Former Arsenal striker, now a reasonably respectable broadsheet journalist, Alan Smith reveals the 'real reason' why Marc Overmars left, in his Daily Telegraph column.

One of the less pleasant memories of last Christmas was the 3-2 Boxing Day defeat at the hands of Coventry. And apparently there were 'words' in the dressing room after the game... many of them aimed at Overmars.

'A couple of players stood up, and, despite their manager's protestations, told Overmars bluntly that he was not pulling his weight. More to the point, he had been jumping out of tackles as if, and I quote (although not verbatim), 'he had a pole-vault up his backside'.'

And that, he reckons, was the beginning of the end. Maybe Marc would like to tell us all about it, on his website...