Ex-Arsenal star mentions the 'r' word

Arsenal legend Tony Woodcock fears Arsenal will be dragged into a relegation fight.

The Gunners are 17th in the Premier League, just a point above the drop zone with the worst defence in the division.

And 1980s Arsenal star Woodcock believes the failure to win any trophies in the past six years means they will not have the stomach for a scrap at the other end of the table.

“We’ve seen over the years that clubs can go down that are not expected to," he said. "It’s early days, only a few games.

“This togetherness, this determination, if you haven’t got it to pick a trophy up, then how’s it going to be to get away from the relegation zone?

“I hope I’m not right. But I don’t want to be sitting here in three or four weeks and they’ve let some more goals in and they haven’t picked up any points.

“We’ve gone six years without winning anything and are now in this tricky situation.

“I’m hoping it’s going to be a bit of a kick up the backside for everyone.”

Arsenal’s only relegation came in 1913. They returned to the top division in 1919 (the league was suspended for four years during the First World War) and have been there ever since.

Woodcock believes it is the players not the manager who is to blame for the current predicament which sees them just a point clear of the bottom three.

“They’ve got to show this determination of wanting to pull themselves out of this mess,” he said. “Defenders have got to want to have a clean sheet. The boast for a back four and goalkeeper is to have no goals scored against you.

“At the moment, everyone knows with every corner kick or free-kick that goes into the box, they’re in a bit of a flap.”

However, Woodcock believes if they do get their act together, there is no reason why Arsenal could not end their long wait for silverware this season.

“The last two years, with six games to go Arsenal were actually in a great position to be champions,” he said. “Playing to 80% of their ability, they could have picked up the necessary points to be champions.

“The club are very stable, have a fantastic stadium, a fantastic training ground, are making a profit.

“Although we’re not very happy with where Arsenal are at the moment, there are lots of pluses and positive that have been happening at the club.

“It’s not all doom and gloom. There’s a bigger picture there as well.”

There was some more gloom for Arsenal, however, when on-loan Chelsea midfielder Benayoun tweeted: ''Very disappointed as I have a strain and will be out for a week or so.''