End abuse of my brother Barry

[johnnyk 158]

DEREK FERGUSON today made an impassioned appeal for his brother Barry to be left alone to rebuild his Rangers career after the Boozegate scandal.

 

Former Gers star Derek revealed the entire Ferguson family - including Barry's three young children and his parents - have suffered as a result of the high-profile controversy.

 

And he is now hoping the midfielder can put the episode firmly behind him and play a part in helping the Ibrox club win the SPL.

 

Ferguson and Allan McGregor were today both back at Murray Park having been fined and suspended for a fortnight by Gers boss Walter Smith for their actions before and after the Scotland v Iceland earlier this month.

 

The duo were subsequently banned from international football by the SFA and had feared their careers at Rangers were finished - before Smith had a change of heart this week.

 

Derek admitted his brother had been "childish and petulant" and deserved the severe punishment meted out to him by the club.

 

However, he revealed he had been taken aback by the level of abuse which had been directed his way, and which had taken its toll on those closest to him.

 

He said: "The first few days after it were quite traumatic not just for Barry, but especially for my mum and my dad. It really upset them.

 

"The kids, too. That is what people, the papers, don't take into account - the amount of abuse the kids have had. They go to school and have pals in their football team. They have had a lot of abuse as well.

 

"There have been a lot of discussions between Barry and I in the last two weeks and with the family as well. It has hurt us all, especially the amount of venom which has been vented his way.

 

"We all make mistakes in whatever walk of life and Barry has had the severest punishment Rangers could have handed out.

 

"The most hurtful thing for me is that he has lost his captaincy and his name has been tarnished."

 

He added: "Of course he's embarrassed by his actions. What he did was childish. But we all make mistakes. The upsetting thing for me was that there were a number of ex-players who were looking to put him down. I know some players who were having a go at him. They have let themselves down as well.

 

"He is only human. The way people have gone on it's as if he's murdered somebody. He has made a mistake, he's held his hands up and he's taken the punishment. It was childish and petulant, but we need to move on."

 

Ferguson revealed he was pleased that Smith has opened the door for them to return to the Glasgow club.

 

Speaking on RTV he said: "At one point, it didn't look as if it they were going to get back in. I think Walter has had a wee bit of a rethink. But I think he was right about what he did.

 

"Even when you are on Scotland duty or at a Rangers function the players are representing Rangers as well.

 

"But Walter has said we need to draw a line under it. I think from Walter's point of view and from the players' point of view they will do that.

 

"It would have been easy for Barry to feel sorry for himself, to take a week off and go away to maybe Dubai or some hot country, but he didn't. He just knuckled down and has trained at his own home.

 

"One thing is for sure, when Barry is asked to go out and represent the club in terms of playing for them again he will give his all "He has got blue blood running through his veins. There will be no problem there.

 

"He has taken the punishment on the chin and we will wait and see if he plays again. It will be down to Walter obviously. But if given the chance he will give it his best to help Rangers get the title back. He is Rangers through and through."

 

Publication date 17/04/09

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2502632.0.0.php

[ascender 352]

Have I just woken up in January 2007?

[Tannochsidebear 2,463]

We knew this was coming, didnt we now.

 

Didn't bother reading it, I can guess what it says.

[CammyF 9,106]

Shock Horror - Big Brother sticks up for wee brother - what's the world coming to eh?

 

Cammy F

[ascender 352]

Sorry for being cynical. I agree, what else did I expect, of course he was going to stick up for his brother, but its almost like he just took his press release from the PLG debacle and changed the title at the top of it. I'd rather he and his brother just kept their mouths shut in this instance after the initial apology and he shows us what the club really means to him on the park.

 

"One thing is for sure, when Barry is asked to go out and represent the club in terms of playing for them again he will give his all "He has got blue blood running through his veins. There will be no problem there.

 

Its just I've heard this sort of thing before.

[Super_Ally 0]

Sorry for being cynical. I agree, what else did I expect, of course he was going to stick up for his brother, but its almost like he just took his press release from the PLG debacle and changed the title at the top of it. I'd rather he and his brother just kept their mouths shut in this instance after the initial apology and he shows us what the club really means to him on the park.

 

 

 

Its just I've heard this sort of thing before.

 

From reading through that have they not just taken his comments from RTV? With whom he no doubt has a contract to honour, so he has to talk. He can't sit on the show in silence.

 

I might be wrong but I don't think he's gone seeking publicity but rather is responding to questions asked of him by the media.

 

I don't understand this culture of lynching people for speaking in the media. Is it a phenomenon of the internet age. People are contacted by the media and have an opportunity to give their side. They'd be foolish not to and if they didn't give the press something they'd just write whatever they want to make them look bad.

[calscot 0]

To be honest I'm still struggling to understand what Barry has done that is so wrong...

 

To have a drink when invited to by the SFA THREE AND A HALF DAYS before a match is not even punishable in my opinion. I watched the documentary on Brian Clough and he used to MAKE his players drink the night before a game and sometimes offer them a dram on the day. They won two European cups.

 

Even at Ibrox under PLG there were players who drank and players who didn't - the latter got to play and ended up being probably the worst Rangers team of all time, then Smith took over, the drinkers played and turned into the best team in the country. Also compare with the team that "drank together". The latter didn't usually drink the night before a game but they did the day after a game and a few days before the next.

 

While things have moved on I can't see how it's changed so much that players could previously win with alcohol in their blood and now have no chance of winning after having a drink with about 85 hours to recover.

 

It seems to me that with such evidence people are talking complete shite about the negative effects of drinking so far before a game. People these days like to judge people on telly by totally different standards than they judge themselves and as Burley reportedly has a drink problem, then he does too.

 

In fact the ironic thing is that the furore probably caused more damage to the team's chances than anything to do with the drinking session. A quiet word with Barry and warning would have had us in far better mental condition for the game.

 

When a newspaper hangs you out to dry it may be childish to surreptitiously stick your fingers up at them, but it's hardly a sackable offence. We all know what shit the papers print and the Record is probably the worst, so his actions are understandable and I struggle to see how scratching your face that way is even slightly offensive. The fact the paper tried to portray it as sticking the vicks up at Scotland is highly insulting to our intelligence and should have had their reporters sacked instead for being imbeciles.

 

The furore over these two innocuous incidents is more embarrassing about the mentality of Scottish people as a whole than the mentality of Barry Ferguson - and with that mentality stretching to abusing his kids and family, you know we have a huge problem in our society.

Edited April 17, 2009 by calscot

[ascender 352]

From reading through that have they not just taken his comments from RTV? With whom he no doubt has a contract to honour, so he has to talk. He can't sit on the show in silence.

 

I might be wrong but I don't think he's gone seeking publicity but rather is responding to questions asked of him by the media.

 

I don't understand this culture of lynching people for speaking in the media. Is it a phenomenon of the internet age. People are contacted by the media and have an opportunity to give their side. They'd be foolish not to and if they didn't give the press something they'd just write whatever they want to make them look bad.

 

I'm not condoning any abuse of him or his family. Unfortunately that's part and parcel of playing for the OF in Scotland which is a sad reflection of things. I know that his brother has to say something as he's contracted to the channel, but its just I've heard it all before and would rather he said his brother was sorry and left it at that. Maybe its because we're being told again that Rangers means everything to Ferguson just after an event where it appears he's behaved in a manner not exactly becoming of the club captain. Its a self-perpetuating problem though as the media lives off stories like this and won't let them die. But we all know that so why bring it up again in this interview.

 

I don't see having a drink as a problem, but I thought this was more of a long "session" from what I've read. 3 and a half days before an international seems like a long time, but I wouldn't have thought many pro athletes would do that much boozing that close to a game? Its not so much the alcohol being in your system, its the knock-on effects of how you feel, the lack of sleep etc. Then again, maybe they didn't drink too much. Its difficult to tell with our media being what they are.

 

No doubt the SFA handled it badly as well and I agree that its hardly the crime of the century, so why didn't the pair of them just behave in a dignified manner?

 

I've been a critic of Ferguson's for a while now, but only because he seems to be past his best and while we get lots of fighting talk or excuses for his lack of form via the media (spot the irony), he never seems to just let his play do the talking.

[Gazza_8 233]

I don't see what the problem is, if I make mistakes or perform to a sub-standard performance then I get slated by bosses and colleagues at my work so why should we lay off Barry Ferguson?

[CammyF 9,106]

I don't see what the problem is, if I make mistakes or perform to a sub-standard performance then I get slated by bosses and colleagues at my work so why should we lay off Barry Ferguson?

 

Maybe if the abuse was equally shared across those who have made the same mistakes, it would be easier to defend. For some reason, Barry Ferguson is the centre of a campaign by RANGERS FANS to somehow paint him as the villan and the reason for all our ills.

 

There has been none of the same vitriol aimed at Allan McGregor (or the other Rangers players involved in the initial drinking spree), only Barry Ferguson appears to be the target for some reason.

 

As I said in another thread, some RANGERS fans won't be happy until Barry Ferguson is hung (drawn and quartered) from the famous Copland Road gates.

 

Cammy F