What’s Next?

The boys are joined this week by World Tour cyclist, Lachlan Morton. To mark the opening week of the first Grand Tour of the year in the world of cycling, the Giro d’Italia, we sit down with a man who rode the Giro last year to find out what it takes to ride a three week grand tour. Cycling for EF Education-Nippo, Lachlan also talks us through his work with iconic cycling brand Rapha, his involvement with the Alternative Calendar and his interest in being involved with kit design. A great guy with fascination insight, some great cycling stories and an incredible passion for all things bikes, it was a pleasure to have Lachlan join us from Colorado!

We surround the conversation with Lachlan with a catch up on the headlines missed as well as some thoughts on the IPL finally cancelling for COVID as well as some thoughts on the protests at Old Trafford which saw a postponement to the Man Utd v Liverpool fixture. The bulk of the conversation looks at the English Football League picture now automation promotions, play-offs and relegations are all confirmed. We look at how the Premier League relegated teams may fair, how promoted teams may fair and who might struggle next season, even this far out. Who needs to sign a striker? Who needs to keep their manager to stay up? Who is desperate to get rid of their manager to move up the league?

We finish by making our predictions of which team will make it out of the Championship play offs to the Premier League promised land...

Enjoy the listen. Trust the Process. What's Next?

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Follow Lachlan on Instagram: @lachlanmorton

Follow Rapha on Instagram: @rapha_uk

The boys are joined this week by former Premier League and England International Goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland for Part Two of a great sit down interview. Chris is a much-loved figure from the Premier League era, iconic between the sticks and loved up and down the country after stints at Coventry, Liverpool, West Brom, Wigan, Leicester, Doncaster, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston and Bury respectively.

In Part Two of Two, Chris talks about the later stages in his career and some of his great colleagues through his career; Scott Carson, Jordan Pickford, Jerzy Dudek and more. He also talks about life as an understudy or ‘journeyman’ keeper and the day-to-day responsibilities before being incredibly open about the end of his career and time with Preston and Bury. Chris is an incredible mental health ambassador after surviving his own battles which he shares so openly. He talks of the brilliant work the charities he is involved with do, and how they can be supported! Once again, an incredible thanks to Chris for his time, openness and stories!

The boys also have a go at picking the ballot for the next inductees into the Premier League Hall of Fame following Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry’s induction. As usual there are some very serious cases put forward and some not so... Adebayor for ‘Best Celebration’, anyone?!

We close the show with a prediction for the weekend’s Manchester United V Liverpool fixture, once one of the Premier League’s most anticipated fixtures, now just two want-away greedy ‘giants’ kicking it about for 90 minutes...

Enjoy the listen. Trust the Process. What's Next?

Follow the Pod on Instagram: @whatsnext.pod

Follow the Pod on Twitter: @whatsnextsport

Follow Chris on Instagram: @kirky2243

Follow Walking’s Brilliant Charity on Instagram: @walkingsbrilliant

The boys are joined this week by former Premier League and England International Goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland. Chris is a much-loved figure from the Premier League era, iconic between the sticks and loved up and down the country after stints at Coventry, Liverpool, West Brom, Wigan, Leicester, Doncaster, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston and Bury respectively.

In Part One of Two, Chris talks about his early career; managers he worked under, players he played alongside and some of the reasons he moved from club to club. Chris gave us a first-hand account of what happened between himself and Thierry Henry in THAT goal celebration, talks about his own mind set as an understudy goalkeeper, missing out on playing in the Istanbul Champions League final and why he thinks Steve Bruce is the best manager he’s played under and is still the right man for Newcastle United…

The boys also catch up as a trio for the first time in the little while, talk over some of the week’s headline stories and then catch up on the most bizzare 48 hours in football as the European Super League was launched and then disbanded in less time than the John Isner v Nicholas Mahut Tennis game at Wimbledon in 2010.

 

Enjoy the listen. Trust the Process. What's Next?

Follow the Pod on Instagram: @whatsnext.pod

Follow the Pod on Twitter: @whatsnextsport

Follow Chris on Instagram: @kirky2243

Follow Walking’s Brilliant Charity on Instagram: @walkingsbrilliant

The boys are joined this week by former Premier League and England International Goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland. Chris is a much-loved figure from the Premier League era, iconic between the sticks and loved up and down the country after stints at Coventry, Liverpool, West Brom, Wigan, Leicester, Doncaster, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston and Bury respectively.

In Part One of Two, Chris talks about his early career; managers he worked under, players he played alongside and some of the reasons he moved from club to club. Chris gave us a first-hand account of what happened between himself and Thierry Henry in THAT goal celebration, talks about his own mind set as an understudy goalkeeper, missing out on playing in the Istanbul Champions League final and why he thinks Steve Bruce is the best manager he’s played under and is still the right man for Newcastle United…

The boys also catch up as a trio for the first time in the little while, talk over some of the week’s headline stories and then catch up on the most bizzare 48 hours in football as the European Super League was launched and then disbanded in less time than the John Isner v Nicholas Mahut Tennis game at Wimbledon in 2010.

 

Enjoy the listen. Trust the Process. What's Next?

Follow the Pod on Instagram: @whatsnext.pod

Follow the Pod on Twitter: @whatsnextsport

Follow Chris on Instagram: @kirky2243

Follow Walking’s Brilliant Charity on Instagram: @walkingsbrilliant

The boys are joined this week by GB Olympic Weightlifter and English Champion, Jenny Tong. Not only is Jenny an incredible athlete and inspiration to all that cross paths with her, she also has an incredible story and focus that has led her to finding her own path to success; a path she is enjoying the fruits of currently! We discuss Jenny’s past – overcoming the challenges of her younger days and how she has not let her past define her – before talking about how she ‘fell’ into weightlifting from being a promising musician. We also talk about keeping promises to her father and following a dual career path, being her own coach and keeping her circle small, as well as ensuring that she is always in control of her own psychology and physical prowess. A fascinating insight into the life, challenges and successes of an elite athlete!

 

Despite spending time with each other to enjoy a Beer Garden pint this week, work commitments meant the boys had to record separately this week which allowed for an insight into the NUFC pledge and the recent Masters, as well as a reflection on the opening week of the Cricket County Championship in the English, April snow! We promise the boys do all still get on…

 

Enjoy the listen. Trust the Process. What's Next?

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Follow Jenny on Instagram: @Jennyt811

The boys are joined this week by Vitality Netball Superleague High Performance Director and Head Coach of the Leeds Rhinos, Dan Ryan. Dan gave us an incredible insight into what it takes to start a franchise from scratch, what the recruitment process involves and what sort of characteristics and behaviours he expects from his players. He also gave an insight into the goal-setting and high-performance mindset that is being developed around the club at present, and how some of those goals are changing (or only just being developed) after the early rounds of fixtures and successes on-court. Dan was also able to give us a fascinating insight into his time coaching in the Suncorp League in Australia, the differences between the two leagues, he talked of his own experiences and path through Netball and talks about how the Vitality Superleague can continue to grow post-pandemic and return of crowds after a season that has seen more live coverage of the league than ever before. There is no doubting that Dan is an incredible Netball and high-performance mind, it was a pleasure speaking to him and listening to his insight – so many takeaways! 

 

The boys close the show with some predictions for the first golf major of the year; The Masters. Jimmy was out golfing when recording took place so his predictions are based on text conversations and if he wins with any of his picks the dubious wins panel will be discussing legitimacy of said win. 

 

Enjoy the listen. Trust the Process. What's Next? 

 

Follow the Pod on Instagram: @whatsnext.pod  

Follow the Pod on Twitter: @whatsnextsport  

Follow Dan on Twitter: @DanRyan84 

Follow Vitality Netball Superleague on Twitter: @NetballSL

The boys split this week’s episode into a couple of separate parts. Thanks to the easing of COVID guidelines, holidays and the return of recreational sport - the boys were able to catch up socially distanced to enjoy each other’s company to put the content to the week.

For this week’s feature, there are two Headline Acts. Oddballs Brand Manager, Julian, joins the podcast to talk all things about the multicoloured company. We talk pants patterns, the great work of the foundation, Rugby 7s and ambassadors, as well as also talking about the importance of raising awareness and encouraging males to check their ball’s in the fight against testicular cancer.

We are then joined by Made in Chelsea TV personality, Harvey Armstrong. A former player of the Oddballs Sevens team, we spoke to Harvey about Rugby rather than his television commitments and he gave a great insight into his journey through the sport. One of the major conversation topics was surrounding Harvey’s involvement with Gibraltar Rugby as they look to grow the game and improve their stature within the sport even further. We talk international trips, infrastructure improvement and player recruitment. A massive thanks to Harvey for his time - we can’t wait to follow the journey of Rugby on the Rock further as they go from strength to strength.

Future weeks may or may not be interrupted by a Dog, a bad golf shot or a mother washing dishes but great to be balk talking sport face-to-face once again!

Enjoy the listen. Trust the Process. What's Next?

Follow the Pod on Instagram: @whatsnext.pod

Follow the Pod on Twitter: @whatsnextsport

Follow Oddballs on Instagram: @myoddballs

Follow Oddballs Foundation on Instagram: @oddballsfdn

Follow Harvey on Instagram: @harveyarmstrong_UK

Follow Gibraltar Rugby on Instagram: @gibraltarrugby

The boys get a rare insight into a professional sporting environment this week, as they sit down with club representatives from Huddersfield Town FC to talk about the impact restructuring their Academy set up in 2018 has had. Since the restructuring - going from a Category 2 Academy to a Category 4 - the club have not done much by way of media to provide context to how things are going lower down, thanks largely to a Premier League relegation and Championship struggles for the First Team. Communications Director, David Threlfall-Sykes and Academy Manager Emyr Humphreys were able to provide an incredible, first-hand and honest account of what's been going on.

We talk; reducing the number of teams, bespoke fixture lists, player recruitment, pathways to the first team, attractiveness of the club, a through-club playing identity, investment and much more. It's a fascinating listen and an incredible insight into the changes made in elite sport - a huge thanks to David, Emyr and the club for their time, expertise, context and insight.

The boys then offer a quick opinion on Gareth Southgate's latest England squad for the upcoming opening World Cup Qualifiers. We discuss who is unlucky to miss out, who is lucky to be there and who has a lot to prove in advance of the Euros in the Summer.

We close with a prediction for the opening qualifier against San Marino - the worst ranked International team in the World.

Enjoy the listen. Trust the Process. What's Next?

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The boys spend a little bit of time talking about this week’s Cheltenham festival, one or two winners to back but mainly with a focus on the mass gambling involved leading on to a discussion about betting in sport in general. Has it gone too far? The number of markets someone can bet on in-play, sponsorship of teams and ‘in your face’ adverts, the boys even talk about the recent Football Exchange scandal.

The boys then sit down with Bristol Bears Second Row, Joe Joyce. Joe is a one club player and has over 100 caps for the Bears. We cover schoolboy pathways, the positive changes at Bristol surrounding ding staff, facilities, ethos and stadium. We talk promotion from the Championship and Premiership play-offs as well as the European Cup success. Joe has been a permanent fixture at the club since his debut, seeing the club progress and grow; now coaches, new teammates and an incredible team ethos.

The boys then talk a little about Wilder leaving Sheffield United; where does that leave him? Where does he go next? What does the change mean for the rest of the Manager merry-go-round?

The boys don’t make any additional predictions for the week following their error from last week and Cheltenham talk, but the Old Firm picks and Jimmy’s Price Boost still stand!

Enjoy the Listen. Trust the process. What’s Next?

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Follow Joe Joyce on Instagram: @joejoyce5565

The boys take a punt on who might be the Mole in the camp at Newcastle United, naming and shaming the main culprits before taking a look at the relegation battle and the looming Championship trap door.

The boys then sit down with Surrey CCC Club Captain, Jade Dernbach. A legend of the game, Jade gave us time to talks about the upcoming Hundred competition, franchise leagues around the world, winning domestic white ball competitions and county championships and international honours.

Jade talked about always being himself on and off the field, staying on top of his game and developing skills to ensure he remains one of the leading, skilful bowlers in white ball cricket. He talks slower balls, developing new knuckleballs, battles with opponents and celebrating success.

The boys then talk a little about the recent Test Series ending in India where England finished with a whimper dissecting everything that went wrong. Unsurprisingly Dom Bess gets some air time... the show is closed with a 60-second round up of headlines, a bet builder from Jimmy and an Old Firm Prediction ahead of the weekend at Celtic Park.

Enjoy the Listen. Trust the process. What’s Next?

Follow the Pod on Instagram: @whatsnextpod

Follow the Pod on Twitter: @whatsnextsport

Follow Jade Dernbach on Instagram: @jadedernbach

Follow M3 Media Sports on Instagram: @m3media_sports

Follow Moonrise Cricket: @moonrisecricket