SIGNING PLAYERS IS LIKE PLAYING POKER

ARSENE WENGER believes it is becoming almost impossible to keep footballers out of trouble.

The Arsenal boss was as shocked as everyone else when Wigan's Marlon King was jailed this week for breaking a young woman's nose outside a nightclub.

The incident raised a national debate about the behaviour of some footballers, accused of arrogantly believing the exorbitant salaries and celebrity status they enjoy are enough to place them above the laws that apply to regular citizens.

Wenger admits he has been put off buying some big name stars for the Gunners in the past because of concerns about their lifestyle off the pitch.

But he says all managers are forced to some extent to 'go blind and play poker' when they sign a player because they cannot know everything about their problems outside football.

He said: "You can't be in management as long as I have and not have that dilemma.

"I can give you a list of big names who I have faced this problem with. It is not always because they are bad guys, it can be because they are sometimes weak guys.

"They go out and they don't know where to stop. They do not master their life. In London it's impossible to keep track of a player's every move.

"Let's say you have a guy who drinks. He can drink at home, so how can you control that? He can have parties at home. Twenty years ago, the players went to the pub on a Tuesday and so on but now it's not so public.

"In ideal conditions no boss would make a mistake. It was always a race against time with opponents who may also want to sign the player.

"Sometimes you have to go blind and play poker."

Wenger believes all managers do their best to analyse the character of a footballer before paying out millions of pounds to bring them to their clubs.

The Frenchman inherited a squad of players at Highbury who had encountered trouble off the pitch when he arrived in English football from Japan in 1996.

His captain Tony Adams had been jailed for drink driving while Paul Merson, another of his top players at the time, had only recently emerged from a three-month rehabilitation programme which saw him overcome his addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Wenger worked hard to change the culture at Arsenal during that period even though many of his players were accused of lacking discipline when they played.

But he still insists the true character of a player reveals itself on the pitch.

He added: "A true revelation of character comes when they play - is he committed? Is he a collective player or an individualist? Does he work for the team or not?

"These all show a lot about his character. In any sport, when you play all the social barriers are removed, you become who you really are.

"You can say 'on the pitch he is a nasty b*****d but in life he is a nice guy.'

"I'm sure that if you have to discuss something serious with him he will still be a nasty b*****d.

"In life you have social rules you must respect but on the pitch you are who you really are because there what is important is what matters to you.

Disgust

"Patrick Vieira was not unfair on the pitch - he was committed and ruthless.

"But if you sat and talked to him you could almost feel sorry for him!" The Arsenal chief has also revealed his disgust that betting companies are offering in-play odds on the results of youth academy games.

Two companies, who both sponsor top-flight clubs, were recently exposed for offering markets on games involving players as young as 14.

Wenger agrees completely with the Premier League and Professional Footballers' Association that something must be done to prevent gamblers betting on youth games.

He raged: "I don't agree with this because the corruption potential in youth football is even higher. I think it is better if betting is focused on professional games.

"I am a bit old-fashioned. I hate corruption and in general I am suspicious of this kind of thing.

"Something destroyed me last week. A Belgian doctor conducted a survey where he asked 2,000 athletes if they would accept being doped and winning the gold medal at the next Olympics, even if it meant they would be dead five years later.

"How many said yes? 50 per cent! That is outrageous."

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