Angry Vieira defends Seaman

FURIOUS Patrick Vieira last night led the Arsenal onslaught against the vilification of David Seaman as Arsene Wenger revealed his goalkeeper was ready to accept his enforced international retirement.

Gunners skipper Vieira made the unusual request to meet journalists yesterday to vent the anger of "the whole team" over the media and supporters' treatment of Seaman after his howler against Macedonia on Wednesday.

And as Vieira admitted he would consider quitting the French team if he endured similar treatment to Seaman, his boss Wenger disclosed that his keeper was prepared for Sven-Goran Eriksson's verdict on his future as England's number one in the wake of conceding a goal direct from a corner in England's Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia midweek.

"I'm shocked and thinking 'What the hell's going on'," Vieira said.

"Here's a guy who plays for his country and tries to win things and what's happened to him could have happened to anyone," he said.

"The crowd at Southampton (who jeered ironically at Seaman) forgot about David really quickly. Don't they remember who saved England at Euro 96?

"I've given 10 years service to my country and if something like this happened to me I'd be really disappointed and sorry.

"To receive those kind of bad things wouldn't be worth it. You'd just think 'Is it worth playing for my country?'."

But Wenger, who expects Seaman to face a barrage of abuse at Everton today, said the 39-year-old would accept his England career was over if Eriksson turned to David James or Paul Robinson when the Euro 2004 qualification campaign resumed in Liechtenstein on March 29.

Wenger said: "David has the right attitude. He says he'll help his country if he can, no matter how old he is and I respect that attitude.

"If a player in his position looks at himself, he could feel that when he's on a high, he could say 'Thank you very much now I'm going to go out'," he said.

"Or he can say 'No, I want to help my country as long as I'm good enough and available but if you don't want me, you don't want me'.

"David's saying: 'Okay, if you find a better goalkeeper, you can still say you don't want me'. He will accept it."

Yesterday was a day of passionate defence for Seaman at Arsenal's Colney training base near St Albans.

Vieira vowed to continue Arsenal's winning streak at Goodison Park today to underline the team's support for the veteran shot-stopper.

"He's by far the best keeper in England," the midfielder added.

"David has nothing to prove to anyone the media, fans or anyone else.

"We're all behind him and that's the feeling of the whole dressing room.

"The media have gone too far since Wednesday and been too hard judging him. They haven't shown any respect for a guy who's given a lot for his country."