Wenger needs his own Cantona to rescue reputation

Watching Arsenal’s worst start to a league in three decades roll on and Manchester United’s latest comeback against Aston Villa last weekend, our mind flashed back to the same weekend 20 years ago.

It remains etched in the memory because that weekend I made the long haul up from the country to see Chuck Berry in the National Stadium. It was the most anti-climatic gig ever. His set didn’t even last 45 minutes. But what could we do but what most Irish folk tend to after a big disappointment; resort to black comedy and hit the pub. On the box as we entered the establishment was Match of the Day, and as we started joking about how the last song on Chuck’s set should now be entitled Johnny B Gone, Des Lynam and Co turned their attention to Villa Park.

The visitors were Manchester United, just like last weekend, but the only comeback United would enjoy that particular Saturday was the return of Lee Sharpe after a few months out injured. A lone Dalian Atkinson goal condemned United to their seventh consecutive league game without a victory, leaving them 10th in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal. Even Arsenal this year had started better.