Article on Sean Thornton

[Tenderloins]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2093-1920082_1,00.html

You can see why he "left" Sunderland, still doesn't seem to be on the right road at all.

[Plastic Paddy]

Thanks for that Tenderloins; an excellent read. Here's hoping fatherhood knocks some sense into him. It will be to the senior squad's benefit if he matures and delivers on the huge potential we all know he possesses.

:ball: PP

[Tenderloins]

Another article from Todays Guardian
http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1671790,00.html

[Tenderloins]

Fronm Todays London Independent
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/coca_cola/article334412.ece

Part 1
Thornton gives booze the boot as Doncaster aim to trip up the Gunners
As his side prepare to face Arsenal in the Carling Cup, Doncaster's influential midfield man tells Jon Culley how a move to Belle Vue saved his career... and perhaps more
Even as he took his first steps in the English game, it seemed to be Sean Thornton's football destiny to be rubbing shoulders with opponents of Arsenal's calibre yet himself taking centre stage.
In that respect, tonight's Carling Cup quarter-final against Arsène Wenger's team is the kind of occasion his career path appeared to hold in store for him.
The surprise, perhaps, is that Thornton, not long ago heralded as a teenager with the Premiership potentially at his feet, will be showcasing his talents in the colours of Doncaster Rovers, the League One minnows whose ousting from the competition of Manchester City and Aston Villa in earlier rounds has been one of the stories of the season. Quite how unlikely an alliance this is might be gauged from where club and player stood on Sunday, 11 May 2003, only two-and-a-half years ago. On that day, Doncaster celebrated beating Dagenham and Redbridge in a play-off to win promotion from the Conference and Thornton completed his debut season for Sunderland.
The Black Cats - beaten 4-0, coincidentally, by Arsenal on that day - were relegated but 19-year-old Thornton was being hailed as their player of the season only four months after his first appearance.

The two have moved in different directions since. For Doncaster, it has been up and up: the League Two title at the first attempt and real prospects of promotion to the Championship this season, just in time for the move from Belle Vue, where a capacity 10,500 will cram its pitch-hugging terraces tonight, to a new 16,000-capacity, £32m stadium next summer.

Thornton, on the other hand, has taken a path he would sooner not dwell upon. Gaining as much repute for a colourful social life as for his peroxide blond hair and striking white boots, he could not secure a place even in a relegated Sunderland side, his relationship with manager Mick McCarthy deteriorating to the point, last spring, of being transfer-listed.

That culminated in a £175,000 move to Doncaster in the summer, a record deal for the South Yorkshire club but hard not to interpret as a comedown for Thornton.

Yet as he prepares to return to the big stage - in terms of occasion if not venue - the former Irish Under-21 international believes it might be the move that saved his career ... and perhaps a little more.

Turning a pre-match media call into an impromptu confessional, the 22-year-old midfielder admitted that the jolt of dropping from the Premiership to League One had made him realise that his conduct off the field, much of it fuelled by heavy drinking, had been threatening to destroy his fledgling career.

It is a lifestyle he says he has now put behind him - and will not be tempted back to even if Doncaster beat Arsenal and he is man of the match.

"I never got into trouble, never got into fights but like most footballers I liked a drink on a Saturday night," he said. "But I've knocked that on the head. I haven't had a drink for six weeks.

"You don't realise the effect it has on you. I used to feel that on the field I was as fit as the guy next to me but if you are not sleeping right and not eating right, it takes it toll.

"And I was fed up because every time I went out even with other lads I was always the one who was seen, perhaps because of the blond hair, and I was sick of going in the manager's office and having to explain.

"In Sunderland it was a very intense atmosphere and it always seemed to be me that people spotted. I could tell you hundreds of stories about things I was supposed to have done.

"You want to get away from that and move on. It is the same here to an extent but I don't want to be in those places any more. I do go out but I will just stay a couple of hours and then leave. I haven't checked into a clinic but I have spoken to a counsellor. I felt I was in danger of wasting my talent and I want to give myself every chance of getting back to the top level."

He even gave away his man of the match champagne after Rovers' stunning 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the last round. "That was a big test for me," he said. "All the lads were going out. I asked myself, can I handle that [without a drink[? The hotel we went to was jumping, everybody was buzzing, and I didn't touch a drop.

"I just had orange juice. It was great to feel I had the willpower. I gave the champagne to my wife's mother." As a bonus, he has lost a stone in weight, another irony given that arguments over his fitness clouded his relationship with McCarthy. "At the time I didn't feel it was an issue because it was not like I was putting in bad performance after bad performance but with hindsight I probably should have got it off then," he said.

That is because part of him hankers after a return to the Stadium of Light. "Sunderland is in my heart and if the opportunity arose I would love to go back," he said. In the meantime, playing in the Championship with Doncaster would do. "That's where we all want to be." It is a sentiment shared by his manager, Dave Penney, although he would not be averse to the distraction of a cup semi-final and does not think it an impossible prospect.

"We surprised a lot of people with how well we played against Villa," he said. "Whoever Arsenal put out it will be a good side but coming here might be a bit of an eye opener for them.

"We like to get the ball down and pass it and hopefully Arsenal will be the kind of side to let us do so."

Even as he took his first steps in the English game, it seemed to be Sean Thornton's football destiny to be rubbing shoulders with opponents of Arsenal's calibre yet himself taking centre stage.

In that respect, tonight's Carling Cup quarter-final against Arsène Wenger's team is the kind of occasion his career path appeared to hold in store for him.

The surprise, perhaps, is that Thornton, not long ago heralded as a teenager with the Premiership potentially at his feet, will be showcasing his talents in the colours of Doncaster Rovers, the League One minnows whose ousting from the competition of Manchester City and Aston Villa in earlier rounds has been one of the stories of the season. Quite how unlikely an alliance this is might be gauged from where club and player stood on Sunday, 11 May 2003, only two-and-a-half years ago. On that day, Doncaster celebrated beating Dagenham and Redbridge in a play-off to win promotion from the Conference and Thornton completed his debut season for Sunderland.

The Black Cats - beaten 4-0, coincidentally, by Arsenal on that day - were relegated but 19-year-old Thornton was being hailed as their player of the season only four months after his first appearance.

The two have moved in different directions since. For Doncaster, it has been up and up: the League Two title at the first attempt and real prospects of promotion to the Championship this season, just in time for the move from Belle Vue, where a capacity 10,500 will cram its pitch-hugging terraces tonight, to a new 16,000-capacity, £32m stadium next summer.

Thornton, on the other hand, has taken a path he would sooner not dwell upon. Gaining as much repute for a colourful social life as for his peroxide blond hair and striking white boots, he could not secure a place even in a relegated Sunderland side, his relationship with manager Mick McCarthy deteriorating to the point, last spring, of being transfer-listed.

That culminated in a £175,000 move to Doncaster in the summer, a record deal for the South Yorkshire club but hard not to interpret as a comedown for Thornton.

Yet as he prepares to return to the big stage - in terms of occasion if not venue - the former Irish Under-21 international believes it might be the move that saved his career ... and perhaps a little more.

Turning a pre-match media call into an impromptu confessional, the 22-year-old midfielder admitted that the jolt of dropping from the Premiership to League One had made him realise that his conduct off the field, much of it fuelled by heavy drinking, had been threatening to destroy his fledgling career.

It is a lifestyle he says he has now put behind him - and will not be tempted back to even if Doncaster beat Arsenal and he is man of the match.
"I never got into trouble, never got into fights but like most footballers I liked a drink on a Saturday night," he said. "But I've knocked that on the head. I haven't had a drink for six weeks.

"You don't realise the effect it has on you. I used to feel that on the field I was as fit as the guy next to me but if you are not sleeping right and not eating right, it takes it toll.

"And I was fed up because every time I went out even with other lads I was always the one who was seen, perhaps because of the blond hair, and I was sick of going in the manager's office and having to explain.

"In Sunderland it was a very intense atmosphere and it always seemed to be me that people spotted. I could tell you hundreds of stories about things I was supposed to have done.

"You want to get away from that and move on. It is the same here to an extent but I don't want to be in those places any more. I do go out but I will just stay a couple of hours and then leave. I haven't checked into a clinic but I have spoken to a counsellor. I felt I was in danger of wasting my talent and I want to give myself every chance of getting back to the top level."

[Tenderloins]

Part 2
He even gave away his man of the match champagne after Rovers' stunning 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the last round. "That was a big test for me," he said. "All the lads were going out. I asked myself, can I handle that [without a drink[? The hotel we went to was jumping, everybody was buzzing, and I didn't touch a drop.

"I just had orange juice. It was great to feel I had the willpower. I gave the champagne to my wife's mother." As a bonus, he has lost a stone in weight, another irony given that arguments over his fitness clouded his relationship with McCarthy. "At the time I didn't feel it was an issue because it was not like I was putting in bad performance after bad performance but with hindsight I probably should have got it off then," he said.

That is because part of him hankers after a return to the Stadium of Light. "Sunderland is in my heart and if the opportunity arose I would love to go back," he said. In the meantime, playing in the Championship with Doncaster would do. "That's where we all want to be." It is a sentiment shared by his manager, Dave Penney, although he would not be averse to the distraction of a cup semi-final and does not think it an impossible prospect.

"We surprised a lot of people with how well we played against Villa," he said. "Whoever Arsenal put out it will be a good side but coming here might be a bit of an eye opener for them.

"We like to get the ball down and pass it and hopefully Arsenal will be the kind of side to let us do so."

[zinedineontour]

the cheek of the lad to be giving out about mc carthy as well .. He was given every chance at sunderland and kept throwing it back in micks face.. The last straw was him and jeff whitley getting ****ed the night before the cardiff game in march ... Hopefully tubby will eventually grow up but doubt it ..

[Tenderloins]

I gather that theres a big spread in The Sun on him also. He must love the attention. Hopefully he'll get back on track and fulfill his potential.

[zinedineontour]

Have to be a big spread to fit the tubby fella in ..

[eirebhoy]

He seems to be having a busy game from reading the BBC text commentary. Anyone watching?

[Tenderloins]

Thornton played very well as did Heffernan. Thornton was unlucky to deflect the Arsenal shot into the net too.
The Doncaster lad McIndoe was class. They have a few nice footballers there, they could be playing in the Championship next season.
I think Doncaster have a local Sugardaddy that has enabled them sign the likes of Thornton and hold on to others.
No Irish in action for Arsenal.

[Cosmo]

Thornton played very well as did Heffernan.

Only saw the first half, but he was absolutely sh!te in the first 45 minutes :(

that left midfielder was very good though - wonder if hes irish!!!

[pete]

Hilarious Thornton so proud of giving up drink for 6 weeks. :D

Watching that game i couldn't help but feel that top 4-5 eL sides would match Doncaster no problem.

[sullanefc]

There was another article in the Star yesterday and after reading it I thought to myself that this guy is an idiot.

Firstly he criticises Mick McCarthy for not giving him a fair go at Sunderland saying that Mick was on to him the whole time about his fitness and he claimed he was as fit as anyone else in the team.

Then he says he gave up drinking when he went to Doncaster and has dropped a stone weight. Well why the **** didn't he do that at Sunderland, he might still be there. Silly boy!!

[livehead1]

Hilarious Thornton so proud of giving up drink for 6 weeks. :D

Watching that game i couldn't help but feel that top 4-5 eL sides would match Doncaster no problem.

well you would like to think so, they are 52nd in the pyramid of football in England at the moment. I think a measure of their ability is that they are two points of my local side, Nottingham Forest. Forest are an awful side. The top EL sides should surely be looking to be this good, if not better :confused:

[pete]

The top EL sides should surely be looking to be this good, if not better :confused:

You would think so BUT you can be sure Thornton will be mentioned alongside the International team before any eL player.

[tetsujin1979]

Hilarious Thornton so proud of giving up drink for 6 weeks. :D

Why not? Everyone starts somewhere, you think Richard Dunne wasn't the same when he passed six weeks without touching a drop?
Fair play to him I say, he recognised the problem before it was too late and is doing something about it.

[pete]

Why not? Everyone starts somewhere, you think Richard Dunne wasn't the same when he passed six weeks without touching a drop?
Fair play to him I say, he recognised the problem before it was too late and is doing something about it.

Hes a professional footballer so shouldn't be drinking so much that has to give it up. Also he shouldn't have said how long hes given it up.

[Plastic Paddy]

You would think so BUT you can be sure Thornton will be mentioned alongside the International team before any eL player.

Well, if they played in a proper league instead there would be no problem. Just ask Kevin Doyle... ;)

:ball: PP

[macdermesser]

Hes a professional footballer so shouldn't be drinking so much that has to give it up. Also he shouldn't have said how long hes given it up.

correct .. and I would go one further in saying that he should keep his mouth shut and stop talking to newspapers and let his football do the talking

[brine3]

That's great, Givens criticises Thornton for having a "big car" lifestyle and Sean notes that he doesn't even have his driver's license yet, so how could he have a big car.

Classic Givens.

[cheifo]

I think the issue here is whether he is saying he suffers from alcoholism or
he just likes going out out on the town.There is a difference.