08/03/2018 MOTD: The Premier League Show

Welcome back to the

Premier League Show.

After our winter break, we'll be

with you every Thursday night

from now until the end

of the season.

And we resume here at Old Trafford,

where on Saturday lunchtime

Manchester United take on Liverpool

as the two most successful clubs

in English football go head-to-head.

35 miles separate the two

cities and it's a rivalry

with a deep, deep history.

There's that and more

on tonight's show.

Actor Christopher Eccleston takes

a look at why these north-west

near neighbours just

don't get along.

We hear from a Manchester

boy in the south -

Arsenal's Danny Welbeck.

Justin Moorhouse revisits his

pre-season predictions.

Comedian Rhys James casts his eye

over the weekend's social media.

And we'll have all of the action

from the last seven days.

So why is there such

an emnity between these two

northern powerhouses?

We asked one of Our Friends

in the North to dig a bit deeper.

Some people don't like each other.

Nothing personal.

They just don't.

I

was brought up to hate them. It is

really nice that people can unite

with hatred.

Hate is a strong word

but true! Take Manchester United and

Liverpool. The rivalry goes back so

long and so deep rooted with the

cities even before you mention

football.

I was born a Liverpool fan

through and through. The other side

of my family were blue but it was

Man United, he did not even

acknowledge them.

It is ingrained

and you are told as a kid, you're

not supposed to like this club! You

don't know why but this is part of

the history and it is one of the

biggest rivalries in world football.

Two clubs from two cities

practically next door.

practically next door.

Not much

neighbourliness knocking about. With

domestic football there is no other

feeling as a United fan than to Tate

Liverpool and vice versa, they have

Everton and we have Man City but

those clashes create something that

is unique in terms of rivalry with

any other club.

Everton Liverpool is

a big game but not in comparison.

Danny Murphy for Liverpool! I have

travelled all over the world with

football and I have been in Kenya,

on a boat in the Maldives. And I

have had the most unusual characters

talk to me about Manchester United

and remember the goals and where

they were. One of my best goals was

the winner at Goodison Park, into

the corner as no one has ever asked

me about that!

Anywhere! It began

with a canal, Liverpool had the

board and Manchester had the

industry.

industry. They took the ball home

and built the Manchester Ship Canal.

Liverpool were mercantile, they had

the port and Manchester City was

cotton.

Manchester believed they

were getting turned over by

Liverpool, they felt the Liverpool

merchants were charging too much for

transportation of the goods they

generated.

You had the Liverpool

gentleman and the Manchester minor

and when they built the ship Canal

it got easier and there was a

stronger civic rivalry that

developed.

Football few world the

fight, first Shankly building the

red machine to the soundtrack of

mercy bid.

mercy bid.

We thought we were able

to cope with any test.

Being a

Liverpool fan growing up I quickly

realised the enormity of it by going

to the games and feeling the

intensity and passion of the

supporters.

As a player it means

more because of the history

involved. In your journey. As a

supporter to a player which not many

get to do.

A lot of the match going

man United fans would have grown up

with those Liverpool teams in the

70s and 80s, annihilating everyone

in their wake and winning every

trophy, winning four European cups

in the space of seven years.

Then

Fergie threatened to knock Liverpool

off that Perch. And he did.

That is a moment Old Trafford has

been waiting for.

Liverpool in the

70s and 80s were the most dominant

in England and then in the 90s, Man

United started dominating English

football.

For the fans growing up,

Liverpool with the most successful

team in England and I am in my 30s

and they cannot say that, we took it

from them.

It was pretty calm during

the week with Sir Alex but when it

was a quarter to three before going

out, he was on the money, you could

tell that this was a game he wanted

to win. United were mad for it. We

always thought we were the dominant

team, Liverpool used to be. Man

United, that rivalry was settled.

Manchester United take back Old

Trafford.

Be honest, they were

better than ours and we were trying

to achieve what they were achieving,

we wanted to beat them to get to

them. They were setting yardstick,

United, fantastic. Winning

everything and we wanted to compete

with them.

Both teams have been

quite successful and that was always

the case of trying to get one over

on each other so in that respect it

is almost a way of showing respect.

That sort of hatred.

Definitely a

rivalry that I enjoyed playing in.

Paul Ince's first match as captain

takes place on the ground with a

championship hopes finally

disappeared last season.

I never

would have gone from Man United to

Liverpool. I went from Man United to

Inter Milan and then Liverpool. That

doesn't matter? It does. The last

player to do that was in the 60s and

the Liverpool fans were fantastic,

they accepted me.

They took me in

and supported me. Paul Ince!

Yes!

Scoring against his old club! When I

scored against Man United in front

of the crowd, all of those emotions

came out of me and with the Freddie

situation, big-time Charlie, having

to face him. I went mad!

Kicking the

ball and all that stuff. Never mind

Bluenosers and noisy neighbours.

This is the game.

Depending on the result, the red

side of the City of course will get

the win and everyone is buzzing, if

we lose, as Liverpool fans we are

realistic. People take the Mickey

out of us, banging on about history

but we are proud of that.

Despite

the cockiness and bravado each set

of fans gives out, when you speak to

individuals, they are wrecking it.

Individually, so pessimistic before

a game with the rivals because there

is that, we cannot bear to lose.

These are the real giants of English

football. These games are about the

players, the manager can talk about

tactics and everything, but it is

about the players and performing on

that day.

Sometimes on Liverpool

United game, it lets you down as

anaesthetic because it means so much

and the result is more important

than the performance.

You cannot

freeze.

You have to look tough. My

first experience playing there, my

memory was being sick the whole time

and money moron, knocking on the

door, are you all right? Yes! I am

five! The whole occasion and nervous

energy, it just took its toll.

There

is something about Liverpool United

that is fundamentally real. You can

take any game and call it Super

Sunday or tremendous Tuesday or. But

Liverpool versus United, it doesn't

need any hype or added promotion.

That is why it matters people around

the world.

Here we go again.

Manchester United versus Liverpool.

The biggest game in club football.

Bar none.

We have now moved inside

Hotel Football, just next door

to Old Trafford and I'm delighted

to be joined by Manchester's

very own Liam Fray, lead

singer of the Courteeners,

and a native of

Merseyside, Leon Osman.

Former Everton legend. Still?

I

don't think I was ever one of them!

These cities have got this enduring

rivalry and this incredible love

hate relationship, is it? Where do

you think it stems from?

We have to

be careful because we do a lot of

tickets in Liverpool! It is love

hate. It probably stems from, with

us, we dominated the 90s, they

dominated the 90s and I always see

them as that cousin but never leaves

you alone on Christmas Day. It is

bragging rights in work, but it is

worse. Tinged with fondness? I would

say so. A lot of United fans will

lynch me for that. I don't know...

Fondness? I would say respect.

Liverpool and Man United respect

what each other have achieved.

In

terms of the cities, both clubs, no

fondness but there are similarities

with the working class culture is.

Based on industrial revolution? And

music is important.

Fashion. Many

similarities? There are and he

mentioned a few of them. But the

drive is both cities want to be the

best, they want to be the best team

in the City, the best team in the

north-west and the best in the North

of England and then England. There

is always that drive and there is

real competition between Liverpool

and Man United.

Growing up and you

came here regularly, you were a ball

boy. When Liverpool started to get

more success and you had success

early in Europe, winning the

Champions League, did that and you

as a Man United fan?

Did you enjoyed

their style? You don't have to be a

Man United fan to be annoyed by

that!

It is weird. If you saw

another interesting doing well,

Spurs, if Spurs got to the final,

you might want them to do well.

Liverpool? No. The way it goes.

And

your music has become synonymous

with the club lately. When you come

to the matches do you set, but the

cheap seats, there are no cheap

seats here, do you sit with the

Regular Season ticket holders?

Everywhere, don't get me wrong,

drinking champagne! If you get the

invite! It is still surreal when you

hear it, still goose bumps, still

like a ten-year-old, this is

amazing!

It is weird. We will talk

more about that later on.

Here's what's been happening over

the last seven days.

Headed in! Sam Allardyce, I do not

think he can quite believe the way

his team has allowed this to happen.

It goes in! Four goals for the first

time in the Premier League this

season for the Welsh side. What an

afternoon!

afternoon!

He lost out to Will

Hughes. Troy Deeney! Onside! 1-0,

Watford! Troy Deeney for Watford.

And desolation for West Bromwich

Albion.

Oxlade-Chamberlain can open

things up. And there is the girl! --

the goal.

Murray is in the middle.

It is 2-0! That is an absolute gift

from Arsenal! And Arsene Wenger

cannot believe what he is watching.

David Silva. Bernardo Silva and that

is the goal, straightaway. Seconds

into the second half. Double Silva

celebration for the team that will

end up with goal at the end of the

season.

season. Christian Benteke. The

penalty area, his right boot,

Townsend! Andros Townsend!

Townsend! Andros Townsend!

Into the

penalty area! 2-0 Crystal Palace!

Good ball in, Smalling's header, it

is one goal back. Sanchez, he

shoots, into the air, the crossbar!

Lukaku! He tries again... It goes

in!

Back to Paul Pogba. He shoots!

My word! Winning goal in stoppage

time from the Man U Matic. An

absolute screamer! What a way to win

the game 3-2.

That was some comeback at Salas

Park. I felt a bit the palace, they

were 13th in the lead. But what a

comeback from United.

This is the

first time I had seen that, there

was some real intent.

Some attacking

endeavour.

Yeah, and we have been

lacking a bit this season.

I was

going to talk about style and what

has been happening at Everton this

season and there seems to be some

expectation of some style, some kind

of attack when Sam Allardyce was

brought in to keep the club in the

Premier League and now the plans are

looking for more, it would seem.

Yes, Everton football club expecting

results but also performances. Sam

Allardyce was brought in to keep the

club in the Premier League. He got

the team away from trouble, it

seemed, so quickly that I think

Moore was then expected to start

bringing that brand of football to

make sure there was a lot for the

fans to buy into, attacking prowess,

you know? The real determination to

go out and score goals at real tempo

and at the moment, the team haven't

shown that and have started to drift

back to what relegation.

He is

clearly a manager who does a certain

job, he has done it a few times at

different clubs and every time when

he has done the job, the club seems

to want him to metamorphose eyes

into something else, which he isn't

going to do at this stage.

When you

employ Sam Allardyce, you know what

you're going to get, a manager who

keeps your team in the Premier

League but will do it anyway he

knows how and that isn't necessarily

with a brand of free-flowing

football that fans want to see week

in, week out.

At the other end of

the spectrum, you kind of know what

you will get with Jose Mourinho,

which may well be trophies but they

will be won in a certain way and

Manchester United fans almost seem

surprised that when he arrived.

I

guess so and you have to remember

how bad it got at the Sir Alex left.

I think there are high expectations

at any football club, you always

want to win, you expect to win.

But

with style?

You always say yes but

if the style is in there, you still

want to win. Do you care how you

stay up as long as you stay up? It

is when those expectations change

and if they are not met...

If you

are continuing to get results and

get wins, the style becomes less

important. It Sam Allardyce was

continuing to win games, they

certainly wouldn't be under the

microscope now and Jose Mourinho is

at the top of the league and has

continued to winning games.

The flip

side is that style also buys you a

bit of time. You look at Jurgen

Klopp and the Quaresma that he

exudes around the club and the style

of football they play -- the

Quaresma. The blips, he seems to

have ridden them really well. Would

you like him here?

I don't know, we

were talking earlier about I don't

know if you would want to finish

third in the league and the winning

4-3, or finish second in the league

with a string of 1-0s.

You are

saying Jurgen Klopp is under less

pressure but he is not as high up in

the league as Manchester United and

yet Jose Mourinho is under more

pressure for performances. Speaker

it is a bigger club, though, isn't

it!

That's not all that happened

in the Premier League this week.

Here's a few things that

Rhys James spotted.

Hello, I am Rhys James. The finger

out campaign picked up pace this

week as Arsenal lost to

out campaign picked up pace this

week as Arsenal lost to relegation

threatened Brighton. At a cheque

took to Twitter and said... -- Peter

that was parried

that was parried the problem and it

went in on the rebound. Arsene

Wenger had a strange idea about

trousers. If you take the trousers

of commutator while completely, if

you find assured, you have to put it

on again and have to get dressed

again.

If you have the trousers

on... What is it talking about?

Substitutions? Is Iwobi trousers?

Also, Benjamin Mendy dispels some

propaganda on the Manchester City

Twitter in which he said the

Manchester derby was a realistic

return. He responded with...

Essentially saying, shut up, Mum,

you idiot, I didn't say I was well

enough to go back to school yet and

happy Mother's Day. Elsewhere, the

Wembley curse may be long dead plus

birds but there still seems to be

some witchcraft going on. Referee

Mike Jones was injured in the warm

up -- may be long dead for Spurs.

Mike Jones was injured in the warm

up -- may be long dead for Spurs.

Any referees were asked to make

themselves known to a steward. It is

not Sunday league, you can't just

get one of the dads to run the line

when your bloke on 15 quid in our

doesn't turn up. If you pick a Spurs

fan, Dele Alli

doesn't turn up. If you pick a Spurs

fan, Dele Alli will win 100

penalties. In other news, Maratha

proved that no matter the media, no

matter the context, he still can't

hit a target from sick Schaars --

Alvaro Morata proved.

The action gets underway

this coming weekend

with Liverpool's visit

to Old Trafford.

There's a massive game

at the bottom as Swansea take

on Huddersfield at three o'clock,

on Huddersfield at three o'clock,

while Alan Pardew reportedly

has West Brom's game

against Leicester to save his job.

Sunday sees both north

London clubs in action,

including fourth-placed Spurs'

visit to Bournemouth

And on Monday night, can

Manchester City stretch their lead

any further as they travel

to troubled Stoke?

So it's Arsenal against Watford

on Sunday,

with the Gunners

in desperate need of a win

after three successive

Premier League defeats.

Striker Danny Welbeck,

formerly of this parish,

has been talking

to Juliette Ferrington.

Arsene Wenger cannot believe what he

is watching here. A very, very bad

week for Arsenal just got worse.

is watching here. A very, very bad

week for Arsenal just got worse.

There is an area disappointment in

and around the camp and we know this

is such a massive club and we should

be doing much better than we are at

the moment, so there is a bitter

disappointment there and it kind of

gives us the chance where we can

stand and fight and make sure that

we can put it right in the future

games.

What is that self belief like

right now?

I believe that together

we are stronger as a unit and we

know that, we are good players, so

going into the games, if we stand

and fight and match players in every

single area of the pitch, we know

our quality will shine through.

We

all have seen the manager is the

target of anger and abuse, how have

you dealt with that?

You go through

difficult moments in life and it is

how you respond to it, how you come

out the other side and I think

obviously everybody goes through a

rough patch and at this time, we

know, us as players, the club, the

staff, everybody is hurting and it

is something we want to put right.

We want to turn these results around

and put Arsenal football club where

it should be.

You have worked for

Sir Alex, you have worked under

Arsene Wenger. What comparison do

you have between the two, two

managers with such great longevity

in the game?

They have both got a

lot of experience, obviously, and

they have both won plenty of

trophies between themselves in their

respective ways. Obviously, the two

managers are a bit different in

certain aspects of their ways, but

it has

produced a success.

You can see more

of that interview on Football Focus

on Saturday. When Danny Welbeck went

down south, at that particular time,

I guess, was there a feeling that we

have lost a lot of connection here

with the locality? Especially since

The Class of 92?

I think we felt we

had lost connection with football in

that period, so it was tough to see

one of our home-grown players

leaving. We don't know whether he

was pushed, but I have a real soft

spot for him and I think it is

really important, you have got to

play your best 11 players, you can't

just put someone in the youth team

in for the sake of it but it keeps a

connection, I guess. Football is so

far removed now from the kid on the

street kicking a ball around that if

somebody makes it into the team, it

kind of keeps the dream alive, I

guess and... That you could make it,

and that is important to kids

growing up in the area.

It is the

romance of being Batkid and you were

that kid, Lyon.

I suppose I was,

coming through the team that I

developed at the so many years and

getting into the team but you have a

connection through the fans and the

family. My father would be getting

phone calls every week or friends to

limit the opinions of fans all their

opinions, or somebody give me a kick

in the backside in the street

telling me to put pull my socks up

and you are very approachable when

you are a local lad coming through,

and it is important I think to have

at least one of those players in

your first team.

In this modern

Premier League where players come

from all over the world and they

will go back to wherever they came

from eventually, but that player

stays and that is usually not macro

for the rest of your life!

You do,

it means so much to you personally

but you can also be the focal point

for things when things go right but

more importantly when things go

wrong, the fans may direct

frustrations at you, their

grievances at you, because they know

that you feel like they do.

It makes

you stronger in the long run.

It

does make you stronger, you

certainly get more criticism but you

suddenly become a better player when

you retire because they appreciate

how much you put into that club.

Way back in August -

it seems so long ago now -

we asked Justin Moorhouse

for his top flight predictions.

So have any of his forecasts made

the right impression,

or is it one giant sore point?

Justin, over to you.

# You can't always get what you

want...

Without a shadow of a doubt, United

champions. Champions...

Beware the idle predictions are

people who know nothing about

football back in August. Champions,

what was I thinking? Scoff all you

like at my predictions but I got the

top six exactly right, just not

necessarily in the right order.

Manchester United, second, is it

good enough this season? Let's see.

And what about Liverpool? I did say

if they lost Coutinho, it could be a

flop under Jurgen Klopp but they

have done better. Tottenham, despite

all the praise, have underperformed

surely by coming forth. Last season

password champions, is fit good and

Roman Abramovich? And Arsene Wenger

is walking around waiting like a dog

to live on the farm. Burnley, could

it be you Roper the Turf Moor.

Leicester reminded of a child star,

you expect so much and they get

uglier and no one is bothered.

Brighton I had pegged the

relegation, I put myself on the

line. Comfortable mid-table.

Everton, Big Sam, has he been the

ballast that settles the ship? Not

so far, but what will happen so that

the delayed next season?

Bournemouth, I've predicted

relegation. How have they survived

without investment? Eddie Howe, that

is how. Huddersfield town, 15th, I

thought they might finish ten. I

hoped they would survive, everyone

does, everyone loves them, even when

they beat you.

It is a famous day,

Huddersfield 2-1.

Southampton, what

has happened, I predicted eight,

they are fighting relegation. Maybe

it is because they sold their best

players and played rubbish. 16th I

said the Newcastle and that is where

they are, 29 points. They can't be

happy with that but I am, I finally

got one right, exactly. In the heady

days of summer I predicted the

bottom three would be Brighton,

Bournemouth and Swansea. But who is

saved? Any three from ten can go

down. But West Brom are surely West

down. Pardew should get his FA Cup

little touchline dance and dance his

way to the Championship.

Well, there is some way to go yet.

What are you up to next Liam?

We

have a few gigs celebrating ten

years since that first album, back

in London and then it is a few

festivals and then I think writing a

new album.

Hopefully you will be

inspired by what you see on Saturday

and as you have taken so well to

life as a pundit, give us a

prediction scoreline.

Back hoping

that we manage to deal with their

pace and I think we might sneak 1-0.

Do you disagree with that?

I do, I

do think Liverpool's counterattack,

Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah...

Don't mention them!

I think

Liverpool will win 3-1.

I don't want

it to happen. You are getting on so

well until then. Enjoy the weekend

whatever happens and remember, we

have all your football covered on

the BBC. Until next time, goodbye.