Jeff showed off his evening meal...
Watching Newcastle at home or drinking heavily in a toilet? It's a tough one...
A story we saw today from our friends in the north at the Evening Chronicle...
A Toon fan who sneaked a bottle of vodka into St James’s Park and
was found clutching it in the toilets has been banned for three years. Gary Faill was discovered sobbing in the urinals of the stadium during the Magpies’ match against Reading in April.
Debbie Breen, prosecuting, said: "The defendant was found in the male
toilets of the football ground. He was drunk, crying and clutching the
remains of a bottle of vodka."
As well as being nothing short of hilarious, does anyone else think this is slightly harsh? Now, of course, we're not condoning breaking the law at football stadiums, or alcohol abuse for that matter (really?), but you can't begrudge a Newcastle fan having a little tipple to help them through the 90 minutes. Especially after Keegan's much celebrated yet largely unssuccessful return last season.
And now poor Gary is banned from going to any game in England and
Wales, as well as city centres where his beloved Newcastle are playing.
Even his solicitor stated that the Magpies were the “only love in
life”. A sad tale indeed...
Yet the authorities are going to have a task on their hands this season if this is deemed a precedent. What about old men who bring along their hip flasks for a half-time swig of
Jack? Will they be punished? Newcastle's average gate is around the 50k mark every game. If the officials plan to ban every Newcastle fan who is a little inebriated, we estimate there'll be around 35 left. And there's no missing "k" there either. So what next? Banning every obese Geordie with their top off?
Actually, that might not be a bad thing...
Posted by: Lex