North London Derby Special MOTD: The Premier League Show

Hello and welcome to

The Premier League Show.

This week we've come to the capital

for a special look ahead

to the weekend's main event.

Over 60,000 fans will pack out

the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime,

eager in anticipation of the 194th

north London derby, the latest

chapter of one of English

football's greatest rivalries.

Can he do it? Yes, he can.

Oh, I say, brilliant!

What a goal!

And that might be the Championship

clinching goal.

Always intense.

DANCE MUSIC

Incredible strike by Harry Kane.

Van

Persie!

Gareth Bale for Tottenham. Great

goal.

Fabregas, and it's through!

It's for - four. Unbelievable.

You

couldn't make this up.

He's won it!

This is Roy of the Rovers stuff.

So many memorable moments down the

years but what of the two club's

future is?

As important as Saturday's game

is towards local bragging rights,

and even the title picture,

there are perhaps even more pressing

matters facing Arsenal and Spurs.

To address some of these issues,

we've assembled a panel

of experts, each well versed

in this particular rivalry.

Jermaine Jenas played over

150 times for Tottenham

during a seven-and-a-half-year spell

at White Hart Lane, and was part

of the last Spurs side

to win a major trophy.

A lifelong Gooner, Alex Scott has

also represented the Arsenal Ladies

side with great distinction

in a career that's

claimed 19 major honours.

John Cross is the chief football

writer of the Daily Mirror,

and author of The Inside Story

of Arsenal Under Wenger.

Entrepreneur, electronics pioneer,

football club chairman, politician,

and star of his own reality TV show,

Lord Sugar has occupied many

roles over the years,

but the one constant is that

of fervent Spurs fan.

So, with our guests in place,

let's get down to business.

We'll start with the home side

for whom the phrase "mixed start"

might almost have been invented.

COMMENTATOR: Arsenal hope this

season's absence from the Champions

League paves the way for a genuine

crack at the title. Giroud! It's in.

For- three, Arsenal. Liverpool have

swept Arsenal side here today.

# I've passed this way before

# And I've felt this pain before

winning it for Watford!

I want to

see who's up for it and who's up for

the challenge and I felt today that

none of them were.

Arsenal, 12

points off the league leaders now.

On the pitch with Arsenal so far

this season it feels a little bit

like same old dame old, doesn't it?

It feels like Groundhog Day. I think

again it's going to be a scramble

for a top four placed rather than

challenging for the title. That is

disappointing because Arsene

Wenger's decision to stay on after

the FA Cup Final was based on the

facts, can he put Arsenal to the

next level? Arsenal seem to be in a

frustrating place. They are nearly

there and you nearly want them to

click on but I feel they are in the

second year of Challenger is pushing

for top four rather than challenging

for the title.

Did his decision to

delay his announcement about his

contract, whether he was staying,

last season, has it had a knock-on

effect into this season?

It

contributed to performances last

season and for the fans there was a

lack of clarity and which direction

the club were going in. I think it's

had a knock-on effect. He brought in

Lacazette but there is still

something missing in the club where

we haven't clicked on and that's

where we're seeing the likes of

Tottenham, it seems like they have

more of a strategic plan.

I've been

a great fan of Arsene Wenger four

years. He's had them in the

Champions League for 20 odd years,

hasn't he? I don't think anyone else

has achieved that. I think there's

precipitation down to the players,

what I'd called adverse publicity,

external influences from the media,

uncertainty of contracts of some of

the players, uncertainty whether

Arsene is going to hack it any more

and that goes down to the pitch, I

have to say. It's reminiscent of my

days at Spurs where the players were

resigned to the fact that we were

useless because the media were

saying we were useless. Until

Jermaine come along!

What seemed to

have happened at Arsenal, the AGM

highlighted this, there is a

disconnect between the fans and the

board. They feel that the board does

not really care about them and their

club and it's very much a business

and there are a set of fans who

really care. They need to believe as

well.

I know we are talking about

Arsenal but this is a warning sign

for cotton as well. Arsenal built a

beautiful stadium -- a warning sign

for Spurs as well. A lot of the

unrest has come along. A lot of the

fans, although they love the lovely

stadium, Deila Highbury just as much

if not more and they don't feel the

reason to dip into their pockets,

they are wondering why we aren't in

the mix for these players? They are

paying all this money to watch the

team play and they've gone backwards

inside three. It's not making sense

which is where the disconnect comes

between the fans and the club.

Do

you think the fans take Arsene

Wenger for granted? In the time he's

been there, Liverpool haven't won

the league, Arsene Wenger did it

three times.

That's always been the

's argument, be careful what you

wish for, which, I wouldn't say it

has kept Arsene Wenger in a job, but

he has been so consistent and you

shouldn't underestimate that. When

people look back they will

appreciate it.

Absolutely, he got a

standing ovation because he showed a

love for the club and the desire to

win and he bleeds Arsenal can be a

top side.

Arsene is a very clever

man -- and he believes Arsenal can

be a top side. He is against other

clubs with a big cheque-book he

can't compete. Medium players, I say

medium, £50 million players, not

£111, I cannot win now.

Arsenal will

say that Spurs are pushing.

I don't

want to be a downer on Spurs...

Not

so early on!

I'm always a realistic

person and when you've got two clubs

who have a cheque-book and go out

and buy the best players, aren't

going to compete.

When you say that,

you're talking about Manchester City

and United?

United to a certain

extent but city, for sure.

What

about Chelsea? The last two Premier

League champions come Chelsea and

Leicester.

You've just got to look

at the owners, they don't really

understand the tactics and this and

that and the other. Who's the best

player in the world, go and buy him,

doesn't matter how much it costs

because they'll get it out of the

oil well. That's the terrible state

football is in.

Didn't Leicester

give us a glimmer of hope that...?

That season, some of the so-called

big clubs were sorting themselves

out and worked in competition. It

was an amazing thing that happened

and good luck to Leicester and

stupid Tottenham should have taken

their chances then. If ever there

was a chance for us to win the

league we should have done it then.

Are the Arsenal fans prepared to go

through a period of transition where

you may go through two or three

managers before you get the goose

that lays the golden egg? That could

take six or seven years.

It could

and that's where the hierarchy are

looking. Had they had the right

candidates to replace Arsene Wenger?

That's where, OK, Arsenal are

looking for the longer term plan.

Spurs have been climbing the table.

Every season Arsenal are picking up

silverware and Spurs have yet to do

that.

Arsenal are fed up with

pushing for the top four. They want

the title.

I imagine quite fed up

indeed if these contracts for the

likes of Sanchez and Wilshere money

out and they leave.

We had it with

Sol Campbell, yeah. David Pleat,

bless him, and George Graham said at

the time, Chairman, leave it to us.

Don't worry, don't worry, he's going

nowhere. I said to them, gentlemen,

sadly you are as though

old-fashioned and entrenched in the

business, you don't understand the

effect of the Bosman rule. This

agent of Mr Campbell does understand

it. They said no, Chairman, leave it

to us, he'll be here next season.

That was history! May be what's

going on with Wilshere and the same.

Burn down the contract, somebody

gets them for free and they

campaigned them higher wages without

the transfer fee.

Do you think

Wanger has resigned himself to that?

I think he has with Sanchez, I think

Sanchez will play for Manchester

City. Ozil is going to leave for

free and I think Wilshere is

different, I think he'd like to

play.

Why has that been allowed to

happen?

If you are at the top of

Arsenal, you'd look at Sanchez and

Ozil, I know he hasn't performed

well but they are world stars and

you'd build a team around that and

make sure they are continually at

the club. How has it come to the

point where you are toning down 60

million quid and letting him walk

away for free? It adds to the fans'

unrest?

That's my point, Jermaine.

I'm being devil 's advocate, I don't

believe the player would have gone.

You wouldn't have turned down 60

million, would you? You'd be nuts,

as the club come if you thought he

was going.

From the player's

perspective, when we know a player

doesn't want to be at the club, they

want to go, but against Manchester

City he is in the line-up over

Lacazette. You'd think I've

committed my future but I've got a

player ahead of me who doesn't want

to be here. I suppose that's more a

question of what's going on?

What is

successful Arsenal this season?

Getting back in the Champions

League?

100% committed they get in

the top four, they must qualify that

as success because it looks

impossible. They've got a good

squad, they really have, but the way

things are going, that would be a

successful season for Arsenal.

I'm

hoping it happens, Jermaine! And a

good cup run.

You won two cups over

the last oblivious and you're still

saying you take that.

Top four would

be a remarkable finish for Arsenal,

bear in mind everything that's

happened. And again a tribute to

Begg's consistency and longevity. I

have in the foggiest why he

continues to beat himself up -- to

Wenger's consistency.

You wouldn't

say you are fired to Arsene Wenger?

No, tremendous admiration.

After a slow start, Spurs have found

their feet and now they are the

leading Londoners.

their feet and now they are the

leading Londoners.

Much has been

said about Spurs's so-called Wembley

kudu. The sucker punch with two and

a half minutes to play. -- Wembley

kudu.

Kane hasn't scored in August.

An equaliser for Burnley. Tottenham

can't win at Wembley.

Kane! August

has gone and September has arrived

and Kane is back among the goals.

Eriksen comes up trumps. Spurs have

their first Premier League victory

at Wembley.

Kane!

Tottenham Hotspur,

four, Liverpool, Walton.

What a

night for Tottenham. Spurs, three,

where Madrid, one.

The result will

reverberate through the continent --

Real Madrid.

We started have

confidence at Wembley.

Obviously Spurs took a while to get

going at Wembley and a slow start in

the league but the performance

against Real Madrid in the Champions

League at Wembley must be their

benchmark now, hasn't it?

It was a

realisation for Pochettino and the

players and the club of where they

want to be and how they want to is

be perceived. A couple of seasons

ago in the Europa League they went

to Baresi Dortmund and everyone

expected a lot and it didn't quite

happen. -- bushie Dortmund. This

year was the year for the manager to

go, I've got this team and I'm going

to make them even better. As a

player, when you come through

moments like that it makes you grow

and I expect the team to kick on and

achieve big things.

We are talking about Pochettino

potentially one of the best managers

in Europe. He has every attribute, I

think, out there, you can't fail to

like him. He's an excellent

tactician, the players adore him,

you see the connection. How will he

win a major trophy at Tottenham?

Particularly when he's balancing the

demands of the team, demands of the

club, moving to a new stadium and

the financial pressures that will

bring. It's a huge job in front of

him.

It

is a feeling at the moment that the

players feel there are onto

something. They feel, we've got

something here. The Real Madrid

result, as far as the fans were

concerned, that was our winning the

Premier League moment. That was it,

you couldn't do better than that.

Real Madrid in the Champions League

and we beat them big-time.

B is the

one manager, Pochettino, who has the

potential to make spares the closest

challengers. What he's doing is

overachieving and I think to do that

he's got together this young group

of players, he's got them all

believing they're playing wonderful,

attacking, attractive football. He

really is doing something special, I

think.

He has to keep those players

and you think when they look around

at their contemporaries at other

clubs and know they are not being

paid as much, eventually it's going

to start to work a little bit.

Yes,

and players are known for what you

win, silverware. When do we say,

this is the season they have to win

something? With the Real Madrid

game, the pressure wasn't on them in

that game. I just think, when are

they going to kick on, get some

silverware, because it is different

when you have to do produce those

performances consistently. It's

against Real Madrid. If Real Madrid

go away and when that game it is,

OK, they were playing against Real

Madrid. I am saying consistently

producing performances instead of

those one-off moments. Bee it'll be

the thing we talk about or who knows

how long. He will be there until he

does win something.

He has the

opportunity to win the League Cup

the other day.

That can be a great

stepping stone. Us the fact you

don't want to waste your time and

put your energy into the League Cup,

I think that's wrong.

That is a bit

of silverware missed already.

We

have to remember what this manager

has created. Dele Alli getting a

link with Barcelona, Real Madrid.

These top players for Spurs are

getting linked with the best clubs

in world football. These are players

that'll be able to walk into the

team at Real Madrid or Barcelona and

a lot of that is on the basis of

what raise your budget you has done.

Do they need to win something?

--

that is on the basis of what

Pochettino has done. I think it is

on the vision of trying to achieve,

trying to win. The minutes that goes

away, I think you do lose the focus

of someone like Harry Kane. Harry is

one of those players, he seems to be

the one that will stay. He's still

going to have to incentivise him in

terms of, what are we doing this

season? What are we trying to

achieve?

Comments like Danny Rose's

in the summer don't help. Having to

Google transfers. Walker has a

championship medal. Some players

might ask more questions.

If you go

back to the great Sir Alex Ferguson,

if he had a player like Danny Rose

make a statement like he did in the

media, he would have been dead meat,

gone.

What he spoke was the truth.

You shouldn't have said it and done

it in the way you did and you can

understand why at the top end of a

football club you would say, get

out, mate. The only problem is that

Manchester United, when you're dead

and finish and he kicks them out the

door, inevitably you go down. At

Tottenham and your Danny Rose, he

kicks him out the door and he goes

up. He will go to Manchester City,

PSG.

Not now, Jermaine, because we

are a contender now. We came second

last year, we are a big club now.

So

you've got Danny Rose basically

kicking off, making it clear he

wants to go. He's made that crystal

clear. But as an asset as well as

the player, if you completely derail

him, completely put him in the

reserves, you just topped off 20

million from his transfer fee.

You

only have to do it once and to make

a statement and say, don't mess with

me. He should have been dismissed

immediately and then he made a

pathetic apology which got about

that much space in the back pages.

You have a magnifying glass... Danny

Rose apologises.

Let's move on to

the new ground and let's not get

into a debate about whether they

will start the beginning of the 20

18th season. What fans will want is

we got a lovely stadium, we want to

keep on being able to pay the top

salaries to players, bringing top

players. They don't want to have to

sacrifice that for four or five

seasons.

I think that is where

Tottenham's plans come into place.

They have a young team, Arsenal

moved into the new stadium and you

had players coming towards the end

of their careers are they had to go

through a transition. Tottenham, I

think you have it all, you have the

young team to build on, the new

stadium. It's all upwards. We went

through the transition phase at the

Emirates.

You brought the end of an

era into a new era.

And tried to

rebuild it, as well. Tottenham is

all about having a young manager in

Pochettino, managing to keep the

young squad together during a period

of great upheaval and transition.

It

is the belief we have and also don't

forget we have a few kids in the

background coming through. He's very

interested in those kids and he's

giving them a chance.

He has given

them a chance. They were talking

about a player and the main part of

the puzzle is keeping the manager at

Spurs.

That is where you start it.

I

think part of the Bulls, as well, is

to win something without spending a

fortune. -- part of the buzz. I

don't think he wants to take the

easy route, he wants to do to the

right way. He's probably at the most

perfect club in Europe to do that.

They're not going to go crazy with

finances, they have a very good

youth academy and he will want to be

part of that special moment when it

comes.

Does anybody think they won't

finish above Arsenal? No.

Spurs have

changed. Arsenal have had 20 years

of dominance in north London thanks

to Arsene Wenger. I think people who

say, oh, you should have higher

sites than finishing above your

rivals never understand the dynamics

of a derby and what it means to

fans. It means everything. It's been

a great comfort for Wenger.

And

things are changing. Thank you so

much to John, Alex, Jermaine, Lord

Sugar. Some really interesting

topics we discussed. Let's see in a

year's time, which prophecies come

true.

Same time same place?

Same

place.

So a huge game to relish

on Saturday, and that's just

the beginning of another

action-packed weekend,

as the Premier League returns

following the international break.

as the Premier League returns

following the international break.

They've nipped it in the second

minute of injury time. Splendid, to

break the deadlock.

Sam Vokes has

done it for Burnley!

Trying to find

that balance between starting

defensively and our defensive record

is not too bad but you have to find

some momentum going forward. Seven

goals in 11 games is not a

particularly good tally.

Our

confidence in terms of what we can

achieve is at a particularly low

ebb, I don't think so. What worries

me about statistics.

In the last two

years we beat them twice so we know

we can beat them. We play 100%.

We've had an up and down start to

the season. Adam Lallana is coming

back. He's a massive player.

Hopefully we can do that.

It's

difficult to fight for the title

again. Every team wants to win

against Chelsea.

Anthony Marty Al

takes them ahead -- Anthony Martial.

And Watford have the lead! The young

Brazilian.

Oh, it's in! Peter Crouch, a great

header.

Plenty more by way of preview

of the Premier League weekend

on Football Focus this

Saturday lunchtime.

The north London derby

gets things under way,

and then at 3 o'clock leaders

Manchester City travel

to Leicester hoping to extend

their 8-point advantage.

At the other end of the table

Crystal Palace face Everton

while Swansea travel to high-flying

Burnley.

Under pressure Tony Pulis

and West Brom have a tough-looking

task against Chelsea,

before Manchester United play

Newcastle in the tea-time game.

On Sunday David Moyes

takes charge of West Ham

for the first time at Watford,

and then Brighton and Stoke

round things off on Monday night.

Lots to look forward to,

and hopefully plenty of goals.

These days it seems that it's not

simply the act of scoring alone

that's enough to make a statement,

but how you then mark

that big moment.

# It ain't what you do...

# It ain't what you do... Scoring a

goal is a rare and wonderful thing

and according to most footballers,

there's no feeling in the world that

can quite match it for sheer

elation. Well, apart from scoring

two goals, I suppose. Or three.

Anyway, how does one translate that

most intangible of the feelings into

an appropriate celebration

afterwards?

# It is your thing, do what you want

to do

to do and

# Whilst today's offerings tend

tantamount to dance, it used to be

fairly formal. During much of the

early 20th century, a firm handshake

and a ruffle of the moustache

sufficed. A particularly fine strike

might warrant a doffing of the cap,

but anything more extravagant was

considered bad form and could result

in deportation to Australia.

He was

disgusted, as well he might be.

Despite the fact that the 60s and

70s were known for their disco

extravaganzas, old pitch -- on pitch

celebrations didn't match up. By the

1980s, this deranged, seemingly

never ending - was merely par for

the course. Invite, major

international tournaments proved to

be fertile ground for the revolution

of goal celebrations. Roger Miller

showing corner flags the time of

their lives. Going Patrick Swayze,

putting baby in the corner, and

Gazza getting images the on field

dentistry at Euro 96. However, it

wasn't until the advent of the

Premier League that goal

celebrations really came into their

own. For some, the sheer

unadulterated joy of scoring allowed

them to bend the very laws of

physics. Whilst for others, those

laws remained firmly in place. Some

used their post-goal celebrations to

deliver a knockout satirical blow.

Jimmy Bullard does the Phil Brown,

sit them down and gives them a

ticking off.

Whilst others used it

to receive one. Then again, Wayne

does have a history of picking

fights with himself. Jurgen

Klinsmann's famous dies were used to

silence his critics. Whilst Robbie

Fowler's touchline snorting and him

plenty of new ones. And of course

there's always been room for a spot

of dad dancing. However, as the

inspiration well begins to run dry,

we've been subjected to

monstrosities like this... This...

And worst of all, this... It's not

looking good, is it? So where do we

go from here? A dance studio,

apparently, to figure out the future

of goal celebrations. Cue the

montage!

It's a lot harder than it looks,

this celebration law. I think I'll

leave it to the professionals. You

do it best, guys. Anyone know where

you can get eight two dry-cleaned?

I'm not sure we'll be seeing

Ben on Match Of The Day

or Strictly just yet.

Don't forget, if you've

missed anything, then

the show is on the iPlayer.

Next Thursday we'll be

in the Premier League leaders'

back yard in Manchester,

but until then enjoy

your footballing weekend

and enjoy it on the BBC.

Goodbye.