Pat Rice played at right-back in the Arsenal side that won the Championship and The FA Cup in 1971 and was assistant manager when the achievement was repeated in 1998 and 2002.

The man from Belfast has been in his current role for eight years having previously spent 12 years in charge of the youth team so, allied to his 17 years as an Arsenal player, the Gunners blood obviously runs through his veins.

And Bob Wilson, the former Arsenal goalkeeper who played with Rice before joining him on the club's coaching staff, believes Wenger's right-hand man deserves a massive amount of credit for their recent success.

"Pat is a very modest man and never tries to find the limelight. In fact, you can struggle to get him to talk about the vital role he plays at Arsenal," Wilson explains.

"There are a lot of assistant managers who know exactly where the camera is, but Pat is not like that at all.

"Maybe, as a result, there are people who don't understand the role that Pat plays in Arsenal's success, but he is a vital cog.

"In some ways it was a surprise that when Arsene Wenger arrived he promoted Pat from youth team coach to become his assistant, but I think at the time he needed that strong link with Arsenal's past.

"However, Pat would not have stayed in that position for eight years just for sentimental reasons. Arsene Wenger knows what he wants and he obviously knows how much Pat brings to the club.

"I think what makes Pat a great coach, especially with younger players, is that he knows it can be tough to make it in this game.

"Pat is an important link between the players and Arsene. Pat obviously has the ear of the manager, but he is also very close to the players and is always having a laugh and a joke with them in the dressing room," Wilson adds.

"He'll therefore also be listening to the squad and reporting back if they have any grumbles.

"He may not do too much on the training pitch, but one key role is organising the defensive positions from corners and free-kicks against specific teams once he has received and analysed the scouting reports that get sent in.

"He is not afraid to shout at any of the players, but most of the time he will be encouraging them and helping from the sidelines.

"That's also a key role on matchdays when he often becomes the voice of Arsene Wenger.

"Arsene is not a shouter on the touchline, but Pat will be whistling and yelling and letting the players know what needs to be done and that is important.

"Arsene is a scientist and an academic who has come to love football. With his diets and stretches and blood tests he is taking the game into new areas.

"But I think Pat brings a very human element."

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