Fa Barclaycard Premiership News Update

Fa Barclaycard Premiership News
( 24 November 2008 )

English Premiership football News

Gallas future 'in his own hands'
Former Arsenal defend Lee Dixon said William Gallas has no future at the club, unless it responds positively to the discipline being by Arsene Wenger.

Gallas has been stripped of the Captaincy and abandoned the game for Manchester City after criticizing teammates.

"As a manager you want to see a positive response and if you do not get one I can not see it stay," said Dixon.

"Whether he plays for Arsenal is again Gallas and not anyone else. How can he react?"

Gallas, 31, trained in London on Saturday that the team lost 3-0 to Manchester City, but was named in the side of the Arsenal Champions League tie at the Emirates against Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday .

Wenger also announced Tuesday that Spain's Cesc Fabregas will assume the role of permanent captain.

Gallas' captain has been under scrutiny since the Arsenal game against Birmingham last season, when the French kicked an advertising hoarding and was in the other half of the arrivals as James McFadden scored a last minute penalty.

And the explosion last week, he accused some teammates in the fight against the "insulting behavior and lack of courage.

Dixon, who played for Arsenal for 14 years, said he had spoken to Wenger about leadership before Gallas.

And while he agrees that Gallas' comments had an element of truth to them, he maintains the former Chelsea was wrong to defend to vent his frustration in public.

"I asked Wenger earlier in the season to be captain Gallas because I was critical of him in the past on how it goes on the role," said Dixon.

"Let us not forget that it is an excellent defense and I have no problem with that, but I just feel as if I was not helping the team and I asked Wenger about it.

"He said early in the season where the question arose as Gallas was the best choice because I naturally did not anyone make room for him.

"He also felt that the taking out of it at this stage would not be good for him as a player.

"To be just what you said Gallas is not a million thousands far from the truth, I am sure Wenger private goes well, I quite agree with much of it."

"The area where Gallas was left to itself is coming and he said in the press."

Dixon was part of an English base to Arsenal, including defenders Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, Boulder and Steve Martin Keown and loves of the attacker Ian Wright when Wenger arrived as manager in 1996.

But despite the interrogation, the number of players in the side, Dixon Wenger still believes that the values of strong leadership within his team.

"One of the things he said when he came to Arsenal was that I loved the mixture of English and foreign influence and I liked the spirit that the English in the locker room," Dixon said.

"Now it does not and that crept on him, but one could say that you saw coming. People say it is anti-English, it is not at all. There are English players in the team and some youth coming through, but I think the fact that it lacks the former pro English in the locker room is a problem.

"I know he values teamwork and leadership, but the way it has crept on him, I am not too sure. I know and I know what he wants in his team and see a team that has not reached that is a surprise for me. "
by bbcnews