26/02/2017 MOTD2 Extra

Welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra on BBC Two, Radio 5 Live

Joining me today are the former Arsenal, West Ham and England

West Brom and Northern Ireland midfielder Chris Brunt.

And Olly Holt, Chief Sports Writer of The Mail on Sunday.

Get in touch using the hashtag #bbcfootball on social media

Here is what we have got coming up for you this afternoon.

We'll continue to reflect on the sacking of Claudio Ranieri

and discuss the rise of player power.

As Leicester move into the relegation zone for the first

time we'll assess the situation at the bottom of the table.

Chelsea go 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League thanks

And we'll look ahead to the EFL Cup Final where Manchester United

There's commentary of that on 5 Live.

Quick look at this morning's back pages.

This is the headline in the Sunday Telegraph. Making plans for Nigel,

hinting at possible return for Nigel Pearson. And the Mail on Sunday has

gone with this. This is where we will start. Did they knife him? I

don't think so. Look, there's an argument to say they may have knifed

him by not playing him all season, and they think, after the heights

they had last season, obviously, they have dived this season. And

they have not had players like Mahrez, has been a shadow. They have

not had goals, they have missed Antonio Conte hugely. I don't

think... I have got a lot of respect for the Leicester players,

particularly Casper as Michael. Is good characters there. -- Kasper

Schmeichel. If they weren't good, they wouldn't have won last season.

I think the decision was taken by the owners and then the players

obviously at that point have no choice but to go along with it. Are

you surprised how long it took for the Leicester players to come out in

support of Claudio Ranieri? Is that something which happens in the

Premier League? You are given 48 hours? I think it's a situation

you've been up West Bromwich, and this bit change of coach, manager,

and you get messages from the club, possibly a text message or a phone

call, and they think that would be the general thing. Keep it quiet for

a couple of days, just to let the storm blow over. Obviously comes

nice to see people coming out with the things which have been reported

in the press this week, players have come out and said, they give him

their backing full-service billet have season for them and was always

going to be that. It was not going to be the heights they had last

season, which was so difficult to reach a game and I've think, for me,

playing them this year, the loss of Antonio Conte has been the biggest

thing, because he gave the likes of Mahrez the freedom to go and attack

and express themselves and get forward because knowing behind them,

he would back them up. Much more on this.

Kasper Schmeichel spoke to the BBC yesterday and asked whether he had a

meeting to oust Ranieri. A lot of players say they turned on him and

the owners were unhappy. Can you tell us what truth there is in that?

Absolutely no truth in that whatsoever. We are players. We can

only affect on the pitch and we have not done that. What happens above

our heads at boardroom level is completely out of our control. Craig

Shakespeare said yesterday no, there were no players speaking to the

owners. You can genuinely telephone yourself as well? Craig said there

was no meeting that was completely true. All these reports about

meetings, I don't know where they have come from. A la owners are

very, very hands-on. They are in and around the club. -- a la owners.

They come to practically every game. They come to the training ground and

they speak to all the players regularly. Any of those meetings,

did any of the players expressed dissatisfaction with the manager?

Listen, like I've said, you can't call it a meeting. Like we're having

a meeting right now. We talk to them about all manners of things, from

the weather to whatever. But you've got to remember these guys are very,

very successful businessmen, and also have taken this club from the

bottom of the Championship to the top. They won't let themselves be

influenced by any players or anything like that. We are

footballers, and we have a responsibility to perform on the

pitch and we haven't lived up to that. That is the blame that we

take. Anything else, it's completely out of our control. That is Kasper

Schmeichel. Matthew Upson, you have played with Kasper Schmeichel. Are

you convinced by what he said much or is he capable of that sort of

thing? You got to be careful to distinguish what knifing somebody

and being asked by the owners, your boss, to have a professional opinion

on something. It doesn't sound like there was a meeting as such, people

talk about a witch hunt of a meeting, but I'm sure the owners

would have had conversations, possibly with the players, who asked

their opinion and then you either give an honest opinion or you stay

out of the conversation. To call it knifing in the back, if there was a

conversation, is a bit extreme. The owners want to do their homework and

find out by the results were going the way they did. Should the owners

do that? If they want to protect their investment and look after the

club as a business, I'm sure they will do. Most people who own

businesses want to know what's happening inside the business and

the training pitch and the way they are playing is what football is, so

they will want to know what's happening. Without trying to drop

the manager in it, he said no, he did not have a meeting. It should

all be about the meeting with these players, but we still don't know

whether this happened. He said there was not a meeting and from that,

whether or not there was a conversation between the owners and

players, and other staff members, the owners are very hands-on, even

though they are not from the UK. They are always at games and

training grounds, so they are in communication with the players all

the time. The player power thing is interesting. Quite often you see

managerial sackings and the media screams player power and they think,

I understand that and I've think obviously the relationship, the

balance of power between players and managers has changed over the years,

over the last 20 years, with the financial power now that players

have in particular. I still think that if players now are overpaid

prima donnas, if they are, then it's up to the manager to get the best

out of those overpaid primadonna 's. Ultimately, the buck stops with a

manager. Don't get me wrong, I think Leicester made a mistake by sacking

Ranieri but, ultimately, whatever players who have under your control

and whatever character they have, ultimately, it's up to you to get

the best out of them. When you think of overpaid prima donnas, you think

Chris Brunt. How does this start in a dressing room? How do the players

start to group together against the manager? I don't know obviously

listening to the interview at first, pretty much I heard the interview,

and it's a difficult one because I don't think anybody is going in to

knife somebody in the back so to speak. Obviously, the results are

there for all to see. It's been a difficult one. The owners have

obviously felt they had to make a decision. You look at Swansea, they

made a decision. Hole as well. -- Hull. They got a couple of wins out

of it. It may be to try to get a reaction. Once you go over the white

line, the guys who are playing, take responsibility for what is on the

pitch because there's not an awful management can do after that. Had we

been somewhere where a group of players not including yourself have

agitated to get a manager out? I think not to get a manager out but

there are discussions which go on all the time between owners,

directors of football, coaches, players, and if things aren't going

well it's natural because people, you need results and you want to win

games and everybody wants to do well for the benefit of the team, the

club, themselves, and that's just the nature of the environment. I

think you have got to want to be doing well if things are not going

well, it's a natural reaction in any business or sport, whatever, if

things are not going well, you start asking questions and picking at

things. That's pretty much what has happened. I think the key for

Leicester and Ranieri is once you have achieved something as

monumental as Leicester did last season, it's almost like you did use

similar for the players. Has to be something, how do you stimulator

group which has just won the Premier League? By maybe giving them a

contract, but sometimes that can act as a demotivate. There has to be

something a bit deeper than that. In terms of rewarding the success that

matter different target. Is there an argument to say they were highly

motivated the players because they done something about it and got the

manager out? Yes, I've think it's not as clear-cut as the players

grouping together and getting Ranieri out. It a cynical way of

looking at the situation. We didn't talk about it and it's going to be

reported however you want, but the owners ultimately can either look at

this as an emotional decision or a clinical logical one, and the

emotion would be to stick with Ranieri because he won the title

last season and everybody can understand that but the fact, the

position are in in the league, how they are performing and what they

have invested in this season, it doesn't match up so they made a

decision. There were more Americans -- murmurings of discontent. It was

said was down to tension between Craig Shakespeare and Ranieri. Is he

someone you could fall out with? I'm sure anybody could clash with anyone

depending on personalities. He was in that type of confrontational

person when I was there. He supported Nigel Pearson. He was with

him when he came into the club, I think, so he followed on as a coach

and had massive success last season. Who is to know what has gone on

behind the scenes? It's difficult to speculate. Who is next? Martin

O'Neill ruled himself out on 5 Live saying he couldn't do both jobs with

Republic of Ireland. Roberto Mancini seems to be in the frame and Guus

Hiddink. I think the difficulty Leicester have got now and a big is

managers like Martin O'Neill, Guus Hiddink, how can they match up and

follow that, what Claudio Ranieri did? Not follow this season, but

Leicester are never going to achieve what they have achieved last season.

They are never going to do that against anybody who goes in there

now, I think they are on a hiding to nothing. The best they can do is

save Leicester from relegation which is OK, because they just won the

title 's. They are the champions. You're going on a hiding to nothing

and look stupid. My take on it is, I'll accept that Ranieri hasn't done

a great job this season. Some of the signings were not great and they did

not deal well with winning the league. . I do think Ranieri was the

thing which made it all special. I'm not taking away from the achievement

of the players, but he was the thing which made it special and they

think, he earned the right, it sounds stupid, he earned the right

to take them down. He certainly earned the right to keep the map. I

think by sacking him, they have taken the magic away and they think

it's going to be very hard. Sometimes, when a manager leaves,

you get a bounce by doping that's going to happen here. Liverpool

next. Craig Shakespeare will be in charge for that. Is a viable

candidate to bring the dressing room together? I don't know, possibly. He

was at West Bromwich for one season when they first went and he is a

good coach. A big personality. A nice guy around the place but, it is

a tough job. I think, last year Leicester of history had momentum.

They kept winning and winning and they couldn't lose. No matter what

was happening in the game they were getting a result. When it flips on

the other side and you get the momentum of losing games and not

picking up points, it's difficult to get out of it. A few times at West

Brom, you are scrapping down the bottom of the league and things

won't drop your way. Things just don't go your way. It a difficult

situation for them but obviously, it's going to have to start tomorrow

night. Nigel Pearson, a man you Leicester, tipped to come back.

Roberto Mancini into him, Roberto Mancini a man who apparently is to

get his sidekick to warm up his clothes with eight hairdryer at

Manchester City. But doesn't seem at the kind of manager who's counting

up for a relegation fight. No, you hasn't got a history of managing

teams in relegation fight and die supposed Nigel Pearson is more

accustomed to that. Again, it is speculation. Roberto Mancini, as a

player, he was on loan at other player, there's various links but

it's going to be interesting to see where they can go because it's a

group at the moment really lacking something. You always feel the team

that tops into the relegation at this stage, and hasn't really been

in it fighting, is the one most vulnerable, so it's important they

get their act in order. It is a split atmosphere at the King

Power Stadium on Monday night, when you look at the response from the

Leicester City fans, some say it is the right decision, others say not.

It is not as clear-cut as people think? It is a huge split, and a

contentious situation. But one thing is for sure about the Leicester City

supporters, the atmosphere at the King Power Stadium, they always have

that common desire that they want to achieve. I think that headline

summed it up, the prince goes back to being the normal frog again!

Claudio Ranieri. Norwich against Ipswich is the midday kick-off

at the East Anglia Derby. Mike Sewell is there. It is still

goalless. Norwich offered a greater threat throughout the first half an

hour and had the first opportunity by the boot of an Ipswich player,

Mitchell Dykes roared into the penalty area, a teasing ball into

the six yard box. Pinging off two Ipswich players. It was an excellent

reaction saved to keep the ball from going into the net. It is still

goalless. Our commentary game at 1:30pm on

five live as Tottenham against Stoke. Now we have the team news? I

would keep you long here, both teams are unchanged from their last

outing, the difference being stoic's last game was a fortnight ago, they

went to Dubai in that time since then. Spurs have beaten Fulham in

the FA Cup, and Spurs had to play with ten men for the second half the

other day. It is the same team, Danny Rose is unavailable, Ben

Davies continues. Probably 3-4- three with Eric Dier in the back

three. Peter Crouch starts his ninth Premier League game up front. Cider

Berahino on the bench, and Shaqiri is still out after a calf injury --

Berahino. Is mentality and issue for Tottenham this season, again? Well,

I suppose so. I think you are talking from a fake position of

strength. If you talk about mentality, are you insinuating...

Talking about the fact that they fell off at the end? Yes, looking at

the statistic that they have won one in 15 Premier League games against

teams in the top six away from home, that is a huge statistic? Yes, I

think so. The fact that part of it is the squad size, I think. I still

think that we have overlooked that they are punching above their weight

under Pochettino come he has done a fantastic job. Did they miss that

opportunity that summer, slipping away against Newcastle at the end,

to recruit properly? Possibly. I think they did recruit. And I think

they have got so mini fantastic young players coming through. Dele

Alli, that case is... He has been such a fantastic player. It is

interesting that he is in the spotlight at the moment for that

tackle. I find it interesting, with Tottenham's budget, to be competing

with Manchester United and Manchester City, and Arsenal, on

that budget? It is amazing. You know, they go so far into the youth

policy there in terms of bringing players through, they are keen to

bring them across and integrate them into the first-team. It is a real

benefit for the club in future. But, at the moment, with their squad? The

Europe and the cup games, the Premier Leagues, to focus on one

thing like Chelsea have done this season, if they can focus on the

Premier League, Tottenham would be a real contender. We've seen it more

and more, that advantage of not being in Europe, and the advantage

for squads of being able to rest. It certainly seems to have happened for

Chelsea this season. A massive advantage for Leicester last season,

a few seasons ago, Liverpool had the advantage. There's being able to

Russian -- ration the squad is more and

Tottenham seem to be struggling. What have they been like to play

against this season? I think, to be fair, you touched on it earlier.

They have a young squad, getting at this stage in the season, with

younger players, they are just, maybe, not used to the business end

this season. They will grow into it. Dele Alli, Harry Kane, they will get

more experience in the Premier League, and go on to do what the

likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have done before. It is really tough at

the top. It is... Chelsea have gone away, they are gone, but the rest

have been so consistent. For Spurs, OK, they are dipping slightly but if

you look at the squads that Manchester United have built and the

money that they have spent, they are coming on strong and putting a lot

of pressure on. The pressure has been relentless at the top, behind

Chelsea. A couple of other things with Tottenham, Danny Rose is a big

mess. Whether or not it forces Pochettino to play a back three. You

have Eric Dier with Wanyama and Dembele, those three are key. Very

strong players. To fit those three in the team with the backward Mac,

it's difficult. In some ways, he's got good players in key competition

areas -- the backward Mac. That for Tottenham would be the success. Dele

Alli, there have been questions over his maturity, he's only 20 years old

and it is his first red card. All he didn't do, when he went to the

trouble, did the classic thing... It was a horrendous tackle. -- the

football. Yes, she's got fined again, it makes him stand out as a

20-year-old in the Premier League. He could have gone straight into the

Premier League. You cannot ask him to take it out of his game, it gives

him some edge, and makes him what he is. He is such a good player. A

couple of times we have played them this season, he is so difficult to

get near, he is very clever and very mature. But there was a bit of red

mist there. You learn from it. Let's talk about issues at the bottom of

the table, an enormous win for Crystal Palace yesterday, 1-0 over

Middlesbrough, their second win under their new manager, Sam

Allardyce. It has never been a bigger win for us this season than

this one, it lays to rest, for the home fans in particular, the

Sunderland game last time we played here.

A great victory and hopefully we can move on from there. I think the

two-week break had a big influence on the players, because we could get

a lot of work into the players, in all aspects of their game. Cat

McCorkle and, they made a lot of good decisions -- and they made a

lot of good decisions and coped with the players well. Interesting

reading the notes for the programme, you said you did not feel it was

must win but nice to win it? Yes, the pack, without the bottom three,

going a little closer to Bournemouth, I see the bottom seven

as the league table for us to try and win. And, we've got a lot closer

to Bournemouth today because they lost and we won. We are creeping

towards the table and getting towards them. If we can achieve more

than that? It would be great. The ultimate would be great, if we can

win that day, and with the games coming up, we got to try and make a

West Brom game where we do not get beaten. Sam Allardyce speaking to

Steve Wilson. Ollie hold, is it fair to say that

Crystal Palace have not had this new manager bounce quit at nine games,

two wins. It has been the dead cat bounce! Normally, when Sam Allardyce

comes in, it changes rapidly. It was a massive win yesterday, they've

struggled at home and seem to have been feeling the pressure at home.

Normally, Sam -- there is such a fantastic

atmosphere there. But they have struggled to get that win. It is

interesting. He mentioned Bournemouth a few times. Matt, you

mentioned before, about the clubs that you fall into. They are the

ones that you are looking at. Middlesbrough, Bournemouth,

Leicester City, they have fallen like stones. All of them. Other

clubs are beginning to show signs of life. Crystal Palace, Hull, Swansea,

beginning to move. Bournemouth I think writing it at the moment. We

will talk in more detail later. -- are right in it. When a new manager

comes in, how difficult is it to adjust for a player? What Sam

Allardyce might change in terms of everything, meal structures,

training and travelling times, your life is up in the air? There can be

a serious adjustment period. More, for Sam in terms of where those

players are, they are really caught between two different systems. They

want to play a little bit, but they also had personnel where they can be

more direct with Benteke and the wider players they have. With the

two week period, they must be on the training pitch and have nailed down

how they are going to play. From now to the rest of the season. Yesterday

it was apparent they would get the ball forwards. As soon as it went

wide, it went into the box and they played off set pieces, delivering to

Benteke, getting support there. If they do it well, they have enough

players to get a real chance of staying out. You mentioned, when you

are down half a league, and there is another league table developing, he

said it was important for them not to lose games. If you grind out the

points, when you aren't playing as well as you can, you are looking...

If you've been on a run and lost a few games, when your back is against

the wall, sometimes you are getting battered, you might come away with a

point and it is as good as a winner for confidence. A clean sheet as

well for Crystal Palace was a big thing. He made reference to the

amount of goals that they conceded. Getting that sorted, that clean

sheet, is huge. Do you have two like your manager to buy into what he is

all about? I don't think so... It's the same as every job, you might not

necessarily like everybody that you work with but you have to do a job

for your team and the club. You have to go out and get the result and if

the manager, at the end of the day, he is in charge and if he wants to

play that way and thinks it will get results, you buy into that and do it

to the best of your ability. Presumably, as you say, it is a

human trait. It does not just apply to football, but if you like your

boss, you want to work harder for them? Not necessarily, I don't know,

from a personal point of view, you go to work and work hard, and try

and improve for yourself. But for your team-mates as well. I can take

West Brom, for example. We have a good and honest group of lads who

train hard for each other. On the pitch, you try and get results for

each other, as much as yourself or the manager. It's the Premier

League, a tough place to play. You see the amount of turnovers in the

managers, and if we are not performing on the pitch, the axe

falls on the manager. It has got to be... Everybody has to buy into what

you are told. If you do not, the manager will bring in someone else.

If you like the manager, maybe people respect him, and respect his

philosophy or vision, that is important? You can commit to

training every day and dislike someone, but you can review respect

what they are trying -- really respect what they are trying to do.

When players think, why is this happening? Why has he done that? Why

have they changed this cease Michael Cole system? Are we going back to

cash in -- why have they changed this system? Are we going back to

Kasper Schmeichel? They have raised so many questions about the

decisions, or that may not be getting communicated to them in the

right way, that is when you get a rift of not being on the same page.

They spent 102 five days in the relegation zone this season,

Sunderland. On reflection, are the players buying into what David Moyes

is doing? -- 175. I don't... Again, the problem is that Sunderland go

deeper than David Moyes. That's not the answer to your question but they

have had a lack of investment there. They seem to have a situation where

they are a one trick pony. If Jermain Defoe is not scoring, they

are not winning. There are only so many times that the guy can get them

out of trouble. I think, if we are talking about that situation at the

bottom, there is only one teams seeming stable to me. That is

Sunderland. They are not going anywhere, I do not think. David

Moyes had stick for selling the wrong kind of tone early on, and

saying, you know, I don't know when he said it, in the first couple of

games in the season, that they are in a relegation fight. He was right

about it, to be fair, but I would look beyond him. I would look more

at the ownership. To me, it is not an ownership that screams belief in

the club. And ambition. I think a succession of managers have come in

and faced the same problem. Romelu Lukaku, his 60th goal for

Everton. Is only 23 years old. He was speaking to Damian Johnson

yesterday. Your 60th landmark goal in the Premier League. Yes, I'm

happy. I just want to keep improving and working hard. You are equalling

the record of Duncan Ferguson who coaches with you. Have you talked

about the record? No, it's him talking about the record to me.

Before the game, I was one behind him. He was always talking to me

about the record but, for me, the most important thing is to win the

game and improve as a player. A few congratulatory text messages, I

think. Yes, that's football. The record is there to be broken so I'm

happy. And looking forward to the next game. When you have got Romelu

Lukaku running at you, how scary is that? Frightening. I've played

Duncan Ferguson and I don't know which one was worse. An elbow in the

head from Duncan. Both are fantastic strikers in their own way. With

Romelu Lukaku, he brings a physical presence. Chris played with him at

West Bromwich. He is such a physical presence he's hard to contain as a

centre-back. He worked so hard at his game and has everything. In

training, he was always last in, finishing. He is such a physical

guy. He's six foot four, six foot five, so he can score all types of

goals, as well. In Everton, he's proved he is fantastic. I think he

scored 17 league goals for us. Eighth in the league we finished and

he was the catalyst for that. It begs the question, I think he is now

looking ready to make that step up maybe to the next top floor champion

style club. He had to leave Everton. Everton will get there themselves,

but he had to leave Chelsea to get the experience and prove he can be

that player and they think, at 23, to do what he's doing, shows, in the

next couple of seasons, he's potentially got back in his locker.

We know what his agent said but Everton don't get Champions League

football, in the next season, he will leave, won't he? Probably,

realistically, yeah. This is a bugbear of mine in terms of before

the Premier League and know that his record, but Dixie Dean scored 60

goals in one season for Everton once. I have held the trophy he was

awarded when he worked in Liverpool, so it's just worth making that

point. There were great Evertonians before the Premier League started

but, look, I'd totally agree, he had to leave Chelsea to get the platform

to do what he is doing now and they think sometimes that the way

football works. You get the platform and then you get back to where you

wear but go back in a stronger position. Half-time at Carrow Road,

0-0 between Norwich and Ipswich. Your side beating Bournemouth by 2-1

coming from behind yesterday. We will talk about West Brom in a

sector in terms of Bournemouth, they have not won since New Year's Eve,

losing four on the trot. All this hype about Eddie Howe at the

beginning of the season. How do you see it? It's a tough thing. Once you

get into that momentum is not picking up results, it's difficult

to get out of. Did you see that fear when you play against them? Coming

from behind, is there an inevitability? It's difficult

because teams come to The Hawthorns and we're in good form at home, we

see that as a chance to win games. Our form has been good. Going

behind, yesterday, this time last year would have been an issue for us

because we were not scoring many goals and we wondered where we were

going to get the goals from and get back into the game but now we have

the confidence to score goals. We are looking dangerous. Bournemouth

are a good side with good players. They scored a penalty. Ben Foster

made a couple of decent saves later on but the period in between that,

they didn't cause then an awful lot to do. -- Ben. Them might have do

get a couple of clean sheets. And take a couple of scrappy points. I'm

sure this will be blindingly obvious, but when you go into a game

against a team on a run like Bournemouth at the moment, will you

talk beforehand about the fact their confidence will be low and they

might be sort of easy pickings in some ways? Not necessarily easy

pickings but you do your work during the meet and have meetings. We have

a meeting on Thursday and Friday in the training ground about what we

are going to try to do on the weekend and there will be some stats

from the previous week of things we have done well and things we have

not done so well, and the next day there might be some stats up about

Bournemouth. Say they had not scored goals or won a game, so obviously

little things to get in your head so you know that on the pitch. Who's

going to the next England manager, Arsenal manager? Has the bubble

burst for Eddie Howe? No, we are guilty of building people are

knocking them down and think Eddie Howe is amazing and has done an

amazing job at Bournemouth, but I do think that this is a test for him

and we will find out more about him now because this is a real hard

test. I think he has built a fantastic team and I'd love the way

they play, but this is a different type of test. When you are under

that pressure, he has a clear floss of the about how he wants to play

and they think at Bournemouth, that foundation is rock solid. Results

might go up and down depending on certain things... And they have not

changed like Leicester. They have a clear vision and when things get

tough, that's the foundation they fall back on. Bournemouth may have a

dip in results by think there will always play in that way which, in my

opinion, as long as they have a player quality, will keep them in

the Premier League. West Bromwich, it's been a massive turnaround. Tony

Pulis. Are you surprised how quickly his turned it around from where you

were last season? Yeah, I think when the gaffer came in, we were not in

great shape and he steadied the ship. Last season, probably, we hit

40 points in March and the season fizzled out. This season we have got

40 points in February and still have got 12 games to go. You can go on

holiday now, can't you? No, I don't think he will let us relax like

that. As ace award, team, club, we've only had 40 points in the

Premier League and it's nice to break 50. What about 60? 12 games?

That will be a big ask but the home form we've shown this season is

possible we could reach that target. I think, just, as a whole this

season, we found a balance. Last season we were hard to beat. A lot

of clean sheets. Maybe sometime struggling to go the other way and

this season we maybe had to give up a little bit on the defensive side

of things. We've not had as many clean sheets but we scored a lot

more goals. It was open season on a manager the start of the season, a

lot of criticism in the media and there might be wrong, but I think

there was sort of hints of unrest at the stadium and that's one of the

impressive things about Tony, the way he's turned that around, as

well. He stayed strong, stayed calm. Kris Commons you must be teachers

pet, because 19 players out of 27 have gone. Since January 2015. When

a manager comes in, we talk about an overhaul of players doesn't always

work out but has with you guys. Yes, a few of us have been there for

quite a long time and letting the Premier League now, players that

know it and are experienced for a site like as, are pretty important.

The new players come and go in the transfer window and that's the

nature of the game but you need stability. You need people who you

know they can fall back on you and the way the gaffer works, we are

pretty structured in the jobs he wants people to do. He needs to

trust people to do them and obviously, the lads have played a

lot of games in the Premier League. Gareth McAuley, he could fit in that

front free with Suarez at the moment. His goal-scoring record

would indicate that but he is a great example, he is 37, seven

goals, and to be as fit and play as well as he is in the Premier League

is a fantastic achievement but I think Tony Pulis is the perfect

manager. Having played under him as a centre-back, he provides a really

good platform and environment for you to function. A lot of the

training is shaped around your defensive strategy and shape and

then he let it go off and take its course. For a centre-back he will be

really enjoying playing under Tony Pulis in that formation of. The

discipline the team has. What is it like being in his office? I've let

you lead the way on that one! He is a master turned the conversation

into, not his favourite, but managing things... Don't worry, is

not watching. He has got a real way about him. Let's leave it at that. I

think you've covered as all there. You can say hello to Tony for a.

Let's talk about the League Cup final. How big a game is this for

Jose Mourinho? Is never lost a domestic one. That TfL cup is down

the pecking order but it's a big one. It's been increasingly so but I

think so, for Jose Mourinho, it's always been an important trophy and

he has used it in the past, certainly when we arrived at Chelsea

as a catalyst for other things that they can build on. A taste of

winning trophies, medals, and it's always worked for him and it's been

an important trophy for him. I think it could be a game this season. I

think it's probably too late for them to mount any realistic

challenge for the league this season. I do believe they will

finish in the top four. One man who has been a catalyst for Manchester

United is Juan Mata and he spoken to Gary Lineker. Your Chelsea career,

to work with different coaches and then Jose Mourinho comes and of

course and, after a while, it didn't work out so why is that? Sometimes

in and football change comes and you have to embrace it. When he came I

was not playing a lot. I had a chance to go to a great club and it

was a good offer for Chelsea, as well. Did you fall out with him? I

can't imagine you falling out with anyone. I tell you, I can but no. It

was football. It was style, something like this. We never had

any personal problem or anything like this. We are working together

now and it's going fine. What about a particular day when Jose Mourinho

is announced as the new manager of Manchester United, what are your

thoughts? I was on holiday. It was like, OK, then, let's embrace it and

go for it and try to play the best football I always train for. Things

are going good. I'm enjoying my football. Playing a lot. At that

moment, Timoney people were speaking about things, but what I've had to

do is play on the pitch -- too many people were speaking about things.

What would you consider success for you at Manchester United? Obviously

I would love to win the Champions League or the Premier League with

Man United, but to be able to say that I have played at such a club

where the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona, has played, Ryan Giggs have

scored, all these players played, so I could not be happier. A lot of

fans will be expecting them to win the league every season but are they

getting closer to the Manchester United they should be? Yes, I think

so and the evidence is there that Jose Mourinho is now starting to put

together something that is going to be in contention for those titles.

The club has the stature and the players for the past couple of

seasons, and he's just did it, and seems to have got a philosophy of

the way they want to play and has recruited players to fit his system.

They are now getting the results and more importantly, the performances.

Their performances, they look like a team who can win something.

Southampton, the new manager has come in? It's about winning

something at the end of the season. Absolutely, Southampton, talking

about United throwing money at the situation, Southampton are a model

of a team who have survived and prospered to an extent even though

come despite selling players, they have managed to refresh and refresh,

and I think getting here is, you know, is a bonus for the fans from

the mid-table season. OK, we got commentary about on 5 Live followed

the League Cup final at 4:30pm. Tartan and Stoke. Don't forget Match

Of The Day tomorrow night with Leicester Liverpool. Thank you to

Matthew Upson, Chris Brunt and Oliver Holt. We will see you soon.

Enjoy your Sunday.