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Always Respected, Rarely Liked - The Premier League Life Of Tottenham's New Signing William Gallas
Former Arsenal defender certainly no stranger to adverse headlines...
| Bet: | Returns: | Milan £19.50 | Draw £32.50 | Arsenal £36.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Milan £20.50 | Draw £34.00 | Arsenal £36.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Milan £20.00 | Draw £32.00 | Arsenal £35.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Milan £19.50 | Draw £34.00 | Arsenal £40.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Milan £19.90 | Draw £32.50 | Arsenal £34.50 |
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Aug 23, 2010 3:44:00 PM
By Andy Brassell
William Gallas sits uneasily in an age where Premier League footballers have their images carefully airbrushed by broadcasters and PRs.
He is grudgingly admired for his playing achievements in his near-decade in England, but widely disliked among supporters, media and even team-mates. Joining Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer, following his exit from their fierce rivals, Arsenal, is in keeping with the 33-year-old's contrary character.
So why is the Gallas cupboard so bare in the popularity stakes? Goal.com UK looks at the major controversies surrounding Gallas since his 2006 switch from Chelsea to the Gunners.....
September 2006
Bitter departure from Stamford Bridge
Such was the acrimony surrounding the end of Gallas' career in west London that it's often forgotten what a key role he had in the success of the early Jose Mourinho years. The Frenchman excelled at left-back (and, less often, at centre-back) in the Premier League winning sides of 2005 and 2006, though the Portuguese's preference for playing Gallas at left-back was widely held as the catalyst for his desire to quit the Bridge.
A bitter war of words erupted in the aftermath of the transfer deadline day deal, which saw Gallas swap blue for red in part-exchange for long-term Chelsea target Ashley Cole. Chelsea's official statement claimed that Gallas had threatened to score own goals if he was not let go - something he hotly denied - and that his declaration of wanting a new challenge was a "smokescreen" to weed out the highest bidder. Gallas responded by saying Chelsea "lack class."
January 2008
Sit-down protest at St Andrew's
Restored to his favoured position in central defence, Gallas bloomed anew at the Emirates, and was a key factor in Arsenal's impressive surge to the top of the Premier League table, and was installed as captain. They arrived at St Andrews to play Birmingham City in February unbeaten and in control.
It all spun from the Gunners' grasp that Saturday afternoon. In a match remembered mainly for the horrendous double leg fracture suffered by Eduardo, Arsenal mentally fell to bits, and the match slipped from their grasp in the final minute when Gael Clichy needlessly conceded a penalty, scored by James McFadden to clinch a draw for the home side.
Gallas performed a bizarre one-man sit-in on the pitch after the final whistle, supposedly as a protest against Arsenal's profligacy. Nevertheless, it simply reinforced the perception of the skipper as a paranoid loner, incapable of raising and rallying his troops in times of trouble.
October 2008
Angry reaction to ribbing in team-mate's autobiography
France international Jerome Rothen, with whom Gallas had taken his first steps in the professional game at Caen, released his autobiography "Vous n'allez pas me croire" ("You're not going to believe me") in autumn. He immediately attracted criticism for some unflattering vignettes about Zinedine Zidane, which the superstar's advisors unsuccessfully pressured Rothen to remove from the finished version.
Rothen also painted Gallas in a far from eulogistic light, describing him as an academically challenged "wally" and recounting an episode in which Gallas allegedly borrowed some money from a fellow apprentice without permission then owned up after fearing being caught.
The Arsenal man was less than impressed - despite the jocular nature of Rothen's jibes - and heavily criticised his erstwhile colleague in the French media for dredging up the tales now he was "a family man and a father."
November 2008
Stripped of Arsenal captaincy
Gallas' high standards have often led him into dangerous waters, and it always felt like a matter of time before he would put himself in an untenable position as far as his captaincy was concerned.
With the Birmingham incident already hanging over him, he accused his team-mates of "not (being) brave enough", causing Arsenal's title challenge to falter, in comments he later claimed were taken out of context. Arsene Wenger felt he had little option but to strip Gallas of the armband (and briefly remove him from the team altogether) ahead of a crucial away game with Manchester City.
This followed a previous incident in which the youngster had been "insolent," according to Gallas, in taking Thierry Henry's seat on the team bus, and underlined Gallas' inability to relate to junior colleagues.
December 2008
Dressing-room row with Kolo Toure
Just as Arsenal looked to nip their winter of discontent in the bud, everything flared up again as Wenger's central defensive partnership had a blazing row follwing the Boxing Day draw at Aston Villa. Toure asked to leave shortly afterwards, and though the coach initially refused his request, the Ivorian was allowed to join Manchester City in the following summer.
Toure spoke out about the dispute in April, admitting the feud had been long-term and tainted his final two years at the club.
"One of us had to leave," Toure admitted. "As a player I had a great deal of respect for him because he was older than me, but I think sometimes he took advantage of that."
June 2010
At the heart of France's unhappy World Cup
Though the infamous training strike and dressing room rows of Les Bleus' miserable World Cup were laid squarely at the feet of Patrice Evra and Nicolas Anelka (with Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan also later punished by the French Football Federation for their roles), Gallas won few extra friends for his own behaviour during the competition.
The defender had long since stopped giving interviews, but went a little further when asked for a comment on France's performance following the disastrous defeat to Mexico by one journalist, simply raising his middle finger. It was quite an achievement to make the national team more unpopular in this situation, but Gallas managed it.
August 2010
Joins north London rivals Tottenham
Offered a deal to stay at the Emirates, albeit on considerably reduced wages, Gallas refused; perhaps because he felt he deserved more respect, perhaps because of his near-pariah status in the dressing room, perhaps because he realised his starting XI spot was under threat, or maybe even a mix of all three.
Either way, he priced himself out of a switch to Serie A with Juventus and turned down a lucrative deal to join international team-mates Djibril Cisse and Sidney Govou at Panathinaikos before accepting Harry Redknapp's invitation to come to White Hart Lane.
Arsene Wenger has expressed his surprise at the switch, but if Gallas' form tells us anything, it's that popular opinion means less than zero to him.
He is grudgingly admired for his playing achievements in his near-decade in England, but widely disliked among supporters, media and even team-mates. Joining Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer, following his exit from their fierce rivals, Arsenal, is in keeping with the 33-year-old's contrary character.
So why is the Gallas cupboard so bare in the popularity stakes? Goal.com UK looks at the major controversies surrounding Gallas since his 2006 switch from Chelsea to the Gunners.....
September 2006
Bitter departure from Stamford Bridge
Such was the acrimony surrounding the end of Gallas' career in west London that it's often forgotten what a key role he had in the success of the early Jose Mourinho years. The Frenchman excelled at left-back (and, less often, at centre-back) in the Premier League winning sides of 2005 and 2006, though the Portuguese's preference for playing Gallas at left-back was widely held as the catalyst for his desire to quit the Bridge.A bitter war of words erupted in the aftermath of the transfer deadline day deal, which saw Gallas swap blue for red in part-exchange for long-term Chelsea target Ashley Cole. Chelsea's official statement claimed that Gallas had threatened to score own goals if he was not let go - something he hotly denied - and that his declaration of wanting a new challenge was a "smokescreen" to weed out the highest bidder. Gallas responded by saying Chelsea "lack class."
January 2008
Sit-down protest at St Andrew's
Restored to his favoured position in central defence, Gallas bloomed anew at the Emirates, and was a key factor in Arsenal's impressive surge to the top of the Premier League table, and was installed as captain. They arrived at St Andrews to play Birmingham City in February unbeaten and in control.
It all spun from the Gunners' grasp that Saturday afternoon. In a match remembered mainly for the horrendous double leg fracture suffered by Eduardo, Arsenal mentally fell to bits, and the match slipped from their grasp in the final minute when Gael Clichy needlessly conceded a penalty, scored by James McFadden to clinch a draw for the home side.
Gallas performed a bizarre one-man sit-in on the pitch after the final whistle, supposedly as a protest against Arsenal's profligacy. Nevertheless, it simply reinforced the perception of the skipper as a paranoid loner, incapable of raising and rallying his troops in times of trouble.
October 2008
Angry reaction to ribbing in team-mate's autobiography
France international Jerome Rothen, with whom Gallas had taken his first steps in the professional game at Caen, released his autobiography "Vous n'allez pas me croire" ("You're not going to believe me") in autumn. He immediately attracted criticism for some unflattering vignettes about Zinedine Zidane, which the superstar's advisors unsuccessfully pressured Rothen to remove from the finished version.Rothen also painted Gallas in a far from eulogistic light, describing him as an academically challenged "wally" and recounting an episode in which Gallas allegedly borrowed some money from a fellow apprentice without permission then owned up after fearing being caught.
The Arsenal man was less than impressed - despite the jocular nature of Rothen's jibes - and heavily criticised his erstwhile colleague in the French media for dredging up the tales now he was "a family man and a father."
November 2008
Stripped of Arsenal captaincy
Gallas' high standards have often led him into dangerous waters, and it always felt like a matter of time before he would put himself in an untenable position as far as his captaincy was concerned.
With the Birmingham incident already hanging over him, he accused his team-mates of "not (being) brave enough", causing Arsenal's title challenge to falter, in comments he later claimed were taken out of context. Arsene Wenger felt he had little option but to strip Gallas of the armband (and briefly remove him from the team altogether) ahead of a crucial away game with Manchester City.
Congratulations | But team spirit took an knock when Gallas spoke out
This followed a previous incident in which the youngster had been "insolent," according to Gallas, in taking Thierry Henry's seat on the team bus, and underlined Gallas' inability to relate to junior colleagues.
December 2008
Dressing-room row with Kolo Toure
Just as Arsenal looked to nip their winter of discontent in the bud, everything flared up again as Wenger's central defensive partnership had a blazing row follwing the Boxing Day draw at Aston Villa. Toure asked to leave shortly afterwards, and though the coach initially refused his request, the Ivorian was allowed to join Manchester City in the following summer.
Toure spoke out about the dispute in April, admitting the feud had been long-term and tainted his final two years at the club.
"One of us had to leave," Toure admitted. "As a player I had a great deal of respect for him because he was older than me, but I think sometimes he took advantage of that."
June 2010
At the heart of France's unhappy World Cup
Though the infamous training strike and dressing room rows of Les Bleus' miserable World Cup were laid squarely at the feet of Patrice Evra and Nicolas Anelka (with Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan also later punished by the French Football Federation for their roles), Gallas won few extra friends for his own behaviour during the competition.The defender had long since stopped giving interviews, but went a little further when asked for a comment on France's performance following the disastrous defeat to Mexico by one journalist, simply raising his middle finger. It was quite an achievement to make the national team more unpopular in this situation, but Gallas managed it.
August 2010
Joins north London rivals Tottenham
Offered a deal to stay at the Emirates, albeit on considerably reduced wages, Gallas refused; perhaps because he felt he deserved more respect, perhaps because of his near-pariah status in the dressing room, perhaps because he realised his starting XI spot was under threat, or maybe even a mix of all three.
Either way, he priced himself out of a switch to Serie A with Juventus and turned down a lucrative deal to join international team-mates Djibril Cisse and Sidney Govou at Panathinaikos before accepting Harry Redknapp's invitation to come to White Hart Lane.
Arsene Wenger has expressed his surprise at the switch, but if Gallas' form tells us anything, it's that popular opinion means less than zero to him.
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