Woodcock, who terrorised defences at Nottingham Forest in the 1970s and for the Gunners in the 1980s, questioned whether Arsene Wenger's side had the "togetherness" or "determination" to get out of trouble after their worst start to a season in more than half a century. Saturday's 4-3 defeat at Blackburn left Arsenal languishing in 17th place, just one point above the drop zone. Even so, it appears unthinkable that a club which has qualified for the Champions League for 14 consecutive years could be relegated this term, or even be involved in a lower-end battle. But speaking at the launch of '19', a book by journalist Harry Harris which chronicles each of Manchester United's record-breaking 19 league titles, Woodcock was not so sure. "We've seen over the years that clubs can go down that are not expected to," said the 55-year-old. "It's early days, only a few games." Arsenal have gone six years without winning a trophy, blowing numerous opportunities to end that drought both domestically and in Europe. Woodcock added: "This togetherness, this determination, if you haven't got it to pick a trophy up then how's it going to be to get away from the relegation zone? "I hope I'm not right. "But I don't want to be sitting here in three or four weeks and they've let some more goals in and they haven't picked up any points. "We've gone six years without winning anything and are now in this tricky situation. "I'm hoping it's going to be a bit of a kick up the backside for everyone." Manager Arsene Wenger has never been under more pressure but he received a ringing endorsement from chief executive Ivan Gazidis on Tuesday. Woodcock, a close friend of former director Danny Fiszman, who died in April, placed responsibility for ending the current slump squarely on the players. "They've got to show this determination of wanting to pull themselves out of this mess," he said. "Defenders have got to want to have a clean sheet. "The boast for a back four and goalkeeper is to have no goals scored against you. "At the moment, everyone knows with every corner kick or free-kick that goes into the box, they're in a bit of a flap." And Woodcock believes if they do get their act together, there is no reason why Arsenal could not end their long wait for silverware this season. "The last two years, with six games to go, Arsenal were actually in a great position to be champions," he said. "Playing to 80% of their ability, they could have picked up the necessary points to be champions. "The club are very stable, have got a fantastic stadium, have a fantastic training ground, are making a profit. "Although we're not very happy with where Arsenal are at the moment, there are lots of pluses and positive that have been happening at the club. "It's not all doom and gloom. There's a bigger picture there as well."
