You'll win nothing with kids
Wed Dec 03 08:56AM
Arsenal's Carling Cup exit at the hands of Burnley gave new meaning to the phrase 'The kids are alright'.
They're alright, but not great.
As you might expect from a team made up of Mexicans, Spaniards and assorted glove-wearing teens, it was a cold Tuesday night at Burnley that tripped them up.
Incidentally, why is it always Tuesday nights that are cold? Is there scientific evidence to back this up?
Having fielded 11 young shavers for the 3-0 win against Wigan in the last round, Wenger blotted his copybook with the selection of 31-year-old Mikael Silvestre, who single-handedly raised the team's average age by over a year.
Anyway, Burnley added the Gunners' scalp to that of Chelsea and steamed into the semi-finals. And mustn't those two scalps look gruesome, propped up in the trophy cabinet next to the 1914 FA Cup and 1973 Charity Shield?
A look at Arsenal's recent Carling Cup record shows you Wenger's youth policy has been a case of close but no cigar. No cigar, presumably, because the players are not legally allowed to buy tobacco products.
They have reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last six seasons but have not won the trophy at all in Wenger's reign.
Despite today's eye-catching and deliberately misleading headline, Early Doors is not foolish enough to say you'll win nothing with kids. You'll win the odd third round tie at home to Sheffield United but no silverware.
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Roy Keane has never been slow to point the finger in troubled times, and throughout Sunderland's struggles he has been extremely critical - mostly of himself.
Keano admitted recently he has made "hundreds of mistakes" and wondered aloud on Saturday whether he was the best man for the job.
Small wonder, then, that the man seen as Keane's voice in the media, Eamon Dunphy, has joined in the chorus of abuse.
Dunphy ghost-wrote Keane's autobiography and took his side in some almighty rows on Irish TV following his walk-out from the 2002 World Cup.
Small wonder that Dunphy told Five Live yesterday: "I have the highest regard for him."
However, such "high regard" was not exactly evident in what he said immediately before that:
"He is rambling about all sorts of things and it's really ridiculous. I think Roy Keane is beginning to believe the Roy Keane mythology. He is pontificating on everything and he's lost the plot."
Dunphy added that it had been obvious for a year and a half "that he isn't going to be a serious manager."
By Dunphy's extraordinarily caustic standards, that was a fairly mild rebuke, though. Here is what he has to say about people he really dislikes:
"I think Niall Quinn is a creep."
"He's one of the biggest whingers in world football... he's a bloody eejit." - On Mick McCarthy, obviously.
"Ferdinand is a clown. He was a liability for the first goal and he is always a liability. It was Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink against Rio Ferdinand of Barclays Bank."
"He's fat and a clown, Bill, a fat clown for all to see." - On Harry Kewell.
"Kilbane's head is better than his feet. If only he had three heads, one on the end of each leg." - On Kevin Kilbane.
"It's not racism, it's ethnic criticism, Bill" - Dunphy clarifies his remarks after slagging off Scots.
"He's the one who left his wife and ran off with a young one." - On journalist Rod Liddle who wrote a critical article about Keane. Dunphy later apologised.
"If you're going to quote gutter journalists calling Roy Keane a c***, you can do it on your own." - To Liam Brady earlier in the same rant, broadcast live, pre-watershed, on RTE. Dunphy did not later apologise.
On the newly-crowned best player in the world: "Ronaldo's a poof ball."
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We're not courting fame. I can give you a list of numerous restaurants that have underground parking so no-one can get any photographs. I know all the restaurant kitchens in LA." A word of advice to Victoria Beckham - EAT AT HOME!!!!!
- - -NEWS STORY OF THE WEEK: Taken verbatim from The Kilkenny People:
'Prank Lands Youths In Hospital
A late night prank went horribly wrong for three young Kilkenny men on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. As they were leaving a late take-away in the city, one of the men partially pulled down his pants and farted towards other customers who were eating a pizza.
In the resulting fracas, the men received serious injuries and were taken to the accident and emergency unit of St Luke's Hospital and were kept overnight.'
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FOREIGN VIEW: Former Japan international Kazuki Ganaha, banned last year for taking garlic IV infusions, has been released by Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale.
The 28-year-old earlier this year won his appeal against a six-game suspension imposed for using intravenous drips in violation of the J-League's anti-doping rules.
Ganaha's ban also cost him his place in the Japan national side. The striker scored three goals in six games after breaking into the team in 2006.
Kawasaki were also fined around $100,000 after club doctors put the player on the drip. While Ganaha did not take an illegal substance, intravenous treatment is banned under FIFA guidelines.
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CHINESE BAD-BOY BEHAVIOUR UPDATE: Two Shanghai Shenhua players have been detained by police for beating up a man in a restaurant a few hours after missing out on the Chinese Super League title at the weekend, local media reported.
Former China winger Mao Jianqing and his Shanghai Shenhua team mate Liu Yintao were detained for seven and five days respectively for their part in the attack, according to the Shanghai-based Oriental Sports Daily.
Mao and Liu went with friends to a 24-hour restaurant in the early hours of Monday morning. Xu Jianping, a diner at the restaurant, greeted a woman accompanying the players and was beaten up, the report added.
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COMING UP: There is a real smattering of action tonight - there's live text commentary on Watford v Tottenham and Manchester United v Blackburn in the Carling Cup, plus Manchester City v Paris-SG in the UEFA Cup. We also have live scores and scorers from the rest of the UEFA Cup games, Carlisle v Crewe in the FA Cup and Milan v Lazio in the Coppa Italia.
congrats ED. your last article was highest commented on article you've produced in your short career. proving that us liverpool fans will not stay quiet and let anyone or anything talk down on our club. oh yes, morning all..
From moody_tariq on Wed Dec 03 08:57AMWhy did Wenger put Randall in CB, he can't play there! put Song there instead and they would have won! i have to confess that i didn't watch the match, but reading the commentary, he was the reason why Arsenal lost
From sebsterel on Wed Dec 03 09:18AMI have a message from Jonathan Grosskopf. He is so disgusted and annoyed at the Silence of the Lamb peeping tom slime ball aka judesurf is a lonelyman, that he will not be posting today on this blog. Jonathan sends commiserations to annie on Stoke City's loss.
I see that Arsen Wenger is having another moan. That guy's got a problem. I am not really a football aficionado but Burnley FC who play at Turf Moor was my team and I'm really happy that the small upstarts have beaten one of the so - called Big Boys.
From jumping.jehoshophot on Wed Dec 03 09:18AM"You'll win nothing with kids"?!?! WTF?!?! Do you guys really believe what you've written? You never get enough, trust me... If Wenger had used the first team's stating eleven, you would have probabably said that it was a mistake to overload the team with another tournament. Man, the Carling Cup counts for nothing for the big clubs (for the spuds it's however OK)... Is there a better occasion to play the reserves, no matter if you lose or win?! The youngsters do need to feel the real pressure after all, don't they?!
From garfield4o on Wed Dec 03 09:20AMWas this article written by an Irishman? I like it. Eamon Dunphy on RTE is such a breath of fresh air. He's often wrong but he says a lot of things that most of us think but the Sky Sports hype-machine is afraid to say.
By the way: "He's the one who left his wide and ran off with a young one."
Wife, not wide.
From kgh_r on Wed Dec 03 09:22AM@#$%... i didnt get in early enuff.. whr was early doors anyways.... @#$% Early doors.... happy Arsenal lost ....
From omobobo on Wed Dec 03 09:28AMBy the way Keane walked out of the 2002 world cup, not the 2006 one, Ireland did not make it to Germany.
From andrewhd2002 on Wed Dec 03 09:30AMGood morning all. Jude, a little tip mate. Do all the 'this team sucks' comments in alphabetical order. Then you can cross off those youve ddone. By the end of the wek we could have the whole collection. And Al, you think? Therefore you am. Are. Whatever.
From danny_saks on Wed Dec 03 09:32AMgarfield4o i like what your saying. the carling cup isnt the most important thing to premiership teams and with the other cups and league going on focus must be put into them and the carling cup can be a bonus for the reserve team. but dont think im taking any credit from burnley, sterling performance, grafted to the last second. could say they won with spirirt from the word go because they wanted it so much. well done burnley and good luck!.
by the way any1 else worked out who that child jude.surf supports......typical arrogance and childish behaviour. insulting everyone else for no reason is just unpleasent.
YNWA
From tunny87 on Wed Dec 03 09:33AMPlease don't get me started on 'super keano' (as my other half calls him. I think he's a whinging Gypsy who's just doing this cos he wants a new caravan for his ma personally. With about as much tact.
From danny_saks on Wed Dec 03 09:34AMjude you are the biggest @#$% iv ever read a comment from
From sean.haggerty on Wed Dec 03 09:34AMGood spot andrewhd2002. These guys have either given up putting the effort into this article or they've given up hope that this article will lead to better things.
From kgh_r on Wed Dec 03 09:34AMED has missed the obvious, which is that smaller clubs see the Carling Cup as their only avenue to europe and success. This is because bigger clubs treat this competition with total disdain!
Whilst it is true that the FA Cup is magical it is rare (but not impossible) for a small club to get to the dizzy heights of a semi final. More power to Heston and the minnows.From jumping.jehoshophot on Wed Dec 03 09:36AMI thought it was very poignant just left like that Al. Can see you gazing wistfully into the distance. Lesser mortals looking on in wonder at what you could be contemplating... I'm in a strange mood today. Sorry.
From danny_saks on Wed Dec 03 09:38AMMornin FBF, Danny. RTE is just so refreshing compared to Sky, BBC and Setanta. Souness does RTE's Tuesday's nights Champs League match and he loves it coz he gets to say what he thinks. Ronaldo gets unbelievable criticism (the panel HATE him) as does Berbatov. Rafa gets criticised for buying a lot of average players and those players are listed and ridiculed (Dunphy called Lucas the worst Brazilian of all time, and gives Pennant & Dossena loads of abuse). It usually ends up in a fight between Bill (the host) and Eamon Dunphy or Johnny Giles.
From kgh_r on Wed Dec 03 09:42AMI think that Brian Clough, ex - Derby Manger, must be jumping up for joy at last night's results, though I understand that Ms. Helms is a Stoke supporter: sorry on your loss.
From jumping.jehoshophot on Wed Dec 03 09:42AMArsenal School boy team with prevert for a manager
Gooners Suck !
From arttidesco on Wed Dec 03 09:44AMDanny, 49, don't ever say that in Cork or you'll get the holyshit kicked outta ya.
From kgh_r on Wed Dec 03 09:44AMMr kgh-r, is that Johnny Giles the same one who played for Leeds United, with the likes of Bremner & Lorimer?
From jumping.jehoshophot on Wed Dec 03 09:45AMjumping.jehoshophot yes it is. a true legend i'm sure you'll agree.
From kgh_r on Wed Dec 03 09:46AMThanks Bob. I'm aware of that mate. LOL. You know I don't include all Irtish in that tho right? Niall Quinn is cool. I just have a devout hatred of Roy Keane. Try biting your tongue about that every day...
From danny_saks on Wed Dec 03 09:48AMIf Joey Barton misbehaves againwill he end up playing for Shanghai Shenhua or Killkenny Arms XI ?
From arttidesco on Wed Dec 03 09:48AMjude.surf are you indeed American??? Cos they suck!!! Snarf snarf
From cmcgowan79 on Wed Dec 03 09:49AMAresnal may have been knocked out but there's a plus point for them as those young kids will have learnt an awful lot from the match!!!
Well done though BURNLEY!!
From richielee on Wed Dec 03 09:49AMby the way jumping.jehoshophot, you are of course right that ED misses the obvious but thats what they do. So what if the Arsenal under 18 B team gets beaten in Burnley by an already decent and fired up team on a freezing night in a mickey mouse cup - it says about for the irrelevance of the cup to big teams than it says about anything else.
From kgh_r on Wed Dec 03 09:49AMIts ok Danny I'm only telling you for your own good. Its not just Corkonians, plenty of Irish will fight you for badmouthing Keano. Why don't you like him anyways?
From kgh_r on Wed Dec 03 09:52AMFBF i didn't actually read your rant so perhaps you can answer post 70 too. is it coz he didn't play for Liverpool?
From kgh_r on Wed Dec 03 09:54AMWhy don't I like him? Cos the man is an @r$e of the highest order. As demonstrated by his per-meditated revenge foul on Haaland which Sepp Blatter quite rightly said he should have been jailed for. If he hadn't been able to play football he would be a common thug and probably knee-capped by now. I can only hope he still is someday.
From danny_saks on Wed Dec 03 10:00AMHas Wenger resigned yet ?
From arttidesco on Wed Dec 03 10:00AMKeane is proof that good players don't always make good managers ,
the most successful usually never play at the highest level, added to that his agressive and beligerant attitude ! he'll be lucky to still be in a job come May, I hope I'm wrong but I don't think I will be.
From chrisw7892000 on Wed Dec 03 10:06AM
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