Source: Liverpool_Echo
David Prentice: Time has passed for footballers to party like it’s 1999
CHRISTMAS came early at Stoke City this year. So early no-one even had time to shoot the Pope in the chest with a real live gun (Everton 1993), reach for the whipped cream and strippers (Liverpool 1998) or toss any dwarves against a velcro backed landing strip (Chelsea 1994).Stoke's Yuletide plans were thrown into disarray when boss Tony Pulis played Ebenezer Scrooge to James Beattie's Bob Cratchett.The parsimonious Potters' boss refused to give Beattie and his team-mates TWO days off to recover from their festive shenanigans, and the pair came to blows.Beattie clearly fancies a future career in event management.During his time at Everton his organisation of the Christmas party involved a stretch limo to Bournemouth, a crawl of the town's night spots, then flights back home.A round trip of 600 miles just to celebrate the festive season might seem an unusually ambitious undertaking.But in the circumstances it was an eminently sensible decision by Beattie. His side had just been beaten 4-0 at home by Bolton - and neighbours Liverpool were contesting the World Club Cup Final the same day.The celebration passed off without incident.Flushed with the success of that operation, Everton's wannabe Thomas Cook arranged an even more complicated excursion the following spring to the Cheltenham races, involving fast cars and helicopters.While Beattie's travel plans were very 21st century, his ideas were still grimly old fashioned.The players' Christmas party was a very English exercise, endured by some managers, encouraged by others.Why? Presumably because of its a) roots in tradition and b) its apparent ability to bond previously disparate individuals.The football club Christmas party was a traditional affair, following traditional rules.Fancy dress was mandatory, there were drinks round town, nightclub and strippers - then hordes of specially invited wannabe WAGs were allowed into the nightclub.