gazza arrested for assault

[Easy 10]

Easy, it's all the fault of Fleet Street. Gazza is a legend don't you know, even if he is so pickled he shits rum truffles...

Well, the fella is a tabloids wet dream isn't he. Take your (ironic) point though - his behaviour is nothing to do with the press.

He's had so many chances to sort himself out, but his mentality just inevitably leads him to self-destruct again before long. Other former footballers have fought these kind of demons and managed to get their lives back onto a (relatively) even keel - Tony Adams and Paul Merson spring to mind. But Gascoigne is just an incapable human being. He doesn't seem to have had any support from his family - his dads a bloated boozer who basiaclly lives in the pub as well, and the 'mates' he's surrounded himself with seem to have freeloaded off him his whole career.

Its a sad story, almost certainly destined for a tragic ending I think.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Gazza is the nearest thing to George Best people of my age have ever had, he's certainly the best player I've ever seen live in British football and yet I don't feel any sympathy for the guy.

 

[Easy 10]

I remember watching a fly-on-the-wall type documentary a couple of years ago, where a camera crew followed him around when he was player-coach for that tinpot football team in China. He tried to get into shape for it, but in the end he was bored to death out there, totally alone, and so just went out drinking most nights. He was so excited when his dad and '5 Bellies' were due to fly out to visit him - but even then, they spent a week in Hong Kong first before they got round to going to see Gascoigne in his little flea-pit town hundreds of miles away from the 'bright lights'.

Abiding memory of the programme was the three of them pissed out of their heads one afternoon in a deserted karaoke bar.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

One of the dilemna's of people who are addicted is that the drug seems to make them a more interesting person. Merson said after he kicked all his habits, booze, drugs and gambling that he became so bloody boring he thought his wife would leave him due to dying of boredom.

Adams has given up but the bloke looks totally fecking miserable all time and a pain to be with, the last time he smiled was in the mid 90's with a pint in his hand.

Most alcoholics do it because they find life trivial and so relentlessly boring.

The same is probably true of Gazza.

 

[METALMICKY]

Poor old Gazza my heart bleeds for him! All that talent and all that money!

I'm sorry but i really struggle with any sympathy for football stars who end up on the slippery slope. They live incredibly privleged lifestyles earning millions most of us can only dream about. What about the normal geezer with wife & kids with financial pressures who suddenly gets made redundant. That's real pressure.

I have every respect for people like Merson and Adams who have turned their lives round but zero respect for their justification of how they got so bad.

I also note that the intial statements from the Kettering chairman were deliberately vague and were in fact trying to protect Gazza. Reading between the lines you might have guessed the problem but it was only after Gazza went on the offensive with press statements that the chairman was forced to defend himself and reveal that booze was the problem.

You can only help yourself and Gazza keeps blowing his chances to get back on an even keel.

 

[Pevenseagull]

well, he's been bailed now, in good time for happy hour

agree with Metalmicky's comments regarding the Kettering manager - he came across very well on the radio yesterday - seemed genuinely upset that it hadn't worked out but more and more exasperated as the day unravelled and by the end of the day was left with little more to say than 'Get a grip'

 

[perseus]

How are Social Workers parasites?

A parasite is a nasty bug you cannot get rid of except by violence. Some socal workers and photographers can be like this. So bashing them is the only option.

Unlike Councillors they are not elected. Social Workers do not level with you, they are just irritating and troublesome pests.

 

[Pevenseagull]

OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO COMENTS BY PAUL GASCOIGNE

05/12/2005

Statement by Imraan Ladak

"Last night I spoke to Paul Gascoigne who told me "I will save you the pleasure of sacking me. I will walk away. I quit".

Last nights conversation was a result of thirty seven seperate incidents I have had to deal with since the appointment of Paul Gascoigne as Manager.

I find myself in a position where I feel it would be detrimental to the football club to list all these incidents, but following a statement which has been posted on Paul Gascoigne's official website, I also have a duty to myself, the football club and it's supporters to respond to Paul's comments.

Unfortuntately Paul Gascoigne has been under the influence of alcohol before, during and after several first team games and training sessions. This has been noticeable to the board of Directors, players, coaching staff and sections of the media. A referee and fourth official have also filed a report with the FA.

I have tried to help Paul through this difficult period but gave an undertaking to the board prior to my takeover that if Paul hit the bottle I would remove him as manager.

Paul has not reacted well to the news and has made numerous threats that if I do not sell him the club he will use his name and the media to turn the players and supporters against me. This has already begun with Paul calling a number of the first team last night, under the influence of alcohol. Paul even told players not to report for training at MK Dons where they were due to commence full-time training.

I have not interfered with team selection or player purchases and departures but have been disappointed with the way two players in particular have been treated by Paul.

I also made clear that I felt Paul had turned a winning team into a confused and unsettled one by playing players out of position and being drunk on the team bus and in the dressing room for his team talks.

Paul has made a number of allegations which are unfounded and libellous but all I want is for Paul to seek professional medical assistance for his addictions and to stop taking his frustration out by trying to unsettle this club further.

I would also like to make clear that I told Paul I would not bring any of this into the public domain unless I was forced to do so.

Paul is not a shareholder or Director of Kettering Town Football Club and I have the unanimous support of the Board of Directors in the action that I have taken.

I would like to pay tribute to the players of Kettering Town who have continued to show the utmost professionalism during the last six weeks and hope they can continue to maintain this over what is clearly going to be a difficult period for this club.

I can also confirm that I have turned down Paul's offer to purchase the club.

Once the media hype dies down we will be left with the same supporters and manager which were here before myself and Paul arrived, with a similar playing squad and exactly the same ambitions as stated two months ago.

Paul was my childhood idol and when sober is a wonderful person. Last night was genuinely the most difficult decision I have had to make, but my head won the battle with my heart. I am shocked and bitterly disappointed by Paul's reaction.

However my responsibility is foremost to Kettering Town Football Club and not Paul Gascoigne.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Personally I think it's wrong to compare his troubles to those of George Best, Adams or Merson. PG has mental health issues which people are quick to skirt over in their rush to write him off as a thick person who should just 'pull himself together' and get off the booze, after all Adams or Merson did so why can't Gazza? Adams and Merson were arguably on the whole stable people who used alcohol to excess for a period of time in their lives, whereas Gazza has seemingly always been a 'troubled' individual. Equally Best had no discernable mental health issues (although it is said that alcoholism is an 'illness') and used alcohol largely to escape the pressures on him. I have no sympathy for the way Best lived his life, I do, however have sympathy for Paul Gascoigne.

 

[Yorkie]

Personally I think it's wrong to compare his troubles to those of George Best, Adams or Merson. PG has mental health issues which people are quick to skirt over in their rush to write him off as a thick person who should just 'pull himself together' and get off the booze, after all Adams or Merson did so why can't Gazza? Adams and Merson were arguably on the whole stable people who used alcohol to excess for a period of time in their lives, whereas Gazza has seemingly always been a 'troubled' individual. Equally Best had no discernable mental health issues (although it is said that alcoholism is an 'illness') and used alcohol largely to escape the pressures on him. I have no sympathy for the way Best lived his life, I do, however have sympathy for Paul Gascoigne.

Despite the fact that George Best's Mother also died of alcoholism?

I do feel that journalists and photographers are so intrusive that being assaulted is sometimes a hazard of their job. I'm not condoning what happened but I would hate someone almost stalking me if I was famous.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Despite the fact that George Best's Mother also died of alcoholism?

A fair point Yorkie, there is definately a case that alcoholism can be a hereditary condition, and I don't believe that anyone would 'choose' to live in the kind of alcoholic misery that was Best's life. I guess I was more trying to say that there is a big distinction between Best and Gazza, Best and Adams, Adams and Merson even etc. but that it's convenient for people to simplify things and lump them together just because they were all footballers who succumbed to alcohol, and so certain people can't understand that if Adams and Merson could 'pull themselves together' why couldn't Gazza or Best.

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Sounds like Gazza still has serious issues. I really hope he does not end up like George Best, such a shame.

 

[perseus]

Did the photographer get the shot, or did Gazza break his camera as well?

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Who cares - Gazza has big problems. Feel gutted for him. Perhaps he should re-release Fog on the Tyne as a duet with Fivebellies and earn some cash that way.