:00:32. > :00:45.Hello and welcome to match of the day 2 Extra. In the studio with me,
:00:46. > :00:52.former England, Newcastle and Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas. We also
:00:53. > :00:57.have the chief or Bull correspondent from the Independent. We want your
:00:58. > :01:08.thoughts. -- chief sport correspondent. On the agenda this
:01:09. > :01:12.afternoon, Newcastle, we ask what next for Alan Pardew? Chelsea
:01:13. > :01:18.continued to steam roller everybody. Can anybody match them? Arsenal, Man
:01:19. > :01:24.City and Liverpool dropped points yesterday. Leicester did well at
:01:25. > :01:29.Stoke. This afternoon of course all eyes will be on the new look
:01:30. > :01:36.Manchester United. Picture of Diego Costa over the papers. One story
:01:37. > :01:41.dominating. For example, the Mail, Alan Pardew on the brink. Another
:01:42. > :01:47.one, the Mirror, looks like the writing is on the wall. We want to
:01:48. > :01:52.know who you think is to blame for the mess at Newcastle. Is it Alan
:01:53. > :02:01.Pardew, Mike Ashley or the players? You can vote for 30 minutes. We will
:02:02. > :02:08.give you the result at the end of the show. Terms and conditions on
:02:09. > :02:14.the BBC Sport website. Your first appearance on the show, Jermaine,
:02:15. > :02:19.big question, who do you blame? Thanks for that! For me, when
:02:20. > :02:23.something happens like this, it normally starts at the top and
:02:24. > :02:27.filters the way down through the management and coaches and onto the
:02:28. > :02:34.pitch. If Newcastle needed a bigger example of that, yesterday was that,
:02:35. > :02:37.steering them -- staring them in the face. They have never got great
:02:38. > :02:44.results historically at Southampton, but it was some pretty poor for
:02:45. > :02:49.formance is -- pretty poor performances yesterday. It would be
:02:50. > :02:58.hard to argue against the players being to blame. As Jermaine alludes
:02:59. > :03:08.to, they were awful, they could have been 2-0 down in two minutes. The
:03:09. > :03:12.centre-backs were appalling. Alan Pardew knows it is a results
:03:13. > :03:17.business, old cliche, but the results have not been good enough.
:03:18. > :03:23.The writing does seem to be on the wall. Whether there is another
:03:24. > :03:29.U-turn to be made, I doubt it. It just seems to be a story waiting to
:03:30. > :03:34.be written. The argument, when you do a vote like this, actually, you
:03:35. > :03:38.could argue all of them, Alan Pardew, the players and Mike.
:03:39. > :03:42.Southampton is another club that has brought in a lot of players like
:03:43. > :03:49.Newcastle but it seems to be working for them. What do you think the
:03:50. > :03:55.difference is? The problem is it has been very sudden. The last two
:03:56. > :04:01.transfer windows, last summer they did not sign anyone. They got Loic
:04:02. > :04:06.Remy on loan. They have had to refashion the team. They finished
:04:07. > :04:10.last season really poorly. They have had to refashion the team very
:04:11. > :04:17.quickly in the midst of a ?40 million worth of signings. In the
:04:18. > :04:21.first game, there was quite a lot of promise. Unfortunately, Alan Pardew
:04:22. > :04:26.will always be... As a manager, I think he has had quite an admirable
:04:27. > :04:30.career. But he came in as a replacement for Chris Hughton who
:04:31. > :04:35.was popular with the fans. It was an unpopular sacking. It was always
:04:36. > :04:41.going to be difficult for them, as soon as things started to go wrong.
:04:42. > :04:45.I totally agree. He has had his best players sold out from underneath
:04:46. > :04:51.him. The owner of the club needs to have a fair portion of the blame. It
:04:52. > :04:58.is a goldfish... We were joking about this statement apportioned to
:04:59. > :05:02.you that you did not say. A goldfish bowl club. A soap opera. Anything
:05:03. > :05:07.that happens is out there and that does not help. I feel sorry for
:05:08. > :05:15.supporters and also Alan Pardew. One of the issues is how much control
:05:16. > :05:25.Alan Pardew has. Are these his players? The sale of one of them, he
:05:26. > :05:30.went to Rome. They have been left with Steven Taylor and others. A few
:05:31. > :05:36.questions the fans have highlighted regarding players coming in and out.
:05:37. > :05:39.Where is the club going? What is the identity of Newcastle united?
:05:40. > :05:48.Stadium name has gone. They have not got the call player that they need.
:05:49. > :05:52.When I was there, it was Alan Shearer, Steve Harper, these are the
:05:53. > :05:57.players that came through the system and know what Newcastle United is
:05:58. > :06:06.about. Let me read you texts and tweakeds. Alan Pardew is in a bad
:06:07. > :06:11.position but I think you should be looking at the running of the club
:06:12. > :06:18.above Alan Pardew. Rob says, get him out, if we do nothing, it will be
:06:19. > :06:24.another season where we finish mid-table or even worse relegation
:06:25. > :06:30.battle. Let us talk to the Newcastle Chronicle chief sports writer. What
:06:31. > :06:36.about this point that Newcastle have lost all sense of identity? It seems
:06:37. > :06:43.that way. Pretty desperate yesterday at Southampton. We are not talking
:06:44. > :06:49.about the performances after 20 minutes, it was bad after 30
:06:50. > :06:57.seconds. Alan Pardew sat in his seat for the full 90 minutes. Not a lot
:06:58. > :07:03.of guidance. Just on Alan Pardew's technical area behaviour, I know
:07:04. > :07:08.last season he said he would have to sit down more after his altercation,
:07:09. > :07:13.but players tell me that they quite like their manager sitting down
:07:14. > :07:17.because they find that actually a manager ranting and raving in the
:07:18. > :07:22.technical area can give an impression of being out of control.
:07:23. > :07:26.Fans want to see it though. That is the problem. It can be what the fans
:07:27. > :07:33.want but it is not what the players need. It can be very confusing when
:07:34. > :07:37.a manager gets up with a crossing of hands. From a fan's point of view,
:07:38. > :07:44.it is a signal of the manager caring. For me, I preferred the
:07:45. > :07:51.manager to be calculate -- calculated and get his point across
:07:52. > :07:55.at half-time. Who is in control of players coming into Newcastle? I do
:07:56. > :08:02.not think it is the manager, unfortunately. It is a mixture of
:08:03. > :08:08.input from the backroom team. I do not think Alan Pardew is getting the
:08:09. > :08:15.players he desires. That said, not bad players coming in. One of the
:08:16. > :08:24.best players yesterday, did a decent job. Some need a bit of work. There
:08:25. > :08:30.are good players coming in. It is getting the best out of them. The
:08:31. > :08:33.manager is not doing that. But he will need time to get the best out
:08:34. > :08:37.of these players coming in, particularly if they are not his
:08:38. > :08:40.players. When managers bring in their own players, they know what
:08:41. > :08:50.they are bringing in. If the manager is not aware of it, it will take him
:08:51. > :08:55.time. That is a valid point. The ten game mark has been mentioned. Give
:08:56. > :09:00.them to November to get it sorted. Unfortunately, if we give it until
:09:01. > :09:05.November, we could be in a relegation battle. I did not see any
:09:06. > :09:13.fight from that team yesterday. When you compare it with the fans, there
:09:14. > :09:16.is a big gulf in terms of passion. Steve Bruce has been linked with a
:09:17. > :09:22.job in the Sunday Express this morning. On Radio 5 Live earlier he
:09:23. > :09:26.refused to be drawn into speculation. Said it was a horrible
:09:27. > :09:30.morning for Alan Pardew and says he found it disrespectful he was linked
:09:31. > :09:34.with someone else's job while they are still in the job. Blackpool do
:09:35. > :09:43.not seem to have any problems with that at the moment! With Newcastle,
:09:44. > :09:49.who would you say would be aimed -- would be a likely candidate if Alan
:09:50. > :09:52.Pardew was to go? Someone who could put up with the restrictions and
:09:53. > :09:56.control from above. I cannot honestly see the manager who likes
:09:57. > :10:00.to call the shots coming in because they will not be able to. The last
:10:01. > :10:09.couple of managers have been proof of that. I would like to give names
:10:10. > :10:17.of managers who I think could do the job but it would probably be the
:10:18. > :10:23.pick of Mike Ashley and potentially someone who they do not want. Thank
:10:24. > :10:30.you. Where are Newcastle going? There are as Mike Ashley might be
:10:31. > :10:35.going into Glasgow Rangers. He wants to increase his holding. What is
:10:36. > :10:40.happening on that front. I think it is a club in a pickle. You cannot
:10:41. > :10:44.judge Alan Pardew on the game yesterday at Southampton because the
:10:45. > :10:48.players, the back four, they need to be blamed for that. It is very early
:10:49. > :10:53.in the season and I do not think they should pull the trigger at the
:10:54. > :10:56.moment. Keep your thoughts coming in. David Jones, pointless sacking
:10:57. > :11:00.Alan Pardew, it is the owners that need to go but you cannot sell the
:11:01. > :11:04.club without a buyer. Bad times ahead. Andy in Southampton, I
:11:05. > :11:17.thought Newcastle were the worst team I had seen since the last time
:11:18. > :11:24.we played them and also won. 4 wins out of four for Chelsea. Seven goals
:11:25. > :11:32.for Diego Costa. Special player, 1 of the best strikers at this moment
:11:33. > :11:38.in football. The team is an attacking team. It creates a lot. It
:11:39. > :11:44.projects lots of people into the attack and attacking spaces and
:11:45. > :11:50.creating spaces for a striker. You could argue that in all of the big
:11:51. > :11:56.games yesterday, strikers played a part. Sergio Aguero scoring for
:11:57. > :12:00.City. Let us start with Chelsea and Diego Costa. We all is get told that
:12:01. > :12:06.foreign players come into the league and need time to settle. Not this
:12:07. > :12:10.guy. He has been brilliant, breath of fresh air. He has brought the
:12:11. > :12:15.qualities and performances he was giving to Madrid last year into the
:12:16. > :12:19.Premier League. For me, the best bit of business done all summer. One of
:12:20. > :12:23.the other things Jose Mourinho said in the interview earlier was that
:12:24. > :12:26.they identified how they wanted to play and identified the players they
:12:27. > :12:33.needed to help them play that way and went out and bought them. It
:12:34. > :12:40.makes it sound very simple! With Diego Costa, he is a player that
:12:41. > :12:46.looks ideally suited. Are member against John Terry in the semifinal
:12:47. > :12:50.last year, he was very, very aggressive -- I remember. John
:12:51. > :12:57.Terry's tempo was fraying with him. He treads on people's toes. He looks
:12:58. > :13:00.like he has been around for years. Someone pointed out to me that he is
:13:01. > :13:09.still eligible for a young person's railcard. He is a wonderful
:13:10. > :13:15.footballer. When you look at... I think it was about 11 games before
:13:16. > :13:19.he scored his first goal. So much of a striker's career is defined by the
:13:20. > :13:24.early start. If they can get goals early on, it makes life so much
:13:25. > :13:28.easier. The pressure just builds and builds and with Fernando Torres, I
:13:29. > :13:32.thought he never really got over his bad start. Have you played with
:13:33. > :13:38.strikers who did not get off to a good start and you have seen them
:13:39. > :13:43.shrivel? It is tough. My mind immediately goes to the opposite.
:13:44. > :13:55.That is good! Let us focus on the positive. Robbie Keane, Jermain
:13:56. > :14:00.Defoe. Even players like... They were exactly right. They move on and
:14:01. > :14:05.everything becomes easier. The fans are onside. They are singing their
:14:06. > :14:10.name and confident. The goals flow in easier from that point. Fernando
:14:11. > :14:15.Torres was... At the back of the race, everything was against him. He
:14:16. > :14:19.never really got back on top of the situation.
:14:20. > :14:25.Body language played a big part, he never looked as if he was
:14:26. > :14:30.wholeheartedly behind because. This fellow, I saw him at Everton, he
:14:31. > :14:34.does mix it with a centre-half, he put himself about, he is the sort of
:14:35. > :14:39.Charles Bronson of the Premier League. He overstepped the mark when
:14:40. > :14:43.he taunted the lad about the own goal a bit but he is prepared to get
:14:44. > :14:47.in there and get hurt and I think the fans have taken to him in a
:14:48. > :14:51.massive way. It is the best scoring start by a Chelsea player since the
:14:52. > :14:55.20s. They are the best team in the Premier League at the moment. I
:14:56. > :14:59.thought Torres did work quite hard, used to run around like a madman. I
:15:00. > :15:03.think that might have been half of his problem, even. He used to be
:15:04. > :15:09.backwards, forwards, defending, but the goal would not go in. I think it
:15:10. > :15:14.was the slumped shoulders towards the end of the game if things did
:15:15. > :15:18.not go well, that sort of body language, not his work great,
:15:19. > :15:22.necessarily. I got loads of flak for saying he was working hard in games.
:15:23. > :15:28.I think this fellow just put it about so much, the fact he is
:15:29. > :15:32.prepared to mix it. I was at the Emirates yesterday, contrasted with
:15:33. > :15:37.Danny Welbeck's start for Arsenal. The width of the post, I know this
:15:38. > :15:40.is over day -- early days and I don't want to exaggerate but what a
:15:41. > :15:45.difference that could make for belief and confidence. It would have
:15:46. > :15:49.been the ideal start for input by think he will get a lot of time, it
:15:50. > :15:56.is slightly different in his case -- it would have been the ideal start.
:15:57. > :16:01.It was the same for Peter Crouch, I think you went about 18 games
:16:02. > :16:05.without a goal. If you look at Diego Costa's goals, they are not
:16:06. > :16:09.brilliant goals. He has put them in from three yards but those are the
:16:10. > :16:13.ones that count. When Van the story came to Manchester United, it was
:16:14. > :16:19.the start he made that reassured fans -- when Ruud van missed
:16:20. > :16:30.Onto the Arsenal game, the express has got a picture of Jack Wilshere
:16:31. > :16:36.on its back page, saying jubilant Jack has city raging. Manuel
:16:37. > :16:39.Pellegrini thought there were some problems with decisions before the
:16:40. > :16:48.Arsenal goals. But he was excellent yesterday. He was brilliant. He has
:16:49. > :16:55.taken a lot of stick. He burst onto the scene, rightly so, he has had a
:16:56. > :16:59.dip in form, so to speak. This country is so quick to try to kill
:17:00. > :17:02.off our talent. He is one of the best things to come through in a
:17:03. > :17:07.long time. He has had a lot of injuries as well. Those injuries,
:17:08. > :17:13.they are hard to come back from, they play with your mind a bit, can
:17:14. > :17:16.he give 100% in games? He is a special talent and yesterday he was
:17:17. > :17:21.unbelievable. He literally ran the show from start to finish. Even when
:17:22. > :17:26.Manchester City were on top, he managed to drag Arsenal back into
:17:27. > :17:30.the game and his goal was brilliant. In this age of the subtle
:17:31. > :17:33.differences in midfield, either side of a diamond or a holding
:17:34. > :17:43.midfielder, how hard is it for a St John midfielder? I grew up in a
:17:44. > :17:48.two. -- for a central midfielder? The game has changed. Jack has been
:17:49. > :17:50.put in the holding midfield role for England, he is not a holding
:17:51. > :17:55.midfielder for me. People criticise that he takes too many touches but
:17:56. > :17:59.he draws players in with those touches. The almost looks quick
:18:00. > :18:05.because of it. Players then, I can nick this, then one, to come around
:18:06. > :18:12.him and he is away. His goal yesterday to provide that -- then
:18:13. > :18:19.one, two. He is right up there with players who can open up defences,
:18:20. > :18:25.for me. If you go back three years, we talked to him at St George's
:18:26. > :18:33.Park, June 2011, England came from two goals behind, he won one of the
:18:34. > :18:41.penalties and he was brilliant, and that was one of the last games he
:18:42. > :18:43.played for England. There was a better pool of young players and
:18:44. > :18:48.there was less pressure individually. Jack Wilshere is
:18:49. > :18:52.coming through quite a Aaron landscape for English players and we
:18:53. > :18:58.hope there will be more -- a barren landscape. Even almost before he
:18:59. > :19:03.played a game for Arsenal, you knew about this boy. No one could spell
:19:04. > :19:07.his name right, but even when he made his debut, there was a hell of
:19:08. > :19:11.a lot of expectation. I think it has been difficult for him. He has not
:19:12. > :19:18.helped himself at times, the smoking on holiday has got to stop and he
:19:19. > :19:22.says it will. But these boys grow up in a very unusual way, for any
:19:23. > :19:28.teenager, all of their mistakes are out there, there is no hiding, they
:19:29. > :19:34.are in the newspapers. Even at 22, now, he is just getting to grips
:19:35. > :19:42.with that. Some text messages, Fabregas and Costa are an
:19:43. > :19:45.unbelievable combination. This one, don't forget the book balancing that
:19:46. > :19:50.Chelsea have done with the players going out. Let's move on to
:19:51. > :19:54.Liverpool and Aston Villa. This message says, might team Liverpool
:19:55. > :19:58.have had an inconsistent start, it will be two or three seasons before
:19:59. > :20:01.we challenge. We should not forget that Aston Villa go second in the
:20:02. > :20:08.table, we can hear from both managers. I thought we deserved it.
:20:09. > :20:16.We were resolute to defend when we had to. I thought the first half
:20:17. > :20:21.chances, with sender -- with a header, we could have been two up.
:20:22. > :20:31.Defensively we were outstanding, tactically we were great again and
:20:32. > :20:38.with Gary up front -- Agbonlahor upfront we caused a problem. I
:20:39. > :20:43.thought we were slow, we gave away a bad goal from a corner. But the
:20:44. > :20:50.players responded, they upped the tempo and it was a mixture of solid
:20:51. > :20:55.defending by Aston Villa, they sat in, and we could not find that bit
:20:56. > :21:01.of quality and the final pass. A frustrating result for us. There are
:21:02. > :21:11.two things to point out about Aston Villa. A lot of people mocked them
:21:12. > :21:15.for signing Senderos. And they have only had six shots on target all
:21:16. > :21:22.season, the two things are linked, their defence has been sensational.
:21:23. > :21:30.And Senderos was probably their most dangerous player in the Liverpool
:21:31. > :21:37.box. He got a couple of wax in on Balotelli, so did Alan Hutton. He
:21:38. > :21:41.did not rise to it. I think he was subdued because he did not rise to
:21:42. > :21:45.it, he thought he could not go back because of his previous in England,
:21:46. > :21:51.I don't think it did him any good. They were very organised at the
:21:52. > :21:54.back, absolutely superb. I don't think Liverpool did enough to
:21:55. > :21:59.deserve anything out of the game. They didn't have any sort of shot
:22:00. > :22:05.until late on. They had no storage or Raheem Sterling, no penetration
:22:06. > :22:11.in the final third -- note Daniel Sturridge. Aston Villa fans will
:22:12. > :22:18.think, we do not have Benteke and he is our main goal threat. Definitely.
:22:19. > :22:21.This is a Villa team who have done well to stay in the league in the
:22:22. > :22:26.last couple of seasons. Paul Lambert has said, at the start of the
:22:27. > :22:30.season, we give everyone a chance, a clean slate and he has really added
:22:31. > :22:35.experience to the defence which I think they needed. Young players,
:22:36. > :22:39.especially defenders, need time. If you have an experienced defender,
:22:40. > :22:45.you can bet the young player in nicely. -- bed the young player in.
:22:46. > :22:49.It is an area of the page where you cannot afford to make a mistake,
:22:50. > :23:00.because it will be a goal -- area of the pitch. The likes of Alan Hutton,
:23:01. > :23:03.Ron Vlaar and send -- and Senderos, eyebrows were raised but these are
:23:04. > :23:08.experienced players and it brings an element of calmness to the team, you
:23:09. > :23:13.can see that with the clean sheets. If you put Nathan Baker next to
:23:14. > :23:16.another kid... That is what they were doing more of glasses on. I
:23:17. > :23:21.really admire Aston Villa for the way they have pursued this youth
:23:22. > :23:25.policy. I know he has got a lot of stick, there was the semifinal
:23:26. > :23:29.defeat in the League Cup. I thought, he is going to do well to survive
:23:30. > :23:42.this. But they have got more players coming through. People are talking
:23:43. > :23:47.about a young midfielder, Grealish. He has signed players from the
:23:48. > :23:52.Football League, Ashley Westwood has turned into a Premier League player.
:23:53. > :24:06.The midfield three of flabby and Delft, -- of Delph, Westwood and Tom
:24:07. > :24:11.Cleverley, three English players, their academy is also something to
:24:12. > :24:19.be admired. You should judge a player who has been called up in his
:24:20. > :24:23.next two or three league games, and Delph was superb, and Westwood was
:24:24. > :24:28.superb as well. Tom Cleverley slotted in at if he has been a Villa
:24:29. > :24:31.player all his life. He played really well and I admired them. It
:24:32. > :24:37.was not pretty but I admired them for the way they played yesterday. I
:24:38. > :24:43.am worried about them saying that Raheem Sterling needs to be rested.
:24:44. > :24:46.Do you think he does? The argument being, Brendan Rodgers says he needs
:24:47. > :24:51.to be rested to give his career longevity was the Brendan Rodgers
:24:52. > :24:59.doesn't want him to be burnt out at 20 is or 28. One of the things -- at
:25:00. > :25:06.27 or 28. Brendan Rodgers got some information
:25:07. > :25:12.about players returning from injury which he did not deem was correct.
:25:13. > :25:16.It is the manager's choice. If he feels his 19-year-old star
:25:17. > :25:20.midfielder needs a rest... Sometimes you think it is resting your legs
:25:21. > :25:23.but it is the mental element of rest which is a lot more beneficial to
:25:24. > :25:28.these young players but that they could run for days, he is a young
:25:29. > :25:35.lad, he could play two games, probably. But mentally, even if it
:25:36. > :25:39.is 45 minutes off, it is a lot. Let's talk to a man who is at a club
:25:40. > :25:46.who have had a very good start to the season, Leicester City. We can
:25:47. > :25:50.talk to a man who is coaching one of their strikers, we can say good
:25:51. > :25:57.afternoon to Kevin Phillips. Hello. Good afternoon. The place must be
:25:58. > :26:05.buzzing at the start you have made. It certainly is, certainly after
:26:06. > :26:10.yesterday's results. Given the teams we have faced, to be sitting on five
:26:11. > :26:14.points, having just been promoted, it has been a very good and pleasing
:26:15. > :26:20.start for the supporters and players. I know very well be step up
:26:21. > :26:28.from the class in the Championship to the Premier League is huge --
:26:29. > :26:37.this step up -- the step up. Technically how good was Ulloa's
:26:38. > :26:44.finish at Stoke? It was very good. Since I have been given this role, I
:26:45. > :26:49.have tried to do my sessions based on what you would be given in match
:26:50. > :26:53.situations. Try to recreate match situations. I look at the statistics
:26:54. > :26:58.from the World Cup, 169 goals scored, 89% were one touch finishes.
:26:59. > :27:04.A lot of my finishing sessions are one touch. You saw with Leonardo
:27:05. > :27:08.yesterday, the ball was behind him, he had to adjust his feet, needed
:27:09. > :27:12.exceptionally well. It comes from a player who is full of confidence at
:27:13. > :27:18.the moment -- he did exceptionally well. It came at the right time of
:27:19. > :27:24.the game, when we needed it. I saw him play a lot for Brighton glasses
:27:25. > :27:27.and and the previous -- last season for so can he improve his movement
:27:28. > :27:34.question at times he looked a bit sluggish and one paced. That is
:27:35. > :27:37.something we are working on, all of our strikers can improve on
:27:38. > :27:42.everything, they are always improving. I think what Leonardo has
:27:43. > :27:45.found, making the jump from the Championship to the Premier League,
:27:46. > :27:50.you have got to be ultra-fit. I think he found the tempo of our
:27:51. > :27:55.training very difficult at the start but he is getting better and
:27:56. > :27:58.stronger as the weeks go by. He certainly surprised me. I watched
:27:59. > :28:05.him a bit in the Championship. I had that question over him can he make
:28:06. > :28:09.the step up, but he is showing he is more than capable of putting in a
:28:10. > :28:13.shift, scoring goals. He will get better, more work we do on the
:28:14. > :28:16.training pitch, he is willing to learn and I am pretty sure at the
:28:17. > :28:22.end of the season, he will have banged in quite a few goals. We have
:28:23. > :28:27.heard from Sean Dyche and Garry Monk talking about when you go into the
:28:28. > :28:31.nearly, the belief that you belong at that level sometimes takes a
:28:32. > :28:34.while for some players. How hard have you worked on that as a
:28:35. > :28:40.management team at Leicester to get the players to believe, or did they
:28:41. > :28:43.believe already? As I said, it is always difficult, when you come out
:28:44. > :28:48.of the Championship. I think what has gone in up favour, we have a lot
:28:49. > :28:55.of players who have never experienced up merely so a lot of
:28:56. > :28:58.them were excited -- never experienced the Premier League. That
:28:59. > :29:02.there is always the question about if they can make the step up. We
:29:03. > :29:06.have confident players, exceptionally talented players and
:29:07. > :29:09.combine that together, it is no surprise to me that we have started
:29:10. > :29:15.the season well. We played Everton in preseason in Thailand and we
:29:16. > :29:19.competed very well, we beat them 1-0, they were missing a few players
:29:20. > :29:23.but I think the players believed we can match the quality of the Premier
:29:24. > :29:28.League teams and we showed that in the opening game against Everton,
:29:29. > :29:33.going to Chelsea and holding our own for an hour, and the Arsenal game, I
:29:34. > :29:37.think that really cemented into the minds of the players that we can
:29:38. > :29:41.compete at this level. If we can take our chances when they come
:29:42. > :29:46.along, we can get points on the board and we showed that yesterday.
:29:47. > :29:48.We appreciate you talking to us. I loved the World Cup fact, thank you
:29:49. > :29:59.for telling me that! That is great insight. 85% of the
:30:00. > :30:06.World Cup goals were scored with one touch. I am trying to recall them.
:30:07. > :30:11.That is a classic... How you imagine Thomas Muller and the other
:30:12. > :30:19.instinctive finishes. That suggests to me that the great strikers come
:30:20. > :30:23.they have to or three touches to beat the goalkeeper, it is bubbly
:30:24. > :30:28.because a lot of the teams at the World Cup did not squeeze up as
:30:29. > :30:33.much. The run in behind that you think of as the classic striker's
:30:34. > :30:43.goal. Fantastic goal from Danny Welbeck the other day. Jermaine and
:30:44. > :30:51.myself will be at Old Trafford. Match of the Day 2 will come from
:30:52. > :30:55.the ground. We will have to wait until Louis van Gaal announces his
:30:56. > :31:01.team later to see the new team. Former player is at Old Trafford. I
:31:02. > :31:07.am guessing you have written down a starting XI today, you have probably
:31:08. > :31:11.written down for five! I will be wrong whatever team sheet I have got
:31:12. > :31:18.down at the moment! The big mystery is which starting XI will he picked
:31:19. > :31:24.estimate people have criticised the club in the past for not spending
:31:25. > :31:28.money -- will he picked? It will go down in the record books as the most
:31:29. > :31:34.money Manchester United Football Club has ever spent. Up to the
:31:35. > :31:38.players now. Louis Vanguard has written in his programme notes,
:31:39. > :31:43.Swansea should feel comfortable playing at the home ground, we want
:31:44. > :31:46.to bring the fear factor back -- Louis van Gaal. There has been
:31:47. > :31:57.nervousness for over a season, hasn't now? There has. The great
:31:58. > :32:01.players, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, other players last
:32:02. > :32:06.season, when Rio Ferdinand was in the team, Patrice Evra, experienced
:32:07. > :32:10.players and top players. There was no anxiousness. But when you have
:32:11. > :32:16.new players, sometimes they find it hard to cope with playing at Old
:32:17. > :32:19.Trafford. In my time here, a fantastic player at Nottingham
:32:20. > :32:23.Forest, could not stop scoring goals, but came to us and on the
:32:24. > :32:27.training ground he was brilliant but for some reason when he got onto the
:32:28. > :32:32.pitch here could not handle it. That is the main reason we have lost
:32:33. > :32:36.unbelievable players in the last two or three years, very difficult to
:32:37. > :32:42.replace them. To be equal to the players I have just mentioned, it is
:32:43. > :32:45.very difficult. Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, backbone of the
:32:46. > :32:50.defence last season. They are top players. I do not think it is just
:32:51. > :32:53.in my opinion, it is done in the record book, the number of games
:32:54. > :32:56.they have played on the number of years that the football club. To
:32:57. > :33:02.replace players like that, it is difficult. We all know Ryan Giggs's
:33:03. > :33:06.record. The players who come in, wherever they come from, no matter
:33:07. > :33:10.how much they cost, they have got to prove themselves. We have had too
:33:11. > :33:14.many in the last couple of years who have come here with big
:33:15. > :33:22.reputations. The same applies to the latest acquisition. He has got to
:33:23. > :33:28.prove it to the -- on the pitch. You have to prove yourself you are a top
:33:29. > :33:32.Manchester United player, like the other lads I have just mentioned.
:33:33. > :33:37.Some of the lads here have got to get up to that level hopefully this
:33:38. > :33:41.season. Thank you very much. Harry Redknapp in the QPR dressing room
:33:42. > :33:49.and Rio Ferdinand, 1 of the first things you say, listen, these lads
:33:50. > :33:55.are nervous, get at them. You do not think you need to. Pretty obvious
:33:56. > :33:58.that it is no longer a place to go and be feared. Are member going to
:33:59. > :34:02.Old Trafford and feeling against it and thinking we are going to have to
:34:03. > :34:09.pull out a performance to get a result -- I remember. Last seen --
:34:10. > :34:13.last season and the season before, there were holes appearing. If QPR
:34:14. > :34:18.can silence the crowd, I think there will be eight buzz around the place,
:34:19. > :34:25.the signing of Radamel Falcao, no risk users, fresh start for them. If
:34:26. > :34:30.QPR can go there and keep the fans quiet for 45, 50 minutes, catch them
:34:31. > :34:35.on the break, they could run into a few more problems. The texts coming
:34:36. > :34:40.in, Manchester United will be lucky to get top six. I'm looking forward
:34:41. > :34:46.to seeing Radamel Falcao along with Sanchez, Diego Costa and Alitalia.
:34:47. > :34:55.New dawn of quality. -- and Balotelli. Radamel Falcao will get
:34:56. > :35:01.United under way. Do you expect there to be a different feeling
:35:02. > :35:05.around Old Trafford? I do. If they get to half-time and have not
:35:06. > :35:08.scored, it is back to the old uncertainty of last season. Again,
:35:09. > :35:16.it is almost like the season is starting again, a whole new team,
:35:17. > :35:20.Luke Shaw has not made his debut, others coming back from fitness.
:35:21. > :35:29.Maybe four Debbie Purdy Mac today. They need to win. -- maybe for
:35:30. > :35:32.debuts today. This is a new experience for Manchester United
:35:33. > :35:37.fans. They are used to signing big players but not this many. That is
:35:38. > :35:41.the difference. In fairness, Manchester United's pre-season was
:35:42. > :35:50.one of the most highlighted I have seen in a long time. Everyone was so
:35:51. > :35:56.excited to see the new formation. Swansea diffused it in one game.
:35:57. > :36:00.There is a possible to it could happen again and then where do you
:36:01. > :36:04.go? You would maybe expect the formation to change simply because
:36:05. > :36:13.he has a lot of injuries. I don't know. Louis van Gaal did a tribute
:36:14. > :36:20.for Jose Mourinho last season and said the only man more arrogant in
:36:21. > :36:25.the world of football is me. As in him, not you. I am probably third! I
:36:26. > :36:33.do not think he will change it at the moment. I am trying to work out
:36:34. > :36:39.the team. A lot relies on Radamel Falcao. I saw him last season in an
:36:40. > :36:45.away game when he was taken off for an hour and it all depends what mood
:36:46. > :36:48.he is going to be in. I apologise, I cannot see QPR getting away with it
:36:49. > :36:54.today. They nearly did a couple of years ago will stop there was
:36:55. > :36:59.someone who was unfairly sent off in that game I think. Rio's book is
:37:00. > :37:04.being serialised in the Sun at the moment. One of the headlines in the
:37:05. > :37:11.Sun says, Terry is the biggest idiot, he has never said sorry.
:37:12. > :37:15.Going back to the race row from a couple of seasons ago. Do you think
:37:16. > :37:21.that will reignite all of that? It is interesting. It will take Terry
:37:22. > :37:27.to respond to do it. Long time coming. More than two years since
:37:28. > :37:31.the court case. Two years since the FA hearing. The court case gave one
:37:32. > :37:37.verdict and the FA another. From all of the things journalists have been
:37:38. > :37:42.told off the record, this is how he has felt, he has finally put it into
:37:43. > :37:47.his words and he has a book out and he has decided this is the time to
:37:48. > :37:51.resolve it. Nobody was under any illusions that Rio Ferdinand's
:37:52. > :37:56.relationship with John Terry and Ashley Cole had been mended. John
:37:57. > :38:01.Terry has not spoken about this. Ashley Cole does not talk to anyone.
:38:02. > :38:06.Rio says he will never speak to Ashley Cole again. Ashley Cole gave
:38:07. > :38:13.evidence to support John Terry's version of events in the magistrates
:38:14. > :38:19.court. John Terry is closing the door. He used to be one of the
:38:20. > :38:22.players at the go to guides. Since his retirement from international
:38:23. > :38:28.football, he has barely given an interview. When I say an interview,
:38:29. > :38:33.I mean a proper sit down, everything on the table. It will be interesting
:38:34. > :38:38.to see how he responds. He will see it a very different way. From a
:38:39. > :38:43.player's point of view, it is important for Rio, from a QPR
:38:44. > :38:48.perspective, not to get carried away with the emotion of him going back.
:38:49. > :38:53.He has said he never got a chance to say goodbye to the fans because of
:38:54. > :38:57.the way the club hierarchy acted. That is a shame. Such an
:38:58. > :39:03.unbelievable career at Man United. If that is what happened, it is
:39:04. > :39:06.wrong. With regards to today's game, Rio is experienced enough to deal
:39:07. > :39:10.with the situation. He is not going to get caught up in the moment. He
:39:11. > :39:14.is a professional and he wants to perform and he knows that if he gets
:39:15. > :39:22.caught up in the motions of today he will not play well and that does not
:39:23. > :39:26.bode well for QPR. Would you expect the battery experiment for QPR not
:39:27. > :39:37.convincing? In the last game, they played well. I do not see the back
:39:38. > :39:47.four changing. 4pm kick-off, Manchester United against QPR, on 5
:39:48. > :39:51.Live. Highlights this evening. There is one story doing the rounds about
:39:52. > :39:55.the England U21s if you are looking in the papers today which is
:39:56. > :39:59.suggesting that if they get through their qualifiers and get to the
:40:00. > :40:05.summer finals, some of the more senior players, Ross Barkleys, Luke
:40:06. > :40:12.Shaws, they might be made available. I think they should be. They need
:40:13. > :40:18.tournament experience. This has been a loophole, a weakness, not great
:40:19. > :40:23.international finals experience. With the help of the boys, I was
:40:24. > :40:29.comparing Raheem Sterling to Lionel Messi, not a whole lot of difference
:40:30. > :40:33.between the league appearances, but Messi had played in serious games
:40:34. > :40:42.for Argentina. He came through the youth team ranks, under 20s, they
:40:43. > :40:48.put a lot of faith in the youth sides. We do not. We do not get the
:40:49. > :40:52.kids playing in tournaments. We need to get them playing in tournaments.
:40:53. > :40:55.It is an issue for the clubs as well. A lot of the clubs in the
:40:56. > :41:00.Premier League, when they get hold of the young players, they try to
:41:01. > :41:03.protect them. When it comes to the summer tournaments, injuries,
:41:04. > :41:10.tiredness going into the new season, I know we laugh about it, but it is
:41:11. > :41:12.something that is highlighted. I personally experienced similar
:41:13. > :41:21.issues where there is an under 20 World Cup, after they made my debut
:41:22. > :41:25.at the World Cup for England, Rooney and I wanted to go and play. But you
:41:26. > :41:31.are young and you do not have your voice... You do as you are told. If
:41:32. > :41:38.someone says, you are not going, I am not going. Do you regret it now?
:41:39. > :41:42.I think I do. All of these players like Messi who played in the
:41:43. > :41:46.tournament, it is another platform. Who knows what comes of that. I
:41:47. > :41:51.think in England we do not really pay it enough respect. The problem
:41:52. > :41:59.with maybe saying, Ross Barkley is the person to go, where do you draw
:42:00. > :42:05.the line? You are disrespecting the U21 team that has got them to where
:42:06. > :42:12.they are because you cannot take everyone. I am all for it. Jack
:42:13. > :42:18.Wilshere is eligible. I know Arsenal would fight it. I looked at Juan
:42:19. > :42:25.Mata. He won the World Cup with Spain in 2010. A year later he won
:42:26. > :42:31.the U21s with Spain. He was OK for him. He had no resentment. I
:42:32. > :42:36.understand Jermaine is right and the players get caught in the club
:42:37. > :42:44.versus country row. Five of the German players played in the final
:42:45. > :42:50.in Maracana Stadium, it would have been six. Of the England team, only
:42:51. > :42:53.Theo Walcott and James Milner have come true to have international
:42:54. > :42:59.careers. Gareth Southgate said this morning on the radio that the
:43:00. > :43:07.players in the team in 2009 had the opportunity and they let themselves
:43:08. > :43:12.down. Quite a big statement. Gareth Southgate told me on Friday night
:43:13. > :43:17.that it is good for England at the moment, all of the age groups are
:43:18. > :43:21.winning. It is a bit more positive. I thought the performance that
:43:22. > :43:25.Switzerland was very good. Nothing wrong with it. The Swiss were not as
:43:26. > :43:30.good as in the World Cup. I thought we were very good. It is
:43:31. > :43:35.optimistic. There are good points about the game. It is still a balmy
:43:36. > :43:40.sport, especially when you have someone saying, if someone does not
:43:41. > :43:48.play for France, he will be banned from Bayern Munich. Results from the
:43:49. > :43:55.vote. Alan Pardew, 35%, the players, 25%, Mike Ashley, 39%. The
:43:56. > :44:00.fans up blaming Mike Ashley. We will see you for much of the day to -- we
:44:01. > :44:12.will As the eyes of the world focus
:44:13. > :44:15.on Scotland, we wait to discover
:44:16. > :44:18.the future of the United Kingdom. Will Scotland vote to become
:44:19. > :44:21.an independent country or stay part of the Union, and what could
:44:22. > :44:26.this historic night mean for you? Join me, Huw Edwards, and the team
:44:27. > :44:31.as we bring you every result, The Scottish
:44:32. > :44:35.Referendum across the BBC.