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.

"I would love to have a night out with him. I would even pay. I would think he is not far off the finest coach in the world. He is outstanding and his recruitment policy has been a revelation.

"My nature does not allow me to be quiet and studious on the sidelines like Wenger and I would not change that. But if you did not learn from him you should not be in the game."

Dowie's admiration for Wenger does not stop him believing Palace can beat Arsenal, given what the manager describes as a "rare opportunity."

The Palace boss said: "Arsenal are the big team in town, and when they come they bring the circus with them, but we have not got to be drawn into that, worrying about the likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira, Pires and the like.

"We must focus on our own job, and if we execute that game plan, and with a little bit of fair wind, we might upset a couple of people."

Arsenal may have looked far from convincing in their mid- week Champions League draw with Panathinaikos but Dowie is expecting the Gunners to come out firing on all cylinders tomorrow as they look to bounce back from last weekend's disappointing 2-2 home draw with Southampton.

"I am very aware of the ways they play," said Dowie. "There are some ways you have to try and counteract that, and we will work on that.

"The team shape is key. If you go with the runner you disturb that so I think it is important that certain runs are not to get the ball, they are there to disturb your shape and it is very effective."

He added: "I think Arsenal let you play, they want to bring you on to them and then unleash the pace of Henry and the likes against you.

"I have got a feeling it will be the best game we have had at Palace so far. They are a massive club with an enormously successful team full of outstanding players.

"The last couple of weeks have allowed us to go into the game with a lot of belief and Palace fans will be believing we can win the game."

After the visit of Arsenal, Palace will travel to Manchester United for their Carling Cup fourth-round tie on Wednesday night.

These are heady days indeed for the Eagles, who not so long ago were staring at relegation from the First Division and an uncertain financial future.

"This is a fabulous week for the club it cannot really get any better. I can't wait for the team sheet to come in and see the Arsenal team, then trying to pit you wits against great players," said Dowie.

"Let's see how we go there will be someone on our team who jumps out and performs at a level they have not done before if we have six or seven of them, then who knows?

"On any day, if you are prepared to be at the optimum level and you are prepared right, then maybe, just maybe, you can scale the heights that Arsenal have."

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger yesterday launched an impassioned defence of Thierry Henry as he insisted the Arsenal forward is the best striker in the world and more of an all-round player than Ruud van Nistelrooy.

"The criticism of Thierry is completely undeserved and amazing. Don't forget, this guy is top scorer and provider in the league, and top scorer in the Champions League for us. We should only praise him.

"Look at his record. He's won championships in England and France, cups in England, the World Cup and the European Championships with France, but still has to justify himself.

"Who can you compare him with? Nobody. You cannot compare him with Ruud van Nistelrooy. Thierry is a goalscorer and a provider, while Van Nistelrooy is a goal-getter in the box.

"Nobody else up front can repeat, week in and week out, the quality of what he is achieving. You cannot do it in every game. Shevchenko doesn't do it, Ronaldo doesn't do it, nobody does it. You have to accept that a man is not a machine.

"But Thierry has still done it in big games. He's scored eight goals against Manchester United, a hat-trick away to Roma and two against Inter last season."