🎙ToffeeWeb Podcast: ‘An Air of Calm’

The mentality of the team has changed. As has that of the supporters. After last season's outpouring of emotion, we were struggling as much as the team but, in recent weeks and on Saturday, we've found belief.

On the centre-backs, a shame about Mina as he's such a good player and character in my opinion, but he just can't stay fit and will be gone in the summer. Michael Keane continues to worry me with his lapses in concentration, although I gave him joint Man of the Match alongside Doucouré and Pickford on Saturday.

The point on draws is a good one. My son called that out last season. If you're not going to win, get a point. We didn't do that enough last term.

Gueye may make mistakes, Onana is raw and young, but the midfield is starting to function and protect the defence as opposed to being wide open and leaving us exposed as we were earlier in the season.

Gray or Iwobi? I'm torn, but nice to have the options, especially if Simms is now going to feature more, as I suspect.

I've highlighted the age of the squad recently. We're still light in numbers, but we generally have a young team balanced with experience in the right areas.

Favourite goals? It would be easy for me to cite Sharp's screamer at Anfield or countless Sheedy free kicks. Maybe Jagielka in front of Lucifer's Children in Satan's Kop.

But I'll go for two lesser obvious ones, both against Norwich from my 80s heroes.

Adrian Heath. The finish was great, but it was the way Sheedy stopped the game, waited for the run while the defence looked at him. He then lobbed an unexpected and improvised looping pass over the defence for Heath to latch onto and bury, right in front of us in the Gwladys Street.

Pat Van Den Hauwe at Carrow Road, just for the sheer occasion and celebration. I don't remember much of the rest of the match as we were celebrating being the Champions and demanding "Hand it over, Liverpool". One of the longest but most enjoyable trips home I've ever had in my life.

On last-minute and late goals, it's amazing how many come to mind as you all mentioned. For me, the daddy of them all was Inchy's 119th extra-time winner vs Southampton in the 1984 FA Cup semi-final at Highbury.

As said on another post, it was when the FA Cup really mattered and was when that great side started to build real momentum. Never before have I hugged so many strangers and the drive home was one of delirious excitement.

It was also when you played at Wembley only the once for the final, increasing the specialness of them all. Of course it then reminds you of those wonderful ‘85 and ‘86 semi-final wins as well.

Was moving semis to Wembley yet another dumb decision by the FA? There is so much more value in scarcity (World Cups every 2 years?🤷🏻‍♂️ Madness!)

Sweet Caroline was one of my favourite Apres Ski tunes after a day on the slopes of the Dolomites. It doesn't raise the heckles like "that" song, but they've ruined it for me.

Celebrate, yes. But you haven't won anything yet.

I'm sure there are people who know better than me, but the cynical side of me has the view that the massively over-budget development of the new Wembley meant that the FA had to find a way of clawing back money; hence the introductions of the semi-finals being hosted there. And it's now here to stay.

As a stadium, I'll give a personal opinion: I don't think it's that impressive. I've watched football there and been to concerts. It's a glorified Emirates with an arch.

I too had great days out at the likes of Villa Park in those semi-finals. Then, the occasion of Wembley at a final meant more than it does now. I would go back to that and include Cardiff as a semi-final venue given we used it before and have Welsh teams in the English league. There are plenty of suitable venues.

Maybe I'm just getting old. Keep Wembley a special occasion, not something we revisit several weeks after having already been there. That's my view.

My other viewpoint is that, although Wembley holds special memories for many, myself included, it has come to epitomise the London and South-East's grip on the England team.

At the time of its development, I was of the opinion that, if we were to have a new national stadium, it should be built somewhere in the Midlands.

I would have gone a step further. Why have a national stadium? Do what the Germans do and rotate the international fixtures around the country. Take the team to the regions. They might just get more buy-in as opposed to being a London-dominated institution.

The point about using players in the right way is very well made. Employing a system best suited to the players available is common sense – something which unfortunately was in short supply before Dyche arrived.

The collective responsibility for the team performance is a major step forward compared with praying or hoping one or two players can deliver.

It could be the lack of new signings in January has simplified matters for Dyche. He has not needed to concern himself with integrating new players. Instead, he has worked with what he has available and so far succeeded in improving the team performance.

I don't know if any of the clubs around us have gained much advantage from their new signings but we'll know at the end of the season.

Anyone who was there will remember the pure bedlam and euphoria in our end when McCall's very scruffy goal saved us at the death and took it to extra time after we'd played extremely poor that day and Big Nev had kept us in it almost single-handily.

A goal right at the end in a derby cup final when the FA Cup was still absolutely massive. No wonder we went utterly mental.

Ultimately we lost but I was 12 at the time and it was the first FA Cup Final I attended and will never forget the moment we (temporary) ripped cup out of Liverpool's grasp.

When McCall scored, I was like a raving lunatic and was thinking we are actually going to do it in the greatest way possible. Get battered, score a last-minute equalizer, and then go and win the game in extra time.

When McCall got his second equalizer with a great goal, I was even more convinced, but they still got the upper hand, and I'm still waiting to truly break their curse which actually felt even worse the day Andy Carroll got another last-minute goal that broke our hearts once again at Wembley.