Gazza

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

Heartbreaking to see the picture of him today. Just makes you sad to see such a genius reduced to this. Where are all those supposed friends of his now?

 

[Southdownswolf]

He's been reduced to that all his career and beyond. People tried to help him, but he continually fell off the wagon.

 

[clivewolves]

I believe that photo is from nearly a decade ago.

 

[WolfLing]

I believe that photo is from nearly a decade ago.

Yeah, a photo from a recent interview has him looking relatively healthy compared to that picture.

 

[WickedWolfie]

Heartbreaking to see the picture of him today. Just makes you sad to see such a genius reduced to this. Where are all those supposed friends of his now?

View attachment 41002

Sad but he's got to want to help himself and make permanent changes first. Lots of people have tried to help him over the years.

 

[Flump]

Actually from 2014

Here's an article from yesterday, living in his agent's spare room, and "a sad drunk".

 

[Ned]

The documentary on him is fantastic. If what had happened regarding his best friend’s brother dying he would have had the help he needed to not be so scarred for life.

I’d imagine it’s tough knowing that you could have gone down as an all time great but injuries and poor choices at key times stopped it.

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

My mistake, I posted the wrong photograph.

 

[WolfLing]

I’d imagine it’s tough knowing that you could have gone down as an all time great but injuries and poor choices at key times stopped it.

Even some of his injuries were as a result of his illnesses/personality to a degree.

For example his injury in the cup final against Forest was completely down to how hyper he was going into the game.

 

[Shergar]

Met him in the laundry room at Turf Moor before our game against Burnley he was having a crafty smoke and a cup of sugar with a drop of tea in it, he was a bag of nervous energy and not in a good place back then. He didn’t play well at all, at halftime he was subbed off and we were 3-0 up. My ex-pro mate still says that even at the end of his career he was by far the most skillful player he had trained and played with but the circus and paps that followed him was too much for anybody.

 

[brianm]

Actually from 2014

Here's an article from yesterday, living in his agent's spare room, and "a sad drunk".

Tough case there. I feel for him....had problems with drink myself for awhile. Don't drink at home anymore and almost never while out either. Lost my taste for it after a long spell totally sober. My last hangover was ages ago, thank goodness.

Hope he finds some measure of peace here before he goes. Tortured soul.

 

[Flump]

Tough case there. I feel for him....had problems with drink myself for awhile. Don't drink at home anymore and almost never while out either. Lost my taste for it after a long spell totally sober. My last hangover was ages ago, thank goodness.

Hope he finds some measure of peace here before he goes. Tortured soul.

Well done, and glad to hear it.

There's a real spectrum covered by alcoholism isn't there - I think a lot of people at various points have realised they were gradually drinking a bit too much without thinking and should cut down.

Then there's people like Gazza, who clearly has no ability at all to stop, and has ruined so much of his life through it.

 

[WolfLing]

I remember going to Aggborough to watch him play for our reserves in the hope we would sign him.

Quite few people turned up, but sadly he was a shadow of the great player he once was.

 

[Bostin]

Bunked off school and went to the Wolves training ground to meet him once.

Got home later that day and saw myself on Sky Sports News! Hadn't realised there were cameras there. Got away with it though

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Actually from 2014

Here's an article from yesterday, living in his agent's spare room, and "a sad drunk".

It's unfortunate that his best avenue for an income is on the dinner and events circuit...

Talking to predominantly similarity aged males out drinking with their friends...

Not the best environment for anyone for whom alcohol is a problem.

 

[crocos]

Despite things, I have a lot of time & sympathy for Gazza, I must say.

It's all very well conceptualising various things as "self-inflicted", as some folk are wont to do; his apparent lack of self-control, self-regulation etc, however, is - IMO at any rate - the nature of the beast and why it's well into the "illness" / "sickness" categorisation for him [as opposed to more attitude / nastiness etc].

I sometimes wonder how he & his life would have been and would be now if he was just an average Jo without that astonishing talent he had and all the baggage that came with it. You'd imagine probably in a better place.

 

[YouGottaRaulWithIt]

Stayed at the Marriott Waltham Abbey once on business. Spurs used it a lot at the time. The taxi driver told me he regularly brought him back drunk. He had one of his shoes in the front to give him back next time he saw him. Wonderful talent but had a self destruct button. Very sad.

 

[Frank Lincoln]

Tough case there. I feel for him....had problems with drink myself for awhile. Don't drink at home anymore and almost never while out either. Lost my taste for it after a long spell totally sober. My last hangover was ages ago, thank goodness.

Hope he finds some measure of peace here before he goes. Tortured soul.

Well done on opening up about alcohol related problems.

It is a shame that Paul Gascoigne, like George Best before him, was surrounded by hangers on, who were only interested in what they could get. Gascoigne was an exceptionally talented footballer, and it is a shame that he didn’t get the help and advice he needed as a young up and coming player.

 

[Axle]

Bunked off school and went to the Wolves training ground to meet him once.

Got home later that day and saw myself on Sky Sports News! Hadn't realised there were cameras there. Got away with it though

Almost as legendary as the man himself

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

So sad to see, I doubt it would happen to a 'top' player in the modern game. So much else goes into player selection over just raw talent he would either not make it or get help early on.

Like Best a generation before him it appears that he'll never be able to escape his own personal demons.

 

[Hot Fuss]

Looking a lot healthier at Wembley on Saturday.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

So sad to see, I doubt it would happen to a 'top' player in the modern game. So much else goes into player selection over just raw talent he would either not make it or get help early on.

Like Best a generation before him it appears that he'll never be able to escape his own personal demons.

Trouble is you have to want help to get help. Alcoholics are normally exceptionally good at hiding it and tend to not see the problem in the first place.

 

[JJ59]

Well done on opening up about alcohol related problems.

It is a shame that Paul Gascoigne, like George Best before him, was surrounded by hangers on, who were only interested in what they could get. Gascoigne was an exceptionally talented footballer, and it is a shame that he didn’t get the help and advice he needed as a young up and coming player.

I know someone who was a friend of the Best family, lived nearby and members of both families worked alongside each other. He tells me that George Bests mother herself had a problem with alcohol. So its possible that George inherited a weakness which life donated every opportunity for him to exploit. He was wonderful to watch. I remember at the Mol there were screams from the ladies whenever he had the ball.