Source: PA
Wenger urges respect for Gallas
Arsene Wenger hopes Arsenal fans show William Gallas the respect he deserves should their former captain face his old club - but defended the decision to strip the controversial Frenchman of the armband.
The 33-year-old left Emirates Stadium at the end of his contract during the summer, before then joining arch-rivals Tottenham.
Gallas had something of a colourful Arsenal career after he moved from Chelsea as part of the deal for Ashley Cole in August 2006.
After being installed as skipper following the departure of Thierry Henry, Gallas famously broke down in the centre-circle at Birmingham after a match which had seen Eduardo suffer a broken leg before then, in November 2008, he publicly questioned the spirit of Wenger's young side.
That outburst prompted Wenger to replace Gallas as captain with Cesc Fabregas, but the Arsenal manager maintains there can never be any question over the veteran defender's commitment on the pitch.
"When Gallas was on the pitch he gave 100% for the team and that is what you want to respect," Wenger said. "After the statements exactly word by word is always a much more sensitive subject. But 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% committed when he played."
