Wenger blasted as "two-bob" after Spurs defeat...and Arsenal's woes go on and on

Arsene Wenger became embroiled in another “no handshake” row after Arsenal’s bitterly disappointing 2-1 defeat against North London rivals Tottenham last night.

Wenger, who has refused to shake hands with several Premier League rivals in the past, apparently refused to acknowledge Spurs coach Clive Allen after the derby clash with the former White Hart Lane striker describing the Frenchman as “two bob” – a cockney reference to a worthless character.

Allen, part of a vast footballing dynasty, needed a talking to by a nearby police constable after an apparently foul-mouth altercation with the Gunners’ boss after the game.

The pair also clashed during last year’s 3-3 draw between the two sides. Allen, the scorer of 202 goals in 418 games during a prolific career, failed to make an appearance during his brief spell at Arsenal in 1980. He told The Sun in London: "Wenger refused to shake my hand. He says he didn't see me or hear me — but he's two bob he is, two bob.

“I didn’t call him any dirty words though."

Wenger, under huge pressure after Arsenal’s worst start to a season for 58 years, said: "I shook the hand of the manager Harry Redknapp and the assistant manager Kevin Bond. How many hands do I have to shake? Is there a prescription?

"No words were exchanged and if the story of the game is Clive Allen, you must ask him. He wanted to make himself the story? I think yes."

Pictures in the British press today show Allen clearly attempting to shake Wenger’s hand as he headed for the White Hart Lane tunnel after a match which saw fans from both sides involved in obscene chanting.

Arsenal fans targeted former striker Emmanuel Adebayor, suggesting he should have died when his Togo team were attacked by gunmen before the African Nations Cup in Angola last year. Spurs supporters responded with the age-old paedophile slurs against Wenger.

Redknapp, whose side are now comfortably better off than their traditionally more successful rivals in terms of points and playing staff, said: "Arsene shook hands with me and I'm pleased with that. I think Clive went to shake hands and he missed him. He didn't see him.

"But if he's going to shake hands, either do it and mean it or don't do it at all. If he doesn't want to, he shouldn't.

"OK, Clive wasn't happy but Arsene shook my hand and, for me, that was it."

With his side 15^th in the Premier League table having lost four out of seven so far, Wenger -who famously refused to shake the hand of then-Manchester City boss Mark Hughes in 2009, grumbled: "We played with the handbrake on in the first half. We got back to 1-1 but then we didn't push on enough. That shows we are not playing with confidence."

Rafael van der Vaart scored the 10,000th goal in Tottenham history just before halftime and Kyle Walker clinched the victory with his first for the club in the 73rd minute after Aaron Ramsey's equaliser for Arsenal.

Wenger, who saw Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny let the winner slip through his hands, also lost full-back Bacary Sagna on the brink of the international break this week. He said: "We are very worried about his injury, the first signs don't look good. It's the fibula and ankle that needs to be checked ... he was pushed quite hard. I don't know what happened when he landed, did he land the wrong way?''

Anelka Strikes at Last and Now Chelsea are Bolted on For The Title

BOLTON striker Kevin Davies must be kicking himself tonight. He got kicked by numerous Chelsea defenders in his side’s 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last night, so perhaps that’s apt.

Tough guy Davies told us yesterday that his old buddy Anelka didn’t get on with fellow Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. So what happens in the 43^rd minute? Drogba flights in a cunning cross with his left foot and Anelka nodded home his first goal in three months. The perfect old pal’s act.

That goal in the “psychologically vital” period before half-time did for battling Bolton, whose hoped-for miracle against the leaders never quite materialised.

Victory puts the Blues in pole position for the title with just four Premier League games to play. They’re four points clear of fading Manchester United and six better than Arsenal, who play their game in hand against North London rivals Spurs at White Hart Lane tonight.

As the Wanderers ambled down the M1 to London with around 250 fans on the road with them, Davies was probably showing off about his attempt to unsettled Chelsea. The man who spent 18 months up alongside Anelka in the Frenchman’s 63 games for the Wanderers, assured us: “There doesn’t seem to be a great bond between Nic and Didier. There’s something not quite right – I’m not sure they get on very well together.

“Nicolas lights up when he plays on his own. He’s a great player but at the moment you feel he’s just not that happy.”

And of course, all he did was ensure Drogba and Anelka would bond perfectly. And at just the right time. It’s not as if the leaders were that comfortable. Davies clashed heads with Yuri Zhirkov, who was left bleeding profusely. The Russian bravely played on. Chelsea captain John Terry injured himself blocking a Davies shot 18 minutes in, but he too played on with a dodgy ankle.

But for all the bluster, Bolton couldn’t quite get to the break on even terms.

They nearly got back to a level playing field in the 62^nd minute, when a struggling Terry appeared to use an arm in the penalty area. The linesman laughed it off, indicating a slightly hairy chest had been involved. On the bench, Bolton boss Owen Coyle was tearing what’s left of his Scottish hair out.

While Anelka scored the vital goal before he was replaced in the second half, another former Arsenal man, Jack Wilshere, caught the eye too. Coyle has been demanding a World Cup call-up for the teenager on loan from the Emirates Stadium.

Certainly the 18-year-old midfielder showed talent – and attitude – before his substitution in the 82^nd minute. But Frank Lampard, the current immovable object in the England midfield, so nearly produced the vital second goal, crashing a 25-yard effort against the post after73 minutes.

There was time for Terry, looking comfortable after his ankle problem, to crash a well-struck shot just wide. But then, with five to play, Bolton sub Johan Elmander, the £9m Swede, flicked his header inches wide of Petr Cech’s goal. And that was it, the moment the title began its inexorable move back to Stamford Bridge after an absence of three painful years.

By then, Davies had been booked for a challenge on John Obi Mikel and a day that had started with such defiance gradually declined into submission.

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