Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee has cancelled the club’s plans for a Christmas weekend and is set to encourage his players to lay off alcohol altogether. Previous years have seen players given a free reign away from Pittodrie before the Christmas period, however McGhee wants their Xmas party to be more civilised with the WAGs there.

The Aberdeen players already train every Sunday under McGhee’s orders, preventing them from going drinking after games on Saturdays. Their only day off is later in the week close to match days and also helps to prevent or at least cut back the amount drank by the players.

McGhee said, “The players have been told what is expected of them. The change to their Christmas plans is only a small part of it. I want to encourage players to be teetotal while they are at the club. I’ve given them one date for a party with wives and girlfriends and they will still be allowed to have fun and a few beers. I might even give them the next day off but that will be it.

“I don’t want them on a night out with just the boys. If they want to do that they can do it during the summer holidays. I believe it is inappropriate and dangerous for players in this day and age to go out in large groups to pubs and clubs because they are targets for some people. It is perceived that there is an alcohol problem in the Scottish game but it definitely isn’t as bad as it used to be. However, the day hasn’t come yet when professional players choose to go teetotal.

“I’ll be speaking to the younger lads like Fraser Fyvie and Peter Pawlett to point out that alcohol is something they should leave alone if they want to be successful in their careers. That might be a bit harder with the older ones but I will still plead with them to take the advice on board.”

McGhee is speaking from his own experiences with booze, as he admitted that he was fond of a booze-up or two during his time at Pittodrie.

McGhee said, “I drank when I played although a lot of that was wee Joe Harper’s fault. He ran a pub in Union Street and used to encourage the rest of us to come along. Ian Scanlon and I were probably his best regulars. But it’s changed days and I wish I had my career again. If I could turn the clock back, I wouldn’t touch a drink and I’d be in the gym every day working on my fitness. I changed my lifestyle during the final two years in my time at Celtic and it gave me a new edge.”

Source: The Scottish Sun

Tagged with: aberdeen, ba-humbug, Christmas, mcghee, party, scrooge

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