 Welcome to Toffee TV. It's my pleasure to say I am joined by Robbie from AFTV here to preview the Everton vs Arsenal game. Robbie, how are you mate? You must be like bouncing, absolutely bouncing. Yeah, listen, I can't lie. At the moment I am bouncing. It's been incredible, really incredible this year. The team playing brilliantly at the moment. I remember going to watch the team pre-season. I remember actually because we played Everton as well. We were there, yeah. In Baltimore, yeah. I remember watching the team in Florida as the game I was at. And I was like, hey, for the first time in a long time this team, they look really fit. They look really ready for the season. They look sharp, you know. And I just remember turning around to one of my guys and saying, you know what, I think we're going to have a good season this year, you know, because we're looking sharp. I remember we played Chelsea, we beat them like 4-0, could have been more. So we carried that through into the season and just since the start of the season onwards, we've just been playing really, really good football. And then of course we've made a few really good signings on top of that and that always helps, you know. And yeah, we're flying at the moment. Let me take you back to the sliding doors moment in 2019. We appointed Carlo Ancelotti. You appointed Michel Arteta. Some people on that day thought that we'd got it the wrong way round. That maybe we should have got Arteta and you should have got Carlo Ancelotti. Just the way that the clubs were set up. You know, going back to that day, what did you remember and what did you think about bringing Arteta in? Do you know what? At that time I actually was mixed. So on the one hand I did think what I agreed with what you said. I was like, Ancelotti would suit Arsenal more because I looked at it and I thought, Michel Arteta, alright, I get it, but he's very inexperienced. And this job at Arsenal needs someone with a lot of experience because there was so many problems that needed fixing. So I was like, Ancelotti would be a better appointment for us. But then I was prepared to give it a shot because I've kind of been like of this thing over the past couple of years where I'm like, I'm getting fed up with the same old managers all the time, the same old faces. So I was like, I do want to see someone new, but is he going to be what we need right now? So I have to say I was skeptical and had we've got Ancelotti at that time, I think I'd have been a lot more happier at that time because I just felt that experience was something that we needed because we were just in a mess at the time. So what's changed then? Because obviously you went through a couple of tough seasons with a lot of people suggesting Michel Arteta wasn't the right man. And obviously the back end of the last season you missed out on the Champions League and obviously there was the Tottenham game where obviously you got beaten. That was sort of like the desire. What's changed to get you to where you are this season? Well, first of all, I think there's a bit of a misconception on the whole Arteta thing where a lot of fans or a lot of pundits always say, well, you guys all wanted him out. That's not true. I think when Michel Arteta first came in at Arsenal, you have to remember in this very first season he won the FA Cup for Arsenal. So he bought himself a lot of credit in the bank because we were going backwards and he won the FA Cup. So the following season, we got to the semi-finals of the Europa League and we had a half, we didn't get into Europe, because again, we had a good run in an important competition. He still had credit and he won the FA Cup the year before. And then we went into that next season now where we started off really horribly. We had that defeat against Brentford, that famous first game of the season and lost our first free. And I think that's when he was on a bit of a sticky wicket then because then some of the credit was starting to run out. Fans were like, you know what, we got a couple of games coming up. Well, there were some fans that were like, you know, I think this guy's out of his depth. Maybe we need to bring someone else in. But then there was a lot of other fans were like, well, listen, got a couple of games coming up. Noriger Ohm, Tottenham. If we don't win those games, maybe it's time to change. He did win those two games, especially the Tottenham game was a massive turnaround for him because we beat them very handily. I think it's free one at home. And then after that, we went on a run. And I think after that, the fans were right back behind him again. So he and then, you know, he's made some really tough decisions since he's been there. You know, I mean, he's got rid of players like Urzel. He's got rid of players like a Bamiang, you know, real big characters and like really put his marker down. And also, I think the most important thing that he's done, apart from, you know, building a good side is he's brought back that connection. He's brought back that connection between the players and the fans. I remember when he first came in, he says, I want to get that connection back between the players and the fans, which didn't really exist over the last few years. And he's succeeded in that. And then really built a team in his own image, a team that, you know, really does what he wants to do on a football pitch, which has been really aggressive. Have a lot of skill, but play on the front foot. And it's been great to watch this season. It really has. Yeah, just watching the documentary, obviously, those things can seem quite embarrassing. But I really enjoyed it and I really enjoyed how he dealt with the Bamiang situation. And it showed that, you know, he was trying to weed out what seemed like the bad elements within the dressing room. And obviously, that must have made a huge difference because at the time, obviously, you know, you guys will have probably been... When you don't see that, you guys would have been, why is he getting rid of this player? But it's all played out for the main in the right way, hasn't it? You know, the real strange thing, when that documentary... Obviously, we were filming the documentary and we missed out on fourth place, Tottenham got ahead of us. And when that documentary is coming out, I was like, oh my God, this is going to be the most embarrassing thing ever, you know? The documentary came out, made our title look even better. To the fans, they were like, wow, this is a guy that like, he really, really wants to succeed for this club. This is a guy, he loves this club. This is a guy that like, all the decisions he's making, whether they're right or wrong, are for the good of this club. And that really shone through in that documentary. And I think that really got everybody on board with him. People were like, wow, this guy, you know, that's why sometimes being open, you know, it doesn't happen enough in football. But sometimes you've just got to be, I know the problems you guys have in Everton. And sometimes when people are open and honest, you know, you can look at things and say, all right, you're in a bad situation at the moment, but this guy is trying his hardest, he's trying his best to succeed. Let's get behind him. So the documentary as well was another thing that done brilliant for Michel Artet, a person of me. And, you know, and then I think in the transfer market, he's made some, you know, him and Edu, they've made some really good signings that have really transformed Arsenal. I mean, Jesus, Zinchenko, you know, Ben White, Saliba coming back as well. I mean, it's just added so much quality to the team. And you're just seeing a different Arsenal right now. All the decisions he's been making, Michel Artet, even the one, there was a lot of fans at the end of last season, it was with Eddie and Ketya when his contract was running out, there was like, move him on, let's go and get something. He said, nah, I'm keeping this guy, I believe in him. Eddie and Ketya's come good. When a lot of Arsenal fans are saying, Granite Jacka, come on, man, this guy, get rid of this guy now. We all know the clash that he had with the fans a couple of years ago. Michel Artet came in and said, nah, Granite Jacka is a very important player for this team. I'm keeping him. I'd have to say, he's one of our best players right now. He was one of our best players last season, and he's one of our best players this season, and he's one of the most consistent and important players in Arsenal's team. And that's Granite Jacka, a guy that we all, you know, if you did a poll, 90% of us wanted him gone a couple of years ago. So Arteta has really transformed this team, and has really been making some really excellent and strong decisions. Yeah, like just two things from that. I can't imagine what an Everton documentary would look like. It would be absolute blockbuster. Why every single streaming platform has not tried to get an Everton documentary sorted. It would be absolutely unbelievable viewing. Like if I could afford to do one myself, I would make one myself. Do you know what, Pedia? Maybe though, and I don't listen, I don't know for sure, but maybe sometimes if you actually saw what the problems were, like for instance, I saw the other day that you guys didn't buy anybody in the transfer window, which, you know, quite rightly, your fans are really angry about. And I saw Sean Dice come out and say, well, you know, we tried hard, but to a fan, you just listen to that and you think, yeah, did you? Yeah, you're going to say that because of the, but sometimes when you can actually see what they tried and then you might, you know, you might sympathise with it and say, well, all right, actually, let's get off their back a bit. They actually did try, but we a lot of times we don't know, do we? We don't know. They don't really feel the same with the things that are going on. So we don't believe them. Well, that's it, Rob, isn't it? And we've been doing this for a very long time and, you know, we've both gone through different things with our own channels and communication is such an important thing. And that was why it was so good to see the documentary, like you just said, with Arteta. And that's one of the, that communication is a big problem with them at Football Club either no communication or miscommunication. And, you know, so what have you made of the things that you've heard about Devon in the last few months? Because I'm fascinated by this of how, you know, obviously, someone like myself who's quite close to the Football Club interprets things against people in the national media or people who ring up national radio stations and say, oh, the state of that club or the fans are toxic. How have you looked at it, you know, through your prism of doing this? Well, I've, you know, I've been watching a lot of your guys stuff. And I've obviously, you see all the headlines, like the other day when they said that the boards were advised not to turn up at the game because they hadn't tell that, you know, there's going to be trouble and stuff like that. But then I saw your guys and then the stuff that you were saying, and then I then saw that the police came out afterwards and said, well, we had no report of, you know, any trouble that was going to happen. And I just feel that, you know, the, I don't know, it just seems a real mess with how Everton are being run. Yes, the owner obviously spent a lot of money and you can't deny that he's really, you know, I've heard him say himself, you know, I put the money and I spent the money, but it's not just about that. It's about how the club is run. And I don't know if it's maybe people have come in and kind of hoodwinked him and made him spend money in the wrong areas or make really bad decisions. But I feel sorry for the fans because, you know, Everton are a huge football club. You know, I, you know, I remember Everton as a kid, they were winning titles. They're a massive club. You know, I know that when Everton come to Arsenal, no matter where you are, the away ends fall, it's a huge club. And I just think that the fans at the moment of Everton deserve better. There's, there's, you shouldn't be in the problems. You shouldn't be in the state that you've got right now. Let's look at some of the decisions that Everton, when, when Everton appointed Rafa Benitez, I said there's, they don't know what they're doing. You know, that board, they obviously, I mean, I'm not an Evertonian. And I know that you don't go and get a Liverpool legend like Rafa Benitez, who's in the decline to come in at your club. And I just look at some of the decisions they make. I know, you know, I'm not, I'm not a director of football, but I know that if you're trying to, you know, replace Richardlesson's goals, you don't go and get Neil Mopay, who's probably never scored 10 goals in a season before. So I just see some really strange decisions at Everton. And it's a real shame to see, because as I said, I just, I just see Everton as one of his big traditional clubs. You know, it's one of the oldest clubs in this country. And it just shouldn't be in this, shouldn't be in this state at the moment. And it's all down, I feel, to how it's being run. You know, the best clubs are all clubs that are run, you know, the clubs that are most successful are run well. That's why Chelsea at the moment, despite them spending, you know, nearly a billion quid are still 10th in the league, because I just think they're not run right at the moment. Maybe they might get it right and get back to where they were. But they're in a little bit of a turmoil at the moment. It's not how much money you spend. It's how the club is run from top to bottom. And I just think Everton at the moment, it shouldn't be run right. And, you know, if it's been run badly over a period of time, one day is just going to go back. That's what's happening at the moment, I guess. Yeah, absolutely. And the money thing's interesting because it's often used as a way of praising the owner and saying, well, look at all the money you spend, but it's like, well, if you spend that much money and you have nothing to show for it, then that proves that you are, you know, really bothered doing doing your job. Obviously, let's move on to the game itself. Obviously, Evan, you've got a new manager, Sean Deichers in charge, you know. You know, what have you made of, what did you make of the Frank Lampard situation? And how do you see Saturday? Well, I ain't going to lie, I wanted Lampard to stay. I wanted him to stay because I didn't think he was doing a very good job at all. I don't think he should have got that job in the first place. He did well last year to keep Evan up, but I just feel that that job's quite a big job right now. I think Sean Deichers is a real smart appointment, you know, not a sexy appointment, but that's not what you need right now. And I'm just hoping that it's not going to give Evan that new manager bounce, you know. He's the sort of guy that, you know, he'll just work with what he's got, he'll get on with it, he won't complain. We saw the job that he'd done over the years at Burnley, always a really hard team to beat. Always a team punching above their weight. You know, he's a guy you've got to admire. Look how long he was at Burnley. He's one of the longest serving managers, you know what I mean? So I was only just surprised that nobody had sort of brought him back into football earlier, you know. So I know that it's going to be a tough game because, you know, he's going to set up Everton and make them really tough to beat. And I remember that game that you guys played against Man City, where you really had a plan and you, you know, you really frustrated them. So I think Arsenal, we've got to get off to a fast start, which is something we've been doing, especially away from home in literally every game. But we've got to get off to a fast start. And I don't know, even though we've got the new manager bounce that Everton have got, I'm still quite infused with Arsenal because I think we've had a good transfer window. We've been playing really well. We've brought in some good players in Trossard and even Georgina, I think is a good backup to Thomas Partey, who's been absolutely key to us this season. But I just look at the way Arsenal have been playing away from home this season and, you know, we've only lost one game away from home. We've gone to difficult places and made it look easy. I mean, we went away to Tottenham where we had won for nine years and blew them away, you know. Even the other day we went to Man City, I felt, you know, we made like seven changes and that was, you know, there's nothing really in that game. So we're playing well and I just want Arsenal to just continue what they've been doing all season. And I think if we do that, we should get the result. Yeah, it's going to be a very, very tough game. You guys are absolutely flying. Listen, you've got lots and lots of good players, but who's the one player you think, if Everton are tight and do, you know, make it really hard? Who's the one player who can unlock the Everton defence? Well, Martin Ortegaard's been brilliant this season, you know. £30 million he cost and with all the money that's been spent this week, I'm thinking how much money is he worth now, you know. And he orchestrates, he's the one who drives, he's the one who leads the press, he's a captain, he's just been sensational. He can unlock a tight game, but the other player I think has been really important for Arsenal as well has been Thomas Pate. He sits deep, you know what I mean? He breaks up play, but he's got this ability to break the lines with his passing range and just dictate the play. And I think if he's on song in any game, you know, we're always good. The only game we lost this season was when he worked playing against Man United. So he's an absolute key player to Arsenal, just sitting there deep and sort of dictating the play. So I think it's one of them two that are going to be the real important players. Yeah, one of them, one of those 11 players will be OK. Yeah, I mean, listen, you know, Martinelli's been great this season as well on the other wing. You've got Saka, and Eddie and Ketchum in the last, you know, he's been on fire these kids, you know what I mean? You know, I remember last year at Everton, he missed that absolute sit-up. No, he did, when we went after him. And I was looking at him, thinking in the last minute, who is this guy? But after that, you know, he came in towards the end of the season, scored a couple at Chelsea. He scores goals in big games as well, that's what I like about him. And he's so confident, and he's been on fire. I fancy him to do something tomorrow as well. Yeah, I remember that miss, I think I was holding my breath for about five minutes after it. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. He missed one. I remember a Bamiang missed an easy one at the end as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, oh my God, that game was all right. We got our luck, we rode our luck that night, and we got it some night, you just get it. To be honest, right, even though you rode your luck that night, you deserved it, because we were shocking. And I thought that in the second half of the game, you just came out and you were a different team. And I remember that day, with Charleston, he had a really big influence. I think he's a big miss for you guys, although he's done nothing. No, he hasn't done anything. Absolutely nothing since he's gone to Tottenham. He should never have went there. He shouldn't, but they all do that though, Rob, don't they though? Yeah. All these players do that. I'm not saying the big fishy little ponds, but they get that kind of love and they get that kind of encouragement. And don't get me wrong, I don't blame players for wanting to try and do the best at the highest level. But it hardly ever works when they leave Everton. I don't know what it is. There's very, very few that you can name. And he certainly should have stayed at Everton, but I don't know. I don't know whether Everton would be still here if they hadn't sold them financially because the club is such a mess. Rob, I'm not going to ask you for a prediction because I know you're just going to say you're going to win. So I'm not going to say I'm not going to give my prediction, but listen. Go on, give us your prediction. No, no, it's all right. I won't give a prediction. No, no, no, leave it. Rob, he thinks they're going to beat us three now. That's all I'm going to say. And I've got no reason. Listen, if I was sat where you were sitting, I'd be looking and thinking, we're going to beat you six and he'll never mind three. No, mate. So I got back my boys at the moment. They play so well, man. It's a good time to be an Arsenal fan. Listen, we listen, what I'd say, right? All right, maybe we're not down where you guys are, but we've been through it over the years. We have been through really horrible times, man. And teams come back. Yeah. You know, and I'm hoping Daesh is the guys to bring you guys back after, after tomorrow. You know what I mean? It's standard, mate. It's all it is. It's standards. Some people look at, like, maybe fans of Arsenal, even fans of someone like Liverpool at the moment and say, oh, you're entitled because you're moaned because you're in this position or you're that position. It's your standards. That's all it is. It's believing that your club deserves to be where it is. And maybe for various reasons, they've been a road that they haven't over the year. I don't know. I can't talk for other people, but that's maybe what it is. Robby, big thank you for coming on our channel. Thank you. You can obviously find Robby over on AFTV. I mean, I don't even have to tell anyone to subscribe. You've got all the subscribers. I don't know if there's anyone left for you to subscribe. Do you just wait outside maternity wards and sign them up as they come out? Is that what it is? You've got all the... Oh, that'd be good. That's a good idea. Instant match reaction from outside the maternity ward. Big thank to Robby for coming on. It's always a pleasure. This man has been a huge, huge help and influence over the years at Toffee TV. I can't tell you how much this man has done for our channel in shape and our channel. I love your channel, man. Just keep doing your thing, man, because, you know what I mean? As I said, I'm informed about what's going on. What's really going on there by watching your channel. You know what I mean? So it's been fantastic. You guys have been working at this for years, man. Deserve everything you get, man. Apart from the team at the moment, you know what I mean? I thought you were going to say apart from the three points tomorrow. And three points here. You don't deserve that either. We need those. We need those badly, man. You don't want to see City winning this every year, do you? No, no, no. There you go. What would you rather? We get the three points tomorrow and then you go and field next week and turn them over. Yeah, yeah. No, that'd be nice. That'd be nice. But yeah, we're not into the realms of fantasy here, Rob. There you go. Big thanks to Robby for joining us from AFTV. It's been an absolute pleasure to check out all this stuff as ever. Maybe tomorrow you can check them out because we've won and it'll be fantastic. Imagine that. I don't know. Imagine that. There you go. Thank you for watching and we'll see yous later.