Thetownend.com

Don't know if this appears anywhere else, but Andy Nicholas has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving!  So we still have a drink culture at the club!

Silly boy.

Dont think it really has much to do with the club sadly young men drink and drive.If he was the team bus driver it would matter but hes not so I dont really care.

oh dear! i expect Luggy won't be to pleased with that. Zaaboub in at left back for Rochdale? i hope not. he is better in midfield!

Not setting a good example though is it Yeovil, but I guess some of our supporters will remember one or two of their own at the Franchise FC recently! :beers:  :beers:

He's suspended anyway!

Zaaboub isn't suspended the club thought he'd picked up his 5th booking but it was actualyl his 4th

No, Zaaboub's available.

Silly boy Nico  :nono:

Ive never bought the idea that football players especially lower league ones should set an example.

what an idiot....

I guess seen as it hasnt been reported there was no accident, so thats good news.

Someone better buy him a bike....

Sorry, got the wrong info, I stand corrected!

He got done a couple of years ago for speeding as well, doing 70mph down the Great Western Way by the Oasis.

That's his licence gone for at least two years.

Where did you hear this?

what an aboslute muppet. You have been a silly boy Nicho. :nono:

Wasn't O'Hanlon involved as well

May I remind people the Pook was done for drink driving - WITH NO INSURANCE! Much, much worse.

Expand ????  :wink:

that'd have nothing to do with the fact people are ambivalent about Pook, but like the cheeky scouser would it.

Silly boy Nicho - always liked him but this is disapointing

EH?

Footballer in being a dumbass shocker.

Don't get me wrong, drink driving is a stupid stupid thing to do, people die and there are no excuses. But I may be inadvertently guilty of it myself when younger the day after the night before.

I hope he learns from his mistake.

Assuming it is true and he is guilty of course.

Fucking idiot. Hope he gets his licence revoked and a nice big fat fine. That said I hope it doesn't affect his career at Town too much.

It's an outrage.  As fans we look to these people as role models, what chance do we have if they get up to this malarky!

 :wink:


Good luck Nicho...

should've attached sam_stfc's message:

"May I remind people the Pook was done for drink driving - WITH NO INSURANCE! Much, much worse"

just saying it's not really much much worse!

Michael Pook is a retard anyway.

Actually the charge over the insurance was dropped when he turned up to court with the proper documentation ...

It's even on the official site now.  :o

Chris, your Chuckle Brothers signitures freaks me out!

 :|

What a bellend.

It is there to hypnotise the current board into submission...

on a wednesday ffs!!

It wasn't on a Wednesday, it was Tuesday night, I think.  Not that it matters he was very unlucky to get caught.

Shit happens. We all make mistakes, just glad nobody was hurt.

After a "team bonding session" he hit a roundabout.   :D

I think it was a premeditated board ploy to divert attention away from tonight's (postponed) Fans' Forum.

"Here you are Nicho - here's twenty quid. Go and drink yourself silly tonight, drive home and get caught.

We'll get you let off, Wiltshire Police, the council, the CVA administrator, Bill Power, Tony Blair and the Jolly Green Giant are all in our pocket.

We will find some technicality, we're brilliant at that."

if it happened on friday it might have explained his performance on saturday.

The club needs to come down harder on this. Especially as its not the first time a player has been in this situation.

A hefty fine from the police and the club I think.

either way....do pro footballers just go out on the lash every night of the week?

Having said that, you dont need to be lashed to get caugh drink driving.

See the Adver story here for details...

http://www.thisisswindon.co.uk/display.var.1181349.0.town_player_on_drinkdrive_charge.php

I don't see why the club should punish him really, it was midweek and judging by the article it wasn't just an impromptu piss-up.

If he wants to be stupid enough to get hammered on a weekday evening then hop in his car than that's his problem not STFC's.

Worse things happen at sea as they say, silly mistake hopefully he'll learn his lesson, get hit in the pocket and get on with it.

It is STFCs problem, as he's an employee of STFC.
If I had to appear in court on a drink driving charge I'd have to notify my employer, and there'd be a good chance I'd get the shove as a result of it.

Now I'm not defending the bloke as drink driving is stupid and undefendable, but from what I was told he wasn't pissed up, he had had a couple, his car slid on some ice and slid into the curb/sign (hardly a "crash") the police just happened to be driving past, asked if he needed a hand getting the car into a safe place then they asked if he'd been drinking.  The rest is history.  Let the court's decide his fate, STFC don't need to add to the lad's problems, he's probably shitting it as it is!!

Also on a side note, wierd how sat in the passenger seat was a Mr M Pook, of all the players.

"If I had to appear in court on a drink driving charge I'd have to notify my employer, and there'd be a good chance I'd get the shove as a result of it."

Surely you'd only be given the boot if driving was essential to your job?!?

The company I work for have a zero tolerance policy. In fact it's so strict, that I could drive to work in the morning, get stopped by the pigs and breathalysed and be within legal limits, then get into work have a random alcohol and drugs test and be over the limit. And get sacked on the spot obviously. :|

So is driving essential to your job or not?  As if the ban didn't affect your day to day work surely, in this day and age, you'd have a good case for unfair dismissal?

Haven't got a clue about that sort of thing, just thinking aloud really.

Quite shocked and surprised that the drinking culture at the club is back again .. Dennis Wise put a stop to it .. did they just start up again once Sturrock came in? Having said that I expect Luggy will sort him out ..

If I was manager .. NO DRINKING ALLOWED!

It doesn't always have to be a driving related job. These sort of clauses apply to people like surgeons for obvious reasons!

Not essential to my job personally, I normally get the train in. But its a blanket policy which applies to those in safety critical positions, understandably, and those not, not so understandably.

Either way I was responding to Sonic-youth saying it has nothing to do with STFC, I think it does.

I think it was obviously pretty stupid!  Sturrock I'm sure will have words with him - he's mentioned discipline this week on the pitch and I'm sure off it will be an issue too.  I expect there will be a chat and a fine - as for Nicho given his previous ban he'll be needing a bike and bus pass for a couple of years if guilty.  It's just not the smartest thing to do - but I'm pretty sure he's well aware of that too.

Which part of playing for STFC is "safety critical"?

I'm not 100% convinced that Mr Sturrock can preach about over indulging in alcohol.

Timing a two footed tackle?  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Fair point  8)

If guilty sack him, drive drinking is a disguisting crime

Don't agree, with sacking him, at all.  don't like the offence, but that's over reacting imo.

Sack him :D

On a serious note it happened just before 5am i hope he didnt have training that day

secondly if he had got injured then it would of effected us wouldnt it

i,ll drink to that . :beers:

I found out the other day train signalmen have to have a no-alcohol period for 48 hours before their shifts. When do they ever drink?!?!?!

And also, if a train driver gets done for drink driving (on the roads), they still keep there job. Factamundo.

What about if they get done for drink driving (their car) along a railway track?

Gets himself into the team, then lets himself down. Part of the reason I don't rate him- he laways used to be out on the lash in town. Fair enough we go back to the point of social lifes again etc, but if it affects his performances on the pitch...

Agree he has always drank too much after speaking to Matty Heywood the other week he said Nicho is still always out on the lash, thats why I don't like him.  

Although I like a drink myself being a professional football player is a privelige we would all die for and by drinking to all hours you are abusing that privelige.  

We all pay money each week to see these players perform not for them to go out all week and drink there wages away.  Would be very suprised if Sturrock lets him go unpunnished.

has it ever stopped?

its not like he couldn't afford a taxi is it with the wages we must be paying him. :o  and if sturrock needed an excuse to drop him saturday.....(not that he's the type to need an excuse from what i've seen so far)

don't think wise ousted the drinking culture at all. Some of them are just at that age when they want to go out and have a few beers which I don't see anything wrong with...however if you're gonna do that ffs, leave the motor at home.

drinking culture? bollocks.

i bet you every single club in this league and i'd hazard a guess league and the championship sees their players (young men) going out with each other for a few jars.

by the sounds of it he wasnt pissed and he didnt hurt anyone, was just unfortunate. drink driving is really bad and all that but give the lad a break. it's not as if he, and the rest of those involved with the 'drinking culture', are turning out pisspoor performances every week like last year.

i'd expect some sort of disciplinary action from the club, but merely just as a token gesture to set an example to fans and to prove swindon are against this crime.

but ultimately if you've passed your test and are allowed to drive, it is an individuals decision to do so, and like sonicyouth said this is more a case of the individual messing up- rather than evidence of some sort of problem at STFC.

Eggs act lee, I'm with Strooood on this one.

Yes but its not a one off with Nicho anyone who goes out drinking knows that he is out on the lash more often than not, yes its cut down but still hes a professional footballer who should be looking after himself better than that.

FFS, they're footballers, not bloody nuns. If players are out on the batter the night before games or four-five times a week so it affects their general fitness, then that's a different matter, but seems like these days, the first sign that players are actually human and everyone's up on the moral high ground so fast it's like they've just opened a new bar up there.

That said, maybe we should try this out and arrange a behind-closed doors friendly between our first team and a "Nuns' select XI" - if the nuns win due to superior fitness in the last 15 minutes, I'll happily retract all the above.

Paul I'm guessing any self respecting nun's first XI would have Mother Superior as fitness coach - so it's to be expected.

Like that Paul!!

I think players should be allowed to drink but in moderation. There are certain players that dont do this and ultimately it effects there game. Look at Heywood, he was class in his first season winning player of the season awards and then went down hill and im sure the going out was part of this.

Look at the youngsters we had who almost made it and now play non league football for the likes of supermarine. A lot of these were the drinkers too. Players like Nicho and Pook who I always see out will go the same way if they are not careful.

Look at the best players in the world, im sure they have a drink but they know when to drink, how much to drink and when to stop. Ive seen players out 2 days before a game in Angelos (I dont go there often but no where else was open) at 4am wrecked out there face. Ive seen them in many other plaves too always properly out there face. That to me is wrong for a professional footballer and will affect their performance which is letting down the club, team mates and most importantly the fans.

Perhaps we should bring back Lou Macari and employ him as a "spotter"!! :-))(  :-))(

Exactly not saying don't drink at all but I have to admit to seeing Nicho in bars/clubs in the early hours of the morning numerous times its all well going for a pint but getting battered during the week is not acceptable even if no game the next day they still have training so should be fully focussed to take in any set piece routines, tactics etc ready for the next game.

I think we should sack players who don't regularly go out and get battered. Boring cunts.

:nod:  :beers:

If there's going to be a drinking culture at the club, then they should at least make sure the players can handle it properly - I reckon we should start a campaign to get them to bring Fred in as a drinking coach or maybe a Yeovil/fb dream team.

Depends, if you get sent to jail you can't do your job regardless of what it is, so sacking is fair game.

Employers can also dismiss on the basis of offences being detrimental to the company image I think, basically bringing the company in to disrepute.

Understand that BobT, I just that I think that it would be worth challenging in the courts, if you did get sacked.  If you don't need to drive to carry out your duties what right does your employer have in sacking you.  Just think a test case wouldn't be too far away if it happened to the wrong bloke.   Image or no image?

usually contained within the terms of the employment contract (and that can be as whooly as a reference to company policy as per the handbook which then outlines how and why you can be sacked - gross misconduct for disrepute most likely and incapability for being locked up).

Not that it would probably apply here anyway.  Other than being caught with white powder around your nose footballers pretty much get reincarnated within a few months.

I'm more worried about his 'tranny' tendencies!

well i still maintain that it has a effect on his performance.if he is out til 5 in the morning then going to training then that explains why he is shit at set plays

I think it's cos he's too busy rearranging his G string!

I don't believe his drinking has affected his performances at all, he's been playing well this season and problems in the past were due to his relationship with King.

If he was out drinking 5am the morning before training then it doesn't sit particularly well with me, but if he's training well enough to be in the team then it can't be too bad.

I don't drink at all and I'm hardly the figure of fitness  :D

Yes he may still be playing well, but he could play better. If i am out drinking the night before a game then my performance is generally not as good as when i have had a good nights kip and not drank.

Like i said a drink or 2 is fine, but constantly out on the piss till the early hours getting wrecked is not what a professional footballer should be doing.

Considering it has been stated that he only had a couple, I think people are being a bit harsh.

Okay he was stupid, I don't drink anything before I drive, but it's not like he was off his tits and endangering every other road user. Plenty of sober people had worse accidents in those conditions this week.

Not saying he was right, but calm down a bit!

gotta agree with you m8... fucking hate him

No-one has any idea how much he had to drink, it's just speculation surely?

He's been a bit of a twat but then we pretty much knew already Nicholas is clearly not the sharpest tool in the box.

A hefty fine and 2 years on the bus is punishment enough, it's not an issue for the club.

If he goes down though whose going to play LB  :shock:

Think Nicho has pretty much thrown away his football career here....can't see Luggy offering another contract, I suppose someone like Accrington might be interested.

am i imagining this or when we signed nicho did andy king say that he was quicker than michael owen?

michael owen with his crutches maybe.

  He scored better on bleep tests....not quite the same thing.

good day at work?  8)

I don't hate him, I just think he's an arse, and at the very best an average footballer.

work was actually ace tbh!! was a laugh playing pool!! haha gunna have to work a bit on your shots intsed of me potting for you haha.. na im just joking m8... was good to meet a TEF member!!

as for pook hes still a waste of pscae in my opinion!!

Totally agree, though whether he'd had 2 pints or 10 it doesn't really make a difference - he shouldn't have driven. Most of us have driven over the limit I'm sure.

We've got Vincent and Zaaboub for left-back so it's okay.

agreed, he could have gone out had 2 pints, thought to himself I've been out a few hours. Im sure some units are out my system I'll be alright.

...or the other extreme he could have hadf 10 pints and was barely able to stand....

...but Pook was in the car with him, so either Pook thought he was sober enough to drive or Pooks an even bigger twat than we all thought.

Either way its a fucking stupid thing to do, id be interested to know how much over the limit he was. If it was very minimal it could have been a mistake in judgement....!

Its 5 in the morning though and its andy nicholas.I may be jumping the gun a bit but i dont think he was playing scrabble

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

He might have been playing scrabble drinking games.

Said in the adver that he'd gone to rescue his girlfriend or something. It was one of their less interesting front pages, although by no means the bottom of the adver front page barrel. As an adver delivery boy around the age of 13/14 I remember the classic "Choir Boy Leaves Choir". The residents of Swindon were up in arms about that one.

For a minute there Ben I thought that said "Choir boy leaves chair" not sure why.

I hate to reel out the cliches but the bottom line is there is no excuse for a professional footballer getting arrested for drink driving - end of story. I know we are not paying top whack or playing at the top of the tree but these lads are still earning a packet to do what most of us have to pay to play every Sat/Sun. Three or four hours of work a day and then your are free to come and go as you please. It's a priveledge not to be abused and it all boils down to self discipline. Nicho has let himself, the club and the fans down.

I'm disappointed as I think the bloke has a lot to offer and has a good rapport with us fans. I hope he's learnt his lesson and can convince Luggy as much.

That was when Pook got arrested.

On this occasion he may only have had a couple yes, but im referring to constantly seeing certain players out getting wrecked. that said he was still a silly boy, especially after pook he should know better!

http://www.thisisswindon.co.uk/display.var.1194822.0.town_star_given_20_month_driving_ban.php

20 month ban.

serves the cunt right  :beers:   :beers:

Fair do's no complaints there.  

Taxi for Nicholas!!

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: