It was good to see that Arsène Wenger issued a retraction after his harsh comments about Martin Taylor. Now the Arsenal manager should do another: “I regret handing William Gallas the captaincy at the start of the season and I have taken the armband away from him and given it to someone more suited to lead a title-chasing side at a critical point of the campaign.”

Players who think the team revolves around them wind me up more than almost anything. Saturday’s game against Birmingham City should have been all about the sad injury to Eduardo da Silva, but instead Gallas is hogging much of the spotlight after his behaviour when Birmingham were given their late penalty.

The defender’s becoming a liability, a laughing stock. He’s 30 years old, not 3. 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. The crowd might have missed a mistake, but when one of their teammates makes a song and dance at them, it makes them look bad.

And what is a captain’s job? The exact opposite. To encourage and improve those around him, to squeeze more out of the team. Especially at moments when things are going badly. That’s when you need the captain to be an inspirational leader more than any other time. Gallas? Thinking only about himself, not what the team need. The excuse that he was traumatised by Eduardo’s injury doesn’t wash with me. It’s his responsibility to cope with that.

It’s not like Saturday was a one-off. His behaviour was poor at Old Trafford the week before, at White Hart Lane in the Carling Cup and he messed around in the centre circle for a while after the final whistle when West Ham United scored a late goal to beat Arsenal at Upton Park last term. Then there was the messy way he left Chelsea in 2006 – remember that unproven, bizarre business about the alleged threat to score an own goal? He could cost Arsenal the title. Not only is he failing as a captain, but as a player. Lately, he’s been caught wandering out of position and been given the runaround by opposition strikers. He’s playing badly so he’s trying to deflect, pointing the finger at others, wandering round with a sulky attitude. Arsenal are short at centre back but his continued presence in the lineup could be detrimental.

Wenger’s judgment is normally brilliant but he’s got this one completely wrong. One option is to put the captaincy on the line: lead this team properly or you’re out. Another is to give the armband to someone better equipped to lift the players. Either way, Gallas is acting like a spoilt brat who needs to be put into line.

Throwing the dummy out

Roy Keane (Ireland)

Helped team spirit before the 2002 World Cup by telling Mick McCarthy, his manager, to “stick your World Cup up your a***” and going home.

Craig Levein (Heart of Midlothian)

The future Dundee United manager broke the nose of Graeme Hogg, his teammate, by punching him during a preseason friendly.

Billy Bremner (Leeds United)

Sent off for fighting with Kevin Keegan, of Liverpool, in the 1974 Charity Shield, Bremner and his opponent threw off their shirts as they left the pitch.

Antonio Rattin (Argentina)

Took eight minutes to leave pitch when sent off against England in 1966 World Cup quarter-finals.