PATHETIC MAKING GALLAS A SCAPEGOAT!

[ramon]

Have to disagree here. A captain doesn't seek to shift responsibility to the other players in his side, as this latest outburst from Gallas has done. He is obviously trying to make other players the scapegoats. I hate John Terry, but his actions last night speak volumes of why he is the Chelsea captain and why Gallas was demoted down the ranks and subsequently sold.

Last night, in his post match interview, Terry took full responsibility for his mistake, admitted he was wrong and should have done better, and took all the pressure of Scott Carson, which may just spare him a second international exodus. Terry took one on the chin, accepted responsibility, and behaved in general as the captain should.

Compare this with his old accomplice Gallas. Arsenal's first 3 conceded goals this season were all from corners and were all scored by men Gallas should have been marking. Was Captain Bill's response one of responsibility and leadership. No, just like on the pitch, he sought to blame other individuals and in the press afterwards stated how certain members of the team had to defend better. Gallas clearly spends more time speaking to the press than his own team-mates.

Much has been made of Arsenal's problems, and I for one, do wholeheartedly believe that the team had no unity, no leader and no heart. The matches against Fulham, Sunderland and Stoke were some of the worst of the Wenger reign. As the two figureheads of the club, the manager and the captain, have to hold their hands up high and say that there is no collective desire in this team. (Even more so Wenger for persevering with Gallas for a second season, his choice of captain directly relating to the lack of brotherhood and teamwork on the pitch).

Would Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Dennis Bergkamp or Patrick Vieira ever have behaved in the way Gallas has done, NO. Whatsmore, with anyone of those players in the team you could be sure that any of our young players wouldn't dream of, let alone consider, stepping out of line or showing any signs of disrespect. Wenger has taken the best team in the world, a side which was invincible, and replaced them with a group of individual players with no particular allegiance to the club, whose best hopes of silverware is the Carling Cup. All of this to supposedly save money, yet we have the second highest wage bill in the prem?!

Not only should Gallas be stripped of the captaincy, he should be dropped. Bring in the 'real' Captain, Kolo Toure(someone who was around with the all conquering Arsenal legends of 04), partner him with Djourou at the back and see what happens. It surely can't be as bad as the 9 goals in 4 games conceded by Gallas and Silvestre. (Chelsea and Untied rejects who are apparently still good enough for Arsenal though).

I hate to be so negative but the club has become a joke, and its choice of Captain is the punch line. They need to re-install some figures at the club that represent Arsenal and can actually galvanise some unity and respect. Why Keown was never made permanent defensive coach after guiding a back four of Eboue, Toure, Senderos and Flamini to the best ever defensive record in the Champions League remains a mystery.

It's been said before but Wenger needs to buy a clear, proven, experienced quality centre back and defensive midfielder in January. I don't have much hope as aside from Campbell and Toure, Wenger has never signed a decent centre back. Can you imagine any of Stephanovs, Tavlaridis, Luzhny, Cygan, Senderos or Song ever playing for ManUre, Chelsea or Liverpool. Not a chance. Its dark days to be an Arsenal fan, and while Gallas is captain and his team of whiners and individuals carry on as they have been, the situation doesn't look like improving.

[Charlie! Charlie!]

[quote="Juan"]My issue is that when Gallas threw his toys out the pram, that should have been the end of his tenure as captain (and quite possibly not to play for us again).

Could you see Fergie or Clough allowing his captain to continue in his side after doing something like that? Staam was thrown out as he revealed being tapped up by Fergie in his biography, and at the time he was one of the top defenders in the world. I'd say what Gallas did was far more serious than Staam and yet he has kept his position and the captaincy.

I fully accept that Wenger is complicit in this situation existing. If you look over the last 4 years or so, we have lost Vieira, Campbell, Gilberto & Lauren. Real leaders who have not been replaced. I also accept that the squad really lacks balance in key areas - again the issue lies with Wenger not recruiting.

My three major problems with Gallas' outburst are:
1) The timing. Very tricky game on Saturday, loads of players out. Not a good time to be slating your team mates.
2) As captain he should be drawing the criticism, instead of dishing it out. 'Taking one for the team' so to speak - I've been playing shit, need to up my game. (Although didn't he do that recently?)
3) Most importantly, he has breached the sanctity of the dressing room. You should be able to speak your mind in there without it going any further. Everyone has to be honest, and should feel safe that it stays behind closed doors so that everyone can say exactly what they think. in doing this he has betrayed the whole squad.

Finally Perry Groves was on Five Live this morning - did I hear him right in him sayuing that Gallas has a book out today?[/quote]

I would like to know the answer to this one - I also heard this today?

[26may1989]

Great posts Gus, you make some very good points but it is amazing how you manage to turn Gallas's latest Billy-Big-Bollocksism into a full-frontal attack on Wenger.

Was Wenger at fault for appointing Gallas captain after his summer 2007 outburst? Yes. Was Wenger at fault for not sacking him after his disgusting behaviour at St Andrews? Yes. And would Wenger be at fault for at least not slating Gallas for this act of petulance? Definitely. Wenger is responsible for using his judgment and all of us (Wenger loyalists included) know that his judgments are not always right, and his loyalty to players can be both a strength and a weakness.

But the person principally at fault here can only be Gallas. He's a grown-up and he chose to say what he did, and admitted it's to defend his own position rather than improve the position for Arsenal. And self-justification can be the only reason for doing this. The man just doesn't have the character to lead, when the pressure's on, he doesn't really care about his team-mates (or the fans or his boss). Taking youth players to 50 Cent gigs or taking the applause when we do well (e.g. after the United game) is easy, but taking the hits from the fans and the press when things are going badly and showing younger players what it means to lead by example is much harder. Where was Gallas at the end of the Villa match while Walcott and a couple of others stayed out? Straight back to the dressing room, no apologetic applause for the fans who'd just watched their team get spanked.

If it's true that van Persie or Adebayor are behaving like wankers (which would surprise no-one), it's up to Gallas and Wenger to put them right. Of course Wenger deserves criticism for anything that goes wrong, but if the role of captain at a football club means anything these days, it's about being the person who knits the squad together in terms of spirit. Gallas has a responsibility which he fails to live up to. He just isn't up to the job. In the space of a few games, Mikael Silvestre has already proved himself to be more of a squad man than Billy Cry Baby.

I said in the summer we should switch captaincy to Cesc, and I stick by that, even with Cesc's terrible form and tiredness. But I would be happy with Clichy, Sagna or even Silvestre - not that I think they are perfect captains either, but better than the embarrassment we have.

By the way, I still rate Gallas as a defender - you're right, if he had a competent and tall partner and/or a screening defensive midfielder, he would look much better. His performance against United was very good. But the captaincy is another issue, and as captain, far from being positive for Arsenal, he's a liability. Wenger showed faith in Gallas before by allowing him to remain captain after the Birmingham farce, but better to cut our losses now and sack Gallas as captain, even if it ends up meaning he has to be sold (which I would prefer not to happen).

[Radford149]

gallas is not a scapegoat but he is a mouthy wanker whose performances do not justify the megaphone of a trap he has. he has not led by example. there was no need for him yet again to go spouting off to the media. up until the zulu game he was doing ok, since then he has been an unmitigated disaster, that's not making him a scapegoat that's stating a fact. arrogant, pass-the-blame *word censored*.

[Number 5]

I couldn't disagree more with this thread.

Gallas is not a scape goat. The man is his own worst enemy. How much more does he have to say before he realises he is alienating almost every person he comes across.

Before this latest debacle I firmly believed there was a definite split in the camp. An open secret if you like. Pretty much public knowledge without being said. One one side I saw Gallas, Clichy, Sagna and Adebayor. The other side Cesc, Kolo, RvP. By highlighting this in an interview Gallas has just confirmed what was already known.

If Gallas chooses to come out with these comments then he must be man enough to stand by them and deal with the reaction to his comments. Moaning about having to deal with the flak would be all well and good if he had never come out critising those around him before, but he has previous for this. Almost from the second he walked through the door. If he is quick to criticise he must be prepared for it to come back at him.

I believe he was given the captaincy in an effort to get him to shut the fuck up. His first year with us was littered with examples of him blasting the other players, the manager, almost everything. It's not like being Captain made him more prone to this sort of tirade. If anything it did calm him down and whilst everything was rosy and we topped the table last year he was very quiet. As soon as we hit a rough patch and he comes in for some criticism, justified or not, (as a modern day footballer you have to accept this from the press it just will not go away) he is bang on the case again.

I very much feel having Gallas in the team with another player as captain would be even more detrimental. You would have the captain of the team being undermined at every point by the man as he chose to savage his team mates and club in the press time and again. Wenger's initial choice to make him skipper was correct, this season his only choices were to re-appoint Gallas or sell him. He couldn't stay and not be captain. Given that we came very close last season the decision to go with Gallas again was correct. It's everything else falling apart which have been the incorrect choices and something no one other than Wenger and the Board are responsible for.

Fuck knows where we go from here. These are bad times. Gallas position has become untenable for me. I cannot see how he can go on at this club. He has lost the support of a lot of fans, certainly many of his team mates and most critically the boss, no matter what he says in public. He has to go or I see things getting worse as the season goes on.

[Nice_Guy]

To be fair, your all making good points. I still feel Gallas is being used a scape goat to an extent as I feel the problems at Arsenal lie much deeper than him. However this does not excuse the fact that every time he goes away on International duty he opens his mouth about matters that should stay in house

[gus ceasar is a legend]

Some of you are missing a very obvious point here!

We can all agree or disagree on Gallas's place as a player and captain at the club but ultimately there is one man who could have stopped this from happening or who could have nipped it in the bud when the signs became obvious.

Wenger has had ample opportunity to correct his own mistake and has not. He alone has the power to hire and fire the same as any other manager. As a manager of a team of over 60 guys in the past I know that one bad apple can upset the whole group. The answer is simple. You either get them back into line or you get shot of them. That is simple man-management.

You have to mae a decision based on the positives that individual brings to the team versus the the troublesome side of their nature. If they can be reined in all well and good and you encourage the positives whilst managing the negativesm that is what you are paid to do.

We all know Gallas is a nutter, that is not in doubt. It should also be noted he is our best centre half. So there is your judgement to make. Do the pro's outway the con's?

Wenger has failed to man-manage a player and a situation. If you put a lunatic (Gallas) in charge of an already unstable unit (the team) are you really suprised when this happens.

Again, I am not defending Gallas as a person. That is far too hard to do. What I am saying is that this sorry mess could have been stopped by a certain Arsene Wenger. The fact it has not is down to him.

Gallas is not a good person or a good capta-n agreed but he is a good player. The fact he is captain by default tells its own story about our team and why we are erratic at best. Simply we lack class.

"In Arsene We Trust" you say!

I would have trusted him a whole lot more if he made simple and swift decisions that would have helped avoid this debacle.

Yes Gallas maybe a bellend but so were Henry, Campbell, Parlour, Adams and Wright in their own particular ways. Managed by a sane and decisive manager however, they still gave a whole load in a positive way to Arsenal.

[Radford149]

To be fair, your all making good points. I still feel Gallas is being used a scape goat to an extent as I feel the problems at Arsenal lie much deeper than him. However this does not excuse the fact that every time he goes away on International duty he opens his mouth about matters that should stay in house

that's the point? he IS the captain and as such should carry himself in the correct manner. i find his lack of humility borish and his finger pointing pathetic and childish. if he can't lead then he should stand down. wanker

[Drone]

Damn Gus this was an absolutely good analyze, u get my backing on this one.

[Juan]

I think I see what you mean by Scapegoating Gallas; indeed he is not the beginning and end of all of Arsenal's problems at the moment.

As skipper it is a question of accountability/responsability. He is not directly responsible for everything that's going wrong (although he has contributeed through some decidedly poor defending) but as captain he is to be held accountabile for what is going on (especially looking at the lack of motivation in the team).

This outburst suggests to me that he is trying to avoid both. He does not aknowledge where he is resonsible, and is trying to shift accountability to the player six years younger than him.

[Number 5]

I do feel Wengers man management skills were good with Gallas.

When he first came he was not captain yet still managed to be in the papers all the time mouhting off about everything and nothing. So Wengers choice after only one year became obvious. How do I calm this prick down without shifting him out of the side after just one season? Giving him the captaincy was supposed to channel that side of him into something positive and for the most part of last season it was working well. We very rarely heard him running down the side as we were challenging on all fronts. Credit to Wenger there. Credit again for sticking with him again this season in an attempt to recreate last season. Where Wenger fucked up is by trying to do what he did last season with an inferior set of players. If the right decisions had been made during the close season we could have been challenging at the very top again and I reckon we'd have heard f'all from Gallas and no-one would be questioning his credentials as captain.

[northbankbren]

Athough I am a often very quick to stick up for Wenger (sometimes too quick ). Making Gallas captain is in my opinion by far the biggest mistake he has made during his time at Arsenal. Gallas is no leader, if he defended as well as he moans we'd have the best center back in the world. As for Wenger.......i still think he's the rite man to bring this club forward.

[augie]

Gus in a lot of ways I feel you on me are on the same wavelength and line of thought on all things Arsenal but while I agree with parts of this article there are also many parts that I cannot agree with.

Firstly to get it on the record that I am 100% in agreement with you re your wenger criticism of wenger as regards the management of the players and choices of captains. It is well known that I am hugely critical of wenger's performance in the transfer market for the last 2 seasons so again we agree on that. However it is your defence of gallas that I cannot agree with here for a few reasons -
I simply cannot buy into this whole I'd rather he said out what was happening rather than listen to the happy camp bullshit. That would be fine if he was just telling me or a few Arsenal fans but he was telling the whole world and we as Gooners know all too well how the media love to jump all over us every single fcuking chance they get Can he honestly said he didnt expect the media reaction his comments have received ? As a few have said on here already gallas statement is all about self preservation and nothing about squad unity or sorting things out in an effort to heal wounds. Wenger has to manage right now like he has never done before and his 1st priority must be to remove the captaincy from gallas, not because he is a wanker (though I believe that to be true) but because he is a piss poor leader and while there is a shocking lack of alternatives in the squad I believe that he has had a chance, failed at it, and should now be replaced accordingly.
The 2nd point is your defence of gallas the player. There is more than a grain of truth in your arguement that our current midfield is woefully short in the defensive part of their responsibilities and it is affecting the back four. However you use that as a shield to deflect criticism from gallas's performances but dont apply the same ethos to kolo. Hasnt he being playing behind the same midfield as gallas ? Wasnt toure's form good last season, when he had a more defensive midfielder in front of him, prior to the anc from which he came back injured ? Isnt it then possible that his form is also down to a lack of midfield protection ? If we afford the 2 of them the same judgement then to me it would come down to who is getting caught out more often and without a shadow of doubt that is gallas as our first 3 goals conceded this season in the league were all down to him. There is no doubt that gallas was once a great defender but I would argue that the jury is very much out on whether he still is that good defender.

To my mind, as I said above, wenger now has to be a strong manager after failing to be that man for the last 2 seasons. In my opinion he needs to start picking that team based on performances, partnerships and working relationships instead of ego's and over indulgence to certain players. With that in mind I would without a doubt have kolo and djouru as my 1st choice partnership right now cos I feel that gallas has been played with several different partners with no improvement with any of them so sooner or later you have to ask is his partner the problem or is gallas himself the problem ?

[SWLGooner]

Welcome back #5.. ..hope all is ok 26/5. [/quote]

[QuartzGooner]

Gallas is the best centre back a the club, but his form has declined since joining.

Partly as he does not have John Terry next to him.

It has led to fans questioning his ability, probably unfairly.


Gallas is no skipper though.

The blame must be shared by Wenger who in my opinion wrongly missed the opportunity to appoint Gilberto as skipper, with Gallas as vice captain.

It must also be shared by Gallas himself, for not curbing his natural hot headedness.