Losing his rag is once again all the rage for Ian Wright. The combined frustration of losing at home, being booked, being booed off, scoring just once in his last eight league games and knowing that Arsenal are trying to sign a new striker, all came to a head at 5.0 p.m. on Saturday evening.

The head was that of an incandescent Mr Angry leaning out of the Highbury dressing-room window and directing base and insulting language at passing fans in annoyance at their earlier booing.

Two months ago Wright was the darling of the crowd after beating the club scoring record. Now the love affair is surely over. Calling supporters "f***ing w***ers", as is alleged, is guaranteed to win no one's heart.

According to a BBC reporter who witnessed the bizarre incident: "Ian Wright appeared at the window of the east stand clad in vest and underpants haranguing the crowd.

"He was absolutely furious. at one point it seemed as though he was actually trying to get out of the window so apoplectic was he. The crowd were shouting `we pay your wages' and seemed pretty appalled that this guy could do this."

So appalled, that one fan complained to the police who spoke to Wright and are now considering whether to charge him. The club will also investigate the incident while the Football Association will await any reports. Wright is still on an FA suspended sentence after incidents last season.

Wright says he was shouting at Blackburn fans taunting him about Arsenal's defeat and also his booking, which triggers a two-match suspension.

Whatever his understanding, his behaviour was inexcusable and certainly blows a credibility hole through his rage counselling. However, the red mist's reappearance did provide a graphic illustration of the changing atmosphere in the Arsenal camp as the team slipped to fifth in the table after being top in October.

The prospect of another title contest involving second-placed Blackburn and Manchester United shows there is life after Kenny Dalglish at Ewood Park. But trying to find any meaningful life after George Graham at Arsenal is proving a trickier feat of resuscitation.

The current team are spluttering for power like a car with a loose plug lead. Yes, the recent loss for three games of two of the side's most influential players, Dennis Bergkamp, suspended, and Patrick Vieira, injured, has disturbed the team's early momentum. But Saturday's performance, following the previous home game against Liverpool, when Arsenal also lost, poses deeper questions about the Wenger revolution.

Changing the team's method of forward motion from long ball to short was a laudable aim but Wenger is having to face the fact that he is short of players capable of playing that way consistently enough to challenge for honours.

The team's shortcomings were exposed on Saturday by a hightempo game in which Blackburn closed down space and options with suffocating consistency. As their captain Colin Hendry gloated: "we sat on them everywhere. we won every individual battle throughout the team."

But too many Arsenal players - Lee Dixon, David Platt, Ray Parlour, Wright - lacked the quality of first touch, passing and movement off the ball required to outwit close marking. As a result, "we gave too many balls away," said Wenger, "and every lapse was punished".

And though Arsenal matched Rovers' physical effort for an hour, even that drained away. Worryingly, Arsenal's scoring record in their last eight league games now reads: 0,0,0,3,0,0,1,1.

Tim Flowers's only real worry all afternoon was of his own making, when he left his line too early and helped Marc Overmars put Arsenal ahead on 18 minutes.

It was not the only international lapse the watching England coach Glenn Hoddle mentally filed away. Just before half-time Tony Adams nearly presented Blackburn with a goal by needlessly getting caught in possession. Then, on 60 minutes he mis-kicked a routine clearance straight to Jeff Kenna whose cross was eventually converted by Jason Wilcox.

Blackburn's second was a wonder goal, struck on the volley from the left of the area by Kevin Gallacher, who had another effort cleared off the line, as did Chris Sutton while Tim Sherwood also hit the bar before scoring Rovers' third.

It left Wenger admitting: "this performance was not good enough." He said he was considering signing new players. Perhaps he could buy Ian Wright a new brain while he is at it.

Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Winterburn, Adams, Keown, Overmars, Petit, Platt (Boa Morte 76), Parlour (Vieira 65), Wright, Bergkamp. Subs Not Used: Bould, Manninger, Anelka. Booked: Parlour, Adams, Bergkamp, Wright. Goals: Overmars 18.

Blackburn Rovers: Flowers, Kenna, Sherwood, Hendry, Ripley (Flitcroft 68), Gallacher, Sutton, Wilcox, McKinlay, Croft, Henchoz. Subs Not Used: Pedersen, Andersson, Valery, Fettis. Booked: Kenna, Croft, McKinlay, Hendry. Goals: Wilcox 57, Gallacher 65, Sherwood 89.

Referee: G S Willard (Worthing).