Drugs in football - 100% libel free

[Dave Cooper please]

C4 are reporting that the player is Garry O'Connor whilst at Blues- if he is the "top player" then I'm disappointed. The programme also showed Eck talking about him being off due to having an operation. To me this reflected badly on Eck. It could be argued he was a bare faced liar.

That turn of phrase always makes me smile too. Very Fox News-esque. "Well I'm not calling him a liar, but it could be argued that he is".

Besides which, as mentioned in The Grauniad this morning, it is FA policy not to name players caught using recreational drugs, so McLeish was doing what the FA would have wanted him to do.

[lovejoy]

I just think this idea of not going public is dodging the issue and basically a PR stunt to avoid tarnishing the "image of the game". if you take the example of Matt Stevens in rugby he has been made an example of but now (hopefully) successfully rehabilitated. frnakly I think football is in denial about a problem which exists.

[Mac]

It is an affront to other sportsmen that footballers can get away with failing or avoiding drug tests. Cycling gets hauled over the coals for every minor misdemeanour

[pauliewalnuts]

The thing about cycling is there are so many misdemeanours to choose from, unfortunately.

[Mac]

Not compared to football, over the last couple of years, it would appear.

[pig]

It is an affront to other sportsmen that footballers can get away with failing or avoiding drug tests. Cycling gets hauled over the coals for every minor misdemeanour

I think there is a big difference between "recreational drugs" and performance enhancing drugs. The more I think about it the more I think the FA are doing the right thing by not naming those who fail drugs tests for "recreational drugs". They are punished by receiving a ban, and it allows them and the club to organise some help for them, rather then kick them out of the sport.

[MalcolmP]

Dispatches is a very poor man's Panarama.

And is Panarama a very poor man's Panorama?

[Ryu]

the documentary tried its best to make you feel outraged that players who get caught using recreational drugs usually  aren't 'named and shamed' by their clubs and the media. I found myself not giving a toss. I mean, who would that benefit other than tabloids and their voyeuristic readership?

Its hard to argue with the anti doping people saying the testing system for performance enhancing drugs should be better, however.     

[Ger Regan]

It's utter crap, the whole argument about how the fans, being the customer, have a right to know if a player fails a drugs test. If it happened to me in my job, I'm pretty sure the company wouldn't tell my clients, so what's the difference? And the whole "role model" thing is a load of nonsense too.

[Ryu]

Exactly right, Ger. Any parents who's kid sees Gary O'connor as a role model need to have a look at their own parenting!

[lovejoy]

It's utter crap, the whole argument about how the fans, being the customer, have a right to know if a player fails a drugs test. If it happened to me in my job, I'm pretty sure the company wouldn't tell my clients, so what's the difference? And the whole "role model" thing is a load of nonsense too.

Not sure I agree. When a player takes advertising money for endorsements he's putting himself in the shop window. I suspect a number of top players have significant income streams for endorsements and image rights as its part of Brand Premiership.

That turn of phrase always makes me smile too. Very Fox News-esque. "Well I'm not calling him a liar, but it could be argued that he is".

My feeble attempt to keep the thread 100% libel free. i am not sure if Eck is a bare faced liar but the way he was shown in the programme might suggest to some that he is.

[Ryu]

Don't really agree with the sponsorship argument.  Rooney is hardly the most clean cut of characters and his face is everywhere, so I don't think this sort or personal issue would really affect most players appeal to sponsors.

[villabren]

Big Ron claims there was two players using recreational drugs during his time as villa boss. He kept schtum, only mentioning after he left, and as far as I know, he's never named them

[dave.woodhall]

Big Ron claims there was two players using recreational drugs during his time as villa boss. He kept schtum, only mentioning after he left, and as far as I know, he's never named them

Hmmmm.

[pauliewalnuts]

Not compared to football, over the last couple of years, it would appear.

Not if that documentary is anything to go by.