11/02/2017 Football Focus


11/02/2017

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 11/02/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

It is absolutely brilliant. Oh, this is getting better and better. A

:00:14.:00:24.

chance for Ronaldo! History boys indeed. They have won the cup, they

:00:25.:00:43.

have won the cup. He has done it! Welcome to Football Focus. Last

:00:44.:00:49.

weekend two managers sounded like they had conceded the title. Today

:00:50.:00:56.

we have all this on the way. Mkhitaryan at home in Manchester. He

:00:57.:01:06.

is even learning the lingo. From Munich to the Mumbles, the Manager

:01:07.:01:11.

of the Month is on the show. I have come into a team in January, in the

:01:12.:01:15.

middle of transfer window, a team that was bottom of the table, so

:01:16.:01:19.

there was a lot happening in a short amount of time. As Liverpool play

:01:20.:01:26.

Spurs, what interrupts the kip of Matip? I hate when I do mistakes and

:01:27.:01:30.

sometimes it takes me a long time too sleep. Even Conte struggles to

:01:31.:01:36.

keep his players' attention at Chelsea. After five minutes, ten

:01:37.:01:41.

minutes... They get bored. Very difficult. And Danny and Martin will

:01:42.:01:50.

assess all that for us this weekend when this is the fixture list in the

:01:51.:01:58.

Premier League. Let's have a look. Today early kick off sees Arsenal

:01:59.:02:01.

play Hull. One man who has hit form at

:02:02.:02:28.

Manchester United is Henrik Mkhitaryan. This week he visited a

:02:29.:02:33.

local school with the Manchester United foundation.

:02:34.:02:44.

You're nicknamed Mickey, where did you get it from? When I came first

:02:45.:02:52.

to Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp said, listen, Mkhitaryan, it is your

:02:53.:02:56.

family name, it is too long, so Henrik it is too long, let's call

:02:57.:03:01.

you Mickey. Are you OK? I said no problem. Since that day they started

:03:02.:03:11.

calling me Mickey. Henrik you're Armenian and it is a very different

:03:12.:03:15.

place to here, what was it like growing up? When I was in Armenia,

:03:16.:03:23.

we had a lot of problems with our neighbours, Azerbaijan, we were in

:03:24.:03:27.

war and until now we have this bad situation, but growing up in

:03:28.:03:33.

Armenia, to be a footballer and to go from Armenia is a bit hard. You

:03:34.:03:36.

come from a family steeped in football. Your dad was a striker?

:03:37.:03:43.

Yes he was a football player and I was always happy to go with him on

:03:44.:03:47.

training and he was my drive and my dream. I wanted to become a player,

:03:48.:03:52.

because being in this kind of family, you're supposed to continue

:03:53.:03:57.

the job that he is doing. Even until now I'm thankful for him that I

:03:58.:04:01.

choose this sport. Your father passed away when you were young,

:04:02.:04:08.

what impact did that have on your and your ambitions. At that time, I

:04:09.:04:12.

was very young. I maybe didn't feel the impact. But I knew that he is

:04:13.:04:18.

watching me from the sky and he has to be very proud. Who was your idol

:04:19.:04:27.

when you were growing up. Many lovely players, but I think the main

:04:28.:04:31.

one was Zinedine Zidane. That is a goal. Zinedine Zidane. I was in love

:04:32.:04:35.

with his way of playing football. I don't know why, but he impressed me.

:04:36.:04:40.

Of course like when I started watching football, I was just

:04:41.:04:44.

watching the games with Zinedine Zidane. You were brought to Borussia

:04:45.:04:49.

Dortmund by Jurgen Klopp. What was it like to play for him and how does

:04:50.:04:54.

his style contrast with Jose Mourinho? I'm thankful to him,

:04:55.:04:59.

because he picked me when I was in Ukraine. He worked a lot on me, like

:05:00.:05:04.

most of his work on my personality, on my psyche logic part, because I

:05:05.:05:10.

was really stressed after a few games and we were playing bad and

:05:11.:05:18.

I'm thankful to him. He was always supporting me, saying everyone is

:05:19.:05:21.

playing bad, but you don't have to bring your head down. You always

:05:22.:05:25.

have to keep your head up. To compare to Jose Mourinho, they're

:05:26.:05:30.

two different persons. They're very friendly, but a lot of them they're

:05:31.:05:34.

good in their jobs. Like two big managers. But the way of their work

:05:35.:05:43.

it is different. What is day-to-day life like under Mourinho? At the

:05:44.:05:46.

beginning we had not like problems, but a bit difficulties. But then

:05:47.:05:51.

starting from November we start winning. Mkhitaryan doesn't need

:05:52.:05:57.

anybody else. Day-by-day, he understands what he expects from you

:05:58.:06:01.

and you're trying to do your best to be involved in the training and the

:06:02.:06:07.

game he wants to see. He said that he was protecting you at the start.

:06:08.:06:10.

Did you understand his think something At that time, even when I

:06:11.:06:14.

wasn't playing, I had always a smile on my face. Because if I would be

:06:15.:06:22.

sad, if I would be mad, nothing would help me. So I was waiting for

:06:23.:06:26.

the time and I was sure my time would come and I would have one more

:06:27.:06:32.

chance. If I was like 23, 24 years old when I just came to Manchester,

:06:33.:06:36.

maybe I would suffer, I would have problems, because I would take

:06:37.:06:42.

things very like seriously. If I wouldn't play, I would be sad, I

:06:43.:06:47.

would be mad, I don't know. Maybe I wouldn't talk to friends and family.

:06:48.:06:51.

But I sad this is life. If you just smile through your life, the life

:06:52.:06:56.

will smile to you as well. So I just kept smiling and working. Now I'm

:06:57.:07:01.

happy. He is in here, Mkhitaryan, fabulous goal. Jose Mourinho said he

:07:02.:07:06.

needs more goals. Are you confident that you will be able to bring in

:07:07.:07:13.

more goals, maybe another scorpion? I don't know if I will be able to

:07:14.:07:18.

score a scorpion goal. What a finish that is! When I scored the scorpion

:07:19.:07:24.

goal, I couldn't even imagine in my life it would do that. It is not

:07:25.:07:29.

always about scoring goals, but what you're giving to the club. That is

:07:30.:07:40.

the main thing to win. He is a great talker. Looking at his stats from

:07:41.:07:48.

Dortmund. 140 appearances and 41 of goals and assists. Even at

:07:49.:07:52.

Manchester United the ratio is the same of goals and assists, and yet,

:07:53.:07:59.

as he said, when he came in, people asked why he spent ?27 million on a

:08:00.:08:03.

quality player and almost ignore him. Well, they bought him because

:08:04.:08:10.

of that quality. 82 involvement in goals, scoring and assists is

:08:11.:08:15.

phenomenal. But again some players take a bit of time. When they move

:08:16.:08:19.

countries and clubs, Manchester United is still one of biggest clubs

:08:20.:08:24.

in the world. Mentally, could he meet that challenge? I think that is

:08:25.:08:30.

what Alex Ferguson said, it is not about the ability to play for

:08:31.:08:36.

Manchester United, can you handle the mental side of game? Does

:08:37.:08:45.

Mourinho deliberately test people and test their resolve. I think he

:08:46.:08:50.

does without doubt. What he then gets is he guarantees a performance,

:08:51.:08:53.

because they know how they have to behave. He has been part of the

:08:54.:08:56.

improvement of Manchester United. They have had nine draws, six at

:08:57.:09:01.

home, if they could turn them into wins, they would be right behind

:09:02.:09:06.

Chelsea and he has played a part. He loves that central position and he

:09:07.:09:09.

can see a pass. He's great player to have. It is a mystery why he didn't

:09:10.:09:15.

come in until November. Two months ago, Manchester United looked like

:09:16.:09:20.

they didn't have a hope of the top four. But the league position has

:09:21.:09:27.

not changed, they're still in sixth and are desperate for Champions

:09:28.:09:31.

League football. Yes, but what we are seeing now is Manchester United

:09:32.:09:36.

or Mourinho, that Chelsea-style of play. Inter Milan style. Defensively

:09:37.:09:44.

strong. People see the wounded animals Arsenal ahead of him,

:09:45.:09:47.

Liverpool stuttering and Mourinho is on the chase. He wants to get into

:09:48.:09:50.

that Champions League. If they could win a couple of trophies this season

:09:51.:09:53.

and get into the Champions League it would be a good season. And we

:09:54.:09:57.

shouldn't ignore Watford. It is great to hear from Mkhitaryan, but

:09:58.:10:02.

Watford have had wins over Burnley and Arsenal. They're going through a

:10:03.:10:08.

good period and they're a side, who staying in the Premier League, they

:10:09.:10:14.

want that to be season on season. It was looking a bit precarious until

:10:15.:10:19.

two or three weeks ago. They have had a couple of great results and

:10:20.:10:24.

they almost look safe. They were brilliant that night and Niasse

:10:25.:10:28.

looks special. They made changes in the Cup and they profited from that.

:10:29.:10:33.

There was a freshness about them. Arsenal looked mentally not strong

:10:34.:10:39.

enough on the night. That is a huge difference, I saw them at Burnley

:10:40.:10:46.

and they didn't have a high tempo and didn't play particularly direct

:10:47.:10:50.

and it was a dull game. Now they're realising that they have almost got

:10:51.:10:53.

themselves out. But do you think United will win? Yes, they're almost

:10:54.:10:58.

safe and Watford have, it is a strange dynamic at the club. The

:10:59.:11:02.

manager's probably likely to go at the end of the season, however well

:11:03.:11:07.

he does. That is the one of three 3 o'clock kick offs. We are 15 minutes

:11:08.:11:12.

from the first game of the day, Steve Wilson is at the Emirates for

:11:13.:11:18.

Arsenal against Hull. Arsene Wenger whose future is the subject of more

:11:19.:11:22.

speculation this weekend has made one change to his eleven. Gibbs in

:11:23.:11:33.

for Monreal. Bellerin is fit. And Wenger completes his four-match

:11:34.:11:40.

touch line ban. Hull have Markovic in and Hernandez is injured and

:11:41.:11:45.

Niasse comes in. They're in credit after four points from games with

:11:46.:11:48.

Manchester United and Liverpool. Reasons to be cheerful certainly.

:11:49.:11:56.

And confirmation of the Arsenal line up.

:11:57.:12:07.

The man on the sidelines is interesting, if you were listening

:12:08.:12:14.

to Five Live, Mr Wright said this. I was with the boss last night and if

:12:15.:12:19.

I'm going to be honest, I get the impression that I think that's it. I

:12:20.:12:23.

genuinely believe, I was with him for a few hours and we were talking

:12:24.:12:28.

a lot, he didn't say I'm leaving at the end of season, but if... You get

:12:29.:12:34.

the sense. Yes, because I just get the impression in looking at him

:12:35.:12:39.

that... That's it. I think that's it. He mentioned while we were

:12:40.:12:43.

talking that he is coming to the end. I have never heard him say

:12:44.:12:50.

that. He looks winded like somebody hit him in the stomach. I feel if

:12:51.:12:54.

somebody asks do you think he will go at the end of season, I would

:12:55.:12:59.

say, I think he will. Ian qualified what he said last night on social

:13:00.:13:04.

media since then. But it is something Wenger has never

:13:05.:13:11.

discussed, when he wants to go. What tuning of the latest speculation?

:13:12.:13:19.

Listen, Wrighty is a good judge on how he is. It is almost becoming

:13:20.:13:26.

boring. If he goes out of the Cup to Sutton and they don't mean the

:13:27.:13:29.

Champions League and he will be leaving. But he will be the one that

:13:30.:13:32.

makes the decision. Because of what he has achieved. It is almost a

:13:33.:13:38.

unique situation at the club. He has got to got back to winning. But I

:13:39.:13:44.

get the feeling he is now coming to the end of it. He is not at the

:13:45.:13:52.

beginning of his career. You still think he is unsackable. Nobody above

:13:53.:13:58.

him at board level has sacked a manager, or appointed a manager,

:13:59.:14:03.

Arsene designed the ground, runs the whole club and sadly for the fans,

:14:04.:14:07.

those shareholders are not fans. So as long as they keep finishing

:14:08.:14:14.

fourth they're happy. It is a healthy situation for him to be

:14:15.:14:23.

deciding? No it is not. When clubs change the manager, it is a huge

:14:24.:14:28.

decision in the life of Arsenal and not one, it must be done in the best

:14:29.:14:32.

interests of Arsenal and not just Arsene Wenger. It will be a massive

:14:33.:14:38.

wrench for him. Don't forget how successful he has been and what he

:14:39.:14:43.

turns football into. He has been a huge part of a lot of good for

:14:44.:14:48.

Premier League and English football. But everyone has a shelf life. Have

:14:49.:14:56.

you Have you noticed a change in him. I have seen the opposite, maybe

:14:57.:15:01.

after losing the Chelsea game, but before that match he was the same.

:15:02.:15:05.

Really sharp mentally, mravening for the future -- planning for the

:15:06.:15:09.

future. The new training ground is on development. He won't let go of

:15:10.:15:18.

the club lightly. He has got to do, all the gre leaders decide the time

:15:19.:15:19.

to leave. Now the Hull team. Six of the seven players Mr

:15:20.:15:31.

silverback bought in start. Harry Maguire at the back but the way they

:15:32.:15:36.

are playing, we talk about Swansea later, they are dragging more and

:15:37.:15:39.

more teams into that relegation battle because they are picking up

:15:40.:15:45.

some nearby -- Mr Silva. It was a bit left-field. Not many of us knew

:15:46.:15:50.

about Marco Silva, his history, and they started to sell some of their

:15:51.:15:54.

best players. Snodgrass and Livermore. Then you are thinking is

:15:55.:15:58.

this for relegation? He has a contract until the end of the

:15:59.:16:04.

season. Suddenly all the players are buying into him. They look happier,

:16:05.:16:08.

they are energised and they are at a good run. They'd given themselves a

:16:09.:16:12.

chance. To get those results in the bottom three is outstanding but I

:16:13.:16:15.

don't think those players are good enough to stay up. If you will

:16:16.:16:18.

choose someone to go down, Hull will go down. Strong words. What do you

:16:19.:16:23.

think about Swansea? Paul Clement has been a Premier League boss for

:16:24.:16:28.

six weeks but already named Manager of the Month, despite taking over a

:16:29.:16:31.

Swansea side bottom of the league, four points from safety. What a

:16:32.:16:34.

turnaround in south Wales. Time for a bit of Clem and Clement. Sacked

:16:35.:16:43.

Garry Monk, the manager. Looks to be the last straw. Replaces Bob

:16:44.:16:46.

Bradley. Head coach, this season. I've always wanted to work at this

:16:47.:16:51.

level. Magnificent goal from Swansea. One

:16:52.:16:59.

of the best leagues in Europe, no doubt. Swansea get their first ever

:17:00.:17:05.

league win at Anfield. Any team can go to anywhere and get a good result

:17:06.:17:11.

and we've shown that already. From desperation to optimism at the foot

:17:12.:17:14.

of the Premier League. I've only been a Premier League manager for

:17:15.:17:18.

five or six weeks, it's very new to me, I'm a novice. But I'm working

:17:19.:17:23.

hard and enjoying it. Nice little marker to get Manager of the Month

:17:24.:17:32.

award for January. Of course. It was a surprise. Other managers and teams

:17:33.:17:36.

have good records in January but our situation was different. We were

:17:37.:17:39.

bottom of the table when I came here but got out of the bottom three at

:17:40.:17:43.

this point. Nice recognition for everybody, the fans, players,

:17:44.:17:46.

backroom staff. For the good work that has gone on in January. Three

:17:47.:17:52.

wins in 19 before you got here and three wins in five since you've been

:17:53.:17:55.

here, can you put your finger on what you've been able to change?

:17:56.:18:00.

Credit has to go to the players. The way that they've taken on board what

:18:01.:18:04.

I've asked them to do. They needed the organisation, they wanted it and

:18:05.:18:09.

they got it. Ultimately, they have to go out on the pitch and deliver.

:18:10.:18:13.

I gave them the confidence to do that. They were going into games

:18:14.:18:18.

well prepared. If we had been having this conversation just before

:18:19.:18:21.

Christmas, how would you have seen your own season panning out? Well, I

:18:22.:18:27.

would have been at Bayern Munich. And hopefully winning the

:18:28.:18:32.

Bundesliga. And maybe even getting to a Champions League final and a

:18:33.:18:35.

German cup final, who knows. That's part of the reason I'm sitting here,

:18:36.:18:40.

the background I've had, six, seven years as an assistant to Carlow,

:18:41.:18:43.

working at a high level with some wonderful players. And some great

:18:44.:18:50.

clubs -- Carlo. Different challenge, motivating players to effectively

:18:51.:18:52.

hang onto something, rather than to try and gain something. A bit. But

:18:53.:18:58.

ultimately, the objectives are the same comment is a game of football,

:18:59.:19:02.

11 versus 11, 90 minutes, the game is the same. I'm quite clear about

:19:03.:19:06.

how I want this team to play. There are players who have responded

:19:07.:19:09.

really well to the way that we are working. I'm fortunate we've seen

:19:10.:19:13.

some positive results that have come off the back of that. COMMENTATOR: A

:19:14.:19:18.

result of huge significance at both ends of the Premier League table. It

:19:19.:19:23.

has finished Liverpool 2-3 Swansea. When you went back in the changing

:19:24.:19:27.

room, for example, at Anfield, what a beast that must have given them.

:19:28.:19:32.

Not just the 11 boys that finished the game. -- what a boost. But the

:19:33.:19:36.

whole club. It was. It gave everyone a lot of belief. When we went to

:19:37.:19:43.

Manchester City last weekend, everyone felt different. 81 minutes,

:19:44.:19:47.

we went 1-1 and conceded 93, which was a massive blow. A real

:19:48.:19:50.

roller-coaster of emotion. The feeling in the dressing room

:19:51.:19:53.

afterwards real, real disappointment. I'm not sure that

:19:54.:19:58.

was the case a couple of months ago, that they would feel like that. But

:19:59.:20:02.

now we're going to man City away. Not picking up a point we thought we

:20:03.:20:07.

deserved. Feeling so, so bad about it. There's definitely been a mental

:20:08.:20:12.

shift here. COMMENTATOR: Absolute heartbreak of all Swansea, who were

:20:13.:20:16.

stubborn throughout. Do you think you will survive? I've got a lot of

:20:17.:20:20.

belief we will. But I can't say for sure we are going to. The direction

:20:21.:20:27.

we are moving is very positive. There's a lot of hard work to be

:20:28.:20:29.

done. Preparation for Leicester. As soon as our finishes, we will feed

:20:30.:20:32.

back on that. We are taking it one game at a time. My belief is that if

:20:33.:20:36.

the players focus at the level that they have been since I've been here,

:20:37.:20:40.

and apply themselves, but they have been, right until the last game

:20:41.:20:43.

against West Brom at home, we will OK. -- like they had been. Cheadle

:20:44.:20:48.

Hulme High School speaks strongly. A rather

:20:49.:20:52.

We talked about Marco Silva at Hull, like championship preparation

:20:53.:20:58.

appointment. Some people said that about Paul Clement because of Aix

:20:59.:21:02.

experience at derby. What a ridiculous turnaround at Swansea. --

:21:03.:21:07.

his experience at Derby. He was but just a few weeks ago. They were

:21:08.:21:11.

bottom when he came in. Without naming it, he said there was no

:21:12.:21:14.

organisation at the football club. The players now know what they have

:21:15.:21:20.

to do. Maybe a slight on Bob Bradley, which was clearly a strange

:21:21.:21:24.

appointment at the time. He's got great experience. Fantastic

:21:25.:21:28.

knowledge of the game. Top players he's worked with. Equally, it didn't

:21:29.:21:33.

go that bad at Derby. He didn't play the Derby way, that's why he got the

:21:34.:21:38.

sack. If the challenge, can you become a great coach, ten years, no

:21:39.:21:41.

doubt, lots of big clubs. Now he is proving he can be a great manager

:21:42.:21:52.

and he needs to keep that going. You can see in his eyes he wants to be a

:21:53.:21:55.

manager and probably always wanted to be a manager. Lots of good

:21:56.:21:58.

coaches in the past, it could do it but let's see if he can. The first

:21:59.:22:01.

step is a good one. He's got to keep doing it. A massive game against

:22:02.:22:03.

Leicester tomorrow. That is absolutely huge. We talk about who

:22:04.:22:06.

will go down but when you look at it, Leicester are in it. If Swansea

:22:07.:22:09.

were to beat Leicester tomorrow, wow. You've really got to start

:22:10.:22:11.

worrying. The Champions League is coming up and their focus will be

:22:12.:22:15.

taken away from the league. He knows his own mind. There is a clamour for

:22:16.:22:19.

him to play Sigurdsson through the middle but he stuck him on the left

:22:20.:22:27.

saying he wants him to cut in and that seems to be working. He's been

:22:28.:22:30.

working at Real Madrid with the likes of Bale and Ronaldo, they

:22:31.:22:32.

start in wide positions but they end up in the middle. Mkhitaryan does it

:22:33.:22:35.

at Manchester United. That is a starting position. Great players

:22:36.:22:38.

go... Sigurdsson is their great player. He has the players to get

:22:39.:22:41.

them out of the drop. You said Hull were going to go down, who are your

:22:42.:22:47.

other two? Swansea? No, I think Swansea will stay up, Middlesbrough

:22:48.:22:50.

will go down and Sunderland don't have enough to get out. Amazing

:22:51.:22:53.

resolve against Palace but that is the three that will go down. Swansea

:22:54.:23:00.

will be fine. -- amazing result. Speaking with authority. Paul

:23:01.:23:04.

Clement Saul Leicester in FA Cup midweek, the game went on so long

:23:05.:23:08.

they even delayed the kick-off for the 10pm news.

:23:09.:23:14.

they celebrated that win but in the league their form has been miserable

:23:15.:24:11.

this year. They are bottom of the league table for 2020 -- 2017. A

:24:12.:24:21.

statement, full backing for Claudio Ranieri, sometimes the kiss of

:24:22.:24:23.

death. He said they are in trouble and they can't seem to get things

:24:24.:24:27.

together and galvanise that team in the Premier League at the moment.

:24:28.:24:31.

It's really strange. Look at them two years ago in this sort of

:24:32.:24:34.

position, survived and went on, amazing. Unimaginable, what they did

:24:35.:24:39.

last year, they deserve all the plaudits for that but they've lost

:24:40.:24:43.

focus completely. There is no energy about the team. They are not dynamic

:24:44.:24:47.

any more, they are not working hard enough for each other, conceding

:24:48.:24:51.

sloppy goals. I really fear for them. You look at this, I was

:24:52.:24:55.

tempted to call them the dirty dozen last year because this was 11

:24:56.:24:59.

football players thrown together with a very difficult... Watt where

:25:00.:25:04.

does it come from? The manager. What Ranieri had did in terms of

:25:05.:25:07.

tinkering with the team, couldn't get it right, they were amazing last

:25:08.:25:10.

season. They don't want to be remembered for a team that goes

:25:11.:25:13.

down, addressing the needs to pull together as one. They are a set of

:25:14.:25:16.

individuals. -- that dressing room needs to pull together. They have

:25:17.:25:21.

new contracts, BMWs. Go back to what is important, winning games of

:25:22.:25:24.

football. They had the pretty penny to come together as a group. This

:25:25.:25:33.

stat can show you where that can be misleading. -- they have the ability

:25:34.:25:36.

to come together. Vardy is more, go this season than last season. It

:25:37.:25:38.

doesn't tell you that he was getting more than a chance a game last

:25:39.:25:42.

season but he is only getting one every two games. No supply for the

:25:43.:25:45.

likes of Vardy and he's not playing particularly well. Bring us together

:25:46.:25:51.

and it is not working. It's not that teams have worked him out a bit.

:25:52.:25:56.

Last year there was almost that arrogance, especially from the big

:25:57.:26:00.

clubs, it's only lasted. We know they want to hit balls over the top

:26:01.:26:05.

but it's only Leicester. Teams wouldn't let them have the ball.

:26:06.:26:08.

This game tomorrow at Swansea, the wake-up call could be there. They

:26:09.:26:12.

have lots of the ball, that might suit a Vardy ball over the top.

:26:13.:26:15.

Teams have dropped off, Vardy isn't as playing -- playing as well. Huth,

:26:16.:26:22.

Morgan aren't playing as well. They have to be careful. They are right

:26:23.:26:25.

in it at the moment. One other thing, you might have seen this in

:26:26.:26:30.

the papers this morning. Continued fallout from Saido Berahino leaving

:26:31.:26:34.

West Brom to go to Stoke. Ryan Shawcross suggested that the drugs

:26:35.:26:40.

test came from West Brom. Tony Pulis apparently has called Ryan

:26:41.:26:45.

Shawcross. Called him a loser. Did you ever have a phone call from an

:26:46.:26:49.

opposition manager or member of staff telling you to keep your mouth

:26:50.:26:52.

shut during your career? I don't remember ever getting a phone call

:26:53.:26:56.

from actual manager! No! Surely that must be banter! I can't believe Tony

:26:57.:27:02.

Pulis is bringing up a former player to give him a bit of stick. I don't

:27:03.:27:06.

understand why the FA just don't come out and say it in the first

:27:07.:27:09.

place, that would clear it up and we move on? A simple solution. Let's

:27:10.:27:17.

move on! 2017 can only get better for Liverpool, since beating

:27:18.:27:20.

Manchester City on New Year's Eve, Jurgen Klopp's side has lost just

:27:21.:27:25.

once. They prepare to face Spurs at Anfield later. One of those, there

:27:26.:27:27.

he is, has been speaking to us. How would you sum up your time here,

:27:28.:27:41.

so far? The beginning was not that easy. I had a few problems with my

:27:42.:27:47.

right foot. But I had a good time here once I came back. Really

:27:48.:27:53.

successful. It was really nice for me. And my other team-mates. The

:27:54.:27:57.

beginning of January was not too easy for me. I had problems with my

:27:58.:28:00.

ankle. When you are injured, you always want to be back on the field,

:28:01.:28:05.

you want to help. I hope now it's getting better. Matip will not be

:28:06.:28:11.

playing today. He is fit for selection. He hasn't played for

:28:12.:28:17.

Cameron since June 2015, he is considers himself a retired

:28:18.:28:20.

international. How would you sum up the frustration, the disappointment

:28:21.:28:24.

and the fact that you couldn't play, even though you decided you didn't

:28:25.:28:27.

want to be part of that tournament? It was really frustrating and

:28:28.:28:31.

disappointing. Because I don't really understand. At the moment, I

:28:32.:28:35.

don't understand it. I couldn't understand it. Now it's solved. Now

:28:36.:28:41.

I hope I can help my team-mates and the club to get back to where we

:28:42.:28:48.

normally stand. You seem quite a calm, collected person, is that your

:28:49.:28:52.

personality? Nothing much concerns you? I think I am more of a calm

:28:53.:28:57.

person but of course I get angry. What makes you angry? From time to

:28:58.:29:01.

time, the decisions which I don't understand. But, of course, they are

:29:02.:29:07.

emotions that sometimes help to stay clear in mind. It always helps. I

:29:08.:29:12.

hate when I do mistakes. And sometimes it takes me a long time to

:29:13.:29:17.

sleep. But when I'm on the field, you would do everything to do our

:29:18.:29:22.

best to win the game. You will fight against your opponent like... He

:29:23.:29:25.

tried to kill you, or something like this. Piazzi in on goal, to seal it,

:29:26.:29:34.

surely, for Hull City. Liverpool's title challenge is in tatters. It

:29:35.:29:40.

was a hard month for us. The last games was not like we... Hoped the

:29:41.:29:44.

games would be. Now we have to change that and get back to the old

:29:45.:29:49.

results. And get some points. And win games. You have a pretty good

:29:50.:29:52.

record against teams in the top six, what is it about the teams in the

:29:53.:29:56.

bottom half of the table that you seem to struggle so much with? Of

:29:57.:29:59.

course it's nice that you don't really lose a lot of points against

:30:00.:30:04.

these games but it doesn't matter. You'd get a few points against Hull,

:30:05.:30:09.

if you points against Tottenham, four example. Only points count. How

:30:10.:30:15.

do you deal with the defeat, the frustration that's going on now?

:30:16.:30:18.

It's always hard, not before self-confidence. But can I change

:30:19.:30:23.

the past? No, you always have influence on the future.

:30:24.:30:26.

Realistically, can you still reach that a Champions League? You never

:30:27.:30:30.

know who stands on the table at that level. There are a lot of games.

:30:31.:30:36.

We will try our best to win these games and then we will see. Talk

:30:37.:30:44.

about that game in a moment. These are interesting statistics again.

:30:45.:30:48.

What it does tell you is he is a big player for Liverpool. When he starts

:30:49.:30:52.

games, their results tend to be better. How do you rate him? I saw

:30:53.:30:58.

him at Spurs and thought he did OK. Not fantastic in possession. I look

:30:59.:31:04.

at Skrtel, a player that's gone and look at the acquisitions they make

:31:05.:31:08.

and how good is he really. He got rid of Skrtel, he was a big player

:31:09.:31:12.

who organised. Is Matip any better? He has youth on his side, but he

:31:13.:31:17.

still has a lot to do for me. He has decent quality. He's big man. I

:31:18.:31:23.

don't see him as world class. He is a steadying influence. Lovren was

:31:24.:31:26.

fantastic at Southampton and went to Liverpool and he was all over the

:31:27.:31:33.

shop. Skrtel was aggressive, red cards, bookings, Matip looks like a

:31:34.:31:38.

nice steady centre-half. He won't do anything flash, but Lovren maybe

:31:39.:31:42.

needs that alongside him. But it is the two midfield players in front

:31:43.:31:45.

that have caused them problem. They're not doing their job and

:31:46.:31:48.

protecting the back four as well as they should do. The sides that drew

:31:49.:31:54.

at Anfield in April last season, Coutinho scored for Liverpool that

:31:55.:31:58.

day. Jurgen Klopp said he is almost trying too hard. Do you understand

:31:59.:32:06.

what that position is? He never tried too hard! You have to trust

:32:07.:32:11.

yourself and let the ability flow out of you. There is a lot of

:32:12.:32:16.

factors with the Liverpool team. I manager Jurgen Klopp will be working

:32:17.:32:21.

with hearts and minds and reminding them how good they are. But against

:32:22.:32:28.

Spurs I think they will only make it easier for Chelsea. People say you

:32:29.:32:33.

can never try too hard. It is like in golf. If you try hard to hit the

:32:34.:32:39.

ball ten yards further, you start hooking it and slicing it. You have

:32:40.:32:47.

to be relaxed ed and when thins aren't going well and you're the

:32:48.:32:53.

main man, there is pressure. Like Torres at Chelsea, he couldn't score

:32:54.:33:00.

for love or money. You try too hard. Martin looked too confused by your

:33:01.:33:14.

golf anol Ji. Anol Ji. Still they have not won at Anfield or Old

:33:15.:33:25.

Trafford or the Emirates or Stock Stamford Bridge. Yes but Rose being

:33:26.:33:30.

injured will affect them. They're a team and you look at the midfield

:33:31.:33:35.

with Wanyama and Dembele, there is so much that is good. They can

:33:36.:33:41.

switch from a three to a four. But this is about feeling. If Liverpool

:33:42.:33:45.

can regenerate that feeling that Jurgen Klopp does and they're

:33:46.:33:51.

dancing to that heavy metal tune, they can do something special. But

:33:52.:33:55.

Tottenham can hurt you. They have got to switch from being safe and

:33:56.:33:59.

thinking about not losing the game and defensively they have been

:34:00.:34:04.

outstanding and they haven't lost many. But at some point you have to

:34:05.:34:10.

gamble and think, we have kept it tight, let's try and win the game.

:34:11.:34:14.

Maybe they need somebody off the bench with pace to win the game. You

:34:15.:34:20.

can stay across this afternoon's games from 2.30 in Final Score. That

:34:21.:34:33.

is on BBC two. That is because the Six Nations is on BBC1.

:34:34.:34:38.

Still to come on Football Focus before 1. Conte gets a grilling from

:34:39.:34:49.

Gary. No one's ever lost this kind of lead at this stage. And we will

:34:50.:34:58.

find out what the Hibs boss Neil Lennon has fallen out with a sturp

:34:59.:35:08.

star. Superstar. What did you think of the the draw, that Rod Stewart

:35:09.:35:13.

would be off my Christmas card list. And a few Sunderland players went to

:35:14.:35:22.

see a young fan, Bradley Lowery. He actually fell asleep on his football

:35:23.:35:29.

hero. Sunderland's 4-0 win over Crystal Palace has left Sam

:35:30.:35:41.

Allardyce's side at the bottom. And John Motson is there. Sam Allardyce

:35:42.:35:45.

said the players do serve to be booed. He has never been relegated,

:35:46.:35:50.

but he is in a bit of a fix isn't he? Yes, I spoke to him this morning

:35:51.:35:55.

and he sounded in got heart and he denied there was a trip to Dubai

:35:56.:36:01.

booked, although people think it was cancelled. But the chairman went in

:36:02.:36:11.

after the game and Sam Allardyce got the team in on Sunday morning to

:36:12.:36:16.

look at it as a punishment. But the Palace fans, they are restless, but

:36:17.:36:21.

one statistic tells the whole story, Crystal Palace have won five of

:36:22.:36:26.

their last 47 Premier League games. Obviously, the greater part of that

:36:27.:36:30.

time was under Alan Pardew. But as Sam Allardyce has said, they're now

:36:31.:36:34.

playing with fear and he has got to try and get that out of system if

:36:35.:36:38.

you like. This game at Stoke, it is a mixture of snow and rain here by

:36:39.:36:44.

the way, this fix xhur is one that Palace might not mind. They have a

:36:45.:36:49.

good record here, five wins in seven visits and earlier in the season at

:36:50.:36:55.

Selhurst Park nay beat Stoke 4-1 when Townsend was a key figure. I

:36:56.:36:59.

wonder if Sam Allardyce may recall him today. The other admission I

:37:00.:37:07.

have got to make as a comment commentator, a player they signed in

:37:08.:37:15.

January from Greece and he is Luka Milivojevic. I am sure I will get

:37:16.:37:23.

that wrong on Match of the Day and I can imagine you having a good laugh

:37:24.:37:27.

at that. Now in the House of Commons, there was a motion of no

:37:28.:37:32.

confidence in the FA. What is the mood in the governing body about

:37:33.:37:36.

where they go from here. Well, if you listen to Greg Clark, he thinks

:37:37.:37:41.

there there will be a slow revolution if that is the right

:37:42.:37:45.

expression. I'm getting confused, it is not all about the FA council and

:37:46.:37:50.

diversity, the big problem the Government have got with the FA is

:37:51.:37:54.

that they don't think they're governing the game the way they

:37:55.:38:04.

should. The other stake holders, particularly the Premier League have

:38:05.:38:09.

more power than they should. Three or four years ago, I interviewed

:38:10.:38:13.

Greg Dyke about the relationship between the FA and the Premier

:38:14.:38:16.

League and suggested to him that the FA could make a gesture about the

:38:17.:38:24.

crowded calendar and cancel FA Cup replays after the third round. Well

:38:25.:38:28.

they have cancelled they will in the sixth round. I said, if you make

:38:29.:38:33.

that concession, then the Premier League would have no option if

:38:34.:38:40.

people said, come on, move two of your January fixtures and now we

:38:41.:38:44.

have a mid winter break. He said, perhaps you should speak to our task

:38:45.:38:48.

force. Well I don't know whether Danny was on the task force, but I

:38:49.:38:53.

never got the chance to tell them. Diversity is one thing, but

:38:54.:38:58.

governing the game has wider implications. You cannot accuse John

:38:59.:39:04.

of not caring about football, thank you. He makes an interesting point,

:39:05.:39:10.

on the sort of FA council side of things, it is great to have

:39:11.:39:14.

commissioner Mills with us. Much-many lined! Of the 122, only

:39:15.:39:20.

eight are women. Only four aren't white. Is that a problem. He said

:39:21.:39:24.

there is problems elsewhere. How much of an issue is diversity in the

:39:25.:39:29.

FA council? I don't think that is a huge problem. The age is a massive

:39:30.:39:36.

problem. 92 are over 60. Yes, which is ridiculous. What do they do? Not

:39:37.:39:42.

a lot. If I'm honest and I will temper what I really want to say,

:39:43.:39:46.

realistically for the good of game they should hold their hands up and

:39:47.:39:50.

all resign. They should all walk away. Let the FA be run as a

:39:51.:39:56.

business. Put somebody at the top, two people under them and run it

:39:57.:40:01.

like a football club. Like Arsenal has been run. With chairman or like

:40:02.:40:10.

Manchester City is run. Put David Gill at the top. The lifetime

:40:11.:40:16.

membership is wrong. It is like Fifa. Everyone gets a vote and it

:40:17.:40:20.

doesn't work in business or football. I think if they have got

:40:21.:40:25.

the good of the game in their interest, give them their tickets

:40:26.:40:28.

and blazer, but all just step down and walk aWye from it. -- Walk away

:40:29.:40:35.

from it. Lovely to know what you think, get in contact with us.

:40:36.:40:38.

Chelsea play Burnley tomorrow and everyone is singing the place of

:40:39.:40:43.

Antonio Conte. He has been telling Gary Lineker why things have clicked

:40:44.:40:49.

this season. There are days in the late winter and early spring when

:40:50.:40:53.

you see champions in the making. You have a big lead, are you confident

:40:54.:40:58.

that you're going to win the league? No. It is a big lead, no one's ever

:40:59.:41:03.

lost this kind of lead at this stage? No, we are on top of the

:41:04.:41:07.

table. But the league is tough. For me, it is important to continue to

:41:08.:41:16.

push and to exploit this momentum. If you send the right signals it is

:41:17.:41:22.

very important. Boos from the Chelsea supporters. Plenty for

:41:23.:41:27.

Antonio Conte to go through. Why did you start with four at the back when

:41:28.:41:32.

you had been so successful with Juventus and Italy with three? I

:41:33.:41:39.

tried to start with... With the full-back and in my mind, this team

:41:40.:41:47.

could play with 4-2-4. We won three games in a row, but in that period,

:41:48.:41:54.

I don't feel the team in my hand, because sometimes you can win, but

:41:55.:42:00.

you can see that... It is not quite right? Yes. Why, was what miss

:42:01.:42:07.

something Because in every games we conceded many chances to score to

:42:08.:42:11.

the opponent. Then you changed the system? Yes I tried to change the

:42:12.:42:16.

system. I tried to give first of all a good balance. In my team. Don't

:42:17.:42:23.

lose offencively, but to have a defensive situation more correct and

:42:24.:42:27.

there were players with these characteristics. When you have a

:42:28.:42:33.

good winger and a good No 10 as Pedro and Willian, I knew in my head

:42:34.:42:37.

we can change and we can find this Su nm. -- is in new system. Do you

:42:38.:42:43.

analyse and discuss with the players? Honestly, my players...

:42:44.:42:52.

They're not used to... Do they like it? No, at the start we found a bit

:42:53.:43:02.

of difficulty, not because... After five minutes, ten minutes... They

:43:03.:43:08.

get bored. Very kift. Diftd. But when we -- Very difficult, but when

:43:09.:43:12.

we saw in the right way to see the game, not to find who the fault.

:43:13.:43:17.

Because we considered it good. No, only to improvement when the player

:43:18.:43:23.

understand this and he is more open to watch and improve and to ask why

:43:24.:43:30.

I have to stay in this position. And when you start to have this

:43:31.:43:34.

relation, you can build something important. Oh, what a sensational

:43:35.:43:41.

goal! From Diego Costa. Everything was going well and you had this big

:43:42.:43:46.

story about Diego Costa and possibly China, or whatever it was. Is

:43:47.:43:52.

everything calm down? Yes, but Diego Costa is an important player, but

:43:53.:43:56.

the situation is very clear and he is very happy to stay with us and he

:43:57.:43:59.

is very happy to fight for the title. Do you think he will stay

:44:00.:44:04.

here for some sometime? Yeah, I think so. I see him every day and I

:44:05.:44:11.

see his commitment, his behaviours, he is very involved in the team and

:44:12.:44:16.

yeah I think he loves the this club. Do you think China's a big threat to

:44:17.:44:21.

European football? Yes. It is funny how it changed. Because big wealthy

:44:22.:44:27.

clubs like Chelsea have been able to pluck players and pay a lot for

:44:28.:44:31.

players, now they're getting a bit of their own mid sin. But I think it

:44:32.:44:36.

is the not the right way to pay a lot of money also. I don't think it

:44:37.:44:40.

is a good example for the young player. For the people in general

:44:41.:44:46.

that work every day. Antonio Conte danced down the touchline and

:44:47.:44:53.

screamed at yelled. Do you look at yourself on the touchline hen you're

:44:54.:44:59.

getting angry. Yes, but I don't like to to watch me. Because I have a lot

:45:00.:45:04.

of pressure and you know that during the week you work a lot to prepare

:45:05.:45:10.

your team and a lot of time you don't sleep to prepare your team.

:45:11.:45:14.

You think of the right solution and when you score the goal, yeah, for

:45:15.:45:22.

me... It's... It is no normal to participate with my players in this

:45:23.:45:24.

joy. STUDIO: Another statistic to show

:45:25.:45:34.

you. Chelsea managers in charge for ten games or more, and he is

:45:35.:45:38.

currently top of the tree with Win percentage almost 80%. How much of

:45:39.:45:42.

an advantage has it been for Chelsea this season of playing European

:45:43.:45:48.

football? Absolutely huge. Especially the way he has

:45:49.:45:51.

transformed the system, he gets to work on it for five days before a

:45:52.:45:57.

game. Even with a rest day. Players are fitter, stronger, they don't

:45:58.:45:59.

have to worry about recovery so much. To change that system takes a

:46:00.:46:05.

lot of work, lots of work on the training ground. He can do that

:46:06.:46:09.

without the destruction of European football. It does help you but it's

:46:10.:46:14.

only part of the way. This manager has been outstanding. Is there a

:46:15.:46:17.

weakness? Will there be a period with that side where they lose

:46:18.:46:22.

enough games for others to catch them? I've played in the back three

:46:23.:46:25.

and it is in the wide positions you seem to get punished and they don't.

:46:26.:46:30.

I don't understand how people don't overload on the sides with Moses.

:46:31.:46:33.

Spurs put balls into the box and scored goals with their head. Dele

:46:34.:46:40.

Alli. Maybe that's a weakness. But he's been able to make them solid,

:46:41.:46:44.

strong but still have the Hazards, in really good positions and win

:46:45.:46:47.

games of football. He's been brilliant. They take on a Burnley

:46:48.:46:52.

side, the only team with a bed to record at home at Chelsea and Spurs

:46:53.:46:57.

bizarrely. -- better record. They have turned it into a fortress, Turf

:46:58.:47:02.

Moor, whatever you want to call it. Sean Dyche is amazing. Why he can't

:47:03.:47:07.

turn that into a waveform, it is so strange. Not like they are

:47:08.:47:09.

travelling halfway around the world every time, is it? Conte has done an

:47:10.:47:16.

exceptional job. To transform that. You have to say, with the players he

:47:17.:47:21.

has available this time round. The swing from last year and this year

:47:22.:47:25.

for Chelsea is enormous. I bet it isn't very dissimilar from two years

:47:26.:47:28.

ago when they won the title, that first part of the season they were

:47:29.:47:32.

outstanding. They lost to Spurs, like they have this time. And they

:47:33.:47:37.

shut up shop. Coverage of Chelsea at Burnley and Swansea- Leicester on

:47:38.:47:42.

much of the day two tomorrow. On BBC Two because of the BAFTAs.

:47:43.:47:46.

Award-winning performance from Martin because he is everywhere this

:47:47.:47:53.

week. Retallick is with Martin. The return of the Champions League to

:47:54.:47:55.

look forward to next week. -- Retallick is with Martin.

:47:56.:47:57.

COMMENTATOR: Oh! What an asset. Lahm Scores the first goal of the 2006

:47:58.:48:20.

World Cup finals. Look at that for a perfectly timed challenge.

:48:21.:48:23.

What a setting for a game that promises so much. Germany rules the

:48:24.:48:28.

world again. What a ludicrous career, 33 years

:48:29.:48:40.

old. Why is he stepping down at 33? He says he doesn't feel he can

:48:41.:48:44.

perform at that same level. The only thing I can think of, perhaps there

:48:45.:48:47.

is something in his personal life that he suddenly had second thoughts

:48:48.:48:51.

about and thought, actually, I've done everything. Something we don't

:48:52.:48:55.

know about, maybe we won't hear about. Maybe it is a more important

:48:56.:48:58.

than in football. Maybe it comes down to desire. Legend is used far

:48:59.:49:10.

too often in football but what he has done... Won everything. It can't

:49:11.:49:13.

be questioned. I wanted to hang on as long as I possibly could. We

:49:14.:49:15.

tried to change my game to develop to stay longer. Couldn't leave the

:49:16.:49:18.

money! He has to bow out. But he will come out in some other

:49:19.:49:21.

capacity. Guardiola saying he is one of the most intelligent ways he has

:49:22.:49:24.

worked with. A year earlier, he had another year left on his contract.

:49:25.:49:29.

Might come back as the sporting director at after a sabbatical.

:49:30.:49:34.

Hasn't he turned that down already? -- at Bayern There must be something

:49:35.:49:37.

else going on in his life that football has pale into

:49:38.:49:43.

insignificance at the moment. Bayern taking on Arsenal, you old boys gone

:49:44.:49:47.

in the Champions League. Top of the Bundesliga but they have got

:49:48.:49:50.

criticism for the way they played. Do you think Arsene Wenger can

:49:51.:49:54.

unpick Bayern Munich over two Blakes? No. They have quality.

:49:55.:49:58.

Watching them closely, they are back in good form. -- two legs.

:49:59.:50:04.

Lewandowski in the form. A formidable team with their manager,

:50:05.:50:07.

the experience, won this three times, the Champions League. It will

:50:08.:50:17.

be difficult for Arsenal a lot about Leicester struggling domestically.

:50:18.:50:19.

We forget they are still in the Champions League. They played the

:50:20.:50:21.

week after next with Sevilla. They are in fantastic form, Sevilla. It

:50:22.:50:26.

is Madrid not too long ago, doing brilliantly in La Liga. It is the

:50:27.:50:30.

first real test for Leicester in the Champions League. They played in the

:50:31.:50:34.

group and did incredibly well. This is the first real quality they face.

:50:35.:50:38.

So just ordered that season you could see them winning that and

:50:39.:50:41.

going through to the next... If they go out. Martin says Arsenal are

:50:42.:50:45.

going out and Leicester going through! Who knows. If that sort of

:50:46.:50:49.

performance from Leicester. They might be up for that next big thing

:50:50.:50:55.

that they want to do and achieve. They need to look after the bread

:50:56.:50:57.

and butter, staying in the Premier League. To pop back to Philipp Lahm

:50:58.:51:01.

at the moment, would he be in an all 11? What position? He has to get in

:51:02.:51:08.

there as a fallback somewhere along the line. He is so measured. We

:51:09.:51:13.

could talk about this for hours. Certainly in his period. At right

:51:14.:51:20.

back? Depends what sort of defender you want. He is a leader. You could

:51:21.:51:24.

play him centre midfield. You could play him in almost any position.

:51:25.:51:28.

That has to get him in the team. He would get in our squad. We will

:51:29.:51:31.

continue this discussion another time. Rangers. They are currently

:51:32.:51:36.

third in the Scottish Premiership, level on points with Aberdeen.

:51:37.:51:42.

Whopping 27 points behind Celtic. A bit of confusion with Rangers

:51:43.:51:46.

overnight. Mark Warburton is no longer the manager at Ibrox. I will

:51:47.:51:49.

explain it as best I can. He met with the club this week. Talking

:51:50.:51:54.

about how to possibly get out of contract. They agreed something to

:51:55.:51:57.

do with compensation that Rangers would get if he went to another

:51:58.:52:01.

team. There was a plan, it appeared. Then there was a movement back away

:52:02.:52:04.

from that plan and the club so we've agreed this bubbly, we will go ahead

:52:05.:52:07.

with it. And they almost resigned Mark Warburton for him -- agreed

:52:08.:52:12.

this verbally. Whatever the rights and wrongs, it's a mess, isn't it? A

:52:13.:52:17.

complete mess. We don't know for definite but let's assume he wanted

:52:18.:52:21.

to go to another club and said OK, lets rip up my contract at Rangers.

:52:22.:52:25.

If I go there, Rangers wanted compensation so they can get a new

:52:26.:52:29.

manager. And pay their new manager. Whatever it was. They should have

:52:30.:52:34.

stuck with him. 27 points starting hat does things strange things to

:52:35.:52:39.

people's minds. Rangers coming back. The club have gone, hang on a

:52:40.:52:46.

minute, you wanted to go elsewhere. You said you wanted to resign but we

:52:47.:52:49.

will not have you back. Maybe they've done the right thing in

:52:50.:52:51.

taking this on. Graeme Murty the under 20's coach will be in charge

:52:52.:52:56.

against Morton in the Scottish Cup. 27 points clear, Celtic, 1-0 up in

:52:57.:53:01.

their fifth round match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Let's

:53:02.:53:04.

show you this from the week. One of their many goals they scored. 24

:53:05.:53:11.

touches in this overall. The final few touches, against St Johnstone.

:53:12.:53:16.

Rabona, backheel, that finish from Mousa Dembele. That is a proper

:53:17.:53:17.

goal. One man looking on with interest is

:53:18.:53:24.

the former Hoops boss Niall Lennon, taking charge of his first Edinburgh

:53:25.:53:27.

derby tomorrow. We have been built spotting. -- boot spotting.

:53:28.:53:36.

Choose Edinburgh. Choose the Cowgate. Choose the whole dam famous

:53:37.:53:41.

five. Choose winning the league title. Choose letting out 114 years

:53:42.:53:48.

of bottled up pain in one joyous green and white explosion.

:53:49.:53:59.

What did you think when the draw handed you a meeting with Hearts?

:54:00.:54:07.

That Rod Stewart was off my Christmas card list. I just knew,

:54:08.:54:11.

you know, I was listening to it on the radio and ball number eight came

:54:12.:54:14.

out and I thought that's definitely us. Hibs away to Hearts. I was

:54:15.:54:19.

thinking, that's all we needed at this stage of the season. It's going

:54:20.:54:24.

to generate a lot of interest and we really want to focus on the league.

:54:25.:54:28.

But we are the cup holders and we want to defend the trophy. We have

:54:29.:54:33.

to beat anyone we face in the draw. Being honest, is it a game you could

:54:34.:54:40.

do without? No, but, yeah. No, but, yeah. Starting to sound like Little

:54:41.:54:44.

Britain. It's a distraction from what we are trying to do that we are

:54:45.:54:48.

the cup-holders. Like I say, we want to defend it. Now the week is here

:54:49.:54:51.

and the anticipation is building, looking forward to the occasion.

:54:52.:54:58.

What difference does it make that Hibs are the holders?

:54:59.:55:00.

Psychologically, it's a big monkey off the club's back. I never

:55:01.:55:03.

realised the significance of it until I've been in and around it. A

:55:04.:55:08.

long time, 114 years. That's been lifted. Now you are going in as the

:55:09.:55:13.

holders and there is still the attention. You want to defended

:55:14.:55:19.

vigorously. There's a lot of good teams left in the competition,

:55:20.:55:22.

Hearts being one of them. Pressure on him this season to get back to

:55:23.:55:25.

the big league, do you feel pressure to deliver question must -- on Hibs.

:55:26.:55:30.

Yes. We have been the favourite since the start of the season, top

:55:31.:55:35.

of the need for a long time. I want to deliver promotion and I want to

:55:36.:55:38.

take Hibs back. I am enjoying my time here. The people I work for at

:55:39.:55:43.

the people in the club have been fantastic. Really enjoying my time

:55:44.:55:46.

so far. Do you ever think back a couple of years and wonder about the

:55:47.:55:52.

wisdom of leaving Celtic? No, no, not at all. It was the right time to

:55:53.:55:57.

go. I had four years there and really enjoyed it. But there is an

:55:58.:56:02.

end point to everything and for me, the time was right. It wasn't a knee

:56:03.:56:06.

jerk decision. I thought long and hard about it for two, three, four

:56:07.:56:11.

months before then. No regrets. Does this feel like a kick-start for you?

:56:12.:56:16.

Yes. I feel reinvigorated but I'm not looking too far ahead. My focus

:56:17.:56:20.

is on Hibs and being successful here. Trying to build something here

:56:21.:56:25.

again. We've been in the Championship, our third season. It's

:56:26.:56:30.

a shame. You have to earn the right to get back into the Premier League.

:56:31.:56:33.

If we can do that, you just never know.

:56:34.:56:40.

STUDIO: Should be a cracking game this weekend. A common theme, isn't

:56:41.:56:50.

it? Bemoaning the cup getting in the way of concentration on the league,

:56:51.:56:52.

what's happened to cup competitions? I've no idea because winning

:56:53.:56:55.

football matches, it's great, you want to play as many as you possibly

:56:56.:56:59.

can. You don't really want to train, you want to keep winning. I don't

:57:00.:57:05.

know. The league and money has become so important. It's a massive

:57:06.:57:09.

shame. Champions League hasn't taken a back seat yet. If Hearts

:57:10.:57:12.

underestimate Niall Lennon, they could be in trouble. I believe he is

:57:13.:57:16.

a very good manager. Did well at Celtic and I was surprised there

:57:17.:57:24.

wasn't more takers. Ended up at Bolton in a difficult situation. He

:57:25.:57:27.

is a good manager on his way back and Hibernian running away with the

:57:28.:57:29.

championship. Tomorrow, that game and highlights 11:30pm BBC One on

:57:30.:57:32.

Scotland tomorrow. The Edinburgh derby and the huge Devon derby,

:57:33.:57:37.

Plymouth against Exeter, second against fourth in the two. Enjoy

:57:38.:57:41.

that if you are going to that. Thank you to Martin and Danny. Life at

:57:42.:57:44.

Huddersfield next Saturday for the fifth round of the FA Cup. A hip-hop

:57:45.:57:54.

star takes on Lawro in these positions -- for the Premier League

:57:55.:57:56.

predictions. # We spent all our money on those

:57:57.:58:12.

CDs. I became a fan of Michael Owen. I was watching England Argentina and

:58:13.:58:17.

ice -- I saw Michael Owen score a goal. I was like, who is that? My

:58:18.:58:22.

dad is sadly passed away a couple of years ago and I wrote this is true.

:58:23.:58:29.

My dad was my hero and it makes sense to pay homage. But I heard

:58:30.:58:32.

recently that Cantona has heard the song. I think it's cool. As much as

:58:33.:58:40.

I reckon Troy Deeney will probably bang in one goal, is going to be

:58:41.:58:47.

like 3-1 to United. Everton on a very good run at the moment. I'm

:58:48.:58:49.

going to say Everton 3-0, bang. Liverpool are crumbling at the

:58:50.:58:58.

moment, quite horrifically but fingers crossed, I have faith in

:58:59.:59:03.

Jurgen Klopp, the best thing to happen to Liverpool in a long time.

:59:04.:59:06.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS