Gazza at it again – I hope he can get the right help

I was not surprised but I was really disappointed to read that former England footballer Paul Gascoigne had been arrested and fined over a drunken disturbance in Newcastle.

Custody

The Forty two year old was arrested for being drunk and disorderly in the Jesmond area of Newcastle in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Northumbria Police said that Gascoigne was taken into Police custody and later received a fixed-penalty notice fine.

The ex-Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio and Rangers player, amongst others, has faced a long and public battle with alcohol. Twice last year he was detained under the Mental Health Act.

Better

In recent months things had started to look better for Gascoigne and he had appeared on television a few times and played in some charity football matches. There seemed to be real hope that he may have turned the corner.

In a BBC interview earlier this year he said,

“In the past every time I left rehab I thought I’m going to have a drink and I had no thought of that this time. I am a different Paul now.”

Whilst not claiming in any way that the football of Paul Gascoigne ever reached the heights of Diego Maradona, there are many similarities between the two men.

Gifted

Gazza was not as good as Maradona but in my lifetime he may well be the most gifted and talented footballer that England have produced. He could be a joy to watch and in England’s fast and powerful game, it was great to see one of our own players playing the game with flair and a bit of a swagger.

Like Maradona he was a football genius but so terribly flawed in many other ways. I know that Maradona is still revered in Argentina, despite his issues and his recent managerial exploits, and in the same way, Gazza is still revered in England despite his drink and drug problems and allegations of domestic violence.

Revered

The reason he is so revered is because he gave so many millions of people so much pleasure by simply playing football, generally with a smile on his face and always with entertainment and skill at it’s core.

I loved watching him play and I still think of him as ‘good old Gazza’ in spite of the fact that I am fully aware of many negative and bad things about him as a person. That is the power of football.

Pleasure

Because he gave me and millions of others so much pleasure I feel terribly sad to see the state he is in again now. Surely there is some way of helping the man?

Gazza became world famous in 1990 during the world cup in Italy. It was his tears and his erratic behaviour that caught the eye, but anyone who actually watched his football would have quickly realised he was blessed with immense talent.

Control

His career somewhat petered out and he eventually retired in 2004. Since then his addiction to drugs and alcohol seems to have spiralled out of control.

I truly hope that Gazza is not beyond help and that he can both seek it and receive it, sufficiently to sort himself out.

Special

For me, and many others in England, Gazza will always hold a special place in our hearts. I know he has hurt a lot of people both physically and emotionally, but he was an exceptional talent who brought great joy to millions.

Get well and get sober Gazza.