Player Watch: Hugo Lloris

Can't defend it and he's let all of us down, probably the player I least suspected would act this unprofessional. Interested to see how Poch reacts but won't be surprised if he is fined and the captaincy goes to Kane. As Captain you have to set an example both on and off the pitch it's as simple as that.

I hope it's not a bigger issue for him than being a bellend 1 evening and hopefully he can remain with us and and learn from this.

SpursDave88 said:

He failed a breathaliser test and then spent 7 hours in a cell.

Can someone fail a breathaliser test if they haven't been drinking?

Click to expand...

Yes, you can. All though it's unlikely, it is possible for a person not having consumed alcohol to fail a breathaliser, and definitely for one not actually above the legal limit. Which is one of the reasons why one should stick with the innocent until proven guilty principle.

It's unlikely to be the cause, but before one knows the full story (of both guilt and reason), one should be careful to judge. It's a bit ironic to get all moralistic, then judging the defendant without an trial.

SpursDave88 said:

The fact that it was at 2:30 suggests he wasn't having some wine with dinner.

Click to expand...

Seeing as we're all being experts on this, can you tell me exactly what he was drinking and what state he was in?

glospur said:

Yeah, this would be interesting to know because it might give an indication of the severity of the offence.

Someone please correct me if wrong, but I think in the US, even if you're arrested for something minor you still have to get mugshots and spend some time in holding etc. Not sure of the exact protocol in the UK though. It might be a policy that they hold all drink drivers? It might also be the case that he went back to the station to request a blood test to judge the severity. There are so many variables and unknowns to establish before saying he should be dropped or stripped of the captaincy.

Click to expand...

Similar here. You'd get a mugshot taken, along with a DNA sample and fingerprints which will be kept on record indefinitely (normally permanently). Being kept in for a few hours is pretty normal especially if you're arrested in the middle of the night while the appropriate staff may be stretched thin or unavailable.

Shadydan said:

Seeing as we're all being experts on this, can you tell me exactly what he was drinking and what state he was in?

Click to expand...

No finite conclusions should be reached until the full facts are knows, but the point is it doesn’t look good does it?

Disappointed in him, doesn't seem the type. Especially considering we had training the next day. Hate that people do this, especially those that won't struggle to find a cab fare (no excuse either way). So many people die from drink driving every year.

That said the way forward is simple, plead guilty, take your fine and ban, apologise and promise to learn from your mistakes. Maybe step down as captain. I'll forgive him if he does the above. Certainly won't be the first human being or PL footballer to make a mistake. I'm sure Poch will think the same.

MyNameIsNicolaBerti said:

UK limit is 0.08.

But this is all a grey area and we don't know "the facts".....

Click to expand...

What does 0.08 equate to in terms of how many drinks any given person can have?

MyNameIsNicolaBerti said:

A footballer is an idol to millions of children and young men around the world. In doing this it sends a message to those people that this sort of behaviour is alright, whether he intended to or not.

I believe that when you are a public figure you have an extra special responsibility to set an example. It's part of the price for a life of wealth and privilege.

Click to expand...

We'll just have to disagree on this one. If you suddenly think drunk driving is acceptable because a footballer has done it, then you're obviously a moron and would probably do it regardless.

Footballers are people too, and make mistakes. With everything we've seen from Hugo since he joined us, I'd fully expect him to come out and apologise thoroughly, and of course unconditionally accept any fine and driving ban he'll receive. There's no reason for the club to publicly humiliate a loyal employee, and I expect that won't be the case.

Saoirse said:

A mistake is going out the night before training, drinking, and staying out until at least 2am. That's already a massive display of disrespect to his teammates, the club, and the fans who've worked their nuts off to afford the privilege of watching him play. Getting in a car and driving after that is far, far worse because it's a 'mistake' that puts innocent people in physical danger.

Click to expand...

Unless you know the team policy, it's impossible to make this judgement. In fact, Danny Rose has said that Pochettino encourages them to have social lives and doesn't mind if they go out during the season. This was after a game up north iirc, where he stayed a night or two up there and went out after a game.

Why don't I propose this (very) hypothetical situation:

Hugo was out for an 8 o'clock dinner reservation, where he ate and had some wine. Let's say this finished up at 11, and then the people he was out with who were celebrating whatever they were celebrating went to a bar, or whatever, and Hugo went along. While there he also had something to drink, but only the amount that he thought was ok and would keep him within the legal limit. He was picked up at 2:30, so let's say he left his friends at approximately 1:45/2:00, got in his car thinking he was ok as he had been calculating, however he gets tested and he marginally fails because perhaps he miscalculated at one point in the night.

Obviously, this is a massive hypothetical, but how are you to know without more information that those actions are perfectly within what's accepted by Pochettino and the team culture? And, if that was the case, should he be effectively hung, drawn and quartered for a small miscalculation?

As I said, if he was blind drunk he should be dealt with severely, but we just don't know enough yet to judge how bad his offence is.

coys200 said:

Just can’t get my head round why he was out at 2 am on a Thursday night before training. You wouldn’t reallly be in a restaurant till 2 AM. Very curious to hear the story.

Click to expand...

We all know the answer, despite the apologists. He may well have gone out for a meal, but a 2:30 alcohol level means it's pretty damned obvious that he chose to see the night in, either at a late night establishment or club, with his friends or family and partied on with the booze. Anyone who knows London knows he didn't just go out for a burgewr and half pint until the earlier hours.

E17yid said:

What does 0.08 equate to in terms of how many drinks any given person can have?

Click to expand...

Can't tell you exactly, but about one drink I think.

Rout-Ledge said:

No finite conclusions should be reached until the full facts are knows, but the point is it doesn’t look good does it?

Click to expand...

It doesn't you're right but people as per usual are making up all kinds of scenarios and stories that may/may not have happened, it's not really helping anything.

Shadydan said:

Seeing as we're all being experts on this, can you tell me exactly what he was drinking and what state he was in?

Click to expand...

I'm saying what's obvious you're just being deliberately obtuse and it makes you look very stupid.

Your questions are irrelevant.

He was drinking and driving at 2:30 in the morning. That is not the behavior I expect of a professional athlete.

E17yid said:

What does 0.08 equate to in terms of how many drinks any given person can have?

Click to expand...

It lies somewhere between a Famous Names Cointreau chocolate and a 20 litre bag in a box of Old Rosie cider.

glospur said:

Unless you know the team policy, it's impossible to make this judgement. In fact, Danny Rose has said that Pochettino encourages them to have social lives and doesn't mind if they go out during the season. This was after a game up north iirc, where he stayed a night or two up there and went out after a game.

Why don't I propose this (very) hypothetical situation:

Hugo was out for an 8 o'clock dinner reservation, where he ate and had some wine. Let's say this finished up at 11, and then the people he was out with who were celebrating whatever they were celebrating went to a bar, or whatever, and Hugo went along. While there he also had something to drink, but only the amount that he thought was ok and would keep him within the legal limit. He was picked up at 2:30, so let's say he left his friends at approximately 1:45/2:00, got in his car thinking he was ok as he had been calculating, however he gets tested and he marginally fails because perhaps he miscalculated at one point in the night.

Obviously, this is a massive hypothetical, but how are you to know without more information that those actions are perfectly within what's accepted by Pochettino and the team culture? And, if that was the case, should he be effectively hung, drawn and quartered for a small miscalculation?

As I said, if he was blind drunk he should be dealt with severely, but we just don't know enough yet to judge how bad his offence is.

Click to expand...

Yes, he should be. The limit is there (wrongly, IMO) to protect against people who genuinely had no idea they had a substantial amount of alcohol in their system - people who've drunk the night before and driven in the morning, or had a half-pint at lunchtime and driven that evening after a particularly stressful day. It's not there for millionaires to play chicken with the line, risk the personal consequences of being over it, and severely increase the risk of causing an accident even if they do manage to stay just below it.

Saoirse said:

That simply doesn't happen in the UK though. You cannot get to a 80mg reading by eating a chocolate bar or some over-ripe fruit. We already have the highest limit in Europe and one of the highest in the world. If you're above it, it's because you've gone out, drunk a substantial amount of alcohol, and got in a car.

Click to expand...

Not true. Two small glasses of wine is not a substantial amount of alcohol.

"As a rule of thumb, two pints of regular-strength lager or two small glasses of wine would put you over the limit. But this isn't a catch-all rule. Factors like your weight, sex, metabolism and how much you've eaten all contribute to how your body processes alcohol, so everyone has different limits."

However, drinking and driving is not clever and it's best to simply not drink if driving.

MyNameIsNicolaBerti said:

We all know the answer, despite the apologists. He may well have gone out for a meal, but a 2:30 alcohol level means it's pretty damned obvious that he chose to see the night in, either at a late night establishment or club, with his friends or family and partied on with the booze. Anyone who knows London knows he didn't just go out for a burgewr and half pint until the earlier hours.

Can't tell you exactly, but about one drink I think.

Click to expand...

Nobody can tell anyone coz no one knows as peoples livers process alcohol at different rates and there’s probably a dozen other factors to consider.

I think if we're being honest, the vast majority of us have probably been in a situation at some point in our lives where we have got behind the wheel over the limit. Whether the morning after a night out, going home after one too many drinks at dinner, etc. Lloris might have got a bit unlucky in this way - getting caught just over the limit.

However, really don't have any sympathy for him. For starters, despite what I just said, it's a rightly serious offence (legal, and more so moral) for obvious reasons. Next, this 'routine stop'..... either a) his driving was erratic enough to get pulled over and/or b) anywhere in the country driving around in a flash car (I presume) in the early hours is going to draw attention from the law..... And that is just part of the stupidity of what he has done. He's probably a couple of miles from home max., in central London, why wouldn't you just get a cab? Bonkers.

From a Spurs perspective, the bad PR is one thing, but I'm most disapproving of now knowing that in the days leading up to one of the big games in the season one of our players was out at 2am and having a drink. Now I don't begrudge them having time to unwind and I don't think they need to abstain completely in a social setting, but fucking hell sometimes, some games, you have to exercise restraint surely. Even if the (pretty big) game was 3/4 nights away, I really am not impressed that this was deemed appropriate to his preparation (and now disruption).

Charges might be dropped, he might just get a slap on the wrist, who knows... But really needlessly stupid actions from the guy, and made worse considering he's captain.

coys200 said:

Just can’t get my head round why he was out at 2 am on a Thursday night before training. You wouldn’t reallly be in a restaurant till 2 AM. Very curious to hear the story.

Click to expand...

We all know the answer, despite the apologists. He may well have gone out for a meal, but a 2:30 alcohol level means it's pretty damned obvious that he chose to see the night in, either at a late night establishment or club, with his friends or family and partied on with the booze. Anyone who knows London knows he didn't just go out for a burgewr and half pint until the earlier hours.

Flashp said:

We'll just have to disagree on this one. If you suddenly think drunk driving is acceptable because a footballer has done it, then you're obviously a moron and would probably do it regardless.

Footballers are people too, and make mistakes. With everything we've seen from Hugo since he joined us, I'd fully expect him to come out and apologise thoroughly, and of course unconditionally accept any fine and driving ban he'll receive. There's no reason for the club to publicly humiliate a loyal employee, and I expect that won't be the case.

Click to expand...

You realise that a lot of football fans ARE morons and a lot of young people ARE that impressionable? Look how many worship that Logan Paul idiot.

As for "footballers are people too". Nah. I have never gotten behind the wheel of a car after a drink and I'm not a millionaire who can afford to leave their car in London overnight. It's not rocket science to just use a bit of common sense and say "I've had a drink, it might be dangerous, my employers and fans might not be impressed" and just not bloody do it.

For all we know based on what's been reported he might have only been a few sips of beer over the limit, and yet some of the outrage and suggestions on here and on social media that he'll be jettisoned by the club would have you believe he's been driving around off his face whilst still necking tequila behind the wheel (of course he might have been doing that too - we don't know).

Drink-driving in excess of the legal limits is a dickhead move, and I haven't seen anyone defend it (I'm certainly not about to), but there are laws about it and those laws:
a) Permit somebody to drive with some alcohol in their body. Therefore if you wish to state its an outrage for anyone to drink anything and then drive, then I'm genuinely pleased that you do abstain completely when driving (I do the same) but that goes beyond what the law requires;
b) Are considerably more stringent here than they are in some other countries. Hence Hugo is not the first footballer to come from a country with a more relaxed culture and fall foul of our laws. It makes him an idiot who is guilty of an error of judgement and a touch of ignorance to our laws, and that isn't a defence. It doesn't make him a heartless bastard who sets out to endanger others; and
c) Do not require or demand that the club or takes any further action against him, so if the club chooses to do nothing further, that's alright by me. I trust the manager's judgment on such matters. 2:30am takes some explaining, but that's for Pochettino to deal with. Again, I trust his judgment. I don't subscribe to any notion that the club must do this, or be seen to be doing that. Other clubs haven't done anything. Tony Adams went to jail, and still went on to captain England!

I suspect we will see the captaincy switch to Kane reasonably swiftly, but unless he was severely over the limit or this represents an underlying issue with alcoholism (neither of which is there any evidence or indication of at this stage) then to leave him out of the team seems over the top to me.

Maybe I'm too relaxed about this. Maybe I'm fortunate in that I've not had any friends/family seriously hurt or worse by drunk drivers. Or maybe I just accept that everybody makes mistakes and without knowing the full facts I'm not going to condemn someone who has always struck me as a decent person for what may have been an error of judgment.

Bring on the neg reps (I deserve it for referencing Donkey Adams)!

Shadydan said:

Seeing as we're all being experts on this, can you tell me exactly what he was drinking and what state he was in?

Click to expand...

1)Alcohol.
2)Over the legal limit.

You know different?