Plenty of footballers go on nights out, they just go to the places the plebs cant afford or aren't on the guest list so see nothing.

At same time, nothing to say the sportsperson is drinking alcohol on night out. Many people don't.

there's having a beer and then there's having a beer. Professional sportsmen and women at the top of their game know where the line is and they have the personal, in-built motivation and desire to succeed that means they never cross the line.

However, some people need keeping on the straight and narrow to allow them to fulfill their own potential. Having a team full of these folks is a recipe for mediocrity and failure (the drinking culture model). Having one or two questionable characters (usually the most talented) is usually OK as long as they are managed properly by strong leaders. (see Lee Briers).

It was the manner of which I saw them that wasn’t good, right after the home defeat to Wigan, eating pub lunches with chips, beers all round. It did make me think ‘is this how Sonny Bill Williams spends his Saturday afternoon’.

But who am I to judge, I’m in the same pub in Stockton Heath 100 times more often than they are!

Notable absentees - Gidley, Russell, Lineham, Ratchford, Clark. I’d make Clark captain, Ratchford vice captain.

I think that you are right there needs to be a self regulated reasonable limit and or an element of control whether that's from the club, senior pro's or restrictive times being observed such as quaffing bottles of aftershave limited to after match dinners

Ha ha. I thought we had a dietician? They probably eat well during the week.

...) should not be drinking alcohol on a regular basis.

Whilst out in the haven of Stockton Heath on the night of the Champions League final I was perched in the Mull and spotted one of our young starlets with his buddies having a good time bantering and winding each other up drinking away as young lads do, our starlet wasn't on the beer but taking a soft drink and I thought what a refreshing change. I was in there for a good couple of hours too, sadly I wasn't as well behaved



A conditioner once told me that after a heavy night a professional sports persons body is affected negatively for two to three weeks before normality kicks back in. Don't know how much truth is in that but I am not qualified to argue.