Bruce mentioned there were 'mitigating circumstances' when the news first broke before Spurs away. You'd think having known all this he would of issued some sort of support for Livermore instead of criticising him infront of the worlds media
We don't know the story behind what Bruce did or didn't know and it would be unfair to make suggestions on that basis In the media orientated world the Premier League lives in the fact his missus lost a baby was not printed to my own knowledge and rightly so - am I right in this?
Absolutely this. Bruce comes off as looking pretty heartless. I don't even want to touch Hat's disgusting remark but there's a time for his unique brand of humour and this certainly isn't it.
Did you actually listen to Bruce's interview ? I don't think he knew the facts as you guys seem to suggest.
Can't begin to imagine what losing a child is like and how it's proper to react , but an employer like a football club should in future make sure every effort is done to protect the family - on anniversaries such as this - they are in the media in the public eye and maybe cannot grieve properly if that's the right word ,when many others in the football club have forgotten Not wagging a finger at the club or player and maybe the FA will let this be a message to more concerned than jake - I know I was harsh on him when the story broke in May & it's words I certainly retract 100%
At my AFL club one of the co-Captains' lost his daughter a few months after she was born, and he didn't play due to grief, and the entire team wore black armbands, had a moments silence before the game, and made a lot of very heartfelt comments and gestures afterwards. I'm just shocked the club had no inkling.
I would be shocked if he'd given such harsh treatment in his interview had he known the circumstances. Would you have made such harsh comments, even after the disappointment of recent results and the threat of relegation ? He's not that type of guy.
I would certainly hope not, and that's why I'm quite confused about how Bruce had no idea Livermore's daughter had died 11 months ago - considering he was our player for that entire duration. Especially when Livermore's form dropped off sharply this season, did Bruce at no point call Jake into his office to chat about what might be causing it?
I thought everyone knew about this already, it was posted back when it happened. Both Jermaine Jenas and Paul McShane were quoted at the time, saying he'd had a tough time with tragic personal issues and those issues were posted on here. Unfortunately, the Anti Doping Authority don't accept personal issues like this as a justification for taking Class A drugs, though you'd think they might take it into account with the punishment. Regardless of the circumstances, this has taken a ridiculous amount of time and it really should have been sorted by now, I'm assuming there's more going on than we're aware of.
I am sure the one thing SB is not and that is heartless, if he said something which appeared to be that way, then at the time he didn't know these circumstances. As far as Jake is concerned, we all react differently to situations like this, and I just hope a sensible outcome prevails.
Don't really understand why being critical of Bruce is being insensitive. Perhaps I wasn't clear about that the first time around.
Everybody did know this much. What's being debated here is why was Bruce so publicly critical ( and my recollection was it was factual about his disappointment in JL's actions, nothing else), if he (SB) had known about JL's personal family situation.
When something tragic happens I can't see how someone would take to cocaine to overcome it unless they already used it
I think some believe it's being used as an excuse, rather than it being a genuine reason for him doing what he did. Had he started drinking heavily, I suspect he'd have got more sympathy, many don't think taking a party drug is a normal reaction to his circumstances. Personally, I don't think footballers taking coke is a rare occurrence, I suspect lots of them do it regularly, you have to be really careless to get caught.
Agreed. I'm not sure how Coke is a natural avenue for relief from grief in the same way as something like alcohol would be.
I never really commented on the original thread, but I really hope the club give him another chance, I like him and hope the situation can be sorted. He's still got a lot of footballing years left in him. Arsenal stood by Merson (which was the first really high profile case), Utd stood by Ferdinand (although I understand he never took the test, just missed it). Off topic: Canadatiger I sent you a message, did you get it?
