He deserves punishment, you can't miss a training session whether it's for 10 minutes or an hour. He is a professional sportsman days away from taking part in a World Cup. This is obviously the reason he has been kicked out, not for the drinking (as others were obviously involved too) and in all honesty it seems harsh. I would have thought exclusion from the first couple of games and maybe a small fine would have been enough. Instead mass hysteria is created in the press after England release a p*ss poor press release citing no other reasons other than "serious breaches of discipline" leading to constant speculation and assumptions.

OT I know but I'm wondering if the self righteous on here will be as quick to condemn those six clubs that today walked out of the meeting to sort out the future of our sport.
Maybe those clubs that disrupted the meeting should have sanctions taken against them.!

no they showed up to it.

They turned up yes but with a pre arranged agenda.

Guess it comes down to blind faith in what my club says is right but everyone else is wrong.

Bit like players posting on Twitter if they post somthing objectionable and they play at my club it's a bit of fun but do it at another club and they should be banned

Hock should grow up and accept responsibility for his own actions.

He should apologise to the management and his team mates, he has disregarded the instructions.

We have 3 breaches here,

He defied a drinking ban

He failed to attend a medical

He failed to attend training.

I hope Salford have a clause in his contract regarding his behaviour.

I'm fairly certain I heard Gareth Hock,on the BBC,owning up to going out drinking,with others,missing a swim and a medical.
Is there anything else you know about that he should be owning up to ?
It wasn't drip feeding of information it was answering a question when asked;despite it appearing as though he was still in a state of shock.
Could you be so kind as to expand on the statement that Gareth Hock has sold his story ?
Your username seems to be incongruous with your patriotism,for England,which you posted on another thread.

People's response to this situation boils down to this...

1. Those that dislike him. Will always post to the negative.
2. Those that are fair & not prone to frothing at the mouth. Certainly in the minority.
3. Certain types of Wigan fans. Those that feel the need to quantify getting rid of him. Like it's some kind of vindication.
4. Those who dislike the Dr. For obvious reasons.
5. Certain Cas fans. Don't need to say any more on this one.

Hock made a mistake. He says he didn't deliberately miss anything. He admits to having a jar or two with other players. Does it warrant being kicked off the squad? No. Disciplined, yes. Do we need the strongest players in their respective positions to get even close to Aus and NZ? Yes. Is the England management cutting-off its nose to spite its face? Yes. Is Hock a gamble? Yes. Would the gamble be worth it? We'll never know.

The fact that the core of the squad did exactly the same thing as Hock except remember to switch on their alarms shows that all is not rosey in the England camp. I expect this WC will be standard fair for England. Even with Hock. There seems to be too much going on behind the scenes that keep the camp fractured. But that's a different argument.

find it hard to believe he didn't get paid for appearing on an interview. And at first it was a 10 minute swim then it was medical and more importantly it was the first time the team was meeting after a disaster of a game. the guy has history of being victimized or in his eyes anyway and that interview was no different, just shrugging off responsibility as always.

you should read up the population make up of Dubai might find out that one of the major nationalities here are british, or can you not feel patriotic towards you'r home country if your an expat?

1. actually like him/ doesn't change the fact he has been and Idiot.
2. Probably angry at how he has spoiled all the positivity around this world cup as an England fan.
3. spoke for him self didn't like wigan and wanted to leave and Lenegan had enough no need to quantify it.
4. I do think the Dr has a history of shouting with out thinking.
5. Actually not sure what the beef is with cas maybe rangi chase?

Do i think he missed training deliberately no, did he intentionally get drunk? yes. The strongest player in their position is playing sam burgess. England has set the boundaries hock stepped over them no cutting off the nose. hock hasn't really shown any form to warrant the place and i believe he thought the same (thats Mcnamara fault). Are the other players idiots for going out and getting drunk absolutely and its shocking graham was one of them as he senior player. from all the reports and pictures i don't believe the camp is fracture the same crap was being said at Wigan this season apparently it was lies.

Totally correct.
A poor manager will always choose the easiest target to attempt to impose himself.
We know about Hock,this episode tells us far more about McNamara and I fear there's more problems to arise from this quality of management.

I wonder if the manager might not make it through the WC.

Would be about right for RL in this country to get such good publicity in during the build up only for them to attract negative publicity during it.

dubairl posts more on here than half the Turkeygoers...

I understand your viewpoint.

However, I don't agree with most of it.

Shall we leave it there, or your poor fingers will wear out typing on multiple boards about the same subject...

It may happen in Dubai but I don't think people interviewed for a regional news broadcast here in Blighty receive any remuneration.
As I have relatives who were in Dubai from 1979 I don't need any reading up.It was mainly sand,then,it has now developed extensively and property has been purchased by Premiership soccer players and is a leading holiday destination for Brits.
Where are you getting your information that players were drunk ? There is a difference between going for a few drinks and a bite to eat and getting drunk.
No surprise that you as a Wigan supporter should namedrop Graham.I did read the rumours.I'm sure there isn't any bias against Gareth Hock.Or do you know something different ?
Does seem a bit irresponsible for people having imbibed alcohol to a state of drunkeness to go swimming a matter of hours later ?
Who was it who suggested Give A Dog A Bad Name...?

so then why act as if i can't be patriotic towards my country of birth? as you know is already a huge british expat population. but majority of the properties in Dubai are not owned by football players lol more like rich indians, russians and Lebanese.
They didn't mention that they went for a few drinks and a bite to eat it says 6 or 7 players where out drinking and any rugby player or even normal person knows what that means.
I mentioned Graham because he is supposed to be a leader of this England team as Hardaker and McIlorum as still newbies to the set up. There isn't he would still be in Camp if he reported for training and he didn't the others did. so which is it was it a couple of pints or out late on the p#ss so he couldn't go swimming? and i have no idea who said that.

Contradicting you'r self much? so i either post more on here or is it just a browse all the boards? and its not just hock what i have mentioned on he just seems to be the idiot everybody is talking about.

You missed point 6- his new clubs fans backing him because he's now at their club!

We'd have done the same when he was with us but he messed that up and had just missed out on a double. He missed out on a grand final win through his two year ban as well and he now misses a World Cup due to plain stupidity.

The lad isn't all there upstairs. Listen to the interview and that's clear as day. He keeps saying he's only don't the same as the other lads yet admits he missed a part of the planned session. That is why he's been thrown out and they haven't and that's as the bottom line.

I'd love nothing better then the guy to have a storming last few years of his career but it won't happen. I'm proud of any young players that come through the Wigan system and he's one of the most naturally gifted I've seen but he hasn't got the brain power to use the talent he's got. It's so frustrating because he's exceptional to watch when he does put it together.

I'm just wondering what job Mr K had that enabled his employer to fine him...I do however agree with him in that if it was just a drink and he was late a disciplinary would have been adequate.
Until full facts are released it's conjecture.

Wasn't one of your player advised on the last match of the season at the end of the game he wasn't being retained...hardly great management either.

If you believe that the action taken against Hock was fair and appropriate to the crime then ask yourself one question.
If it was Sam Tomkins or Sam Burgess would we even be having this conversation or would it all have been dealt with in camp.Think everyone knows the answer to that one.

No. To the first bit.

Not quite sure what you're on about with the second bit. I think you must be tired.

Butcher, generally I agree with your posts but I think you're wrong on this one - yes a number of players broke the rules around alcohol and presumable all involved will be disciplined, but only GH then missed the morning sessions - one of which was a medical!

Maybe it could have been handled better, but I think the England management have done the right thing, had they not acted like they did what message does that send out for what is acceptable behaviour.

What we are not doing,unlike Wigan followers and others,is insulting his intelligence and kicking him when he is down.
If the England camp is so lax that individuals can drink alcohol and then risk drowning by swimming shortly afterwards,it is best he is out of it.
I am now of the opinion it is the intention of Wigan followers to divert attention away from their club and it's perceived,by many rich rugby league club owners,toxic leader Ian Lenagan.
This is the individual who has caused the postponement of 2 meetings and as yet failed to deliver an alternative to whatever it is he is protesting about.
This is the individual who made statement about a player going out on loan to Widnes just to be vindictive.
This current,and past peccadilloes,involving Gareth Hock pales into total insignificance when contrasted to the behaviour of Andy Powell,who Lenagan signed after Gareth Hock left your club,he,of course,risked his own life and that of other road users by being drunk on a golf buggy on a motorway and also fought with,and lost,in a pub fight with QPR soccer supporters,in their manor,Shephards Bush London,to the amusement of the London-centric press and viewers of the well-known video sharing website.
Not satisfied with that,Lenagan,in his role as chairman at Oxford United,signed a goalkeeper on his release from prison,after he had crashed a motor vehicle into another resulting in the loss of 2 lives.
I really don't think any past or future action of Gareth Hock will be as bad as those outlined above.
The press has hinted that Lenagan isn't satisfied with the sponsorship organised by the RFL yet at Wigan,the shirt sponsorship by Applicado failed to last the 2013 campaign and they used the sponsorship company associated with Oxford United,Animalates,for the CC Final and beyond.
Hardly fills me with confidence.
If ever Gareth Hock brings the sport into disrepute,and with it bad publicity,to level that of Ian Lenagan,feel free to revisit and insult his intelligence.Better still,keep it for the VT.

I think Salford supporters feel the punishment for Gareth Hock has been disproportionate and singled him out based on previous disciplinary matters even though there is no evidence of him missing training or breaching whatever ruling was in place at a training camp in the past.

Ohhh dear, never have I read such a ridiculous statement.

Two completely different scenarios.

I can't agree, I'm afraid, apart from the assertion that the punishment is draconian. It's clear that he's broken the rules, and if the punishment is to be banished from the squad, then so be it. As I say, I think it's a bit draconian and has probably weakened the squad, but if that's the punishment then we should just accept it and move on.

I think it's a bit of a stretch to compare Gareth Hock's behaviour with that of Andy Powell, since Hock's record includes a two year ban for testing positive for cocaine, a ban for pushing a match official and one for gouging. On his day he is probably the best second row in Britain, but let's not pretend he doesn't come with strings attached. I think (and hope) that landing at Salford, where he will be under the wing of the most experienced coach in the northern hemisphere (and the Amazing Mozzer too), could be the making of him and he might turn into the player he always could and should have been.

The Ian Lenegan stuff stretches your analogy to breaking point. Lenegan has been complaining about the governance of the sport as a whole, and I find it hard to disagree with him.