Last week Newcastle and West Ham forwards Callum Wilson and Michail Antonio released their first podcast episode. It’s called ‘The Footballer’s Football Podcast‘ and is available to listen to on BBC sounds.
What’s it all about?
Wilson and Antonio clearly have strong chemistry with one another and covered some interesting topics in the first episode. Firstly, the duo discussed dream guests for the podcast and the reason for those picks.
However, the most interesting aspect was when they spoke about pre-season and their approaches to it. The conversation lead further to the two discussing when they played each other at the start of the season. Wilson went on to state that Newcastle wasn’t fit enough for the fixture. He believed West Ham were much fitter than them over 90 minutes, which lead to the scoreline ending 4-2 to the Hammers.
Certainly, it was interesting to get two insights from current footballers on the game today. Going forward I feel this podcast could be really good for football as a whole. Here are the reasons why:
An opportunity to see more of Wilson’s off the pitch personality
The majority of the time Newcastle fans will see Callum Wilson is in some form of football aspect. Whether it be when he’s playing on the pitch, speaking about it after the match or perhaps the odd social media post. Within one episode I already felt like I knew much more about Wilson as a person.
He spoke about some music artists he liked and his approach to training, especially pre-season. In addition, what was nice to see was to see him speak in a more relaxing environment. With post-match interviews, footballers will have to be more conservative when answering questions. So, it was a nice change of pace to hear him chatting with a friend and having a laugh.
Additionally, Wilson is already a fan favourite amongst the Geordie faithful. Having said that, the new podcast could even further cement the love for the Magpie’s no.9. The more we get to know Wilson, the more supporters will gravitate even more towards the forward.
A platform to communicate with fans
Wilson and Antonio made it clear from the first episode that the podcast is about footballers talking football, hence the name.
This could be a great opportunity going forward for them to use the show as an outlet to communicate to fans. Should some issues arise, it could be a very useful way for Wilson to give a players perspective on something. Often many fans will sometimes understand and could help them understand players better.
The fact it’s a fresh and unique concept, this could be a style of podcast that other players may try out and adopt. Wilson and Antonio may have struck gold here and revolutionised the football podcasting world.
It could lead to some much positive media coverage
At times it really does feel like Newcastle can’t catch a break from a lot of media outlets. You sometimes get the feeling sometimes that it’s neverending. Having said that, this new podcast could be a real chance at getting Wilson and the Toon Army some positive press.
If both he and Antonio continue to come across in the way they did in the first episode, there is no doubt people will take notice. Their profiles could be boosted even further by the podcast and in the process be a good representation of their clubs going forward.
Thus far it’s only been one episode, but it’s a move in the right direction for both Wilson and Antonio. This new podcast could really help us better understand the modern player. Furthermore, it gives an insight into two players and allows us to know them better.
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