to think that a professional football player who has recently been convicted of child sex offences should be bloody well sacked?

[MollysChamber]

Craig Thomson here

This is really making my blood boil. Horrible offences. Basically grooming of a 14 year old and a 12 year old he's known since she was a toddler ffs.

Today Hearts FC released a statement saying that they are not sacking him and he has made a half arsed statement apologising to the club, his family and friends, but not his victims, oh no.

Apparently the club were warned about his behaviour by a concerned parent 6 months before his arrest but he continued to represent them teaching PE at local schools here



Am I being unreasonable to think that he should be sacked?

[MissPenteuth]

YANBU.

[Feenie]

That's unbelievable. YANBU.

[Crossssssshairs]

yanbu

[MollysChamber]

I'll give him a sodding learning bloody curve. [angry}

[Andrewofgg]

YANBU and you know it!

[justinhawkinsnavalfluff]

Sacked and then hung drawn and quartered by his testicles!!

[edam]

Good grief. I mean, it's clear that many footballers have disgusting attitudes to women but the man is actually on the sex offenders register for crimes against children - how can they NOT sack him?

[Rooble]

Hmmm on my phone and the link won't work so I can't read the story. Would agree it's not appropriate for him to work in schools, but I don't see why this woukd stop him playing football. (am assuming that he does play and not just teach). I don't think sex offenders should automatically be sacked. What are they supposed to do with their time? Hang around on the Internet?

[Jonnyfan]

UNBE-BLOODY-LIEVEABLE

[Saltire]

H is a die hard jambo and he is digsuted by this. It's truly shocking I bet its that Twunt Romanov's idea.
He is an embarassment to the maroon shirt, and i hope fans boycott the games in protest

[FionaFriend]

Sacked alongside the club officials who were warned and did sod all about it.

[clams]

Horrendous! Shame on the club as well as him, as for his statement...unbelievable.

[MollysChamber]

Saltire According to an "unnamed source" quoted in the Daily Record Jim Jefferies and the players want him out. Romanov won't have it. He's made some very bizarre statements to the preess in the last 24 hours. Think he's losing it myself.

[faeriefruitcake]

He won't be able to get near kids professionally because he wont pass a CRB check, schools will not be allowed to have him there, it's part of their safeguarding.

If he's put on the sex offenders register then I wouldn't think he would be able to remain, I should imagine it wont be safe for him to appear in front of a crowd, lots of children and parents at matches.

[TheCrackFox]

YANBU

And a prison sentence would have been a good idea.

[kaumana]

I'm in Edinburgh and can not believe he has not been sacked, my friends and I thought it was a given.

Footballers rightly or wrongly are hero worshipped by boys. What the heck is this telling them?!

[outnumbered2to1]

disgusted that the club also allowed him to attend an event raising money for Barnados while he was on bail awaiting trial and didn't see the conflict of interests.......

also heard that its not the first time he had shown interest in younger girls he was coaching but was warned off by the father of the girl concerned who supposedly went to his house and threatened to cut of his bollox if he even looked in her direction again.......

[ineedabodytransplant]

I would love a few hours with a piece of s*t like this.

Typical of Romanov, he is a t**t of the first order. I don't think any other business would allow one of the staff to remain if this was proven.

I remember an instance of a similar thing 30 years ago. A colleague was accused by his ex of grooming/assaulting their daughters. Couldn't have met a nicer bloke. But no-one would work with him. Even though I tried to give him the old 'innocent till proven guilty' he was still ostracised. Company sacked him (in the days before all the pc/human rights crap we have now).

He was guilty, but even if he wasn't,he was still in a situation where he could not continue in his job.

How can someone found guilty of grooming kids have the audacity to run out on a pitch in front of families etc?

[Saltire]

Molly - _ I know, I've read them today in the daily Ranger Record.
No doubt this part of a mafia plot too

[outnumbered2to1]

faerirfruitcake he was put on sex offenders register for 5 years and fined £4000

[ineedabodytransplant]

And if I found him anywhere near my daughters I doubt there would be much left of him to play football

Totally disgusting that he hasn't the humility or decency to apologise to his victims

Probably sat feeling sorry for himself

Where's the man with blunt stanley knife and the salt to carry out the castration.

Luckily I am not angry

[onagar]

The outrage is understandable, but unless you want every criminal sacked from their job it doesn't make sense to demand it for him.

[ineedabodytransplant]

outnumbered2to1

well that's a punishment and a half..not. He probably 'earns' that weekly

[ineedabodytransplant]

sorry that should have been daily, dependant on how much money footballers are given