McTominay Delivers for Scotland — But Why Is Jude Bellingham Under Attack?

12:34Alan Shearer:Dick Advocar

12:36Gary Lineker:wow okay remember him I do absolutely

12:38Alan Shearer:it's funny how they turn up

12:39Jude Bellingham:in these places he became the oldest coach he will become the oldest coach to World Cup 78 years old he is beating Otto Rehagel's record when he was in charge of Greece he was 71 in 10 qualifying matches they won 7 and finished their campaign unbeaten he wasn't actually at the game I mean he wasn't very well or something but I imagine it wouldn't have been a good idea if he was 78 you wouldn't trust your ticker going through that that pressure

13:09Gary Lineker:I saw the reaction of their players as well and they all sort of fell to their knees

13:13Jude Bellingham:you can imagine

13:15Gary Lineker:the euphoria that they're feeling I mean what an achievement

13:19Jude Bellingham:for them and for Dick Avocat who former Sunderland manager of course yeah yeah

13:24Gary Lineker:Holland as well manager yeah

13:27Alan Shearer:right let's take a little break when we'll come back you've sent us in lots of questions so we'll endeavour to answer as many as we can back in a moment this episode is brought to you by Green King Sports Pubs have you ever tried to get all of your friends to the pub to watch a big match and when you get there it's not even playing

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16:41Alan Shearer:Welcome back to the Rest is Football From now on in

16:45Jude Bellingham:It's the question and answer episode With Alan Shearer and me Gary Lineker Let's kick straight on And with a question actually That was sent by an awful lot of you And I think with good reason I would say Because I've actually seen Ian Wright Talking about the subject To down social media as well We've picked out Ali Moulali What do you think of the concerted campaign against Bellingham from some sections of the media?

17:12Gary Lineker:Look, I haven't read a lot into it, but what I did hear was that one or two were saying things about his reaction about to being substituted. You give me a person that is happy to go off and I'll give you a different idea to that because if I was ever taken off, I wouldn't be happy. I would expect everyone else to feel the same way you're a professional footballer you do not want to come off a football pitch for whatever reason you want to play your part you want to stay on so players are not going to be happy at times yeah you might get emotional but as long as it's not really over the top then yeah I haven't got an issue with it at all

18:00Alan Shearer:it was nothing like over the top he walked off, shook people's hands he seemed perfectly fine he might have looked a little bit oh no not me which is the normal thing but it's not I think it's more than that there seems to have been there's an there's an undertone there's something like let's have a go

18:20Jude Bellingham:I mean he was unbelievably good against Albany he was the best player on the pitch well he is an unbelievably good footballer I mean he's a fantastic footballer but why do we need to find holes I talked to like Carlo Ancelotti and I specifically asked him because there were This is not after the game.

18:37Alan Shearer:This is a couple of weeks ago because there's this thing. Oh, he's too big for his boots.

18:43Jude Bellingham:His ego's out of control with no evidence, right? Zero evidence of any of this beyond the fact that he's clearly an ultra competitive guy and people saying the odd thing that don't really know him. I mean, I don't know Jude Bellingham and he might be difficult. I don't know. I suspect he's not. Every time I've heard him speak, he's very eloquent. He's very intelligent. He speaks really well.

19:09Alan Shearer:Ian Wright said he feels there's racist undertones, and I understand where he's coming from because have you ever heard anybody talk like that about Harry Kane? No. No.

19:23Jude Bellingham:And has Harry Kane ever done anything to deserve that kind of criticism? No. But I would apply the same thing to Jude Bellingham, that he's not. I mean, I think he might have had a camera crew with him during the European Championships or something, but that would have had to have gone by the FA. And I can't see anywhere where I've read that there's actually any material evidence. I mean, great footballers are ultra competitive. They probably don't like losing. They might, you know, you know as well as I do, you might say things in a dressing room sometimes. He may or may not have done that. But I'll go to other people.

20:00Jude Bellingham:Marcus Rashford, I think, gets criticism as well about if he's feeding the kids, like for a while it was all great.

20:10Alan Shearer:And then that was the reason that his form had slipped for a little while. And then he needs to concentrate on this.

20:15Jude Bellingham:And then he sends videos of himself training really hard. And people say, oh, he's just so good, bullshit. And you just go, is it? And then Raheem Sterling, he had it terribly, didn't he? Bought his mother a house. And he said, look at this flash footballer. but I don't see that directed possibly at white players. Now, I know sometimes someone like Ian Wright, and he can say it, and I think it's important that he says it, but I think it's more important that sometimes we recognise that,

20:47Alan Shearer:and it's probably unconscious racism, I would say, hopefully. But I just don't get the dude,

20:54Jude Bellingham:but I can't think of any other realistic explanation.

20:56Gary Lineker:You tell me a really top player, like he is, that hasn't got an ego.

21:03Alan Shearer:You've got to have an ego to do that, Nick. You've got to believe in yourself.

21:07Gary Lineker:You've got to, yeah, you have to have that. I don't know. I guess it also, there's a part because of Thomas Tuchel sort of leaving him out when he wasn't 100 % fit, that was sort of viewed upon as to sending a message to him.

21:25Alan Shearer:Again, I would say if he did that with Harry Kane, no one would have said anything.

21:31Gary Lineker:I'm with you on that. But I go back to the... I don't know any professional footballer that would be happy to come off a football pitch, particularly when it's going really, really well. And he's a top quality footballer, one of the best we've got. And all this discussion about will he or won't he be, and there's no doubt about it. If he's fit, he'd be in England's squad. And he probably would be in, well, he would be in my team, that's for sure.

22:01Jude Bellingham:He'd be in anyone's team. I think any team in the world is that good. Which moves me on, actually, to Mark Edwards' question. When Tuchel was appointed, I was a little disappointed that we'd chosen a German manager. Fast forward and I can see that he is moulding a squad

22:18Alan Shearer:that gets picked on merit. and I'm excited for what we can achieve next year. What are your thoughts?

22:26Gary Lineker:Yeah, I would go along with that. I think what he's sort of created already in the squad is that if you play well in an England game and you continue that, then you'll still be in the team come the next England game, i.e. Anderson. I think he's a really good example of that. That's what I like about him. I don't think he takes any, he won't take any shit from anyone. Fine. Really admire that. He's done it. So you can't argue with his decisions. He's experienced. But yeah, it's not now. It's all right for us all saying, yeah, great. It's all going well. And we've maybe been in this position before, but we know, and he will know.

23:18Gary Lineker:He'll be judged on what happens in June and July, not now, because we've been to nearly all. Of course, but we can be encouraged. Yeah, absolutely. We can be encouraged, that's allowed. We like what we see. We like his attitude. We like the team's attitude and the buzz that they're sort of bringing to the national team. So, yeah, at the minute, it's all very, very positive, and hopefully that will continue. And he's doing a really, really good job.

23:44Jude Bellingham:He's making the right noises in terms of the way he's saying the team is we've all got to be together we're all as one because he knows that he's going to have to leave a lot of players out and and the nature of the media and the nature and we do it ourselves we do it ourselves you know you you tend to focus sometimes on the player that's left out now there's going to be a lot of that um but perhaps you know perhaps you know certainly before the tournament you know this i go back to the bellingham thing let's not not let's not not before we go let's judge what we then give our honest opinions about what we see on the field of play during the World Cup if they're not up for it you can be critical as long as it's not personal and if they're if they're doing really well well yes please yes please absolutely because we all will desperately want us to do well yeah

24:34Gary Lineker:it's a better tournament for everyone it's better you can enjoy it more we can enjoy it more as fans and when we're working there as commentators or pundits or presenters or whatever. It's so much better for us when England are winning.

24:49Jude Bellingham:Right. Rick Kittle. Do you think the qualification process for World Cup and Euros needs a fresh look? This qualification campaign with the quality of teams in our group was a completely pointless exercise. We've had no real test and we'll have two, maybe three games prior to the World Cup in order to prepare. Someone else asked a similar sort of thing. do you think the World Cup Euros this is Matt qualifying should take the same format as the Champions League top 22 countries by FIFA ranking qualifying and so so so forth I suppose you could actually do it I would say the top rated teams maybe all playing in a league and then there's certain lower levels play in a big group stage you know the kind of the Gibraltar San Marinos and which brings me to the point of San Marino I just want to quickly mention this this is how absurd that some of the qualification things is alright we've come to a situation I'm not going to it would take 10 minutes to explain the reason why San Marino can still qualify for the World Cup they're not going to but they could conceivably still qualify for the World Cup or make the playoffs for the World Cup even though they've lost every game and been smashed in every single game And the only way they could conceivably get through is if there's a couple of results that go in their favour, to mean because they won their group in the Nations League, a group that involved Gibraltar and Liechtenstein and them, because they won that, they will have a chance to go into the playoffs if certain results happen.

26:28Jude Bellingham:But the only way they can do that is by losing their game against Romania, because Romania are one of the teams that they need to win and lose by a hell of a lot of goals. I mean, how has it come to this? So they do need a rethink. And I think to try and get them games. I mean, the Nations League was a little bit of a rethink, wasn't it? In terms of trying to get friendlies more competitive. But I think qualification too. So maybe a seeding system where there's the lower groups. I don't know, because we've come to the bizarre situation where there's a serious possibility that Italy will fail to qualify for the next World Cup.

27:09Jude Bellingham:Now, I know we all know the rules before they set out, but prior to their last game, and they'd already been knocked out barring some kind of miraculous win against Norway, they'd won six out of seven games or seven out of eight, whatever it was. and now they're in a playoffs whereas you know you're seeing other teams like they've got much better possibilities in other parts of the world but I think that's Europe's problem because Europe's so big and strong maybe that league format thing could work if there's a way of doing it because you'd need at least eight games each wouldn't you really like they do in the Champions League and you could probably do that over different spells

27:52Gary Lineker:I'm also now a huge fan of it going to 48th and we know why financial reasons and all of those things from what is it 32 to 48th so

28:00Alan Shearer:there are positives and negatives to that

28:03Jude Bellingham:aren't there

28:03Gary Lineker:the positives

28:04Jude Bellingham:is it gives people a chance to play in the World Cup that would never ordinarily have a chance to play in the biggest tournament in world football the downside of course is that it'll be there'll be some games that are complete whitewash in the World Cup and make it but anyway we'll see how it works isn't it also

28:25Gary Lineker:is there also guys that I mean when you look at Sweden and their qualifying group I mean Sweden are now in the playoffs I think they got Ukraine I think they did in the playoffs so they've been dreadful in the playoffs I think they finished bottom of their group but because of the Nations League as well they get a chance to go through in another play

28:45Alan Shearer:it's all it's all slightly bonkers at the moment it definitely needs a slight rethink because you can't have a situation

28:51Jude Bellingham:I know even if San Marino win oh sorry I know even if San Marino lose by a lot of goals that they'll go in the playoffs and they won't go through because San Marino just lose they never win anything they'll win once one game in every however many years it is so but if you've got a format where that sort of thing is possible then it definitely does need a rethink let's shift it domestically slightly Alan and there's two or three questions aimed at you for obvious reasons. David Brown, at what point does Eddie Howe become under pressure if Newcastle league position

29:30Alan Shearer:and a waveform does not improve?

29:32Gary Lineker:We know the rules of football, guys, but I mean, surely...

29:37Alan Shearer:He's got money in the bank.

29:37Gary Lineker:Surely he's got so much in the bank. What he's done for Newcastle when others couldn't do it, when you mentioned some of the brilliant managers that Newcastle had, then no, not for me not for a long time I think I think the board will not panic they will look at what he's done in the past and they will look at their Champions League form they will look at they're already in the quarterfinals of the Carabao again yet the league has been particularly away from all have been disappointing and my guess is you might see one or two changes whether that's a change of system whether that's a change of one or two personnel this weekend because you can't keep on going and doing the same thing and he's not he's not that daft to do that so but no not for a long time for me Eddie because of what he's achieved at Newcastle

30:33Alan Shearer:well they're doing pretty well in the Champions League as well exactly and also coping with the Champions League you've got to take these things into account you know they've got a good squad now in Newcastle it's not in numbers and also

30:44Gary Lineker:and also and it's not an excuse but you have to look at the fact of what happened in Newcastle in the summer.

30:50Alan Shearer:Yes.

30:51Gary Lineker:What we've always seen with Eddie is, his team has always had great energy. Now that's going to be slightly changed because of personnel they had to bring in for the reasons we know, the Isak situation. Wisser hasn't been able to play yet as well. So for all those reasons, then that's why Eddie Howe should and will be given time at Newcastle to get their league form right. There's no doubt in that. I think any talk of that is ridiculously premature.

31:19Alan Shearer:Ridiculously premature. No doubt about it. It's stupid, yeah. Here's a very important question from Dave Lawson. Question for Alan. If Sunderland finish in the top four, will he do match of the day in his underpants?

31:33Gary Lineker:I think I learned off someone that you should never, ever say ridiculous things like that. But, I mean, I don't know what's more ridiculous saying that or actually saying Sunderland will finish in the top four. Wow, they're going on. They are fly. I mean, it'll be interesting to see because they're going to lose a few players for the AFCON, aren't they?

31:53Jude Bellingham:Well, producer Harry, Alan, has just sent me a list of the players they're going to lose. Ahmed Al-Budulay to Nigeria, Simon Adingra to the Ivory Coast, Habib Diara to Senegal, Ray Nildo to Mozambique, Arthur Masuku to DR Congo, Blondie Nukeu to Cameroon Noah Siddiqui to DR Congo Chemstein Taibbi to Morocco and Bertrand Traore

32:24Alan Shearer:to Burkino Fasson who's going to finish highest Sunderland or Newcastle that's a question from Gary

32:31Gary Lineker:who's that Gary Lineker yeah Newcastle will Sunderland I mean as good as they've been I'd be amazed if they kept it up particularly with the players out there They're going to lose in January for I'm not sure how long. I would still hope and I still think that Newcastle will finish above them.

32:52Jude Bellingham:Yes. Shane Joseph has asked me, when you joined Spurs, did you know they were going to sell Waddle? I think he was sold two days after you signed. Some say Spurs could have won the title if Waddle wasn't sold. And would you have signed if you knew he was going to be sold? There's a lot in there. And I'll tell you the exact truth. I signed without the slightest idea that they were going to sell Chris Waddle. I don't think it was two days after. I think it might have been two weeks. But he was sold to Marseille. I was – it was a summer break, obviously. I'd just signed. What year was that? This was 1989, summer of.

33:34Jude Bellingham:I was very excited at joining the Spurs of, you know,

33:38Alan Shearer:Gascoigne and Waddle and lots of other good players. and I thought this is amazing. I had a great relationship, on-field relationship with Chris Waddle.

33:47Gary Lineker:Yeah. I was on the beach in holiday somewhere and I got a call from my agent and he told me Chris Waddle has just been sold.

33:58Alan Shearer:They've got financial problems that have been discovered in the Irving Scholar era and they've had to sell him for four, four and a half million quid, I think it was. and I've honestly, it completely ruined my holiday.

34:14Jude Bellingham:It was like, I'll tell you what it was like. It was like someone stealing 10 goals a season out of your pocket because that's how good Waddle was. I was absolutely gutted.

34:26Gary Lineker:Did you not communicate with both of you? You just got that call and that was it. You didn't, I mean, nothing. Well, it wasn't an era.

34:32Jude Bellingham:I mean, I think it was just the start, the big blocks of, I don't think mobile phones were around then. No, they weren't. so no it wasn't like that then there was no form of message if you're on holiday it just and I'm not going to say oh Chris stay because I want a few more goals you know he could have

34:47Gary Lineker:sent the pigeon across and asked him he could have sent the pigeon with a message yeah

34:52Jude Bellingham:on that depressing note I mean honestly to this day I mean I still scored a few goals obviously but with Chris you definitely scored more with him in there because what a player he was what a player and he was brilliant at Marseille I have to say but anyway we'll call it a day there so thank you Alan and goodbye from me

35:12Gary Lineker:goodbye from me