The Lions are getting better all the time but I still fancy New Zealand, why it's time to put Warrenball to bed and how Arsenal fans have the Premier League's quickest mood swings

I love the fact that every week when Martin writes about a different club – as he does – all the fans pile in stating he only ever writes about their club, is biased and should write about Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool instead. It does make me chuckle. Benedisco, London.

You’ll like this then, Benny.

Martin Samuel has three main targets where he can’t control his frustrated prejudices. They are Arsene Wenger, Chelsea and Jose Mourinho. He must have had a torrid time last season watching all the trophies going there. Nikdegeer884, London.

How many times do I have to explain this? I really don’t care about your club; or anyone’s club for that matter. Not in the way you think, anyway. I write about issues arising from sport. All sport. Not just football, even if it usually dominates the agenda as the national sport. So there’s a lot of football commentary, because these are the hot topics. But, that aside, it really doesn’t matter to me who wins the league. It makes no odds if a manager is successful, or not. 

Personally, covering the clubs and individuals you mentioned, I like to see Chelsea do well, because I have two fans of the club under my roof, and it makes them happy. I think Wenger seems a decent man, too, and his teams try to play good football so I actually like it when Arsenal succeed. And I’ve got nothing against Mourinho. I admire his record, and on the occasions I’ve heard him talk football beyond the staid environment of the press conference, I think he’s an interesting guy. It’s a pity he thinks the world is against him, because I bet he’s insightful in conversation if you get to know him well. 

I think the people who imagine columnists are entrenched in petty vendettas reveal more about themselves and how they would do the job. Anyway, I don’t know if Benny really likes disco, but I can assure him that in the Samuel household, when the work is done, you’re more likely to hear this than any rant about Chelsea, Arsenal or Jose Mourinho. Thanks to Art, who dug it out from nowhere. Five points up next.

Point one: Marcus Rashford. Useless, apparently, and not a patch on Harry Kane; or Tammy Abraham.

Manchester United fans keep bragging about bringing Rashford through the youth system. We will see how much game time he gets next season when the manager buys a striker. Rashford only played because of the limited options United had in attack last season. KAYCEE4CHELSEA, Lagos.

Rashford scored five goals last season and barely got an assist. Such a superstar. Ken, Dallas.

All the big clubs are spending money on defenders. How will they cope with Rashford? He is a nobody: fact. Sm0k3rZ, Karachi.

Another poster who confuses their own shallow opinions with facts. Rashford is far from a nobody. He is a teenage centre-forward playing at one of the biggest clubs in the world, who doesn’t always get a run in the team and is often played in a wide position. Unsurprisingly, he was not prolific last season, but he still scored 11 goals in 30 starts across all competitions – not five as our ill-informed contributor from Dallas claimed – including some quite important ones, particularly in Europe. It must have been hard because, let’s face it, Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t going to take up anything less than position A, and it is noticeable that six of Rashford’s goals were scored when Ibrahimovic was absent and he was allowed to occupy a more central position. A return of three assists is poor – although, in the league only, the most by any Manchester United player was six. I fear Rashford’s appearances in a central striking role will again be limited this season. What he needs is a run in the team, but at United the stakes are considered too high to indulge that.

When Rashford has scored more than five goals in a Premier League season you can mention him in the same breath as Kane. Sin Nick, Hong Kong.

Tammy Abraham is better than Rashford and will be playing for Chelsea’s first team soon enough. Smiling Today, Milton Keynes.

Kane is starting 30 or more league matches for Tottenham playing as the central striker. It’s a little different to Rashford’s role, not to mention his 16 league starts. As for Abraham, he won’t be in Chelsea’s first team ‘soon enough’. He’s on loan to Swansea for a year. The earliest he could be in Chelsea’s first team is August 2018. He has just signed a five-year contract which might show faith, or that Chelsea have again ensured they will be paid top dollar when he is transferred. Nathan Ake had a five-year contract at Chelsea, too.

Marcus Rashford wasn't prolific last season but he didn't always get a run in the team

Marcus Rashford wasn't prolific last season but he didn't always get a run in the team

Point two: the usual balanced view from New Zealand, in the aftermath of an All Blacks defeat.

These new laws are about protecting the heads of all rugby players. We can't go making excuses, bending interpretations to suit individuals. Sonny Bill Williams got what he deserved, although one could say he just recklessly crashed into Anthony Watson and no harm was done, whereas Sean O’Brien with a blatant swinging arm to the head of Waisake Naholo, knocked him out of the Test match, went unpunished on the night and dodged censure at the committee. It seems like a farce to me. I'm sure both players didn’t go out there to hurt others, but that is what happened, so to judge them differently seems absurd. I can imagine the stink if the boot was on the other foot and Owen Franks got off after taking Owen Farrell out of the Test match and the decider, and went unpunished. Campbell McIntyre, Auckland.

I’m looking forward to when Jerome Garces referees in the United Kingdom again. I have a feeling you won’t be so complimentary. He was pathetic. He didn’t control the offside all game, missed an All Black getting punched in the head, didn’t red card Mako Vunipola when it was clear Beauden Barrett was nowhere near the ruck, and missed Farrell tackling a half-back without the ball just before the second try. He was looking for penalties and didn’t let the game flow. That was not a good performance by the referee and did rugby no favours. Flowingrugby, Auckland.

And we all know that what does rugby a favour is that New Zealand win again. That New Zealand win every time, in fact. That spear tackles go unpunished, that if an All Black gets a red card a reciprocal punishment must be issued to the opposition even if the transgressions are in no way similar. O’Brien didn’t dodge anything. Three independent judges – plus one of the best referees in the world in real time – reviewed the case across many hours and described it as a rugby incident. And that’s what it looked like from the start. A physical moment that happens in rugby – a swinging arm, maybe, but not a deliberate attempt at foul contact. It wasn’t a no arm shoulder tackle of the sort that took out Watson. It was a miracle that he carried on, that he wasn’t concussed or suffered broken bones. It bears no comparison to what O’Brien did. And, by the way, Naholo isn’t out of the decider. He was declared fit the day after the match. Not that consequence is the issue. It doesn’t matter that Watson played on or Naholo didn’t. What could have happened is the key. There will always be clashes like that of O’Brien and Naholo; but what Williams did to Watson has to be removed from the sport.

Point three: about the Lions ‘free hit’ on Saturday.

A free hit? Four countries come together, spend a ton of money, build up the fan base, spend two months away from home, but this is a freebie for them. Meh, we weren’t expected to win, so it’s ok if we lose – at least we won one of the Tests. With that bloody mentality it’s no wonder you always lose to Germany on penalties. Wow. All you did is give them an excuse to fail. The penalty analogy is apt because England are beaten if the score is tied after 120 minutes. They know they will fail, and so do the public. This is an excellent technical Lions team, becoming better by the minute. But if they, and you, have an excuse, you will fail. You can’t see this is a mentality issue? Kiwi Plonker, New York.

New Zealand will be up against 16 Lions. The 15 on the pitch, plus the one in the stands. The Lions fans must not be discounted in this massive encounter. This will also be their third visit to Eden Park and thus will hold no fear for them. The Kiwis will be second for passion, out-sung and drowned out. The Lions will feel it’s a home match. Those New Zealand fans are a dour, sour, meek and feeble lot. I lived in New Zealand for over 20 years, and have been to a few Test matches. You could hear a pin drop in the stadiums, if it wasn't for the music coming out of the loud speakers. Bring it on. Raskol, Brisbane.

All well and good if it was a singing competition, Raskol. As it’s a game of rugby I’ll take the better rugby players. I still fancy New Zealand to win at a ground where they haven’t lost since 1994, even though I agree that the Lions are getting better all the time. Still see it as a free hit, too, though. Nothing to do with weak mentality, or penalty shootouts, simply that the expectations on the All Blacks are so much greater. For all this four nations guff it is hugely difficult to put a scratch team together to play the best in the world, and the people who follow the Lions know that. The locals won’t be as understanding if the All Blacks lose and, being around them this week, I think the players are starting to see that.

Captain Kieran Read and the All Blacks know the locals won't take another defeat well

Captain Kieran Read and the All Blacks know the locals won't take another defeat well

Point four: about Warren Gatland.

All of world rugby wants Gatland to be the All Blacks coach so they start playing Warrenball. The Lions got lucky against 14 men and numerous missed kicks. Gatland is not a great coach. MonsterRedBear, Warwickshire.

Only last week the Daily Mail claimed it was unlikely he would ever get any coaching job if he returned home. Nawkir, Dublin.

That was me, Nawkir, in a column about the problems coaching the Lions can cause when a manager returns to one of the home nations. I still don’t think Gatland is out of that particular forest. He went into the 2013 Lions series as coach of the Six Nations winners, but since then Wales have finished third, third, second and fifth. It is hard to rebuild bridges having picked players from other nations ahead of your own – even if your judgements are vindicated, as Gatland’s were in Australia. Whatever happens on Saturday, Gatland may not from here have the same relationship with the likes of George North, Leigh Halfpenny and Justin Tipuric. As for a job in New Zealand, clearly his stock has risen having beaten the All Blacks at the 13th time of asking, and a series win would boost his prospects again. Having said this, he hasn’t got that job, or any job, in New Zealand as yet and they do have a lot of coaching talent to choose from. What we can safely put to bed, however, is this concept of Warrenball. Whatever Gatland is or isn’t, he has proved as Lions coach that he is far from one-dimensional or negative.

No matter what happens on Saturday, it's time to put the concept of Warrenball to bed

No matter what happens on Saturday, it's time to put the concept of Warrenball to bed

Point five: Arsenal. Everything you thought you knew is wrong. They’re just one big, happy family over there these days.

Let’s stop this ridiculous fiction that there is impending doom at Arsenal. The anger of the few – and yes, it is a minority – is over Wenger not having a squad of £30m each finished article players, so that injury problems can be covered. They love Wenger’s brand of football and secretly admire his shrewdness in the market, like signing Robin van Persie for £2.75m, but their heads have been turned by the ‘success’ of clubs who spend £30m and pay £100,000 per week for Michy Batshuayi to sit on the bench. Now the chequebook has well and truly come out at Arsenal so there is no story and no disconnect, just some fans who are are unhappy with their own lives and have found a way to vent their anger aided by gossip stirrers. ClassWillOut, London.

Where do you come up with the idea that the majority of Arsenal fans want Wenger out? The minority, 250 non-Arsenal fans are the ones who are creating the trouble. The real fans were at Wembley in May, cheering our record number of FA Cup wins and Wenger’s seventh. Wenger is by far and away the best manager in the Premier League. Manzoni17, Italy.

You talk about ‘Arsenal fans’ and I wonder how you know what will reconnect us with Wenger since you aren’t one of us. Just to clarify things for you, we aren’t disconnected with Wenger, we just want our team to win games, win the league again and get back to how it was when we stood a chance of winning the Champions League. We don’t mind who is in charge, we just want it to happen. Please leave our club alone and focus on real disasters like what’s happening in Syria and Iraq. Gentlebull, Doha.

OK, I will. So, Gentlebull, how do you feel about the accusation from neighbouring Gulf states that Qatari money helps prop up Al Qaeda linked jihadist militias in Syria, including Jabhat al Nusra, Jund al Aqsa and Liwa al-Ummah? As a resident of Doha and, one presumes, a beneficiary of the Qatari economy, does it also make you uncomfortable that the country provides sanctuary for men such as Ashraf Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al-Salam, who was sanctioned by the United Nations and the United States government for providing support to Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan? As you will no doubt know, Ashraf Abd al-Salam’s father, Abu Abdulaziz al-Qatari, was a founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq. You can come back to me on that one, unless you were just posturing and trying to appear a far more worldly and concerned person than you actually are.

So back to Arsenal and what the posters above forget is that I go to the matches, too. So you can’t pretend that it’s 250 disgruntled sad sacks or that they are not real fans. They’re certainly more connected to the club than folk living in Italy and Qatar, even if some of you might fly in for the odd FA Cup final. Problem was, I was at Wembley as well. There was no great outpouring of love for Wenger that I heard, no enthusiastic singing of his name. I thought that was bound to happen, but no. And every report of Ivan Gazidis’ meeting with supporters described how tense and fractious it was. And nowhere did I say the majority want Wenger out, merely that he is still a polarising presence. Let’s not imagine otherwise, or pretend that Chelsea’s ‘success’ needs to be placed in inverted commas. It isn’t ‘success’, it’s success. A trophy haul over the last two decades that Arsenal would kill for. There would be no fly pasts if Arsenal had won the league twice in three seasons. Wenger would be hailed as a genius, and rightly so. I know what I see at the Emirates. The mood turns quicker than that of any football ground in the country, even quicker than West Ham at the London Stadium. As for the fan who just wants to have a chance of winning the Champions League to be happy, how is that meant to work when it’s 14 months at least until Arsenal could even enter the group stage? At least take a wild swing at making sense. Alternately, a poster from Kerry will explain.

It’s actually the fans themselves who have shown they’re divided. You have banners and aeroplanes at matches with conflicting messages: Wenger out, Wenger in. That's probably where the media got the idea there was a split. Not exactly rocket science, is it? Bluezone1, Kerry.

No, it’s aviation technology. But you were right on the money until then. 

Arsenal call for unity while other clubs don’t have to? No, because, they sack managers, and often. Arcadian, London.

That’s a very fair point, Arcadian. It’s hard to unite for or against a manager at Chelsea when he’s down the road before you’ve had a chance to think about it.

Arsenal have signed France striker Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon - it's a good start

Arsenal have signed France striker Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon - it's a good start

I do not really understand this. If Arsenal don’t sign anyone, they get slated by the media, now they get a world class forward in Alexandre Lacazette and it is still not enough. Segs88, London.

It is good beginning, though, don't you think? Georgi Best, London.

I do, Georgi, I do. My point wasn’t that Lacazette isn’t good enough, but that the debate around Arsenal has moved on in the last year or so and now centres more on the Wenger regime and its ability to produce results in the league and Europe. So a striker, no matter how talented, will not make the problem go away unless he also brings the upturn in form that is demanded. Anyway, on the subject of good beginnings, here’s a personal favourite. Yes, it’s Neil Diamond. Yes, it’s seven minutes long. But if you’ve filled the stadium, there’s something to be said for surrounding yourself with the very best and just putting on a show. By the time he comes on here, in Los Angeles in 1972, he could have sung Jimmy Cracked Corn as his opener and the place would still have gone nuts. He doesn’t. He sings Crunchy Granola. Magnificent, this. If Lacazette is half as good, Arsenal win the league. Until next time.