:00:25. > :00:28.Welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra on BBC Two, Radio 5 Live
:00:29. > :00:33.Joining me today are the former Arsenal, West Ham and England
:00:34. > :00:37.West Brom and Northern Ireland midfielder Chris Brunt.
:00:38. > :00:40.And Olly Holt, Chief Sports Writer of The Mail on Sunday.
:00:41. > :00:43.Get in touch using the hashtag #bbcfootball on social media
:00:44. > :00:56.Here is what we have got coming up for you this afternoon.
:00:57. > :00:58.We'll continue to reflect on the sacking of Claudio Ranieri
:00:59. > :01:00.and discuss the rise of player power.
:01:01. > :01:02.As Leicester move into the relegation zone for the first
:01:03. > :01:05.time we'll assess the situation at the bottom of the table.
:01:06. > :01:08.Chelsea go 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League thanks
:01:09. > :01:12.And we'll look ahead to the EFL Cup Final where Manchester United
:01:13. > :01:16.There's commentary of that on 5 Live.
:01:17. > :01:23.Quick look at this morning's back pages.
:01:24. > :01:29.This is the headline in the Sunday Telegraph. Making plans for Nigel,
:01:30. > :01:36.hinting at possible return for Nigel Pearson. And the Mail on Sunday has
:01:37. > :01:44.gone with this. This is where we will start. Did they knife him? I
:01:45. > :01:50.don't think so. Look, there's an argument to say they may have knifed
:01:51. > :01:54.him by not playing him all season, and they think, after the heights
:01:55. > :02:06.they had last season, obviously, they have dived this season. And
:02:07. > :02:10.they have not had players like Mahrez, has been a shadow. They have
:02:11. > :02:17.not had goals, they have missed Antonio Conte hugely. I don't
:02:18. > :02:22.think... I have got a lot of respect for the Leicester players,
:02:23. > :02:28.particularly Casper as Michael. Is good characters there. -- Kasper
:02:29. > :02:32.Schmeichel. If they weren't good, they wouldn't have won last season.
:02:33. > :02:38.I think the decision was taken by the owners and then the players
:02:39. > :02:43.obviously at that point have no choice but to go along with it. Are
:02:44. > :02:46.you surprised how long it took for the Leicester players to come out in
:02:47. > :02:50.support of Claudio Ranieri? Is that something which happens in the
:02:51. > :02:54.Premier League? You are given 48 hours? I think it's a situation
:02:55. > :02:59.you've been up West Bromwich, and this bit change of coach, manager,
:03:00. > :03:05.and you get messages from the club, possibly a text message or a phone
:03:06. > :03:08.call, and they think that would be the general thing. Keep it quiet for
:03:09. > :03:15.a couple of days, just to let the storm blow over. Obviously comes
:03:16. > :03:18.nice to see people coming out with the things which have been reported
:03:19. > :03:23.in the press this week, players have come out and said, they give him
:03:24. > :03:28.their backing full-service billet have season for them and was always
:03:29. > :03:31.going to be that. It was not going to be the heights they had last
:03:32. > :03:36.season, which was so difficult to reach a game and I've think, for me,
:03:37. > :03:41.playing them this year, the loss of Antonio Conte has been the biggest
:03:42. > :03:44.thing, because he gave the likes of Mahrez the freedom to go and attack
:03:45. > :03:48.and express themselves and get forward because knowing behind them,
:03:49. > :03:58.he would back them up. Much more on this.
:03:59. > :04:08.Kasper Schmeichel spoke to the BBC yesterday and asked whether he had a
:04:09. > :04:11.meeting to oust Ranieri. A lot of players say they turned on him and
:04:12. > :04:15.the owners were unhappy. Can you tell us what truth there is in that?
:04:16. > :04:23.Absolutely no truth in that whatsoever. We are players. We can
:04:24. > :04:30.only affect on the pitch and we have not done that. What happens above
:04:31. > :04:36.our heads at boardroom level is completely out of our control. Craig
:04:37. > :04:41.Shakespeare said yesterday no, there were no players speaking to the
:04:42. > :04:47.owners. You can genuinely telephone yourself as well? Craig said there
:04:48. > :04:51.was no meeting that was completely true. All these reports about
:04:52. > :04:55.meetings, I don't know where they have come from. A la owners are
:04:56. > :05:03.very, very hands-on. They are in and around the club. -- a la owners.
:05:04. > :05:08.They come to practically every game. They come to the training ground and
:05:09. > :05:13.they speak to all the players regularly. Any of those meetings,
:05:14. > :05:17.did any of the players expressed dissatisfaction with the manager?
:05:18. > :05:24.Listen, like I've said, you can't call it a meeting. Like we're having
:05:25. > :05:30.a meeting right now. We talk to them about all manners of things, from
:05:31. > :05:35.the weather to whatever. But you've got to remember these guys are very,
:05:36. > :05:38.very successful businessmen, and also have taken this club from the
:05:39. > :05:42.bottom of the Championship to the top. They won't let themselves be
:05:43. > :05:46.influenced by any players or anything like that. We are
:05:47. > :05:49.footballers, and we have a responsibility to perform on the
:05:50. > :05:53.pitch and we haven't lived up to that. That is the blame that we
:05:54. > :06:03.take. Anything else, it's completely out of our control. That is Kasper
:06:04. > :06:06.Schmeichel. Matthew Upson, you have played with Kasper Schmeichel. Are
:06:07. > :06:11.you convinced by what he said much or is he capable of that sort of
:06:12. > :06:15.thing? You got to be careful to distinguish what knifing somebody
:06:16. > :06:19.and being asked by the owners, your boss, to have a professional opinion
:06:20. > :06:23.on something. It doesn't sound like there was a meeting as such, people
:06:24. > :06:26.talk about a witch hunt of a meeting, but I'm sure the owners
:06:27. > :06:31.would have had conversations, possibly with the players, who asked
:06:32. > :06:35.their opinion and then you either give an honest opinion or you stay
:06:36. > :06:40.out of the conversation. To call it knifing in the back, if there was a
:06:41. > :06:44.conversation, is a bit extreme. The owners want to do their homework and
:06:45. > :06:48.find out by the results were going the way they did. Should the owners
:06:49. > :06:52.do that? If they want to protect their investment and look after the
:06:53. > :06:55.club as a business, I'm sure they will do. Most people who own
:06:56. > :06:58.businesses want to know what's happening inside the business and
:06:59. > :07:01.the training pitch and the way they are playing is what football is, so
:07:02. > :07:08.they will want to know what's happening. Without trying to drop
:07:09. > :07:12.the manager in it, he said no, he did not have a meeting. It should
:07:13. > :07:16.all be about the meeting with these players, but we still don't know
:07:17. > :07:20.whether this happened. He said there was not a meeting and from that,
:07:21. > :07:25.whether or not there was a conversation between the owners and
:07:26. > :07:28.players, and other staff members, the owners are very hands-on, even
:07:29. > :07:32.though they are not from the UK. They are always at games and
:07:33. > :07:38.training grounds, so they are in communication with the players all
:07:39. > :07:42.the time. The player power thing is interesting. Quite often you see
:07:43. > :07:48.managerial sackings and the media screams player power and they think,
:07:49. > :07:50.I understand that and I've think obviously the relationship, the
:07:51. > :07:55.balance of power between players and managers has changed over the years,
:07:56. > :08:03.over the last 20 years, with the financial power now that players
:08:04. > :08:08.have in particular. I still think that if players now are overpaid
:08:09. > :08:13.prima donnas, if they are, then it's up to the manager to get the best
:08:14. > :08:16.out of those overpaid primadonna 's. Ultimately, the buck stops with a
:08:17. > :08:22.manager. Don't get me wrong, I think Leicester made a mistake by sacking
:08:23. > :08:25.Ranieri but, ultimately, whatever players who have under your control
:08:26. > :08:30.and whatever character they have, ultimately, it's up to you to get
:08:31. > :08:35.the best out of them. When you think of overpaid prima donnas, you think
:08:36. > :08:38.Chris Brunt. How does this start in a dressing room? How do the players
:08:39. > :08:43.start to group together against the manager? I don't know obviously
:08:44. > :08:50.listening to the interview at first, pretty much I heard the interview,
:08:51. > :08:56.and it's a difficult one because I don't think anybody is going in to
:08:57. > :09:00.knife somebody in the back so to speak. Obviously, the results are
:09:01. > :09:04.there for all to see. It's been a difficult one. The owners have
:09:05. > :09:11.obviously felt they had to make a decision. You look at Swansea, they
:09:12. > :09:17.made a decision. Hole as well. -- Hull. They got a couple of wins out
:09:18. > :09:22.of it. It may be to try to get a reaction. Once you go over the white
:09:23. > :09:25.line, the guys who are playing, take responsibility for what is on the
:09:26. > :09:29.pitch because there's not an awful management can do after that. Had we
:09:30. > :09:36.been somewhere where a group of players not including yourself have
:09:37. > :09:40.agitated to get a manager out? I think not to get a manager out but
:09:41. > :09:43.there are discussions which go on all the time between owners,
:09:44. > :09:48.directors of football, coaches, players, and if things aren't going
:09:49. > :09:51.well it's natural because people, you need results and you want to win
:09:52. > :09:56.games and everybody wants to do well for the benefit of the team, the
:09:57. > :09:59.club, themselves, and that's just the nature of the environment. I
:10:00. > :10:04.think you have got to want to be doing well if things are not going
:10:05. > :10:09.well, it's a natural reaction in any business or sport, whatever, if
:10:10. > :10:12.things are not going well, you start asking questions and picking at
:10:13. > :10:18.things. That's pretty much what has happened. I think the key for
:10:19. > :10:20.Leicester and Ranieri is once you have achieved something as
:10:21. > :10:24.monumental as Leicester did last season, it's almost like you did use
:10:25. > :10:27.similar for the players. Has to be something, how do you stimulator
:10:28. > :10:35.group which has just won the Premier League? By maybe giving them a
:10:36. > :10:39.contract, but sometimes that can act as a demotivate. There has to be
:10:40. > :10:43.something a bit deeper than that. In terms of rewarding the success that
:10:44. > :10:46.matter different target. Is there an argument to say they were highly
:10:47. > :10:53.motivated the players because they done something about it and got the
:10:54. > :10:56.manager out? Yes, I've think it's not as clear-cut as the players
:10:57. > :11:00.grouping together and getting Ranieri out. It a cynical way of
:11:01. > :11:04.looking at the situation. We didn't talk about it and it's going to be
:11:05. > :11:08.reported however you want, but the owners ultimately can either look at
:11:09. > :11:12.this as an emotional decision or a clinical logical one, and the
:11:13. > :11:16.emotion would be to stick with Ranieri because he won the title
:11:17. > :11:21.last season and everybody can understand that but the fact, the
:11:22. > :11:24.position are in in the league, how they are performing and what they
:11:25. > :11:29.have invested in this season, it doesn't match up so they made a
:11:30. > :11:38.decision. There were more Americans -- murmurings of discontent. It was
:11:39. > :11:43.said was down to tension between Craig Shakespeare and Ranieri. Is he
:11:44. > :11:46.someone you could fall out with? I'm sure anybody could clash with anyone
:11:47. > :11:50.depending on personalities. He was in that type of confrontational
:11:51. > :11:55.person when I was there. He supported Nigel Pearson. He was with
:11:56. > :11:58.him when he came into the club, I think, so he followed on as a coach
:11:59. > :12:02.and had massive success last season. Who is to know what has gone on
:12:03. > :12:10.behind the scenes? It's difficult to speculate. Who is next? Martin
:12:11. > :12:13.O'Neill ruled himself out on 5 Live saying he couldn't do both jobs with
:12:14. > :12:18.Republic of Ireland. Roberto Mancini seems to be in the frame and Guus
:12:19. > :12:24.Hiddink. I think the difficulty Leicester have got now and a big is
:12:25. > :12:31.managers like Martin O'Neill, Guus Hiddink, how can they match up and
:12:32. > :12:37.follow that, what Claudio Ranieri did? Not follow this season, but
:12:38. > :12:41.Leicester are never going to achieve what they have achieved last season.
:12:42. > :12:45.They are never going to do that against anybody who goes in there
:12:46. > :12:48.now, I think they are on a hiding to nothing. The best they can do is
:12:49. > :12:53.save Leicester from relegation which is OK, because they just won the
:12:54. > :12:59.title 's. They are the champions. You're going on a hiding to nothing
:13:00. > :13:06.and look stupid. My take on it is, I'll accept that Ranieri hasn't done
:13:07. > :13:09.a great job this season. Some of the signings were not great and they did
:13:10. > :13:17.not deal well with winning the league. . I do think Ranieri was the
:13:18. > :13:20.thing which made it all special. I'm not taking away from the achievement
:13:21. > :13:25.of the players, but he was the thing which made it special and they
:13:26. > :13:28.think, he earned the right, it sounds stupid, he earned the right
:13:29. > :13:33.to take them down. He certainly earned the right to keep the map. I
:13:34. > :13:37.think by sacking him, they have taken the magic away and they think
:13:38. > :13:41.it's going to be very hard. Sometimes, when a manager leaves,
:13:42. > :13:45.you get a bounce by doping that's going to happen here. Liverpool
:13:46. > :13:48.next. Craig Shakespeare will be in charge for that. Is a viable
:13:49. > :13:55.candidate to bring the dressing room together? I don't know, possibly. He
:13:56. > :13:59.was at West Bromwich for one season when they first went and he is a
:14:00. > :14:06.good coach. A big personality. A nice guy around the place but, it is
:14:07. > :14:08.a tough job. I think, last year Leicester of history had momentum.
:14:09. > :14:13.They kept winning and winning and they couldn't lose. No matter what
:14:14. > :14:16.was happening in the game they were getting a result. When it flips on
:14:17. > :14:19.the other side and you get the momentum of losing games and not
:14:20. > :14:23.picking up points, it's difficult to get out of it. A few times at West
:14:24. > :14:28.Brom, you are scrapping down the bottom of the league and things
:14:29. > :14:31.won't drop your way. Things just don't go your way. It a difficult
:14:32. > :14:36.situation for them but obviously, it's going to have to start tomorrow
:14:37. > :14:41.night. Nigel Pearson, a man you Leicester, tipped to come back.
:14:42. > :14:44.Roberto Mancini into him, Roberto Mancini a man who apparently is to
:14:45. > :14:48.get his sidekick to warm up his clothes with eight hairdryer at
:14:49. > :14:52.Manchester City. But doesn't seem at the kind of manager who's counting
:14:53. > :14:55.up for a relegation fight. No, you hasn't got a history of managing
:14:56. > :14:59.teams in relegation fight and die supposed Nigel Pearson is more
:15:00. > :15:06.accustomed to that. Again, it is speculation. Roberto Mancini, as a
:15:07. > :15:08.player, he was on loan at other player, there's various links but
:15:09. > :15:12.it's going to be interesting to see where they can go because it's a
:15:13. > :15:18.group at the moment really lacking something. You always feel the team
:15:19. > :15:22.that tops into the relegation at this stage, and hasn't really been
:15:23. > :15:23.in it fighting, is the one most vulnerable, so it's important they
:15:24. > :15:31.get their act in order. It is a split atmosphere at the King
:15:32. > :15:36.Power Stadium on Monday night, when you look at the response from the
:15:37. > :15:40.Leicester City fans, some say it is the right decision, others say not.
:15:41. > :15:45.It is not as clear-cut as people think? It is a huge split, and a
:15:46. > :15:48.contentious situation. But one thing is for sure about the Leicester City
:15:49. > :15:57.supporters, the atmosphere at the King Power Stadium, they always have
:15:58. > :16:02.that common desire that they want to achieve. I think that headline
:16:03. > :16:08.summed it up, the prince goes back to being the normal frog again!
:16:09. > :16:12.Claudio Ranieri. Norwich against Ipswich is the midday kick-off
:16:13. > :16:19.at the East Anglia Derby. Mike Sewell is there. It is still
:16:20. > :16:21.goalless. Norwich offered a greater threat throughout the first half an
:16:22. > :16:27.hour and had the first opportunity by the boot of an Ipswich player,
:16:28. > :16:31.Mitchell Dykes roared into the penalty area, a teasing ball into
:16:32. > :16:37.the six yard box. Pinging off two Ipswich players. It was an excellent
:16:38. > :16:39.reaction saved to keep the ball from going into the net. It is still
:16:40. > :16:46.goalless. Our commentary game at 1:30pm on
:16:47. > :16:51.five live as Tottenham against Stoke. Now we have the team news? I
:16:52. > :16:55.would keep you long here, both teams are unchanged from their last
:16:56. > :16:59.outing, the difference being stoic's last game was a fortnight ago, they
:17:00. > :17:04.went to Dubai in that time since then. Spurs have beaten Fulham in
:17:05. > :17:10.the FA Cup, and Spurs had to play with ten men for the second half the
:17:11. > :17:14.other day. It is the same team, Danny Rose is unavailable, Ben
:17:15. > :17:18.Davies continues. Probably 3-4- three with Eric Dier in the back
:17:19. > :17:25.three. Peter Crouch starts his ninth Premier League game up front. Cider
:17:26. > :17:31.Berahino on the bench, and Shaqiri is still out after a calf injury --
:17:32. > :17:38.Berahino. Is mentality and issue for Tottenham this season, again? Well,
:17:39. > :17:44.I suppose so. I think you are talking from a fake position of
:17:45. > :17:46.strength. If you talk about mentality, are you insinuating...
:17:47. > :17:51.Talking about the fact that they fell off at the end? Yes, looking at
:17:52. > :17:55.the statistic that they have won one in 15 Premier League games against
:17:56. > :18:02.teams in the top six away from home, that is a huge statistic? Yes, I
:18:03. > :18:10.think so. The fact that part of it is the squad size, I think. I still
:18:11. > :18:15.think that we have overlooked that they are punching above their weight
:18:16. > :18:18.under Pochettino come he has done a fantastic job. Did they miss that
:18:19. > :18:24.opportunity that summer, slipping away against Newcastle at the end,
:18:25. > :18:27.to recruit properly? Possibly. I think they did recruit. And I think
:18:28. > :18:37.they have got so mini fantastic young players coming through. Dele
:18:38. > :18:41.Alli, that case is... He has been such a fantastic player. It is
:18:42. > :18:46.interesting that he is in the spotlight at the moment for that
:18:47. > :18:50.tackle. I find it interesting, with Tottenham's budget, to be competing
:18:51. > :18:55.with Manchester United and Manchester City, and Arsenal, on
:18:56. > :18:59.that budget? It is amazing. You know, they go so far into the youth
:19:00. > :19:03.policy there in terms of bringing players through, they are keen to
:19:04. > :19:08.bring them across and integrate them into the first-team. It is a real
:19:09. > :19:12.benefit for the club in future. But, at the moment, with their squad? The
:19:13. > :19:17.Europe and the cup games, the Premier Leagues, to focus on one
:19:18. > :19:22.thing like Chelsea have done this season, if they can focus on the
:19:23. > :19:26.Premier League, Tottenham would be a real contender. We've seen it more
:19:27. > :19:30.and more, that advantage of not being in Europe, and the advantage
:19:31. > :19:35.for squads of being able to rest. It certainly seems to have happened for
:19:36. > :19:39.Chelsea this season. A massive advantage for Leicester last season,
:19:40. > :19:42.a few seasons ago, Liverpool had the advantage. There's being able to
:19:43. > :19:49.Russian -- ration the squad is more and
:19:50. > :19:55.Tottenham seem to be struggling. What have they been like to play
:19:56. > :20:00.against this season? I think, to be fair, you touched on it earlier.
:20:01. > :20:06.They have a young squad, getting at this stage in the season, with
:20:07. > :20:10.younger players, they are just, maybe, not used to the business end
:20:11. > :20:15.this season. They will grow into it. Dele Alli, Harry Kane, they will get
:20:16. > :20:18.more experience in the Premier League, and go on to do what the
:20:19. > :20:23.likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have done before. It is really tough at
:20:24. > :20:29.the top. It is... Chelsea have gone away, they are gone, but the rest
:20:30. > :20:33.have been so consistent. For Spurs, OK, they are dipping slightly but if
:20:34. > :20:37.you look at the squads that Manchester United have built and the
:20:38. > :20:40.money that they have spent, they are coming on strong and putting a lot
:20:41. > :20:44.of pressure on. The pressure has been relentless at the top, behind
:20:45. > :20:51.Chelsea. A couple of other things with Tottenham, Danny Rose is a big
:20:52. > :20:57.mess. Whether or not it forces Pochettino to play a back three. You
:20:58. > :21:01.have Eric Dier with Wanyama and Dembele, those three are key. Very
:21:02. > :21:07.strong players. To fit those three in the team with the backward Mac,
:21:08. > :21:15.it's difficult. In some ways, he's got good players in key competition
:21:16. > :21:20.areas -- the backward Mac. That for Tottenham would be the success. Dele
:21:21. > :21:24.Alli, there have been questions over his maturity, he's only 20 years old
:21:25. > :21:29.and it is his first red card. All he didn't do, when he went to the
:21:30. > :21:37.trouble, did the classic thing... It was a horrendous tackle. -- the
:21:38. > :21:42.football. Yes, she's got fined again, it makes him stand out as a
:21:43. > :21:47.20-year-old in the Premier League. He could have gone straight into the
:21:48. > :21:52.Premier League. You cannot ask him to take it out of his game, it gives
:21:53. > :21:57.him some edge, and makes him what he is. He is such a good player. A
:21:58. > :22:00.couple of times we have played them this season, he is so difficult to
:22:01. > :22:08.get near, he is very clever and very mature. But there was a bit of red
:22:09. > :22:13.mist there. You learn from it. Let's talk about issues at the bottom of
:22:14. > :22:17.the table, an enormous win for Crystal Palace yesterday, 1-0 over
:22:18. > :22:20.Middlesbrough, their second win under their new manager, Sam
:22:21. > :22:27.Allardyce. It has never been a bigger win for us this season than
:22:28. > :22:30.this one, it lays to rest, for the home fans in particular, the
:22:31. > :22:32.Sunderland game last time we played here.
:22:33. > :22:36.A great victory and hopefully we can move on from there. I think the
:22:37. > :22:41.two-week break had a big influence on the players, because we could get
:22:42. > :22:47.a lot of work into the players, in all aspects of their game. Cat
:22:48. > :22:51.McCorkle and, they made a lot of good decisions -- and they made a
:22:52. > :22:54.lot of good decisions and coped with the players well. Interesting
:22:55. > :23:00.reading the notes for the programme, you said you did not feel it was
:23:01. > :23:08.must win but nice to win it? Yes, the pack, without the bottom three,
:23:09. > :23:12.going a little closer to Bournemouth, I see the bottom seven
:23:13. > :23:17.as the league table for us to try and win. And, we've got a lot closer
:23:18. > :23:20.to Bournemouth today because they lost and we won. We are creeping
:23:21. > :23:24.towards the table and getting towards them. If we can achieve more
:23:25. > :23:28.than that? It would be great. The ultimate would be great, if we can
:23:29. > :23:34.win that day, and with the games coming up, we got to try and make a
:23:35. > :23:39.West Brom game where we do not get beaten. Sam Allardyce speaking to
:23:40. > :23:43.Steve Wilson. Ollie hold, is it fair to say that
:23:44. > :23:48.Crystal Palace have not had this new manager bounce quit at nine games,
:23:49. > :23:55.two wins. It has been the dead cat bounce! Normally, when Sam Allardyce
:23:56. > :23:59.comes in, it changes rapidly. It was a massive win yesterday, they've
:24:00. > :24:01.struggled at home and seem to have been feeling the pressure at home.
:24:02. > :24:08.Normally, Sam -- there is such a fantastic
:24:09. > :24:11.atmosphere there. But they have struggled to get that win. It is
:24:12. > :24:17.interesting. He mentioned Bournemouth a few times. Matt, you
:24:18. > :24:22.mentioned before, about the clubs that you fall into. They are the
:24:23. > :24:25.ones that you are looking at. Middlesbrough, Bournemouth,
:24:26. > :24:29.Leicester City, they have fallen like stones. All of them. Other
:24:30. > :24:34.clubs are beginning to show signs of life. Crystal Palace, Hull, Swansea,
:24:35. > :24:39.beginning to move. Bournemouth I think writing it at the moment. We
:24:40. > :24:43.will talk in more detail later. -- are right in it. When a new manager
:24:44. > :24:49.comes in, how difficult is it to adjust for a player? What Sam
:24:50. > :24:51.Allardyce might change in terms of everything, meal structures,
:24:52. > :24:57.training and travelling times, your life is up in the air? There can be
:24:58. > :25:03.a serious adjustment period. More, for Sam in terms of where those
:25:04. > :25:06.players are, they are really caught between two different systems. They
:25:07. > :25:10.want to play a little bit, but they also had personnel where they can be
:25:11. > :25:16.more direct with Benteke and the wider players they have. With the
:25:17. > :25:20.two week period, they must be on the training pitch and have nailed down
:25:21. > :25:24.how they are going to play. From now to the rest of the season. Yesterday
:25:25. > :25:28.it was apparent they would get the ball forwards. As soon as it went
:25:29. > :25:33.wide, it went into the box and they played off set pieces, delivering to
:25:34. > :25:36.Benteke, getting support there. If they do it well, they have enough
:25:37. > :25:44.players to get a real chance of staying out. You mentioned, when you
:25:45. > :25:47.are down half a league, and there is another league table developing, he
:25:48. > :25:51.said it was important for them not to lose games. If you grind out the
:25:52. > :25:58.points, when you aren't playing as well as you can, you are looking...
:25:59. > :26:02.If you've been on a run and lost a few games, when your back is against
:26:03. > :26:06.the wall, sometimes you are getting battered, you might come away with a
:26:07. > :26:09.point and it is as good as a winner for confidence. A clean sheet as
:26:10. > :26:14.well for Crystal Palace was a big thing. He made reference to the
:26:15. > :26:17.amount of goals that they conceded. Getting that sorted, that clean
:26:18. > :26:23.sheet, is huge. Do you have two like your manager to buy into what he is
:26:24. > :26:27.all about? I don't think so... It's the same as every job, you might not
:26:28. > :26:32.necessarily like everybody that you work with but you have to do a job
:26:33. > :26:36.for your team and the club. You have to go out and get the result and if
:26:37. > :26:39.the manager, at the end of the day, he is in charge and if he wants to
:26:40. > :26:44.play that way and thinks it will get results, you buy into that and do it
:26:45. > :26:49.to the best of your ability. Presumably, as you say, it is a
:26:50. > :26:53.human trait. It does not just apply to football, but if you like your
:26:54. > :27:01.boss, you want to work harder for them? Not necessarily, I don't know,
:27:02. > :27:06.from a personal point of view, you go to work and work hard, and try
:27:07. > :27:12.and improve for yourself. But for your team-mates as well. I can take
:27:13. > :27:16.West Brom, for example. We have a good and honest group of lads who
:27:17. > :27:19.train hard for each other. On the pitch, you try and get results for
:27:20. > :27:26.each other, as much as yourself or the manager. It's the Premier
:27:27. > :27:31.League, a tough place to play. You see the amount of turnovers in the
:27:32. > :27:38.managers, and if we are not performing on the pitch, the axe
:27:39. > :27:43.falls on the manager. It has got to be... Everybody has to buy into what
:27:44. > :27:47.you are told. If you do not, the manager will bring in someone else.
:27:48. > :27:52.If you like the manager, maybe people respect him, and respect his
:27:53. > :27:55.philosophy or vision, that is important? You can commit to
:27:56. > :28:00.training every day and dislike someone, but you can review respect
:28:01. > :28:05.what they are trying -- really respect what they are trying to do.
:28:06. > :28:11.When players think, why is this happening? Why has he done that? Why
:28:12. > :28:16.have they changed this cease Michael Cole system? Are we going back to
:28:17. > :28:21.cash in -- why have they changed this system? Are we going back to
:28:22. > :28:27.Kasper Schmeichel? They have raised so many questions about the
:28:28. > :28:31.decisions, or that may not be getting communicated to them in the
:28:32. > :28:36.right way, that is when you get a rift of not being on the same page.
:28:37. > :28:40.They spent 102 five days in the relegation zone this season,
:28:41. > :28:47.Sunderland. On reflection, are the players buying into what David Moyes
:28:48. > :28:51.is doing? -- 175. I don't... Again, the problem is that Sunderland go
:28:52. > :28:55.deeper than David Moyes. That's not the answer to your question but they
:28:56. > :29:01.have had a lack of investment there. They seem to have a situation where
:29:02. > :29:05.they are a one trick pony. If Jermain Defoe is not scoring, they
:29:06. > :29:11.are not winning. There are only so many times that the guy can get them
:29:12. > :29:15.out of trouble. I think, if we are talking about that situation at the
:29:16. > :29:19.bottom, there is only one teams seeming stable to me. That is
:29:20. > :29:23.Sunderland. They are not going anywhere, I do not think. David
:29:24. > :29:27.Moyes had stick for selling the wrong kind of tone early on, and
:29:28. > :29:32.saying, you know, I don't know when he said it, in the first couple of
:29:33. > :29:36.games in the season, that they are in a relegation fight. He was right
:29:37. > :29:42.about it, to be fair, but I would look beyond him. I would look more
:29:43. > :29:51.at the ownership. To me, it is not an ownership that screams belief in
:29:52. > :29:53.the club. And ambition. I think a succession of managers have come in
:29:54. > :30:04.and faced the same problem. Romelu Lukaku, his 60th goal for
:30:05. > :30:07.Everton. Is only 23 years old. He was speaking to Damian Johnson
:30:08. > :30:14.yesterday. Your 60th landmark goal in the Premier League. Yes, I'm
:30:15. > :30:17.happy. I just want to keep improving and working hard. You are equalling
:30:18. > :30:22.the record of Duncan Ferguson who coaches with you. Have you talked
:30:23. > :30:26.about the record? No, it's him talking about the record to me.
:30:27. > :30:30.Before the game, I was one behind him. He was always talking to me
:30:31. > :30:35.about the record but, for me, the most important thing is to win the
:30:36. > :30:40.game and improve as a player. A few congratulatory text messages, I
:30:41. > :30:43.think. Yes, that's football. The record is there to be broken so I'm
:30:44. > :30:48.happy. And looking forward to the next game. When you have got Romelu
:30:49. > :30:53.Lukaku running at you, how scary is that? Frightening. I've played
:30:54. > :30:59.Duncan Ferguson and I don't know which one was worse. An elbow in the
:31:00. > :31:05.head from Duncan. Both are fantastic strikers in their own way. With
:31:06. > :31:10.Romelu Lukaku, he brings a physical presence. Chris played with him at
:31:11. > :31:13.West Bromwich. He is such a physical presence he's hard to contain as a
:31:14. > :31:18.centre-back. He worked so hard at his game and has everything. In
:31:19. > :31:24.training, he was always last in, finishing. He is such a physical
:31:25. > :31:31.guy. He's six foot four, six foot five, so he can score all types of
:31:32. > :31:35.goals, as well. In Everton, he's proved he is fantastic. I think he
:31:36. > :31:39.scored 17 league goals for us. Eighth in the league we finished and
:31:40. > :31:43.he was the catalyst for that. It begs the question, I think he is now
:31:44. > :31:53.looking ready to make that step up maybe to the next top floor champion
:31:54. > :31:57.style club. He had to leave Everton. Everton will get there themselves,
:31:58. > :32:00.but he had to leave Chelsea to get the experience and prove he can be
:32:01. > :32:04.that player and they think, at 23, to do what he's doing, shows, in the
:32:05. > :32:09.next couple of seasons, he's potentially got back in his locker.
:32:10. > :32:13.We know what his agent said but Everton don't get Champions League
:32:14. > :32:19.football, in the next season, he will leave, won't he? Probably,
:32:20. > :32:25.realistically, yeah. This is a bugbear of mine in terms of before
:32:26. > :32:28.the Premier League and know that his record, but Dixie Dean scored 60
:32:29. > :32:34.goals in one season for Everton once. I have held the trophy he was
:32:35. > :32:39.awarded when he worked in Liverpool, so it's just worth making that
:32:40. > :32:45.point. There were great Evertonians before the Premier League started
:32:46. > :32:49.but, look, I'd totally agree, he had to leave Chelsea to get the platform
:32:50. > :32:52.to do what he is doing now and they think sometimes that the way
:32:53. > :32:55.football works. You get the platform and then you get back to where you
:32:56. > :33:00.wear but go back in a stronger position. Half-time at Carrow Road,
:33:01. > :33:07.0-0 between Norwich and Ipswich. Your side beating Bournemouth by 2-1
:33:08. > :33:11.coming from behind yesterday. We will talk about West Brom in a
:33:12. > :33:16.sector in terms of Bournemouth, they have not won since New Year's Eve,
:33:17. > :33:19.losing four on the trot. All this hype about Eddie Howe at the
:33:20. > :33:25.beginning of the season. How do you see it? It's a tough thing. Once you
:33:26. > :33:31.get into that momentum is not picking up results, it's difficult
:33:32. > :33:34.to get out of. Did you see that fear when you play against them? Coming
:33:35. > :33:38.from behind, is there an inevitability? It's difficult
:33:39. > :33:44.because teams come to The Hawthorns and we're in good form at home, we
:33:45. > :33:48.see that as a chance to win games. Our form has been good. Going
:33:49. > :33:53.behind, yesterday, this time last year would have been an issue for us
:33:54. > :33:57.because we were not scoring many goals and we wondered where we were
:33:58. > :34:00.going to get the goals from and get back into the game but now we have
:34:01. > :34:05.the confidence to score goals. We are looking dangerous. Bournemouth
:34:06. > :34:11.are a good side with good players. They scored a penalty. Ben Foster
:34:12. > :34:15.made a couple of decent saves later on but the period in between that,
:34:16. > :34:25.they didn't cause then an awful lot to do. -- Ben. Them might have do
:34:26. > :34:31.get a couple of clean sheets. And take a couple of scrappy points. I'm
:34:32. > :34:35.sure this will be blindingly obvious, but when you go into a game
:34:36. > :34:39.against a team on a run like Bournemouth at the moment, will you
:34:40. > :34:45.talk beforehand about the fact their confidence will be low and they
:34:46. > :34:49.might be sort of easy pickings in some ways? Not necessarily easy
:34:50. > :34:53.pickings but you do your work during the meet and have meetings. We have
:34:54. > :34:57.a meeting on Thursday and Friday in the training ground about what we
:34:58. > :35:00.are going to try to do on the weekend and there will be some stats
:35:01. > :35:04.from the previous week of things we have done well and things we have
:35:05. > :35:09.not done so well, and the next day there might be some stats up about
:35:10. > :35:14.Bournemouth. Say they had not scored goals or won a game, so obviously
:35:15. > :35:19.little things to get in your head so you know that on the pitch. Who's
:35:20. > :35:28.going to the next England manager, Arsenal manager? Has the bubble
:35:29. > :35:31.burst for Eddie Howe? No, we are guilty of building people are
:35:32. > :35:35.knocking them down and think Eddie Howe is amazing and has done an
:35:36. > :35:40.amazing job at Bournemouth, but I do think that this is a test for him
:35:41. > :35:44.and we will find out more about him now because this is a real hard
:35:45. > :35:47.test. I think he has built a fantastic team and I'd love the way
:35:48. > :35:51.they play, but this is a different type of test. When you are under
:35:52. > :35:56.that pressure, he has a clear floss of the about how he wants to play
:35:57. > :35:58.and they think at Bournemouth, that foundation is rock solid. Results
:35:59. > :36:05.might go up and down depending on certain things... And they have not
:36:06. > :36:07.changed like Leicester. They have a clear vision and when things get
:36:08. > :36:11.tough, that's the foundation they fall back on. Bournemouth may have a
:36:12. > :36:16.dip in results by think there will always play in that way which, in my
:36:17. > :36:20.opinion, as long as they have a player quality, will keep them in
:36:21. > :36:25.the Premier League. West Bromwich, it's been a massive turnaround. Tony
:36:26. > :36:29.Pulis. Are you surprised how quickly his turned it around from where you
:36:30. > :36:35.were last season? Yeah, I think when the gaffer came in, we were not in
:36:36. > :36:39.great shape and he steadied the ship. Last season, probably, we hit
:36:40. > :36:43.40 points in March and the season fizzled out. This season we have got
:36:44. > :36:50.40 points in February and still have got 12 games to go. You can go on
:36:51. > :36:56.holiday now, can't you? No, I don't think he will let us relax like
:36:57. > :36:59.that. As ace award, team, club, we've only had 40 points in the
:37:00. > :37:08.Premier League and it's nice to break 50. What about 60? 12 games?
:37:09. > :37:13.That will be a big ask but the home form we've shown this season is
:37:14. > :37:18.possible we could reach that target. I think, just, as a whole this
:37:19. > :37:22.season, we found a balance. Last season we were hard to beat. A lot
:37:23. > :37:25.of clean sheets. Maybe sometime struggling to go the other way and
:37:26. > :37:30.this season we maybe had to give up a little bit on the defensive side
:37:31. > :37:35.of things. We've not had as many clean sheets but we scored a lot
:37:36. > :37:39.more goals. It was open season on a manager the start of the season, a
:37:40. > :37:43.lot of criticism in the media and there might be wrong, but I think
:37:44. > :37:48.there was sort of hints of unrest at the stadium and that's one of the
:37:49. > :37:53.impressive things about Tony, the way he's turned that around, as
:37:54. > :38:00.well. He stayed strong, stayed calm. Kris Commons you must be teachers
:38:01. > :38:05.pet, because 19 players out of 27 have gone. Since January 2015. When
:38:06. > :38:09.a manager comes in, we talk about an overhaul of players doesn't always
:38:10. > :38:12.work out but has with you guys. Yes, a few of us have been there for
:38:13. > :38:16.quite a long time and letting the Premier League now, players that
:38:17. > :38:24.know it and are experienced for a site like as, are pretty important.
:38:25. > :38:26.The new players come and go in the transfer window and that's the
:38:27. > :38:31.nature of the game but you need stability. You need people who you
:38:32. > :38:34.know they can fall back on you and the way the gaffer works, we are
:38:35. > :38:39.pretty structured in the jobs he wants people to do. He needs to
:38:40. > :38:43.trust people to do them and obviously, the lads have played a
:38:44. > :38:50.lot of games in the Premier League. Gareth McAuley, he could fit in that
:38:51. > :38:54.front free with Suarez at the moment. His goal-scoring record
:38:55. > :39:01.would indicate that but he is a great example, he is 37, seven
:39:02. > :39:04.goals, and to be as fit and play as well as he is in the Premier League
:39:05. > :39:08.is a fantastic achievement but I think Tony Pulis is the perfect
:39:09. > :39:12.manager. Having played under him as a centre-back, he provides a really
:39:13. > :39:17.good platform and environment for you to function. A lot of the
:39:18. > :39:22.training is shaped around your defensive strategy and shape and
:39:23. > :39:26.then he let it go off and take its course. For a centre-back he will be
:39:27. > :39:30.really enjoying playing under Tony Pulis in that formation of. The
:39:31. > :39:37.discipline the team has. What is it like being in his office? I've let
:39:38. > :39:42.you lead the way on that one! He is a master turned the conversation
:39:43. > :39:50.into, not his favourite, but managing things... Don't worry, is
:39:51. > :39:56.not watching. He has got a real way about him. Let's leave it at that. I
:39:57. > :40:00.think you've covered as all there. You can say hello to Tony for a.
:40:01. > :40:04.Let's talk about the League Cup final. How big a game is this for
:40:05. > :40:09.Jose Mourinho? Is never lost a domestic one. That TfL cup is down
:40:10. > :40:15.the pecking order but it's a big one. It's been increasingly so but I
:40:16. > :40:22.think so, for Jose Mourinho, it's always been an important trophy and
:40:23. > :40:28.he has used it in the past, certainly when we arrived at Chelsea
:40:29. > :40:34.as a catalyst for other things that they can build on. A taste of
:40:35. > :40:38.winning trophies, medals, and it's always worked for him and it's been
:40:39. > :40:43.an important trophy for him. I think it could be a game this season. I
:40:44. > :40:46.think it's probably too late for them to mount any realistic
:40:47. > :40:51.challenge for the league this season. I do believe they will
:40:52. > :40:55.finish in the top four. One man who has been a catalyst for Manchester
:40:56. > :41:00.United is Juan Mata and he spoken to Gary Lineker. Your Chelsea career,
:41:01. > :41:04.to work with different coaches and then Jose Mourinho comes and of
:41:05. > :41:10.course and, after a while, it didn't work out so why is that? Sometimes
:41:11. > :41:16.in and football change comes and you have to embrace it. When he came I
:41:17. > :41:20.was not playing a lot. I had a chance to go to a great club and it
:41:21. > :41:25.was a good offer for Chelsea, as well. Did you fall out with him? I
:41:26. > :41:34.can't imagine you falling out with anyone. I tell you, I can but no. It
:41:35. > :41:38.was football. It was style, something like this. We never had
:41:39. > :41:43.any personal problem or anything like this. We are working together
:41:44. > :41:47.now and it's going fine. What about a particular day when Jose Mourinho
:41:48. > :41:53.is announced as the new manager of Manchester United, what are your
:41:54. > :41:56.thoughts? I was on holiday. It was like, OK, then, let's embrace it and
:41:57. > :42:03.go for it and try to play the best football I always train for. Things
:42:04. > :42:07.are going good. I'm enjoying my football. Playing a lot. At that
:42:08. > :42:12.moment, Timoney people were speaking about things, but what I've had to
:42:13. > :42:17.do is play on the pitch -- too many people were speaking about things.
:42:18. > :42:22.What would you consider success for you at Manchester United? Obviously
:42:23. > :42:25.I would love to win the Champions League or the Premier League with
:42:26. > :42:32.Man United, but to be able to say that I have played at such a club
:42:33. > :42:37.where the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona, has played, Ryan Giggs have
:42:38. > :42:43.scored, all these players played, so I could not be happier. A lot of
:42:44. > :42:46.fans will be expecting them to win the league every season but are they
:42:47. > :42:50.getting closer to the Manchester United they should be? Yes, I think
:42:51. > :42:54.so and the evidence is there that Jose Mourinho is now starting to put
:42:55. > :43:00.together something that is going to be in contention for those titles.
:43:01. > :43:04.The club has the stature and the players for the past couple of
:43:05. > :43:10.seasons, and he's just did it, and seems to have got a philosophy of
:43:11. > :43:15.the way they want to play and has recruited players to fit his system.
:43:16. > :43:19.They are now getting the results and more importantly, the performances.
:43:20. > :43:22.Their performances, they look like a team who can win something.
:43:23. > :43:27.Southampton, the new manager has come in? It's about winning
:43:28. > :43:31.something at the end of the season. Absolutely, Southampton, talking
:43:32. > :43:34.about United throwing money at the situation, Southampton are a model
:43:35. > :43:40.of a team who have survived and prospered to an extent even though
:43:41. > :43:46.come despite selling players, they have managed to refresh and refresh,
:43:47. > :43:50.and I think getting here is, you know, is a bonus for the fans from
:43:51. > :43:57.the mid-table season. OK, we got commentary about on 5 Live followed
:43:58. > :44:01.the League Cup final at 4:30pm. Tartan and Stoke. Don't forget Match
:44:02. > :44:03.Of The Day tomorrow night with Leicester Liverpool. Thank you to
:44:04. > :44:05.Matthew Upson, Chris Brunt and Oliver Holt. We will see you soon.
:44:06. > :44:09.Enjoy your Sunday.