- 23/07/2025
Matt Pole is joined by Brighton writers Derren Howard and Henry Bryant, as well as Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford.
Pre-season continued apace this week for Brighton and Crawley, with both sides in action in the build-up to the 2025-26 campaign.
This week, we discuss how both sides have performed this week, bring you the latest transfer news from the Seagulls and Reds, and bring you news of a backroom shake-up at Crawley Town.
https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/sport/football/crawley-towns-change-in-transfer-policy-has-been-a-hot-topic-this-week-but-lindsey-is-pleased-by-the-clever-joined-up-thinking-5237292
Pre-season continued apace this week for Brighton and Crawley, with both sides in action in the build-up to the 2025-26 campaign.
This week, we discuss how both sides have performed this week, bring you the latest transfer news from the Seagulls and Reds, and bring you news of a backroom shake-up at Crawley Town.
https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/sport/football/crawley-towns-change-in-transfer-policy-has-been-a-hot-topic-this-week-but-lindsey-is-pleased-by-the-clever-joined-up-thinking-5237292
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to another episode of the Goal Mouth Action Podcast where we take a look at all the latest goings-on at Brighton, Hove Abbey and Crawley Town.
00:07I'm Matt Poul and this week I'm joined by Brighton writers Derren Howard and Henry Bryant as well as Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford.
00:13Pre-season continued to pace this week for Brighton and Crawley with both sides in action in the build-up to the 2025-26 campaign.
00:20This week we'll discuss how both sides have performed this week, bring you the latest transfer news from the Seagulls and the Reds and bring you news of a boardroom shake-up at Crawley Town.
00:28You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures online at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport.
00:35And we will start, as ever, at Brighton, Hove Abbey and where Evan Ferguson has joined Italian side Roma and a season-long loan.
00:41The 20-year-old Republic of Ireland striker is attempting to rebuild his career after injuries and loss of form resulted in him dropping down the pecking order with the Seagulls.
00:49And we've touched upon this a little bit last week, didn't we, Derren?
00:53But I was going to ask, is a loan deal the right move for all parties involved?
00:57From what I've seen, there doesn't appear to be an option to buy clause.
01:00I don't know if there is something there, potentially.
01:03There is, yeah.
01:04I believe that there's a £35 million option to buy, but it's not mandatory.
01:08So I think both parties can assess it after the season and see what the best move is after that.
01:17But the initial loan fee, so he's there for a season in Serie A at Roma, for initial loan fee of around about £3 million for the season.
01:27And then, as we said, the option to buy is not mandatory, but we can see how that goes.
01:32But I think it's a move that suits everybody.
01:35It appears that he wasn't going to be a regular starter for Fabian Herzella for one reason or another.
01:44So it would be a good chance for him to go there and, as you say, try and kickstart his career.
01:49He had a sort of a poor 18 months, really, with injuries and loss of form and loss of fitness a little bit.
01:56And then he had that move to West Ham.
01:59And it's hard to sort of judge him on last season, really, because he wasn't fit.
02:04And by the time he got to West Ham, they were in freefall, really.
02:07At the end of last season, they were a bit of a shambles.
02:10So it's been tricky for him.
02:12But I think this is a really good move.
02:14Roma are a big club.
02:15And as you could see from the reception he got from the fans over there, I think it took him back a little bit.
02:20There were some pictures on social media about the welcome he received from the Roma fans.
02:25And if he was any doubt that he's, you know, going to a club with high expectations, I think he knows what he's getting himself in for now.
02:33They really welcomed him, but they will demand a lot from him as well.
02:38So he'll be expected to deliver in, you know, what's one of the toughest leagues in Europe.
02:44It's going to be very difficult.
02:45Italians, you know, very defensively sound.
02:48So it's going to be tough for him to sort of find openings and create chances for himself.
02:55But it would be a good challenge for him.
02:57And very interestingly, Herzella was speaking before and saying that the door isn't closed on him at Brighton as well.
03:03So if he does well, there's still the potential to come back and, you know, be an important player for Brighton going forward.
03:11But yeah, I think it's a good move for everybody, really.
03:16Henry, it's the move to Roma, a much needed fresh start for Ferguson.
03:19When an 18-year-old Ferguson scored his first professional hat-trick in September 2023, it appeared he was destined for great things.
03:26But he's since scored just one goal at club level since November 2023.
03:30Do you think Roma is the best place for the Irishman to get his career back on track?
03:33I hope so. I mean, as a Brighton fan, to see him at 18 years old, having that breakout, getting that hat-trick, there was a lot of hype and media attention.
03:45And I do think that that sometimes can break players, especially at that age.
03:51We've got to remember, look, it was only in 2023 when he was, you know, on the scene causing, you know, an absolute ruckus with, you know, everyone.
03:59He's going to be the next Harry Kane.
04:01And people really did think that, you know, this young man is going to be going to a big club, you know, very, very soon.
04:09And I guess he is, in some sense, going to Roma.
04:12It's a massive opportunity for him, as Darren was mentioning.
04:16You know, it's going to be really difficult.
04:18But I think just getting away from, I have to say, the English media and all of the stipulations of that, all of the hype and the expectations that people have on you,
04:30especially if you're going to have a, you know, an exciting career.
04:34It's very hard to, very hard to manage, I can imagine, at times.
04:37And, yeah, let's just hope that he's able to pick up some form and, yeah, enjoy his football again, because I think that's the main part of it.
04:46Only 20 years old.
04:48So I think when we talk about having his career on track, his career has barely even started.
04:53And, yeah, there's a lot for him to enjoy.
04:56I think tactically as well, Serie A's more sort of measured tactical style for Evan might, you know, be a good thing because of his physical presence.
05:05I think that he could actually thrive in that environment.
05:09So, yeah, time will tell.
05:11But it seems like a good deal.
05:12Meanwhile, Brighton defender Pervis Estupignan is close to completing a move to Italian giants AC Milan in a deal up to £17 million with add-ons.
05:23The Serie A side have been pushing to sign the Ecuador full-back for most of the summer and have already had one bid turned down.
05:28We've mentioned in past podcasts, haven't we, Darren, that Estupignan could leave the club.
05:32So I'm guessing his departure isn't too much for surprise.
05:35How happy will Brighton be with that fee and where does that leave them in terms of depth at left-back?
05:40Yeah, I think it would be a good fee.
05:43There's talk of around about €20 million, maybe a bit more with potential add-ons as well.
05:50So I think it's good.
05:51They paid about €15 million for him when he came in three seasons ago from Villarreal as a replacement for Marc Cucurea, who went to Chelsea for about €60 million.
06:02So I think it represents good value.
06:04They've already bought their replacement in De Cuyper, the Belgium international left-back.
06:08They paid around about sort of €16 million, €17 million for him, for Club Bruges.
06:14So it's sort of a cycle that starts again.
06:17Pervis Estupignan was €23 million, €24 million when he arrived.
06:21And it still gives them time to have sort of two or three good seasons.
06:24And then they maintain, they can still sell on when they're about €27 million to maintain that price.
06:30And that could happen with De Cuyper as well.
06:32So, you know, buy for that sort of price.
06:35And so it's quite good in that respect.
06:37So they're sort of keeping balance in the books, as it were.
06:41And De Cuyper made his debut against Las Palmas on Monday in a behind-closed-doors friendly that they won 2-0.
06:48He played the first half, and it's a case of now sort of him increasing his fitness ahead of the Premier League kickoff
06:55and just getting used to his teammates and getting used to Fabian Herzella and what he wants from him.
07:01But I think Brighton are quite well stacked at left-back.
07:05Ferdi Cadilloglu, he's fit again.
07:08He's looking sharp in pre-season training.
07:10He can play there.
07:12Tarek Lamptey can play there as well.
07:14And Jack Kinshelwood, as he showed for the England under-21s at the Euros,
07:18he played the whole tournament at left-back there pretty much.
07:22He's played there a couple of times for Brighton as well.
07:24So I think in that regard, they're well covered if and when a Stupinian does make the move.
07:30But, yeah, similar to Ferguson, it's one of these deals, again, that the player's leaving at the right time.
07:36They're getting a good fee for it as well.
07:39So, yeah, good luck to him.
07:42I think it's a good deal for a Stupinian as well.
07:47Yeah, absolutely.
07:48Henry, how will a Stupinian be remembered at the Seagulls should he leave?
07:52He made more than 100 appearances across those three seasons at Brighton,
07:56but he suffered quite a bad ankle injury, didn't he?
07:59Kind of curtailed his season last season.
08:01Yeah, how will he be remembered among the Brighton fans?
08:04Yeah, he was an excellent servant to the club, even though he did have that injury that set him back quite a bit.
08:12He was very consistent when he was fit.
08:15He was a really key part of the Albion's sort of push to get into Europe.
08:20And that transformation under Roberta deservedly.
08:23I think he was a real key player to sort of mix up the attacks.
08:27And we've seen him score some really impressive goals.
08:30And he just had this unforgiving energy.
08:33He was always overlapping with runs and his ability to get back, but also contribute in that final third.
08:40Made him one of the most exciting fullbacks in the Premier League, in my opinion.
08:44So, you know, it does seem like he deserves this move wherever he goes, whether that's AC Milan, whether that's somewhere else.
08:51He does deserve this move.
08:54And despite the injury, the ankle injury that he got in 2024, he's been able to push on still.
09:01And he's, you know, he's still got some of his best years ahead of him.
09:05So, yeah, he'll leave the club as a, you know, being remembered as a key figure for the Albion.
09:10And he was one of the, you know, one of the fan favourites as well.
09:14He was well-liked within the club and he was a very professional player.
09:18He was a very professional servant to the club.
09:22Absolutely.
09:22And Brighton, meanwhile, ended their trip to Spain with a 2-0 behind closed doors victory over Las Palmas on Monday evening.
09:29Goals from Yasin Yari and Matt O'Reilly, who also claimed an assist, separated the two sides in what turned out to be a comfortable win for the Seagulls.
09:36I think you watched this one, didn't you, Darren?
09:38What did you make of the Brighton performance against Las Palmas?
09:41Who stood out for you and would you say their tour of Spain was a success?
09:46Yeah, I'd say overall it was a success.
09:48So, they had two matches.
09:49Las Palmas was the last of their two matches that they had over there as part of their 10-day training camp.
09:56So, they played Stoke 1-3-1 against them in the first match.
09:59And then Las Palmas was on Monday night.
10:02And once again, it was baking hot conditions that they played in.
10:06But they wanted to play.
10:08They played two 11s, one in the first half, one in the second half.
10:12And the plan was always to play with a lot of intensity, a lot of energy, and have a really good workout in the heat.
10:19A, just to sort of implement the things that they've been working on, but B, to improve the fitness as well.
10:26If they can do it in those conditions, then hopefully that should bode well for them going forward.
10:33It was a good performance.
10:34And they've been working.
10:35There was a lot of talk afterwards on the pressing and the high press.
10:39And that resulted in a couple of the goals that they, or both the goals that they scored.
10:44And Matt O'Reilly, who struggled last season, he didn't quite make the impact that he wanted to after his move from Celtic.
10:53But he was the key man, to be honest, just on Monday.
10:57He set up the goal for the opening goal for Yassi Nayari and then scored a very nice goal for himself.
11:04He led the press and then won the ball back.
11:08The keeper was just out of position.
11:10He curled it around him from 30 yards.
11:13So, yeah, very nice goal to get his season underway and hopefully kickstart his career as well.
11:20He was linked with a move.
11:22Napoli bid $25 million for him.
11:24It seems as though he's going to stay at Brighton.
11:27There hasn't been too much more noise on that at the moment.
11:31So hopefully he can stay and fulfil his potential, which, you know, hopefully recapture that form.
11:37And the type of goals and record that he showed at Celtic.
11:41So, yeah, that was one of the positives to come from that one, I think.
11:47Brighton have now won all three of their pre-season games so far, having also beaten Wickham Wanderers and Stoke City, as Darren mentioned.
11:53They are still to face Southampton and Wolfsburg before the Premier League season starts.
11:56Still a long way to go yet, Henry.
11:58But how would you rate Albion's pre-season so far?
12:00Any young talent who could potentially break into the first team this season that's caught your eye?
12:06Yeah, it's been solid.
12:08And Fabian Hursler's used a fair amount of rotation to give everyone a chance.
12:12And each of those wins, we've seen a lot of stand-up performers.
12:17I mean, looking at the likes of Danny Welbeck, who scored four against Wickham.
12:20He's still looking as sharp and as clinical and influential as ever, which is always nice to see.
12:26Cara Matoma as well, scored versus Stoke.
12:29He's still looking lively and fit.
12:31And, you know, it's good to see that he's still at the club so far.
12:35I don't want to, you know, eat my own words there.
12:38A player that I wouldn't say he's a young talent in terms of academy prospects, but Diego Coppola, 21 years old.
12:48We've recently signed him and he scored on his debut versus Stoke.
12:53And he was composed, strong in defence and a really imposing player.
12:58He stands at six foot four.
12:59So he's, he is essentially the Lewis Dunk replacement there, but he's, he's looking like he could be a really important player.
13:08And then talking about sort of the younger players in the squad, Caelan Vickers, he assisted Coppola's goal versus Stoke.
13:16He impressed off the bench.
13:17And I thought that he's, he's someone to watch out for this season.
13:20And also Harry Howe, who featured versus Wickham.
13:24He's a highly rated prospect who is, is, you know, looked at in a good light by Fabian Hursler.
13:31And it will be interesting to see what sort of opportunities they get.
13:35But as, as we said, yeah, it's been a solid pre-season so far.
13:38And it's just about sort of seeing out the last few games before we get into that Premier League campaign.
13:44Yeah, absolutely.
13:46Now we'll take a look at all the latest goings on at Crawley Town.
13:48And we will do this in chronological order as a lot has happened since the last podcast.
13:52First, Thursday saw the Reds unveil the new home kit for the upcoming season.
13:57The new design is inspired by one of the most defining campaigns in the club's history.
14:00The 2003-04 season when the Red Devils were crowned Dr Martins League Premier Division champions.
14:06It's now just under a week since the release mark.
14:08What do you make of the new home shirt?
14:10I know you're a big fan of the away shirt.
14:11And what has the supporters reaction been to the announcement?
14:16I'm not a big fan of the new home shirt.
14:18But I mean, I'm going against the grain because the reaction has been fantastic.
14:23I mean, I know there's always with football fans and there's always a lot of nostalgia and obviously referring back to that title winning season.
14:30People are going to love it.
14:32But and the people seem to be most excited about the collar.
14:36And I just, yes, I think we've gone past collars on football shirts.
14:39I think we just, it shouldn't be a thing anymore.
14:43But I just think there's too much going on with it.
14:45There's a strap down the side.
14:48There's a panel.
14:48The panels are quite nice.
14:49I went into the club shop yesterday, actually, which I must say is very, it looks much nicer than it did.
14:54A lot more spacious.
14:55It looks great.
14:57And yeah, the actual paneling, the white paneling down the side is quite nice.
15:01It's got the tridents in that they had as the sort of main pattern on the home shirt last year.
15:06So that's quite a nice touch.
15:07But there's the white lines there.
15:09There's the collar.
15:10Lots of different things going on with the collar.
15:12And I just, yeah, I'm not a huge fan myself, but I am not a Crawley Town fan.
15:17So what I think doesn't really matter, I don't think.
15:20I love that.
15:21I love the away top.
15:22But yeah, no, it's not for me, but people are calling it stunning.
15:27They're just loving the fact that they're referring back to the heritage.
15:31But what I quite like is with this season's kit and lastly, the area, the designers,
15:37and the club are obviously really collaborating on it and really thinking about what they can do with the shirts to make them mean something to the people of Crawley.
15:45And they've done that with both the home shirt and the away shirt this year.
15:49We still understand there's a third kit coming with quite a big change.
15:53So looking forward to seeing what that is and hopefully it will refer to something within Crawley's history or the community.
16:01So, but yeah, not for me, but the fans seem to absolutely love it and mainly because of a collar, weirdly.
16:07Well, just hours later, the Reds announced the arrival of former Chelsea and Newcastle United midfielder Carl Scott,
16:15the 27-year-old who has joined from USL Championship outfit Orange County SC, has signed a three-year deal at the club.
16:22What do you make of the signing, Mark?
16:23I think it's a bit of a coup, really, considering his background.
16:26Do you think he'll be a starter?
16:28And what did Carl Scott have to say upon his arrival?
16:30I think he will be a starter.
16:33By all accounts, because obviously we'll get on to the friendlies later, but they played two behind closed doors friendlies.
16:39And certainly against Portsmouth, Scott Lindsay was waxing lyrical about him.
16:43A little sneak behind the curtain, it was after the Dagenham friendly last week, after I interviewed Scott about the Dagenham game, etc.
16:52After we stopped recording, he looked at his phone and he sort of had the face of me when I opened Lego on Christmas Day.
17:00But he just looked so excited.
17:04And I said, oh, a new signing.
17:05And he said, yep.
17:06And he was referring to Carl Scott.
17:08And it was announced, I think, 24 hours later or something.
17:12But he sort of mentioned then he is the new Liam Kelly.
17:16If fans love Liam Kelly, they will love Carl Scott.
17:20So the fact that he's made that comparison makes me think that he will be a starter.
17:25So him and Jay Williams in that midfield looks like that will be a really good combo for Crawley in front of that established back three.
17:35It's going to be really good in terms of what Scott said when he came.
17:39He's obviously, when he came up through the Chelsea Academy, played with Dion Conroy.
17:43So I think Dion Conroy was a big part of him coming here.
17:49He said, I'm delighted to be here.
17:51I feel like it's coming at a good time.
17:53I'm feeling good.
17:53I'm healthy and fit.
17:55It's been in the works for a few weeks now.
17:56It's definitely something I've been looking forward to.
17:58He says he's a midfielder, a technical midfielder.
18:01I like to get in the ball and dominate play.
18:03I like to attract players towards me and move the ball forward and pass them.
18:07Off the ball, I like to get the ball back as quick as I can.
18:09And I'm pretty aggressive in my play.
18:11I like to tackle, press high and get the ball from opponents.
18:15I mean, that sounds like a Scott Lindsay player to me.
18:18So, yes.
18:20And obviously, football fans just love any player that go in for a hard tackle.
18:24So that's why they love Jay Williams.
18:26I know Tori mentioned Matt O'Reilly earlier.
18:30Won't be happy Jay Williams is back.
18:32But, you know, I think he looks like he's going to be a really, really key player for Crawley this year.
18:38Yeah, couldn't agree more.
18:39I think they've got a cracking player on their hands there.
18:42Meanwhile, Crawley Town and their fans suffered a bit of a pre-season setback on Saturday when their prestige friendly at home's championship club, Portsmouth, was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.
18:50And I think considering the sheer amount of rainfall we had in the area on Saturday morning, Mark, I'm not too surprised the game was called off.
18:56But what did the club have to say about the postponement?
18:58And how well did the news go down on social media?
19:02I'm sure it went down very well and all the responses were very reasonable and very level-headed.
19:07Yeah, I think the word tin pot was trending when it referred to Crawley on that.
19:13I mean, it is bizarre to have a game called off in July for weather.
19:17But, I mean, anyone who was in and around Crawley on Saturday morning, it was ridiculous.
19:22It was biblical.
19:23Yeah.
19:24It was just astonishing, the amount of water.
19:27And I did think quite early on.
19:28I'd be surprised if that's on later.
19:29I mean, a lot of the cricket games were called off in the area as well, obviously, because you can't play football.
19:36You would have thought the forecast was no rain in the afternoon, so you would have thought it might have cleared up.
19:41But, obviously, it did enough damage.
19:43But, yeah, the fans were just, yeah, makes me laugh.
19:48Every time we have a match called off, local sides usually around Sussex always play.
19:51Sort the drainage out on a vest in a cover.
19:54Rained off in July.
19:55Hilarious.
19:56Two-bit club.
19:56Two-bit club for having a pitch unplayable for a pre-season friendly.
20:01And I saw someone say, well, if they're calling off in July, so surely we can't play at home between November and March.
20:07I was going to ask you, Mark, is that, all joking aside, is that not a worry now?
20:12That if games are being called off in July, come the winter, might be an issue?
20:17Yeah, I think so.
20:18I mean, I'd be surprised if there's going to be many days which had as much rain as that overnight, because it was a lot.
20:24Yeah.
20:24But, part of me thinks, do they, they've got the Crystal Palace game coming up, then they've got a home game against Newport, the second league game of the season.
20:35Is it worth playing on that pitch, ruining it, and causing damage early season, which could have repercussions during the week?
20:43So, playing devil's advocate, it could be a sense of, it might have been playable by the time kick-off game, but what's the point on a pre-season friendly?
20:52And they got to play the game anyway.
20:54So, which is a great segue onto your next question.
20:57Well, Mark, funny you should mention that.
20:58The game was, however, played.
21:00They were behind closed doors friendly at Portsmouth Training Ground.
21:03What was the outcome of this game?
21:04And what did Scott Lindsay have to say about the result and the performance from a Crawley point of view?
21:09Yeah, so they lost 1-0.
21:11He said, but first of all, he said he was really disappointed that they didn't get a game in front of the fans,
21:16because they would have loved that game today.
21:19He said it was a brilliant performance.
21:20I don't know how we didn't score.
21:22We had loads of chances, certainly in the first half.
21:24He counted three one-on-ones with the goalkeeper, didn't manage to put it in the net.
21:28And there was a real big chance at the end where they hit the post.
21:31But he thought they were absolutely excellent.
21:34And going back to Kyle Scott, he said, how good was he?
21:37He was just ridiculous, wasn't he?
21:39Never gave the ball away, and he had a lot of it.
21:42He was just so calm in possession, so good, so clean with his passing,
21:45but also aggressive as well on the tackle.
21:47And he made a couple of real crunching tackles.
21:49So I think it was a really good exercise.
21:51It was bizarre seeing the post-match interview,
21:54because it looked like they were in Spain again,
21:55because it was so warm and sunny in the afternoon,
21:58which probably wound some fans up even more.
22:01But at the end of the day, yeah, it's a shame that they didn't get to play
22:05in front of the fans, but they've got that coming up against Crystal Palace
22:08on Friday night.
22:08So it makes that friendly even more special now, I think.
22:13So, yeah.
22:14I mean, is it something to get wound up about?
22:17Yeah, people wanted to watch football, but have a Saturday.
22:20Do something else.
22:21It's great fun.
22:21Watch cricket.
22:22I unparied a game on Saturday at Cricket in Brighton.
22:25You've got to come and watch me.
22:27Probably would have been more exciting than watching a friendly, Mark.
22:30Yes, absolutely.
22:32Yes.
22:32Well, to continue an action-packed Saturday for Crawley Town,
22:35Chairman and CEO Preston Johnson announced his departure
22:38from the club on social media.
22:41Johnson's exit comes just weeks after Vice Chairman Ben Levin
22:44also left the club.
22:45It's more upheaval at Crawley Town, Mark.
22:47What did Johnson say on social media about his departure?
22:50What was the club's response to his exit?
22:53And what's the latest regarding the ownership of Crawley Town?
22:56I'm sure fans will be keen to know who the club's new custodians are.
23:01Yes, it's all very interesting.
23:03Yeah.
23:03When it comes to a Saturday, I try and switch off sometimes about work.
23:08I got home from my cricket match, and suddenly there was a lot of work to do.
23:13But, yeah, it sort of came out of nowhere.
23:16I don't know if it came out of nowhere.
23:18There's sort of been rumblings behind that it's not a particularly happy camp,
23:22et cetera, and all that.
23:23But I wasn't expecting Johnson to stand down this early.
23:25But he said in his statement, I love the club and everyone who makes it.
23:29It's been a great honour, all those kind of nice things.
23:32But sort of the most pertinent thing he said was,
23:34Wagmi is in the process of transitioning to new lead investors
23:37who will guide the club forward, and they have a different vision for its future.
23:41As a result, this summer's player recruitment has gone in a different direction
23:45than the data-driven approach that has powered our success over the past few years.
23:50I do not believe this shift represents the best path forward for the club,
23:53which is why I've made the difficult decision to step back.
23:56Now, that's quite interesting because early on in the summer,
24:00when they signed Rhys Brown and Harry McCurdy, two experienced EFL players,
24:05I said to Scott Lindsay, is there been a change in the player recruitment strategy?
24:11And is that down to you returning?
24:13And he said yes.
24:15Soon after that, we wrote that story saying, oh,
24:18Crawley Town have had a change in transfer policy shift sort of thing.
24:23We spoke to Preston Johnson, and he said, no, there hasn't been a change.
24:28It's all the same as it was.
24:29We've got these players.
24:30We'll be looking for hidden gems in non-league, et cetera, and blah, blah, blah.
24:35But now he's saying there has been a shift.
24:37So there's a bit of contradictory there from Johnson.
24:40Maybe he wanted to believe that it wasn't changing,
24:42but he's been told that it is changing.
24:44So, yes, very, very interesting.
24:46And in response to that, and it took quite a long time for the club to respond.
24:51I don't know if they weren't expecting Johnson to put out on social media as early as he did.
24:57He said the club thanked him for his service.
25:00We're grateful for his innovation, leadership, and commitment over the past few years.
25:04Recruitment at Crawley Town is and will remain a balanced process,
25:08one that draws on data, experience, and instinct.
25:11While we acknowledge Preston's recent statement,
25:13we believe that multiple perspectives contribute to a successful footballing strategy.
25:17Data will still continue to play a key role alongside other critical considerations.
25:23And they went on to say that they're really pleased with the calibre of players they've got in.
25:27But interestingly, after the Southampton friendly yesterday,
25:31Scott Lindsay said, what did he say?
25:34He said he was pleased with the squad.
25:35He thinks they need one or two more fringe players.
25:37And he said there's been some really clever, really clever joined-up thinking in the recruitment process.
25:47And I mean, reading between the lines, everybody's probably thinking,
25:52well, there obviously wasn't joined-up thinking before.
25:55So Scott Lindsay is a man who knows, he thinks about what he says.
26:01He doesn't just come out and say things.
26:02I think that there might be a veiled dig there at previous summer transfer windows.
26:09I mean, I could be wrong, but that's the way I read it, between the lines.
26:12So yeah, all very interesting.
26:14And in terms of the new lead investors,
26:17an ownership statement on the Crawley Town Club website says,
26:21it's owned by majority shareholders, Wagme.
26:23So Wagme is still the owning company.
26:25Still unclear who Wagme is and who's involved in that.
26:28But other material investors include KB Sports and Leisure Limited,
26:33Launchpad Capital Fund LP, and DreVision LLC.
26:38Now, DreVision is Andre Jackson.
26:40He's active in Los Angeles, and he's president of London Entertainment Incorporated.
26:46And the other two, KB Sports, Leisure Limited, and Launchpad Capital Fund,
26:51they're related to Crawley Town directors who are named on the website.
26:55Daniel Khalili, who we know from the Khalili Brothers, Ryan Gilbert, and Maxwell Strowman.
27:01Now, I looked this up on the company's house,
27:04and they were all made directors of KB Sports and Leisure.
27:08I think it was on July the 22nd, or July the 20th, or July the 19th, something like that.
27:13So, KB Sports and Leisure is obviously a new thing.
27:17But all these directors who have been sort of rumoured around Crawley Town over the years
27:22are part of that KB Sports and Leisure Limited.
27:26So, in Johnson's statement, he said that we will hear from the new owners soon.
27:33So, hopefully, we will do.
27:34But I contacted the club to say, will there be any announcement on chairman, new CEO?
27:38Because Johnson was both those things.
27:41And they said there's no announcement as yet, but there will be something coming forward.
27:45So, I think all the fans want to know is, what is the vision for the club?
27:48Who are these new people?
27:50Who are Wagme?
27:51How much are they still involved?
27:53And all that.
27:54Because it is all a little bit vague at the moment.
27:57But it does say the directors are Daniel Khalili, Ryan Gilbert, and Maxwell Stroman.
28:03So, I'm assuming they are the ones making decisions along with Scott Lindsay when it comes to the transfer policy.
28:09But it would be interesting to know what happens going forward with the club
28:14and what other decisions they're going to be making and what other big choices there are
28:18or changes they're going to be at Crawley Town.
28:20It could be an exciting time, but I think a little with what happened with Wagme when they first took over,
28:25I think there's a lot of apprehension from fans.
28:27Yes, I think they just want a bit of clarity, don't they?
28:30I was quickly going to ask you, and I'd be interested to get your take on this.
28:34How would you view Johnson's legacy as CEO and chairman or just generally being a part of Crawley Town?
28:41It's safe to say there have been highs and lows.
28:45It doesn't seem like there's ever been a middle ground since he's taken over there.
28:48I think that's a good way of putting it, because when they first came in,
28:52everybody was sceptical about him anyway, because they're Americans coming into English football kind of thing.
28:57But when he first came in, he did a lot of the right things.
29:00He invited everyone down to the old punch bowl in the town centre for a drink
29:05and said, any fan wants to come along, I'll buy you a drink.
29:08And he did. I went along that night as well.
29:11I think they had a fans forum quite early on where, again, they said a lot of the right things.
29:15And then they started doing ridiculous things.
29:19And I know this wasn't just Johnson, but it was Wagmi as a whole,
29:22like that awful Carlisle video before the first game.
29:25That was unbelievable.
29:28And then there was stuff like they were going to let the fans vote on picking the team
29:33for the EFL trophy games and things like that.
29:36So that's where the innovation came in.
29:38They were trying to do things slightly differently.
29:41But I think they learned lessons quite quickly.
29:44And Johnson was a big part of that.
29:47And, I mean, obviously he had that moment where he sat on the bench at Stevenage
29:51after Matthew Everington left.
29:53And it was Crawley's fourth manager of the season.
29:56And it was all – yeah, but the second season, they learned a lot from those lessons.
30:02But I think he's had a big part of the data.
30:04He came from a sports betting background, so data is a big thing in his life.
30:09And I think that had a big say on the transfers they brought in in that second summer
30:13where it led into the promotion-winning season.
30:18So – that was the first summer, sorry.
30:21So, yeah, it just – I think fans liked him.
30:29And I think he tried – but he – from my experience with Johnson,
30:33he cared so much about the football club, whatever mistakes he made in that.
30:40Nothing was done maliciously.
30:41Nothing was done ignorantly.
30:43It was done for caring for the club.
30:45He wanted to try something new.
30:46And I think people will fondly remember it just because of that playoff season.
30:51But the main reason that playoff season so worked in the second half of that season,
30:55you didn't hear from Wagmey.
30:56You didn't hear from Preston Johnson.
30:58It was all about the football team, the players, Scott Lindsay, and that's why it worked.
31:03And then, obviously, last season, we saw what happened again.
31:06It's not all Johnson's fault why Lindsay left, et cetera.
31:09But I think it was about time for a change.
31:13And I think people will kind of fondly remember what Preston Johnson –
31:17because he did integrate himself with the Crawley community.
31:20He had something to do with the basketball team in Crawley.
31:23You always saw him out and about.
31:26So, yeah, it's kind of sad to see him go.
31:29But, yeah, I'm getting the impression it's going to be –
31:32with what I've seen so far from the players they've signed,
31:35from the way they're playing, the way Scott Lindsay's body language
31:39and that is much more positive than it was this time last summer.
31:44All shaping up for a very interesting season.
31:47And very, very finally, we'll quickly rattle through this.
31:50The Reds played their Pernam at Summer Friendly on Tuesday,
31:52a high and closed-door game against Southampton.
31:55They wrap up their pre-season preparations at home to FA Cup holders,
31:58Crystal Palace on Friday evening.
32:00Mark, very quickly, what was the outcome of that game against the Saints
32:03and how much are you looking forward to that Palace Friendly on Friday?
32:07Yeah, so they lost 2-1 to the Saints in behind.
32:10It was quite a youthful Saints side, apparently.
32:12But Jack Rolls scored, but then Southampton scored
32:16either side of half-time to make it 2-1.
32:19So, yeah, I think Lindsay again was pleased with the performance.
32:22I think there were more chances in the second half
32:24than there were the first half.
32:26There were players who got 90 minutes, like Adi Adiiemo,
32:28who hadn't played – who'd only played a bit part so far in pre-season.
32:32So, I think a lot of players got minutes that hadn't done before.
32:37But, yeah, Friday night should be really good.
32:39Under the Friday night lights, Crystal Palace.
32:42You'd like to think Crystal Palace are going to bring a decent side.
32:45I think Lindsay will go with predominantly the side that we will see
32:49a start against Grimsby a week later in the opening league game.
32:55I'm looking forward to it.
32:56Lindsay said about – he's just so happy he gets to play in front of the fans
33:00because they thought they were going to have that last week with Portsmouth.
33:02Obviously, it didn't happen.
33:03But it may – like I said earlier, this makes this game a little bit more special.
33:07He said, obviously, the fact – it does have an impact on the player playing
33:11in front of fans, and they need that going into that first league game,
33:15having that big fans.
33:17They had – what was it?
33:18A couple of – a few hundred at the Dagenham game, which was quite good fun,
33:22and the fans were quite atmospheric.
33:24But I think – hopefully, it's going to be near – near two – you'd hope
33:29two or three fouls in there on Friday night, just to see them in their new home kit.
33:34It's going to be a good night, I think.
33:36Let's hope so.
33:37Brilliant.
33:37Well, I think we'll leave it there.
33:39And my thanks to Darren, Henry and Mark for joining us this week.
33:41Don't forget you can catch up with all the latest sports news
33:43covering everything we've talked about today.
33:45It's sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport.
33:48Thank you very much for listening and or watching,
33:50and we will see you all next week.
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