A surgeon who has to perform a delicate operation on someone's spine in a couple of days time spends an entire evening drinking with friends, and is still at it at 5.a.m. just two days before the scheduled surgery.
A defence lawyer needs to get on top of a complex and complicated brief in order to construct the defence of his client. He has recently lost a high profile case because he wasn't as fully prepared as he could have been. But two days before the court appearance he spends an entire evening drinking with friends, and is still at it at 5.a.m. just two days before the scheduled court appearance.
A young professional graphic artist has an interview and possible major contract opportunity, but she will have to deliver a coherent, persuasive and forward looking presentation and business plan to demonstrate her capacities to do her dream job. But two days before the biggest interview in her life she spends an entire evening drinking with friends, and is still at it at 5.a.m., and now only two days before her make or break interview.
Each of them stupid eh? Irresponsible? Arrogantly and self-indulgently self absorbed, no? And if found out you'd expect them to have to take the consequences, and these consequences decisive, eh?
So when the Scotland football team make consistency into a vice because they are consistently underperforming, and two senior and key player spend
an entire evening drinking with friends, and are still at it at 5.a.m.
just two days before a make or break World Cup Qualifying match - what happens. They are sent home - then they apologises - then they come back - and then are placed on the substitute bench. Why?
Apart from the total lack of professionalism, the lack of personal discipline, absence of respect for team mates and manager, there is worst of all their cavalier "stuff you" attitude to the fans who pay serious money to watch them. If we are going to lose, better to do so with a team of players for whom playing football for their country is worth more than the price of a night's boozing.
I'm writing this before the match in question - I so hope neither player is brought on. If they are, then hard to see what discipline and respect is left in a Scottish dressing room.
P.S. It's 22.09 p.m.
Scotland 2 - Iceland 1.
And they did it without the two brilliant irreplaceables - which means they weren't irreplaceable, and not brilliant either.
Looks like Walter has sent them home to think again! All Scotland missed Barry for was his famous six yard square passes!
Posted by: Gavin Hunter | April 03, 2009 at 03:51 PM