French international Sylvain Wiltord expresses a hint of impatience in an interview with French paper L'Equipe:

"It's always annoying constantly to play for fifteen minute periods during a match," he says. "At Rennes or Bordeaux I was playing constantly... My game is beginning to suffer from not being able to express myself, and mostly from not playing two games in a row."

But Wiltord is amazed by the fans of his new club, and by the rest of the surroundings at Highbury.

"When I paraded my Arsenal shirt to the crowd the first time I arrived in the ground they gave me an ovation," Wiltord fondly remembers. "And they hadn't even seen me play. That really touched me."

"I've come to a club that is steeped in tradition," he explains to the French readers. "People respect the past here. The club always comes before the players."

Far from sulking about the lack of opportunitues, Wiltord says he wants to compete for more opportunities on the pitch. "I can't afford to lose my concentration or motivation," he says. "It's up to me to keep my own spirits up."

"I wouldn't like to be in the coach's shoes. It must be hard to manage 23 players," he concedes.