Campbell to miss Birmingham match after walkout

Sol Campbell, seen here in 2003, will miss Arsenal's match away to Birmingham this weekend following his extraordinary half-time walkout during Wednesday's defeat against West Ham

Sol Campbell will miss Arsenal's match away to Birmingham this weekend following his extraordinary half-time walkout during Wednesday's defeat against West Ham.

The England centre back left Highbury after being substituted at half-time, having been at fault in the build-up to West Ham's first two goals. The Hammers eventually won the match 3-2.

Arsenal have six defenders missing and suffered further defensive problems when Kerrea Gilbert sustained a back injury against West Ham.

"Sol Campbell won't play. I don't think Gilbert will be ready so there is not a lot of choose from," manager Arsene Wenger told Arsenal's official website on Thursday.

"We don't have any defenders coming back and the Ivory Coast (the team of defender Kolo Toure, away on African Nations Cup duty) play on Saturday.

"I don't know what I'll do about it at the moment, I must think. Do I put Gilberto there or keep Mathieu Flamini at the back, I don't know."

After Wednesday's match, Wenger said of Campbell: "I took him off because he was in a mental shape, I felt, too much down to come back.

"Sol was very down at half-time and he felt guilty. At half-time I had other worries, I decided to change Sol and then you go on with it. I knew it would be better for him personally.

After Wednesday's match, Arsenal's coach Arsene Wenger, seen here in 2005, said of Campbell: "I took him off because he was in a mental shape, I felt, too much down to come back"

"He did not do it meaning disrespect to the club or to the team but I feel he's very, very down and that's the only issue.

"His confidence is not at the highest at the moment," added the Frenchman, who blamed "exceptional circumstances" for Campbell's walkout.

The 31-year-old England centre-back's display has called into question his prospects of playing at this year's World Cup in Germany in June and July and national coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is bound to be concerned by the form of the 66-times capped former Tottenham defender.

A Campbell mis-kick let Hammers midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker score on the break in the 25th minute and striker Bobby Zamora curled in the second seven minutes later after Campbell's slide tackle failed to clear the danger.

Arsenal have been dumped out of both domestic cup competitions in the last 10 days and are now sixth in the English Premiership, a massive 26 points behind leaders Chelsea and 11 adrift of second-placed Manchester United who occupy the other automatic Champions League qualifying spot.

In the Champions League itself, they face a daunting tie with Spanish giants Real Madrid in the last 16.

Defenders Lauren, Ashley Cole, Gael Clichy and Pascal Cygan are injured while Toure and Emmanuel Eboue are on African Nations duty.

Sol Campbell, seen here 24 January 2006, will miss Arsenal's match away to Birmingham this weekend following his extraordinary half-time walkout during Wednesday's defeat against West Ham

Lauren is waiting to discover whether he will be ruled out for the rest of the season.

It had been suggested the Cameroon right-back, 29, would be sidelined for around a month. However, Wenger fears the problem may be more serious.

"It could be much longer, because he has to see a surgeon on Thursday and they could decide go into his knee. And if that is the case, we will lose him until the end of the season," the Arsenal manager admitted.

"It is a big blow because although Lauren does not speak a lot, he works a lot and he is a strong man.

"On the other hand, of course we want to win games and these young players start now under tremendous pressure, not in the easiest way.

"They have to show character and I think they have."

Wenger has brought in former Gunner Martin Keown to help out with some defensive coaching duties, but stressed he wass not thinking of recalling the 39-year-old as an emergency measure.

"I do not consider it seriously at the moment. I think he has been out of the game for too long now just to come back and play at that pace."