For 12 years, Arsenal fans have been used to a manager so loyal it borders on the belligerent, but that quality appears to be lost on the team’s captain, William Gallas.
According to reports this morning, Gallas has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy. For the sake of the club’s future, the manager may have to go even further and boot him out altogether.
Arsene Wenger has irritated almost everyone in the footballing world with his answer to any question regarding even the most blatant infringements from his players – “I did not see it.” William Gallas on the other hand sees a lot and he doesn’t mind sharing it.
In media reports on Thursday Gallas criticised his team mates for not being brave enough, openly discussed dressing room bust-ups and complained about a mystery player who “insults us”.
Does “Gallas the Grump” really expect this to boost Arsenal’s chances, inspire his players or endear him to the fans? He is either remarkably naive or he just doesn’t care. Either way, Alex Ferguson, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Rafa Benitez must be laughing their Christmas stockings off.
Arsenal’s last Premiership campaign was on track until their draw away to Birmingham sentenced them to a third straight trophy-less season.
That game ended with a petulant strop from Gallas, who kicked down advertising hoardings, refused to play after Birmingham were awarded a penalty and only left the pitch after getting a hug from his manager.
What a captain!
PHOTO: Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas talks to William Gallas during a team training session at London Colney, September 29, 2008. REUTERS/ Eddie Keogh
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If Gallas was half the captain Arsenal needed him to be, he would have taken himself aside after his display of disloyalty, given himself a damn good talking to, done a few trust exercises with himself and politely but firmly asked himself to apologise to his teammates. He wasn’t, so he didn’t…or did he?
- Posted by unclebinghamI think this situation’s inherent of what Arsenal are all about these days - egos and more egos. There’s Gallas on the one hand who, rightly or wrongly, walked straight in to the captaincy and evidently thinks he has some god-given right to air his opinions, however harmful they may be to team spirit.
Then there’s the likes of Van Persie, who it is said sees himself as the most pivotal player in the squad.
And who’s managing these overpaid, over-hyped egomaniacs? The biggest egomaniac of them all, Wenger. To say you could see it coming doesn’t do the phrase “understatement” justice!!
- Posted by Hannah Benjamin[...] Gallas revealing ’secrets’ from Arsenal’s dressing room? Nothing. And what’s so terrible about a captain hitting out at his team mates when they fail to deliver? Gallas was [...]
- Posted by Sports 40 » Blog Archive » Don’t blame Gallas — he was trying to do a captain’s jobThis has been coming for a long, long time…remember Adebayor and Bendtner last season? Wenger’s worked miracles in the transfer market, but you do get the impression he’s gathered a bunch of people together that hate each other.
- Posted by alex mac