AJ out on the town a lot?

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

^ Not the last butt of his career either.

amirite?

[john@staustell]

I sometimes wonder if people realize that footballers aren't robots until they turn 35 and retire. They have a life too, let him drink all he wants, if it affects his game, then he plays/sits accordingly.

He is a human people, not a robot.

Depends how far you want to go in the game mate. If he wants to be at the very top, and stay there for a long time, then he can stay off it . If he wants to be just a 'good player' and finish when he's about 30, then he can go out on the lash, simple as.

I'm sure many of us on here have been athletes at some point, at some level. The simple truth is that you can't train as well - assuming you are professional enough to abstain for a day or two before a match - and therefore you will not play as well.

That aside from the club standards issue.

Henry Winter ran a short piece on Monday morning, whilst all this was surfacing elsewhere, merely saying that AJ would do well to follow the advice that Mancini has just given him to get to the very top. Didn't know why he ran that story at the time, but later we did of course.

[Mase]

People saying 'you can't do that if you want to get to the top' look no further than Maradona. He wasn't too bad at football, was he?

[Ted Hughes]

It's impossible to completely stop that kind of behaviour but players should know they're close to heading for the exit door & career trouble if they go down that road, otherwise young players will do it, the drinking culture will come back & English football will be back to the 1980's.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

People saying 'you can't do that if you want to get to the top' look no further than Maradona. He wasn't too bad at football, was he?

Different era.
Different player.

[john@staustell]

People saying 'you can't do that if you want to get to the top' look no further than Maradona. He wasn't too bad at football, was he?

Different era.
Different player.

Also a classic example of how to fuck up by choosing the bad lifestyle and believing yourself a God. If not he could've played properly for many more years instead of going for forced early retirement!! In truth he was never too mobile later in his career, but still relatively young. Not a good example Mase!

[Mase]

People saying 'you can't do that if you want to get to the top' look no further than Maradona. He wasn't too bad at football, was he?

Different era.
Different player.

And? If we're doing that we could say because of the advances is fitness equipement now surely the odd tipple won't do any harm?

[Douglas Higginbottom]

There is nothing wrong with the "odd tipple" etc etc but there is plenty wrong with going out on the lash/getting wasted if you are a professional footballer.

[john@staustell]

There is nothing wrong with the "odd tipple" etc etc but there is plenty wrong with going out on the lash/getting wasted if you are a professional footballer.

You're right Doug.

But as a chap who's had long periods of training in my younger days, and long periods of drinking, especially in my youth, and at times combined the 2, whilst at times abstaining for months, it is best to steer clear. 'The odd tipple' of 2 or 3 pints or glasses of wine to someone who doesn't drink much may bugger him up for the next day, whereas it wont touch the sides on a heavy drinker used to 6 to 8 pints every day and a whole lot more at weekends. So another odd tipple buggers up another day's training etc, etc.

Will power, that's what's required, I firmly believe that. However I didn't usually have it for long of course, but then I wasn't paid much to win squash tournaments and football medals!

I dont believe it's too much to expect for the huge salaries these guys are on.