Vieira has cleared his locker at Colney

ARSENAL NEWS REVIEW

Vieira has cleared his locker at Colney

By Myles Palmer

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ALL I WANNA DO today is watch the Open, Tiger and Monty.

But this story keeps interrupting my weekend.

Just had a phone call : Patrick has cleared his clothes and papers out of his locker at the training ground.

There was quote from Arsene at Colney that day, too.

I can't repeat the quote.

JUST HAD another Gooner call while typing this, and another.

It's 5.20 pm and I've missed most of the Open now.

Where was I ?

Oh, yes, Vieira has gone and the No 4 shirt is vacant and Arsenal need another midfield player.

Van Bommel?

Steven Gerrard?

Edgar Davids?

Kolo Toure's brother Yaya?

Buy Trabelsi and move Lauren into midfield for 10 games?

I'm sure Arsene has a Plan B and a Plan C up his sleeve.

REAL MADRID have an ageing team and no squad and will play pre-qualifying games for the Champions League.

Does Vieira know what he has left or what he is going into?

Do we detect the hidden hand of Marc Roger in all this?

What will he say in The News of the World?

I love the fans, I'm grateful to Arsene, I need a new challenge - and money has nothing to do with it.

G'night!

17th July 2004.

Went to an Irish party tonight and there was no music as we arrived and I sat down next to my mate Gerry and the first 3 songs were Take It Easy and Brown Eyed Girl and Maggie May and I said, “Any minute now he’s gonna play somebody I haven’t interviewed.”

The birthday girl sang an Irish song - acapella - and her cousins had come over from Kerry to surprise her and it was beautiful.

Then the DJ played Midnight Hour and we were on the floor and some of the old moves were still there and then it was Respect and I Will Survive and then we were dancing to this stutter rhythm and I was wondering : What’s this? Until I realised it was Ain’t Nobody.

There was a fight at the wedding party next door. Somebody said, “The bride was spattered with blood. And her sister was spattered with blood.But I don’t know if they were fighting or somebody else.”

We got home at 12.55 to find a note by the phone : Philippe rang. He said, “There is no Vieira column in tomorrow’s News of The World.”