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Lee Hughes - Parole Day?


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Guest sheridans_world
There is no other reason other than the fact that stupidly or not, unluckily or not, he got into a car whilst allegedly under the influence and caused the death of two people then ran off. The signing just doesn't sit easy with me.

 

Not that it makes it any better, but it was only one person that was killed in that accident.

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Hughes wasn't unlucky, he put himself in the position where he might lose control of his car. Just like Adams. When you lose control of a car, it can hit anything. Adams was lucky in that he hit a wall, he could just as well have hit a whole class full of schoolkids. Adams captained England, yet you want to ban Hughes from 3rd division football. The comparison is perfectly valid. Why the witch-hunt against Hughes and not Adams? Because one plays for Oldham?

 

 

My position is somewhere in the middle. Firstly i don't think he should be playing for us for two reasons:

 

A. he hasn't played football in 3 years in any way and whatever Anybody says he won't be match fit for a long long time. Therefore why are we contracting him straight away (can't see there would be much competition to sign him) take him on a short contract till 1st Jan on very low money just paying his expenses etc and then have option to take him on longer one after that. I have a feeling that a big risk has been taken here. Remember he hasn't played well for well over 6 yrs when he was first at WBA.

 

B. I disagree with comparison saying that Adams could have done the same - FACT - he didn't...and thats the point. its a mute point; I could have won the lottery last week and done this and that; but I didn't and I haven't.....Hughest DID - he killed someones father and ruined their life AND he then like a coward and THIS is the bit that most fans find unforgiveable; he ran away and tried to hide.....disgraceful

 

For what its worth I'd never have him in the club if I had a choice....NEVER.

 

Fact is; he wont' see light of day in first team if its selected on ability anyway!!

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B. I disagree with comparison saying that Adams could have done the same - FACT - he didn't...and thats the point. its a mute point; I could have won the lottery last week and done this and that; but I didn't and I haven't.....Hughest DID - he killed someones father and ruined their life

The correct analogy would be that you could have bought a ticket, not that you could have won the lottery, that is all you have agency over. Likewise Hughes and Adams either did or didn't drink drive and crash as a consequence. Running after the accident would equate with how you spent the money IF you had won.

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Oh good, it is discuss Lee Hughes time again!

 

For what it is worth I am in agreement with those that disagree with his signing.

 

There is no other reason other than the fact that stupidly or not, unluckily or not, he got into a car whilst allegedly under the influence and caused the death of two people then ran off. The signing just doesn't sit easy with me.

 

I will admit that I had thoughts about not getting a season ticket this year on the back of him signing for us, but the club are bigger than the individual and we will all hopefully be here a long time after Lee Hughes is but an after thought in the annals of OAFC history.

 

I think it is pointless having a go at those that find that this particular signing leaves a bad taste in the mouth purely as it is each individuals choice to make of it what they will.

 

I will support OAFC whilst he is playing for us, should he score I will cheer the goals that he scores for our club, but as an individual I just can't bring myself to support him as a player.

 

Again, for what it is worth. I think there is a world of difference between the Hughes and Adams situation. They both stupidly got into cars, one whilst under the influence, the other whilst allegedly so. The results are worlds apart though. No matter how lucky or unlucky you deem either individual to be, the facts speak for themselves.

 

Adams left a pile of bricks scattered over a street. Hughes didn't.

 

KtF,

 

Derek.

The usual sensible well balanced post from Mr. Wilson. I think all of us struggle with this signing from a moral standpoint but as Derek says no individual is bigger than OAFC and we must stick behind the club especially if/when Hughes breaks into the 1st team as I'm sure things could get pretty hostile from other clubs fans.

 

I will too cheer should he score, but something will always stick in my throat over this signing but the point is anyone pulling on the blue shirt should get our support. With Hughes it's not so much supporting the player, but more so the club. This season, with Hughes at the club, more than ever we need to keep the faith.

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The correct analogy would be that you could have bought a ticket, not that you could have won the lottery, that is all you have agency over. Likewise Hughes and Adams either did or didn't drink drive and crash as a consequence. Running after the accident would equate with how you spent the money IF you had won.

 

incorrect - the analogy was the Adams and Hughes both bought a ticket by drinking (like I bought a lottery ticket); Adams crashed into a wall and therefore got a get out of jail card (literally) whereas Hughes killed someones father and didn't......So far I have Some sympathy but only like 1% .....what reduces it to ZERO is the fact that he ran off and allowed what was a dying man (wasn't dead immediately) to die; for that there is no excuse and most ppl 'morally' , including myself, would not be able to forgive him for that

 

BY the way; as Moderator I challenge the site to do a Poll of members opinions on this signing because I dont' feel that I'm in minority I would guess over 50% of board would rather we hadn't have signed this person.

 

Further you didn't respond to my second point which is the guy hasn't played football in over 3 yrs and last played it to any sort of level over 6yrs ago; therefore even on footballing terms not the best decision!!

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The usual sensible well balanced post from Mr. Wilson. I think all of us struggle with this signing from a moral standpoint but as Derek says no individual is bigger than OAFC and we must stick behind the club especially if/when Hughes breaks into the 1st team as I'm sure things could get pretty hostile from other clubs fans.

 

I will too cheer should he score, but something will always stick in my throat over this signing but the point is anyone pulling on the blue shirt should get our support. With Hughes it's not so much supporting the player, but more so the club. This season, with Hughes at the club, more than ever we need to keep the faith.

 

 

Think out of all the posts I agree with Derek's the most.

 

It's been quite a while since we found out and I've changed my mind a few times over what I think about it. It doesn't sit comfortably with me. I do agree that he should be able to play football again. It is his profession after all. He's more than entitled to and as Shez said on Sky Sports he's just looking at him from a football point of view. I don't buy this he should be given a second chance. It's not really a second chance is it. Football is what he does.

 

It's more the running off afterwards. Yes, he made the mistake of doing something he shouldn't by having a drink before he drove his car but it's the running off bit that gets me most. If he'd stuck around he wouldn't be out now.

 

BY the way; as Moderator I challenge the site to do a Poll of members opinions on this signing because I dont' feel that I'm in minority I would guess over 50% of board would rather we hadn't have signed this person.

 

It's been done.

Edited by RoytonBlueLad
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incorrect - the analogy was the Adams and Hughes both bought a ticket by drinking (like I bought a lottery ticket); Adams crashed into a wall and therefore got a get out of jail card (literally) whereas Hughes killed someones father and didn't......So far I have Some sympathy but only like 1% .....what reduces it to ZERO is the fact that he ran off and allowed what was a dying man (wasn't dead immediately) to die; for that there is no excuse and most ppl 'morally' , including myself, would not be able to forgive him for that

 

BY the way; as Moderator I challenge the site to do a Poll of members opinions on this signing because I dont' feel that I'm in minority I would guess over 50% of board would rather we hadn't have signed this person.

 

Further you didn't respond to my second point which is the guy hasn't played football in over 3 yrs and last played it to any sort of level over 6yrs ago; therefore even on footballing terms not the best decision!!

 

Don't you think it's good that the club are helping to rehabilitate a convicted criminal, irrespective of whether he plays for us?

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incorrect - the analogy was the Adams and Hughes both bought a ticket by drinking (like I bought a lottery ticket); Adams crashed into a wall and therefore got a get out of jail card (literally) whereas Hughes killed someones father and didn't......So far I have Some sympathy but only like 1% .....what reduces it to ZERO is the fact that he ran off and allowed what was a dying man (wasn't dead immediately) to die; for that there is no excuse and most ppl 'morally' , including myself, would not be able to forgive him for that

 

BY the way; as Moderator I challenge the site to do a Poll of members opinions on this signing because I dont' feel that I'm in minority I would guess over 50% of board would rather we hadn't have signed this person.

 

Further you didn't respond to my second point which is the guy hasn't played football in over 3 yrs and last played it to any sort of level over 6yrs ago; therefore even on footballing terms not the best decision!!

As a member you are perfectly entitled to put a poll up, it doesn't have to be a Mod. Reply and click on the bit above the text section. I think there was one when the news first broke, IIRC it was cautiously in favour. Re the analogy, I am convinced that there is no moral difference between what Hughes and Adams did up until the point where Hughes did a runner, whereas you seemed to imply that there was and it was then increased by his runner. Adams did nothing morally to earn his get out of jail card, he won the lottery. I do agree that leaving the scene was a disgraceful thing to do, and I have no doubt that it was reflected in the length of sentence. Most people who cause death by criminal negligence don't get sentenced to 6 years.

 

As for how Hughes will do as a player, who knows? I refuse to discount the three years of his career prior to going down as you seem to, he was playing better then than many the forward we've seen at BP in recent years. If he is fully focused and determined I think he will be able to get back to a good level, if not not. I've said before I'd be suprised to see him as first choice this side of Christmas, and with Ricketts signing and Davies looking very useful maybe he never will be. It's a gamble, like Ricketts and Davies were.

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Further you didn't respond to my second point which is the guy hasn't played football in over 3 yrs and last played it to any sort of level over 6yrs ago; therefore even on footballing terms not the best decision!!

 

I'll just post this again......>>Staffs league stats<< Go down to Division 1. This was last season. Yes, it's not the same level, but he's been playing.

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Don't you think it's good that the club are helping to rehabilitate a convicted criminal, irrespective of whether he plays for us?

Yes.

 

For job-related reasons, I'm not going to go into huge amounts of detail.

 

He deserves a chance to return to something approximating a life. He deserves that chance, as would anyone else. I'm not making excuses for what he did - it was wrong. But he obviously was not a well man - for whatever reason. Alcoholism / drug abuse usually stems from some underlying mental health problem, and likely contributed to his actions leading to the accident, and his actions afterwards.

 

I have no problem with him being a Latics player and will support him fully while he's with us, as I would with any other player.

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The fact is that the guy committed a horrendous crime and has served his time.

 

If I'm being completely honest, I wish that we hadn't signd him because it was always going to lead to the club I love being dragged through the mud, but we have and now it is time to do what we always should do... support the team.

 

If Hughes is in that team, he gets my support. It doesn't mean that I in any way condone what he has done.

 

Let's just wait and see just who Lee Hughes is because we simply don't know. He may come out and be a complease @rse, or he may just have learnt his lesson and be the model pro from here on in. The news that he has converted to Islam was met with the expected outcry when all this was announced a month or two back but this could be part of his personal rehabilitation. It should, if nothing else, mean he lays off the booze.

 

I really hope that he repays the faith that the club have placed in him and if he does, the decision will prove a good one. If he doesn't, we get rid and wait for more abuse.

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Since the (possible) signing of Lee Hughes was 1st mentioned I have said very little and kept my own counsel. The last 24 hours have brought nothing more than I expected.

 

For 13 years I practiced law and got to understand why and how judges assess the length of sentence handed down on conviction. The judges for the most part are applying directives handed down "from above." e.g. Murder is an automatic life sentence, yet judges then get a discretion to say that the convicted will serve a minimum of ??? years. (its just an example - not meant to be extreme.) :D

 

We quite often (some more often than not) disagree with the level of sentence handed down, but in the end we (reluctantly) accept the given sentence. If the convicted shows remorse and displays good behaviour they may become eligible for parole. At that point and for parole to be effective, the system needs to be able to provide a situation where that person can be re-intergated back into the community. They will need for example housing/family/employment and be able to be assessed whilst on parole. The system is there for all not just convicted high profile "celebrities."

 

Prior to my involvement in law I would probably have had a greater problem with this signing.

 

I also think that both sides on this argument need to take a step back and consider the following: -

 

1) Lee Hughes was drink driving when he was involved in an accident that resulted in both death and serious injury - fact

2) Lee Hughes compounded his guilt be attempting to avoid arrest and going into hiding before handing himself in - fact

3) Lee Hughes was correctly convicted of the offences and sentenced by the judge in accordance with the directives handed down to him - fact

4) Lee Hughes has served his sentence in accordance with the rules and regulations set and as such has become available for parole - fact

5) Lee Hughes will have to adhere to the terms of his parole or will be returned to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence for breach of those terms - fact

6) Since his release Lee Hughes has not (as far as we are aware) yet committed any other offence - fact :grin:

 

 

Lee Hughes has signed for Oldham Athletic as a profesional footballer and will have to prove to us all (both for and against his signing) that he is a reformed person, has remorse for his previous actions and respects the opportunity he has been given to resurrect his family and professional life. He has a lot of proving to do. We can all have our moral stand point on what he has done, but we all live in a country that says you live by the laws of the land and as such, Lee Hughes is entitled as the next person to be treated equally on those rules once he has paid the price for his misdemeanour.

 

I have a lot of time for both points of view, but for me, the past is the past, I have respect (although I dont always agree with various sentences) for the legal system we have and believe that it is the best on offer. I also believe that be it Jo Bloggs from Lands end or Billy big :censored: premiership superstar we should all be treated equally.

 

Lee Hughes has got a very tough 12 months in front of him. It wil be hard enough convincing his own fans that he deserves this chance let alone opposition fans and the media at large.

 

I personally think that we should not prejudge him on what he will or will not do following his release. The ball is now in his court to show us that he deserves our applause when he crosses the white line, when he does something entertaining on the pitch and when he scores a goal for the super blues, but most of all it is down to Lee Hughes to earn our respect (in some cases against the odds) by his behaviour and attitude away from the pitch and his involvement in the various activities/initiatives he is likely to be involved with.

 

I hope this helps and ask that you please all take a step backfrom your own viewpoint and let Lee's actions in the coming months make your mind up for you.

 

Cheers

 

Harry

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As a member you are perfectly entitled to put a poll up, it doesn't have to be a Mod. Reply and click on the bit above the text section. I think there was one when the news first broke, IIRC it was cautiously in favour. Re the analogy, I am convinced that there is no moral difference between what Hughes and Adams did up until the point where Hughes did a runner, whereas you seemed to imply that there was and it was then increased by his runner. Adams did nothing morally to earn his get out of jail card, he won the lottery. I do agree that leaving the scene was a disgraceful thing to do, and I have no doubt that it was reflected in the length of sentence. Most people who cause death by criminal negligence don't get sentenced to 6 years.

 

As for how Hughes will do as a player, who knows? I refuse to discount the three years of his career prior to going down as you seem to, he was playing better then than many the forward we've seen at BP in recent years. If he is fully focused and determined I think he will be able to get back to a good level, if not not. I've said before I'd be suprised to see him as first choice this side of Christmas, and with Ricketts signing and Davies looking very useful maybe he never will be. It's a gamble, like Ricketts and Davies were.

 

its seems most of us agree on most things about the Hughest situation and I respect your position.

 

I support Oldham Athletic not Man U or Bury or any other club; therefore my bias opinion is what is right and wrong for the Latics - if I was the owner of Latics - if only - I would never condone the signing of this guy; regardless of the fact that he has served half his sentence as layed down. I just think that somethings in life you can't forgive regardless of whether you've served your legal sentence. Where do we draw the line; if a child molester had played football and was just let out would be sign him? 100% no way. This guy has terminated the life of two ppl and ruined that lives of the family of the victims and he didn't have the nerve to stand up and take the heat; he tried to run away and avoid it. It wasn't even that he ran away and then came to his senses when he sobered up...he still didn't present himself to the police - just Bang out of order and because I'm thinking about this more which I now urge all fans to do; I'm becoming more and more disturbed by the whole idea of having this guy wearing the colours of the club I love.

 

Forget the fact that his football is unlikely to be up to it - it just doesn't sit right. What does everyone else think? should we be more proactive to the club in our dissatisfaction about this decision???

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Forgiveness doesnt come in to it, he doesn't need anyones forgiveness to allow him to go on with his life

Hi Gemma,

 

I agree with you he shouldn't want my forgiveness; he should lead his own life. I was making a very subject comment about my own opinions; not that I felt he should be waiting for my approval.

 

Sometimes you think with your head and sometimes more emotionally. In my head there's not problem; he's served his sentence. But, I keep rightly or wrongly going back to the position of what if it had been my father that he'd killed and left on road to die? how would I feel then. I know thats probably not right way to look at it but difficult to avoid.

 

Emotionally I don't feel right him playing for Latics and its as simple as that. But I respect other ppls views; they just aren't mine!!

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It wasn't even that he ran away and then came to his senses when he sobered up...he still didn't present himself to the police

 

The running off thing gets me the most but he did hand himself in the day after.

 

This guy has terminated the life of two ppl

 

One.

 

The second died of natural causes over a year after. Think at the time it was reported that it was a broken heart that had led to her death which I suppose Hughes was a cause of but he didn't "terminate" her life.

 

As I've said, I'm a little uncomfortable with the signing but we must not add little bits here and there. Keep things factual.

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Hi Gemma,

 

I agree with you he shouldn't want my forgiveness; he should lead his own life. I was making a very subject comment about my own opinions; not that I felt he should be waiting for my approval.

 

Sometimes you think with your head and sometimes more emotionally. In my head there's not problem; he's served his sentence. But, I keep rightly or wrongly going back to the position of what if it had been my father that he'd killed and left on road to die? how would I feel then. I know thats probably not right way to look at it but difficult to avoid.

 

Emotionally I don't feel right him playing for Latics and its as simple as that. But I respect other ppls views; they just aren't mine!!

 

I understand ur opinion and of course everyone is entitled to their views and i know a lot of oldham fans who don't want Hughes to play for us. One of whom is refusing to attend any games whilst Hughes is here even though he himself has a criminal record and often moans to me about him not being given the chance at a decent job!!!

 

My fiance's father was killed by a hit and run driver, he was eventually found and served a short time in prision. He wasn'tdrunk or anything, he just paniced and drove off. The guy has now rebuilt his life and i understand he has since gone on to have a family, good job etc. He has seen him quite a few times - they both sit quite near each other in the same stand at Everton - and the first few times he saw him he was outraged that he was there just leading his life as if nothing has happened. Anyway after reading about Hughes being released all day whilst i was work today i asked him when i got home what he thought about it, he didnt really think he should be stopped from playing and will still come to the odd game when Everton aren't playing even if Hughes is playing for us but he understands how the victims and their families will feel and how they will want Hughes to rot in prision. Should Hughes have served longer than 3 years? of course he should but given the opportunity of parole no-one is going to say no are they

I hope Hughes signing doesn't stop too many Oldham fans coming to games but i'm sure should he score for us that some will feel uneasy celebrating the goal. But were not here to judge him, he's served his time and i hope is a changed man. Once he's settled the club should have him doing a lot of charity work in the local community, making sure he keeps his head down and gets on with living a quiet life

 

Anyway i'll make that my last post on the matter now i think ive said enough on the topic and i'm off to my manutd supporting cousins house to see what her views on the game yesterday are :grin:

Edited by Gemma06
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Guest sheridans_world
1) Lee Hughes was drink driving when he was involved in an accident that resulted in both death and serious injury - fact

 

 

NEVER PROVEN.

 

Sadly, it is probably what made him get away with a lesser sentence...

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I agree with BB80's comment about Peados, I raised this point when he signed, where do you draw the line;

 

Hard drug taker?

Convicted rapist?

Child porn viewer?

 

Would you take any of the above if they were former Premiership goalscorers and had served what the parole board (tbf, Hughes hasn't served nearly enough) deem fit? How far will you go to see your club do well?

Edited by Senor_Coconut
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Guest sheridans_world
I agree with BB80's comment about Peados, I raised this point when he signed, where do you draw the line;

 

Hard drug taker?

Convicted rapist?

Child porn viewer?

 

Would you take any of the above if they were former Premiership goalscorers and had served what the parole board (tbf, Hughes hasn't served nearly enough) deem fit? How far will you go to see your club do well?

 

BUT HE ISNT A :censored: ING HARD DRUG TAKER OR A CONVICTED RAPIST OR A CHILD PORN VIEWER.

 

:censored: ING HELL.

Edited by sheridans_world
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I agree with BB80's comment about Peados, I raised this point when he signed, where do you draw the line;

 

Hard drug taker?

Convicted rapist?

Child porn viewer?

 

Would you take any of the above if they were former Premiership goalscorers and had served what the parole board (tbf, Hughes hasn't served nearly enough) deem fit? How far will you go to see your club do well?

 

 

Where do you draw the line Coco?

 

Council Tax avoider?

Cheque Fraudster?

Someone who helped an elderly, pained and dying relative to commit suicide?

 

Unless you are a judge, none of us can make that call which is why we have a justice system in place. The System may be flawed and I totally agree that he should still be serving time but the fact is that he is now free to take his place in Society again. He's been released and is deemed fit to continue a profession where he will be no danger to his employers; colleagues or anyone else associated with the football club.

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