Afternoon all!

Thanks Mandeep. He has been playing the lone striker role over the last few hours and, rather like Olivier Giroud, I'm arriving to take some of the pressure off my team-mate.

In less than 45 minutes, our feast of Saturday football will begin when West Brom v Arsenal arrives at the Premier League table. As soon as we polish that one off, we have six more top-flight matches starting at 15:00 GMT.

And, if you've still got the stomach for it, Sunderland v Chelsea is our dessert at 17:30 GMT. Ready? Let's tuck in.

Image source, Getty Images

Right that's it from me. I'm off to see if it's safe to go to the supermarket again after the mayhem of Black Friday. I'm handing over to Mr. Jurejko and you couldn't be in safer hands to stay in touch with the latest Premier League action. Enjoy.

As is now usual on a Saturday morning we have been working with The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live, and today we'd like you to send in your stories, external about spotting world famous players in mundane surroundings.

Image source, @chriswc1999

Chris Chandler: I once met the whole Brazil team at a health spa. Here's me and Ronny.

Image source, @nicbillot

Nic Billot: Met Ronaldo (the real one) at the gym last week - he's definitely still got it.

Phil Duckworth: I did some photocopies for Jack Charlton in a stationary shop in Stockport.

Big Jack's no match for Big Ron though is he?

You can join the conversation using #bbcfootball on Twitter,, external send us a text on 81111 (UK only), or post a comment on the Match of the Day Facebook, external or BBC Sport Google+ page., external

*Traffic update klaxon*

BBC Radio 5 live is usually your calling point for traffic news, but when a big incident affect the footballing fraternity we're going to tell you about it.

And it's bad news for any football fans travelling to and from the north-east of England today. The A1 road has been closed in North Yorkshire after reports of an explosion near Catterick.

A six-mile (10km) stretch of the road has been closed, and is likely to affect Newcastle fans travelling down to West Ham and Blackburn supporters going to Middlesbrough.

West Brom top scorer Saido Berahino plays despite the revelation of his arrest for alleged drink-driving. Midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu returns to the side, while defender Sebastien Pocognoli was a doubt but makes the starting line-up.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud makes his first start since August after returning from a broken leg and coming off the bench to score in the defeat by Manchester United last week. He partners Danny Welbeck up front. Centre-back Laurent Koscielny is also back for his first game since 5 October.

West Brom: Foster, Wisdom, Lescott, Dawson, Pocognoli, Gardner, Mulumbu, Brunt, Dorrans, Sessegnon, Berahino.

Arsenal XI: Martinez, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Welbeck, Alexis, Cazorla, Giroud.

As is now usual on a Saturday morning we have been working with The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live, and today we'd like you to send in your stories, external about spotting world famous players in mundane surroundings.

And if you've got any photographic evidence, we'd love to see it.

Jason Smith: At a vehicle check point in Newry I stopped a car and asked the driver for identification. He pulled out a picture driving licence with the name "Patrick Jennings". I asked him to open the boot and inside there was a set of golf clubs. I asked him if he was any good at golf, he replied: "No, but I'm pretty good at football". I bid him good night. As he pulled away I realised, that it was Pat Jennings - Arsenal, Tottenham and Northern Ireland goalkeeper.

Nicholas Simon Dryer: I served Jordi Cruyf with a copy of Championship Manager in PC World Manchester.

Les Barnes: Saw the legend Peter Beardsley in my local Chinese takeaway.

Ben Larthe: I once served Titus Bramble in Tesco the night before a Newcastle game, he bought a six pack of iced doughnuts. Not a strange place, but a funny story.

You can join the conversation using #bbcfootball on Twitter,, external send us a text on 81111 (UK only), or post a comment on the Match of the Day Facebook, external or BBC Sport Google+ page., external

Football Focus
BBC Sport

Fiorentina loanee and Manchester City defender Micah Richards will be on Football Focus, which starts at 12:10 GMT on BBC One, apart from in Scotland where you can watch it on BBC Two.

Richards will be discussing his time at City, his England hopes and talking about life in Italy. Make sure you tune in but here's a little snippet:

"Sometimes, when English players do well at a young age they get thrown in and get spat back out three or four years later. I was brought through too young," he says. "If you put me in an England shirt now, I'd be 10 times better than I was.

Image source, Getty Images

"I had a couple of good seasons with City but positionally I wasn't good enough. Technically, I was not international standard."

You can read more from Micah's interview on Football Focus here.

John Hartson
BBC Radio 5 live

"Alan Pardew has always seemed like a man with plenty of character and plenty of fight. He's won six in a row so deserves an awful amount of credit. Newcastle could go into the top four with a point West Ham."

Sunday Mirror football writer Andy Dunn: "I was at Newcastle's game against Hull - and it did smack of a last throw of the dice for Alan Pardew. But what's fascinating about that game - and we talk about players and whether they are behind a manager or not - is when Hull went 2-0 up you sensed these Newcastle players had a chance, if they wanted to, to get Pardew out. But they didn't.

"They showed in that game they were behind the manager and I think what happened then was that the fans saw the players were behind Pardew and they essentially ended this vehement campaign to get him out."

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew taking flak from Magpies supporters helped protect the players during their winless spell earlier in the season, reckons Hull City winger Robert Snodgrass.

"That takes the pressure off the players and he took a lot of criticism. He must hang been hanging on. I was surprised he kept his job to be honest," says the Scotland international.

"The turning point actually came against us at Hull. We were 2-0 up and they pulled it back to 2-2 when Cisse scored two late goals. That probably kept him in his job.

"People that want it that bad, put their neck on the line, and the players take it upon themselves to say 'lads, the manager's taking some criticism here. We need to muck in as well'. Fair play to the players and him."

As is now usual on a Saturday morning we have been working with The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live, and today we'd like you to send in your stories, external about spotting world famous players in mundane surroundings.

And if you've got any photographic evidence, we'd love to see it.

Image source, @karimdaffy

Karim Dalfash: Juan Mata in a fast food restaurant in Wandsworth, three summers ago in his Chelsea days. He ordered a Big Mac, no one spotted him.

Charlie Warner: My dad and I met Peter Beardsley at Disneyland about 10 years ago. Still have his autograph on the same page as Mickey Mouse!

Alex Mosely: My dad sold Dennis Bergkamp a carpet in Edgware about 15 years ago. Didn't know it was him until he wrote the cheque!

You can join the conversation using #bbcfootball on Twitter,, external send us a text on 81111 (UK only), or post a comment on the Match of the Day Facebook, external or BBC Sport Google+ page., external

We've got a packed day of Premier League action today and here's a little reminder of the eight games taking place. (Kick-off at 15:00 GMT unless stated.

West Brom v Arsenal (12:45 GMT)

Burnley v Aston Villa

Liverpool v Stoke

Man Utd v Hull

QPR v Leicester

Swansea v Crystal Palace

West Ham v Newcastle

Sunderland v Chelsea (17:30 GMT)

Image source, Getty Images

I doubt many football agents were rushing around on Black Friday trying to grab a bargain.

Figures released show that Premier League clubs paid a record £115m to agents in the 12 months to the end of September 2014. Hold on a minute while I just take that in - £115m!!

Chelsea forked out the most by spending £16.8m, while Liverpool provided £14.3m to agents and Premier League champions Manchester City dishing out £12.8m.

Manchester United spent just short of £8m, almost double their previous year's spending with agents of £4.3m.

As is now usual on a Saturday morning, we have been working with The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live and today we'd like you to send in your stories about spotting world famous players in mundane surroundings.

Barry B: I bumped into the legend Gheorge Hagi at Sydney Zoo, Paul Gascoigne on the Stansted Express, Alan Shearer and Rudi Voller at the Brandenburg Gate, Bruce Grobbelaar in a sauna in Cranleigh, George Best in Surbiton and finally Ian Wright kicking a bottle of water in frustration during England v Portugal in Gelsenkirchen.

Image source, Getty Images

Pete, Lincoln: Served Mart Poom in a record shop in Derby. I remember he bought some pink Floyd CDs and David Gilmore solo stuff! Not bad taste for a footballer!

Tony, Bickley: Once saw Alan Shearer on a flight to Barcelona. What was embarrassing was my mum thought it was Robson Green. Safe to say he told us he was Alan Shearer and not Robson Green.

You can join the conversation using #bbcfootball on Twitter,, external send us a text on 81111 (UK only), or post a comment on the Match of the Day Facebook, external or BBC Sport Google+ page., external

Please remember to add your name and location to any text message you send.

BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, PA

Sunday Mirror football writer Andy Dunn believes suggestions that Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers could face the sack are premature.

"What he did last season gives him a season's credit. He will have until end of the season at least," he says.

"The owners will have no appetite for sacking him. Unless Liverpool face the possibility of relegation they won't do anything until next summer when they will reassure him or make a change."

John Hartson
BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, Getty Images

"I was surprised when Brendan Rodgers talked in the week about a lack of confidence in the Liverpool squad.

"Two of the great things about Brendan are that he is fantastic man manager and he is a great motivator. So when he says that there is a lack of confidence in the team, that has got to stem from the manager. And that's alarming.

"But other than Steven Gerrard, there are not many leaders in the team. No one is commanding and there is a lack of leadership."

As is now usual on a Saturday morning we are working with The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live and today we'd like you to send in your stories, external about spotting world famous players in mundane surroundings.

And if you've got any photographic evidence, we'd love to see it.

KissMyBas: Saw Jesus Navas last night outside a Spanish restaurant in the Trafford Centre!

Image source, @kissmybas

Malcom Buckley: I once saw David Seaman in a shop in Altrincham on Christmas Eve, browsing DVDs and looking slightly stressed.

Christopher Halsall: Met Edwin Van Der Sar in the queue for Legolands logflume. The pen was too wet to work, he said: "this is not a very good pen."

You can join the conversation using #bbcfootball on Twitter,, external send us a text on 81111 (UK only), or post a comment on the Match of the Day Facebook, external or BBC Sport Google+ page., external

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger might be coming in for some stick but another manager feeling the heat is Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers.

He could hardly do anything wrong last season in leading the Reds to seventh and back into the Champions League.

This season has not lived up to expectations though. Liverpool are 12th having lost three and drawn one in their last four league outings.

"A few months ago I was the manager of the year, now I'm favourite to get the sack," said Rodgers, whose side host Stoke today.

Image source, Daily Star

On the back of Robin van Persie's struggles against Arsenal, Louis van Gaal, according to the Daily Star, is apparently considering dropping his fellow Dutchman, external for the game against Hull today.

Van Persie has scored just three goals for United this season and his last one came just over a month ago.