Floodgates can now open for Saha: Dowie

Crystal Palace boss Iain Dowie has predicted Louis Saha will ’get a bucketload’ now the Frenchman has broken his six-month goalscoring duck – and that could be bad news for Newcastle and Arsenal.

Saha put himself into contention for Manchester United’s crucial Premiership trip to St James’ Park this weekend with a superb first-half effort that put the Red Devils on their way to a mouth-watering Carling Cup quarter-final clash with Arsenal in three weeks.

And if Alex Ferguson sticks to his word, not only could Saha face the Magpies, he could also be in the United forward line that faces the Gunners, barely a month after the Battle of Old Trafford II.

“Louis is a quality player,” said Dowie. “I always thought he was outstanding at Fulham and everyone I have spoken to who played with him speaks very highly of him.

“He is quick, good in the air, is brave and has two good feet. You don’t pay £12m (€17.2m) for someone who can’t play. It wouldn’t surprise me if he went on to get a bucketload now.”

Kieran Richardson’s second senior goal just before the break completed the 2-0 win and ensured United could coast through the second half, giving Ferguson the chance to hand 17-year-old forward Guiseppe Rossi a debut.

However, the real drama came long after the final whistle.

Ferguson laughingly accepted the quarter-final pairing with Arsenal will send a shudder down the spine of the FA, whose chairman Geoff Thompson has asked representatives of both clubs to attend a meeting before their next clash in an effort to ensure the unsavoury scenes that seem to appear whenever the two clubs meet are not repeated.

Thompson thought he had until February to arrange a date. Now he has just three weeks to work with after the most ironic of draws, which came just 48 hours after Soho Square confirmed there will be no action taken over the ’soupgate’ tunnel incident.

By then Wenger will have responded to claims he called Ruud van Nistelrooy a cheat in the aftermath of his side’s 2-0 Premiership defeat last month.

None of either club’s major stars are expected to be on view but Ferguson will not have forgotten the anger which surfaced when the two sides last met in the League Cup at Highbury three years ago.

Believing he had an agreement with Wenger to field virtual youth teams, the Scot allowed the match to take place just 24 hours after his first team played in the Premiership, only to meet a stronger than expected Gunners line-up and promptly lost 4-0.

“The FA will be delighted with that draw,” smiled Ferguson, “Oh dearie me. At least we have a home tie. That is all we can ask for. We will play the same squad we played tonight and give it a real go.”

Dowie was disappointed at the defeat, even though he fielded a completely different side to the one that drew with the Gunners on Saturday.

“This was a very important competition for us and I expected us to perform better than we did,” he said.

“I realise Saha cost four times more than my entire squad but I am surprised more of them didn’t step up to the challenge of playing at Old Trafford. We conceded two soft goals and at this level, you don’t get away with that.”