Early Doors - Your morning briefing blog

Kidding around

Thu Oct 29 09:00AM

Arsene Wenger is a man who knows how to celebrate.

Following Arsenal's Carling Cup victory over Liverpool (20 team changes from the weekend's teams between them), the Gunners boss added insult to injury for Rafael Benitez with a cheeky double-whammy.

Wenger revealed that the Gunners had taken a look at Alberto Aquilani - who came on to make his Liverpool debut last night three months and infinite column inches after joining them - but dismissed signing him for fears that he was a crock and, well, not very good.

"We were not interested in Aquilani. He didn't play a lot last year but we felt we didn't need someone in his position this year. When you see our youngsters play so well, you understand why we don't sign players. We're only in the market for extra special quality."

He then followed that up reserving praise for Philippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre, surely the most maligned defensive pairing this side of Coloccini-Cacapa.

ED is not sure which will annoy Benitez more - casually glancing over and sneering in contempt at your £20m signing upon whose shoulders so much of your season depends, or hailing the contribution of a defender (Senderos) who denied said player a debut goal by blocking his overhead kick with both hands.

The upshot of the result - apart from having another clutch of Arsenal kids to rave about before most of them fail to deliver - is that Liverpool are the only big four side not in the last eight of this year's competition. In fact, the whole quarter-final line-up is made up of Premier League sides as Manchester City and Chelsea also won last night.

Ten years ago, Bolton and Tranmere were in the quarter-finals of what was then the Worthington Cup, and the year after Crystal Palace, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham city all reached that stage.

The season before last is the only other time in the past decade that the top flight has dominated the League Cup's last eight. Counting back from this year, here's a look at the lower league sides to make the last eight:

2008-09 Derby

2007-08 All Premier League

2006-07 Wycombe, Southend

2005-06 Doncaster

2004-05 Watford

2003-04 West Brom

2002-03 Wigan (L1), Sheffield United, Crystal Palace

2001-02 Sheffield Wednesday, Watford

2000-01 Crystal Palace, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham

1999-00 Bolton, Tranmere

So, is this a sign that the big clubs are taking the League Cup more seriously these days or, as Jim White argues, the gap in quality is so huge that even a Premier League youth or reserve side is far superior to a Championship first team?

- - -

Hull have had to take the unusual step of issuing a statement to deny reports that manager Phil Brown has been sacked.

Bookies had stopped taking bets on Brown being the Premier League's first managerial casualty of the season. There had been a run of wagers on Brown to go after a wave of rumour spread across the internet in a cyberspace sensation not seen since Rickrolling.

To add to the turmoil at the KC Stadium, former chief Adam Pearson could resume control of the club after leaving Derby County amid reports that the club face financial meltdown if they are relegated.

Usually online hoaxes, such as the false reports of Kanye West's death that spread via Twitter last week, are picked up on because they are so unbelievable. But did anyone really bat an eyelid when they heard that Phil 'three league wins in 2009' Brown had got the can?

- - -

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I suppose nothing surprises me about the current regime but the fans will be horrified, angry and upset. They have had to put up with a lot in recent months. This is just another blow. I just can't imagine St James' Park being called anything else... Whatever next? Why don't they just go the whole hog and change the name of the club itself?" - Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd isn't keen on the idea of selling the naming rights to St James' Park.

FOREIGN VIEW: "Stick it up your a**e" - Guti's eloquent half-time response to Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini telling him that Fernando Gago would be replacing him during the club's disastrous 4-0 cup defeat at third tier Alcorcon. The 'flamboyant' midfielder then flipped the bird at Alcorcon fans as he sulked on the bench.

COMING UP: Our countdown of the Top 100 matches ever continues with a little misty-eyed reminiscence of England's World Cup semi-final loss to West Germany - Gazza's tears and all.

The midweek football isn't quite over yet - you can follow LIVE comments of the Serie A clash between Inter and Palermo tonight at 19:45.

Plus the WTA Championship continues, with both Williams sisters in action. Follow that LIVE from 14:00 this afternoon.

Comments1 - 30 of 172
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Surely not first?
From james_ssmith on Thu Oct 29 09:09AM
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Jim White is probably right... but it's also the luck of the draw that it's an all premiership team quarter-finals!!
Voronin & Senderos suck!
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 09:11AM
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#2 - Beaten by a low-life selling electronics... gutted!!
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 09:13AM
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#4 Slightly (lol)
From james_ssmith on Thu Oct 29 09:19AM
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How did that idiot #1 get here first?
From eliotot on Thu Oct 29 09:19AM
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Not usually having any interest at this stage, could anyone tell me when the draw for the last 8 is??
From andy_lycett on Thu Oct 29 09:21AM
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Aquilani looks promising from his debut and reserves match... but still, £20m for a player sitting 3 months on a physio table when we needed an immediate replacement for Alonso... That really grinds my gears!
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 09:22AM
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Wenger never said that Aquilani is not good enough, but he said last year the guy missed so many matches due to injuries, and for that they lost sight on him.
Now they have more attacking players than last year, so there is no need going for him this year.
The extra-special players he is talking about here may be top top strikers and not second string ones.
It was a great game last night, and credit to the both team for playing the football i enjoyed to watch and not scrappy @#$% from some boring so called big teams.
From fridaywisdom on Thu Oct 29 09:27AM
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BENDTNERRRRRRRRR
What a game, considering 20 changes overall.
Its not that Prem teams now take it more seriously, Prem teams now have reserve/youth squad's good enough to reach the last 4.
Man City, Chelsea or Spurs will win it. Those 3 put their strongest squads out in the final stages. Wenger keeps the faith. (Senderos & Silvestre )
From jay8my on Thu Oct 29 09:28AM
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#12 - Senderos & Silvestre = SAS = S.hite Aging Substitutes
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 09:31AM
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In other news... Lucas Leiva had the better of Michella Carrick and Paula Scholes LMAO
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 09:35AM
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draw at noon today i think
From matthewrice86 on Thu Oct 29 09:36AM
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15-I was 'watching' the game on BBC mobile website, the thing with goal alerts and stuff, a Liverpool fan texted in to say Voronin and Ngog were having their best games for the club since joining, "every pass is going to a red shirt", it wasn't till I watched the 'real' highlights that it all became clear!
From andy_lycett on Thu Oct 29 09:45AM
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17-Get 'The Fiver' e mailled to you at five every night off the Grundian website. Its ED but with all day to think about it!!
From andy_lycett on Thu Oct 29 09:47AM
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18 LOL
Kev - Does 'Fat Paris Hilton' actually have a future at Liverpool??
From jay8my on Thu Oct 29 09:50AM
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#19 - Yeah... they are both s.hite, to that I can agree and Benitez is responsible for them and many others!
But hey remember away back in the day when Ngog scored against Manchester United in a 2-0 win... I think he made a Rio Ferdinand look a bigger Joke than he actually is?
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 09:50AM
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Margaret Thatcher s.ucks... did she not keel over yet!
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 09:52AM
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best youth team no doubt
From jodain15 on Thu Oct 29 09:57AM
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SURPRISE SURPRISE (not really). Liverpool LOST AGAIN after playing their VERSION of the Cup Final on Sunday. HAHA
From markspence03 on Thu Oct 29 10:06AM
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#35 - Why did you highlight 'version' Marks and Sparks? Did you get over losing 2-0 to Lucas Leiva Ngog & Co. yet? LMAO
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 10:12AM
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Recently, I found an age-gap club called__ Agegapmingle-C O M __It's a nice and free place for Younger Women and Older Men, or Older Women and Younger Men, to interact with each other. Age gap is not problem there. You may check out or tell your friends.
From hellojessicajones on Thu Oct 29 10:14AM
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but who is gemma.thorp, nik?
From doilookbothered on Thu Oct 29 10:19AM
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Just heard a great place :___Tallloving CO M___ , we can find any types friends you want to meet, please have a try...
From robertsmi23 on Thu Oct 29 10:23AM
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Great win for the Gunners last night,more gut-wrenching bitterness for da pool hahahahaha
From imanerdo99 on Thu Oct 29 10:30AM
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17) You were once amusing like this ED.
Where did it all go wrong ?
Good to see Jim the sexist beaten by a spammer.
C nut.
From nikyates on Thu Oct 29 10:30AM
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Liverpool knocked out of the Carling Cup, and soon to be knocked out of the CL, and it looks like the Premierships beyond them too...............but not to worry they beat Man United hahahahahaha
From imanerdo99 on Thu Oct 29 10:33AM
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#43 - Yeah it's gut wrenching to get beat by your bitter rivals... 99 Red balloons was it? hahahahahahaahhaha
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 10:39AM
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Liverpool fans stop Crying an Whining like little Girls ,there is always next year,hahahaha LMAO....(Liverpool always living in the Past,but always praying for the Future)........IN RAFA WE TRUST
From imanerdo99 on Thu Oct 29 10:39AM
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Liverpool FC - The Most Successful Team in England YNWA
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 10:40AM
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Vidic is Torres's B.itch.... Look at them bite hahahahahaah STOP CRYING
From who_are_ya_85 on Thu Oct 29 10:42AM
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