Jeff Stelling and Tony Cascarino

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Tony Cascarino is back to help us sort out the Premier League run-in and the dramatic battle to avoid relegation. And we're also joined by Jeff Stelling, the man who embodies Sky Soccer Saturday, the six-hour football show with, as Jeff puts it, zero actual football on it.
Bill serves up another delicious stat and we've got a tasty helping of Quick Hits for you as well. Please join the debate below. You know you want to...

Guillem wonders if Manchester United haven't betrayed their philosophy by playing rather more defensively against Barcelona. Bill agrees with him and suggests that maybe this final means a little less than the 1999 one for the way it was reached. I wouldn't say it means less, but it certainly was a departure and one which could come back to haunt them.
Tony is confident that Nani will emerge a better, more mature player after his sending off. I'm not convinced by the "live and learn" argument. It could work out that way. Or it could just happen again. On the game itself, I didn't think West Ham were that poor, but I'm in the minority.
We all decide to applaud Fulham for the fact that they're still in the running. Well done Hodgson, though maybe some credit should go to Lawrie Sanchez as well, who bought many of these players. Though, as Guillem points out, it's Hodgson who got them to perform. Tony says that it's dangerous and wrong to assume that just because a side has little to play for, they won't put in the effort. (As we saw with Spurs at Reading)
Jeff Stelling tells us all about Soccer Saturday. He doesn't take bathroom breaks between 3 pm and 5 pm, in case you're wondering (I was). He also tells us what they're looking for in terms of ex-footballing pundits. And he shares his view on whether we're likely to see any women ex-footballers or coaches popping up anytime soon.

Comments

[df]

marcotti, your anti-arsenal comments are laughable. next season will arsenal dominate the league. this season they were close, but for a few terrible decisions (free kick at manure, penalty at birmingham, offside at stamford bridge, boro offside at emirates).

[Alex]

No surprise to hear Balague and Marcotti making snide digs at Manchester United. They are obviously bitter about their beloved Liverpool ending up empty-handed again. Don't worry, guys. With signings like Gareth Barry in the pipeline, I have a feeling 2009 is definitely going to be Liverpool's year.

[boubacar lillongwe]

Fair enough Guillem i stand corrected, never seen Barry playing on the right myself but that doesn't mean he never has. I still don't think he can play in the position that Kuyt has this for the latter part of the season but you never know.
As for all the people sick of Liverpool being talked about on the show so much I just don't see their point. The pod is run by journalists, one of whom has especially good contacts with Liverpool. In case anyone hadn't noticed Spurs have been mentioned more as well since Ramos took over. Journalists find stuff out and tell us about it. If you really want Liverpool to stop been talked about so much then mount a sack Rafa/Hicks is God campaign.

Also, Gab's right that there have always been big clubs, but the point is that a rich owner who artifically stimulates a club beyond its means is just storing up trouble for later. Gretna are just the latest example of this. Chelsea are unique because they entered the market at its lowest point and they have clever people upstairs who have limited spending for the last 2 seasons.

Finally, what's the word with the United debt. Sounds like they can never repay it and the Glazers are just banking on someone like DIC to buy them out and make them a handsome profit. Well I for one hope that their house of cards gets blown down and the creditors come in to get their money back in tough financial times. Once Ronaldo leaves United the Big 3 may well become the Big 2. You can always hope.

[StrikerViper]

Congrats on getting Jeff on the Pod this week. He is a legend and probably the best person at his job. It's good to get his insight on Soccer Saturday.

With all the pending talk on summer transfers, I was wondering if Guillem could give some insight into potential Spanish bargains? It is my understanding that dispite Valencia probably surviving relegation, that many players will leave due to their huge debt incorporated by their new stadium plans.

With Real Zaragoza looking like they may go down, surely they are huge bargains to be made. Players like Milito, Luccin, Aimar, Sergio García. And Villa, Silva, Joaquín, Marchena, Banega and Vicente (if fit!).

Any sign of any of these going on the cheap and to the Premiership?

[Gabriele Marcotti]

1. Colsyd - We did talk about Nani and, as I recall, Cas made the point that he would "learn from it". Personally I think it was ridiculous and there wasn't much to say: his actions were so obvious and despicable, there isn't much to an analyse.
2. Matt A - Like you, I'm rather confused on this Barry thing. I don't think he can effectively play left or right midfield in Rafa's system, because pace and acceleration are not his best assets and you need that the way Rafa has been playing. He could play leftback I suppose but everything points to central midfield. And, obviously, with Xabi Alonso, Mascherano and Lucas (who, I'm told, Rafa really rates) it would appear that there is some heavy rotation ahead. I don't think it makes sense to spend that kind of money on a guy you're planning to rotate, unless, of course, Xabi Alonso were to be sold. Which, I'm told, is a possibility.
So is Barry for Xabi Alonso an upgrade? Maybe. The two are the same age, but I certainly wouldn't have thought that position was a priority for Liverpool.

[Matt A.]

Guillem, I think you have misunderstood Liverpool fans concerns. Yes, Barry is an excellent player and the majority of us back Rafa getting him, the problem is that we have a lot of quality in the middle of the park. Yes he is versatile and can play in other positions, but I'm sure your co-hosts would agree that he is best played in the middle. So the question is: Why? When our wide positions need strengthening more? You most likely know, but we don't. It's merely puzzling to us not in the know.
You always have naysayers when signings are made, but they were in the minority with those five signings you mentioned. And dear God we don't want to be like Chelsea! Just for Rafa to spend whatever transfer funds he has on positions that need the most attention...
Can I ask for your opinion Gab?

[ColSyd]

Good pod (again), fellas. A couple of comments. At the risk of sounding like I'm still rubbing sticks together to make fire, I was surprised that nobody commented on Nani's outrageous and pathetic attempts to con the referee by going down like the proverbial sack of spuds after he's put the head into Lucas Neil. I know Guillem thinks that kidding the ref to gain advantage is all part of the game, and should be applauded when done well, but I think it's reached a new low when blatant cheating in such a high-profile game passes without comment. If my lad pulled a stunt like that, he's end up with more than a two-match ban and no pocket money for a couple of weeks. Second, while the constant discussion about the finances of Liverpool and the fifty reasons why they are still one of the 'big four' despite not having won the league for 20 years is all very interesting, there are 91 other clubs in the league....

[Will]

Guillem, well said. I've seen Barry a lot and really think he's a very good player, proven in the league, and is a good fit for the club. He's versatile and has a great head, but I like Alonso, though he had some poor patches this year, and central midfield jumps out as the one of the places that doesn't need immediate attention.

It has nothing to do with him not being the calibre of a "big signing". I'm not expecting Benzema, Ronaldinho, Silva, or Villa, and I don't expect big signings to cost a fortune, but to say that Liverpool fans want to buy like Chelsea, and insinuating that we scrutinize new signings because we don't see quality is wrong.

I don't think many knowledgeable fans doubted Masch, and Torres made people nervous because he was our first, and so far only, Man U./ Chelsea type signing. Unlike them we don't know another huge signing, flop or otherwise, is around the corner and except for a few international tournaments I for one couldn't see him for myself. No one thought he was going to score 30, even those who scouted him probably didn't dream of a first year like this.

Besides some of us were skeptical of the many years pursuit of Mark Gonzales too.

[Martin]

Guillem, Torres and Mascherano cost a combined total of 38million, these players don't exactly fit into rafa's idea of cheap unknowns. Apart from Torres, all the players you have mentioned are defensive players, why are there no attacking players in that list (again Torres aside). It seems very poor that after four years in charge of a club Benitez has only managed to find two effective attacking options for Liverpool; Gerrard doesn't really count as he was already there and Rafa insists on playing him out of position just so he can get two defensive midfielders in against lower table teams. This proves that Benitez has for the most part been a failure in the transfer market when signing his lesser known attacking options. The fact is he has wasted alot of money on mediocre attacking options, who he can rotate, when he would have been better off spending the money on 1 or 2 top quality attacking players each season (ie like Man Utd, though it pains me to say as a Liverpool fan). Nunez, Garcia, Morientes, Zenden, Crouch, Gonzalez, Fowler, Bellamy, Pennant, Kuyt, Leto, Voronin, Benayoun- some of these players may have been free, but their wages were/are not. Are any of those players good enough for Chelsea, Man Utd and even Arsenal? The answer is obviously no. Not many Liverpool fans are upset that Barry is probably going to be signed this summer, they are upset that the team is crying out for quality top-class players on both wings and a quality back-up striker for Torres (aswell as better full-back than the dreadful Degen), the team needs players who can win matches other than Torres and Gerrard (this is the reason the team has drawn so many premier league games this season, over-reliance on those two). There seems to be an ulterior motive here by Benitez, with the DIC coming in it looks as though he is sending out a message to them that he will will not be forced to spend money and buy some of the best players around; hence why he is so obsessed with buying most of his players within the next 3 weeks. The simple truth is that Benitez will never win the premier league unless he changes his approach to signing players and buys top quality attacking players. A perfect example is last summer when he bought Benayoun and Babel for the wings, he could have put that money together and bought Ribery before he went to Bayern Munich. Neither Babel or Benayoun have produced consistently enough this season, and neither are wingers. Unless he changes his approach then the DIC will replace him as manager after next season because Rafa's excuses for failure in the league are running a little thin now.

[Nick]

I've heard that signings like David Silva and Maxi Rodriguez are unlikely to happen at Liverpool in pre season. With that in mind, it looks as though there could be some real baragins on the market this summer - players like Joaquin, Riera, Reyes and dos Santos are rumoured to be available. I think we'd do well to get a couple of those players added to Gareth Barry, Philipp Degen and a quality left back.

[Lui]

Hi Guillem, I appreciate what you are saying and I appreciate that you know an awful lot more about football and any signings Rafa is going to make this summer. I'm not thinking Liverpool are like Chelsea and can spend fortunes on endless amounts of players. A couple of seasons ago we signed the likes of Bellamy and Pennant, Crouch, because they were the best we could get. If we are just getting rid of these players and bringing more players of a similar nature. Then I'm not sure what the point is. I would rather see some youth players develop in the first team than bring in some squad players only to sell them two years later. As for Barry. He's a top player. However, if we lose Alonso to Spain or if we are going to play him on the right when he's got a natural left foot(? please say that isn't true) then I don't think we've added to our squad. I would take Alonso over Barry any day. Okay, his form at the start of the season wasn't good but he has been superb at the end. I think I would even take Lucas over Barry on his form this season.

[Guillem Balague]

What is so wrong with Gareth Barry being the top signing of the season? Why do Liverpool fans insist in believing that their club is another version of Chelsea signing some of the most talked about (but not necessarily best) players around? I bet it is boring to chat in forums about the qualities of players most people don’t know anything about but I heard lots of criticisms when Liverpool signed Reina, Skirtel, Agger, Mascherano, even Torres. But they have become essential to the club and excellent players. That is and will be the kind of signings Benitez is going to be doing. So getting what is, in the eyes of most Premiership managers I talk to, one of the best players of the competition should be considered a success (well, if it happens which I think it will). And by the way, if the graphics of The Times were not wrong, Barry played right midfield against Wigan. And I have seen him in that position in a midfield three and a midfield four too.

[Keenan]

For me Guillem is a breath of fresh air in respect of comments made about Liverpool. Whether Guillem is a Liverpool fan or Not? he makes relevant comments based on informed knowledge, instead of the majority of the British media who are totally biased toward Liverpool. I mentioned in another post that the media were constantly questioning the rotation policy at Liverpool when they have no understanding of it or its place in modern football. Just ask a certain Jose Mourinho, who believes it is the future of football (check out his biography by the author Luis Lourenco, rotation contributed to Porto winning the Portugese league title and Champions League in one season), if Mourinho rotated he was never taken to task on it but if Benitez does it, he costs Liverpool the league title??? I ask where is the consistency. So for me, I'd rather listen to Mr Balague as he seems to have a more informed understanding on modern football, irrespective of who he supports!

[Ethicalstrategy]

I just wanted to echo REUBEN ANDERSON's thoughts. I know Guillem is a Liverpool fan but to suggest that the difference between the two sides was simply the left back is pathetic.

In the last month or so Chelsea have swept aside Arsenal, Man U and Liverpool to reach the final weekend of the season level at the top of the Premier League and the CL Final and are in the best form of their season.

Bill Edgar should be embarrassed that Utd play like a lower tier side when up against other top teams domestically and in Europe. When did Ferguson last put faith in his own convictions and play Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo up front in a big match?

[Gabriele Marcotti]

1. Greg - Jeff was a GUEST on our show. That doesn't mean that we have to treat him with kid gloves (hence Guillem's question) but it doesn't mean he's there to justify the show's editorial decision in terms of who they put on (and, besides, it's not as if he makes every single decision for that show). Guillem asked a fair question and he answered it fairly. Sky are not a public service, they have a formula for that show which they believe works and the evidence in terms of ratings and sponsorship points to the fact that it does work. You may not like seeing Merson and Le Tissier, but many obviously do. If people didn't like them, ratings would plummet and they'd find somebody new.
Personally, I don't watch the show,largely because I have other and better options (like seeing live games) but people obviously seem to like it. I thought Jeff was honest, especially when he told us that he didn't think we'd see a woman on as a pundit over the next few years. Personally, I think it's a shame and I disagree with his reasons (e.g. you don't need to have been a great footballer to be a good pundit, you just need to know the game: Gordon McQueen is not on Jeff's show for his past ability or fame as footballer, he's there because he knows the game and for his ability as a pundit... I would think there are women coaches and ex-players who might also make good pundits).
2.Will - As I said many times: "MICHAEL ESSIEN IS THE WHOLE FREAKING SHOW". As for the 50 transfer targets, let's see how many move over the summer.
3. Boubacar - What you are proposing is a salary cap. There are three immediate obvious problems. The first is a legal, restraint of trade issue. The second has to do with enforcement: it would only work if it applied worldwide and if there weren't so many easy ways to get around it (off-shore payments, etc.). The third is pretty basic; we've always had bigger clubs and smaller clubs, wealthy philantrophists and people willing to lose money. It's worked OK for a 100 years. Why change that? I'd be far more open to a "luxury tax" than a "wage cap".
4. PH - Well said, I couldn't agree more.
5. Mel - I hope you're referring to the others. I stuck up for Grant when everybody treated him like a disease. And we've been accused of a pro-Chelsea bias in the past.
6. Reuben - A very good point. Sidwell hasn't been adequately replaced at Reading.

[Lui]

I find the fact that Rafa has to offer Aston Villa 7-8 players for Barry kinda embarrassing - we should be able to make a money bid for Barry. I know exactly what's going to happen this summer, all the players who aren't quite up to scratch ( Crouch, Pennant, Rise, Carson) will be shipped out, only to be replaced with another batch of players who are on the cheap beacause they also, aren't quite up to scratch. Despite the hype we won't bid for David Villa, Alves or Eto. At most we'll get Barry, Degan and Aron Ramsy. Rafa will buy another hundred youth players which we'll never get to see. To top it all off Alonso could be leaving and if Barry is his replacement - then that's a step back in my opinion. So here's my next season preview - Liverpool struggle to get fourth, Gerrard says he can't go another year without challenging and the new stadium will still be on the drawing board ready for work to begin "as soon as possible." I'm a liverpool fan by the way.

[reuben anderson]

Reading ... what no mention of the loss of Sidwell? He was clearly and obviously the driving force behind Reading last year and they were always going to struggle without him.

[Mel]

So where IS the Chelsea love? The closest race for the Premiership ever and only a passing mention. What about the resurgent Ballack, what about Grant & his position next year. What about Lampard & his performance against L'pool. I could go on. Where is the intelligent punditry that you guys so proudly trumpet? Instead we got an over analysed 4-1 thrashing and recycled Liverpool Champions League nonsense. And in case you missed it Liverpool lost.

Thank god for the relegation battle, without that this podcast would not have been worth the download.

[PH]

Modern football isn't as simple as playing the way your 'meant to play' and winning. Look where that got Barcelona, look where that got Real Madrid. As a United fan am i disappointed that we didn't play our best players in our best positions? Yes. But i'm also pretty sure that if we had we wouldn't have been able to keep the ball against a technically superior Barcelona side and force them to frustrate themselves through the middle in order to pose them a problem on the break.

Still, i maintain (as a fan) that if we had played the magical triumvirate that worked so well for us earlier in the season against the best teams in Europe and we were fully fit then yes, i would like to think we could prevail and/or even dominate many European teams. In the end, with the amount of times Fergie has been so close and yet so far, it was best to err on the side of caution. Last year against Milan was a wake up call in many respects, you can't expect to concede twice at home in a two leg tie and go away to win the tie.

[Matt A.]

Guillem, are you saying that Barry will be the ONLY big signing that Rafa will make? A central-midfielder? Regardless of
the fact that other positions need strengthening, ie, wide positions... If so, I can imagine that Alonso will be off.

Although I think you might be stirring, because if Rafa has to offload players to get Barry (our big signing), then that must mean that there are no transfer funds available. I find that hard to believe.

Good work on the podcast, always enjoyable. Oh and does this Euro podcast exist or am I slowly losing the plot?

[Tom Eldridge]

Hi Guillem, I hope your not being facetious with your comments that Barry would be as big as it gets for

Liverpool this summer. After watching Chelsea bring off the bench 2 French Intl starters who cost £30m compared with our options of the pony tailed one and Pennant, it seems obvious that more quality is required.

I know you like to get the Liverpool fans talking but please don't set us up for a summer of depression with comments like that. I'm not going to trot out an unrealistic list like I read on some sites (we shud swop Crouch 4 Aguero and Pennant fore Kaka den we shud buy Puyol and win the leeg 4 sure!)but I am hoping that we are shopping for players of the calibre of Silva, Srna, Quaresma, Zapata, Rafinha and Diego, who like Torres last year are on the brink of something big and like the club, are looking to make a step up.

Despite what "experts" and the gutter press say, Rafa has not spent a fortune in his tenure. An average net spend of £22.5m over each of the four seasons does not seem extravagant when compared to the spending of clubs like Spurs and Newcastle who seem to show no correlation between league position and money spent.

Rant over, if you haven’t got any good rumours would you mind making one up to cheer us up!

[boubacar lillongwe]

On the Gareth Barry to replace Xabi Alonso transfer didn't Guillem say that a deal had ALREADY been done for an England international who could play on the RIGHT. Hmmmm. Something doesn't add up unless Senor Balague was exaggerating. Barry's started his career in a back 3 then moved to left back, left wing and now centre mid. Don't know how good he'd look on the right, especially if Benitez sensibly carries on with his current formation.

On Keegan's comments about the unfairness of the Prem all, on the surface I quite like League 2's policy of fixing a club's wage bill to 60% of its turnover. Sure if every club was managed by a Wenger you'd have real competition but managers like Curbs and Keano only buy from a limited supply of players, crowd the market out and artifically inflate wages and transfer fees. Scotland shows that restricting clubs' player make up can force progressive solutions. Sure what Chelsea, Man U and Portsmouth have done this season is amazing but they all racked up multi multi million pound debts while a properly run club like Reading may well drop out.

But the FA and Premier League are a disgrace. They'll never try to sensibly manage the clubs. None of these incompetent relics have the honour to resign, no wonder they spawned McClaren, and let sensible people run our football.

Until we reward efficient teams the billionaires of the world can come along, drug a club on money, take a ridiculous financial hit, refinance the debt on the back of future ticket sales, hike up prices and ruin what other teams have been endogenously growing for years. Is it really right that because Gorbachev privatised the Soviet Union's state supercompanies Chelsea now have the greatest squad of players in Europe and have changed the history of football forever? Linking wages to turnover means that clubs have to earn their way to the top and that is what sport is about.

Dwain Chambers is disgraced, but Chelsea's results are applauded. They're both cheats as far as i'm concerned, but cheating and winning is still difficult so respect to the players and coaches, but their route to victory is totally unethical.

[Will]

Great show again. Wish you guys did it more often or it was longer. I've been forced to listen to another paper's dreadful Thursday podcast. Apparently some people want downloadable talk radio with more bad puns than football talk.

Why are Liverpool making Barry their big signing? He's a good player, but I would have thought they had more pressing needs. Spose not...

Mr. Balague, in honesty how do you think Lucas is developing?

A question for the panel: Should have Essien's semi final goal been called back? Seemed like an obvious case of offsides, but almost every article on the game I've read suggests it was a dubious call.

On the subject of Essien. How can they keep sticking him at right back or occasionally on the bench? Criminally undervalued by his own club, and many pundits, I think. He's good anywhere, but not to have him in central midfield is stupid. Don't get me wrong, they're obviously doing quite well and I'm sure they're winning enough to keep him happy, but I think he should go to Spain or Italy, or a rival club in England. Please.

Gab, I hope you're prepping a top 50 transfer targets article. You January one was a good read, though I suppose most of the players are still in place...

Bill, no need to reply.

[Greg Simmons]

When asking Jeff Stelling about the quality of 'pundits' on Soccer Saturday, I'm afraid Guillem bottled it even worse than Super Aguri the day the bank manager came knocking.

Surely the redtop analysis of morons like Merson and Le Tissier represents everything you guys are against when it comes to football coverage?

I accept that you did bring the subject up with Jeff, but the question was so weak even a five-year-old girl would possess enough strength to hit it for six. Was it a case of not wanting to risk causing offence? Hmm... maybe the boys from MOTD aren't the only ones who limit objectivity by getting too close.

[Jatinder Singh]

hi guillem. firstly can i thank you for your briiliant work and continued support for liverpool football club. it was interesting to hear you say that barry would be the ONLY big signing for liverpool this season, why is this the case? clearly we haven't got much money available but i worked out that through player sales rafa could raise up to as much as £40m with 10 players departing. if rafa has got his hands tied around his back i think its impossible for liverpool fans to think we can win the league anytime soon with chelsea and man utd continuing to spend and improve. also if as rumored to be the case, DIC has agreed to buy out gillett and will announce it after the may deadline, why can't more funds be made available for rafa?