Patrick Vieira; a written tribute to a legend of the game.

When I get asked who my favourite player of all time is, the answer remains the same every time - Patrick Vieira. Being an Arsenal fan it is hard to find a reason not to idolise him. Whilst many other football fans will respond with a host of different players ranging from Pele to John Terry, I opt for Vieira simply because he was the man that single-handedly roped me into watching the game that I adore so much today. Despite what 'bit part' supporters say, the Frenchman was the ultimate all round footballer who could play astonishing passes and express incredible technical ability. As a young boy of about 4 years old my only on screen idol was the unforgettable Barney The Dinosaur. I was a little boy who felt so disheartened when his Dad turned his cartoons over in order to watch football and was happy to see the back of it. 1998 was a year that changed all of that though, discarding of my Dad's judgement - a Chelsea fan - I decided to start supporting Arsenal, a team that had at the heart of their midfield a 6 ft 3 and a half inch Senegalese man. The season was one that saw Arsene Wenger's side collect their first Premier League trophy and overhaul a 12 point gap that Manchester United had opened up on them earlier in the campaign, this was a feat that I was happy with although if it were to happen now it would be one that I would be ecstatic with. At the tender age of just 4, watching the game was still very much a learning process for me. However over the years, along with my love for the game, my admiration for Arsenal's number 4 midfielder grew too.

Vieira with former compatriot Emmanuel Petit in his early Arsenal days.

Physique - Standing at 6 ft 3 inches tall, Vieira was a player that at the time would tower over almost any opponent he'd come up against. His sheer physical presence in front of the Arsenal backline was most of the time enough to leave his opponent with their tail between their legs. When he was playing a more offensive role, although not naturally consisting of bundles of pace, his long legs would enable him to get back in time to snuff out the counter attack. His height would also come in handy when he was facing an aerial challenge for the ball. Vieira is a player that will always be remembered for his impeccable defensive ability and the amount of headers won by him in order to clear an opposing set piece is evidence of this, however he was also deadly with his head at the other end of the pitch. Away from his height his strength was another big contributing factor throughout his career, he would use it when hunting down the ball, jostling for a position and of course simply letting his opponent know that he is there.

Vieira heading home against Roma. 

Mentality - Vieira's time in North London led many to believe that he was almost an Englishman - just one with a French accent. He possessed a mentality that had clearly been influenced and enhanced passively by the senior die hard players at the club with him at the time; Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, David Seaman etc. and was one not normally associated with a player coming from France. His passion for the game was on show for all to see, he was never one to come into a game with his head down and no matter what the occasion, always possessed a burning desire to win. Arsene Wenger said that "if he goes to Sheffield United on a Tuesday night or to Real Madrid on a Wednesday night he plays exactly the same game, he is ready to fight to win." From day one of his Arsenal career he displayed an immense amount of courage, he never hid from anybody and would always be there in the thick of things, getting stuck in; showcasing his aggression were a big part of his game. In his time he entertained fans with a number of on field scraps, most notable of all is the annual one he would hold against Manchester United 'hardman' Roy Keane. Vieira was quite simply a gladiator of the game and one who would never back out of a challenge, who thrived on being forced to fight and who did not know the meaning of the word quit, he even asked manager Arsene Wenger to play him when he was injured. He is seen to be one of the last players from the old school, never wanting to extract any outside media attention like so many of the modern day footballers do now, the Frenchman only cared about doing his job, crossing the white line every Saturday afternoon willing to leave a piece of his body on the pitch in order to earn his side three invaluable points.

Vieira involved in a typical scrap with Roy Keane.

Technique & goals - When Patrick Vieira's name is brought up, 'fantastic technical ability', 'good finisher' and 'excellent passer of the ball' hardly ever seem to be brought up with it. However throughout his Arsenal career Patrick displayed quick feet, a range of precise important passes and also stood up when no one else would, tucking away some key goals. Although more well known for his aggression and will to lay into his opponent, Vieira had with him a tremendous sense of composure. Even in his early years he showed a real patience where the average footballer would panic and reassured his team mates, playing good, crisp football - displaying his maturity. Being technically gifted and being able to do your sides dirty work is somewhat of a rarity today and has been since the game began. Vieira also notched up 33 goals in his time with Arsenal, an impressive record for someone who can supposedly only defend. Not only did he score goals but he scored vital ones to, Manchester United, Chelsea and arch rivals Spurs have all conceded to his devastating right boot over the years. As Martin Tyler once said 'well he doesn't get too many goals, but when he does they're usually very special.' This is certainly a part of his game that deserves a great deal of respect and should be spoken about more often. 

Vieira celebrating his goal at Stamford Bride; 2004. 

Captaincy - As I have already mentioned Vieira spent his years in North London possessing a fantastic mentality. This along with his desire, will to win, leadership skills and vocal dominance were the clear reasons as to why Mr Wenger decided to hand him the captains armband when legendary leader Tony Adams retired.  It was the obvious choice, even in the days when he was not captain, Vieira was a player that was regularly leading by example, sorting out positions and was not afraid to shout in order to give the team a lift. He also had formed an incredible friendship with his predecessor Tony Adams, a process in which no doubt Vieira had it drummed into him what it meant to wear the armband and what it required. As captain a higher level of maturity was on display and he was now the main man at the club. The 2003-04 Invincible season was capped off in the most iconic way with Vieira again showing off his technical ability as he rounded the Leicester City 'keeper at Highbury to put away his sides winner and to seal an unbeaten Premier League campaign. After this he was given the nickname 'Captain Invincible' something that I quite clearly agree with. His passion for the club and his understanding of it was underlined to me when new arrival Robin Van Persie turned up to training wearing navy and white tracksuit bottoms, only to be told to change them by his new captain as they were Spurs colours, Van Persie has reportedly never been seen in those same trackies ever since. His final act as captain was rifling the ball high into the Manchester United goal at Cardiff to bring back the F.A Cup, from that kick onwards, his former club have endured 6 and a half seasons without a trophy, coincidence?

Vieira with his mentor Tony Adams. 

Fans - Just like any legend at any club, Vieira had formed a special relationship with the Arsenal fans. Constantly praising them up during post match interviews and rallying them on in games with a simple wave of the arm along with the fact that they knew their hero would give them 110% every single time he put on the shirt is why they idolised him so much. In a recent interview Vieira declared "When you have 50,000 people singing 'Vieira woa-oh... he comes from Senegal, he plays for Arsenal' it's fantastic!" Patrick also gave nine years of his life to the club and almost every single one of those would be followed up by a summer filled with speculation over him moving to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan etc. For all of those years though he was willing to ply his trade in the best league in the world and committed to the club that he loved so dearly. In 2005, when he did finally depart for Italian side Juventus, it came as no suprise that hardly any Arsenal fan was bitter towards him, they had loved him for 9 years, seen him give so much to their football club and because of it had only respect and admiration for him. The respect was mutual, Vieira continued to follow the clubs results and regularly commented on the teams performances as well as always stating that if he were to one day score against his former side, he would not celebrate. The combination of these things plus the fact that the Highbury faithful knew that he never cheated them out of anything and always gave them his best is why he was voted the clubs fifth best player of all time in 2008. Although I love him, I have always felt that it would have been fitting to have seen my idol and Arsenal's last real captain bow out in style after playing his testimonial and waving farewell to the fans in the last ever game to be played on the pitch that he had graced for what would have been a decade, Highbury.

A kiss that was never empty nor deceiving. 

In all honesty, this blog is just a collection of words that have been placed together to try and present people with an idea of just how good my favourite player of all time, Patrick Vieira, really was. In reality, even with the help of YouTube videos, the spark and the real reasons as to why I love him so much can only be experienced with a time machine. It was a feeling that I had developed over a number of years and one that was intensified further somewhat after he had left. He is somebody that reeks of success having won 3 Premier League titles, 5 F.A Cups, 4 Serie A titles, 1 Coppa Itallia, 1 UEFA European Championship and 1 World Cup as well as many other individual honours. For a large part of my life I have tried to adopt his style of football into my style of life, he has taught me to ultimately look after my peers, treat them well, tell them when they need to be doing better, to stand up and fight against any challenge, to be composed and calm when needed, to be successful and to never give up on anything, even a football that looks like it's going out for an opposition throw-in. Patrick Vieira has littered my life with exciting, heart-wrenching, hair raising moments and has left me with memories that are amongst my fondest. Hopefully after reading this, when you are next asked the question 'who is your favourite player of all time?' you will reply '...He comes from Senegal, he played for Arsenal.'

His last kick in an Arsenal shirt; bringing the F.A Cup home. 

Charlie Shanks

Arsene Wenger & Arsenal Football Club; a stale relationship.

An enormous amount of respect is undoubtedly owed by the supporters and anybody else connected to Arsenal Football Club to a man who ultimately forged a good team into a great one; Arsene Wenger. Since prior to the start of World War II when Arsenal were blessed with another revolutionary manager in the form of Herbert Chapman who created a side that would go on to win 4 League championships in the 1930's after securing the club's first ever under the guidance of him, Arsenal were a club who would then endure spells of being on the brink of relegation and who would regularly set their sights on a credible F.A Cup run as oppose to aiming for top spot in the League. The club would only go on to be crowned Champions of England a further 5 times between 1938 up until Arsene Wenger's first Premier League triumph in 1998. Amongst those league title wins were the infamous 1971 double winning side and George Graham's no nonsense 'boring' sides of 1989 and 1991.

Herbert Chapman.

Between George Graham's reign and Arsene Wenger's, Bruce Rioch took charge of the North London side for just one season. After a dismal season in charge, the Arsenal board announced the appointment of Arsene Wenger which had initially come as a shock to fans across the country and more importantly to those who were filling up Highbury every week. Their club who were supposed to be challenging Manchester United for the Premier League title now had a man who had come to London with just one Ligue 1 title to his name after seven years at Monaco and two trophies from Nagoya Grampus of Japan. This was certainly a big risk and one that I'm sure many Arsenal fans were sweating over. However it quickly became apparent that it was a risk that had been well worth taking.

Wenger arriving at Highbury for the first time.

Arsenal still had the key men that bled the clubs colours, who had tasted success and would do everything in their power to prevent the club from going downhill. Amongst those were Arsenal's famous back five; David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould and their iconic captain, Tony Adams. Wenger quickly recognised that he had adopted a defensive formula that should not be disturbed and so kept it in tact. Yet at the time it was not the club's defensive record that was at the forefront of their problems, it was the lack of goals at the other end of the field. Upon this the Frenchman recruited a host of players that would compliment the intelligence and creativity of Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp - the one good thing that Bruce Rioch did bring to the club. Such players were the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Marc Overmars and Patrick Vieira.

Wenger with Petit and Overmars.

After a relatively successful 1996-1997 season which saw the Gunners finish third in the league table, the squad were now more closely gelled together and were ready to get their hands on the club's first ever Premier League title. The 1997-1998 campaign saw Arsenal demonstrate an immense amount of character as they clawed back a seemingly unbridgeable gap between themselves and defending Champions Manchester United. It was also one that saw the back 5 that had served George Graham so well over the years combine with a lethal, un Arsenal like attack which was littered with imagination and frightening speed which Wenger had formed. It was now that the Frenchman had truly earned the respect of the fans by gifting them their first League and F.A Cup double since 1971 whilst in the same season fan favourite Ian Wright broke Cliff Bastin's goalscoring record before departing for West Ham United in the summer of the close season the same year.

Wenger's men enjoying their F.A Cup triumph in '98.

The summer of 1999 cast a shadow over the glory of the previous year as Manchester United again reigned supreme as Sir Alex Ferguson's side bagged the infamous 'treble' and striker Nicolas Anelka said goodbye to the Highbury faithful on bad terms, signing for Real Madrid for a reported fee of £23.5million. This led to yet another signing that the Arsenal fans would be made to sweat over, the £11million capture of French winger/striker Thierry Henry who had undergone a torrid time with Italian giants Juventus. After failing to score in his first eight Arsenal appearances Henry's critics looked to be correct until the 23 year old silenced them with a wonder strike against Southampton at The Dell. This goal would be the first of an impressive 26 that 'Titi' would notch up in his first season with the club which culminated in him collecting a Premier League runners up medal as the Gunners fell short once again only to the ever dominant Manchester United's unbeatable points tally.

Henry reuniting with former manager Arsene Wenger '99.

Moving into the new Millennium saw not much change for the seemingly ice cool Frenchman as his side again played second fiddle to Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side. Although not much changed in terms of the Gunners' position in the table there were a few significant adjustments taking place in North London. Nigel Winterburn had ended his 13 year love affair with the club whilst Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars, two players that had played integral roles in Arsenal's midfield since Wenger's arrival were off to ply their trade in Spain with F.C Barcelona. This left the Arsenal boss dipping into the summer transfer market once again and coming out of it with yet another bargain buy; Robert Pires. Although Arsenal had been playing exciting, hair-raising football they were becoming frustrated at the lack of silverware and early exits in Europe's elite competition the UEFA Champions League.

Man Utd's Roy Keane with Premier League trophy in 2001. 

By the end of the 2001-2002 campaign their hunger had been well and truly fed. On the 8th May 2002 on a glorious night at Old Trafford, Arsene Wenger's most expensive player - Sylvain Wiltord  - tucked home the rebound from Freddie Ljungberg's second half shot to secure a hard fought 1-0 win which saw the club crowned Barclay's Premier League Champions on their fiercest competitors' very own stomping ground. The celebrations were quickly followed by a victory in Cardiff against Chelsea which presented the Gunners with a 3rd double winning campaign. Behind all of the glory and the gallons of champagne though, Arsenal waved farewell to some of their most respected servants in the form of Tony Adams and Lee Dixon which paved the way for Sol Campbell and Lauren to establish themselves as first team players. A season filled with trophies, a flawless away record and rubbing Manchester United's noses in it quickly put 3 disappointing seasons out of sight and out of mind.

Wenger's men celebrating winning the league at Old Trafford.

However just one season after this, Arsenal found themselves back beneath Manchester United in the league table come May although they did manage to bring the F.A Cup back home from Cardiff for a second successive season. The men in red and white were equipped with a manager who was now respected by anyone and everyone associated with the club, a mean defence who's full backs were more than able to contribute in attack, a captain who had played understudy to the club's most recognised captain for a string of years - Tony Adams in Patrick Vieira who had world class players in Gilberto Silva, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires around him in midfield and a red hot strike partnership of Thierry Henry and veteran Dennis Bergkamp. Nonetheless the team suffered a string of woeful results towards the end of the campaign against Bolton and Leeds United and this was ultimately their downfall. Failing to retain the Championship hurt the team and Arsene Wenger, however the Frenchman was determined to set the record straight the following season and instead of searching for new talent that summer he opted to sign his current players down to longer contracts.

Captain Vieira with predecessor and mentor Tony Adams.

The 2003-2004 season is without question Arsene Wenger's and Arsenal's best. Although they were dumped out of the Champions League at the quarter final stage and attained no domestic cup success, the North Londoners managed to end a 38 game Premier League season having not lost a single game, winning 26 and drawing 12. It was an incredible feat, one that will probably never be emulated and is one that saw that particular Arsenal side dubbed quite rightly 'The Invincibles'. I believe that the season was built around the fact that this side had been together for so long, there was such a fluidity about their play that it seemed as if even without looking every player knew where the other one would be. The team were left bitter after coming so close the previous year which I also think enabled them to hit a different gear as they strived to feed their craving for success. Another factor was of course Arsene Wenger, all but one of the first team players had been employees of the Frenchman for a number of years by now and so the level of trust between manager and player was extremely high. All of those factors plus the fact that Arsenal had again assembled one of the meanest defences in the world which conceded a mere 17 goals all season, a midfield led by their inspirational captain Patrick Vieira and an attack which saw Thierry Henry notch up a remarkable 30 league goals and 20 assists meant it was almost impossible for them not to be successful.

The Invincibles of 2003-04.

On the contrary, the unbeaten streak followed into the 2004-2005 season and it had almost become an obsession amongst the team, the manager and the fans not to let it go. A number of close shaves came before the Gunners finally surrendered their 49 game unbeaten streak to rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford after a controversial penalty decision and a late Wayne Rooney strike. In my mind the obsession and the unbeaten run left the Arsenal players forgetting what it feels like to lose a league game, heads fell so low after this which led to vital points against Southampton, Liverpool and Crystal Palace being given away cheaply, had the team switched their attentions away from the unbeaten record I think that such results would not have materialised and Arsenal would have retained their title, instead, a new look Chelsea side lifted the league title under the guidance of Jose Mourinho. The team did bring back the F.A Cup back to Highbury though, however in the same game legendary captain Patrick Vieira had kicked his last ball in an Arsenal shirt, signalling the end of an era as well as a trophyless streak which is still going today, 6 and a half seasons later.

Vieira's last kick for Arsenal won them the '05 F.A Cup.

As Arsenal moved into their final season at Highbury, their home for the past 93 years, players such as Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires and Sol Campbell had either entered the stage of their careers where injuries were starting to plague them or they had lost a yard of pace which made them such a threat in years gone by. Arsene Wenger surely must have realised this, yet failed to properly deal with the problem. Philippe Senderos failed to impress whilst in the first team, new signing Alex Hleb had an awful debut season whilst new signings Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Adebayor performed at an average level at best when on the field. These problems were evident as Arsenal slumped to 4th in the League table capping off Wenger's worst league season in charge. Cesc Fabregas did deliver some hope for the Arsenal fans though, it was the Spaniards first full season as a player in the starting line up and his performances stunned many and came as a pleasant suprise for Wenger. Fabregas' contribution was also invaluable in the clubs Champions League campaign which ended in a narrow defeat to F.C Barcelona in Paris.

The 2006 Champions League final.

The clubs move to the impressive 60,000 seater stadium in Ashburton Grove proved to be a costly one in the 2006-2007 season as many of their home games either ended in defeat or pitiful draws. Sol Campbell, Jose Reyes, Pascal Cygan, Lauren, Robert Pires and Ashley Cole, all members of the 2004 'Invincibles' left the club, only to be replaced by Tomas Rosicky, a player with numerous injury problems, William Gallas and Brazilian flop Julio Baptista. 6 relatively high profile names out, 3 players in, just one of whom looks worthy enough of wearing the Arsenal shirt - Gallas. With these high profile departures and lacklustre signings, it was inevitable that Arsenal would again not mount a serious title challenge and would again be jostling for 4th position, which they narrowly finished with. At this point, many saw the decline as just a 'blip' whilst others blamed the fact that they side needed to adapt to their new home; the Emirates Stadium.

Highbury with the new Emirates Stadium in the distance.

After a second successive woeful Premier League season, things on the pitch did see an improvement. Togolese front man Emmanuel Adebayor finally came to life and bagged 30 goals for his side. Bacary Sagna was brought in to replace Lauren from French side Auxerre, Lassana Diarra was pinched from Chelsea on deadline day and Eduardo da Silva was added to the squad from Dynamo Zagreb. Following these arrivals though, more players left the club, this time in the form of Freddie Ljungberg and Arsenal's top goalscorer of all time and captain Thierry Henry. Lassana Diarra also left the club after just 5 months at the Emirates. The next job for Wenger was to present somebody with the captains armband. Gilberto Silva had been the makeshift captain for the large part of the 2006-07 season when Henry was injured, he was one of the senior members of the club and had filled in at centre back on numerous occasions without complaining once so he seemed the obvious choice to everybody. Instead, Wenger chose to give the armband to William Gallas, a player that had been at the club for little over a year, a plan that would later backfire. The club looked to be in pole position for the title at one stage of the season, yet after newboy Eduardo suffered an horrific leg break in February at St. Andrew's, Arsene Wenger's toddlers never recovered and subsequently ended the season in third place. Wenger's choice of captain William Gallas cried like a baby that day and publicly criticised his team mates which of course ruffled a few feathers within the Arsenal dressing room, a saga that could have been avoided had Wenger valued his loyal 32 year old Brazilian Gilberto Silva more?

Eduardo's horrific ankle break at St. Andrew's.

The summer of 2008 was a strange one for all Arsenal fans. They witnessed their manager who had brought in players such as Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires etc. now bringing in players like Amaury Bischoff and Manchester United reject Mikael Silvestre. Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey and French starlet Samir Nasri were both brought in however they were again 'future prospects' and Arsenal fans were growing impatient with the lack of success. Wenger further angered the Emirates faithful as he allowed fan favourite and another member of the Invincibles, Gilberto Silva, to leave the club. Behind him packing their bags were Jens Lehmann, Alex Hleb and Mathieu Flamini, a player who's cry for a new contract the summer before was ignored by Wenger as he was trying to persuade Thierry Henry to stay. In the same season William Gallas was finally stripped of his captaincy and the pressure of the armband would now be felt around the left arm of the timid 20 year old Cesc Fabregas. The club were now looking very fragile, they had started the season with a captain who was not particularly liked and were left with one who commanded little respect vocally; they had virtually no leaders. Ultimately they were a bunch of kids with enough talent to put on a show, but not enough experience to deliver any sustained success, the team again finishing the season in 4th place.

Manchester United reject Mikael Silvestre parading his new Arsenal shirt.

Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor both jumped ship to big spenders Manchester City in the summer of 2009 after much speculation that they were both the cause of a lot of the negativity coming from the Arsenal dressing room. Thomas Vermaelen was brought in from Ajax and was an instant success, bringing stability to the Arsenal backline as well as chipping in with a few goals. As a whole though the defence were playing too high up the pitch, not focussed enough, were vulnerable and in reality conceded far to many goals - especially from set pieces. This could only mean one thing; the return of Sol Campbell. Yes, at the ripe old age that Sol was, after proving to be a disaster at Notts County the previous season, Arsene Wenger decided to bring him in to fix the clubs so broken defence, unsurprisingly a familiar story hovered over the club though. They played entertaining football for a large part of the season, collected big results at the beginning yet pleated out towards the end, Campbell's addition made almost no difference and the team did not possess any of the necessary skills apart from raw talent in order to seriously contend Manchester United or Chelsea for the title. It was another year without a trophy for the club and one that was starting to really test the patience of some fans.

Sol Campbell on his Arsenal return 2010.

As boring as it is, Arsenal again finished 4th in the 2010-11 season. Their only signings came in the form of Marouane Chamakh, a striker from Bordeaux who had only managed 78 goals in 8 years in Ligue 1, Laurent Koscielny who was playing Ligue 2 football in France just a season earlier and Sebastien Squillaci, an experienced central defender who turned out to be yet another hopeless flop who causes further heart ache for the Arsenal defence and it's loyal followers. Jack Wilshere had moved into the limelight and his performances were one of the few bright things that stemmed from this campaign. Aside from Wilshere it was a familiar season all round, upset fans, a deluded manager that speaks constantly of his teams 'fight and mental strength' but never tells of any concrete examples of it, a defence that could make water seem solid and an attack which seems reluctant to shoot. At one stage the team were going quite well, however another defensive howler in the dying moments of the Carling Cup Final which allowed Obafemi Martins to clinch the Cup for Birmingham changed all of that. Once more the Emirates crowd were watching a team who's confidence had been shot to bits and one that has nobody that is ready to step up and take a drawing game by the scruff of its neck and convert it into a win for his side. Could things get any worse?

The fatal error that gifted Birmingham the Carling Cup.

Apparently so, the clubs only remaining player from the Invincible side, Gael Clichy, left to join former Arsenal team mate Kolo Toure at Manchester City. Samir Nasri, a player who had enjoyed his best season with the club in 2010-11 followed his fellow countryman up to the blue half of Manchester and the clubs captain and Spanish playmaker returned home to play for boyhood club F.C Barcelona. So, you lose 3 of your best players, get around about £70million for them, how do you spend it? Well, if you're Arsene Wenger you turn down signing Valencia midfielder Juan Mata so that he can join Chelsea instead and you wait until the last 3 days of the transfer window to sign overweight, attacking left back Andre Santos from Fenerbahce, Park Chu Young from Ligue 2 side AS Monaco and narrowly manage to tie down Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta who is now 29 years old just seconds before September 1st along with 6ft6inch defender Per Mertesacker. A lack of experience, a few unfortunate injuries and a real absence of confidence/desire led Arsenal to one of the clubs worst league starts in years. The team got hit for 8 at Old Trafford, and no I don't mean the cricket ground, the game ended 8-2 and was one of the most embarrassing days of any Arsenal fans life no doubt. The bad results continued as the Gunners lost at home to Liverpool, away to Blackburn and away to arch rivals Tottenham. The side currently sit in 12th in the Premier League table and at the moment will be lucky to be there come May. Arsene Wenger looks as if he is powerless to do anything and doesn't seem to realise that he is a big part of the problem.

Arsenal players after the 4-3 defeat away to Blackburn.

We have just seen how a football club, under the reign of one manager has managed to somehow go from being at the helm of world football, to being 12th in their domestic league, struggling for wins and having a group of players that 1. do not look like they want to play the game and 2. do not look like they know how to. The reality of it is that without striker Robin Van Persie, who is not the most reliable in terms of playing every game and goalkeeper Woijcech Szczesny, the club would probably be a lot closer to the bottom of the league.

Striker Van Persie dragging his side to a victory against fellow struggler's Sunderland.

Do I think Arsene Wenger is a good manager? Yes. Do I think he is the right man for the job right now? No. My reasons for this is because he has ultimately become very stale and has failed to move on with the game. Firstly I'd like to comment on his physical attitude. In years gone by Arsene was known to be a very laid back, relaxed and reserved manager. If the team had just gone through a spell of hitting the post ten times in two minutes you would have been lucky to have extracted any type of facial expression from him. The reason he was so reserved was to reassure his side that they have time and that they should not panic nor should they rush their next attack. Today, and for the last 3-4 years we have seen him jumping up and down the touchline like an absolute lunatic, kicking bottles, squaring up to opposition managers and having numerous arguments with the 4th officials. This type of irrational behaviour, especially when managing a young side such as Arsenal's will transmit through to the players. In a situation where their nerves need to be simmered down, they will be set off, forcing unnecessary errors all over the pitch. The players will become frustrated very easily, again leading to further mistakes. We used to see Arsenal attacks that were very patient, very precise and calculated whereas today we are becoming ever more familiar with seeing the team eagerly trying to play it through to Robin Van Persie to no avail. If Wenger were to implement a few more world class players who possess winning mentality's and experienced heads, this would not be such a huge factor, however given the lack of quality and experience in the squad, having a manager that is very animated on the touchline will not help them.

Wenger kicking yet another bottle.

My second point is that I feel he has become quite isolated. In the early days Arsene had a friend that he could rely on. A friend that would put his arm round him when the tide was rough. That friend was called David Dein. Dein was the man that brought Wenger to the club and the pair had maintained a strong relationship ever since. The maths was simple, if Wenger has spotted a player that he thought would become world class i.e. Patrick Vieira/Thierry Henry, Dein would consult the board about it and the deal would 9 times out of 10 be completed very quickly. Wenger does not now have that assurance at Arsenal since Dein left the club, it looks like he does not have that friend to go and speak to and sometimes he looks very lonely, which makes me wonder, is it his confidence that has gone? It seems to me as if in his head there are only a minority of fans that truly believe that he is a world class manager, and this hurts him. With Dein no longer there it almost seems that the Arsenal board are happy to have Wenger in place just so that their bank accounts are able to stay healthy. I believe that the myth that Wenger is 'tight' with money is partially true as he does not like to break his financial structure however I do not think that the board have any queries over this as they are quite happy to see the team suffer instead of their pockets. Dein on the other hand was a true football man and cared more about the welfare of his club rather than the notes in his wallet.

Close friends: Wenger and Dein.

Furthermore his ability to coach a defence must come under scrutiny. It is very true that Arsenal were very tight under Wenger in the early years. But was this his defence? No, it was a defence assembled together by George Graham, did Wenger improve these defenders? He improved their ability to play on the ball, the evidence is in Tony Adams' iconic volley against Everton in 1998. However, defensively he did not have to teach them a thing, they were already a defence which were hard to break down, were positioned fantastically and possessed great ball winning ability as well as a true desire to simply defend their goal. People will then argue that the defence of 2004 only conceded 17 goals and they were assembled by Arsene Wenger. I agree, however, Kolo Toure, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Lauren were the first choice back four for that season and every one of those defenders were at the club the same time that the likes of Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn and Martin Keown etc. were. It is clear that the players of 2004 were shown how to defend properly by the senior players which is ultimately why they were so good. Pascal Cygan was French defender of the year when he arrived at Arsenal yet when he played, he almost always failed to impress, why? because he had arrived after Adams & co had left the club. The same principle applies for players such as Philippe Senderos, Igor Stepanovs and today's bunch i.e. Kieran Gibbs/Squillaci/Djourou etc. This leads one to think that if Arsene Wenger had not inherited the famous back 5 of Arsenal all those years back in 1996, would he have been as successful as he was? Was he just very fortunate to stumble across a defence which was already sorted out for him? Judging by the past 7 years this could well be the case as so many of the teams issues have stemmed from the incompetent backline and their ability to leak goals.

George Graham celebrating success with main defender Tony Adams.

On the contrary Arsenals attack has not been looking to menacing either. They used to be a side feared by all due to their array of creative players and devastating speed on the counter attack. Today we see Wenger's sides hardly ever playing on the counter attack like they used to. Manchester United have been able to exude so much success from playing on the break, especially against the bigger teams yet Arsene Wenger seems to have abandoned the tactic. I can also recall numerous goals from the likes of Pires, Henry, Bergkamp & co. flying in from outside of the box. If you watch an Arsenal game today you will count at least 10-20 openings for a midfield player to have a shot yet he will opt to play a non-threatening square ball to a team mate. Arsenal have been guilty of making one pass too many in recent years instead of getting someone to put their foot through the ball and making the 'keeper work, it seems that Wenger is more worried about the possession statistic as oppose to the all important 'goal' one.

Diagram of a classic Arsenal counter attack.

One of his most notable problems is his current inability to recruit world class players. Some of Arsenals finest players of all time were signed by him, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Thierry Henry...the list goes on. Yet now it looks as if he is settling for second best. He is bringing in average players that in reality would had not have had a hope in hell of playing for Arsenal 5 or 6 years ago i.e. Chamakh/Santos/Jenkinson/Djourou/Park/Diaby, sadly, again, the list goes on. In the years where he was most successful he had a mix between experience and youth, something that Sir Alex Ferguson employs time and time again at Manchester United and it clearly works. Wenger though seems defiant on proving to the world that you can win a Premier League title with a team made up of youth. This will sadly for Arsenal fans never be proved though as it is simply not true, time again we see his sides lacking in quality. The Premier League is a marathon, not a sprint and a team made up of 11 young players do not and will not consist of the necessary attributes in order to reach the finishing line in this one, the evidence lies in the past 6 seasons where Arsenal have fallen short not at the beginning, but towards the end of the race. Another issue is that he seems to sell more than he buys, or fails to replace what he lets go. This season he saw the back of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, he replaced those players with Andre Santos, Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta, hardly 'replacements' in my eyes. Wenger's biggest omission though was failing to replace the members of the Invincibles, Cesc Fabregas was the only world class player that emerged after those years whilst there was a huge void left by those such as Pires, Ljungberg, Campbell, Gilberto and Henry.

Juan Mata: Wenger let him slip through his hands and into Chelsea's.

This brings me over to my next point. The players I listed above could all easily have been tied down to contracts which would have seen them stay with the club for a lot longer than they did. Fergie kept the likes of Giggs, Scholes and Neville etc. at United for such a long time partially because they are quality players, as are Pires, Henry & co. but he also kept them so that the younger players coming through would have someone to look up to and aspire to be like. Arsenal don't have any type of role model what so ever within the squad and I strongly believe that if they had kept the likes of Vieira, Pires and Gilberto for longer than they did, players such as Theo Walcott, Alex Song and Denilson would have developed a lot quicker than they have done, they would have learned more and would be better equipped in a high pressure situation. This would also have taken a part of the pressure off of Wenger's shoulders as it does with Fergie as he would have been comfortable for the senior players to advise the younger ones without him having to spoon feed them himself everyday. Consequently today we witness an Arsenal team without any real leader, sure Van Persie is leading by example but realistically he is not a true captain. Also, despite what he says he still hasn't signed a new contract with the club and is forcing them to sweat, a great example to let the other players follow.

Ryan Giggs: Still collecting medals.

Wenger's philosophy of playing this brand of 'total' football, trying to walk the ball into the net and doing it with youth has become extremely stale. Every time anybody tunes in to watch an Arsenal game they know what to expect, some good possession play, fatal defensive errors and an attack that only looks threatening if Theo Walcott is running at thin air or if the ball is at Robin Van Persie's feet. The fact of the matter is that Wenger has done two things at Arsenal, he came and made them a force who play attractive football whilst achieving results, yet he has also now formed that once glorious side into one that leaves people branding them as a 'nearly' team, for Arsenal fans the sight is all too familiar and it is frankly boring.

Arsene Wenger: Nearly, but not quite.

Finally I believe that the manager is far too comfortable. The reality of it is that he has only won 7 major trophies in his 15 years with the club, yet there is not even a remote threat from the board to him concerning his position as manager. I think that he is a manager that is partially living in the past as well as one that over complicates things in such a way that he is oblivious to the obvious problems. The game has adapted a lot since Arsenal galloped through an entire league season unbeaten, teams such as Villa, Sunderland, Stoke, Newcastle etc. are no longer pushovers, buying average players and expecting to be handed the time to develop them whilst still proving to be a success is an impossibility. World class players will seemingly only play for world class pay and if Arsene Wenger wants to remain as Arsenal manager for the foreseeable future he will have to break into his lucrative war-chest and splash the cash, breaking the clubs wage cap along the way. Football is a results business and the harsh reality is that if you don't cough up the cash, the top players will not come and the results for a club of Arsenal's stature will be terrible.

Wenger with Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood.

Although many idolise him, the statistics speak for themselves. Out of Wenger's 15 years in the box seat at Arsenal, 10 have ended trophyless. I'm certain that at any other dominant club around Europe that would be a record that would merit a sacking, especially if in the 15th season your team finds itself in 12th place in the league. Isn't it ironic that a club in it's 125th year of existence, who's badge says for one season only 'Forward' look as if they are going backwards? As I said at the start, Arsene Wenger is a great football manager and the clubs fans and anybody else associated with them owe him a huge amount of respect for the success and exciting times that he has gifted them all with. However it seems to me that he has become like a boxer that doesn't know when to quit, always in search of that next fight even though unfit. It would be a shame to remember the great Arsene Wenger battered and bruised after suffering a knock-out from a virtual nobody just as we did the great Mike Tyson, wouldn't it?

Arsenal's new 125 year 'Forward' badge.

Charlie Shanks

Why I Think France Will Lift The FIFA World Cup In 2014

Catastrophic, tragic, disastrous and woeful are just four words that have been amongst 100 similar to those used in describing France's World Cup bid in South Africa 2010. It was without doubt a tournament that showcased and emphasised every bad quality that the French possess; arrogance, rash decision making and ego's big enough to match the height of the glorious Eiffel Tower. The array of shameful performances both on and off the pitch were placed on the shoulders of one man that had in no doubt over stayed his welcome as the sides boss; Raymond Domenech. In fairness, the former Lyon and Strasbourg full back had guided the team to a World Cup Final before, only to lose on penalties in Germany. However Mr Domenech had been rubbing his players up the wrong way throughout his managerial career and this time it had gone to far, he dismissed striker Nicolas Anelka and the following day after a heated dispute between French captain Patrice Evra and trainer Robert Duverne, Domenech saw his side abandon training and return to the team bus. Ultimately France's 2010 World Cup campaign ended with them sitting at the bottom of Group A with one draw and two defeats beside their name. So, why after all this do I believe that France will be the side to win the World Cup, 3 years before the finals have even kicked off?

There are a host of reasons, ones that I will discuss in depth later on, however the first is the manager, Laurent Blanc. Blanc's managerial career began with Bordeaux a short time ago in 2007, however in his three years with the club he implemented a winning mentality and a fluid style of football which led the side to being crowned champions of France in the 2008-2009 season for only the 6th time in the clubs 128 year history. Blanc, unlike Domenech is in my opinion a much better man manager than his predecessor, bringing out the best in his players, focussing much more on their footballing qualities rather than their zodiac signs (Robert Pires). Despite the relative young age of his current squad, Blanc managed to lead France to the top of their Euro 2012 Qualifying group, a notable achievement which was complimented with friendly wins over Brazil and England. The former Manchester United centre back has only signed a 2 year contract with the FFF, though I'm sure after a relatively successful Euro 2012 campaign and a hunger to manage at the World Cup Finals, he will be the man guiding the French national side to World Cup glory once again.

The current French squad is very young and relatively inexperienced, however I believe it is also the best up and coming side on the international scene. People can talk forever about the dominant Spanish sides however players such as Xavi, David Villa, Carles Puyol, and Fernando Torres will all be coming close to the end of their illustrious careers whilst the likes of Yann M'Vila, Loic Remy and Marvin Martin will be entering their prime years. The squad not only have age on their side but they also have bulk too, no position looks particularly weak and individually and collectively they are a solid, well organised and in my mind a very underrated bunch of players.

Hugo Lloris - The Lyon stopper has been one of the most sought after goalkeepers in Europe. A range of top clubs have been tracking the progress of this young man for many years now and would have seen him grow into one of the finest around. He was a part of the infamous French side of 2010 and I'm sure he will have learned a lot from his time in South Africa. By the time 2014 is here, Lloris will be 27 years old, a perfect age as it demands respect from his peers and more importantly his defence, whilst he will still be able to pull off agile saves, something that the likes of Iker Casillas may have by that time lost to his age.

Steve Mandanda - Another goalkeeper that has been tracked for many years. Clubs up and down Europe crave to have this man as their number one goalkeeper let alone their number two. Although for now Hugo Lloris is number one in the French goal, make no mistake that Mandanda will push his compatriot all the way to force himself in between his countries posts. He will be 29 by the time the next World Cup comes around, meaning he will be littered with experience and will bring along with him the Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the year award 2010-11.

Gael Clichy - For a large part of the 21st century Gael Clichy has been known to be one of the finest left backs in world football. He made his name at Arsenal after Ashley Cole left the club, Clichy quickly settled in to Arsene Wenger's side providing attacking assistance as well as putting on some outstanding defensive displays which were instigated by his ability not only to bomb up and down the left flank at lightning quick speed, but also to do it for 90 minutes without feeling the affects. His form was haulted a little due to a back injury, however after a new chapter in his football career starting with new club Manchester City, I believe his experience will give him the nod over any potential rivals for the position.

Aly Cissokho - Cissokho is more well known for his attacking threat rather than his defensive ability. He is a player that again is very fast and provides a ferocious cross for his strikers. Whilst with Lyon he too has attracted a number of big named European clubs. He is someone that is recognised, like Clichy, to have fantastic stamina and boasts a two year age gap on the former Arsenal man. Although experienced in the UEFA Champions League, Cissokho has not won any major title with current club Lyon, however he will provide excellent cover for Gael Clichy and having two quality left backs is somewhat of a rarity amongst international sides.

Adil Rami - Adil Rami is a magnificent central defender who not only boasts intelligence, a will to win and a fantastic tackle, but can also strike a ball well from a set piece. He currently plays his football in La Liga with Valencia, a club who have started strongly and who's great start can be credited to the addition of their new central defender who stands at an imposing 6ft3inches tall. Rami is 25, meaning he will be 28 at the next World Cup, he will be a more experienced member of the group and will no doubt bring composure to the French back line which has suffered since the days of Marcel Desailly and co.

Mamadou Sakho - Although still only 21, Sakho has enjoyed playing a total of 102 Ligue 1 fixtures for his respective side, Paris Saint-Germain. He is known for his incredible strength but is also very versatile too as he can also slot in comfortably at left back. Breaking into the first team at any club at the tender age of just 17 is something anybody should be proud of, yet to break into one of France's most recognised and respected sides is simply amazing. Not only did he break in early, he has also maintained his first team place, performing consistently for his club over the past four seasons showcasing his incredible work ethic, tireless engine and brilliant tackling ability. Sakho will certainly form an outstanding partnership with Adil Rami at the heart of France's defence.

Bacary Sagna - Known for his unique hairstyle, Sagna in my opinion is the world's number one right back. Although his crosses are notably not the best, his presence, speed and good decision making in attack makes him an invaluable asset to any side he plays in, whether it be for Arsenal or France when they are trying to mount an onslaught down the right flank. Sagna has been Arsenals consistent performer in their woeful back line for a number of years now, he is a full back who is hard to beat, who positions himself relatively well and deters his opponent from pushing to far forward as they fear getting caught out of position, thus allowing him more freedom on the counter attack. His age may be a problem as he will be 31, however providing that he does not lose any of his speed or stamina, I believe he will still be in and amongst the best right backs in the world by Brazil 2014.

Samir Nasri - Quite simply one of the best creative midfielder's in world football. People will argue that he has only had half of an outstanding season in the Premier League with Arsenal. However, those people forget that this is a player who has overcome bouts with Meningitis in his career, as well as one who has notched up numerous amounts of goals and assists for former club Marseilles of whom he began his career with, teasing defenders at the age of just 17. He is fast on and off the ball, his pace is complimented by his unpredictable dribbling skills and fantastic improvisation, imagination, intelligence and desire to win. I myself am an Arsenal fan and like many others, despise him personally for the way he left the club, yet I see this as no good reason to cover up his ability on a football pitch. 2014 will be a year that sees Nasri turn 27, he will by then be even more experienced which will lead to a wiser head and an overall more completed player.

Yann M'Vila - For me Yann M'Vila epitomises everything that is good about this French side right now. He is young, boasts impressive physical strength and has an unprecedented hunger to achieve. At only 21 years old he is already an established player in the French national side, having being capped 15 times, scoring once. Standing at 6ft1 inches tall, M'Vila is being likened to one of the games finest defensive midfield players, Patrick Vieira. The comparisons do not fall short either, like Vieira M'Vila has brilliant defensive abilities, carrying out most of his sides' dirty work. Tackling, heading and snuffing out attacks off the ball is what makes this guy so good and a future legend of the game. Aside from his defensive duties, M'Vila appears to be very composed on the ball which gives assurance to the defenders behind him and enjoys playing precise passes to his team mates ahead of him. By Brazil 2014 he would have no doubt moved on from current club Rennes and will be completely ready at the age of 24 to showcase his ability on the biggest stage of them all, he is a natural born leader and in my opinion a future French captain.

Yoann Gourcuff - At the age of 25, Gourcuff has enjoyed a career which has seen him play for Rennes, AC Milan, Bordeaux and current club Lyon. Throughout his time at these respected clubs he has been noted as an accomplished passer of the ball who has great vision as well as an eye for goal, sometimes being utilised as a second striker. Despite this Gourcuff does not score a huge amount of goals as his area of expertise lies in simply setting them up. At the moment he is enduring a run of bad form, he apparently is 'disappointed and frustrated' with himself after only managing 5 assists and 4 goals in 25 Ligue 1 appearances since joining Lyon. A player of his quality will surely bounce back though and by the time 2014 comes around he will once again be somebody that strikers love to play in front of and will no doubt contribute even more creative flair to his national side.

Marvin Martin - Although only small, Marvin Martin has emerged as one of France's hidden gems. Having only made his international debut in June where he come on as a substitute to set up a goal and score two for himself, Martin has given manager Laurent Blanc a lot to think about. With his pace, close touch, excellent technique, eye for goal and wonderful vision, for me he will be the perfect man to partner Yann M'Vila in the French midfield. He could be seen by some as a relatively late bloomer as he is already 23, however judging by his performances, his late emergence has not phased him in the slightest and after a further three years of development, at the age of 26 travelling to Brazil 2014, it will be his time to shine. The combination of this small creative magician alongside a man mountain in M'Vila will surely be the managers dream midfield?

Franck Ribery - For many years Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery has been tormenting defenders with his pacey mazy runs which subsequently end with a lethal shot from the man himself, or a pin point cross which will add to his assists tally. His ability to frighten defenders with his pace throughout a whole game is a credit to his incredible stamina and overall fitness levels. He is a true athlete and would be an asset to any side in world football. With him on one side and Samir Nasri on the other, opposition full backs would have surely met their worst nightmare and the combination could go down as one of the most devastating of all time. Ribery is also a renowned set piece specialist. He has had his trouble on the field, sustaining a couple of nasty injuries in his time, however fingers crossed they seem to be behind him. Being 31 at Brazil 2014 can only mean one thing, not only will France have a lightning quick winger who possesses all of the necessary dribbling skills to beat any defender in world football, but they will have a wise, experienced lightning quick winger who possesses all of the necessary dribbling skills to beat any defender in world football.

Loic Remy - Remy is a player that possesses all of the necessary attributes needed to become one of the most deadly attackers across the globe. He is very fast with great energy levels and is also someone that likes to flaunt his remarkable strength, regularly using it to cause problems for his opponents. Very much like Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, Remy likes to regularly drift out wide in order to assist team mates or to simply cut inside and shoot himself, he is a striker who is very illusive and is incredibly difficult to man mark. He too is still relatively young and will be 27 by the next World Cup Finals, another player who will be hitting the peak of his career. As well has his physical attributes, Remy is a striker that is very clinical in front of goal and this term has begun with 3 goals in just 5 of his Ligue 1 appearances for Marseilles.

Karim Benzema - Karim Benzema will surely by 2014 be up there with the top 3 strikers around. His technical ability, power, hunger, versatility and immense scoring record is what sets him apart from the rest. Despite scoring an astounding 106 league goals for both Lyon and Real Madrid in just 177 appearances, Benzema is still only 23 years old. It is hard to imagine how much his record would have improved by the time that Brazil 2014 comes around but it will no doubt be one that leaves defenders wishing that they had opted to play rugby as oppose to football when they see him lining up against them. As well as being widely known as being an out and out goalscorer, Benzema has also notched up an impressive 17 assists in his 40 league appearances for current club Real Madrid. With him being partnered up front with Loic Remy, a player of around a similar age, who also likes to assist his peers, France will definitely have one of the most feared strike partnerships in the whole tournament and one that will bring them goals from every imaginable angle.

Of course the World Cup in 2014 will be littered with fantastic teams, Messi's Argentina, hosts Brazil, Holland and Germany are all but a few of those. Sure, they will be tough to beat however I truly think that none will be able to match France's hunger for success, youth - experience combination, physical dominance or sheer talent in this tournament. I feel that many pundits, spectators and people within the game are taking this current French side too lightly. The players I have written about are all examples of just how many world class players they will have at their disposal for this tournament. Also, playing second fiddle to the players I have mentioned will be other extraordinary talents such as Lassana Diarra, Yohann Cabaye, Younes Kaboul, Laurent Koscielny, Bafetimbi Gomis, Kevin Grameiro, Jeremy Menez, Mathieu Valbuena, Blaise Matuidi, Moussa Sissoko and Dimitri Payet, hardly a bad bunch of reserves? And I'm sure that just as Marvin Martin did, a few more unexpected talents will creep up on us all between now and the finals in 2014.

What is certain is that France will have a squad which will consist of every ingredient imaginable at their disposal in order to win the World Cup in 2014; reliable goalkeepers, a solid defence that can also aid in attack, a midfield that is able to do a defensive job as well as create chances, and a set of strikers that will drive defenders mad and will be able to convert those chances into all important goals. However, the one thing that they must overcome is what saw them crash out so bitterly in 2010; arrogance, selfishness, and huge ego's. This side is not the one that travelled to South Africa though and neither is the manager, for these reasons I have a lot of faith that this French side will return home from Brazil with World Cup winners medal's hanging from their necks; France Monde des vainqueurs de Coupe 2014?

Charlie Shanks