Eboue the fall guy for misfiring Gunners

AS Emmanuel Eboue trudged from the field on Saturday, tears welling in his eyes and jeers ringing in his ears, he gave the impression of a man who just wanted to keep walking: down the tunnel, out of the car park and as far away from Arsenal as he could manage before his legs gave way.

Sadly for the Ivorian, Arsene Wenger appears to be a fan of tough love. The Arsenal manager intends to put him back into the firing line at FC Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday, hoping a public show of faith will banish the memories of the most chastening afternoon of the midfielder’s professional career.

It would be an extraordinary gamble. Eboue is not the first high-profile Premier League player to have been subjected to dog’s abuse by his own followers but few can have endured a more concentrated dose of opprobrium and it is difficult to see how his career in north London can possibly be resurrected.