Steven Pressley tells all on boozegate

[ian1964 10,720]

Steven Pressley tells all on boozegate and why he regrets Scotland coaching role

The former Rangers, Hearts and Celtic defender was part of George Burley's coaching staff and found Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor in the bar.

Perhaps it was the clipboard and stopwatch that did it. Or maybe Steven Pressley was destined never to be accepted into the group.

Either way, it was hardly a surprise when he failed to get the invite to the party that would rock Scottish 
football to its core.

Boozegate. The all-nighter to end them all. The hotel bar marathon that brought George Burley’s 
Scotland to a bleary-eyed, 
slurry-worded meltdown.

The scandal that ended Barry Ferguson’s international career and forced him out of Ibrox. The 
catastrophe that saw Allan McGregor banished by the SFA into the bargain.

And while all this history-altering carnage was being unleashed inside the Cameron House hotel, like an explosion in a firework factory, Pressley was in his bed upstairs, sleeping through it all like a baby.

Last week, in these pages, Ferguson spoke of a deep shame and regret over the night that still blackens his reputation now almost a decade on.

 

But, even though he had no part in those infamous shenanigans, Pressley too believes his name was tarnished by the entire affair.

 

“Yes, I was damaged by it,” he says with a firm nod of the head as if to underline he means business here.

“I had nothing to do with what went on in that hotel bar and I had nothing to hide. But the way things worked out, I did have a lot to lose.”

Never before has he spoken publicly about the events of Sunday morning on March 29, 2009. Or for that matter those that led up to this spectacular blowout.

And yet here he is. Replaying it all over in his head once again.

He drags a hand across his brow as if to indicate the level of his internal regret of ever getting caught up in this Burley-made mess.

“You talk about decisions in life,” he says with a heavy sigh. “Well, I was only 33 when I was asked by the Scotland manager to come on to his coaching staff.

“If you’re saying to me, ‘Is that a good step to take?’ then yes, it’s a fantastic step. It’s an opportunity to work for your national team as third coach at such a young age. The first step on the ladder.

“But when I look back now, in hindsight, would I have done it again? No I wouldn’t because I don’t think I was fully accepted at the time. I didn’t realise that would be the case.

“When I went there at first I was still a Celtic player and the truth is I was never accepted by the Rangers players in the squad.

“At that time it wasn’t a brilliant squad in terms of unity. There was a definite Rangers-Celtic divide. No doubt about it.

“So I felt I wasn’t fully accepted and understandably so. I don’t blame anyone for that but it was always a problem. If you were to ask me, from what I know now, would I have taken the job then the answer is no.

“I realised pretty quickly I had made a mistake. I had wanted to leave the position for a year because I knew it wasn’t working on any level.

“But I stayed for George, out of a sense of loyalty even though I wasn’t enjoying it. It was horrendous.”

The story goes it was Pressley’s role to break up the party that had spilled over into breakfast time, the morning after the night before.

This was a Scotland team drowning in its own sorrows after a thrashing in Holland had ended another World Cup campaign. A group of players who had long since reached the end of their tethers with an often incoherent, consistently uninspiring manager and his 
hand-picked coaching team.

And it was left to Pressley to restore some sort of order.

“No, that’s not the story,” he says with a shake of the head.

“The story is we returned to the hotel and George allowed some of them to have a few drinks at the bar. But there had been no instructions given to me about managing the situation. None at all.

“So I went to my bed. When I arose in the morning I went downstairs because my family were coming through on the Sunday morning.

“When I arrived in the bar area it was maybe nine o’clock in the morning and I saw Barry sitting there with Allan McGregor.

“Initially I didn’t realise the 
situation. I guess I thought they were down for a coffee or an orange juice.

“As I turned to walk away I suddenly thought, ‘Why is he still wearing his suit?’ So I went back in then realised he was in a terrible way.

“So I along with one of the barmaids and somebody else ushered them up to their rooms.

“I left them and went back down only to find out, about 10 minutes later, they had come back out of their rooms and back into the bar and the leisure area of the hotel.

“At that point I think it became public knowledge they were in a 
seriously bad way.”

It would soon go from bad to worse for Ferguson and McGregor. But Pressley, Burley and Terry Butcher were effectively finished too, 
especially in the eyes of the players who were left behind.

Pressley is back in that bar room.

He says: “I was then informed that, by all accounts Scott Brown had obviously been present along with I don’t know who else.

“Scott wasn’t there when I walked in on them. I think he had returned to his room.

“There was a rumour he had shaved off Allan McGregor’s hair and maybe he did but all I know is, when I went there, Scott was in his room.

“Then I’m placed in a situation where George finds out about this and the whole thing kicks off. It was a terrible set of circumstances and not handled well.

“I remember speaking to Barry because he wasn’t happy about the way it was dealt with.

“I tried to explain to him I completely understood his 
grievances but that he also had to take responsibility for his actions.

“The wee man wasn’t too happy but ultimately that was just the reality of the situation.

“I’m not saying it was dealt with brilliantly but somehow I was also damaged by what went on when it was not my position to deal with it.

“All I did was come down in the morning and walk into the middle of it. By the way, the bar bill at that point was £867 or something like that. The whole thing was an absolute mess.”

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steven-pressley-tells-boozegate-regrets-13486691

[MacK1950 2,361]

See the DR have been dredging the slurry tank again☠️