How wonderful to be able to start the day with some good news! Some team called Arsenal humiliated, and the final collapse of Sol Campbell's going-nowhere career.

A despairing Sol Campbell walked out of Highbury at half-time last night after being hauled off by Arsène Wenger. The (former?) England defender endured a calamitous evening in front of Sven-Göran Eriksson, the head coach, giving away two goals before dashing from the scene of the accident as his team lost 3-2 to West Ham United.

While declining to criticise the centre half for failing to hang around for the second half, the Arsenal manager did admit that Campbell had hit a psychological low. Wenger had been forced to substitute him even though he had to replace him with Sebastian Larsson, a left winger.

“I took him off because, in his mental shape, he was too down,” Wenger said. “Sol felt guilty. I always want my players to stay (after they are replaced), but there are exceptional circumstances. He did not do it to disrespect the club or the team. He was just very down. His confidence is not the highest. I don’t think he has a problem with his physical fitness, but he is not well.”

Here's some more, just to rub it in:

Campbell's Highbury horrors take a hammering By Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent

Arsenal 2 West Ham United 3

NO WONDER Sol Campbell could not wait to flee Highbury last night. So long a stalwart of his country’s defence, the giant centre half embarrassed himself in front of Sven-Göran Eriksson. This may have been the evening when he became a former England defender.

Campbell has suffered some heavy blows in the past 12 months, losing his Arsenal place for the FA Cup Final and then his usual berth at the heart of the England defence, but his confidence appeared to have plumbed new depths last night judging by the words of deep concern from Arsène Wenger, his manager.

Campbell left the ground at half-time through a combination of guilt and embarrassment. For weeks — make that months — his enthusiasm appears to have been sapped, in part by the knowledge that he is now surplus to England’s requirements after playing every minute of every leading tournament since the 1998 World Cup.

The increasingly difficult battles with fitness and weight gain have not helped his cause and, last night, all those weaknesses and insecurities undermined him to such an extent that Wenger could not trust him to play after the interval. He preferred to throw on Sebastian Larsson, a left winger. As Wenger tried to piece together a defence out of midfield players and rookies, West Ham United were delighted to take advantage to record their fifth win in succession. Arsenal have won five in their past 16.

I could reprint lots, lots more. But I am a gentle soul and hate the idea of embarrassing the Gooners any more or seeing Sol Campbell humiliated. I'll leave it at this:

Champions League? You're having a laugh.