:00:33. > :00:40.Good afternoon, welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra on BBC One, on Radio
:00:41. > :00:48.Former Liverpool, Tottenham and Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy.
:00:49. > :00:57.And Match Of The Day commentator Guy Mowbray.
:00:58. > :01:05.Get in touch in all the usual ways...
:01:06. > :01:07.We'll ask what's going wrong with Liverpool after they suffer
:01:08. > :01:14.Title rivals Manchester City face leaders Chelsea in one
:01:15. > :01:20.Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is boosted by
:01:21. > :01:23.the Magpies' comeback against Hull City, as a mass protest falls flat.
:01:24. > :01:25.Who'd have thought Southampton would be flying high in second?
:01:26. > :01:28.While Welbeck's off the mark for the Gunners.
:01:29. > :01:41.And can Leicester fend off big-spending Manchester United?
:01:42. > :01:52.The Sunday express goes with that defeat for Liverpool at West Ham.
:01:53. > :02:00.The Mail discusses Joe Hart's new contract. The Mirror focuses on Alan
:02:01. > :02:05.Pardew. And there are also reports that Manchester United will not
:02:06. > :02:08.break the bank for Cristiano Ronaldo. Let's start with that
:02:09. > :02:14.headline on the back of the Express - Rodgers at meeting the title
:02:15. > :02:18.challenge is over already. Strong words, and you would not necessarily
:02:19. > :02:23.go along with that, Guy Mowbray? No, I would not at all. It has become
:02:24. > :02:26.more difficult, and it puts more emphasis on the really big aims,
:02:27. > :02:31.starting with the Merseyside derby next weekend. But it is far too soon
:02:32. > :02:34.to be drawing any conclusions about anything just yet, even Manchester
:02:35. > :02:40.City -Chelsea this afternoon. City had lost three games by pretty much
:02:41. > :02:45.at this stage last year, I think. Yes, I think it was four by
:02:46. > :02:49.November. I think it is who Liverpool have lost to, games they
:02:50. > :02:52.would have expected to win, probably, certainly yesterday. I can
:02:53. > :02:57.understand the frustration but there is a long way to go. Brendan Rodgers
:02:58. > :03:02.says, we have got a bit of work to do, which is understandable, given
:03:03. > :03:06.the changeover in personnel? And the Suarez factor was going to be
:03:07. > :03:09.extremely large. When you are replacing a player of that quality
:03:10. > :03:15.and that charisma, think of the fear factor to which the other teams had
:03:16. > :03:19.last year. Particularly the connection with Sturridge. Take
:03:20. > :03:23.those out, and you have got Fabio Borini, who is still in some ways a
:03:24. > :03:29.developmental player, and Balotelli, who we all know all about. They will
:03:30. > :03:33.need time to get to know each other. It is almost absurd to expect
:03:34. > :03:36.everything to click straightaway. I suppose the fear factor is one
:03:37. > :03:40.thing, but also it enables the opposition to set up differently
:03:41. > :03:45.against them? In the last few weeks, we have noticed a common theme. They
:03:46. > :03:52.have lost Suarez, and Sturridge is now injured, so who is the danger
:03:53. > :03:55.man, who dictates play? Stevie. Villa put Agbonlahor on him.
:03:56. > :03:57.Yesterday, Stewart Downing marketing. They are starving him of
:03:58. > :04:08.the ball, which marketing. They are starving him of
:04:09. > :04:09.dictate play like he does. The other thing, one of Liverpool's strengths
:04:10. > :04:13.last year was their ability to press from the front and really strangle
:04:14. > :04:17.teams, which was because of Suarez, his energy and his work ethic, and
:04:18. > :04:23.they have got no one like that. Balotelli is not comparable. Can you
:04:24. > :04:30.train that into him? Yes. Many have tried. He tried to do it at
:04:31. > :04:35.Tottenham, and he did it quite well, but he has fallen back into type,
:04:36. > :04:37.over the last two games. Suarez was an exceptional talent, but also
:04:38. > :04:40.exceptional because of his workrate. an exceptional talent, but also
:04:41. > :04:45.What you found was that Daniel Sturridge did the same, he followed
:04:46. > :04:51.suit. It was like he looked up to him and did the same thing just
:04:52. > :04:53.listen, if you take your two best players, most productive players,
:04:54. > :04:59.out of your first 11, you will struggle for a while. Last season,
:05:00. > :05:05.West Ham were probably struggling most of all up front, and in
:05:06. > :05:07.bringing in Valencia and Sakho, who have that energy and effervescence,
:05:08. > :05:16.working from the front, what difference that has made to THEIR
:05:17. > :05:20.game. Andy Carroll dropping out, Carlton Cole not in the side, might
:05:21. > :05:28.have done them a favour, with no disrespect. It is just that they
:05:29. > :05:33.HAVE to play differently. And that gives different options to the
:05:34. > :05:37.midfielders, doesn't it? Taking out the movement of Suarez and
:05:38. > :05:42.Sturridge, it limits the options open for the midfield. I think huge
:05:43. > :05:49.credit to Sam open for the midfield. I think huge
:05:50. > :05:49.being brave enough to play a formation, up against Liverpool,
:05:50. > :05:51.being brave enough to play a kind of saying, we have got some
:05:52. > :05:56.good players now. They had movement, creativity. Considering there has
:05:57. > :06:00.been some negativity around Upton Park for quite a while, I thought
:06:01. > :06:04.that was really brave decision. Stewart Downing, for all his critics
:06:05. > :06:08.over the last couple of seasons, was as good as anybody on the pitch. Not
:06:09. > :06:13.just defensively, he really contributed the other way as well.
:06:14. > :06:18.And one more thing, he has created as many chances as Cesc Fabregas
:06:19. > :06:21.this season. Talking about Balotelli, I think there are signs
:06:22. > :06:24.that he has come back a little bit of a different player. That incident
:06:25. > :06:29.yesterday with Adrian, I did not think he did anything wrong, I
:06:30. > :06:33.thought he behaved perfectly well. In the past, there might have been a
:06:34. > :06:37.bit of a flare-up. The season is still settling down, we are at the
:06:38. > :06:41.foundation stage left have not settled yet. Some, with new
:06:42. > :06:45.signings, Southampton, it has all clicked. It will come back. Some
:06:46. > :06:51.clubs have not got going yet. Let me read some of the texts and tweets
:06:52. > :06:56.which have come in on Liverpool. This one says, they have gone from
:06:57. > :07:01.dominating Spurs to doing a Spurs. This one says, they look lost
:07:02. > :07:07.without Suarez. This one says, Balotelli is far too static for the
:07:08. > :07:11.system. Is one says, the team was built around Suarez, and we have
:07:12. > :07:17.wasted our money on average players like Lallana and Markovic. It is too
:07:18. > :07:21.early to say that, isn't it? Danny, I was interested to ask you, when
:07:22. > :07:26.you get new players in, how quickly can it all gel? Looking at Arsenal
:07:27. > :07:30.yesterday, Welbeck and Ozil seemed to have a relationship, but they
:07:31. > :07:35.have probably only trained together for a few days? There is no set
:07:36. > :07:39.formula. The more players you bring in who are new, the more difficult
:07:40. > :07:44.it becomes. If it is just one, it is more simple. I think there are? 's
:07:45. > :07:49.with a lot of Liverpool supporters over the way he has spent the money.
:07:50. > :07:53.You could argue that Lallana and Lambert are proven in the Premier
:07:54. > :07:58.League. But people forget the difference of playing for a big
:07:59. > :08:03.club. You are not just adapting to a formation, you are adapting to an
:08:04. > :08:06.expectancy which you have not played under before. Playing at Anfield on
:08:07. > :08:11.a Champions League night. I saw some of the players the other night, and
:08:12. > :08:15.it was a bit, what is going on? So, it is a mental thing? I have seen
:08:16. > :08:19.brilliant players technically who have done well at other clubs fail
:08:20. > :08:23.at Liverpool, because they could not grasp the enormity of the task. I
:08:24. > :08:28.think Lallana is a terrific layer, and I think he is and couldn't and
:08:29. > :08:32.has the ability, for example. But defensively, you could argue, the
:08:33. > :08:37.full-backs, they are young, naive, are they as good as Johnson and
:08:38. > :08:42.Enrique? Potentially, maybe. But if you are asking me, I would put the
:08:43. > :08:47.other two back in for defensive solidity at the moment. Today,
:08:48. > :08:53.Manchester City against Chelsea, title rivals, highlights later on
:08:54. > :08:57.Match of the Day to Mac. Before we discuss that, let's speak to someone
:08:58. > :09:09.who has had a lot of press coverage over the recent times. They are a
:09:10. > :09:18.top side, and if we want to close the gap to them, on Sunday, we need
:09:19. > :09:23.to win. We need to prove ourselves as a team, as a club, and we have to
:09:24. > :09:26.do that day after day. Chelsea have a good squad, they have good
:09:27. > :09:33.players. They are hungry for trophies. It is going to be a tough
:09:34. > :09:38.game on Sunday. We have to do a job and work hard as a team. We have to
:09:39. > :09:44.try to do the business on Sunday. By Mowbray, do you think the stick
:09:45. > :09:47.which he has had this week is fair? He had stick last season when Didi
:09:48. > :09:52.Hamann was on Match of the Day as well... I think there are quite a
:09:53. > :09:57.few layers to it. He had a family tragedy in the summer, had a World
:09:58. > :10:01.Cup to play in for the Ivory Coast. So many things to take into account.
:10:02. > :10:05.But purely from what he has done on the football field, yes, he has not
:10:06. > :10:11.performed as he can. I am a huge fan of Yaya Toure, when he is on form,
:10:12. > :10:15.he could be the difference between winning the title and not, for any
:10:16. > :10:20.team, I think he is that good. And he has just not done it. What Paul
:10:21. > :10:24.Scholes said about his performance in Munich was correct - he seemed to
:10:25. > :10:30.be ambling around. And we know it is all there! I actually think he is a
:10:31. > :10:36.big game player, most of the time. We will see it today, I have got a
:10:37. > :10:40.feeling. Pellegrini is a very measured man, who does not usually
:10:41. > :10:44.come out with things without thinking carefully. For him to come
:10:45. > :10:48.out this week and say that Yaya Toure is struggling from a personal
:10:49. > :10:53.perspective, from the death of his brother, he is still a fairly young
:10:54. > :10:57.man, he lost his mother at a fairly young age as well, I think when he
:10:58. > :11:01.was living abroad. We expect our top footballers, the big stars, to be
:11:02. > :11:06.always at the top. Sometimes life is not like that. Perhaps we need to
:11:07. > :11:12.cut him a bit of slack. But maybe Pellegrini has 2 helping with that.
:11:13. > :11:17.A squad like City's ought to have the strength to cope. He tried it
:11:18. > :11:22.last week at Arsenal, when he did not include him, but the reaction
:11:23. > :11:27.was, this is a big game, why is he not in the squad? It is a delicate
:11:28. > :11:32.balance for Pellegrini. I think he has got a wonderful player, who he
:11:33. > :11:35.wants to see get better in his form, and the only way you do that really
:11:36. > :11:41.is to put him on the pitch. When he is going through it, he is getting
:11:42. > :11:45.criticised. There are two aspects, the physicality of the man, he is
:11:46. > :11:48.huge. He needs to be at the top of his fitness in order to perform.
:11:49. > :11:58.Mary there is a physical hangover from the World Cup. The mentality
:11:59. > :12:02.aspect is about, yes, trauma in the family, but also, the hunger and the
:12:03. > :12:06.desire to keep performing at that level. He has played a lot of
:12:07. > :12:12.football over the last few years, not someone who has been ravaged
:12:13. > :12:18.with injuries. I think he has to stimulate himself to stay on top of
:12:19. > :12:22.his game. Whereas, when you are 22, 23, you are trying every game to
:12:23. > :12:26.show the world. And he has kind of show the world. People can argue, he
:12:27. > :12:31.is paid to do a job, but it not that simple. It is not a conscious thing,
:12:32. > :12:37.you just fall into a comfort zone. Gerard Houllier used to talk about
:12:38. > :12:41.it a lot at Liverpool, and I am a big believer of it, you can fall
:12:42. > :12:47.into a comfort zone. Do you expect it to be cagey? Chelsea have been
:12:48. > :12:51.remarkably open this season... I would not have thought they will be
:12:52. > :12:59.quite so open today. I actually do fancy Chelsea a bit. A draw would be
:13:00. > :13:03.my bet, however. Just because of the way they have started, and the way
:13:04. > :13:09.they won at City last season. City are essentially the same team, there
:13:10. > :13:14.will be no Fernando today. Chelsea, with two crucial additions, Costa
:13:15. > :13:17.and Fabregas, I just ain't that bit stronger. They will play a similar
:13:18. > :13:22.way, but just have that extra in attack as well. You mentioned the 2
:13:23. > :13:27.players they have added. If you love at the back of the Sunday people
:13:28. > :13:33.today, their headline centres on Diego Costa, saying, insults will
:13:34. > :13:42.cost you. If you were in that Manchester City side, would you try
:13:43. > :13:46.and wind him up? For sure. I think Coster, something is going to happen
:13:47. > :13:50.with him soon. Every game I have watched him, he has an argument. He
:13:51. > :13:54.is sometimes lucky to stay on the pitch. He is on the edge, and I like
:13:55. > :14:03.that about him, because it means he plays with that passion. Like
:14:04. > :14:07.Rooney, a few years ago. It will not be that long before he blows up in a
:14:08. > :14:10.game, and it could be today. But he is up against the best centre half
:14:11. > :14:18.in the world today, I think, Vincent Kompany. It will be fascinating. If
:14:19. > :14:23.Demichelis, an Argentinian, Brazilian by birth, gets close
:14:24. > :14:28.enough to say a few words, he might be capable of pushing a few buttons.
:14:29. > :14:33.To put an argument for City, they have not quite fired yet. They will
:14:34. > :14:36.at some stage soon. They have come into this game with exactly the same
:14:37. > :14:42.record that they had after four games last season, and it was this
:14:43. > :14:49.game last season when they steam-rolled United. I fancy City.
:14:50. > :14:53.You make a great point with Fabregas and Coster, but I think Chelsea are
:14:54. > :14:58.also more vulnerable. By accommodating Fabregas in the
:14:59. > :15:02.midfield, you lose some legs. Last year they went there and set up to
:15:03. > :15:08.defend. With Fabregas in the team, he is much more creative and aloof
:15:09. > :15:12.with it, he goes and does what he wants to impact the game. So can you
:15:13. > :15:16.pick him off easier? Yes, of course. But it is down to attack ticks, when
:15:17. > :15:22.you have got two teams with such quality. It is going to be
:15:23. > :15:29.fascinating to see how City set up, what do they do with Yaya Toure? But
:15:30. > :15:42.I think playing at home, how many points are they behind?
:15:43. > :15:51.If they win this they are eight points apart. You told me, that
:15:52. > :16:01.Mourinho science do not let that slip. And neither did Ferguson but
:16:02. > :16:06.they did that. -- science. If they get that kind of stretch it is
:16:07. > :16:12.possible they can move away. It is too soon. It will be a bit about
:16:13. > :16:16.fitness. If you can guarantee the Chelsea squad stays fit that is a
:16:17. > :16:21.strong position. There is no way they will all stay fit. There will
:16:22. > :16:26.be a time where they are missing some of their big boys. Everybody
:16:27. > :16:32.goes through a bad spell and city will get better. The reason I am
:16:33. > :16:39.excited is this game today, it could be cagey, but with the firepower in
:16:40. > :16:45.both teams it could be 6-5. If it is we will play that clip back! I think
:16:46. > :16:51.city will it yet, but it could be a bad refereeing decision one moment
:16:52. > :16:58.of brains. A draw tinged with royal blue. Mourinho will not have it, 6-5
:16:59. > :17:04.is a hockey match. I say it is a draw. We will come back to the day
:17:05. > :17:10.later but let's talk about one of yesterday 's games. Please get in
:17:11. > :17:15.touch with us but let's move onto yesterday, at St James' Park, all of
:17:16. > :17:24.the planned against Alan Pardew, Newcastle against Hull. Sometimes it
:17:25. > :17:30.gets lost and I hear these people saying, I cannot do this and Maiga
:17:31. > :17:35.and arrogance gets in the way of my management or something. You have to
:17:36. > :17:39.understand I am very proud to be Newcastle manager, it is one of the
:17:40. > :17:50.best jobs in the world. I am fighting for it. Are most managers,
:17:51. > :17:59.the most managers not have an ego and arrogance? Some more than
:18:00. > :18:04.others. Who? I think he has been a little unlucky. He had a brilliant
:18:05. > :18:09.spell last season early on when they went a large number of games
:18:10. > :18:13.unbeaten. He lost his best player, out of his hands, then his main
:18:14. > :18:17.striker was injured, and suspended, Loic Remy. By all accounts he is not
:18:18. > :18:21.in charge of the transfers coming in, which is a big problem. You
:18:22. > :18:26.could argue he accepted that when he took the job but he is not the only
:18:27. > :18:32.one to blame. There are other people at full. What was clear yesterday
:18:33. > :18:37.was that there was a reaction. They could have thrown the towel in but
:18:38. > :18:41.they kept going. He made the substitution. He is hanging on for
:18:42. > :18:47.dear life, but I like to see fight in somebody and he is certainly
:18:48. > :18:50.showing mad. One thing to add is that they are in a bad spell and
:18:51. > :18:57.under par June Newcastle go in spells. -- under Alan Pardew. They
:18:58. > :19:04.can have a fantastic run all the dreadful run. They never pick up
:19:05. > :19:07.five points out of nine. Is that not part of the problem? If you get the
:19:08. > :19:14.sense something might happen and then it goes down again and you are
:19:15. > :19:17.left with disappointed, it is this roller-coaster. That word is
:19:18. > :19:21.designed for Saint James 's Park. We spoke before coming on their about
:19:22. > :19:31.the atmosphere with certain crowds having a big impact, as with Roman
:19:32. > :19:38.house -- with Villa and Arsenal. You feel with Newcastle that Alan Pardew
:19:39. > :19:41.is getting the blame but some people say he is a stooge for what is going
:19:42. > :19:47.on behind the scenes and whether they want a change, it is not just
:19:48. > :19:53.about him. It is about Mike Ashley and the bigger picture. Is another
:19:54. > :19:58.manager going to come in and make everything feel different? In the
:19:59. > :20:01.past you felt that some fans have been against him because of the
:20:02. > :20:08.Ashley factor, but with this one, more than most, if you read the
:20:09. > :20:12.statement, a lot of it is based on their form over the past 12 months.
:20:13. > :20:18.Particularly in the last 13 games, six points. But they need some
:20:19. > :20:24.clarity from the top, from the owner, over what his plans are. What
:20:25. > :20:28.he is happy with, what he thinks the club should be. We don't know
:20:29. > :20:33.because he does not do any speaking, the good or bad. Yesterday with the
:20:34. > :20:39.first time he came out and said that Pardew would be safe. That has
:20:40. > :20:43.clarified one thing. Alan Pardew, I remember being on this programme in
:20:44. > :20:49.January and stating he was my manager Robbie yet and I put the
:20:50. > :20:54.kibosh on him. -- he was my manager of the year. They could have another
:20:55. > :20:58.good run but if they lose a couple it is back to square one. Some of
:20:59. > :21:02.them will not rest until he has gone. Such was the shock at his name
:21:03. > :21:09.when he was appointed that some have been waiting to not have him,
:21:10. > :21:12.period. That is it. All managers have a life span at a club and maybe
:21:13. > :21:21.he has already been there quite a long time. Second longest serving in
:21:22. > :21:25.the country. Sean Kerly says, I wish the media would realise that the
:21:26. > :21:28.problem is Mike Ashley. Aaron Crawford says he has the guy, he
:21:29. > :21:35.plays the wrong players in the wrong position. Mike says Pardew is taking
:21:36. > :21:39.the stick for Mike Ashley. For all of the talk of the protests it was
:21:40. > :21:44.actually quite mild yesterday and the other point was that they got
:21:45. > :21:51.themselves back. The fans played a part in the pan. All right they were
:21:52. > :21:57.booing, but they stayed onside for the players. -- played a part in
:21:58. > :22:05.that. There was a minority cheering when Hull scored the second. Some of
:22:06. > :22:09.the players who came in are not good enough and some will take time but
:22:10. > :22:12.if he's not having an input in that, then he has to stick up for himself
:22:13. > :22:18.and stand in his corner and say to the owners, I am not having an input
:22:19. > :22:21.on the place. My understanding is that he would have had some
:22:22. > :22:28.different players if he had some say. Ian Dennis has pointed out a
:22:29. > :22:40.couple of times that of the 28 players, signed under Alan Pardew,
:22:41. > :22:43.only four have been British. And there is an age cap as well and so
:22:44. > :22:49.many other factors he was restricted by. As I said before he is taking
:22:50. > :22:52.the blame and he has to stand up for himself. Ultimately the fans want to
:22:53. > :22:59.see some good football and some result. The two long they have not
:23:00. > :23:04.been. As Guy Mowbray said, he could stay but if they lose another couple
:23:05. > :23:13.on the spin, I think he is unfortunately a dead man walking.
:23:14. > :23:19.You go that far? Just a matter of time. Horrible situation, just doing
:23:20. > :23:22.his job. He's not a bad guy, he knows his football, just
:23:23. > :23:29.unfortunately the expectancy am a level is so huge. And it should be.
:23:30. > :23:35.There is talk of Mike Ashley selling, he says he does not want to
:23:36. > :23:41.spend however many million on a new management team when he is looking
:23:42. > :23:48.at getting rid? It is a mess. Some team news in from 1:30pm at the King
:23:49. > :23:50.Power Stadium, Leicester have included Esteban Cambiasso, 4-mac
:23:51. > :23:56.Inter Milan captain, making his first art. -- former. Danny
:23:57. > :24:02.Drinkwater and Kasper Schmeichel back, and look far also starts. The
:24:03. > :24:08.Manchester United, Falcao starts in place of Juan Mata. That is the only
:24:09. > :24:15.change. Danny Murphy wincing as I read that out. From the side that
:24:16. > :24:23.beat QPR. Luke Shaw awaiting his debut on the bench. They played
:24:24. > :24:29.really well and he scored, it is just, what more can you do? I'm not
:24:30. > :24:34.saying he would be in my best 11 necessary, but that is going to be
:24:35. > :24:38.the problem now, he will be leaving big names out every week. Without
:24:39. > :24:42.Champions League football can he keep them all happy? It does not
:24:43. > :24:48.matter how much you are learning, if you are not playing, it affects you
:24:49. > :24:54.and you can become a negative influence. If he is paying Falcao
:24:55. > :25:01.and van Persie with Rooney behind, Mata is not going to play. We talk
:25:02. > :25:07.more about Manchester United, if you heard was Danny just said, get in
:25:08. > :25:11.touch. We will go to White Hart Lane shortly, Spurs against West Brom,
:25:12. > :25:16.but let's talk about Southampton. Second in the table after their win
:25:17. > :25:21.over ten man Swansea in that rather bizarre sending-off, more bizarre
:25:22. > :25:27.that he was roaring into the face of the defender that he clattered for
:25:28. > :25:30.the first yellow card. We mentioned it about Liverpool and Newcastle,
:25:31. > :25:33.Southampton have obviously had a huge revolving door this summer,
:25:34. > :25:37.including a new manager and yet everything seems incredibly calm
:25:38. > :25:44.since the season started. Do you give most credit to Ronald Koeman? A
:25:45. > :25:49.lot of the credit, in many ways the situation is a bit like Man Utd and
:25:50. > :25:54.van Gaal light, the Dutchman bringing his own methods in to try
:25:55. > :25:58.to change his philosophy and lots of players changing. He has done one
:25:59. > :26:06.really well on the dutch market, particularly Tadic and Pelle. That
:26:07. > :26:09.is perhaps a market that has been underestimated in the Premier League
:26:10. > :26:14.recently. The other enormous credit goes to the players, who have shown
:26:15. > :26:19.flexibility to have another change of manager, they reacted brilliantly
:26:20. > :26:23.when Pochettino first came in, and now they are coming in with a new
:26:24. > :26:30.set of, some team-mates and new ideology, they have gone again, to
:26:31. > :26:34.use a famous phrase. It is massively admirable. It has helped you have
:26:35. > :26:38.got a new manager and the same time as this big influx. If Pochettino
:26:39. > :26:43.was still there it might have been a different story. A new man, new
:26:44. > :26:48.players, almost like a new club. And he looks like a manager. He looks
:26:49. > :26:53.the business. It looks like nothing would rattle him. Amy is right, some
:26:54. > :26:59.of those who did stay were unsettled as well, it is early, only five
:27:00. > :27:02.games, but they deserve it. They deserve credit, you need some luck,
:27:03. > :27:08.the sending-off changed it yesterday. But he did cleverly, --
:27:09. > :27:13.what he did cleverly, some of the players, he did not put them all in
:27:14. > :27:18.at once. Steven Davis has been shining, he kept Schneiderlin on
:27:19. > :27:22.board, Nathaniel Clyne, I'm a big fan of him, they have a good nucleus
:27:23. > :27:29.of players who know what the club is about. I think it is really
:27:30. > :27:31.refreshing to see after the stick they took from selling their
:27:32. > :27:38.so-called best players, that they have moved forward, not well
:27:39. > :27:43.honoured. You have not seen protests from the fans, they have got on with
:27:44. > :27:46.it. The fans have embraced it, Sammy Lee has gone in there as well and
:27:47. > :27:50.has had a good impact from what I have heard. And long may that
:27:51. > :27:54.continue. I think the more teams that can contribute at the top it
:27:55. > :27:59.makes it exciting for us. Some of the players, Ward-Prowse is another
:28:00. > :28:06.example, somebody able to flourish because of the way it has been
:28:07. > :28:10.opened up slightly. You want to see a club like Southampton ideally have
:28:11. > :28:13.a situation where, they need some reward for the work they are doing.
:28:14. > :28:18.Last season was so promising for them. But you lose your best
:28:19. > :28:23.players. In your Premier League dream than they have a chance to
:28:24. > :28:26.have a real go for a bit longer. If this team evolves and does well, who
:28:27. > :28:31.is to say that in the next summer one or two players who have just
:28:32. > :28:36.arrived, might not also be poached by bigger clubs. That is what I was
:28:37. > :28:39.wondering, will we go through it again? Talk in one of the papers
:28:40. > :28:45.this morning that Spurs will now have to go up to ?30 million if they
:28:46. > :28:50.want Morgan Schneiderlin, some of these rumours regarding Southampton
:28:51. > :28:56.will not go away. It is funny, I thought the transfer deadlines were
:28:57. > :29:00.brought in to stop this talk. There is lots of airtime and column
:29:01. > :29:07.inches. Root it never stops. I do not think Southampton will stick
:29:08. > :29:15.around the top six all season. I think ten, nine, eight, seven. Top
:29:16. > :29:19.ten. Very reasonable aspiration. I agree with Amy, people like
:29:20. > :29:23.Ward-Prowse getting regular games, Wanyama has come back in. He was a
:29:24. > :29:27.substitute and scored yesterday. Nathaniel Clyne was brilliant. He
:29:28. > :29:37.will be playing regularly. A good team and more power to them. To
:29:38. > :29:41.White Hart Lane, Spurs against West Brom, John Watson doing this game
:29:42. > :29:45.for us later and West Brom going to the Lane, Rock bottom of the Premier
:29:46. > :29:51.League after results yesterday. The pressure will increase on Alan
:29:52. > :29:55.Irvine. Yes it certainly will. The only way he can offset that is to
:29:56. > :30:01.utilise his squad. The first time this week he had all 25 players
:30:02. > :30:06.available for training. Joleon Lescott came in the summer from
:30:07. > :30:12.Manchester City, 26 England caps, he has been injured but makes his debut
:30:13. > :30:15.this afternoon, in place of Jonas Olsson, who made a mistake against
:30:16. > :30:20.Everton last week. The only other change for them is Stephane
:30:21. > :30:24.Sessegnon coming in to the front of the team. I think he will play just
:30:25. > :30:37.behind Berahino and they have left out the Ide.
:30:38. > :30:43.And so things do not look very good for them. But on the other hand,
:30:44. > :30:47.Spurs did lose their last home league game to Liverpool, and they
:30:48. > :30:51.are vulnerable at times, as Sunderland proved last week. A new
:30:52. > :30:56.captain for Tottenham, by the way, Younes Kaboul leading the team out
:30:57. > :31:01.for the first time since his official appointment. Pochettino
:31:02. > :31:04.starts with the same XI which began the game against Sunderland last
:31:05. > :31:17.week. Thank you very much for that. Would
:31:18. > :31:20.you worry for West Brom? I am afraid I do worry for them. It is difficult
:31:21. > :31:27.to envisage a situation where Alan Irvine is given enough time to
:31:28. > :31:32.adjust to what is in front of him. I think it is a pretty unforgiving
:31:33. > :31:37.place, the Premier League, to come into. He has not had a huge amount
:31:38. > :31:40.of experience at the sharpest end, following a long time as an
:31:41. > :31:47.extremely successful and well regarded number two. So, he is not
:31:48. > :31:50.going to have patience around him, when you are bottom of the league.
:31:51. > :31:57.It is going to be a difficult place to go, White Hart Lane, today. Spurs
:31:58. > :32:07.are getting used to the new pressing style of Pochettino, and I would
:32:08. > :32:11.expect them to win today. Fans will, I would imagine, immediately put
:32:12. > :32:18.treasure on somebody who is not perceived as big enough to command a
:32:19. > :32:23.job, and Alan Irvine is perceived as a fantastic number two, or youth
:32:24. > :32:27.coach... I think something like 83% of people polled in the local
:32:28. > :32:32.newspaper, when he was appointed, were against it. Do you think they
:32:33. > :32:38.are trying to recreate Steve Clarke again? Quite possibly. But it is
:32:39. > :32:42.such a mixed bag, when you look at recent years, with West Brom. Di
:32:43. > :32:49.Matteo was fantastic when he first came in, for example. Roy was the
:32:50. > :32:53.only success, really. My feeling is that West Brom is one of the only
:32:54. > :32:58.clubs which really tries to do this sporting director thing. I am not
:32:59. > :33:02.sure if Alan has any influence on signings, for example. But when you
:33:03. > :33:07.bring a manager in who the fans are not really infused by, after a bad
:33:08. > :33:12.appointment before that, in Pepe Mel, finished the season terribly -
:33:13. > :33:17.anyone with any intelligence would be thinking, you appoint someone who
:33:18. > :33:20.the fans will embrace. Because that gives you some breathing space.
:33:21. > :33:25.People for a couple of months will go, OK, he is learning about the
:33:26. > :33:33.players and the new system, it will take some time, if he is someone
:33:34. > :33:43.they like. But give yourself a chance. Get someone in who the fans
:33:44. > :33:46.want, who has got some experience, obviously, and just let the club
:33:47. > :33:51.enjoy it for a while. E straightaway, they were on him as
:33:52. > :33:56.soon see lost a couple of games. I see a lot of players at West one, a
:33:57. > :34:02.lot of quantity, but I am not sure about the quality. Anything could
:34:03. > :34:07.happen today, with Sessegnon, he will shoot from anywhere! Under a
:34:08. > :34:15.VB, he was going full out to win the Europa League, but Pochettino is
:34:16. > :34:23.not. He has rested most of the spine of the side for today. They played
:34:24. > :34:29.all right at Sunderland. They played really good football. Chris says,
:34:30. > :34:34.tell them that Felix from Fulham is available! This one says, why do
:34:35. > :34:38.Newcastle fans think their team should be at the top of the Premier
:34:39. > :34:45.League? Don't blame Pardew. Quickly onto Arsenal. With Ozil in the
:34:46. > :34:49.number ten role, behind Danny Welbeck, they won yesterday, and
:34:50. > :34:53.they had an immediate understanding? That fascinated me. They have been
:34:54. > :34:58.trying to get a new balance in their front line since the beginning of
:34:59. > :35:06.the season. Even when Sanchez came in, he was trying all sorts of
:35:07. > :35:15.things. He spoke almost bizarrely about using a whole host of number
:35:16. > :35:19.tens, like Brazil 1970, which had a few people raising their eyebrows.
:35:20. > :35:21.But Ozil going back into his favourite position had been a
:35:22. > :35:26.sticking point. He played with freedom, he seemed unblocked. The
:35:27. > :35:31.fact that he has somebody making runs for him in front of him, that
:35:32. > :35:41.seemed to create something new for Arsenal. Radio 5 Live are going to
:35:42. > :35:53.be leaving us now for coverage of the Grand Prix in Singapore. Danny
:35:54. > :35:57.Murphy, you wanted to say something? When Ozil first got into the side,
:35:58. > :36:02.and he had the likes of Walcott, his assists were up there. He came to
:36:03. > :36:09.Arsenal with one of the best assists records in Europe. And you do need
:36:10. > :36:13.runners, and you need him to be higher up the pitch. When he plays
:36:14. > :36:17.wide, he spends so much time defending that he has not got the
:36:18. > :36:20.energy for the end product. I think it is really exciting for Arsenal to
:36:21. > :36:25.see the likes of him and Welbeck joining up. The criticism has been
:36:26. > :36:31.unfair on both of them. Danny has only played three games, and he has
:36:32. > :36:36.actually done all right. Up against City in his first one, and Dortmund
:36:37. > :36:41.away in the second. Give him a chance! And Thierry Henry and Dennis
:36:42. > :36:48.Bergkamp took more or less eight games to find the net. Watching
:36:49. > :36:53.yesterday, I do not think we should get too hung up on this Ozil in the
:36:54. > :36:57.number told mould, because it is about the freedom. -- in the number
:36:58. > :37:01.ten role. He did not just stay in one position. There was a lot of
:37:02. > :37:06.moving around. And actually some of his best work did come on the
:37:07. > :37:11.left-hand side. And Wenger made that point in his press conference, when
:37:12. > :37:17.he was speaking about Brazil 1970, and that side having lots of number
:37:18. > :37:20.tens. The press tries to catch him out by asking him which of the
:37:21. > :37:25.Arsenal side was Pele! Is that a good thing, but he has lots of
:37:26. > :37:31.players who want to play in that role? I do not think it is a bad
:37:32. > :37:37.thing. I think it depends on who is anchoring midfield. You can do that
:37:38. > :37:44.if you have got solidity behind. Going back to that, when you play in
:37:45. > :37:47.an Ozil position, number ten, the difference is the mentality of
:37:48. > :37:50.setting up as a number ten. When you set up as a white man, you are
:37:51. > :37:58.thinking about the full-back. It is good to have rotation -- wide man --
:37:59. > :38:03.but you have to see the space. That is what he did. When he starts
:38:04. > :38:10.wide, for me coming he gets a bit isolated and trapped, and his body
:38:11. > :38:13.language shows frustration. He thrives on confidence. When you see
:38:14. > :38:17.him play with Germany, because they have so much possession, he is not
:38:18. > :38:22.having to run back, so he has more energy. I think you're right, the
:38:23. > :38:28.flexibility and variation is crucial for them. You could see it
:38:29. > :38:31.yesterday, the body language, after they got three up, he was up for
:38:32. > :38:39.everything, tackling and tracking back. When they went 2-1 up against
:38:40. > :38:44.Man City, he started demanding the ball and running back. He is a
:38:45. > :38:53.confidence player. As we all are. I like him. Let's just come on to the
:38:54. > :38:58.Leicester game against Man United. Juan Mata dropped. Tony says, I
:38:59. > :39:04.would drop van Persie instead of Mata. Danny is nodding along to
:39:05. > :39:10.that. This one says, don't you think van Persie will miss games through
:39:11. > :39:15.injury? In all of this discussion, about Man United, one thing Varndell
:39:16. > :39:20.said in his press conference this week was, Rooney is the only one who
:39:21. > :39:25.will get special privileges, because he is my captain. Does that make
:39:26. > :39:33.sense, or is it dangerous? It feels dangerous to me. I don't know, you
:39:34. > :39:42.have got to pick... You have to pick your best team for one game or
:39:43. > :39:48.another. There are so many new things he is trying to correlate.
:39:49. > :39:53.You need a captain, you need a leader. Your captain needs to know
:39:54. > :39:57.that he will be playing every week so that he can lead and perform and
:39:58. > :40:00.help the others. If you are so focused on staying in the team, what
:40:01. > :40:04.does he want me to do, you cannot then do your job of captaining the
:40:05. > :40:08.others. I had a great relationship with Roy as captain, I knew that I
:40:09. > :40:13.could have about ten minutes or a bad game, cars he trusted me, and I
:40:14. > :40:20.am his mouthpiece on the pitch. The other thing with Wayne, compared to
:40:21. > :40:26.all of the others, forget ability, the three of them do not put in the
:40:27. > :40:32.miles he puts in. He is always battling, no matter how badly he is
:40:33. > :40:34.playing. I think he has special privileges because he is Wayne
:40:35. > :40:42.Rooney, not just because he is captain. Does Younes Kaboul now get
:40:43. > :40:48.special privileges at Spurs? Although Younes Kaboul, he will know
:40:49. > :40:55.that with three or four centre halves at Spurs, he will be starting
:40:56. > :41:00.with someone else alongside him. I am not sure, over the course of the
:41:01. > :41:05.season, that Younes Kaboul will play every game. It is different, there
:41:06. > :41:09.is no obvious candidate at Tottenham. I think with Rooney, he
:41:10. > :41:16.is an obvious leader, captain of his country. And also, look what he has
:41:17. > :41:22.done at Man United, he has been there when they have won Premier
:41:23. > :41:26.Leagues Champions League... There was talk in the summer, would he be
:41:27. > :41:35.the odd man out? Can be so starts for Leicester, Fadi starts as well.
:41:36. > :41:39.His pace will were reunited? I like Jamie Vardy, and I like stories like
:41:40. > :41:44.that, that there is still a way through to the top level. And he
:41:45. > :41:46.will score goals. I shake my head, because it seems like five minutes
:41:47. > :41:56.ago I saw him playing for Fleetwood at York. Why did you go to that
:41:57. > :42:02.game? I go to a lot of games, Danny! M8 of his saw him playing in a
:42:03. > :42:11.Yorkshire league game somewhere in Sheffield or Halifax. It does seem
:42:12. > :42:14.incredible. You imagine that you have to go through so many layers to
:42:15. > :42:23.get picked up at the top level. It is marvellous. Lets move from that
:42:24. > :42:27.heart-warming story to the truly odd story that is in the Observer today,
:42:28. > :42:36.written by Danny Taylor, the story of Felix Magath treating Brede
:42:37. > :42:45.Hangeland with cheese. It has been thought he had given it to him as a
:42:46. > :42:53.reward or something. But actually, Brede Hangeland, Danny Murphy, had a
:42:54. > :42:57.fitness problem, on his thigh, and the manager convinced him to put a
:42:58. > :43:01.lump of cheese on it? A lump of cheese, soaked in alcohol, this is
:43:02. > :43:07.from the horses mouth, and told him to leave it on overnight. The club
:43:08. > :43:14.dock, who I know well, he did not think it was the best idea. It was
:43:15. > :43:19.just one of many ridiculous, sad, stories which we have heard about
:43:20. > :43:25.Felix, which has ultimately cost him his job, and also has put Fulham in
:43:26. > :43:28.a world of trouble. All of the experienced players that they had
:43:29. > :43:35.last season were desperate to leave, and did so as quickly as they could.
:43:36. > :43:42.We have got no more time to talk about cheese!
:43:43. > :43:55.That's it from us today - thanks to Danny, Amy and Guy.
:43:56. > :43:58.Don't forget I'll be back on BBC One later for Match of the Day 2.
:43:59. > :44:00.And there's full commentary of Manchester City against Chelsea
:44:01. > :44:01.on 5 Live from four o'clock.