20/12/2015 MOTD2 Extra


20/12/2015

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Transcript


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Good afternoon, welcome to MOTD 2 Extra on BBC Two,

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With me this lunchtime - former Chelsea and Norwich

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striker Chris Sutton, ex-England winger Trevor Sinclair,

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and football journalist Shaun Custis.

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You can get involved too - just use the hashtag #bbcfootball

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Life after Jose begins with a win for Chelsea.

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Could Mourinho be given a new life at Manchester United,

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as LVG's side are beaten by Norwich?

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Leicester certainly don't need him, as Claudio Ranieri's side ensure

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tomorrow night with Arsenal playing Manchester City.

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In terms of the big back page headlines this morning, The Mail say

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Time to Call Jose?. Van Gaal admits his job is on the line after the

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defeat to Norwich. The Express say the Blues are talking to Diego

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Simeone. And The Mirror, Christmas Boos Up, as Manchester United are

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jeered off at Manchester United, and Chelsea fans turn on a couple of

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their players too. We'll talk about what was

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an extraordinary day it's been confirmed that

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Pep Guardiola will leave Bayern Munich at the end

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of the season, and will be replaced It's going to make the next

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six months very interesting. The speculation has been about for

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quite a while now. Everyone has associated Pep with Man City,

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something that looks likely to happen. For me, the biggest thing I

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look at is Pellegrini. I feel sorry for him because he is doing a great

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job this season. They have a chance to win the Premier League, and

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equally, the Champions League, and progress better than ever this

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season. His job will be on the line, which is extraordinary to say.

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Pellegrini was saying yesterday that he still wanted to be in England. It

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is no surprise that Wadia Ola said what he said. He wants to come to

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the Premier League. It looks like it's going to be city. Chelsea say

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they will do whatever they can to get him. As press people, you get

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signals. If you write something sometimes, you know you would get

:03:06.:03:10.

really angry calls from the head of curing occasions. That's not about

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me! But nothing about Pep Guardiola. So is it a done deal? I think

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there's a lot of things in place to say he will be on his way. He's

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talked about wanting to go to Man United before, in his biography, how

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that was the club in England. If you manage Bayern or Barcelona, don't

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you want the other big club in the Premier League? Man United are still

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the biggest club. Wouldn't you want to go there rather than Man City? I

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think Manchester City are considered to have the better squad of players.

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Chelsea are going to have to spend big money next season to get the

:03:55.:03:58.

squad they want. The timing is curious, though. It is odd to make

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that announcement now, taking his eye off the ball at Bayern. I

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actually think that what Shaun is saying about Manchester City... But

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it would not surprise me if he went to Manchester United. Would it be a

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surprise for you? I can see the attraction for United and for him,

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but the word from United has been recently that they have had faith in

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Louis van Gaal. But that was before the last two defeats. When David

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Moyes was in charge, they had total faith in him, until they lost to

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Olympia course. So you can never be absolutely certain about how the

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mood is changed. If you are in charge at United at the moment, you

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cannot be happy with what is going on there. What Pep has done in his

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managerial quid, Barca, probably the best squad in La Liga, and if he

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goes to Man City, it is similar to what he has done in the past,

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because they are not the best squad in the league. That is part of the

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challenge, though. When he goes to Man United, he can presumably only

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do better. Everybody is going to revere him and think that he is the

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man who will take them back to the promised land. He has the highest

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stock as a manager in the world right now. How can he sacked

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Pellegrini if he wins the Champions League and the Premier League? It is

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ridiculous. I think if Aguero and Kompany are fit, they could do it.

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You think that Ross alone and Bayern have the best chance, but Man City

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have an outside chance. Otamendi in there with Kompany, building a good

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partnership. Why couldn't they? yesterday, with the passing

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of Jimmy Hill at the age of 87. The newspapers are full

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of tributes to a man Player, manager, chairman, linesmen,

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getting rid of the maximum wage as chairman of the PFA. It was

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innovative. Shirt sponsorship, which mocked and referred to yesterday. It

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was a phenomenal idea, ahead of its time, that is now expected. He

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understood the value of the player. He is my generation, my dad's

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generation, even your generation, to a certain extent. Maybe not so much.

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I always remember getting those football monthly magazines, which my

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dad would get through the door, and Jimmy Hill's face was always in

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those magazines. As journalists, he was in Jimmy Hill Sunday Sunderland

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on Sky, -- Sunday Supplement, and he was respected. If he had seen an

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incident with the referees, he really came down on them. He loved

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the game. A huge character. Jimmy Hill, rest in peace. Let's move on

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to the events yesterday. Manchester United losing against Norwich. Let's

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hear from the manager Louis van Gaal. We have never lost at home

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this season, and then we lose. You can see what confidence is doing to

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players. And, of course, we have lost, but now it is very important

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that everybody sticks together, I have to say that the fans were very

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good. They were still supporting after Norwich's second goal, I

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think. But it was not good enough today. You have to win against

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Norwich. We know that. Do you feel as though you will be given the

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chance to come through this? Yes, that is not to me, I think, to say

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about that question. But we shall see. Isn't it amazing, Chris, to see

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someone of Louis van Gaal's ilk potentially melting in front of a

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camera. That answer was hardly convincing. He wasn't melting, but

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he is worried about the situation. He spent ?250 million over the past

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year or so. That's a lot of money. And there hasn't been the progress

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this season. They have tightened up defensively, but he is not buying

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into the club's ethos and identity. They used to be a swashbuckling

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team, exciting on the eye, would give it their all. And it doesn't

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seem to be that way. He is more of a methodical manager, and they are not

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the United they were. When you spend that money, would the board think

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there has been progression from last season? It is a critical few weeks.

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You look at six games without a win in all competitions. That didn't

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even happen under David Moyes, whose name is banned at Old Trafford. The

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DNA of Manchester United, this is what we are talking about. They

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asked coaches what their philosophy is. When you go to a club like

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Manchester United, your philosophy has to change, because the fans

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demand that kind of play, exciting and enthralling. It is called the

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Theatre of Dreams for a reason, because you expect to see amazing

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football there. Players who play there, Bryan Robson, George Best...

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It needs to be exciting. The third lowest shots in the Premier League

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is there, at moment, which is unbelievable. Just not good enough.

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I think it's great when you can keep clean sheets, and you have to build

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from race, for me, but you have to to score goals. Back in coaching,

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you call it risk and reward. If you do not take risks, you will not get

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rewards. As a Manchester City fan, you said that so can been singly.

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Shaun, you were there yesterday. So strange to see, because it didn't

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actually happen with David Mose -- David Moyes, as fans were trying to

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get to him. That happened yesterday. They were 2-1 down. There was not

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this drive to get back into it. There was an acceptance that they

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would not get back to 2-2. We were talking in the press room at

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half-time saying we could not honestly say that we thought they

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would score two goals and get back into it. There was booing around Old

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Trafford, but almost a sad resignation about what was going on,

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which was almost the worst thing. Has it come to a head? I didn't get

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the feeling that it was absolutely over. The next two games are really

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important. After that, maybe they will have another look at it. I

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think that Louis van Gaal's personality has gone against him. He

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was quite stand fish when he came in, he had his own opinion, and he

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was quite strong with it. When things go wrong, you have to to show

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some humility. Because of the way he is, people are not really giving him

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the time now. A lot of the fans were booming. He said the fans are still

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behind him, but they were booming. The end justifies the means. If

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United improve their performance, he would be justified. But it is the

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fact that they're attacking intent, you cannot actually see how United

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are going to score. The amount of shots they have not had on target...

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It is incredible to talk about a united team this way. For me, he is

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still an experienced coach. He has proven himself over the years. He

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needs time. It is not the Chelsea situation where van Gaal has lost

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the players. The fans are disgruntled. At least Chelsea were

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not warring. Some say he is boring. That van Gaal has not lost the

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dressing room. I think he is almost too honest when he does the press

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conferences. He says, I am a successful manager. Oh, I was a

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successful manager. It is a stark thing to say. He knows they may get

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rid of him. It is incredible. You watch Manchester United television

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in the press room, which can be like the North Korean broadcaster, and

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even they are getting stuck into him! Once you have got your own TV

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station having a go at you, then... Is there any flip side? I heard that

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yesterday was only the second of third goals that they have conceded

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at home this season. Are they still in the title race? It is just the

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way they play. But the money he has spent is so, so relevant. The ?250

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million. United don't have great players to bring in. Luke Shaw was

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out yesterday, but other than that, you are racking your brains to think

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who could come in and change things. Well done to Norwich as well. Alex

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Neil's men are down there, and to go to Old Trafford at any time and

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produce a performance like that... The timing is everything. On MOTD 2

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Extra we are going to speak to Sebastien Bassong in a minute. Out

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LVG and in Jose Mourinho, says the Sun Sport. Some quotes from that

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one, with Louis van Gaal saying, my record suggests I'm a very

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successful manager, although maybe I should say, I was. Arrogance,

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sarcasm or not true? It was not sarcasm. He was telling it as he

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was. Mourinho going has put extra pressure on, because people are

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debating the possibility of Pep Guardiola and Mourinho as well being

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there. They are pals, yet Mourinho is putting it out there that he

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would quite fancy that job. Van Gaal took every question yesterday. He

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answered really honestly. He made no excuses for the performance.

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Absolutely none. He was not flinging blame around like Mourinho was

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doing. He took it all on the chin. You might say, so he should, but he

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dealt with it pretty well. He knows he is in a mess that will be hard to

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get out of. In terms of Jose Mourinho going to

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Old Trafford... He does not play attacking food. Some people saying

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could you imagine Sir Bobby Charlton sitting in the directors box,

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watching a team by Jose Mourinho. It's coincidence that he has left

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his team and his post at Chelsea. It's a possibility but for me... He

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is a younger version of Louis Van Gaal. Louis Van Gaal was the mentor

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of Jose Mourinho. Definitely not in the same vein as the DNA of

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Manchester United, which is exciting, swashbuckling football. It

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used to be. Yes, it used to be. They are not a fantastic match for me but

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people are making that connection. Jose Mourinho? Not at all. Given

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time, the end of the season... He should be given time, Louis Van

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Gaal. He has to change things, in the end, it is a results driven

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business. Managers sign long-term contracts, but they should sign 3

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month contract. If they lose, they are at the door. United used to be

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about holding a legacy. It was about Sir Alex Ferguson until they brought

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in David Moyes. That idea for them, it will go out the window. It has

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gone out the window because he's a belligerent did by spending

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250,000,000. They want a home-grown player who has come through the

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youth ranks. -- he has obliterated it. To see 1 of your players that

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has come through the academy... But the biggest thing for me, quite

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evident yesterday... Passion was missing. Ryan Giggs got up late

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on... Into the technical area that says I did not think he was allowed

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to do that but he was so frustrated. So frustrated and he wanted to put a

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bit of life into the players. With the greatest of respect, the likes

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of the Neville brothers were not the most gifted footballers but they

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knew the identity of the club. They had courage, desperation to win. How

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many times have we seen Manchester United scoring late winners? The

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belief has gone. The excitement has gone. I tell you what, I will put

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you out of your misery, that's enough about Manchester United.

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Sebastian Bassong... Good afternoon. How much belief does that result

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give you guys that you can stay in the Premier League? Good afternoon,

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everyone. I think that result as weird as it will sound, that is the

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result before the game we knew we could get. This season has been a

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hard season so far. We were expecting it. We were totally aware

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of the quality of the squad and the team. I know we are capable of

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staying in the Premier League because of the strength and quality

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and the result yesterday gives us a lift. It pushes us more in that

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direction. It is Trevor here. You have not scored a lot of goals this

:19:18.:19:21.

season, would you liked to see new faces in January, not just to score

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goals but bring fresh players in and a fresh impetus to the squad? It is

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not down to me. To comment about it. I don't know. I think the squad we

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have is quite balanced. If there are any additions in January, it must be

:19:45.:19:47.

the right ones. You do not add players for the sake of it. As with

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everything we do. I do not know what the management and staff want to do

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what if they think we need new faces and they are going to add something,

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they must add something quality, and I am not against it. The 1st 15

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minutes against Manchester United, you were under the cosh and you had

:20:08.:20:12.

to weather the storm yet they did not create any clear-cut chances.

:20:13.:20:17.

The more the game went on, you must have thought, they are not really

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hurting us that much and we can find a way through? It is exactly that.

:20:21.:20:27.

The 1st 15 minutes we knew they were going to come straight at us. That

:20:28.:20:34.

is what we expected. At the end, we put pressure on. We did not create

:20:35.:20:41.

clear chances. They had more possession of the ball, playing in

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front of us. As much as the game was going on, as you said, we were

:20:47.:20:50.

building up confidence and we felt like... That we could not get a

:20:51.:20:55.

result, but we did. The Newcastle game seem to knock the stuffing...

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Excuse the Christmas pun... Out of Norwich for a while. Would you said

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you are back on track, playing in a more positive manner. Alex Neil

:21:08.:21:11.

spoke about being more defensively minded after Newcastle? Yes... When

:21:12.:21:20.

you have a defeat the way we do against Newcastle, all of the things

:21:21.:21:24.

people right, people are Abbott lost. We try to figure that out. --

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a bit lost. We went through crisis mode. We should not have done that.

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We change the style of play and we went into a different mode. At the

:21:38.:21:49.

end of the day we figured out it was not working. We just went back to

:21:50.:22:01.

this style of playing and I think... Newcastle is forgotten, it is done

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and dusted. I know, we know... That the style of play we have, we will

:22:08.:22:13.

concede goals at some point but it is down to our defenders to try and

:22:14.:22:16.

contain that, they will be more exposed. It is the way the gaffer

:22:17.:22:24.

wants to play and it suits us. As a player, we enjoy it even more. We

:22:25.:22:29.

have the quality in the defensive unit to stop the attack. I think it

:22:30.:22:36.

works, yes. We appreciate you coming on, thank you for joining us. No

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worries, thank you. Sebastian Bassong from Norwich there. I've

:22:42.:22:49.

been so impressed with Alex Neil. The way he has handled the

:22:50.:22:54.

situation. He came in, over a short space of time, took the club up,

:22:55.:22:57.

everyone said he was the greatest thing. If you shaky results this

:22:58.:23:03.

season, but he is showing his worth, he's got the balance right. Norwich

:23:04.:23:07.

were offensive yesterday, but they had a defensive structure. Redmond

:23:08.:23:13.

was in the team, more of the ball carrier, Harrison is not unnatural

:23:14.:23:16.

ball-carrier, down the right-hand side. Wes Hoolahan is a key player

:23:17.:23:23.

for them, I think they can stay up. Problem on Boxing Day, Aston Villa

:23:24.:23:28.

on the 28th of December. Today at 1:30 PM Watford take on Liverpool at

:23:29.:23:33.

the creature road. John Murray has Luther Blissett alongside him.

:23:34.:23:38.

Here is the man who has made more appearances for and scored more

:23:39.:23:41.

goals for Watford than anyone else, you must be living -- loving this?

:23:42.:23:47.

To be back in the Premier League and facing Liverpool, it's outstanding.

:23:48.:23:51.

Really something I am looking forward to. What for your

:23:52.:23:56.

expectations this season and promotion was achieved? When we got

:23:57.:24:01.

promotion, everyone was thinking we have to stay in the division and

:24:02.:24:05.

that should aim. Lots of new players came in and everyone thought it

:24:06.:24:08.

might take us a couple of months to get things going but incredibly, we

:24:09.:24:12.

hit the ground running, pretty much and managed to keep it going and to

:24:13.:24:16.

be 7th at this stage, it's incredible. What really pleased that

:24:17.:24:20.

Leicester keep winning because they keep the pressure off us. What do

:24:21.:24:26.

you think about the new manager? KK Sancho Floris. He's great. The

:24:27.:24:38.

players love him. We speak to him after every match and not 1 has a

:24:39.:24:42.

bad word to say about him. Tactically... The relationship with

:24:43.:24:49.

the manager... It's fantastic, they love him. And I think by the way

:24:50.:24:53.

they play... And even when players get taken of, you never see their

:24:54.:24:58.

heads go down and they know it's not personal, it's tactical. It's very

:24:59.:25:05.

positive. Everyone concentrates on a few players but presumably there are

:25:06.:25:09.

plenty of on song heroes in the team so pick out a few for us. People who

:25:10.:25:18.

might not appreciate... U has come from Spurs, fantastic, a slow start

:25:19.:25:24.

to the season but he has kicked on and been fantastic. -- Capu. He has

:25:25.:25:35.

a hunger about him. He is brilliant. And then in gold... Gomez,

:25:36.:25:42.

brilliant. From here, what are you expecting? If we could get a result

:25:43.:25:47.

today could be fantastic, set things up perfectly for a little break,

:25:48.:25:51.

enjoy a bit of Christmas turkey and we kick on again after that. Luther,

:25:52.:25:56.

thank you. John Murray is at Vicarage Road and Alistair is they

:25:57.:26:06.

are for BBC Radio 5 Live. Simon Mignolet is absent for Liverpool.

:26:07.:26:15.

Bogdan getting a start in goal. Apparently Simon Mignolet has a

:26:16.:26:22.

tight hamstring. A chance for Bogdan to impress. Ryan Fulton is the

:26:23.:26:29.

substitute keeper. 1 of 4 changes. Christian Benteke drops out.

:26:30.:26:34.

Replaced by Roberto Fermino who started against Manchester City.

:26:35.:26:41.

Manor du Sacco comes into the back 4. James Milner unavailable through

:26:42.:26:48.

injury. Lukas replacing him. The Watford news is simpler, and changed

:26:49.:26:53.

from the 1- 0 win at Sunderland. They are 1 point above Liverpool at

:26:54.:26:56.

the start of the game in the Premier League table. Alistair, thank you,

:26:57.:27:02.

kick-off at 1:30 PM. It's like we've been invited to Wear at Sutton and

:27:03.:27:10.

Sinckler Christmas lunch! Let's talk about Watford. Trevor Colman you

:27:11.:27:16.

said while we listened to Alistair, what a job that Floris has done. He

:27:17.:27:21.

has done with class and style, his team are well organised, the Premier

:27:22.:27:27.

League for me this season, it's about trigger points, pressure. He

:27:28.:27:32.

has done brilliantly. Troy Deeney works his socks off. Well do a lot

:27:33.:27:39.

of tireless work and someone else will get the goals. But he's

:27:40.:27:43.

important to the team. They have bought into it, didn't start

:27:44.:27:47.

particularly well, but they are scoring more goals and it is a good,

:27:48.:27:52.

successful story. Mid- table, they deserve to be there. A lot of us

:27:53.:27:59.

journalists were invited to the Watford Christmas party and the

:28:00.:28:02.

manager was there and he worked the room, I really good raconteur. He

:28:03.:28:07.

loves being here, in England, the Premier League. He says it's the

:28:08.:28:14.

only place to be, I have been in La Liga but it's the only place to be.

:28:15.:28:19.

His enthusiasm comes true, he knows from a pressure point of view... He

:28:20.:28:25.

knows keeping them up is the be all and end all. He is doing it with

:28:26.:28:32.

swagger. It is easier, from his point of view to enjoy it because he

:28:33.:28:36.

no is the thing is to keep them up. I would not say 0 pressure. There is

:28:37.:28:41.

an expectation, certainly now, that they stay up. Inviting journalists

:28:42.:28:47.

to a Christmas party? There were quite a few of us. Thank you for

:28:48.:28:52.

turning up to the BBC football dinner... Interesting team news from

:28:53.:29:01.

Alistair Bruce Ball. Bogdan... A tight hamstring from Simon Mignolet?

:29:02.:29:07.

Half a dozen half volleys and they go on... He must be training

:29:08.:29:18.

properly. Word on the 4 PM kick-off. Swansea in a pretty powerless

:29:19.:29:24.

position. They seemed to have sacked Garry Monk without knowing for to go

:29:25.:29:33.

next. There is a lot of people horrified, particularly, that Garry

:29:34.:29:41.

Monk has gone, they don't understand it. Especially as he was being

:29:42.:29:45.

lauded so great in the previous 2 years, King of the castle, then he

:29:46.:29:51.

is falling. It is hard for people to understand what is going on at

:29:52.:29:56.

Swansea. They have given us so much entertainment, played with

:29:57.:29:59.

enjoyment, and scared the life out of the opposition. How do you find

:30:00.:30:05.

out about the manager? Its 1st little bit of adversity. And then he

:30:06.:30:10.

is sacked. I thought that was harsh. Where would you go as a Swansea

:30:11.:30:16.

German? I expect Swansea to go for experience, Trident tested and

:30:17.:30:20.

trusted. Someone who knows the Premier League well because they

:30:21.:30:23.

want to stay there. It surprises me that they would go abroad.

:30:24.:30:29.

Don't forget, extended highlights of both of today's games on Match Of

:30:30.:30:38.

The Day 2. Let's talk about Chelsea, because they beat Sunderland 3-1

:30:39.:30:44.

yesterday. Guus Hiddink was watching from the stands. Chelsea is such a

:30:45.:30:51.

big club. We are not used to being here. The last ten years, we have

:30:52.:30:56.

had a lot of difficult times. They will support us through this, and we

:30:57.:31:00.

will come out on top, sooner or later, if we put in performances

:31:01.:31:04.

like that. The fans will come up with smiles on their faces. They are

:31:05.:31:09.

disappointed, and so are we. Chance of the old manager rang round the

:31:10.:31:16.

ground. But the booze for Cesc Fabregas when he was substituted.

:31:17.:31:22.

What was your reaction to that? We are all in the same position. One or

:31:23.:31:27.

two have performed, and others haven't, unfortunately. That is

:31:28.:31:32.

behind us now. We have to start winning football matches, and get

:31:33.:31:35.

higher in the league and -- than we are. Chris Sutton, your old club.

:31:36.:31:43.

Mark Lawrenson said that when Chelsea went up, it tells you

:31:44.:31:47.

everything you need to know about the modern footballer. I think the

:31:48.:31:51.

majority of Chelsea players need to hang their heads in shame. What do

:31:52.:31:57.

fans expect? They expect players to play for the jersey. The least they

:31:58.:32:02.

can do is run around, sweat, put tackles in and chase back. A lot of

:32:03.:32:06.

the Chelsea players have downed tools. They were right to sack

:32:07.:32:11.

Mourinho because I felt he had lost the dressing room. And his comments

:32:12.:32:16.

about the players, there was only one way. People hearing about

:32:17.:32:20.

Mourinho and his choice of words, and that it was off-the-cuff, but it

:32:21.:32:25.

wasn't. He knew what he was saying, and he had to go. I cannot conceive

:32:26.:32:31.

the idea, Trevor, that you would play for a manager or will not play

:32:32.:32:39.

for a manager. You play for yourself and your team-mates, don't you? The

:32:40.:32:42.

idea of Oscar, who was Man of the Match and came off to a standing

:32:43.:32:50.

ovation, we haven't seen him for a year. Most of the players should be

:32:51.:32:55.

embarrassed. At the end of the day, they have got a man the sack,

:32:56.:33:01.

Mourinho. They have been playing and having a go recently, but I think

:33:02.:33:08.

the relationship broke down with too many individuals, starting with

:33:09.:33:14.

Doctor Eva Carneiro. John Terry was not even the worst centre-half for

:33:15.:33:20.

Chelsea that day. Breaking down of relationships with certain people in

:33:21.:33:24.

the squad, and certain players have been really poor. There's a lot of

:33:25.:33:28.

rumours going around. It is a disgrace that those players. Their

:33:29.:33:32.

stock has gone so far down its not true. And I don't blame the fans. It

:33:33.:33:38.

is right to blame the players, but you have two blame Mourinho as well,

:33:39.:33:42.

for creating a drama every week. I'm not sure if the idea was to get the

:33:43.:33:48.

players behind him. The thing with the doctor was bizarre. The rucks

:33:49.:33:51.

with the players, it is an art going to help them get onside. And every

:33:52.:33:58.

week, find for a different out first. People say, it's great for

:33:59.:34:04.

the press, great box office, but eventually it becomes a bit tedious

:34:05.:34:08.

and tiresome. You think, what's he done now? Mourinho at it again. And

:34:09.:34:14.

it loses any impact he was trying to get, and you get almost fed up with

:34:15.:34:19.

him. I think the biggest mistake for Chelsea was preseason. Everything

:34:20.:34:23.

has come off the back of that. They didn't have a great preseason and

:34:24.:34:26.

they said they were going to do it during the Premier League.

:34:27.:34:40.

The Premier League is too competitive. If you have an injury

:34:41.:34:43.

in preseason for three weeks, and then you start catching up, the

:34:44.:34:46.

other players have gone to another level. It takes months to get where

:34:47.:34:48.

you need to be, level par with everyone else. I don't think Chelsea

:34:49.:34:51.

did that, and they have been on catch up. His biggest mistake was

:34:52.:34:59.

slamming the public -- the players publicly. No doubt that Mourinho's

:35:00.:35:06.

credentials and his football brain, but his man management skills at the

:35:07.:35:11.

end... As soon as you say players have betrayed you, in any walk of

:35:12.:35:16.

life, if you say your staff have betrayed you, they think, well... We

:35:17.:35:21.

are not having that. Chelsea were right to change. Mourinho had lost

:35:22.:35:25.

the plot. After the West Ham game, he blamed everyone else, like the

:35:26.:35:32.

referees, and he was actually wrong. That is where he is letting himself

:35:33.:35:38.

down. It is an accumulation. Was that not one of his strengths, his

:35:39.:35:45.

man management? QC players crying and hugging him, absolutely

:35:46.:35:49.

emotional when he leaves clubs. But this time, they have kicked him out.

:35:50.:35:54.

I don't think it has helped him that Ranieri is top of the leak, and

:35:55.:35:59.

Lukaku has scored for other people. You think, he has lost it. There

:36:00.:36:04.

will be other people watching today's saying, we don't know what

:36:05.:36:08.

we are talking about. There were signs and banners, saying... We all

:36:09.:36:16.

understand that. That goes back to the players playing for the badge.

:36:17.:36:20.

Any walk of life, any workplace, you are not always going to get on with

:36:21.:36:26.

everyone. They were playing -- blaming the players. They had a sign

:36:27.:36:33.

saying, rats. We all know what is going to happen in that situation,

:36:34.:36:36.

and the owner had a decision to make. He said he was reluctant to

:36:37.:36:41.

sack him, or words to that effect, but he didn't have any choice at

:36:42.:36:46.

that stage. Once he used the word betrayed, it had gone too far. And

:36:47.:36:51.

Drogba turning up at the ground, with Hiddink, using all that... It

:36:52.:36:57.

has been said that the betrayal thing is that they betrayed what he

:36:58.:37:02.

meant them to do but his coaching methods. He says he meant that they

:37:03.:37:07.

were not carrying out his coaching method, but that is a strong word,

:37:08.:37:11.

and he knows enough English. He is an intelligent man. What about Guus

:37:12.:37:17.

Hiddink. What kind of environment is he walking into? We saw him on the

:37:18.:37:23.

pitch, shaking hands, hugs. It starts well, but what atmosphere is

:37:24.:37:28.

he walking into? I think it is a good job to take, because they

:37:29.:37:33.

cannot do much worse. I think he will improve them, but I just

:37:34.:37:37.

wonder, at the time with Mourinho and Chelsea parting company, whether

:37:38.:37:41.

a brand -- whether Abramovich thought that they could sneak into

:37:42.:37:45.

the Champions League places. I don't think they have enough to do that.

:37:46.:37:52.

We don't know whether Didier Drogba will play an official role, but he

:37:53.:37:57.

was on the pitch, out of season with Montreal. Is he the right link

:37:58.:38:01.

between Hiddink and the players? Everyone at Chelsea will respect

:38:02.:38:05.

what Drogba and his relationship with Chelsea is. He has won

:38:06.:38:09.

everything at the club. He will be able to settle a few characters down

:38:10.:38:13.

in that squad, get them all together again, and help Hiddink take Chelsea

:38:14.:38:19.

forward again. For me, the whole situation with Chelsea and the

:38:20.:38:23.

players, it was a Championship winning team last year, fifth from

:38:24.:38:27.

the bottom of the league now, it stinks. It gives a really poor... It

:38:28.:38:32.

looks really poor in the modern day player. I have done a few interviews

:38:33.:38:37.

with Drogba over the years, and people don't realise he has quite a

:38:38.:38:42.

hard edge. He will not tolerate the things going on at the moment. Much

:38:43.:38:47.

as he loves Chelsea and the adulation and all that, him being

:38:48.:38:52.

there yesterday, he has sucked respect at the club, that I think

:38:53.:38:55.

him being there will be such a big factor. -- he has such respect. He

:38:56.:39:05.

would be a good policeman! I think that reflects really poorly on some

:39:06.:39:11.

of the key players involved in this situation at Chelsea. Chelsea's

:39:12.:39:20.

former manager, Claudio Ranieri, his side top of the league at the end --

:39:21.:39:28.

at Christmas. What is next? Our target is 40 points at the end of

:39:29.:39:34.

the season. After, I want to speak with my players. It is important to

:39:35.:39:39.

understand what they believe they can achieve. And I can speak my idea

:39:40.:39:44.

about them. You see teams before getting to a certain level and then

:39:45.:39:50.

relaxing. Is this a concern? If some players relax, they go out of the

:39:51.:39:55.

team. That is my philosophy. What would be your Christmas message for

:39:56.:39:59.

those Leicester fans, who are singing about playing Barcelona on H

:40:00.:40:06.

used a night? It is good to see our fans, and all of our fans, so I

:40:07.:40:10.

would say Merry Christmas to them and their family. Shaun Custis, a

:40:11.:40:17.

Leicester fan was reduced to tears on the radio last night. They are

:40:18.:40:22.

top of the pack in the Premier League. I think everybody is

:40:23.:40:29.

enjoying it. Everyone is smiling. It is fun. You ask anybody who supports

:40:30.:40:33.

other teams, and they say they would love to see Leicester winning the

:40:34.:40:39.

league. It would be brilliant. It embarrasses all those other clubs

:40:40.:40:43.

who say, no, you cannot win the league because we don't have enough

:40:44.:40:48.

resources. How can you take on clubs like Manchester City? It is

:40:49.:40:51.

embarrassing everybody, and I think the rest of the people must be

:40:52.:40:55.

cringing, thinking they are showing us up. And they are. Leicester fans

:40:56.:41:01.

were not happy with what I am going to say, but I have a feeling they

:41:02.:41:05.

will finish fifth, which will still be incredible. Christmas spirit!

:41:06.:41:13.

They go to a lot of places away from home, but then... They are set up

:41:14.:41:20.

perfectly. Trevor talked about counterattacking. They suck teams

:41:21.:41:24.

in, and then they have the pace of Vardy, who is fantastic. I think he

:41:25.:41:31.

could play for a top four clubs. He is in scintillating form. His run

:41:32.:41:35.

for the penalty yesterday was superb. He's got more to his game.

:41:36.:41:39.

His awareness... He doesn't just work hard. What is a top 14 these

:41:40.:41:50.

days? They really must be a serious contender for the Champions League.

:41:51.:41:56.

Five away wins out of seven Premier League games. The game has changed.

:41:57.:42:03.

It is soak up the pressure, hit teams on the counterattack, and if

:42:04.:42:07.

you can do that, you have got a great chance of being successful in

:42:08.:42:11.

the Premier League this year. This year, it has found out a lot of

:42:12.:42:15.

teams who are positioned based football. Bardy's pace, vision,

:42:16.:42:20.

timing of his runs, confidence, the way he finishes his chances... --

:42:21.:42:26.

Vardy. I think they have a great chance of finishing in the top four.

:42:27.:42:32.

Arsenal against Manchester City on Monday night, commentary on five

:42:33.:42:39.

line. It is in these big games that Arsenal usually come unstuck. This

:42:40.:42:42.

year, both sides know the Premier League is there for the taking. I

:42:43.:42:47.

have a funny feeling it will end up as a draw and we will still not know

:42:48.:42:51.

who will win the Premier League. Those two must know it is therefore

:42:52.:42:57.

this season. Your old team, Trevor, City, keeping themselves fit? I

:42:58.:43:02.

think they need to get Kompany back, because they are linking -- leaking

:43:03.:43:07.

too many goals. If they can look more solid at the back, they have

:43:08.:43:13.

the players. The depth of quality going forward, offensively, is

:43:14.:43:21.

incredible. I think they are favourites. Whoever finishes above

:43:22.:43:25.

Arsenal wins the league, and vice versa. It is just what order it will

:43:26.:43:31.

be. Can Arsenal win it? I think Arsenal will win, but I think they

:43:32.:43:35.

will choke and Man City will win the league. City. City. A hat-trick of

:43:36.:43:46.

city. I will not tell you who I support! Don't forget Match Of The

:43:47.:43:54.

Day 2 tomorrow night on BBC Two. It is also sports personality on BBC

:43:55.:44:00.

One, 640 5pm on five line. Have a good Christmas!

:44:01.:44:03.

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