Alan Curbishley has revealed that former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was a sore loser who didn’t care about the tradition of inviting the opposing manager for a drink after a game.
It is almost the culture at Premier League teams that the manager of the home side will have a drink with their counterparts from the opposition after a game.
Curbishley said Wenger and some foreign managers didn’t understand the tradition, and the Frenchman skipped it when he had been beaten.
He managed Charlton and West Ham, it was with the former that he made a name for himself and his side even beat Wenger’s Arsenal in one game that he recalled.
It ended 4-2 in Charlton’s favour with Thierry Henry missing several chances for the Gunners.
He said that Wenger’s assistant, Pat Rice was always the person that had time for him after their matches.
He said on the From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, via Sun Sport: “Arsene Wenger will have to forgive me, but his assistant Pat Rice was always the guy that invited you in after a game and poured you out a drink.
“However, when Charlton won 4-2 at Highbury in 2001, it was against all the odds.
“They had about 20-odd shots and Thierry Henry hit the post, hit the bar and missed a few sitters. But, we won it and I was well pleased to go into the dressing room at Highbury.
“There was no Arsene, I couldn’t find him at all.
“I actually didn’t see him at all. I thought that was a bit wrong and I let Pat Rice know about it.”