Far from Cup’s destroyer, Wenger may be its saviour

DOUBTLESS I’d be sick as Michael Palin’s moth-eaten parrot if I’d seen my team’s prospects of silverware disappear in the first week of the New Year as a result of the sort of managerial ‘pragmatism’ which persuaded Messrs Moyes and Hughes to tinker with their respective squads on Saturday.

Along with inflation, the state of the NHS and the failure of the national team, it seems to be fashionable to blame Arsene Wenger for such widespread belittlement of the oldest knockout tournament on the planet.

Instead of which, events this weekend would suggest that we (and the FA!) should be grateful to Le Gaffer for instigating this trend and unwittingly being responsible for giving this aged competition the kiss of life.