Pretty stunning revelations on the C4 programme ‘The Truth about drugs in football’
Basically they got hold of a banned list of footballers who failed drug tests. One in particular was Garry O’Connor who was at Blues at the time of the failed drugs test. Who was the manager in charge then ?
Well of course it was Alex McLeish who at a press conference covered this up by claiming O’Connor was injured and out for months. The papers now prove that in fact Mcleish did not tell the Blues fans the truth nor told Barnsley who Blues got to take O’Connor off their hands.
This follows on from a programme that Dispatches did that linked Bryan Robson to a shady deal to takeover over a club and again McLeish’s names was linked. Whilst I do not think that is a sacking matter at Villa I would like Mcleish to explain why he mislead the fans as some would claim he has done this at Villa.
Very Very Messy
This is what McLiesh said in July 2010
Blues boss Alex McLeish said: “Garry has had a chronic groin and hip injury and it probably goes back to his Hibs days and the days he spent in Russia when he played on a synthetic surface.
“Having two hip injuries simultaneously wasn’t easy for him.
“If you imagine him fully fit without those problems then that’s what we’ve got to see – what Garry can produce without these hiccups.
“It was a successful operation and barring major breakdown there’s no reason why he can’t go on to have a successful career.”
Aston Villa News 24/7
Managers support their players. If they are wise they keep it in house. These young Gods make mistake after mistake as they grow up with all that fame and money.
At twenty would you?
Good for Macleish
ian taylor is right ian you have a bias towards things and come hell or high water you aint gonna change ,and it does you no favouras in the eyes of the vast majority of villa fans who even bother with this site ,shame really cause it could be a good site with lively debate.
im changing from favouras to favours,see easy ian int it
Ianrobo is phudu who knows shit abt the Villa. He’s a freaking bluenose who is trying to create trouble since Villa are doing ok and the shit is struggling. UTV
This type of post is pathetic and something true supporters can’t be bothered reading. Shut up and show some solidarity by getting behind club manager and randy. Fantastic support at Goodison on Saturday. Rather be in our position than Everton’s even if their first 11 is better settled than our own
Clubs and managers have been covering-up players’ off-field habits for years, some likely to have been a bit more serious than snorting Bolivian marching powder.
I’d be more interested/concerned about the alcohol or anabolic steroids usage of athletes than the fact that a few of these young millionaires have been caught behaving like the super-models and pop-stars with whom they hang out.
Those idiots who are having a go at Ianrobo just shut up.
The articles on this site are always very balanced & fair. I would much sooner read the articles on here than that garbage official site where if you believe what you read on there then we have the best manager & squad in the division. There is an extremly negative feeling around the place & its like a ticking bomb situation-everyone is waiting for that first loss & then the team will collapse like a deck of cards.
McLeish out.
Its people like you who create the ticking timebomb atmosphere.
Its you who should get out, not McCleish.
Gareth Villa you absolutely right, Ian has brough an interesting article/news to light, allowing opinion and opportunity to comment on its validity.
The question is “WHAT HAVE THE CLUB GOT TO SAY” did they know? is it true? What are their views?
LERNER will say nothing, he will remain gutless and keep draining the assets from our club, because he is a buisness man who cares little for us fans or the tradition of our club.
LERNER cares for money, he has mislead us all.
He refuses to tell fans why our club has become a shambles with yes men, he refuses to say why he has allowed us to become a third tear club, he refuses to say why we will now fight relegation.
I’LL TELL YOU WHY ITS BECAUSE LERNER WANTS TO MAKE MONEY.
Lets see what sort of chairman/MAN he is, will he now speak and support his manager?
LERNER OUT
So are you saying you think every little problem a player has should be broadcast across the papers? Even if it’s a personal problem that has little impact on the game.
Ok, maybe I’d agree that saying Gary O’Connor was injured wasn’t the best idea, but I understand the logic and the reasoning behind it.
I wouldn’t condone drugs if they have an impact on someone else besides the taker… but if it’s only O’Connor who suffers (and bear in mind he wasn’t a major player in the team), then what need is there to make it public? What difference does it make?
Would you have cared if Bosko Balaban had been taking recreational drugs when he was playing for us?
er ….
yes and any other player,
forget private lives, they earn a fuckin lot of money from us and then engaged in illegal activity, that leaves them open. If they have a problem they have the cash and the club to support them but as fans we should know why a player can not play.
Ok, to a certain extent I find that difficult to disagree with.
I didn’t actually see the programme, but did it make any reference to what O’Connor did during this time out? Could it have been rehabilitation?
Ian, I still think it’s more complicated than that. You talk like it’s black and white. The bigger interests of the football club might be served by being more discreet, along with that of the career of the player, if you look at it with a bit of compassion. If players do things wrong they don’t necessarily need to be strung up by the manager or anyone else at the mercy of the fans and the press.
You sound a bit extreme.
Once a lying bluenose always a lying bluenose!
Randy sack MCLeishit now!
Good grief, people on here actually condoning turning a blind eye, to drug taking footballers, because the man involved is now our manager.
I’m guessing, if he was still the manager of BCFC, they would be calling him every kind of insult in the book.
The article is fact based, what’s wrong with that? It’s not mud slinging at McLeish, that’s not needed, the man is obviously a liar and two faced.
Great debatable article Ian.
thats the point tone, what O’Connor did was illegal, he got done for it in a court of law and thus Mcleish helped to cover up an illegal act.
I don;t care if Coke is widely used by idiots out there snorting it up their noses like sad bastards, what I know is that it is 100% illegal.
The funniest thing is the hysterics trying to get on their high horses suggesting this is an objective post by ianrobo, because it’s not – it could have been but it’s not.
Would I condone turning a blind eye to drug taking footballers? Depending on circumstances obviously. Who the fuck cares anyway. I believe this level of shit happens all the time. Anyway, are the actual facts even known? As in what he took etc? Because the bigger picture is always more interesting than hysterical conjecture.
So he got done by the police. There is his punishment. Tends to be what happens.
The fact is, none of us are condoning illegal activity, we are condoning protecting the club.
Ian, did you call for Mcgrath or Merson to go when they had his drug issues. And saying he they missed a few games makes no difference. He still took drugs!
The club needs to say nothing, it happened at another club with another player, who’s to say it was actually AMC covering up himself. He was just following instructions from above and being loyal to the club he managed. That’s to be commended no matter who the club is.
General K your comments are very welcome-I shall fully digest them the next time I go to the toilet!
While I obviously disagree with your views on this article, I do agree with what you said regarding how this website should be run. And on that basis, I will apologise for part of the comment I made on this debate yesterday.
I think Ian’s article is objective, but that’s because it’s meant to be and that’s how you begin a debate. And, as you’ve rightly said, everyone is entitled to an opinion and should voice it.
Saying very very messy is not objective.
I’d argue that while that last comment isn’t objective, the majority of it is.
The basis of the programme and the things it has revealed are laid out and it’s ended with Ian’s opinion which then leaves the forum open for people to agree with or counter his arguments. Is that not how a debate begins?
yep, the whole aim of ‘News and Views’ is just that and you want bland objective comments, go elsewhere
That’s fine but it doesn’t seem to be the objectiveness that some people are bothered about, just the relentless negative agenda that borders on hysteria.
Sorry I find Mcleish a totally negative manager in all ways so don;t expect me to change my tune, the ONLY way is a serious of great results and one win in four against average teams does not do that for me, YET
But surely you can see that berating him constantly and calling for him to go does not help anyone. It just breeds negativity around fans and the ground which doesn’t make us a very hot prospect to potential players, or if your rumours are to be believed about Lerner preparing to sell, potential buyers. Why would anyone come anywhere near us when as soon as it goes slightly wrong everyone gets on there back. Is it any wonder Lerner is in hiding!!
Also, removing the manager now would just send our season into turmoil as we saw at the start of last season, when you have a manager, who has somebody else’s player playing somebody else’s tactic and trying to change them. We will fail more Epically then ever.
Are you the biggest gobshite to support Villa Ian? In fact, the more I think about it, you don’t support Villa… 90% of the tripe you write is utter sabotage. When you hear a story you straight away must pick the negatives as apposed to taking a look at the bigger picture. If you think for one second that every manager in the prem hasn’t done the exact same thing you are very wrong. Not that it is moral or the right thing to do necessarily but football is fucked. If McLeish had openly outed him for the use of cocaine I have not one doubt in my mind you would have already wrote another bollox article on how he should have defended his player, questioned his loyalty and more of the same dribble! Obviously something aint right in your life but seriously fuck off and let Villa fans get on with supporting the club. Everyone has a point of view..none more than myself..sometimes negative and more often positive but you are a disgrace. Listen to the crowd for once and fuck off you miserable twat! The only decent place I find Villa articles is on AVFC forums and they post once every 4 months… if anybody fancies setting up a blog please let me know and I would gladly support it and never return to this crap!
shows what a lying little c**t we have in charge.
TIM IRISH VILLAN agree totally with you robo only looks to negatives ,sad really ,and youre so right about if mcleish had outted him by heck hed be slaughtering him by now.luckily tim there are way more like me and you than like him ,now theres something positive on this site.
To be fair, i’m not his biggest fan, see some of my previous comments for proof, but he does spark more actual debate on here than any other Villa blog, which i believe is his aim.
Just needs to step back sometimes and realise not everything is a conspiracy and that sometimes and club needs to step back and look and the lay of the land. Which I believe is what we are currently doing.
keep going Ian. Ignore inbreds like tim.
You’re a cyclist, you should know all profi sport is riddled with drugs. Football probably more than any other