:00:42. > :00:46.Welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra on BBC Two and
:00:47. > :00:54.Joining me today are the former England players Matthew Upson
:00:55. > :00:56.and Trevor Sinclair, along with football writer
:00:57. > :01:02.Use the hashtag #bbcfootball on social media, or text 85058
:01:03. > :01:14.And these are the subjects under discussion. Manchester City, five
:01:15. > :01:16.from five under Pep Guardiola. Unbeaten Everton are second
:01:17. > :01:18.with their best start The pressure eases on Pulis
:01:19. > :01:21.as West Ham concede four Spurs will look to set aside
:01:22. > :01:25.Champions League disappointment when they take on struggling
:01:26. > :01:28.Sunderland this afternoon. And we'll have updates
:01:29. > :01:39.from Vicarage Road where Watford It's currently goalless but in my
:01:40. > :01:40.view, Watford should already be ahead.
:01:41. > :01:43.We'll also be at Selhurst Park ahead of Palace's match with Stoke.
:01:44. > :01:45.Here's what's making the back pages today.
:01:46. > :01:47.The Sun on Sunday has Pep Guardiola drawing comparisons between
:01:48. > :01:50.The Sunday Mirror goes with "Rash Hour".
:01:51. > :01:55.Manchester United are ready to hand Marcus Rashford a new contract just
:01:56. > :01:57.four months after he signed a four-year ?20,000 a week one.
:01:58. > :02:00.And the Sunday Times says that a meeting with manager
:02:01. > :02:02.Mark Warburton tomorrow is likely to see Joey Barton's controversial
:02:03. > :02:04.spell at Rangers come to a premature end.
:02:05. > :02:08.We'll start at the Etihad where the home side beat Bournemouth 4-0.
:02:09. > :02:11.It's City's best ever start to a season - 8 wins from 8
:02:12. > :02:16.It's also Guardiola's best ever start at any club.
:02:17. > :02:24.Does that last statistic surprise you, Trevor Sinclair? Very much so.
:02:25. > :02:27.The players at Manchester City, we acknowledge that they have had the
:02:28. > :02:31.best squad for the last two or three years but they have not quite had
:02:32. > :02:34.the stewardship to run properly. I think Pep Guardiola has gone in
:02:35. > :02:37.there and we expected him to do well but we thought there would be
:02:38. > :02:43.problems to start with with the players being able to process his
:02:44. > :02:46.way of playing the game. But credit to the players and the coaching
:02:47. > :02:49.staff, they have done really well and they have taken it on board
:02:50. > :02:53.quickly and the results have been stunning. And if you wander
:02:54. > :02:57.throughout the course of the show why none of my guests are making eye
:02:58. > :03:01.contact with me it is because there is a monitor just off screen where
:03:02. > :03:07.the Watford Manchester United game is on. If they appear rude, that is
:03:08. > :03:11.what is happening. Only five league games into the season, and to a
:03:12. > :03:14.certain extent it feels like we might already be running out of
:03:15. > :03:16.subjects to talk about with Manchester City because the
:03:17. > :03:22.superlatives have already been covered. The biggest test they had
:03:23. > :03:24.was Manchester United. Three of the teams they have played are fighting
:03:25. > :03:27.for relegation, including Bournemouth but the first half
:03:28. > :03:30.against Manchester United, some people would say that was the best
:03:31. > :03:36.that they have seen from a Premier League team and certainly yesterday,
:03:37. > :03:40.I had the fortune of being able to take my children to see it because I
:03:41. > :03:46.wanted them to see this team in action. My daughter is more into
:03:47. > :03:51.football than my son. When we left the ground, he said, when can we go
:03:52. > :03:55.again? United fans, they go after City fans when they see the empty
:03:56. > :04:00.blue seats but they are planning to extend the ground so they have a
:04:01. > :04:04.third tier. This is going to bring people into the ground, this
:04:05. > :04:09.football will bring a new generation of fans. Just like Louis Van Gaal's
:04:10. > :04:12.football was going to lose a generation of Man United fans. This
:04:13. > :04:17.football is something to go and watch. It is a wonderful spectacle
:04:18. > :04:22.and the fact that he has been able to put together in such a short of
:04:23. > :04:26.time, with the intensity on the sidelines, the way he is berating
:04:27. > :04:31.players if things go wrong, even at 4-0, that is because he is looking
:04:32. > :04:35.ahead to Champions League nights where they are going to have to do
:04:36. > :04:39.it for 90 minutes. The energy of the team, pressing, you do not have a
:04:40. > :04:43.second. Yesterday, although the opposition was different, it
:04:44. > :04:46.reminded me of his 2011 Barcelona team against Manchester United in
:04:47. > :04:50.the Champions League final. They did not have a second on the ball,
:04:51. > :04:54.including players like Ryan Giggs, who could do nothing with it. I
:04:55. > :05:02.interviewed John Stones on Friday last week and the energy, forget
:05:03. > :05:07.about John Stones, the interview was fine but I met... I am sure the
:05:08. > :05:13.interview was better than fine! He is a lovely lad, by the way. I met
:05:14. > :05:20.Les Chapman, the old man involved with this website. I met the
:05:21. > :05:26.security, and everybody speaks very highly about Pep Guardiola. They
:05:27. > :05:30.needed waking up because they were falling asleep under Pellegrini. It
:05:31. > :05:35.reflected the character, like everyone had downed tools for six
:05:36. > :05:38.months. Which is wrong anyway. With big wages, they should be energetic
:05:39. > :05:44.anyway. You talk about everyone from the tea lady to the Manchester City
:05:45. > :05:48.and England centre-half being affected by it, isn't that just good
:05:49. > :05:54.man management? And argue not surprised that more managers don't
:05:55. > :05:58.do that? Maybe they did? Have you been in teams, in squads were
:05:59. > :06:02.managers do not do that? Of course, because there is doubt. Certain
:06:03. > :06:06.managers, if they do not win the players over, they will not win the
:06:07. > :06:10.staff over, and I think it is a vicious circle. It ends up where
:06:11. > :06:14.people look like they are downing tools and they are not interested
:06:15. > :06:18.but with Pep Guardiola, I believe he gets there at six o'clock and leaves
:06:19. > :06:21.at nine o'clock in the evening. He sees everyone. He gets there before
:06:22. > :06:27.everyone and he leaves after everyone. It is like the Apprentice,
:06:28. > :06:32.he gets there early and Leeds last. First man on the pitch, last one to
:06:33. > :06:38.leave. And they go on to do something. He is not there to earn
:06:39. > :06:42.his wages, he is there to do something serious. Hard work and
:06:43. > :06:47.common sense. And again, this is not a soft touch. As we saw in his
:06:48. > :06:53.dealings with Joe Hart and Yaya Toure, the backbone of the title
:06:54. > :06:57.winning side. A lot of people were shocked with his treatment of Joe
:06:58. > :07:04.Hart, which was pretty beautiful. It shook everyone saying, this is it.
:07:05. > :07:07.-- pretty brutal. He is saying, if we want to do something special,
:07:08. > :07:11.don't get on the wrong side of the sky. And for a variety of reasons,
:07:12. > :07:15.including his distribution of the ball, Joe Hart is gone. Yaya Toure
:07:16. > :07:21.is virtually gone, another big character. I don't know if it's an
:07:22. > :07:27.company will last longer because he has Otamendi. This is the power that
:07:28. > :07:30.managers used to have. If you are going into a club and you are going
:07:31. > :07:33.to be judged on the players you have got, especially in an important
:07:34. > :07:37.position like the goalkeeper, surely you can pick your own goalkeeper?
:07:38. > :07:42.Especially in Pep Guardiola's position. Although Joe Hart was a
:07:43. > :07:45.good goalkeeper, he did not serve him well, the way he wants to play
:07:46. > :07:49.football. I do not think it was harsh, but it could have been done
:07:50. > :07:52.earlier. So that Joe Hart would have had a chance to meet his new
:07:53. > :07:59.team-mates and have preseason and it would've been easier the fans.
:08:00. > :08:03.Plenty of comments on the Match of the Day Facebook page. One says, I
:08:04. > :08:07.am an Manchester United fan but Kevin de Bruyne is a joy to watch,
:08:08. > :08:11.controlling the game on his own. One of the top five players in the
:08:12. > :08:15.world. Jesse says, he is the most electrifying player I have seen
:08:16. > :08:22.since Gerard and Lampard. Mark says, it is mad to think that Chelsea have
:08:23. > :08:25.let Kevin de Bruyne go. Just a word on Jack Wilshere, brought on by
:08:26. > :08:32.Eddie Howe. Probably not the best game to judge him. If you look at
:08:33. > :08:36.the possession of Manchester City had, Bournemouth did not get a kick
:08:37. > :08:41.of the ball. A tough game for Jack to come back for his debut but they
:08:42. > :08:44.will get stronger. Eddie Howe will get him fit, which is a big deal.
:08:45. > :08:49.Not just mechanically fit but fits to get up and down the pitch. I feel
:08:50. > :08:53.like there is a lot to come from him and hopefully he can show us what
:08:54. > :08:57.he's got. I did not realise he was on the pitch until his number was
:08:58. > :09:01.called up for him to come off, that is how ineffective he was. But there
:09:02. > :09:05.are plenty of good players who can be that anonymous against this
:09:06. > :09:08.Manchester City team. We put Everton in just a moment but let's go to
:09:09. > :09:15.Vicarage Road. Watford against Manchester United, around 20 or 25
:09:16. > :09:20.minutes in and both sides have had chances. We will go to fill shortly
:09:21. > :09:23.but it is still goalless at Vicarage Road. Moving on to Everton.
:09:24. > :09:26.Everton made it four wins from five with a 3-1 victory over
:09:27. > :09:37.It is a good start. In results, in points. But I think the most
:09:38. > :09:44.important is the way we get the points because you see the reaction
:09:45. > :09:51.of the fans. They like how we play. I think the team is more aggressive
:09:52. > :09:58.than it was and that is what we like to be in football it is not the
:09:59. > :10:04.discussion about the technical qualities of the players, but they
:10:05. > :10:09.like to... It makes it difficult for the opponent. Well, you can see
:10:10. > :10:13.Ronald Koeman at the end of that game. Trevor Sinclair, you were
:10:14. > :10:17.saying you think it is important that people like him and Guardiola
:10:18. > :10:21.are doing well at the top of the Premier League? Why? I think a lot
:10:22. > :10:27.of managers have done very well. They have come from non-food Bolling
:10:28. > :10:30.backgrounds, and I feel like that connection, with the dark arts of
:10:31. > :10:34.yesteryear, some of that has gone missing. If you have former players
:10:35. > :10:39.becoming successful managers, it keeps them going. Even if they are
:10:40. > :10:42.foreign? Even if they are foreign. It would be ideal if they were
:10:43. > :10:45.British but even if they are foreign, it keeps that connection
:10:46. > :10:49.and it keeps their belief that players can go into management when
:10:50. > :10:54.they have a chance. By the way, in the studio now we have to show you
:10:55. > :11:00.this, Matthew Upson, former England defender has arrived. As late as one
:11:01. > :11:04.of Trevor Sinclair's tackles towards the end of his career. A bit of a
:11:05. > :11:09.nightmare journey. I will give you time to settle in. Leighton Baines
:11:10. > :11:13.has spoken of improved fitness levels at Everton. That always seems
:11:14. > :11:17.to be spoken about when one manager takes over from another. It is more
:11:18. > :11:22.than that. I don't know a new manager who doesn't say quite
:11:23. > :11:28.quietly, I don't believe how unfit they are, which is the immediate
:11:29. > :11:32.excuse to lose two on the trot. I was not particularly impressed in
:11:33. > :11:35.them going behind yesterday on a hotly disputed goal although I do
:11:36. > :11:41.not blame the referee. You had to see the replay because it was not on
:11:42. > :11:45.the character. -- on the camera. But the character they showed in coming
:11:46. > :11:50.back, there is a real power and intensity about this Everton side.
:11:51. > :11:56.It was fabulous to see Gareth Barry scoring on his 600th game. I saw his
:11:57. > :12:06.debut when he was 17 at Aston Villa. You are really old! Their best start
:12:07. > :12:11.since 1978. Andrew on Facebook, best start for 38 years. Unbeaten in
:12:12. > :12:14.five. They had a very good transfer window, despite what it felt like on
:12:15. > :12:21.deadline day, with Moussa Sissoko not having come over, and that might
:12:22. > :12:25.turn out to be good or bad. But actually, Stekelenburg and Ashley
:12:26. > :12:30.Williams, they have got a bit of a spine there that has strengthened
:12:31. > :12:34.them, and Bolasie. I think Williams is a good addition, given they lost
:12:35. > :12:39.a John Stones. I think to replace him with somebody with that
:12:40. > :12:43.experience is a really good signing. He will play well with Jagielka and
:12:44. > :12:54.add stability which a new manager will look forward to. That seems to
:12:55. > :13:01.have rejuvenated Mirallas and handling Ross Barkley well. He has
:13:02. > :13:04.been rejuvenated. As a former player, explained why. I have had it
:13:05. > :13:09.as a player when you wake up when you think, I don't feel well today.
:13:10. > :13:13.You get out and you are creaking, more so at the end of your career.
:13:14. > :13:17.You are creaking and you are not operating properly. It is human
:13:18. > :13:20.error. You get on the pitch and you do not play well. You do not mean
:13:21. > :13:24.it. You had the same preparation, the same breakfast but it is not
:13:25. > :13:29.happening. Surely a manager can see that and say, bring him off, speak
:13:30. > :13:32.to him, get him out there next week. That is what I feel has happened
:13:33. > :13:36.with Ross Barkley. He got out of the wrong side of bed. For me, it is
:13:37. > :13:41.cruel to leave him out there and it is not conducive to winning
:13:42. > :13:44.football. You are a man short. Again, I don't think a manager that
:13:45. > :13:51.doesn't come from a plain background would know that. He just calmed
:13:52. > :13:54.everything down, didn't he? Every player will have a bad game and if
:13:55. > :13:58.they have a bad game, as Trevor says, sometimes it might be crueller
:13:59. > :14:04.to leave them out. Look, you had a bad game, move on. It is brave
:14:05. > :14:09.management. A player of that age, how important he is to the team as
:14:10. > :14:13.well, to analyse that and see it, take him off, and get a reaction
:14:14. > :14:17.like he did yesterday, good reaction, it shows that it was the
:14:18. > :14:20.right decision. It has to be something, listen, it is not
:14:21. > :14:25.happening, we are better than this. You are human and it happens. We had
:14:26. > :14:30.this argument with Manchester United in the week saying among colleagues
:14:31. > :14:36.that Jose Mourinho has come out now and named two players who he is
:14:37. > :14:39.wanting to put into the Derby, and saying that they were not right for
:14:40. > :14:44.the challenge. He has questioned their ambition. As a player, surely
:14:45. > :14:48.if you look at that, your motivation should be, I am going to go out next
:14:49. > :14:55.week and prove you wrong. Can you tell me, is that how you react? Or
:14:56. > :15:02.do players go, this is an outrage! It depends if the manager is right!
:15:03. > :15:07.I think more to the point, it is stepping back and simple fine
:15:08. > :15:11.things. When things are not going quite right, it is good to go and
:15:12. > :15:16.think, let's simple fine my game. Let's do the basics really well and
:15:17. > :15:20.forget about anything else. Attitude, technical basics, all the
:15:21. > :15:23.simple things, do them at a high level and you will get your game
:15:24. > :15:27.back. It looks like he did that yesterday. If the manager is being
:15:28. > :15:31.honest and you are being honest, you will say, listen, have I played
:15:32. > :15:35.well? And you have to be harsh with yourself. I think if you are harsh
:15:36. > :15:38.with yourself and you are honest, you can come to a good conclusion.
:15:39. > :15:40.If the manager is still wrong, there is a problem because you obviously
:15:41. > :15:49.have different points of view. Is there a difference between being
:15:50. > :15:57.publicly criticised and it happening behind closed doors? With the media
:15:58. > :16:01.and transparency that goes on today, it is a lot more difficult to take
:16:02. > :16:08.it on the chin in the public eye. But you will know if you have had a
:16:09. > :16:12.bad game. Exactly. Players today are a lot more sensible than we were.
:16:13. > :16:18.With the analysis they've been brought up on, they can accept it a
:16:19. > :16:23.lot easier. The thing is, if the manager isn't honest in those
:16:24. > :16:27.post-match interviews and press conferences, fans can see through
:16:28. > :16:32.it. If you look at Everton in particular, that was one of the
:16:33. > :16:38.birth of an is's big downfalls. He would do his post-match interviews
:16:39. > :16:47.and not say... He would defend things. -- Roberto Martinez's. It is
:16:48. > :16:54.the balance between respecting and keeping a player onside, and losing
:16:55. > :16:59.credibility with supporters. That is a hard balance for a manager. Arsene
:17:00. > :17:04.Wenger does that sometimes, where he will not quite say what needs to be
:17:05. > :17:09.said. That is his management style. He might want to keep that in house
:17:10. > :17:17.and get a better reaction from the players. But isn't that the same in
:17:18. > :17:23.your job, our job. Fans are a darn sight more critical than I will ever
:17:24. > :17:30.be in a newspaper. But if I am critical in a newspaper, I get
:17:31. > :17:37.criticised. But if we lose -- if we don't point things out, we lose
:17:38. > :17:42.face. Let's go to Vicarage Road now. Watford against Manchester United.
:17:43. > :17:48.One of four Premier League games today. Phil Wye can update us on
:17:49. > :17:55.what is going on. It is goalless. It should be about 3-2 to Watford. A
:17:56. > :18:00.bizarre game. Not the highest quality, mistakes everywhere. Gone
:18:01. > :18:09.low should have scored three minutes later, -- Ighalo, after De Gea.
:18:10. > :18:16.Heaney had a header well saved by De Gea. Ibrahimovic has missed a strike
:18:17. > :18:21.into the side netting. And Pogba, in the last 30 seconds, has just
:18:22. > :18:27.rattled the crossbar from 25 yards. One of those days, really. Still
:18:28. > :18:32.0-0. That explains why your eyes have been fixated on it, because
:18:33. > :18:34.there have been lots of chances. The defenders have not been doing a good
:18:35. > :18:39.job. The attackers are on top of it. On to West Brom, and going
:18:40. > :18:41.into yesterday's match all of the talk at The Hawthorns
:18:42. > :18:45.concerned the future of Tony Pulis - his team responded by scoring four
:18:46. > :18:56.goals in a Premier League match I think they had only scored six in
:18:57. > :19:01.their previous 13 Premier League games. The West Ham defence has been
:19:02. > :19:08.criticised. We will come on to them in a bit. Do we have two? First, we
:19:09. > :19:18.have two praise West Brom, and Salomon Rondon. Absolutely. And
:19:19. > :19:22.Chadli... Pieces we saw yesterday had so much energy, which may be
:19:23. > :19:28.something they had been lacking. He got forward, around the box. Efforts
:19:29. > :19:34.on goal, and his second goal, his desire to run past and get in a
:19:35. > :19:41.position to score at 3-0 up, just shows the mindset that West Brom
:19:42. > :19:46.were in yesterday. That shows why they scored four, not just West
:19:47. > :19:52.Ham's shortcomings. We've seen him play at Spurs, where he has a nice
:19:53. > :19:59.touch, but does he really wanted? Yesterday, he looked hungry. He
:20:00. > :20:04.looked like he had desire. It was a fantastic performance from him. Very
:20:05. > :20:08.difficult for West Ham to deal with. You did well to keep your
:20:09. > :20:13.concentration there, Trevor Sinclair, because Watford have taken
:20:14. > :20:19.the lead at the courage road. Etienne Capoue celebrating. We will
:20:20. > :20:25.go very shortly to Vicarage Road and get the details. Just on Nasa
:20:26. > :20:31.Chadli. Eight goals and three assists over the last two seasons at
:20:32. > :20:36.Spurs. He has delivered for Spurs. So the fact that West Brom managed
:20:37. > :20:41.to get him for that price was a snip. Let's go to the voc -- to the
:20:42. > :20:49.goal. Dreadful defending from Manchester United. Anthony Martial
:20:50. > :20:54.getting treatment now. The ball went to Etienne Capoue and his fourth
:20:55. > :21:00.goal in five games. Poor defending from United, but Watford have
:21:01. > :21:09.merited the lead. Trevor, you were saying? Another one let go by Spurs
:21:10. > :21:15.for ?5 million. Found his feet at Watford. Feels wanted, the manager
:21:16. > :21:23.makes him feel imported. And Nasa Chadli? I was extremely impressed by
:21:24. > :21:27.him. Going forward on the break, it was not dissimilar to what Man City
:21:28. > :21:31.did yesterday on the break. It was just what they needed. The spotlight
:21:32. > :21:36.was on the game yesterday. Will this be the end of someone who is a very
:21:37. > :21:41.good manager? I think things are still spilling over from the end of
:21:42. > :21:45.last season at West Brom. Sadly, no patience at the moment, but that was
:21:46. > :21:52.a cracking result. It shows that even if the team is struggling, if
:21:53. > :21:55.the opposition are of their game in this Premier League, because the
:21:56. > :22:01.strength and depth is so great... And West Brom were all over them.
:22:02. > :22:05.Since Tony Pulis has been there, trying to get a combination that
:22:06. > :22:12.works up front has been a real struggle. And what to do with
:22:13. > :22:17.Berahino, who always appears to be something for the times he has been
:22:18. > :22:21.at West Brom. That may be a combination that works, because
:22:22. > :22:27.Chadli will go through the lines. Absolutely. You mentioned Berahino.
:22:28. > :22:32.It has been a bit of a thorn in his side. They haven't resolved the
:22:33. > :22:37.situation by him either stepping up and playing, or letting him go. That
:22:38. > :22:42.will always be a disruption. He needs to find a solution to that
:22:43. > :22:51.number ten role, and people running beyond a striker. He seems to have
:22:52. > :22:54.done that. The fourth goal, from a ridiculously poor West Ham corner.
:22:55. > :23:01.Rondon was through. The support from Chadli was great. Going back to
:23:02. > :23:05.Berahino. All parties are not covering themselves in glory in this
:23:06. > :23:09.situation. The player isn't playing football. The club are not getting
:23:10. > :23:16.any work -- any word from the player. Tony Pulis hasn't been in
:23:17. > :23:23.this situation before, and they haven't dealt with it well. It has
:23:24. > :23:27.dragged on. West Ham's fourth defeat in four matches. Conceded four goals
:23:28. > :23:36.for the second time in a week. Ilitch spoke to us after the game.
:23:37. > :23:42.-- Slaven Bilic. You can talk, we will be all right. But it is not a
:23:43. > :23:51.good situation for us. At the moment, we have a problem. A problem
:23:52. > :23:59.that we have too sold. We can solve it, but we have a problem. Starting
:24:00. > :24:05.with me. You look at yourself right now? Of course. I know we have a
:24:06. > :24:10.problem. I am the manager and I have to do everything to solve that
:24:11. > :24:15.problem and turn this round. I totally understand how football
:24:16. > :24:21.works. He is not shirking responsibility. You wouldn't expect
:24:22. > :24:27.him to. He is a very honest manager. He did a fantastic job last year,
:24:28. > :24:32.although towards the end of the season, they did concede a lot of
:24:33. > :24:37.goals. This season is different to last. Last season it was new
:24:38. > :24:43.manager, some new players, they were away at Anfield, then the Emirates,
:24:44. > :24:48.then the Etihad. They always went with that sphere, and that feeling
:24:49. > :24:55.of, don't concede, don't concede. They did so well last season it has
:24:56. > :25:01.been there an doing this year. They did so well, they don't have the
:25:02. > :25:07.fear. They are not being followed at the back and they are getting torn
:25:08. > :25:12.apart. They need to start by giving other team's opposition respect, and
:25:13. > :25:17.if they do that, and start keeping clean sheets, they will do well.
:25:18. > :25:25.That is an interesting theory. I heard a fan on 606 last night saying
:25:26. > :25:32.that what was built under Sam Allardyce has disappeared, and Bilic
:25:33. > :25:38.has inherited that defensive platform. Do you think that is
:25:39. > :25:42.something to do with it? Gradually, he has imposed his own philosophy on
:25:43. > :25:46.the team, which will bring more openness and freedom to the way they
:25:47. > :25:51.play, which will mean they are more exposed at the back. He is juggling
:25:52. > :25:56.different things. They have moved to a new stadium. They were in Europa
:25:57. > :26:01.League qualification, so that is another thing. He has lost Andy
:26:02. > :26:07.Carroll, a person who can be difficult to fit into your team if
:26:08. > :26:13.you do not play to his strengths. He has lost Cresswell. He hasn't got a
:26:14. > :26:20.Central right back. Yes. So there has been a lot of unsettling things
:26:21. > :26:25.happening. The left-back who played yesterday, it was a bit of a
:26:26. > :26:29.disastrous performance overall. It is a shame, because he has been one
:26:30. > :26:34.of the better players for West Ham this season. I agree, especially
:26:35. > :26:40.about Andy Carroll. Talking about the players they have defensively.
:26:41. > :26:46.Andy Carroll understands that that is where defending starts from. He
:26:47. > :26:51.did not go half-heartedly. He tried to win the ball, which is the
:26:52. > :26:57.trigger for everyone to go behind you. Other teams have more time on
:26:58. > :27:00.the ball now to build their attacks. There is this bizarre pressure and
:27:01. > :27:08.West Ham about having to play in a certain way. They constantly go on
:27:09. > :27:15.about it. The best way to play football is to win the game. Troy
:27:16. > :27:22.Deeney alluded to it after the game. When you are having the MIC taken
:27:23. > :27:26.out a view on the pitch, that can... And it inspired Watford to come
:27:27. > :27:33.back. If that is the West Ham way, good luck to them. That is not a
:27:34. > :27:39.West Ham way. It is like an un-written rule. You don't take the
:27:40. > :27:45.MIC. 4-0 up, you don't start throwing nutmegs in there. You are
:27:46. > :27:56.starting to see it in the Premier League there. Back in the day!
:27:57. > :28:01.Wouldn't even get a red card! Have the Euros had an effect? A lot of
:28:02. > :28:10.the team have had a successful Euros in the summer. It happened to me
:28:11. > :28:14.when I came back from a competition like that. You come back physically
:28:15. > :28:20.fine, but mentally, it is really hard to get yourself back to a level
:28:21. > :28:31.where you are 100% concentrated for games. Get in touch with us at
:28:32. > :28:37.#bbcfootball and 85058. Dave says that Chadli was excellent yesterday.
:28:38. > :28:42.Looks likely we have found a real foil for Rondon at last. Now
:28:43. > :28:48.Sunderland going to Spurs today. Beaten Monday night by Everton. This
:28:49. > :28:57.time of the year, you have two choices. You get new players, or you
:28:58. > :29:01.get out on the grass with your players. We cannot get new players.
:29:02. > :29:06.We have to improve the ones we have. The players have to lift their level
:29:07. > :29:14.as well. They have to show they are good enough to play at this level.
:29:15. > :29:18.You know, it is always the manager. I've got to take responsibility for
:29:19. > :29:22.the job. But you have to think, come on, new players need a lot of
:29:23. > :29:27.managers here. You are better than what you show. You've got to be able
:29:28. > :29:31.to do it for the full 90 minutes. Does that go back to be honesty you
:29:32. > :29:37.are talking about, that fans want to hear? Saying, listen, you are
:29:38. > :29:44.players who have had an awful lot of managers here. You are in the same
:29:45. > :29:49.situation. He will probably openly be very honest, David Moyes, and
:29:50. > :29:53.critical of his team. That is kind of firing a warning. You've been in
:29:54. > :29:58.this position before. If you don't do something about it, we will stay
:29:59. > :30:04.in this position. Let's work hard, be organised and pull some results
:30:05. > :30:09.together. If you take Jermain Defoe out of their setup at the moment,
:30:10. > :30:14.who is in great form at the moment, they would be in real trouble. They
:30:15. > :30:21.have some young players around Defoe. Januzaj, Duncan Watmore... On
:30:22. > :30:24.Monday night, they looked like they had substituted their centre halves
:30:25. > :30:33.at half-time, because they just went missing. Moyes put the cards on the
:30:34. > :30:37.table early doors, saying to the Sunderland fans, we could be
:30:38. > :30:42.relegated... Going back to managerial honesty, was that the
:30:43. > :30:46.right thing to say? I think that has protected himself. I thought the
:30:47. > :30:50.squad was better. He's saying, we don't have a squad where we can
:30:51. > :30:56.compete for a middle of the table performance in May, and we are going
:30:57. > :31:01.to be in it. He is being very honest.
:31:02. > :31:08.A manager says, it really resonates with the players. The most important
:31:09. > :31:13.thing is that it affects the players. That kind of comment will
:31:14. > :31:17.just send negativity out. Sure, he does not have the belief that the
:31:18. > :31:20.players are going to... And when he made that comment about the
:31:21. > :31:23.relegation battle, if you were in that squad and you had gone into
:31:24. > :31:27.training the following day, you would've thought, great, that is a
:31:28. > :31:30.bit defeatist? I would have thought it was defeatist but the main job
:31:31. > :31:34.for me as a player is to remove them from my mind and focus on myself
:31:35. > :31:41.being the best I can be. Not everyone have that will or the
:31:42. > :31:45.capability. You cannot count on people to take it in the right way.
:31:46. > :31:49.If they don't where does that leave you? If you had been looking to move
:31:50. > :31:53.in that transfer window and you had heard the manager says that we were
:31:54. > :32:00.in a relegation battle, would it have made you think twice about
:32:01. > :32:04.joining the club? Of course you would think, maybe give that one a
:32:05. > :32:09.mess. It's only natural. It depends what you have got on the table but
:32:10. > :32:13.if you feel that the manager does not have confidence in the players,
:32:14. > :32:17.the writing is on the wall. If you fancy a relegation battle, it is not
:32:18. > :32:21.much fun. It is interesting, Trevor said, why would you make that
:32:22. > :32:28.comment? Would you be preparing people to think it was not your
:32:29. > :32:31.fault if something did not go well? That was a comment in one of the
:32:32. > :32:36.papers saying they should stick with David Moyes because even if they do
:32:37. > :32:39.get relegated, he is the man that can consolidate, get the right
:32:40. > :32:43.players in, get them to the point where they can compete and get back
:32:44. > :32:47.to the Premier League. I think that is what Kevin was suggesting. If
:32:48. > :32:51.England had not come crawling for Sam Allardyce, he would not be there
:32:52. > :32:58.right now. Hang on, Allardyce would not be there? Because he wanted to
:32:59. > :33:03.build on what they achieved last season. And move the club forward.
:33:04. > :33:08.And as far as I know in meetings with the hierarchy am a he was not
:33:09. > :33:12.going to be able to do that. And I am aware that David Moyes was aware
:33:13. > :33:18.of this. But Sunderland, despite their problems, it is still a big
:33:19. > :33:22.job. I can understand him taking it but that squad is very weak and the
:33:23. > :33:26.team he has to play early in the season was weak as well. No matter
:33:27. > :33:30.what you say off the pitch, the team is just not good enough. It shows
:33:31. > :33:34.how well sanded last year. Absolutely. As far as Spurs are
:33:35. > :33:38.concerned, what do you make of the start to the season and how much
:33:39. > :33:43.will their first three or four months be judged on what they do in
:33:44. > :33:49.the Champions League? No. It has been a bit of a mixed bag from what
:33:50. > :33:53.I have seen. You see flashes of good stuff and then probably not enough
:33:54. > :34:03.productivity to justify how well they have played at times. We just
:34:04. > :34:07.discussed what the philosophy was. At the moment, they are not getting
:34:08. > :34:10.the final products to justify the possession and their dominance. I
:34:11. > :34:16.think it is what the other teams have done, really. Six or seven in
:34:17. > :34:21.the Premier League. As in the transfer window or how they have
:34:22. > :34:24.started? In the transfer window and then subsequently, the way they have
:34:25. > :34:28.performed since then. I think that Spurs did not do as much business as
:34:29. > :34:32.Manchester City. They finished below them. A few other clubs as well. I
:34:33. > :34:37.feel like they have lost ground and if they had got some momentum, it
:34:38. > :34:40.could've been different, they could have been second or champions. I
:34:41. > :34:47.feel it was an important time for them but they have the new stadium
:34:48. > :34:56.so maybe they are concentrating on getting that finished. Maybe they
:34:57. > :34:59.are focused on putting the finances into that and the fans have to be
:35:00. > :35:02.patient. What happened last year, I do not think that will happen again.
:35:03. > :35:05.It was interesting, everyone was going on about potential but then he
:35:06. > :35:07.said that they have to do it now. Because tomorrow never comes. They
:35:08. > :35:11.have been saying it with England. They have at St George is every four
:35:12. > :35:21.years. What are we planning for at the moment? Hong Kong 2090, I think
:35:22. > :35:25.it is. But that gives you time, if you keep saying that this team will
:35:26. > :35:31.develop, give it time, give it time, well, why not do it now? When you
:35:32. > :35:35.made your debut, I remember at the start, did it take you that long to
:35:36. > :35:40.get up and running? It was different for us. I am not sure about yourself
:35:41. > :35:48.but I played 100 games in the fourth division. So you have that
:35:49. > :35:52.experience of being 4-0 down and being able to find a performance
:35:53. > :35:56.from there. I think some of the players now, they play a lot of U21
:35:57. > :35:59.games and they do not have the depth of experience for the Premier
:36:00. > :36:07.League. The half-time whistle has gone at Vicarage Road. All the
:36:08. > :36:12.details. It was 1-0 at half-time. Watford are good value for this.
:36:13. > :36:18.They went in front on the 34th minute when Anthony Martial was
:36:19. > :36:21.dismissed. United cried foul and Jose Mourinho has already spoken to
:36:22. > :36:26.the referee about it. But it looked perfectly legal. Kakuta drove the
:36:27. > :36:31.ball home. Anthony Martial went on a mission after that. Jung Kim on and
:36:32. > :36:35.earlier in the game there was an aerial collision. Anthony Martial in
:36:36. > :36:39.the words today and now off the pitch. Great chances for Watford
:36:40. > :36:48.early in the game through Ighalo and Troy Deeney. A pulsating first half.
:36:49. > :36:54.United, strewn with errors in the defence of part of the game. 1-0.
:36:55. > :36:58.The first of four games today. Let's go to one of the others at Crystal
:36:59. > :37:07.Palace. You will be able to see all of this on Match of the Day 2 later.
:37:08. > :37:10.Welcome to Selhurst Park. I am pleased to say that Steve Parish has
:37:11. > :37:17.joined me here on the touchline. First of all, how is Pape Souare
:37:18. > :37:22.getting on after that awful accident last weekend? Is doing OK. He has
:37:23. > :37:28.been discharged from hospital with a fair amount of metal inside him. His
:37:29. > :37:33.cheek, his job on. And his thigh bone. Everything points to a full
:37:34. > :37:37.recovery and he will be playing again maybe as early as February. It
:37:38. > :37:42.is really good news. He is very lucky to be in the situation he is
:37:43. > :37:45.in. Other than that, better week at Crystal Palace after the first win
:37:46. > :37:49.of the season last weekend. An element of relief about that? For
:37:50. > :37:54.sure. There is nothing like getting a win under your belt. Especially
:37:55. > :37:59.with the first three games, when we had just one point. It very tight
:38:00. > :38:06.game. I'm sure it will be the same today. Stoke, in the situation we
:38:07. > :38:10.are in, they need the points. It is always dangerous to play teams, good
:38:11. > :38:15.sides like Stoke, who are desperate for points. It will be just as tight
:38:16. > :38:18.today, I imagine. You had a great run in the first half of the season
:38:19. > :38:26.but league results were difficult after Christmas. What can you, as
:38:27. > :38:29.chairman, do to your manager? I think togetherness. We have the
:38:30. > :38:33.supporters here, along with me and the rest of the owners of the club.
:38:34. > :38:37.We really believe in what we are doing with Alan. I think you have
:38:38. > :38:41.got to make the manager feel secure. You don't want to get into that
:38:42. > :38:44.situation where the manager's mind becomes muddled is trying to please
:38:45. > :38:50.everybody instead of being on the path that we are on. We need to
:38:51. > :38:53.change the way we play football. We need to consistently challenge for
:38:54. > :38:57.the top ten in this division and we have a manager that we believe can
:38:58. > :39:02.do that. Any transition comes with pain. Last year we had a bad injury
:39:03. > :39:05.list as well. You have to understand what they are trying to achieve
:39:06. > :39:08.long-term and understand what is going on on the pitch and the
:39:09. > :39:11.problems the manager faces that are outside his control, and just make
:39:12. > :39:16.sure you are supportive and you help as much as you can. Hopefully we
:39:17. > :39:22.will see things turn around. Every game is difficult. And at the top
:39:23. > :39:29.ten, is that your aim, is that you see Crystal Palace being? You have
:39:30. > :39:35.spelt some -- spent some money this year, quite a lot of it unchristian
:39:36. > :39:39.Benteke. If you are our ten downside, you run the risk of being
:39:40. > :39:46.relegated. Weight most of the signs in the bottom ten, you could find
:39:47. > :39:51.yourself in it. We want to be better than that. But we have 14 other
:39:52. > :39:55.teams trying to do exactly the same thing. And you cannot do it
:39:56. > :39:59.overnight. So hopefully we have a plan to do that. It does not come
:40:00. > :40:03.without risk. We will have to see how it pans out over the season.
:40:04. > :40:09.Thank you for your time. Looking forward to a good game today. Take
:40:10. > :40:13.off at 2:15pm. I always find it really interesting to listen to
:40:14. > :40:16.Steve Parish. A couple of things there, first of all talking about
:40:17. > :40:20.them being in transition. Is that dangerous for a fan to hear? No,
:40:21. > :40:25.because I think the way that Simon spoke was very good. There, we would
:40:26. > :40:29.talking as he was making that comment. If you are manager and you
:40:30. > :40:34.hear him like that, it is just common sense. He knows the game, he
:40:35. > :40:38.is looking at what is happening on the pitch and what is happening
:40:39. > :40:41.outside the manager's authority and control. You have to be
:40:42. > :40:46.understanding. If he is like that as a chairman, he is a fantastic
:40:47. > :40:49.chairman to work for. They are not always as they come across in the
:40:50. > :40:54.media but if he is, he would be a great person to work for. The other
:40:55. > :40:58.interesting thing, teams from ten down are likely to be in the
:40:59. > :41:01.relegation battle. Southampton fans might say, hang on, we qualified for
:41:02. > :41:05.the Europa League so we're not likely to be that far down. Stoke
:41:06. > :41:09.are bottom at the moment. You could argue that all four clubs involved
:41:10. > :41:15.today, if they were to go on a bad run, would be very worried about
:41:16. > :41:20.their position. Yes. It is an interesting term, ten down. Have you
:41:21. > :41:29.heard that before? That is new for me. You could go eight down, I don't
:41:30. > :41:33.know. If they go on a losing streak, if. Anything could happen. But you
:41:34. > :41:36.would have to say, looking at the start of the season, this game today
:41:37. > :41:41.is a big game for those two clubs and Palace Pier at home, I think
:41:42. > :41:48.they will really look to want to get some good points on the board. And
:41:49. > :41:54.that is good to have that interview. Not enough people run football clubs
:41:55. > :41:57.and do that, have the communication. Newcastle is a classic example. The
:41:58. > :42:01.fans have no idea what is going on and they treat the media with this
:42:02. > :42:06.then. I think it is changing. The mood is changing and the owner is
:42:07. > :42:11.really trying to change. Although he will never say anything, it will be
:42:12. > :42:14.through other people. It might be a good thing. Possibly. But it is
:42:15. > :42:19.important to communicate with the fans because the blazers have been
:42:20. > :42:23.in charge of Manchester United for however many years, 15 years, and
:42:24. > :42:27.they have done one interview about what was happening with the club.
:42:28. > :42:32.David Gill never did an interview after they took over. And the fans
:42:33. > :42:39.feel left out a bit of what is going on at the club. It is not a secret
:42:40. > :42:45.sect. He really seems in touch, that is how I would describe it. He
:42:46. > :42:51.realises what is going on. He is a football man. Going back to ten
:42:52. > :42:56.down, very briefly, do you think that when we see Crystal Palace
:42:57. > :42:59.against Stoke or Southampton against Swansea, that actually for all four
:43:00. > :43:04.of them the most important thing, when they go head to head, is not to
:43:05. > :43:09.lose? Could that bring up their defensive game? I think with the
:43:10. > :43:13.position they are in, it is not to lose. But you have to be fearless at
:43:14. > :43:16.times and tried to take the spoils. I feel that what Southampton
:43:17. > :43:19.achieved last season, they will want to do that more than the other
:43:20. > :43:23.teams. But you have to have a realistic look at the season and the
:43:24. > :43:27.way it has started, you do not want to get beaten. Stop the rot, start
:43:28. > :43:34.getting the moment and then you can start gambling. Thank you for your
:43:35. > :43:38.texts and tweets. John Blake said you cannot accuse managers of
:43:39. > :43:42.defeatism if it is realistic. For Sunderland to be chasing European
:43:43. > :43:45.football, it is delusional. Daniel says that Everton have been the dark
:43:46. > :43:48.horses of the Premier League. That's all for this week -
:43:49. > :43:50.thanks very much to Tune in to 5Live now
:43:51. > :43:54.for commentary of the second half from Vicarage Road, and there's full
:43:55. > :43:56.coverage of Tottenham of all 4 of today's games on Match
:43:57. > :44:03.of the Day 2 at 10.30pm on BBC1.