Arsenal News » 2009 » December » 17

By Walter Broeckx

Tuesday evening. Wife not at home. Anything on the TV?

Oh yes they give a game of the EPL this evening. Well I might take a look. So I put on my sporting channel and instead of a game of the EPL I see it’s a game of the BEPL. The Bent English Premier League.

I see the teams line up and I see the full squad of Manchester United and then we get to see the Wolverhampton team and…. well apart from the goalkeeper no first team player in sight. My match commentator says that manager Mick McCarthy has decided to give his first team the night off and play his reserves.

Although the players had played before in the EPL and some were internationals, they were clearly not the normal first team of the club. Maybe it is a team that could play Arsenal youth team this season.

So this means that he just is giving Manchester United 3 points. Just like that. In fact he even could have made it far easier for everyone just by staying at home.  It would have helped on the global warming issue as some 70.000 people would not have gone out with their cars, the floodlights would not have been turned on, and all those burgers would not have been cooked.

Now I know that it is the responsibility from the manager to pick his team. And if he decides to take out his reserves for a first team fixture it is his decision.

Some commentators have pointed out that Wenger also puts up a youth team on occasion and yes he does. But when Wenger  does it, he does it in the Carling cup – or in a Euro match where the result means little. By doing this the only team he could harm is his own team. If Arsenal goes out of the Carling cup because the manager puts up a youth team we are the only one that suffer.

Besides these two competitions do not have rules which prevent the use of the squad system.  In fact in Europe the rules are set up specifically to allow younger players to play.

But if you deliberately play a reserve team in the BEPL you give a disadvantage to other teams.  I can imagine the amazing looks on the face of managers from teams that are battling with United for the title with big frowns in it. In my country we call it falsification of the league.

Now the question will be: why did Wolverhampton do this? Just to rest his players and to give them a benefit against Burnley on Sunday?  He has two more days rest than Burnley and still uses this excuse?

And then you might look at the games development … with United playing in a slow way as if they knew the points were in the bag. And then suddenly a Wolves player decides to help United by handling a ball with his hand when unchallenged?

After the helping hand from the manager, a helping hand from a player. I feel a smell coming up from some gutter.

Now can you imagine being a Wolves fan and paying a lot of money to go to Old Trafford and then discover that your manager is laughing at you by playing the reserves. I would feel disgusted with the lack of respect from the manager for his travelling fans.   At least when Arsenal do it, we know in advance, and for the games at the Emirates, the prices are cut, and they are not included in the season tickets.

So what happened is a disgrace in my eyes and not worthy of the EPL but it is for the BEPL.  It reminds me of some articles Tony wrote on the same things that happened some 100 years ago.

After all Mick McCarthy is an honest bloke and not a cheating foreigner.

Now on to what Arsene Wenger said.   He accused Wolverhampton of not “acting in good faith to other clubs”.

He added,  “It’s sad but what can I do? It’s not up to me. We will compete with Manchester United over 37 games instead of 38 this season. This is a problem for the international credibility of the Premier League.”

But of course the problem is not new.   Manchester United played a weakened side at Hull at the end of last season to save their team for the Champions League final.  No action was taken.   Aston Villa played a weakened team in the UEFA Cup last season to save their team so they could make a dash for fourth place.  That was within the rules.

Tony Pulis of Stoke joined the debate using the height of his intellectual powers to rebuff the arguments of Mr Wenger.  He said, “Wenger is moaning like a drain because it doesn’t suit Arsenal.”

The exact rules that could be applied are rule 20, section E  which says that “In every league match each participating club shall field a full-strength team”, and rule 13, section B which demands that clubs should act “in good faith to other clubs and the league”.

The EPL has now asked Wolverhampton to supply their observations.

Background notes

Some additional research added be the editor.  The book about 100 years ago which Walter mentions is “Making the Arsenal” and it is available from amazon.co.uk and from www.emiratesstadium.info There is a regular blog on the story of Arsenal 100 years ago at www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk