VIEIRA'S RED MIST RISING

PATRICK VIEIRA'S dismissal against Sunderland on Saturday was the 30th red card of Arsene Wenger's Highbury reign and the fifth that the French midfielder has incurred. He has also been booked a staggering 45 times since arriving in north London and has been charged by the FA on three occasions relating to other unsavoury incidents.

Fantastic player that he is, Vieira clearly has a suspect temperament. Darren Williams was brought on specifically to wind the Frenchman up with a series of niggling, late and unnecessary challenges which referee Steve Dunn failed to punish until the Frenchman finally snapped when being hauled back moments after being elbowed by the same player in an aerial challenge.

There are remarkable similarities between this dismissal and one against Charlton at the Valley in 1998-99 when Neil Redfearn was hauling the Frenchman back and Vieira swung his arm at the offender in retaliation. Wenger was very critical of that sending off and video evidence in both cases seems to suggest that the recipient of the flailing arm made more of the contact than was necessary - a point the Arsenal boss has been quick to leap upon.

Until the sending off, Vieira was a dominant force in the game, completing more passes than any player bar Lee Dixon, making more tackles than any other Gunner and surging forward to fire in a shot on target after leaving the Sunderland defence trailing in his wake.

In 1999-2000, Vieira won more tackles than all but two other Premiership players and was in the top 10 when it came to successful passes in the top flight. With the loss of his partner Manu Petit and Marc Overmars to Barcelona, Arsenal are now even more reliant on the player who Juventus covet at a price of around £20 million.

But the fact remains that Vieira's frustration is an Achilles heel for the Gunners. Their disciplinary record over the last few years has cost them dearly in suspensions. Vieira will now miss three matches including a key tussle away at title rivals Chelsea. Wenger has agreed with very few of any of the 30 dismissals and this apologist attitude has certainly not worked in preventing recurring problems with officials.

Arsenal's squad is looking somewhat thinner after the summer's exodus and last season's 18-point difference between themselves and Manchester United is unlikely to be easier to bridge without Vieira at the heart of Arsenal's challenge. The Gunners lost four of the eight matches he missed in last season's Premiership and with one defeat on the board already, they can't afford to be without Vieira's influence too often if they are to challenge the Champions.