Arsenal legend Ray Parlour & YouTube Fan TV channel chief row live on the radio

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour and AFTV's Robbie Lyle were embroiled in a heated war of words live on talkSPORT on Friday - with the controversial fan channel sensationally accused of wanting the club to lose in order to get more hits.

Lyle, an ever-present face on YouTube, was invited on to the breakfast show to share his opinions on the state of Arsenal in the wake of the European Super League collapsing, but was quickly dragged into an argument.

AFTV have proved a divisive platform over the last few seasons as a result of their passionate reactions to performances and Parlour, one of the Arsenal Invincibles, didn't hold back with his own criticism.

'I look at AFTV and say sometimes you're quite an embarrassment to look at,' Parlour said. 'As an Arsenal fan, I want to win every single game. I think sometimes you look at it and say, "well if they lose, we'll get more hits this week, we'll make more money."'

However, Lyle, the founder of AFTV, vehemently defended the channel and turned his attentions back to the running of the club.

'Ray, with all due respect, you're chatting rubbish,' Lyle said. 'I want my team to win absolutely every game.

'I know you're very close to the club, and maybe you might find it difficult to speak out on this situation, but I'm saying to you that this is beyond performances on the pitch right now.

'We're talking about an owner who doesn't care. I care about my club. I've supported this club since the 80s. But I don't think these owners are suitable to run this club, simple as that.'

Despite Lyle turning the debate towards owner Stan Kroenke and his shattered reputation after the Super League fiasco, Parlour continued to take aim at AFTV and mocked their 'meltdowns' after defeats.

Lyle then fired back at the Arsenal great, saying: 'Have you seen them when we win? What is this? You're so out of touch, Ray. You're so out of touch it's unbelievable.

'I respect you. I respect you as a player, you were a great, great player for Arsenal. But listen, you need to understand, this is bigger than hits, this is bigger than wins or losses.'

Despite having interviewed the likes of Ian Wright, Olivier Giroud, Thierry Henry and even Parlour himself, AFTV have struggled to shake off the reputation they have gained in some corners.

Parlour, who has appeared as a guest alongside Lyle on three occasions, labelled the channel 'a bit of a laughing stock'.

He added: 'I think people look at it and they crack up when they see you going mad outside the stadium. I'm so pleased you're doing really well and it's all great, don't get me wrong. Because it's all about business, it's all about making money.'

A clearly irked Lyle then opted to lash out by comparing Parlour to unpopular club chief Kroenke.

Rio Ferdinand was tuned into the show and listened as Parlour and Lyle bickered.

'Just heard @RealRomfordPele & @ItsDonRobbie... don't really agree with Ray on this... ALL media have had more hits... @btsport @SkySports @talkSPORT included.' former Manchester United stalwart Ferdinand wrote on Twitter.

'Club fan media etc is NEW media - embrace it - it's here to stay!'

AFTV boast over 1.3million subscribers on YouTube and, since its creation in 2012, have generated over a billion views.

Its foundation came during a testing period for the club, with supporters angry at the stagnation on the field, and the channel rapidly became a popular outlet for the fanbase to air their strong opinions after matches.

In August 2018, however, AFTV were forced to change their name from ArsenalFanTV to their current moniker following discussions with the club.

The north London outfit are thought to have been concerned about their reputation taking a hit because of AFTV.