:00:31. > :00:35.Welcome to Match Of The Day 2 Extra. We're discussing the weekend's
:00:36. > :00:40.football on BBC One, Radio 5Live and the BBC Sport website. Coming up,
:00:41. > :00:44.we'll look ahead to two huge Premier League games at the top of the
:00:45. > :00:49.table. Everton take on Arsenal, as the race for the Champions League
:00:50. > :00:53.intensifies. And West Ham United take on Liverpool as the visitors
:00:54. > :00:57.aim to go back to the top. We'll also look back on yet another
:00:58. > :00:59.dramatic day at the bottom of the table, where Crystal Palace just
:01:00. > :01:02.might have saved themselves but condemned Cardiff City to the
:01:03. > :01:08.Championship, and Fulham have given themselves hope after a 2-1 one at
:01:09. > :01:11.Aston Villa. And with me this afternoon, former
:01:12. > :01:14.Arsenal and Wales striker John Hartson, BBC Sport's Connor McNamara
:01:15. > :01:21.and Jason Burt of The Daily Telegraph.
:01:22. > :01:24.Welcome to you all. You can get in touch in the usual ways. We would
:01:25. > :01:31.love to hear from you on any footballing issue. A very good
:01:32. > :01:35.afternoon to you. Where we do yesterday, Connor? What is the
:01:36. > :01:40.biggest story of the weekend for you so far? I was at that Crystal Palace
:01:41. > :01:45.and at the end it sounded like a deathknell was winning. More often
:01:46. > :01:48.than not, they got in each other's way. If Sunderland avoid defeat
:01:49. > :01:55.tomorrow against Tottenham, Cardiff will be at the bottom of the table.
:01:56. > :01:59.In the BBC interview afterwards, a player use the line, we are going to
:02:00. > :02:05.use a miracle. And they might not be in the premier league next season.
:02:06. > :02:11.What is the story for you? It was lit up with stories yesterday,
:02:12. > :02:15.wasn't it? Fulham. A massive game against Norwich. I think you're
:02:16. > :02:19.going. Tony Pulis doing so well at Crystal Palace. But for me I thought
:02:20. > :02:25.it was Manchester City against Southampton. Four different scorers.
:02:26. > :02:31.No Aguero. Dzeko stepping up again. Liverpool playing again today, I
:02:32. > :02:36.thought it was imperative that they win. Is there a feeling they can win
:02:37. > :02:39.the title and overturn this deficit in the Champions League? I don't
:02:40. > :02:45.think there's a feeling they can win the title but they are top of the
:02:46. > :02:48.league! It was a fantastic game for them yesterday. It looked like a
:02:49. > :02:52.tricky game with Stoke having a good run of form but after ten minutes,
:02:53. > :02:57.really, there was only one team in it. A run out for Chelsea and they
:02:58. > :03:02.won very comfortable. Oscar was on the bench to start with, as was
:03:03. > :03:10.Hazard. And Stoke looked like they had given up this season. Their
:03:11. > :03:17.manager looked quite angry by the end. Mark Hughes. The players can't
:03:18. > :03:21.knock off so early in the season, so understandable. And you had an
:03:22. > :03:26.interview within -- with Andy Carroll as well in your paper. We
:03:27. > :03:29.will talk about that. More on Saturday coming up, but two
:03:30. > :03:34.Premier League fixtures today, the first at Goodison. Steve, good
:03:35. > :03:38.afternoon to you. Going through the papers today, many suggesting this
:03:39. > :03:43.is Everton's this game for ten, 15 years. Would you go along with that?
:03:44. > :03:48.I certainly would. Certainly the biggest gain since they qualified
:03:49. > :03:53.for those Champions League places. Around Everton, right from the start
:03:54. > :03:57.of the season, they didn't think they would be in this position.
:03:58. > :04:01.Simple as that. Arsenal are expected to be in this position, finishing in
:04:02. > :04:07.the top four, as they always have done, but Everton have quite gone
:04:08. > :04:11.about their business. Had a bit of a ropey patch. If they win today, six
:04:12. > :04:16.in a row for the first time since 2002. If they can win today, that
:04:17. > :04:23.just asks a question Arsenal, who, still on paper, have a real one in.
:04:24. > :04:27.When you talk to Everton fans today, some are dreaming but some are
:04:28. > :04:31.starting to believe as well, with this fantastic home record. Albeit
:04:32. > :04:34.they haven't got a good record against Arsenal in recent times. But
:04:35. > :04:38.this is one of the hardest grounds to come in the premier league to get
:04:39. > :04:46.a result. And it is all set up for a fantastic match today. How much do
:04:47. > :04:51.they miss Aaron Ramsey today? If he could be back, that would be great.
:04:52. > :04:54.Of course they have missed him. He met David Moyes in his house when he
:04:55. > :05:02.was a cod of player and almost joined Everton. I don't think you
:05:03. > :05:07.will start today. -- when he was a Cardiff player. It is an interesting
:05:08. > :05:10.test because the place will be bouncing today, trying to wheel
:05:11. > :05:18.Everton over the line, because they feel they have a realistic chance.
:05:19. > :05:22.Arsenal have to win today to stay in the top four. Another test for
:05:23. > :05:25.Arsenal today. Away from home in the premier league. They haven't always
:05:26. > :05:33.come through so far this season and a very interesting one to call.
:05:34. > :05:40.Interesting reading the Osmond's interview at the weekend. He said at
:05:41. > :05:45.the moment Everton haven't got the school ready for the premier league.
:05:46. > :05:49.Do you agree with that? It could have gone the other way for them.
:05:50. > :05:52.Crucially, you brought in big players and they have stepped up
:05:53. > :06:04.unperformed. For Champions League football, I still think they need to
:06:05. > :06:07.do more. They have got to secure guys like Lukaku. They don't have
:06:08. > :06:13.him yet. If form goes out the window... Aroma being at Stoke when
:06:14. > :06:22.they beat Manchester United. -- I remember. I don't think... You can't
:06:23. > :06:26.look at the fixture list and say, that is an easy one. This season,
:06:27. > :06:36.those rules have gone out of the window. Jason, what you think of Jay
:06:37. > :06:40.Martinez? A real lot of love towards him. He has a real sense of you are
:06:41. > :06:44.with him on a journey going somewhere. He's the first guy in the
:06:45. > :06:48.club in the morning and lastly that night. He carried them on at Wigan
:06:49. > :06:51.and I think he deserves this opportunity. What he's done
:06:52. > :06:54.fantastically well if he has remodelled the style of play as
:06:55. > :06:59.well. The watershed moment for me was when they beat Chelsea. The
:07:00. > :07:03.first win of the season. The goal came from a free kick which was
:07:04. > :07:08.played square rather than put into the box and you could hear the
:07:09. > :07:12.groaning from the crowd. They got the crossing and scored and that was
:07:13. > :07:16.the big moment for me, when everyone started to believe that Martinez's
:07:17. > :07:20.methods were working at Everton and they have carried on the rest of the
:07:21. > :07:25.season. A unique opportunity for him today to pit his wits against one of
:07:26. > :07:30.the best? Yes, and they've got a game in hand against Arsenal and
:07:31. > :07:34.they can get close to them if they win today. Goodison Park will be
:07:35. > :07:38.working today. I think he's done a fantastic job. At the start of the
:07:39. > :07:41.season, I can remember Roberto Martinez coming out and saying, we
:07:42. > :07:46.are going for the Champions League, we are going for the top four, as
:07:47. > :07:48.people were laughing, not many people believed him. But when the
:07:49. > :07:55.manager believes, that transpires across to the dressing room. If
:07:56. > :08:01.Everton win today, they would still only be a point behind Arsenal. What
:08:02. > :08:05.the guys have been saying is right. You lay down the goal early with
:08:06. > :08:09.Martinez. He came in having been that FA Cup manager. He put his
:08:10. > :08:13.stamp on the team, they started winning games. You could apply this
:08:14. > :08:17.across-the-board. If Roy Hodgson does well in those warm games for
:08:18. > :08:24.England, gets the adrenaline pumping through the players, he's got to do
:08:25. > :08:28.that. -- warm up games. The players were ready for that as well this
:08:29. > :08:31.week. It's not a criticism of David Moyes but that got them so far. It's
:08:32. > :08:36.quite a mature group of players of you look at them, who are good
:08:37. > :08:39.football players as well. I was looking at Martinez, YouTube
:08:40. > :08:45.Leighton Baines to the Championship game and to watch him make that
:08:46. > :08:49.change from left back. Leighton Baines might never do that but you
:08:50. > :08:53.so that seed in his head that you could be like Philip alarm. How is
:08:54. > :08:57.that going to make you feel? Leighton Baines must be so full of
:08:58. > :09:05.confidence, even just going into that game. And you go along with
:09:06. > :09:08.what Steve saying? They are not worried about home games and they
:09:09. > :09:13.think these are really good for them. Because they have been so
:09:14. > :09:20.good? Gas. They think they can do a really good bit of damage to
:09:21. > :09:23.Arsenal. -- yes. Arsenal have tended to rally this point in the season
:09:24. > :09:27.and get themselves over the line, just managing to do it time and time
:09:28. > :09:34.again. If they don't do it today, the blow will be huge to them. And
:09:35. > :09:40.they had quite a settled side this season. James McCarthy has done very
:09:41. > :09:50.well. They paid 50 million for him. And then the Moscow player. A very
:09:51. > :09:57.good player. I played him at Celtic. And the back four. You know, this
:09:58. > :10:03.time, Philip Jagielka. So they are settled. It really changes. And that
:10:04. > :10:16.is a brave move. He's brought him in, he's a young kid. Yes. Humanist
:10:17. > :10:28.have this -- he almost has this lovely, useful naivete. We so -- see
:10:29. > :10:35.so few ballplaying centre halves. Can he get to the World Cup? Too
:10:36. > :10:38.early to say. There's one player we haven't mentioned. People were
:10:39. > :10:46.saying Roy Hodgson should take Ross Barkley. How has he handled the
:10:47. > :10:49.talent that should be Ross? David Moyes is very good at managing young
:10:50. > :10:53.players. Look at the way he developed Wayne Rooney and others.
:10:54. > :10:57.But Martinez has that bravery to put him in. And, to be fair, to take him
:10:58. > :11:02.out as well. He's not just put him in, use taken him out and said,
:11:03. > :11:07.actually, Ross isn't playing at the moment. Then puts him back in and he
:11:08. > :11:11.goes again. Because at that age, you can't keep the young player in all
:11:12. > :11:18.the time and expect him to deliver. I think he's the best young talent
:11:19. > :11:23.I've seen. He's up there with players like Paul Gascoigne. So we
:11:24. > :11:33.are we all agreed he should go to the World Cup? Yes. Yes. And they
:11:34. > :11:45.have been missing that key Arsenal player, haven't they? Yes. They've
:11:46. > :11:49.really missed Aaron Ramsey. When they brought Ozo, it was a question
:11:50. > :11:54.of, who do you play with him? It will take him a bit of time to come
:11:55. > :12:00.back. He went just come back firing. I don't think that happens. -- he
:12:01. > :12:06.will not just. It's a matter of games. But I do think Arsenal were
:12:07. > :12:12.on -- particularly unfortunate with Aaron Ramsey. Theo Walcott and Aaron
:12:13. > :12:15.Ramsey getting injured at the same time and you have to wonder what
:12:16. > :12:26.would have happened if they hadn't removed them. Thank you, guys. Over
:12:27. > :12:31.to the football. West Ham versus Liverpool.
:12:32. > :12:34.They need to focus on the football and they need to focus on their
:12:35. > :12:38.technique, the players. And they need to focus on performance. And
:12:39. > :12:43.that removes the pressures of having to go in. Because we know when we
:12:44. > :12:47.play like we have played, we will win games. And everybody at the
:12:48. > :12:52.minute, the tenacity of the team, the will, first and foremost, is
:12:53. > :12:56.there. They are all very competitive at the moment as well. The structure
:12:57. > :12:59.of the team is good. They are flexible practically so when I
:13:00. > :13:05.change they understand how to do the job of the style remains the same
:13:06. > :13:09.whatever system they play. But to play with dominance. And they
:13:10. > :13:15.certainly showing that. Jason, does Brendan Rodgers need the applauding
:13:16. > :13:21.because of what he has done since the beginning of the season? There
:13:22. > :13:25.were many people in this studio and radio studios, newspapermen, who
:13:26. > :13:28.were saying, this man is damaging the brand, the reputation of
:13:29. > :13:36.Liverpool Football Club, and Brendan stood by him? If a player has caused
:13:37. > :13:41.that type of damage there is the feeling sometimes that, you should
:13:42. > :13:45.be sold to the highest bidder. But they were very strong. He has
:13:46. > :13:53.apologised to the squad. A very strong stance and took a brave
:13:54. > :13:57.position. The fact is, not on the fact is, not a lot of other clubs
:13:58. > :14:03.came in, so that help the situation. So there wasn't a bidding war for
:14:04. > :14:08.Luis Suarez. He has managed it well, to be fair. He has gone out of his
:14:09. > :14:11.way to avoid trouble and there have been instances when he has avoided
:14:12. > :14:15.penalties and he has gone along with it, and he is just so driven and
:14:16. > :14:20.focused, almost having a freakish season now. It is like a force of
:14:21. > :14:25.nature. And the way Gareth Bale was last season for Tottenham Hotspur.
:14:26. > :14:28.When he is on the field, he has transformed Liverpool. It cannot
:14:29. > :14:32.have been easy for Brendan Rodgers and his backroom staff, when so many
:14:33. > :14:46.people were saying, get rid of this fellow? even after the suspension
:14:47. > :14:54.had been lifted, Roger -- Brendan did not play him. From that moment
:14:55. > :14:59.aren't we knew there was an alpha male at Liverpool, it was the
:15:00. > :15:04.manager. And successful teams throughout the years, the alpha male
:15:05. > :15:09.has to be the manager. And Rogers has done brilliantly. He is a shrewd
:15:10. > :15:15.tactician and does change the style in every games. Players are adapting
:15:16. > :15:20.to that. If you are training in the week and you know you have Liverpool
:15:21. > :15:24.at the weekend, what formation is he going to play, what formation are
:15:25. > :15:29.you setting up to defend against? The Sunderland game was a little bit
:15:30. > :15:36.close, but most of the other games, they have coasted over the line. At
:15:37. > :15:41.this stage of the season they have as much momentum as Manchester City.
:15:42. > :15:48.Brendan Rogers and Roberto Martinez, is where it all started?
:15:49. > :15:53.They both did very well at Swansea and then they got their big
:15:54. > :15:57.opportunities. Brendan has been brilliant, the way he worked with
:15:58. > :16:02.the Young players. Flanagan has been playing at left back the Liverpool.
:16:03. > :16:09.We have Jordan Henderson, he has brought the best out of him. Luis
:16:10. > :16:13.Suarez, 29 Premiership goals this season. He has been massive for
:16:14. > :16:19.Liverpool. His partnership with Sturridge has been fabulous. I think
:16:20. > :16:23.Brendan has done great. One of the things we discussed yesterday was
:16:24. > :16:28.whether Liverpool or in this position, Chelsea and Manchester
:16:29. > :16:33.City have players who have been there before and seen this. Would
:16:34. > :16:38.that worry you if you are a Liverpool supporter, whether there
:16:39. > :16:46.is that experience of closing out a title game? It would have worried me
:16:47. > :16:51.a few games ago, but things are getting so close now. You say they
:16:52. > :16:56.have not got the experience of winning titles, but they have
:16:57. > :17:01.experienced players in the dressing room still, Steven Gerrard, Suarez.
:17:02. > :17:05.They can see the finishing line and they driving towards it. Whether
:17:06. > :17:12.they can make it, I am not so sure, but they are very close.
:17:13. > :17:16.Experience, you need it, but it's not everything. He realises the
:17:17. > :17:22.other guys have been stepping up and he has not used Kolo Toure.
:17:23. > :17:27.Experience is great, but nothing beats confidence. They are walking
:17:28. > :17:34.out of the dressing room feeling seven feet tall. They feel the good
:17:35. > :17:40.times are back at Liverpool. I've ink the message to Liverpool today
:17:41. > :17:45.is go and play like you played at Old Trafford away. West Ham have
:17:46. > :17:50.been in great form, they have won six out of eight or nine games. You
:17:51. > :17:55.have the Andy Carroll factor. It is games like today, West Ham away that
:17:56. > :17:59.Liverpool need to take care of this game and not worry about Manchester
:18:00. > :18:06.City at home next week. These are The Games where you can drop points.
:18:07. > :18:23.Dan asks, John diluting Liverpool have a squad good enough to win the
:18:24. > :18:31.title? Yes I do. In Suarez, Coutinho, Steven Gerrard. I think at
:18:32. > :18:39.the beginning of the season Brendan Rogers will have said be in the top
:18:40. > :18:48.four. But fixtures have been kind to them. They have to strike while the
:18:49. > :18:53.iron is hot. Manchester City will rebuild and so will Chelsea. It
:18:54. > :18:57.could be a long time before they get into this position again. If they
:18:58. > :19:04.win the league, imagine how easy it will be for Brendan Rogers to
:19:05. > :19:10.recruit in the summer. He has got them playing with so much
:19:11. > :19:14.confidence. Let's focus on West Ham. There is a wonderful article in the
:19:15. > :19:20.paper written by Jason Burt. It is an interview with Andy Carroll. " I
:19:21. > :19:29.had no chance at Anfield". A strong article? Yes, it was. I went to see
:19:30. > :19:35.him. He was done to talk about Liverpool. He did not want to talk
:19:36. > :19:39.about personal issues. He said he did not think he would get a fair
:19:40. > :19:43.crack of the whip at Liverpool. He went there when he was Young with a
:19:44. > :19:53.big price tag. He talked about the dressing room not being unified at
:19:54. > :19:57.that stage. Kenny Dalglish was sacked and Carroll did not know
:19:58. > :20:02.where he stood. Now he is playing Liverpool today. They will be
:20:03. > :20:09.worried about him. I asked him, should they be worried about you?
:20:10. > :20:14.And he said, yes they should! This could be a real... If he plays the
:20:15. > :20:22.way he can play, you could be a handful. If I was Andy Carroll, I
:20:23. > :20:28.would be saying, in the first five minutes give me a one, two, three
:20:29. > :20:35.against Skrtel. I want to show Brendan Rogers what a mistake he
:20:36. > :20:40.made. I want to show him how good and powerful I am in the air. I
:20:41. > :20:45.still understand why Brendan Rogers did not keep him, he does not fit
:20:46. > :20:50.into the style of football he wants. Talk about brave moves, that
:20:51. > :20:57.was a brave move, it was a big hit to take, they lost a lot of money.
:20:58. > :21:02.To move a ?35 million player out, especially on loan. Let's get a team
:21:03. > :21:09.news at Goodison Park. This is Everton against Arsenal. Everton
:21:10. > :21:15.starting four points behind Arsenal with that game in hand. Berkeley has
:21:16. > :21:26.been struggling with an injury all week. Income Mirallas and Naismith.
:21:27. > :21:32.Aaron Ramsey is on the bench after his long lay-off. Monreal is in for
:21:33. > :21:36.Gibson who is injured. Otherwise it is the same team which drew with
:21:37. > :21:40.Manchester City. A victory would give them a genuine prospect of
:21:41. > :21:46.making it into the top four. Not quite a Champions' League play-off,
:21:47. > :21:50.but it feels like that right now and the grand old lady of Goodison Park
:21:51. > :21:56.will be, as you said earlier, Jason, absolutely rocking. We will
:21:57. > :22:02.turn our attention to Chelsea, yesterday they beat Stoke City 3-0.
:22:03. > :22:07.You said last week the title was impossible and you are back to the
:22:08. > :22:11.top? It is the same story, matches in
:22:12. > :22:17.hand. I don't know after our last match against Cardiff, if city has
:22:18. > :22:24.to play another match before that? I do not know. I think things were
:22:25. > :22:31.done in a way were also the teams from the bottom of the league, you
:22:32. > :22:36.look to Fulham, Cardiff, Swansea, the teams that are there. And not
:22:37. > :22:42.all of them have the same number of matches. And in a league with this
:22:43. > :22:46.expression, I think it is a difficult thing to accept. Jason,
:22:47. > :22:51.you would have thought he would have gone into the interview room and be
:22:52. > :22:56.happy. Instead he is moaning about The Games in hand teams have at the
:22:57. > :23:03.top and bottom of the table. Can you understand his mind at the moment? I
:23:04. > :23:08.have covered Chelsea for a long time. He is in that period of his
:23:09. > :23:14.career at the moment where he is not happy. We obviously know he is not
:23:15. > :23:18.happy about the strikers. Certain issues eating away at him. It is the
:23:19. > :23:25.manner he is adopting. You think that will work to keep the players
:23:26. > :23:28.motivated and hungry. But the thing about Mourinho, the brilliant
:23:29. > :23:32.manager he is, he is also an actor. A lot of this is deliberate. You
:23:33. > :23:40.have to look behind why he is behaving like this. He is talking
:23:41. > :23:43.about the amount of games Manchester City have and the amount of games
:23:44. > :23:46.Sunderland have. It is obvious because of the league cup run and
:23:47. > :23:51.the league cup final. But why does he need to get involved in talking
:23:52. > :23:55.about Sunderland at the bottom of the table? The issue is Chelsea's
:23:56. > :24:01.strikers are not scoring enough goals. If Torres was scoring like he
:24:02. > :24:07.should do, they would be winning the league. Every time he runs to a ball
:24:08. > :24:12.boy and talks about fixtures, then the media are discussing him and
:24:13. > :24:18.what he has said. The theory takes the pressure off his players. They
:24:19. > :24:22.are top of the tide -- table. You cannot discount Chelsea. It is a
:24:23. > :24:28.fantastic Premier League race for the title. Liverpool, Chelsea,
:24:29. > :24:32.Manchester City can win it. Lots of questions coming in from our
:24:33. > :24:40.viewers. Mark says, does Jose Mourinho's mind games work? I don't
:24:41. > :24:46.ring they do? Sometimes he will say, it is a bit contradict ding. One
:24:47. > :24:51.week he says Chelsea are in the race. Other times he says there is a
:24:52. > :24:58.chance they can win it. It is great television, great for the viewing
:24:59. > :25:01.public, but the top man is Brendan Rogers and Pellegrini and Arsene
:25:02. > :25:09.Wenger. I think he will just get on with it. You have to win games, pick
:25:10. > :25:11.up the three points. An awful result last weekend against Crystal Palace
:25:12. > :25:18.has put a dent in Chelsea's challenge, if you like. Sitting top
:25:19. > :25:29.of the league, they have great players. You have cable, Terry and
:25:30. > :25:36.Petr Cech in goal. They have most settle the fence. But he was
:25:37. > :25:41.disgusted about that late goal against Paris Saint-Germain.
:25:42. > :25:47.Liverpool and Manchester City have more momentum. They are beginning to
:25:48. > :25:56.slow down, Chelsea, just when he needs the boost the most. Jose
:25:57. > :26:01.Mourinho talked about saying he wants -- Fernando Torres talked
:26:02. > :26:10.about in an interview, he just wants to show Jose Mourinho what he can
:26:11. > :26:17.do. He has been saying this but three years. But with every manager
:26:18. > :26:22.at Chelsea, I'm not sure what more the managers can do, it is up to him
:26:23. > :26:29.to get on with it. This move has been a disaster. He turned round and
:26:30. > :26:33.said he wanted the Champions' League and the rope league. It is not work
:26:34. > :26:39.to him. Financially it has, but this summer he has two move on. He looks
:26:40. > :26:44.a shadow from when he was at Liverpool. He had a couple of good
:26:45. > :26:50.seasons at Liverpool but they took the 15 million and ran out the door
:26:51. > :26:58.delighted because he has not looked 50 million player at Anfield. It was
:26:59. > :27:03.a deal perceived at Chelsea for a long time. They pursued it and
:27:04. > :27:08.pursued it. They thought they were buying that player, but he wasn't
:27:09. > :27:17.the same player when they bought him. They are convinced Rafer
:27:18. > :27:26.Benitez was Given the Chelsea role last year because it was thought he
:27:27. > :27:31.would ring the best out of Torres. Jose Mourinho will not go to him, he
:27:32. > :27:36.will say to him, you will have to come to me. Torres has won the
:27:37. > :27:42.Premier League with Chelsea? I don't think so. He has won the World Cup
:27:43. > :27:49.and other things and now he's calling himself a failure. He was
:27:50. > :27:53.sent off against Tottenham and he looked back to his best. That must
:27:54. > :27:58.be the frustration of the Jose Mourinho. A couple of questions
:27:59. > :28:03.Manchester City. Do you think when city take on Liverpool that is the
:28:04. > :28:11.title decider? I don't believe in title deciders. You cannot look at
:28:12. > :28:14.one game. Should one of those teams win the game emphatically, then you
:28:15. > :28:21.would have to say yes, they are the favourites. But I would have
:28:22. > :28:26.Liverpool have -- down as the favourites to win that game. They
:28:27. > :28:32.will be very dangerous. It was comfortable for Manchester City
:28:33. > :28:37.against Southampton? Yes, it will help the goal difference. This could
:28:38. > :28:42.be one of those seasons where teams could finish equal on points and
:28:43. > :28:47.this is where the goal difference could come into it. This easy on
:28:48. > :28:54.paper does not apply this season. You can win the tough game at the
:28:55. > :28:59.team at the top lose two to half teams. Let's look at the bottom of
:29:00. > :29:05.the table and a big game yesterday at Cardiff City were Crystal Palace
:29:06. > :29:10.almost condemned Cardiff to the championship. Let's hear from Tony
:29:11. > :29:17.Pulis. We played very well against Chelsea last week. But can we follow
:29:18. > :29:26.it up? We did not want this to be the after show. We need to get
:29:27. > :29:32.results on the bounce to give us the results to stay in the Premier
:29:33. > :29:38.League. Today it showed what kind of the season we have been through. It
:29:39. > :29:47.has been talked about, written about. I think that showed today. We
:29:48. > :29:52.ran out of ideas on how to break them down. We lacked belief towards
:29:53. > :29:55.the end. But that is part of football and it has been a tough
:29:56. > :30:03.season. We will start again next week and see if we can produce the
:30:04. > :30:09.miracle we need. Cardiff City were all over the place yesterday and
:30:10. > :30:17.have won done of their last games? Yes, they were. Nowhere near good
:30:18. > :30:26.enough. He hasn't had that impact and then they've had Vincent Tan,
:30:27. > :30:31.who sacked Malky Mackay. I don't think the signings have done it for
:30:32. > :30:34.him. Wilfried Zaha. To come to Cardiff, play games where he wasn't
:30:35. > :30:40.getting a look in at Man United, he's not really done it. Started
:30:41. > :30:44.yesterday but was poor. Didn't look a threat, didn't get crosses in.
:30:45. > :30:48.Jones, a big number nine. You want more from him and you want him to
:30:49. > :30:59.start up -- step up and start getting headers. Why doesn't he just
:31:00. > :31:11.play for- four - two and get the crowd behind him? It just felt like
:31:12. > :31:14.an act of desperation. Campbell had to accommodate others amply wide on
:31:15. > :31:20.the left but he's not a left winger. And they just looked poor. They've
:31:21. > :31:22.waited so long for this moment to get back into the Premier League and
:31:23. > :31:29.yet it's been nothing short of a disaster? Yes, I think they tried to
:31:30. > :31:32.run before they could walk. There was an expectation they would do
:31:33. > :31:36.much better than this but all they had to do was consolidate. And they
:31:37. > :31:43.obviously thought that they had gone for it, went for it, spent an awful
:31:44. > :31:54.money, it wasn't a happy environment behind-the-scenes as well, and
:31:55. > :32:00.bringing in a manager from Norway who had never worked, never managed
:32:01. > :32:07.in the league. He had played hip but never managed. How could that were?
:32:08. > :32:12.-- played but. I'm a journalist and I look at these situations and I can
:32:13. > :32:15.see these aren't going to work. How do clubs ever think they are going
:32:16. > :32:20.to work? Are not being rude about it but these guys are paid all -- an
:32:21. > :32:31.awful lot of money to make big decisions about hiring and firing
:32:32. > :32:37.people. -- I'm not being rude. But look what happened to Palace. A
:32:38. > :32:42.remarkable job. There is no coincidence that Tony Pulis goes to
:32:43. > :32:46.Cardiff yesterday and win 3-0. It didn't just happen. You got an
:32:47. > :32:51.experienced manager who comes in, knows the league and knows what to
:32:52. > :32:54.do to manage it. West Ham were always right not to sack Sam
:32:55. > :32:59.Allardyce as well, because he can get them out of the problems they
:33:00. > :33:04.were in. Tony Pulis, there was a point when he would have been
:33:05. > :33:12.available and there was a bit of snobby attitude of, we don't want
:33:13. > :33:19.that sort of football at Cardiff. Palace don't play bad football.
:33:20. > :33:26.Their football is not bad football. They are playing winning football.
:33:27. > :33:32.What impresses you most about the way Tony Pulis has gone about that?
:33:33. > :33:38.Is the squad that Ian Holloway had. So he's gone and put an arm around a
:33:39. > :33:43.few players... I don't think he's put an arm around them. I think he's
:33:44. > :33:47.gone in there and drilled them. He's said, this is what we are going to
:33:48. > :33:51.do. They are working incredibly hard and everything is about getting back
:33:52. > :33:55.into position, making yourself hard to beat. What Tony Pulis with stars
:33:56. > :34:00.is try to make his team as competitive as possible, stay in the
:34:01. > :34:05.game as low as possible. -- what Tony Pulis always does. They stay in
:34:06. > :34:18.the game and then they get that one chance. That one chance is enough.
:34:19. > :34:22.What is your view on Tony Pulis? I think he has done fantastic. If you
:34:23. > :34:26.look at Stoke, four years and years, they went pretty to watch but the
:34:27. > :34:31.one thing they were was solid. They got balls in the opposition box,
:34:32. > :34:34.they had big strikers. But then they realised, there's no point in
:34:35. > :34:46.playing with a big striker if you don't get the balls in the box. He's
:34:47. > :34:49.finally got his man. Joe Ledley is a seasoned campaigner. Scored an
:34:50. > :34:54.important goal again yesterday. So we talk about signings that haven't
:34:55. > :35:01.been very good but the signings Tony Pulis has made have had an impact
:35:02. > :35:09.going in. Were just going to go over to Felix. -- we are going. I'm very
:35:10. > :35:14.proud of my team today because it was a great victory and very
:35:15. > :35:18.important for us and very important that we were upfront and got the
:35:19. > :35:26.equaliser, and then we came back and scored. And the victory. And that's
:35:27. > :35:33.very important for us. A very good victory, and it's given them hope, a
:35:34. > :35:36.chance, hasn't it? It has. They've got the worst goal difference down
:35:37. > :35:40.at the bottom so if they finish level on points, that could go
:35:41. > :35:44.against them. He's given them a chance but they've turned around
:35:45. > :35:51.rose slowly, like an ocean liner! Can they go in the right direction?
:35:52. > :35:54.We still got to see. Perhaps what was most impressive about Fulham
:35:55. > :35:58.yesterday was that when teams are at the bottom, they've been in front,
:35:59. > :36:05.they concede and it all falls apart normally, but they've kept at it. I
:36:06. > :36:11.think the stake they made was with their head coach. I talk about
:36:12. > :36:16.foreign coaches coming into this country but he's clearly a very good
:36:17. > :36:19.coach, a very good organiser. I watched them a few weeks ago and he
:36:20. > :36:25.has got them much better. They're much better in formation. First it
:36:26. > :36:29.was 45 minutes and they were falling away but now they've got 90
:36:30. > :36:33.minutes. They're running isn't bad. If they beat Norwich next Saturday,
:36:34. > :36:37.suddenly they really do have a chance because they only two points
:36:38. > :36:43.by Norwich, and you talk about turnaround in form, and it can be
:36:44. > :36:47.done with that run in they've got. Lots of questions coming in. Which
:36:48. > :36:52.three Premier League teams will be located at the end of the season and
:36:53. > :36:55.why? Sunderland, I'm not too sure. Though they've got the games I'm not
:36:56. > :37:02.sure if they can go up tomorrow night. Cardiff, their next game is
:37:03. > :37:07.Southampton away next weekend. And then I think those two will go
:37:08. > :37:12.down. Sunderland bottom, Cardiff second bottom right now. And then
:37:13. > :37:24.probably one of three. Fulham, Norwich or West Brom. Those three.
:37:25. > :37:33.We just need three! Which one? Come on! I'll go Norwich because of their
:37:34. > :37:40.last four games. Current bottom three, I think. Fulham, Cardiff,
:37:41. > :37:43.Sunderland. Same for me, because notwithstanding what I said about
:37:44. > :37:52.Fulham, it might be too much for them. Right, let's hear from the
:37:53. > :37:56.Norwich City boss. The supporters today clearly went
:37:57. > :38:02.happy. Can you understand their anxiety and reaction to some of the
:38:03. > :38:05.missed passes? Yes, I can understand their anxiety and frustration. They
:38:06. > :38:09.don't want to see their Norwich team in the position we are in. And
:38:10. > :38:14.overall, particularly since the New Year, we've been very good at home.
:38:15. > :38:17.And they've been great. They've got behind us. But of course there are
:38:18. > :38:22.going to be those frustrations and they feel it as much as anybody.
:38:23. > :38:28.So, yes, I think we have to accept any criticism we're going to have
:38:29. > :38:32.and any criticisms I'm going to have one day like today. A lot of fire on
:38:33. > :38:35.social media last night. Some suggesting the board should have
:38:36. > :38:41.acted when they had an opportunity and got rid of Chris Hughton. Do you
:38:42. > :38:45.go along with that? No. He got them at the table early in the season. It
:38:46. > :38:50.was was going to be a very difficult season for Norwich. As we said, they
:38:51. > :38:54.are above the red occasion zone and the message from the boardroom has
:38:55. > :39:02.been, that's his remit. Stay above the relegation zone. I'm not sure
:39:03. > :39:06.they will be delighted! Huge room for West Brom. They've been in
:39:07. > :39:12.danger for a while. I think they have a good coach but he is a gamble
:39:13. > :39:17.at this stage of the season. There must have been something else going
:39:18. > :39:22.on with Steve Clarke. The hierarchy. But they shouldn't really be in the
:39:23. > :39:26.difficulties they are in. That is a big win now. And how do you feel
:39:27. > :39:31.about the Chris Hughton question? Whether the board should have acted?
:39:32. > :39:44.Think the problem was, they spent an awful a lot of money. -- I think. I
:39:45. > :39:49.think they wanted him out. They may deny this. But they couldn't do it
:39:50. > :39:55.until he had slipped further into that bottom three. They almost made
:39:56. > :40:00.that public statement. But they should have got rid of him from his
:40:01. > :40:05.reaction. And his punch-up in the dressing room that happened. He
:40:06. > :40:12.spent the week galvanising the team and they went out yesterday and
:40:13. > :40:15.performed. Yes. They got a late one against Swansea and then last
:40:16. > :40:18.weekend they got the 3-3 against Cardiff and a home win again
:40:19. > :40:27.yesterday. So there are a good run, West Brom, but he needed that. He
:40:28. > :40:30.needed to get on a bit of a run. And he's timed it perfectly. They've
:40:31. > :40:33.gone on a run at and he's timed it perfectly. They've gone on one
:40:34. > :40:36.crucial stage of the season. We have some news coming in about Nicolas
:40:37. > :40:49.Anelka. He could be set to join the Brazilian club athletic home in a
:40:50. > :40:55.row. The president of the club has just posted on Twitter and said
:40:56. > :41:04.Nicolas Anelka is a rooster, referring to the club's nickname.
:41:05. > :41:10.Look, he's got an eclectic CD, shall we say. He's been to China. He's
:41:11. > :41:17.obviously got very good agents. -- CVE. In terms of the player, he was
:41:18. > :41:23.a proper striker, Nicolas Anelka, in his younger days. He was never can
:41:24. > :41:27.get a club in England or Europe, to be honest with you. The FA will
:41:28. > :41:32.pursue him and they will try to get this ban, make sure it is in force.
:41:33. > :41:37.They want to make sure he will not escape it. So they will chase him
:41:38. > :41:48.over Brazil. I think you still got stuff to offer. -- he has got. He's
:41:49. > :41:55.not what he was. We'll get a bit older. But he's still 32, 33. You're
:41:56. > :42:02.saying when he came to Arsenal, he was tremendous? Yes. And what if he
:42:03. > :42:05.had stayed at Arsenal at that stage and been educated under Arsene
:42:06. > :42:09.Wenger? What a player he would have become. But the grasses with green
:42:10. > :42:20.on the other side. It's wonderful for Leicester City fans because when
:42:21. > :42:25.you go to the newspapers, there is a big letter PE. And there are lots of
:42:26. > :42:30.fans up and down the country who think if there is one team who
:42:31. > :42:33.deserve to be in the Premier League it has to be Nigel Pearson and
:42:34. > :42:40.Leicester City. After so much heartache. Yes. Didn't realise it
:42:41. > :42:43.was quite as long. He has done a fantastic job this season. It was
:42:44. > :42:47.interesting because clearly they have the new owners, change of
:42:48. > :42:51.managers, change of owners, and lots of money spent, and it wasn't
:42:52. > :42:55.happening. And then this season, not that many people in the squad but
:42:56. > :43:02.they just powered on and played some very, very good football. I read
:43:03. > :43:07.quite fancy them to survive next season. And they've been a joy to
:43:08. > :43:14.watch, scoring some goals. Yes, over the past several years. There's a
:43:15. > :43:19.list you have to take the KP stadium and you go in and the voice goes up
:43:20. > :43:23.but it hasn't happened for them. But the key is, as well as strengthening
:43:24. > :43:27.by new players, Leicester City have to keep the core team because they
:43:28. > :43:31.are playing as a team. If they shift on a few players from position they
:43:32. > :43:36.will find it very difficult. Crystal Palace, for all that we have been
:43:37. > :43:39.downplaying Wilfried Zaha, he was a machine last season for Crystal
:43:40. > :43:44.Palace. He set up goals and scored goals. That's where they could Willy
:43:45. > :43:53.have had their poor start to the season. Thank you so much. -- really
:43:54. > :43:57.could have. We have goal of the month, including Wayne Rooney's
:43:58. > :44:11.Krakauer. Have a great afternoon. Goodbye for now.
:44:12. > :44:12.This month, on Inspire, we meet three people
:44:13. > :44:14.at three very different points in their lives
:44:15. > :44:19.We'll catch up with wheelchair racer David Weir,
:44:20. > :44:22.middle-distance runner Eilish McColgan