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I would have thought the best solution would be to find player swho don't want to go out on the lash rather than trying to police those that do

Spot on. I heard though the drinkers are now going to frequent Bluebell in the old town for some sam smith's action.

Well I didnt complain but believe any that did had grounds to. I have said it before that these lads are in the public eye in a city that loves its sport and so of course its going to rub fans up the wrong way when they see their players pished days or hours before a game.

Drinks in moderation immediately after a match I dont mind but last season there was some very silly instances, two of which I witnessed for myself.

Professional sports persons have relatively short careers and should want to keep their body in its optimum condition shouldnt they, not fill it full of drinks and fags.

Good on the club I say !!!

It's a step in the right direction, but I'd prefer a total ban on alcohol consumption 48 hours before any game, but that may be too draconian for some.

I doubt anyone complained directly to the club, probably just a reaction to the number of occasions that situations developed over the season, wouldn't surprise me if a fair number weren't already barred from Weir Bar anyway?

Anyway, we move forwards, clean slate for everyone, it's theirs to make of it what they will.

Who will Jimmy Bullard be drinking with now?

I am happy that the club has taken massive steps in the right direction regarding the general behaviour and professionalism of players, but I do wonder if this ban is a step too far.

In an ideal world players would only drink in moderation when in public, and never leading up to a game, but because of the bad attitudes of certain players and general poor management something has had to change.

I am all for the club introducing rules regarding players behaviour, but is banning them from one particular establishment 24/7 too much?

It's also a restriction of trade on Weir Bar, not sure what recourse they have though to do anything about it?

Sounds like the club are making a stand and possibly going OTT in order to get the message across.

It’s the ‘look at me’ venue they choose to inhabit that riles me, probably more so then the drink. Maybe if they’d put as much effort into putting things right on the pitch as they did into looking good on a night out, we might have faired a little better. Enjoy themselves by all means, just not at the expense of what they’re paid good money to do.

I think it would be better if the club were to identify a time limit after each game, say 24 to 48 hrs, that it would be acceptable for players to go out and have a drink. Obviously there should be expectations of how they should behave during that time.

Any player found to be drinking outside of the allocated window or breaking the behavioural code should be disciplined accordingly. But to ban them full stop from a certain bar is a little ott imo and could it not be seen as infringing on their human rights?

Wonder if they'll be banning a certain bar in Leeds as well

I do actually think banning the whole lot of them from one particular venue is the wrong thing to do.
I've never been in the place,but it hardly comes across as a dive.As is mentioned in other posts a more sensible approach would be a no drink rule so many hours /days before a fixture.
If its true that some couldn't go to New Year there after they'd previously booked,well I can understand the players being less than chuffed.After all weren't they on a 2 to 3 week break.

The club are right to do this after last season. With anything like this it's usually a minority who spoil it for the majority. It sounds to me like this particular venue was gaining some notoriety with respect to players' antics there. I'm sure it wasn't the entire squad misbehaving on a regular basis. Hopefully some of the culprits have moved on and those that don't want to act responsibly should be next in the queue to do so.

Professional players should be able to make the right decisions about when they drink, how much they drink, and how they conduct themselves. A blanket ban on booze or even a 48 hour curfew before a match shouldn't be needed because the players should be able to make that choice themselves. Obviously we have had/still have players who are incapable of making those decisions hence the ban. As the make up of the squad evolves over the next 2 years I hope we continue to prioritise hiring players with professional attitudes. Bans like this would then become meaningless.