Gallas Biography

ONLY a few weeks ago, in an autobiography by a former French international team-mate, William Gallas was branded a dunce.

He was likened to actor Pierre Richard, a bloke best known for his roles as a blundering fool. A bit like Frank Spencer.

Over the last 48 hours, Gallas has lived up to his billing as a Gallic goon of the highest order.

A man who has not only ripped up the rulebook on how to be a football skipper but has chucked it in the faces of his team-mates.

In an embarrassing episode for everyone at the Emirates, Gallas should be put in some stocks along the Holloway Road and have rotten tomatoes lobbed at him.

After hammering the team over their weaknesses, revealing a dressing-room fight and saying there was a player in the squad disliked by everyone, Gallas yesterday went into dunce overdrive.

He launched his autobiography and — surprise, surprise — he slagged off one of his Emirates team-mates.

He tried to keep the players’ anonymity by calling him player S.

Gallas obviously thought this was a clever, cunning move.

Clearly, not for one moment, did this man with the brain the size of a particularly small peanut think anyone would guess he was talking about Samir Nasri. In his book titled La Parole est à la Défense, Gallas spoke about his bust-up.

He explained he was playing a small-sided match and that he was caught in possession, because the player — understood to be Nasri — had not told him an opponent was snapping at his heels.

Gallas said: “This guy argues back ‘You should know that sort of thing before the ball arrives ... it’s up to you to know there’s a man-on!’

“I’ve been 20, I know what that’s like. But I’d never, ever have allowed myself to talk to a senior player in that manner.

“These young guys in our squad at the Euros thought they were the bees’ knees, so cocky about themselves. They think they already know everything but they actually know nothing.

“Faced with this contempt he was showing me I raised my voice at him.

“This kid told me ‘Stop shouting, lower your voice’. I shouted, ‘Who do you think you are talking to? You’re just a 20-year-old, I’m not one of your mates!’ He replied, ‘And I’m not one of your mates, either’.”

Gallas also revealed how the same player sat on Thierry Henry’s seat on the team bus.

He said: “The player was insolent and he eventually moved.”

Gallas claims Arsenal’s problems last season did not start with the 2-2 draw at Birmingham, when Eduardo broke his leg and the captain blubbed on the pitch.

He reckons the players were over-confident and became less committed as the season progressed.

In the St Andrew’s match, the defender says he could see in the eyes of certain players that there was not enough determination.

After his antics on the pitch at the end, when he also kicked an advertising hoarding, Gallas admits he was a bit “stupid”.

He says he will never do this again but maybe he will promise not to slaughter his colleagues publicly again.

Maybe, he will also avoid criticising the development of kids like Theo Walcott, a charge he is also guilty of.

Maybe, Gallas will avoid stumbling out of nightclubs holding a fag.

Maybe, Gallas will realise that the general idea of being a captain is to avoid annoying absolutely everybody.

Even the stubborn Arsene Wenger knew he had to act, and took the unusual step of calling a team meeting yesterday morning to inform the players Gallas was no longer skipper.

No title for four years, nine points behind the leaders and now without a decent captain, you have to worry for Arsenal. With their Carling Cup kids continuing to dazzle with some wonderful football, the future of the club looks extremely bright.

But, as for the present, everything looks a bit uncertain. On recent form, you would have to give them a school mark of D. And, for the benefit of William Gallas, that is D for dunce.