Gallas' will to win was unpopular at Arsenal

The indifference of many Arsenal fans' reactions to the news of William Gallas joining arch-rivals Spurs sums up the end of a relationship that never really got going in the first place.

Arriving at the club as part of the Ashley Cole swap deal with Chelsea, the Frenchman's attitude was already under scrutiny after some alleged threats to score an own goal if he was forced to remain at his old club. After an uninspiring debut season hit largely by injury, it would be fair to say the Emirates faithful never really took to the guy.

Which made Arsène Wenger's decision to award him the captaincy just a year after his arrival a hugely controversial one. The armband had brought the best out of vice-captain Gilberto Silva the year before, and many expected the Brazilian midfielder to take on the role after Thierry Henry's departure.

People were angry. With hindsight maybe they were right to be, but at the time I wrote this article in Gallas' defence. I never felt offended by his moaning in the same way that may fans did. I'd say his already bad reputation meant he could do nothing right in the eyes of some supporters.

But for me, it showed a winning attitude from a player who had been there and done it - something that was very much lacking in the club at the time. The first three quarters of the following season seemed to prove me right, with a new-found grit and team-spirit inspired by the defender, who scored a crucial late equaliser Man Utd and the winner against old team Chelsea as we went into February five points clear at the top of the league, looking very much like favourites for the title.

Then it all went wrong, particularly for Gallas it seems, whose sit-down sulk in the centre circle after an emotional rollercoaster of a game against Birmingham City, sparked fury amung equally emotional gooners. In some areas of the press it was even deemed more unacceptable than Martin Taylor's disgusting challenge on Eduardo in the same game.

Say what you want about professionalism, but after seeing his team-mate stretchered off the pitch with his leg snapped almost in two, seeing his clearly unsettled team go in behind at the break, seeing them come back brilliantly in the second half, and then seeing them concede a last minute penalty that shouldn't have been awarded - how many of you can say that you weren't feeling the same pain, fury and utter disbelief that he was? And what was professional about Birmingham City that day?

Arsenal's season derailed from that game onwards, and later in the year Gallas was stripped of the captaincy, following rumours of another in-squad bust-up. How much credit will you hear him get for the way he raised his game since? Not a lot, despite coming back to produce some of his best form after what must have been a difficult and embarrassing time.

Now, after doing something of a Sol Campbell and turning down a new contract to move on a free transfer to our North London rivals, his eternal bad reputation with the Arsenal fans is assured.

Wenger, however, in his typically professional fashion, has stood up for a player who has served him well, saying: "William is a professional, he is 33 this year and so I can understand he looks for the best possible deal. I believe deeply that he had nothing against the Club."

The manager even attempted to put a lid on the rumours of his supposed attitude problems, saying: "He has an exaggerated bad reputation. I believe that he is a genuine winner. He wants things not to be done at 90 per cent and is completely focused and motivated to win.

"He can be, sometimes, a little bit brutal or impulsive in his reaction. But when you are a manager, he is not someone who talks behind your back. He is somebody who is straight and is completely focused on the game. You respect that."

In fairness, apart from a very much in-decline Kolo Touré, I've never heard of anyone in the game to be critical of Gallas' attitude, and his new manager Harry Redknapp was next to praise him for these qualities, saying: "He's got the bottle to come and want to play here. He's a nice guy, what's he done wrong?

"The only problem he has, he gets annoyed with people at times who are not as professional as he is. That is not a bad thing, that can't do any harm. He wants everyone to be as professional and want to win as much as he does."

The saddest thing about this is that, if it caused any harm at Arsenal, it's only because there weren't enough people at the club who wanted to win as much as he did.

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