Chelsea can take Peter Kenyon's pride but not his loser's medal

17 September 2009 12:02
THE DAILY BUNG'S LUNCHTIME HEADLINES Eduardo is staring at a lengthy ban for his goal celebration last night, after the Arsenal striker sprinted out of the stadium all the way to Uefa's Swiss HQ and dived straight into Lake Geneva. A lifeguard was injured in the incident as Michel Platini rushed into the water after him. Fabio Capello has given a long and detailed interview to the Italian edition of Marie Claire, proving once again how different he is to Steve McClaren, whose only glossy magazine feature was for Take-a-Break. And Liverpool have criticised Paddy Power for offering odds on which of the club's players will be burgled next. Very wrong. And very funny. Read more here... ---- A MATTER OF OPINION It’s hard to think of a more unifying football figure than Peter Kenyon. Because apart from Peter Kenyon, football fans agree on precisely nothing. That’s the whole point, of course. Football is a vehicle which allows us – reasonable people, mostly – to climb on board and behave in a completely unreasonable, one-eyed, argumentative and biased manner. A stupid bus, if you like. Indeed, that great 20th century philosopher – Dirty Harry Callaghan – could have been discussing football when he said: “Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one.” But whenever Kenyon’s name is mentioned, the terraces suddenly sing with one voice. Messageboards purr harmoniously; democracy becomes dictatorship. Or to paraphrase Harry: “Everybody has one opinion, Kenyon’s an asshole.” Remarkably, and probably uniquely, Kenyon was booed by home and away fans when he returned to Old Trafford with Chelsea. And this, remember, in a world where even Harold Shipman gets the odd cheer around the grounds. So why the all the grief? Well, if you were to write a book called Why Football Is Rubbish These Days, Kenyon’s quotes would adorn several chapters. April 2005: “Over the next five years, our plans are quite simple. To turn the world blue." August 2005: “The winner of the Premier League will come from a small bunch of one.” November 2006: “We did set ourselves an objective to be break even by 2010 and we’re confident. Our aim is to internationally recognised as the world's No1 football club by 2014." Ironically though, the ultimate Kenyon memory wasn't caused by something he said, rather something he did. And, as we look back to that sodden night in Moscow, you wonder what became of the medal Kenyon proudly wore around his neck after leading Chelsea up the steps of the Luzhniki Stadium. I hope he still has it. Because Kenyon certainly deserves some memento from his career in football. And a loser's medal would be just about perfect.

Source: Telegraph