Funny Arsenal Christmas party story involving Patrick Vieira during the early Arsene Wenger years

Funny Arsenal Christmas party story involving Patrick Vieira during the early Arsene Wenger years
It’s that time of year. Christmas parties are in full swing and footballers are delving into their wardrobes in search of their best Batman and Superman costumes.The traditional knees up involving players of today are usually kept low key, with alcohol off the menu for many – things have definitely changed a lot in the last 20 years and here, talkSPORT.com was reminded about a very funny tale involving an Arsenal get together in 1996.Shortly after Arsene Wenger took over at Highbury, players wanted to head out and celebrate the most wonderful time of year, but the Frenchman was very reluctant to do so, as LeeDixon once told Four Four Two.3

Wenger was reluctant to let his players out for their Christmas party bash, but relented, before slowly making his mark on the team

However,after some convincing from club captain Tony Adams, they were given the green light.“The tradition was we would go out and get absolutely leathered and then recover on our day off,” Dixon explained.Pre-Wenger, Arsenal’s drinking culture was legendary, with players hitting the town for their ‘Tuesday Club’ as they usually had Wednesday off to recover.There was a lot of change when the Frenchman took over as he slowly started to make his mark in north London. New recruits were drafted in from abroad – 21-year-old Patrick Vieira being one of them – where the culture was a little more focused on diet.3

Vieira was signed from Milan for 3.5m in 1996

And when the young midfielder turned up to one Christmas bash in the capital with his car keys, his team-mates were horrified.Asked for an explanation, he said he had driven there to enjoy a meal and a glass of wine before shooting off to prepare for the next training session.It was like he was speaking a foreign language. “The boys weren’t having that,” Dixon added. “So we took his keys from him, and soon Patrick was loving it and dancing on the tables.” Wenger is credited with revolutionising the preparation of players and their diet as squads faced increasingly demanding fixture schedules.Speaking about the boozy nights out, Ray Parlour told the Telegraph in 2013 what the club’s first pre-season trip with Wenger as manager was like.New French lads had come into the team like Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Gilles Grimandi,” he explained.“We worked our socks off and at the end of the trip Wenger said we could all go out. You know what we were like, we went straight down to the pub and the French lads went to the coffee shop.Ill always remember the moment Steve Bould went up to the bar and ordered 35 pints for five of us. After we left the bar we spotted all the French lads in the coffee shop and they were sitting around smoking.I thought: How are we going to win the league this year? Were all drunk and theyre all smoking. We ended up winning the [Premier League and FA Cup] double that year.3

Arsenal won the league and cup double in Wenger’s first full season in charge

---

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has signed a new long-term deal with the Premier League club. The 21-year-old has steadily established himself at Anfield since arriving from Charlton Athletic in 2015.
Joe Gomez signs new long-term LFC deal - Liverpool FC

---

This Pin was discovered by Robin Burt. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest.
~~ Chelsea Riera ~~ | Chelsea Riera | Chelsea, Fashion und

---

Monday, 25 March 2019 Mauricio Pochettino said he felt like crying after Tottenham's new stadium finally saw some football. The 62,000-seat arena, which was due to open last summer, held its first official test event ahead of a proposed April 3 opening date when the club's Under-18s side took on Southampton on Sunday, with Spurs' youngsters winning 3-1.
Mauricio Pochettino happy to play the crying game at Tottenham

---

Turkish outfit Trabzonspor star Abdulkadir Omur, who is named the "Turkish Lionel Messi" is reportedly on the radar of the English Premier League outfit Liverpool as they are sett o land him in the summer transfer window. The reports claim that the Merseyside outfit have been monitoring the star player for a long time and […]
Liverpool transfer target CONFIRMS offer as Jurgen Klopp

---

FIFA have deemed that the summer transfer window must be open for at least 12 weeks, and with the Premier League deciding to close the window before the first game of the season, the window will open at midnight BST on Thursday May 16th, and close at 5pm BST on Thursday August 8th with the first game of the 2019-20 season to be played the next day.
Every Premier League player out of contract and available for

---

Gary Neville was ridiculed by Jamie Carragher for picking both Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly in his combined Liverpool-Manchester United XI - even though they aren't playing for the Red Devils
Jamie Carragher Mocks Gary Neville's Combined Manchester

---

Cristiano Ronaldo is now spending his well-earned holiday after his brilliant start with the Serie A side. And now, media caught him fist-bumping with legendary heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua as the Portuguese legend posted a picture of them together.
Anthony Joshua Meets With Cristiano Ronaldo In Dubai Ahead of

---

According to reports in France, namely newspaper Sud Ouest, Bordeaux midfielder Younousse Sankhare is unavailable for selection at the moment because of 'complications from beard implants
Weird Injury Files: Bordeaux Midfielder Younousse Sankhare

---

Arsenal have been warned Champions League qualification could be "embarrassing" for the club, with Ian Wright of the opinion that they are a long way short of the level required to compete
Arsenal team news: How Gunners could line-up for Europa

---

LaLiga Team of the Season 2018/19: No Real Madrid players

---

Pedro's impressive form at club level resulted in his call-up into the Spain squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, having made his debut in a warm-up game for the tournament against Saudi Arabia.

---

The Busby Babe For Manchester United Fans. Log In or Sign Up. Manchester United 2018-19 Player Reviews: Jesse Lingard. New Diogo Dalot; Manchester United consider offer for Adrien Rabiot;
Diogo Dalot Can Increase Optimism Around Manchester United

---

Liverpool vs Napoli: Dries Mertens ridicules Anfield's famed

---

Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson has committed his immediate future to the club by signing a three-year contract today (March 20). Steve Evans on January 26 after initially agreeing
Ferguson parts company with Posh - ITV News

---

Mauricio Pochettino suggests he will not join Manchester United as he vows to stick with Tottenham 'until the end' March 1, 2019 / Mauricio Pochettino has promised to stick with Tottenham until he achieves all of the club's goals.
Mauricio Pochettino suggests he could walk away from

---