Sam Allardyce
Former West Ham manager on BBC Radio 5 live

Former West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was on BBC Radio 5 live last night and let us in on a transfer deadline day signing story. It's a good one so here goes...

"In January we thought we’d got Emmanuel Adebayor on loan for West Ham. We let Carlton Cole travel to West Brom but with 20 minutes to go before the deadline we couldn’t get Adebayor," said Allardyce.

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"It was my job to pick the phone up and tell Carlton he couldn’t go. The air went blue. We exchanged some very explicit words to one another. It was horrific having to tell him he couldn’t go. We had told him he could. 

"I wasn’t sure I was going to see him for a few days – I would have let him take some time off. 

"But he’s a great lad, he can’t be angry with anyone too long. He came back, we had a chat and it was all over. He played a good part in the back-end of the season."

Surely this has to be the stat of the week, as unearthed by my colleague Chris Bevan...

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Four!

Ian Wright, who knows a thing or two about making a debut after a big-money move (he was Arsenal's record buy when he signed for £2.5m in 1991), has been writing about Manchester United's new £36m signing Anthony Martial on this website this week.

"On paper, what he has done is not that impressive. If Martial had scored 25-30 goals I would be thinking 'that's only in Ligue 1' and he has not even got close to that.

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"His goalscoring record does not say to me that he is going to be the new Sergio Aguero, but I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

"I am not on my own in not knowing what to expect from him, let alone where he will play, but being a bit of an unknown quantity will help him against Liverpool."

You can read more from Wright here.

Steve Wilson
BBC Match of the Day commentator

"Wayne Rooney may feel a pressure has been lifted from his shoulders, but club managers rarely get that luxury and Messrs Van Gaal and Rodgers were both under scrutiny following Premier League defeats before the international break.

"Liverpool's was the more surprising. West Ham made them look very ordinary at Anfield - or 'bang average' as Harry Redknapp put it. Two goals in four games, one worldie and one off-side, is hardly the stuff of legend.

"Manchester United aren't scoring freely either, and it's interesting to note that while Rooney's last 10 international goals have come in 12 games, his last 10 club goals have come in 30."

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This morning we're asking you, in tandem with the Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live: Which footballer did your mother "quite like" - and why.

David Forrest: My mum always had a thing for Mark Hateley.

Lakha: My mum had a thing for Cristiano Ronaldo... but don't we all.

Tweet us on #bbcfootball,, external or post on the BBC Sport Facebook page, external. 

You can also text us on 81111 from UK mobiles. Don't forget to say who you are.

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The two teams might only be playing their fifth league game of the season, but BBC football pundit Mark Lawrenson thinks the match between Manchester United and Liverpool is one neither manager can afford to lose.

"Whatever happens at Old Trafford, there will be an over-reaction concerning the beaten team," he said. "Defeat would not actually be a crisis, but the loser would find himself under that kind of scrutiny."

You can read more from Lawro on the day's big match here.

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This morning we're asking you, in tandem with the Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live: Which footballer did your mother "quite like" - and why.

Aaron Jell: My mum always had a thing for Dennis Wise. A cheeky chappy with one hell of a work rate.

Scott Banks: My mum always had a thing for Thierry Henry - I think it was a mix of talent, flair and the accent!

Tweet us on #bbcfootball,, external or post on the BBC Sport Facebook page, external. 

You can also text us on 81111 from UK mobiles. Don't forget to say who you are.

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Marcos Rojo is a fan of Louis van Gaal apparently, but he has a rather unique way of expressing it.

The Mail reports, external an interview Rojo has given to Fox Sports Argentina, in which he apparently said of his manager: 'He has a bulldog face, but he is great guy.

"He's scary at first, but when you get to know him and relate to him on a daily basis, you get along. But only if you listen to him.

"He has a really strong personality, but he is a great person. He listens to us, and even speaks a little bit of Spanish, so he always takes me to his office for a pep talk.' 

Apart from showing off his football chanting skills, Louis van Gaal also insisted he is not a dictator after reports that many of his players were unhappy.

Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick told him the dressing room mood was flat.

"That was alarming because they are the captains so I went to the dressing room," said Van Gaal. "Believe me, it is like that. I am not a dictator - I am a communicator."

Van Gaal said it was "positive" that captain Rooney and vice-captain Carrick had approached him.

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BBC Radio 5 Live

Former West Ham manager Sam Allardyce and ex-Republic of Ireland winger Kevin Kilbane were chewing the proverbial fat last night on BBC Radio 5 live on a whole range of subjects.

Allardyce said: "I would have thought David De Gea would see his contract out and move to Real Madrid as a free agent on a much bigger contract. I think he’ll be here for a few years. It puts all doubt away for a while."

Kilbane didn't agree: "He is one of the best keepers in the world. It’s a win-win situation.They’d be fully compensated if he left. He’d probably have got a hell of a lot more money if he’d seen his contract out and left next summer. I still think he’ll go - whether that’s next summer or the following one."

If Real Madrid hoped to get Manchester United keeper David De Gea on the cheap when his contract expired next summer, they will have to think again.

De Gea's move to the Spanish giants failed to materialise because the necessary paperwork was not submitted in time, external and he has now signed a new-four year contract with United.

Image source, PA

"I'm looking forward to putting a difficult summer behind me and working hard," said De Gea.

I'd love to know what release clauses are in that deal...

De Gea will presumably return to the United starting XI when they face Liverpool at Old Trafford at 17:30 BST.

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This morning we're asking you, in tandem with the Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live: Which footballer did your mother "quite like" - and why.

Matthew Lang: My mum had a huge crush on Ray 'Butch' Wilkins before he lost his hair!   

Jacob: My mum always loved Kevin Keegan because of his long curly hair.

Tweet us on #bbcfootball,, external or post on the BBC Sport Facebook page, external. 

You can also text us on 81111 from UK mobiles. Don't forget to say who you are.

Bastian Schweinsteiger was thought to have cost Manchester United about £14m-£15m when he joined from Bayern Munich in the summer but it appears the fee was about £8m off.

TSV 1860 Rosenheim were the midfielder's first club and revealed earlier this week that they will get a cut of the fee.

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“The transfer fee adds up to 9m euros (£6.5m),” said the German club on their official website.

“We have been credited for two years (that Schweinsteiger spent at the club).”

The Daily Telegraph's front page of its sports section is based around a column from former Manchester United defender Gary Neville .

"My support for Louis van Gaal is unchanged but there are red flags on some of the things we’ve seen at the club," said Neville., external

"It’s quite clear that all is not rosy now, either, with the player tensions, external and the sometimes stagnant football, external, but I still believe United should stand by Van Gaal through this season and the start of next.

"He is at the point, though, where he has to start delivering the performances that go with the fantastic amount of money he has been given and the incredible support from the fans."

It's no surprise that Louis van Gaal is dominating the back pages with his Manchester United side playing arch rivals Liverpool in today's 17:30 kick-off.

Here's the Daily Telegraph... 

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This morning we're asking you, in tandem with the Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live: Which footballer did your mother "quite like" - and why.

ESL: My mother has always, inexplicably, had a thing for Shay Given. No idea why. 

Tweet us on #bbcfootball,, external or post on the BBC Sport Facebook page, external. 

You can also text us on 81111 from UK mobiles. Don't forget to say who you are.

If you can't wait until lunchtime for your football fix, you can also watch the Women's Football Show right now on BBC Two and you can watch it at the top of this page as well.

They've just been behind the scenes with four Bristol Academy players who all live in the same house and wash their own kit. You don't get that in the Premier League.

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Let's start with the quite extraordinary events at Manchester United. It's not often you hear a manager burst into a chant the fans sing about him so let's enjoy United boss Louis van Gaal doing so.

He's turning out to be a massive character who is even putting Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho in the shade with his antics.

His latest outburst saw him belt out a fist-punching rendition of 'Louis Van Gaal's army, Louis Van Gaal's army' in response to questions of fan unrest.

Like I said, quite extraordinary and you can watch it here.

We are also nothing without your input and here's where we want your help. Each week we team up with the Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live to discuss a slightly left-field topic, chosen by Danny himself.

This week: Which footballer did your mother "quite like" - and why.

I can't be the only one whose mum had a soft spot for Gary Lineker, can I?

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