Boozegate

Like many other Scotland fan on a cold March evening, I was in the pub watching the football. Holland against Scotland in Amsterdam. I wasn’t expecting a great victory over the mighty Dutch, I expected them to clog us good. And they did. 3-0. Still, when your defence had more holes in it than Edam cheese, that scoreline was unsurprising.

And like other people that night, I was also drinking until the very late hours and staggered home at some hour between 3 and 4. Which was around about the same time that the Scotland team arrived back from Amsterdam. I assume they flew back on a plane and not flying high on some ‘Dutch cigars’.

Upon arriving at the lovely Cameron House Hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond, their boss, George Burley, had allowed the players a drink in the bar after the defeat. Why not, eh? They might be professional athletes but they are also Scottish. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d ordered in a ‘munchie box’ too.


Heart-attack in a box.

So they stayed up drinking. Until 11 in the morning. Where other hotel guests had come down for breakfast saw them. However, there were only two players, Scotland captain Barry Ferguson and goalkeeper Alan McGregor, left at that time as five others, Scott Brown, Alan Hutton, Steven Whittaker, Steven Fletcher and Gary Teale , had dispersed at various times. It was said that Brown only left twenty minutes before Ferguson and McGregor went to bed.

And yet, only two of them were punished for their antics; Ferguson and McGregor.

Which meant the media had to come up with a suitable headline for this drinking session. And they did.

“Boozegate”

Perhaps they could have said “Lash Lomond” but no, they had to go with the “-gate” suffix.

Burley wanted to send both Ferguson and McGregor packing from the squad, which would play Iceland in Glasgow on Wednesday. But could he single out two players when there were really seven players that took it too far? He couldn’t send two home and leave five… and he couldn’t send home all seven… he didn’t want to quit so he did the next best thing and drop Ferguson to the bench. McGregor was going to be there anyway as Craig Gordon was the first-choice goalkeeper.

What happened on the bench was disgraceful. Sure, Ferguson and McGregor were being vilified by the media, but to sit there and make hand gestures at the journalists/photographers was stupid and childish.


"Honest, i've got an itchy face, miss."

Ultimately, as a result of “Boozegate” Ferguson and McGregor were banned by the SFA from ever playing for Scotland again, stripped of his captaincy at Rangers and then sold onto Birmingham City. Burley’s credibility was crumbling faster than his reputation and results against Norway, Japan and Wales were unacceptable and he was sacked seven months later.

Craig Levein has now come in and wants to recall the pair. Ferguson, now enjoying a new lease of life at the heart of an over-performing Birmingham side, has said that he’s not sure whether he wants to come back to play for Scotland. Part of this is family reasons as they still live in Scotland while he plays in the midlands.

However, from a footballing perspective, the Tartan Army could be short-sighted in their belief that Ferguson brings nothing to the team and could boo him if he ever came back. In the same way that Gary McAllister was jeered by a home crowd in a qualifying match against the Czech Republic in 1999. Why was he jeered? He missed a penalty against England three years previously. He would never pull on a Scotland shirt again as a result of the abuse received.

McAllister then went on to play for Liverpool at the age of 35. Two years later, and free from playing for Scotland, he was man of the match as he won the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup, the League Cup, Charity Shield and the UEFA Super Cup.

Ferguson is only 31. Scotland does not have an abundance of talent. If Ferguson wants to come back, it is only to help the Scottish side qualify for a major tournament, something Scotland hasn’t managed since 1998. He doesn’t need to put up with any abuse from the Tartan Army. Scotland take on the Czech Republic in Glasgow on the 3rd of March next month, if Ferguson plays and there is more ‘Barry bashing’ at the game, we may find out if another Scottish footballer’s career comes to a sad end against the Czechs.

~Stripes