The Debrief: Special night for Ipswich & more misery for Manchester United
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So what an evening it's been in the Premier League. Aston Villa held to a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton and Newcastle piled on the misery at Old Trafford after a 2-0 win against Manchester United. We'll look back at both of those games over the next half an hour or so with Paul Robinson, Izzy Christensen and Mark Allbrighton.

But there's only one place to start, and that is an historic night at Portman Road, as Ipswich Town beat Chelsea by two goals to nil. We'll get to Paul Robinson and Mike Miney in just a moment. They were at the game for us. But first, here's Kieran McKenna with Andy Gillies after the match. Yeah, well, Kieran, I think you are going to have a very, very happy new year. And I think 29,000 other people here tonight are going to have a very, very happy new year. I think so. Yeah, brilliant night for us, of course. First, the...

First win at Portman Road in the Premier League for 22 years and a great way to do it. What was the key tonight? Watching from the sidelines, I think everyone here talking to you now would sense that there was a real belief and a real determination and a real edge about your play right from the beginning. It was everything it needed to be. I thought we came out really fast, really aggressive, tried to impose ourselves in the game, scored, which is important when you get a start like that with the penalty.

And then the rest of the game was what it needed to be for us to compete with a team like Chelsea. We defended, outstanding organisation, spirit, commitment throughout the game and we carried a threat on the counter-attack with the forwards and when we were able to release them, we always were able to get up the pitch and have chances even though we were against a lot of pressure, we were having chances throughout the game and that sort of typified probably in the second goal and I thought we saw the game out fantastically.

It was a fantastic team performance but there is I guess one person that everyone is going to be going home talking about tonight and that's Liam Dillap his performance was outstanding today Yeah there was a lot of outstandings I have to say so you know I personally wouldn't pick anyone out but I thought Liam was yeah he was incredible tonight and he's been like that in a lot of games this season and at times he was taking the ball and holding off 2-3-4 top top top defenders and going through the pitch by himself but yeah he was one of

you know, many, you know, incredible performances tonight. And he made a big call, you changed your goalkeeper as well and he played very well. Yeah, he did. He's deserved it to be fair. Yeah, I think anyone who's with Ipswich knows the backstory. He was our goalkeeper in League One when we got promoted. He got injured at the very start of the pre-season, or sorry, just before the season started in the Championship. So, had to

be behind Vaz and be second choice all of last season. He played well against Liverpool the first game of the season here and then he's had to wait patiently. He's been training well. We've got two very, very good senior goalkeepers at the club and everyone's delighted for Christian tonight. This must be a huge boost for you. You go into the turn of the year, you look where you are on the table, you're just a point off the team above the relegation places. You must have real hope that you can build on this now.

I think there's been hope in the performances in general. We've not had too many really off days, in my opinion. We've been there, we've been competing in almost every game up to the halfway point. There's only a couple that have got away from us. So, you know, if you're doing that, then you're always going to have a chance to pick up some results along the way. We probably feel like we were probably a few points short of what we could have had with some of the late goals and decisions that went against us in big moments. But, yeah, to get three points tonight, of course, is...

is always welcome but I think the main momentum comes from the group feeling like we're improving we're developing we're in games and we're not too far away So a very happy Kieran McKenna there Mike tell us how they did it I think Kieran McKenna was right there from the start it had to be fast and aggressive from Ipswich they were quick on the press straight away the first goal you think was always going to be key particularly from Ipswich if they'd gone behind their heads might have dropped and

they may have feared perhaps what Newcastle did here a couple of weeks ago but they didn't they scored first Liam de Lapt in the penalty there was a lengthy VAR check he stretched for the ball Chelsea's goalkeeper Philip Jorgensen came out to meet him

caught the leg there was a long VAR check how much contact will be the debate on that particularly from the Chelsea side it's which we're never going to complain into the bottom left hand corner goalie got the right way Cole Palmer was telling him which way to go but it wasn't enough it was well guided by Liam De Lappe Chelsea then after that started to

That started to put a little bit of pressure on João. Felix had a goal ruled out by VAR by a narrow offside. I haven't actually seen the lines themselves, but it was a lengthy delay as Michael Oliver in the VAR booth at Stockley Park was busy drawing the lines and checking various angles. He finished a Cole Palmer cross on the right-hand side from close range into the roof of the net.

But that check said no, it shouldn't stand. It was an illegal goal. So Ipswich held on to their 1-0 lead. Cole Palmer then hit the post. A free kick. Taken quickly a 1-2 with Enzo Fernandes. He hit the base of the left post. Ipswich were able to clear that. But the second half I think was quite telling as a story of the game. Amari Hutchinson got the second goal. A well-worked counter-attack by Ipswich. A lot of work by Liam De Lappe in that.

Amari Hutchinson, edge of the penalty area, steering into the bottom right-hand corner. Really good finish from the former Chelsea Academy player.

But then you think Chelsea had a lot of pressure, a lot of the ball. But actually, what did Christian Walton have to do as a big save? There was one big one in the first half that he tipped onto the crossbar. But in the second half, for all Chelsea's pressure, there wasn't a lot to say there in terms of shots. So hard fought from Ipswich. They had to have their backs to the wall at times. There was a lot of really solid defending from their back five as it was in the second half. And enough to see this place lift off at full time with a 2-0 win.

So as you'd expect, Paul, it was a tough and hard-fought win for Ipswich. But as Kieran McKenna said, there were some outstanding performances in there. Liam De Lappe is the one that will catch the eye, not just because he scored the penalty, but because he's a player who's caught the eye all season for Ipswich. He's been linked with some very big clubs, hasn't he? And there's some big clubs, as we know, that'll be looking to make some big moves in the January window.

Ipswich will do very, very well to hold on to him. Should they not survive in the Premier League, you can't see his future being here. But he's a quality player. He led the line on his own tonight. At times, they played with a back five, four in front of that back five. They defended resolutely as a unit, but he was always an outlet.

He was always a pest. He's a nuisance. I said it in commentary. He's a pest. He's a nuisance. He's always there on the shoulders of centre-halves. He's making runs in the channels. He's always available. And when it looks like he's not going to win the ball, he puts his body in between the defender and the ball and somehow manages to win a free kick or do something for his team. Perfect example of that was late in the game. They were winning 2-0 and he was isolated on his own 20, 30 yards from any of his midfielders that were behind him.

You thought he was just going to run the ball into the corner, run it out of play. He didn't. He just drove into the penalty box, smashed a shot in from the angle, forced the goalkeeper to make a save and it went for a corner. He's a top, top player. Summer will be interesting. The summer will be the summer transfer-wise and whatever happens to Ipswich, whether they're in the Premier League for a second season or not.

but they can't afford to lose him in January. They'll be top teams looking around him now, seeing perhaps what they can do. 18 goals in the Premier League, Ipswich have scored this season, Kelly. He's been responsible. I had a hand in nine of them, scoring seven and assisting two. If they are to survive, he is so crucial to them.

He's been so important for Ipswich so far this season, but they hadn't managed to get that win at home. They have done it before the turn of the year. Premier League winner Mark Albrighton is with us as well. Mark, in terms of the performance by Ipswich, what were you more impressed by? The way they looked going forward or the resilience that they showed against those Chelsea attacks?

I think it has to be the resilience. I think that's something that they do pride themselves on. A lot of the games last season, they dominated quite a lot. But in the games, in certain games, they had to sit back, they had to weather it. It's not like they had all the possession and all the ball and was creating chance after chance. They weathered a lot of storms and

but they're effective when they do go forward. And I think that's the key. I think, yeah, you can defend and you can be organised, you can be resolute, but I think you need to do the other side of it as well. And you need to make sure that when you do go forward, it's effective. And when you've got players like Liam De Lappe running around up front and causing problems, putting defenders under pressure, it always gives you a chance.

And last season, Ipswich, as Leicester did with you in the side as well, were used to being in control of games, used to being able to dictate games. That isn't the case when they've come up to the Premier League. So have you seen the development in them from last season to this?

Yeah, I think even in the early parts of the season, there's been a development since the start of the season. They've grown into it a little bit more. They look more comfortable in it now. They look a little bit more settled in the Premier League. That result tonight will be huge for them. It'll give them a massive amount of confidence going forward. Like you say, last year, the onus was on them quite a lot. So,

It's a totally different ball game coming up and playing against teams like Chelsea who are going to have a lot of the ball. They've got top quality players that can hurt you in an instant. So,

I think one of the main things you need to do in this league is to be concentrated to every single person. When you're in that defensive block, you have to concentrate. You have to make sure that you don't switch off for a split second because that's when teams will hurt you and make runs in behind you, thread passes through. So that's one of the main things I think that...

why it's such a big jump and like I say I feel like they're dealing with that better now than they were at the start of the season At the bottom end of the table Paul they've all played 19 apart from Everton who have a game in hand but it's Leicester in 19th on 14 points and

Ipswich now have 15. They've gone above Leicester. Wolves just outside of the bottom three on 16 points. Everton on 17. And then we're starting to look at Crystal Palace on 20. And then another team will get to Manchester United on 22 points and in 14th place. But who will Ipswich be looking at and think...

We could catch them. We could stay up at their expense. I think they'll be looking at the self in all honesty, Kelly. Look at their performance tonight, their performance off the back of the defeat at Arsenal. OK, it was a defeat, but it was a 1-0 defeat. I think that was a huge improvement from the home defeat here against Newcastle, 4-0. And I think what Mark said, the point he made, they've grown into this Premier League and it's going to take time. Let's not forget where this club have been in the last two years and how quickly they've had to bounce into the Premier League.

They'll be looking at themselves, they'll be looking at home form and they'll be wanting to sort out the points they've got here. They're going to have to suffer. Their budget's nowhere near other Premier League sides. So you would argue that a game here against Chelsea tonight was not season-defining. Let me read you a couple of stats. Chelsea had 76% possession to 24% for Ipswich.

Ipswich's XG was 0.6, Chelsea's was 1.9. 20 shots from Chelsea, 9 from Ipswich. Yet we talk about Ipswich now, that's what they're going to have to do this season. They had to suffer tonight at times, but they suffered well. That sounds really silly, but Kieran McKenna will watch that tonight and he'll go, my team dug in and we suffered at times, we had to break on the counter-attack.

and that's the way that they've got to play and they've got to survive in this Premier League. They've got to fight, they've got to bite, they've got to kick, they've got to do all that they can to stay in this league and he'll be delighted Roy Shaw. Paul, I'm going to interrupt you because Andy Gillies is waiting and Liam De Lappe is with him. Yeah, I'm with very much the man at the moment, Liam. Congratulations. Congratulations on your performance. Your manager was extremely complimentary when he spoke just a few moments ago. I want to thank you

I watched you come out and you had a huge smile on your face when you were lining up. I sensed you were very much up for that game beforehand.

Yeah, 100 per cent. I'm a player that just loves playing football and I think every game that you play is an opportunity to show and perform. I'm happy to step out every game because it's what I love doing. I always play with a smile on my face. Well, two key moments you were involved with. First of all, the penalty. Talk us through that.

What's it like to take a penalty when you know so much hinges on it? And I saw Cole Palmer talking to the keeper beforehand and trying to give him a sense of where you were going to put it. Yeah, obviously, I think I played with him for many years and he's seen me take a million penalties in training, so he probably has some sort of idea where I'm going to go. But I think you're always confident as striker. If you put it in the right spot with enough pace, then the goalkeeper doesn't stand a chance anyway. So I think, you know, I was just...

visualising putting it in the right spot. And then what about the second goal involved in the assist for that and when that one went in that was snapping up the opportunity that came from the Chelsea mistake and making the most of it wasn't it? Yeah 100% you know we knew they're a quality team and we know they probably don't give up many opportunities but we know we could

causing problems on the counter. We just had to make sure that we made the most of it. I think, obviously, the pass from O'Mahony was probably a bit harder than I wanted to, but I know his quality and I know he's good enough to take a touch and obviously the finish was incredible and it probably put the game to bed knowing that we could probably see it out. Listen, well done tonight. Great performance.

And Liam Dillap was talking to Andy Gillies and saying that Ipswich have put themselves in a good position. It is their first win at home. It's only their third win all season. But as Liam Dillap was saying, they've been in a lot of those games right up until the

the final seconds and Paul that sort of plays into the point that you were making that this is you know Ipswich will look at themselves now and think okay it's still in the bottom three but they're only a point away from Wolves they're only a point away from safety and that there is an opportunity here for them to stay in the in the Premier League for Chelsea at the other end of the table Paul they're in fourth place they're 10 points off Liverpool and they've played a game more

We were talking about them as potential title contenders before this little run of festive fixtures. Has that gone now, do you think? It'll be interesting to see what Enzo Maresca says after that performance because I thought they played OK at times. I thought they dominated possession. They just lacked a little bit of quality in the final third, that cutting edge. They dominated a lot of the ball. But he's always told us this season, hasn't he, that it's too early for them. They're not ready.

And we spoke pre-game about the way that he had a drop-off at Leicester in his managerial career last year after Leicester went so far ahead of the Championship and the gap narrowed. They lost a few games over Christmas and in the new year and they had to come back and find answers there. This is the first time this season that he's going to have to find answers. Before the Everton game, there were nine wins in a row in all competitions. 0-0 draw at Everton, a

at home against Fulham and now a defeat here against Ipswich in a game that you would expect them to win if they're serious title contenders. He will tell us again that it's too early for them, they're not ready. But when you look at the age of this team, this is the youngest squad in the Premier League and there's some real quality in this team. You can see the quality that they've got there. It was a frustrating night for him and his players tonight.

So we've heard from Kieran McKenna and Liam de Lappe, now here's Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on that defeat. Enzo, you must be disappointed. That was a game I think you probably feel you should and perhaps could have won had things gone perhaps more in your favour occasionally over the course of the game. I just said it's a bit strange game in terms of we created so many chances, we could score so many goals.

But when the other team saves goals on the line, they save goals with the body, on the floor, the keeper, post, probably that means that it's that night that you try to do things but you are not able to score. And at the same time, probably the two goals that we concede, we can do something better. It's a shame, but we're going to...

This is something that just began, we're going to continue and try to improve things. You've had a difficult Christmas period for your games, haven't you? Any thoughts on why that may be the case? Clearly you must be watching the sidelines and seeing the games. Have thoughts about that?

We also played nine games in December. I think we started very well, winning five or six games in a row. Now, probably end of the month, we're also a bit tired, but I think it's normal with this amount of games. But as I said, I think no one of us expected us where we are in terms of position, the way we are playing. It's just a matter that sometimes happens in this kind of moment and we need to try to win as soon as possible and come back. I was going to say that from your perspective,

where you are now you'd have taken absolutely the beginning of the season but people were talking about you being able to push Liverpool being in the title race do you where do you see yourself now after those three games no but I always said the same even before these three games when we were winning five or six games in a row I don't remember I said that for me we are not ready and I still think exactly the same on the football daily podcast the debrief with Kelly Cates listen on BBC sounds

World of Secrets is where untold stories are exposed. And in this new series, we investigate the dark side of the wellness industry, following the story of a woman who joined a yoga school only to uncover a world she never expected. I feel that I have no other choice. The only thing I can do is to speak about this. Where the hope of spiritual breakthroughs leaves people vulnerable to exploitation. You just get sucked in.

so gradually and it's done so skillfully that you don't realise.

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On to Manchester United, who were beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle. Izzy Christensen and Maz Faruqi were there. Maz, a dismal night again for the home side, but Newcastle continue their impressive run. Yeah, Newcastle sweeping Manchester United aside in the first half here, Kelly. Isak's header...

He's now got 11 goals in his last 11 games, the informed striker in the Premier League in December and then Joel Linton with the second header for Newcastle before half-time. And Ruben Amarin looking horrified at times on the touchline with what he was seeing from his Manchester United players in the first half. And of course, he made that sub of Mainu for Xerxe just half an hour into this match, which pretty much sums up the evening, I think, for Manchester United. The positive, if there is one, for the home side tonight is that

the second half was slightly better. Maguire hit the left post with a low header and if that had gone in, maybe the momentum of the second half would have been different. But Newcastle and Treeth very comfortable throughout the match. Now five wins in a row in all competitions for them, although Cher will be suspended for the weekend's match against Tottenham after picking up a booking in the second half. But for Manchester United, they've now lost three consecutive games here in the league.

Adol Trapper for the first time since 1979. Ruben Amorim said it would take time to get things right. Things couldn't really be going much worse at the moment, it feels, for Manchester United. And Izzy, we will give Newcastle credit, but that Manchester United performance, given that Amorim's been in the post for a little while now, is there anything, any positives that he can take from it?

No, not from today. I think over the course of his tenure so far, I think there has been things where I've noticed and I've gone, yep, I can see exactly what he's trying to do. I can see that potentially could work, this and that, but

Tonight was not a good night at all. There was nothing that I personally could take from that and go, yeah, I can see exactly what they're trying to do there. But I don't think that's a reflection on Amarim. I think tonight was more of a reflection on the players. And I think it's probably deeply ingrained in these players, the standards that have dropped at this football club for a long time now, that the players have become accustomed to, you know, holding each other accountable to quite low standards. And I think that was evident tonight. And I think that...

you know, it's going to take a long time for Amram to lift things up. He's tried things. He's dropped Rashford. He's dropped Garnaccio. You know, there's been, it seems like every week there's different news stories coming out of Carrington around, you know, a player's behaviour or something like that and what Amram's doing. The spotlight is on him and he is taking it. But as players, no matter who your manager is, you can't play like you did tonight. It's a matter of personal pride. And that first half was terrible. And I was actually shocked

that Newcastle only went in 2-0. Now, having said that, Newcastle were very good. I thought they were smooth, they're functioning well at the moment, but they were playing against a really poor side in Manchester United. We can now hear from Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim. It's really hard. I think it's one of the worst moments in the history of our club. And you have to accept that another loss in front of our supporters, Newcastle was better.

It was really tough, we suffered two goals in this moment, it was really hard.

to turn around the results because we don't have a lot of time to train the base of the way of playing and then in the bad situation you need that base to hold on to something. It's really hard on them. They tried it in the second half. It was more like the value of the players than the organisation or something tactical. It was really the way they want to finish the game. We were near to score one but they were a better team and we have to accept that.

At the moment, Ruben, are you far too easy to score against? Yes, I think so, but we have some clear situations where you cannot score and that makes the difference, but if you look at all the games, that is a clear point. You made an early change today inside 30 minutes when you took off Joshua Zirksey and brought on Kobi Meyner, was that an admission that the team selection initially was wrong?

That is really simple for everybody when the game starts and finishes. That is really simple to address. The idea was different and then Josh was a really difficult moment for him and I felt that I had to do something in that moment.

was a really hard moment for Josh I don't like to do that to my players but I felt he was suffering the team was suffering and I think I was thinking about the team and I'm really sorry for Josh

Manchester United have now lost three consecutive league games at home for the first time since 1979. And Andrew, who's a Manchester United fan, echoes the point that you were making, Izzy. It proves once again it's the players that are the problem. The only solution, he says, for United is to accept cut-price deals for their players. The problem is even then, he asks, would there be any takers? There is an issue here with players not putting in the performances, not playing up to the best of their potential.

of their levels. Can there be any suggestions as to what's causing that? It's a number of things, a number of things, but

I can't see... The midfield tonight, the midfield two of Casemiro and Eriksen, we all highlighted it on paper. I'm sure I wasn't the only person who looked at the team sheet and thought, that's going to be a problem. That is going to be a real issue, and it was. And Xerxe was the player who was dragged off in the first half, I think 32 minutes into the game. He was brought off by his manager. Now, it could have been Eriksen, and it could have been Casemiro, or it could have been Xerxe. And Xerxe's a new signing. He came in in the summer. He was signed by Eric Ten Haag. And I'm like...

it's harsh. He was playing poorly, but I'm like, that's, he's only 23 years old. That's, or 22. That's difficult for him. And the reaction he got from the crowd as he exited the pitch, they booed. Now,

How he recovers from that, I don't know. It's going to take some serious mental resilience for him to recover from that. I'm sure Amram will come out and say, you know, explain his decision. But I'm like, why is Casemiro still on the pitch? He was abysmal in the first half. And that's me saying that about a player who I've admired a lot over the years. But he has been so poor and...

Ameren can't be embedding his new system with players who are... You know, I'm not a big fan of people saying players are past it because they're over a certain age, but it's what the proof is on the pitch. How are they playing? And Casemiro was way off it. Eriksen was way off it. And I think Xerxe took the brunt of it. And...

had that feeling about it as a player we've been there I'm sure Paul and Mark would back me up on saying you can feel it when you're playing really poorly as a team you're thinking oh my god the manager might make a change here in the first half and it had that feeling about it this evening with Manchester United and that's what Amarim did so that's the big story out of tonight but

Listen, Newcastle were fantastic. I spent the whole of the game watching Eddie Howe and Jason Timble on the touchline. They're so in the game. They're tweaking things. The players are playing for him, the energy, the intensity. Anthony Gordon epitomised everything that Newcastle are about. And he did that in third gear. Third gear tonight could have been more. And it's a really positive night for Newcastle, but really, really poor night for Manchester United.

Mark, it is a really positive night for Newcastle, particularly when you put it into the context of their recent results. Because since that draw...

against Liverpool. They then went on to be beaten by Brentford at the weekend, but then it was a 4-0 win against Leicester. They beat Brentford in the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup. They beat Ipswich 4-0. They beat Aston Villa 3-0 on Boxing Day. And they're just putting together a really consistent run of good form and putting the goals away as well. Yeah, I think the...

They've got a lot of really good individuals as well. I think their form coincides with the form of these individuals. I think Anthony Gordon, especially in the first half, gave Masraoui a torrid time down that left-hand side. He was causing all kinds of problems. Masraoui didn't know whether to get close to him, whether to back off a little bit. And then Jacob Murphy, the other side,

he was superb. I think over the course of the last month or so, maybe longer, his form has really improved and he's a real threat. And then, obviously, you've got the form of Isaac up front as well, who's...

not only having such a big impact in the game but he's also getting the goals as well I think for his goal he starts the move he plays a little interchange in the middle of the park and his first thought is to turn and sprint into the box to get in a goal scoring position and

And then you back that up with Bruno and Joe Linton as well, who obviously today they ran the show. I think obviously the circumstances with Casemiro and Eriksen up against them, it made life a lot easier for them in there. But you've still got to perform and they did that. The movement was excellent. They spotted the gaps and Ternalli as well was brilliant on the day. So

All these individuals, the classes showing through and they're bringing it together as a team. Yeah, they're putting themselves in a really nice position in terms of qualifying for Europe next season. Newcastle in fifth place. They're three points off Chelsea, four points behind Arsenal in third. But of course, Arsenal have played a game fewer because they play Brentford on New Year's Day.

Mark, what about Aston Villa? A two-all draw at home to Brighton. It's been a bit of a tricky run for Villa.

Will they feel that this is a couple of points drops given that they conceded that equaliser quite late on? Yeah, I think they will. I think obviously with the form that they've been in, I'd say over the last sort of 12 months, they'll be looking at home games against no disrespect with teams like Brighton that are a good side, but Villa will be looking at

at them games where that's where they want to get their points. I felt like they played well tonight. I felt like Villa played well. I felt like they had the majority of the game once. The first goal is a poor goal to concede. I

So they go behind early, but they react well. They get themselves in front. And then it's just a case of getting that third goal to have that breathing space. And they just couldn't find it. And Brighton were always a threat. They had spells in the game where they had chances. So...

Villagers couldn't see the game often. When you don't get that cushion, you've always got that danger at the other end. It's a fabulous equaliser from Brighton to level the game.

Izzy, I just wanted to ask you about Brighton. I know you didn't see this game, but more in terms of their recent run of results. So since the end of November, the 23rd of November, they beat Bournemouth. Since then, they've drawn with Southampton. They were beaten by Fulham. They drew with Leicester, beaten by Palace, drew with West Ham, drew with Brentford.

And now they've drawn with Aston Villa tonight, which OK, isn't a poor result in the big scheme of things. But in the context of that run, even with the late equaliser from Tarek Lamptey,

Should Brighton be slightly concerned? Yeah, I actually think so. I think they've probably slipped under the radar a little bit in terms of high-performing teams that get plenty of praise in the media. You know, everyone's very, very complimentary about their club model, which absolutely so, because it's a fantastic model they've got. And it's just funny that the summer...

this summer they spent the most money they've ever spent on transfers to remain competitive and to be up there and obviously Fabian Herzlert you know much was said about his age coming in which again I don't think that is an issue at all he's clearly vibrant young fresh ideas and he hit the ground running but they have hit a bit of a dead patch and I think it's the

They're in a challenging period. And like you say, Kelly, that result today is actually a good result for them. A point against a Villa side who, you know, they've had their blips, but they're also a very high functioning team on their day. So it's probably a good point for them tonight. But yeah, I think, you know, you've got to look at Brighton and go, what's the objective? What are they trying to do? You know, they remain competitive. They've spent a lot. So currently sitting, I think, in 10th.

10th place, yep. They're in and around it, but I think that's something to keep an eye on, how they're going to progress and what's next for them. Just before we wrap things up tonight, there is breaking news to bring you.

Former England manager Gareth Southgate has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year's honours list for services to association football. He took England to two major tournaments finals at both Euro 2020 and 2024. He joins an illustrious list of former England managers to receive the honour, including the likes of Walter Wilton.

Walter Winterbottom, Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson. Two England internationals with us. Paul Robinson, your thoughts? Well, it's funny you should ask me that, Kelly. I stood here tonight inside Portman Road looking to my left-hand side as a Sir Bobby Robson stand and to the right-hand side as a Sir Alf Ramsey stand. I think it's been muted for a while about Gareth Southgate, hasn't it? I think the way that he changed the public perception of the England team more than anything and I think the togetherness that he brought with the nation

the way that the team played two major finals, as you said. But I think it was the perception and the togetherness and the services to football. You can understand why when you look at the esteemed company that he's joined. Is he? Yeah, echo what Paul said. I think he's an exceptional person, an exceptional coach. Probably doesn't get the credit.

that he's deserved for the way that he has changed the face of English football in recent years. He's changed the culture of the England team, two major finals, you know, that...

brought many, many football fans and non-football fans around the country millions of moments of joy when they got to the final. It's the hope that builds up the nation and obviously it would have been fantastic to have won both those finals but it's not easy to get there and I think what he's done for this England team and the players in particular has been nothing short of fantastic and it's absolutely deserved receiving those honours.

Thanks, Izzy. Thank you very much to Maz Faruqi as well at Old Trafford. And thank you very much to Paul Robinson and Mike Miney at Portman Road. And thank you too to Mark Albright. And have a very happy New Year, Mark. And to you. Yes. Thank you very much. Take care. That is all from us on this episode. On the next Football Daily, it's the Women's Football Weekly with a New Year's Eve special with Ben Haynes, Ellen White and Jen Beattie.

Take a world-class former football manager, cast him away on a desert island. The idea of a desert island doesn't frighten me at all. Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne, presenter of Desert Island Discs from BBC Radio 4. Joining us on the island, Gareth Southgate. I'm a huge patriot. Even just putting the training kit on

looked at the badge and yeah it was quite a surreal moment from the tracks he treasures to the book he'd bring we talk leadership and life after england as we dive into gareth's life and career i love reading books on leadership i'm also in a book club with a load of dads yeah gareth southgate on desert island discs listen on bbc sounds when you're young it feels like anything is possible maybe you're a little hot-headed but your optimism lifts you up

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