“The biggest boosers going, and they seem to glory in it”

Saturday, October 28 – 1899
Scottish Sport is “informed on reliable authority that drink is the cause of the poor form shown by a prominent English club this season. The players have the reputation of being “the biggest boosers going, and they seem to glory in it.” Who can this mean?
(Sunderland Daily Echo, 28-10-1899)