Rooney aside, if you want to get an idea about how Fergie might have dealt with an incorrigible piss-head just look at what happened to Paul McGrath.
Paul Gascoigne | Still living
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
Everyone has to fight his own demons, some more then others. Now people like Gazza had the luxury of affording the best health care available, to be paid millions to live a healthy life and to have the best people around to help him out (fitness coaches, doctors, managers). I find it hard to feel sorry for him when the average guy would probably be sleeping under a bridge or end up dead by now if he did half of what Gazza did. There are too many people whose life ended in a tragic way despite not being their fault (sexual abuse, ptsd, neurological disorders or mental disturbances)I think there's a lot of truth in what you say, but Gazza isn't in the category of ''needing to sort his life out'' - the guy is seriously mentally unwell - if we choose to believe his self-reporting. I think I can say that without excusing his domestic violence stuff too.
And there's an opposite argument to your player fitness points too. Le Tissier was a ridculous talent, a lot of current EPL attackers aren't anywhere near the same class. not even close. 20+ goals a season for consistently serious relegation candidates Southampton - admittedly only the seasons he could be bothered, but even so.
And some people (quite a lot, I think) seem to rate Gascoigne extremely highly - just under the top sphere from what I can tell. Which is maybe getting a bit excited & probably requires the use of some of the 'excuses' on the footy assessment side.
(And I was never quite sure about Brucie in the 90s tbh -)
The reality is that players had been spoiled for a long long time. They had been paid far more then they should and got far more popularity then they deserve. I find it ironic how the typical former player would come out moaning about how spoiled modern players are while concurrently complaining how the club was mean to him for not giving him a coaching job. Sure, these players had bled for the club however lets be honest here. The club made them not vice versa. They were the ones who invested heavily on them when they were kids, who gave them contracts that made them millionaires and who built their popularity in the first place. Sky or BT wouldn't give devilish or montpelier millions to be pundits but they would give Gaz/Carra that salary because.....there were former United/Liverpool player
Don't take me wrong modern players are paid far more then the players in the 80s and 90s. However they also live to a level of scrutiny which is far higher then the players in the 80s and 90s. These days everything is under the radar from Smalling's passing, Luke Shaw's bum, Wanda Nara's instagram right to JLingz brand and Pogba's hairstyle. Back then no one gave a feck if Le Tissier was fat, that the typical English defender couldn't pass the ball and that Dolly and Daisy left acres of space in defence that is nowadays only seen at Championship level. Not to forget that as Denis Irwin once said in an interview, most of the get out of jail cards used by defenders back then had been stripped away. Things such as sliding tackles can easily send a defender off the pitch, diving had become a common thing and the VAR had made it nearly impossible for defenders to engage into any dirty tricks. The level of fitness and scrutinity in today's football is so high that most former legends (especially those who loved a pint or two) would have been driven mad.
Yeah, sure. I think that about the defending too - although I'm not totally sure it's as great for the game as a 2 sided spectacle as the publicity brochure would have us believe. And I don't think Gazza would have got on too well with the increased level of scrutiny either.
I think I said earlier something very close to believing Gazza was even 'saved' to a certain extent by the fame & fortune of the football - or it was a distraction from his problems to some extent. He has had lots of 'help' - which is probably why it's tough for any of us to be particularly optimistic.
There were a group of players (Bryan Robson, Paul McGrath, Norman Whiteside etc.) that used to go drinking on the golf course in the afternoons after morning training. Gordon Strachan was SAF's snitch and SAF brought in afternoon training to stop the players getting bored and going off drinking. SAF got rid of Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside who were big names at the time although how much was to do with fitness and how much to do with drinking we will never now although they are probably intrinsically linked. Bryan Robson stayed and won a title but when he was a manager at Boro he allegedly encouraged 'team building/bonding' drinking sessions. I would imagine this did not help the likes of Paul Merson (who walked out of Boro because he was worried about falling off the wagon) and Gaza.
Paul McGrath was talking about this in an interview I watched recently and he said that Robbo had hollow legs. He could put away huge amounts of booze without any visible adverse effects. Which is presumably why Fergie took a less hardline approach with him. Whatever, there’s zero evidence that Fergie would have been the man to keep Gazza on the straight and narrow. He’d have been much more likely to sling him out on his ear the moment his lack of professionalism threatened the team dynamic.
Yes, it's a myth. It was impossible to keep Gascoigne on the straight and narrow given his mental health, irrespective of the man in charge. And he worked under strong man-managers in Terry Venables and Walter Smith, guys who were highly rated by their players for their effective man management and ability to motivate. You can unpick his career and identify moments where a different approach might have led to a different outcome. For example, you only have to look at the opening minutes of the 1991 FA Cup Final to see that he was too pumped up and needed to be reigned right back. The leg break accelerated his decline yet ,ultimately, his career and life was only going one way given the issues he had even before he kicked a ball professionally.
I agree but look at Sir Alex's relationship with a certain Mr Eric Cantona, he was fly kicking fans, getting booted out of football clubs and in truth a total maniac before Sir Alex got hold of him. Sir Alex would have found a way to calm him down and I'd say he would have been the best man to manage him.
He was kicking fans while under Sir Alex.
Yes and he was going to leave the club, Sir Alex had to drive across France to get him back.
What I'm saying is Sir Alex would make certain exceptions for players, I think he'd have found a way to calm Paul down.
Yes I think you are right. It is one of my biggest 'what ifs' with Utd not signing Gazza. The other being Gabriel Batistuta.
Even if you ignore the issues around a repressed homosexual working class teenager of low intelligence, the kind of fame Gaza had after Italia90 has not been seen before or since in a footballer - not even Beckham. Few people could have coped with it no matter how well adjusted.
It's hard to know really - the only manager who really seemed to get him totally on side and playing well was Bobby Robson who had like a father/son relationship with him. Ferguson could have emulated that but I also am unsure whether he would have put up with all the baggage around Gazza - he did with Cantona as you rightly said so I guess it's possible.
Most overrated player in the history of football and I mean that without any doubt at all
He was the greatest English talent of the last 30 years without a shadow of a doubt.
Not realising his full potential is a completely different conversation.
I can only imagine that his peak was before your time.
Ah common man, stop the revisionism just because his life’s gone down the drain and it’s pasted all over social media
It certainly would have been interesting to see.
Would have needed the right players round him too. Bryan Robson I reckon would have been excellent for that. And someone like David Seaman - who seemed to have been his calmer on England duty.
The suggestion that Alex Ferguson would have fought Gazza’s demons because he’s merely a brilliant football manager doesn’t half bloody trivialise the illnesses Gazza has.
A more successful football career? Perhaps. The antidote to Gazza’s woes? Never.
A more successful football career? Perhaps. The antidote to Gazza’s woes? Never.
Gazza used football to deal with the problems he had. Once the football ended he was in massive trouble.
Absolutely. He grew up in a Wallsend council estate and was already suffering from mental health issues as far back as primary school. Football, as you suggest, was his escape - for a while.
Gateshead not Wallsend. Still nice to see him around the area when the scummy media isn’t hounding him.
Yeah I am sure Gazza hanging around with Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside and Paul McGrath would have done him the world of good haha.........
Underrated post.
Although probably slightly better than the time they teamed him up with Merson at Boro
He's been putting a lot of tweets up lately, seems to suggest he is off the booze at the minute or is that just what he and his entourage want the public to think?
Snoop Dogg posted pic of Gazza.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb...s-posting-photo-embattled-Paul-Gascoigne.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb...s-posting-photo-embattled-Paul-Gascoigne.html
Oh no, he didn't. Snoopy is done now!
I'm amazed Snoop Dog even knows who Gascoigne is tbh
I don’t think he does, that picture has done the rounds for months. I wouldn’t be surprised if he thought it was just a random unknown guy.
He's been done for a while. Weed addiction can lead to features with Olly Murs and Corey Feldman. Be warned kids.
Gazza to drop a diss track tomorrow
He watches a lot football.
Mates with Rio isn't he?
Or soccer as he probably calls it
Probably. He's been doing it for years.
He's alright.
Snoop is so wrong for doing that
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It was clearly a joke
I know. It's just a bit too much for me
I can see why, but I honestly don't think snoop meant any harm. I don't think he's aware of Gazza's struggles.