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Monday Night Hudl - Episode 3 · TDUK

• 0:11
  Heat up here.
• 0:51
  Here we are.
• 0:53
  episode three and I've got coach Ben
• 0:55
  Marvin. How are you, mate?
• 0:57
  >> I'm not too bad, thanks buddy. How are
• 0:59
  you?
• 0:59
  >> Oh, living the dream, mate. Well,
• 1:01
  something like that. Any anyway, I've
• 1:03
  got a holiday in two weeks. I think it's
• 1:04
  much needed.
• 1:07
  U right so um coach Ben um obviously
• 1:11
  introduce yourself, what you do in
• 1:13
  football. Let's let's start there. Let's
• 1:15
  go into it and we've got loads to talk
• 1:16
  about.
• 1:16
  >> Yeah. So, um I am currently the head
• 1:20
  coach at the Black Country Steelers. Um
• 1:23
  formerly the uh Sam Steelers up until
• 1:25
  the start of this year. Um I'm also
• 1:28
  their defensive coordinator and uh yeah,
• 1:31
  been around the game a little while, but
• 1:33
  um yeah,
• 1:34
  >> but I feel like I found somewhere I can
• 1:36
  call home, which is nice.
• 1:38
  >> I love that. Love that. Um so, right,
• 1:40
  Steelers name change. What What was the
• 1:42
  reason for the name change?
• 1:44
  So, broadly speaking, it's it's it's
• 1:46
  very much business related. Um, we feel
• 1:49
  it better represents the areas that we
• 1:52
  that we sort of draw from and that we
• 1:54
  align ourselves with.
• 1:55
  >> Um,
• 1:57
  after all, you know, you can tell
• 1:59
  people, oh, we play in Sandwell, despite
• 2:01
  the fact we didn't actually play in Sand
• 2:02
  all you all you like. Very few people
• 2:04
  actually knew where it was. Uh and so
• 2:06
  for sort of uh awareness reasons, we
• 2:09
  felt, you know what, actually, let's
• 2:12
  represent the whole of the black
• 2:13
  country. Let's let's do it the right
• 2:15
  way. Uh and and so yeah, that's that's
• 2:18
  how it all came about.
• 2:20
  >> Fair. Fair. Um so obviously this is all
• 2:24
  pre-recorded. Um but you guys are in um
• 2:28
  div one central.
• 2:32
  >> Yeah, something like that.
• 2:33
  >> Div one. You're in div one.
• 2:35
  right in the middle.
• 2:36
  >> You you guys have the most interesting
• 2:37
  league. Um so you've got you guys you've
• 2:40
  got Leicester Panthers.
• 2:42
  >> Mhm.
• 2:43
  >> Stafford Surge.
• 2:45
  >> Um Norfick Knights.
• 2:47
  >> No.
• 2:48
  >> And then Shropshire Revolution. And I'm
• 2:50
  going to say this because I'm just going
• 2:51
  to be bold. Who should have got
• 2:52
  relegated last season because they
• 2:53
  didn't finish the fixtures? Um
• 2:57
  >> that's a hard league pretty much most of
• 3:00
  it. Um what what's what what's the aim
• 3:03
  this season? cuz I I I I think I'd be
• 3:06
  right in saying that you were very happy
• 3:09
  with your league per well you were happy
• 3:10
  enough with your league performance in a
• 3:12
  very very unpredictable difficult league
• 3:15
  and maybe not so happy with the playoff
• 3:16
  perform I mean you might be happy with
• 3:17
  the club performance
• 3:19
  >> so I think the best way to look at this
• 3:22
  is is twofold one uh and this is a
• 3:25
  fundamental truth there are no easy
• 3:27
  games in football not% um we are in an
• 3:30
  incredibly comp competitive division And
• 3:33
  to be fair, that's the way I want it.
• 3:35
  Um, but when we talk about performance,
• 3:38
  we need to look back at where we were
• 3:40
  two years ago. Um, so two years ago, we
• 3:45
  were coming down from division one. Um,
• 3:49
  we went 0 and 10 uh with a squad of
• 3:54
  virtually complete rookies.
• 3:56
  >> Yeah. Um we then turned that round uh in
• 3:59
  2024
• 4:01
  uh and went to the national final which
• 4:04
  albeit we didn't win but we'd already
• 4:06
  secured promotion at that point and we
• 4:09
  then went unbeaten last year uh until we
• 4:12
  hit the playoffs and albeit we lost in
• 4:15
  the first round to the team that ended
• 4:17
  up getting promoted and winning winning
• 4:19
  the whole thing. So realistically,
• 4:22
  if I'm being completely honest, my
• 4:24
  expectations for last year were staying
• 4:26
  div one.
• 4:28
  >> We we wildly exceeded those. Um, you
• 4:31
  know, for to go back-to back division
• 4:34
  champions.
• 4:35
  >> Yeah.
• 4:36
  >> Is is nothing is nothing to sniff at and
• 4:39
  it's something that I genuinely
• 4:41
  treasure.
• 4:42
  >> Um, this year we are in I won't I won't
• 4:45
  use the word rebuild. Um, we are in a
• 4:47
  new cycle with the team. Uh we've had a
• 4:49
  number of retirements and so we are
• 4:52
  setting our stall out to play the best
• 4:54
  possible football we can uh and to be 1%
• 4:57
  better every week.
• 4:58
  >> I I love that saying by the way. I see
• 5:00
  it on what's your what's his name on um
• 5:02
  >> Coach Butler.
• 5:04
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I always I always see
• 5:06
  it. I I love it. I love it. Well, he
• 5:09
  seems to like us. So So that's
• 5:11
  >> Do you know what it's it's fundamentally
• 5:13
  it's his mantra. Um it's all about
• 5:15
  stacking practices, stacking good
• 5:17
  performances and effectively the the
• 5:21
  long-term aspirations are sustainability
• 5:23
  for football in the Black Country. Um
• 5:26
  this this club was was not all that far
• 5:29
  away from disappearing and we cannot
• 5:32
  allow it to happen again. We we me and
• 5:35
  you have have obviously um been involved
• 5:37
  in a club that that's disappeared. We
• 5:40
  were both at um Crew Railroad.
• 5:43
  Um and it is happening quite a lot.
• 5:47
  We'll go to crew in a moment. Um
• 5:49
  unfortunately
• 5:51
  um but I I think a a big reason of of
• 5:55
  there not being as many players as you
• 5:56
  know maybe there used to be or teams
• 5:58
  fault is it's the cost of living crisis.
• 6:00
  That's a big factor to it because
• 6:02
  playing this sport isn't cheap. Um you
• 6:05
  know I work a job where Sundays is
• 6:08
  mostly my best paid day. So when I'm
• 6:10
  booking holidays,
• 6:12
  did you get what I mean? Um
• 6:13
  >> yeah.
• 6:14
  >> What what do you think the reason so
• 6:16
  many teams because we just had um scum
• 6:18
  for Alphas fold. Um I've already I've we
• 6:21
  get messaged all the time. I've had a
• 6:23
  few messages and I'll tell you after
• 6:24
  this uh live recording uh
• 6:27
  >> uh who are really struggling
• 6:30
  for numbers. What do you think the main
• 6:32
  reason for it is?
• 6:35
  I wish there were just one reason
• 6:38
  because if there was just one thing you
• 6:39
  could nail down on it.
• 6:41
  >> Yeah.
• 6:41
  >> Uh and and there'd be there'd be any
• 6:44
  number of reasons for doing it. I think
• 6:47
  speaking from my experience, it usually
• 6:49
  falls into one of like three or four
• 6:51
  categories.
• 6:53
  One, real life happens. You know, I
• 6:56
  mean, take the Steelers for example.
• 6:58
  They did not weather the the whole COVID
• 7:01
  storm particularly well.
• 7:03
  I still I still think some the league
• 7:06
  hasn't recovered from it.
• 7:07
  >> No. And do you know what? You might be
• 7:09
  right. I think for us it was the case
• 7:11
  that a lot of veteran players that had
• 7:14
  had gotten the club to the Prem had a
• 7:17
  year off realized that, you know, their
• 7:19
  bodies didn't hurt on a Monday.
• 7:21
  >> Yeah. On a Tuesday. and I went back
• 7:24
  and
• 7:26
  took retirement or
• 7:29
  were drawn away to to other places that
• 7:32
  were that were offering, you know, what
• 7:34
  they were offering. And
• 7:36
  I think particularly for for the
• 7:38
  Midlands um as somewhere we've both
• 7:41
  played uh over the years, there's what
• 7:45
  let's let's look at this logistically.
• 7:48
  There are
• 7:50
  two Prem teams. You've got Caesars and
• 7:53
  you've got the Knicks.
• 7:55
  >> Yeah.
• 7:55
  >> You now have four div one teams.
• 7:59
  >> Yeah.
• 7:59
  >> Panthers, Steelers,
• 8:02
  >> Shter Revolution, Stafer Surge. And then
• 8:05
  you have the div 2 team in the
• 8:06
  Birmingham Bulls who arguably may very
• 8:09
  well be a div one team next year.
• 8:11
  >> Yeah, I'm going to go into that in a bit
• 8:13
  with you, but but go. That's that's a
• 8:16
  lot. That's a lot of teams. And if and
• 8:19
  if you think an ideal roster size is
• 8:21
  what 50,
• 8:23
  >> what have you got there? Seven Seven
• 8:25
  teams.
• 8:25
  >> Yeah. 350 players.
• 8:27
  >> Yeah. Okay. I mean, it's doable, but
• 8:31
  it's a big ask.
• 8:32
  >> It's one of them though as well cuz like
• 8:34
  I've seen it before when a team gets
• 8:35
  beat, your roster goes from a size size
• 8:38
  60 to a size 30 and you're like wait and
• 8:40
  sudden just I can't move it. We've lost
• 8:42
  one. That's it. It's gone.
• 8:43
  >> Yeah. and and and do you know and do you
• 8:46
  know what o over the years I've I've
• 8:48
  developed quite a quite a weird
• 8:50
  philosophy with it
• 8:52
  >> which is I only want guys who want to be
• 8:54
  here
• 8:56
  if if guys want to go and pursue their
• 8:58
  footballing dreams elsewhere we wish
• 9:00
  them well so long as they don't owe any
• 9:01
  subs
• 9:02
  >> you go with our blessing
• 9:04
  >> you've u you've got one of my favorite D
• 9:06
  lineman
• 9:08
  >> I don't know what you're talking about
• 9:09
  >> Denzel
• 9:10
  >> he is he is
• 9:12
  >> he's hilarious he's He is phenomenal. He
• 9:14
  is phenomenal. I I have got a lot of
• 9:16
  time for D.
• 9:17
  >> If you don't if Denzel takes a picture
• 9:20
  of you and you upload it on social media
• 9:21
  and you don't tag him, he takes great
• 9:23
  offense. No, just just just uh just
• 9:26
  appreciate it.
• 9:27
  >> Um so you've you've you're at the
• 9:29
  Steelers. Um
• 9:31
  >> what positions have you played? Where
• 9:32
  else have you coached?
• 9:34
  >> That's getting into it, mate. Just
• 9:36
  >> so so I I came to the game light. I
• 9:39
  started when I was 26 uh in uni. Um
• 9:43
  And yeah, I know.
• 9:45
  >> No, I'm trying to figure that. So, I
• 9:47
  start I'm 36. I started nine years ago.
• 9:51
  Yeah, I was late. I was late.
• 9:53
  >> Uh uh. So, started at defensive end. Um
• 9:58
  within six weeks was play was starting
• 10:00
  at left tackle as well as as well as
• 10:02
  playing defensive end because uni
• 10:04
  bought.
• 10:06
  >> Um and then over the over the course of
• 10:09
  of like four years at uni. Um I
• 10:14
  went from defensive end to
• 10:17
  middle linebacker and playing center.
• 10:20
  Um
• 10:21
  >> sounds like uniball.
• 10:22
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Um and then sort of in the
• 10:27
  summers of those years I was playing
• 10:28
  defensive end at Staffordshire Surge
• 10:31
  um because I'm I'm from Stoke on Trent
• 10:34
  originally.
• 10:36
  that then um all came to almost pretty
• 10:40
  much an end um when I turned 30 and tore
• 10:45
  my ACL.
• 10:47
  Um
• 10:48
  not a fun recovery and
• 10:52
  I'd sort of committed to just right, you
• 10:53
  know what, that's it. And I look after
• 10:55
  my body. Um I'm I'm going to start
• 10:57
  learning how to coach. Uh started off
• 10:59
  coaching a little bit at at university.
• 11:01
  Uh and then ended up uh coaching at the
• 11:04
  Surge as well.
• 11:06
  um
• 11:08
  ended up coordinating for a year at the
• 11:10
  surgeon and found that's what I really
• 11:14
  love.
• 11:15
  >> Yeah.
• 11:16
  >> Um
• 11:17
  and then
• 11:19
  you know um my life had taken a bit of a
• 11:21
  different turn and I I thought do you
• 11:23
  know what actually I'll take a year out.
• 11:25
  took that year out and and had my arm
• 11:27
  twisted for about eight nine months uh
• 11:31
  to to to come and do a little bit um
• 11:35
  playing wise um upper crew and I thought
• 11:38
  you know what I might as well go out on
• 11:41
  my terms everything was great um co co
• 11:46
  struck and so my let's do a little bit
• 11:49
  at at at crew turned into playing uh
• 11:52
  ironically the Steelers and Tampa
• 11:54
  Phoenix during the co year.
• 11:56
  >> Oh mate. So like this this is when like
• 11:59
  cuz I stopped playing um there was loads
• 12:01
  of there was always like bullying going
• 12:02
  on at home Spartans and
• 12:04
  >> and I got some horrible messages. So I
• 12:06
  was just like I'm done. I I don't want
• 12:07
  to be involved in it. And coincidentally
• 12:09
  them people wherever they go trouble
• 12:11
  seems to follow. Um and it's always it's
• 12:13
  a shock that um but I got a
• 12:16
  >> I seen crew and I thought yeah they seem
• 12:19
  all right. And I came down for a session
• 12:20
  and I met you and they're all right. I
• 12:23
  think it came down to me beloved Broncos
• 12:25
  jersey as as you do. You must have been
• 12:26
  delighted to seeing that. We'll get into
• 12:28
  that in a bit. Um and then you were I
• 12:32
  found out like the whole Oh yeah, we're
• 12:33
  playing like all these Prem teams and
• 12:35
  all that and I was like right look I'm
• 12:36
  ease my way into it joined just the next
• 12:39
  year and I think that was when so I
• 12:43
  think you were OC.
• 12:44
  >> Yeah. I I I decided, do you know what?
• 12:47
  After after being
• 12:48
  >> um brutalized for a year, um I was I was
• 12:53
  going to hang the I was going to hang me
• 12:54
  pads up. Um which I managed to do
• 12:57
  successfully.
• 12:57
  >> Mhm.
• 12:58
  >> Um
• 13:01
  and you know, there were some coaching
• 13:02
  vacancies and I I I sort of said,
• 13:05
  "Right, well, I want to I want to
• 13:07
  improve, want to develop my skills." Um
• 13:11
  I believe went 500 that year.
• 13:15
  um which at the time was was the best
• 13:17
  record crew had had in
• 13:20
  >> however long um was really really over
• 13:23
  the moon with it. um went to the
• 13:25
  coaching convention that year uh bumped
• 13:28
  into uh Sam Ashley uh who's the now
• 13:32
  former head coach at Steelers who went
• 13:34
  can I have a conversation and I went
• 13:36
  yeah of course can
• 13:39
  sat and and and there was no more
• 13:41
  context provided than that sat down had
• 13:43
  a beer with him
• 13:45
  um and you know talked about me
• 13:49
  potentially coming to the Steelers and
• 13:50
  at the time um it was something that I
• 13:54
  said, "Do you know what? Actually, if I
• 13:56
  want to really develop my skills and and
• 13:58
  and challenge myself, I knew the guys
• 14:00
  were would had just come down from the
• 14:01
  Prem." I thought, "Actually, that's
• 14:03
  where I need to be." Um, and then I I
• 14:06
  bumped into the uh the now MLY crew of
• 14:10
  uh of coaches and players that that I
• 14:12
  call home. Um
• 14:15
  I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
• 14:17
  >> That that season, I remember
• 14:20
  >> that season. Well, there was there was a
• 14:22
  few the first game I played. I think we
• 14:25
  beat we beat Lee Miners and I'd been to
• 14:27
  see Queen the night before or something
• 14:30
  >> after the first quarter. All I could
• 14:32
  taste was vodka in the sweat of of me.
• 14:35
  We only had five old lineers, so it was
• 14:37
  like you can't come off. Um there was
• 14:40
  the there was the game against Serge
• 14:41
  where the the whistle went and then
• 14:43
  there was a hit 5 seconds later on the
• 14:45
  QB. I think that's one of the worst
• 14:47
  calls I've ever seen. And look, refs are
• 14:48
  human. They're going to make mistakes.
• 14:51
  And then it all went to it went to hell.
• 14:53
  Um, and it ended up me being a player
• 14:55
  who was on his last season potentially
• 14:58
  to my signature getting forged at being
• 15:00
  GM. But we'll we'll let's leave it at
• 15:02
  that.
• 15:03
  >> I think it's probably best. Yeah. The
• 15:05
  the the the downfall of the Crew
• 15:07
  Railroaders came from inside rather than
• 15:09
  out.
• 15:09
  >> Do you know what?
• 15:10
  >> And you know what? For me, it's
• 15:13
  genuinely sad because I know there's
• 15:14
  there's a lot of people that put a lot
• 15:16
  into that. um a lot of people and and
• 15:18
  I've seen it on Facebook and it's as I'm
• 15:21
  sure you've as I'm sure you probably
• 15:22
  gathered it's the it's the old familiar
• 15:24
  faces trying to bring it all back
• 15:25
  together. And I I I would love I would
• 15:28
  love them to go back together. Um it see
• 15:31
  it was mad because like there was
• 15:33
  >> there was so many good people there but
• 15:35
  there was just the odd person that
• 15:36
  ruined it. Um, I I think we got to the
• 15:39
  point when I I literally was just
• 15:42
  >> throwing
• 15:43
  >> number two at the wall and hoping it,
• 15:45
  you know, it stick.
• 15:46
  >> U, you know, I think we had like 40
• 15:48
  rookies, which which is crazy, but,
• 15:50
  >> you know, it it's just I think people
• 15:53
  don't realize how much work goes into
• 15:55
  running a club cuz like I I left, I went
• 15:57
  to Chester and I senior next, you know,
• 15:59
  that season cuz we meet.
• 16:01
  >> Yeah. Um, and I ended up helping, you
• 16:05
  know, Chester to get a sponsor, but I
• 16:06
  could see the foundations of the work
• 16:08
  that you guys were putting in place. And
• 16:10
  it doesn't surprise me what you did last
• 16:12
  season at all. Um, okay. Let's a bit of
• 16:16
  NFL. Who's your team?
• 16:18
  >> Listen, I am I am a card carrying member
• 16:21
  of Raiden Nation. Um, it I'm aware of of
• 16:25
  of all of the all of the hatred that
• 16:28
  comes my way as a result. But
• 16:31
  actually, yeah, I think the first time
• 16:32
  you when you told me you
• 16:35
  >> Yeah. I was big f the
• 16:37
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
• 16:38
  >> It's how we bonded in fairness.
• 16:40
  >> Yeah. To be fair. Yeah. Yeah. Um, what's
• 16:43
  going wrong at that club? What needs to
• 16:44
  change?
• 16:45
  >> How long have you got? Um,
• 16:47
  >> this can record up to six hours.
• 16:49
  >> Oh, good, good, good. Um, so I think
• 16:54
  do you know what I think there's been a
• 16:56
  number of
• 16:59
  a number of questionable decisions that
• 17:00
  have been made uh with regards to
• 17:02
  coaching hires and then they've led on
• 17:06
  to to to other to other questionable
• 17:08
  decisions being made.
• 17:10
  I'm only hoping that um
• 17:14
  we actually do something worthwhile with
• 17:16
  this first round overall pick. Um, I I I
• 17:22
  don't like to say I hold that hope, but
• 17:25
  you know,
• 17:25
  >> it's mad because like a team that like
• 17:27
  you look at the the Chiefs for example,
• 17:29
  I think we've all laughed at the Chiefs
• 17:30
  this season.
• 17:31
  >> Um, how to be fair,
• 17:35
  >> how a team can go from there to to
• 17:36
  there, it literally can just change in
• 17:38
  one season. So,
• 17:39
  >> yeah.
• 17:40
  >> So, it is it is a bit mental. Um,
• 17:43
  >> it is.
• 17:44
  >> Okay. Okay. Gonna do a little fire round
• 17:46
  with you. Okay. Oh, no. Go on.
• 17:48
  >> So, I'm going to say some I'm going to
• 17:50
  say a team or something and you're going
• 17:52
  to give me a one-worded or like
• 17:54
  two-worded response. The first one going
• 17:55
  to come. Okay.
• 17:56
  >> Okay.
• 17:56
  >> So, you got 30 seconds. Okay.
• 18:01
  Shropshire Revolution.
• 18:03
  >> Tough outfit.
• 18:05
  >> Stafford Surge.
• 18:07
  >> Well coached.
• 18:09
  >> Lester Panthers.
• 18:11
  >> Rising stars.
• 18:14
  Buffer
• 18:17
  >> under pressure.
• 18:19
  >> Manchester Titans.
• 18:23
  >> Unknown quantity.
• 18:25
  >> Black County Steelers.
• 18:29
  >> Pride of the Black Country.
• 18:33
  >> That'll do. That'll do. That'll do. Um,
• 18:36
  okay. On the spot.
• 18:38
  >> I did, mate. I did. I did. Um, so
• 18:44
  obviously we spoke before um about you
• 18:46
  getting to the playoffs um this season.
• 18:49
  Um
• 18:50
  >> is is that the is that what what the aim
• 18:52
  is this season or do you think you can
• 18:54
  go get promoted? What's recruitment been
• 18:55
  like this season?
• 18:56
  >> So recruit from the numbers I can from
• 18:58
  the videos I've seen like you got good
• 19:01
  good amount of players. Yeah. So,
• 19:05
  this is this year is going to be a
• 19:06
  challenge um much like every year cuz
• 19:09
  cuz as I say there are no easy wins in
• 19:11
  this game whatsoever.
• 19:13
  >> Yeah.
• 19:13
  >> Um
• 19:15
  I think the aim um for me will be um
• 19:20
  being competitive in every fixture and I
• 19:23
  really want to stay in div one. Um I'm
• 19:26
  not going to say you know this will be a
• 19:28
  relegation dog fight. um we will give a
• 19:31
  good account of ourselves no matter what
• 19:33
  we do. And you know, much like last
• 19:36
  year, if if we get to the halfway point
• 19:38
  and there is the the eyebrow raise of we
• 19:41
  could do this,
• 19:43
  then we'll start to consider it.
• 19:46
  >> Um it's it's it's a very weird but
• 19:49
  pragmatic way of looking at it.
• 19:51
  >> Is it the same format as last season in
• 19:53
  terms of getting promoted? because
• 19:55
  obviously um alphas haven't thingied so
• 19:58
  it's two teams that get promoted.
• 20:00
  >> Your guess your guess is as good as mine
• 20:03
  and and I know I'm probably committing
• 20:07
  Brit Bull sacrilege. I don't really read
• 20:10
  the press releases that come out.
• 20:11
  >> Yeah.
• 20:12
  >> I go,
• 20:13
  >> okay, who we playing next week and
• 20:15
  that's about it.
• 20:16
  >> Yeah. Like
• 20:18
  >> because there's there's that many times
• 20:20
  that people change their mind and you
• 20:21
  know this format's changed to this
• 20:23
  format and
• 20:24
  >> playoffs now look like this.
• 20:26
  >> I I I'd do me my own head in trying to
• 20:28
  keep up.
• 20:30
  >> It it is it is a bit mental because like
• 20:34
  we should know at this point, you know,
• 20:36
  season's not that far. We're in March,
• 20:38
  you know.
• 20:39
  >> What's what's the key word you've used
• 20:40
  there?
• 20:42
  >> Mental.
• 20:42
  >> Should.
• 20:43
  >> Should. Yeah,
• 20:45
  I'm mental. It is. It is what it is,
• 20:48
  man. You know.
• 20:48
  >> Yeah. I'm not here to to like to to to
• 20:51
  to criticize Buffett.
• 20:52
  >> No, absolutely not.
• 20:53
  >> Um I think, you know, you're never going
• 20:55
  to please anyone. When we've done
• 20:58
  similar, you know, similar roles and,
• 21:00
  you know, coaching and and and being a
• 21:02
  GM, you've literally got someone that
• 21:04
  complains every single time about
• 21:06
  absolutely everything. I'm not happy.
• 21:08
  I'm not happy.
• 21:09
  >> So, I I I get that aspect. Um I I know
• 21:13
  there was a leaked league where it was
• 21:14
  like um le div one and div two and that
• 21:18
  looked pretty cool. I was like oh god
• 21:20
  that looks pretty cool. But
• 21:22
  >> the the there are some people and this
• 21:25
  sounds crazy there are some people who
• 21:27
  when you you know you anyone gets put
• 21:30
  from div 2 to div one they will join
• 21:31
  another div two team because they are
• 21:32
  happy playing
• 21:34
  div two football. Um and I can't you
• 21:38
  know I get that.
• 21:39
  >> Yeah I get that. You know, for for me,
• 21:42
  obviously, we saw that proposed legal
• 21:45
  legal alignment change. I wasn't a
• 21:47
  massive fan. I know some people were,
• 21:50
  but
• 21:51
  I suppose I suppose the other thing that
• 21:53
  that strikes me is I can have as many
• 21:55
  opinions on it as I want. None of it
• 21:57
  really matters.
• 21:58
  >> Yeah.
• 21:58
  >> Just tell me who we're playing.
• 22:00
  >> Yeah.
• 22:01
  >> I like I get it
• 22:04
  >> and I get all of the arguments that
• 22:06
  people make when they when they when
• 22:07
  they start with their stuff.
• 22:11
  I'm I'm not a decision maker in Buffett.
• 22:14
  >> No, definitely.
• 22:15
  >> So So I just go, "Okay, we'll play
• 22:17
  them."
• 22:20
  >> I mean, look, I think there's just some
• 22:22
  great league setups this year. Um
• 22:24
  >> for some interesting ones.
• 22:26
  >> Uh I I feel bad for Chester and and and
• 22:28
  their division because they've got to go
• 22:29
  to Inva Clyde for for some reason. I
• 22:32
  don't know if you've seen that,
• 22:34
  >> right? Okay.
• 22:36
  >> Yeah,
• 22:36
  >> it's different. Um I I don't know
• 22:38
  whether that's like invocide associate.
• 22:41
  I really couldn't tell you. Um and then
• 22:44
  you've got the
• 22:45
  >> that's a long old track. But but you
• 22:47
  know Rosundale did it last season and to
• 22:50
  be fair you know I'm sure there have
• 22:53
  been games they struggle for numbers but
• 22:55
  >> credit to you for even going over that
• 22:57
  border because it's
• 22:58
  >> well if you remember um the yeah
• 23:03
  >> I know exactly going to say surge
• 23:07
  in Clyde
• 23:08
  >> uh so the very last game I coached at
• 23:11
  crew
• 23:13
  determined that one didn't it
• 23:14
  >> they were they were shouting playoffs
• 23:16
  And then he bailed out of me the next
• 23:17
  day.
• 23:19
  The memes. That was [ __ ] I love how
• 23:21
  you're drinking a glass of water like
• 23:22
  Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that that was hilarious.
• 23:25
  I remember that now. Yeah.
• 23:26
  >> So that's So
• 23:29
  >> that was one of your better that was
• 23:31
  that was one of your You must have loved
• 23:32
  that. That's one of your
• 23:33
  >> Do you know what? I found it really
• 23:36
  funny cuz I cuz cuz I know how much I
• 23:39
  would have hated it being on the other
• 23:41
  side of that one.
• 23:42
  >> I I wasn't at that game. I was in
• 23:43
  Jamaica for
• 23:44
  >> No, you were. No. Now, now,
• 23:46
  interestingly, obviously having played
• 23:47
  at the Surge and coached at the Surge,
• 23:49
  I've still got lots of friends there,
• 23:51
  guys that I know. Um, and
• 23:54
  let's just say I wasn't ever favorite
• 23:57
  for a few weeks,
• 23:59
  >> cuz if they' won, they'd have had a home
• 24:01
  game.
• 24:01
  >> Yeah. Yeah. But
• 24:02
  >> I will I will say this about,
• 24:03
  >> you know, but you know, do you know
• 24:04
  what? It's all part of the fun.
• 24:06
  >> Oh, yeah. 100%. I will say this about
• 24:08
  Search. Um,
• 24:10
  >> they they went from a pub mentality team
• 24:12
  to a very good good alpha. I know
• 24:14
  they've recruited very well. Um they had
• 24:15
  a scrimmage against Lee Miners. Lee
• 24:17
  Miners with 50 players by the way. Well
• 24:19
  in Lee Miners. Brilliant. Love to see
• 24:22
  that. A club that were on the brink
• 24:24
  back. Um I I
• 24:26
  >> I literally do not want to see any club
• 24:28
  fold. Um
• 24:30
  >> but um yeah. Um they've come gone from
• 24:35
  pub mentality to you know a good outfit.
• 24:38
  That's why I think that le I don't know
• 24:39
  anything about Northern Lights. Um I
• 24:41
  haven't seen anything particular from
• 24:42
  from from Shropshire. The the thing is
• 24:45
  is some clubs might be keeping the uh
• 24:48
  the cards close to the chest because
• 24:49
  it's become a new trend to be like we've
• 24:51
  just signed this player, we've just
• 24:53
  signed this player, this player's
• 24:55
  staying
• 24:56
  >> and it kind of polishes them egos of
• 24:58
  some players, you know, polished, but
• 25:00
  there's some clubs who are like they're
• 25:02
  not doing that.
• 25:03
  >> I think that's interesting because, you
• 25:05
  know, you look at
• 25:08
  you look at, you know, Titans, they
• 25:09
  they've been doing it. I mean, Titans
• 25:10
  got good every year. Um, but there's
• 25:12
  some clubs in the Prem who haven't been
• 25:14
  doing it, and you're like, are you not
• 25:15
  telling us something or are you just
• 25:17
  having a bad recruitment? It it keeps a
• 25:18
  good guessing and we're only going to
• 25:20
  know in week one when
• 25:21
  >> Yeah. And and and you know what? As
• 25:23
  cliche as this might be, it doesn't
• 25:25
  matter who you've signed, how do they
• 25:28
  perform week one?
• 25:29
  >> Yeah.
• 25:30
  >> Like for with all the best women in the
• 25:33
  world, I there's a reason the Steelers
• 25:36
  don't do it. It's because
• 25:39
  Yeah. Okay. Okay. It generates a lot of
• 25:40
  hype. Yeah. Okay. It generates a lot of
• 25:42
  interest.
• 25:45
  But what happens if you generate all
• 25:46
  that hype and for some reason it just
• 25:48
  doesn't click?
• 25:49
  >> Well, I've I've seen I've seen great
• 25:52
  players um and I'm not going to name any
• 25:55
  clubs. I've seen I've seen great players
• 25:57
  at clubs, but the coaching hasn't been
• 26:00
  right. Um it sometimes the coaching is
• 26:02
  right and there's a toxic core of
• 26:04
  players that that absolutely ruin it at
• 26:06
  clubs. And that's how you see a lot of
• 26:08
  clubs fold. There's all sorts of
• 26:10
  scenarios. Um, but what I like about you
• 26:14
  guys is the culture seems to be right.
• 26:16
  It seems to be it's a culture where
• 26:18
  you're all together. You're all like,
• 26:20
  "Look, we're going to do this together.
• 26:22
  1% better every time."
• 26:24
  >> Without without putting too fine a point
• 26:26
  on it, it's against the world.
• 26:27
  >> Yeah. and and and that's the way it's
• 26:29
  always been, you know,
• 26:32
  aside from obviously yourself and and a
• 26:35
  couple of times everyone's wanted over
• 26:38
  the past few years to sort of relegate
• 26:40
  the Steelers to, oh well, you know,
• 26:42
  they're playing the Steelers, they far
• 26:43
  from the Prem so many years ago, blah
• 26:44
  blah blah, without really paying any
• 26:46
  attention to what we're actually doing.
• 26:48
  >> Yeah.
• 26:49
  >> Um, no, do you know what? Everyone's, as
• 26:51
  I say, everyone's on top of their
• 26:53
  opinion. more than happy for them to
• 26:55
  keep talking, but we're working our
• 26:58
  socks off. You know, one of the things
• 27:01
  that I know coach Butler, RFC, is a big
• 27:04
  fan of is that he will not be outworked
• 27:06
  at all. And that translates down to the
• 27:09
  players. And as a result, we we went
• 27:12
  from and here's a stat for you. You'll
• 27:14
  enjoy this one.
• 27:17
  So, prior to um starting again in div 2
• 27:22
  years ago, uh the Steelers were 0 and
• 27:24
  26, right?
• 27:27
  We went from 0 and 26 to a national
• 27:29
  final in the space of 12 months.
• 27:32
  >> That's brilliant.
• 27:33
  >> We then went we then went unbeaten last
• 27:36
  year until in the right in the regular
• 27:38
  season. And so if you include playoff
• 27:42
  games in the last two years, we've lost
• 27:44
  two games. Sorry, three games, one in
• 27:47
  the regular season and two playoff
• 27:48
  games. One was the national final. And
• 27:51
  the for as much as that sounds like a
• 27:53
  brag,
• 27:55
  the point is
• 27:57
  last year, uh, no, sorry, year before
• 27:59
  last in div 2, we're away at Lee Miners
• 28:02
  week one, and I've got one of my
• 28:03
  cornerbacks
• 28:05
  who turned to me and said, "Coach, I've
• 28:07
  never won a game before. What do I do?"
• 28:11
  That same guy at the end of that season
• 28:14
  turned to me and went, "Coach, I've
• 28:15
  never been in a final. What do I do?"
• 28:16
  And all I could say to him was, "Neither
• 28:18
  have I. I don't know."
• 28:20
  And it's little moments like that. It's
• 28:24
  little moments of shared experience
• 28:25
  between a bunch of guys who've worked
• 28:27
  relentlessly for three years now.
• 28:32
  That's what makes it worthwhile.
• 28:34
  >> Yeah, definitely. Mad. Have you got any
• 28:37
  um preseason uh scrimmages planned? Uh
• 28:40
  we do um just nailing some details out
• 28:42
  with uh with with some good friends of
• 28:44
  mine. Um and as soon as soon as that's
• 28:47
  all sorted dates and locations wise,
• 28:49
  I'll I'll drop you a message. But
• 28:52
  >> Denzel messaged me actually saying I've
• 28:53
  seen
• 28:55
  so I think you might have one with the
• 28:56
  books.
• 28:57
  >> We might do. Yeah.
• 28:59
  >> Okay. I mean I won't be I'm not there.
• 29:00
  I'm there. I'm chocking with work at the
• 29:03
  moment. But um I think you'll like the
• 29:04
  books. Um coaching is is a great
• 29:08
  >> Yeah. So, so obviously, um, got a good
• 29:11
  relationship with Ian. Um, he's he's
• 29:13
  fantastic. I cannot speak highly enough
• 29:15
  of that man and the work that him and
• 29:17
  him and the guys are doing up there. Um,
• 29:19
  >> I was feeding them shots, surprise,
• 29:21
  surprise, at the Super Bowl party at
• 29:23
  Hickory's. Oh, god. He Yeah,
• 29:25
  >> I can neither confirm nor deny what
• 29:27
  you're like on a night out.
• 29:29
  >> Do you know what, mate? I'm I'm like
• 29:32
  semi-retired from it. I'm literally like
• 29:34
  the best 2hour night out of your life.
• 29:36
  In hours I'll go from being sober to
• 29:38
  karaoke to Jäger bombs to where's Matt?
• 29:40
  He's gone home.
• 29:42
  >> So, so, so that all over your social
• 29:44
  media the morning I have to call the
• 29:46
  cops. I'm off me job. THAT'S THAT'S
• 29:47
  THAT'S THAT'S NOTHING, RIGHT?
• 29:50
  >> You know when when we were in we were in
• 29:52
  Tunisia and um
• 29:55
  I was like it's karaoke night and we're
• 29:56
  all in this like you know this little
• 29:58
  room and I was like when's the karaoke
• 30:00
  start? No one signed up like give me the
• 30:01
  microphone. My wife had met a few mates.
• 30:04
  Five songs later they were like, "You're
• 30:05
  not bothe."
• 30:10
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
• 30:11
  >> Well, mate, it's um it's it's been good
• 30:13
  catch catching up with you and really
• 30:16
  >> tomorrow. Is that correct?
• 30:17
  >> Say again. Sorry.
• 30:18
  >> It's birthday tomorrow.
• 30:19
  >> Yeah. I turn 40 tomorrow.
• 30:21
  >> 21.
• 30:22
  >> Yeah. Yeah. 21 plus 21.
• 30:25
  >> 21 plus shipping and handling.
• 30:29
  >> Well, mate, um I want to wish you you
• 30:31
  guys the best of luck for the season.
• 30:32
  Um, we'd love to have you on again. Um,
• 30:35
  >> appreciate it.
• 30:36
  >> We obviously we'll be live. I think it's
• 30:38
  April the first game kickoff. I'm
• 30:40
  looking forward to looking forward to
• 30:42
  that. Uh, folks, um, you can catch us on
• 30:45
  Spotify. You can catch us on Apple,
• 30:47
  Amazon, YouTube. We're all over social
• 30:49
  media. It's been episode 3 of Monday
• 30:51
  Night Huddle. Just to confirm folks, um,
• 30:53
  the Audible is going to pause till
• 30:55
  preseason NFL in August. We're going to
• 30:57
  do a little post about that later. Uh,
• 30:59
  again, thank you very much, Ben, for
• 31:00
  coming along. Uh, I've been Matteo
• 31:03
  >> and I've been Ben.
• 31:05
  >> We will see you next time. Thank you
• 31:06
  very much, folks. And you lot have a
• 31:08
  great day.