big game Kev and all that coming up against of the weekend I I can’t I can’t get rid of Kevin De bruyne ahead of a home game against United that that that’s foolish so I’ll keep him um and assess it for next week um see see

Where Sunny is if I don’t get sun um I’ve got I’ve got a villa defend Villa midfielder um I managed to sign Sun Louise this week which I was quite pleased with yeah you’ve been hanging around with losers I say yeah yeah I

Have yeah no no hang for me um but if I don’t get sun who do I get Bowen you know what other midfielders you know realistic midfielders would you get ahead of sun I think it’s a case terms of me and Clayton discussed this on um

When we did the prep for game wi 29 pod a couple of weeks ago we spoke about timing quite a bit we actually spoke about Villa and westan being kind of going into 26 and Tottenham being 27 because if you let it go this week with respect to Rory’s team that’s the

Best fixture on paper it’s Villa away and Fulham away who’ve been decent at home and a great result at United at the weekend troubled Villa themselves last week as well have you not missed the best fixture yeah you have but if I’m c um if I’m um going into 27 uh 20

29 not free hitting obviously I want to get as many players players on the pitches I can do with with as minimal hits as possible I’ve currently got uh I think it’s four no five I’ve got five players in my side that will play uh as

Of now in 29 with no hits I can get another two in one of which is Sunny the other one’s going to be Tony there’s nowhere else to go really if I want to take a hit I can bring in Boeing on current form I wouldn’t sign

Him ahead of Sig I wouldn’t sign him at all so I I I don’t want to use my free hit that’s going to be much more valuable down the line if I’m threee hitting who am I free hitting to and you know games might be different right suddenly Man United against CHF United

And Aral against Chelsea it looks different doesn’t it well I’m I’m very much hoping that that Forest uh pull something out the bag this week because I’m sat there with garnacho and Maguire so that will that’ll give me almost an 11 by the rank my rank um I don’t know it’s not great

Yeah we got that from what you just said mate I’ll save you Rory um what Tottenham have you got at the moment 279k oh yeah similar to me you’re all right uh same as same as Ricky I’ve got parro um and I’m just sort of keeping him because he’ll be there in 29

Hopefully any plans for more Tottenham yeah probably son do the kdb to something so that might this week might be this week or it could be something I do in 29 or I’ll I’ll play it by here I did have a plan that involved getting

Boing and it’s the the same as as rooky feels about this I I just went I I can’t do that this is probably the point where I should remind the listeners and viewers we are recording prior West stamp’s game against brenford in case Bon’s gone off and got our hat treat you

Might feel very different by the time you’ve heard this for example yeah um but I still think it would by be by Tottenham over West Ham this week they hav a strong defensively and it’s it’s an away game as well and then you can

Come back for West Ham in 28 or or 29 are you intentionally avoiding that Rory because it’s against your team because you obvious mentioned about the concern about Joe Ward in that sort of Zone if you will yes so maybe that’s something that I should consider I was intending

To roll this week to be honest because my team looks okay like my bus team is fine okay uh so that was the intention actually I think on one of my plans I was going to get Madison in this week um because of our weakness that set pieces

Under under Roy but maybe under GL that’ll be okay so if you felt more secure about rison’s minutes Ricky would that change the conversation when we say secure about minutes we probably mean the expected minutes rather than him not starting we think he’ll start right he he I think

He’ll start and I he’s definitely GNA get game time um he’s he’s either going to get a solid hour or a 30 minute Cameo you know 25 30 minutes so he’s going to get plenty of minutes he’s not going to come on with five to to go so you know

You he’s and he will get chances in that time as well um look I just Sun’s just the better player you know I can afford him he’s the better player um when he plays down the middle if he does which we we don’t know for certain when he

Plays on the middle he gets goals he gets assists he’s just the he’s the better option so does charon’s records for the last two was great right yeah I came a good some Park like this guy is killing my rank mate yeah I just I I just prefer son I I

Might I probably am wrong because you generally make the wrong decisions in calls like this but I I’ll go for the The Proven player I’m I’m still not over rich charison last season you know there always going to be doubts that he can sustain a run he’s never been a let’s give him

Some Joe Ricky he’s been he”s been good the last couple of months oh no he has been good look and one thing he’s always done is is is put a shift in he’s he hasn’t not produced because of lack of effort you know sometimes his quality

Isn’t isn’t quite as good and he does have a bad game but it’s it’s not through through lack of trying 100% but sun is just the better player Madison Rory mentioned so Madison versus V charison because not everyone will be able to get to Sun right some

Might be looking at all Madison versus V charison Choice what does that look like to you um Madison still doesn’t seem to have found the form he had before he got injured um he had the returns haven’t been I don’t know if he’s I think has he got an

Assist I think since he come back um yeah for Richard and at go in park yeah yeah so the the the the returns haven’t been there so I’m he’s got as many returns as as boen has in recent weeks so you know this there a toss up between them two in all

Honesty Rory how do you say that You’ obviously mentioned Madison is that part on impact of how he played at se Park earlier in the season yeah I think he got when we played I don’t know what we can read into what happened in the previous game um because the manager

Changed but in he seemed to be getting into all the spaces and Son didn’t really produce too much that was against the back four and son did score the goal didn’t he um from your only shot on Target in the game I think but Madison hello shots

Fired yeah it’s all right we scored Choice Joe Ward got the other your mate we scored we scored for you yeah so um so some did score in that game but that was pretty much the only thing I can remember him doing uh off the top of my head and I think Madison

Was getting into um pockets and also if you’re playing against a low block he does maybe he will drop back and be further away from the goal but also he might have opportunity for Long Shots which he quite likes and um we have been poor from set pieces recently partly uh

I think because of like it has been Chris Richards basically every single time but um yeah I I would prefer um Madison over Charis but now richison will score now I’ve said that so yeah Madison didn’t play well at the weekend I didn’t think Ricky against wolves last weekend

Sorry no he he he doesn’t um it doesn’t seem to found his crispness yet um since he’s come back that I you he could be a lack of match Fitness um could still be carrying a bit of an nigle I don’t know but he he hasn’t played brilliantly since he’s

Come back yeah yeah I think Richie over Madison at the moment if people are deliberating that one while he was chatting guys I just had a look at richison and Suns data just as well on FB ref uh this is quite interesting richison XG per 90 this season 0.57 Sun

0.35 uh XA 0.32 for sun richardis 0.12 which basically ties them level on combined but Richie with the higher XJ but yes as you Carri it Ricky uh I think Sunny’s going to get more minutes you would think in most scenarios here but I

Don’t think in in the I think I saw in the S 120 minutes or so he’s played in the two games since he been back I don’t think he’s had a shot it’s two home games yeah I mean he got he got the assist it his first game back yes he did sorry

Excuse me um yeah wolves wasn’t was I mean he had what 25ish 30 minutes uh and then he he obviously played the 90 against walls but that wasn’t a good performance we we weren’t good nobody was good that day um I’m I’m still uh rightly or wrongly uh you put

Out any as many stats as you want I’m I’m still going to it’s it’s still sunny for me as well yeah because I just think that seing is higher yeah and it’s prob it’s probably it’s just just biased towards sun it’s there’s nothing against Richie we just we love Sunny saying we

Don’t love Richie but it’s sunny sunny as Sunny you know pro and pro and proven goal scorer um you know he he Captain leader um he just yeah it’s it’s him over over everybody else in that side at the moment okay if people want to go into a Tottenham Defender at the moment

Ricky let’s just say they’re all fit so porro and N DOI hypothetically fit still porro for you that’s a really good question um because in before he he got um uh well the the uh in the last four games um he he got a goal uh in one game

He got an assist in another game uh and I don’t think porro got anything in either so it just seemed most shots in the Premier League without a goal obviously his goal was in the FA Cup against Burnley yes yeah what a goal that was as well um yeah it just it just

Seems the the pendulum has swung a little bit in in UD doi’s favor porro is still the more attacking player um he fir in some great crosses i’ i’ I’d still go with him but it’s it’s a lot closer than what it was five six games ago yeah I think if

You’re tip for money going Destiny instead would be perfectly reasonable do you subscribe to a little bit of theory that Madison’s return is stunting parro’s output of bit I had actually thought of that but it it would make sense because por por was still on most of the corners and

Stuff yeah even in Madison’s return but Madison will get himself on threee kicks the edge of the box and that sort of thing I don’t know if there’s there’s a thought process as well in terms of even an open play that get Madison on the ball wherever you can rather than

Perhaps porro taking more responsibility in his absence I think that’s that’s part of the trainer fault as well no so I actually considered that but that that does make a lot of sense who doy it is then or Mickey vanen 4.4 um one look he’s he’s not um it’s

Not a bad option he gets up for for for corners and free kicks things like that um we know he’s he’s decent in the air um you you can’t Bank on a look you’re not going to pick our players for clean sheet that’s that’s very very OB told

You this in preseason folks yeah um and you can’t Bank on uh attacking returns from Central Defenders you know you might get the odd assist a couple of goals a year but um look probably a master class 15p pointer from uh from vaner coming in now but no you you got

To be picking the fullback if you’re going defensive for us anyway okay uh Rory 3.9 million Chris Richards says hold my beer uh should we be considering that um as a as an enabler yeah I think he will keep his place um especially if we’re back three to from now to the end

Of the season he’ll definitely keep his place um but I I don’t think he’ll score too many goals what does that look like when Gay’s back is that Richards moving to right side as Center back yeah I’d imagine so yeah he’ll he’ll go over to the right take Ward’s Place probably I

Mean Wards the the club captain that I I still think he’ll probably lose his place in the team Richards will go to Right Center back and get he left side Center half which seems a lot more solid as well as the wing backs are bombing forward because those two in wide eras

Is fine Anderson has played wide of a three for Denmark I think a bit but I you don’t want him getting dragged into a wide area he’s not as mobile as the other two are you on any Palace at the moment or not no um that’s partly because of

The the form that we were in over Christmas it it is a decent run I think from the Everton game till about it 32 I think we’ve got some nice games so I think the next four are okay basically um but beyond that it gets a bit rough

For us uh I if if at Lisa and E were fit then that would be something that I would go for but we’re probably not going to play in 209 depending on what Newcastle do in the cup so I think that probably means there are other places

That people are going to go rather than go and get some some Palace assets but yeah Richards is there as an an enabler mck any uh Palace on board for you no no there there’s been a couple of times this season I’ve been very close

To signing e and also Alisa well one or the other but I I haven’t pulled the trigger and then i’ all got injured the next game so I’ve kind of dodged a bullet uh a little bit and to be if I was going to sign anybody um it’ be one

Of them to if I want a cheap enabling Defender it’s it’s bran f um I I don’t really see any point in going for Palace at the moment certainly not with with question marks over the fitness of the two big guns it’s a hypothetical then

E’s back at the weekend stars in a way Palace Victory meanwhile beforehand Newcastle lost to Blackburn the cup we’re Landing in 28 you’ve got Lut at home newcast at home and then Forest away in 30 as well buou away nothing to overly be scared about in 31 had

Suddenly becomes a really nice group of four fixtures that starts with two home games for yeah absolutely he’s got to be if Newcastle can can can do um everybody a favor um then uh well so Blackburn do body a favor I should say and then yeah he absolutely he’s in the conversation I

Tell you why that’s interesting at that point as well is I think a lot of us would like to get a ballma midfielder for for now or for 28 and it’s a real headache if A’s back and you’re looking at 28 and he covers 29 there two home

Games my question to you Rory would be like why not no I I would bring him in if uh but it’s just the 29 uh issue but yeah I I think I as a we he’ll have something to prove there’s a chance he goes in the summer and we’re

Still in a relegation battle we’ve got a new manager in got new manager bounce got those four decent fixtures and realistically we probably have to um do something now the running’s a bit trickier but I think for example wolves and Fulham will probably be on the beach

So if we did need to get something in those games we maybe could but um I think it’s the next sort of four games next home games Lon and then the the Bournemouth and uh Forest away games we’ve got to pick something up in just for for Peace of Mind really to pull

Away I I have actually got you bottom of my FDR for the rest of the season um across all 20 teams from from here till the end but you’ve got an eight-point Gap over Luton that victory was massive at the weekend you must feel relatively safe now safer yeah I mean I

Always think what you aim for is 10 wins because you’ll get the the other points in draws I think we’ve got seven already probably need nine might even be eight this year who knows with the points deductions and everything so I I do feel a bit safer but I don’t

Want to really don’t want to really say that this early James to be honest not with the injuries we’ve had I suppose the the guy was going around and injuring all the players is gone now so well I mean you put gay e and Alis back

In that team it’s a different team to what we’re looking at at the moment isn’t it yeah and the missing durur is not as big an issue now because Warton is ridiculously good it’s good talent didn’t him he’s incredible I think on one of your I can’t remember if it was a

Preseason pod or the end of last season but you had um some of the guys from gaffan on and gaffa is it the championship one yeah they were um they were saying wton is a very good player he’ll be the next one to to sort of move

Up to the Premier League and he’s come in he’s been fantastic for us think F say almost looks not Palace like in the sense like he’ll pick it up from deep and he can play and he’s quite Punchy with his passes isn’t it yeah there was a moment in the Chelsea game

Where Henderson knocked it long and uh Warton was like in acres of space it was a difficult pass to get it around but he just started shouting at at um Henderson and he’s like a 19y old so yeah he is he he won’t be at Palace for for more than

Three seasons I don’t think one to watch certainly I’m glad you mentioned my mate Dean Henderson you know I’m a fan who would you prefer to be in goal uh Sam to be honest I I think Sam’s a bit of goalkeeper he he has got mistakes in him

He’s not got the ego of Henderson and so he doesn’t get talked about as much I don’t think but I I really rate S Johnson I think he’s better with his feet than Henderson is Henderson made a few very good saves against Manchester City but seems to be a bit erratic he

I’d say he is he’s a main character you know and you you don’t really want your goalkeeper to think they’re the main character the goalkeeper should be sort of you should not notice and then they pull out a weldy when you need him to but he wants to be the center of

Everything I don’t know if you remember in the first Brighton game when he came out for one and punched it against Danny warbeck’s head and nearly nearly got an assist he nearly um punched it off Welbeck into his own goal he’s he’s just a little bit too he’s too

Active makes me nervous yeah I’m I’m not keen on him at all uh I don’t mind Sam Johnson I think Sam Johnson’s a good goalkeeper I think he’s the better of the two I was surprised that he took this long to change it back in I know

Henderson kind of was right time right place wasn’t it he got fit just in time just as Johnson had a problem and and he wasn’t terrible and you’re right he did particularly make some really good saves that game at city um and you obviously got a positive result so I guess it’s

Stuck for a while but yeah Johnson’s a superior keeper for me yeah um if just quickly if you were to invest in a palace Defender say this situation turns up like we’ve said all right 28 29 I want one if money’s No Object which one mun for me because he is getting forward

I I think I put on our our slack uh channel that he’s possibly like a right-sided PVA and I think vanan was was a bit of a cult hero with some people in fantasy football because he would get a lot of goals he’s he scored

Quite a few goals in in Belgium think he scored something like seven goals already this season there obviously it’s a massive step up but it seems like the manager allowing that position to be fairly free and he he will pop up in those positions he’ll get in the Box

There’s obviously a caveat behind Saturday and Burnley being down to 10 men for so long but I think he had most opponent area touches of all Defenders last weekend as well I think um and Tyreek Mitchell was said got really high as well but definitely MOS for you yeah

He’s just more effective I think Mitchell could have scored two goals um in the last two games he he got into the positions I think against Everton he had a really good chance playing in that but it’s just not natural D here here’s a different scenario for you then someone

Owns Elijah adio and they’re holding him because of the double in gameweek 28 but when game we 28 comes around he’s still injured and there’s no money in the bank mateta um see he he’s done very well for us over the last couple of games right and

A lot of our fans are happy with him he’s a bit of a cult hero but the amount of times that the ball dribbles across the six yard box and there’s no one there so he does a lot of the things that people notice but they’re not

Fantasy things that you get returns for like he he holds out the ball really well I think he may have got the assist for the Au goal against Everton holds the ball up well brings others into play runs the channels he’s a lot stronger now a lot better at using his physique

Than he was when he came to the club but he doesn’t if he had like a Strikers mind like we had Glenn Murray at the team at the club and he would just pop up in the right place where the ball was going before the the person who was

Making the cross even knew that that’s where they were going to put it he he found the space mateta has just not got that in his locker I don’t think so I I guess he’s cheap so there’s always that so no basically okay cool appreciate Ricky just one more for you

If someone’s looking for an enabling midfielder specifically looking at minutes for 29 perhaps Sara consideration Um Absolut consideration I mean don’t expect too much from him in return in in regards to returns but if you’re looking specifically at Tottenham then yeah he’s he’s GNA play um he he will play majority of the game he’ll get two points out of him um not a card magnet

Either so yeah good two solid points okay and I going to I’m going to mention two names for you Ricky I to give me one word on H just a word te o Vera craid Brenan Johnson craid um no no that’s unfair that’s unfair

Um I can’t really give a a one word look I think there there’s a lot more to come from both of them um they’re both fast they haven’t Johnson’s actually been doing a lot better recently um put a ball in the net a couple of times um but

I’ll tell you what I I’ll give you I’ll give you one word for both of them substitute like it yeah there will be won’t they it’s gonna be sun richardis and K as the First Choice fre it doesn’t mean every game but that that’s going to be it moving forward they’re they’re

Impact players on the bench Pace uh Fitness stretch teams that’s that’s that’s their role in this current side good stuff thank you both jents uh Ricky let’s do a correct score prediction before we finish on the understanding that Palace going to come to attack I’m gonna say 3-1

Tottenham Rory on the understanding that you probably won’t attack give us a prediction I the closer we get to it the more negative I’ll get but I’d say two2 fair game uh I’ll abstain I think we’ll win which i’ have every right to think but yeah I’m not too sure which

One you I I do Wonder Rory if if you might just turn up and have a go because the pressure’s off a little bit um which probably isn’t a good idea at the same time I know you’ve got 11 players out there are going to be desperate to

Impress the new man in charge and you are in the middle of a honeymoon period as well so I certainly don’t discount your chances and if if e is back that’s obviously a game changer for you as well uh Ricky anything you want to plug before we

Finish uh just patreon sign up fantastic value what site can people go to patreon it’s ww. patreon.com for Planet FPL cheers man all the details are on uh James’s uh X feed Twitter feed bird feed you can just read the bio yeah one of them or that yeah cheers you can

Find it in many places I’m Rory anything you want to plug mate well it would look bad if I don’t plug that now wouldn’t it yeah yeah it’s worth it for the slack Slack’s good fun good stuff thank you very yeah just just plug the uh um Planet FPL live coming from Portugal

Anytime soon uh I wouldn’t Bank on that happening anytime soon to be totally honest uh but thank you very much to both of you good luck for the weekend jent uh I will be back with sge tomorrow for the sky fantasy football pod and yes chip strategy podcast on Thursday as

Well we do have a clash to correspondence for you next week as well well you can probably guess it it’s bouth versus Len ahead a double game with 28 with Neil Grover and Dan ashb just EAS me to say thanks again so much to Ricky and toori be nice to each other

Everyone Ricky say it come on totenham Q music please mad sh

On this week’s Clash of the Correspondents James is joined by Tottenham fan Ricky Saunders and Crystal Palace fan Ruaidhri McLaughlin-Dowd to discuss the latest at their clubs, the FPL assets of interest and preview Saturday’s Gameweek 27 meeting at White Hart Lane.

Champions League qualification now looks a realistic possibility for Tottenham, particularly if 5th is enough, but are recent performances/results and the amount of big chances being conceded causing too much alarm?

While it’s all change at Selhurst Park, with reflection on Roy Hodson’s career and management of Palace and an introduction to new manager Oliver Glasner with detail of what we can expect from the Austrian manager.

Plus, there’s a big debate on Heung-Min Son v Richarlison with many tempted by investing in a Tottenham attacker this week, if Destiny Udogie is worth the saving over Pedro Porro (if both are passed fit) defensively, the impact of a likely return of Ebe Eze for Palace and whether we can expect 3.9 defender Chris Richards to keep his place in the Palace backline when Marc Guehi returns.

Follow Ricky on Twitter/x: https://twitter.com/Rickysaunders77

Follow Ruaidhri on Twitter/x: https://twitter.com/R_P_MD

Today on Patreon: A true or Bullshit Quiz on managers and Twitter Stories

Tomorrow on Planet FPL: Planet SkyFF s5 ep34

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https://www.patreon.com/posts/99224753

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