On this week's episode of The Joy of Football Podcast, Martin Tyler and Neil Barnett return to discuss another packed week of football, with Lionel Messi, Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Hull City, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Elanga, Romeo Lavia, Jack Wilshere and Vinnie Jones all featuring, alongside two brand new additions to the podcast.
In the first ever What I Saw This Week, Martin tells the extraordinary story of how Reading Festival wristbands nearly caused a Woking Academy match to be abandoned after a referee demanded that players cut them off. That leads into a wider discussion about the changing Laws of the Game, new rules around injuries and substitutions, time wasting and whether young footballers need to play the full 90 minutes more regularly to properly develop. There's also a bizarre tactical moment involving Middlesbrough captain Luke Ayling, a piece of paper and an attempt to stop West Bromwich Albion discovering his team's instructions.
In Letter From The Gantry, Martin turns his attention to Hull City following the Tigers' outstanding return to the Premier League. Two games, two victories and two clean sheets have provided early optimism that Hull can do more than simply battle relegation following promotion from the Championship. Martin then travels almost 50 years into his own broadcasting past, remembering his first Hull City commentary against Blackpool at Boothferry Park on 6 November 1976, featuring Leeds United and Scotland legend Billy Bremner.
Three of the Best begins with Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia, who finally has his first goal for the club after an injury-disrupted start to his Stamford Bridge career. His story prompts a wider conversation about Chelsea's squad building and whether clubs risk damaging youth development by creating too much competition for the same pathway into the first team.
Martin also recounts meeting former Wimbledon footballer turned Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones and his former manager Dave Bassett, before discussing former Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere and why his work as a young manager has left Martin seriously impressed.
There's plenty of Manchester United discussion after Bruno Fernandes' hat trick, with Martin praising the United captain's confidence, quality and longevity at Old Trafford. Martin and Neil also debate whether individual awards should simply recognise the outstanding player regardless of their team's success.
Anthony Elanga earns his place following an exciting start with Newcastle United. After spells with Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, Elanga is beginning to show his quality at St James' Park, becoming the first Newcastle player since Alan Shearer in 2003 to score in both of the club's opening two league matches of a season.
Finally, the new Thanks for the Joy feature begins with Lionel Messi's retirement from international football. Martin and Neil look back across Messi's remarkable Argentina career, from his extraordinary international debut to becoming a World Cup winner and Copa América champion, while discussing his place alongside Pelé, Ferenc Puskás and Cristiano Ronaldo among football's greatest ever players.
But it's not simply a celebration. Neil questions whether Messi was truly one of international football's greatest players throughout his entire career and argues that his 2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball was undeserved. They discuss the dramatic transformation of Messi's Argentina legacy, Lionel Scaloni, Emiliano Martínez, the 2022 World Cup and the extraordinary final chapter of one of football's greatest careers.
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