It was me who mentioned the Murphy comment and was surprised dec, a poster I have big respect for, reacted in the way he did. The US President interview wasn't brought up on MOTD, but I think what Murphy said was right. Signing attacking midfielders or forwards for Arsenal is a complete irrelevance. He didn't say this but I have before, we could sign Messi and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference.

I'm suspicious it has more to do with fan titillation than anything else. Season ticket renewal time, are there loads of transfer rumours? When we sign players, are they right for the balance of the squad? Spend a bit of money and the mugs who are fans, and as a fan who has now been going for more than fifty years I'm a far bigger mug than most, will get excited about it. Rich, I think you're falling into this trap. Don't harp on about not spending enough money on new players and tactics. It isn't important while Wenger runs the show. Nothing will change while he's the manager.

Why? Defenders watching the ball rather than man happens all the time in football. It is one of the many ways goals are scored. In the same match the Swans defender didn't pick up Monreal for his strike.

I would have said that before, but you are talking about a guy who has been regularly tactically outwitted by Arsene Wenger...

He doesn't have a pass on as nobody helped him out by making themselves to be available.

He should have hoofed it at Lacazette even if it's likely he would have conceded possession.

He simply can't account for every player in midfield and defence for being incompetent and not aware to danger. Ultimately the goal is Xhakas fault while there are collective errors. It seems bizarre that a striker can just run past him like that without him realising.

Of course it's Xhaka's fault. Just go with your man. Awful defending from a really average player.

I think you have to blame Arsene Wenger 100% for every single goal ever scored against Arsenal during his time.

Yep bang on

Mowed the lawn his arvo

Funny you mention 36 degrees. Mowed the lawn his arvo - it was 36.9 degrees outside but humidity was down to around 50-60 % so not too bad. So you have decided 100% Monreals fault. Čech's reactions were appropriate and perfect in your world. You may need to speak to the TV commentators who obviously thought differently. It would not be a proper forum without different views, no matter how warped your views may be.

So you therefore must blame Özil 100% for Swansea's first goal. If he hadn't sloppily given the ball away, what followed wouldn't have happened.

No, be reasonaable Bernard.

It was thoughtful of you to give everybody a clue to your nationality in your forum name as it would have been easy to mistake you for one of Hazuki's mob otherwise...

Yeah well two words for you here, Hoy, and disappointed that you don't see the real culprit.

Gordon. Brown.

Anyway your list of things to blame Wenger for is pretty skimpy. I would add:

1) The grey v-neck/red tie combo
2) Sucking his words
3) Dismantling syntax
4) Wanting a "world government"
5) The Deerhunter (a terrible film anyway)
6) Vine and fig trees - not understanding their pre-death allure
7) "Abstract" art (you don't even know what it is, Arsene!)
8) Creaky sarcasm (he needs some lessons from an expert - any ideas?)
9) Domenechism
10) Crucifying our Lord.

Don't forget he was around during Vietnam, the Biafran War, the Killing Fields and the Maxwell pension scandal. They say he also likes a grassy knoll too. I would, however, absolve him of all responsibilty for winning multiple trophies with Arsenal. That was so obviously all down to Bruce Rioch.

But putting aside our sympathy for the old devil, have you ever considered a position not quite so close to the other extreme ie total absolution for everything?

Yes, I think he made a terrible mistake signing Thierry Henry. I'll never forgive him for that. Even if you put Vieira, Overmars, Petit, Pires, Campbell, Jens, Kolo, Freddie, Cesc, RVP, Gilberto, Ralph, Kanu, Ramsey, Tomas, Bacary, Kos, Alexis, Mesut, Sanchez and Santi on the other side of the scales, it will never outweigh the folly of asking Henry to play as a striker rather than on the wing. What was the silly OLD sod thinking?

Looks like Aubameyang has just viewed highlights of the Swansea game.

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/pr ... tory.shtml

Wenger's three-point coaching guide for fish.

1) What type of fish are you? You are not that type of fish.

2) If you see a juicy fly in the water, eat it. It is not your job to worry about the opposition.

3) Water is optional.

Uh-oh call the coastguard, HMS Hoy is listing badly again. But you're just making my point for me here really. You sit at an equally extreme end of the spectrum. There you are buttering your mackerel and humming a little free jazz to yourself but do you ever suddenly pause and think: now just you hold on a moment here, Mr Hoy, are you painting yourself into the silly corner by utterly refusing to see the very clear and obvious decline of Wenger as nothing more than a noisy minority of un-TheArsenal sans-culottes backed by a biased and hostile media?

Looks like Aubameyang has just viewed highlights of the Swansea game.

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/pr ... tory.shtml

Awe Aubameyang. All this overwhelming excitement from fans, last dash plane ride, media coverage arrival announcement by club, then immediate meet up of fellow teammates in training. The onslaught publicity has done him in poor baby. Already needs a rest.

So you therefore must blame Özil 100% for Swansea's first goal. If he hadn't sloppily given the ball away, what followed wouldn't have happened.

Funny you mention 36 degrees. Mowed the lawn his arvo - it was 36.9 degrees outside but humidity was down to around 50-60 % so not too bad. So you have decided 100% Monreals fault. Čech's reactions were appropriate and perfect in your world. You may need to speak to the TV commentators who obviously thought differently. It would not be a proper forum without different views, no matter how warped your views may be.

If Kiwi's dad had restrained himself we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

God bless him ...just wish my Mum had found out his name

No, be reasonaable Bernard. I think you have to blame Arsene Wenger 100% for every single goal ever scored against Arsenal during his time. We thought it had reached its ultimate when he failed to coach Vieira, Dixon, Keown and Seaman to stop Giggs' semi-final goal. Those poor guys never stood a chance of stopping Ryan due to Wenger's lack of work with them on the training ground. Since then we have had almost twenty years of it. Why hasn't old puffa jacket mastered the art of the unneccessary bicycle kick? Why hasn't the silly old sod coached the pass-back mistakes out of Mustafi? How comes he hasn't told Čech how to boot the ball away with his left foot? Conte aand Klopp would never allow their defences to be so humiliated. And Mourinho has coached United so well they could never concede a goal within eleven seconds by not following a runner. And as for own goals when under no pressure? It would simply never happen. Wenger should just *%^@ off. He's old, doesn't meet his KPIs and has a pointed head. Do we need any more reasons? I wish Usmanov was in charge, he'd sort it out. Excuse me, must go, my airplane pilot is at the door.

It was thoughtful of you to give everybody a clue to your nationality in your forum name as it would have been easy to mistake you for one of Hazuki's mob otherwise...

Gaz , Gaz , Gaz ...you are missing the point .....Čech's reactions shouldn't appear on the radar . TV commentators don't matter either , having played the game doesn't neccessarily make them right .

Have Shearer , Murphy , Lineker , Wright got more clues than I've got ...... NO .

Here's the analogy [ this is good fun ] you buy an old .303 Lee Enfield at the local RSL fund raiser ; used on the Kokoda trail and all that

You take it home , while you out trying to figure out why the Gen 3 wont start ; your nine year old kid gets hold of it , loads it and shoots the dog .

Now who is to blame here ..... ?

The dog [ Čech ] for not running away , the boy [ Mustafi ] for fiddling with the rifle

.... OR [ drumroll ] ......you [Monreal ] for bringing it home in the first place .

I would like to agree with Hoy on his well thought out point ' Wenger should just *%^@ off. He's old, doesn't meet his KPIs' .

Keep them coming Hoy.

So Aubameyang can play for us in the Europa game but has to use number 77 as 7 has already been used.......

Don't they love complicating things.

What does KPI stand for?