06/12/2015 MOTD2 Extra

Good afternoon, welcome to MOTD 2 Extra on BBC Two,

With me, former England and Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Match of

the Day commentator guy made pass Guy Mowbray and Amy Lawrence.

You can get involved too, just use the hashtag #bbcfootball

Over the next 45 minutes we will discuss the pressure mounting on

Garry Monk as Mahrez fires Leicester back to the top.

Chelsea lose again as Bournemouth claim an historic

Manchester United draw another blank at Old Trafford.

And sublime Stoke brush Manchester City aside.

If you look at the papers this Sunday lunchtime, a lot of them

talking about Manchester, saying they don't want Pep Guardiola,

including the Sun, because they are happy with Louis van Gaal. The Mail

on Sunday have called Jose Mourinho defiant after their defeat to

Bournemouth and the times have suggested that Garry Monk is on the

brink of losing his job. The headline, Bourne supremacy after

Bournemouth's victory at Chelsea. Does Bournemouth's victory at

Chelsea suggest a very exciting Premier League this season? It is a

great Premier League, nobody running away with it, it is very close.

Chelsea taking themselves out of it and nobody seems to want to grab the

bull by the horns, take charge of this league. For five teams can win

the league this year. -- four or five. If it is so close, why are

people suggesting it is mediocre? I suppose if you look at the situation

regarding European football, there are concerns. Are you judging the

Premier League as a unit, as it's off, how dramatic and bonkers is it

this season, or are you judging it by saying that only Manchester City

go through in the Champions League and England are in danger of using

their Champions League spot. How do you judge it? In isolation, it's

amazing, you talk about Bournemouth and Chelsea but in some ways, the

Stoke and Man City performance, never mind result, is the one that

makes you sit there and think this is really staggering, the kind of

clubs, Stoke are always able to upset somebody, you are not

surprised by that as a result, but you are surprised by the

performance, surprised by the audacity with which they were able

to play that they could play the better football by miles. It shows

you that we have teams who may be regarded as punching above their

weight upsetting the top teams come it's not about that, they want to

take you want at football now. What makes it special is what is the

Achilles heel in Europe, the competitiveness and intensity in

every game. Teams can't just go on to do that nature is they and

Wednesday and Thursday night. Manuel Pellegrini was interesting, because

Manchester City, despite their millions, he said that they only

have 13 players and may have to continue with that. It is the

intensity, they can't manage it and that may be why they are getting

injuries too. Do you think that teams are improving? I had a very

unscientific poll, involving piece of paper. That wouldn't even stand

up on family fortunes! I think Watford are eight breath of fresh

air, Sanchez Flores is very impressive. Norwich are good enough

to beat anybody, they outplayed Arsenal last weekend and we saw what

Bournemouth can do yesterday. Of the teams in the Premier League last

season, six of them have dipped, about five of them are the same and

six have improved. Leicester, Spurs, West Ham, Palace and Stoke, and

maybe even Everton even know their league position suggests otherwise.

I think other teams are getting better, yeah. It is almost elitist

to think otherwise, to look down on it and think it is in such a good

Premier League. People only say that because we don't have city and

Chelsea flying. If you compare the Premier League to the other leagues

in Europe, we have eight, ten teams, strong teams. Looking around Europe,

there are one or two teams who win titles every year and in certain

countries, one team win the title every year. We now have five or six

serious title contenders. Do we need someone outside of the normal

suspects to win the league? Can Leicester do it? Everyone is sitting

here thinking it is a matter of time before they stop. Robbie Savage

isn't here to ask! Let's thank our lucky stars for that! The Leeds

teams of the turn of the century, did you feel, even though Leeds won

it in the early 90s comment did you feel that you wanted to break the

usual suspects? Yeah, definitely. Leeds and Leicester are different

because Leicester have come from nowhere but the Leeds team we had we

were building over the years, two or three years when we were in Europe.

We felt it was the right time and that we deserved to be there and we

earned the right. Not saying that Leicester haven't, but it has come

out of the blue from how we did it. Let's talk about building a site, in

relation to Stoke. Obviously beating Manchester City, as we spoke about.

Guy Mowbray was there and he spoke to Mark Hughes. Did you think that

Stoke sometimes pinch themselves about the players they have? I think

they are enjoying what they are seeing at the moment and we have to

continue in the same vein. We slipped up last week against

Sunderland, on the day. If we can cut those results out of our

season's programme, then we are a very good team. On occasions, we

have let ourselves down. But I've been here a couple of years now, two

and a half years, and those days are becoming less and less and we are

continuing to produce and we could have a good season again. We have a

tweet here, flying, attacking football with flair, coupled with

steel at the back, Mark Hughes for the next Manchester City manager?

Oh! Apart from QPR, he builds the bull teams. Absolutely, he has taken

it on a notch -- football teams. A phrase that Tony Pulis used,

comparing Stoke to Battersea dogs home, taking the waifs and strays

and moulding them into something. They are still doing that, only with

the pedigree to start with. If you look at Arnautovic and Bojan and

Shaqiri, Shaqiri could have been, not as good as but he could have

been up there with the likes of Messi if not for injury. He was at

Bayern Munich but was shattered by injury. Now he is relishing his

football, magnificent player. Bojan, always in Messi's shadow. They are

bringing on these players in the bounce and they are finding a home,

would you believe it, in the heart industrial England. The fans must be

loving it. You also have the old guard, like Jon Walters and Glenn

Whelan. Ryan Shawcross, their record with him and without him. He was out

with a back injury. Stoke haven't conceded a goal with him in the

team. As solid as they come. I think Mark Hughes has done a great job, he

has changed the style of football, he has been given time and he has

played a different way to Tony Pulis. Used to hate going to Stoke

away. I don't think I've ever won at the Britannia as a player, it was a

horrible ground to go but it is even worse now because they are playing

great attractive football and he has got in the players he wanted and

moulded him in the way he wants. As far as building the club and this

squad, how far could he go with them, given his contacts around

Europe? Let's not forget that as a player, he played at Barcelona and

Bayern Munich and he has used his German and Spanish contacts to great

effect. Going back to what you said about how the Stoke fans are

feeling, even as a non-Stoke fan, you watch how they played yesterday

and it is quite surreal because you have a stereotype of Stoke and then

you see Bojan with this beautiful fancy footwork, playing with such

panache. It's almost... You can't get your head around it. I think you

always have a domino effect with building teams, you have to get in

the first ones who begin the change and then everybody believes that

there is something different going on here. Then the next wave can come

on top of that. Probably the hardest bit is convincing those players to

come in the first place. When you have got the first new style players

in, people can say oh, that looks great, I wouldn't mind that. Which

is great, but the whole point, if you are going to have those players,

and I've mentioned this before, not enough Premier League teams do it,

you still have to play everybody in the right positions. Mark Hughes

seems to do that. Some managers change here and there and put

players in players that -- positions that are not their best but Mark

Hughes seems to have them where they want to be. It looks like he has

hands on the recruitment policy, he is signing the players he wants, he

knows how he wants to play and what positions he wants players in and he

has been able to sign those players and the chairman has backed him. He

brought in some great players. We were talking before the programme

that the Premier League, going back to the 60s, Leicester at the top,

Stoke flying. Stoke, it is like going back to Alan Hansen and Sir

Stanley Matthews. Stoke had a reputation, they were always a flair

team. It is going back to that again. What Paul said about it being

a probable place to go, it is good to watch but there is still being

imitation from the stands. I don't think Martin Atkinson got a decision

wrong. When he gave a free kick against Stoke he was accused of

giving nothing for them, he was getting pelted. Before the match

when I did an interview, Mark said it was silly not to understand they

have an advantage, a whole place to go, the wind is swirling around --

horrible place. For all of the great players they have brought in, they

won't ignore them advantage that the place gives them. It is a massive

advantage. A new stadium, lovely place, but the corners are open, the

elements play a part. The away dressing room is a tiny one in the

corner, it has been made bigger but it still isn't very nice! It isn't a

home team dressing room by any stretch. Under Tony Pulis you knew

that you were going to have a terrible game. Is that a modern

thing where the away dressing room is markedly different to the home

one? Or is that more a sign of the emirates and the Etihad? The

dressing rooms are now very plush but there is a marked difference

between the home and away once. The home team, the manager will do it to

his own specification. The away team dressing room will be perfectly nice

but it will be the basics, none of those turning on the cold showers!

Talking about the emirates stadium, there is a big difference between

the home and away dressing room, it is comfortable and modern but one of

them is three times the size of the other. There are some specific

things, there is an awkward pillar in the middle of the away dressing

room so as the manager you can't necessarily see everybody. It is

square shaped, so you have people in the corner, who can't necessarily

seek you directly. The home dressing room is a curved shape, so everybody

supposedly can see everybody else. Huge attention to detail that they

did specifically, within the confines of it being a beautiful

modern stadium and it is comfortable. There is no more

overheated dressing rooms and freezing showers. They have made it

as obvious as possible that one has a huge advantage. When Sunderland

built the Stadium Of Light they painted the away dressing room cold

blue, to make you feel colder. You wonder if they have given it a paint

job. A lot of Manchester City fans got in touch yesterday before the

match and they were pessimistic and it turns out they were right and

then they were angry. Should they be concerned about how Manchester City

played yesterday? I'm not sure that concerned in the long term. It is

like the Liverpool game, too many things went wrong. I disagree with

Manuel Pellegrini, last week he said that he has 36 separate injuries

this season but he kept saying it isn't an excuse, it depends on how

the players play, not the names. They missed the names, we know their

record without Kompany, Aguero and Toure and it showed. Silva wasn't

match-up. Kevin De Bruyne tried everything but he wasn't finding

gaps because of the brilliant Stoke defending. Sterling, he has gone six

games without a goal, his defending. Sterling, he has gone six

spell at city without a goal. I think he went quite romance with

Liverpool last season and he isn't 21 until next week. -- he went four

months. On Twitter, saying that Sterling

looks afraid to make an impact. The back line still costs more than

Stoke without Kompany. Moving on to Chelsea and Bournemouth, we hope to

talk to Glenn Murray who scored the goal for Bournemouth at the bridge.

Chelsea, 14 points behind Manchester United in fourth place. Looking at

the Observer, the sports section, a quotation from Jose Mourinho who

says that top four is beyond them. Would you disagree? No, I think it's

a long way. I think they are in a position now where they have not

been before and that is what they are finding difficult a strange

season, nothing comes out of Chelsea. Going back to the doctor

and then on. Things coming out of the club that you don't hear and now

they are in bad form that they are not used to being in. They are used

to winning games. The level of players and manager they have, they

don't go on losing streaks like this and it is foreign for them and they

don't know how to deal with it and they are struggling.

USAir yesterday. Did they have some decisions going against them? The

site is too marginal to tell but what about the penalty? I think they

were most marginal decisions that can go for against you depending on

the day. Neither was clear-cut. But Jose Mourinho's body language and

tone afterwards was quite fascinating. He seems to me to be a

guy where you expect there to be so much white in the dog, and yet

they're just did not seem to be that much. -- fight in the dog. You think

he has something up his sleeve for every situation. He seems like a

meticulous guy. When he comes in to talk after every game, he has a

clear idea of how he will deal with the situation and command it

himself. He wants it to be in his control. You felt like he had tried

everything, exhausted every possible excuse. No seven minute answers.

Blaming this one that one. He was resigned. In his demeanour, I just

thought to myself, this is quite interesting and it reveals a

different kind of Jose Mourinho. I don't know if he is grappling to try

and find his way out of this. They look so contrasting in every way

compared to last year. On text, I feel for Jose Mourinho. Stick

applied, carrots dangled, nothing works and players not doing enough.

I think he has pressed reset in himself. After the Liverpool defeat

when the volcano well and truly erupted, it is like he is answering

things normally now. As Amy had alluded to, there is almost no

attitude, nothing coming. The spark that we are used to seeing seems to

have drained at the moment. The whole club even. No sense of the

crowd showing any sort of reaction except for just being utterly

depressed and resigned to this situation. There was no outrage, no

frustration, obviously no sense of mutiny or even support. Just numb. I

think that is exactly where they are. I don't see the point in

changing Jose Mourinho. They will not be relegated and they will not

win the title. For a whole season they will pretty much be there.

Stuck in indifference? I cannot see what a new manager would do for

Chelsea. Do you think they will click and go on a run? You are just

waiting for it to happen. Why? I don't know why! Another opinion

poll? Rain the quality of players that they have got, they should not

be where they are. It is a false position. You just wait for the day.

Somebody will get a hiding of them. I thought it would be Bournemouth, I

admit. That must be the most surprised all season, that result,

apart from Gary Neville getting the Valencia job! Two surprises in a

week! Let's go to Gary Murray who got the goal at Stamford Bridge but

first his manager. It is probably the biggest result in the club's

history. You come to a side like Chelsea and you expect a tough game

and we got that but we were able to defend our goal and I thought we

looked like a constant menace. When the goal came it was a good time for

us. Gives result in the club's history? It is and the club has

never been in the Premier League before. To win away against

champions is something we will talk about for a long time to come.

Hopefully there will be more moments ahead of us and we hope we can use

this as a springboard to produce more magic days like this. That was

Eddie Howe. Glenn Murray got the goal yesterday. Good afternoon.

Hello. The biggest result in the club's history, meaning you got the

biggest goal in the history of the club. I suppose so! In the dressing

room afterwards where you celebrating as though it was the

biggest result? Were you trying to keep a lid on things? We understand

where we are in the league and how difficult our job is to stay in it.

I think it was more of a relief. Just knowing that we got a vital

three points. Do you think it could completely change your season? Is

that going overboard? I think it will give us a lot of belief, which

is what we need. We have been playing better recently. It started

about four games ago against Newcastle. We really dominated the

game and possession but could not get the ball into the net on the

afternoon. Since then, at Swansea against Everton, we have been

progressing. I think the belief is growing within the squad. Hello. You

probably don't remember because you were celebrating after your goal,

but as soon as the goal went in and you are all going crazy at 18, your

manager and coaching staff were gesticulating furiously for

everybody to calm down and use their heads, which is completely

understanding given the circumstances with a few minutes to

go. But it seems like you kept attacking. Yes, this has been

touched on in training in the past few weeks, that we need to

concentrate straight after goals, because it can be a weak moment for

us. He was just trying to get that message over again. I thought it

worked. We were better attacking, not sitting back and defending

against a team like Chelsea. With the quality they have got. Going

forward with it is better for us. There has been a huge debate in the

media about styles and whether you can play like you did in the

championship, and whether Norwich have changed their style to concede

less goals in the Premier League. The debate has gone on in the media.

We know how meticulous Eddie Howe is, so have you had the same debates

as a group of players? No, I mean obviously a lot of the group has

been under the gaffer for a while and they understand his velocity and

believe in it 100% and I am just jumping on that bandwagon. As far as

the next few weeks ago, how you played against Chelsea, can you

repeat that against Manchester United next week, the next game?

Obviously that is the aim and to pick up as many points as we can

along the way. The belief has grown in the squad and in the velocity as

well and that has shown in our performances. -- the philosophy.

Thank you very much and we wish you well for the rest of the season.

Glenn Murray on Match Of The Day. Is this a springboard? It has to be.

That performance against Newcastle, how they lost that is anybody's gas.

It looked to be the turning point for Bournemouth and then another bad

result after that so they have to use this. Glenn Murray, if he gets a

few more goals, he is up there with Jamie Vardy. He has scored at the

lower levels. He got goals with Crystal Palace, got injured, not

needed at the new regime, then into the Premier League. If he is free of

injuries, he could get goals at the top level. I am inventing the fact

that Jose Mourinho is moving closer to leaving English football. --

lamenting the fact. And Simon, credit to Bournemouth. You have got

to beat you up relegation rivals! I only read these out! There is a

match going on between Rochdale and Bury, 1-0. That will be on later.

And dwelling against Carlisle at 2 o'clock with highlights on BBC Two

at six o'clock. -- Welling. And now let's talk about Leicester, winning

3-0 at Swansea. Riyad Mahrez got a hat-trick. One win in 11 for

Swansea. This is Garry Monk. I know the history of this club. I have

been part of that history and I have worked very hard at what I do as a

player and now as a manager and it is extremely frustrating. Same for

the players. We have to be very careful, we are in a very difficult

situation in the league. We need to get results very quickly and find a

way of playing that is back to what Swansea expect and what I expect and

what this club expects. That is the most important part. Do you remain

confident that the current squad can achieve that? I always have great

confident that the current squad can belief in the players and we have

achieved history for this club. I have seen what those players can do

and we have achieved some fantastic things and results against many good

teams. We are in a period where we cannot quite get back to that level.

If you are watching us on BBC Two or the website, I don't know if you

thought this, but he looks absolutely exhausted. Drain. A man

under pressure but knowing the type of player that he was, he will not

be going away from the training ground early. He will not take this

light-hearted. Every moment of his day will be focused on that club

because they are in a rut. I watched the game yesterday and they had so

many chances against them. Jamie Vardy getting the record, he had one

great chance in the first half and yet they lost heavily. It could have

been more because Leicester had so much against them and they looked

like they were in disarray. Garry Monk, in the same way we talk about

Eddie Howe, is so dedicated. There are stories about him wearing a

microphone in training so he can analyse back his commands to make

sure he is giving them the right instructions in the right tone of

voice. The more you delve into the details, the more pressure you put

on yourself. Only he can put pressure on himself. It depends on

his personal character. I think it is amazing what has happened to

Swansea. When I saw them beat Manchester United, I thought here we

go, better season than last season. It is interesting that he talks

about the club's history. I don't think the club's hierarchy deals

with history now. He and Jenkins saved the club and I think they only

look forward on a daily basis. It is all part of the plan. Michael, you

have done what you can do, off you go. They are all moving on. I don't

think it matters that he has been part of the club's history. They

have to think seriously about the very near future at the moment. Do

you think they need to realise more that actually they are not pushing

for seventh, eighth, ninth, Europa League places. They are in a Europa

League battle. I think they realise that, don't they? I don't know. The

players, the owners? The club in general. You look at the last few

seasons they have had, the seasons of progression, and that becomes

your modus operandi and how you feel about yourself. When you get this

shot, like with the Chelsea players, they are not used to being in this

position and it can be difficult. Eddie Howe was saying yesterday that

his players were used to winning every game last season. That was in

the championship and for Bournemouth players it is hard to get their

heads round the idea that they are not winning any more. I like

Bournemouth. This sounds stupid but there is a way to lose a football

match and Bournemouth play correctly. They are always in games.

They don't get thrashed every week. They look like they are going to be

in games but Swansea yesterday did not look anywhere near. Not so long

ago they were in that position where they played great football and were

confident. Maybe that is my point. They need to work out how to win

games again. If that is ugly, basic, nicking 1-0, that will do them some

good. They have to stay in the league. Now the remit is to keep the

club in the Premiership this year. They are hurtling towards a

relegation battle. Monk deserves to go. He deserves a couple more games

but I don't think he will be getting them. If they sack him, bring back

Brendan Rodgers but some newspapers are suggesting Brendan Moyes. The

People in particular. Great job for David Moyes, but he is still in situ

and he will get them going again. This time last year, I am sure if

you pull out a MOTD2 Extra from this time a year ago, which must be a

very boring day! We were saying things like that about Nigel Pearson

and now look at Leicester. Partly because of what the players are

telling me and Claudio Ranieri, I don't want to say can they? Will

they? They could have had five, six, seven. They were bottom of the

league after the same amount of games last year. So to go from rock

bottom to sitting proudly on top and deserving to be there is completely

extraordinary. I love the way that cloudy Ranieri has taken what was

achieved last year and tweaked it. -- Claudio Ranieri. He has not made

enormous changes. You were talking last night on Match Of The Day about

Kante coming on and his impact, but he wanted players to play every

moment as though they are desperate. It is fine in a relegation battle

but difficult at the top of a league. To be desperate at every

minute of the game for it to be going their way, but that is what

they are managing to achieve. It is great for football, for a team

like Leicester to be top of the league. Will they finish there? I

don't think so. Top four is a big ask for them. The possibility of

Leicester City in the Champions League, brilliant. That is a strong

possibility. As to whether they can, they can, they are there to be shot

at and they are beating everybody. We were talking before the

programme, when is the last time a team won the league who really came

from... Hang on, they are not the champions of England? The Leeds team

from 1992, you would have them, Blackburn have the money. I think we

are talking about Nottingham Forest and Derby, the days of Brian Clough.

I know that Leeds are Leeds but they were not expected, that year. Still

a strong team, Leeds United, who died that too much of an eye. -- at

an eye. But this is going back to the 70s. Mark says that as a

Leicester FC Faheem Khan stop smiling. Calvin says that the title

may not be this time but the top four is. The next game they have is

Chelsea at home on a Monday night. We will be going there to cover the

game, fans will go to the game probably expecting them to win it.

Now, does that change it from the player's point of view? The

atmosphere may be different? Football is about confidence and

they are a confident team. They will relish the fact that Chelsea are

coming to a home game on a Monday night, it will be packed and they

will be expected to win. Confidence is a huge factor. It is difficult to

get out of a winning run. Chelsea won't be looking forward to going

there. That's the one, that's the test of this nonscientific theory

all round. Many of us expected Chelsea to go on a run, for reasons

we can't put our finger on and many of us expect Leicester's bubble to

burst. Manchester United, drawing 0-0 with West Ham yesterday, their

fifth in nine games. Here is Louis van Gaal. When you walk down the

tunnel and you heard a bit of disgruntlement from supporters, can

you understand that from the fans? No, I don't think so because they

have seen that there was the fighting spirit until the end, they

have seen that we created chances. They have seen that we have attacked

with a lot of people. So you cannot always demand that we score goals.

Because there's also a little bit of luck. But the fans have the right to

show their opinion. Manchester United, are they not scoring goals

because they are lacking luck? No, I think they are not scoring because

they are playing too defensively and not creating chances. I don't think

they have anybody... In 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was in this

situation, he knew that he needed goals, every one of his teams have

had goals. He went for van Nistelrooy, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke.

They haven't had that this year. Yeah, I would agree with that! Let

me give you some stats to help you. Javier Hernandez scored for Bayer

Leverkusen yesterday, 11th in ten, Shinji Kagawa got the winner for

Boris ea Dortmund, James Wilson scored on loan for Brighton, and

will clean, on loan at Preston from United, scoring for them against

Birmingham -- Boris ea Dortmund. Would you put any of them in the

Manchester United starting line-up? Possibly Javier Hernandez. But he

never did when he was there. What is really an helpful for Manchester

United at the moment is what is going on not very far away. When

there is a lot of analysis about the style, the atmosphere, the sense of

boredom, you could argue that van Gaal in that interview looked a bit

bored! But you know, the contrast, when you see the electricity going

at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp and how quickly the team can change from

drifting a little bit and looking like there isn't a great vibe around

the place, and people are not putting into practice what the

manager wants, because presumably he does not want 0-0 jaws, or something

is not right, to a feeling of a totally cohesive, brilliantly

inspired, everybody feeling amazing sort of vibe going on at Anfield --

draws. It is probably something that exacerbates, if you like, the debate

around Manchester United. I'm going to ask you a question about Pep

Guardiola and Louis van Gaal in a moment. Firstly, it is FA Cup second

round weekend, it is what style against Bury, a big derby. It is

half-time. A cracking first 35 minutes -- 45 minutes. What style

trailing thanks to Danny Rose's eighth minute diving header but that

does not tell them. We of a good local derby -- and Rochdale. --

really good local derby. Danny Blackman twice denied Henderson from

close range. The second, I have no idea how he got a part of his body

on it and deflecting it wide. Bury had chances to double the lead,

Danny McCue came and delivered one in, Peter Clarke had a header that

went in but was ruled out. Terrific banter in the technical area as well

between big Dale and Flitcroft. I don't know how to interpret

"terrific banter". Let me ask you, many papers saying that Manchester

United, even if Pep Guardiola becomes available this summer and

leaves Bayern Munich, that they will stick with Louis van Gaal. The fact

that several papers have it suggests that somebody has briefed them. Do

we know that there is no chance of getting him, then? I don't see the

milage in issuing a statement. A conversation, an idea. I don't quite

see, someone has talked but I don't see the point in it. I don't think

it does Louis van Gaal and United very good. Does it come from

Guardiola? I think most of us think that the Barcelona connection can if

he comes to England, it is Manchester City but we don't know

what he's thinking. Bayern Munich lost yesterday so he still has a

challenge. The you think in some ways United have ruled themselves

out? Because they were never in! United have a habit of having these

briefings, there will be a story that is everywhere, it is what they

do quite generally but I agree with Guy, it seems a nonsensical thing to

do at this point in time. You could argue it is a weird backhanded vote

of confidence in van Gaal, saying that even if Guardiola was available

they wouldn't take him, but I can only see them taking that stance...

They must know that it is a nonstarter, they may have had some

conversations and are aware they are not in the picture. If they were in

the picture, if Manchester United go out in the Champions League against

Wolfsburg, that may change their thinking? I don't know, I don't

think van Gaal has done a bad job. He steadied the ship and has put

Manchester United back where they should be. We can't forget the job

he has done. I don't think the fans are happy with the style of football

and the fact they are not scoring goals, but they are not conceding

goals, by not losing. I don't think he's done a bad job, I don't think

his job is available. In the Champions League it is a big week

for Arsenal, or do you think there is a resignation that it is going to

be hard to get through? It's a big week for Arsene Wenger rather than

Arsenal. Arsene Wenger talks often about his record in the Champions

League, it is a defence mechanism. When he's under pressure it is the

first thing he turns to. Not many clubs have qualified as many years

in a row sequentially as Arsenal, not just to get to the Champions

League but getting out of the group stage. He's proud of that, he is a

proud man and he wants to sustain it. Personally, apart from anything

else because if they go through they will go out in the first 16 anyway,

it is part of him being able to say, look around Europe, tell me how many

teams have done 15, 16 years in a row getting into the Champions

League and the group stage? I know we don't know, that's the beauty of

the game, but do you think they will do it? I think they would have done

it if Alexis Sanchez were there. Newcastle and the Nepal is the one

funnier league game this afternoon. -- and Liverpool. David says that

the problem at Newcastle goes beyond the players, the fans deserve more

than this but this under Mike Ashley. There are reports that Steve

McClaren has two games to save his Newcastle career, which would be

Liverpool and Spurs. Good luck with that! It isn't looking good, is it?

I don't know if it's as clear as that. I think it is reasonably good

knowledge that Steve McClaren is on the Newcastle board and he plays a

part in some of the decision-making. I don't know, I don't know if it is

that close but if they get thrashed today and the mood really turns,

there is every possibility against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool of that,

then there is that possibility. He mentioned confidence 34 times in the

press Conference ahead of the game. What is he like when things get

tough? From the outside looking in, he has lost the dressing room and

the players are not playing for him. They folded so easily against

Crystal Palace and when you are playing against a team with no

confidence, there are divisions, you can see. There is no leadership,

they have no experience leaders, nobody wants to fight and work off

the ball. Nobody wants to dig in and win the ball. It seems to me from

the outside that he has lost the players. That is against the

players, rather than him, isn't it? As a professional, you have a

responsibility, you have to look after yourself and the players are

not doing it. The manager cannot control the players this much. It

looks like they lacked leadership and direction. Say that Newcastle is

a hard place to full Bale -- hard place to play. Newcastle have not

won the league since 55. The fans demand application and performance

and they are not getting it. Can he rant and rave? Yes, he can throw the

teacups around, and he's a very good coach, a very good coach. They need

a bit more, don't they? When you say he's a good coach, that's the big

debate at the moment, between coach and manager. Yeah, for me, in my

situation with England, his man management, how he handled my

situation, I didn't think he was great. He may have developed, but

for me, his man management skills were lacking. Is it true, is it

generally considered, the higher level you get, international and

European level, is it more about the man management and coaching? Because

the players can presumably play. Man management is a huge part of it,

getting to know your players and getting the best out of them. The

England manager's job, being together for ten days, you need a

good man management and -- man management and tactician. It is

tactical and leadership. Are you surprised that in the time he has

had he has not engineered more of a change with that group? Yes because

he has signed his own players as well, he brought in what he wanted

to bring in. It surprised me, the lack of success they've had and how

quickly it has dipped. And Liverpool, if they win this today,

there will be a few more people putting a few quid on them. But it

now, they are title contenders, no doubt. I think we all have a love

affair from afar with Jurgen Klopp, until he came to the country but he

is motivation and enthusiasm, what he gives the players. Daniel

Sturridge, his constant injury, it seems it isn't now, he told him it

isn't and it isn't. Remarkable. Final text from Hassan, he says that

this season will be a 2 horse race between Leicester and Liverpool.

Thanks for your texts and tweaks. We will have highlights later --