Football: Lorimer warns Scots stars not to go over the score with their bonding bevvies.Byline: By Gary Ralston PETER LORIMER has told Scotland stars it's okay to sink a few bevvies - just don't sink a team-mate. The Leeds legend reckons skipper Barry Ferguson Barry Ferguson MBE (born Hamilton, Scotland, February 2, 1978) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays in midfield. He currently plays for and captains both Scottish Premier League club Rangers and the Scotland national team. is right to rally the squad around the beer pump. The Rangers midfielder revealed the Scotland players bonded under new boss Walter Smith Walter Smith OBE (born February 24 1948 in Lanark) is a Scottish former football player, but is better known as a football manager. He is currently the manager of Scottish Premier League club Rangers, his second spell in that capacity with the club. on Monday night when they went for a meal and drinks during their Manchester get-together. Ferguson reckons a solid social scene off the field helps build team spirit on it and 70s star Lorimer couldn't agree more despite bad experiences of the past. He was part of the infamous night out in Largs in the build-up to the 1974 World Cup that almost gave Jimmy Johnstone James Connolly 'Jimmy' Johnstone (29 September, 1944 – 13 March, 2006), was a Scottish footballer. Johnstone, known as "Jinky", was voted the greatest player ever to have played for Celtic by Celtic fans in 2002. a sailing adventure Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE (born July 8, 1976) is an English sailor from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman who, on February 7, 2005, broke the world record for the would have been hard pushed greatly pressed; as, he was hard pushed or hard run for time, money, etc. s> - Milton. See also: Hard to emulate. Jinky was set loose towards North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. on a rowing boat with one oar at three o'clock on a Sunday morning following a night out with Scotland team-mates and was only saved hours later thanks to the intervention of the Clyde Coastguard. As he disappeared over the horizon, desperate team-mates jumped in another boat to go to his rescue,only for it to spring a leak to open or crack so as to let in water; to begin to let in water; as, the ship sprung a leak s>. (Naut.) to begin to leak. See also: Leak Spring and force them to wade back to the shore. It brings a wry smile to the faces of Scottish football fans now but Lorimer insists it was simply high jinks that got out of hand and not a result of extreme over-indulgence. Lorimer said: 'After the way results have gone for Scotland in the past few years it's a good idea for Walter to get the lads together over a drink. 'He'll get to know the players, they'll get to know him and, in all fairness, there's no better way to do that than over a couple of beers. 'I'm not talking about going out and getting blootered but a few beers or a couple of glasses of wine in each other's company is a terrific idea in the present circumstances. 'People remember the incident at Largs with Jimmy but forget the night he headed off towards North America was after we'd played a match and it was simply a prank that went wrong. 'No one was absolutely legless legless Adjective 1. without legs 2. Slang very drunk Adj. 1. legless - not having legs; "a legless man in a wheelchair" but we'd had a few beers and it was a bit of a joke on the way home. 'Jimmy began larking about on a little rowing boat, waving its single oar in the air and one of the lads pushed him off without him even knowing it. 'Unfortunately, the tide got hold of the boat and took it away and it could have been serious. 'Jimmy took a lot of stick in the Press afterwards but it brought us even closer together as everyone in the squad rallied round our team-mate. 'We knew the real story and it made us even more determined to prove people were wrong to criticise us in the way they did. However, not all the squad at that time were drinkers either. Some players took a couple and went home while others, such as Lou Macari and Kenny Dalglish,drank only Coke but were happy to sit all night in the company of the other lads who were having a drink. 'We all enjoyed the company of each other and the patter was good fun.' World Cup star Lorimer, who scored four goals in 21 appearances for Scotland over six years, is still involved at Elland Road and works in the media in Yorkshire. He is all in favour of today's players enjoying a drink, so long as it's done in the right way and at the right time. He added: 'Some players like to relax and have a few drinks, others don't. In moderation and at the right time, it's the perfect way to relax. As long as players have their thinking heads on 48 hours before a game it's no problem to drink moderately at other times if that's what they want to do.' Lorimer has been based in England since his teenage years but remains a proud Scot and he's hoping Smith can turn round the fortunes of the nation after the embarrassment of the Berti Vogts debacle. He said: 'No question, Walter has a very difficult job but I'm encouraged players who previously didn't want to play for the country are now keen to turn out again. 'At the very least we'll get all our best players together now and you can't ask for any more than that. 'I hope it works out for Walter. No one is expecting miracles but it would be nice to return to respectability.' CAPTION(S): JINKY HAS A SKIFF ONE: Jimmy Johnstone had a few beers before setting sail |
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