Arsenal players are angry with skipper William Gallas for his criticism of Theo Walcott and his Birmingham sit-in.
And some believe it has contributed to the Gunners’ slide in the Premier League title challenge.
The Sun revealed how Gallas attacked winger Walcott, 19, for being “too predictable”.
His criticism came on the back of his bizarre tantrum at St Andrew’s, where he sat crying in the opposition half after the final whistle, following a late Brum penalty which cost his side two points.
A further three draws and a defeat at Chelsea have followed — leaving Arsene Wenger’s men in third, six points adrift of Manchester United.
One Arsenal star’s representative said: “William has not behaved the way a captain should and has lost respect among some of the players.
“He went round all of them in front of the cameras before the Chelsea game trying to gee them up but some think it was a bit phoney.”
Gallas, 30, is refusing to throw in the towel as far as the title race is concerned. The French defender said: “It will be difficult for us to come back — but we have to.
“We must play until the end of the season and then see.
“Maybe United can drop some points because of the Champions League.
“They can be tired, Chelsea too.
“We have to give everything until the end.
“Why do we have to be down? Football is like this. Sometimes you are angry, sometimes you are not angry.
“You never know, you can be back. They can lose some points.
“We have to be ready for the next game and do not give up.
“We can still win it. It is not finished yet so we have to believe.”
I don’t know how much truth there is in this story. If you read the full text of his comments on Theo Walcott he was actually very positive, saying that Walcott will be a great player, but pointing out some areas where he needs to improve. Far more reasonable and suportive than the abbreviated version reported in most places.
His previous outbursts and his tantrum at the end of the Birmingham game can’t have pleased many people, and the Birmingham episode was especially poor because it made the whole club look bad, and that was a time when the younger players needed better leadership from their captain, even if it did involve a few harsh words behind closed doors.
That is really going to be his downfall as captain - he offers very little leadership to a team that desparately needs it.