Paul Gascoigne - In Hospital Again

Post by **QuartzGooner** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:20 pm

What he has is what some boxers get when they retire.

There is nothing to replace the buzz of being in tip top shape, of crowds shouting your name, of the women, and the paydays.

What he needs is something to fill that empty gap....

some ex players do media work, at least it keeps them in the loop of the game.

I know he has had crazy life but if he can sober up, then coaching a team, as an assistant coach, where he has a regular input every day, has got to be an option.

Obviously no Premier League side will make him coach, but if he could pitch in with a lower league team it might be the saving of him.

Post by **g88ner** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:38 am

g88ner wrote:
REBEL GOONER wrote:dont give a shite about him,
and why should i, oh look at me im paul gascoigne
plenty of other people with problems that we dont hear about but we get this prick in the papers every other day

Bit harsh.

12thGooner · Post by **12thGooner** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:33 pm

R.I.P Gazza

Wayno · Post by **Wayno** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:40 pm

Gurmokh wrote:R.I.P Gazza

He aint dead yet

Post by **DB10GOONER** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:13 pm

I have some sympathy for him as a person with a terrible disease. I never liked him as a player or a "character" - to me he was just fucking stupid, but that's just a personal opinion. I also never thought he was the "greatest player of his generation". He was a good player that had moments of genius, but only moments - the true greats do it at the top level season after season.

As for the demon drink; I've spent the last 7 years or so watching a close mate drink himself to death. He came from a good close family, had good friends, was educated, urbane and great company. We were a big drinking group of friends - that whole Irish on the piss culture - and it got the better of him.

My wife and I used to help him a lot when he got bad, went beyond the fun drinking - carrying him home and letting him sleep it off in our guest room etc. But he is now beyond help. He is homeless and his liver is blown. We can't do anymore for him. We have young kids and I can't have that around them, they have to come first - they are our responsiblilty and our priority.

I feel terrible "abandoning" my mate, but I have to. He will die soon from drinking and it will be a tragic loss. But he is the only one that could ever really have helped himself and he couldn't or didn't want too. I don't know.

I feel sorry for Gazza and his family and friends as I would for anyone that loses a loved one (as I feel they surely will sooner rather than later).

Post by **QuartzGooner** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:44 pm

That's a sad tale DB10....I have seen it too.

If they want to help themselves, then other people can help them, but if they don't want to, or aren't able to, then there's nothing anyone else can do.

Rocky Fan · Post by **Rocky Fan** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:03 pm

DB10GOONER wrote:I have some sympathy for him as a person with a terrible disease. I never liked him as a player or a "character" - to me he was just fucking stupid, but that's just a personal opinion. I also never thought he was the "greatest player of his generation". He was a good player that had moments of genius, but only moments - the true greats do it at the top level season after season.

As for the demon drink; I've spent the last 7 years or so watching a close mate drink himself to death. He came from a good close family, had good friends, was educated, urbane and great company. We were a big drinking group of friends - that whole Irish on the piss culture - and it got the better of him.

My wife and I used to help him a lot when he got bad, went beyond the fun drinking - carrying him home and letting him sleep it off in our guest room etc. But he is now beyond help. He is homeless and his liver is blown. We can't do anymore for him. We have young kids and I can't have that around them, they have to come first - they are our responsiblilty and our priority.

I feel terrible "abandoning" my mate, but I have to. He will die soon from drinking and it will be a tragic loss. But he is the only one that could ever really have helped himself and he couldn't or didn't want too. I don't know.

I feel sorry for Gazza and his family and friends as I would for anyone that loses a loved one (as I feel they surely will sooner rather than later).

Yeah Alcohol is such a strange one. When you look at Best in his final year after he got his liver. He knew that if he drunk again he would die and he had things in his life to live for but he missed the Alcohol buzz.
So many people die from booze its insane and not alot gets said about it really.
I do feel sympathy for Gazza and anyone who is battling with true Alcoholism because you wouldnt choose to live like that if you didnt have too.
Death is pretty final and I dont believe they have a death wish just an addiction to alcohol.
Both my grandfathers were alcoholics.

Post by **DB10GOONER** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:36 am

Rocky Fan wrote:
DB10GOONER wrote:I have some sympathy for him as a person with a terrible disease. I never liked him as a player or a "character" - to me he was just fucking stupid, but that's just a personal opinion. I also never thought he was the "greatest player of his generation". He was a good player that had moments of genius, but only moments - the true greats do it at the top level season after season.

As for the demon drink; I've spent the last 7 years or so watching a close mate drink himself to death. He came from a good close family, had good friends, was educated, urbane and great company. We were a big drinking group of friends - that whole Irish on the piss culture - and it got the better of him.

My wife and I used to help him a lot when he got bad, went beyond the fun drinking - carrying him home and letting him sleep it off in our guest room etc. But he is now beyond help. He is homeless and his liver is blown. We can't do anymore for him. We have young kids and I can't have that around them, they have to come first - they are our responsiblilty and our priority.

I feel terrible "abandoning" my mate, but I have to. He will die soon from drinking and it will be a tragic loss. But he is the only one that could ever really have helped himself and he couldn't or didn't want too. I don't know.

I feel sorry for Gazza and his family and friends as I would for anyone that loses a loved one (as I feel they surely will sooner rather than later).

Yeah Alcohol is such a strange one. When you look at Best in his final year after he got his liver. He knew that if he drunk again he would die and he had things in his life to live for but he missed the Alcohol buzz.
So many people die from booze its insane and not alot gets said about it really.
I do feel sympathy for Gazza and anyone who is battling with true Alcoholism because you wouldnt choose to live like that if you didnt have too.
Death is pretty final and I dont believe they have a death wish just an addiction to alcohol.
Both my grandfathers were alcoholics.

Well said mate. It is a disease when it's that bad.

Post by **flash gunner** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:56 pm

Ive got limited sympathy for Gascoigne. My dad died in his early 50's, he wanted to live so much and fought for 5 years against the horrible illness that eventually took him. He would have done anything to live a bit longer and be with my mum and us. Gascoigne has had it all money, skill as a sportsman, wife, kids and he has decided to fuck it all up by drinking too heavy. I hope he turns his life around but if he dies through his own choice then i'll think about all the people out there that would love another day on this earth but didnt have the choice

rigsby · Post by **rigsby** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:18 pm

He should have signed for United when he had the chance, Ferguson has gone on record saying not getting him was his biggest regret, and you've got to assume Fergie would have helped Gazza. Going to London at that age with no friends etc was always going to lead to destruction.

Sad to see, but I just get the feeling that like Best, the papers hound the poor fucker everywhere and love it when he slips up.

Cus Geezer · Post by **Cus Geezer** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:33 pm

rigsby wrote:He should have signed for United when he had the chance, Ferguson has gone on record saying not getting him was his biggest regret, and you've got to assume Fergie would have helped Gazza. Going to London at that age with no friends etc was always going to lead to destruction.

Sad to see, but I just get the feeling that like Best, the papers hound the poor fucker everywhere and love it when he slips up.

Well if drink is Gazza's problem then United circa 1988 wouldn't have helped much.

He would have fell in with Robson, Whiteside and McGrath - the latter is nearly as bad a basket case as Gazza is.

Going to Manchester instead of London as a kid didn't help Best much either.

Apparently Gazza's madness stems from seeing his friend's brother run over aged 8, which Gazza blames himself for. The only thing to have saved Gazza would have been a less laddish culture surrounding football in 1988 and a willingness to seek therapy earlier on in his fame.

Quite simply unlikely at the time, which is why I have a degree of sympathy with the guy, despite the wankerish things he has done over the years.

rigsby · Post by **rigsby** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:44 pm

Erm Ferguson wasnt there when Best was. And I think if you look at Fergusons reign, you will see he pretty much got rid of all of the 'United drink club' by about '88 bar Robson. His development of young players is exceptional, and Gazza would have benefited greatly.

Cus Geezer · Post by **Cus Geezer** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:54 pm

rigsby wrote:Erm Ferguson wasnt there when Best was. And I think if you look at Fergusons reign, you will see he pretty much got rid of all of the 'United drink club' by about '88 bar Robson. His development of young players is exceptional, and Gazza would have benefited greatly.

Fergie wasn't there when Best was, but the same or similar bars and discotheques which Bestie hung out in would have been there. After all Manchester was Rave central in 1988 - the likelihood of Gazza have less distraction than in London would not have been so in reality

Whiteside and McGrath both sold in 1989 so would have both been there at the same time as Gazza.

As for Fergie's marvellous development of young players, maybe from the mid 90s, the late 80s was full of young players that never made good under Fergie.

Lee Martin?
Deniol Graham?
Russel Beardsmore?
Tony Gill?

The only good player from that era that Fergie developed was Lee Sharpe - he was as big a waster as Gazza.

Back in 1988 Terry Venables had a better reputation with young talent in English football than Fergie, if you think of the Crystal Palace and QPR sides of the early 80s.

Post by **QuartzGooner** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:43 pm

Sure, London was bright lights big city for Gazza, but he was having to live life in goldfish bowl on Tyneside anyway.

Rome was a lucrative move, and the football lifestyle there was healthier and more professional, but I think he was too young to deal with the foreign culture.

Not sure that any club back then would have been great for him, he was in trouble from an early age.

rigsby · Post by **rigsby** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:58 pm

Quartz, no manager has a 100% record with developing young players, look at Wengers record and you'll have your Jason Crowes etc. But Fergie was able to steer players like Giggs etc away from the distractions and turn them into quality players. Gazza would have benefited from Ferguson no doubt, and as i said before, he got rid of those players who boozed, doesn't matter when Gazza arrived, Ferguson would have helped him.

United also had a core of Geordies up there such as Steve Bruce and even someone like Bobby Charlton to be able to help the lad. I'm not saying it WOULD have been perfect, but it would have been better than joining Spurs and being on his own in London

(And if you think Best just stuck to your manchester you are seriously mistaken)