Gazza - what a disaster!

[Fenella]

Paul Gascoigne seems determined to self destruct these days. He's been sectioned but managed to get out of that, and has now been taken to hospital after being found completely pissed in the street. This has been going on for some time now to the point where his sister has begged people not to buy him alcohol.

It's such a shame. I remember Gazza when he was the darling of the England football team. He wasn't the fittest bloke but he was dedicated, talented, and keen. He cried in the 1990 World Cup after he was given a yellow card which meant he would miss the next match - I think most followers of football will remember that (if the're old enough obviously!)

I haven't followed his career lately but what a pity he couldn't use his fame and talent to make something of himself instead of wrecking his own life. This seems to happen to a lot of famous people these days - why can't they keep their feet on the ground and cope with the fame and the accompanying downside of it? :(

[Gemo52]

It’s an addiction to a drug which is legal.

With a career like football, when you’re only valuable when you are young unless you can go into management, guys must feel that their lives are over once that career is finished. They’ll drink to relax, to cheer themselves up, to be sociable, and then the drink takes over and they become dependent on it. They’ll drink because they have to and while they’re drinking their judgement is impaired and they will find it difficult to find a positive way forward.

Drink is also linked with depression and that will exacerbate the problem.

[Fenella]

It’s an addiction to a drug which is legal.

With a career like football, when you’re only valuable when you are young unless you can go into management, guys must feel that their lives are over once that career is finished. They’ll drink to relax, to cheer themselves up, to be sociable, and then the drink takes over and they become dependent on it. They’ll drink because they have to and while they’re drinking their judgement is impaired and they will find it difficult to find a positive way forward.

Drink is also linked with depression and that will exacerbate the problem.

He did go into management though didn't he gemo? I know it's difficult when you're in a high profile career which is so short-lived, but even so it's such a shame that people deal with that by drinking. And he seems to be resisting attempts to get him off the booze too - it's all such a waste.

[Adam]

He must be exceptionally bored - he probably had a shed load of cash that he didn't know what to do with, and just turned to the bottle.

Can't help myself, but I've got another link. (http://www.showbizspy.com/06022008/paul-gascoignes-sister-i-fear-hell-be-dead-within-four-months) Just trying to remind you sexy people we are a showbiz news website :D

[Fenella]

Well done Adam - I couldn't be arsed to put a link myself. :D

[Fenella]

Does anyone remember his marriage to Sheryl in 1996? She looked like a pink blancmange! It seemed doomed to fail really but he had everything going for him at the time. They had a son and he also adopted her two children from a previous relationship. They seem to be pretty loyal to him even now so he's also damaging his relationship with them by refusing to accept help.

[Gemo52]

He did go into management though didn't he gemo? I know it's difficult when you're in a high profile career which is so short-lived, but even so it's such a shame that people deal with that by drinking. And he seems to be resisting attempts to get him off the booze too - it's all such a waste.

If you’re good at playing football it doesn’t follow at all that you would be any good at managing, that requires a totally different set of skills. He was probably totally out of his depth in management and that wouldn’t have helped with the booze problem. Probably used it to escape.

I think that when sportsmen and women have completed their short-lived careers, they should be assessed and retrained in another field. :D There’s probably a whole crowd of computer games testers out there drowning their sorrows over times past.

[Fenella]

If you’re good at playing football it doesn’t follow at all that you would be any good at managing, that requires a totally different set of skills. He was probably totally out of his depth in management and that wouldn’t have helped with the booze problem. Probably used it to escape.

I think that when sportsmen and women have completed their short-lived careers, they should be assessed and retrained in another field. :D There’s probably a whole crowd of computer games testers out there drowning their sorrows over times past.

Yes I agree but these people know that their careers will be shortlived and they should just accept that and make plans for when that career ends. There are loads of careers in the public eye that are like that - modelling, acting to an extent, singing - anything like that. Surely someone who likes the fame and makes a lot of money out of it should accept that it's going to end one day and learn to deal with it without wrecking their lives and those of the people around them?

[Gemo52]

Maybe the fame and acclaim from a rapid rise to success takes them by surprise and they are too busy living the dream before the bubble bursts. [welcome to cliché corner :o]

Seriously, I think to reach to the top of one the highly competitive and short-lived career all the persons energy and concentration must be on being the best they can and if they took time out to consider what would happen post-career they probably wouldn’t achieve the same success

I may be wrong, but I always got the impression tha Gazza never expected his success.

[Dongle]

With the amount of money that Premiership players earn in the modern era, even with a fairly short-lived career of say 10 years at the top, someone like Gazza should never have to work again.

[Gemo52]

With the amount of money that Premiership players earn in the modern era, even with a fairly short-lived career of say 10 years at the top, someone like Gazza should never have to work again.

I think the never having to work again is part of the problem.

[Fenella]

With the amount of money that Premiership players earn in the modern era, even with a fairly short-lived career of say 10 years at the top, someone like Gazza should never have to work again.


Maybe that's the problem. Most people think they'd like to be rich so they didn't have to work, but what do you do instead? It probably sounds better than it really is. If you don't have a particular reason to get up in the morning or to make an effort maybe you just spend too much time thinking about your lost career and fame.

[Dongle]

Maybe that's the problem. Most people think they'd like to be rich so they didn't have to work, but what do you do instead? It probably sounds better than it really is. If you don't have a particular reason to get up in the morning or to make an effort maybe you just spend too much time thinking about your lost career and fame.
Good point (as Gemo also mentioned). It sounds more like he has lost purpose in his life, as there's lots of things he could do to keep himself occupied. He would otherwise have been in demand as a media football pundit like many other prominent ex-players, or working with youths at grassroots level....that kind of thing.

[Fenella]

Good point (as Gemo also mentioned). It sounds more like he has lost purpose in his life, as there's lots of things he could do to keep himself occupied. He would otherwise have been in demand as a media football pundit like many other prominent ex-players, or working with youths at grassroots level....that kind of thing.

Yes, I think that's what David Seaman does - he teaches kids goal keeping. Gazza should do something like that - get some purpose and reality in his life. If he would just accept he has a problem and get some help for it, all is not lost yet.

[Gemo52]

It’s a bit of a Catch 22 situation, I feel, he has to get away from the problem (drink) before he can recognise that he has a problem with it.

[Gemo52]

Yes, I think that's what David Seaman does - he teaches kids goal keeping. Gazza should do something like that - get some purpose and reality in his life. If he would just accept he has a problem and get some help for it, all is not lost yet.

If Gazza is not very confident in his own abilities he would feel uncomfortable about teaching kids and that, again, would add to the pressure and send him to the bottle again.

[Fenella]

If Gazza is not very confident in his own abilities he would feel uncomfortable about teaching kids and that, again, would add to the pressure and send him to the bottle again.

What do you reckon he should do then gemo?

[Gemo52]

What do you reckon he should do then gemo?

Initially go into rehab. so he can be weaned off alcohol, and while he is there have some form of vocational assessment to find out what he is good at and to develop a career in whatever that may be.

[Fenella]

Initially go into rehab. so he can be weaned off alcohol, and while he is there have some form of vocational assessment to find out what he is good at and to develop a career in whatever that may be.

Yes, good idea. I think he might have to be forced into rehab against his will though - he doesn't seem to want to face up to it. He'll kill himself with booze if he's not careful and then he won't have any career!

[Gemo52]

I’m positive he will have to be forced into rehab.

[lyndielou]

What about the similarities to Geoge Best? I think they are surrounded by too many hangers on who massage their inflated egos that they don't seem to live in the real world. When the money seems to dry up nobody really wants to know them - they are left on their own to comtemplate what had been. When all they could really do with is a good and true friend.

[Adam]

It seems like his family have just sat back and watched him get worse.

This may not be the case, as all we know is what we read in the papers. But it seems he has been in a bad way for quite some time; and only now are his family / ex-wife stepping up.

[JB2008]

It seems like his family have just sat back and watched him get worse.

This may not be the case, as all we know is what we read in the papers. But it seems he has been in a bad way for quite some time; and only now are his family / ex-wife stepping up.

Yeah, because they have to :rolleyes:

[Gemo52]

I should imagine the deterioration happens gradually and people don’t really notice it.

I believe there is something they can do JB, I think they can have him sectioned.

[Jobless Oddball]

Take the Northern twat to the vets and have him put down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dongle]

According to a Sunday tabloid yesterday, Gazza thinks he can play again and return to his glory days. I think he's in denial.

[Fenella]

According to a Sunday tabloid yesterday, Gazza thinks he can play again and return to his glory days. I think he's in denial.


Really? Bless him! Mind you, if the thought of that makes him feel better and gives him a reason to stop all this nonsense it's not such a bad thing. Having positive plans for the future can really turn around a sitution like that. Hopefully by the time he realises that it's probably not going to happen he'll have got off the booze.

[Dongle]

Really? Bless him! Mind you, if the thought of that makes him feel better and gives him a reason to stop all this nonsense it's not such a bad thing. Having positive plans for the future can really turn around a sitution like that. Hopefully by the time he realises that it's probably not going to happen he'll have got off the booze.
That's a good point.

And if he can sort himself out, he'd be able to get involved in coaching or something.

[Jobless Oddball]

According to a Sunday tabloid yesterday, Gazza thinks he can play again and return to his glory days. I think he's in denial.

He was shit when he played for my local team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dongle]

He was shit when he played for my local team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What team was that?

[Jobless Oddball]

What team was that?

My local team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!