:00:10. > :00:32.Good afternoon, welcome to MOTD 2 Extra on BBC Two,
:00:33. > :00:38.With me this lunchtime - former Chelsea and Norwich
:00:39. > :00:40.striker Chris Sutton, ex-England winger Trevor Sinclair,
:00:41. > :00:43.and football journalist Shaun Custis.
:00:44. > :00:48.You can get involved too - just use the hashtag #bbcfootball
:00:49. > :00:58.Life after Jose begins with a win for Chelsea.
:00:59. > :01:00.Could Mourinho be given a new life at Manchester United,
:01:01. > :01:03.as LVG's side are beaten by Norwich?
:01:04. > :01:07.Leicester certainly don't need him, as Claudio Ranieri's side ensure
:01:08. > :01:20.tomorrow night with Arsenal playing Manchester City.
:01:21. > :01:28.In terms of the big back page headlines this morning, The Mail say
:01:29. > :01:33.Time to Call Jose?. Van Gaal admits his job is on the line after the
:01:34. > :01:39.defeat to Norwich. The Express say the Blues are talking to Diego
:01:40. > :01:46.Simeone. And The Mirror, Christmas Boos Up, as Manchester United are
:01:47. > :01:47.jeered off at Manchester United, and Chelsea fans turn on a couple of
:01:48. > :01:49.their players too. We'll talk about what was
:01:50. > :01:51.an extraordinary day it's been confirmed that
:01:52. > :01:56.Pep Guardiola will leave Bayern Munich at the end
:01:57. > :01:59.of the season, and will be replaced It's going to make the next
:02:00. > :02:14.six months very interesting. The speculation has been about for
:02:15. > :02:17.quite a while now. Everyone has associated Pep with Man City,
:02:18. > :02:22.something that looks likely to happen. For me, the biggest thing I
:02:23. > :02:26.look at is Pellegrini. I feel sorry for him because he is doing a great
:02:27. > :02:31.job this season. They have a chance to win the Premier League, and
:02:32. > :02:35.equally, the Champions League, and progress better than ever this
:02:36. > :02:41.season. His job will be on the line, which is extraordinary to say.
:02:42. > :02:47.Pellegrini was saying yesterday that he still wanted to be in England. It
:02:48. > :02:50.is no surprise that Wadia Ola said what he said. He wants to come to
:02:51. > :02:55.the Premier League. It looks like it's going to be city. Chelsea say
:02:56. > :03:05.they will do whatever they can to get him. As press people, you get
:03:06. > :03:10.signals. If you write something sometimes, you know you would get
:03:11. > :03:17.really angry calls from the head of curing occasions. That's not about
:03:18. > :03:21.me! But nothing about Pep Guardiola. So is it a done deal? I think
:03:22. > :03:27.there's a lot of things in place to say he will be on his way. He's
:03:28. > :03:33.talked about wanting to go to Man United before, in his biography, how
:03:34. > :03:37.that was the club in England. If you manage Bayern or Barcelona, don't
:03:38. > :03:41.you want the other big club in the Premier League? Man United are still
:03:42. > :03:47.the biggest club. Wouldn't you want to go there rather than Man City? I
:03:48. > :03:54.think Manchester City are considered to have the better squad of players.
:03:55. > :03:58.Chelsea are going to have to spend big money next season to get the
:03:59. > :04:04.squad they want. The timing is curious, though. It is odd to make
:04:05. > :04:12.that announcement now, taking his eye off the ball at Bayern. I
:04:13. > :04:16.actually think that what Shaun is saying about Manchester City... But
:04:17. > :04:21.it would not surprise me if he went to Manchester United. Would it be a
:04:22. > :04:27.surprise for you? I can see the attraction for United and for him,
:04:28. > :04:31.but the word from United has been recently that they have had faith in
:04:32. > :04:39.Louis van Gaal. But that was before the last two defeats. When David
:04:40. > :04:44.Moyes was in charge, they had total faith in him, until they lost to
:04:45. > :04:47.Olympia course. So you can never be absolutely certain about how the
:04:48. > :04:51.mood is changed. If you are in charge at United at the moment, you
:04:52. > :04:56.cannot be happy with what is going on there. What Pep has done in his
:04:57. > :05:06.managerial quid, Barca, probably the best squad in La Liga, and if he
:05:07. > :05:10.goes to Man City, it is similar to what he has done in the past,
:05:11. > :05:16.because they are not the best squad in the league. That is part of the
:05:17. > :05:21.challenge, though. When he goes to Man United, he can presumably only
:05:22. > :05:25.do better. Everybody is going to revere him and think that he is the
:05:26. > :05:28.man who will take them back to the promised land. He has the highest
:05:29. > :05:34.stock as a manager in the world right now. How can he sacked
:05:35. > :05:39.Pellegrini if he wins the Champions League and the Premier League? It is
:05:40. > :05:45.ridiculous. I think if Aguero and Kompany are fit, they could do it.
:05:46. > :05:54.You think that Ross alone and Bayern have the best chance, but Man City
:05:55. > :05:56.have an outside chance. Otamendi in there with Kompany, building a good
:05:57. > :06:01.partnership. Why couldn't they? yesterday, with the passing
:06:02. > :06:05.of Jimmy Hill at the age of 87. The newspapers are full
:06:06. > :06:21.of tributes to a man Player, manager, chairman, linesmen,
:06:22. > :06:28.getting rid of the maximum wage as chairman of the PFA. It was
:06:29. > :06:32.innovative. Shirt sponsorship, which mocked and referred to yesterday. It
:06:33. > :06:39.was a phenomenal idea, ahead of its time, that is now expected. He
:06:40. > :06:45.understood the value of the player. He is my generation, my dad's
:06:46. > :06:50.generation, even your generation, to a certain extent. Maybe not so much.
:06:51. > :06:56.I always remember getting those football monthly magazines, which my
:06:57. > :07:02.dad would get through the door, and Jimmy Hill's face was always in
:07:03. > :07:16.those magazines. As journalists, he was in Jimmy Hill Sunday Sunderland
:07:17. > :07:20.on Sky, -- Sunday Supplement, and he was respected. If he had seen an
:07:21. > :07:30.incident with the referees, he really came down on them. He loved
:07:31. > :07:39.the game. A huge character. Jimmy Hill, rest in peace. Let's move on
:07:40. > :07:42.to the events yesterday. Manchester United losing against Norwich. Let's
:07:43. > :07:49.hear from the manager Louis van Gaal. We have never lost at home
:07:50. > :07:59.this season, and then we lose. You can see what confidence is doing to
:08:00. > :08:04.players. And, of course, we have lost, but now it is very important
:08:05. > :08:10.that everybody sticks together, I have to say that the fans were very
:08:11. > :08:15.good. They were still supporting after Norwich's second goal, I
:08:16. > :08:21.think. But it was not good enough today. You have to win against
:08:22. > :08:27.Norwich. We know that. Do you feel as though you will be given the
:08:28. > :08:34.chance to come through this? Yes, that is not to me, I think, to say
:08:35. > :08:43.about that question. But we shall see. Isn't it amazing, Chris, to see
:08:44. > :08:48.someone of Louis van Gaal's ilk potentially melting in front of a
:08:49. > :08:54.camera. That answer was hardly convincing. He wasn't melting, but
:08:55. > :09:00.he is worried about the situation. He spent ?250 million over the past
:09:01. > :09:05.year or so. That's a lot of money. And there hasn't been the progress
:09:06. > :09:10.this season. They have tightened up defensively, but he is not buying
:09:11. > :09:15.into the club's ethos and identity. They used to be a swashbuckling
:09:16. > :09:20.team, exciting on the eye, would give it their all. And it doesn't
:09:21. > :09:26.seem to be that way. He is more of a methodical manager, and they are not
:09:27. > :09:29.the United they were. When you spend that money, would the board think
:09:30. > :09:36.there has been progression from last season? It is a critical few weeks.
:09:37. > :09:41.You look at six games without a win in all competitions. That didn't
:09:42. > :09:47.even happen under David Moyes, whose name is banned at Old Trafford. The
:09:48. > :09:50.DNA of Manchester United, this is what we are talking about. They
:09:51. > :09:55.asked coaches what their philosophy is. When you go to a club like
:09:56. > :10:00.Manchester United, your philosophy has to change, because the fans
:10:01. > :10:05.demand that kind of play, exciting and enthralling. It is called the
:10:06. > :10:10.Theatre of Dreams for a reason, because you expect to see amazing
:10:11. > :10:15.football there. Players who play there, Bryan Robson, George Best...
:10:16. > :10:20.It needs to be exciting. The third lowest shots in the Premier League
:10:21. > :10:25.is there, at moment, which is unbelievable. Just not good enough.
:10:26. > :10:31.I think it's great when you can keep clean sheets, and you have to build
:10:32. > :10:36.from race, for me, but you have to to score goals. Back in coaching,
:10:37. > :10:42.you call it risk and reward. If you do not take risks, you will not get
:10:43. > :10:49.rewards. As a Manchester City fan, you said that so can been singly.
:10:50. > :10:54.Shaun, you were there yesterday. So strange to see, because it didn't
:10:55. > :10:59.actually happen with David Mose -- David Moyes, as fans were trying to
:11:00. > :11:04.get to him. That happened yesterday. They were 2-1 down. There was not
:11:05. > :11:10.this drive to get back into it. There was an acceptance that they
:11:11. > :11:13.would not get back to 2-2. We were talking in the press room at
:11:14. > :11:17.half-time saying we could not honestly say that we thought they
:11:18. > :11:23.would score two goals and get back into it. There was booing around Old
:11:24. > :11:27.Trafford, but almost a sad resignation about what was going on,
:11:28. > :11:32.which was almost the worst thing. Has it come to a head? I didn't get
:11:33. > :11:37.the feeling that it was absolutely over. The next two games are really
:11:38. > :11:43.important. After that, maybe they will have another look at it. I
:11:44. > :11:47.think that Louis van Gaal's personality has gone against him. He
:11:48. > :11:53.was quite stand fish when he came in, he had his own opinion, and he
:11:54. > :11:58.was quite strong with it. When things go wrong, you have to to show
:11:59. > :12:03.some humility. Because of the way he is, people are not really giving him
:12:04. > :12:11.the time now. A lot of the fans were booming. He said the fans are still
:12:12. > :12:18.behind him, but they were booming. The end justifies the means. If
:12:19. > :12:24.United improve their performance, he would be justified. But it is the
:12:25. > :12:28.fact that they're attacking intent, you cannot actually see how United
:12:29. > :12:33.are going to score. The amount of shots they have not had on target...
:12:34. > :12:40.It is incredible to talk about a united team this way. For me, he is
:12:41. > :12:44.still an experienced coach. He has proven himself over the years. He
:12:45. > :12:48.needs time. It is not the Chelsea situation where van Gaal has lost
:12:49. > :12:55.the players. The fans are disgruntled. At least Chelsea were
:12:56. > :13:02.not warring. Some say he is boring. That van Gaal has not lost the
:13:03. > :13:08.dressing room. I think he is almost too honest when he does the press
:13:09. > :13:13.conferences. He says, I am a successful manager. Oh, I was a
:13:14. > :13:19.successful manager. It is a stark thing to say. He knows they may get
:13:20. > :13:23.rid of him. It is incredible. You watch Manchester United television
:13:24. > :13:27.in the press room, which can be like the North Korean broadcaster, and
:13:28. > :13:36.even they are getting stuck into him! Once you have got your own TV
:13:37. > :13:39.station having a go at you, then... Is there any flip side? I heard that
:13:40. > :13:44.yesterday was only the second of third goals that they have conceded
:13:45. > :13:53.at home this season. Are they still in the title race? It is just the
:13:54. > :14:00.way they play. But the money he has spent is so, so relevant. The ?250
:14:01. > :14:04.million. United don't have great players to bring in. Luke Shaw was
:14:05. > :14:10.out yesterday, but other than that, you are racking your brains to think
:14:11. > :14:15.who could come in and change things. Well done to Norwich as well. Alex
:14:16. > :14:19.Neil's men are down there, and to go to Old Trafford at any time and
:14:20. > :14:25.produce a performance like that... The timing is everything. On MOTD 2
:14:26. > :14:33.Extra we are going to speak to Sebastien Bassong in a minute. Out
:14:34. > :14:44.LVG and in Jose Mourinho, says the Sun Sport. Some quotes from that
:14:45. > :14:49.one, with Louis van Gaal saying, my record suggests I'm a very
:14:50. > :14:56.successful manager, although maybe I should say, I was. Arrogance,
:14:57. > :15:02.sarcasm or not true? It was not sarcasm. He was telling it as he
:15:03. > :15:06.was. Mourinho going has put extra pressure on, because people are
:15:07. > :15:12.debating the possibility of Pep Guardiola and Mourinho as well being
:15:13. > :15:17.there. They are pals, yet Mourinho is putting it out there that he
:15:18. > :15:23.would quite fancy that job. Van Gaal took every question yesterday. He
:15:24. > :15:27.answered really honestly. He made no excuses for the performance.
:15:28. > :15:32.Absolutely none. He was not flinging blame around like Mourinho was
:15:33. > :15:36.doing. He took it all on the chin. You might say, so he should, but he
:15:37. > :15:38.dealt with it pretty well. He knows he is in a mess that will be hard to
:15:39. > :15:49.get out of. In terms of Jose Mourinho going to
:15:50. > :15:54.Old Trafford... He does not play attacking food. Some people saying
:15:55. > :16:02.could you imagine Sir Bobby Charlton sitting in the directors box,
:16:03. > :16:07.watching a team by Jose Mourinho. It's coincidence that he has left
:16:08. > :16:12.his team and his post at Chelsea. It's a possibility but for me... He
:16:13. > :16:22.is a younger version of Louis Van Gaal. Louis Van Gaal was the mentor
:16:23. > :16:27.of Jose Mourinho. Definitely not in the same vein as the DNA of
:16:28. > :16:32.Manchester United, which is exciting, swashbuckling football. It
:16:33. > :16:37.used to be. Yes, it used to be. They are not a fantastic match for me but
:16:38. > :16:46.people are making that connection. Jose Mourinho? Not at all. Given
:16:47. > :16:51.time, the end of the season... He should be given time, Louis Van
:16:52. > :16:56.Gaal. He has to change things, in the end, it is a results driven
:16:57. > :16:59.business. Managers sign long-term contracts, but they should sign 3
:17:00. > :17:08.month contract. If they lose, they are at the door. United used to be
:17:09. > :17:12.about holding a legacy. It was about Sir Alex Ferguson until they brought
:17:13. > :17:21.in David Moyes. That idea for them, it will go out the window. It has
:17:22. > :17:25.gone out the window because he's a belligerent did by spending
:17:26. > :17:32.250,000,000. They want a home-grown player who has come through the
:17:33. > :17:41.youth ranks. -- he has obliterated it. To see 1 of your players that
:17:42. > :17:44.has come through the academy... But the biggest thing for me, quite
:17:45. > :17:50.evident yesterday... Passion was missing. Ryan Giggs got up late
:17:51. > :17:55.on... Into the technical area that says I did not think he was allowed
:17:56. > :18:01.to do that but he was so frustrated. So frustrated and he wanted to put a
:18:02. > :18:06.bit of life into the players. With the greatest of respect, the likes
:18:07. > :18:11.of the Neville brothers were not the most gifted footballers but they
:18:12. > :18:15.knew the identity of the club. They had courage, desperation to win. How
:18:16. > :18:21.many times have we seen Manchester United scoring late winners? The
:18:22. > :18:26.belief has gone. The excitement has gone. I tell you what, I will put
:18:27. > :18:34.you out of your misery, that's enough about Manchester United.
:18:35. > :18:37.Sebastian Bassong... Good afternoon. How much belief does that result
:18:38. > :18:46.give you guys that you can stay in the Premier League? Good afternoon,
:18:47. > :18:49.everyone. I think that result as weird as it will sound, that is the
:18:50. > :18:55.result before the game we knew we could get. This season has been a
:18:56. > :19:00.hard season so far. We were expecting it. We were totally aware
:19:01. > :19:05.of the quality of the squad and the team. I know we are capable of
:19:06. > :19:08.staying in the Premier League because of the strength and quality
:19:09. > :19:17.and the result yesterday gives us a lift. It pushes us more in that
:19:18. > :19:21.direction. It is Trevor here. You have not scored a lot of goals this
:19:22. > :19:26.season, would you liked to see new faces in January, not just to score
:19:27. > :19:35.goals but bring fresh players in and a fresh impetus to the squad? It is
:19:36. > :19:44.not down to me. To comment about it. I don't know. I think the squad we
:19:45. > :19:47.have is quite balanced. If there are any additions in January, it must be
:19:48. > :19:53.the right ones. You do not add players for the sake of it. As with
:19:54. > :19:59.everything we do. I do not know what the management and staff want to do
:20:00. > :20:03.what if they think we need new faces and they are going to add something,
:20:04. > :20:07.they must add something quality, and I am not against it. The 1st 15
:20:08. > :20:12.minutes against Manchester United, you were under the cosh and you had
:20:13. > :20:17.to weather the storm yet they did not create any clear-cut chances.
:20:18. > :20:20.The more the game went on, you must have thought, they are not really
:20:21. > :20:27.hurting us that much and we can find a way through? It is exactly that.
:20:28. > :20:34.The 1st 15 minutes we knew they were going to come straight at us. That
:20:35. > :20:41.is what we expected. At the end, we put pressure on. We did not create
:20:42. > :20:46.clear chances. They had more possession of the ball, playing in
:20:47. > :20:50.front of us. As much as the game was going on, as you said, we were
:20:51. > :20:55.building up confidence and we felt like... That we could not get a
:20:56. > :21:02.result, but we did. The Newcastle game seem to knock the stuffing...
:21:03. > :21:07.Excuse the Christmas pun... Out of Norwich for a while. Would you said
:21:08. > :21:11.you are back on track, playing in a more positive manner. Alex Neil
:21:12. > :21:20.spoke about being more defensively minded after Newcastle? Yes... When
:21:21. > :21:24.you have a defeat the way we do against Newcastle, all of the things
:21:25. > :21:31.people right, people are Abbott lost. We try to figure that out. --
:21:32. > :21:37.a bit lost. We went through crisis mode. We should not have done that.
:21:38. > :21:49.We change the style of play and we went into a different mode. At the
:21:50. > :22:01.end of the day we figured out it was not working. We just went back to
:22:02. > :22:07.this style of playing and I think... Newcastle is forgotten, it is done
:22:08. > :22:13.and dusted. I know, we know... That the style of play we have, we will
:22:14. > :22:16.concede goals at some point but it is down to our defenders to try and
:22:17. > :22:24.contain that, they will be more exposed. It is the way the gaffer
:22:25. > :22:29.wants to play and it suits us. As a player, we enjoy it even more. We
:22:30. > :22:36.have the quality in the defensive unit to stop the attack. I think it
:22:37. > :22:41.works, yes. We appreciate you coming on, thank you for joining us. No
:22:42. > :22:49.worries, thank you. Sebastian Bassong from Norwich there. I've
:22:50. > :22:54.been so impressed with Alex Neil. The way he has handled the
:22:55. > :22:57.situation. He came in, over a short space of time, took the club up,
:22:58. > :23:03.everyone said he was the greatest thing. If you shaky results this
:23:04. > :23:07.season, but he is showing his worth, he's got the balance right. Norwich
:23:08. > :23:13.were offensive yesterday, but they had a defensive structure. Redmond
:23:14. > :23:16.was in the team, more of the ball carrier, Harrison is not unnatural
:23:17. > :23:23.ball-carrier, down the right-hand side. Wes Hoolahan is a key player
:23:24. > :23:28.for them, I think they can stay up. Problem on Boxing Day, Aston Villa
:23:29. > :23:33.on the 28th of December. Today at 1:30 PM Watford take on Liverpool at
:23:34. > :23:38.the creature road. John Murray has Luther Blissett alongside him.
:23:39. > :23:41.Here is the man who has made more appearances for and scored more
:23:42. > :23:47.goals for Watford than anyone else, you must be living -- loving this?
:23:48. > :23:51.To be back in the Premier League and facing Liverpool, it's outstanding.
:23:52. > :23:56.Really something I am looking forward to. What for your
:23:57. > :24:01.expectations this season and promotion was achieved? When we got
:24:02. > :24:05.promotion, everyone was thinking we have to stay in the division and
:24:06. > :24:08.that should aim. Lots of new players came in and everyone thought it
:24:09. > :24:12.might take us a couple of months to get things going but incredibly, we
:24:13. > :24:16.hit the ground running, pretty much and managed to keep it going and to
:24:17. > :24:20.be 7th at this stage, it's incredible. What really pleased that
:24:21. > :24:26.Leicester keep winning because they keep the pressure off us. What do
:24:27. > :24:38.you think about the new manager? KK Sancho Floris. He's great. The
:24:39. > :24:42.players love him. We speak to him after every match and not 1 has a
:24:43. > :24:49.bad word to say about him. Tactically... The relationship with
:24:50. > :24:53.the manager... It's fantastic, they love him. And I think by the way
:24:54. > :24:58.they play... And even when players get taken of, you never see their
:24:59. > :25:05.heads go down and they know it's not personal, it's tactical. It's very
:25:06. > :25:09.positive. Everyone concentrates on a few players but presumably there are
:25:10. > :25:18.plenty of on song heroes in the team so pick out a few for us. People who
:25:19. > :25:24.might not appreciate... U has come from Spurs, fantastic, a slow start
:25:25. > :25:35.to the season but he has kicked on and been fantastic. -- Capu. He has
:25:36. > :25:42.a hunger about him. He is brilliant. And then in gold... Gomez,
:25:43. > :25:47.brilliant. From here, what are you expecting? If we could get a result
:25:48. > :25:51.today could be fantastic, set things up perfectly for a little break,
:25:52. > :25:56.enjoy a bit of Christmas turkey and we kick on again after that. Luther,
:25:57. > :26:06.thank you. John Murray is at Vicarage Road and Alistair is they
:26:07. > :26:15.are for BBC Radio 5 Live. Simon Mignolet is absent for Liverpool.
:26:16. > :26:22.Bogdan getting a start in goal. Apparently Simon Mignolet has a
:26:23. > :26:29.tight hamstring. A chance for Bogdan to impress. Ryan Fulton is the
:26:30. > :26:34.substitute keeper. 1 of 4 changes. Christian Benteke drops out.
:26:35. > :26:41.Replaced by Roberto Fermino who started against Manchester City.
:26:42. > :26:48.Manor du Sacco comes into the back 4. James Milner unavailable through
:26:49. > :26:53.injury. Lukas replacing him. The Watford news is simpler, and changed
:26:54. > :26:56.from the 1- 0 win at Sunderland. They are 1 point above Liverpool at
:26:57. > :27:02.the start of the game in the Premier League table. Alistair, thank you,
:27:03. > :27:10.kick-off at 1:30 PM. It's like we've been invited to Wear at Sutton and
:27:11. > :27:16.Sinckler Christmas lunch! Let's talk about Watford. Trevor Colman you
:27:17. > :27:21.said while we listened to Alistair, what a job that Floris has done. He
:27:22. > :27:27.has done with class and style, his team are well organised, the Premier
:27:28. > :27:32.League for me this season, it's about trigger points, pressure. He
:27:33. > :27:39.has done brilliantly. Troy Deeney works his socks off. Well do a lot
:27:40. > :27:43.of tireless work and someone else will get the goals. But he's
:27:44. > :27:47.important to the team. They have bought into it, didn't start
:27:48. > :27:52.particularly well, but they are scoring more goals and it is a good,
:27:53. > :27:59.successful story. Mid- table, they deserve to be there. A lot of us
:28:00. > :28:02.journalists were invited to the Watford Christmas party and the
:28:03. > :28:07.manager was there and he worked the room, I really good raconteur. He
:28:08. > :28:14.loves being here, in England, the Premier League. He says it's the
:28:15. > :28:19.only place to be, I have been in La Liga but it's the only place to be.
:28:20. > :28:25.His enthusiasm comes true, he knows from a pressure point of view... He
:28:26. > :28:32.knows keeping them up is the be all and end all. He is doing it with
:28:33. > :28:36.swagger. It is easier, from his point of view to enjoy it because he
:28:37. > :28:41.no is the thing is to keep them up. I would not say 0 pressure. There is
:28:42. > :28:47.an expectation, certainly now, that they stay up. Inviting journalists
:28:48. > :28:52.to a Christmas party? There were quite a few of us. Thank you for
:28:53. > :29:01.turning up to the BBC football dinner... Interesting team news from
:29:02. > :29:07.Alistair Bruce Ball. Bogdan... A tight hamstring from Simon Mignolet?
:29:08. > :29:18.Half a dozen half volleys and they go on... He must be training
:29:19. > :29:24.properly. Word on the 4 PM kick-off. Swansea in a pretty powerless
:29:25. > :29:33.position. They seemed to have sacked Garry Monk without knowing for to go
:29:34. > :29:41.next. There is a lot of people horrified, particularly, that Garry
:29:42. > :29:45.Monk has gone, they don't understand it. Especially as he was being
:29:46. > :29:51.lauded so great in the previous 2 years, King of the castle, then he
:29:52. > :29:56.is falling. It is hard for people to understand what is going on at
:29:57. > :29:59.Swansea. They have given us so much entertainment, played with
:30:00. > :30:05.enjoyment, and scared the life out of the opposition. How do you find
:30:06. > :30:10.out about the manager? Its 1st little bit of adversity. And then he
:30:11. > :30:16.is sacked. I thought that was harsh. Where would you go as a Swansea
:30:17. > :30:20.German? I expect Swansea to go for experience, Trident tested and
:30:21. > :30:23.trusted. Someone who knows the Premier League well because they
:30:24. > :30:29.want to stay there. It surprises me that they would go abroad.
:30:30. > :30:38.Don't forget, extended highlights of both of today's games on Match Of
:30:39. > :30:44.The Day 2. Let's talk about Chelsea, because they beat Sunderland 3-1
:30:45. > :30:51.yesterday. Guus Hiddink was watching from the stands. Chelsea is such a
:30:52. > :30:56.big club. We are not used to being here. The last ten years, we have
:30:57. > :31:00.had a lot of difficult times. They will support us through this, and we
:31:01. > :31:04.will come out on top, sooner or later, if we put in performances
:31:05. > :31:09.like that. The fans will come up with smiles on their faces. They are
:31:10. > :31:16.disappointed, and so are we. Chance of the old manager rang round the
:31:17. > :31:22.ground. But the booze for Cesc Fabregas when he was substituted.
:31:23. > :31:27.What was your reaction to that? We are all in the same position. One or
:31:28. > :31:32.two have performed, and others haven't, unfortunately. That is
:31:33. > :31:35.behind us now. We have to start winning football matches, and get
:31:36. > :31:43.higher in the league and -- than we are. Chris Sutton, your old club.
:31:44. > :31:47.Mark Lawrenson said that when Chelsea went up, it tells you
:31:48. > :31:51.everything you need to know about the modern footballer. I think the
:31:52. > :31:57.majority of Chelsea players need to hang their heads in shame. What do
:31:58. > :32:02.fans expect? They expect players to play for the jersey. The least they
:32:03. > :32:06.can do is run around, sweat, put tackles in and chase back. A lot of
:32:07. > :32:11.the Chelsea players have downed tools. They were right to sack
:32:12. > :32:16.Mourinho because I felt he had lost the dressing room. And his comments
:32:17. > :32:20.about the players, there was only one way. People hearing about
:32:21. > :32:25.Mourinho and his choice of words, and that it was off-the-cuff, but it
:32:26. > :32:31.wasn't. He knew what he was saying, and he had to go. I cannot conceive
:32:32. > :32:39.the idea, Trevor, that you would play for a manager or will not play
:32:40. > :32:42.for a manager. You play for yourself and your team-mates, don't you? The
:32:43. > :32:50.idea of Oscar, who was Man of the Match and came off to a standing
:32:51. > :32:55.ovation, we haven't seen him for a year. Most of the players should be
:32:56. > :33:01.embarrassed. At the end of the day, they have got a man the sack,
:33:02. > :33:08.Mourinho. They have been playing and having a go recently, but I think
:33:09. > :33:14.the relationship broke down with too many individuals, starting with
:33:15. > :33:20.Doctor Eva Carneiro. John Terry was not even the worst centre-half for
:33:21. > :33:24.Chelsea that day. Breaking down of relationships with certain people in
:33:25. > :33:28.the squad, and certain players have been really poor. There's a lot of
:33:29. > :33:32.rumours going around. It is a disgrace that those players. Their
:33:33. > :33:38.stock has gone so far down its not true. And I don't blame the fans. It
:33:39. > :33:42.is right to blame the players, but you have two blame Mourinho as well,
:33:43. > :33:48.for creating a drama every week. I'm not sure if the idea was to get the
:33:49. > :33:51.players behind him. The thing with the doctor was bizarre. The rucks
:33:52. > :33:58.with the players, it is an art going to help them get onside. And every
:33:59. > :34:04.week, find for a different out first. People say, it's great for
:34:05. > :34:08.the press, great box office, but eventually it becomes a bit tedious
:34:09. > :34:14.and tiresome. You think, what's he done now? Mourinho at it again. And
:34:15. > :34:19.it loses any impact he was trying to get, and you get almost fed up with
:34:20. > :34:23.him. I think the biggest mistake for Chelsea was preseason. Everything
:34:24. > :34:26.has come off the back of that. They didn't have a great preseason and
:34:27. > :34:40.they said they were going to do it during the Premier League.
:34:41. > :34:43.The Premier League is too competitive. If you have an injury
:34:44. > :34:46.in preseason for three weeks, and then you start catching up, the
:34:47. > :34:48.other players have gone to another level. It takes months to get where
:34:49. > :34:51.you need to be, level par with everyone else. I don't think Chelsea
:34:52. > :34:59.did that, and they have been on catch up. His biggest mistake was
:35:00. > :35:06.slamming the public -- the players publicly. No doubt that Mourinho's
:35:07. > :35:11.credentials and his football brain, but his man management skills at the
:35:12. > :35:16.end... As soon as you say players have betrayed you, in any walk of
:35:17. > :35:21.life, if you say your staff have betrayed you, they think, well... We
:35:22. > :35:25.are not having that. Chelsea were right to change. Mourinho had lost
:35:26. > :35:32.the plot. After the West Ham game, he blamed everyone else, like the
:35:33. > :35:38.referees, and he was actually wrong. That is where he is letting himself
:35:39. > :35:45.down. It is an accumulation. Was that not one of his strengths, his
:35:46. > :35:49.man management? QC players crying and hugging him, absolutely
:35:50. > :35:54.emotional when he leaves clubs. But this time, they have kicked him out.
:35:55. > :35:59.I don't think it has helped him that Ranieri is top of the leak, and
:36:00. > :36:04.Lukaku has scored for other people. You think, he has lost it. There
:36:05. > :36:08.will be other people watching today's saying, we don't know what
:36:09. > :36:16.we are talking about. There were signs and banners, saying... We all
:36:17. > :36:20.understand that. That goes back to the players playing for the badge.
:36:21. > :36:26.Any walk of life, any workplace, you are not always going to get on with
:36:27. > :36:33.everyone. They were playing -- blaming the players. They had a sign
:36:34. > :36:36.saying, rats. We all know what is going to happen in that situation,
:36:37. > :36:41.and the owner had a decision to make. He said he was reluctant to
:36:42. > :36:46.sack him, or words to that effect, but he didn't have any choice at
:36:47. > :36:51.that stage. Once he used the word betrayed, it had gone too far. And
:36:52. > :36:57.Drogba turning up at the ground, with Hiddink, using all that... It
:36:58. > :37:02.has been said that the betrayal thing is that they betrayed what he
:37:03. > :37:07.meant them to do but his coaching methods. He says he meant that they
:37:08. > :37:11.were not carrying out his coaching method, but that is a strong word,
:37:12. > :37:17.and he knows enough English. He is an intelligent man. What about Guus
:37:18. > :37:23.Hiddink. What kind of environment is he walking into? We saw him on the
:37:24. > :37:28.pitch, shaking hands, hugs. It starts well, but what atmosphere is
:37:29. > :37:33.he walking into? I think it is a good job to take, because they
:37:34. > :37:37.cannot do much worse. I think he will improve them, but I just
:37:38. > :37:41.wonder, at the time with Mourinho and Chelsea parting company, whether
:37:42. > :37:45.a brand -- whether Abramovich thought that they could sneak into
:37:46. > :37:52.the Champions League places. I don't think they have enough to do that.
:37:53. > :37:57.We don't know whether Didier Drogba will play an official role, but he
:37:58. > :38:01.was on the pitch, out of season with Montreal. Is he the right link
:38:02. > :38:05.between Hiddink and the players? Everyone at Chelsea will respect
:38:06. > :38:09.what Drogba and his relationship with Chelsea is. He has won
:38:10. > :38:13.everything at the club. He will be able to settle a few characters down
:38:14. > :38:19.in that squad, get them all together again, and help Hiddink take Chelsea
:38:20. > :38:23.forward again. For me, the whole situation with Chelsea and the
:38:24. > :38:27.players, it was a Championship winning team last year, fifth from
:38:28. > :38:32.the bottom of the league now, it stinks. It gives a really poor... It
:38:33. > :38:37.looks really poor in the modern day player. I have done a few interviews
:38:38. > :38:42.with Drogba over the years, and people don't realise he has quite a
:38:43. > :38:47.hard edge. He will not tolerate the things going on at the moment. Much
:38:48. > :38:52.as he loves Chelsea and the adulation and all that, him being
:38:53. > :38:55.there yesterday, he has sucked respect at the club, that I think
:38:56. > :39:05.him being there will be such a big factor. -- he has such respect. He
:39:06. > :39:11.would be a good policeman! I think that reflects really poorly on some
:39:12. > :39:20.of the key players involved in this situation at Chelsea. Chelsea's
:39:21. > :39:28.former manager, Claudio Ranieri, his side top of the league at the end --
:39:29. > :39:34.at Christmas. What is next? Our target is 40 points at the end of
:39:35. > :39:39.the season. After, I want to speak with my players. It is important to
:39:40. > :39:44.understand what they believe they can achieve. And I can speak my idea
:39:45. > :39:50.about them. You see teams before getting to a certain level and then
:39:51. > :39:55.relaxing. Is this a concern? If some players relax, they go out of the
:39:56. > :39:59.team. That is my philosophy. What would be your Christmas message for
:40:00. > :40:06.those Leicester fans, who are singing about playing Barcelona on H
:40:07. > :40:10.used a night? It is good to see our fans, and all of our fans, so I
:40:11. > :40:17.would say Merry Christmas to them and their family. Shaun Custis, a
:40:18. > :40:22.Leicester fan was reduced to tears on the radio last night. They are
:40:23. > :40:29.top of the pack in the Premier League. I think everybody is
:40:30. > :40:33.enjoying it. Everyone is smiling. It is fun. You ask anybody who supports
:40:34. > :40:39.other teams, and they say they would love to see Leicester winning the
:40:40. > :40:43.league. It would be brilliant. It embarrasses all those other clubs
:40:44. > :40:48.who say, no, you cannot win the league because we don't have enough
:40:49. > :40:51.resources. How can you take on clubs like Manchester City? It is
:40:52. > :40:55.embarrassing everybody, and I think the rest of the people must be
:40:56. > :41:01.cringing, thinking they are showing us up. And they are. Leicester fans
:41:02. > :41:05.were not happy with what I am going to say, but I have a feeling they
:41:06. > :41:13.will finish fifth, which will still be incredible. Christmas spirit!
:41:14. > :41:20.They go to a lot of places away from home, but then... They are set up
:41:21. > :41:24.perfectly. Trevor talked about counterattacking. They suck teams
:41:25. > :41:31.in, and then they have the pace of Vardy, who is fantastic. I think he
:41:32. > :41:35.could play for a top four clubs. He is in scintillating form. His run
:41:36. > :41:39.for the penalty yesterday was superb. He's got more to his game.
:41:40. > :41:50.His awareness... He doesn't just work hard. What is a top 14 these
:41:51. > :41:56.days? They really must be a serious contender for the Champions League.
:41:57. > :42:03.Five away wins out of seven Premier League games. The game has changed.
:42:04. > :42:07.It is soak up the pressure, hit teams on the counterattack, and if
:42:08. > :42:11.you can do that, you have got a great chance of being successful in
:42:12. > :42:15.the Premier League this year. This year, it has found out a lot of
:42:16. > :42:20.teams who are positioned based football. Bardy's pace, vision,
:42:21. > :42:26.timing of his runs, confidence, the way he finishes his chances... --
:42:27. > :42:32.Vardy. I think they have a great chance of finishing in the top four.
:42:33. > :42:39.Arsenal against Manchester City on Monday night, commentary on five
:42:40. > :42:42.line. It is in these big games that Arsenal usually come unstuck. This
:42:43. > :42:47.year, both sides know the Premier League is there for the taking. I
:42:48. > :42:51.have a funny feeling it will end up as a draw and we will still not know
:42:52. > :42:57.who will win the Premier League. Those two must know it is therefore
:42:58. > :43:02.this season. Your old team, Trevor, City, keeping themselves fit? I
:43:03. > :43:07.think they need to get Kompany back, because they are linking -- leaking
:43:08. > :43:13.too many goals. If they can look more solid at the back, they have
:43:14. > :43:21.the players. The depth of quality going forward, offensively, is
:43:22. > :43:25.incredible. I think they are favourites. Whoever finishes above
:43:26. > :43:31.Arsenal wins the league, and vice versa. It is just what order it will
:43:32. > :43:35.be. Can Arsenal win it? I think Arsenal will win, but I think they
:43:36. > :43:46.will choke and Man City will win the league. City. City. A hat-trick of
:43:47. > :43:54.city. I will not tell you who I support! Don't forget Match Of The
:43:55. > :44:00.Day 2 tomorrow night on BBC Two. It is also sports personality on BBC
:44:01. > :44:03.One, 640 5pm on five line. Have a good Christmas!