The Square Ball podcast.

To get the members show, the Phil Hey Years, and to listen ad-free, go to the squareball.net forward slash plus.

The matchball.

Hello there. Welcome to the show. We're streaming live on YouTube for our TSB Plus members.

We get early access to the match ball. You can, of course, watch the show later in the free feed and listen in your podcast app as well. I'm just going to shuffle around as well because the camera's not quite pointing to me. There we go. Levi's listeners bring you the match ball. 10% discount. Oh, what happens to the 15? Finished? All gone. Christmas Eve? All gone for now. Christmas is over. But what it does mean is the treat that you can unveil is Will's Probate Conventson. That's true, yes. Will's Probert Convance. Bring the Big Three back for late stage 2025, early 2026. Full details in terms on the website of that offer. Leave vice listeners.com. at UK forward slash the square ball. On the match ball is me with Michael. My name's Dan. Dean's here as well. Hot-footed it back from the south of England where Dragons live just this morning. I was back yesterday. Christmas is over. Back to business. Football has returned. And that was a very entertaining game of association football, I thought. Yeah, after 17 minutes, I turned to you guys, nothing really had happened. And I was like, this is a really enjoyable game of football. And luckily, after half-time, I think the mood in the studio was a little bit low, but straight away after half-time people. Was it low? Or we were just like, okay. I think we were fearing maybe, I still fancy it us, but I think we were fearing maybe we'd seen this script before. We play well for four games and then all of a sudden, oh gosh, lead United happens. But goal of the season? Right. Fancy that. Our goal of the season, maybe. Best team goal, certainly. Yeah. Yeah, it was great, wasn't it? That was terrific. Lovely. What a great, great goal. But it was an entertaining game in itself.

I mean, I've got the momentum graph actually pulled that one back up this time. So I'll look at it. Is there. And essentially a bit back and forth in the first half. And then we got to, we got to grips with it after they scored. Probably when Rodon went off, actually, which is probably one of the major takeaways from this game. And then we got to... I felt like we got to grips with it after they scored. Probably when Rodon went off,

actually,

which is probably one of the major takeaways

from this game. And then we dominated the second half and I think the subs kind of undid it a little bit that it swung the balance back the other way after they made subs and ours. We made subs as well, but I think it took the... it took the lead out of our pencil a little bit, so as to speak.

But we dominated it statistically.

So do you think... subs as well, but I think it took the lead out of our pencil a little bit, so as to speak.

But we dominated it statistically. So do you think a draw you take it? Do you think it's a fair

result? Just, I mean, no, I thought we should have won it probably because of the

chances we had and the amount of pressure we were. Like, we were able to get them under far more

pressure than they were ever able to subject us to. Because they had it towards the end. I think we were all like, yeah, this draws fine, yeah, just end this. It felt like it turned back. But it didn't feel like quite the onslaught that we had. Because we just kept taking the ball off of them and kept getting half chances, I guess. And drop into people and shots will get blocked and stuff. I don't feel they really had that. No, and statistically, certainly we were the better team, like all of the, not to sound to Jesse Marsh, me and Michael have been listening to Jesse Marsh's interview with the athletic, which I'm sure we'll talk about at some point, but not to be, like all the metrics said that Leeds United with a better team there.

And I think that was probably what my eyes saw as well. But then you think about a couple of those moments towards the end of the first half where they could have gone two-nil up and you think maybe on the balance of things. Especially we've been awful away from home this season. Yeah. And so to have this game and the Brentford game,

couple of good points on the road,

it's just,

it all builds towards the bigger picture, from home this season. Yeah. And so to have this game and the Brentford game, a couple of good points on the road,

it's just,

it all builds towards the bigger picture,

I think.

...