Browse content similar to 29/12/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Hello and welcome to MOTD2 Extra. We are analysing the weekend's | :00:35. | :00:45. | |
football. Coming up, another huge Sunday in the Premier League, with | :00:46. | :00:51. | |
seven of the top nine in action, culminating in the four o'clock | :00:52. | :00:54. | |
kick-off between Chelsea and Liverpool. We will also look back on | :00:55. | :00:59. | |
yesterday's action and speak to Tom Huddlestone. In the studio with me | :01:00. | :01:08. | |
today is Alan Shearer, Conor McNamara and Jonathan North craft. | :01:09. | :01:16. | |
We want you involved as well. And as this is the last MOTD2 Extra of | :01:17. | :01:22. | |
2013, we want to know your match of the season. Does it have to be -- it | :01:23. | :01:28. | |
does not have to be Premier League, as long as it was special to you. | :01:29. | :01:35. | |
And we are halfway through the Premier League season and it | :01:36. | :01:39. | |
couldn't be better for the neutral, could it? It has been an incredible | :01:40. | :01:45. | |
season. Last season was pretty dull. This season is anything but. | :01:46. | :01:50. | |
Everybody beating each other. You go into games thinking you can predict | :01:51. | :01:53. | |
the result but it is totally opposite. For everyone, and | :01:54. | :01:59. | |
particularly the neutral, it has been an exciting season. I hope | :02:00. | :02:05. | |
there is more to come. Allen is not in our gang at lunchtime. The three | :02:06. | :02:10. | |
of us were at the Etihad Stadium yesterday. Manchester City would be | :02:11. | :02:19. | |
one of the main two title favourites for me. It was a big game yesterday. | :02:20. | :02:23. | |
One of those games you have to get through if you want to be champions. | :02:24. | :02:28. | |
They were not at their best. They came up with enough to win the | :02:29. | :02:33. | |
match. Pellegrini said yesterday that you have to know how to win 1-0 | :02:34. | :02:38. | |
if you want to win titles. He got away with it. He was able to rest | :02:39. | :02:43. | |
several players. Their squad is what makes them potent. What can Crystal | :02:44. | :02:51. | |
Palace take out of that game? What can Tony Poole is clean from it? | :02:52. | :02:57. | |
They leave with their heads high. There is no shame in losing to | :02:58. | :03:04. | |
Manchester City. When Tony Pulis took that job, I thought he was | :03:05. | :03:09. | |
sacrificing his record of never having been relegated. I did not see | :03:10. | :03:16. | |
how we could keep Palace up. Since the international break, Manchester | :03:17. | :03:19. | |
-- Crystal Palace have more points than Manchester United. A lot of new | :03:20. | :03:24. | |
players came in in the summer. They have taken time to gel. They are | :03:25. | :03:27. | |
coming together. I think they will stay up. Let's talk about | :03:28. | :03:33. | |
yesterday's -- this afternoon's games. One of the games of today is | :03:34. | :03:41. | |
at Saint James 's Park. Newcastle against Arsenal. Guy Mowbray doing | :03:42. | :03:48. | |
this one. It is a year exactly since Arsenal beat Newcastle 7-3. This is | :03:49. | :03:53. | |
a very different Newcastle team, isn't it? Days. That's 7-3 was | :03:54. | :04:07. | |
exactly a year ago. Before that we had the 4-4 thriller. I am not | :04:08. | :04:12. | |
surprised that Newcastle are as high as they are. If you look at their | :04:13. | :04:20. | |
first class -- first choice line-up... We may find out more | :04:21. | :04:25. | |
about Newcastle in the second half of the season, perhaps as injuries | :04:26. | :04:37. | |
and suspension kicked in. I expect them to be more solid in midfield | :04:38. | :04:42. | |
against Arsenal. I know Alan Pardew won manager of the month in | :04:43. | :04:45. | |
November. I would go so far as to say halfway through this season he | :04:46. | :04:49. | |
has been my manager of the first half of the season. With all he is | :04:50. | :04:53. | |
up against. With the expectations being low, he has done pretty well. | :04:54. | :04:59. | |
They don't like him here. He is a Southerner. Simple as that. But he | :05:00. | :05:07. | |
keeps getting results. As far as Arsenal are concerned, | :05:08. | :05:10. | |
they came from behind at Upton Park. They won that game. The goals | :05:11. | :05:17. | |
came from Theo Walcott and Lucas Podolski, which is important given | :05:18. | :05:25. | |
Giroud's lack of form? It is. It has worked out nicely for arson thing. | :05:26. | :05:30. | |
When you go back to the start of the season, it is not something that | :05:31. | :05:34. | |
will have worried Arsene Wenger as much as Aust. Giroud was in fine | :05:35. | :05:40. | |
form at the start of the season. He started really well. He has gone | :05:41. | :05:46. | |
seven games of the goal. Perhaps he is due a rest. Perhaps you get one | :05:47. | :05:50. | |
today. Podolsky has been getting fit. He will return to the team and | :05:51. | :05:55. | |
presumably score his fair share. Walcott can play through the middle. | :05:56. | :05:59. | |
All of this talk about Arsenal not having striking talent in depth, | :06:00. | :06:03. | |
Niklas Bendtner, much derided in this country, but 56 caps, 34 goals | :06:04. | :06:10. | |
for Denmark tells its own story. If you had him as a third strike -- | :06:11. | :06:15. | |
third class striker, which he is at Arsenal, most would be happy with | :06:16. | :06:22. | |
that. Is Niklas Bendtner the best third class -- third choice striker | :06:23. | :06:26. | |
around? You can comment on that. For all that Olivier Giroud is going | :06:27. | :06:33. | |
without goals, he puts in a shift? Which is what you have to do when | :06:34. | :06:36. | |
you are not scoring goals. Another question Arsenal may have to answer | :06:37. | :06:42. | |
is Aaron Ramsey being out. He has been the success story of the | :06:43. | :06:46. | |
season. Nobody expected him to come into that role and play as well as | :06:47. | :06:50. | |
he has done. To score as many goals as he has. He is now out injured. | :06:51. | :06:56. | |
Can they replace him? That is another question. I think Giroud has | :06:57. | :07:00. | |
had an excellent season. There will be times in a season when you go on | :07:01. | :07:04. | |
a barren spell. It is what you do. He is putting in some good | :07:05. | :07:11. | |
performances without scoring. By the way, the best third Trice -- third | :07:12. | :07:17. | |
choice striker is Dzeko! You could probably say Berahino as well you | :07:18. | :07:23. | |
would take before Niklas Bendtner. Giroud has done a job this season. | :07:24. | :07:28. | |
The goals have dried up. He has been a battering ram. It is the battering | :07:29. | :07:32. | |
upfront that has created the space for the midfielders. If anything, it | :07:33. | :07:37. | |
is a weariness. He has played pretty much every game. No striker is going | :07:38. | :07:41. | |
to play every game in the modern Premier League. Lucas Podolski has | :07:42. | :07:44. | |
probably come back at the right time. To yes, it is the transfer | :07:45. | :07:52. | |
season as -- yes, it is the transfer window as well. Giroud always | :07:53. | :08:01. | |
putting a shift. There was the game at Crystal Palace when he scored the | :08:02. | :08:07. | |
winning goal. He is all about following Ramsey into the box. What | :08:08. | :08:12. | |
is wrong with this game when no striker can go through the season | :08:13. | :08:16. | |
without playing every game? What is different between now and ten years | :08:17. | :08:23. | |
ago? ! That leads us nicely into Newcastle, doesn't it? These | :08:24. | :08:27. | |
Newcastle players are playing every game. There's only one change Alan | :08:28. | :08:31. | |
Pardew seems to make from every starting 11. It is not always same | :08:32. | :08:37. | |
change. Without doubt, that is helping them. They are playing with | :08:38. | :08:43. | |
a settled side. Their first 11 is a very good side. They have had no | :08:44. | :08:50. | |
injuries. Not a lot of suspensions. That is well -- that is helping them | :08:51. | :08:56. | |
without doubt. A lot of the French guys actually struggled. They need | :08:57. | :09:01. | |
time to settle. The players have had time to settle. They understand the | :09:02. | :09:04. | |
Premier League and how physical it is. They are dealing with it and | :09:05. | :09:10. | |
playing very well. Newcastle's model is to bring players in, make | :09:11. | :09:13. | |
investment and wait for them to get better. Alan Pardew has managed a | :09:14. | :09:21. | |
lot of players coming in and managed to build a team. What is interesting | :09:22. | :09:26. | |
to me is he is playing the same team but he can play them in different | :09:27. | :09:34. | |
ways. He can play possession, he can play more straightforward. When | :09:35. | :09:40. | |
Newcastle went to Cardiff and they desperately needed a result. They | :09:41. | :09:44. | |
have been on a great run ever since. He got manager of the month last | :09:45. | :09:48. | |
month and is doing a brilliant job. The French clique in the dressing | :09:49. | :09:53. | |
room has been posited as well. Arsene Wenger do that. They may | :09:54. | :09:56. | |
speak a different language but at least they are speaking the same | :09:57. | :09:59. | |
language with each other. They do seem to have this brotherhood | :10:00. | :10:04. | |
amongst them. As well as players taking time to settle in, sometimes | :10:05. | :10:08. | |
in manager needs time to work at his players and how best to fit them in. | :10:09. | :10:13. | |
Anita is a great example. Sometimes he has been in midfield, sometimes | :10:14. | :10:17. | |
at right back. I remember seeing him play at Goodison Park. Alan Pardew | :10:18. | :10:21. | |
has had to work out where these players best fit in for him. That | :10:22. | :10:30. | |
has meant leaving Ben after out? He deserves credit for that. He has | :10:31. | :10:34. | |
changed the system at times. We know with the ball that Ben Arfa is | :10:35. | :10:47. | |
brilliant. But without the ball... Don't be surprised if he goes for | :10:48. | :10:52. | |
the same system today and leaves Ben Arfa on the bench. Be key for me has | :10:53. | :10:57. | |
been cut by. At the start of the season Newcastle weren't firing | :10:58. | :11:00. | |
well. He didn't score in the first three league games. Dubai coming | :11:01. | :11:05. | |
back into the team has coincided with Newcastle going up the table. | :11:06. | :11:09. | |
The big fear is, the transfer window is about to open again. The big fear | :11:10. | :11:16. | |
is that we don't want to finish fifth, because we don't want to be | :11:17. | :11:24. | |
in the Europa League! Tom Hicks says, can Newcastle, Everton | :11:25. | :11:28. | |
Southampton retain their challenge for European football? A month ago | :11:29. | :11:33. | |
you said Southampton more challenges. I still think they will. | :11:34. | :11:37. | |
They will have a good second half of the season. Martin Keown said | :11:38. | :11:42. | |
Everton were up there and they got beaten. What about Newcastle? I do | :11:43. | :11:47. | |
not think they will finish in the top four. Hopefully sixth or | :11:48. | :11:55. | |
seventh. I've seen what goes to the teams in the Europa League. Mother | :11:56. | :12:02. | |
of today's games, Kent 's -- is Chelsea against Liverpool at | :12:03. | :12:07. | |
Stamford Bridge. Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers know each other | :12:08. | :12:12. | |
well. I think Manchester City is the big, big, big favourite. Liverpool | :12:13. | :12:21. | |
is on holidays one season, you know? One week to prepare a match, played | :12:22. | :12:27. | |
the match. One more week to prepare the next match. This is an | :12:28. | :12:33. | |
unbelievable advantage. The emotion when I speak here about Jose | :12:34. | :12:39. | |
Mourinho is first and foremost as a friend. From the first day it in | :12:40. | :12:45. | |
2007. He had obviously common to the club earlier that summer. I was | :12:46. | :12:49. | |
invited to go there and speak to him and a few others about the role. We | :12:50. | :12:54. | |
had a lot of straightaway. From that moment in time he gave me the | :12:55. | :13:04. | |
self-esteem and the confidence that has prepared me greatly for the role | :13:05. | :13:09. | |
that I am in today. They may be friends, but it did not stop that | :13:10. | :13:13. | |
little dig from Mourinho. Have Liverpool had it easy because they | :13:14. | :13:19. | |
have not had European football? It is certainly fair comment that not | :13:20. | :13:23. | |
being in Europe, it is great for the league. I don't think it means they | :13:24. | :13:26. | |
have been on holidays. It has been difficult for it the squad. It is | :13:27. | :13:32. | |
typical Mourinho maybe just to pick at that little thing to deflate a | :13:33. | :13:37. | |
team. Do you think the Liverpool team -- squatters Prime Minister's | :13:38. | :13:43. | |
Questions In certain areas, I do. Maybe in midfield, maybe other | :13:44. | :13:51. | |
areas. Like Arsenal, they have got through to January with the squad. I | :13:52. | :13:59. | |
don't think many people at Liverpool would have said at this stage they | :14:00. | :14:02. | |
would think they will be challenging for the title. They're in for this | :14:03. | :14:07. | |
year was to get into the top four without seriously challenging for | :14:08. | :14:13. | |
the title. Guy Mowbray said manager of the half year has been Alan | :14:14. | :14:18. | |
Pardew. I think Brendan Rodgers has to be considered. It is an | :14:19. | :14:22. | |
incredible job. That little dig from Mourinho was classic Mourinho. | :14:23. | :14:25. | |
Brendan Rodgers has learned so much about him -- from him. His comments | :14:26. | :14:30. | |
about the referee and his postcode being a factor, that is the kind of | :14:31. | :14:36. | |
thing Mourinho would've done. They are creating this them against us | :14:37. | :14:44. | |
scenario. Guys like Mourinho makes a guy like Brendan Rodgers believe he | :14:45. | :14:48. | |
can compete as a manager. He did not have a great playing career. Not | :14:49. | :14:52. | |
Alan Shearer, playing first country, scoring goals. You don't have too be | :14:53. | :15:00. | |
a great player to become a great manager. He wants to be invited | :15:01. | :15:09. | |
again! I was hopeless as a manager! You watch them play Manchester City, | :15:10. | :15:18. | |
where they were unlucky. In the same way Palace could take a lot out of | :15:19. | :15:20. | |
yesterday, Liverpool could take a lot out of boxing day and they can | :15:21. | :15:25. | |
go to Chelsea with confidence. They are two very tough games for | :15:26. | :15:29. | |
Liverpool to play but at City, they certainly deserved at least a point. | :15:30. | :15:32. | |
Their forward play was brilliant and M Suarez, they have a world-class | :15:33. | :15:37. | |
player, and when you have someone of his ilk in the team, you always | :15:38. | :15:41. | |
stand a chance, because these guys can produce a moment of brilliance | :15:42. | :15:45. | |
that will win you a game. I think Suarez has got to the point where it | :15:46. | :15:51. | |
is not Will he make an impact, it is when. You cannot stop a player like | :15:52. | :15:55. | |
him in a team when you have a player like that. He deserves a lot of | :15:56. | :15:59. | |
credit, because the way he has been ridiculed and the way he went about | :16:00. | :16:03. | |
things was wrong, the way he tried to get away. His diving has improved | :16:04. | :16:07. | |
so much this season. He has, without doubt, I think being the player of | :16:08. | :16:12. | |
the season so far. The Sunday Telegraph has a little article on | :16:13. | :16:16. | |
Suarez saying he is a better man now, according to Brendan Rodgers, | :16:17. | :16:20. | |
but next to that article, there is a fascinating thing, for those of us | :16:21. | :16:25. | |
who like our statistics, about goals scored by strikers in the Premier | :16:26. | :16:29. | |
League. Mourinho is desperate for a hit man. Manchester United's goals, | :16:30. | :16:33. | |
71% have come from their strikers and Chelsea are the lowest of all of | :16:34. | :16:38. | |
the Premier League teams, only 15%. The irony being that the striker | :16:39. | :16:44. | |
Mourinho wanted was Wayne Rooney. It is unfathomable that they have | :16:45. | :16:47. | |
scored so many few goals from strikers. It is pathetic, isn't it? | :16:48. | :16:54. | |
If you have Demba Ba and Eto'o and Fernando Torres. Five goals between | :16:55. | :16:58. | |
them, it is embarrassing. I think Mourinho knew that at the start of | :16:59. | :17:02. | |
the season, Rooney was the one he wanted to bring in. If they had him, | :17:03. | :17:07. | |
Chelsea would be top of the league. Let's move onto one of yesterday's | :17:08. | :17:11. | |
games and the man of yesterday, , Hull City beating Fulham by six | :17:12. | :17:18. | |
goals to zero and we have had a tweet asking whether Tom Huddlestone | :17:19. | :17:22. | |
is the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League? We will ask him | :17:23. | :17:25. | |
when he joins us in a moment, but let's hear from his manager. I have | :17:26. | :17:29. | |
seen a lot of good performances from individuals over the year but I | :17:30. | :17:32. | |
don't think I have witnessed something as outstanding as he did | :17:33. | :17:36. | |
today. Goals, free kicks, delivery, his passing, he was an absolute | :17:37. | :17:39. | |
delight and I think everybody else that offer that. People are saying | :17:40. | :17:44. | |
that Roy Hodgson's squad for Brazil is settled, bar one or two places. | :17:45. | :17:49. | |
Could Tom force his way in? I can't see why not. It is not the meter | :17:50. | :17:55. | |
Delroy, but it is obviously going to be helped by the conditions that it | :17:56. | :18:01. | |
is not for me to tell Roy. We need people who can look after the ball | :18:02. | :18:06. | |
and if there is anybody who can do that better than him, I'm yet to see | :18:07. | :18:09. | |
them this season. He is such a naturally gifted footballer, we all | :18:10. | :18:14. | |
know that and had he recovered from his ankle when we brought him in, | :18:15. | :18:18. | |
playing week in, week out, it has done him the world of good, and he | :18:19. | :18:22. | |
has enjoyed himself immensely. And when you see performances like that | :18:23. | :18:25. | |
today, I have not seen many better than what he produced. Steve Bruce | :18:26. | :18:29. | |
talking about Tom Huddlestone and it is not the first time he has said | :18:30. | :18:33. | |
it, a couple of weeks ago on 5 Live, said he something similar to me. Tom | :18:34. | :18:41. | |
joins us live now, good afternoon. Good afternoon. Is the big thing, as | :18:42. | :18:45. | |
your manager said, playing week in week out and being able to enjoy | :18:46. | :18:49. | |
your football? I think so. Every player will tell you if they are | :18:50. | :18:53. | |
playing with confidence. It adds ten or 15% to your game and that is how | :18:54. | :18:58. | |
I feel at the moment, going into games knowing that the manager has | :18:59. | :19:02. | |
100% faith and confidence in me and just trying to repay him. | :19:03. | :19:07. | |
Tom, it is Allen. Did you ever feel a regular, or part of it and at home | :19:08. | :19:16. | |
at Spurs? You are now playing regularly at Agro one, did you feel | :19:17. | :19:24. | |
that way at Spurs? -- at Hull. I did, but there was a | :19:25. | :19:29. | |
change of coaching staff and AVB came in and had his own ideas. Last | :19:30. | :19:34. | |
season, although I did play a fair number of games, although I didn't | :19:35. | :19:40. | |
start that many, I didn't feel that much a part of it, although I was in | :19:41. | :19:44. | |
and around the squad more often than not. So when Steve Bruce and Hull | :19:45. | :19:49. | |
came in for you this summer, was it an easy decision to make or did it | :19:50. | :19:54. | |
take a while for you decide -- to decide what you are going to do? | :19:55. | :20:00. | |
Once I spoke to Steve, it was fairly straightforward. I knew Tottenham | :20:01. | :20:03. | |
had had a couple of bits, and they had accepted the one from Hull. I | :20:04. | :20:09. | |
spoke to Steve Bruce and obviously I liked what he had to tell me, the | :20:10. | :20:12. | |
role that he wanted for me in the team and the way he wanted the team | :20:13. | :20:17. | |
to play. All of the lads seem to be buying into his ideas and we have | :20:18. | :20:20. | |
had a decent first half of the season. So what is happening with | :20:21. | :20:27. | |
their hair at the moment? Jonathan Northcroft and Alan Shearer don't | :20:28. | :20:30. | |
have any to talk about, what is happening to yours at the moment? I | :20:31. | :20:36. | |
am still undecided on the style, but once I get something decided, I will | :20:37. | :20:41. | |
speak to a couple of barbers who I have not spoken to for a few years | :20:42. | :20:46. | |
and get something sorted. We have asked for that little bit to be sent | :20:47. | :20:50. | |
up for me and Jonathan! Jonathan, you have a question. I | :20:51. | :20:55. | |
just wondered about your free kick yesterday, incredible technique to | :20:56. | :20:59. | |
strike it like that from 35 yards. Have you been practising that or did | :21:00. | :21:04. | |
it just occurred to you in the game? It was something I was practising | :21:05. | :21:08. | |
last year, myself and Gylfi Sigurdsson and Gareth Bale, we all | :21:09. | :21:15. | |
used to mess about in practice, but only really Gareth had the | :21:16. | :21:19. | |
confidence to try it in games and master it, really. It is just a case | :21:20. | :21:30. | |
of, I don't know, we were 4-0 or 5-0 up, so I thought I would try | :21:31. | :21:33. | |
something different. My manager gets on my case usually but luckily, we | :21:34. | :21:39. | |
got a goal from it. When your manager is saying things in post | :21:40. | :21:42. | |
match interview is like he said yesterday, you would be ideal for | :21:43. | :21:47. | |
England in Brazil, how do you feel about that? Again, it is a massive | :21:48. | :21:53. | |
confidence booster. You go into each game, and you think, I don't really | :21:54. | :21:59. | |
want to let him down or make his comments be in vain, really, so just | :22:00. | :22:03. | |
keeps you on your toes, I guess, each and every game when they come. | :22:04. | :22:07. | |
Do you believe you can make Roy Hodgson's squad? I don't know. | :22:08. | :22:13. | |
Hopefully, but having seen a few interviews where he has said he has | :22:14. | :22:16. | |
sort of got his squad in mind already and he has seen everybody | :22:17. | :22:21. | |
that he wants to see, then I know it will be difficult, but fingers | :22:22. | :22:27. | |
crossed, if we stay up and I have a good season, hopefully I can sneak | :22:28. | :22:32. | |
onto the plane. And the most important thing at the end of all of | :22:33. | :22:35. | |
this is when you did your post match interview yesterday, I think the | :22:36. | :22:39. | |
donations for Cancer research UK for your hair was around 13,000, wasn't | :22:40. | :22:44. | |
it? If you look at it this lunchtime, it has doubled overnight | :22:45. | :22:49. | |
to around ?25,000. Yes, I would like to thank everybody who has donated. | :22:50. | :22:55. | |
It has been a long time coming, the goal, but obviously it was for a | :22:56. | :23:00. | |
good cause and I am glad I have made a bit of awareness of the charity | :23:01. | :23:03. | |
and equally raised a few pounds at the same time. Farm, we appreciate | :23:04. | :23:07. | |
you joining us and well done yesterday and congratulations on the | :23:08. | :23:13. | |
season so far -- Tom. Tom Huddlestone live on MOTD2 EXTRA. | :23:14. | :23:17. | |
Ryan says he thinks he deserves to be on the plane to Brazil, Gerrard | :23:18. | :23:24. | |
like passing, two footed, but only regulars can force their way in. Tom | :23:25. | :23:30. | |
alluded to it, has Roy Hodgson got a set squad? If he keeps performing | :23:31. | :23:34. | |
like he has done for the first part of the season, he has to be a | :23:35. | :23:37. | |
serious contender, because technically, he is excellent. He | :23:38. | :23:41. | |
left and the right foot, he can keep the ball, pass the ball, short and | :23:42. | :23:47. | |
long, and he has demonstrated that. Not only yesterday, but all season. | :23:48. | :23:51. | |
It was just over ?5 million, that has to be one of the bargains of the | :23:52. | :23:56. | |
season. And isn't it one of the problems in our game that he has to | :23:57. | :24:00. | |
leave Spurs to go and show his true ability, really? A lot of people had | :24:01. | :24:06. | |
faith in him at Spurs, if you speak to some of the fans there they will | :24:07. | :24:11. | |
tell you that he is far, far better than some of the guys, a lot of the | :24:12. | :24:15. | |
guys, they have brought in. He must have a wry smile, looking at his | :24:16. | :24:19. | |
performances this year and the performances of the midfielders at | :24:20. | :24:23. | |
Spurs. If England was a different country, Tom Huddlestone would have | :24:24. | :24:31. | |
30 or 40 caps. Maybe that is not the way Premier League football is | :24:32. | :24:35. | |
played and England play. Jake Livermore is having a good season as | :24:36. | :24:40. | |
well, it bodes well. That is the key, this season we have had players | :24:41. | :24:44. | |
spiking, hitting this purple patch. Between the likes of Ross Barkley, | :24:45. | :24:49. | |
Tom Huddlestone and Adam Maulana, it is who can keep the consistency, | :24:50. | :24:54. | |
they get on the plane. -- Adam Lala na. Their hair goes, I am worried | :24:55. | :25:01. | |
about Samson and Delilah, if the hair goes, the ability may go. That | :25:02. | :25:09. | |
would have made Don Goodman proud. People used to talk about his | :25:10. | :25:14. | |
mobility and how he gets around the pitch, but if you look at Pearl oh, | :25:15. | :25:22. | |
he dictates the play for Italy -- Pirlo. His running stats stand up to | :25:23. | :25:28. | |
anybody, so that is not an issue. One of the issues, Matt in Hull says | :25:29. | :25:34. | |
Steve Bruce is the manager of the season, limited funds and everybody | :25:35. | :25:37. | |
wrote them off, including all of you, I am achieving that is the | :25:38. | :25:42. | |
media in general or maybe all four of us, but Steve Bruce, Tony Pulis | :25:43. | :25:46. | |
as well, if you want, is this an experienced English manager knowing | :25:47. | :25:49. | |
the right players they need to play the right way to stay in the Premier | :25:50. | :25:53. | |
League? The other thing he has done is he has known the players that can | :25:54. | :25:59. | |
play in the Premier League. They didn't spend much money compared to | :26:00. | :26:02. | |
other clubs at the bottom and I think what he has achieved is | :26:03. | :26:06. | |
because it has put pressure on the clubs like Norwich and Cardiff, who | :26:07. | :26:12. | |
have spent money. And Sunderland got rid of him, they sacked him. Steve | :26:13. | :26:18. | |
Bruce, proud Englishman that he is, he wants them to do well at the | :26:19. | :26:21. | |
World Cup but saying that Huddlestone should be in the squad | :26:22. | :26:25. | |
is because he wants him to perform for Hull until the end of the season | :26:26. | :26:29. | |
and it obviously infuses him to get that sort of recognition. He is | :26:30. | :26:34. | |
doing a magnificent job. He would have settled for fourth bottom | :26:35. | :26:38. | |
before the start of the season, but I have the points they have achieved | :26:39. | :26:43. | |
already, doing a magnificent job. He said bad thing about Sunderland were | :26:44. | :26:48. | |
too much of a smile on your face. -- bad thing. We have had a few tweets | :26:49. | :26:52. | |
about the match of the season. I am going to go. Against Chelsea, 3-2. I | :26:53. | :26:57. | |
was on the steps when assayed the's goal went in, talk about raising the | :26:58. | :27:08. | |
roof. -- Assaidi. And in the Scottish premiership today, Celtic | :27:09. | :27:15. | |
beating Inverness 1-0, Kris Commons. My match of the year is Manchester | :27:16. | :27:18. | |
United zero, Newcastle one. Keith in Wiggins says the FA Cup final, no | :27:19. | :27:23. | |
doubt. As Wigan fan for 40 years, the best match ever, not just 2013. | :27:24. | :27:29. | |
As far as yesterday is concerned, when a side win 6-0, so one has to | :27:30. | :27:35. | |
be on the end of that. Do you fear for Fulham? Yes, I was alongside you | :27:36. | :27:41. | |
at Selhurst Park back in October and the Kasami goal, Steve Sidwell | :27:42. | :27:45. | |
scored a great goal, and it looked like Fulham were going to be OK, | :27:46. | :27:49. | |
they had enough talent, guile, they have been around the block, Martin | :27:50. | :27:53. | |
Jol will dig them out of it, but it has been in freefall since. You see | :27:54. | :27:57. | |
at certain clubs, you change the manager and I guess Crystal Palace | :27:58. | :28:05. | |
on the obvious example, and it changes the balance. Where do Fulham | :28:06. | :28:08. | |
go now? They cannot change the manager again. Is the January | :28:09. | :28:11. | |
transfer window going to produce for them? Fulham and West Ham are the | :28:12. | :28:16. | |
two teams that have been dubbed right into it. West Ham, the only | :28:17. | :28:21. | |
manager in the bottom 62 have not changed their manager this season | :28:22. | :28:27. | |
but people say if anyone can get out of it, it is Big Sam. The pressure | :28:28. | :28:31. | |
on him is huge and also the pressure on Andy Carroll, everyone is hoping | :28:32. | :28:35. | |
he will come back and be the huge saviour. They scored three | :28:36. | :28:38. | |
yesterday, but they also shipped three at the back because their | :28:39. | :28:41. | |
injuries at the back are decimating them. It is all right saying with | :28:42. | :28:47. | |
Fulham, they have pervert toff and Hangeland, but give me 11 players | :28:48. | :28:54. | |
who are going to scrap for use -- Dimitar Berbatov. Ability wise, they | :28:55. | :28:59. | |
might not have enough but if you go out and give you 100%, give me that | :29:00. | :29:03. | |
group of guys any weekend you will have a better chance. It was a | :29:04. | :29:09. | |
collapse yesterday, it was nil-nel at 49 minutes and then it was a | :29:10. | :29:14. | |
collapse -- it was 0-0. They don't have a lot of energy in that team at | :29:15. | :29:16. | |
Fulham, a lot of older have a lot of energy in that team at | :29:17. | :29:20. | |
Fulham, players who can get on the ball and play with it, but maybe not | :29:21. | :29:25. | |
do the work. As far as West Ham go, we can see they are not scoring, | :29:26. | :29:29. | |
apart from yesterday, and not defending well. There are so many | :29:30. | :29:33. | |
teams at the bottom you can make a case for going. Do you think the | :29:34. | :29:37. | |
lack of Andy Carroll is affecting Kevin Nolan? The West Ham fans have | :29:38. | :29:41. | |
been on his back quite a lot this season and when he scored yesterday | :29:42. | :29:44. | |
and he was sat on the ground, albeit with a West Brom player on top of | :29:45. | :29:48. | |
him, he kind of stared at the West Ham fans, saying, now what are you | :29:49. | :29:54. | |
going to say? I wonder if he has been affected by not having Andy | :29:55. | :29:58. | |
Carroll. I think without a doubt because his relationship with Andy | :29:59. | :30:02. | |
Carroll on and off the pitch is a good one. He understands Andy | :30:03. | :30:05. | |
Carroll's game more than anyone, having played with him at Newcastle. | :30:06. | :30:10. | |
He is a good friend of the pitch as well, some with those balls going up | :30:11. | :30:15. | |
there, he's great at picking up the pieces and knowing where the ball is | :30:16. | :30:18. | |
going to fall, particularly if the big man has gone up to head it and I | :30:19. | :30:21. | |
think he has suffered more than most. You need players who can roll | :30:22. | :30:27. | |
up their sleeves. Kevin Nolan is one of those players, and with Fulham's | :30:28. | :30:34. | |
problem, Dimitar Berbatov being captain so often, you want Scott | :30:35. | :30:37. | |
Parker to do it, and Kevin Nolan will fight till the last game. If | :30:38. | :30:41. | |
you look at the back pages, the thing from the game is not the | :30:42. | :30:46. | |
scoreline, not West Ham or West Brom's situation, it is about | :30:47. | :30:56. | |
Nicolas Anelka. Anelka under fire for disgusting gold gesture, says | :30:57. | :30:59. | |
the Observer. A lot written about this. The photograph is in the | :31:00. | :31:06. | |
papers as well. The FA are looking at this to see if it is | :31:07. | :31:10. | |
anti-Semitic, which is the allegation coming from France. | :31:11. | :31:13. | |
Nobody in this country was aware of it. It is Nicolas Anelka expressing | :31:14. | :31:21. | |
support for a comedian friend causing a lot of controversy in | :31:22. | :31:26. | |
France which he says is an antiestablishment thing, not an | :31:27. | :31:33. | |
anti-Israeli thing. Anelka, it doesn't surprise me, he is a very | :31:34. | :31:37. | |
private bloke who is loyal to the people around him, he is supporting | :31:38. | :31:44. | |
a friend. However, it comes as a backdrop to the kind of incidents we | :31:45. | :31:47. | |
have had in recent years. I would expect the FA to be pretty hard on | :31:48. | :31:51. | |
this. They have gone down the zero tolerance route. Jack Wilshere got | :31:52. | :31:58. | |
suspended for an obscene gesture at Manchester City fans recently. I | :31:59. | :32:05. | |
naturally will take Anelka's fans -- explanation into account. Lets get | :32:06. | :32:11. | |
the team news from St James' Park. Newcastle against Arsenal. | :32:12. | :32:21. | |
Newcastle United made one change. Kyoto returns. -- Kyoto returns. | :32:22. | :32:31. | |
Arsene Wenger makes for changes. Aaron Ramsey is injured. Mesut Ozil | :32:32. | :32:37. | |
has not travelled. Thomas Cromwell and drops out and Michalak Tessa is | :32:38. | :32:39. | |
on the bench. -- Thomas Mallon. Thank you very much, Alistair. That | :32:40. | :32:56. | |
was the chains that Alan Shearer suggested. You could do this | :32:57. | :33:03. | |
manager! Five changes for Everton today after | :33:04. | :33:09. | |
their surprise defeat of Everton. Brian Oviedo is in the side. He will | :33:10. | :33:17. | |
start at midfield. Tim Howard is suspended. As is Gareth Barry. There | :33:18. | :33:24. | |
is no Phil Jagielka today. Ross Barkley and Steven Naismith both | :33:25. | :33:28. | |
started today. Three changes for Southampton. They change their | :33:29. | :33:33. | |
goalkeeper. Kelvin Davis makers -- mixes first appearance of the | :33:34. | :33:42. | |
season. James Ward-Prowse comes in. We are really looking forward to | :33:43. | :33:45. | |
this game at Goodison Park. You can hear it in full on BBC Five Live. We | :33:46. | :33:51. | |
can speak to Kevin Rudd cliff, former Everton captain. -- Kevin | :33:52. | :33:59. | |
Rudd Cliff. What I thought was particularly impressive about | :34:00. | :34:01. | |
Roberto Martinez after the defeat against Sunderland, was he just | :34:02. | :34:07. | |
played everything down, and they were a bit unlucky? I think that he | :34:08. | :34:13. | |
-- that is what he has done at the club. He has relaxed everybody in | :34:14. | :34:16. | |
giving them the freedom to go out there. He just seems very relaxed. | :34:17. | :34:22. | |
That obviously transfers onto the pitch. He has done very well. By all | :34:23. | :34:28. | |
accounts, I was not hear the other day, but they should have got | :34:29. | :34:31. | |
something out of the game in the second half. They seem less cautious | :34:32. | :34:39. | |
this season, would that be fair? He has given the freedom to the | :34:40. | :34:48. | |
players. The manager is not shouting and bawling Ross Barkley forgiving | :34:49. | :34:52. | |
the ball away. He is telling in to get ball again. You will make | :34:53. | :34:58. | |
mistakes. Go out there and get the ball and show willingness. How | :34:59. | :35:03. | |
important is it, away from what is going on on the field, that he has | :35:04. | :35:08. | |
properly bought into the culture at Everton? I know he has had Howard | :35:09. | :35:12. | |
Kendall in, talking about the history of the club. Every new | :35:13. | :35:16. | |
photographs at the training ground. How important is it? Some managers | :35:17. | :35:24. | |
go with it, some do not. I think Roberto has bought into it. It is | :35:25. | :35:28. | |
working in his favour. For make it is about your players. The three | :35:29. | :35:34. | |
signings deadline day have been inspirational. Gareth Barry has been | :35:35. | :35:40. | |
an absolute fantastic signing. He makes all the players play. Before | :35:41. | :35:45. | |
that, it was not looking too good. Those three players have made a | :35:46. | :35:49. | |
massive difference. The pace they have in the site is something they | :35:50. | :35:53. | |
have not had in recent years. Thank you for talking to us. Enjoy the | :35:54. | :36:00. | |
day. Let us talk about Ross Barkley. You | :36:01. | :36:04. | |
interviewed him a couple of weeks ago? A lovely kid. Very unaffected. | :36:05. | :36:11. | |
He reminded me in a way of Wayne Rooney. Somebody must still playing | :36:12. | :36:15. | |
on the street. He says when he goes out and plays he does not notice the | :36:16. | :36:19. | |
crowd. It is like he is playing with mates. He has got so much ability. | :36:20. | :36:25. | |
He told me that when he was a kid he played a whole game left footed to | :36:26. | :36:30. | |
see how he would do. Did you ever do that? ! He played centre half as a | :36:31. | :36:40. | |
kid. He was top scorer. What Roberto Martinez has done with its focus on | :36:41. | :36:45. | |
his ability. He has freed him. Don't worry about the mistakes. We're just | :36:46. | :36:51. | |
seeing the start of what he can do. Did he feel that he benefited by | :36:52. | :36:56. | |
going out on loan? He did not often play when he went to Sheffield | :36:57. | :37:04. | |
Wednesday and Leeds. Did benefiting? I think he was frustrated because he | :37:05. | :37:07. | |
felt it was time for you to play at Everton. He felt David Moyes was not | :37:08. | :37:18. | |
giving him enough opportunities. He has developed his tactical side. To | :37:19. | :37:22. | |
go and give him some responsibility on loan for a championship team was | :37:23. | :37:29. | |
maybe part of his education. I was at Swansea last week when Ross | :37:30. | :37:32. | |
Barkley scored a fantastic free kick. We spoke to him afterwards. He | :37:33. | :37:37. | |
said he does not even practice free kicks. Natural talent. We probably | :37:38. | :37:43. | |
live in an era where many people do overthink the game. It has probably | :37:44. | :37:48. | |
been a real boost for him that Roberto Martinez has come in. I | :37:49. | :37:51. | |
don't think you would be given that freedom under a more regimented | :37:52. | :37:56. | |
David Moyes. Do you think Ross Barkley would have a chance of | :37:57. | :38:00. | |
making the World Cup squad? I think he would have more than a chance. If | :38:01. | :38:04. | |
there's one guy who could come on and produce a piece of magic, | :38:05. | :38:08. | |
whether from a dead ball situation... His ability to run with | :38:09. | :38:12. | |
the ball and go past people is brilliant. I did the World Cup draw | :38:13. | :38:17. | |
with Roberto Martinez on the BBC. I asked him about Ross and he said | :38:18. | :38:22. | |
with the ball he is as good as he has seen at that particular age. He | :38:23. | :38:29. | |
said he is slight -- is slight concern was without the ball. But | :38:30. | :38:34. | |
that goes to his natural ability. Go and play. Have the freedom to play. | :38:35. | :38:39. | |
Roberto has given him that. He will learn with experience what to do | :38:40. | :38:42. | |
when he has not got the ball. That will come to him. The two players we | :38:43. | :38:48. | |
have talked about this afternoon, Tom Huddlestone and Ross Barkley, | :38:49. | :38:54. | |
both do things that we want to see English footballers do. Keep the | :38:55. | :38:58. | |
ball, cherish the ball, never give it away. And Ross Barkley, run at | :38:59. | :39:03. | |
people, cause them problems. In some ways that is what we are crying out | :39:04. | :39:10. | |
for. Obviously, you are Scottish! Ross Barkley for Scotland would be | :39:11. | :39:16. | |
amazing! Ross Barkley wants to go to the World Cup. He is not overawed. | :39:17. | :39:21. | |
He feels he can go to Brazil. He can hold his own in that company. Not in | :39:22. | :39:26. | |
an arrogant way. It is just how he sees the game. More players like him | :39:27. | :39:34. | |
would reduce the fear factor. Fear factor is the thing. By the way, we | :39:35. | :39:38. | |
will take him for Ireland if you don't want him! If he loses the | :39:39. | :39:41. | |
ball, it is not the end of the world. I think it is significant | :39:42. | :39:46. | |
that Leighton Baines comes back in today and the aid keeps his place. | :39:47. | :39:52. | |
He has been brilliant. Leighton Baines on paper is probably | :39:53. | :39:55. | |
Everton's best player. His absence is hardly be noticed. Adam Lallana | :39:56. | :40:04. | |
as well, it is a bit of respect for him that they are doubling up on | :40:05. | :40:07. | |
him. Let's have a look at some of the tweets you have been sending in. | :40:08. | :40:14. | |
Favourite games. Doncaster against Brentford epitomised the drama in | :40:15. | :40:18. | |
the English game. There were a lot of games towards the end of that | :40:19. | :40:23. | |
season you would highlight. Remember the last day of the championship | :40:24. | :40:28. | |
being at Watford. Watford against Leeds. The other game was held back | :40:29. | :40:35. | |
row against Cardiff. -- Hull. They were down to the third goalkeeper at | :40:36. | :40:40. | |
Watford. Ian Dennis was in Hull and I was at Watford. We were like a tag | :40:41. | :40:45. | |
team. It was the most dramatic day I have witnessed. It was quite a drab | :40:46. | :40:51. | |
end to the Premier League last season. The Championship really | :40:52. | :40:55. | |
provided the excitement. It's great this year that the Premier League, | :40:56. | :40:59. | |
nobody has any clue who is going to win it or who is gone to be | :41:00. | :41:05. | |
relegated. Karlin Telford says Brentford against Doncaster. 5-5 | :41:06. | :41:11. | |
thriller between Manchester United and West Brom. Dylan Nelson, | :41:12. | :41:28. | |
Newcastle zero, solid and three. -- Newcastle nil. Brilliant! I thought | :41:29. | :41:35. | |
last season was pretty dull. But Wigan winning the FA Cup, it was an | :41:36. | :41:40. | |
incredible story, an incredible achievement. I thought two weeks | :41:41. | :41:46. | |
ago, not so long ago, the Manchester City against Liverpool game. The | :41:47. | :41:49. | |
attacking play from both sets of teams that day, I felt, was just | :41:50. | :41:54. | |
incredible. Suarez and Negredo were absolutely outstanding. Two top | :41:55. | :42:00. | |
players at the top of their game. You are going for a recent | :42:01. | :42:04. | |
Manchester City one as well? Manchester City six, Arsenal three. | :42:05. | :42:10. | |
That was the top of the table game that was all about attack. The other | :42:11. | :42:14. | |
one I would pick would be Manchester United one, Real Madrid two. You | :42:15. | :42:20. | |
could not get much more drama than that. Rinaldo scoring against his | :42:21. | :42:30. | |
old club. Sir Alex Ferguson's final stop at Europe. Did Mourinho | :42:31. | :42:36. | |
outthink Ferguson? There was a ten minute spell where Ferguson was so | :42:37. | :42:39. | |
angry he did not do anything. Mourinho brought on Lou, Judge. | :42:40. | :42:47. | |
Newcastle beat Arsenal today, that would be a great game! You're being | :42:48. | :42:52. | |
very biased this afternoon. You going for the last day of the | :42:53. | :42:57. | |
championship? Definitely. I could not even drive out of the car park | :42:58. | :43:01. | |
after that game. I felt I played in the match, the adrenaline. Oldham | :43:02. | :43:12. | |
against Liverpool, 2-3. The FA Cup. Tim, Swansea beating Bradford City | :43:13. | :43:20. | |
at Wembley. Two sides to the day really mattered. And Steve just goes | :43:21. | :43:27. | |
for the first game of this season, Liverpool against Stoke purely for | :43:28. | :43:34. | |
Mignolet's saving the last minute. Thank you for all your thoughts and | :43:35. | :43:40. | |
memories. Every game is special to a fan somewhere up or down the | :43:41. | :43:44. | |
country. Thank you to the guys. Match of the Day two on BBC One this | :43:45. | :43:49. | |
evening. Two commentaries on BBC Five Live. Everton against | :43:50. | :43:53. | |
Southampton, followed by Chelsea against Liverpool. We will see you | :43:54. | :43:56. | |
in two weeks. Have a good New Year. Goodbye. | :43:57. | :44:01. |