Ranger's suspension for undisclosed misdemeanor

[Brett Angle]

was told today a few interesting stories about Mr Ranger today - - as far as I'm concerned he can **** off out of Southend United - and no i'm not going to elaborate (don't give it the 'I know and I'm not telling' ***** posts its just my opinion/feeling) - if you want to support him your choice - he'll never get mine

There will be lots of 'stories' but let's hope that any decision about Ranger is based on fact, common sense and in the best interests of all concerned. I also hope that whatever the outcome the young man gets the help he needs to turn his life around. In the FA, PFA and club we can but hope to trust.

 

[undercovershrimper]

Still too many opinions and calls for sacking without any knowledge of the facts for my liking. All we know is he took a recreational drug. We don't know what drug we do not know when he took it. We do not know what his mental state was when he took it. We don't know if it was a one off or if he has done it multiple times. And in mitigation and I know its not much mitigation he has admitted to his error of judgement.

 

[ms brush]

I still think that we need to wait for the club's decision on the matter before we judge. It is clear that this is a very troubled young man, with an unpleasant past that he hasn't completely moved on from, and we knew all about that when we signed him. We also don't have facts, just a bucket load of speculation and the "truth" from the Sun...:nope: difficult as it sometimes is, for people to restrain themselves, we need to remember that judgemental comments and actions don't always help.

The club originally stated that they will support him through the criminal case, and they haven't sacked him, which are choices that will always divide opinions. The saving grace for me at the moment, if the Sun's story is accurate, that Nile himself told Brown about the drugs. That alone, for me says a lot. Seems to me that the journey that Ranger is on is going to be long and difficult, and would be 1000x harder without an employer and support that can be built around his needs. He won't be the first footballer caught for taking recreational drugs, nor will he be the last. He also won't be the first or last footballer in trouble with the law. From the way he seemed to have knuckled down in his first few months I am half hopeful that this is a turning point. Phil Brown is a straight talking guy, and I expect that he is very disappointed that this has happened, but he isn't a quitter either. I believe that the outcome Brown would want is that Ranger will stay, but be out of the picture for a while to get his head together again, hopefully getting the help and support he needs from a counsellor and a mentor or two.

 

[wakes123]

Been out and about so only just seen this;

Surely this comes as no surprise - reckon a fair few knew this at least a week ago through connections or had put 2 and 2 together. I had assumed it was recreational and not performance drugs.

What now then?

Ranger was taken on by the club and knew the risks given his previous.

It would be a travesty if we just ditched him, as it would destroy him - he would be unemployable and likely end up on the wrong side of the law again and banged up for a long time or even worse. He needs proper rehab, mentoring, and guidance.

Despite what people think of him right now I still believe he needs support and not condemnation.

If I could give him one piece of advice it would be to make a public apology to both the staff and fans of SUFC, and confirm he is 100% seeking help to overcome his problems.

Couldn't disagree anymore I'm afraid. Your reason for not ditching him is so wrong - who cares if it would destroy him? We gave him a chance and he's blown it massively. If we give him another chance he will blow it again.

 

[* ORM *]

Couldn't disagree anymore I'm afraid. Your reason for not ditching him is so wrong - who cares if it would destroy him? We gave him a chance and he's blown it massively. If we give him another chance he will blow it again.

Blow is part of what got him in this mess in the first place. He's definitely been a snorty boy. Sorry for the injection of poor humour. Weed be better off without my comments. He definitely needs a role model and a woman in his life. You know, a kind of heroin(e).

 

[OldBlueLady]

I still think that we need to wait for the club's decision on the matter before we judge.

And the Club cannot decide until the FA has.....and they are still waiting for that. FACT. (I've never done that before! :hilarious: )

 

[Tinks]

And the Club cannot decide until the FA has.....and they are still waiting for that. FACT. (I've never done that before! :hilarious: )

Always a first for everything Kay

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

lots of people on here have stated their opposition to drugs. I'm not one of those.

I don't have a problem with what he did, I have a problem with a footballer doing it during the season.

Most people would give so much to be footballers, it's a short career and it's a **** take to not make the most of it. But whatever, that's a side issue.

What's ****ed me off is that he's always on his last warning. Since he's been at Southend it's always been about how he's learnt, he's changed.

Well, it doesn't look like it. Fine, there was a court case and he was messed up about that, fair enough.

It's just that he seems to get a final warning every few months and then nothing.

I don't care about what he did, I care about the context it happened in

 

[SufcUpAndDown]

Originally Posted by Floval Flyer
Been out and about so only just seen this;

Surely this comes as no surprise - reckon a fair few knew this at least a week ago through connections or had put 2 and 2 together. I had assumed it was recreational and not performance drugs.

What now then?

Ranger was taken on by the club and knew the risks given his previous.

It would be a travesty if we just ditched him, as it would destroy him - he would be unemployable and likely end up on the wrong side of the law again and banged up for a long time or even worse. He needs proper rehab, mentoring, and guidance.

Despite what people think of him right now I still believe he needs support and not condemnation.

If I could give him one piece of advice it would be to make a public apology to both the staff and fans of SUFC, and confirm he is 100% seeking help to overcome his problems.

Couldn't disagree anymore I'm afraid. Your reason for not ditching him is so wrong - who cares if it would destroy him? We gave him a chance and he's blown it massively. If we give him another chance he will blow it again.

Agree with Wakes, so many chances.. .. not just with us with all the clubs before, messed them all about, got to look how many times he has F£$k$d people over, again, again and again....he has no total disrespect for the club, and people in general. This sort of person just cares about himself and his crew..... He actually does think he is gangster, you can't be a gangster and a pro footballer.....slapped the club, management and fans in the face, that's what he has done....

 

[onceknownasrab]

People seem to be blurring the lines between doing bad things and being a bad person. We do not know Nile as a person. He may be misguided and with a moral compass on the blink but that is not the same as bad. He certainly seems to be a troubled lad and it could be argued he is also a victim of his life experiences, peers, and the influences he has been subjected to. Some people react positively to adversity and others make it a justification for their poor behaviour.

We talk about the fans being united and a bond in the dressing. Well any Band of Brothers should look out for one of his own and like it or not NR is one of ours. The decision may be made and leave us without the opportunity to show him the support he needs but if he remains I hope that we will all get behind him and show him how to improve his lot. At our level he is a tremendous talent and there is nothing more disappointing than seeing someone throw away the chances afforded them. He may learn and he may change but he wont without help.

 

[5scoops]

You didn't want him signed in the first place.

And this is why he is a wrong one had loads changes to turn corner ! Get rid

 

[ms brush]

And the Club cannot decide until the FA has.....and they are still waiting for that. FACT. (I've never done that before! :hilarious: )

FACT... lol. Have you been bodysnatched by one of the SZ keyboard warriors...? :clap:

I believe we agree!! The FA will make a decision, then the club will decide whether to stick by him or not, based on the FAs findings. Ultimately, the club is his employer and they will decide if the risk to reputation vs the chance of of rehabilitation is greater. The decision will be financial and commercial, which will not necessarily put NRs interests first.

 

[David Icke]

Still too many opinions and calls for sacking without any knowledge of the facts for my liking. All we know is he took a recreational drug. We don't know what drug we do not know when he took it. We do not know what his mental state was when he took it. We don't know if it was a one off or if he has done it multiple times. And in mitigation and I know its not much mitigation he has admitted to his error of judgement.

Like the error of judgement when he slapped that woman around. Plenty of proof of what a low life he life.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Having read most of this, I've come to the conclusion that it was probably someone at the party he attended who has tipped the authorities off. Further to this, the story appears in the Sun newspaper who would be IMO the paper of choice to try and flog a story to.
The bit I don't get is why PB has stocked up on two more forwards plus Mooney nearing fitness. Either we are just covering for Ranger's absence and then will move on Mooney and Nouble/Hines in the close season. Or we are about to announce that Nile Ranger is no longer part of the clubs plans.
I wonder how David Mooney and Frank Nouble will feel and what type of message this is sending out. Yes Ranger has talent but sometimes you have to do the right thing for the club and the players you have playing by the rules.

 

[Beefy]

Rightly or wrongly - Class A drugs are illegal. Rightly or wrongly - the FA can impose severe penalties for drug abuse. Rightly? or Wrongly??? Nile Ranger decided to take drugs and risk our promotion challenge.
How different the response would have been if the team had lost the majority of games that Ranger has missed - on purpose., He chose to take the drugs and therefore chose to be unable to play for the club.

If he's that vital and not having him around had harmed us that much then surely getting rid of him would just be harming the club further.

Drugs are illegal. I don't support his drug use. But it happens a lot across society and if you think this isn't a common event for young rich men out celebrating on a Saturday night then you've led an even more sheltered life than I have.

I want what is best for the football club. If this has caused a huge rift with the rest of the team then fine, move on. If it hasn't then I'm not interested in sacking, IMO, our best player for some moral stance over drug use. This isn't Grange Hill.

Like Pubey, I've a bigger issue with the fraud stuff.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

If he's that vital and not having him around had harmed us that much then surely getting rid of him would just be harming the club further.

Drugs are illegal. I don't support his drug use. But it happens a lot across society and if you think this isn't a common event for young rich men out celebrating on a Saturday night then you've led an even more sheltered life than I have.

I want what is best for the football club. If this has caused a huge rift with the rest of the team then fine, move on. If it hasn't then I'm not interested in sacking, IMO, our best player for some moral stance over drug use. This isn't Grange Hill.

Like Pubey, I've a bigger issue with the fraud stuff.

Totally agree.
But I don't think this should be taken lightly either. Sounds like he's has had more chances than most. Obviously he has something otherwise people wouldn't keep taking chances on him but when does enough become enough?

 

[Bromley Blue]

Ok here's my take on this.

Some guys and girls of Nile Ranger's age take class A drugs every weekend. Even if they have work on Monday. As has been previously stated on this thread, these sorts of substances are out of your system in 48 hours. If he took these on a Saturday night and we're not playing again til the following week he probably rightly or wrongly thought he'd get away with it.

With the revelations about Saido Berahino this weekend, I would hedge a bet that lots of footballers throughout the leagues take recreational drugs occasionally, despite the risks to their careers and reputations. I'm not saying the game is riddled with drug users but I'd bet there's quite a few more.

With a court case the following week on his mind, he probably did what most lads of that age do when stressed and had a wild night out.

As a professional athlete, should he be taking drugs which can affect his performances? IMO no. But then neither should any other lad of that age if what they're taking is gonna affect their performance at work on a Monday.

I'm most disappointed that he seemed to have turned over a new leaf with us and had become one of our key players. There's no doubting his actions have been a bit of a kick in the teeth for all the faith Phil Brown and everyone at Southend United have shown Nile since the summer.

So suggestions above that he should come out publicly and apologise to the fans, squad and manager is spot on. That's the least he should do.

But there's probably people reading this thread that have taken similar substances at that age, it's common place in society. So I don't think he should be hung out for dry purely for this.

The court case is much more serious IMO and if I was making the call I'd give him one final chance - any more **** ups and you're out kinda thing.

And then let the club and player await the court's decision and get rid if he goes down for a long time.

 

[Ex-Member1]

Cannot agree, a professional sportsman should surely be setting an example rather than following a sad trend of drug taking which appears to be somehow socially acceptable. He is a role model and should have more responsibility. What on earth must kids make of all this? I know I used to be in awe of footballers when I was a kid, I am sure things haven't changed that much over the years?

 

[Fairport]

Although drug taking is more common and accepted in todays society, the main issue with Ranger is that he is making himself unavailable for a long period due to his problems. It is no use paying professional sportsmen and women decent wages if they are not there when you need them. Fair enough if he had a bad injury but he is causing problems solely by his own actions.

 

[Jam_Man]

If this was a one off then it would be pretty bad.

The fact he has been given a chance to get back into the game and still thinks taking cocaine is a wise decision just shows what a muppet the guy is.

Doesn't matter how many chances he gets he doesn't change.

Wouldn't care less if he threw him out to be honest.

Keep him here and that's sending out a great message, come here and do what you like and there will be no repercussions.