[botters]

I would imagine that many on here have driven after drinking but I guess the difference is those on here probably didn't go speeding down a motorway at 110mph whilst allegedly drunk.

Exactly if he had brains he would be dangerous. I can't comprehend why someone who earns thousands of pounds a week can't book into a hotel if they have had a few drinks or hire a taxi. Perhaps like other he feels that he is above the law and can do what he wants. If he was over that limit and drove at over 100 miles an hour then he is completely brainless and if found guilty the club should fine him heavily. Changed his ways well we will see!

[bartleygreen baggie]

With the lawyers he can afford I would imagine it's hardly unforeseeable that he could get away with it

[Quakes Fan]

I probably did something like it when I was his age. I just didn't get caught.

[cuckfield1704]

Yeah, I should have put that. 

It seems strange that he was pulled up and yet there was no mention of him being breathlysed. Wouldn't they have mentioned that on the Police statement which was issued?

He will have been breathalysed, its standard practice after being pulled over in these circumstances. The breathalyser has indicated that he is over the limit hence the 'suspected drink driving' statement and then SB seems to have opted for a second test which involves a laboratory and hence the delay in charging him.

[The Stroller]

According to the Guardian, the club didn't find out about this until Monday!
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/nov/25/west-brom-saido-berahino-driving-arrest

Sounds like BS to me (Albion media dept playing things with a dead bat) but if it's true the club is far less efficient than they're letting on. Can't believe they'd let a multi-million pound asset, to whom they pay a fortune each week and are allegedly seeking to give a contract worth even more, go out on a bender without keeping tabs on him.

[east-stand-nick]

I probably did something like it when I was his age. I just didn't get caught.

Doesn't really excuse it though, does it? Especially considering he can easily afford to get someone to drive him to wherever he needed to be, or just stay in a hotel for the night.

For someone who has come from such a disadvantaged background, he seems to have such a poor attitude. You would have thought he'd appreciate the position he's in.

[Quakes Fan]

Doesn't really excuse it though, does it? Especially considering he can easily afford to get someone to drive him to wherever he needed to be, or just stay in a hotel for the night.

For someone who has come from such a disadvantaged background, he seems to have such a poor attitude. You would have thought he'd appreciate the position he's in.

No, it doesn't excuse it. I merely don't feel right in criticising him myself.

[Ska-dForLife-WBA]

For someone who has come from such a disadvantaged background, he seems to have such a poor attitude. You would have thought he'd appreciate the position he's in.

It doesn't necessarily work like that.  I'm not for a minute excusing what he's allegedly done - if true, there but for fortune goes another Lee Hughes - but it's not as simple as "he's got loads of money, so therefore he should be happy".  There are some things money alone won't cure.

He posted something on Twitter earlier about a person's worst enemy being their own mind; I wouldn't pretend to know Saido's mind at all, but I'd hazard a guess that when you flee your homeland at the age of ten to escape a conflict which has killed your father, you're going to be carrying more baggage than just what's in your suitcase.  Maybe that's not it, maybe I'm totally wrong, but this scandal and the ones earlier in the year have a whiff of deeper troubles to me.  Sometimes these things get planted in childhood and don't crop up until later in life; all the positive attitude in the world can't prevent it.

Of course, you don't solve these problems by playing Lewis Hamilton up the motorway in the middle of the night, and it's lucky no one was hurt or killed by what allegedly happened.  If I'm wrong and this incident really is about pure empty-headed idiocy then fair enough, throw the book at him.  But if there are demons at work, then Saido, you need to get help before you do something you can't take back.  I trust that those around him know which it is, and will act accordingly.

[WorcsWBA]

I probably did something like it when I was his age. I just didn't get caught.

So it makes it OK if others have done it too or is it just as bad on their account? If he, or anyone else, has done this, there is no mitigation for it whatsoever.

[B_H_Baggie]

According to the Guardian, the club didn't find out about this until Monday!
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/nov/25/west-brom-saido-berahino-driving-arrest

Sounds like BS to me (Albion media dept playing things with a dead bat) but if it's true the club is far less efficient than they're letting on. Can't believe they'd let a multi-million pound asset, to whom they pay a fortune each week and are allegedly seeking to give a contract worth even more, go out on a bender without keeping tabs on him.

What do you want the club to do put a tag on him? Only so much the club can do, once he's out of work hours he can do what he wants. No one but him and whoever he was with that night knows what he was doing going up North that day so we can't come out and say he was on a bender. If he sorted his own solicitor out its entirely possible the club wouldn't know about it until the papers got in touch asking for a comment.

[costa blanca baggie]

Has no-one considered he may have been stitched up. Done forget the police were tipped off. It doesn't take much of a spike to send you over the limit. None of us know anything about this incident, so I for one will wait till the truth comes out before deciding he has to be crucified or not.

[Quakes Fan]

So it makes it OK if others have done it too or is it just as bad on their account? If he, or anyone else, has done this, there is no mitigation for it whatsoever.

It's always irritating when someone either doesn't read or ignores previous responses to the same question.

[tuamigos]

Has no-one considered he may have been stitched up. Done forget the police were tipped off. It doesn't take much of a spike to send you over the limit. None of us know anything about this incident, so I for one will wait till the truth comes out before deciding he has to be crucified or not.

Yeah Ive heard a lot about those coctails that send you over the DD limit, make you drive at 40mph over the speed limit and keep you out until 3-00am when you should be tucked up in bed because you've got training next morning 

[costa blanca baggie]

Yeah Ive heard a lot about those coctails that send you over the DD limit, make you drive at 40mph over the speed limit and keep you out until 3-00am when you should be tucked up in bed because you've got training next morning 

The spike was just a wild theory. It's the tip off that sent an alarm off for me.

[stoxman]

There were 55,000 people convicted of drink driving in the UK last year. EVERY one of those had a choice to use a taxi, get a hotel or stay at home. Whether you earn £14k per week or £14k per year you can still afford a taxi if your licence or the risk of an accident means enough to you. The suggestion that SB is especially stupid just because he is rich and famous doesn't work for me. All people make mistakes; some we get caught making and some we get away with. The difference between SB getting home without meeting the police, being arrested for drink driving or facing a charge or death by drink driving is luck, pure and simple. I have personally driven well over 100 mph and have driven over the limit (but not at the same time).  It doesn't make it right. I have more than enough money to have taken taxis when I shouldn't have driven. People make bad choices that are ridiculous in hindsight but it appears that the rich and famous are tarred as being extra stupid.  Perhaps we should run a poll that asks whether posters have ever driven whilst over the limit or over 100mph. Only those who can truthfully answer "no" to both questions can throw stones. The rest of us should just feel lucky we weren't caught...

[seteefeet]

The spike was just a wild theory. It's the tip off that sent an alarm off for me.

I would assume the tip off was from someone he drove past.
At least we don't have to worry about our midfielders following suit, it's been a long time since any of them went past anyone at speed!

[WorcsWBA]

It's always irritating when someone either doesn't read or ignores previous responses to the same question.

Probably as irritating as "I probably did that when I was younger but didn't get caught" posts! 

[Adder]

I noticed Irvine when he spoke of Craig Gardner recently said he's got a great attitude to training and looking after himself diet-wise and is a non-drinker. He also said that a lot of Premier league players are non-drinkers these days so why put yourself at a disadvantage through drinking.

I wonder how many of our squad are non-drinkers.....we know Saido and Sess are not from drink driving episodes. 

[Mister AT]

I noticed Irvine when he spoke of Craig Gardner recently said he's got a great attitude to training and looking after himself diet-wise and is a non-drinker. He also said that a lot of Premier league players are non-drinkers these days so why put yourself at a disadvantage through drinking.

I wonder how many of our squad are non-drinkers.....we know Saido and Sess are not from drink driving episodes.

Foster comes across as a family man so im guessing hes not a big drinker.

[zippyandbungle]

It doesn't necessarily work like that.  I'm not for a minute excusing what he's allegedly done - if true, there but for fortune goes another Lee Hughes - but it's not as simple as "he's got loads of money, so therefore he should be happy".  There are some things money alone won't cure.

He posted something on Twitter earlier about a person's worst enemy being their own mind; I wouldn't pretend to know Saido's mind at all, but I'd hazard a guess that when you flee your homeland at the age of ten to escape a conflict which has killed your father, you're going to be carrying more baggage than just what's in your suitcase.  Maybe that's not it, maybe I'm totally wrong, but this scandal and the ones earlier in the year have a whiff of deeper troubles to me.  Sometimes these things get planted in childhood and don't crop up until later in life; all the positive attitude in the world can't prevent it.

Of course, you don't solve these problems by playing Lewis Hamilton up the motorway in the middle of the night, and it's lucky no one was hurt or killed by what allegedly happened.  If I'm wrong and this incident really is about pure empty-headed idiocy then fair enough, throw the book at him.  But if there are demons at work, then Saido, you need to get help before you do something you can't take back.  I trust that those around him know which it is, and will act accordingly.

A TOP post...imo

[The Black Pearl]

No, it doesn't excuse it. I merely don't feel right in criticising him myself.

I am hearing a lot of broken glass from glass houses in this thread, just think back to what you did in your youth, I had a Dad to keep me straight as well.

I was lucky on a couple of occasions, and I'm not really a drinker.

[seteefeet]

I'm 40 odd and never done it, despite being more than partial to a drink, I have even upset friends by refusing a lift if they have had a beer.
That being said I have done many other foolish things in that time, especially when I was his age. What is frustrating though is how much emphasis he has put on him knuckling down and concentrating on his football etc.
On a side note Irvine has been quoted in the paper today that no-one at the club knew until this Monday, that he's not getting involved as it is not a football matter and the best way for him to answer his critics is to score goals.
This seems contradictory to me, as, if it is not a football matter, how can scoring goals have any impact.

[The Black Pearl]

I'm 40 odd and never done it, despite being more than partial to a drink, I have even upset friends by refusing a lift if they have had a beer.
That being said I have done many other foolish things in that time, especially when I was his age. What is frustrating though is how much emphasis he has put on him knuckling down and concentrating on his football etc.
On a side note Irvine has been quoted in the paper today that no-one at the club knew until this Monday, that he's not getting involved as it is not a football matter and the best way for him to answer his critics is to score goals.
This seems contradictory to me, as, if it is not a football matter, how can scoring goals have any impact.

Whilst not trying to be a clever dick here, is it possible you could have had an alcohol content in your blood the following day driving to work etc?

[TheJacko2000]

Look, I've not weighed in on this really but there is no need for either the holier than thou's or the lets defend our player at all costs brigade to fall out. Berahino is indeed lucky he's not another Luke McCormack, I imagine a few of us are. If this was dingle we'd want the book throwing at him, as it stands he will get due process which will be a ban and a fine, with possibly some awareness or community service. No chance of prison, so let's get behind him as a West Brom player.

[valleybaggie]

the only downside to irvine following most peoples opinion on here and dropping saido is he'll probably put another defensive player in the starting eleven and every team that visits our ground will be camped in our half and their goalie can pop out for a beer