Dowie looks up to maestro Wenger

WHEN Iain Dowie was a player, they swapped knuckle sandwiches in the tunnel after games rather than slices of pizza.

But whatever the Crystal Palace manager thinks of the Battle of the Buffet at Old Trafford, he still wants to put food on the agenda when he meets Arsene Wenger at Selhurst Park today.

Dowie believes the Frenchman is just about the finest coach in the world and wants to take him out for dinner. He shares Wenger's focus on detailed preparation and would love to ask his advice, regardless of what other managers have said about the Arsenal boss's unwillingness to socialise.