KAROL WINS OCTOBER COMPETITION

Karol Coleman from the Irish Department won the October monthly competition in dominant style, finishing ahead of Mark Steele (2nd.) and Fiona Buckley (3rd.) Karol has now three career monthly titles to his name and is hoping to challenge for the Manager of the Year trophy.

IS ROY KEANE A BAD MANAGER?

A Football365 article by Sarah Winterburn
Roy Keane was one of six managers who reportedly spent over £30m this summer - the others being Juande Ramos, Rafa Benitez, Sir Alex Ferguson, Martin O'Neill and Mark Hughes. One of those number has already gone, three have started the season strongly and the other is under significant pressure for only being mid-table. So why does nobody question Keane when his team are in 14th - a massive one place above where they finished last season - despite investment on the scale of Champions League hopefuls this summer? [Ed. After this weekend Sunderland are 19th].

Sunderland have the biggest squad in the Premier League - with 33 players having squad numbers and another ten players out on loan. That's more than all the clubs who are competing in European competition as well as the Premier League. They have a grand total of 12 strikers on their books - including forgotten men like David Connolly and Rade Prica - and still only Fulham have scored fewer goals in the Premier League. And they managed just one shot - on or off target - against Chelsea at the weekend.
They have won only one of their last six league games and are yet to earn a single point from a losing position this season. And yet, when it comes to questioning what progress Keane is making at Sunderland, the silence is deafening. The truth is that Keane is immune to criticism through a mixture of fear and respect. Not respect for his achievements as a manager but respect for his achievements as a player, and a fear not only of an angry reaction from a man with a celebrated temper but a withdrawal of media co-operation from one of the most quotable managers in the game.
Just as there was scant condemnation for Harry Redknapp's second exit from Portsmouth despite his earlier protestations that he would never leave the club, there are no questions being asked of Keane's management despite his vast summer spending (£12.5m on two West Ham defenders for a start) and results that have not reflected that spending. If any other Premier League manager had fielded an 18-year-old striker who has been out injured since February against the title favourites while leaving Djibril Cisse and El-Hadji Diouf on the bench, people would be queueing up to ask whether said manager had lost the plot. Keane does it and - outside of local newspaper reports - you will struggle to find a mention of Martyn Waghorn's name in reports until you get to the bit at the end that says 'Waghorn, 4'.
I'm not saying Keane is a poor manager and of course I accept the notion that Keane is trying to 'build' a team and that will take time, but I will be very interested to see whether there are any dissenting voices in the press if Sunderland are still only a point clear of relegation in January or February. I suspect not.

IS IT TIME FOR ARSENE WENGER TO GO?

YES – Emmanuelle Quinlivan, co-manager of Adam’s French Fancies
I didn't see the match on Wednesday and I do understand that a derby always brings the best out of players down in the dumps (like Spurs). Yet I think there has been a trend for Arsenal, after the unbeaten season, to never quite clinch the deal. I think they desperately need a new manager. Arsene has been great, brought a new ethic to the club, new training technique, new diet etc but his constant refusal to bring in experienced players who are not past it (like Gallas) or moody (like Gallas!) has been a big issue and explains for me why the club hasn't won anything in years. If I hear one more time that Arsenal are in transition, I'll scream! They will be [in transition] forever if a constant stream of youngsters are brought in. And the team needs a solid, reliable, experienced and level-headed captain!

NO – Aodh Quinlivan, manager of Vic Guthrie’s Melchester Reserves
Sir Alex Ferguson may be the best manager in the Premier League but Arsene Wenger is the best coach. He has a pure philosophy of football and he deserves the opportunity to keep working with the current crop of Arsenal youngsters. Yes, there are problems at the club and it is apparent to all that the Gunners are crying out for a defensive holding midfielder in the mould of Vieira/Flamini/Gilberto. It is no coincidence that the four goals scored by Spurs came from long-range shots from central positions, the kind of area usually patrolled by a holding midfielder. It is also a concern that Fabregas is off form. Hopefully he is just finding his feet after the European Championships in the summer. There is a suspicion however – as expressed on some Arsenal message boards – that his season is reminiscent of Henry’s last at Arsenal. In other words, he loves the club, he insists he is not leaving but his mind is elsewhere. So it is clear that there is a lot of work to be done at the Emirates on the training ground and in the dressing-room. But the fact remains (at least it is my opinion) that Arsene Wenger is the best person to oversee this work. If Arsenal fans continue to trust Wenger, the rewards will be great in the form of an all-conquering team led by the likes of Ramsey, Walcott, Vela, Merida and Wilshire.