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.

ANOTHER WIN FOR FIONA

Fiona Buckley won the September monthly competition in fine style, finishing seven points ahead of Mark Kreuzer.This was Fiona's third monthly success in a row - a new UCCFFC record! The picture above shows her accepting the September award at White Hart Lane before Spurs took on (and beat!) Bolton Wanderers.

1. Fiona Buckley 284


2. Mark Kreuzer 277


3. Carl Swidorski 276


4. John McCarthy 274


5. Mark Hooley 268

RACEY WINS FOR JEREMY & DECLAN

Well done to Jeremy Hayes from BIS (below) who won The Best of Roy of the Rovers in the 1980s for his contributions to our recent blog competition. Declan Jordan of the Economics Department (above, after a gruelling training session with UCC United) also won a copy of this most-coveted soccer annual. Congratulations to you both!

What 'Roy of the Rovers' means to me

My love of football can partly be traced to Roy of the Rovers. I was not around when the weekly Roy of the Rovers story started in the first issue of Tiger on 11 September, 1954 but when the stand alone comic began in 1976, I followed the exploits of Roy Race religiously until the tragic closure of the comic on 20 March, 1993. For me, Roy of the Rovers represents the glamorous and unpredictable nature of football with last-minute goals in Cup finals and a never-say-die attitude which I try to take with me every time I step on the pitch. Some of the Roy of the Rovers story lines are unforgettable. For example, in 1981, Melchester Rovers were sensationally relegated to Division 2, Roy was shot by Elton Blake (in my world this story was much bigger than 'who shot JR Ewing?') and Sir Alf Ramsey took over as caretaker manager. During the 1982/'83 season Roy did the unthinkable and joined Walford Rovers but his heart wasn't in it and he returned to Melchester the following season to lead the Reds to an FA Cup final victory ... over Walford, of course. Melchester's summer tour to Basran in 1986 coincided with a coup by native rebel forces and eight team members, including Vic Guthrie, Kenny Logan, Jimmy Slade and Trevor Cassidy, lost their lives. The surviving players were rescued by an SAS unit. In 1987, Roy's son - Roy Jr - ran away from home and in 1988 Mel Park (home ground of the Rovers) was destroyed by an 'earthquake' (caused by the collapse of old mining tunnels under the stadium). Three years later, Roy rejected an offer of €8 million to become manager of the USA national team; 1991/1992 saw him set a new English league scoring record of 436 goals; he resigned as Melchester's player-manager live on Sky TV in 1992/1993 but quickly changed his mind. At the end of that fateful season, Roy crashed his helicopter and was left critically injured and in a coma. He came out of the coma to learn that his famous left foot had been amputated. Roy's next move was to leave England to take over as manager of Italian side AC Monza, leaving Roy Jr (aka Rocky) to continue his father's tradition at Melchester.

What a man! Thanks for the memories Roy. Every kid needs a Roy of the Rovers in their life.

Famous Five for Fabulous Fiona

FIFTH MONTHLY TITLE FOR FANTASTIC FIONA

The August monthly competition has been won in dramatic style by Fiona Buckley (Department of Government) who collects her fifth career title. After a titanic struggle, Fiona finished level with Frank Burke but was awarded the higher placing due to her superior score in the final week of the competition. Liam Weeks finished strongly to take third position ahead of Theresa Reidy and the managerial duo of Emmanuelle and Adam Quinlivan.

Final August Monthly Table

1. Fiona Buckley 303
2. Frank Burke 303
3. Liam Weeks 294
4. Theresa Reidy 280
5. Emm/Adam Quinlivan 273

BURKE LEADS WAY

With three weeks out of four completed in the August competition, Frank Burke leads the way by six points from Fiona Buckley with Karol Coleman a further ten points in arrears. While Frank has never won a monthly title, Fiona has four to her name and Karol won twice last year in his debut season. Due to the break this weekend because of international matches, Week 4 takes place over the weekend of Saturday 13 to Monday 15 September. The top five managers will win money and it's all to play for!

1 Frank Burke 239
2 Fiona Buckley 233
3 Karol Coleman 223
4 Sinead Hackett 222
5 Mark Mulcahy 221
6 Liam Weeks 215
7 Theresa Reidy 215
8 Bill Swidorski 214
9 Emmanuelle & Adam Quinlivan 214
10 Aodh Quinlivan 213