28/02/2016 MOTD2 Extra

Good afternoon, welcome to Match of the Day 2 Extra on BBC Two,

Joining me today - the Stoke City midfielder

Charlie Adam and journalists Amy Lawrence and Sam Wallace.

Use #bbcfootball on social media, or text 85058

We will be discussing how Leicester left it late to beat Norwich at the

King thanks to Ulloa. Arsenal looking to close the 5-point gap at

Old Trafford this afternoon. Spurs looking to cut the gap tutu points

with a win over Swansea and Liverpool and Manchester City going

for the first silverware of the season with the League Cup final at

Wembley. -- the gap to two points. Daily Mirror focuses on Leicester

being at the top of the table. Sunday Times - Man Utd

Rip Up and Start Again. Director of Football

to be appointed, board The Sunday Telegraph focuses on the

takeover at Everton with Farhad Moshiri buying 49.9% stake in the

club. We will talk about Everton later on. Starting with Leicester,

who left it late to beat Norwich. Charlie Adam, you feel because of

the nature of the opposition and the nature of the victory that was very

significant. I think it is expectation, everybody expects them

to win at home to Norwich, and they left it late. But I was sat watching

our game and when the score came in that Leicester had scored I was

buzzing for them. On the outside it's great for us and we would love

to see Leicester win the league, because it would be an amazing fairy

tale story. For the good of the game you'd like to see Leicester win the

game, but also for the good of clubs like yourselves? Would it give you

more believe? Would give you more belief that you could perform at

that level -- belief. That gap is a big app financially. Like somebody

said the other week in an interview, I think it was Michael Owen who said

they could get relegated next season as champions and that's the nature

of football -- big yap. They could win the league and get relegated but

it's great for them to be part of. Nobody thought it would happen

again. People kept writing them off week in and week out and they are

still there. I would love to see them win it, but the big ones are

chasing from behind. I found that interesting from the point of a

professional footballer who are not that one of the so-called normal

title favourites, that something like this can give everybody a lift.

It gives the fans hope. Yes and you'd like to think it is sending

out a signal. I'm sure that if you play for any club outside of the top

handful you want to see the top handful getting their legs pulled

away from them sometimes. It's part of what gives the Premier League

it's authentic spirit, which is what is so admired around the world. You

look at other major leagues and there is a sense that they don't

have the same atmosphere where any team can beat any team and any team

can trip anybody else up. Leicester have proved that to everyone. What I

thought was interesting was Ulloa in the matchwinner. One of the

qualities you need if you are going to win the league is the ability to

have players come from the fringes of your squad. Ranieri has to do

what every manager of a championship winning team is doing at the moment,

which is he has a very subtle so-called first 11, the best part

of, everybody knows what I will be if everyone is fit but he has to

keep the fringe players completely and utterly focused, feeling part of

it. If they are needed, Ulloa has started one league game in the last

two and a half months and has had to come on for 20 minutes here, ten

minutes there, not the easiest thing to do but he knows how valued he is

in that squad. The couple of weeks of holiday helped last week and they

got a week off after the game. Yes. We went to Dubai as a training camp

as well but they had a week off on their own with their wives and kids

and it seems to have worked for them. They have 11 or 12 games to go

and it will give them the final kick towards the end of the season. They

only play Saturday and everybody else is playing Champions League and

Europa League. They have an advantage, but can they keep their

nerve until the end of the season? In the build-up to yesterday's game

everybody said this is the kind of test they will have to put up with

between now and the end of the season because sides will go there

now having looked at the fixture list at the start of the season

thinking they can pick up a point or three with the game against

Leicester, they will think about it very differently, and to use the

cliche, park the bus. It will be interesting to see what West Brom do

on Tuesday, another huge game. If you look at Leicester's run in is a

bit more comfortable until the last three, Chelsea and United pop up in

the last three games. They are beneath them in the table but still

traditionally difficult places. You are looking at that historically and

traditionally rather than where the teams are. I'm covering that game,

Leicester against West Brom and that wouldn't have been the top pick,

Leicester- West Brom, in February. It just would not have been. Any

other time. But the season has been turned on its head. I think what

they have shown is that football is changing. There are different ways

of being a successful club. They have a brilliant recruitment policy,

really experienced people who have been there a long time and they have

taken advantage of other big clubs like United and Chelsea having poor

seasons. But we used to feel that your wage bill dictated your place

in the league and what Leicester is showing it doesn't have to be like

that. Leicester are an inspiration to underdogs and those fighting

against the odds. They might be moving quicker than slowly. Talking

about how you approach the moving quicker than slowly. Talking

against Leicester, do you think, and I suppose this is only normal, the

next time you play Leicester you will approach it in a different way

to maybe how you would have perceived it earlier this year? No,

we still back ourselves to go there and win, this if we look at the two

squads we would probably have a better squad. But they have gone on

an incredible run. They have been solid at the back. They kept the

same 11 for the majority of the season, which is what Chelsea used

to do with Mourinho back on the day. He would have eight or nine players

playing every week and maybe one or two. They've had a settled side

which helps them and been knocked out of the cups quite early as well.

They've had to focus on the league Saturday to Saturday and they've

done a terrific job. But they will earn the respect from the big ones

now when they go there because they've turned a few big ones over

at home and also away from home. The results from now until the end the

season will be the key. If they keep picking up wins and the others stay

in the European competitions it will be a difficult season for the rest

of them. Can I ask one question on Norwich and then we will move on?

You fear how many more psychological blows Norwich can take over recent

weeks. Two goals up against Liverpool and lose 5-4, two up

against West Ham and draw 2-2, get to the last minute against Leicester

and lose 0-1. You fear however that the players are that sort of stuff,

you fear for that pattern starting. Charlie talked about the patent

Leicester are in. When you are in a great pattern you cannot wait for

the next game. When you are in a low pattern you fear going out every

game and set yourself up with positive thinking but the slightest

knock can feel like a massive knock. It does feel cumulative. Our

newspaper did a ring around the supporters, people they talk to from

the various clubs involved in the relegation battle recently. Arsenal,

which three do you think will go down? -- asked them all. Everyone

agreed on Aston Villa and Norwich. It's not a great sign but it is just

what people think. There is a mentality that people don't expect

them to get out of it. 85058, #bbcfootball if you want to get in

touch. We will talk about today's games we will come to the League Cup

final later but we will start with Manchester United against Arsenal,

looking to close the gap on Leicester.

We've had a good run in the Premier League and we want to continue that.

We need to get over the result we had in the Champions League and

focus on the Premier League, where we have a big part to play. We don't

know how many points will be needed but let's not set any limit on the

number of points we can make. We work the whole season for this

period. That is where you are really tested. That is where you have an

opportunity to show your quality. It's the most interesting period in

the season. And it is the period of the season where you can show

quality and nerves and desire as well. Sam Wallace, have they got

more quality, nerve and desire than in previous seasons? They have more

in relation to the other teams around them, I think that will make

a difference. That was a very political answer. Again, with

Leicester, the collapse of Chelsea's defence, United's poor season, and

it's an opportunity. It's a chance for someone to seize that chance to

go and win the league. It was interesting hearing Arsene Wenger

talk about how in previous seasons he felt that the players had been

distracted. He focused on 2008-2009, less than a year after Manchester

City had been bought by Abu Dhabi and that is when Adebayo Azeez Toure

left Arsenal and two years later Fabregas and Nasri left, Fabregas

went to Barcelona. I've never heard him talk like that before --

Adebayor. He is on a race the players and does not blame a

footballer, and does not hold it against him for moving on, off for

abandoning the Arsenal dream. And yet this felt very personal what he

said in this morning's newspapers about chasing the money, basically.

I would say that Arsene Wenger is pretty well-paid, and I wouldn't

begrudge a footballer getting a better deal. But he's never been

quite so open about how losing players has affected the season

preceding it, rather than the season when they left. The Sun newspaper

used the title contracts chasers. Arsene Wenger slammed, because you

only slam people in football journalism, ex-tapped up stars, who

ended the Premier League title efforts. The other thing you could

argue, Amy Lawrence, is he goes on to say this squad has great

solidarity. Whilst criticising former players for leaving and maybe

not having the attention span that should have had in a title race,

maybe he's using it as a way to spur on the current squad and talk about

their solidarity. I agree. Arsene Wenger is usually careful about the

messages he gives out. It does feel a little bit, as it is so out of

character as Sam alluded to, you don't normally hear him talk in such

critical terms. He's probably saying something he really felt, though. At

that time the dressing room was the worst in the entire Arsene Wenger

era. You can look back and see certain players who I think were

disruptive. There was a perception that they were perhaps putting their

own careers ahead of the group. Ahead of the club. That happens

sometimes but if you are trying to do something that is difficult to

deal with. He is challenging by saying look what happened there and

don't let this happen to you. They are probably not unique in a

dressing room that has players in it who are worried about, or thinking

about where they might move in the summer. It happens in every dressing

room. There will be players at other clubs thinking about the summer.

There will be clubs talking to agents trying to get the players. It

happens, there is no point beating around the bush, it is there and it

is happening. If you look at the players they are talking about,

Fabregas, Nasri, Adebayor, I think they have gone to better clubs. Van

Persie and Fabregas went and won a title. It has worked out for the

players that left Arsenal than they have won a championship. If they had

stayed at Arsenal, would they have won the league? Nobody knows, but on

a personal level they did the right move because they won trophies. Now

I think they have a very good team. They look as if they are a unit.

They've got the players and their top players are performing well and

they are in there with a chance. It is like Wenger says, they have ten

or 11 games to go and this is their ten or 11 cup finals. There was

euphoria at The Emirates at the header from Danny Welbeck will stop

does he have to do separate what happened against Barcelona in

midweek and take it out of the equation and tell everybody at the

club to forget that. He said that virtually 95% out of the Champions

League, and focus on the euphoria from Welbeck. Often in Champions

League seasons that something he has to content with all stop he has to

deal with some big horrible nightmare at some point in Europe,

and make sure that that doesn't impact on what he's doing

domestically. If you look back even at this season Arsenal were really

embarrassed and lost against Olympiakos at home, which I think

was their second defeat after losing in Zagreb and they got off to a

terrible start. The Olympiakos home game was when they came out and

smashed Manchester United 3-0. There was a concern about hangover from a

really big European embarrassment and they probably came out with

their best minutes of the season immediately. Probably Arsene Wenger

and the players are realistic. They know they are unlikely to beat

Barcelona and win the Champions League at the moment, even though

you might hope and you might get that one in 1000 chance and it will

all work for you. The Premier League is much more realistic. It makes

sense. But I think Arsenal need, that Danny Welbeck goal felt like a

seismic moment, and I still think they need another one, possibly

today, particularly under pressure from Leicester and Tottenham who are

doing so well. They haven't won at Old Trafford for so long. They can't

score goals at the moment, they seem strung up, tense and nervous,

particularly in front of goal. If they are going to go on a good

enough run in the last few games to sustain a challenge right up to the

end they have got to find some sort of scoring with.

I also wonder whether the atmosphere at Old Trafford might feel different

today. It has been flat at times this season because of the style of

football. Given the young players that have come in and done well over

recent weeks, that makes the fans feel better. Whatever the style of

football is, you're willing to young players on. Some of them are local

players and it can change the atmosphere. Yeah, to an extent. It

helps when they start scoring goals. I still think Old Trafford is

capable of going very reflective and quiet when things go badly. In some

respects it feels like the roles are reversed if Martial doesn't start

and Rashford starts again. It will feel a bit like those Arsenal teams

in the middle part of the last decade when they were... The team

was taken apart by predator clubs buying their best players. They had

to send young sides to Old Trafford who would get beaten. It feels like

the tables have turned a bit. I think this Arsenal team is much more

stable than any you've seen since the invincible is. The top players

like Sanchez and Ozil aren't really going anywhere. They've already had

their big moves to the really big Spanish clubs and they've had to

find an alternative because it hasn't worked out there. There is

not this great disparity of wealth any more where asked all are picked

apart by Manchester City and Barcelona. That stability counts for

a lot. September 2006 was the last time Arsenal won at the league at

Old Trafford, but I fancy them today. Will there be a freedom for

Man United today? Those young players? I think so. The young kids

have nothing to lose. Rashford coming in on Thursday night and he

did extremely well. But this is the Premier League. This is Arsenal who

are chasing the title. It's a totally different game. There's a

lot of pressure on Man United today. These are the games where you need

your big players. Hopefully it's a good game to watch. I saw a really

interesting comment on Twitter earlier. Who is under more pressure

today, Louis van Gaal or Arsene Wenger? Do you want to answer that?

I'm not quite sure. In different ways they are both... Probably

Arsene Wenger. You can answer that if you want. Get in touch with us.

Who do you think is under more pressure? If van Gaal is beaten

really badly, it's him. If it's an heroic defeat with half a team, the

picture changes. What if Arsenal lose? Arsene Wenger is under more

pressure. Have you got offence under the desk? I think Wenger is under

more pressure. Straight to the point from Charlie. This evening on Match

of the Day two, you will see that game and Spurs against Swansea.

Spurs looking to cut the gap on Swansea. Simon Brotherton will be

watching this one for Match of the Day he has a guest with him.

I'm joined by Clive Allen, former Tottenham striker in the 1980s. They

finished third in the table and Clive had that magnificent season

where he scored 49 goals. When you look at the squad this season, is it

the best team Tottenham have had since you were here? It's a very

exciting team, a young team, and emerging team. They've gone on all

fronts until the FA Cup last weekend, bounced back with a good

you wrote the league victory against Cieron Keane which will give them

great confidence coming into this important Premier League game. A

very good side. Maybe the FA Cup defeat is a blessing in disguise.

Going for the New Road believed and the Premier League, do they have the

strength in depth? I do, it's one of their greatest strengths. Pochettino

made eight changes from the FA Cup side at the weekend for the Europa

League game on Thursday. It wasn't to the detriment of the team. A fine

performance. He might make changes again today. It seems like there's a

real confidence throughout the group, there is strength in depth

and a lot of quality. Was it important psychologically to the

other players that they beat the good side on Thursday in the Europa

League without Harry Kane in the team? He's done so much for them

this season. That was one of the biggest question is, how Tottenham

would survive without Harry Kane. It was the first time he wasn't

available, he wasn't even on the bench. When he's been rested he

still been on the bench. Psychologically it was a big boost,

it will give them confidence. But whenever Pochettino has changed the

team, it hasn't weakened it. The full-backs have changed regularly,

there's been the absence of the Tongan and Wimmer has come in and

done well. Are these big games, like today, that can potentially be the

most dangerous? It's easy to be up for Manchester City away, but the

onus is on you to win in these games. Swansea are fighting for

their lives, there is no easy Premier League game. They slipped up

against Newcastle in the lead here when they were on a fantastic run.

They are in good form in the Premier League, but they have to win.

Hopefully it's a good game today. One thing you wouldn't want to do on

a day like this is forget your coat because it's absolutely freezing!

Back to you in a warm studio. Brave man doing that in his jacket

and shirt! If you look at the stats, Swansea have got the second worst

attack in the Premier League, only Villa's is worst, and Spurs have the

best defence. For all that it can be tricky, it's difficult to look

further than Spurs. You would expect Spurs to win and if they are serious

about being a title challenger, which still seems incredible to stay

-- say, but they are, and they have to win. The big one is next weekend

against Arsenal. That will be important for so many reasons, not

least the points. What happened at Spurs is pretty remarkable.

Pochettino will be in the running for manager of the year whatever

happens. More than anything... They've always been a big club, but

people haven't been able to carry the burden of what they consider

their tradition and history. That doesn't seem to bother him. He's

built a young team, the club carries no debt, they got a new training

ground, they are going to build a new stadium and they are spinning

all these plates at the same time. And they are pulling it off at the

moment. Can somebody explain this to me. I take all of that. If you read

a lot of the papers and the comments,

after -- Arsene Wenger will never have a better chance, apparently, to

win the title. Klopp will improve Liverpool, Guardiola and Man City,

rumours of Mourinho at Man United, people saying Chelsea can't be as

bad necks easing. People look at Spurs and say Pochettino has built

hopes of a future for Spurs. Why is there such a disparity between how

they perceived? If you look at past histories for Arsenal and Spurs.

Arsenal have been in the Champions League for a number of years.

Tottenham got a taste under Harry Redknapp and it disappeared for a

bit. Now they are in a position where they are there. Pochettino has

done a great job, but if they do get into the Champions League, it's a

success. Will he be there next summer? Will somebody come and take

him? Can Daniel Levy Keable of them? -- Daniel Levy. It's reported like

this could be the first of many chances for Spurs because of how the

club is developing. This is seen as a last chance saloon that Arsene

Wenger. The comparison, although it's not quite the same in terms of

the extent of the fairy tale, so to speak, but Tottenham and Leicester

are probably a closer alliance in terms of if they win the league, it

will be considered some kind of miracle. If you look at projects,

Arsene Wenger will probably not be at Arsenal as long as Pochettino

will be at Tottenham. That's why they say Wenger doesn't have as much

chance of winning the league in the next couple of years, but Pochettino

has a few years to do that. That's why they might be saying that.

Wenger has one year left on his contract after this season. In the

past it's always renewed. Renewed in the summer and then the previous one

expires. But he won't go on forever. They won't be wheeling him out in

his bath chair! At some point he will step down. As Charlie said,

Arsenal have had years and years. Champions League football. And all

those financial benefits. Tottenham have launched this title challenge

without that. They are a club that carries no debt, they turn a small

profit, a small operating profit. When you think of some of the losses

other clubs make, that's an achievement. Whether they do it or

not, whether they do the things that Spurs often do and not get over the

line, that's one thing, but you cannot deny they are punching above

their weight when you compare them to clubs that have spent vast

amounts of money and are not in the title race. Sam Wallace, Amy

Lawrence and Charlie Adam with me. John in Aberdeen, Arsenal will get

beaten today by a patchwork Man United team and then Wenger will

start the excuses. Arsenal will never have a better chance to win

the league and Wenger should go if they don't. Rashford and Memphis to

turn on the style. Ryan says the pressure is on for Wenger, he has

the aim of the most FA Cup wins, but he needs a Premier League title

after so long. On Spurs, Ivan, I'm baffled by the lack of space in

third. If Leicester are considered title contenders, so Spurs. We don't

have a week 11. Any line-up Pochettino could have named will be

strong. Given how Chelsea have performed under goose heading,

should they be doing more to try to persuade him to stay? I'm baffled

why he hasn't got the job. He came in before and did a great job. They

went a different way. Now he's come in and done another great job and it

looks like Ponty will get the job. I don't know what the problem is with

whoever is making the decisions. They have an experienced manager in

Hiddink, a very good manager. I don't understand why they don't just

give him it and start rebuilding. I think there's a fit where Conte and

Chelsea feels like a very good fit. When you look at the character of

club and manager, there's a spikiness, a competitiveness, and

aggression that is very alive within Antonio Conte. I think the club feel

that Hiddink is fantastic for these short-term, let's just smooth

everything over and get stable again. It's about winning titles.

Hiddink has got the right credentials to do it. Conte is

coming to a new league which he doesn't know and it will be

difficult. I thought they should just give the job to Hiddink for a

couple of years and settle down. They chop and change managers,

they've lost Mourinho and it's affected them. I think they think

Hiddink is a bit old. He's 69 now. That's one of the things they feel.

But if his manner works, which it evidently does, then age and

constantly looking for a spiky competitor don't seem to fit with

what is working at the moment. They can have him back any year's time!

Chelsea really believe and have always believed that that person is

out there, that person who can manage the club for seven or eight

years, that can give them all the things they want, young players

coming through from the Academy, a bit of calm, a more sort of elder

statesman kind of statements -- status among European clubs to be

that great European power. They think that person is out there and

whether it is Conte they appoint before the end of the season or not,

every time they hunt for a manager, they go out there with the belief of

perennial divorcee that somebody out there will make them happy. Isn't

the definition of madness to do exactly the same thing and expect

different outcomes? That manager was supposed to be Mourinho coming back,

giving this massive contract. Going back to Andre Villas-Boas, he was

supposed to be the great white hope that was going to be the long-term

future to bring them everything they wanted. Every time they do it, they

give managers long contracts. They do it in the belief that this is the

real thing, this is going to be the new dawn. They backed their

managers. But when it goes wrong, the experience of Villas-Boas when

they left it until February to sack him, they now feel they have to make

a decision earlier than that to nip things in the bud. They feel they

waited too long for Villas-Boas, which is why they got Di Matteo so

quickly the next season. I know those things look on the surface

like they contradict each other, but they always go in believing this

will be the right manager for the long-term.

A won three titles as Juventus manager, Pirlo described him as part

genius, part beast, he's done a good job with Italy in the Euro

qualifiers, he's only lost one game as Italy manager and that wasn't in

the qualifiers. When you talk about him not managing in the Premier

League and he must get used to it, what do you think, given his

experience, he would have to get used to? When you came up with

Blackburn what did you have to get used to in the Premier League? It is

a different spectrum, being at Blackburn and being at Chelsea. Just

about getting used to the league. I wouldn't say... He could go and buy

the best players in the world, Pogba, Ibrahimovic, whoever he wants

if he wants the best at Chelsea. It is understanding the league and how

the game is played in England. The physicality of the game, the tempo

of the game is totally different from in Italy. There is no easy

games. If you come to stoke it is not an easy game. Maybe at Juventus

when he won three titles, if you go to Siena, or smaller clubs where

they are expected to win, but at Chelsea they are expected to win

every game but not every game in the Premier League is easy. Is it a

sense of with a new manager you have to meet in the middle of what they

are bringing for their ideas and what they have got to adapt to in

the new country, or in a new league? What Conte rings, when he took over

at Juventus they were just promoted after the scandal, they've lost a

lot of players -- Conte brings. They had taken a big hit and they were

coming back in the big time and they won the league without losing a

game, unbeaten through the season, from when he walked into the door

they had won the league without losing a game. I take your point

that not every game will be super difficult but that wasn't the event

is of the top doing it, it was Juventus back on the rise and this

is Chelsea they think will be back on the rise. Will they keep John

Terry? Would you? I would, he still one of the best centre halves in the

league but it's a big decision for him if he comes in. West Brom beat

Crystal Palace by 3-2, Palace unaddressed -- on a dreadful run.

Here is Alan Pardew. We will not say we are OK, we are fine, we know we

are on a run of form where people will question is an quite rightly.

Fortunately we have the game on Tuesday night and we can. Sunderland

were beaten today, we've been beaten, so that is a big game and

hopefully we can get something from that.

It feels like Tony Pulis has been much maligned this season and before

Christmas people talked about Alan Pardew as an England manager, or

possibly for the bigger clubs struggling, Chelsea one of them

looking at Alan Pardew, now they are three points ahead of Palace.

The problem looking at it from afar is that West Brom fans are objecting

to the way Tony Pulis has gone about it. When you appoint Tony Pulis, and

as Charlie will know, you get a certain approach and you are buying

into a certain way of doing things which comes with guarantees. He's

never been relegated. That is a very strategic decision. That the

chairman makes and West Brom, let's face it, certainly with Pepe Mel,

made some really bad managerial appointments. But he delivers that.

It is whether you want to live with that in the long term which is the

club. As far as Pardew is concerned, that's part of his career. It was

the same at Newcastle, there were bad runs. I think when you look at

those made to lower half table clubs that is always a possibility. They

have never embarked on one of those runs where you get sucked back down.

-- middle to lower half. Palace are a different club to the one that

could stay in one division. They have the extra investment of Steve

Parrish, the chairman, and they have a decent recruitment system. They

feel like they have established themselves as a good,

feel like they have established Premier League club. Even that in

this league doesn't exempt you from these bad runs. I think clubs like

Palace, when your key players are missing, Bolasie, Zaha, Cabaye

missing for a couple of games, it takes its toll on the squad because

they have that presence and different quality from somebody else

but Bolasie has been missing for a few weeks and he needs to get him

back fit and get him going. Like I say, and he said in the interview,

you need to stop the rot as quickly as possible, even if it is a draw

but a win would be grateful stop you need to stop the rot and the run of

losing games. Moving onto a that has permitted the sports pages this

morning and yesterday with Farhad Moshiri buying 49.9% stake in the

club. Matt Law in the Telegraph this morning claims that Farhad Moshiri's

willingness to allow Bill Kenwright to remain in position of power at

the club gave him an advantage over other bids. Looking at social media

there were quite a lot of Everton fans who wanted the takeover to mean

that Bill Kenwright would be moved aside. That's an interesting point

of view. I would have thought that keeping someone who has that

heritage of the club and who has such heart for Everton and has been

part of it for years isn't a bad thing. Although Farhad Moshiri is

not completely brand-new coming into football from nowhere, he's been

involved, albeit in a frustrated way with Arsenal, as a minority

shareholder, still with about a third of the shares but with no

power for years. I quite like the fact he's decided, OK, I'm in

football but not able to really do anything. I've put all of this money

in, I'm going to go to a club where I can actually do something. I think

it's quite an interesting blend of an investor who is keen on his

football and has been a part of it for the best part of the decade,

albeit with another club, and someone from the old school. If it

works it is a nice combination. I suppose the key to it is if he's

allowed to do something, because it is to 49.9%. I saw a tweet from

Neville Southall, it had the blue tick so I assume it was Neville

Southall, he said he would have been happier if it had been 51%.

Sometimes these relationships don't survive in practice. What is decided

at the boardroom table when handing over the deal. I understand Everton

fans' frustrations. Under Bill Kenwright Everton have become great

trainers of players, Kenwright is a master in the transfer market, look

what he did at United with Fellaini. He saw off Chelsea with John Stones.

They buy cheap and sell high. Everyone would like to do that. But

they've never sorted the stadium. It's a great English football

Stadium but it offers minimal returns in terms of match day

revenue. As we have seen with West Ham, Chelsea, Tottenham and

Manchester City, all of these big clubs have moved or unmoving

stadiums. There is no reason why Everton shouldn't be doing that.

They are one of the most successful clubs in Ingush football. The

long-term issues have not been addressed. What the new owner, that

what we are going to call him, has got to address this, it is

fundamental to be club's future of the stadium. They will have to move

if they are going to compete in the Financial Fair Play era. Let's move

on the big game of the as regards their being a trophy up for grabs.

The League Cup final, fancy your former club Liverpool up against Man

City? It's going to be tough for them. If Man City play the way they

did in the Champions League I would expect Man City to

win. But Liverpool are a big club and a good team and on your day in a

cup final anything could happen but I think Man City have the edge and I

look forward to it. Unless Liverpool play like they did at City earlier

in the season and the City played like City did earlier in the season.

That's the thing, that's why you need a to sit on when we are talking

about this game. Just borrow the one from underneath Sam from earlier.

When I was coming up on the train vacillating, would they win, would

they win? There is unpredictable at you about both teams. We have all

seen Man City look fantastic on their day and on others you think

what are they doing? Liverpool under Klopp can be electric on certain

occasions and other times very flat. It's very hard to predict when you

don't know which version of either team will show up. I heard Noel

Gallagher talk to Jamie Carragher, I know it was a different TV station

but it was a good interview. He said he thought the big sides, in which

he included Liverpool and Klopp, and figured out Manchester City this

season. I find it very hard to imagine how you would figure out

Sergio Aguero. He seems to score goals in any circumstances. I think

Manchester City should win this game. Liverpool have spent a lot of

money, as have Manchester City but Manchester City have better players

and should win. If Klopp can come up with something that will stop them

and he will have to stop them first before Liverpool play, then they

have a chance. That there is no doubt Manchester City are the clear

favourites to win. Stoke stopped Manchester City this season. Yes. I

was just trying to think of the game and what happened. We beat them 2-0

at home. But like Sam said it was an off day for Man City. We played

extremely well and our lads were at it from the start but it was the

opposite from Man City in midweek, they were not at the races. You have

a chance like Liverpool have today. That young energetic midfield they

have to get in and about Man City. That will be interesting. When you

have somebody like Aguero, Silva, Raheem Sterling, coming on in the

last couple of months and he's terrific. De Bruyne has been a big

miss for them. Yes. If they can get him back fit in the last 8-10 games

that will strengthen the chance of winning the league. In the big

picture, when you know that the change is coming out Manchester

City, is this a bigger trophy for Liverpool? I also think it is a free

pass for Jurgen Klopp. At this stage of his first season when there is so

much... He's allowed to be looking around and checking things out at

the moment, which players he really wants to keep and which players he

might dispense with, there will be a different flavour to this Liverpool

team by the beginning of next season. I think he can go into it,

desperate to win it, because that's the kind of character he is. But I

don't think it is imperative to him. I totally get with Pellegrini, I can

see it even more having watched the Dynamo Kiev game and looking ahead

to today, that he probably took a lot of stick that was a bit

unfounded about the FA Cup team. It has been a big week, and obviously

he got the first part spot on. If he could get this part spot on he will

be justified. That FA Cup selection is fair enough given they then went

to Kiev and won 3-1. I always think you should go for it. This notion of

having to travel, whatever it is, seven hours to Kiev, it's not like

you're doing it on a budget airline. You self censored your self! Other

airlines are available! I don't even know if they fly there.

LAUGHTER The one thing I like about it is at

least some young players got a chance and there is an argument to

least some young players got a say the FA could introduce a quota

of U21 players, I think that would be good. I'm not keen on seeing

teams do that. I saw Hull do it against Arsenal and Steve Bruce said

we got to give all of the squad players a chance. I feel that once

you do that it ceases to become... It is a game and interesting in

other ways but it's not a proper cup tie any longer. And also, on the cup

final today, I don't see why Liverpool should accept that they

have to be beaten by Manchester City just because they have better

players. The reason your point manager Mike Jurgen Klopp is to get

more out of players. It is like when people say Pep Guardiola is going to

buy a new team, he supposed to be a good coach. Talking about Klopp, in

the last six months he's been watching, he's got to get results

straightaway, he is Liverpool manager and needs results on day

one, not wait until the summer. manager and needs results on day

ourselves in. He needs results on day one. And for me, I think

Pellegrini has done a terrific job. But the whole surrounding of the Man

City thing, it is a spectacle. They will be going, both clubs will want

to win desperately. I think Pellegrini will want to win it even

more because he wants to go there as a champion and he will want to leave

that as a legacy, I won two trophies before I left. Charlie Adam, Amy and

Sam, thank you very much. You can listen to the League Cup final on 5

live after Spurs against Swansea and then highlights of both Premier

League games on Match of the Day 2 on BBC One tonight. Bye bye.