:00:34. > :00:41.Good afternoon and welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra.
:00:42. > :00:44.On BBC Two, 5 live and the BBC Sport website.
:00:45. > :00:46.With me this lunchtime, Mark Lawrenson, BBC commentator
:00:47. > :00:47.Conor McNamara and journalist Neil Custis.
:00:48. > :00:49.You can get involved too - just use #bbcfootball
:00:50. > :00:58.The subjects include the misery piling up for Manchester United
:00:59. > :01:00.after defeat at Bournemouth. Manchester City leave it late
:01:01. > :01:04.to deny managerless Swansea. Watford win again
:01:05. > :01:06.to leave Sunderland And we'll look ahead to a busy day
:01:07. > :01:10.in the Premier League with Remi Garde facing his
:01:11. > :01:20.former side, Arsenal. As far as the papers are concerned
:01:21. > :01:25.this morning. The Sun is one of many to focus on the Euro 2016 draw. They
:01:26. > :01:32.also have a story saying that Jose Mourinho wants to sign Jamie Vardy.
:01:33. > :01:37.Mail On Sunday sport pull-out - "Simply Dire."
:01:38. > :01:45.The Sunday Times have gone with that as well. Out of his league. A week
:01:46. > :01:49.of misery for Louis van Gaal. Just looking at the papers, there doesn't
:01:50. > :01:53.appear to be many questioning van Gaal's future in the same way that
:01:54. > :01:58.this season a lot of papers have been questioning Mourinho. Why is
:01:59. > :02:04.that? The word from Old Trafford is that he has a future. They have
:02:05. > :02:09.invested so much in him, not just ?250 million in players, but they
:02:10. > :02:14.have bowed to his every whim, building screens on the training
:02:15. > :02:19.ground to stop the wind coming in. It's to stop people falling asleep!
:02:20. > :02:23.Pre-season tours used to be guided by the commercial department and now
:02:24. > :02:26.he is demanding things. They have invested so much that they are not
:02:27. > :02:31.prepared to let him go at this point and that is the clear message. There
:02:32. > :02:36.is little point in questioning his immediate future. If he gets to the
:02:37. > :02:40.end of the season without this improving, and they are far away
:02:41. > :02:44.from the title than it is a different matter. In the final year
:02:45. > :02:49.of his contract it could get worse. Even with a full team it wasn't
:02:50. > :02:53.great and I look at it and I think, will it get any better? I can't see
:02:54. > :02:58.it. The most damning thing about yesterday was that I wasn't
:02:59. > :03:05.surprised. The thing is, three points off the top. That tells you
:03:06. > :03:10.about how bizarre the league is. What is the Gary Numan song? That is
:03:11. > :03:14.it. It is madness. The fact they are playing so poorly and are only three
:03:15. > :03:18.points off the top of the league. I was watching Match of the Day this
:03:19. > :03:22.morning and thinking about how easy it is to criticise but then you have
:03:23. > :03:27.to look at why it is happening. I wonder whether the leagues that van
:03:28. > :03:31.Gaal has been in before are not like the Premier League and the Premier
:03:32. > :03:36.League is faster. It is more physical. You have less time on the
:03:37. > :03:42.ball. Whether it is technically as good it doesn't matter. Those are
:03:43. > :03:45.the major ingredients. I don't know whether his ideas and philosophy are
:03:46. > :03:50.attuned to those facts. He likes them to take one touch before taking
:03:51. > :03:58.a shot which often loses a chance. You look at yesterday's game, King
:03:59. > :04:01.playing for Bournemouth is exactly the player that United could do
:04:02. > :04:06.with. They have those players but they are restricted in the way they
:04:07. > :04:12.play, nothing off-the-cuff, no flair, no risk and no reward. The
:04:13. > :04:15.proximity to the top of the table has masked some concerns. They are
:04:16. > :04:20.still within touching distance. It is a particularly low points tally
:04:21. > :04:27.for this stage of the season. Ella Greaney had the same points as he
:04:28. > :04:32.had now in his first season -- Pellegrini. He was at the top of the
:04:33. > :04:37.league then. If you do quirky stuff, people say there is genius behind
:04:38. > :04:43.it. Phil Jones is taking corners and when they are winning that is great
:04:44. > :04:47.but when Powell comes on, he has not been good enough for three years and
:04:48. > :04:51.why is he good enough now? You talk about investment in the summer tours
:04:52. > :04:55.but what about the quarter billion pound investment in players? Having
:04:56. > :05:00.the best goalkeeper in the world and still churning out results like
:05:01. > :05:05.that. For Bournemouth, in the summer, I'm sure when the bosses
:05:06. > :05:08.went around selling TV rights, I bet Bournemouth were very limited on
:05:09. > :05:14.selling point. Chelsea and Man United... Is that right, they have
:05:15. > :05:20.to have one touch before they can shoot? Early in training he was
:05:21. > :05:25.advising them to have a touch before shooting. Shots don't get away
:05:26. > :05:29.quickly. The other thing about the lack of goals... You watched
:05:30. > :05:35.Championship players in the Premier League, they always have a touch
:05:36. > :05:38.which is why they don't score. How mad is that? We talk about the
:05:39. > :05:47.spending but I don't think you can criticise people at the top because
:05:48. > :05:52.Edward Woodward has got the purse strings, they have trusted him, they
:05:53. > :05:56.have got the target, but going in without another striker was
:05:57. > :06:01.negligent. You say you can't criticise the managers but Oliver
:06:02. > :06:08.Holt describes the United hierarchy as clueless suits. Would you go that
:06:09. > :06:17.far? I think I would actually to be honest. I thought you might! I have
:06:18. > :06:19.seen Manchester United live, probably four games at Old Trafford
:06:20. > :06:31.and it has all been exactly the same. City West Brom... As in the
:06:32. > :06:35.money. It is about the money. To paraphrase the article of Oliver
:06:36. > :06:39.Holt, after having gone out of the Champions League this week, for the
:06:40. > :06:42.message to come out of trap that the Premier League is more important
:06:43. > :06:46.than the Champions League, he questions the fact that when they go
:06:47. > :06:50.out of the Champions League the following day they are being linked
:06:51. > :06:57.with Gareth Bale, Neymar, Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba. How are the
:06:58. > :07:02.hierarchy necessarily briefing you guys in the media to try to lift...
:07:03. > :07:07.That is part of that? Those five players will not sign for United to
:07:08. > :07:13.play that style of football. None of them. There is no harm in trying to
:07:14. > :07:16.get one. They weren't saying that in the moment they went out of the
:07:17. > :07:19.Champions League and there is no way they didn't want to advance in the
:07:20. > :07:23.Champions League because the main reason they got van Gaal in was to
:07:24. > :07:28.get back in the Champions League and be a major name in Europe. There is
:07:29. > :07:31.no doubt they would like those players and they were pushing them,
:07:32. > :07:38.but given the mood around the club, I do not think they would want to
:07:39. > :07:42.move. -- they would be pursuing them. Inevitably whoever you
:07:43. > :07:46.realistically bring in looks like a second choice option, and it's
:07:47. > :07:49.almost like downgrading what you end up getting because you have been
:07:50. > :07:56.talking about huge stars. They signed Martial and Memphis this
:07:57. > :08:03.week, they have been young and experienced, they could be very good
:08:04. > :08:08.players but why did he not have another striker? After the Wolfsburg
:08:09. > :08:15.game, look at Memphis and Martial, they cost nearly 60 million quid.
:08:16. > :08:18.The Ajax team that won the Champions League in 95, possibly the youngest
:08:19. > :08:25.side ever to lift the trophy, so you can't use that. It is not an excuse.
:08:26. > :08:29.They had good players. Not when Memphis was the top scorer in
:08:30. > :08:34.Holland. Jack says that United are playing with little optimism and van
:08:35. > :08:38.Gaal is alienating the fans and many players. No imagination and no
:08:39. > :08:44.players are willing to take a risk. Jonathan, under Moyes there was no
:08:45. > :08:51.game plan and now the tactics are awful. Laughing stock, shocking.
:08:52. > :08:59.There is no doubt he has steadied a sinking ship. That is not easy to
:09:00. > :09:04.say! It could have been worse! Setting sail again. Ancelotti, where
:09:05. > :09:08.are you? Let's hear from the United manager after the Bournemouth
:09:09. > :09:14.defeat. In the first half in spite of the goal against us in the first
:09:15. > :09:19.minute, we kept the rhythm in our game. We scored goals, created
:09:20. > :09:25.chances. We could have scored more. Out of those chances. It was 1-1. I
:09:26. > :09:34.had the feeling that we could win here. Then of course the second set
:09:35. > :09:44.play, they scored again. Then it is very difficult to make the equaliser
:09:45. > :09:48.because this team is fighting together and pressing the ball
:09:49. > :09:57.always. It's very difficult. Then to create chances. When you watch
:09:58. > :10:00.Manchester United as a former player, do you sense that they are
:10:01. > :10:06.intimidated to play their natural game which is what a lot of United
:10:07. > :10:09.fans are tweeting. I'm not sure it's that they are intimidated to be
:10:10. > :10:14.honest but it's just that he doesn't pick enough attacking players, that
:10:15. > :10:19.is the first thing. Obviously you always have to go back to Sir Alex
:10:20. > :10:23.Ferguson. What he said about pressing, Bournemouth where
:10:24. > :10:30.pressing, but what does he expect? It's the Premier League. This whole
:10:31. > :10:33.thing about the back six, two always in front of the back four and the
:10:34. > :10:38.goalkeeper and he's trying to win games with four attacking players,
:10:39. > :10:43.and by the way people like Juan Mata Ander Herrera are not exactly
:10:44. > :10:49.outstanding in attack. -- and Herrera. I think they are
:10:50. > :10:53.intimidated. I remember we interviewed Jonny Evans at the start
:10:54. > :10:57.of the regime and he was saying, because of all of the information in
:10:58. > :11:03.their brains they are thinking, should I be five yards here, five
:11:04. > :11:06.yards there? You have someone with the flair of Di Maria and you can't
:11:07. > :11:12.get the best out of him even though you saw how well he played early on.
:11:13. > :11:17.Early on Martial and Memphis played well. Every time a mistake is made
:11:18. > :11:21.he notes it down and I think they are intimidated and scared to take a
:11:22. > :11:25.risk because if they take a risk and give away the ball they are in
:11:26. > :11:31.trouble. You can see how indignant he is in interviews. He is blaming
:11:32. > :11:35.the opposition, we are not doing anything wrong. Wolfsburg are the
:11:36. > :11:39.second-best team in Germany, there is always some excuse rather than
:11:40. > :11:43.United themselves not producing. The statistic this morning was that the
:11:44. > :11:47.last three Premier League games in the second half, one shot on target
:11:48. > :11:51.in each of them and this is Manchester United! Some of these
:11:52. > :11:55.games were at home. They are passing back into their own half more than
:11:56. > :12:01.any other team, shorter and fewer forward passes than any team. Van
:12:02. > :12:05.Gaal was upset with the long ball accusation towards Fellaini but this
:12:06. > :12:08.is nothing to do with that, just how many times they are turning back to
:12:09. > :12:14.their own half more than anyone else in the league. They took off the
:12:15. > :12:19.full-back after 60 minutes. That is a normal substitution. We spoke to
:12:20. > :12:22.Glenn Murray after they had beaten Chelsea last week, they could have
:12:23. > :12:28.had four or five and Glenn Murray could have had two or three in the
:12:29. > :12:31.last 20 minutes. Have they settle down in the sense that it takes time
:12:32. > :12:35.to adapt to the Premier League and they suffered three or four horrific
:12:36. > :12:41.injuries in their first six weeks which meant... They have not changed
:12:42. > :12:49.which is a great thing, they took a few beatings, and Eddie Howe has not
:12:50. > :12:54.changed the way that they play. You come to terms with the Premiership
:12:55. > :12:58.and obviously it does take a while. At Brighton we got into the old
:12:59. > :13:03.League 1, as it was, you would sit in the dressing room and think, my
:13:04. > :13:09.goodness, look who we are playing. In our first game we got beaten 5-0
:13:10. > :13:15.by Arsenal at home, but they still have two legs and they breathe and
:13:16. > :13:19.all of that, and Bournemouth have come to terms with that. He does not
:13:20. > :13:22.complicate the way they play. They are not thinking about what they
:13:23. > :13:28.should be doing and where they should be running. In a lot of his
:13:29. > :13:33.interviews he has spoken about the importance that they have with pace
:13:34. > :13:36.going forward in Josh King who obviously scored yesterday and
:13:37. > :13:41.Stanislas as well. Such a cruel blow to lose Callum Wilson who was such a
:13:42. > :13:44.great goal-scorer. When I went to see them towards the end of the
:13:45. > :13:49.Championship they were using the pitch as a 12th man, they hardly
:13:50. > :13:55.ever get the ball out of the ground, they always make low passes. They
:13:56. > :13:59.are using it as a 12th man. They obviously have a small stadium. It
:14:00. > :14:03.is a romantic story the way they have come out and yes they have the
:14:04. > :14:09.wealthy Russian guy in charge, the thing about most fairy tales is that
:14:10. > :14:13.it features a rich prince. You can still be a very tale even with a
:14:14. > :14:21.rich prince. Fair play to them for competing so well. I am pleased for
:14:22. > :14:25.Bournemouth and Eddie Howe, what an exciting team. An amazing six
:14:26. > :14:31.points. This underdog has a bite to match its bark. If you play with
:14:32. > :14:34.ambition and without fear you have a chance because in the past in the
:14:35. > :14:39.Premier League when teams come up it's about clinging onto a result.
:14:40. > :14:46.Clinging onto your status. Bolton were one of the first teams to say,
:14:47. > :14:51.we will take you on. Under Sam. He beat the big boys a lot. Watford are
:14:52. > :14:55.also having a go. When you play clubs lacking in confidence like
:14:56. > :15:00.Manchester United and Chelsea, if you have a go you have a chance.
:15:01. > :15:04.There were many times under Sir Alex Ferguson that City would come to Old
:15:05. > :15:08.Trafford and sit there for the 90 minutes and they were never going to
:15:09. > :15:14.win that way. There is now a lot more ambition in clubs. Before we
:15:15. > :15:22.move on I want to read a tweet. Charlie Daniels said this earlier,
:15:23. > :15:28.yesterday was all for Harry Arter, who lost his baby daughter. To show
:15:29. > :15:33.that amount of courage, the level of his performance was exceptional, you
:15:34. > :15:35.made every Cherry fan proud, it was an honour to witness your bravery,
:15:36. > :15:39.Harry. Manchester City are back top
:15:40. > :15:42.of the Premier League but left it Here's Joe Hart's assessment
:15:43. > :16:02.of the performance. We were awful. We definitely have to
:16:03. > :16:08.improve. You were busy. You played a key part in those three points. Yes,
:16:09. > :16:12.I had a lot to do. When we play well I am a bystander some of the time so
:16:13. > :16:19.it was good for me to be involved but as the team we have to improve,
:16:20. > :16:25.myself included. It can only be a positive that they eventually won
:16:26. > :16:34.that. Guess. It is how you win the lead. That is the secret. Chelsea
:16:35. > :16:38.last year were masters at it. The thing about yesterday that would
:16:39. > :16:41.drive me mad if I was Garry Monk, all of a sudden they start to play
:16:42. > :16:48.once he has left. What is that about? The players need to have a
:16:49. > :16:55.look at themselves because that is ridiculous. Is that not often the
:16:56. > :16:59.case? When a manager goes. Also when you go to Manchester City away you
:17:00. > :17:03.have nothing to lose, is it a free hit? Whereas when you are torn to
:17:04. > :17:08.Leicester the pressure is on and the funds will go expecting. The fans
:17:09. > :17:15.would have gone expecting for the Leicester game at home, definitely,
:17:16. > :17:19.but not a free head. How can players just turn it on as opposed to
:17:20. > :17:25.completely giving up? It is ridiculous. That is the modern-day
:17:26. > :17:30.player at the moment. Presumably it is the new manager to impress. They
:17:31. > :17:35.knew the writing was on the Walther Garry Monk and all of a sudden he
:17:36. > :17:43.gone and they now that they could be gone. That was not an untypical
:17:44. > :17:51.performance. If it were not for the late winner... A lot of City
:17:52. > :17:56.performances I have seen where they turn up thinking it is going to
:17:57. > :18:01.happen without making it happen. You cannot say Sergio Aguero and Vincent
:18:02. > :18:08.Kompany are out, they have such an embarrassment of riches. Manuel
:18:09. > :18:12.Pellegrini said based on the second half performance we can beat anyone
:18:13. > :18:19.in Europe. Based on the performance on Saturday they will not beat
:18:20. > :18:26.Arsenal. It is about attitude. The reason Man Utd won so many titles
:18:27. > :18:31.was not because they would always beat Liverpool, but the next week
:18:32. > :18:36.they would go to West Brom or Sunderland and win whereas the
:18:37. > :18:40.others would slip up. They won the league because they had the best
:18:41. > :18:46.players. They had the right attitude as well. City have the best players.
:18:47. > :18:53.It reminded me of the year when they first won the league. A very late
:18:54. > :18:57.goal win. That is what champions are, you are not playing well and
:18:58. > :19:02.you can pull out the moment. He looks like he can score a goal at
:19:03. > :19:06.any time. It is almost like he is not trying to do it all the time.
:19:07. > :19:12.Vincent Kompany not being available, I am sick of hearing that. They have
:19:13. > :19:18.the most expensive central defensive pairing there has ever been in
:19:19. > :19:26.football. Over ?70 million. It does not mean they are good. You are
:19:27. > :19:30.aware the company has a history of injuries. He has bought two well
:19:31. > :19:35.renowned replacements who have not connected under not producing the
:19:36. > :19:43.goods. If you looked at Manchester City last Saturday at Stoke, how
:19:44. > :19:47.ridiculous was that? Someone says their attitude is steel. Someone
:19:48. > :19:55.else says they did not deserve to win. Someone says I am shocked at
:19:56. > :20:04.the quality they have and playing this poorly. Someone else said
:20:05. > :20:13.Fabianski did nothing. What kind of manager do Swansea needed to replace
:20:14. > :20:18.Garry Monk? The people they are looking at, either looking at
:20:19. > :20:21.experience with Gus Poyet, or a young manager who can be like Garry
:20:22. > :20:33.Monk, like Ryan Giggs, where there is genuine interest. I don my Garry
:20:34. > :20:39.Monk had a bad 11 games and he was judged on those 11 games, which is
:20:40. > :20:47.wrong. I think they should still have him. If I could get David Moyes
:20:48. > :20:54.I would get David Moyes, but as I understand that he does not want to
:20:55. > :20:57.go. I disagree. This Swansea story has been a fun classic point of
:20:58. > :21:04.continuity and they kept the position and it has been found out.
:21:05. > :21:09.The days when through the weight of possession they could break things
:21:10. > :21:13.down, or positions have found out Swansea. Garry Monk has not changed
:21:14. > :21:20.things. You do not follow that mould. Everything runs its course.
:21:21. > :21:25.Every effective tactic you have to tweak. Garry Monk had been at the
:21:26. > :21:32.club for 12 years, part of the furniture. He continued that. I am
:21:33. > :21:36.sorry he lost his job. If they are going to make a change I think there
:21:37. > :21:40.is the time to step things up with fresh ideas to build on what they
:21:41. > :21:50.already have. The forward players have let him down. Sigurdsson,
:21:51. > :21:53.Gomis. Only in this spell, you would argue. We must have done some at
:21:54. > :22:01.analysis in the first two months of the season placing them. You cannot
:22:02. > :22:07.blame them all season. In the last 11 games. That is what he has been
:22:08. > :22:13.judged on. They have panicked. It is really unusual for them because you
:22:14. > :22:21.look at them and generally... Everyone is going to panic. Look at
:22:22. > :22:26.the bottom three, four of the bottom five have let the managers go
:22:27. > :22:30.already. Different any other Premier League club, 20% of the club is
:22:31. > :22:35.owned by the supporters' trust and that backs the move as well. As much
:22:36. > :22:47.as they have affection for Garry Monk they felt a change was needed.
:22:48. > :22:52.Three out of five. Unless you know something we do not! Four should
:22:53. > :23:06.have. Someone says not Gus Poyet, his
:23:07. > :23:15.track record in the Premier League is poor. Getting Ryan Giggs would
:23:16. > :23:20.make more sense. Someone says Gus Poyet at a push. Anyone else can do
:23:21. > :23:31.one. Ryan Giggs is not going to go there. Why? He sits and waits at
:23:32. > :23:35.Manchester United. That is the problem. He is not allowed to do
:23:36. > :23:42.anything. Maybe in a few weeks he will. There was a moment in the
:23:43. > :23:48.second half when he sat on the bench and realise they are not allowed to
:23:49. > :23:50.go on the technical area. If he is watching other former team-mates go
:23:51. > :24:01.around Europe and get experience... One. Both levels. Do you not think
:24:02. > :24:07.he will fancy doing something on his own? Absolutely. He might. I do not
:24:08. > :24:18.think he will leave Manchester United. People seem to be against
:24:19. > :24:21.Gus Poyet. Do you understand that? When they appointed Rogers Rogers
:24:22. > :24:26.had come off the back of a bad speller Reading but was a different
:24:27. > :24:30.man. Of course I can understand it given what happened at Sunderland.
:24:31. > :24:35.Battling at the bottom of the table. He found that a difficult scrap.
:24:36. > :24:39.They will want someone with more pedigree of being higher up the
:24:40. > :24:44.table. Swansea for so long were out of the Premier League and have
:24:45. > :24:47.become part of the furniture. This is not the summer you want to get
:24:48. > :24:54.relegated with more money than ever before. Ryan Giggs, if you look at
:24:55. > :25:01.Seoul Shire, his great reputation, by being one of Alex Ferguson's
:25:02. > :25:05.fledgling is, everybody expected him to be a fantastic manager and he
:25:06. > :25:11.struggled at Cardiff and that ended his reputation in terms of being a
:25:12. > :25:15.manager. If he goes to Swansea, Ryan Giggs, and they get relegated it
:25:16. > :25:22.hinders him going to Manchester United. It is not a given that he is
:25:23. > :25:27.going to take over Manchester United. I think he has a lot more to
:25:28. > :25:30.offer than he is being allowed to offer. There is no wiki would want
:25:31. > :25:39.the football to be played the way it is. I agree but I think because of
:25:40. > :25:44.that he does not believe. He waits. Previous managerial experience, Gary
:25:45. > :25:48.Neville's first job, a Champions League club. Ryan Giggs will be
:25:49. > :25:51.wondering of that is the sort of level he should be at. The
:25:52. > :26:03.circumstances are slightly different.
:26:04. > :26:11.We can go to Villa Park and get the team news. Jack English is back but
:26:12. > :26:16.on the bench as Aston Villa go with the same 11 that drew at Southampton
:26:17. > :26:24.a week ago. Kieran Clarke is among the substitutions but there is no
:26:25. > :26:28.place for Agbonlahor. After this, Aston Villa have Newcastle, Norwich
:26:29. > :26:33.and Sunderland, fellow strugglers. It feels like a long funeral.
:26:34. > :26:38.Arsenal have the same 11 and seen substitutes from the Champions
:26:39. > :26:44.League win at Olympiakos. Olivier Giroud is hoping to extend his
:26:45. > :26:48.scoring run, ten in 12 appearances, one away from his 50th in the
:26:49. > :26:53.Premier League. Arsenal will go top with a win. Martin Keown is
:26:54. > :26:58.alongside you. This could turn out to be a good week with Champions
:26:59. > :27:01.League qualification and going top. Yes. Probably the best European
:27:02. > :27:08.performance I have seen from Arsenal midweek and long time. Perfect
:27:09. > :27:11.result for them. They must be starting to believe they can win the
:27:12. > :27:19.Premier League. It looks as if nobody wants to win it. Manchester
:27:20. > :27:25.City with the clumsy win. Arsenal need to lay down a marker that they
:27:26. > :27:33.are in the mix to win. Would it be a massive sell your of Arsenal not to
:27:34. > :27:41.win this season? I think it is an opportunity to win. He needs to be
:27:42. > :27:44.positive. He needs to go for it. I can see a player coming in on the
:27:45. > :27:49.January window and I think Olivier Giroud is working under a lot of
:27:50. > :27:52.pressure because I do not see tremendous loss from Arsene Wenger
:27:53. > :28:00.but whatever he is doing he is getting the best out of them. --
:28:01. > :28:05.him. Last Saturday I thought he was poor. In some of the games this
:28:06. > :28:10.season. He is the man of the top of the team and he has to start to
:28:11. > :28:14.perform for Arsenal. This is an Aston Villa team that is really
:28:15. > :28:20.struggling. I feel for them a guard, a former Arsenal player. There does
:28:21. > :28:25.not seem to be the desire for this football club any more. To all
:28:26. > :28:35.intents and purposes they are relegated even now. Should Arsenal
:28:36. > :28:48.win potato? I cannot hear... Should Arsenal win the title? I think they
:28:49. > :28:53.should. I would not discount Tottenham. I think Arsenal are
:28:54. > :28:58.slightly ahead of them. If Arsenal do not win I think Arsene Wenger
:28:59. > :29:03.will now he has missed an opportunity. He has got off the
:29:04. > :29:12.fence. You can follow that game on 5 live. Villa relegated? Yes. They
:29:13. > :29:18.made a huge error in who they treated Tim Sherwood in that they
:29:19. > :29:22.had a very good, bright manager, someone who was getting the best out
:29:23. > :29:30.of players last season and imposed this structure on him off... It is
:29:31. > :29:33.no coincidence that Aston Villa and Newcastle have the same transfer
:29:34. > :29:41.structure of selling on young players. If you are being told
:29:42. > :29:50.you're being brought into be sold to someone else where is your loyalty?
:29:51. > :29:55.They both have that policy imposed on them. All of the managers have
:29:56. > :29:59.suffered because of it. Tim Sherwood suffered. It was a major error,
:30:00. > :30:10.particularly somebody as headstrong as Tim Sherwood. 13 goals they have
:30:11. > :30:20.scored. They are relegated. Who is going to go to Aston Villa to save
:30:21. > :30:24.them? I actually think it's a really good Premier League season because
:30:25. > :30:29.of how tight it is, three points between the top four. It could be
:30:30. > :30:35.tween the top five by the end of the day. On any given Saturday or Sunday
:30:36. > :30:41.anyone can beat anyone. Aston Villa can't! Six points in the last
:30:42. > :30:50.available 45 and that sums it up. Any given Sunday is one of my
:30:51. > :30:58.favourite films. The Premier League is tight but you sense that Villa
:30:59. > :31:02.are eight points off safety already and they are eight points away from
:31:03. > :31:07.Norwich who have only won one in ten. Absolutely no goals and
:31:08. > :31:12.Agbonlahor is not even on the bench. Talk about living on past glories.
:31:13. > :31:17.I'm not sure that is the right word but who is going to score any goals?
:31:18. > :31:22.The point about the tight Premier League is used as a reason for
:31:23. > :31:26.people to say it's a poor Premier League but I don't think it is. I
:31:27. > :31:32.think it is excellent because the strength in depth is so great. I
:31:33. > :31:37.think if you split it into thirds the middle third of the Premier
:31:38. > :31:41.League because of the money have got better players which I think has
:31:42. > :31:46.made it more competitive but do you think it is better than the
:31:47. > :31:50.Bundesliga because I don't? I think it is better and there are better
:31:51. > :31:55.individual clubs in Germany and Spain, but in terms of 20 clubs, the
:31:56. > :31:59.overall standard, it is not higher than in the other countries. It
:32:00. > :32:06.depends what you want from the league. The argument will go down
:32:07. > :32:09.for the fans of the clubs involved it's really exciting. Some people
:32:10. > :32:15.who look at the commercial side will go, well actually the Bundesliga,
:32:16. > :32:22.talking to people in Germany and France, one of the reasons that
:32:23. > :32:28.Ligue-1 has developed in popularity is because our Paris St Germain.
:32:29. > :32:31.They watch because of the superstars at Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga
:32:32. > :32:40.but then it reduces their competitiveness. It does, but
:32:41. > :32:45.looking at the German teams, they play a completely different way,
:32:46. > :32:49.always in your face. We started the programme talking about van Gaal and
:32:50. > :32:53.what is the problem? They are not in your face any more, Manchester
:32:54. > :32:56.United. The top teams in Spain and Germany are better than anything in
:32:57. > :33:01.England but it's like watching a rock band, you just want to hear the
:33:02. > :33:05.greatest hits, that's great, but when you tune in to watch Bayern
:33:06. > :33:11.Munich and Barcelona, they are always winning every week and there
:33:12. > :33:16.are only one or two close games. Are you going to watch a low gig game
:33:17. > :33:21.where Real Madrid or Barcelona are not playing each other? I think it
:33:22. > :33:27.is better than that. Bayern Munich walk it every time. But they will
:33:28. > :33:32.probably walk the Champions League. Going back to this, would you go
:33:33. > :33:41.along with Martin? Never ever! Pictorial do you -- do you think he
:33:42. > :33:47.will consider this a missed opportunity? Given the circumstances
:33:48. > :33:52.they made Olympiakos looked ordinary which possibly they are, but the
:33:53. > :33:55.worry about Arsene Wenger is how to get yourself into that position. You
:33:56. > :33:59.lose the first two games because they always let you down. This is
:34:00. > :34:06.the season where they have to win the Premier League undoubtably. I
:34:07. > :34:09.think Ozil has been fantastic this year and he has not got the column
:34:10. > :34:15.inches of anybody else in that position. It is like Luis Suarez
:34:16. > :34:18.when they came so close, that was their chance. If Arsenal don't win
:34:19. > :34:28.this year I can see them falling back. Henry, Wright, Robert Perez
:34:29. > :34:35.and Walcott have scored more goals. He is underrated. The inconsistency
:34:36. > :34:40.has to be resolved. Mark says that Ozil is the most underrated player
:34:41. > :34:45.will stop he is Player of the Year by a mile. -- underrated player.
:34:46. > :34:50.Most people see him as a lazy luxury player. Why does he not get enough
:34:51. > :34:57.credit? The thing with Arsenal is that URS isn't -- you are reticent
:34:58. > :35:01.to go over the top because you know they will let you down. You sit back
:35:02. > :35:07.and you wait and see it happen for a season. I think he does get the
:35:08. > :35:14.credit. Jose Mourinho once said, I went to Chelsea earlier and
:35:15. > :35:19.unbelievably he let me in the press room early, and we were talking to
:35:20. > :35:25.him and Ozil's name came up and he said, yes, when I was at Madrid,
:35:26. > :35:28.sometimes in training I would turn my back and we would have
:35:29. > :35:31.five-a-side at the air and and not watch, but when he struck the ball,
:35:32. > :35:44.it made a different noise than anybody else. He might have been
:35:45. > :35:50.full of nonsense,... Sugar. I was trying to get you out of that. I
:35:51. > :35:57.wasn't going anywhere, that was just your mind. Let's look at the Euro
:35:58. > :36:00.draw. Made yesterday. England, Wales, along with Slovakia and
:36:01. > :36:04.Russia. Northern Ireland with Germany in Group C. The Republic of
:36:05. > :36:07.Ireland have Italy and Sweden. Germany in Group C. The Republic of
:36:08. > :36:11.was always going to be England and Wales. That will be a fabulous game
:36:12. > :36:16.and a great test and the pressure will be on Roy Hodgson in that game
:36:17. > :36:20.a lot more than Chris Coleman. I can see both of them going out of the
:36:21. > :36:28.group and then England will go out next time... Qualifying, you mean.
:36:29. > :36:34.It will be a great occasion, a great game, and Wales have brought so much
:36:35. > :36:38.more to the party. It's fabulously exciting. The problem is with the
:36:39. > :36:43.way it has been done with only eight teams going out early on is that it
:36:44. > :36:47.could lead to negative football early on, which was never the case
:36:48. > :36:51.in the European Championships when everyone went for it. The group
:36:52. > :36:56.games early on in the European Championships are usually good. In
:36:57. > :37:01.the old World Cups everyone was like, if we don't lose we will get
:37:02. > :37:04.through even in third. But this will be about not losing the first game
:37:05. > :37:11.but generally major tournaments are like that. There are only eight
:37:12. > :37:15.teams going out. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland groups
:37:16. > :37:20.are both fascinating. Northern Ireland have Poland and Ukraine. I
:37:21. > :37:26.would not describe it as fascinating, may be daunting.
:37:27. > :37:31.Certainly enjoyable to watch. Belgium, Italy and Sweden. A friend
:37:32. > :37:35.of mine travelled to Japan and goes to all of the tournaments but he
:37:36. > :37:41.says I will only need two weeks off work! That is a positive spin!
:37:42. > :37:46.Belgium are ranked as the top team in the world but it goes back to
:37:47. > :37:51.Vincent Kompany not being fit and it is not like you are against Spain at
:37:52. > :37:55.their peak. The same with Sweden, Ibrahimovic, if he does not show up
:37:56. > :38:01.for whatever reason, look, they will go and enjoy it. He can have two
:38:02. > :38:06.weeks watching and two weeks as a guest of Betty Ford. Let's go back
:38:07. > :38:21.to the Premier League, let's focus on Watford. Three wins on the spin.
:38:22. > :38:23.Seventh in the table. Injury troubles in Germany, it looks as
:38:24. > :38:33.though you are enjoying this more than ever? I believe goalkeeping is
:38:34. > :38:40.like a wine. I can see that now. Of course it wasn't the best end to my
:38:41. > :38:46.career at Tottenham. You get better with age, here's to ten more years?
:38:47. > :38:53.I don't think so. It's a very tough league. I believe I might be able to
:38:54. > :39:02.play five more years. When I feel I can't do what I did today, of course
:39:03. > :39:07.I will say that it's finished. Sam Allardyce was full of praise as well
:39:08. > :39:11.at the Stadium Of Light. Sam was devastated after that game, after
:39:12. > :39:14.what he has done there, the three points made such a difference.
:39:15. > :39:22.Sunderland were all mucky with the chances they had in front of goal.
:39:23. > :39:26.-- unlucky. There was a time when they went behind and would have
:39:27. > :39:30.crumbled, I don't think he should be so downhearted. As he understandably
:39:31. > :39:38.was afterwards. Watford again, five wins in seven. Yes, and three on the
:39:39. > :39:43.spin. Again it's about what I was talking about earlier, and this.
:39:44. > :39:48.Having a go. Their manager has never managed in the Premier League, I
:39:49. > :39:54.don't know how many... Eventually, though. Point taken, but how many
:39:55. > :39:59.nationalities in the dressing room? We always say that it takes ages to
:40:00. > :40:04.find your best team but he has found his best team. They are very much a
:40:05. > :40:07.counterattacking team and they have done fantastically well. It is so
:40:08. > :40:12.important to have a good start and we know that the team is in the top
:40:13. > :40:16.six or top seven. It is now about continuing into the second half of
:40:17. > :40:20.the season and not being be unknown element. Now the opposition have
:40:21. > :40:26.seen you a few times can they work you out or can you adapt? It is good
:40:27. > :40:32.to watch. They beat Norwich 2-0 next week -- last week. Let the good
:40:33. > :40:38.times roll. They have been perceived as an away side. Well, they are. I'm
:40:39. > :40:42.not the biggest stats person but the goals they have scored away from
:40:43. > :40:44.home compared to home are completely different.
:40:45. > :40:50.Liverpool v West Brom and Tottenham against Newcastle,
:40:51. > :41:02.How do Newcastle approach this on the back of the win over Liverpool?
:41:03. > :41:05.They are daunting opponent and the recruitment in the summer has been
:41:06. > :41:10.good which has not always been the case with Tottenham. Pochettino has
:41:11. > :41:15.brought the success from Southampton, the pressure game. Kane
:41:16. > :41:18.is again. This is the year that Chelsea and Man United might drop
:41:19. > :41:22.out of the top four and Tottenham are banging on the door. For
:41:23. > :41:27.Newcastle given their results, all they have to do is build on the
:41:28. > :41:31.Liverpool game. Let's do it again. Steve McClaren said that the players
:41:32. > :41:35.whether actually crawling off because of the work rate. That has
:41:36. > :41:40.to be given now in every game. Absolutely and that is what he will
:41:41. > :41:44.say, leave it all on the pitch today, the same work rate as last
:41:45. > :41:50.week. It obviously depends on the performance but I think it's a
:41:51. > :41:54.given. I always remember speaking to Reuters after European games like
:41:55. > :42:00.that, and trying to find positives. -- speaking to Reuters lean. At
:42:01. > :42:05.least the players gave everything. And he would say, they should be
:42:06. > :42:09.crawling off the pitch every game! I watched the first half last week
:42:10. > :42:12.from behind the sofa as a Newcastle fan believing it would be a cricket
:42:13. > :42:18.score but that sort of determination, again, as we were
:42:19. > :42:23.talking about, where was it before? Today, show it again and they have
:42:24. > :42:31.got a chance. Like Dirk quite at Liverpool. He was described as
:42:32. > :42:40.working hard and, that means he's not very good! Not many people
:42:41. > :42:45.Cameron White him. Shearer is another one -- can run like him.
:42:46. > :42:50.Shearer will not praise players for just running around. Just run at the
:42:51. > :42:56.goalkeeper against Newcastle and they will love you, you don't have
:42:57. > :43:00.to make a tackle. All fans want to see players working hard. Go to St
:43:01. > :43:04.James's Park and if someone chases a lost cause they will celebrate like
:43:05. > :43:08.they have scored. They forgive you your shortcomings and that is the
:43:09. > :43:11.difference. The thing with business castle team is the lack of effort
:43:12. > :43:16.and that is what has got the fans on their backs.
:43:17. > :43:18.Big game tomorrow night, Leicester against Chelsea,
:43:19. > :43:28.If Leicester win will it change how people are thinking about them? They
:43:29. > :43:34.still won't win the league! As brilliant as they have been. They
:43:35. > :43:38.still won't win. Why not? They won't be good enough. They have only lost
:43:39. > :43:43.one game and we are at the halfway mark. It's easy to say that but they
:43:44. > :43:49.have only lost one game. All they need is an injury to Jamie Vardy. I
:43:50. > :43:56.would take a pound at 10 million to one! The atmosphere will be
:43:57. > :44:00.different because a lot of Leicester fans will be expecting to win given
:44:01. > :44:04.their form and Chelsea's form. That has been a big part of theirs
:44:05. > :44:11.excess, they have been winning and Jamie Vardy has been scoring, I was
:44:12. > :44:15.doing loads of research and looking where they were going to fall down
:44:16. > :44:21.and it is almost like it is such a novelty. -- a big part of their
:44:22. > :44:27.excess. This good run could end any time soon so let's enjoy it. People
:44:28. > :44:30.are saying what if Mahrez or Vardy goes in the transfer window but
:44:31. > :44:36.Leicester would have that problem and when they established those 13
:44:37. > :44:40.players, when they go out of the team they will crumble but take
:44:41. > :44:45.Jamie Vardy on his own and put him in another team I don't think he
:44:46. > :44:49.will play as well. Paul says, doesn't matter how much money is
:44:50. > :44:55.thrown at clubs, with a heart like Leicester you will do well. Thanks
:44:56. > :44:59.for your texts and tweets. Spurs against Newcastle is on five live
:45:00. > :45:01.from 4pm. See you next week.