Robbie Earle: Whingeing Wenger bang out of order

ARSENE Wenger went way over the top in his comments about Stoke. I just hope City aren't the ones who have to pay for his outburst.

To effectively brand Rory Delap and Ryan Shawcross cowards was bang out of order, as was saying they set out to deliberately injure his players.

If I was with Stoke, I would be worried that Wenger's outburst is going to focus attention on every challenge Tony Pulis's side make.

That's not fair, but if one or two other influential managers wade in on the same theme, then Stoke may find referees more inclined to come down hard.

We found that at Wimbledon, where some referees would tell Vinnie Jones and John Fashanu they had their eye on them before we'd even kicked off.

It's a problem Sam Allardyce's Bolton suffered when the likes of Rafa Benitez would moan in the press about their approach a few days before playing them.

All that puts pressure on a referee who then has to be strong enough to view a Stoke tackle just as they would one by Arsenal and the bigger clubs.

Some players get a reputation and get punished while, for example, Steven Gerrard can jump into a two-footed tackle and is more likely to get away with it.

I've also seen Alan Shearer absolutely nail players a couple of times but, because he played for England, he was treated less harshly than, say, a Wimbledon player would.

As for Wenger's tantrum about Stoke, I'm not sure just what Wenger feels he's got to moan about. Delap was rightly yellow carded for his trip on Theo Walcott. But that's all it was – a trip. Just because Walcott's shoulder popped out when he fell doesn't make the tackle any worse.

As for Shawcross, he caught Adebayor after taking the ball. Well, so what? We are talking about professional sport at the highest level, you are going to get some physical contact.

Wenger is an excellent manager, but I lose respect for him when he starts whingeing.

It reminds me of his comments about Birmingham defender Martin Taylor last season after that Taylor challenge on Eduardo. Taylor's was a badly-timed challenge after he had been outskilled by Eduardo.

For Wenger to imply Taylor set out to maim him was inflammatory and wrong.

Wenger has to be careful because what he says sets the agenda for the media.

I can't help but wonder if he was having a pop at Stoke because he is starting to feel the pressure himself after defeat at the Britannia and throwing away a win against Spurs.

But as long as he is looking for excuses, Wenger is failing to deal with the bigger picture that they have a problem playing against physical teams.

Chelsea came to Stoke, matched them physically, and then went on to outplay Tony Pulis's team.

But I don't think Arsenal have the same heart, commitment and will to win.

Look around the Arsenal team and they are not full of midgets. So it is about how brave they are. You have to be prepared to stick your head in at times or risk having a lump on your shin and an ice pack on the coach home.

I hope Stoke don't get harshly judged by referees, but I would be surprised if all managers complain like Wenger.

Alex Ferguson tended to be complimentary about Wimbledon, but then he was brought up in the British game.

Stoke must try to take Wenger's comments as a compliment. After all, they will add to the fear factor for teams coming to the Britannia.

All I read on Monday was about how the Britannia is an inhospitable venue for visitors who have to deal with a whipping wind, a physical side, a ferocious crowd and an aerial bombardment.

That's great for Stoke who will find some teams are beaten before they get off the bus.

It is much better to have the likes of Wenger moaning than be patting you on the head and saying you play nice football after beating you three or four nil.