Former Gunner John Hartson reckons Arsene Wenger should stop blaming referees for Arsenal’s downfalls, following the club’s latest result against Fulham on Monday.
Wenger saw his side plummet to a 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage thanks to two late goals form Steve Sidwell and Bobby Zamora. However, the Frenchman claimed that poor decision making from referee Lee Probert, combined with fatigue, were the main reasons why his side lost the game:
‘We had plenty of chances and didn’t take them. We had a very bad referee with the decisions against us and the two together, plus the fatigue, made the difference.’
But Hartson believes Arsenal’s poor results and ill-discipline lies firmly on Wenger’s door, claiming the Gunners chief must take responsibility for his side’s shortcomings.
The former Wales international recently told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast Show on talkSPORT:
‘People are sick of it. You want Wenger to come out and say ‘look, my players were ill-disciplined’.
‘Over the years at Arsenal the discipline has been woeful under Wenger. You want him to take it [the blame] on the chin.
‘We all know Arsenal should have won the game, they go 1-0 up but that’s a dangerous score line, they needed that second goal. Fulham are always thinking, one more goal and we’re back in this.
‘I’m getting sick of excuses [from Wenger]. I don’t know how you can defend his comments really. I genuinely feel Djourou deserved to get sent off.’
Hartson then went on to talk about Djourou’s inability to keep his discipline throughout the game, and believes the referee was right to send off the Swiss defender.
‘The first tackle on Dembele was a definite booking, and a rash referee could have sent him off. Then he gets away with another one on Frei that could have been a booking and then the third one on Zamora.
‘Zamora’s a very clever player and if you’re clean through and then pulled back, clever players go down. You’ve seen Arsenal players like Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Robert Pires all go down under Wenger.
‘This is was what clever players do. If they are touched, if they’ve felt a little bit on the shoulder, they go down. It’s not cheating, it’s clever.’
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What a disgrace you are hartson. Advocating cheating. Bet your mums proud.
Stupid former gooner.
Have to agree with most of that. I can’t ever remember Wenger admitting the other team deserved to beat us. But his constant whining to the fourth official is both tiresome and embarrasing
I think Hartson should just mind his own fucking business and go back to eating pies
Dis man is sayn d rit tin.let wenger do wat is rit.
Wenger should blame himself
Wenger should go….