Angry Fans
We’ll be offering a free sports prize to the star contribution each week. This week Keane should button it; No outcry over Finnan; Sunderland’s away form; Chelsea outfought; Signing of the season; Robbie Keane getting better; Wenger gets clear view of tackle, unusual; Arsenal’s litany of red and yellows cards; Benitez embarrassing defeat.
goes to Mike for his comments on Roy Keane and Sunderland. Lets have an address and our glittering prize will be on its way to you.
ROY Keane has far too much to say at the moment. One minute he’s attacking the FAI for taking too long to appoint a new manager. The next he’s coming out in favour of that crazy idea to turn the Premiership into a travelling circus. (it would serve him right if Sunderland get drawn to play in Saipan). Keane needs to stop talking to the media so much and just get on with his job. On a lighter note Liam, wouldn’t it be great if Tardelli could get the Irish players to do that wonderful goal celebration? Not after every goal of course; Roy would call a press conference if one of the Irish lads showed that kind of emotion after knocking in a late consolation goal against Cyprus.
A LOT has been written about Kenwyne Jones at Sunderland, and what a good player he is, and so on. But one goal in 16 games is hardly a prodigious return, is it? Keane’s made a big mistake in not getting him some quality support and I’ve got a feeling it’s going to cost them their place in the Premier League.
IT’S not exactly easy making the transition from player to manager. Mark Hughes did it well, but cut his teeth in the (relatively) less demanding world of being international manager for Wales. Southgate seems to be trying hard despite all that argument about his coaching qualifications. Curbishley has held down a job for years, and Martin O’Neill is among the best but started with Wycombe Wanderers. I wonder, therefore, whether pitching Roy Keane straight into a top Premier League job was quite as clever as it first seemed. Ten consecutive away matches lost, and more away games lost than any other team tends to suggest that it was.
FIRSTLY I must say I’m not a Liverpool fan but have always been a great admirer of Steve Finnan. He must be one of the most under rated Irish players ever and I can’t believe there hasn’t been a bigger outcry at his international retirement. After watching the game against Inter Milan surely one of the first things Trapattoni must do is get him back in the Irish squad.
An historic day In Angry Fans land. Letter of the Week prize goes to Mike for the dextrous way he managed to squeeze Saipan into the appaling new vista for English football. However, he also becomes our first ever prizewinner who simultaneously picks up a red card for suggesting that Keano should talk to the media less. Do you want us to actually work hard in this job or something?
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I’VE got no arguments with the Chelsea defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The team were outfought and outplayed, and the tactical changes that Ramos made after half-time were far superior to those implemented by Avram Grant who, anyway, made his move too late. Some Chelsea supporters were prepared to give Grant the benefit of the doubt after his run of reasonable results but Sunday will have changed all that. He’s now lost to United, Arsenal, and Tottenham in a Wembley final. He couldn’t organise a defeat of a limited Liverpool side on home soil, and the set up of his team in Athens was completely wrong. There’s a good chance that Olympiacos could get the score draw they need at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League. Then the knives should be well and truly out. But they won’t be. What it is to have friends in high places eh?
WHAT ABOUT a shout for Jonathan Woodgate as the signing of the season? He was outstanding at Wembley. The goal might have been fortunate, but certainly not undeserved. Gloating Spur, Dublin, by email WHILE you are doing your Junior Sports stars this week could you see if you could find another couple of Robbie Keanes? He is getting better as he gets older and his harassing and chasing in the Carling Cup Final was outstanding. He didn’t get a goal, but he was a nuisance all afternoon and deserved his first major medal. Here’s hoping that Marco Tardelli won’t judge him “surplus to requirements” as he did when he took over at Inter Milan.
Well, since Marco will be the second in command, I think it’s safe to say that Robbie’s position is safe and deservedly so. But can the same be said of Kevin Doyle, especially if Trap opts for a man in behind the frontman as he has frequently done in the past. Stephen Ireland, anyone? Interesting times ahead. And how good to see Cork Blue back in this column. And how satisfying to be able to hand him his customary red card.
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HAS Arsène Wenger got “something of the night about him”. Sure he was very emotional after the tackle on Eduardo, but to suggest that Martin Taylor should be banned for life is excessive even by his standards. And it was a comment he repeated several times before common sense took hold and he made his retraction. Clumsy tackle, yes. Deliberate attempt to maim a player, no.
IT’S interesting that Wenger got such a clear view of the tackle on Eduardo Da Silva. He didn’t see anything when Emanuel Eboue went deliberately over the top on John Terry in December and broke three bones in his foot.
IT WAS a terrible injury to Arsenal’s striker. But for Wenger to suggest that it was an example of the philosophy that “to beat Arsenal you have to kick them” is completely wrong. And it ignores the multitude of red and yellow cards that his side have totted up over the years.
In fairness to Wenger, at least he did retract, because his original comments, however emotional they might have been, were cruel and unjust. As our letter writers suggest, the tackle was mistimed rather than malicious but, frankly, the whole debate around it pales in comparison to the awful damage done to Eduardo. Worth remembering that this is the price sometimes paid by professional footballers we are often too eager to dismiss as pampered featherweights.
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ANOTHER embarrassing cup defeat to Barnsley this time at home and without the excuse of Djimi Traore to fall upon. We are back to the status of pre-Istanbul, the joke team of the so-called Big Four. Yes, Benitez has given us a diet of Champion’s League success beyond our dreams and the most dramatic cup finals in recent years. However, I thought this year would be the one where Liverpool finally close the gap on the big two who in August were Chelsea and United. With decent players we should be hovering around 55 point mark at this stage but we have conceded too often to inferior opposition; the loss of Agger has been an underestimated blow. I must qualify that by saying that Benitez, for me, does not have the passion or the aura to take this team to greater league heights. Furthermore, without cash and backing he is like a rudderless ship. His post-Barnsley interview was abject and listless. Where was the anger as to why a poor team like Barnsley won at Anfield? For me, the only way we can save the club is by DIC buying out the Yanks and appointing a man of authority, passion and ego to the club — José Mourinho. If he can give Chelsea the League after 50 years, surely with petro-dollars we can have the same!
Having sat transfixed in the Anfield press box on the tumultuous night in 2005 when Liverpool dumped them out of the Champions League, I definitely want to be there the first time Mourinho walks out in front of the Kop as their new messiah. Oh, please make it happen!
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