Jump to content

Drunk Thistle Fan Faces Banning Order


MWM
 Share

Recommended Posts

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/tayside/274075-partick-thistle-fan-faces-football-ban-after-being-found-drunk-during-st-johnstone-game/

 

Unbelieveable. God help him if he had bothered to stand up or sing a song. A total liberty, might as well class the poor boy as a murderer or a rapist going on that. While we're at it, lets jail every jakie wondering the city centre or every drunk person lurking Sauchiehall Street at 3am this Saturday.

 

I'm sure they'll have also been consistent and jailed the scores of drunk and bigoted Old Firm fans who have been up there since...

Edited by MWM
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/tayside/274075-partick-thistle-fan-faces-football-ban-after-being-found-drunk-during-st-johnstone-game/

 

Unbelieveable. God help him if he had bothered to stand up or sing a song. A total liberty, might as well class the poor boy as a murderer or a rapist going on that. While we're at it, lets jail every jakie wondering the city centre or every drunk person lurking Sauchiehall Street at 3am this Saturday.

I'm sure they'll have also been consistent and jailed the scores of drunk and bigoted Old Firm fans who have been up there since...

More to the point Perth itself has a disproportionate amount of jakies and serious drunken disorder. Surely enough to keep their sheriff occupied before wasting time and money on something so trivial as this.

 

As an aside if the lad had only gone to the 208 Bar that night he'd have escaped all this. As I recall the local farmers wives weightwatchers had first call on the big lounge and we were all sardined round a pool table in yon wee side bar. Service that night was so near impossible it made the Aitken Suite appear super efficient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If this report is all there is to it, it would be a very good thing if the club, privately or even better publicly, put in a good word for this guy as regards the possibility of a banning order. That's a sanction for extreme cases and is brought into ridicule when it's mentioned in a case like this. Ask fans to drink responsibly and behave reasonably and hammer them if they disgrace the club, but also stand up for them when they might be getting a raw deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If this report is all there is to it, it would be a very good thing if the club, privately or even better publicly, put in a good word for this guy as regards the possibility of a banning order. That's a sanction for extreme cases and is brought into ridicule when it's mentioned in a case like this. Ask fans to drink responsibly and behave reasonably and hammer them if they disgrace the club, but also stand up for them when they might be getting a raw deal.

 

Well said. Wonder if the trust can stand up for the guy too :thinking:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going by his solicitors comments, I suspect there may well be more to this than is contained in the article. Certainly sounds like he has a more deep rooted problem and is more than just someone who was drunk at a game.

 

Agree, but is this really worthy of a banning order? As far as I can see, the sheriff was trying to steer the guy in the right direction; so maybe what's required pre-sentencing is for him to demonstrate that steps are being taken to address alcohol-related lifestyle issues. I'm taking it that his comments were aimed at being helpful and aimed at rehabilitation as opposed to punishment. There seems to have been no suggestion of aggressive behaviour etc.

 

Also, I take it this was quiet news day and the Thistle connection made it in some way news worthy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 22-year-old had been deemed fit enough to be allowed entry to the ground and had not been involved in any incidents as he watched the first half of the game, which Saints eventually ...

 

But he was arrested at half-time because he was unsteady on his feet

 

The most ridiculous thing i've read since yesterday ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 22-year-old had been deemed fit enough to be allowed entry to the ground and had not been involved in any incidents as he watched the first half of the game, which Saints eventually ...

 

But he was arrested at half-time because he was unsteady on his feet

 

The most ridiculous thing i've read since yesterday ...

Good point. I've seen hundreds of old guys at Firhill who look unsteady on their feet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going by his solicitors comments, I suspect there may well be more to this than is contained in the article. Certainly sounds like he has a more deep rooted problem and is more than just someone who was drunk at a game.

 

He might be Jack the Ripper on his nights off, but on the day in question his crime seems to have been to be moderately intoxicated at a football match. He does sound like a fairly heavy drinker ("22-year-old in unhealthy lifestyle shocker!"), but he's not charged with being a poor role model, nor is he to blame for drink being the curse of Scotland. If he needs some help, I'm sure he'll now have a chance to get it, but any form of punishment on top of the publicity he's already having to endure would be a nonsense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shouldn't prejudge but I wouldn't be surprised if the all too common heavy handed McDiarmid stewarding/policing played a part. I think it's fair to assume someone "unsteady on his feet" couldn't just be chucked out the ground. Conditions around the ground that night were diabolical and it is close to busy roads (hard enough avoiding being knocked down when you're stone cold sober).

So I'm guessing then that Tayside Polis/McDiarmid stewards interpretation of "duty of care" is a far cry from what's normal elsewhere and more in line with their generally confrontational attitude we've witnessed often enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a matter of course I don't like commenting on criminal cases when I'm not fully acquainted with the actual facts. However, it does beg the question, will Tayside police and their little helpers, be as zealous in their application of the law when those famously, law abiding Old Firm fans are on one of their friendly visits?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a matter of course I don't like commenting on criminal cases when I'm not fully acquainted with the actual facts. However, it does beg the question, will Tayside police and their little helpers, be as zealous in their application of the law when those famously, law abiding Old Firm fans are on one of their friendly visits?

A well stated, rhetorical question, to which I think we all know the answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Too much common sense and excellent well made points on this thread.

 

If the Tayside Gestapo had a miniscule fraction of common sense (or decency), we wouldn't be discussing this.

 

Shame on them.

 

Yet another example of why the likes of McDiarmid, Dens and other such grounds should be avoided/boycotted. I recall the night in question - a Jags support that descended on Perth to have a good natured party and back the team - while the stewards and police were clearly set on being killjoys in every which way they could conceivably think of. It's 'officials' like this that are killing our game by preventing decent football supporters going or enjoying themselves.

 

Again, shame on them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He might be Jack the Ripper on his nights off, but on the day in question his crime seems to have been to be moderately intoxicated at a football match. He does sound like a fairly heavy drinker ("22-year-old in unhealthy lifestyle shocker!"), but he's not charged with being a poor role model, nor is he to blame for drink being the curse of Scotland. If he needs some help, I'm sure he'll now have a chance to get it, but any form of punishment on top of the publicity he's already having to endure would be a nonsense.

 

If this was a one off incident then I'd agree whole-heartedly. But we don't know if it was - there's no indication in the article whether or not this was a first time incident. Maybe there's a history of cases of him being booked/arrested whilst drunk at football games. We just don't know at this stage and are not likely to find out until after sentencing (and the likelihood is that the sentencing will receive little or no publicity anyway). My only thought was the the solicitors' comments on his behalf make this seem less like a one off event and more part of a ongoing process of which this is but the latest chapter.

 

I also think any judge would be unwilling to discount any of the sentencing options at this stage. No doubt the prosecution asked for this to be taken into consideration which prompted the response from the judge. But I suspect he'd have given the same answer if he'd been ssked if he would consider a fine.

Edited by Allan Heron
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well said. Wonder if the trust can stand up for the guy too :thinking:

 

I don't know that it's a good idea for the Club to weigh in on matters of law, so I doubt anything would come of that.

 

I certainly don't envy the job that police have to do. If this guy was drunk, and police did nothing about it, then in the 2nd half he does something stupid like throw a roll of coins at a child, the conversation would be about why they didn't act SOONER.

That said, if the policy is as they say, then it needs to be applied evenly and that includes the OF.

 

If you're going to arrest every drunk at an OF game, you might have enough for 5-a-side with a few concessions staff to watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can tell you that the lad in question, while sometimes being drunk at games, has never been arrested or thrown out at any Thistle game in the past. Trust me on that one. His lifestyle may be in question but never has he been thrown out and regularly drives to games if its the only way he can get there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...