Change isn't coming. It's already here. Commerce is going digital and tax complexity is multiplying.

Tax rules evolve, rate shift, data floods in. Vertex connects it all. A global tax compliance platform

powered by tax-ready data and intelligence systems.

Smarter tech, continuous tax compliance, built-in confidence.

Learn more at vertexinck.com. Welcome to the big thing on total soccer Show, the weekly episode where we dig into a meaty topic in the beautiful game.

And today we're focusing our attention on one of the true giants of the European game,

36-time Aerodivisi and four-time European Cup champions, Iax.

The Amsterdamers have typically sat at or near Europe's top table, and in 2018-19, they came

within a hair's breadth of making the Champions League final, with a team led by renowned manager

Eric Ten Haag, might have heard of him, at a roster of players who would subsequently command huge transfer fees.

This season, however, things aren't so rosy.

They've endured their worst start to a season since 1964.

They sit 14th in the league with just a single win to their name.

And this past Sunday, their home match against Firenob was abandoned with the visitors 3-0 up after fans threw fireworks and flares on the field. Riot police with tear gas were

required to disperse the dissatisfied fans and the game had to be concluded behind closed doors

this past Wednesday. And Iax lost 4-0 in that game in the end. So how did we go from a talented packed team on the edge of glory to performances and behavior that belies the famous name? My name's Ryan Bailey, joining me today to help answer those questions and hopefully many more. It's Taylor Rockall. Hello, Taylor. Hello, my friend. It takes a lot to make Manchester United look like an efficient and well-run club, but we have Iax to make us feel better. Thank you to Iax.

Oh, there's a nice preview of what's to come in this here episode. Very nice indeed. Joining us to discuss it, we have Joe Lowry. Hello, Joe, or as they say in Holland, hello, Joe.

I love the Dutch tie-in there, Ryan. I'm just wondering how much Taylor had to pay you extra for this show to not do the Michael Kane quote in the intro. It was a great intro. You set the stage really well. I just know what to expect from Ryan Bailey. And no, I didn't get it. And I'm very confused. I didn't say the quote, but you know I'm thinking about it all the time and that's what matters really to me, to be honest.

Fine, fine, that works for me.

All right, so Joe, there's a lot to unpack in this show, but IACS essentially the TLDR is they're in a bit of a pickle and it's kind of of their own making, is it not?

Yes, that is absolutely the TLDR. Diving into this topic, which felt especially relevant after

you mentioned it, Ryan, the game against Fionord, one of Iax's biggest rivals, one of the

...