TO RALLY ROUND BETS STAR

Thistle boss Archie accepts Lawless ban but says star needs help if he’s an addict

THE problem with putting your sporting heroes on a pedestal comes when one of them falls off.

Much has been written and said about Steven Lawless in the seven days since he was charged by the SFA with betting on 513 matches but none of it has contained an ounce of human compassion or a recognition that deeper problems may lie at the root of his crime.

Maybe it’s because pro sportsmen live a life perceived to be privileged and outwith the mundane realms of a “real job” the natural tendency is to judge their mistakes rather than scratch the surface in search of an underlying problem.

The way Alan Archibald sees it had his player been a train driver or wee Stevie from accounts rather than Steven the attacking midfielder his issues would be treated with more understanding.

It’s not that the Partick Thistle boss disagrees with the two-game ban, plus an additional four matches suspended on condition of keeping his nose clean, dealt to his player by the SFA disciplinary panel yesterday.

The 24-year-old broke the rules and must suffer consequences.

But where the governing body and wider Scottish football community as a whole falls short is in the desire to match the punishment with rehabilition.

The lack of empathy for a gguyy who must have squandered a huge amount of his hard earned cash at the bookies over a three-year period troubles Archibald.

So as he prepares to sit down with Lawless to ascertain the full extent of f his issues and offer his s unwavering support to help p him battle his demons he e wants more people to show w a little bit more humanity and lend their support too.

Archibald said: “I think a different picture is painted of footballers but they are vulnerable like anyone else.

“It doesn’t matter what you do – be it work in an office or as a train driver – you can get sucked into gambling. It looks like Stevie has put a lot of bets on but we will sit down with him and deal with it internally and we want to help him.

“A lot has been made about him, with people saying, ‘He’s a stupid this and a stupid that’.

“Yes, he broke the rules and will be dealt with but there could be a problem there. I think that gets quickly brushed over.

“I don’t think you make that many bets without there maybe being a problem.

“We will give Steven all the help he needs if he has a problem. We will back him to the hilt.”

As well as being astute enough to recognise his player may need support he is realistic enough to

know it’s more than likely Lawless is far from the only one. Having spent most of his adult life in dressing rooms across the country, Archibald is familiar with a gambling culture that was as commonplace at every club as tins of Ralgex.

That doesn’t get stamped out the moment the authorities introduce a ban on players betting on any pro football game in the world.

So as diligent as the SFA are becoming in clamping down on players who gamble on games he’d like to see them become equally proactive in offering positive support for the offenders they catch.

He added: “I think people should be helping the players, not just giving them a ban. They broke the rules and they were silly but the next step should be trying to help the players.

“I have seen a lot of stories saying he is a numpty but why don’t they look to see if he has a problem first? And I think there might be problems with other players too.

“The rules are don’t bet but if the rules are don’t drink and you are an alcoholic you are still going to drink.”

The irony of the gambling issue rearing its head a week after the SPFL announced a four-year sponsorship deal with Ladbrokes isn’t lost on Archibald. But as much as that seems at odds with the strict no-gambling policy imposed on players the harsh realities of today’s financial climate means they can’t afford to adopt the same principle when it comes to commercial deals.

Archie added: “It’s more money to my budget so I can’t complain about that deal. It is massive and these companies are the ones with the money to do it. “We need to try to educate the players about gambling and help if there is a problem. In my day you went for your pre-match meal then all of the boys put a coupon on.

“You can’t do it now. It’s a rule and you can’t cross the line.”

ALAN ARCHIBALD

EUAN McLEAN