20/03/2016 MOTD2 Extra

Good afternoon. Welcome to MOTD 2 Extra on BBC Two, Radio 5Live and

the BBC Sport website. Joining me this afternoon, former England

winger Trevor Sinclair, looking up into the sky, Match of the Day

commentator Steve Wilson and Andy Dunn of the Sunday Mirror. Thank you

for joining us. You can get involved, using #bbcfootball and

texting us as well on 85058. This is what is coming up. The biggest

Tyne-Wear clash in a generation: can Rafa end Sunderland's Street? It is

also derby day in Manchester as City and United fight for fourth. At the

top, Leicester are eight points clear after victory at Palace. Spurs

can cut the gap by beating Bournemouth later. In terms of

today's papers, the last ever Independent on Sunday has an

exclusive, saying Marini will make ?60 million Harry Kane his main

target should he become Manchester United manager. -- Maureen you will

make. Andy's paper goes with Aston Villa set to sack Remi Garde this

week. The Sunday people talks about Leicester, eight points clear at the

top after their win at Selhurst Park. We will talk about the title

race shortly but only one place to start this Sunday lunchtime. It is

at Saint James 's park and a colossal Tyne-Wear derby and Guy

Mowbray is there. Well, they are calling this the

biggest Tyne-Wear derby since 1990 when Newcastle and Sunderland met in

the play-off semifinals. With me today, two men who faced each other

in that game, former Newcastle player John Anderson and Gary

Bennett who captained Sunderland that day. Gentlemen, is it the

biggest since then? I think so. You would have to say so, most

definitely, with what is riding on it, a lot of money involved, staying

in the Premier League for next season. It's a huge game for both

sides, especially with the way results went yesterday with Swansea

beating Aston Villa and Norwich going to West Brom and winning. --

with Swansea beating Aston Villa. . The Norwich result mean a draw is no

good for either side? Not at all, both sides have to go for it, to get

three points. Newcastle have got to go to Norwich and so do we. I think

it is between the three of them as to who goes down. We know

Sunderland's recent record is six in a row in the Derby, the exam's

second game in charge was the sixth and have they kicked on since then?

What effect has he had? He's had a massive effect on the team. The way

we have developed at the signings that have come in, like Jan

Kirchhoff in midfield, and Wahbi Khazri on the left have brought a

lot of quality to the team. And the Bazaar statistic that it is Rafa

Benitez's second game in charge. Can he turn it around? Will we see and

hear the effect he sat on the team already? I definitely hope so. The

performance at Leicester was good even though we lost, we looked like

we had a better shape and balance to the side. And you have to remember,

back in Sunderland's days, they changed managers and always seem to

win the Derby so you hope the same effect happens to us. If you are in

the north-east and you have not been able to get a ticket to the game

come you can listen to it on BBC radio Newcastle, and Gary and John

will be commentating for both sides. And on Match of the Day to tonight,

I will be trying to keep everyone happy. Impossible!

Yes, Trevor, Sam Allardyce said it players' mentalities which will win

the game today and in his words, what goes on between their ears. Out

of the teams, who has got more going on? I think Sunderland, personally.

What Sam is alluding to it staying calm. You need cool heads on Derby

day, you don't need players getting all excited and emotionally involved

because it is easy to do. The build-up at Newcastle and Sunderland

is huge and the players will be well aware of the attention from the

fans. I think it is the cool heads, the lad to keep themselves calm and

go into the game knowing the plan and being able to execute it the

best will come out on top. They need the honeymoon period under Rafa

Benitez as well, Newcastle. Yes, and it's interesting what Trevor says

about keeping calm for the game. The way that Sam and Rafer have

approached it is slightly different, Benitez has taken extra training and

cancelled their day off on the first day he took charge ahead of the

Leicester game. This week they've had extra training but big Sam has

given Sunderland extra time off and then getting them into talk to them

about the mentality of the game. To cut out the silly mistakes that have

cost them on a couple of occasions. I remember them giving away a

penalty late on in one game and they have conceded late goals and he's

trying to get through to them that discipline is not necessarily just

about not committing fouls or getting booked or sent off but also

about making the right decisions at the right place. In terms of the

honeymoon period, yes, Rafer can work with it but he does not have

much time. For Newcastle, there's a lot of talented players like

Wijnaldum and Mitrovic, Jonjo Shelvey, Andros Townsend, now, but

how can you get the best out of them and find a system that works? That

is why he got them in for extra training. He is trying to get them

organised but it takes time on the training pitch. He's not got a lot

of time so why give them a day off? I agree with what Gary said from St

James Park, from a Sunderland perspective, they bought better in

January. I think they are the stronger side at the moment. Of the

three players they brought in, Jan Kirchhoff, Wahbi Khazri is like a

prototype Riyad Mahrez and Kone adds a bit of present at the back. I

think they added in January and made a step that Newcastle maybe didn't.

What will Rafa Benitez have learned from the Leicester game? The lads

have bought into his ideas and the players trust him to get them out of

the situation. A big improvement? Absolutely, and shape, as the guys

were talking, there, they looked more compact defending. There was a

game plan that they almost executed. They were unlucky not to score and

unlucky to concede. It was an amazing finish by Okazaki. But if

you look at the entirety of the game, they put themselves about and

that is against the best team in the league this season. If that is the

standard that has been set after a couple of days of training, who

knows what they will produce today? And the fact is it outside -- the

factors outside the managers' control are the enormity of the

occasion. With Norwich winning yesterday, both sets of players know

that they are staring at relegation, the possibility they will be playing

Championship football next season. This game will go a long way to

deciding whether they are or not. To add to that, sorry to interrupt, if

I was in either camp and leading up to a huge game and a huge occasion,

which emotionally drains you anyway, I would much prefer to be in

Sunderland's camp with a couple of days off, much more relaxed than

doing double training or going into direct work. It tires you out,

simple as that. If you go into the game as fresh as possible, you have

the best chance to win. Steve, can you believe Newcastle have got it

wrong again and are in this position? At the end of losses on,

Mike Ashley came out and said they would spend money and they wanted to

win a trophy and they would push on and to be fair, they spent money. He

was as good as his word, and they did spend money, for them, an

enormous amount in the summer. They appointed Steve McClaren, who

everybody respects as a coach will stop where he goes next, I'm not

quite sure. Did they let McClaren linger too long? I think you have to

back your instincts. They have given him a decent term contract. He had

to be given some time. No one is trying to talk managers out of a

job. But having said that, nothing surprises me about Newcastle. At the

beginning of the season, I probably would have had them finishing in the

bottom half and I think they have underachieved with the squad they

have had but they seem to do that every year. I think they will go

down. I think Sunderland will stay up. I think... I like Steve McClaren

as a coach and a person but I think they gave him a bit too long. They

had won two 13 and I thought the slide was irreversible and if you

are going to give a new manager time to try to change it around, it is

best to give him more than 910 games. I think they probably

lingered a bit too long -- nine or ten games. Talking about the

spending, they did back McClaren and in the transfer window, in January,

and the one in the summer, something like ?73 million that they have

spent but if you have not invested in the squad seriously full-size

seasons before that, I think you are pushing it a bit to think you are

going to change it overnight by spending ?70 million in one go and

changing it. -- for five seasons before. They have to gel all at once

and if you have been under investing for that long, that is the root of

the problem. They thought their home form might have to keep them up

anyway and when that changed, McClaren was gone. Andy Hicks the

nail on the head, ?73 million worth of players, getting them to jail is

an unbelievably difficult task for most teams. At Leicester, it is easy

to pick them out but they've had hardly any new players so the lads

are mates and they have bonded already and they go out and fight

for each other. To get all these strangers, to come to one culture

and get used to England and then Newcastle which is like a different

country anyway and then to get them to blend and play well together...

We are praising Sunderland who have brought in three players from

foreign leagues and they played well immediately, Jan Kirchhoff had a bad

first game but has played well since. It is not necessarily about

where you buy from all when you buy, it is a whizz about who you buy.

Exactly, and Newcastle have gone for players who know what the Premier

League is all about, Jonjo Shelvey and Townsend in January, where is

Sunderland went for players that don't but might make an impact. It's

about what you need, looking at your squad and your strength in the team.

Sunderland the bidders and a half and they got Kone and his first job

is to defence and his second job is to defend and so is his third job.

That is knowing your role in the team and somewhere down the line,

Newcastle have lost sight of that. Lots to get through and we will get

the team news from St James' Park shortly but that derby takes on

added significance after Norwich beat West Brom yesterday. We can

speak to... In fact, we will speak to the Norwich captain Russell

Martin later but Steve, you were at the Hawthorns yesterday. Have they

got enough fight in them, Norwich? I was at the Manchester City gained a

week before when they drew 0-0. They are making the most of every

attribute they have. I think Alex Neil has, to a large extent, you

know, cut out the silly defensive mistakes which were killing them

time and again. They have kept back-to-back clean sheets now, which

against Manchester City is a great achievement and against West Brom,

perhaps less so. West Brom were poor yesterday. You know they are going

to give 100% and you know they are going to give absolute endeavour,

that they are absolutely buying into what the manager gives them. The

question about Norwich, the only question is, do they have enough

quality in attacking positions? I don't think they do. I have been

really impressed over the last couple of games with Norwich because

I saw them when they were beaten at Leicester late on, Leonardo Ulloa

with a late winner and that was continuing the run of basically

throwing away points from positions where they looked as though they

would get something out of the game. Alex Neil came into the press

Conference and was crestfallen. I wondered if he and the squad would

recover. But they have because they were good enough when I saw them at

Leicester to get more out of the game. I wondered if they would feel

sorry for themselves and think everything was going against them,

as it was at one point but they have not. I saw them lose at Aston Villa

and I thought they and Alex Neil would never get over that, the mood

he was in afterwards. Losing at Villa, yes! I was at that game and I

remember the mood he was in. Compliments because I thought Alex

Neil took it too much to heart, losing late games and things. I kind

of wrote them off as well but the City result and then yesterday, I

have got to say, they have got a chance. They don't have that many

new players and they are mates and if they are behind the manager

again, they've got the chance. They have got to win at home to

Sunderland and Newcastle. The other one is a way to Paris. They have got

to beat Sunderland and Newcastle at home and they might. Let's talk

about Aston Villa because your paper, the Sunday Mira, changing of

the gardai, Remi Garde has lost the dressing room and faces the axe, on

the brink of being sacked by Aston Villa. -- changing of the guard. It

is set to end in the next couple of days. I'm certain this will happen.

Aston Villa have to make a decision now. They are playing in the

Championship neck season but do you sleepwalk through the rest of the

season in a state of the bands just not happy at all, are they just

going to watch their team going through the motions? -- of the fans.

Or do they start properly preparing for the Championship now? Or at

least getting a smile back on the face of the football club? With Remi

Garde in the dugout, there's no smile on the face of that football

club and the way they are playing, you saw that yesterday. Do you say,

for the run in, try to get someone in and get a couple of wins, play

some decent football and get the crowd energised and more thinking

about the team that could be good enough to bounce straight back. At

the moment, everyone is looking at that team and not thinking they are

going to go down, not just that, but they are not going to come back up.

That is the issue so why not address it now rather than wait for the

inevitable parting of the ways in the summer? Nigel Pearson has been

touted as a possible replacement but is he a good fit? Why not? He knows

about promotion and sustaining Premier League survival. He would

definitely fit the bill. And with what you see have seen at Leicester,

he needs to take a lot of praise because he's a big part of that. But

for me, the Aston Villa situation is diabolical. Tim Sherwood kept them

up last year but then I think people who are out of his jurisdiction make

decisions about players coming in, the recruitment, the people in

charge of recruitment. They are all getting the sack now anyway. It is a

big realisation that a lot of the people employed at Aston Villa are

not the right people for the club and they don't know the Premier

League well enough to be making decisions like that.

You have got the new chairman in, and it is happening again, and if

that is the case, time for a Changing of the Guard. I think they

have declined for a number of years. Look at the long picture, Martin

O'Neill, his time in charge... It was like a brief little positive, an

upturn in the graph but you can take it further back and they've been in

a slow decline for a number of years. No one can turn around to

Remi Garde and say he got them relegated, they were going down

anyway. Incredible fans, another big club. They have done nothing to help

him, they bought no one in January. But they still had enough time, I

don't think he had enough quality... But he certainly probably had...

With the quality he had he should have done better, if only a little

better. They have been abject under Remi Garde. Confidence and belief

comes into it, the manager was new to the Premier League, he had a lot

to take on but belief in your team-mates, if you have players in

your squad playing week in and week out and you think is not good

enough, it's difficult to get momentum and that's what we have

seen. Let's get team news from St James's Park Newcastle against

Sunderland. Here is Ian Brown. Rafael Benitez in charge at St

James's Park but the first time, a couple of changes. A start for

Andros Townsend. Jack Cobb backstairs at left-back. He has been

on both sides of the great divide in the north-east. Sunderland are a

point better off than Newcastle but in the bottom three. Jermain Defoe

could be the man to keep them up. He starts today. Difficult to make an

argument for both clubs to survive. Surely one of them will go, which is

why this is being billed as the biggest ever Tyne-Wear derby.

Thank you, your thoughts on the team news? Attacking, they are having a

go, et al Sunderland deal with that and Jermain Defoe, it's a huge boost

for Sunderland, scoring 14 this season. Literally, wrap him in

cotton wool, they have not trained a lot this week, get him on the pitch

nice and fresh and he will be a danger man. The other game,

Southampton against Liverpool at St Mary is and we have team news.

Both teams starting the day on 44 points, a change for Southampton.

Jose Fonte returns after suspension, Ryan Bertrand returns to left-back.

Jurgen Klopp making three changes. John Flanagan comes into the back

four. Replacing James Milner. And he captains the side, an honour for a

young Liverpool lad coming through the ranks. Joe Allen replacing

Jordan Henderson. Roberto Fermino is injured.

Thank you. Time to talk about the top of the Premier League. No

further else to start, the Leicester win at Crystal Palace. Leicester

fans at Selhurst Park, for 15, 20, perhaps happen now after the game,

saying, we are going to win the league, they announced on the PA

system, thank you, thank you for your support. They are believing but

are you? It's difficult not to. To do Ranieri, he has never won the

league himself. -- Claudio Ranieri. He has a fantastic relationship with

his players and he is getting a song out of them. They have been

unbelievable all year. I think the biggest problem... The biggest issue

he has to do with his making sure the next game is all they are

concentrating on, emotionally, making sure the lads stay on an even

keel. If he can do that, I think they have the personality and the

confidence and the Menton to do it. It's almost as if there's been a

perfect footballing storm... I'm not saying they don't deserve it, they

played well, but everything has gone well for them. I read about some

stats this morning, about what has happened in this campaign. They have

made the fewest changes to the starting line-up in meeting. They

have had... Only two teams have had less possession overall. 18th in the

position table. Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy... One and two, getting

involved in goals, everything has gone really... It is of their own

doing, I'm not trying to suggest this is fortunate, they have created

it. What I think is significant, considering we have talked about

Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, Albrighton as well... Defensively

they have got tighter and tighter. When I saw them earlier in the

season they look as though they would concede, they conceded 22

goals in the first 17 or 18 games and only seven I think, in the last

14. All of a sudden, they are the most difficult team to beat as well

as being the most likely winners. Schmeichel was always a brilliant

lad to train with. He was my boot boy. But it's lovely to see him

stepping out... He had respect, he was brought up at football clubs. I

know he was to short... Too small. The keeper is six feet five and six

feet six, probably too big but he's somewhere in the middle. Whether you

have seen him on Match of the Day last night or not. The distances

between for the ball is... It's common sense, but unless you do that

and the manager is doing that, turning them into an Italian back

four, they are keeping clean sheets. You have players in front of them

working so hard. Sailing in the back four and they deserve the clean

sheets. Those pictures that we saw, I had to bring the party down... It

reminds me a little bit of Liverpool. Do you remember the

huddle, post much? But I think you hit the nail on the head. The

difference, most of the Liverpool games in the running, Luis Suarez...

The difference was Liverpool were winning at Norwich 4-3 or 5-3,

Leicester have squeezed it and they are winning 1-0 and I think that is

what is going... Tell all the fans not to welcome the team bus as it

comes in. They are struggling, only winning 1-0? They don't need to

change anything but naturally, things will change, it's about

keeping things stable. How significant, five out of six games,

Leicester play ahead of Tottenham? Psychologically, it's big.

Absolutely, it depends what you are like but for me, if you are taking a

penalty shoot out and you click the coin and you win the toss, what are

you going to do? I am going to play first. You have the pressure of

scoring first but if you miss, if you score, you score, if you miss,

the pressure is on them. I think the fact they are playing before

Tottenham, five or six out of the next six games is a massive bonus.

What about Crystal Palace, will they be sucked into the trouble? They are

eight points above the bottom three but they are in an FA Cup semifinal,

Man United, Arsenal, Norwich, Newcastle... They will be looking

over the shoulder nervously, I don't think they'll get sucked in. They

only need two or three wins, maybe... Three would be plenty.

Three would be plenty, two of them... I don't think so, but right

at this moment, they would be looking a little bit anxiously. The

performances are not bad, the results in the league have been

incredible. Incredibly bad, inexplicably, given how good they

were before Christmas. This New Year's Day. And they haven't won a

game since. Stevie, look at the flip side, the lack of injuries from

Leicester. Look at Crystal Palace, the midfield and forward areas, they

have been hit by some serious bad luck. I don't think for a minute

Crystal Palace will get sucked into this. OK, let's talk about

Tottenham, playing Bournemouth in the 4pm game this afternoon.

Pressure on Mauricio Pochettino given that his Europa League

selection... I don't think that's the pressure he's feeling, it's

gone, he will draw a line under it. To get the points today... We have

seen Leicester going and winning 1-0, tricky, before that game, I

thought you might Bolasie is back, all the players available. They have

had a terrible one, they need a win and they are desperate. That could

have been a bit of a slip of Leicester but they have proved me

wrong. The pressure on the manager. If they don't win this game,

Leicester fans will be very pleased... They will be thinking,

the finish line is close. International call ups, can you call

that a hindrance? Five... Tottenham... We didn't mention for

Leicester... Everybody has them, if you are team in the top half of the

Premier League, half of your players will be on international duty. Apart

from if you are West Ham. Whether they are going to Venezuela or

France... The majority will go. I think Spurs will win today. I am not

convinced they will win at Anfield in the first game after the

international break. This is a Bournemouth side, no pressure. Good

away from home. I think Spurs had the better quality of players. But

this is a tricky game. Bournemouth and Spurs are the teams that have

covered the most distance in the Premier League this season. You will

see a game, hard-working sides, but quickly, back to the international

break, I'm not sure it affects games as much as the managers like to say.

We know how much it takes out of you. If you go to two friendlies and

you play in one... It can go both ways, if you have a bad run

McGeechan have respite. If you have a good run, you think, I could have

done without this. If you get the players back fit, you are on a

winner. Let's talk about Everton against Arsenal, Andy, you were

there yesterday, Arsenal winning 2-0. A second win in nine matches

for Arsene Wenger, let's hear from him, full of praise for his side. I

like this group. I like the altitude, the mental attitude, they

have been questioned on that front and it hurts me. To see it, when you

work every day with the players you know how much effort they put in.

Overall, I am pleased that they responded well today. Got one, then,

what did you see yesterday from an Arsenal point of view, bang in the

title race, albeit... That is the bad thing. They always give the fans

up and they gave them hope. Performances like that, that was a

performance, let's take the first goal, created from the class of

2001-2004. Vintage Arsenal. That is not what they need. But that is what

makes you keep going back and that is what makes Arsene Wenger think,

he has the utopian idea they will play like that every game and score

goals like that. And he has this vision that this will happen.

History, recent history tells you it will probably not happen, you will

probably finish third or fourth and not win a trophy. That is the

frustrating thing but you have to say, they played twice since Arsenal

last played, they played on Sunday and Wednesday night... They lost

away at Barcelona and then they were forced to play on Saturday

lunchtime, in that sense, I think it was a really good achievement,

physically and mentally. They were sharper than ever. Secondly, they

have had a bit of a kicking recently and they are a good team and show

that yesterday so from their point of view, that was encouraging, but

this idea, this hope that they can do it every single game is one that

has proved illusory for the fans. Steve, they have a decent record

after they were knocked out of the Champions League. We said before, as

a reporter, when you are waiting for the rotor, you find out where you

are going, they either team you want to watch. I still think they

probably played the most and pleasing football on the day in the

Premier League and they have done for years. But that doesn't mean to

say I don't understand the frustration of Arsenal fans about

Arsene Wenger because... For all the achievements that they have had and

let's not pretend finishing top four year after year isn't an achievement

because it is... But they have only won the FA Cup twice in however many

years and every year, there just seems to be that three, four,

five-week period, wheels fall off and they go out in competitions and

56 games and they always end up the same place. We talk about Everton.

They do not expect to be worthy are in the Premier League and Roberto

Martinez, OK, FA Cup semifinal, fought you want, if you are a fan,

go away to win the FA Cup and finished 12th 13th, you can't have

both? Look at the playing staff. I think they could be doing what West

Ham do in the league. They have the players to do that, going forward,

they have so much creativity. Look at Romelu Lukaku, goals coming out

of his ears. I think defensively, they are struggling. It has got to

be looked at. The man that everybody wanted to sign in January. One of

them. I am not sure if the leadership problem. You get a lead

players. As a manager or coach... If you sell your philosophy and a game

plan, your strategy to the players, they will buy into it. I am just not

sure at key times, all the players buy into it.

You say it is a poor defensive record but it's the worst behind

Aston Villa. And our home form is terrible. Their home defensive

record is appalling. You go through it and I don't have the figure but

you dread to think how many goals Roberto Martinez's sides, and I'm

not just talking about Everton, have led in from his time here and at

Wigan. It looks as though he struggles to organise defensively at

home, so many spaces, the gap between defence and midfield, there

were gaps and channels for Arsenal to run in, which they did with

consummate ease. Defenders did not know whether to stick or twist and

when Funes Mori did, he was dispossessed and it was a huge gap

for Iwobi to run into. It looks as though organisation wise,

defensively, they really are struggling. Teams that Goodison Park

are finding it very easy to create chances, very easy, too easy. For

me, as a defence, you have two full-backs that I would say most

clubs would take, John Stones is not even getting a game. You have three

out of the back four who are potentially top players, top four

players in the league so why are they conceding so many? For me, you

look at defenders, what is their role in the team? To defend. They

are losing sight of their main role in the team, they will get forward

and do this and bring other things into play but that should be

secondary. The first thing you have to do as a defender is defend. With

reference to Coleman and Leighton Baines, you say that and I think you

yesterday's game, and where did Coleman catch the eye? Going

forward, in the first minute. Leave that to the creative players. Where

does martinet sit in terms of his position in terms of the new owner

coming in? From what I understand, he will be fine, even if they fail

to reach the cup final and even if they finish just below the middle of

the table, like top of the bottom half, he will be fine and given more

time. Obviously, the new investor, Moshiri will invest money in the

summer and we will see who he keeps hold of and who he does not.

Martinet or have some big decisions to make in terms of who he let go

because they will sell one of their prized asset and I think it will be

John Stones. Then who do they get in? Can he keep hold of Lukaku? He

will also be pursued and would fancy a move to a Champions League club. A

lot of things for Martin is to consider but make no mistake, he's

under pressure from the supporters. -- for Martinez to consider. I do

think he's under the equivalent pressure from the board. One team

threatening the top four, your old boys West Ham, unlucky yesterday

given the penalty decision that Fabregas tucked away. Is it unlucky?

We see it too often, the big teams getting decisions of referees, I

don't know, it seems to be happening too often. You think it was a

penalty? Of it was outside the box and if the referee and linesman

can't work it out... And if you are not sure, you can't give it, surely?

How significant could that be given the Manchester derby later and the

fight for fourth place for West Ham? West Ham would be there now, they

would have leapfrogged the Manchester City and would be looking

down and be the ones to catch but looking at the game itself, they

played very well and they looked full of confidence. The way the

midfield had such spatial awareness but also awareness with each other

and the movement was so fluid. The goals were superb as well. I thought

they fully deserved to win the game but it did not happen. I'm sure

Slaven Bilic will gee them up and get them ready for the next game and

they will be ready to go again. They are just having fun, aren't they,

West Ham? They look like they are enjoying doing the job which is not

always the case, weird though it may seem to the people who are not

footballers who would like to have been. It is not always the case that

footballers enjoy their job but everyone at West Ham United looks

like they are just having fun which is down to the manager. He's given a

lot of freedom. Absolutely and it's the excitement around the place, the

emotion of it being the last season at Upton Park but the excitement of

going to the living stadium. And the excitement of being able... I saw

them being disappointed at not winning at Manchester United. It was

visible. They were clearly disappointed and Slaven Bilic was

clearly disappointed they did not win the FA Cup game. When you get

that belief that you belong at this level, that must be great. You say

about big teams getting decisions, it was an interesting reaction from

David Gold, one of the owners last night when someone said, only the

big teams get decisions, and he said, there is one answer to that,

let's become a big team. West Ham are on the way to doing that, moving

to the Olympic Stadium which is an amazing stadium. They have got the

fans behind them and the playing staff and the manager. They are

going to recruit in the summer and I think David Gold does all the

recruitment. If he does as well as he did last summer, they will be

hard to beat. How many managers will be bold enough... I commentate on

the FA Cup game between Manchester United and West Ham and after the

match, Slaven Bilic came out, after a brilliant game, and I said it

would be a wonderful replay, the last FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground

and he said, "I fancy as!" I said that but I'm a pundit. How many

managers would be bold enough to say that? It encapsulates West Ham this

season. And Dimitri Payet recognised with a call-up to the France squad.

And I would have thought he would be on the short list for the PFA player

of the Abbey football writers award. He is getting talked about quite a

lot in our circles because it is a field that we have a couple of

Leicester players and probably Harry Kane but Dimitri Payet, the way he

plays. There was a moment yesterday when he got the free kick and

everyone was expecting him to school, hit another one like against

Manchester United which no one can just replicate time after time. But

he's been a revelation. I was someone who thought and wrote and

got a lot of stick bread, quite rightly, it turns up, asking how you

could tear up his contract so early and give him a bigger one? The next

few games was his answer. When that happened, I was a bit concerned,

because a player who has done so well, a new contract so soon, you

wonder how he will respond but he went to the next level, went up

against a credit to the club and the player. West Ham tried to get into

the top four at the spreads of one of the Manchester club to meet at

the Etihad this afternoon. Manuel Pellegrini has been giving us his

thoughts. What happened to Manchester United is not my duty,

what happened with us and against Louis van Gogh is that we're going

to play against a strong team with a lot of history and they will do all

they can to win the game. We must not be trusting in those kinds of

things and try to have a good performance to win the game. I think

that as a fan of the big team, you must await it spec to win the title,

the same thing I talk about is the mentality, the mentality of the

fans, it does not matter if we don't win. -- you must always expect to

win the title. Both teams have a good squad in both clubs. I think

that they deserve to expect the highest we can do. Trevor, huge

expectations on both of these clubs at the beginning of the season. Who

is underachieving the most? You got to say Manchester United. City are

into the quarterfinals of the Champions League and they have got a

bit so wherewith the League Cup. You have to say United but I'm quite

concerned other former Manchester City player. You are more than that,

you have already told me united are going to win. You are a City van,

Trevor from Moss side, get him on Twitter! That is a lie, by the way.

I'm concerned because you take the bottom six teams out of the league

and you look at the result and Manchester United would be second

and City would be eighth, ten points viewer. It tells you that Manchester

United are better against the better teams. This is a really difficult

game. I think city have got to do better than they did last week in

the final third, the goals have dried up, defensively they have not

been as good as they were but there has not been much difference but

authentically, they have scored so many fewer goals than last season,

that is where the problem lies. We talk about the potential of Jose

Mourinho going to Manchester United in the summer and managing in the

Europa League but inconceivable out what yellow could manage City in the

Europa League given the plans in place this season. I think they will

finish in the top four. I would not count them out of the title race, if

they go on a run, which you think, looking at the personnel, they

should be capable of. If they win every game between now and the end

of the season, that will exert some pressure on Leicester and Spurs,

certainly. They don't look at the moment like a team who will win

every game between now and the end of the season. They are less than

the sum of their parts but clearly, Trevor is right, Manchester United

have underachieved more than Manchester City. I think the list of

players you were talking about as a possible Footballer of the Year, had

Kevin De Bruyne stayed fit, he would have been on the list. He's been an

enormous blow to city. And that coincide with David Silva being

injured and coming back and not being at the four where he set his

standard so high, he's not got back there yet which has affected them.

And you look at the players that have gone out, Negredo, Edin Dzeko,

Jovetic, they only brought in Wilfried Bony and is Iheanacho so

it's all on Aguero's shoulders and it is too much. Also, we say they

might be in the title race if they win every game but they normally

can't win back-to-back Premier League matches this season. They

have been struggling to do that since early in the season. I'm not

sure they can go on that run. Interesting, Guardiola will be

looking at the game today and thinking, what does he have to do in

the summer to change it? Who is staying and who is going? And at the

moment, you can make a case for half a dozen players who must be

thinking, "Will I still be here or will I still be in his plans?" I

think the players realise without even saying that that their job at

Manchester City is under the spotlight. They might not be there

by the end of the summer. Their policy has been to buy players at

the top of their game, in their peak years, four top money. If you do

that, as we said about Newcastle, if you do it for a few years in

succession, and don't bring in, they have obviously brought in Raheem

Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne is a bit younger but basically, the team

has got old and it has not changed enough. One of the people who is

getting old in inverted commas is Vincent Kompany, who is a stalwart

of the city defence but when he's not in their, he comes back and he

plays six or seven or eight games. Do they need to replace him if he is

constantly getting injured, as great as it been for the club? Its

mismanagement for me, you bring him back, he'd have something like 14

calf injury and you load his injured site and you don't work on the

uninjured side. It is too many games. I think it is a schoolboy

error from their medical team. He's had every kind of medical advice,

been across the world to see everyone, on his Instagram, you have

seen the different types of training he's been doing to prevent it but as

soon as he comes back... This is what I'm saying, you can't come back

and play three games in week at 30 with a problem like that. But they

have tried the other centre-backs. I was going to say, if you spend 60

mil in pounds on two centre halves, neither of the new really want. You

should be able to rotate them. That is their problem, I think Otamendi

is the better of him and Eliaquim Mangala but Vincent Kompany is still

by a distance Manchester City's best defender. I think both of them look

quite good with Kompany but together it is not happening. Who's going to

win a magister derby? Manchester City because I don't think United...

They have a better team, it is not complicated, I think the occasion

will lift Manchester City to a better performance and United as

well but I think City have the edge. Steve? , Taking their later though I

will therefore have do stay neutral! Your gut feeling? -- commentating

there. I think it will be a draw. I've got the feeling it will be a

draw but because City have underachieved and underwhelmed this

season, I can see Manchester United nicking it, just because of the form

that I was talking about earlier in the top tier of teams, Manchester

City have not produced the goods. Full commentary of Southampton

against Liverpool and that the Manchester derby on Radio 5Live from

4pm. Spurs against Bournemouth is on five live sports extra and Mark

Chapman will be back tonight with highlights of the Premier League

games. Whatever you are doing this Sunday afternoon, have a good one

and we will see you later.