Ivan Toney

Reminds me of when we signed Paul Merson. It was well advertised that he had drinking and gambling problems. So no surprise that Robbo bought him a pint of lager then bet him a fiver that he wouldn’t drink it!!
 
The real problem is his club ( if they decide to) can only fine him a maximum of 4 weeks wages, which is only what the PFA allows. They should be able to find him the entirety of the ban , then that is a real restraint on maybe doing this type of betting. At the moment hes basically on gardening leave on full pay wondering what to do with his time, I would end up gambling in that situation.
They could always sack him couldnt they, but they wont, because he's worth more as a commodity than it is to take the moral high ground.

I have a little sympathy if he is addicted, but then there's always the view that its 'convenient' to take this position, given the mitigation it will create.
 
I was half listening to this on sky sports this morning.

From what they were saying - I don’t believe he was betting on his team to lose when he was involved in the game. Therefore he wasn’t “match fixing”.
 
Think the key information is as follows:

  • 126 bets were in matches in a competition in which Toney's club had participated in or were eligible to participate in that season.

  • Of those 126 bets, 29 bets involved clubs Toney was registered with or on loan with at the time.

  • 16 of those 29 bets were on Toney's team to win 15 different matches - and Toney played in 11 of these games and was an unused substitute in another.

  • 13 bets of the 29 bets were on Toney's own team to lose in seven different matches between August 22, 2017 and March 3, 2018 - but Toney did not play in any of those matches

  • 11 of the 13 bets were against Newcastle while Toney was on loan at another club.

  • The other two bets related to a game between Wigan vs Aston Villa while Toney was on loan at Wigan but he was not part of the squad.
 
Last edited:
It might be an 8 month ban but it’s effectively longer than that with the ban on training. When he comes back he won’t have had any pre season so will need to time to get up to speed. He is effectively out for the whole of next season.
Depends doesn't it? He won't be match fit, but there's nothing stopping him training on his own in his own time presumably.

So if he's professional enough about it and maybe pays for a private personal trainer etc he could be in pretty good shape come the end of the ban. 2 or 3 matches for the under 23s and he'd be good to go.
 
Depends doesn't it? He won't be match fit, but there's nothing stopping him training on his own in his own time presumably.

So if he's professional enough about it and maybe pays for a private personal trainer etc he could be in pretty good shape come the end of the ban. 2 or 3 matches for the under 23s and he'd be good to go.
I believe the ban on training with the club does not run for the whole of the ban. I think he can train 2 months before the end of ban
 
Think the key information is as follows:

  • 126 bets were in matches in a competition in which Toney's club had participated in or were eligible to participate in that season.

  • Of those 126 bets, 29 bets involved clubs Toney was registered with or on loan with at the time.

  • 16 of those 29 bets were on Toney's team to win 15 different matches - and Toney played in 11 of these games and was an unused substitute in another.

  • 13 bets of the 29 bets were on Toney's own team to lose in seven different matches between August 22, 2017 and March 3, 2018 - but Toney did not play in any of those matches

  • 11 of the 13 bets were against Newcastle while Toney was on loan at another club.

  • The other two bets related to a game between Wigan vs Aston Villa while Toney was on loan at Wigan but he was not part of the squad.
Thank you for providing factual information rather than the sound of baying wolves.

This was no where near match fixing and looks very much that he was addicted to gambling.

He deserves a ban both for his own behaviour and as a warning to others.

It's well known that young wealthy footballers with too much time on their hands can get lured into gambling. He deserves a ban from playing but I don't believe he should be banned from going to the club and training.
 
I was half listening to this on sky sports this morning.

From what they were saying - I don’t believe he was betting on his team to lose when he was involved in the game. Therefore he wasn’t “match fixing”.
You can’t draw that conclusion I’m afraid.

He may have influenced others in the team, may even have paid them. Not saying it happened but we don’t know it didn’t happen.
 
You can’t draw that conclusion I’m afraid.

He may have influenced others in the team, may even have paid them. Not saying it happened but we don’t know it didn’t happen.
Especially with this alleged second phone lurking in the background.

The whole thing is absolutely rotten and casts a terrible shadow over the game.

Ban should have been at least 5 years i think(effectively ending his career at the top level) the ban needs to put others off doing the same thing. This ban does not do that.
 
It might be an 8 month ban but it’s effectively longer than that with the ban on training. When he comes back he won’t have had any pre season so will need to time to get up to speed. He is effectively out for the whole of next season.

Now the details are out I can honestly see Brentford cutting their loses and sacking him…. Let’s face it would you want someone like him int he dressing room? I know I wouldn’t
He can train from September, he’s banned from all activity for 4 months
 
You can’t draw that conclusion I’m afraid.

He may have influenced others in the team, may even have paid them. Not saying it happened but we don’t know it didn’t happen.
So now we are going to 'prosecute' people on the basis that they may have done something wrong because they can't prove a negative.

Imagine yourself being done for speeding because you can't show you didn't go over 70mph on the motorway.
 
You can’t draw that conclusion I’m afraid.

He may have influenced others in the team, may even have paid them. Not saying it happened but we don’t know it didn’t happen.
I certainly can draw that conclusion. In fact I already have.

The evidence which has been made public does not in anyway suggest he was involved in match fixing. If evidence to the contrary is released then of course my opinion may change.

Toney was likely earning a similar amount to his colleagues. Therefore it’s unlikely he would have had enough money to ‘buy’ his colleagues.

If you’re playing in league one / championship there is far more money to be made / lost than what could be earned on bets. A few bad games (deliberately missed chances / penalty kicks conceded etc) could be the difference in you not having your contract renewed / not getting your next big money deal etc.

In my opinion it’s far far more likely that he was simply using his inside knowledge of the game (‘x’ is injured, ‘y’ has a knock, ‘z’ is out of form / going though a divorce / isn’t getting enough sleep due to his baby / we have been crap in training / there was a big bust up between players / players and staff etc etc) to try and beat the bookies.
 
Last edited:
The fact he admits he still gambles on other things says a lot. I don't think he's realised how bad he has it yet. He will be back betting on football before long and then will lose his whole career.
 
Thank you for providing factual information rather than the sound of baying wolves.

This was no where near match fixing and looks very much that he was addicted to gambling.
It was something like 6 bets a season on teams he played for. Hardly the signs of someone unable to control their gambling.
 
It was something like 6 bets a season on teams he played for. Hardly the signs of someone unable to control their gambling.
I don't follow your point.

To assess an addiction you surely have to identify a compulsive need to bet and the volume of bets not the fact that a miniscule number of bets were on teams he played for.
 
Back
Top