Last weekend's football action was not short of incident, great individual performances, and some defining moments in what is increasingly an absorbing season. But, two players stood out for behaviour that was simply disgraceful.

Exhibit A - William Gallas: On a day when the sickening injury to Eduardo stole all the headlines, Gallas managed to act like a baby in the closing stages of the game at St Andrews. After Gael Clichy gave the injury-time penalty away Gallas acted so petulantly that many commentators have called for the Frenchman to be stripped of the Arsenal captaincy.

In recent weeks the supremely talented centre-back has failed to lead a young and inexperienced side when he has been needed most. Gallas played poorly in the 5-1 Carling Cup semi-final defeat at Spurs. He was anonymous at Old Trafford as United routed the Gunners 4-0 and should have been sent off for a sly kick at Nani late in the game when his frustrations threatened to get the better of him.

'Juande Ramos went for broke and his gamble paid off'


But his actions at Birmingham could be most severe. His previous petulance occurred in two Cup games which saw Arsenal dumped out of the two major English cup competitions. But, on Saturday his actions were a slap in the face for Clichy, who has had a tremendous season. And more importantly for Arsenal’s title challenge, the club captain sent out completely the wrong message.

Gallas looked as if Arsenal had lost the title race, yet they remain top of the league. Tony Cascarino in The Times wrote: “The defender’s becoming a liability, a laughing stock. He’s 30 years old, not three. I don’t know what the players will make of his antics within the camp, but they can’t feel good about it. Gallas has developed the habit of berating his teammates when they make a mistake, waving his arms theatrically, pulling all sorts of faces. Players hate it when they are shown up publicly like that.”

Exhibit B - Pascal Chimbonda: The Spurs defender was the only player who did not cover himself in glory on Sunday at Wembley. The French full-back has not been a happy bunny since the arrival of Alan Hutton in the January transfer window. Nevertheless, Chimbonda has put in some good performances under Juande Ramos despite playing left-back.

On Sunday in the Carling Cup final, Chimbonda was substituted on the hour. Juande Ramos made what now appears to be a match-winning substitution. The introduction of Tom Huddlestone completed Spurs’ control of the midfield and freed up Aaron Lennon to cause havoc down the left. Ramos went for broke and his gamble paid off.

Chimbonda reacted by leaving the pitch as slowly as he possibly could and he had to be urged to get off by teammate Jermaine Jenas. He then proceeded to walk down the tunnel, failing to support his teammates from the bench during a Cup final. When Spurs celebrated at the final whistle Chimbonda returned and joined in as if nothing had happened.

The Frenchman has rightly been fined by Spurs and has today tried to explain his actions: "I was annoyed at being taken off in such an important match," he said.

Gallas and Chimbonda share numerous similarities. Both players joined their current clubs under a cloud. Chimbonda even went so far as to hand in a transfer request from Wigan whilst still in his kit on the final day of the 2005-6 season.

Gallas and Chimbonda are swiftly becoming disliked by even their own fans and most neutrals are united in their dislike for two players who seem devoid of any moral backbone. It seems likely that Juande Ramos will get rid of Chimbonda and Arsene Wenger could take the captain’s armband away from the other moody Frenchman.

Yet, both are fine players, two of the best defenders in the Premier League. With the beautiful game awash with more money than any of us ever can even comprehend, a new breed of player is becoming more prominent in the 21st Century. Gone are the days when a player was labelled a villain for being consistently dirty (think Vinnie Jones or Ron “Chopper" Harris).

Nowadays the players we love to hate are the ones who are obsessed with money, show little respect for their fans, team-mates, managers and most importantly the game itself.

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