McCarthy's men abroad

Hearty congratulations and glad tidings to Damien Duff (right), for proving to his doubters that he has a right foot too (see…

Hearty congratulations and glad tidings to Damien Duff (right), for proving to his doubters that he has a right foot too (see goal versus Charlton) and to Roy Keane, for scoring his 50th goal for Manchester United against Southampton on Saturday. Our men of the week, though, are Shay Given and Andy O'Brien for playing their part in Newcastle's dizzy, mindboggling rise to the top of the Premiership, helped in no small part by those spooky away wins at Arsenal and Leeds last week.

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times