Emmanuel Adebayor has been on the receiving end of some good kickings this season - and has the bruises and scars to prove it.
But the Arsenal hitman, who scored another wonder goal in midweek to keep the Gunners on top of the Premier League, insists that neither he nor his team has any intention of being kicked off their perch.
In a remarkably revealing interview Adebayor told the Sunday Mirror how top-flight defenders repeatedly try to wind him up by landing off-the-ball punches and X-rated strikes.
Some of them are so brutal he prays the TV cameras have missed them - but the Togo star has kept his cool to fire Arsenal into top spot with nine fantastic goals.
Adebayor, 23, said: "It usually happens in the first few minutes when the first ball comes over.
They hit me - bang - and I think, 'What is happening?' I just say, 'Shut up, I want to play'.
"They are trying to wind me up. It happens all the time. A lot of English defenders are like that whereas in Africa it's different, we enjoy just going out and playing.
"The defenders are, I suppose, trying to tell me they are there. But I say, 'Look, I'm there also. I'm there in the first minute and I'll be there in the last minute'.
"I'm happy if the cameras don't catch these type of things. They are not so good for football and it's better for children watching on TV not to see them.
"But I don't go to the referee and complain. I haven't got time to do that and, anyway, it's not what we do at Arsenal.
"The most important thing is winning the game, not what the referee thinks. We need to keep our focus and play our football."
Certain Arsenal players of the past have reacted badly to such intimidation and been booked or sent off. But the ex-Monaco player, who came over from France for a £7million fee 18 months ago, is part of a new, resilient breed that refuses to rise to the bait.
He has blossomed after a difficult start in North London, and he admits that he lost confidence in front of goal last season and was upset about being left out of Wenger's squad.
But he is on fire at the moment, having morphed from the invisible man into one of English football's top strikers.
He said: "Before this season a lot of people never even knew that there was a player called Emmanuel Adebayor. Some people didn't know I existed!
"I came in for a lot of criticism when I first came to London. People said I'm not good in front of goal. The man who helped me come through all this was Thierry Henry.
"He was the club's talisman and it was very difficult. I kept wondering if I was going to play or not, whether it was me or Robin Van Persie who was going to partner Thierry. I was concentrating on that rather than scoring goals and I started to lose confidence.
"Thierry was fantastic with me. He talked to me, taught me to do things in training. Most importantly, he told me to take risks. He said, 'Don't be in two minds when a ball comes, just make your decision and hit it'.
"It doesn't matter if it goes into the crowd, like a lot of my shots were doing. When he left it was good for him but also good for me. It gave me a chance to show what I can do and now people know that there is a player called Emmanuel Adebayor. Thierry was a talisman, but now we are happy not having any talismans at Arsenal.
"Thierry said that my confidence would come back if I kept working and training and learning and he was right. So I want to thank him for helping me."
The draw at Newcastle, and the win at Aston Villa last week, showed a tougher new side to the Gunners. Adebayor insists they are no longer a soft touch and will not be bullied out of the title.
"I don't know how many players from Arsenal can fight, but if we do fight it should be with the ball. We stand up to teams being physical to us but in a good way.
"In difficult moments we are there even. We are ready for the battle. If you are not ready for the battle you shouldn't even think about turning up - it would be better to stay at home.
Arsenal's match against Chelsea next Sunday is their designated match day for charity of the season TreeHouse.
The national charity for autism education is building a national centre in Muswell Hill and the Gunners are hoping to raise £250,000 for sports facilities.
The designated matchday will see 50p from every programme going towards the charity and there will be other fundraising activities. Players and board members have donated a day's pay and supporters are being asked to join in by donating money via text referencing 'TreeHouse' to 88222 from December 16 onwards or by visiting www.justgiving.com/beagoonerbeagiver.
MATCH ODDS
M'BORO TO WIN: 11/2
ARSENAL TO WIN: 4/9
DRAW 13/5
FIRST SCORERS
Ashton 13/2
Cole 8/1
Camara 15/2
Bellamy 7/1
Boa Morte 11/1
Ljungberg 12/1
Etherington 16/1
Berbatov 6/1
Keane 11/2
Defoe 13/2
Bent 7/1
Lennon 12/1
Malbranque 14/1
Jenas 14/1
LAST SEASON
M'BORO 1 ARSENAL 1
ARSENAL 1 M'BORO 1
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JONATHAN PEARCE
ALEC STEWART
THE MOLE