Call Collymore – talkSPORT: Recent Episodes
None
Steve Parish told talkSPORT that he is delighted Crystal Palace secured their place in the FA Cup final, having defeated Watford in the semi-final on Saturday.
The Eagles chairman watched on as Yannick Bolasie and Connor Wickham scored either side of a Troy Deeney strike, sending Palace to their first final since 1990.
That was a sad day for the South London club, who were beaten by Manchester United, and in an interesting twist of fate, it is the Red Devils that Alan Pardew’s men will come up against this year.
Parish admitted that he is delighted by reaching the final, telling Call Collymore that Palace want to go one better this time around.
“It’s fantastic for the fans, and it’s another chance to take on the old enemy,” Parish said.
“We’re obviously excited and pleased, but we want to go one better than 1990, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to do it.”
United secured their place in the final by beating Everton on Saturday, and Louis van Gaal’s men are starting to put in some strong performances – something Parish has noticed.
He continued: “They’re coming into some form, and they’ve got a bit of pace which they didn’t have earlier in the season.
“It’s a one off game, a big occasion, fantastic sets of fans on both sides, and we’ve got players who can hurt people, so it will anyone’s game on the day.
“It’s fantastic to be there, but we are not there to make up the numbers. We are there to beat them.”
Stan Collymore took to the airwaves on Saturday evening to vent his frustrations with Aston Villa, following the confirmation of their relegation to the Championship.
Another shocking performance resulted in another loss, this time against Manchester United, and the problems were made all the worse when Joleon Lescott came out after the game admitting it was a relief to be relegated.
The centre-back said: “Now it’s confirmed maybe it’s a weight off the shoulders and we can give these fans what they deserve, some performances.”
Collymore, a lifelong Villa fan, was having none of Lescott’s attitude.
He vented anger at the defender on Call Collymore, urging Lescott, as well as Leandro Bacuna and Brad Guzan, to call in to the show to account for their disgraceful showings this season.
Leicester City’s seemingly unstoppable march towards the Premier League title has “exposed” Arsene Wenger’s explanations for Arsenal’s failure to finish in top spot since 2004 as a “sham”, claims Arsenal fan Piers Morgan.
Speaking to Stan Collymore on talkSPORT’s Call Collymore show, following Leicester’s 2-0 win at Sunderland, which sent the Foxes 10 points clear in first, Morgan compared the Foxes’ spirit unfavourably with that of the Gunners.
“Leicester City have got a hunger and desire I’ve not seen in the Arsenal squad for about 10 years, since the Invincibles did their stuff and got shipped out within 18 months,” Morgan said on talkSPORT.
“I’ve said for eight years now that Arsene Wenger had run his course at Arsenal.
“He had a spectacular first eight, nine years [as Arsenal manager], culminating in that extraordinary invincible season.
“I watch Leicester and I’m watching a team with real determination, with focus, with no big stars, with no super, fancy stadium. They’re just a regular team who are being managed to play out of their skins.
“At Arsenal I see a bunch of spoilt prima donnas with Lamborghinis in the car park, who don’t have anything like the drive and hunger of this Leicester team.
“But more importantly I see a manager who’s earning four or five times what [Leicester manager Claudio] Ranieri is – £8m-a-year Wenger gets – presiding over season tickets which are the highest in European football, a man who has not won the Premier League for 11 years, a man who’s constantly boasted of his European record, yet he’s never won the Champions League – he’s only reached one final and two semi-finals – and for the last six consecutive years Arsenal have gone out in the last 16.
“This, by any yard stick of a way of judging a supposed big team manager, would have led to Wenger going years ago.
“I simply ask Arsenal fans who still cling to the wreckage of what used to be Arsene Wenger as a world class manager, what more does he have to do in terms of under-delivery and under-performance, to warrant his dismissal?”
When asked if Arsenal are more concerned with finishing in the top four and making money than winning the title, Morgan tore into the club’s majority shareholder, American Stan Kroenke.
“We have a foreign billionaire, Stan Kroenke, who’s never at the games. I see more of him in Los Angeles, where he’s now got a big development to bring an NFL team to LA, I bump into him, I see him walking around LA more than I do at the Emirates.
“This is a man who has zero interest in winning major trophies, is very happy for Wenger to tick along, to bank the cash, to make his money; he wouldn’t know one end of the Emirates pitch to the other.”
Morgan also believes sticking with Wenger will end up costing Arsenal their place among the Champions League qualifiers, despite the Frenchman’s record of qualifying for the competition every year since 1998.
“Wenger was an extraordinary manager, he’s an extraordinary man – I’ve got great respect for him personally – but at what point does his own self-respect and pride kick in and he stand aside for the good of the club?” asked Morgan.
“I look at Jurgen Klopp, and the way he is slowly but surely transforming Liverpool. He’s 20 years younger, he’s got incredible dynamism, wonderful charisma, but he’s obviously a brilliant coach.
“I look at Guardiola coming in to Man City and we have to assume Mourinho is going to Man United; where will Arsenal be next season with Arsene Wenger yet again? I’ll tell you where we will be: we’ll be out of the top four. It’s not going to get better, it’s going to get worse.
“Wenger now is not the man to drive Arsenal forward.
“Every single excuse he’s come out with for the last 11 years of Premier League failure has now been exposed by Leicester and Ranieri, and that incredible team of players, with their team spirit and desire, as a complete and utter sham.”
Adlene Guedioura’s wonder goal capped what the player called a ‘perfect afternoon’ as Watford beat Arsenal 2-1 to book a place in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
The Algeria international scored the club’s second goal after Odion Ighalo’s opener and explained victory made his goal all the sweeter.
“We tried to manage the play and follow the manager’s plan and today we won, so it was the perfect afternoon on a lovely day at the Emirates,” he told Stan Collymore after the game.
“Yes, the strike was the cherry on the cake, but it was good to win and go to Wembley,” the 30-year-old added.
And Guedioura is looking forward to a potential reunion with Crystal Palace who he left for Watford in 2015 after Alan Pardew’s side saw off Reading in their quarter-final match.
“I have friends there and it’s always nice to play Palace but why not meet them in the final? It can be a rematch of the [2013 Championship] play-off final.”
Listen to the full interview above and hear him relive that excellent strike.
Manchester United may have won 1-0 at Liverpool on Sunday afternoon – but that didn’t stop a raging Reds fan labelling Louis van Gaal’s side ‘garbage.’
The hosts dominated the majority of the play and United were hugely indebted to David de Gea’s heroics for keeping them level before Wayne Rooney’s crucial late winner.
The Red Devils showed very little intent throughout a tame affair at Anfield and Rooney’s winner proved to be their only shot on target in the entire 90 minutes.
And Tony, a Liverpool fan, was scathing of the visitors’ performance when speaking to Jason Cundy and Danny Higginbotham on Call Collymore in the aftermath of the game.
“Man United were absolutely garbage,” he said.
“That it was one of the worst Man United teams I’ve ever seen come to Liverpool. They did nothing in that game, absolutely nothing.”
Tony also had some choice words for Reds’ striker Christian Benteke who was ineffectual in a late cameo as Jurgen Klopp’s charges chased an equaliser.
Listen to the entertaining call in full above.