My father is coming up to the end of his working career as a professional photographer and there have been photos of me from my early days in 1980 through to today so I know everything about the power of pictures. The most powerful shots will stop you in your tracks with powerful memories or a horrified trance. The flicking through the newspaper pages will suddenly stop and you will examine the picture like a detective on a television crime drama.

Some of the best sports photos have been taken within seconds of a great sporting achievement, such as a broken world record, a first place position, and the scoring of the most sensational and crucial goal. I keep a collection of the very best photographs. These images will mentally take you away from the miserable Monday morning commute through the early morning mist, with a signal failure promised at Finsbury Park, and the sound of someone’s mobile music who thinks that everyone should naturally want to hear his morning choice of ‘Grime’ music. These pictures will uplift you

There is another load of shots, which will shock you or display the unaccepted side of sport that makes you question whether everything is sound within the game that you love. The sight of Adebayor’s foot connecting with Van Persie’s face is an early contender for any end-of-season award for the most notorious shot of the 2009-2010 season. It is probable that the picture of Jerome Thomas getting to grips with the neck of Jack Wilshere will be in the running too - a pretty decent entry for the youth category.

I understand that football is an emotional game with a light spicing of rough and tumble and I would hate to see every match turn into an occasion lacking any sense of feeling or ambition. There is nothing worse than sitting through a game where the referee blows up for any slight contact between two players.

However, you could argue that some players are taking emotion to a new and slightly disturbing extreme and two of the attacks have occurred on Arsenal players by ex-Gunners. Many of us have grudges and breaking up “may be so very hard to do” but this situation is taking it to extremes. Was life so bad at the Arsenal training ground?

I am in no doubt that Robin van Persie and Jack Wilshere are perfectly able to fight their own battles, and I am not that gullible in thinking that every single team resembles the Partridge family. However, Robin Van Persie’s cheek, and Jack Wilshere neck are visual examples of emotion going a little bit too far. Are we now seeing teams who believe that the only way to be Arsenal is to go for the physical Chelsea circa 1970 ‘Fight Club’ approach?

The notorious picture of Jerome Thomas getting to grips with Jack Wilshere did not have much of an initial impact on me. A quick glance at the photo could suggest that Thomas is innocently checking the pulse in the neck of the Arsenal youngster. It is only after you spot Thomas’ angry sneer, the furrowed eyebrows, the clenched teeth and the vein popping out of his arm, then you realise that this moment has a bit more to it than just a bit of play acting.

In the immediate minutes before the incident, Wiltshere is alleged to have shoulder barged Thomas, Thomas left his foot in the subsequent tackle, Wilshere complained about the incident and then finds his throat in the hand of Thomas. The incident makes good television and makes everyone indignant on the radio phone-ins but on a deeper note, is this physical approach going to be the best way to deal with Arsenal this season?

After all, it is often suggested by various commentators that the only way to play Arsenal is to “get in and amongst them.” This approach will allegedly stop the ‘nice’ football from the Gunners where passes are sprayed across the pitch, and beautiful build up play leads to fantastic champagne goals. When Wenger has complained about the overly physical approach from the opposition, these complaints seem to be dismissed on the basis that Arsenal cannot expect teams to just role over to their particular style of football. Is Arsenal meant to be the team that has to adapt to this new physically aggressive style of play?

This particular photo of Jerome Thomas and Jack Wilshere is telling a thousand words. Thomas’ action might be based on regret that his Arsenal promise has not quite been fulfilled. It was not that long ago that Jerome Thomas was being billed as the next great thing to come out of the red half of London. A trip to Charlton, then Portsmouth and now up the M6 to the West Midlands for Championship football is not quite the road to riches story that he may have wanted. This is speculation but could a trip back to the E******s cause Thomas to consider what might have been

We all know what happened after that picture was taken. Thomas was sent off, Arsenal won the match, Wilshere remains an Arsenal favourite and the picture of that flash point has entered the papers. That picture is powerful and there will be similar occasions throughout the season that the cream of the press photographers will capture through their lens. However, will there be further pictures that leave you with the impression that Arsenal players seem to be fair game for physical confrontation during this season?