:00:31. > :00:35.Welcome to Match Of The Day two Extra. We're discussing the
:00:36. > :00:40.weekend's football on BBC One, Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website.
:00:41. > :00:44.Coming up, it's the first Cup Final of the season, as Sunderland look to
:00:45. > :00:46.upset the odds and beat Manchester City in the League Cup final at
:00:47. > :00:50.Wembley. Alan Pardew might be waking with a
:00:51. > :00:52.sore head this morning following the incident at Hull.
:00:53. > :00:55.Sol Campbell has been very forthright in this views of the
:00:56. > :01:00.England captaincy this morning, as his book is serialised.
:01:01. > :01:05.And we'll look at the title race - Liverpool up to second after their
:01:06. > :01:08.win and Arsenal slip up at Stoke. With me in the studio, former
:01:09. > :01:11.England and Arsenal defender Martin Keown, 5live and Match Of The Day
:01:12. > :01:21.commentator Conor McNamara, and Rory Smith from The Times. Martin is
:01:22. > :01:24.already in very argumentative mood! We will hear from all three of them
:01:25. > :01:27.shortly. And we'll start with Wembley and the
:01:28. > :01:30.Captial One Cup Final. 2pm kick-off with full commentary on 5live and
:01:31. > :01:33.highlights on BBC One later. It's Manchester City against Sunderland.
:01:34. > :01:38.Let's hear now from both managers. It is very important for this club
:01:39. > :01:45.to win titles, so to win the first title and at Wembley I think it is
:01:46. > :01:50.also very important. Everybody thinks it is
:01:51. > :01:52.also very important. Everybody say because before the final, it
:01:53. > :01:58.gave me plenty of options which made the situation very difficult for the
:01:59. > :02:00.players. That is because of the quantity of options. Secondly,
:02:01. > :02:05.because they will have to fight for a place in the squad. It is very
:02:06. > :02:13.beautiful to play for a title at Wembley. It is very awful to lose.
:02:14. > :02:18.So another team, another year, another year, but I am absolutely
:02:19. > :02:24.sure that all of them will be 100% motivated to win this time. It is
:02:25. > :02:29.incredible how, in the first game of the Capital One Cup, with 20 minutes
:02:30. > :02:34.to go we were out. And now we are in the final. And so a great
:02:35. > :02:39.opportunity. I am looking forward to it.
:02:40. > :02:42.Well, let's head to Wembley, where we can hear now from the TV
:02:43. > :02:47.commentary team of Kevin Kilbane, who's with Guy Mowbray.
:02:48. > :02:52.Kevin is with me pitch side at Wembley on the first really big day
:02:53. > :02:56.of the season. The first trophy to be awarded. Can you make a case for
:02:57. > :03:00.Sunderland upsetting the odds today? Well, we probably have to look to
:03:01. > :03:06.Wigan coming here in May beating a really strong Manchester city side
:03:07. > :03:09.that day and recent history where they have knocked out Manchester
:03:10. > :03:14.United and Manchester City, so they have to try to come here today to
:03:15. > :03:20.not out City. It is a tough task for them and a strong Manchester City
:03:21. > :03:29.side. -- knock out. Around London for the posterity for hours, it is
:03:30. > :03:34.all red and white! Yes! Red and white everywhere on the Tube. Some
:03:35. > :03:37.have been away three or four days before this game as well. They have
:03:38. > :03:41.enjoyed the occasion and they are enjoying the occasion here and they
:03:42. > :03:46.have come to party and, hopefully from their point of view, to win it.
:03:47. > :03:50.For City this is an altogether regular experience. You think that
:03:51. > :03:57.is a factor? The fans a bit blase now? I don't think that is the case.
:03:58. > :04:01.You look to Manchester City and where they have come from to get
:04:02. > :04:05.back into position now so why don't think anybody takes it for granted
:04:06. > :04:10.but this is a new experience for Sunderland. -- so I don't. You see
:04:11. > :04:14.lots of kids walking around Wembley so you see what it means to them to
:04:15. > :04:17.come here, so they can draw on this, that big factor, where they are in a
:04:18. > :04:22.big final and they can come here today and enjoy the occasion, and,
:04:23. > :04:28.who knows, after Wigan winning in May! It feels like a big day. Can't
:04:29. > :04:35.wait! Thank you to them. He uses public
:04:36. > :04:40.transport to get to games! Kiwi emphasised that! As far as this game
:04:41. > :04:48.is concerned, how much trance dude gives Sunderland, Martin? -- how
:04:49. > :04:55.much of a chance do you give? Well, they will be hoping to see that step
:04:56. > :04:58.out on pitch again but really the big matches when the special players
:04:59. > :05:02.come to the table and Manchester City have more of those than
:05:03. > :05:06.Sunderland. But you have to give credit. To get to the final. And
:05:07. > :05:09.Poyet is a manager who seems to be enjoying the occasion and the
:05:10. > :05:16.players feed off that. There is that sense that they want to put
:05:17. > :05:19.themselves down as history and everybody can see those photographs
:05:20. > :05:25.afterwards. The quality will come through and I think Manchester City
:05:26. > :05:29.will win. Well, it was partly what happened in the FA Cup final against
:05:30. > :05:36.Wigan last May but also their record against Sunderland. Sunderland have
:05:37. > :05:40.been a bogey team. They have. Manchester City, I have seen them
:05:41. > :05:48.slip up. They will have learned their lesson, surely, though, from
:05:49. > :05:58.that cautionary tale. Last year, Roberto Mancini had a ready got the
:05:59. > :06:00.Cup. Identity Manchester City slipping up because Manuel
:06:01. > :06:07.Pellegrini will want to put his stamp getting the trophy. -- I don't
:06:08. > :06:10.think we will see. The Emirates feels almost as big as Wembley when
:06:11. > :06:15.you are walking out of the tunnel and we all know what happened
:06:16. > :06:20.there. They lost 4-1, and they are going to have to turn up in a much
:06:21. > :06:24.bigger way, Sunderland. It is interesting because you look at City
:06:25. > :06:27.and all the big-name players and get I heard Samir Nasri in a radio
:06:28. > :06:32.interview this week saying, need to win the game at Wembley, I need to
:06:33. > :06:36.win a final. So for all the big-name players and success some of them
:06:37. > :06:42.have had, there might be this slight mental block about winning a trophy.
:06:43. > :06:47.I think what Guys says is quite right. Arsenal and other big teams
:06:48. > :06:51.in recent years, so you wonder whether the novelty will wear off
:06:52. > :06:54.but I don't think City are at that stage yet. They still need to build
:06:55. > :06:58.back cabinet full of silverware so for the players this is still
:06:59. > :07:04.special for them. Not as special as it is for Sunderland. The sea of red
:07:05. > :07:12.and white, it is fantastic! That is why it is a shame so many teams
:07:13. > :07:16.think... Well, if Manchester City win a few more things it will be
:07:17. > :07:21.like Manchester United and we will always be looking for the other team
:07:22. > :07:25.to win it. Yes, it just gets boring watching them but I think this is a
:07:26. > :07:30.different City and it means so much to Sunderland. Which is bizarre,
:07:31. > :07:35.because we accuse the big clubs of not taking the FA Cup seriously and
:07:36. > :07:42.yet it is still the same side to get to the final! I think it is the
:07:43. > :07:45.timing. The start of the season. This is quite a good competition for
:07:46. > :07:54.the big clubs and one they feel they actually want to win it and they can
:07:55. > :08:00.win it. Every time you pick up the phone, it is a family member who
:08:01. > :08:03.wants a ticket! So you have to think, who do you love most of all
:08:04. > :08:07.to give the tickets to! Some people bring up last minute. Sorry, we are
:08:08. > :08:11.playing Manchester United this weekend. It is difficult to put it
:08:12. > :08:16.in compartments. I think Sunderland have suffered with that. Coming to
:08:17. > :08:20.London was, in their minds, well, we will be going to London next week
:08:21. > :08:26.and I'm doing this. That was a dangerous way to turn up and a game
:08:27. > :08:35.to play. If they have any chance of winning this. You go to the Stadium
:08:36. > :08:38.of Light and there is that statue outside. Manchester City win this
:08:39. > :08:50.game, there won't be any stuff choose built for the goal-scorer. --
:08:51. > :08:55.statues. Statuesque! By the way, how many friends did you lose over
:08:56. > :09:06.handing tickets out? Did you lose any? I didn't have any friends! You
:09:07. > :09:09.only get 25. It is ridiculous, and there is the travel to organise and
:09:10. > :09:13.all manner of things. When you get to a final and do it regularly, you
:09:14. > :09:17.understand it and put it in a box. When it is the first time it almost
:09:18. > :09:22.overtakes your life and that could happen to Sunderland. You look at
:09:23. > :09:27.Bardsley, the writeback, who was already a part of the club. He walks
:09:28. > :09:31.out today, and is he emotional or is he professional? Which emotion takes
:09:32. > :09:35.over? And if you've not played in finals, it is a game where you trust
:09:36. > :09:39.your team-mates and it could be the biggest game of their lives but
:09:40. > :09:43.Wigan went down last year and they are known as Cup winners. Playing in
:09:44. > :09:48.the Championship. So, go and win it if you can win it. We are going to
:09:49. > :09:51.go on to the Premier League in a while, but for Manchester City and
:09:52. > :09:54.Sunderland, they haven't had a premier league fixture this
:09:55. > :09:59.weekend, both playing in the FA Cup next weekend as well. Chelsea have a
:10:00. > :10:03.league game next Saturday against Spurs. Teams around Sunderland will
:10:04. > :10:06.be playing as well. Will that be in the back of their minds, that they
:10:07. > :10:11.are losing ground? Sunderland have had that double-dip and they have
:10:12. > :10:16.done magnificently to get out of trouble and then they are back there
:10:17. > :10:19.again, and you are looking over your shoulder at the Premier League,
:10:20. > :10:27.thinking, when can we get back into that again? Last season they were
:10:28. > :10:34.playing an important semifinal and they weren't able to do it and that
:10:35. > :10:40.cost them their Premier League. So, kick-off at 2pm, highlights tonight.
:10:41. > :10:46.There are two stories dominating the papers this weekend. One is Alan
:10:47. > :10:49.Pardew. Away from the weekend's football,
:10:50. > :10:52.Sol Campbell's new book has been serialised in The Sunday Times this
:10:53. > :10:56.morning and it's quite a strong headline. There are all sorts of
:10:57. > :11:01.stories that have come out of it but he talks about having never fitted
:11:02. > :11:05.the FA's image of cat in. He is basically saying in this that he
:11:06. > :11:09.didn't feel that the FA wanted a full-time Black captain of the
:11:10. > :11:14.England team. When you heard that last night or this morning when it
:11:15. > :11:18.came out, what were your thoughts? My initial thought is that I don't
:11:19. > :11:24.believe anyone at the FA... I don't believe anyone has a direct input
:11:25. > :11:29.into the captain is. That is the job of the manager, and rightly so. I'm
:11:30. > :11:32.sure if a manager tried to select somebody like Joey Barton as
:11:33. > :11:37.captain, they might say something that that is not entirely right. No
:11:38. > :11:40.disrespect to Joey Barton beyond the obvious! I don't think the FA would
:11:41. > :11:48.have said to Glenn Hoddle or Ericsson or anyone that they can't
:11:49. > :11:51.have a captain because he is black. I wouldn't have thought anybody
:11:52. > :11:55.would think, you cannot be my captain because he is black. I think
:11:56. > :12:00.the issue here is trying to get at is whether the selection of a
:12:01. > :12:03.captain, there are associations that people make with colour without
:12:04. > :12:07.meaning to and that becomes something negative when you have two
:12:08. > :12:11.candidates, one white, one black, that you are more predisposed to go
:12:12. > :12:14.with the white player. That could be an issue but we can never really
:12:15. > :12:24.know send Goran Eriksson's thought processes. Sol Campbell captain
:12:25. > :12:32.three times. And it is very hard to say looking at the captain 's that
:12:33. > :12:40.any of them were obvious mistakes. The main captains during Sol
:12:41. > :12:43.Campbell's career, 28 times Alan Shearer was captain, 26 times David
:12:44. > :12:52.Beckham. They were the two main ones. Adam, four. Sol Campbell had
:12:53. > :12:56.three. I think what seems to be coming out in the reports today is
:12:57. > :13:05.that when Michael Owen was selected ahead of him. He captained England
:13:06. > :13:08.three times as well. I think there are certain players and think David
:13:09. > :13:15.Beckham is a good example and Michael Owen would be, that if you
:13:16. > :13:21.say to somebody, if you are made captain, it will make you taller, it
:13:22. > :13:25.will make you stand up, but somebody like Sol Campbell is going to give a
:13:26. > :13:31.captain's performance whether he has the armband on or not. But this is
:13:32. > :13:35.obviously coming out in an international week with a headline
:13:36. > :13:39.that grabs the attention. Ian Wright, a dinky only captained
:13:40. > :13:43.England once. But all the global success and the trophies that they
:13:44. > :13:51.win. I can see the FA would think there is a -- I cannot see the FA
:13:52. > :14:01.would think there is a problem with image in having a black captain.
:14:02. > :14:10.Michael Owen only captained on the odd occasion. I am disappointed to
:14:11. > :14:16.hear that. I'm no Sol Campbell very well. Shed the dressing room with
:14:17. > :14:25.him for many years. -- I know. -- I shared. But David Beckham was almost
:14:26. > :14:28.like a global brand and Michael Owen was assured of his place for the
:14:29. > :14:31.next ten years, so when those decisions were made that would have
:14:32. > :14:37.come into it but I think Sol could have gone about it in a different
:14:38. > :14:41.way. He genuinely thinks we have to respect his Hubert I think he could
:14:42. > :14:45.have done something on the inside to talk to people. I don't think we
:14:46. > :14:54.need this sensationalism and I don't think it helps any young black
:14:55. > :14:59.player coming into the game. I don't think it's not the case that
:15:00. > :15:08.football hasn't helped make it the case that a black player can make it
:15:09. > :15:11.in this industry. I think if summary had given him the role and said,
:15:12. > :15:18.look, and brought those qualities through, he wasn't as vocal and he
:15:19. > :15:22.was more of a visual leader. He was a leader. There were problems around
:15:23. > :15:26.Sol when he came to Arsenal and we had a lot of things to deal with
:15:27. > :15:29.with the Tottenham move. Maybe they felt there were other issues they
:15:30. > :15:36.wanted to leave him to deal with himself quietly and just bring your
:15:37. > :15:40.game to the game, never mind captained the group. But I do feel
:15:41. > :15:45.disappointed this has come out in this way. The cynicism in selling
:15:46. > :15:49.books or whatever. Sol is not that type of man and doesn't need to be.
:15:50. > :15:52.But I feel he could have spoken to somebody within the FA to try to
:15:53. > :15:59.explain his story and make sure this doesn't happen again. You can send
:16:00. > :16:09.us a text if you want to get in touch. 85 808. He said in The Sunday
:16:10. > :16:15.Times, the team rests solely with the manager in terms of selection. I
:16:16. > :16:18.was also a great enthusiasts for Rio to captain England but it was
:16:19. > :16:29.Capello's choice for John Terry and I'd left it at that. Which would
:16:30. > :16:33.imply the FA don't get involved. They certainly do not get involved
:16:34. > :16:37.in any open way, saying, you have to pick this person for a position or
:16:38. > :16:40.the captaincy. I guess what we will never know is whether there were
:16:41. > :16:43.conversations behind-the-scenes where hints were dropped or anything
:16:44. > :16:48.like that, that is possible. And even more so, whether people have, I
:16:49. > :16:54.don't know, thought processes that are related to race that they are
:16:55. > :16:57.not aware about. Beckham was obviously a massive brand, would he
:16:58. > :17:02.have been as big a brand if he were black? I think the FA have to
:17:03. > :17:06.respond to this, just as they have with the other big story this
:17:07. > :17:10.weekend with Alan Pardew. We have a lot of young black players coming
:17:11. > :17:15.into the game, not enough as coaches or managers or in administration,
:17:16. > :17:19.that is an issue. But we have had black captains, and this is dragging
:17:20. > :17:24.us back from a bridge we have already crossed but we still need to
:17:25. > :17:27.look into. The other story that is completely dominating the back pages
:17:28. > :17:33.this morning, pictures of Alan Pardew and David Meyler all over
:17:34. > :17:38.every single back page, or the front pages of the sports sections. Every
:17:39. > :17:40.tweet or text on the Newcastle game involves the incident. Before we
:17:41. > :17:44.discuss it and I read out some of your texts, let's hear from the
:17:45. > :17:50.Newcastle manager. It was a situation where I should not have
:17:51. > :17:53.been there. I have been involved in a couple of incidents on the line
:17:54. > :17:57.because I am too near the action. I will be sitting down from now on,
:17:58. > :18:02.and quite rightly after I have apologised to everyone. I should not
:18:03. > :18:07.have got involved in it, really. Is it your worst incident on the
:18:08. > :18:11.touchline? Well, yeah, I don't really think I did any damage to the
:18:12. > :18:17.guy, but you cannot put your head forward, trying to push away. I
:18:18. > :18:21.shouldn't have done that. But I apologise to everyone concerned. For
:18:22. > :18:27.me personally, I think it is a bit of a wake-up call to sit down, and I
:18:28. > :18:33.will. Rory Smith, the club have signed ?100,000 and warned him about
:18:34. > :18:42.future conduct. He seems to believe that sitting down will cure it. An
:18:43. > :18:45.entirely appropriate punishment! The thing with Pardew is, it is a
:18:46. > :18:52.headbutt but it is not really a headbutt. I tried to push away with
:18:53. > :18:56.my head, that line will live in infamy for all time! You wonder what
:18:57. > :19:00.else he tries to do with his head, does he opened doors and towns like
:19:01. > :19:04.that? Has he not worked out he has got hands? It is an issue that he
:19:05. > :19:08.needs to look at! The problem with Pardew is ease as he has had a
:19:09. > :19:15.couple of incidents and he will sit down to solve it. -- he has had.
:19:16. > :19:17.This goes back years, and without being all Californian hypnotherapy
:19:18. > :19:22.about it, he has got a problem with his temper, and he is 52. The
:19:23. > :19:28.incident at Hull, pushing a linesman, the war of words with
:19:29. > :19:32.Pellegrini, although there are lots of managers who have wars of words
:19:33. > :19:36.with each other. And we have had him shoving Arsene Wenger a few years
:19:37. > :19:41.ago as West Ham manager. He says this will make him sit down. Why did
:19:42. > :19:46.those previous incidents not do it? I think it shows that he has a big
:19:47. > :19:49.passion, he is keen to win the game, Meyler was coming over to get the
:19:50. > :19:55.ball, and he wanted to slow things down, get in his way. There is this
:19:56. > :19:59.accusation on Tyneside that is part of this Cockney Mafia, not part of
:20:00. > :20:04.the club. I think this shows that he wants to win. It is more serious for
:20:05. > :20:07.a manager, wearing the suit, to headbutt someone, rather than a
:20:08. > :20:11.player on the pitch in the field of battle, heart pumping, running on
:20:12. > :20:15.the pitch, lunging for things, diving into things. You still should
:20:16. > :20:20.not headbutt anyone, but it is worse for a manager. Benji got in touch
:20:21. > :20:25.with us on Twitter, don't you think a lot has been made about his
:20:26. > :20:29.behaviour? It goes on all the time on the pitch. Is it different for a
:20:30. > :20:41.manager headed nudging, as we will call it, and they play? Of course, I
:20:42. > :20:46.have not been a manager, and you are a leader of young men. He creates
:20:47. > :20:50.the habit of behaviour. I did a piece some weeks ago saying not only
:20:51. > :20:54.Pardew but his whole bench are going to far with the way they respond to
:20:55. > :20:57.rough challenges, tackles on the sidelines, they are out in numbers
:20:58. > :21:01.as if they were doing it deliberately. There have been a few
:21:02. > :21:06.incidents, he has apologised where it had a go at the Man City manager.
:21:07. > :21:11.I think it is almost like damage limitation apology. I'm not sure it
:21:12. > :21:15.is a genuine apology. I know the magnitude of this situation will
:21:16. > :21:19.make him sit down and reflect, genuinely make a change, because he
:21:20. > :21:23.has a lot to offer as an outstanding manager. I am not sitting here
:21:24. > :21:28.saying we do not make mistakes, but he has gone below the line, he has
:21:29. > :21:33.done it more than once, and he is lucky that his club have stood by
:21:34. > :21:36.him, because it is that serious. How can he, you know... He wants to
:21:37. > :21:44.transcend respect throughout the group, and that is the best way. The
:21:45. > :21:48.Sun are saying that Alan Shearer and Graeme Souness as well, both former
:21:49. > :21:52.Newcastle managers, saying he should go. He should be sacked. It is a
:21:53. > :21:56.vote of confidence for Pardew, because one of the big excuses of
:21:57. > :22:00.not getting rid of a manager is because you would have to pay them
:22:01. > :22:05.so much. If there was any inkling he wanted to get rid of Pardew, this is
:22:06. > :22:09.an excuse, you could get rid of him on grounds of misconduct. If they
:22:10. > :22:14.find him and he keeps his job, it is a vote of confidence, they want him
:22:15. > :22:17.to take it forward. The ?100,000, for those of us on the street, is
:22:18. > :22:22.that a big fine? For most of us, you would have to move out of your
:22:23. > :22:26.house. For a football manager, how serious is it? We talk about
:22:27. > :22:30.football wages in terms of how much they get a week, because the figures
:22:31. > :22:34.are easier to understand. There is a feeling that he might have wanted to
:22:35. > :22:38.resign, gone back into the dressing room and said to the players, look,
:22:39. > :22:43.I have gone below the line, you have not seen it, do you want me to stay?
:22:44. > :22:48.There is that feeling as well about this. I don't believe, now the dust
:22:49. > :22:52.is settling, he does need to sort himself out, but it will benefit the
:22:53. > :22:56.whole club and the group and its staff as well. Is it not interesting
:22:57. > :23:02.that we talk about his passion as being a good thing? Someone like
:23:03. > :23:06.Michael Laudrup, widely discredited, one of the things that was held
:23:07. > :23:13.against him was that he sat down during matches as if he was watching
:23:14. > :23:18.the football. 50,000 people screaming. I respect more the
:23:19. > :23:21.manager that sits calmly and trust in the team to perform. The ones
:23:22. > :23:25.that were ranting and raving, could not be heard, and it demonstrates
:23:26. > :23:30.they have not done enough work on the training pitch through the week.
:23:31. > :23:33.The title race, three results yesterday that stood up, Chelsea
:23:34. > :23:37.winning at Fulham, Arsenal losing at Stoke, Liverpool going to
:23:38. > :23:43.Southampton in the tea-time game and putting three past Pochettino's
:23:44. > :23:48.men. We can you from all three managers. It is brilliant for the
:23:49. > :23:51.supporters to get three, they have been excited this year and they love
:23:52. > :23:56.the way we have been playing. They probably knew this was a big result,
:23:57. > :24:01.coming to here, against a very good side, so to get the 3-0 victory and
:24:02. > :24:05.play and work like we did, they will be happy tonight. So for us, we will
:24:06. > :24:10.stay calm and focused, ten games to go, Allah main focus is the next
:24:11. > :24:22.game, against badgers denied. -- our main focus. It is very tough,
:24:23. > :24:28.because defeat hurts. Of course we have to bounce back from that, but
:24:29. > :24:36.the consequences of this defeat can be very hard to take, and we have to
:24:37. > :24:39.respond very quickly. What kind of advantage do you have now mentally,
:24:40. > :24:47.a 6-point gap of a 6-point gap over Manchester City one not playing in
:24:48. > :24:54.the league? Four points more, that is an advantage. Do Man City, it is
:24:55. > :24:58.a fake advantage, we have six points more than them, but if they win
:24:59. > :25:03.their matches in hand, they have the same points as us and will be top of
:25:04. > :25:09.the league. So against Man City, we are behind them. Martin, from the
:25:10. > :25:13.point of view of a player, it is not a gap because Manchester City have
:25:14. > :25:18.games in hand to make sure they go level on points, but if Chelsea win
:25:19. > :25:21.next Saturday, I think it is Spurs in the tea-time game, it is a
:25:22. > :25:29.9-point gap that is not a gap. If you are a player, do you see that as
:25:30. > :25:33.a gap? 100%! If you are chasing? It is money in the bag, isn't it, for
:25:34. > :25:40.the Chelsea team? The pressure is on City. Again, it is Mourinho with his
:25:41. > :25:44.smoke signals that he sends. I start to lose respect for him when he
:25:45. > :25:51.talks about that. He should be saying, look, the pressure is on Man
:25:52. > :25:54.City now, not necessarily on us. They were magnificent in their
:25:55. > :26:00.performance, Chelsea yesterday, a difficult game against Fulham, Andre
:26:01. > :26:05.Schurrle are showing his quality. Allegedly, Mourinho never said
:26:06. > :26:09.anything at half-time, and by saying nothing he said he said everything,
:26:10. > :26:16.and the players performed well in the second-half. They looked
:26:17. > :26:21.better, but Fulham looked doomed. Conor, Chelsea have a player in Eden
:26:22. > :26:25.Hazard who is driving them on, their catalyst. Liverpool maybe have a
:26:26. > :26:28.couple of players who are driving them on all stop Arsenal are
:26:29. > :26:35.struggling to find somebody to drive them on. The creative players are
:26:36. > :26:41.either injured or not performing at the moment. Thinking back early in
:26:42. > :26:44.the season, the driving force was Aaron Ramsey. Oxlade-Chamberlain
:26:45. > :26:51.will be important. But Mesut Ozil, not firing on all cylinders. When
:26:52. > :26:55.things are going against you, they really are not. I thought the
:26:56. > :26:59.penalty was harsh yesterday, but you get the feeling with Arsenal that
:27:00. > :27:03.the momentum is not with them. Click that to Liverpool, boy, is the
:27:04. > :27:07.momentum with them! They think they will concede a few but they will
:27:08. > :27:11.score a lot. Suarez, Raheem Sterling, playing his way into the
:27:12. > :27:15.England squad. In terms of Manchester United this season, we
:27:16. > :27:18.say they have fallen off a clip, the champions down to seventh. It is the
:27:19. > :27:23.same cliff that Liverpool are climbing up. I thought they would
:27:24. > :27:26.fade away around Christmas, they finished seventh in the table last
:27:27. > :27:32.season. Early March, they are second, championship contenders, and
:27:33. > :27:36.it will be hard against Chelsea and Manchester City, and I know Mourinho
:27:37. > :27:41.saying a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Not another
:27:42. > :27:46.metaphor flying around! They are certainly capable of dropping
:27:47. > :27:52.points, City, they are not banked, whereas Chelsea has got them on the
:27:53. > :27:56.board. I can see why Mourinho is playing this game of insisting that
:27:57. > :27:59.they are not in the title race. It is because he wants to dress it up
:28:00. > :28:05.as Chelsea being the scrappy underdogs, the team that is on the
:28:06. > :28:07.rise, young and all that, as though they have not spent hundreds of
:28:08. > :28:13.millions on the squad in the last ten years. I do not buy it, but I
:28:14. > :28:17.can see why he is doing it, casting himself in a siege mentality, with
:28:18. > :28:23.City as the favourites. We have to fight and push on. If they win as
:28:24. > :28:28.underdogs, it creates more pressure on their rivals, that is what he
:28:29. > :28:33.first did in 2005, when Arsenal were unbeaten. They won with all the
:28:34. > :28:38.money that they eventually spent. He is very clever, he is the new Alex
:28:39. > :28:41.Ferguson, isn't he? He probably seasons as the elder statesman,
:28:42. > :28:45.Arsene Wenger is not getting involved, and when he did, Mourinho
:28:46. > :28:49.pulled away. I think he should lead his team do the talking, potentially
:28:50. > :28:53.he has the best team - just let them do it, and when they do, it becomes
:28:54. > :28:59.more acceptable to the neutral fan, and when he starts to take over, he
:29:00. > :29:04.feels that he needs to talk, when his team play well. Is there any
:29:05. > :29:10.hope of Arsenal getting back in the title race? Carnell says, what you
:29:11. > :29:16.think they need to do to become a complete side? Can get that momentum
:29:17. > :29:20.back? Arsenal have got bogged down in really big fixtures one after
:29:21. > :29:25.another. Yesterday the biggest thing for me was the lack of creativity in
:29:26. > :29:29.the final third, no spark. Ramsey has been a massive loss, like Eden
:29:30. > :29:33.Hazard not playing for Chelsea at the moment. Their squad is not big
:29:34. > :29:38.enough to keep replacing those players that are not available.
:29:39. > :29:44.Candidate adapt? Credits to Stoke, they did very well, improving under
:29:45. > :29:49.Mark Hughes. But can they adapt? Can they alter how they played to suit
:29:50. > :29:53.the games they play? You get the feeling that City, Chelsea and
:29:54. > :29:56.Liverpool can all not only changed personnel but change styles to a
:29:57. > :30:02.state an extent if they need to, don't you? I think Liverpool have to
:30:03. > :30:06.embrace the chaos and see what happens, that is working so far.
:30:07. > :30:12.Arsenal have the players not to need to adapt, don't they? Ad is it, do
:30:13. > :30:18.you have to adapt? Most teams do not have to adapt. It is confidence, the
:30:19. > :30:26.emotion of Anfield, the intensity in their play, the energy. Southampton
:30:27. > :30:30.did really well in that game, so they are getting lucky as well. It
:30:31. > :30:34.is another ingredient, Liverpool restoring some of that luck. They
:30:35. > :30:41.have a manager that wants it badly, he was putting people under
:30:42. > :30:45.pressure. I think we can all be wise after the event and they can say,
:30:46. > :30:49.why didn't they go and buy a striker? You bring in a ?20 million
:30:50. > :30:54.striker you shouldn't have to trust in the kid you have brought through.
:30:55. > :30:58.But you look at Liverpool who brought in Stirling and he scored
:30:59. > :31:02.the goal yesterday. So bringing in a kid isn't necessarily a sign of
:31:03. > :31:06.weakness. But you think you should with play in the same way if you are
:31:07. > :31:11.one of the big sides in the title? Not necessarily in the same way but
:31:12. > :31:15.most managers agree that a top side should not alter the game to suit
:31:16. > :31:19.the opposition. No offence to Stoke but Arsenal should be able to go to
:31:20. > :31:23.the Britannia and there does seem to be a psychological block with Stoke
:31:24. > :31:31.and Arsenal. You should be able to go and say, we are going to play our
:31:32. > :31:35.game. You can tinkle with it but I think it works best when you take
:31:36. > :31:41.your game and it is your style you impose on the opposition. Let's look
:31:42. > :31:45.ahead to the three premier league games coming up this afternoon. The
:31:46. > :31:50.lead against Norwich, Swansea against Crystal Palace and then the
:31:51. > :31:56.game you can hear on Radio 5 Live is Spurs against Cardiff at 4:30pm. It
:31:57. > :32:04.has been dominated by the interview that Vincent Tan gave the BBC. I
:32:05. > :32:08.cannot come in and change what has been done but we need to look
:32:09. > :32:12.forward to make this a success. You know what I'd look at? Maybe some of
:32:13. > :32:17.the mistakes I've made, maybe picking that player or that tactic
:32:18. > :32:21.and that game plan. I can't be looking at that now. I am in charge
:32:22. > :32:25.of the team now and we are in with a chance. We have two and we are in
:32:26. > :32:29.with a chance. We have two and a half monthsish to get out of the
:32:30. > :32:33.situation and we will give it a go and we have had so many examples in
:32:34. > :32:42.the last ten years with teams in the same situation, ten, 11 games to go.
:32:43. > :32:48.So that is the best example from last year. So, there are examples. I
:32:49. > :32:52.saw them recently when they had that draw against Aston Villa, a midweek
:32:53. > :32:57.game about ten days ago, and they looked to me a little bit, you know,
:32:58. > :33:05.he has come in and is trying to play guys like the member from the youth
:33:06. > :33:07.team. Some people say the only reason he has left Trafford is
:33:08. > :33:11.because he didn't understand the chance they had got but he looks
:33:12. > :33:15.like in the Premier League and they need to roll up their sleeves, flex
:33:16. > :33:20.some muscles and fight their way out. They are trying to play the
:33:21. > :33:23.kind of stuff we have seen from Southampton and Swansea in the last
:33:24. > :33:29.few years. I know he has mentioned Southampton as a team who, in recent
:33:30. > :33:32.times, have been able to play their way out of trouble. But we all saw
:33:33. > :33:36.last year with Wigan, you can play that nice, pretty football but in
:33:37. > :33:41.that relegation battle don't think it is the stuff that will get you
:33:42. > :33:47.out. But it is never going to be easy. Ollie looks like he is under
:33:48. > :33:51.huge pressure. Why? Why don't we do the best we can as a group. You
:33:52. > :33:56.never know, we might get out of trouble. When you lose 4-0 like they
:33:57. > :34:00.did last week to Hull, that is a real, major blow, and to pick
:34:01. > :34:03.yourself up from there there is a realisation we're not going to do
:34:04. > :34:07.this. But let's give as good account of ourselves as we can. At the
:34:08. > :34:11.moment I can't see them getting out of trouble but he has to manage from
:34:12. > :34:23.the front get those players to play better than they are at the moment.
:34:24. > :34:32.They did seem to be getting worse because before they had a long ball
:34:33. > :34:38.team plan. Things then had turned. I was at the game, the Villa game,
:34:39. > :34:42.which was terrible, with Conor. Some time of my life I went get back! I
:34:43. > :34:45.don't know what his aim is all visionaries and I don't know what
:34:46. > :34:49.type of football he wants to play. He is a real nice man and I hope he
:34:50. > :34:54.succeeds but I suspect that he needs and the club needs to drop down the
:34:55. > :34:59.Championship and have a go again. We touched on this last week and looked
:35:00. > :35:03.at the stats. Those asides, West Brom the other, and Cardiff, who
:35:04. > :35:07.have brought in managers who are not experienced in the Premier League
:35:08. > :35:09.and have not seen a great deal of premier league football this season
:35:10. > :35:14.because they have been doing other jobs. The others seem to be a bit
:35:15. > :35:17.unsure. Fulham is harder to gauge because they have now had three
:35:18. > :35:21.managers. But you look at somebody like Crystal Palace or Sunderland,
:35:22. > :35:25.and I know Sunderland is on the bottom three, but because of their
:35:26. > :35:29.knowledge of British football they seem to be more settled, Poyet and
:35:30. > :35:34.Tony Pulis, because they have a better grasp of what they are doing.
:35:35. > :35:38.Is that fair? It seems to be, and you have to look at every situation
:35:39. > :35:41.in isolation. With Cardiff it seems that the owner of the football
:35:42. > :35:45.club, there was an animosity about the amount of money spent. Managing
:35:46. > :35:50.better would have been to look at the results on the pitch and say,
:35:51. > :35:53.OK, let's make a change at the end of the season. They are in a good
:35:54. > :35:57.league position and he now has got rid of that manager. They are in an
:35:58. > :36:05.awful lot worse position in a legal point of view. That money now will
:36:06. > :36:11.be more difficult to get back. -- a league point. I don't understand why
:36:12. > :36:20.Long was allowed to leave. And others. An odd way to write football
:36:21. > :36:26.club. We saw with Queens Park Rangers, they came up and spent 30
:36:27. > :36:28.million in the Premier League. I was at Loftus Road and there is no
:36:29. > :36:33.guarantee they are coming back up. They haven't won in five games now
:36:34. > :36:41.and in danger of slipping into the play-offs. So with Cardiff, they
:36:42. > :36:48.might think, we spend a bit of money, but it is very difficult. In
:36:49. > :36:51.a way, it is the teams like Crystal Palace under Tony Pulis who have
:36:52. > :36:55.stuck to their guns and focused on what they are good at, not trying to
:36:56. > :37:02.play an expensive game they are not able to play, and that is what gets
:37:03. > :37:09.success. Villa, Swansea and Crystal Palace. If they win, they will go
:37:10. > :37:22.above Villa and Swansea, Crystal Palace, so... I think there is
:37:23. > :37:25.enough quality there. They lost their way a bit and lost their
:37:26. > :37:32.intensity and the Michael Laudrup because of his style of management.
:37:33. > :37:35.I think they will be fine. Norwich of those four, that is the one I
:37:36. > :37:43.would re-worry about because their last few games of the season... But
:37:44. > :37:46.you have Tony Pulis who has had 901st-class games and you think
:37:47. > :37:51.about the difference in experience. I know it is a huge call to put
:37:52. > :38:00.somebody in that type of position of authority. -- 900 first-class games.
:38:01. > :38:08.Can you really see Palace winning today? Is Swansea win today it
:38:09. > :38:11.almost puts today then being safe. Let's look ahead to the
:38:12. > :38:14.international to be played this week. England taking on Denmark.
:38:15. > :38:21.Their last home friendly before the World Cup. We have Luke Short and
:38:22. > :38:28.after yesterday's game as St Mary's, Steven Gerrard was asked about his
:38:29. > :38:33.position. I think Luke Shaw will be the England left back. That is a
:38:34. > :38:36.fact. That goes without saying if he stays clear from injuries that he
:38:37. > :38:43.will be a top player for many years to come. Then you have Rodriguez and
:38:44. > :38:46.Lambert, who were consistent. But I'm looking forward to putting this
:38:47. > :38:51.game aside and now we are trying to get a win for England and train and
:38:52. > :38:54.play with those lads. I thought there was pressure on Luke Shaw
:38:55. > :39:02.already so that has been cranked up a bit! Yes, if I was Manchester
:39:03. > :39:07.United, Chelsea, Liverpool, I would be shoving money at Southampton to
:39:08. > :39:10.get him and if I couldn't get him, I would get Ben Davies from Swansea.
:39:11. > :39:20.Luke Shaw a soup -- is a superb footballer. 20 upwards, I would pay.
:39:21. > :39:26.He was a left back for ten, 15 years. It is not just his pace.
:39:27. > :39:30.There are certain players to catch your eye when they are young. It is
:39:31. > :39:37.his position, his decision-making, tackling. He does seem to be the
:39:38. > :39:41.full packaging. -- full package. I'm sure there will be lots of people
:39:42. > :39:46.saying, you should stay at Southampton or learn his craft
:39:47. > :39:51.before going to a big club. Right here and right now, I think he is
:39:52. > :39:59.ready for one of those top clubs. I'd agree with Rory. You see
:40:00. > :40:04.similarities with other left backs of the last ten years? Within 30
:40:05. > :40:08.seconds of seeing him play, I was like, who is this kid? Because he
:40:09. > :40:14.whipped a beautiful cross in, straight down the wing, and you knew
:40:15. > :40:19.he was the worst kept secret in football, which is how good he is!
:40:20. > :40:23.My son was playing against in a game and it was instant. Players you can
:40:24. > :40:27.see. They talk about the golden bunch of players they have. Chambers
:40:28. > :40:34.is the other one. I thought he played better yesterday than Luke
:40:35. > :40:39.Shaw. So there is another one. And I think Chambers could play centre
:40:40. > :40:42.half. Currently playing Southampton defence. Suddenly, the England
:40:43. > :40:47.players were better on the ball. They have so many. Alana is a
:40:48. > :40:52.beautiful footballer, the way he moves the ball from left foot to
:40:53. > :40:57.right foot. Steven Gerrard knows the value of those two. And I think it
:40:58. > :41:04.is great that he is the captain because he is putting his arm around
:41:05. > :41:07.them in his interviewing. He is being captain in those interviews. I
:41:08. > :41:14.think Gerard is playing even better this season as well, and long may
:41:15. > :41:18.that continue. A friendly in March before a World Cup, with everything
:41:19. > :41:23.else going on, what do you want as a player out of that final friendly to
:41:24. > :41:29.avoid injury -- that final friendly? To avoid injury? You don't
:41:30. > :41:34.want to put something in Roy Hodgson's mind to think that you
:41:35. > :41:39.won't go there. Sometimes you are a better player when you don't play.
:41:40. > :41:42.So essentially now there is not a lot of time and you have to get your
:41:43. > :41:47.head down, keep performing for your football club. The situations I was
:41:48. > :41:51.in, it was like, I am sorry, I am going to try to win something, and
:41:52. > :41:54.in doing so, if that gets me into the England team, great. When the
:41:55. > :41:58.England games come around you have to perform well but I would play the
:41:59. > :42:03.youngsters. Lampard should go but don't use them. Steven Gerrard,
:42:04. > :42:06.those types of players. Maybe him a little while so they can be around
:42:07. > :42:13.the big man and understand how to behave, because that is important as
:42:14. > :42:17.well. There is a competition. Earlier in the season we were saying
:42:18. > :42:22.Ross Barkley. Some were saying Morrison. You have to stand up and
:42:23. > :42:30.make your mark because only four of those will go. This is the last
:42:31. > :42:33.chance to do so for Roy Hodgson. Liverpool's English midfield and
:42:34. > :42:37.attack playing into the England team. Jack Wilshere and Rooney, that
:42:38. > :42:49.should be in good's starting six. Yes. If you placed a rich, Rooney,
:42:50. > :42:57.Luis Suarez. -- if you play Daniel Sturridge. Ross Barkley, I saw him
:42:58. > :43:00.last week and he looked very tired. He started misplacing passes and he
:43:01. > :43:05.did not look the same player as at the start of the season. I think he
:43:06. > :43:17.has to go if he keeps up his current form and I think Larner, he is
:43:18. > :43:21.perfect. If was this time last year, we would be worried but now we have
:43:22. > :43:27.some optimism in there. We have good players we can be proud of. He does
:43:28. > :43:34.look like a foreign player. Not winning. We're getting close to
:43:35. > :43:39.running out of time. Martin will be on the Match Of The Day Facebook
:43:40. > :43:44.page from 4pm and you can do a Q with him. He cannot wait expect
:43:45. > :43:47.anything at all! You can ask an! And then the League Cup final is on
:43:48. > :43:53.regular five live from 2pm. -- you can ask him. Also commentary of
:43:54. > :43:57.Spurs against Cardiff from 4:30pm and the highlights on Match Of The
:43:58. > :44:00.Day 2 from 10:25pm. See you next week. Goodbye.