25/03/2017 Football Focus

It is absolutely brilliant. This is getting better and better. Cristiano

Ronaldo. History boys, indeed. They have won the cup. The hat-trick. He

has scored. Jamie Vardy has done it, he has done it.

It's a big weekend for mums but it's also packed

Reaction to last night's match in Dublin in a moment,

and we also have all this to look forward to.

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez on taking the lowlands to new highs.

It would be stupid for us to hide the fact that this generation is

special. We'll preview a big Sunday

in Group F for England and Scotland. It's a happy fifth anniversary to

Northern Ireland's Michael O'Neill. The first two years, I felt like I

was banging my head against a wall little bit. It was a case of

persevering. And Clem's been to Bradford where

the Bantams are hatching big plans. John Hartson and Andy Cole already

have everything sorted for Mother's Day so are free to talk

football for the next 30 minutes. And we'll start with John's Wales,

who drew 0-0 in Dublin last night in a game overshadowed

by one incident. Neil Taylor has been sent off. Neil

Taylor has been sent off for Wales for crashing into Seamus Coleman. It

was certainly a bad tackle. This is bad news for Ireland. You do not

want to see a situation like that. I was right by the tackle and it was a

very bad tackle. It is part of the game but there is no need for attack

like that. I came on, they told me to warm up. I did not cure them. I

was down in shock. Seamus is gone to hospital. It has been confirmed by

the doctor that he has broke his leg. He is having the season of a

lifetime. He's a great captain. Neil Taylor is not that type of player.

He has had a serious injury himself. He is a great boy. He is a cracking

land. No player goes out on the field looking to hurt another

player. There were lots of tough tackles in that game today. It is

unfortunate that one ended up being a bad injury. You were there last

night. We have to talk about the tackle. We can say that Neil Taylor

is not that sort of way but it was a horrible moment and Seamus Coleman

will be out for a long time. Yes, and our thoughts immediately go to

Seamus Coleman this morning who we believe has gone for an operation.

We wish him a full and speedy recovery, of course. It was a

shocking challenge by Neil Taylor. He will know that himself. He has

apologised to the rest of the team. Rightly so. I believe he went into

the Ireland dressing room at the end of the game to apologise. His next

port of call will to be get -- his next port of call will be to get in

touch with Seamus. It was reckless and irresponsible. It is OK saying

it was unintentional. Then Davis says himself, nobody goes on to a

football field, most of the guys generally like each other. There is

mutual respect in football. No one goes on to a football field with the

intent of breaking someone's leg. That has actually happened. It is

offal from Seamus Coleman's point of view. You feel for the boy. It is an

awful tackle, I cannot defend it. There was a heightened atmosphere in

the stadium. There were a few challenges. I do not want to see the

wrong thing. It was a bit tasty on occasions. It was. Before that,

Gareth Bale on John O'Shea. That could have been a red card. You look

at midfield, Joe Allen, we learn in midfield. The referee like --

Whelan. Quite a bit go. He rendered in with the sending-off, and it was

a sending off. It was a bad challenge. You spoke on the radio

last night about a solid defensive performance from Ireland. Work Wales

disappointing, that was the side that beat Belgium in the Euros? Yes,

the onus was on Wales to take the game to Ireland. The best spell was

the 15 minute spell in the second half, when they change it, they went

to four at the back and push Neil Taylor further forward. Two shots on

target. Those were the stats that Wales had. For Ireland, they did not

have to force the issue. I think a draw them would have suited them.

They keep the four point gap between themselves and Wales. It was

ponderous at times. Lots of the Welsh players never performed on the

big occasion. When they watch the game, they will know that

themselves. It puts them under pressure, Wales? Yes, especially

after being so good in the Euros. Like John said, they are four points

behind the Republic. They will be happy they have come away with a

goalless draw, going down to ten men, but disappointed they have not

won the game. Time for a man who began his managerial career in Wales

with Swansea. After spells with Wigan and Everton, Roberto Martinez

has moved into the international dugout with Belgium. He has been

talking to Ian Hunt this week. It is good to see you. Eight months

into the job as the Belgium coach. How is it going? It is a fascinating

way of changing from day-to-day work that you have in the Premier League.

It is almost with blinkers, it is very intense. We only come together

five times in a 12 month period. Very different in that respect. How

did the job, by? The Belgian FA took the unusual step of advertising it

on their website? Now I have been working with the Belgian FA for

eight months, that does not surprise me. They are ambitious. Everything

became very good. Something that a year ago I would never have thought

about the possibility, becoming an international manager. You have a

big-name assistant manager working with you in Thierry Henry. What has

he brought to the role? There was an instant connection when I sat down

with him, the way he understands the game, the intelligence he has. He

had the same experience, he was in a country with a very good generation,

they had never won a major tournament before and they ended up

winning the World Cup and the European Championships. His insight

is vitally important for the psychology of the group. Sam Vokes.

Wales are heading into the semifinal. They have taken on

Belgium and they have beaten them. What did you make of the

performances in France. What was missing? The format of the

tournament did not help attacking football. In that format, three

draws would allow you to qualify. We saw it with Portugal. The only one

game in the semifinals. That golden generation tag has been used. Is

that a problem, in a way? People build this team up so much, the

expectations are so high? It would be stupid for us to hide the fact

that this generation is special. The type of football as we have, Eden

Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, they are arriving at the

best moment in their careers, and in -- and on top of being strong

minded, the ingredients are fantastic. We need to get the

psychology right. That is most important. How do you reflect on

your time at Everton and Goodison Park? As a manager you go through

good periods and bad periods. In the bad periods, you need the support of

the club and the owners. After the first season, I had the option of

leaving Everton. I never felt that was what I wanted to do. I believed

in the project and wanted to stay in the long-term. When we had appeared

with a change of ownership, if you do not win enough games, if you do

not hit targets, that is something that could happen. At the moment,

Everton have an outstanding striker in Romelu Lukaku. What is it like to

be working with him? When you work with him, you understand that he

lives for the game. At the age of 23, hacked -- he has the possibility

of becoming the best number nine in world football. He has everything.

If you get to the World Cup in Russia, what is a realistic

expectation? You have to qualify first. You will get your? Now it is

dangerous. When you get together with the national team, it is great

to be part of that with the players. It is a good start. We will try to

become as good as we can. This group of players are desperate to do well.

It is a big claim about Romelu Lukaku, that he can be the best

number nine in world football. Lukaku was asked about that in the

press conference yesterday. Do you think he could be? He is young

enough. He has lots of work to do. When you're talking about the best

number nines in the world, you're looking at someone like Suarez.

Lewandowski. Those are the levels you have to get to. He has power, he

has got the goals. He has everything. You can bring back

together. In a couple of years, he could be just that. Look at the

squad that they have. Lukaku is unplayable at times. The Everton

fans will tell you they would like to see him do it more consistently.

20 goals plus, that has not been done since the early 1980s, 1970s,

Bob Blatchford, not been done since Gary Lineker in 1985. He is breaking

all types of records. You mentioned the squad. We talk about Belgium

being underachievers. When you look at the quality they have, there is

no Kompany or Hazard this weekend, but they should be challenging for

major tournaments. They have a freakishly good squad. Amazing. They

have so many world-class players. I know Roberto Martinez. He was at

Swansea City. When he was asked, if you get to the World Cup in 2008 in

Russia, how do you think you will fear, I think he should be saying,

we can win. They are that good squad. They lost in the quarterfinal

to Wales in the Euros. They did not have a good World Cup before that.

Roberto Martinez has that group of players, he has lots of time to work

with them. They will qualify, you should be looking to win it. We were

going to show you the Belgium squad, but we will show you that yellow

screen instead! Very nice. Belgium in action tonight,

while tomorrow the attention returns to the home nations,

with Scotland facing Slovenia Amongst the Scots' attacking options

is RB Leipzig winger Oliver Burke. It is pretty much impossible to read

a newspaper article about you without the phrase, Scottish Gareth

Bale. It is complementary and very nice. But I think there is a long

way for me to go, the way we play is similar, he is less fitted, but I am

right footed. We are different players, I am Oliver Burke, he is

Gareth Bale. That is how it is. As Gordon Strachan spoke to you about

your role in the team? There has not been a specific conversation about

how and where he wants me. It is about producing and doing the best I

can do. It has not been the best of starts to the qualifying campaign

for the World Cup. What is your take on it so far? We have not got the

results we wanted but we have a chance. If we go into these games

believing we can win and we give it everything, we have a great team, a

great bunch of boys. The chemistry and the training are always very

good. There is no reason we cannot take

that into the matches. You just celebrated your first birthday the

last time Scotland reached a major finals. What would it mean to you

and Scotland to be in Russia next year? We have to win the game. There

is pressure. We have to do it now. We have to see what happens. Fingers

crossed. I hope we do. Mark Parry asking the questions. We have moved

over to the touch screen to look at the fixtures in Group F. England

playing Lithuania, Scotland playing Slovenia. One player who has shone,

I know it was not a particularly impressive performance against

Canada in the 1-1, but Tom Cairney is getting headlines. Playing for

Fulham, he has produced in the Championship. He is having a very

good season for Fulham. He is a young man, I think he is 26. He was

at Blackburn as well. This season, he has taken for Fulham. An

impressive 98 chances created, including assists. About 15 ahead of

the next neighbours. Stuart Armstrong could make his debut

tomorrow against Lavinia, part of a large Celtic contingent. He scores

goals in the great area of the pitch? Yes, he has been a constant

fixture for Brendan Rodgers this season. Is clever, it he does the

goalkeeper with his eyes. He scores with his right foot. He can go

either way, he scores in the big game. This is with his left foot

against Rangers. He has deserved his call-up. This is him getting in the

box. He scores a good header. He has earned his collar up and I hope he

can go all the way and make his debut tomorrow. We spoke about Wales

been under pressure. Gordon Strachan finds himself in that situation. If

he does not get things right this week, that could be it. If you look

at the last two and a half years of results in competitive games, the

only teams they have beaten our Malta and Gibraltar. That will not

get you to major tournament. It has been very tough for him. He does not

have the quality in the national squad he would like. People say he

should have won more games than he has done. You could say that, but

what he has got, he has done a decent job. If you get rid of him,

who do you replace him with? That is the million-dollar question.

Eric Dyer has been talking in the build-up to their match with

Lithuania to us. It's going to be a tough game. Internationals now,

there's no really easy game, to be honest. Every team sets up to try

and stop us, especially here at Wembley, so it's going to be tough.

It's key to play with intensity, move the ball quickly. They'll be in

the blow block in their half to try to make it difficult for us. Gareth

wants to play exciting football and it's a big thing for the manager and

the squad to be adaptable and to be able to play in different formations

and pose different questions of the opposition. Playing in different

formations and posing the questions. England have been accused of a lack

of versatility and a Plan B. This was a them that took on west Germany

with a back tleesmt The first time England played a back three against

Croatia, which I'm sure Steve McClaren remembers well. Isn't it

having that ability to do things different though? It is. But you

have to find a formula, a system that is compatible for your players,

and you have to stick with it. Everyone talks about 4-4-2 being

dead. It's not, we saw that with Monaco the other day playing that

system. What you have, you play to your best ability. The way they

played worked very well. There is a bit of debate about what Gareth

Southgate would do, would it be 4-3-2-1, or 4-1-4-1. But there are a

couple of players out. Most are suggesting four at the back with

Oxlade-Chamberlain or Lingard in there and again, that's a chance to

experiment a little bit? He can experiment. That's what he's doing,

three at the back against Germany, tomorrow we think he may go with

four, Dier may play as the midfield holding player, Deli There as well

that, is his best position, he can effect the game more, we saw him get

through the other night with the great chance he had. No Harry Kane,

Vardy playeded against Germany, we expect him to be upfront with

Rashford and Defoe being options. What would you like to see Gareth

Southgate do, Andy? We know Lithuania are going to sit up. John

touched on it as well. If they're going to play like that, play Defoe.

He can get shots off, he's got superb movement and it can cause

problems. He probably probably will go with Vardy because Defoe wasn't

involved midweek against west Germany. So it will be interesting.

England's players will be wearing a black arm band for their game

tomorrow as a mark of respect for what happened in London on

Wednesday. Northern Ireland are also

in action on Sunday, and their match with Norway marks

the 5th anniversary in charge There is no format or blueprint for

how you do the job. Gouk to loads of games or a few games and I think

older managers maybe wouldn't do a lot of the things that I would. I

feel that I'm still at a stage in my career where I'm still developing as

a manager. But it's a constant challenge to try and find players

and try to monitor young players and hopefully see our young players

develop. It concerns me because we don't have a huge flow of talent

coming through. For our younger players, it's very challenging for

them in England to make the breakthrough and a lot of players

have to drop down and almost build their career up at 20, 21. I think

you are everything in an intermall manager, a mentor, obviously a

coach, a tactician, and there is a lot of challenges there. It's been a

fantastic five years and I've developed an awful lot in that

period. Certainly in the first two years, I felt that I was banging my

head against the wall a little bit, that despite all the work I was

doing, I wasn't really seeing it in terms of results but I was seeing it

in terms of the players. I used to come away enthused and positive even

though we didn't get the deserved results. It was a case very much of

perseverance and making sure the players recognised that they could

achieve something as well because it had been such a long time. For many

of the players, their international careers had maybe more downs than

ups. Now I think it's fitting that we are seeing the likes of Steven

Davis and Aaron Hughes and Gareth Macaulay, Chris brunt, these players

who've played a long time getting the chance to play in the

tournaments. The positivity around the team at the minute is great. I

know the senior manager really well, he's a true gentleman. When a new

manager comes in, you always expect a lift. Norway have good players.

They've had a poor start and disappointed in Azerbaijan, beaten

in the Czech Republic as well. They are in a situation where they need a

lift and have to win the game to keep their hopes alive, to be

honest. They'll not relish coming to Belfast. We have not conceded a goal

there, we have conceded two in eight. Germany are the only team

that scored against us. O'Neill's first game was 0-3 defeat

to Norway five years ago. One win in the first

18 games in charge. He and the team have come a long

way? Very much so. What he does, he gets all the players to buy into

everything he's doing. They're a team. Fair enough they are not

blessed with a hell of a lot of talent, but the way they play for

each other man for man, is brilliant, that was proved in the

Euros. Doing a superb job. When you spoke to him in the summer, you

realised that the players have a lot of respect for him. Only one of the

games, as I said, won in 18? Yes, that is right. I talked to him about

the Man United boys and he was saying the way they represent

themselves when they go away, you know, he said he can tell the

difference straightaway as a manager about the Manchester United Irish

boys compared to the others and that's what he was trying to bring

into it. He's tone a remarkable job. What he's doing is fantastic

Managed Brechin Shamrock who won two titles.

by Lars Lagerback who led Iceland to Euro 2016.

Not lost a competitive match at home for three and a half years -

fortress Windsor Park could lead to consecutive tournament

appearances for first time in history?

. Yes, I've played there myself, quite intimidating. He's continued

that good form, which I like, into the quality fires. That is what took

him into the Euros. They have some really good strong individuals with

lots of experience, the likes of Johnny Evans, Brunt, Macaulay, you

can go through the team. You were in Dublin last night and there are

tributes played for the Derry captain Ryan McBride who died

suddenly last Sunday just aged 27. It was 24 hours before that that he

led his side to a 4-0 win. His funeral will be held on Thursday and

we should say our condolences very much to his family.

Ronnie Moran died as well last week. He helped Bill Shankly's side win

promotion to the old First Division in 1962. Further success followed

with the league title in 1964 and Moran was part of the squad that

added the FA Cup a year later. After that, Bugsy moved into

coaching and became part of the Anfield Boot Room working under

Fagan, Shankly, Paisley and Dalglish. Two spells as the

caretaker manager as well and helped guide Liverpool to the 1992 FA Cup

Final. His retirement in 1998 marked the end of a 49-year association

between the club and the Mannone as Mr Liverpool and in that time, the

Reds won 30 major trophies. He will be sorely missed. No Premier League

or Championship fixtures but it's a busy weekend in the EFL. The

promotion battle in League One sees Bradford travel to Scunthorpe. Mark

Clement has been to meet the men hoping to give the Bantams a boost.

Just in case it escaped your attention, Bradford City are owned

by two ambitious Germans, their affordable season tickets continue

to pack out Valley Parade where they are unbeaten for a year and last

season they re-appointed a club legend.

I can't help but look at that bond you have, 30-plus years association

now for you with this club. Is it? ! I'm only 36, that's incredible. In

fairness, you look quite similar. I was fortunate to come here when I

was 16. I've been lucky to come back and inherit a good group of

professionals. The players have beenteringfrom day one. -- have been

terrific from day one. That's one of the most picturesque sights. It was

until the lads went on it, then the lads spoil spoilt it. Bet some have

never seen a sheep. Very cold and wet... Thanks for that. Why Bradford

City? We have analysed now 72 clubs in England and Bradford City have

such a brilliant fan base, it's a working class club, we are a working

class family. We watched Coventry and Doncaster, massive atmosphere

and a bigs crowd, plus a good feeling.

This club is famed for its discounted season tickets, ?150?

Affordable. Affordable, sorry. No, that's good. If you go to away

games, sometimes it's a bigger stadium than we have, so it was a

good idea. I think we are a good example to give everyone a chance to

be part of this game. LAUGHTER.

New shirt... It comes in other colours. Have you bought into a

package with the German owners? It's been different, no doubt about that.

They want to be more hands on, the culture's difficult. Is that all

right with you? As successful as they are in the business, football

is a different kettle of fish without a doubt. It's not right or

wrong, it's just different. There you go, my lovely. My parents from

Yugoslavia, I was born in Stuttgart so I'm an immigrant in Germany and I

see a lot of immigrants in Bradford and kind of mixed cultures in a

melting pot. That is very exciting. The idea is for us to have a sold

out stadium with every community, Polish, Lithuanians, Asians, to see

them in the stadium, that would be great. Travelling in the right

direction I'm sure. We'll keep an eye on Fleetwood in second place,

taking on Bury. John, you are on 606 later on? Yes. That is it for this

week. Gentleman we are back next Saturday with a full hour as the

Premier League and Championship return. A big weekend for England

and Scotland. Next month marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most

famous chapters in international football's oldest rivalry as the

Tartan aempl h Army took on the world champions. Goodbye.

NEWSREEL: After 19 days without defeat, England have the shock of

their lives. Dennis Law scoreded for Scotland. The champions were up

against it. Surely they couldn't lose, not here...

The Scots second goal. Eight minutes left. England scored at last. All

hopes of an equaliser were shattered. Two minutes before the

end, Geoff Hurst scored England's second goal. Scotland have beaten

the World Cup winners hands down. I've not given myself that time

to sit down Two years ago, former England

captain Rio Ferdinand lost his wife