Ian Wright's Arsenal Twitter Tirade Contained Elements of Truth

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has waded into key issues at the club on social networking site Twitter.

Since retirement, the one-time England international has made a name as an outspoken pundit, and he pulled no punches when it came to his beloved Gunners.

His forthright declarations led to suggestions that Wright’s Twitter account may have been compromised. However, he assured followers that he was behind the bold statements—with the aid of a little lubricating alcohol.

Nevertheless, that’s no reason to dismiss what Wright has said entirely—in vino veritas, after all. Behind his emotional outburst lie valid points about the current state of the club.

His first statement was on the summer decision to let Cesc Fabregas join Chelsea:

As the season wears on, Arsenal’s decision to pass up on their option to sign Fabregas looks increasingly bizarre. At present, the Gunners are without Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey through injury. None of those players will return to the first team before the new year.

The idea that Arsenal could not have accommodated Fabregas has been exposed as foolhardy. Meanwhile, with the Spaniard at the heart of their midfield, Chelsea have gone from strength to strength and established a lead at the top of the Premier League. 

However, if Wright is calling for a sacking, the responsibility can only rest with one man: Arsene Wenger.

It was he who decided to spurn the opportunity to bring Fabregas back, and thus he who must be held responsible for the consequences.

Speaking to Goal.com in October, the Arsenal boss admitted that he turned down the chance to re-sign his former player:

"

I didn’t speak to him directly. I was informed that he might go to Chelsea. Everybody has the freedom to go where he wants. 

When he left [for Barcelona] we bought [Mesut] Ozil. We were not in need of offensive players. We have [Santi] Cazorla, we have [Jack] Wilshere, we have [Aaron] Ramsey, we have [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain who were all offensive players.

It makes sense if you just look at the balance of the team. I think that's a decision that is easy to understand.

"

Even if Wright feels Wenger should be held accountable for his actions, there’s no suggestion that he feels it was right to barrack the Gunners boss at the train station in the wake of the team’s defeat at Stoke.

Wright wrote on Twitter:

It reads like a thinly veiled attack on the supporters who resort to personal and vitriolic bile to get their point across. Arsenal are a club traditionally associated with class both on and off the pitch, and what we witnessed at Stoke flew in the face of that hard-earned reputation.

Wright appears to have stumbled on the point that it’s possible to disagree with Wenger’s decisions, and even feel he should pay for them with his job, without needing to be abusive.

Arsenal fans would do well to remember that respect and disillusionment are not mutually exclusive. 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.