18/09/2016 MOTD2 Extra

Welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra on BBC Two and

Joining me today are the former England players Matthew Upson

and Trevor Sinclair, along with football writer

Use the hashtag #bbcfootball on social media, or text 85058

And these are the subjects under discussion. Manchester City, five

from five under Pep Guardiola. Unbeaten Everton are second

with their best start The pressure eases on Pulis

as West Ham concede four Spurs will look to set aside

Champions League disappointment when they take on struggling

Sunderland this afternoon. And we'll have updates

from Vicarage Road where Watford It's currently goalless but in my

view, Watford should already be ahead.

We'll also be at Selhurst Park ahead of Palace's match with Stoke.

Here's what's making the back pages today.

The Sun on Sunday has Pep Guardiola drawing comparisons between

The Sunday Mirror goes with "Rash Hour".

Manchester United are ready to hand Marcus Rashford a new contract just

four months after he signed a four-year ?20,000 a week one.

And the Sunday Times says that a meeting with manager

Mark Warburton tomorrow is likely to see Joey Barton's controversial

spell at Rangers come to a premature end.

We'll start at the Etihad where the home side beat Bournemouth 4-0.

It's City's best ever start to a season - 8 wins from 8

It's also Guardiola's best ever start at any club.

Does that last statistic surprise you, Trevor Sinclair? Very much so.

The players at Manchester City, we acknowledge that they have had the

best squad for the last two or three years but they have not quite had

the stewardship to run properly. I think Pep Guardiola has gone in

there and we expected him to do well but we thought there would be

problems to start with with the players being able to process his

way of playing the game. But credit to the players and the coaching

staff, they have done really well and they have taken it on board

quickly and the results have been stunning. And if you wander

throughout the course of the show why none of my guests are making eye

contact with me it is because there is a monitor just off screen where

the Watford Manchester United game is on. If they appear rude, that is

what is happening. Only five league games into the season, and to a

certain extent it feels like we might already be running out of

subjects to talk about with Manchester City because the

superlatives have already been covered. The biggest test they had

was Manchester United. Three of the teams they have played are fighting

for relegation, including Bournemouth but the first half

against Manchester United, some people would say that was the best

that they have seen from a Premier League team and certainly yesterday,

I had the fortune of being able to take my children to see it because I

wanted them to see this team in action. My daughter is more into

football than my son. When we left the ground, he said, when can we go

again? United fans, they go after City fans when they see the empty

blue seats but they are planning to extend the ground so they have a

third tier. This is going to bring people into the ground, this

football will bring a new generation of fans. Just like Louis Van Gaal's

football was going to lose a generation of Man United fans. This

football is something to go and watch. It is a wonderful spectacle

and the fact that he has been able to put together in such a short of

time, with the intensity on the sidelines, the way he is berating

players if things go wrong, even at 4-0, that is because he is looking

ahead to Champions League nights where they are going to have to do

it for 90 minutes. The energy of the team, pressing, you do not have a

second. Yesterday, although the opposition was different, it

reminded me of his 2011 Barcelona team against Manchester United in

the Champions League final. They did not have a second on the ball,

including players like Ryan Giggs, who could do nothing with it. I

interviewed John Stones on Friday last week and the energy, forget

about John Stones, the interview was fine but I met... I am sure the

interview was better than fine! He is a lovely lad, by the way. I met

Les Chapman, the old man involved with this website. I met the

security, and everybody speaks very highly about Pep Guardiola. They

needed waking up because they were falling asleep under Pellegrini. It

reflected the character, like everyone had downed tools for six

months. Which is wrong anyway. With big wages, they should be energetic

anyway. You talk about everyone from the tea lady to the Manchester City

and England centre-half being affected by it, isn't that just good

man management? And argue not surprised that more managers don't

do that? Maybe they did? Have you been in teams, in squads were

managers do not do that? Of course, because there is doubt. Certain

managers, if they do not win the players over, they will not win the

staff over, and I think it is a vicious circle. It ends up where

people look like they are downing tools and they are not interested

but with Pep Guardiola, I believe he gets there at six o'clock and leaves

at nine o'clock in the evening. He sees everyone. He gets there before

everyone and he leaves after everyone. It is like the Apprentice,

he gets there early and Leeds last. First man on the pitch, last one to

leave. And they go on to do something. He is not there to earn

his wages, he is there to do something serious. Hard work and

common sense. And again, this is not a soft touch. As we saw in his

dealings with Joe Hart and Yaya Toure, the backbone of the title

winning side. A lot of people were shocked with his treatment of Joe

Hart, which was pretty beautiful. It shook everyone saying, this is it.

-- pretty brutal. He is saying, if we want to do something special,

don't get on the wrong side of the sky. And for a variety of reasons,

including his distribution of the ball, Joe Hart is gone. Yaya Toure

is virtually gone, another big character. I don't know if it's an

company will last longer because he has Otamendi. This is the power that

managers used to have. If you are going into a club and you are going

to be judged on the players you have got, especially in an important

position like the goalkeeper, surely you can pick your own goalkeeper?

Especially in Pep Guardiola's position. Although Joe Hart was a

good goalkeeper, he did not serve him well, the way he wants to play

football. I do not think it was harsh, but it could have been done

earlier. So that Joe Hart would have had a chance to meet his new

team-mates and have preseason and it would've been easier the fans.

Plenty of comments on the Match of the Day Facebook page. One says, I

am an Manchester United fan but Kevin de Bruyne is a joy to watch,

controlling the game on his own. One of the top five players in the

world. Jesse says, he is the most electrifying player I have seen

since Gerard and Lampard. Mark says, it is mad to think that Chelsea have

let Kevin de Bruyne go. Just a word on Jack Wilshere, brought on by

Eddie Howe. Probably not the best game to judge him. If you look at

the possession of Manchester City had, Bournemouth did not get a kick

of the ball. A tough game for Jack to come back for his debut but they

will get stronger. Eddie Howe will get him fit, which is a big deal.

Not just mechanically fit but fits to get up and down the pitch. I feel

like there is a lot to come from him and hopefully he can show us what

he's got. I did not realise he was on the pitch until his number was

called up for him to come off, that is how ineffective he was. But there

are plenty of good players who can be that anonymous against this

Manchester City team. We put Everton in just a moment but let's go to

Vicarage Road. Watford against Manchester United, around 20 or 25

minutes in and both sides have had chances. We will go to fill shortly

but it is still goalless at Vicarage Road. Moving on to Everton.

Everton made it four wins from five with a 3-1 victory over

It is a good start. In results, in points. But I think the most

important is the way we get the points because you see the reaction

of the fans. They like how we play. I think the team is more aggressive

than it was and that is what we like to be in football it is not the

discussion about the technical qualities of the players, but they

like to... It makes it difficult for the opponent. Well, you can see

Ronald Koeman at the end of that game. Trevor Sinclair, you were

saying you think it is important that people like him and Guardiola

are doing well at the top of the Premier League? Why? I think a lot

of managers have done very well. They have come from non-food Bolling

backgrounds, and I feel like that connection, with the dark arts of

yesteryear, some of that has gone missing. If you have former players

becoming successful managers, it keeps them going. Even if they are

foreign? Even if they are foreign. It would be ideal if they were

British but even if they are foreign, it keeps that connection

and it keeps their belief that players can go into management when

they have a chance. By the way, in the studio now we have to show you

this, Matthew Upson, former England defender has arrived. As late as one

of Trevor Sinclair's tackles towards the end of his career. A bit of a

nightmare journey. I will give you time to settle in. Leighton Baines

has spoken of improved fitness levels at Everton. That always seems

to be spoken about when one manager takes over from another. It is more

than that. I don't know a new manager who doesn't say quite

quietly, I don't believe how unfit they are, which is the immediate

excuse to lose two on the trot. I was not particularly impressed in

them going behind yesterday on a hotly disputed goal although I do

not blame the referee. You had to see the replay because it was not on

the character. -- on the camera. But the character they showed in coming

back, there is a real power and intensity about this Everton side.

It was fabulous to see Gareth Barry scoring on his 600th game. I saw his

debut when he was 17 at Aston Villa. You are really old! Their best start

since 1978. Andrew on Facebook, best start for 38 years. Unbeaten in

five. They had a very good transfer window, despite what it felt like on

deadline day, with Moussa Sissoko not having come over, and that might

turn out to be good or bad. But actually, Stekelenburg and Ashley

Williams, they have got a bit of a spine there that has strengthened

them, and Bolasie. I think Williams is a good addition, given they lost

a John Stones. I think to replace him with somebody with that

experience is a really good signing. He will play well with Jagielka and

add stability which a new manager will look forward to. That seems to

have rejuvenated Mirallas and handling Ross Barkley well. He has

been rejuvenated. As a former player, explained why. I have had it

as a player when you wake up when you think, I don't feel well today.

You get out and you are creaking, more so at the end of your career.

You are creaking and you are not operating properly. It is human

error. You get on the pitch and you do not play well. You do not mean

it. You had the same preparation, the same breakfast but it is not

happening. Surely a manager can see that and say, bring him off, speak

to him, get him out there next week. That is what I feel has happened

with Ross Barkley. He got out of the wrong side of bed. For me, it is

cruel to leave him out there and it is not conducive to winning

football. You are a man short. Again, I don't think a manager that

doesn't come from a plain background would know that. He just calmed

everything down, didn't he? Every player will have a bad game and if

they have a bad game, as Trevor says, sometimes it might be crueller

to leave them out. Look, you had a bad game, move on. It is brave

management. A player of that age, how important he is to the team as

well, to analyse that and see it, take him off, and get a reaction

like he did yesterday, good reaction, it shows that it was the

right decision. It has to be something, listen, it is not

happening, we are better than this. You are human and it happens. We had

this argument with Manchester United in the week saying among colleagues

that Jose Mourinho has come out now and named two players who he is

wanting to put into the Derby, and saying that they were not right for

the challenge. He has questioned their ambition. As a player, surely

if you look at that, your motivation should be, I am going to go out next

week and prove you wrong. Can you tell me, is that how you react? Or

do players go, this is an outrage! It depends if the manager is right!

I think more to the point, it is stepping back and simple fine

things. When things are not going quite right, it is good to go and

think, let's simple fine my game. Let's do the basics really well and

forget about anything else. Attitude, technical basics, all the

simple things, do them at a high level and you will get your game

back. It looks like he did that yesterday. If the manager is being

honest and you are being honest, you will say, listen, have I played

well? And you have to be harsh with yourself. I think if you are harsh

with yourself and you are honest, you can come to a good conclusion.

If the manager is still wrong, there is a problem because you obviously

have different points of view. Is there a difference between being

publicly criticised and it happening behind closed doors? With the media

and transparency that goes on today, it is a lot more difficult to take

it on the chin in the public eye. But you will know if you have had a

bad game. Exactly. Players today are a lot more sensible than we were.

With the analysis they've been brought up on, they can accept it a

lot easier. The thing is, if the manager isn't honest in those

post-match interviews and press conferences, fans can see through

it. If you look at Everton in particular, that was one of the

birth of an is's big downfalls. He would do his post-match interviews

and not say... He would defend things. -- Roberto Martinez's. It is

the balance between respecting and keeping a player onside, and losing

credibility with supporters. That is a hard balance for a manager. Arsene

Wenger does that sometimes, where he will not quite say what needs to be

said. That is his management style. He might want to keep that in house

and get a better reaction from the players. But isn't that the same in

your job, our job. Fans are a darn sight more critical than I will ever

be in a newspaper. But if I am critical in a newspaper, I get

criticised. But if we lose -- if we don't point things out, we lose

face. Let's go to Vicarage Road now. Watford against Manchester United.

One of four Premier League games today. Phil Wye can update us on

what is going on. It is goalless. It should be about 3-2 to Watford. A

bizarre game. Not the highest quality, mistakes everywhere. Gone

low should have scored three minutes later, -- Ighalo, after De Gea.

Heaney had a header well saved by De Gea. Ibrahimovic has missed a strike

into the side netting. And Pogba, in the last 30 seconds, has just

rattled the crossbar from 25 yards. One of those days, really. Still

0-0. That explains why your eyes have been fixated on it, because

there have been lots of chances. The defenders have not been doing a good

job. The attackers are on top of it. On to West Brom, and going

into yesterday's match all of the talk at The Hawthorns

concerned the future of Tony Pulis - his team responded by scoring four

goals in a Premier League match I think they had only scored six in

their previous 13 Premier League games. The West Ham defence has been

criticised. We will come on to them in a bit. Do we have two? First, we

have two praise West Brom, and Salomon Rondon. Absolutely. And

Chadli... Pieces we saw yesterday had so much energy, which may be

something they had been lacking. He got forward, around the box. Efforts

on goal, and his second goal, his desire to run past and get in a

position to score at 3-0 up, just shows the mindset that West Brom

were in yesterday. That shows why they scored four, not just West

Ham's shortcomings. We've seen him play at Spurs, where he has a nice

touch, but does he really wanted? Yesterday, he looked hungry. He

looked like he had desire. It was a fantastic performance from him. Very

difficult for West Ham to deal with. You did well to keep your

concentration there, Trevor Sinclair, because Watford have taken

the lead at the courage road. Etienne Capoue celebrating. We will

go very shortly to Vicarage Road and get the details. Just on Nasa

Chadli. Eight goals and three assists over the last two seasons at

Spurs. He has delivered for Spurs. So the fact that West Brom managed

to get him for that price was a snip. Let's go to the voc -- to the

goal. Dreadful defending from Manchester United. Anthony Martial

getting treatment now. The ball went to Etienne Capoue and his fourth

goal in five games. Poor defending from United, but Watford have

merited the lead. Trevor, you were saying? Another one let go by Spurs

for ?5 million. Found his feet at Watford. Feels wanted, the manager

makes him feel imported. And Nasa Chadli? I was extremely impressed by

him. Going forward on the break, it was not dissimilar to what Man City

did yesterday on the break. It was just what they needed. The spotlight

was on the game yesterday. Will this be the end of someone who is a very

good manager? I think things are still spilling over from the end of

last season at West Brom. Sadly, no patience at the moment, but that was

a cracking result. It shows that even if the team is struggling, if

the opposition are of their game in this Premier League, because the

strength and depth is so great... And West Brom were all over them.

Since Tony Pulis has been there, trying to get a combination that

works up front has been a real struggle. And what to do with

Berahino, who always appears to be something for the times he has been

at West Brom. That may be a combination that works, because

Chadli will go through the lines. Absolutely. You mentioned Berahino.

It has been a bit of a thorn in his side. They haven't resolved the

situation by him either stepping up and playing, or letting him go. That

will always be a disruption. He needs to find a solution to that

number ten role, and people running beyond a striker. He seems to have

done that. The fourth goal, from a ridiculously poor West Ham corner.

Rondon was through. The support from Chadli was great. Going back to

Berahino. All parties are not covering themselves in glory in this

situation. The player isn't playing football. The club are not getting

any work -- any word from the player. Tony Pulis hasn't been in

this situation before, and they haven't dealt with it well. It has

dragged on. West Ham's fourth defeat in four matches. Conceded four goals

for the second time in a week. Ilitch spoke to us after the game.

-- Slaven Bilic. You can talk, we will be all right. But it is not a

good situation for us. At the moment, we have a problem. A problem

that we have too sold. We can solve it, but we have a problem. Starting

with me. You look at yourself right now? Of course. I know we have a

problem. I am the manager and I have to do everything to solve that

problem and turn this round. I totally understand how football

works. He is not shirking responsibility. You wouldn't expect

him to. He is a very honest manager. He did a fantastic job last year,

although towards the end of the season, they did concede a lot of

goals. This season is different to last. Last season it was new

manager, some new players, they were away at Anfield, then the Emirates,

then the Etihad. They always went with that sphere, and that feeling

of, don't concede, don't concede. They did so well last season it has

been there an doing this year. They did so well, they don't have the

fear. They are not being followed at the back and they are getting torn

apart. They need to start by giving other team's opposition respect, and

if they do that, and start keeping clean sheets, they will do well.

That is an interesting theory. I heard a fan on 606 last night saying

that what was built under Sam Allardyce has disappeared, and Bilic

has inherited that defensive platform. Do you think that is

something to do with it? Gradually, he has imposed his own philosophy on

the team, which will bring more openness and freedom to the way they

play, which will mean they are more exposed at the back. He is juggling

different things. They have moved to a new stadium. They were in Europa

League qualification, so that is another thing. He has lost Andy

Carroll, a person who can be difficult to fit into your team if

you do not play to his strengths. He has lost Cresswell. He hasn't got a

Central right back. Yes. So there has been a lot of unsettling things

happening. The left-back who played yesterday, it was a bit of a

disastrous performance overall. It is a shame, because he has been one

of the better players for West Ham this season. I agree, especially

about Andy Carroll. Talking about the players they have defensively.

Andy Carroll understands that that is where defending starts from. He

did not go half-heartedly. He tried to win the ball, which is the

trigger for everyone to go behind you. Other teams have more time on

the ball now to build their attacks. There is this bizarre pressure and

West Ham about having to play in a certain way. They constantly go on

about it. The best way to play football is to win the game. Troy

Deeney alluded to it after the game. When you are having the MIC taken

out a view on the pitch, that can... And it inspired Watford to come

back. If that is the West Ham way, good luck to them. That is not a

West Ham way. It is like an un-written rule. You don't take the

MIC. 4-0 up, you don't start throwing nutmegs in there. You are

starting to see it in the Premier League there. Back in the day!

Wouldn't even get a red card! Have the Euros had an effect? A lot of

the team have had a successful Euros in the summer. It happened to me

when I came back from a competition like that. You come back physically

fine, but mentally, it is really hard to get yourself back to a level

where you are 100% concentrated for games. Get in touch with us at

#bbcfootball and 85058. Dave says that Chadli was excellent yesterday.

Looks likely we have found a real foil for Rondon at last. Now

Sunderland going to Spurs today. Beaten Monday night by Everton. This

time of the year, you have two choices. You get new players, or you

get out on the grass with your players. We cannot get new players.

We have to improve the ones we have. The players have to lift their level

as well. They have to show they are good enough to play at this level.

You know, it is always the manager. I've got to take responsibility for

the job. But you have to think, come on, new players need a lot of

managers here. You are better than what you show. You've got to be able

to do it for the full 90 minutes. Does that go back to be honesty you

are talking about, that fans want to hear? Saying, listen, you are

players who have had an awful lot of managers here. You are in the same

situation. He will probably openly be very honest, David Moyes, and

critical of his team. That is kind of firing a warning. You've been in

this position before. If you don't do something about it, we will stay

in this position. Let's work hard, be organised and pull some results

together. If you take Jermain Defoe out of their setup at the moment,

who is in great form at the moment, they would be in real trouble. They

have some young players around Defoe. Januzaj, Duncan Watmore... On

Monday night, they looked like they had substituted their centre halves

at half-time, because they just went missing. Moyes put the cards on the

table early doors, saying to the Sunderland fans, we could be

relegated... Going back to managerial honesty, was that the

right thing to say? I think that has protected himself. I thought the

squad was better. He's saying, we don't have a squad where we can

compete for a middle of the table performance in May, and we are going

to be in it. He is being very honest.

A manager says, it really resonates with the players. The most important

thing is that it affects the players. That kind of comment will

just send negativity out. Sure, he does not have the belief that the

players are going to... And when he made that comment about the

relegation battle, if you were in that squad and you had gone into

training the following day, you would've thought, great, that is a

bit defeatist? I would have thought it was defeatist but the main job

for me as a player is to remove them from my mind and focus on myself

being the best I can be. Not everyone have that will or the

capability. You cannot count on people to take it in the right way.

If they don't where does that leave you? If you had been looking to move

in that transfer window and you had heard the manager says that we were

in a relegation battle, would it have made you think twice about

joining the club? Of course you would think, maybe give that one a

mess. It's only natural. It depends what you have got on the table but

if you feel that the manager does not have confidence in the players,

the writing is on the wall. If you fancy a relegation battle, it is not

much fun. It is interesting, Trevor said, why would you make that

comment? Would you be preparing people to think it was not your

fault if something did not go well? That was a comment in one of the

papers saying they should stick with David Moyes because even if they do

get relegated, he is the man that can consolidate, get the right

players in, get them to the point where they can compete and get back

to the Premier League. I think that is what Kevin was suggesting. If

England had not come crawling for Sam Allardyce, he would not be there

right now. Hang on, Allardyce would not be there? Because he wanted to

build on what they achieved last season. And move the club forward.

And as far as I know in meetings with the hierarchy am a he was not

going to be able to do that. And I am aware that David Moyes was aware

of this. But Sunderland, despite their problems, it is still a big

job. I can understand him taking it but that squad is very weak and the

team he has to play early in the season was weak as well. No matter

what you say off the pitch, the team is just not good enough. It shows

how well sanded last year. Absolutely. As far as Spurs are

concerned, what do you make of the start to the season and how much

will their first three or four months be judged on what they do in

the Champions League? No. It has been a bit of a mixed bag from what

I have seen. You see flashes of good stuff and then probably not enough

productivity to justify how well they have played at times. We just

discussed what the philosophy was. At the moment, they are not getting

the final products to justify the possession and their dominance. I

think it is what the other teams have done, really. Six or seven in

the Premier League. As in the transfer window or how they have

started? In the transfer window and then subsequently, the way they have

performed since then. I think that Spurs did not do as much business as

Manchester City. They finished below them. A few other clubs as well. I

feel like they have lost ground and if they had got some momentum, it

could've been different, they could have been second or champions. I

feel it was an important time for them but they have the new stadium

so maybe they are concentrating on getting that finished. Maybe they

are focused on putting the finances into that and the fans have to be

patient. What happened last year, I do not think that will happen again.

It was interesting, everyone was going on about potential but then he

said that they have to do it now. Because tomorrow never comes. They

have been saying it with England. They have at St George is every four

years. What are we planning for at the moment? Hong Kong 2090, I think

it is. But that gives you time, if you keep saying that this team will

develop, give it time, give it time, well, why not do it now? When you

made your debut, I remember at the start, did it take you that long to

get up and running? It was different for us. I am not sure about yourself

but I played 100 games in the fourth division. So you have that

experience of being 4-0 down and being able to find a performance

from there. I think some of the players now, they play a lot of U21

games and they do not have the depth of experience for the Premier

League. The half-time whistle has gone at Vicarage Road. All the

details. It was 1-0 at half-time. Watford are good value for this.

They went in front on the 34th minute when Anthony Martial was

dismissed. United cried foul and Jose Mourinho has already spoken to

the referee about it. But it looked perfectly legal. Kakuta drove the

ball home. Anthony Martial went on a mission after that. Jung Kim on and

earlier in the game there was an aerial collision. Anthony Martial in

the words today and now off the pitch. Great chances for Watford

early in the game through Ighalo and Troy Deeney. A pulsating first half.

United, strewn with errors in the defence of part of the game. 1-0.

The first of four games today. Let's go to one of the others at Crystal

Palace. You will be able to see all of this on Match of the Day 2 later.

Welcome to Selhurst Park. I am pleased to say that Steve Parish has

joined me here on the touchline. First of all, how is Pape Souare

getting on after that awful accident last weekend? Is doing OK. He has

been discharged from hospital with a fair amount of metal inside him. His

cheek, his job on. And his thigh bone. Everything points to a full

recovery and he will be playing again maybe as early as February. It

is really good news. He is very lucky to be in the situation he is

in. Other than that, better week at Crystal Palace after the first win

of the season last weekend. An element of relief about that? For

sure. There is nothing like getting a win under your belt. Especially

with the first three games, when we had just one point. It very tight

game. I'm sure it will be the same today. Stoke, in the situation we

are in, they need the points. It is always dangerous to play teams, good

sides like Stoke, who are desperate for points. It will be just as tight

today, I imagine. You had a great run in the first half of the season

but league results were difficult after Christmas. What can you, as

chairman, do to your manager? I think togetherness. We have the

supporters here, along with me and the rest of the owners of the club.

We really believe in what we are doing with Alan. I think you have

got to make the manager feel secure. You don't want to get into that

situation where the manager's mind becomes muddled is trying to please

everybody instead of being on the path that we are on. We need to

change the way we play football. We need to consistently challenge for

the top ten in this division and we have a manager that we believe can

do that. Any transition comes with pain. Last year we had a bad injury

list as well. You have to understand what they are trying to achieve

long-term and understand what is going on on the pitch and the

problems the manager faces that are outside his control, and just make

sure you are supportive and you help as much as you can. Hopefully we

will see things turn around. Every game is difficult. And at the top

ten, is that your aim, is that you see Crystal Palace being? You have

spelt some -- spent some money this year, quite a lot of it unchristian

Benteke. If you are our ten downside, you run the risk of being

relegated. Weight most of the signs in the bottom ten, you could find

yourself in it. We want to be better than that. But we have 14 other

teams trying to do exactly the same thing. And you cannot do it

overnight. So hopefully we have a plan to do that. It does not come

without risk. We will have to see how it pans out over the season.

Thank you for your time. Looking forward to a good game today. Take

off at 2:15pm. I always find it really interesting to listen to

Steve Parish. A couple of things there, first of all talking about

them being in transition. Is that dangerous for a fan to hear? No,

because I think the way that Simon spoke was very good. There, we would

talking as he was making that comment. If you are manager and you

hear him like that, it is just common sense. He knows the game, he

is looking at what is happening on the pitch and what is happening

outside the manager's authority and control. You have to be

understanding. If he is like that as a chairman, he is a fantastic

chairman to work for. They are not always as they come across in the

media but if he is, he would be a great person to work for. The other

interesting thing, teams from ten down are likely to be in the

relegation battle. Southampton fans might say, hang on, we qualified for

the Europa League so we're not likely to be that far down. Stoke

are bottom at the moment. You could argue that all four clubs involved

today, if they were to go on a bad run, would be very worried about

their position. Yes. It is an interesting term, ten down. Have you

heard that before? That is new for me. You could go eight down, I don't

know. If they go on a losing streak, if. Anything could happen. But you

would have to say, looking at the start of the season, this game today

is a big game for those two clubs and Palace Pier at home, I think

they will really look to want to get some good points on the board. And

that is good to have that interview. Not enough people run football clubs

and do that, have the communication. Newcastle is a classic example. The

fans have no idea what is going on and they treat the media with this

then. I think it is changing. The mood is changing and the owner is

really trying to change. Although he will never say anything, it will be

through other people. It might be a good thing. Possibly. But it is

important to communicate with the fans because the blazers have been

in charge of Manchester United for however many years, 15 years, and

they have done one interview about what was happening with the club.

David Gill never did an interview after they took over. And the fans

feel left out a bit of what is going on at the club. It is not a secret

sect. He really seems in touch, that is how I would describe it. He

realises what is going on. He is a football man. Going back to ten

down, very briefly, do you think that when we see Crystal Palace

against Stoke or Southampton against Swansea, that actually for all four

of them the most important thing, when they go head to head, is not to

lose? Could that bring up their defensive game? I think with the

position they are in, it is not to lose. But you have to be fearless at

times and tried to take the spoils. I feel that what Southampton

achieved last season, they will want to do that more than the other

teams. But you have to have a realistic look at the season and the

way it has started, you do not want to get beaten. Stop the rot, start

getting the moment and then you can start gambling. Thank you for your

texts and tweets. John Blake said you cannot accuse managers of

defeatism if it is realistic. For Sunderland to be chasing European

football, it is delusional. Daniel says that Everton have been the dark

horses of the Premier League. That's all for this week -

thanks very much to Tune in to 5Live now

for commentary of the second half from Vicarage Road, and there's full

coverage of Tottenham of all 4 of today's games on Match

of the Day 2 at 10.30pm on BBC1.