By Andy Strouthous
October 26 2004

Wiltord is reported as saying in This is London "Wenger knew I wanted to play in attack when he signed me, and he used to tease me about that. My relationship over the four years I spent at Arsenal was a case of a love-hate relationship. He played me in a position that I was unfamiliar with." Poor old Wiltord I nearly broke down and wept when I read that, such cruelty is there not an RSFPCF he can get in touch with?

Surprise surprise all this has been built up by some of the press to claim that Wenger is not as "Ice Cool" as previously thought. I don't know what team they have been watching but I have noticed for quite a while now (ie a few years)that Wenger jumps up with delight when Arsenal score, and drops his head into hands when we miss. Of course all this rubbish comes from the school of stereotypes. All Englishmen wear bowler hats, and Frenchmen are great lovers etc.

Now the press are claiming that he and Arsene had furious rows, which also seems a bit of an exaggeration.

I agree Wiltord scored some important goals in his Arsenal career but his best games were often for France. He is stretching it a bit when he says of his last season that it got on his nerves watching the team, thus we never saw him. It might have got on his nerves, but not as much as it got on mine watching him head back towards Arsenal goal every time he got the ball, or watching what he thought was a cross. And I had to pay to watch that, not be paid £20,000 a week.

Perhaps we will soon be reading about pistols at dawn, or sword fencing after all that is the classic French way of solving a row, or perhaps the French way is offering a two year contract when asked for three. I will always be grateful to Sylvan for the cool way (hey how very English, not at all hot headed French style) he took the goal that clinched the double at Old Trafford. Perhaps sometimes its best to bow out at the top.