The only bad thing about Serge Gnabry scoring four against Spurs is that we’ve had to listen to Tony Pulis yammering on about him as if he’s somehow relevant.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 01: Serge Gnabry of FC Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Muenchen at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 01, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 01: Serge Gnabry of FC Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Muenchen at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 01, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

We already know the Chief Orc couldn’t see what was clear to every Arsenal fan who’d watched Serge Gnabry play for five minutes. We’ve had him claiming that he couldn’t get the German fit (and that Steve Bould agreed with him).

Then we had to listen to him blather on about giving it to the player straight while also trying to claim that Arsene Wenger – who offered Gnabry a contract and tried to get him to stay at Arsenal – didn’t fancy him either.

Somehow, he sees this as proof he wasn’t wrong to reject Gnabry, even though Arsenal didn’t actually reject him in the slightest.

Not only is Pulis an idiot, he can’t even admit he was wrong. I can’t stand people like that because you know they will never, ever learn from their mistakes.

telegraph pulis gnabry
Daily Telegraph 3 October 2019

“He would come in to see me quite a few times about why he was not playing and we would have a chat,” Pulis told the Telegraph. “I would say what I always say: that you can have all the talent in the world but you need that attitude and application. We never had any problems between us. Physically and mentally, he just was not prepared at that moment.

“He went back to Arsenal and Arsene didn’t fancy him either. They sold him for £5million.

“So you have me, who is supposedly kick-and-rush, and Arsene, who plays the beautiful game. Both ends of the spectrum, and the kid was still not yet that great player.

“Serge was miles off it,” Pulis added despite the fact Gnabry left West Brom and absolutely tore up the Olympics a few months later, scoring six goals in six games. “We talk about the demands of playing at that level and the relentless challenge of the Premier League week in, week out. I have seen many talented people who have wasted careers because they haven’t had the right mentality, and haven’t had the opportunity to understand.

“The kid could have fallen away and not come back having been at one of the best clubs in the world.

“He turned it around, and now he looks like a great player.”

It all reminds me, in a way, of Owen Coyle trying to claim credit for Jack Wilshere, back when we still expecting big things of him, because he spent six months on loan with Bolton.

At least Jack played during that time, getting in 14 games and over 1,000 minutes.

Gnabry played a total of 135 minutes for the West Brom first team.