Arsenal boss urges fans to show respect for William Gallas
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called upon his club's fans to show respect for William Gallas when their former player returns to the Emirates Stadium with fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
The sides will meet in their first English Premier League derby of the season on Saturday 20 November and, if Gallas plays, it will mark the first time the former Gunners captain will have played against Arsenal for Spurs.
His defection to Arsenal's biggest rivals is likely to mean that Gunners fans will provide him with a hostile welcome, but Wenger has urged supporters to show respect for the 33-year-old's service.
Wenger told reporters that: “(The fans) should respect him, like they do every player of the opponents who play against us. I think that will happen. You’re responsible for your own behaviour and not for the behaviour of other people. I think the basics
of our attitude at the club has always been to respect other people. We cannot dictate how other people behave, we just want ourselves to respect him.”
Gallas proved a controversial figure during his time with Arsenal, as he was stripped of the captaincy in November 2008 for questioning the ability of his younger team-mates. However, Wenger opted to focus on the positive aspects that the France international
brought to his side.
Wenger added that: "I don’t think it’s needed now to speak about (the captaincy issue), it’s history and an old story. When Gallas was on the pitch he gave 100 percent for the team and that’s what you want to respect. What I look at is just how much does
the guy want to win, how much is he committed when he plays and on that front you can never fault Gallas because he was always 100 percent committed.”
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