[badgers apprentice]

what kind of manager gets back to HQ and lets the players go drinking at 4am when they have training at 2pm and an important world cup qualifier three days later? the sfa must be seen to take action here as we must be an absolute laughing stock on the continent at the moment.

if ye take a horse to water he is going to drink! burley must go.

[Half A Person]

badgers apprentice, on Apr 4 2009, 19:42, said:

what kind of manager gets back to HQ and lets the players go drinking at 4am when they have training at 2pm and an important world cup qualifier three days later? the sfa must be seen to take action here as we must be an absolute laughing stock on the continent at the moment.

if ye take a horse to water he is going to drink! burley must go.

The Scottish players are fucking grown men!

He allowed them to have a wee drink after getting back in, treating them like adults, and they've acted like 16 year old wee neds.

I can't see how Burley is in any way to blame in this situation, although it does lead one to question how much he's respected by the current pool of Scottish players. I think removing Ferguson from the squad can only be positive given that he's long been rumoured to be a trouble maker and a negative influence.

[port-ton]

I can't wait until next week when you talk about this weeks news.

[Davie Bhoy]

Don't think Burley should be sacked but think he should have been given a verbal warning from the SFA and kept behind closed doors. Hope that has happened.

I agree the players are grown men and there can be no excusing any of thier actions. Even though the manager shouldn't have given them permission, he did and they should have been proffessional enough to know when to call it a day and knock it on the head. If they had just went for an hour and headed to bed this whole sorry episode wouldn't have happened.

That said Burley is being very unprofessional himself here by allowing players to go drinking given they had finished a game and had another important game coming up. You have to assume the players were also having a few drinks on the plane back from Amsterdam too. So was there any need to allow them to continue on from this?

I also think he was wrong to have them stripped and on the bench. By all means keep them in the squad if the players were putting the pressure on you. But have them sitting in the stand...not the bench. Also if the players are putting pressure on you by all means it's a tricky situation but if he'd stood his ground which player was going to carry out any threat not to play. They'd have been targetted in the same way the two clowns are for turning their back on Scotland.

I also think he got his substitutions wrong. Kenny Miller only really offers you work rate, but on Wed I don't even think he offered that. I'd have taken him off and kept Fletcher on but noooo he kept on the striker that was doing nothing. Against Holland he opted for Teale over Morrison...what's that all about. More frustrating was the fact that he took so long to giv him the hook. I'm not warming to George Burley. In fact the fact that some of the players appear to be against him makes me want to see him do well...but he is frustrating as a manager

[youroldda]

badgers apprentice, on Apr 4 2009, 19:42, said:

what kind of manager gets back to HQ and lets the players go drinking at 4am when they have training at 2pm and an important world cup qualifier three days later? the sfa must be seen to take action here as we must be an absolute laughing stock on the continent at the moment.

if ye take a horse to water he is going to drink! burley must go.

I think its actually.....you can't make it drink,,, unless its a retarded childish alky.

[Border Bhoy]

I must admit I couldnt understand why the "Govan two" were named as SUBS

[FilthyMack]

The only truth that we know is that, as usual, the SFA's handling of the media is as professional as the two players in question. While the Rangers PR machine has handled it far better in comparison.

[seamus]

Burley is so out of his depth its embarrasing.
Mark McGhee will be in charge in four months time Gordon Smith has already sounded him out .

[Kincardine]

FilthyMack, on Apr 4 2009, 22:03, said:

The only truth that we know is that, as usual, the SFA's handling of the media is as professional as the two players in question. While the Rangers PR machine has handled it far better in comparison.

What Rangers did was nothing to do with PR. The two Rangers players acted badly and have been sanctioned, thankfully. Every Gers fan I've spoken to is glad to be rid of them.

[FilthyMack]

Kincardine, on Apr 4 2009, 22:15, said:

What Rangers did was nothing to do with PR. The two Rangers players acted badly and have been sanctioned, thankfully. Every Gers fan I've spoken to is glad to be rid of them.

Rangers held a meeting with the players, sent them home, had a statement out immediately. Good PR.

The SFA tells everyone the players will not play for Scotland again, the players find out via radio reports. The SFA appears to react slower again. Bad PR.

[HibeeJibee]

In many respects, Burley was acting responsibly: giving the players the chance to unwind and get a bit of relaxation after a long journey. It was 2 of the players who abused that privilege, not him.

[badgers apprentice]

gordon smith came out and said the players will have to bide with a strict law from now on, while rangers produced more of a stand with the culprits and stripped ferguson of the captaincy and fined both players two weeks wages.
only then do the sfa make a reaction by telling them they will not play for scotland again and joining the media circus when the main culprit is george burley for letting professional football players go on a drinking session with ten hours till their next training session!

the guy is an absolute joke of a manager and his charade of appearing with his wife at tannadice today proves that.

[WeAreThePeople]

youroldda, on Apr 4 2009, 20:42, said:

I think its actually.....you can't make it drink,,, unless its a retarded childish alky.

Like Scott Brown?

[uberman]

I love the way posters are describing them as neds for letting a few pints turn into a bevvy session, if that's what makes you a ned these days then I would wager every poster on this board could be classed as a ned.

[Davie Bhoy]

uberman, on Apr 5 2009, 09:46, said:

I love the way posters are describing them as neds for letting a few pints turn into a bevvy session, if that's what makes you a ned these days then I would wager every poster on this board could be classed as a ned.

I don't think they are being called neds just for this. Ferguson has been noted as a ned for his ways throughout his career. Kicking things into the home dugout at Celtic Park when getting sent off, Going home to put on his Rangers trackie after losing to Celtic and getting into a fight at the 'Battle of Bothwell Bridge', his spat with PLG and now this latest sorry episode.

McGregor hasn't covered himself in glory either off the park with his womanising ways, parking in disabled spaces with no disabled person with him in his flash car despite having the disabled permit shown and again...this latest episode.

[Paco]

uberman, on Apr 5 2009, 09:46, said:

I love the way posters are describing them as neds for letting a few pints turn into a bevvy session, if that's what makes you a ned these days then I would wager every poster on this board could be classed as a ned.

I love the way that people still think they've been dropped for drinking.

[FFC_GJS]

He trusted the players by allowing them to have a couple of drinks before going to bed, the players abused the trust he gave them. The players were the ones in the wrong.

[uberman]

Paco, on Apr 5 2009, 11:59, said:

I love the way that people still think they've been dropped for drinking.

I know exactly why they were dropped, I was merely making the point that a lot of people are calling them neds for having the cheek to get drunk whilst on Scotland duty meanwhile the so called tartan army pride themselves on doing exactly the same thing

[Paco]

uberman, on Apr 5 2009, 13:19, said:

I know exactly why they were dropped, I was merely making the point that a lot of people are calling them neds for having the cheek to get drunk whilst on Scotland duty meanwhile the so called tartan army pride themselves on doing exactly the same thing

Ah, I get you now.

In fairness, I think 99% of the TA would happily give up drinking to captain their country. I know I would. It saddens me that some people think they haven't done anything wrong,

[perth_saintee12]

badgers apprentice, on Apr 4 2009, 19:42, said:

what kind of manager gets back to HQ and lets the players go drinking at 4am when they have training at 2pm and an important world cup qualifier three days later? the sfa must be seen to take action here as we must be an absolute laughing stock on the continent at the moment.if ye take a horse to water he is going to drink! burley must go.

Do you usually start old pointless threads like this?

[ScottyC]

Since burley got the job 4 players are now no longer available for selection because of his poor management. Whether you think these guy would make a diffrence or not (all useless except for Boyd) it his actions that has led to these events.

Feguson and MacGregor should never have been allowed in the bar in the first place. I then failed to address this situation correctly which led to them sitting on the bench and flicking the vickies.
As much as i dislike Walter Smith (who at the end of the day is as big a traitor to Scotland as any of these players) managed to show his quality when he took quick and strong action against Ferguson and MacGregor.

[shaft2]

While I am disgusted at both guy's actions while playing for my country I am struggling to understand why the life ban....yes they were childish in doing what they did with the drinking and the gesture but why was it said to be done and dusted by both Smith and Burley on Thursday for it to then be opened back up again with such consequences??
I am sure there is more to this and I have heard a story of what really happened which would explain why the life ban happened but wether it is true remains to be seen....

While I am on my rant when the F##k did Smith become such a disciplinarian???
I seem to recall him being Gazza's boss when he gave his wife a right pasting but didny feel the need to punt him out the club,likewise when McCoist failed to return from a booze fuelled trip to Cheltneham,indeed he is now his number 2!!
Something stinks about it all and Rankers F.C. have seen it an easy way to punt 2 guys from the club whom command among the highest wages at Ipox and both of who would not budge in January when bids where accepted for them...money Rankers badly badly need.

[ScottyC]

shaft2, on Apr 5 2009, 19:08, said:

While I am on my rant when the F##k did Smith become such a disciplinarian???
I seem to recall him being Gazza's boss when he gave his wife a right pasting but didny feel the need to punt him out the club,likewise when McCoist failed to return from a booze fuelled trip to Cheltneham,indeed he is now his number 2!!

Exsactly. Rangers want rid of them too.

[FilthyMack]

shaft2, on Apr 5 2009, 19:08, said:

While I am disgusted at both guy's actions while playing for my country I am struggling to understand why the life ban....yes they were childish in doing what they did with the drinking and the gesture but why was it said to be done and dusted by both Smith and Burley on Thursday for it to then be opened back up again with such consequences??
I am sure there is more to this and I have heard a story of what really happened which would explain why the life ban happened but wether it is true remains to be seen....

While I'm not Burley's biggest fan he seemed in his initial comments to just try and move on from the drinking incident, they'd been punished as far as he was concerned. Then the morning after at a press conference he tried to defend his players (as they still were at the time) making the gestures, suggesting cameras were probably waiting for them to make the slightest move (as I initially thought when I saw the pictures). Then we've got Gordon Smith and the odious George Peat though... Burley is now saying the decision to ban the players was taken by the 3 of them. I think certain people in the SFA are on a power trip, but Burley appears unable to asset himself in front of the media so you wonder if they've got no chice but to take decisions for him.

This post has been edited by FilthyMack: 05 April 2009 - 19:30