Past achievements can't help solve Gazza's troubles
'A 41-year-old man was arrested this morning on suspicion of criminal damage," said a Northumbria Police spokeswoman last week. "Inquiries are ongoing."
In itself, not really headline news. Once the man's identity was discovered, cue media frenzy.
Coming to terms with life after football is a challenge to every footballer. These days most will have made enough money to avoid having to work for a living post-retirement. While huge amounts of disposable income and free time are very much a part of their lives anyway, once they walk away from football, the structure and discipline of their daily routine goes with it. This may not sound too shabby a lifestyle to most, but to those not balanced enough to cope, it can be a recipe for disaster.
The man arrested was the much-loved Paul Gascoigne, recently returned from Portugal where he had been treated in a hospital for an apparent suicide attempt. He had been taken to the local A&E unit following a suspected overdose of drugs and alcohol, taken only hours after leaving a rehab clinic. His arrest in Gateshead followed alleged clashes with a photographer and an autograph-hunter. It is the latest incident in a turbulent spell for Gascoigne: he has twice been sectioned this year under the Mental Health Act.
The first of these incidents came in February when police were called to the Hilton Hotel in Newcastle. It was reported he had set off the fire alarm, grabbed a porter by the throat, and had been seen walking around the hotel asking guests to speak to a battery-powered parrot in his hand. In June he was sectioned once again, this time for hammering on the door of his ex-wife's house. A former girlfriend then sold her story revealing how he had become a recluse, suffered severe mood swings and that he believed he was being pursued by aliens. And in what must have been seen by Gascoigne as an unforgivable act of betrayal, so, too, did his best mate, Jimmy Five Bellies.
Gascoigne's troubles did not begin the day he quit football. His talent and potential were clear from an early age, and as is often the case, education was ignored in the pursuit of a footballing dream. His performances on the field made him the focus of attention since he was a teenager, yet his career was dominated with injuries, off-field antics and heavy drinking. During his days at Glasgow Rangers, he was even accused of beating his wife. It seems unlikely that after all this the public would still hold him in such high regard, but it's amazing what you can get away with if you've got talent.
Maybe it's something you have to experience first hand, but the life of a professional footballer can be as far removed from the real world as you can possibly get. If you get yourself in a scrape, someone will bail you out. Within reason, no matter what you do, if you are performing as you should clubs will overlook almost anything. When I was approached by one of the big agencies in the UK wishing to represent me, one of their selling points was that they had contacts in all the papers, so no matter what stories got out, they could ensure they would never be published. Not once did they speak of expected standards of behaviour, they just bragged that if their players were caught out, nobody would know.
During long spells of injury I would often get a bit carried away with nights out. During one period, the neighbours grouped together to report me to the club for excessive late night noise and generally acting the eejit. Wanting to keep my spirits up, the manager laughed it off.
On another, far more serious occasion, I know of a player who was accused of rape. The club in question never asked him to explain anything; they just focused on keeping the story in-house. There are numerous other incidents where players were kicked out of nightclubs, fighting or arrested. When the clubs found out, nothing was done.
Footballing talent has no link whatsoever to anything -- common sense, intelligence, or the strength to overcome an addiction. The notion that Gascoigne's talent makes his situation unusual is nonsense.
One website which reported Gascoigne's recent arrest asked readers to leave messages of advice and support. One said "we'll never forget your goal against Scotland". That goal 12 years ago is of no use to him now.
It's time to separate his past achievements on the pitch from his current life-threatening problems off it. That may be difficult, but he needs it.
His long battle with alcoholism and depression should not be played out in such a public way, but no matter what he does, one of the most iconic figures of British football will never be too far from the news.
Alex Ferguson recently revealed he was close to signing him in 1988, and wondered whether his life would have taken a different path if he had. Ferguson has overcome many opponents, but Gascoigne's alcoholism can only be tackled by Gascoigne himself. He may have won a lot had he moved to Old Trafford, but hopefully his greatest achievement is yet to come.
richiesadlier@hotmail.com
- Richard Sadlier
