Fozcast - The Ben Foster Podcast

This week on the Fozcast, we sit down with a man who has been at the very heart of football for decades - former Technical Director at the FA, former Vice Chairman at Southampton, and current Strategy Advisor at Wrexham… it's Les Reed. 🧠

If you want to know what really goes on behind the scenes in football, Les is your man. He was a key architect of that iconic Southampton recruitment era from 2010-2018 - the side that produced Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mané, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana and so many more.

Les opens up about what really went on in those boardroom meetings with Liverpool as they kept coming back to pick Southampton's best players… and how the club navigated that era with such consistency. 👀

He also reveals the player Southampton could have signed for just £500,000 - who eventually sold for £142 million - and the story behind why it didn't happen. Can you guess who it is…? 🤔

A different one for the Fozcast this week, but one we think you're really going to enjoy. Let us know in the comments if you want more episodes like this one!

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:03 What Does Led Reed Do?

07:29 Why Was Sven-Göran Eriksson Appointed for England?

11:47 Should England have Won A Trophy with the “Golden Generation?”

16:55 Will Gareth Southgate get a Club Job?

20:16 The Impact of Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton…

29:09 How they Signed the Players before anyone else at Southampton…

36:37 How we Really Signed Virgil Van Dijk…

40:58 Why “Smaller” Clubs have Better Scouts

44:16 Negotiating Contracts with Players and Clubs

1:00:23 Southamptons Academy

1:01:36 My Job at Wrexham

1:16:40 The Hardest Part of the Job…
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Well… this one has been a long time coming 👀

The collaboration you guys have been asking for - we went down to London to join Peter Crouch and Steve Sidwell on their set… and it didn’t disappoint! 🔥

In this episode, we dive into some of the biggest talking points in football right now - including why Spurs are struggling at the wrong end of the table and what’s really going on at Chelsea with all the antics surrounding the club.

We also get into a proper striker chat, as Crouchy reveals his best strike partner and what players instantly elevated teams when they walked through the door. Meanwhile, Sidders tells the story of how he ended up with the No.9 shirt at Chelsea under José Mourinho 😅

To wrap things up, we answer some of your questions - which leads to a brilliant kit man story you won’t want to miss…

Make sure you also check out the Peter Crouch Podcast with Ben when it drops

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:12 Icebreaker

11:28 Are you Happy with the Era You Played in?

21:40 Are Spurs Getting Relegated?

25:50 Chelsea Chat

27:34 Players who Fake Injuries for Big Games

37:56 Players who Elevated their Club when they joined

42:50 Crouchy and Sidwell GK Opinions…

51:46 Your Questions

1:01:45 Quickfire Questions
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This week on the Football Fill-In, we are joined by Darren Bent and Ben Tozer to discuss the big news at Tottenham, analyse England and discuss Mohamed Salah calling time on his Liverpool career. 

The lads take a deep dive into Thomas Tuchel’s England side - the friendlies, squad selections, who should be on the plane to the World Cup in the Summer and who should be starting… 

Igor Tudor has left Tottenham by mutual consent after just 44 days in charge! Who will be the man to replace him…

There’s all this to discuss and the return of the Quiz, plus: 

🥲 - Salah to LEAVE Liverpool 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 - What’s Tuchel’s BEST team?!

😱 - Hogdson is BACK in management! 

🏆 - FA Cup Predictions…

00:00 Intro 

01:01 England’s Strikers 

06:24 Trent’s exclusion from the England Squad

09:33 Darren Bent’s England Starting 11… 

11:21 Who to play Centre-Back for England…

17:43 Ben White back for England 

20:17 England V Japan Predictions 

20:48 Tottenham Tudor Sacked, new manager… 

25:57 Roy Hodgson at Bristol City

28:14 Mo Salah leaving Liverpool 

30:43 Jermain Defoe Managing Woking

39:06 FA Cup Predictions

40:50 Quiz

50:41 Outro 
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This week on the Fozcast, we’re joined by former Republic of Ireland, Wolves, Sunderland & Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy, as we step inside the mind of a Premier League manager 👀⚽️

Mick takes us through his years in management - from the standards he set in the dressing room to whether those same standards could still be applied in today’s game. We also dive into the transfer market, looking back at some of his biggest signings and how managers deal with agents - especially when their priorities don’t always align with the player or the club.

We also get into the reality of being sacked as a manager - did Mick see it coming, or was it a case of being shown the door out of nowhere? (Ben’s got a great story on this one too 😅).

On top of that, we look back at his time as Republic of Ireland manager and how the international job compares to life in club football.

Honestly, we could have spoken to Mick for hours - a massive thank you to him for coming on the pod. Ben also featured on Mick’s podcast with Tony Pulis, so make sure you check that out too - link below 👇🏼
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6v8TopDpLjzW8XaBUjxVma?si=osTGPkIlRGGGQ0XN2kiPgw
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The ULTIMATE Football Quiz…

This week, following the big announcement, the Football Fill-In on YouTube has officially moved to The Fozcast - The Ben Foster Podcast channel - and we’ve got a special quiz episode lined up for you!

Jamie puts Watto, Ben and Tom to the test with an extended 4-round quiz:


Round 1 – Classic FFI Quiz


Round 2 – Transfer Roulette


Round 3 – Top 10 Premier League Goalscorers (for selected clubs)


Round 4 – Player Career Path

Let us know in the comments how you’d get on! If you enjoy our weekly quiz, you’re going to love this episode.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro 

00:58 League Cup Final - Arsenal V Manchester City 

02:25 First Round - Traditional FFI PL Quiz

14:15 Second Round - Transfer Roulette 

28:18 Third Round - Top 10 

29:35 Top 10 Liverpool PL Goalscorers

32:00 Top 10 Arsenal PL Goalscorers

34:40 Top 10 Chelsea PL Goalscorers

37:07 Final Round - Player Career Paths

54:21 Outro 
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