Roy’s Worst Tackle, Saipan Revisited & More Trent Boos! | Stick to Football EP 101

I need those arm trainers. Do you want them?

Why don't you swap yours out? I'll swap mine. Are these... They're size 9 if you want them, Gary. Are they 9? They're 9, yeah. Have them.

Oh, yeah.

They've got a new store in London now as well.

Oh, don't they look better than the ones I've got on?

Yeah.

Do you reckon?

I reckon. Up there.

Whack them up there.

Spot on. There we go.

Get a new pair of trainers every week.

How good's that?

Make sure they're always in line, Kieran.

I'll do my best.

That's that, and then behind you, obviously.

What's behind me? Oh, the million pounds, yeah.

Someone from Suisse has won it.

Martin Doherty. Do you know what it is? A 93rd minute Bruno goal that decided it for him.

Gary, that's...

Bruno Guimaraes for Newcastle scored in the 93rd minute. If he doesn't, he wins nothing. It's unbelievable, isn't it? Madness. I'd feel sick if I was looking at the scores of him, if I had a chance.

Imagine his celebration when that goal goes in.

But then how ill you feel afterwards, waiting for the other results to come in.

Oh, yeah, to see whether other people have won.

It'd be horrible. I almost wouldn't want to know.

Just want the phone call afterwards. What's this round for the guy who won the million quid? What's he done?

So he's won the league.

Yeah, but what's that round one? Oh, so these are like, I think they're like last-minute results. Oh, he's had last-minute goals that basically haven't come well for him?

Yeah.

Oh, wow.

It's unbelievable.

Jeez. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Nine last-minute... 90-plus... No, one's 89. Eight 90-plus minutes goals that have won him a million quid. They're unbelievable, by the way. He's had four 90-plus seven minutes. Mateta, Esteveau, Fernandes.

Who did Bruno score against? 90 plus 7.

Hens, was it...?

Round 3, Fulham and then... We played Fulham's second game, we played Arsenal's first game, who were we third game?

Erm...

Oh, Burnley at home, yeah, I was at the game, yeah. Yeah. Who was the guy that was leading the last time that got kicked off the top? For goodness sake, I can't imagine him in Rome.

I imagine.

The Hall of Fame Awards here, because I was told to bring it.

Hello, everybody.

Roy, I was told to bring it before you...

Hey, man, don't say that.

Hey, well done.

Look at my guy.

Well, you should be thanking us, because you know we vote. Gary, Gary, Well, yeah. Have a guess, Gary. Have a guess, Gary. How long do you know me?

You're asking me that question.

Well deserved.

Thank you, Ian. Thank you. There's not many defenders in it. Is there many defenders in it? There's only two full backs, Ashley Cole and then now me.

John Terry?

John Terry's in it. I think Tony Adams name someone who has one. Someone else though, I think. Oh, well done. Well, that's what I mean. A minute left yet. Do you have to go to the do?

The game?

It was last night. I just did a link.

All right.

Are these these?

What was this for?

The Hall of Fame trophy.

Oh, that was so good. I was told to bring it in.

Well done. It's all to bring in. Jeez, man, relax with your award. That is so cool.

Do you know what I am going to bring in in a few weeks? So I went to my mum's last week and she's got, you know the old box files, she's got all my contracts,

my D'Eodora contracts.

The D'Eodora ones would be good.

I hope you don't get more than me at D'Eodora. Imagine. Oh, you should have brought them in. Phil's contracts. No, I'm going to bring them in in a couple of days. What did you do Phil's contracts?

They won the game, Phil, didn't they? They qualified, didn't they?

No, they're in the...

Playoffs.

It's weird, right? They qualified for the playoffs. Through the playoff.

I thought they got knocked out.

No, so they lost the first game in San Diego. And it's on Saturday night.

Now that is a proper compliment.

So sorry, so he's still in it. So do you know what happens? You play a first game, they lose 2-1. So that's not like, that score doesn't carry over to the second game. It's just that game, it's like a series. So that's 1-0 up.

Okay.

They are. and then Phil, they scored in the 90th minute and then they had the penalties. So then basically they go 1-1 and it's now like a, it's the game in San Diego. So if he wins, he goes through, but they're obviously favourites because they've finished on a wing.

And they're at home?

No, they're away at San Diego.

Yeah, they're from San Diego.

Yeah.

But what does he go through to? How many play-offs in four? And then he's got another three games. It's a bit long-winded, but at least he's... Yeah, it was a good one. You're on about the D'Edoro. I told you that story about the boot contract. Remember the lad used to do the D'Edoro with us?

Yeah.

Best one I've ever...

The best experience I had with my senior. Andy Roney, was it? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So one, we were after a game, United game, we were back in the Ambulance in Sale, having a few drinks. But Michael was with me, I was driving.

And...

Yeah, right, fuck you, then.

We had some D'Edora.

And my contract was up, I think, you know, about negotiating. And they said, Roy's contract's up in a few months. No, I never got involved in the negotiation. and he said, lads, just make us an offer now. And they were like, what now? And they were like, yeah, yeah. So the two lads, so literally gave him like, like a, I wouldn't say a beer map,

but a little bit of piece of paper. Lads, just make us an offer now. So he hands it over. So I'm sitting here with Michael. So next the lads are like, yeah, what do you reckon? And they give back the offer to me and Michael. So Michael's like this, shows it to me and I'm looking going... So Michael went...

Lads, yeah.

Oh Michael, have we upset you? No, no, no. Let's just leave it. We're off anyway. So me and Michael, and the lads are, oh we didn't mean to offend you. I'm like, no, no, and Michael, what do you think of that offer from...

And I went, I thought it was really good. He went, it was brilliant. I said, well, don't let them two know about it. They came back the next few days,

well, obviously with a better offer.

How much was it, Ro? I can't remember what it was. He did, or a contract. I can't remember the figures, but I remember going, it's not bad, but he was gone. Back in the day, they offered me and Phil a three-year deal. And we were full-backs like 20 years of age, like in 1994, we were getting 70 grand a year.

Wow, that's good. I would never have counted the numbers.

But you're obviously getting more, I'd like to think.

When he said that, I was thinking about 140.

He was getting out of wake at that time. When everyone else is on five.

Yes!

He won it. Martin.

Martin Doxley. So he was on the top of the league when it...

Yeah.

Oh, he was on top all along?

Yeah. He must have had a terrible last day.

No, he got overtaken. He overtook the other guy that was the top.

What?!

Oh my God.

Jeez. Aguero. Is Martin here? Is the Aguero in?

Well done, Martin.

He literally Aguero'd him. Are they here?

He's winning goal.

I'm just going to take this off, Sexy.

Wow.

Right, he's winning goal. Is that a real check? A Gimaraes goal in the 90th minute.

Wow.

Yeah.

A million points. and well done. Fulham. Fulham I guess. Righty, how was your birthday? Yeah. What did you do?

I just had a lot of family, just chilled. Had a couple of Guinnesses. When was it your birthday? The third. A couple of days ago. I think it was 62.

You look so good.

You can't wear a beret, I'm wearing a cat bra. He can, Gary. I've just got... You're wearing a dress shirt.

I'm in a band with a guy who's wearing a hat.

Exactly.

Oh, I was in a band with a guy who's wearing a hat. Pet Shop Boys.

No.

What did you say?

No, Pet Shop Boys.

Pet Shop Boys. He used to wear hats, didn't they? Some, yeah. Yes, brilliant. Good show. Nice one. Who was it?

Dori Osher, The Killed A Cat. Do you remember them? He wasn't the one who sung that.

I saw that the other day.

I was flicking through.

Won't you come on home, and I'll hear you.

Oh, that's definitely not the suit.

I like finding young caribou. I like them. Yeah.

We had a conversation cos Gary walked in in a full tracksuit. What age do you stop wearing a full tracksuit?

Not that age.

To be honest, it's all about...

Younger than that age. I think you're OK, alright, guys.

Nobody had the top one zipped up.

I think 50's all right, isn't it, for a track suit? To be fair, Kara says that about hoodies, she can't wear a hoodie when you're 50.

Yes, you can.

That's what I said.

I'm wearing a hoodie, I'm 62.

Do you? Football matches when you can... Definitely for the football matches. There you go, that's a good shout. What about what you're wearing, tell us a story. A player I met two years ago, Nick Mango, I played for the Jets, only met him briefly, I went to the Jets game about... It would have been two years ago,

I think it was Rodgers' first game for the Jets, I met him before the game, gave me a presentation, and passed away last week, 41 years of age. So, yeah.

Just out of respect, I'm going to shout out to him, yeah.

So he gave you that shirt?

Yeah.

And I swapped over, I gave him a bit of PR before the game. I gave him a United jersey. And, yeah. Did you get to speak to him?

Yeah, I had a chat with him before the game.

He was a really cool guy. That's no good.

No good.

Yeah.

That is so sad.

Yeah, very sad.

Skolls, you don't want to go into it again, but there was a lot of feedback from your last thing, wasn't there?

Yeah, there was a good feedback.

Yeah, it was good, yeah. It was all very good. I was surprised by was unbelievable, yeah. Just so many nice messages, still coming, messages from everyone. I just never realised how many people were affected by it. Honestly, yes. It was just the biggest surprise, whether it's families or just dads sending messages.

Imagine what the dads feel like seeing, like, Paul's stories go through and then they can actually... someone else.

I just never thought it'd have that effect.

Yeah, nice to give a shout-out to the dads in it. I know women and mothers do an amazing job, everybody's fantastic, of course. But, you know, the dads out there are battling it out.

You spoke so well, though. You did speak so well.

It was beautiful. Deserved. Fantastic, yep. Why you being like that?

No, because you've been up... You're in one of them moods. No, I'm not in one of those moods.

You always say that. If you travel up the night before, you get a good night's sleep. Oh, man. Can you believe this brother?

Because I didn't come and see him.

He's vexed. It's just kind of blew up, hasn't it, really? The pile on that comes for these two ladies who are not used to the kind of attention they're going to get is a worry.

Ash, Frank and Stevie all released their books thinking it was going to be off the back of a successful tournament.

It went down like a lead balloon, if you remember.

Just like you can have your opinion to say, he's got every right to answer.

He's got to be able to take it a little bit, though. Yeah, I'm playing well. Forksie called that meeting, and Mick McCarthy called the meeting in front of the players and pulled me up. I'm going, oh no, no problem, you want to call the meeting up? Guess what? There's going to be fireworks, and I'm not a big lover of fireworks, as you know. She said basically that that bubble of our training room was sacrosanct. We were a winning team together, we won the Euro.

He looks like David Bredin. Nothing gets out of here, yeah. Yeah. Girl. Where are you going?

Get out. No, we're not going to talk about it. Oh. What? Leave it, man. You know what though, Gary?

I didn't see that. Have you seen it?

Even when you got that, Brian Robson gave you it, didn't he?

He did. and you were going, should be you, should be you, and I was like, just take him off. Do you know something, the worst thing, Jill, was that Brian...

I'll put this next to it, girl, so you're happy.

The two most important things in his life.

Do you know something, who was literally in a minute after Brian presented me the trophy was Dennis Irwin. Now, Dennis is like the best full-, I'm really sorry. No. Because I just think Dennis for me is definitely... I can't think of a better full-back in terms of someone who could be right-footed, left-footed, could cross, could take free kicks, could take penalties, could defend.

Dennis and Stuart Pearce. Well, look, if Stuart Pearce is right, yeah.

Can we put Ashley Cole in there, then?

You can put Ashley Cole in there, yeah. No, but I'm just saying, if you're frying names about him...

I still think he's behind him.

Yeah, but not behind him.

He's got to get mentioned. That's all I'm saying.

I played with both of those, actually, Stuart and Ash, and to be fair, both different. Maybe because of Stuart Pearce's character and his force and his captaincy sort of style. He pulled back and gets goals. Ash as a defender was unbeatable. Ash was incredible for about five, six, seven years. Just unbeatable.

Percy went through a period where he was like a forward.

Yeah, he was.

I remember when playing at Palace, Steve Kopper, we'd had plans to try and stop him when he picked the ball up on the left because he'd just knock it. Just keep one-tw two all the way up the left side. The year after the World Cup, he missed a penalty.

That was 1990, wasn't it?

Yeah.

I think that might have been my first year of far. I think he got 17 or 18 goals that season. Obviously, I know free kicks and penalties, but you have to score them.

Does this affect it, but it's Premier League, isn't it?

Is that why you started asking? How many games have you played compared to you? Like a period? Yeah, he won't have played as many as me.

Yeah, I've got no issues.

You're right, he's played probably a couple of hundred. I look how I'm guessing here.

Stuart Pearce would be the same, wouldn't he?

That's what I'm saying, are they cotton? Obviously, they are cotton. Dennis played a lot of games. Pearce would have played a few games in the Premier League, surely. It goes really. Dennis played till definitely 2000, 2001, 2002 because he was playing at Wolves after United. So I think...

Yeah, I just think...

Are they in the Hall of Fame? No, Dennis is not.

I'm saying because of the Premier League and the way it started, there's so many people... Yeah, some of these guys could be forgotten about. It feels unfair because even Rushy, Lineker... Yeah, but that's not the players' fault, that's the net's fault. I'm just saying it just feels like, okay, all of a sudden, because they're born at a certain time, then this starts and this is where it all starts.

You feel like, not even mentioning Linnicker, Rush, whatever, but even someone like, like Clive Allen was one of the greatest finishers, man.

I used to watch Clivelish, aren't you? Brian Robson and all these players, aren't you? It should be the top league, shouldn't it?

It should be.

How many did Clive get? He didn't get 49.

He got 50, scored the 50th. I think it was 49 or 50 in the final against Coventry.

Brilliant player.

One of the cleanest strikers in all of MLC. A scoring score a goal, all of them. Honestly. On the AstroTurf. Did he play when Spurs were... That was Ozzy O'Dea, when they were just all attacking and stuff like that. I remember when they were all attacking, that's the season when...

Was that like a Christmas tree they played or something? I remember it was a bit mad.

I remember you used to talk about it.

Five defend, five go forward.

Honestly, it was like...

Clive Allen, he finished... But Gary, it's okay to take your moment. I think you're like, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Take your moment, you earned it.

It was good.

To be fair, it's nice it's been voted for by the other 24 players. I used to think the PFA team of the year did count for quite a bit. Because I think it was voted for by players outside of your dressing room, but also in the league that you played against. I used to think that did count for quite a bit. Who votes for it? Well, you should vote. You dick!

Did you vote for Curry?

You have to vote.

But I try and do it properly.

It's not like we wouldn't try and... You might have played with somebody. You're trying to be fair with people, obviously. And he deserves it.

I think you'd have voted, Gary. And I think I said David Silva, but was it Hazard that got the other one? Hazard, yeah. No, that's not... Because we had to pick two, didn't we?

When you start going into those... Hazard, he had a period in the Premier League where, of course, Hazard's got to be in there.

He was unreal, yeah.

Yeah, it was fantastic.

Oh, thank you.

How long a period was he brilliant, Dom?

Yeah, I know, I know. Was it two or three years? Was it less than that? Was it longer than that? I think it was probably four or five years, maybe. Do you reckon? He was brilliant for four or five years.

Maybe.

I don't know whether you've done well deflecting from yourself here.

I know, I know.

No, but...

Take the accolade.

You could do it. I think as a full-back, the times when he...

You talk about it now, though, honestly. You think I've got the throw in? The whoosh. That was so funny.

This episode of Stick To Football is brought to you by Armed Clothing.

Where's Jamie, by the way? I feel like I haven't seen him. You know what, I've got a theory...

I know, but could he not turn up and still get to the games?

I've got a theory that the recruiter for the jungle, so I think he's...

He's gone to the jungle, so I think he's gone in the jungle. It's just coincided nicely with Liverpool's dip hasn't it?

It's time in the one-line.

He's not fighting to get back here is he?

Good win last night for him.

Yeah, it was good.

I thought they played well, did you? Not bad.

I was pleased with Florian Wurz.

I was speaking to Kieran before you came in and said, do you get the feeling when you watch Real Madrid that they don't like each other a little bit? Oh yeah, they were irritating me last night. I was thinking, that's not right, that. Mbappe, Vinicius, Jude, I'm thinking, do you like each other, you three? And how many times were players rolling around?

Oh, that little touch on the face, I know.

Vinicius, when he got there, he was like this. The Liverpool players did that and he dived. How can you roll around for five minutes and then get up?

Conor Bradley, wow, he was brilliant.

That's what you want, you want to see him up against a striker, a winger like that, because then that takes him to another place in respect of his confidence in that, because he done everything last night. He was brilliant to watch, fantastic to watch, against one of the best wingers.

Yeah, defensively, yeah. But he's still relaxed at picking out that final pass. He got into good positions last night,

and you're still looking for that.

He done the main job, what he needed to do last night.

All righty.

To stop him, you know what I mean? It's not just about defending. You sit there every week saying Trent's amazing. He was, yeah. I was watching Trent's Trent.

No, but last night I'm saying...

I know, I know, I'm just trying to put it in general.

I'd say...

What's Trent's Trent?

That's hard to say.

Trent's Trent.

Thank you.

Is that...

Trent.

I thought he said Strent twice.

Yeah, so guy's amazing. He's got one goal in 900 games. It's Joe Pearson's 28th season. I'm talking about with Trent. We just talked about Trent's going forward. We're talking about last night and Conor Brelli's defence. I said it was very good. Excellent. You've got a clean sheet.

I said he played brilliantly. You've done part of a full-backs. So what are you saying, Trent never got anything wrong when he's going forward? I like it.

I quite like Bellingham, me and Leicester.

What are you going on about? Why are you being like that?

No, because you've been up...

You're in one of them moods.

No, I'm not in one of those moods. You always say that. If you travel up the night before, you get a good night's sleep. Last, last, last night. Look at him digging me out now. So he's been up at five this morning, he's not going to be in the zone. I'm in the zone! I'm in the zone! You know, Ashley Cole, you got a bit agitated with Ashley Cole,

but I left that one good.

He suspects. He suspects I haven't been to the As for a while. I'm just busy! I knew Ashley Cole was going He's a left back as well! He's a left back! You've got to mention, he's got to at least make the conversation. I'll come up when we don't. I'm coming next.

We could mention 50 left backs, but you would have to go to Ashley Cole, wouldn't you? I think Ash could be one of the most underappreciated players in Premier League history. Well said, Joe. Underrated? Underappreciated. In terms of how good he was, in terms of he's not. And then he spits into that category.

Everybody knows how good he was.

What did Ashley Cole do to you when we scored down at Highbury one night? What did he do? Oh yeah, he came and screamed in my face.

He screamed in your face.

Is that a bad thing? You screaming people's faces?

It was unusual. What would you do? I probably wouldn't have liked it. I would have held it. Yeah, you would have been disappointed. I would have punched him.

You would have punched him.

I remember.

I would have punched his beard off.

How can you have a board someone for screaming?

I've only seen one person give Ashley Cole a tough time.

Who was it?

Oli Gunner.

Oli Gunner. Did he?

Chelsea, the way he won. He ran past me, who's the midfielder? Nolan. But obviously they were celebrating, he was running past me and he was obviously celebrating. Oh, my goodness, how I resisted. He's like running past me, not screaming at me, but celebrating.

I was...

It's the worst ever.

I was thinking about my mum walking my dog, I should just get him a little bone. Even now, like would have gone flying. Clothesline, you know the rest of it.

Clothesline, yeah.

The whole form, boom.

Yeah. And take the red for it.

Sometimes a red is worth it. To be fair, the surprising thing was for Ash was that I literally sat next to him in the dressing room literally two weeks before for England and then two weeks after because it was in the heat of the battle. It was in the heat of a battle. He had a tackle on him.

Do you know people talk about that game at Old Trafford when they say me and Phil kicked everybody off the park?

Yeah, I remember that night.

One of the worst tackles I've ever seen is the Ruud van Nistelrooy tackle on Ashley Cole.

I saw that clip, yeah.

Oh, have you seen that tackle? No, I don't think I have. Someone get me that up. I know we can't see it, it's one of the...

Is it like a two-footer?

It's one of the ways you're pretending to protect the ball.

Yeah, yeah, sorry, yeah, I was thinking of a number.

It's an absolute...

Is it horrific?

It's a red card.

I mean, I don't think he even got buts, did he? I like when the players get sent off whether they're on a yellow card or not and they do such a bad tag they just start walking.

Yeah, they don't even look like a lot.

That's the best thing.

Have you got it Ben?

I'm not watching that guy, is it nasty to see?

I want to have a look.

You only need to see the replay for it to be nasty.

Oh, that is...

Yeah, he's done the entire thing. You only need to see the replay for it to be nasty. Oh, that is bad. Yeah, he's talking about the whole thing.

I thought he was going to get a trumpet out and go for it. It's not bad.

Honestly, it's bad. Look. You have to go back a bit further.

That is bad.

It's not bad, it's like Nev's saying. Watch, watch this.

Here we go. No, no. Slow motion this.

No, that's bad.

Oh, no.

What on the inside of your knee?

That is the worst tackle you've ever seen.

That's one of the worst tackles. No. That would rip, that would do your crew shirt.

Oh, no.

Really?

No, it wouldn't. You talk about... He's planted and he comes in like this. Yeah, but I think his roots foot slid down his foot.

I don't think that's even a foul.

I think he's getting his body.

I don't think you're the barometer for the measure of whether that's a foul.

No, I was going to say that.

There's a couple of players in it that kind of like went in high. He was quickly put on call there.

I think he's in the old game, Ash. Yeah, I headbutted someone. Headbutted someone?

Gaz did that.

I got sent off as well at Wembley in a League Cup final and it was covered so there was no one there and that was the longest walk I've ever done because Wembley was empty because of COVID. I got sent off final and it was the longest walk I've ever done. So it was just no sound. Did you spin a tall girl if you headbutted her? Yeah, no, that was a game before, I think.

What, you headbutted someone in a game before?

I only got sent off twice. I don't think that's too bad.

Did you headbutt someone?

Yeah.

Was it a proper headbutt?

Not really.

Broken nose job? I feel like it was just like one of those ones where you like you're up against each other.

One of those where you just go close.

So basically she was smaller than me and then as she stood up

she went

You were probably the same height actually. She was taller than you.

Everyone was fucking taller.

She was taller than you. So then I think you got up and then you put your head towards me and I just went like that. But if I did this to you, see, your reaction is to come towards us.

You break it, yeah.

You don't just take it.

Self-defence.

What was that programme they used to do, Skinner, years ago? Phoenix Flames or something?

No, Phoenix Knights.

No, not the programme. Nobody used to relive a scene from the programme. He used to reenact it. Like a sending off.

What?

Redo the scene.

Say it again.

I'm not saying it again. Joe.

What?

I'm just saying.

I didn't even...

Joe, you're too young, you wouldn't remember that programme, would you?

No, I remember Phoenix Nights.

Yeah, the Friday night one. What? Yeah, Fantasy Football it was, wasn't it? Yeah.

For Dylan Skinner.

Yeah, didn't Matt Lucas do that? He was involved.

He used to be part of it.

I went on that. I went on it. It only ended recently, didn't it? No.

I saw it on the other day.

He's done a new one.

No, but they brought one out. I've been on it, are we supposed to be surprised? I can't tell you what I got but I did deal or no deal on Monday for UNICEF.

That was so nerve-wracking.

But you can't tell us what you got?

No, because it won't be out yet.

I've got an idea, I have an idea what you got.

Yeah, because I told you.

LAUGHTER

I've only told Roy. Do you remember... What did you tell Roy? What did you tell Roy he's going to use it against you? I know he probably will.

Do you remember Rod Thornley with the England squad? I don't think we were there, it was after we finished. And he set up a game, a deal or no deal.

Did he?

But the first person was David James. So he just took the first deal and fucked off.

Deal.

And then he walked off, opened two boxes.

It is mad though, because everyone's going, oh, I feel like it's a red or a blue. You haven't got a clue, do you know what I mean?

But you're done OK? You're happy enough how it went, the program?

Yeah, yeah, I was happy. But one round can just, like, it can obviously make you do so well or so bad, but I was really nervous. It's quite nerve-wracking being on a show like that.

Even if it's not your money?

Yeah, well, more so because you'd probably take more risk, wouldn't you?

Did you do well, Gill?

Erm... I can't say.

You can say whether you did well or not.

No, but that still gives away to me.

She's done well, she's got face, look. Probably not till May or something. I think I'm wearing this top, actually. But it's not done.

Did you do well, Jill?

See, she did well.

No, I'm not saying I'm not saying.

It was just a good experience.

Don't be giving her credit anyway. You're just opening a box.

I mean, you've got to give her credit.

Are you done well?

Fair play to number 11. Yeah, no. Fantastic. Yeah, but you've got to play the banker. They actually said to us on the show, they said, oh, the banker's really evil, but you'll be all right with him because you have to work with Roy Keith.

Wow. That's what they said.

You'll be able to do... He was the banker.

Do you find out who it is? No, apparently nobody knows. Like, they don't even show, he's never seen the bunker. Yeah. I thought they said you work with the Wanker Roy kids.

LAUGHTER

That's because you've never seen the bunker. Do what they want.

This episode of Stick To Football is brought to you by Armed Clothing. Mary Earps. Yeah. Hannah Hampton, a big controversy that's, to be fair, probably growing arms and legs beyond what maybe Mary would have wanted.

It's gone crazy, hasn't it? Obviously, Mary's brought out a book where she's told her side of the story about Hannah being left out after the Euros and then Serena saying she was gonna bring her back in. Yeah, it's just escalated so much,

but I've seen a lot of the girls do interviews and I think their opinions are that if things happen in-house then they've got to kind of stay in-house because now there's a lot of stories about why did Mary retire and stuff like that but yeah it's a difficult one I think if you asked Hannah she'd have a version Serena would have a version and Mary would have a version. The quote is

her behaviour behind the scenes at the Euros had frequently risked derailing training sessions and team resources. I'm going to go on, but the only negative that each group reported back on was that behaviour, which was overwhelmingly considered disruptive and unreliable with a risk of being destructive, taking energy and time from coach who needed to work with the rest of the team,

on set pieces, mentality and of course goalkeeping sessions. It affected us all in a domino effect to an extent that was extremely unusual and successful. Very strong words those, aren't they? I think obviously... On football terms, her behaviour behind the scenes, what would that behaviour be that would disrupt a team to the point of destruction?

Not training properly, I'm getting a sense of it. But that's not destructive, is it? I mean, you cannot train them properly, Mary.

I think when you're in a goalkeeper training, there's only three or four of them. So I think obviously her experience of maybe that, which I think as players, we probably wouldn't have seen as much. But for me, Hannah's a fantastic keeper and I think she came in and I think the pressure on her to perform when Mary wasn't there because obviously Mary had left and there's all this pressure on Hannah to perform as a young keeper in that Euro. She was absolutely fantastic and

Serena's obviously left her out of her camp and then she's come back in. Will people look at that as good management? But it's just the way it's all going, it's just kind of blew up hasn't it really? But Mary's obviously been through... That's the dynamics of any squad isn't it?

Players are going to be upset.

So the manager did leave her out.

Of the next camp after the Euros and then brought her back in.

A young goalkeeper, a young player can learn and go maybe I've got to have a better attitude.

Yeah.

So they did all learn from it so I is that because the book is so close and she's still playing and they're so close to everything still, you know, it's the normal, you kind of get this narrative 10, 15, 20 when you've retired so it doesn't hit so hard. But what I'd be careful of with them, because both of them, they're not used to the kind of attention they're going to get in respects of how it comes on top for whatever, and whatever Mary thinks and that. Mary's entitled to say that, but the way it's come out right now, I think that the pylon that comes for these two ladies who are not used to the kind of attention

they're gonna get is a worry. That's the biggest thing, I think, with all this.

And I feel for them both. But she's not naive enough, Mary Hopper's not naive enough to think

when she does a book and she mentions this, that this is going to come. Because her profile's gone up the last three or four years anyway. Would she know, Roy, that it was going to come to this extent? Sometimes you do things, don't you? Of course. And if we've done a book here, there's going to be a reaction to it, of course. But I think her profile the last three or four years, to be so surprised that there's been these kind of comments,

they must have known this would have been coming a little bit. I guarantee you. I haven't said it, the book company are probably delighted going,

this is all about selling books.

And she is.

She is now, she thinks she will be. I don't know. I'm not sure.

You know Mary, do you think she'll be sat there now thinking... No, I think when I'm watching her interview, she's saying like, please don't look at like clickbait, like read the story because she says when she's doing interviews Hannah's a fantastic keeper, Serena look at what she's won and everything like that, she doesn't want to question Serena so sometimes we can see a headline, see a small snippet and think oh she's coming at her.

Because again Jill, she's done it at a time where that's exactly what you're going to look at, it's so close to everything, They've literally just won the Euros. It's time to bring the book up. It's time to bring the book up, but at the same time...

I disagree with that.

I don't believe that they understand the enormity of what's coming. It's going to be a lot of pressure for them.

I disagree with that, that she had to bring the book up. I just remember towards the end of my career, I brought an autobiography out, but I decided I was never gonna bring it out whilst I was still playing. That I had to basically have stepped off the pitch. So I was gonna retire the year before, you remember, don't you? And then he gave me another contract.

So I actually had written my book, but not gone to a publisher. So I just employed a writer, and I did it on my own, paid him, didn't go to a publisher, and just said, and let's write it and at the moment where I basically retire, I'll bring it out. So I had to delay it like a year and then I went to publishers and said, right, okay, that's my book, it's done, it's finished.

And then I was... That's so does you, Gary. Every situation's different. I just think, I remember just after the 2006 World Cup, you wouldn't probably be there, but I remember that Ash, Frank and Stevie thinking it was going to be off the back of a successful tournament and they'd signed deals with publishers and it went down like a lead balloon if you remember. So I always had that in the back of my mind, just never think that you're going to get away with it. The options, I'm guessing that Mary Earp, sometimes they're under pressure from publishers,

Christmas coming up, on the back of the Euros, you say bring it out next year or the year after.

It's true and the money just the timing. I'm probably offering some money. Talking about the women's A-league, it's the same kind of money.

It can cause issues, can't it, if you release a book while you're still playing?

Yeah, tell me about it.

Look at the Yap thing.

Yeah, yeah.

Yap's book.

Have yous all done an autobiography?

I'm still playing. If I say to anybody, particularly in the men's game, and you've done well in football, if you're going to ride a game, I think it's more enjoyable or relaxing when you're finished. Of course, because when you're playing, you're on the zone. But again, Mary, different circumstances, different situations. I wouldn't be knocking her for that side of it. I remember the Yat one, because the big headline obviously with Yat one

was that he called me and Phil busy C-U-N. In the book? Yeah, but you're reacting as though it's...

So, Gail, why are you spelling it out? Just say you called us to Seaward.

Yeah, busy Seaward, yeah. So basically, the headline was, the Neville's are... Now, he wasn't wrong...

Do you think that was the beginning of the end for him?

I'd like to think not, that it was nothing to do with that to be fair. But my point is, my view is that the headline was... I remember Yap rang me. I was on international duty and it came out. And I was shocked at this headline. Because it was like... But I know that mine and Phil's relationship with him...

Yeah, he was coming from a good place. He was coming from a really good place. Yap's amazing bloke. Yeah, good guy. Yapp was like 6 foot 12, he was massive. I was 7 foot, innit?

I thought...

He's 8 foot 2. Yapp used to come in, Phil used to come in in the morning, right, and he used to flick Yapp's ear and then run away from him. And Yapp used to run after him and just, honestly, and grab him and fucking bear with him. The relationship that we had with him was always to try and poke Yapp

and push him. Yeah, but why would you be bogged? Why would people be bogged? I wasn't bothered. I know you weren't, but you were saying other people. No, so Yap rang me and said, guys, I'm really sorry, the headlines are disgraceful. Because he wouldn't have control over that. He was really sorry. He was like, this is not right.

I remember him ringing me, like he was after writing about 10 himself wasn't it? Did you buy them?

It's stopped playing now.

But Yap, to be fair, I always remember Yap being really sorry about the headlines and the book, he just not paid attention to it because that's what he used to call us in the dressing room.

I always thought that pissed you off, man.

No.

No, really?

No. That's what scares me about writing one, because it's like, you can be honest and you're gonna bring out certain relationships that weren't good throughout your career, maybe managers, stuff like that. Or you can kind of not be honest and then people that are reading it are going, well, that's not true.

So I don't think I'd like to do one. I don't think I would. Well, maybe you don't have to kind of, I'm not saying bring people out, but talk about stories that maybe sometimes stuff's just best left.

Maybe that's why if you give it time, it might, it's easier to, it lands easier.

Jill, I think I saw, it was either on television or on Instagram, Ellen White, I think, did an interview, I don't know if you've seen it, where she said that, and there is an element of truth in that, what she said, she said basically that that bubble of our training room was sacrosanct

and what went on in there stays in there. Oh, you believe... No, I'm just saying... What nonsense that is. I'm quoting... I know you're quoting.

So, I'm saying Ellen White said there was an element of what's been said in here that was almost like, that was us, we were a winning team together, we won the Euro.

He looks like David Brady.

Nott gets out of here, yeah. I know, I know, I hear that stuff all the time. You know what happens in the dressing room? She's dressing... First time people get offered a few quid, they go, yeah, I'll write a book.

Then slag you off. It's like, yeah, I mean, it's... And listen, nobody's forcing anybody to buy these books. You know what I mean? This idea that what stays in the...

The main thing with writing it, though, is that if you're gonna write it...

People have their ages and their friends.

If you're gonna write it, and you're gonna put what you're gonna put in there, ideally, you wanna let people know, like, yeah, done with you. Give them a heads up. This is coming out and you know how many... That's all that needs to happen. And then whatever comes off the back of it, you have to take that.

Have you written a few books, truthfully? No, have you got... How many have you done? Two. Okay, yeah. Have you done one?

How many?

Two.

Scorsese?

I did like a picture book thing. You've not heard of that, yeah. I'm a model here. I'm modelling.

What do you mean, just a picture of you playing?

Yeah, a picture of playing like a little story.

And no words?

Picture stories?

No words.

That's shooting down the ground though, isn't it?

Yeah, just a picture book. Just a few words underneath it.

Not a proper full-on autobiography.

This is me playing against Starby, this is me. The little one, yeah. Get warmed up. Goal! Get warmed up. But you've put your name to it, obviously.

And you haven't done one yet.

No, but I think when work dries up, I might bring out six or something. Joking.

I mean...

No, I haven't done one.

I've done two, yeah.

I bought yours when I was about ten.

Two's about the one... The first one?

First one.

Probably, it would have been... Was it just... Were you still at United then?

Yeah.

What year was it? I definitely had it for a period.

I would have been... 31? Was that the one that the FA had a bit of a pop-up? Because obviously they could, because I was still playing. You can almost say anything you want when you're finished because obviously you're not a player. Yeah, no one's going to do a stick-in. It's a different kind of vibe when you're doing the second one. When I did the second one, it was definitely more relaxing

because you didn't have anyone hanging over you.

Oh, is this the book?

Yes, this is, oh my God.

Give it here, Kieran.

I remember that.

This brings back such... I've got a lot of childhood memories. Where's mine, Kieran? Oh, that's not it. We need to get some quotes out from that. Yeah, no.

I don't know how to support it.

I wouldn't recommend that, I have to say.

You know when you said everyone said you look like your son looks like you? That's a picture, isn't it? Look, on the back. That is just me.

Have you got Riedy's books? Scorsese picked your book? Why is yours so big? That's the first one, yeah, I was still playing. Your first line in your book, Roy, is... It was coarsely written, by the way.

I'm just...

That was your defence that didn't... That was my defence to the FA lawyers. And the guy, honestly... Give it a second, I'll tell you what the lawyer was doing to me when I was getting cross-examined.

This is your book, isn't it? Yeah, fine, mate.

For the Holland stuff, they fined me about £150,000 or something. Really?

Yes.

And obviously I'd been fined as well for getting sent off in the game and all the legal fees.

Did you make a profit then?

The book released money?

No, no.

It broke even?

No.

The first legal fees. So you released a book and it cost you money?

Yes, Jill.

That's why I released another one. That's why I did another one, Jill.

I'm doing another four.

What's the line, really?

Theresa had told me on the phone that I was disgraced World Cup star Roy Keane. That's the first line. So that's Theresa ringing you up at the Saipan?

Probably, yeah.

Reading the headline or something?

Yeah, she was giving me moral support, yeah. LAUGHTER Yeah, she was giving me moral support. Who's the most controversial? Can I tell you, this is my last time talking about this tackle. The Highlanders, I still don't think it was a bad tackle. I really don't. I don't care what anyone says. It wasn't great a tackle, was it? It's not as bad as everyone thinks it is.

When you play a sport, the speed we play at, obviously I watch games, you know there's a difference between hurting somebody... And trying to. And injuring somebody. Big difference.

That's my argument.

I don't like that.

I was trying to hurt somebody, not injure somebody. This episode of Stick to Football is brought to you by Arm Clothing. What's the most controversial autobiography that's been released? The one that shook everybody. Can we think of one?

I can't. You need a list.

Yeah, I haven't got one.

I'm trying to think of the last one that I actually read.

Did you upset anybody?

I don't think...

From what I remember, and I've seen him a lot of times since, and I've gotten well with him since working with him a lot, it was Glenn. Glenn Hoddle. Because I think my portrayal of the 98 World Cup, when obviously he spoke about, he asked Teddy to apologise before the tournament

and then he said about Bex that Bex wasn't focused. And then I think during the actual 98 Argentina game, just a couple of things, so I just spoke about that from my perspective. I don't think Glenn thought about that.

So you didn't call him up and tell him that's going in?

No, no. Did he ever speak to you about it? No, and someone said that he would speak to me about it, and then when I was with him he didn't, but that's fine. I mean, I was never going to change my mind. I think it was on the issue of, so before the tournament, if you remember, we went to La Manga.

La Manga, yeah.

I didn't agree with the way in which the players were released, but that's a mistake, that can happen. If you remember, it was awful. But then he told us all basically we were meeting up at, let's say, Burnham Beach or Bishop Mabee, wherever we were, three days later between La Manga and meeting up for the tournament. And I think he did say to us, don't get caught out, lads. And Teddy, I think, went to Portugal, didn't he?

Teddy went to Portugal on a little trip and he got a picture, I think, one of the newspapers got him, like the People or the News of the World. So it was a picture of Teddy go out and do a written... He read... Teddy had to read out an apology.

To the chair?

No, no. Teddy had to read out an apology to all the news stations of how he was wrong or else he would have left him out of the squad. And I said to Teddy, you can't do that. I said, it's just a public humiliation. I knew Teddy did it because he was going to get kicked out of the squad and I didn't agree with that. I knew Teddy had done wrong but I think discipline for me should have remained internally.

So you're not the manager?

Absolutely. So a different way of looking at it. To be fair, Glenn had principles, standards. He was thinking I'm the England manager and he felt that there should be a public consequence for it. I personally at United, it had always been dealt with behind the scenes mainly.

Stuff like that. Yeah, but we're talking about Teddy. Teddy's the kind of character that he'll just say, you know.

He'll draw with that.

Teddy will go, you know what, I'm bang out.

And then a week later, obviously he left Bex out of the first game of the World Cup, but when he was doing the press conference three days before the game, he said the reason he wasn't picked was because he was distracted I thought again, that was the biggest slight you could put on a professional football player. If you left him out, there's just...

It had nothing to do with Man United.

You're getting bogged down with all that stuff.

Is it just because of Man United players, Gal?

Gal?

Let's get this book out, shall we? Was it as well, Gal, because of your loyalty to United and how much you love United and they're both United players. Yeah, they were United teammates and I felt as though, to be fair, it wasn't just quite right. And look, it's an opinion and I wasn't really critical of Glenn because I said that he was one of the best coaches I've ever worked with, but I just felt that he got the job very young and I think if Glenn had got the job five, six years later in his development,

he'd have probably that team out. So that's, yeah, I did...

We had him here, didn't we? Didn't say anything then, did we?

No. No, but I think Glenn... He was a good guest. Glenn, to be fair, he's very good. I mean, on television, I think he's brilliant. and you get frustrated as a player. Should a senior player be getting involved in that and bogged down by that? Or should you just go, is that what a good senior player does? Might stop a little bit at United, you get frustrated with stuff.

Or do you say, do you back away from all that and go, that's not my gig, I'm here to play? What...

I think when you care, though...

In terms of getting involved and going, unacceptable. I had issues with Mick when we first went to Saipan about the gear and stuff not turning up. At what stage do you get involved in that? I always think if you back away from it, you say nothing, that's worse than actually going, this is unacceptable. Particularly when you're a senior player. Where do you cross that line? When you're a senior player with England, the women's team, there's one or two misbehaved, when do you kind of go into the manager and go, this is unacceptable? Or do you have to trust your manager?

You'll deal with that.

Yeah, but with what was happening with the public, you had to say, are you going to sleep knowing that? I should have said something.

Yeah, but never just saying about like, Glen making a teddy going to bed. But why? Same with me with the gear. I should have been over there, really, if I wanted to. Football's a selfish game. You look after yourself. But that's not my gig. I'm not there to sort the gear out. So why am I getting drawn into something like that?

Because you're used to having the proper gear to put on.

So are you saying, Roy, that you would do something differently now? No, I'd probably do exactly the same thing. But where's that line where you cross, where you get drawn into a confrontation with a manager to say this is unacceptable? Because there has to be an element of unity.

And that's a captain's job, isn't it?

Or a senior player. I don't necessarily...

You must have been captain about it.

Yeah, I would have been then. So you're like looking after the other players. At the end of the night, there's arguments. You're going, why am I getting involved? Is it good? No. But where do you draw the line? Yeah, you give your opinion, but then you back away. Because sometimes when you get involved in that particular, it might temperament, but once you get involved in it,

it's kind of no going back. It's not going to be, listen, can we have a sit down and chat and discuss why the gear's not here? It'd be like, hold on a second. And that's where the tension comes into it. I'm getting involved in that. The gear not being there. The training facilities are a disgrace. Roy, how did you deliver that first message

to Mick McCarthy about the gear? You ought to have gone in angry. No, in the first chat when we got over there, when the gear hadn't arrived, I was like, Mick, what's going on? Yeah, that was all very relaxed and casual,

but then the kind of detention then built over the next few days. And I always think when you're going down that road, even my bit at United, there's no going back. There's no going... Once you're disappointed or you confront somebody, at the start it can be,

what's going on here?

And then a few days and you're like, hold on a second. You said it'd be sorted by... And that's where the energy levels and that's where you don't have that different personality and go, all right, I'll back away from that and focus on being a player.

It's like, no, no, no, that's...

Do you regret that?

Well, you want everything to be right, don't you?

No, not necessarily right, but you want people to be trying to make things right. It's when people go, oh, we want things done properly, not perfection. You want progress, you want people to...

Them players as well, when you're saying about the game, they want someone to say it.

But can I ask you, Scorzi... I'm just saying, it's the younger players who will think the same way.

They're the ones who represent them. Scorzi, you make a point about captain, whatever, but there was other lads who played loads of games the same as me, played hundreds of games, played as many... They weren't getting involved. And sometimes I look back and go, how can you sit there? And they're looking at me going, off you go.

Yeah.

I couldn't sit there and go, listen, all the best. Even if I was a young player when I got in the Irish squad, I was at United, if I saw something that wasn't... I'm rolling it but I certainly wouldn't be going. I'm taking a step back from it. Roy, which of those players would have seen the standards that you would have seen? I'm not even going to try and compare it to the standards I've seen, just about the standards you're trying to get to. Not everyone says to me,

oh well when you go away with Ireland, you go away with other teams, it's not going to be the same as you know. I knew that. went away. I honestly, the way in which we were treated from a point of view of the travel, the training pitches, the media centre was unbelievable. It's nice to hear your stories, it's nice to come back with Ireland. And that was fine but England is England, Ireland is Ireland, it's different dynamics.

We had no excuses for England in terms of how the FA set things up. But the Irish, we do it our way and win or lose it, I got all that, I was embraced and all, I loved that. But you also know that going, listen, come the crunch, we'll be competing.

Yeah.

But as the years went on, you're going, hold on, now the game's moved on a lot a bit in sports science and, you know, for us to have qualified for the World Cup, it's not as if you qualified for the World Cup You qualify six months in advance. So to go over there and you go, I've had these frustrations for a number of years about food not being right, whatever.

That's another story. And then you get over and the gear's not there. And it's a bit of a laugh, and I laughed and joked for years, but then comes a point you go, Mick. But then I ask Mick, is it on Mick? Because when you go away, to make sure the gear is there. There's obviously people in the background, the administration, go, we do all that stuff.

Sometimes it's cost. Oh, well, maybe that would come into it a little bit. I mean, the one thing I would say about you, Roy, is that you are, and this is absolutely why you're the player that you were and why you're the character you are, you were zero tolerance.

You were zero tolerance. No, no. professionalism, you were zero tolerance. If someone was late, if someone didn't have the right boots on, if someone was... I was watching a sub getting ready last week, and I thought of you actually, I can't remember, I was in America watching the game, and there was a sub literally where he took his top off, he took his jumper off, then he put his under top back on,

and he was taking him literally about a minute and a half, two minutes to get ready. if that was like, you watching that, you'd be like, what the fuck are you doing? Make sure you're ready when you come out. You had a zero tolerance. But I'd also have a bit of like, when we used to go over, again, we always talk about the stores, when we were around, we'd be,

listen, I've been there for training, we've been on drinking sessions, and I would turn a blind eye to certain things, You had zero tolerance on standards in professional football. I think you probably lost the lights around, weren't you? I always thought I had a bit of leeway. But lads, hold on, let's draw the line now. I had that with Ireland. But there comes a tipping point with everything else,

where you're going, hold on a second, what's going on here? And that's the bit where I thought But there's no going back then. I don't know if that's a good or a bad place to be. When you're confronting somebody, you're going, there's no going back now. Do you think Mick though, he must have known you, he could have pulled it back as well. For me, I think there's an element sometimes where you go and you go and there's no pulling you back. There's a lot that goes on usually before that point. So at one point,

I feel like I would know in the dressing room, and even now when you're not happy with something.

When you're going to blow. Mick would probably be as frustrated about the gear not coming but then having to worry about, okay, what am I going to say to Roy the next time?

He doesn't have to worry about me, he should be more worried than anybody else.

This is why she wants him.

Yeah, but everybody...

But you're on a boat.

If you're the one who's pulling and saying, what's going on? Then it's not coming, then it? Then he's got to say, well, Roy's going to ask me again, and what am I going to say to him? And then his ego is now starting to...

But you know when you call these meetings?

Because you've got a player talking to the manager in a way like the manager might be thinking, I've got a shoulder, I'm going to stand up to him.

I kept my mouth shut for years even in United. People talk about when United, You want to call a meeting up, guess what? There's going to be fireworks, and I'm not a big lover of fireworks, as you know.

Bonfire!

You just said about England, the girl earlier, white, going, we keep everything... All right, so if we're going to have a meeting at United, let's have a meeting.

Yeah.

And you're going to set them off?

No, yeah, yeah. If someone says... Set them off, see that face coming back. You know people go, let's have a get together and discuss things. Yeah, yeah, happy days. You've been hiding for the last ten years. What are you doing? What are you doing? People go, I don't like these open chats.

You called it!

Yeah. It's hard when people don't back you up.

Mick McCartney's standing going, can I just pull a player up here in front of everybody?

Yeah, fire away, Mick.

This'll be ready. If you want the full story. It's still available.

It's available in all good shops.

Can you buy it?

That's a really good advert for it.

Right, where we at?

Is there any more?

And also, Stamps book.

You get that free with my way. Where the fuck did that come from? Let's do Super 6. Let's lighten the atmosphere.

Right, come on, Ben. Er, great. Super 6. Can people please join the Stick to Football Super 6 League online?

Well done, Ben. That'll get them in.

I've learned from the best, Gary. That's why I do an ad read.

I love you and two guys in front of that.

Thank you. Right, here we go. Here we go.

Come on, Scalzi.

I think I've done alright.

Last week...

Aye.

You two got nine.

Nine?!

Oh, you got lucky with them.

Is that good?

Yeah, that's good.

Fulham's good.

Newcastle killed us. Top 20% of players, you beat over 775,000 players.

What about Sunderland and Chelsea?

35 points.

What did they get?

You got four.

Yes!

And I got them by myself. The turnaround.

I got them by myself.

Newcastle, Fulham.

Newcastle, Fulham, the last minute winner.

No, Sunderland, Chelsea as well.

No, it was Newcastle. Newcastle, Fulham, yeah. You called it 2-1. We had 5 points and you had 1-0.

Has it not closed up? What a difference that is. In injury time, who gave the ball away? They sent a half of Fulham.

Let's hammer him.

In injury time.

Calvert and Busser.

The Calv.

Two goals.

Calv. Everton, Fulham. That's a difficult one. I think we've done four points in the last three weeks. And they are my four.

Everton, Fulham, 3 o'clock.

I don't know the scores. I haven't a clue.

I was at Everton, Tottenham, last week. What time is this on Saturday?

Saturday, 3 o'clock.

Oh, lovely.

I must say the Tottenham, Chelsea no conviction really, but we're going for it. Fulham, I fancy Fulham.

Fulham are a good team.

I fancy Fulham.

At Everton.

Fulham, fourth bottom, fifth.

I think they're just a little bit of something away from it. They're wolves, they're hammered wolves. You can't make mistakes like Calvin did the other week. Everton can't score because they're not scoring. What do you think? Just a full of them a minute ago. I know, but like now you said that. One-one-one. Now you said that, I went like that, yeah.

Right, he's all over the place.

I'm all over.

Yeah, I think that's a good game.

I'm tired. I'm still going.

West Ham Burnley.

West Ham got a good win, doesn't it? How do you eat an orange?

That's a tough one for West Ham, I should say. I think that's a tough one for West Ham.

Tangerine, yeah.

Could Barney get subs?

They want Wander Borg, can you imagine that?

No, I think West Ham might get a little bit of momentum after the Newcastle game.

I'll be fooled by that. I fancy... What the word, Mum? Draw. Mum, I'd beat you. Whatever you say, I could have said... Roy, draw. Is that going to be a draw? I fancy draw that because I can't call it.

We go 1-1 again, don't we?

Just for the cameras, I say West Ham.

I do, yeah.

I think West Ham win.

Wait a minute, can we just...

Three? We're more on the same wavelength. You've got West Ham closing. You're next. Yeah. You know what, I think Sunderland...

I thought West Ham did well last week. Yeah, Newcastle did. Yeah, they did.

Newcastle were poor. They did come back.

Saturday, 5.30.

Forrest went in six months.

Sunderland, that's... Stadium Alight is...

Saturday, 5.30. Bouncing.

5.30. Saturday. Do you think we could get something? Could get something.

Yeah, go on.

1-1.

I'll sit in defence. 1-1.

Yeah, I don't know why I've done that, but I fancy that. I think Sunderland are tough there.

The two of you, it's your down.

You've been amazing, Jaka, for Sunderland. Oh my God, what a player.

Who? Righty, you think? Xhaka. Your team are going well eh? Yeah we're playing well, we're playing games well. I'm gonna go 2-1.

You know I'm not even, no 2-0. You know I scored against Arsenal for once. 2-0. 2-0 Arsenal I'm going to go.

What do you think? I was gonna go draw but I don't like to say the Sunderland scores so I'll let you go. And then if they win... Yeah, then I'll be tweeted on my Twitter account.

Villa Bournemouth.

Is that us?

That is Sunday 2pm.

That's a lot of 2pms on a Sunday, isn't it?

Bournemouth win.

Because of Europe.

Bournemouth win.

Aren't these predictions getting harder, isn't it?

Trying to get these right.

You've never found them easier your side. You're too much debate.

Yeah, I agree.

You and David Moyes, he saved your season last year. I think Bournemouth win this.

At Villa?

Yeah.

By the way...

Villa will have a European game, won't it? I was frustrated with Bournemouth at City. You always say that doesn't matter. class have got their feet up. I was frustrated with Bournemouth. I was frustrated with Bournemouth in the city. Was you? Yeah, I know. In one bit. But can you see Bournemouth going to win it? Yeah, I think so. Go on then, why? I felt like, I can understand why he wanted to keep doing the things that he does, but his centre back's pushing into midfield with Harlan leaving space behind. It was crazy. And then right back, just disconnecting the back forward too high up the pitch.

I just thought, just be a bit more pragmatic. Go on, your go. Erm, is this Villa-Bournemouth? I think Villa win.

Matty Cash.

I think Villa win.

What game was it?

Spurs.

Spurs. I don't see Bournemouth. I have never seen a pass like it. Man Villa, Bournemouth. 2-0. 2-1. 2-1. I don't think Bournemouth beating a Villa at Wembley. Brentford, Newcastle.

I thought Newcastle were... I was worried about Newcastle on Sunday against West Ham but they were awful. I was really frustrated with them. They were really bad. They're playing a European, they're away as well.

Are they home or away? Bilbao? No. Home or away, Scoles, even.

Oh, Brentford got beaten as well.

Pretty sure they're at home.

I think they'll get something.

I think Newcastle do.

I think they'll get something. Yeah, 1-1, do you reckon? 1-1, I don't wait to see him. He's doing really well. Yeah, that'd be a good thing. City, Liverpool. Ooh.

Sunday 4.30.

City, Haaland.

Right, you're an Arsenal fan. Who do you want to win? City or Liverpool?

Do you want to draw?

Yeah, whoosh.

I'm going with the result.

It would be a good result to draw, but I think City will beat Liverpool.

I do. Liverpool winning. Do you? Of course you do, you're a scouser, you're going to win that. It's not enough, Kieran, just to say you think they're winning.

I feel like that's it.

We know you think that. Why do you think that?

Do you think Liverpool? With that defence.

Yeah, but look at the way Harlan's blasting through defence.

Wow.

With that high line.

Go Liverpool then, do you want to go Liverpool? I've not got a strong feeling. I've got a massive feeling. I just think Liverpool are better. What's it? 2-1 to Liverpool, then? 2-1 to Liverpool, because goals are...

2-1 to Liverpool.

Good shout. You deserve the five points if you get that.

Thank you very much.

We've got two decent-sized things to get through.

What?

Danny Welbeck. Should he go to the World Cup? Who mentioned that a few weeks ago? Was it you, Julian? Danny Welbeck, you've got basically Harry Kane as a centre-forward.

He scored again though, didn't he?

Yeah, I don't know if you say, can he go to the World Cup? He's got to be in with a chance.

Should he be with the way he's taking the chances. If he carries on doing that for the season.

If it was now, you would, wouldn't you?

Yeah, yeah. If it comes to this end of the season, he's still having a good season.

Oh yeah, definitely.

Joint second top scorer, six goals. Playing well. What age is he now? 34 or something. So who would the forwards be? Harry? I thought he was younger than that. Well, I might be wrong. Harry goes, and then you've got Rashford, you've got Watkins, and you've got Welbert. Solanke. Solanke. Tony.

He'd be ahead of them. He'd be ahead of them, you just mentioned.

All of them. No, the last he's playing. So what, if you're saying he's taking three forwards then? If he's taking three forwards, Danny carries on, he'll go. I think he probably will go. Watkins, Kane.

Injuries. Watkins, Kane, Welbeck.

Yeah, I'd take that. I wouldn't have a problem with them three. Have you gone off Watkins?

No, I've not gone off him, but he just seems to have got... I don't expect him to score goals, you know he's seen Villa. He doesn't score a lot of goals. I just feel like he was somebody that's ready to blast. The finishes that you sometimes see him miss, and I've mentioned it before, I think those are the chances that take you again to that place where I just need that one chance when I'm going to score, even if I only get half chances. Is this Watkins? Yeah.

It's just me who chooses the wrong finish a lot. What about Villa playing out from the back at Anfield on Saturday? Oh, there were so many turnovers. I was actually thinking of you. Thinking you'll be screaming at the telly just to miss it out. It was crazy, I thought that.

So Danny Wilbert goes? I'll get back involved in the next couple of squads. I'll put more cups in a few months. The main thing is he's got to continue to be that form. Obviously, he's supposed to be a good lad in his own group. If he'd be happy to be bench and come out, you know he would. Some lads go over and they'd be confused.

He'd be just delighted to be there. When you're going in that vibe, you just go and play.

Whereas Watkins might be a little bit funny about it.

Who knows?

He seems to struggle when there's someone next to him who's doing more like with John Duran and stuff. He kind of like had a funny energy about him where he didn't seem to go to the next level.

That means our Watkins one goal in 15 this season.

It's not ideal.

When you were in the squad, was there anybody that was a pain in the arse when they weren't starting?

I never saw that, ever in England.

Did you not?

No.

There were lads that maybe got a little bit down. Yeah. You're always going to get down. Not to the point of disruptive down. I think you should get down because you should want to play.

But I just wonder if...

I can't think of anyone.

Yeah, well I was going into squads knowing that I'm not starting, but I just always thought, let me give it, if I just won half a chance.

Yeah. because I think he was unbelievable, wasn't he? But he would always start with like Shearer, Scheringham.

Yeah.

And Robbie was always...

The centre forward was unbelievable.

Yeah, when you look at them...

Robbie could be scoring goals left, right and centre.

You look at them four righty, Les Ferdinand...

I think Les is also someone that would get frustrated.

Andy Cole was...

Cole, he would get frustrated, yeah. Kill all of them. It was so crazy how there was all them fantastic forwards. Was it very dynamic with England? I know you've spoke about it before, United. That's awkward, isn't it?

It was awkward. It can be good sometimes.

It was awkward, wasn't it?

It was strange.

Even though that scored in 98, it was nice. Obviously it went to the World Cup and it went really well. Argentina, everybody's together.

It was an energy that wasn't like... You know you're not about the manager. Can I say something? You know you're not going out for a bite to eat, the lads, but would even trying to organise it would just be like a big long table.

Yeah, they did.

In Detroit, they had stuff like that.

Yeah, they did.

And we still sat together, but...

Yeah, we used to sit with faces.

On each other's knees. When I was away with Ireland, I'd sit down and eat a plum and fruit. I'd swear on my kids' lives, I'd be having my food. So you've got a table that holds 10, you can speak to all the 10 people. If you sit on a long table of 24, you can't speak to literally the four people that are in a round table. But you're sitting next to each other, it's tight. You're speaking less to people than you would do if you was 10.

But would managers?

Yeah, I get it.

Then you come down for breakfast with an awkward face.

Would managers not although like, Different here and there and different times. We'd have managers that if the scene, you were like just with your team, if we're in a meeting, they'd go, make sure you sit next to someone different. Like, would they not say that?

I never said that, no. In fact, staff used to come and sit with us a lot, didn't they?

You think of Peter Bearsley and Kevin Keegan.

Yeah, yeah. They used to come and sit on our table loads. You need to mix staff and players. I draw the line at that. What I was going to say before, why my hand was up here. I saw this thing on Instagram the other day. It's important. It was 1992 and what it did, it put the top goal scorers in the Premier League and it changed.

Basically, the top 15 goal scorers in the Premier League and basically it went 1992 all the way through to now and the top eight goalscorers or seven out the top eight goalscorers in like 1994-95 were you, Les Ferdinand, Shearer, Sheringham, Collymore, Coley, Fowler. It was like I was like looking at it thinking there's eight English strikers and then you see how it goes to 2000-2003 and all of a sudden it changes. It changes, it's amazing, it's actually really... Watch it now, truthfully, how many would be in the top? I don't know, to be fair, I didn't watch it to the end,

but I remember stopping it and pausing it and thinking, oh my God, there's eight English centre-forwards there. I think Chris Sutton might have been in there as well. Like eight English centre-forwards in the top nine, A bit of a moan, I wonder if he won't play. I remember he turned down the U21s or something and then Glenelg the Women.

Was it a B team?

I think it was a B team, that's what it was. He turned down an England B game. I remember I played my first England B game, it was at Millwall. I should have turned it down.

The old Millwall.

The old Millwall as well.

The Den.

Remember playing there? This episode of Stick To Football is brought to you by Arm Clothing. Early season report. We're doing? That's a school report. That's school report. OK, so...

I heard that word, yeah, school.

Just school.

The best goalkeeper so far in the Premier League this season.

Best goalkeeper?

Is it Reya?

Got to be Reya on a number.

Got to be on it.

Reya?

They still only conceded three goals, actually.

It's unbelievable.

In all comps, I think it is.

Yeah.

Do you know, every game I ask them to know, like in Europe, We're not thinking any slip-ups. Even last season? Yeah, last season you just knew it would be 2-0 or 3-0 or whatever.

You know, the way they started as well, Slavia Prague, because I was thinking, who's going to get the ball for us in the play-off set-up? But Slavia Prague was on. They just saw it off and bam, got the penalty.

You know when Liverpool and City won the league though, the no, like, yeah, good fact. I know obviously it's only three. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's more of a goal track module, of course.

But it goes to show that, obviously, you've got to put the ball in the back of the net.

Yeah, I do that as well.

Best defender?

Gabriel, do you reckon? Yeah. Or Timber?

Probably.

I think Timber's been amazing.

Timber's been amazing. Timba's been... Timba's pushing him close. Obviously Gabby scores the goals and that, but Timba's...

How's he defender?

Timba's good.

What about after... What about van der Ven?

He scored a lot, didn't he? He scored.

No way.

He got caught last week off Casedo for the goal he had to talk to them today.

But then he scored that goal.

That goal was incredible. Who do you think? Gabrielle? Timber? Yeah, Gabrielle. Special mentions for others?

Any others?

Any United lads?

Ashley Cole.

Ashley Cole.

Special...

Maguire.

Superb.

Gabrielle.

Yeah, I think it's got to be Gabrielle.

Who's been the best midfield player in the Premier League so far?

Ooh.

Really?

Rice?

Yeah, I was going to say that.

Rice or Quesado, you reckon?

Yeah, so I think that, yeah. So far, Raya, yeah.

Again, powerful.

I like lads who look powerful, you know what I mean? Even on a bad day, they're powerful, yeah. Yeah. And the centre forward, no, it's Haaland, isn't it? Probably Haaland, yeah. Yeah, you can't have that one. Right, we've got a spine in the team. Who has been the biggest disappointment so far in the Premier League? And it's a player and it's manager.

Manager, that's tough.

It's so horrible.

I'm going to reshape it. Managers who might have just been sacked. I'm going to reshape it. I'm going to reshape it. I'm going to reshape it. I'm going to reshape it. The player that's not lived up to expectations so far this season.

Still sounds bad.

Would you say Isak?

Isak.

From the point of view of...

Probably, yeah. With all the noise that was coming, you'd probably say Isak. Because now, the thing with Isak, the pressure is that when he comes he has to do it because the guy who's playing is actually doing it. And he was doing it.

I think you've come good from though. I do.

I think you've come good.

You had a couple of big moments there at the end.

You think about the money wise. If you take money into consideration you think about Verts as well. I think Verts will come good as well.

People just read the headlines don't they?

I think Verts doing okay. Even Vert's pass last night, if they score that's an assist from... Lads are missing chances, you know. And his stats don't look good on the back of that.

Xavi Simmonds. Disappointed. He had a beautiful shot last night, we were thinking if that goes in again... But like, you just want to see it.

I know, he struggled a lot.

I think Vert's actually doing alright. First. I think somebody says something once and then it's like, oh my God, he's missed a game. I actually think he's doing okay.

Did you see him against that opposition last night? For some reason, he just looked more comfortable. He just looked more composed.

Or the European game.

I don't know what it was.

Maybe it's because it's the European game, it's not a physical privilege. When you're 120 million, you're going to have that expectation.

But do they expect like three assists a game straight away? Like you have to adjust, don't you? I think it does take a bit of time.

And the players have to adjust to him as well. It's not taking time for Ekotike though, is it?

It's different for a striker. People don't understand, with a striker, you can be up there, you can be falling off your bad touch, going back, ball comes across, bam, you tap it in, everyone says, oh, he's settled. Because you've scored the goal. With a midfielder, it's harder for the defender, it's hard for everyone else apart from a striker. Striker's score a goal and everyone says, oh, he's settled.

So who's not lived up to expectations?

Isak, would you say so far? I was going to say, I don't feel like Ease Out's got going yet really, has it? He's not like a little run of games, has he? Although he had that big chance against United, he should have scored. And then you're off.

That is when you think, right, we know that we need to take a chance. I don't like it, I don't want to name anyone, I'm not going to on the toilet seat thinking I just want to get better, I just want to do my stuff. And then they stick to football saying, yeah, Ian Wright, yeah.

Do players help other lads know as much, do you think? You know, when lads go to a club, do lads go to their way to help them? Like I'm on an off the field as well, do they go for me?

I think so because when Arsenal scored that, when Joker scored that goal the every day, everybody, you see them when they've done that camera, they're just happy for him because they know what it means.

It looks like Van Dijk is rallying round a little bit and trying to take the heat off everyone. I think to be fair, you look at what he's doing at the moment, Van Dijk, I mean, he didn't play well a couple of weeks ago against United, but he's standing up in back, even in his interviews. He does pick up on the comments. He does get hurt by it.

And I don't mind that. Does it hurt? Or is he just saying, no, hang on, don't have cheap shots. No, he's fighting his corner. Yeah. And then obviously some of the digs have been against him

and his leadership and he's come up fighting. Because the thing is that, as pundits, you know what I mean, we're not in an echo chamber. You know what I mean? It's not like, what we say affects people. And so when you say something that's maybe questioning someone's integrity about signing and dropping off, that's something where, you know,

you wouldn't point that, in the current climate if he was playing, I wouldn't point that at him. I'd say he signed a new deal. I'll say, let's see if he drops off. You can't do that to Virgil and not expect him when he comes out to speak.

You're gonna have to do it when you get that big contract.

Yeah, but when you are a player that stature and you're a captain, you have to come out and speak and say, no, no, I'm not having that. Just like you can have're going to say to somebody that they've dropped off because they've got a new deal. That's a different kind of criticism.

I believe in last year, but the angle is then last year when a player, his contracts might be up and they have a bad game. Oh, well, what's up with him? Is he thinking he's already leaving? So people will always find an angle. Or he's signed a new deal or he's not signing a deal, Trent last year. People always find Trent was booed last year. Oh I hated that last night.

People get booed. Yeah but I thought that was hot.

I'm on about last year when he was playing.

Yeah but I mean last night I actually felt so sorry for him. I really did. A lad who supported that team his whole life, like as a young kid and then he goes back and you think,

I felt so sorry for everyone. I thought it was horrible. The reputation of Liverpool fans is always... They're loyal and they're up for most other supporters. But I think, whatever anyone says, for a player to go back... The service he gave and his contract was up.

And the thing is, Roy...

To boo him.

People go, we pay our money, we're entitled.

That's fine, of course, you look at him, when he was a youngster, he'd be dreaming of winning all those things for Liverpool. Then you say, one day I'll leave and then I can come back and it'll be great. But the fact is, when he was getting ready to leave, these things are the things he was thinking about, what it'd be like when I go back. And so I was more worried about Liverpool,

I was more concerned for him when Liverpool booned him when he was there. last night, especially the way he left. And that was the saddest thing. He had to deal with that. But you know, that's what happens when you choose somebody else, especially over Liverpool, you know, they're going to hold it against you.

Like they compared, I know Jamie made the point the last few days, they were comparing it to Van Dijk and Salah. But they're older players, they've played abroad, they've had different experiences. I don't want to say young player but obviously he's about mid-twenties or whatever. His contract's run out and he's a chance to try something completely different. Absolutely. Also, real Madrid. Yeah, of course. Real Madrid.

But obviously Liverpool fans will obviously think we're the biggest club in the world, like Alsthepmer. But I'm not saying you give the you don't have to say, yeah, well, good luck in Madrid, you don't have to wish him luck, but to make the effort to go, I'm going to boo this kid, he's a local lad. And again, Liverpool fans, for some reason, think they're like, oh, what kind of classier we applauded goalkeepers years ago when they played well.

No, Liverpool fans have to have a good look themselves.

But sports should give lovely moments, like Jordan Pickford went back to the stadium and his son's got a half Everton, half Sunderland strip on. I'm like that's such a nice moment. I know some people, I don't know, I just think, I just, I don't know, I think them full circle moments are lovely but I just think Trent didn't do it, what did he do? I don't think he did anything

of his own. The beauty with Trent the last year too, he's never said, he's said very little, but he's not been a player for saying, I'd love to stay here, I'm going to stay. He's actually kept his mouth shut. And sometimes that's not a bad thing to say. How many times have you heard about players going, I love this club, and then they leave. He kept it cool by going, I'm not going to give you too much.

Silence is gold. Ignorance is bliss, man. Contribute to the trophies., yeah exactly. Hopefully you'll treat me with a bit of class and dignity. You'll probably get it when he's 50 or 60.

Yeah, well he probably left a better team to go to a worse team.

That's another story.

But it's, do you know what's cool? It's like a different, just an experience for the kid.

Exactly.

To compare him to Sal and Van Dijk. They've played in Europe, they. He's a Buda kid. Bloody hell, don't have to cheer him on, but don't boo him.

What have you got?

Biggest surprise?

Surprise?

So far in the league?

The player.

Player, club, could be Sunderland maybe.

Well, of course Sunderland.

Or player?

Sunderland are would imagine. Sunderland? Player? Big Surpriser player? You know what, Sunderland are some pretty good Arsenal have been. How many points clear now?

Is it six, seven points clear? Yeah.

Semenya?

That's a big deal.

Is that a surprise?

That's not a surprise.

How well he's doing again?

Former standard third manager, that's a surprise. That's probably a good point.

I think, you know what we mentioned in Sunderland, I'd mention Xhaka because he's come there, right?

Yeah, he's got the right appetite.

You know what I mean, Roy? He knows the Premier League, he's gone there to a club that's... They don't expect much but they kind of just want what they want from the players. And for him to go and kind of be the heart of it in what he does, because he's that fiery cat. He's a driven guy. He's very much in the leadership groups.

If you're playing for Sunderland, and you turn up and you put a shift in, Sunderland fans are the best in the world. Players put a shift in. The other night, they weren't great, particularly the first half. Everton should have been 2 or 3 in the loop. But if you dig in at Sunderland, then you show up at the fight and...

It's just the pressure that a player like Xhaka's got, because they're signing him because they have to get the one, you know what I mean? One to go in there and be that controlling force.

He's done really well since he's arsed all day as well.

I liked him at Arsenal. I thought he was a good player, but obviously he got a couple of dafts. Something he sent off a few times. Did he ever run in with the fans or whatever? Yeah. But I thought he was a good player.

I'm going to go with Jack Granit. I'm really pleased with him. Yeah, I would do, yeah. There's other people that we've not mentioned, but he just comes to mind.

Is there a star of the future he, in the Champions League? You know something? You just see him on the ball.

How he's trying to play, what he's trying to do. As long as they keep...

I can't get my head around his 15th.

It's really crazy. I can't stop thinking about what he should be doing at 15 and what you would be doing at 15. I'm glad that the two, but Barcelona play them, kid. Look at Yamal, Lamine Yamal, he played in the Euros at that age. You've got to find a way to make sure that you can monitor the way they play, but if they're good, play them.

Because that's the only way you're going to get the experience. It's like, Ethan Manieri's been there nearly three... That's a good time to play him at Arsenal. Play him, play them. So as they can play... It's better coming into a good team. Yeah, it does so much for you. I'm glad to see him come on. I'm not saying he's got to start every game, but I'd love to see him.

If he can start in the Champions League, the youngest player in the Champions League, then he can start and he can play games in the Premier League. He's amazing. Have you spoken to him? No. No. Text him. It was good though, you see his face. He was complaining about his tracksuit wasn't he?

Why are they so tight?

He's got energy, Aaron has an energy.

Unbelievable energy.

Does he train?

Does he do fitness?

No, I think he's got a decent lifestyle, he doesn't have food in him.

I don't think he's got a decent lifestyle. He don't have food in him. I don't think he's a big drinker. He gets food. He is magnificent.

He eats.

He eats once a week.

Beans on toast.

He's got a decent lifestyle, yeah. What he eats.

He doesn't go to box to box, you know.

He eats healthy.

Which is lovely food.

I had a lovely sandwich yesterday. Did a long box to box. Right, I think that's it. We done? That was quick. Is that it? It's not quick, it's an hour and 20 minutes that. Why are we clapping ourselves?

Is that like a full 90 minute game?

Nice opening of doors.

Oh, we never, our trip to Berlin.

Oh yeah.

Yeah, we never, yeah.

I wanted to hear about that actually.

You never even said our trip to Berlin. Oh yeah. Yeah, we never, yeah. I wanted to hear about that actually.

You know, we even said our trip to Berlin.

Johnny Mare riding, we had a trip to see Johnny.

Oh wow.

He just said, I read the script last night and we've not discussed one thing that's on the script.

I was like, we're getting this script.

This is what happens.

Sipan.

Don't bother advertising the first.

Put that there as well.

No, put that down.

Put that there.

It's aising, isn't it?

It's just aising. It's just aising.

LAUGHTER