27/11/2011 Match of the Day 2

Good evening. Welcome to Match of the Day 2, on a day when football

mattered not. This morning, we woke up to the awful news of the tragic

loss of Gary Speed, a man who has been a regular in our footballing

world for 23 years, week in, week out. Tonight, his family is missing

a husband and a father, and on behalf of everyone involved in BBC

sport, and on behalf of all our viewers, our thoughts are with you.

In the studio, Mark Lawrenson and Michael Owen. Michael, he was a

friend and and neighbour. He looked about 10 miles away from where I

ate live. We saw him on the way to school, we would share a wave with

each other. A terrible loss. We're all at a loss and still feeling a

bit numb. Mark, and he was own real gentleman to deal with. Up there is

no dispute about that. Just a sense of total disbelief. I was only

talking to him yesterday in one of the production offices. Just asking

him mundane questions. Are you going to a game? That kind of stuff.

So when news came through it was just, it cannot be possible. This

morning, as the game of football tried to come to terms with the

news of Gary's death, a decision was made that both Sunday matches

should go ahead. At the Liberty Stadium in Swansea, just before the

half one kick off with Aston Villa, the fans themselves spontaneously

and fittingly, decided that a minute's silence was was not enough

for their national hero. Earlier today we received

confirmation that of the sad death of Gary Speed. Along with the world

of football, we are devastated by this sad day and our thoughts and

prayers are with his family. He enjoyed a fantastic career and

remains the most capped outfield player for Wales. He played

professionally for Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton and

Sheffield United. He was enjoying outstanding success as the Wales

team manager and our thoughts are with those Welsh internationals on

duty today. In the great tradition of the great game of football I

would like to ask you now have to stand and remember Gary Speed with

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Later at Anfield, Liverpool and City fans paid tribute to the man

who grew up an Evertonian. A symbol of how he was regarded by everyone,

regardless of club or country allegience. Once again, a lot for

both dressing rooms to take in on a day that left so many of his

friends and collegues within the game grief-striken. Your

game grief-striken. Your either of these clubs yet here as

anywhere in the football world there has been at disbelieving

atmosphere in the build up to again, once huge, but now hardly seems to

matter. The son of the Liverpool goalkeeper, Brad, who lost his

battle against leukaemia. Young lives cut tragically short. Kenny

Dalglish made the decision himself to free Craig Bellamy from the

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pressures of playing today to shot goes into the Kop. The first

real chance of the match. A little bit of a surprise that Yaya Toure

I wonder whether a stretch and as light might have seen Liverpool in

a profit here. -- at slide. The first spell of any kind of

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it all by himself. -- Aguerro. The first signs of agitation,

Enrique three languages. English, Italian, and a sign language. It

Kompany! Manchester City have the lead at Anfield. Driven over with

real pace by David Silva. Vincent Kompany rises out of the crowd to

over the years. These days of course they expect so much more

from wherever they travel. And Liverpool get an huge chunk of

luck! City were not in front of for long. Only a couple of minutes or

so. Charlie Adams tried his luck and that is what happens when you

do. Sometimes it just comes off. It is a Joleon Lescott own goal.

It was not a bad game before but now it is threatening the to be

explosive. And he has exploded. Back to Charlie add up! What as

saved. Joe Hart uses his feet to brilliant effect. Charlie Adams

steered it, hit it pretty hard as well. He thought it was in, that is

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Anfield. City coming so close to that. Very nearly got his team into

trouble. Could easily have steered Liverpool corner. What a battle

that has been from the start. Vincent Kompany against Luis Suarez.

Like the game, it has been Honours even. Joe Hart watched that. He was

superb in defeat at Napoli on Tuesday. He has been excellent

into his own net again. -- putting it in. Brilliant work by Luis

It has got to be a yellow card. Mario Balotelli is still only 21

and he's still learning about it again. Nonetheless, when youth foul

somebody, a naked subtle. -- naked anything less and Derek Kuyt would

Martin Atkinson has gone to his pocket. The red card is coming out.

Balotelli's appearance at Anfield has been a brief one. Vincent

Kompany try to calm things down. He will not change the referee's mind.

Balotelli gets to his feet to see a second yellow card. The third red

card of his Manchester City career. The arm was up. It certainly was

not slammed into Skrtel's head. Liverpool players were quick to

draw the referee's attention to it. Roberto Mancini is quick to tell

Balotelli to get down the tunnel. Two bookings in six minutes For

Balotelli. He was on the field for less than 20. Luis Suarez! Gill

David Silva... 3 on of the line. Skrtel get it away. -- get it away.

Peppier rain or did brilliantly. He made sure that David Silva could

be just about it. He is another miraculous save. Andy Carroll

thought he had won it. What Icesave. For the 4th game in succession at

Anfield, the visiting goalkeeper Kenny, a youth thinking, how did

and we win that? Yes. Bobby see the goalkeeper has made some good saves.

-- obviously. That is what he is therefore. The boys showed

fantastic attitude, commitment and determination playing for the

football club. If they continue to do what they're doing, they will

win more points than that they lose. It was really important to do a

good result after the defeat in Naples. We wanted to win. But

coming here is not easy. What about the red card from their -- Mario?

For me, the second was not her yellow-card. I do not think the

referee wanted to give him a yellow card but the Liverpool players

reacted. We feel as if we probably should have won Mac the game. We

need this season's like the cole mack to go for us. On another day

we could have got the goal at the end. It was a world-class save from

Andy Carroll. That to do something. We have -- I have not done much

this season. It is a big point. It has been quite a busy weekend for

goalkeepers. A terrific game of football. Just what we needed after

the news from this morning. You will be as shocked as the rest of

us? It is always sad, especially when it is somebody you know and

somebody you totally respected. Somebody was not only a good

footballer, but a good guy. It is all right for us to be saddened,

but the people you think of most are his wife and two children. It

must be really difficult for them. You may be play a football match

and you do not get what you deserve, but if you cannot cope with what

she has lost. A brave and right decision to play the two games at

today? Yes, I think so. It is difficult because you run the gamut

of emotions. More often than not you're glad somebody else makes the

decision. I would like to think that Gary Speed would have played

football today. I do think it was the right decision. On the field,

do you think a draw was the right result, Michael? Possibly. It was a

decent game. 50-50 most of the way. Liverpool got quite a few chances

at the end. The longer the game was going on, Liverpool could have gone

on to victory. It was a good game. You expect a hangover from Europe.

Manchester City showed no signs are They created chances and get

possession. If they had gone on to win the game, Silva and Nasri would

have been instrumental. Liverpool rode the storm. They are all top

players. There is no argument. But I think from Manchester City's

point of view, they will have been pleased with how they started this

game. The longer the game went on, the more it looked like Liverpool

were going to win. The passing, of the movement, the ability to see

things, it was all there. Brilliant pass by Silva. This is his chance

at the end. I'm not quite sure what was going through his mind.

keeper did really well. He is He is so quick on his feet. He is

the modern day goalkeeper. As for Liverpool, we said this last week,

they play for 90 minutes plus injury time for Kenny Dalglish.

Going a goal behind, they did the Going a goal behind, they did the

same today? Yes they did. And they created chances. The last 15, 20

minutes, you're waiting for a ricochet to allow Mackin. We just

circled Micah Richards here. He is not sure where to go. He makes a

wrong decision and John Hart has to make the save. Defensively,

Manchester City made some strange decisions today. Luis Suarez was

unlucky as well. Just here, as the ball comes in, potty macro must

Stade in a line, the Manchester City players. Brilliant play here

as well. Just look at the movement of Luis Suarez. I think everybody

will be impressed with how he has played since he came to the

contrary. Look how quick he is. Yes, he is a real handful. But that man

has been at the start of the show today. He did not realise how many

chances Liverpool had had until you put that analysis together. There

One of the reasons was they had to play with 10 men because Mario

Balotelli was sent off? Stupid Mario, as he is now known. There is

Mario, as he is now known. There is no doubting his ability. But he

just does daft things. How daft is that? The referee had no option.

am a bit undecided about that one. If he tries to win the header, it

is the way he looks at the player and then runs at him and does not

challenge him. His arm was quite There is a story that Mario

Balotelli may have had an argument with the away dressing room door.

Roberto Mancini said he had not heard by if he did, he would pay

for it. -- but if he did. Manchester City have made --

Liverpool have made giant strides this season since Kenny Dalglish

took over. I have been very impressed by Luis Suarez. He has

been a handful. He goes past players. I do not think he is

blessed with blistering speed, but the way he faints and shimmies, he

has a bit of everything. A lot of Premier League teams would look at

Manchester City today and think, defensively, chink in the arm.

they the team to beat this season? I think man United are the team to

beat. -- Manchester United. From our point of view, we are looking...

I have been impressed with Tottenham recently. You would have

to say they are the team to beat, they are five points clear. Let's

head to the Liberty Stadium for shock at the truly tragic news of

Gary Speed's death. It filtered through just before kick-off. I

walk past numerous phases in that tunnel whose expressions changed

dramatically after a whisper in the year. How difficult for the likes

of Ashley Williams, Neil Taylor and Joe Allen, all regulars in Gary

Speed's will sting. James Collins played alongside speed in his last

game in management. Shay Given, a team-mate for years at Newcastle.

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deep. Joe Allen could not comes the cross. Just watch the

left hand of Ashley Williams there. Swansea's left hand side switched

enough to turn it over the bar. That was a good, fizzing drive from

Agbonlahor. Vorm gets lucky for the second time in little more than a

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What a good stop. Vorm was equal to We started to create chances. Aston

Villa up are a dangerous Dean. They have got players like Darren Bent

who has scored over the years. And they have players like Agbonlahor,

so I think oh well our performance was excellent. Just that final shot

to score the goal was may be missing. It was not may be

devastating, brilliant football, but we played a good Swansea team.

We were only penetrating in the last 10 or 15 minutes. I do not

imagine if you ever had such a difficult lead-up to again? It was

quite horrific news that we heard. It was a quarter of an hour before

Mike team talk. Shay Given told me and my blood run cold, it was

devastating news for the whole of football and certainly for the

family of Gary Speed. I think we're all shell-shocked. It was a real

bombshell. It was poignant that it came out and the game was here in

Wales. And of the sleek Gary was a great Welsh man. It is still hard

to taking. -- obviously. And the players, considering that piece of

news, they loved working with Gary. And you have players like Shay

Given who were close friends. Given was very upset, at the

beginning of the game he had tears in his eyes. And that silence that

turned into applause. And Jermaine Janners played with him for a few

years. These guys wear upset but we did try to use it as part of the

motivation. It was hard before the match. Shay Given was close friends

with Gary. He was the one who told us. He was inconsolable, really. It

was the bane for anyone who has played with him or come across him.

-- the same. Everyone's thoughts are with his family. We wanted to

play the game for Gary Speed who was such a great player, a great

football man. It was a mark of respect to play the game for him

and great though the players were able to adapt.

It is credit to the Aston Villa supporters because the ground was

United and everyone recognising what a terrific man has just passed

away for stock that game seems like so long ago. It was just a blur

this morning and early afternoon. But for Swansea, another clean

sheet as the on the Welsh side in the Premier League. They have got

such a good defensive record as well at home. Goals are hard to

come by. One of the things, almost bizarrely, they have so much

possession at home. So as the opposition, you do not have it, you

cannot do much with it. I think United struggled there last week

because they really have is to find a way of playing. -- this defined.

They just keep the ball. Then when someone does that, commits the

cardinal sin, they get the ball back straight away. And they just

back straight away. And they just keep it. And they are very good at

it. Everyone knows their job. Lita came on. He is promptly a little

more direct. He's very strong and physical. He does well here.

does do well. He will be disappointed not to score. These

were the major chances of the game. But in a place like Swansea you

know they're going to be passing it around and you cannot lose the

around and you cannot lose the midfield battle. That makes it

tough in its own way for stock Aston Villa had a torrid time

against Spurs at the beginning of the week and Swansea will have

watched those tapes. Did we see anything different from Aston Villa

anything different from Aston Villa today? Not greatly. I felt a bit

sorry for Darren Bent. He. There on his own and it is hard. -- he.

has done before and will dill again. A lot of the time it is for the

good of the team. But for a goalscorer like he is, he does not

do that much outside the box. as if he is running around on the

before. You cannot lose that midfield battle. You can be

outnumbered if you have two strikers step up front. So you do

feel sorry for Darren Bent but he has done it before and will have to

has done it before and will have to do it again. But it is difficult to.

Let me tell you quickly about next week's Match of the Day 2. Once

again we have two games. Everton versus Stoke and Wolves versus

Sunderland. That's at 10 o'clock again here on Two. Week decided

tonight we would celebrate Gary Speed as a player. The thing is, we

have had a lot of people speaking about him tonight, people who are

football supporters were did not know him. They got this

overwhelming sense that he was such a normal person. Some people we

meet or arrogant, or or Shine. But he was just such a normal, family

man. At top player as well. Everywhere he went, he was captain.

Hardly ever got injured. But before everything else, he was a Welshman.

He was the most capped outfield player, showing great signs as a

manager. A sad loss for the country. It is, as you say. He was starting

to turn things around. And everyone liked playing for him. If you talk

to any of the Welsh squad, they were desperate to join up. And he

created a great environment. think that is key. You could see

that everyone wanted to play for him. What made him such a great

leader? Because he did not a shout. What made him someone you trusted?

You have to be a good player, that is the first thing. He just had a

lot of different qualities. He would never shirk responsibility.

He would play anywhere for you, which is priceless. And he rarely

got injured. Just that level of consistency at every club that he

went to. Like a lot of left-footed players,

they have a wonderful left-foot. And that is what I mainly remember

him for. He was a fantastic player. And to keep that going right the

way through his career. It is hard getting to the top, but staying at

the top. To do that and to be normal, is an achievement in

himself. A lot of people who have played against him, he was nobody's

mug either. He could put his foot in. When he started to play you

could have 30 minutes without the ball. When did you first come

I played in a lot of the teams he played for. My district team, I got

into that three years younger than I should have been. And so did Gary

Speed. At the end of that season he presented all the team with their

trophies for the year. I have still got the photograph back home. I was

nine, he was 20. You remember things like that. He was probably

the first player I had ever come Cross. Sign your autograph and

everything else. It is a big thing at that age. It is the thing that

will always stay with you. He would to lot behind the scenes. He would

view of the media, if you met Gary socially, he was exactly the same

as if you set down to interview him. They were no preconditions. --

there were. There is always somebody the media have fallen out

with over the years. Nobody has ever fallen out with them. He was

into the karaoke. Alan Shearer was his bedmate. He was a better

footballer than a karaoke singer. We're going to look forward now on

As always, on a Sunday, Match of the Day 2 has all the goals on

Saturday. We begin with West Brom birds as they keep up the London

end of the title race. -- for penalty. -- Lennon. There was a

are impressive. Brad Friedel kept the scores level. Adebayor was

denied a second thanks to the reflexes of Ben Foster. Jermain

Defoe! Took it brilliantly. Adebayor! That is nine wins, 1 the

draw in the last 10 games. -- one draw. Chelsea got back in their

stride. After a disappointing week, Chelsea were desperate to get back

to winning ways. Wolves seemed willing to -- unwilling to give

Chelsea the early all they needed. But there's only a matter of time.

-- it was only a matter of time. Sturridge! To to nil for Chelsea. -

add a 4th and added to his growing reputation. Petr Cech did his bit

to keep his reputation intact. But there is one player at Chelsea

still trying to prove his worth. Controversy and drama at the

Theatre of dreams as united were held. A win for United was the

order of the day but Newcastle were keen to show their league position

is no fluke. Coloccini did his best to bring the worst had a Wayne

penalty. Manchester United are doing. He has given the penalty

kick. Ferdinand, does he get to the ball? I think he does. They are

level. Demba Ba. Gutierrez's enthusiasm earned him a yellow card.

He got a second booking later. It was the Tim Krul show for a while

as he kept by just delighted at bay. Even when they did beat him, the

will not count. That was a very will not count. That was a very

close decision. Current club against old club. Newcastle are the

real deal? Very impressed. They are looking good. Strong a unit. I

would like to see them get a couple of players for the squad because

they look quite thin on the ground. The starting 11 have been doing

fantastically well. How are you coming along? You're croc at the

moment. Yes, I pulled my thigh in the Champions League game at Old

Trafford. Quite a nasty injury. Things going to plan so far. He has

had a bad career, hasn't the? Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle

and Manchester United. You still look the same age as you did when

you were at Liverpool. You ask what player now. You could be at a

number of clubs and play week-in, week-out. Is that something you

would still like to do before your career ends? You have got to look

at it. If I played two games a season, I would not want that. I

still think I have a few years left. That will be the case. If I am

playing 15 to 20 games for Manchester United, I would like to

stay. The least he plays in a season, he plays longer, so we get

another contract. -- he gets another contract. Do you harbour

hopes of being back in an England top? Obviously I would have to play

more regular. At Manchester United, obviously, that would be great. I

would have a good chance. I would never say never. I would love to

pull on the shirt. Again. It is a magical feeling. Here is one of

them. The fancy equipment was not around in those days. It was a low-

key first touch. -- lucky. Fantastic goal. Five more games

from yesterday. We will start with way of Norwich, but only just.

Martin! Steve Morison almost made it two. Shaun Derry will still be

wondering how he did not pull QPR put his body between the ball and

Ramsey! Should have buried it. Arsenal were not having it all

their own way. The goalkeeper had to be at his best to keep the

scores level. Even the prolific Robin Van Persie could not find the

created the danger. Arsenal are behind. -- John Arne Riise. An own

goal by Thomas Vermaelen. Mark Schwarzer kept out Djourou. Still

time for Vermaelen to make amends. Everton recorded back-to-back wins

for the first time this season while Bolton continued to struggle.

Wheater is off. Bolton down to 10 not to give Everton a penalty.

City stop the rot while Blackburn Rovers sunk to the bottom. Steven

Nzonzi was twice given the benefit loudest cheer of the afternoon.

He's turned in by Rory Delap. -- et third. Rochina! Great cole mack. --

goal. Steve Bruce was left bemoaning his luck against Wigan.

Sebastian Larsson gives Sunderland the lead. Ali Al Habsi stood tall

for Wigan to keep his team in it. Sunderland created a host of

chances to double their lead. Penalty. You have to say, Larsen

did make contact. -- Sebastian Larsson. Calmly done by the

Spaniard. Wigan back on level terms. It is two to one, Wigan. It is an

awful moment for ways bronc. -- Wes Brown. The disgruntled Sunderland

Table toppers Manchester City lead Manchester United by five points.

Spurs could go above the defending Michael and Mark, thank you very