BRYAN ROBSON leapt to Wayne Rooney’s defence and defiantly told the critics: Don’t make him the scapegoat.
Legend Robson claims the England and Manchester United captain is being hung out to dry over his boozy night last week.
PFA boss Gordon Taylor: Players must remain on guard
PLAYERS’ union chief Gordon Taylor insists the rise of social media means footballers must be on guard when relaxing.
He said: “Hopefully lessons are learnt in regards to being mindful of relaxing in public with social media these days.”
The former midfielder also doubled up as skipper for club and country — and was nicknamed Captain Marvel during his heyday in the 1980s and early 90s.
Robbo, who earned 90 caps for England, said: “Wayne is being made a scapegoat — as so often happens when things go wrong.
“I can guarantee that if England were really flying high and winning things, if United were up there at the top of the table, nothing much would be made of what happened that night at the hotel.
“But whenever people want to start pointing the finger, they point it at Wayne.
“He bears the brunt of any problems, whether it is at United or with England and it is not right.
“Now they are talking about taking away his England captaincy for one night when he maybe went a bit far.
“But what about all the players who were out clubbing?
“People are being too judgmental about Wayne.
“They are forgetting what an incredible job he has always done for the country and for his club and it is totally unfair.”
Robson was part of what Sir Alex Ferguson labelled a ‘drinking culture’ when he took over from Ron Atkinson as Old Trafford boss in 1986.
Norman Whiteside and Paul McGrath were also deemed culprits, with Fergie declaring United were “almost as much of a social club as a football club”.
In his new autobiography, Atkinson accused Fergie of over-exaggeration.
And Robson, who made 461 appearances for the Red Devils, insisted even the great Liverpool sides that ruled English football in the 1980s were at least as “guilty” as him and his team-mates.
The 59-year-old said: “People always talk about what was supposed to be going on with us but nobody ever talks about the Liverpool lads.
RELATED STORIES
“Graeme Souness loved his champagne, Terry McDermott could sink pints with the best of them, Phil Neal always had a drink.
“And there was nothing wrong with it. It was the way things were done. At every club.
“And by the way, does anybody actually remember what a great side Liverpool were when Sir Alex took over?”
Former Middlesbrough and West Brom boss Robson, who is a club ambassador for United, added: “When players have a drink they need to be responsible and Wayne will know that.
“But when we went out, there was no social media, no phone cameras, nobody trying to drop us in it and make some money.
“Did Wayne get it wrong? Probably. But should he be made such a scapegoat? No.
“Wayne is a man’s man, that is for sure, but he is also a man who has given so much for England.
“He is no worse — and a whole lot better — as an athlete than we were when I was playing and the fact he is England’s record scorer is proof of that.”
Peter Barnes: Ron Greenwood wanted us to go for a drink!
PETER BARNES and his England team mates never had to sneak out for a pint.
His first Three Lions boss Ron Greenwood actively encouraged them to go for a drink at the start of international week.
Former Manchester City and West Brom winger Barnes, who won the first of his 22 caps under Greenwood in 1982 looks back in amazement about how relaxed things were then.
He says : “People are holding up their hands in horror over Wayne Rooney’s one boozy night and the fact that other players were out clubbing.
“So I can’t imagine what they would make of how it was under Ron.
“We would report to the West Lodge Park hotel in Barnet on a Sunday night before our home games.
“Once we were all gathered Ron would be like : ‘OK lads, off down the pub you go.
“ ‘Just make sure you’re all back by midnight.’
“And that was it. Ron would be sitting in the hotel lounge with a drink himself and we’d all jump in taxis and head for a little place called Southgate for the night.
“Once we found ourselves in the pub having a few pints, none of the locals batted an eyelid and nobody thought we were showing a bad attitude.
“To be fair we always did get back before twelve….but there would be a few that had quite a few!
“Yet there was no tut – tutting. It was just the way things were back then.”
Gordon McQueen: Modern players are far better behaved
GORDON McQUEEN declares there is no longer a real drinking culture in English football.
And the Scotland, Leeds United and Manchester United star smiles as he declares : “Most of the guys playing now are lightweights.
“And the idea that Wayne Rooney and the England players are somehow bad lads is nonsense – they are so much better – behaved than when I was a player it is like night and day.”
McQueen, capped 30 times, coached Middlesbrough under Bryan Robson and Gareth Southgate for a total of almost ten years.
He admits : “Given the pressures of the game now – the number of games as well as the intensity – no player could drink the way we used to and get away with it.
“So these days there are no beer bellies and bow legs, that’s for sure but the public have no need to point the finger at Wayne Rooney even if he did step over the mark.
“I can pretty much tell you that he has never had the kind of routine we had back in the Seventies.
“We would head to the pub across from Elland Road straight after games when I was at Leeds and we would shoot off to places in Sale, Manchester, from Old Trafford.
“Sunday was always a good day for a drink and if we played in a Wednesday night we’d be out after the game and then have a bevvy on a Thursday.
“You look back now I wonder how you did it but we didn’t do so badly at Leeds – we went 29 games unbeaten when we won the league in 1974.
“The following year we lost 2 – 0 in the European Cup final to Bayern Munich – I was suspended.
“No question, Wayne and the rest of them could have handled themselves better by all accounts but believe me they lead a far cleaner life than we ever did.”
Leave a comment