Harry's Alcohol Ban

[Kendall]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8045213.stm

Views? I think this is OTT and that every player deserves a couple of post match beers. Ledley has gone too far and should be punished, by why punish the rest of them.

 

[mil1lion]

I dont see any reason for the players to be going out and getting drunk. I think Harry is doing the right thing. Its about time there was more discipline in football in this country. The players are paid a lot of money to represent our football club, and they should do so by setting a better example.

 

[Glenn_Purvey]

i think he is spot on with the punishment, what is the point in all off these health people the club employ if the players just got out and keep drinking.

i know for one if ledley is getting smashed like that you can only imgine what the rest of the squad are doing...

cheers :beer:

 

[Dougal]

I think he's spot on. If you want to life of a normal young man then don't show up with an agent and ask for a contract for a professional athlete. Top class footballers find themselves in a very privileged position and with that comes sacrifice. Too many people want it all and want it now.

 

[Kendall]

I think its far too OTT and that the players should be able to at least enjoy the life they work hard to achieve

 

[sidford]

players seem to forget the position their in. they have a very short life span at the top maybe 18-34 thats just 16 years to cram in what for most will be the best years of their lives and the time they have the ability to reach the tops of their careers.
as sami hypia(sp) from pool once said in an interview all his mates go out drinking but he never did because as he said once he retires he can go to the pub every day of the week and get as drunk as he wants reliving his career and with a huge bank balance knowing he gave his one big chance in life a go.
thats the sort of attitude players need to have. ledley took the piss (no pun intended) and deserves to be punished for it and the clubs image will suffer so banning alcohol is the way to go. but lets not kid ourselves this wont completely stop the players drinking but hopefully it will stop them getting into the sort of state that king got into

 

[Dougal]

I think its far too OTT and that the players should be able to at least enjoy the life they work hard to achieve

They can when they retire. And following a successful career they wouldn't even have to put their hands in their pockets with so many grateful fans who would be honoured to buy a drink for their hero.

 

[Kendall]

his mates go out drinking but he never did because as he said once he retires he can go to the pub every day of the week and get as drunk as he wants reliving his career and with a huge bank balance knowing he gave his one big chance in life a go.

Sounds like gazza... miss out on having a bit of fun when you're younger then go overboard when you retire and spiral into depression

class

 

[Kendall]

They can when they retire. And following a successful career they wouldn't even have to put their hands in their pockets with so many grateful fans who would be honoured to buy a drink for their hero.

But they are people too and banning them from having even a couple of drinks, say for a mates birthday is well ott and if you're young and you've missed out on all that it can be very damaging and no amount of money can buy that.

 

[themanwhofellasleep]

Kendall, I don't think Gazza is an alcoholic because he missed out on drinking when he was younger! He was drinking throughout large chunks of his football career. I would suspect that had he been given better drinking habits as a player, he might not have abused alcohol so badly when he quit.

Personally, I'm quite happy with the ban. Footballers are athletes, not pop stars. Also, I don't feel the need to live my life vicariously through footballers, so I won't be disappointed if I stop seeing Spurs players slumped in the doorways of crap nightclubs, as wannabe WAGs lurk around their wallets.

 

[spursgirls]

I agree with Harry. Just as the players justify their big salaries by saying that a footballer's career is a short one, then so should they be prepared to make sacrifices for that short time, if they want to be a top player. They are so pampered these days, they are getting out of touch with reality. Surely it makes sense anyway that you need to be careful what you put into your body. No point in having a meticulously worked out diet, and then going out and getting alcohol poisoning.
Presumably Harry's ban won't stop them drinking at home anyway, though maybe they will be 'strongly advised' against that too?

 

[sidford]

Sounds like gazza... miss out on having a bit of fun when you're younger then go overboard when you retire and spiral into depression

class

he was making a point that he has all the time in the world to get hammered if he wants when he retires and you equate that the same as gazza? not even close

gazza hardly missed out on fun when he was younger either given all the stories about his younger days

 

[$hoguN]

They get paid huge sums of money for doing relatively little, so its not too much to ask them to keep in peak physical shape... A few beers is not helping them stay in their peak physical shape, so Harry has a right to tell them not to drink and I fully support him on the issue...

As he said you don't put diesel in a ferrari

 

[cheeseman]

Sounds like gazza... miss out on having a bit of fun when you're younger then go overboard when you retire and spiral into depression

class

I don't think Gazza "missed out" on any fun that was going on while he was still playing. He wasn't "missing out" just before France '98 with his buddies Evans and Baker. Although he did "miss out" on the World Cup because of it.

 

[mil1lion]

They dont need to drink though. I haven't drunk for several years now. I dont get the obsession with alcohol in this country. I prefer to live a clean healthy life myself. That means, no smoking, no drinking and no drugs. I dont see why that would be a problem for highly trained, highly paid athletes.

 

[MattyP]

I went to Australia six years ago and was drinking with some of the England Rugby squad the day before the semi final against France - the players I was drinking with weren't in the team for that game, but did get on in the final.

Drinking a couple of pints didn't cost them the world cup and after they'd won every member of the team got rat arsed.

I've no problem with the players having a drink or two normally, or getting shit faced after they have won a trophy. Besides, going out together is good for team morale.

Think this is over the top and I don't agree with a complete ban on drinking.

 

[Kendall]

They dont need to drink though. I haven't drunk for several years now. I dont get the obsession with alcohol in this country. I prefer to live a clean healthy life myself. That means, no smoking, no drinking and no drugs. I dont see why that would be a problem for highly trained, highly paid athletes.

Personal choices imo. If it affects their performance by all means punish them, but imposing restrictions on their outside of work life is wrong and immoral imo.

 

[Kendall]

I went to Australia six years ago and was drinking with some of the England Rugby squad the day before the semi final against France - the players I was drinking with weren't in the team for that game, but did get on in the final.

Drinking a couple of pints didn't cost them the world cup and after they'd won every member of the team got rat arsed.

I've no problem with the players having a drink or two normally, or getting shit faced after they have won a trophy. Besides, going out together is good for team morale.

Think this is over the top and I don't agree with a complete ban on drinking.

At least there's someone else on my side :up:

 

[$hoguN]

Well by that view point they should be able to do the occasional e or smoke as long as it does not affect their performances Kendall...

 

[themanwhofellasleep]

The key word is 'athletes'.

Atheletes who actually win things, such as the GB Cycling team, made massive sacrifices to get to the top. This means training, looking after yourself and watching what you eat and drink. And they are willing to do it all because they know that being in peak condition can make the difference between a gold medal and no medal at all.

And these athletes probably earn less in a year than many premiership footballers do in a week. And yet when it's suggested that footballers don't drink, there's a cry of outrage, as though they are being asked to cut off their arms.

As Harry has pointed out, you can't control what a player does at home, and I've no doubt that if a player wants to drink in moderation (one beer when watching telly, or a glass of wine with a meal) then there's nothing anyone can do about it. But players shouldn't be piling into the club bar after matches, and they definitely shouldn't be out on the lash, getting into confrontations with bouncers.

I think certain people love the romantic idea of the plucky working-class footballer, who scores the winning goal for his team and then hits the bars with his mates, scoring with the ladies and winding up rivals. There's a place for that: it's Sunday League football.