Richie Foran story unfolds.....

From the always excellent onefootball.com: Foran made the front page too!!!

http://www.onefootball.com/index.pht...y&newsid=84691

Disgraced Foran dismissed from Irish squad Tuesday 5th June 2001

The international career of Shelbourne star Richie Foran is over at the age of 20 and after just two U-21 caps. The striker was booted out of the Republic of Ireland camp for breaking a curfew while on U-21 duty.

And Foran's late arrival back at the team hotel in Dublin has also cost him a dream move to the UK after Aberdeen pulled out of a £150,000 deal for the player.

Foran must now return to Shelbourne and build bridges with the fans, coaching staff and officials who have backed him through a turbulent season which has seen the hot-headed Dubliner make headlines by getting sent off five times, earn another red card in a Gaelic football match he played without the club's knowledge, and walk out of a trial with Middlesbrough without telling the club.

But for Foran, his international days are over, and U-21 manager Don Givens was livid with the player's latest breach of the rules.

"Richie broke the curfew, not just by 20 minutes but I didn't see him until 12.30 the next day. He missed breakfast and training the next day.

"Richie has a lot of talent but that baggage that comes with him is hard to take and in this instance it was too much for me. He didn't just fail to abide by the rules, he took the p***.

"The 11.30pm deadline was for the boys to go home and see their families or go to the cinema, no alcohol was allowed. I've shown a lot of patience with Richie. He also has a bad disciplinary record on the pitch and been someone who lives on the limit," Givens told the Irish Sun.

"I hope the penny has finally dropped with Richie that he let everyone down on Saturday night. I will never select him again and Mick McCarthy, who has given me full authority, agrees.

"He has badly abused the respect and trust I have shown him. I had his club [Shelbourne] screaming and shouting with me over this.

"There's a guy who runs the club who has been on the phone to the FAI screaming and shouting. I'm not in the business of ruining young players' careers. Richie's doing a good enough job on his own," added Givens, who was already unhappy with Foran because he ignored his manager's instruction not to get "stuck in" after he came on as a sub for the U-21 side against Portugal on Friday night - and Foran did the exact opposite.

"Richie's behaviour left me with no alternative but to send him back to his club after breaching our disciplinary code of conduct. He won't play for me with the U-21s again," Givens added in the Irish Independent.

"It's sad when you place trust in a player, treat them as an adult, and they let you down as badly as Richie has done.

"We don't run an overly strict regime with the U-21s but there were rules laid down on Saturday night in relation to an alcohol ban and to players being in the hotel by 11.30.

"I don't know whether Richie was drinking as I didn't see him until 12.30 the next day but he wasn't in the hotel at the time he should have been and he didn't turn up for training on Sunday morning.

"We've travelled out for a competitive international with 17 players, instead of 18, which isn't ideal, but we'll get by. For Richie, the long-term consequences are considerably more serious.

"Richie has ability, of that there is no doubt but that's balanced out by a chunk of baggage he could do without. I honestly don't know if Richie can change," he added

Woman led me astray, says axed star Tuesday 5th June 2001

Woman trouble could have caused a premature end to the professional career of Irish soccer's brightest star.

Shelbourne striker Richie Foran was looking forward to the biggest week of his life, as he hoped to win his third U-21 cap for the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday against Estonia and also complete his dream move to the UK with a £150,000 deal with Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen once personal terms were settled.

But Foran's whole future in now in doubt after he was kicked out of the Irish squad - permanently - by manager Don Givens for breaking curfew, and Aberdeen pulled out of their deal for the player when they heard about his latest indiscretion.

Foran (20) on Tuesday apologised as he tried to come to terms with his action - and blamed woman trouble.

"I didn't run amok, I wasn't on the gargle, I didn't do anything crazy, it was woman trouble which made me get back late. I know that's not an excuse, but I wasn't out drinking or anything like that," Foran told the Irish Sun.

"I feel gutted. This is all my own fault. The curfew was 11.30 on Saturday night but I got back at 2.30am. I am disgusted with myself. The curfew was there are everyone obeyed it but me. It looks as though I am going to have to learn the hard way again.

"Maybe I have blown my chance. Don has told me that he doesn't want to be telling me in 10 years' time that I could have been this or that, and I appreciate that.

"I apologised to Don but I accept that he had no choice but to exclude me from the squad, it was the right thing to do. I have no one to blame but myself. But I don't think Aberdeen were right to pull out of the move because I was three hours late.

"I might have been sent off five times this season, but only two were deserved as they were for elbowing people. One was for handball, one was for taking my jersey off after I had scored and the other for a 50-50 challenge.

"I have been built up to be a bit mad in the head, but I'm not that bad. I know I have to cop on, though. I do bring trouble to myself. I have to get my head down next season and work hard.

"I just want to score goals and not get sent off. I might have already blown my one and only chance, but if I score regularly and sort out my discipline, then maybe I can get noticed again.

"I just have to concentrate on doing well with Shels, starting with the UEFA Cup in August. I made my name in Europe last season and maybe I can get noticed again.

"I hope someone takes a chance on me. I know if I go over to England or Scotland I can break into someone's first team. Having spent time training over there with different clubs, I know that I am good enough.

If someone gives me an opportunity I will be determined to prove I'm not the lunatic that everyone thinks I am.

"If Aberdeen had taken a chance on me I know I would have repaid them. I know I'm good enough."