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    Early Doors

    Why always you, Kenny?

    Glen Johnson makes another challenge on Wednesday

    Mario Balotelli, peel off that 'Why Always Me?' T-shirt and give it to Kenny Dalglish.

    It's time to pass the mantle over.

    For today, King Kenny ought to be basking in the afterglow of a much-needed win against Manchester City in the Carling Cup.

    Instead, he will probably spend much of the day batting away questions about Glen Johnson's two-footed tackle on Joleon Lescott.

    With the banned Vincent Kompany looking on from the stands, Johnson cleaned out Lescott with a challenge not even deemed worthy of a free-kick.

    Immediately Johnson's name started trending on Twitter every bit as strongly as goalscorer Steven Gerrard, while referee Lee Mason also got some action.

    And so Liverpool have landed face-first on football's latest hot potato, though compared to the Luis Suarez affair - of which ED has said quite enough - this will feel like child's play.

    The club dealt far more professionally with the alleged abuse of Oldham's Tom Adeyemi, which was merely unfortunate rather than a direct consequence of the Suarez farrago.

    Now this - nowhere near as serious, but another example of the current fact that no Liverpool match can pass without some controversy.

    So what now?

    First a word on Kompany, who yesterday posted an impassioned note on Facebook predicting a spate of red cards for two-footed challenges (apparently not, Vinny).

    Early Doors thought his red card was harsh at the time, and still does. However, it also thought it right that Kompany's appeal failed.

    When you are appealing, the burden of proof is on you to show a clear miscarriage of justice.

    Matt Dickinson of The Times joked he had seen over 150 replays and still had no idea whether it was a red card - from one angle it looked a great tackle; from another it was decidedly naughty.

    So in the absence of a conclusive verdict, the original judgement has to stand.

    As for Johnson's wild lunge - first of all, why? What is he thinking?

    Any time you go into a challenge with both feet raised, you run the risk of a red card. Whether you agree with it or not, surely that reality is as clear as the space between Natasha Giggs's ears.

    ED's two cents: while contact is an essential part of the game, nobody can claim an inalienable right to fly in, studs-up, at shin height.

    Secondly, he might just be in a bit of trouble, since Mason did not even award a free-kick.

    Retrospective punishments generally only come into play if the ref has missed something.

    If he has seen it, and awarded a foul, then the FA are loath to step in for fear of undermining the whistleblower (far better for the refereeing community for a blatant injustice to be allowed to stand, apparently).

    If Mason missed it altogether, then they are much more likely to step in.

    Whatever, the last thing Dalglish needs right now is another disciplinary case hanging over one of his players.

    - - -

    Joe Hart made two staggering saves in yet another superb performance between the sticks for Manchester City.

    The 24-year-old has emerged not just as England's undisputed number one, and not just the best English keeper since David Seaman, but one of the world's greatest goalkeepers.

    The only remaining question is; how will he contrive to balls things up at Euro 2012?

    - - -

    Another Tottenham win in last night's riot-delayed game against Everton moved Spurs level on points with Manchester United

    Can Tottenham really win the league?

    Until now, ED has taken the stance of an impatient mother denying telling her kids why they can't have a dog: "Because I said so."

    Over the years, plenty of sides have hung with the big boys for the first 25 games or so. Since the turn of the Millennium, Leeds, Newcastle and Aston Villa have all threatened to intrude on the party, before meekly fading to their rightful place.

    Not since Leeds in 1991/92 has a team apparently 'come from nowhere' to win the title.

    The thing about Spurs is that they flipping well ought to be in contention, even if Harry Redknapp's skilful working of the media would have us believe otherwise.

    Spurs have a clutch of word-class players (Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart all qualify by ED's reckoning) and have greater depth than anyone except City.

    True, Redknapp has spent a fortune building this team, but lavishing money on a side is only a vice if you don't make it better. Redknapp has certainly done that.

    Will they win the title, though? No.

    Why? Because ED said so.

    - - -

    QUOTE OF THE DAY: Steven Gerrard accuses Roberto Mancini of double standards over the Johnson challenge: "I'm surprised at Mancini. He had a go at Wayne Rooney trying to get one of his players sent off at the weekend, and now he is trying to get one of our players into trouble - I don't think that's right."

    FOREIGN VIEW: Former Atalanta captain and Italy midfielder Cristiano Doni is a destroyed man after being banned and arrested for match-fixing, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

    Doni, 38, was banned for three and a half years in August for his part in the Calcioscommesse match-fixing scandal involving Serie B matches last season and was among 17 people arrested in December over the case.

    "Doni is a man whose whole existence has been destroyed and finished because he was captain of Atalanta, he was the symbol, and now he's lost the essence of his life," lawyer Salvatore Pino said.

    Doni was a fine midfielder from Serie A's latter glory years but instead will be remembered for this mess. Remember kids; don't do match-fixing.

    COMING UP: Not much in the way of live football action tonight, with scoring from the Copa del Rey - including Osasuna v Barcelona - and Coppa Italia your best bet.

    Early Doors

    Early Doors began life as a daily vehicle for mocking Rafa Benitez - and as such represented something a prototype for the modern internet. It has now evolved into a must-read morning feature from our team of football writers. Serious or silly, penetrating or puerile, Early Doors has always got something to say on the big issues. And there's still a fair amount of Rafa mockery.

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