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Paul Gascoigne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Gascoigne
Gascoigne pictured at 'Memorabilia' at the NEC in April 2006.
Personal information
Full name Paul John Gascoigne
Date of birth 27 May 1967 (age 45)
Place of birth Dunston, Gateshead, England
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1980–1985 Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1985–1988 Newcastle United 92 (21)
1988–1992 Tottenham Hotspur 92 (19)
1992–1995 Lazio 43 (6)
1995–1998 Rangers 74 (30)
1998–2000 Middlesbrough 41 (4)
2000–2002 Everton 32 (1)
2002 Burnley 6 (0)
2003 Gansu Tianma 4 (2)
2004 Boston United 4 (0)
Total 391 (83)
National team
1987–1988 England U21 13 (5)
1989 England B 4 (1)
1988–1998 England 57 (10)
Teams managed
2005 Kettering Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
Paul John Gascoigne (born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is a former England international footballer.
Playing as a midfielder, he began his professional career with local club Newcastle United in 1985. Three years later he was sold on to Tottenham Hotspur for a £2 million fee. He won the FA Cup with "Spurs" in 1991, before he was sold to Italian club Lazio for £5.5 million the following year. In July 1995, he was transferred to Rangers for £4.3 million, and helped the club to two league titles and two trophies. He returned to England in a £3.4 million move to Middlesbrough in March 1998. He made his debut in the Premier League in the 1998–99 season, having already featured in the 1998 Football League Cup Final. He switched to Everton in July 2000, and later had spells with Burnley, Gansu Tianma (China), and Boston United.
Though well-known throughout Europe for his club career, his football career is particularly remembered for his 57 England caps. He also won 13 caps for the England under-21s and four caps for the England B team. He was part of the England squad that reached fourth place in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and was famously reduced to tears after receiving a yellow card in the semi-final with West Germany, which meant he would be suspended for the final itself had England won the game. He also helped the team to the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 1996, and again embedded himself in the national consciousness with a spectacular goal against Scotland that was coupled with a memorable goal celebration.
After retiring from professional football, his life became dominated by his mental and emotional problems, particularly his alcoholism. His problems have received regular coverage in the British press, especially during his various run-ins with the law in 2010. He has attempted to live without alcohol on numerous occasions, though numerous rehabilitation programmes have provided only temporary relief. His problems have curtailed his coaching career, particularly his 39 day spell as Kettering Town manager in late-2005.
Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Club career
2.1 Newcastle United
2.2 Tottenham Hotspur
2.3 Lazio
2.4 Rangers
2.5 Later career
3 International career
4 Managerial and coaching career
5 Other projects
6 Personal life
6.1 Struggles with mental illnesses
7 Career statistics
8 Honours
9 References
10 External links
[edit]Early life
Gascoigne was born in the Dunston area of Gateshead, England.[1] He played for the local Redheugh Boys' Club despite being under-age. He later attended Breckenbeds Junior High School, then the Heathfield Senior High School, both in the Low Fell area of Gateshead.
He was noticed by football scouts while playing for Gateshead Boys, though failed to impress in a trial at Ipswich Town. Further trials at Middlesbrough and Southampton also proved unsuccessful, before Newcastle United signed him as a schoolboy in 1980. He was signed on as an apprentice at Newcastle in 1983, initially playing for the youth team under Colin Suggett.
While Gascoigne was successful on the football field, his childhood was marked by instability and tragedy. Initially his family lived in a single upstairs room in a council house with a shared bathroom, and moved several times during Gascoigne's early life.[2] When he was ten, Gascoigne witnessed the death of Steven Spraggon, the younger brother of a friend, who was knocked down by a car.[3] Around this time, his father began to suffer from seizures.[3] Gascoigne began developing obsessions and twitches, and was taken into therapy at age ten, but soon quit the therapy sessions after his father expressed doubts over the treatment methods.[4]
Gascoigne developed an addiction to gaming machines, frequently spending all his money on them, and also began shoplifting to fund his addiction.[5] Death made another appearance in his life when a friend, whom he had encouraged to join Newcastle United from Middlesbrough, died whilst he was working for Gascoigne's uncle on the building sites.[6] At the age of 15, he took the decision to provide for his family – his parents and two sisters – financially, as he saw professional football as a way of earning more money than the rest of the family were capable of.[7]
[edit]Club career
[edit]Newcastle United
Gascoigne captained Newcastle United's youth team in the 1984–85 season. He led the team to the FA Youth Cup, having scored twice in the second leg of the final against Watford. However manager Jack Charlton threatened to kick Gascoigne out of the club within two weeks if he did not lose weight. After shedding the excess weight, Gascoigne was picked as a substitute for the Tyne–Wear derby with Sunderland, although he did not make it onto the pitch. He made his first team debut at St James' Park against Queens Park Rangers on 13 April 1985, coming on as a substitute. Soon after he signed his first professional contract, and made a further appearance for the first team. Willie McFaul took over as manager soon after, and awarded Gascoigne his first start on the opening day of the 1985–86 season at Southampton. He scored his first goal at home to Oxford United in a 3–0 victory on 21 September 1985, and claimed a further eight in the 1985–86 campaign. Newcastle finished 11th in the First Division that season and, at the end of it, Gascoigne was featured on the front cover of the Rothmans Football Yearbook.[8]
After getting into a hit and run incident with his drinking mate, Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner, he claimed his car had been stolen before admitting their crime; Gascoigne was fined £260 and given eight points on his 'non-existent licence'. He was told by Mr McKeag, one of the Newcastle directors, that this would be his last warning. His rise through the Newcastle youth team was not a happy one as he felt constantly picked on about his weight and his misbehaviour. After one instance where he felt particularly picked on, he took a groundsman's tractor and drove it straight into the dressing room wall, jumping off just before impact – he was fined £75 for this. Though confident in his ability, Gascoigne confessed to envy of Ian Bogie, who he felt was a superior player to him.[9]
Gazza also had doubts as to the direction the club was going, especially when they sold Chris Waddle, something he felt was a bad sign. In all competitions he made a total of 107 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 25 goals. He was named as the PFA Young Player of the Year and listed on the PFA Team of the Year at the end of the 1987–88 season, and was subject of offers from both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. His first choice was Liverpool but with no offer forthcoming, Gascoigne promised Alex Ferguson that he would sign for Manchester United. Ferguson duly went on holiday to Malta, where he received the news that Gascoigne had signed for "Spurs", for a British record fee of £2million. In his 1999 autobiography, Ferguson claimed that Gascoigne was wooed into signing for Tottenham after they bought a house for his impoverished family.[10] Ferguson expressed that the biggest disappointment in his managerial career was "not getting Gazza".[11]
[edit]Tottenham Hotspur
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. (February 2012)
Under Terry Venables, Gascoigne developed into an international class footballer. He had a stocky, powerful build that allowed him to hold off defenders and weather challenges. He combined his attacking flair with hustle and tenacity, but sometimes reckless tackling. In his first season at White Hart Lane he helped "Spurs" to sixth in the First Division, and to third position the following season. Over these two seasons he made a total of 75 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals. He was named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1990, and was also named as Tottenham Hotspur's Player of the Year.
In the 1990–91 season, Tottenham reached the FA Cup Final, with Gascoigne winning a place on the PFA Team of the Year after scoring six goals on the road to the final, including a spectacular free-kick against Arsenal in the semi-final at Wembley. Going into the final against Nottingham Forest he had already agreed terms to join Italian club Lazio in an £8.5 million deal. However just minutes into the game he committed a dangerous knee-high foul on Gary Charles and ruptured his own cruciate ligaments in his right knee. He subsequently collapsed after taking his place in the defensive wall for a free kick, from which England team mate Stuart Pearce scored. Tottenham went on to win the Cup in extra-time. He missed the entire 1991–92 season while he recovered, suffering a further knee injury in late 1991, when an accident at a nightclub on Tyneside ruled him out for even longer.[12]
The saga over Gascoigne's proposed transfer to Lazio dominated the tabloid press throughout 1991, often overshadowing the key national news of that time – namely the recession and rise in unemployment that it sparked – although the broadsheet newspapers generally kept stories about Gascoigne confined to their back pages.[13]
[edit]Lazio
Gascoigne eventually joined Lazio for a fee of £5.5 million, making his debut on 27 September 1992 in a match against Genoa which was televised in Britain as well as Italy. His form was inconsistent in his first season at the Stadio Olimpico, but he scored his first goal in the 89th minute to equalise during the Rome derby against A.S. Roma. He failed to fully settle in Italy and was beset by media interest and injury. He broke his cheekbone in April 1993 and his leg a year later; the latter injury kept him out for the majority of the 1994–95 season. In all competitions he made 47 appearances for Lazio, scoring six goals.
During his time in Italy, he was interviewed by a Norwegian TV reporter, prior to England playing them, for a message to the people of Norway. His infamous reply was "******** off, Norway".[14]
[edit]Rangers
Gascoigne signed for Rangers in July 1995, for a reported fee of £4.3 million. He made an immediate impact; in the fifth league game of the season in the Old Firm match at Celtic Park he scored a memorable goal after running almost the length of the pitch. On 30 December 1995, in a match against Hibernian, Gascoigne was booked by referee Dougie Smith after he picked Smith's yellow card up from the ground and jokingly 'booked' the referee. Rangers went on to win the league, clinching the title in the penultimate game of the season against Aberdeen; Gascoigne scored a hat-trick during the game. Rangers subsequently won the Scottish Cup, and Gascoigne picked up both the SFWA Footballer of the Year and SPFA Players' Player of the Year awards. Rangers won the league title again in 1996–97, their ninth in succession. They also won the League Cup, where Gascoigne scored twice in the Final in a 4–3 victory over Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park.
In January 1998, Gascoigne again courted controversy after he played a mock flute (symbolic of the flute-playing of Orange Order marchers) during an Old Firm match at Celtic Park. The gesture infuriated Celtic fans who had been taunting him and Gascoigne was fined £20,000 by Rangers after the incident.[15]
In 2006 Gascoigne was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame, alongside former teammate Brian Laudrup, at a ceremony in the Glasgow Hilton.[16]
[edit]Later career
After initial speculation linking him with a move to Crystal Palace,[17] he left Scotland to join Middlesbrough for £3.4 million in March 1998. His first match was the League Cup final against Chelsea, in which he came on as a substitute. He played seven games in the First Division, helping "Boro" into the Premier League as runners-up to Nottingham Forest. Personal problems, suspension and injuries limited his subsequent appearances, with Gascoigne breaking his arm after elbowing opposition midfield player George Boateng in the head during Middlesbrough's 0-4 home defeat to Aston Villa[18], susequently receiving a 3 match ban and £5,000 fine from the the Football Association[19]. Gascoigne then joined Everton (managed by former Rangers boss Walter Smith) on 17 July 2000 on a free transfer having been allowed to leave by Middlesbrough[20]. After spending time at an alcohol rehabilitation clinic in Arizona[21] , Gascoigne finished the 2001–02 season with Burnley, who narrowly missed out on the First Division play-offs.
In mid-2002, with his career coming to an end, Gascoigne went on trial with American club D.C. United, but failed to win a contract. In January 2003, he signed a nine-month contract with Chinese club Gansu Tianma in both a playing and coaching role, but after going to America for treatment against drink and depression in April, he failed to return. The eruption of the SARS virus in China halted any thoughts of returning. Instead, he returned to England and later trained for six weeks with Wolverhampton Wanderers, but was not offered a contract for the 2003–04 campaign.
In July 2004, Gascoigne was signed as player-coach by League Two side Boston United, and made five appearances in a three months spell.[22]
[edit]International career
Gascoigne was first called up to the full England squad by Bobby Robson for a friendly against Denmark, in September 1988. He scored his first goal for England in a World Cup Qualifier against Albania. The following match saw him make his first start and he played in most matches in the run in to the 1990 FIFA World Cup with England finishing second in their group. He secured his place in the World Cup squad in a 4–2 win against Czechoslovakia when he scored one goal and had a hand in the other three.
He played in all three of the group games in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, and England topped their group, Gascoigne providing the assist for Mark Wright's winner against Egypt. In the first knockout game against Belgium he made another assist after chipping a free-kick into the penalty area, where David Platt volleyed the ball into the net. Gascoigne was at the centre of the action again in the quarter-final clash with Cameroon when he gave away a penalty, which Cameroon converted. In extra-time he found Gary Lineker with a through-ball from which Lineker won, and subsequently scored a penalty, which proved to be the winning goal.
On 4 July 1990, England played West Germany in the World Cup semi-final in Turin. Gascoigne, having already received a yellow card during England's 1–0 victory over Belgium in the second round, was booked for a foul on Thomas Berthold,[1] which meant that he would be suspended for the final if England won the match. Television cameras showed that he had tears in his eyes following the yellow card.[23] The match culminated in a penalty shoot-out, which the Germans won after Chris Waddle missed his penalty. Gascoigne was named in the tournament All-Star team for his performances and returned to England to a frenzy that became known as "Gazzamania". His fearless, talismanic performances at the Finals were appreciated by the team. Speaking in 2010, Waddle said that "the great thing about Gazza is that he didn't respect who he was playing against. He didn't even know who he was playing against. When I mentioned Rijkaard he thought it was a country."[24]
Injury limited his involvement for the national team during Graham Taylor's tenure as manager. However he became a key part of Terry Venables' team in the run-in to Euro '96. In the second game of the tournament, against Scotland, he scored a memorable goal. Gascoigne received the ball from Darren Anderton outside the Scotland penalty area, moved as if to play the ball down the outside, but flicked the ball over Colin Hendry with his left foot and changed direction; Hendry was completely wrong-footed and, as the ball dropped, Gascoigne volleyed it with his right foot past Andy Goram. The goal was followed by the "Dentist's chair" celebration referring to an incident before the Euro 1996, where England team players were photographed on a drunken night with Gascoigne, Teddy Sheringham and Steve McManaman shown drinking in a dentist's chair.[25] After the goal Gascoigne lay on the ground as if he were sitting in the dentist's chair, and teammates sprayed water from bottles into his open mouth.[26]
In the third group game against the Netherlands Gascoigne contributed to a 4–1 victory, providing the corner which led to the second goal and crafting the third goal with a mazy run into the Dutch penalty area. After beating Spain on penalties, England met Germany in the semi-final. Early on Gascoigne's corner again led to an England goal, and extra time was again required; a late dash into the six yard box left Gascoigne within millimetres of scoring the golden goal which would have put England through to the final. However, England lost to Germany in the resulting penalty shoot-out and, once again, Gascoigne shed tears.
Under Glenn Hoddle, Gascoigne was picked regularly over the next year and a half helping England qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but with injury and disciplinary problems affecting his game, he was left out of the final squad by Hoddle. British tabloid newspapers showed pictures of a drunken Gascoigne eating kebabs in the early hours of the morning only a week before the final squad was due to be chosen.[27] On being told he was out of the squad, Gascoigne wrecked Hoddle's room in a rage before being restrained. Gascoigne was never to play for his country again, having won 57 caps and scored 10 goals.
[edit]Managerial and coaching career
Having already gained some coaching experience in China, he signed for Boston United on 30 July 2004. After being at the club for 11 games he left (partly as a result of the club refusing to let him participate in the reality television show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here![28]) on 5 October, to begin a football coaching course. After leaving Boston, he stated that he was interested in taking over as manager of Scottish side Greenock Morton,[29] but this came to nothing.
In mid-2005 he spent two months as player-coach at the recently founded Portuguese team Algarve United, but he returned to England after a proposed contract never materialised.[30] He was appointed manager of Conference North club Kettering Town on 27 October 2005, and also planned put in enough money to own one-third of the club to show his commitment.[31] Previous manager Kevin Wilson was moved upstairs to become director of football, and Paul Davis was appointed as the club's assistant manager.[32] Bookmakers put odds on Gascoigne getting the sack before Christmas, though he insisted that he was at Rockingham Road "for the long haul".[32] Attempts to get new sponsors on board were successful, though results on the pitch soon went against the "Poppies".[33] His tenure at Kettering lasted just 39 days, and he was dismissed by the club's board on 5 December. The club's owner blamed Gascoigne's alcohol problems, stating that he drank almost every day he worked.[34] Gascoigne later claimed that the owner had interfered incessantly and harboured ambitions of being a manager himself, despite knowing little about football.[35] He explained that him appearing drunk in an interview with Sky News was due to his poor mental state, tiredness and prescribed medication.[36] He was never on a contract at the club, and was never paid for his six weeks work, nor was he given the chance to invest money in the club as he had first planned.[37]
Gascoigne came close to being appointed manager of Garforth Town in 2010.[38] Gascoigne was never seen at a Garforth Town match,[39] and after weeks of talks between his agent and the club he decided to turn down the offer, though reiterated his desire to return to football management.[40]
[edit]Other projects
At the height of "Gazzamania", he reached number 2 in the UK Top 40 with "Fog on the Tyne", a collaborative cover with Lindisfarne. He also toured Europe with Iron Maiden.[41] He promoted two video games: Gazza's Superstar Soccer and Gazza II, and also featured in an advertising campaign to promote the Fabergé brand Brut. He worked as a pundit on ITV's World Cup team in 2002.
In August 2006, he visited Botswana on behalf of the Football Association's international outreach week and played football with the children from the SOS Children's Village there.[42]
On 25 July 2009, Gascoigne appeared on a Sporting Heroes edition of the BBC television quiz The Weakest Link, where he engaged in banter with host Anne Robinson.[43] The next day he played in an England v Germany charity football match to help raise funds for the Sir Bobby Robson cancer fund.[44]
[edit]Personal life
Gascoigne married his long-term girlfriend Sheryl (née Failes[45]) in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in July 1996, after being together for around six years.[46] They divorced in early 1999.[47] In July 1994, in interview with a Sunday newspaper, Gascoigne admitted beating her on a regular basis for two years.[22] They have a son, Regan Paul, born in Hatfield in 1996. Gascoigne adopted Sheryl's two children from her first marriage. Step-daughter Bianca Gascoigne appeared on reality TV show Love Island.[48][49][50] His seven-year-old nephew Cameron Gascoigne signed a contract with Newcastle United after he scored 22 goals in 30 minutes for Rutherford Swifts FC in the Gateshead Youth League.[51]
[edit]Struggles with mental illnesses
In 2004 he published his autobiography Gazza: My Story, written with Hunter Davies, and in 2006 Being Gazza: Tackling My Demons. In them, he refers to treatment for bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and alcoholism.[52] The books also describes his addictive personality, which has led him to develop addictions, of varying severity, on alcohol, gambling, high-caffeine energy drinks, exercise, and junk food.[53]
Gascoigne had suffered with mental issues for most of his life, but first entered sustained therapy sessions when he was admitted into the Priory in 1998 after a drinking sessions of 32 shots of whisky left him at "rock bottom"; then-manager Bryan Robson signed him into the clinic whilst Gascoigne was unconscious.[54] He was released, at his own insistence, two weeks into the suggested minimum stay of 28 days.[55] His subsequent visits to the Priory became more infrequent, and he eventually suffered a relapse.[56] In 2001, his then-chairman Bill Kenwright contacted Gascoigne's therapist at the Priory, John McKeown, who organized more treatment to help Gascoigne to control his drinking.[57] As part of the treatment he was sent to the United States, and he had three stays at a clinic in Cottonwood, Arizona: in June 2001, in 2003, and again 2004.[58] He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during his first stay at the clinic.[57] His later stays at the clinic came about after he suffered low points working in China and coming to terms with the end of his playing career.[59]
He was due to appear on Strictly Ice Dancing on Boxing Day 2004, but had to pull out of the programme after injuring his back during training.[60] Despite struggling with his OCD, he had been controlling his mental issues well until being hospitalized with the injury.[61] However after he was released he began to form a dependence on morphine-based painkillers, his OCD became worse, he returned to drink (after two years of sobriety), and he also began drinking 15 cans of Red Bull a day - which helped to trigger a bipolar episode.[62] The next month he was hospitalised with pneumonia.[63] He then managed to reign in his drinking, before suffering a relapse in Portugal in 2005 which resulted in him getting into a scuffle with two police officers at Gatwick Airport.[30] He refused to abstain from alcohol and consistently gave in to "a couple of glasses of wine", though refused to seek help following his dismissal from Kettering Town as he felt that by seeking rehabilitation he would prove the allegations of the press and his former chairman to be true; he eventually relented and once again sought out help.[64]
In May 2007, it was reported that he underwent emergency surgery on a perforated stomach ulcer, after falling ill celebrating his 40th birthday.[65] He had his right hip replaced in December 2007.[66] In February 2008 he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after an incident at the Malmaison Hotel in Newcastle. He was taken into protective custody to prevent any self-harm.[67] Gascoigne says that he almost died during his time in a rehabilitation programme in 2008 and that he was revived three times after his heart had stopped.[68] In January 2009, video clips of Gascoigne appeared in Surviving Gazza, a documentary on Channel 4, which showed family efforts to help him the previous year. The programme implied that their efforts had failed, and Gascoigne's alcoholism had continued.[69]
In April 2009, Gascoigne made two media appearances, appearing to be in recovery, on the UK mid-day programme Loose Women[70] and on the BBC football program Match of the Day 2. He claimed that his stint at the Tony Adams "Sporting Chance" rehabilitation centre[71] had finally allowed him to mature and that he was no longer a slave to addictions.
In 2010, Gascoigne suffered legal problems and media scrutiny and ridicule. On 8 February, he was arrested and charged with drink driving.[72] On 9 July, he appeared at the scene of the tense stand-off between the police and Raoul Moat and claimed to be a friend of the fugitive, stating that he had brought him "a can of lager, some chicken, fishing rod, a Newcastle shirt and a dressing gown". He was denied access to Moat.[73] Gascoigne sued The Sun in August 2011, claiming its coverage of him during the Raoul Moat incident interrupted his treatment for alcoholism.[74] On 8 October, Gascoigne was again arrested for drink driving. He admitted being more than four times over the limit at Newcastle Magistrates Court on 20 October, and faced a possible prison sentence.[75] On 21 October, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, after friends telephoned the police fearing that he had overdosed.[76]
[edit]Career statistics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Gascoigne
Gascoigne pictured at 'Memorabilia' at the NEC in April 2006.
Personal information
Full name Paul John Gascoigne
Date of birth 27 May 1967 (age 45)
Place of birth Dunston, Gateshead, England
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1980–1985 Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1985–1988 Newcastle United 92 (21)
1988–1992 Tottenham Hotspur 92 (19)
1992–1995 Lazio 43 (6)
1995–1998 Rangers 74 (30)
1998–2000 Middlesbrough 41 (4)
2000–2002 Everton 32 (1)
2002 Burnley 6 (0)
2003 Gansu Tianma 4 (2)
2004 Boston United 4 (0)
Total 391 (83)
National team
1987–1988 England U21 13 (5)
1989 England B 4 (1)
1988–1998 England 57 (10)
Teams managed
2005 Kettering Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
Paul John Gascoigne (born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is a former England international footballer.
Playing as a midfielder, he began his professional career with local club Newcastle United in 1985. Three years later he was sold on to Tottenham Hotspur for a £2 million fee. He won the FA Cup with "Spurs" in 1991, before he was sold to Italian club Lazio for £5.5 million the following year. In July 1995, he was transferred to Rangers for £4.3 million, and helped the club to two league titles and two trophies. He returned to England in a £3.4 million move to Middlesbrough in March 1998. He made his debut in the Premier League in the 1998–99 season, having already featured in the 1998 Football League Cup Final. He switched to Everton in July 2000, and later had spells with Burnley, Gansu Tianma (China), and Boston United.
Though well-known throughout Europe for his club career, his football career is particularly remembered for his 57 England caps. He also won 13 caps for the England under-21s and four caps for the England B team. He was part of the England squad that reached fourth place in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and was famously reduced to tears after receiving a yellow card in the semi-final with West Germany, which meant he would be suspended for the final itself had England won the game. He also helped the team to the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 1996, and again embedded himself in the national consciousness with a spectacular goal against Scotland that was coupled with a memorable goal celebration.
After retiring from professional football, his life became dominated by his mental and emotional problems, particularly his alcoholism. His problems have received regular coverage in the British press, especially during his various run-ins with the law in 2010. He has attempted to live without alcohol on numerous occasions, though numerous rehabilitation programmes have provided only temporary relief. His problems have curtailed his coaching career, particularly his 39 day spell as Kettering Town manager in late-2005.
Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Club career
2.1 Newcastle United
2.2 Tottenham Hotspur
2.3 Lazio
2.4 Rangers
2.5 Later career
3 International career
4 Managerial and coaching career
5 Other projects
6 Personal life
6.1 Struggles with mental illnesses
7 Career statistics
8 Honours
9 References
10 External links
[edit]Early life
Gascoigne was born in the Dunston area of Gateshead, England.[1] He played for the local Redheugh Boys' Club despite being under-age. He later attended Breckenbeds Junior High School, then the Heathfield Senior High School, both in the Low Fell area of Gateshead.
He was noticed by football scouts while playing for Gateshead Boys, though failed to impress in a trial at Ipswich Town. Further trials at Middlesbrough and Southampton also proved unsuccessful, before Newcastle United signed him as a schoolboy in 1980. He was signed on as an apprentice at Newcastle in 1983, initially playing for the youth team under Colin Suggett.
While Gascoigne was successful on the football field, his childhood was marked by instability and tragedy. Initially his family lived in a single upstairs room in a council house with a shared bathroom, and moved several times during Gascoigne's early life.[2] When he was ten, Gascoigne witnessed the death of Steven Spraggon, the younger brother of a friend, who was knocked down by a car.[3] Around this time, his father began to suffer from seizures.[3] Gascoigne began developing obsessions and twitches, and was taken into therapy at age ten, but soon quit the therapy sessions after his father expressed doubts over the treatment methods.[4]
Gascoigne developed an addiction to gaming machines, frequently spending all his money on them, and also began shoplifting to fund his addiction.[5] Death made another appearance in his life when a friend, whom he had encouraged to join Newcastle United from Middlesbrough, died whilst he was working for Gascoigne's uncle on the building sites.[6] At the age of 15, he took the decision to provide for his family – his parents and two sisters – financially, as he saw professional football as a way of earning more money than the rest of the family were capable of.[7]
[edit]Club career
[edit]Newcastle United
Gascoigne captained Newcastle United's youth team in the 1984–85 season. He led the team to the FA Youth Cup, having scored twice in the second leg of the final against Watford. However manager Jack Charlton threatened to kick Gascoigne out of the club within two weeks if he did not lose weight. After shedding the excess weight, Gascoigne was picked as a substitute for the Tyne–Wear derby with Sunderland, although he did not make it onto the pitch. He made his first team debut at St James' Park against Queens Park Rangers on 13 April 1985, coming on as a substitute. Soon after he signed his first professional contract, and made a further appearance for the first team. Willie McFaul took over as manager soon after, and awarded Gascoigne his first start on the opening day of the 1985–86 season at Southampton. He scored his first goal at home to Oxford United in a 3–0 victory on 21 September 1985, and claimed a further eight in the 1985–86 campaign. Newcastle finished 11th in the First Division that season and, at the end of it, Gascoigne was featured on the front cover of the Rothmans Football Yearbook.[8]
After getting into a hit and run incident with his drinking mate, Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner, he claimed his car had been stolen before admitting their crime; Gascoigne was fined £260 and given eight points on his 'non-existent licence'. He was told by Mr McKeag, one of the Newcastle directors, that this would be his last warning. His rise through the Newcastle youth team was not a happy one as he felt constantly picked on about his weight and his misbehaviour. After one instance where he felt particularly picked on, he took a groundsman's tractor and drove it straight into the dressing room wall, jumping off just before impact – he was fined £75 for this. Though confident in his ability, Gascoigne confessed to envy of Ian Bogie, who he felt was a superior player to him.[9]
Gazza also had doubts as to the direction the club was going, especially when they sold Chris Waddle, something he felt was a bad sign. In all competitions he made a total of 107 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 25 goals. He was named as the PFA Young Player of the Year and listed on the PFA Team of the Year at the end of the 1987–88 season, and was subject of offers from both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. His first choice was Liverpool but with no offer forthcoming, Gascoigne promised Alex Ferguson that he would sign for Manchester United. Ferguson duly went on holiday to Malta, where he received the news that Gascoigne had signed for "Spurs", for a British record fee of £2million. In his 1999 autobiography, Ferguson claimed that Gascoigne was wooed into signing for Tottenham after they bought a house for his impoverished family.[10] Ferguson expressed that the biggest disappointment in his managerial career was "not getting Gazza".[11]
[edit]Tottenham Hotspur
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Under Terry Venables, Gascoigne developed into an international class footballer. He had a stocky, powerful build that allowed him to hold off defenders and weather challenges. He combined his attacking flair with hustle and tenacity, but sometimes reckless tackling. In his first season at White Hart Lane he helped "Spurs" to sixth in the First Division, and to third position the following season. Over these two seasons he made a total of 75 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals. He was named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1990, and was also named as Tottenham Hotspur's Player of the Year.
In the 1990–91 season, Tottenham reached the FA Cup Final, with Gascoigne winning a place on the PFA Team of the Year after scoring six goals on the road to the final, including a spectacular free-kick against Arsenal in the semi-final at Wembley. Going into the final against Nottingham Forest he had already agreed terms to join Italian club Lazio in an £8.5 million deal. However just minutes into the game he committed a dangerous knee-high foul on Gary Charles and ruptured his own cruciate ligaments in his right knee. He subsequently collapsed after taking his place in the defensive wall for a free kick, from which England team mate Stuart Pearce scored. Tottenham went on to win the Cup in extra-time. He missed the entire 1991–92 season while he recovered, suffering a further knee injury in late 1991, when an accident at a nightclub on Tyneside ruled him out for even longer.[12]
The saga over Gascoigne's proposed transfer to Lazio dominated the tabloid press throughout 1991, often overshadowing the key national news of that time – namely the recession and rise in unemployment that it sparked – although the broadsheet newspapers generally kept stories about Gascoigne confined to their back pages.[13]
[edit]Lazio
Gascoigne eventually joined Lazio for a fee of £5.5 million, making his debut on 27 September 1992 in a match against Genoa which was televised in Britain as well as Italy. His form was inconsistent in his first season at the Stadio Olimpico, but he scored his first goal in the 89th minute to equalise during the Rome derby against A.S. Roma. He failed to fully settle in Italy and was beset by media interest and injury. He broke his cheekbone in April 1993 and his leg a year later; the latter injury kept him out for the majority of the 1994–95 season. In all competitions he made 47 appearances for Lazio, scoring six goals.
During his time in Italy, he was interviewed by a Norwegian TV reporter, prior to England playing them, for a message to the people of Norway. His infamous reply was "******** off, Norway".[14]
[edit]Rangers
Gascoigne signed for Rangers in July 1995, for a reported fee of £4.3 million. He made an immediate impact; in the fifth league game of the season in the Old Firm match at Celtic Park he scored a memorable goal after running almost the length of the pitch. On 30 December 1995, in a match against Hibernian, Gascoigne was booked by referee Dougie Smith after he picked Smith's yellow card up from the ground and jokingly 'booked' the referee. Rangers went on to win the league, clinching the title in the penultimate game of the season against Aberdeen; Gascoigne scored a hat-trick during the game. Rangers subsequently won the Scottish Cup, and Gascoigne picked up both the SFWA Footballer of the Year and SPFA Players' Player of the Year awards. Rangers won the league title again in 1996–97, their ninth in succession. They also won the League Cup, where Gascoigne scored twice in the Final in a 4–3 victory over Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park.
In January 1998, Gascoigne again courted controversy after he played a mock flute (symbolic of the flute-playing of Orange Order marchers) during an Old Firm match at Celtic Park. The gesture infuriated Celtic fans who had been taunting him and Gascoigne was fined £20,000 by Rangers after the incident.[15]
In 2006 Gascoigne was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame, alongside former teammate Brian Laudrup, at a ceremony in the Glasgow Hilton.[16]
[edit]Later career
After initial speculation linking him with a move to Crystal Palace,[17] he left Scotland to join Middlesbrough for £3.4 million in March 1998. His first match was the League Cup final against Chelsea, in which he came on as a substitute. He played seven games in the First Division, helping "Boro" into the Premier League as runners-up to Nottingham Forest. Personal problems, suspension and injuries limited his subsequent appearances, with Gascoigne breaking his arm after elbowing opposition midfield player George Boateng in the head during Middlesbrough's 0-4 home defeat to Aston Villa[18], susequently receiving a 3 match ban and £5,000 fine from the the Football Association[19]. Gascoigne then joined Everton (managed by former Rangers boss Walter Smith) on 17 July 2000 on a free transfer having been allowed to leave by Middlesbrough[20]. After spending time at an alcohol rehabilitation clinic in Arizona[21] , Gascoigne finished the 2001–02 season with Burnley, who narrowly missed out on the First Division play-offs.
In mid-2002, with his career coming to an end, Gascoigne went on trial with American club D.C. United, but failed to win a contract. In January 2003, he signed a nine-month contract with Chinese club Gansu Tianma in both a playing and coaching role, but after going to America for treatment against drink and depression in April, he failed to return. The eruption of the SARS virus in China halted any thoughts of returning. Instead, he returned to England and later trained for six weeks with Wolverhampton Wanderers, but was not offered a contract for the 2003–04 campaign.
In July 2004, Gascoigne was signed as player-coach by League Two side Boston United, and made five appearances in a three months spell.[22]
[edit]International career
Gascoigne was first called up to the full England squad by Bobby Robson for a friendly against Denmark, in September 1988. He scored his first goal for England in a World Cup Qualifier against Albania. The following match saw him make his first start and he played in most matches in the run in to the 1990 FIFA World Cup with England finishing second in their group. He secured his place in the World Cup squad in a 4–2 win against Czechoslovakia when he scored one goal and had a hand in the other three.
He played in all three of the group games in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, and England topped their group, Gascoigne providing the assist for Mark Wright's winner against Egypt. In the first knockout game against Belgium he made another assist after chipping a free-kick into the penalty area, where David Platt volleyed the ball into the net. Gascoigne was at the centre of the action again in the quarter-final clash with Cameroon when he gave away a penalty, which Cameroon converted. In extra-time he found Gary Lineker with a through-ball from which Lineker won, and subsequently scored a penalty, which proved to be the winning goal.
On 4 July 1990, England played West Germany in the World Cup semi-final in Turin. Gascoigne, having already received a yellow card during England's 1–0 victory over Belgium in the second round, was booked for a foul on Thomas Berthold,[1] which meant that he would be suspended for the final if England won the match. Television cameras showed that he had tears in his eyes following the yellow card.[23] The match culminated in a penalty shoot-out, which the Germans won after Chris Waddle missed his penalty. Gascoigne was named in the tournament All-Star team for his performances and returned to England to a frenzy that became known as "Gazzamania". His fearless, talismanic performances at the Finals were appreciated by the team. Speaking in 2010, Waddle said that "the great thing about Gazza is that he didn't respect who he was playing against. He didn't even know who he was playing against. When I mentioned Rijkaard he thought it was a country."[24]
Injury limited his involvement for the national team during Graham Taylor's tenure as manager. However he became a key part of Terry Venables' team in the run-in to Euro '96. In the second game of the tournament, against Scotland, he scored a memorable goal. Gascoigne received the ball from Darren Anderton outside the Scotland penalty area, moved as if to play the ball down the outside, but flicked the ball over Colin Hendry with his left foot and changed direction; Hendry was completely wrong-footed and, as the ball dropped, Gascoigne volleyed it with his right foot past Andy Goram. The goal was followed by the "Dentist's chair" celebration referring to an incident before the Euro 1996, where England team players were photographed on a drunken night with Gascoigne, Teddy Sheringham and Steve McManaman shown drinking in a dentist's chair.[25] After the goal Gascoigne lay on the ground as if he were sitting in the dentist's chair, and teammates sprayed water from bottles into his open mouth.[26]
In the third group game against the Netherlands Gascoigne contributed to a 4–1 victory, providing the corner which led to the second goal and crafting the third goal with a mazy run into the Dutch penalty area. After beating Spain on penalties, England met Germany in the semi-final. Early on Gascoigne's corner again led to an England goal, and extra time was again required; a late dash into the six yard box left Gascoigne within millimetres of scoring the golden goal which would have put England through to the final. However, England lost to Germany in the resulting penalty shoot-out and, once again, Gascoigne shed tears.
Under Glenn Hoddle, Gascoigne was picked regularly over the next year and a half helping England qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but with injury and disciplinary problems affecting his game, he was left out of the final squad by Hoddle. British tabloid newspapers showed pictures of a drunken Gascoigne eating kebabs in the early hours of the morning only a week before the final squad was due to be chosen.[27] On being told he was out of the squad, Gascoigne wrecked Hoddle's room in a rage before being restrained. Gascoigne was never to play for his country again, having won 57 caps and scored 10 goals.
[edit]Managerial and coaching career
Having already gained some coaching experience in China, he signed for Boston United on 30 July 2004. After being at the club for 11 games he left (partly as a result of the club refusing to let him participate in the reality television show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here![28]) on 5 October, to begin a football coaching course. After leaving Boston, he stated that he was interested in taking over as manager of Scottish side Greenock Morton,[29] but this came to nothing.
In mid-2005 he spent two months as player-coach at the recently founded Portuguese team Algarve United, but he returned to England after a proposed contract never materialised.[30] He was appointed manager of Conference North club Kettering Town on 27 October 2005, and also planned put in enough money to own one-third of the club to show his commitment.[31] Previous manager Kevin Wilson was moved upstairs to become director of football, and Paul Davis was appointed as the club's assistant manager.[32] Bookmakers put odds on Gascoigne getting the sack before Christmas, though he insisted that he was at Rockingham Road "for the long haul".[32] Attempts to get new sponsors on board were successful, though results on the pitch soon went against the "Poppies".[33] His tenure at Kettering lasted just 39 days, and he was dismissed by the club's board on 5 December. The club's owner blamed Gascoigne's alcohol problems, stating that he drank almost every day he worked.[34] Gascoigne later claimed that the owner had interfered incessantly and harboured ambitions of being a manager himself, despite knowing little about football.[35] He explained that him appearing drunk in an interview with Sky News was due to his poor mental state, tiredness and prescribed medication.[36] He was never on a contract at the club, and was never paid for his six weeks work, nor was he given the chance to invest money in the club as he had first planned.[37]
Gascoigne came close to being appointed manager of Garforth Town in 2010.[38] Gascoigne was never seen at a Garforth Town match,[39] and after weeks of talks between his agent and the club he decided to turn down the offer, though reiterated his desire to return to football management.[40]
[edit]Other projects
At the height of "Gazzamania", he reached number 2 in the UK Top 40 with "Fog on the Tyne", a collaborative cover with Lindisfarne. He also toured Europe with Iron Maiden.[41] He promoted two video games: Gazza's Superstar Soccer and Gazza II, and also featured in an advertising campaign to promote the Fabergé brand Brut. He worked as a pundit on ITV's World Cup team in 2002.
In August 2006, he visited Botswana on behalf of the Football Association's international outreach week and played football with the children from the SOS Children's Village there.[42]
On 25 July 2009, Gascoigne appeared on a Sporting Heroes edition of the BBC television quiz The Weakest Link, where he engaged in banter with host Anne Robinson.[43] The next day he played in an England v Germany charity football match to help raise funds for the Sir Bobby Robson cancer fund.[44]
[edit]Personal life
Gascoigne married his long-term girlfriend Sheryl (née Failes[45]) in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in July 1996, after being together for around six years.[46] They divorced in early 1999.[47] In July 1994, in interview with a Sunday newspaper, Gascoigne admitted beating her on a regular basis for two years.[22] They have a son, Regan Paul, born in Hatfield in 1996. Gascoigne adopted Sheryl's two children from her first marriage. Step-daughter Bianca Gascoigne appeared on reality TV show Love Island.[48][49][50] His seven-year-old nephew Cameron Gascoigne signed a contract with Newcastle United after he scored 22 goals in 30 minutes for Rutherford Swifts FC in the Gateshead Youth League.[51]
[edit]Struggles with mental illnesses
In 2004 he published his autobiography Gazza: My Story, written with Hunter Davies, and in 2006 Being Gazza: Tackling My Demons. In them, he refers to treatment for bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and alcoholism.[52] The books also describes his addictive personality, which has led him to develop addictions, of varying severity, on alcohol, gambling, high-caffeine energy drinks, exercise, and junk food.[53]
Gascoigne had suffered with mental issues for most of his life, but first entered sustained therapy sessions when he was admitted into the Priory in 1998 after a drinking sessions of 32 shots of whisky left him at "rock bottom"; then-manager Bryan Robson signed him into the clinic whilst Gascoigne was unconscious.[54] He was released, at his own insistence, two weeks into the suggested minimum stay of 28 days.[55] His subsequent visits to the Priory became more infrequent, and he eventually suffered a relapse.[56] In 2001, his then-chairman Bill Kenwright contacted Gascoigne's therapist at the Priory, John McKeown, who organized more treatment to help Gascoigne to control his drinking.[57] As part of the treatment he was sent to the United States, and he had three stays at a clinic in Cottonwood, Arizona: in June 2001, in 2003, and again 2004.[58] He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during his first stay at the clinic.[57] His later stays at the clinic came about after he suffered low points working in China and coming to terms with the end of his playing career.[59]
He was due to appear on Strictly Ice Dancing on Boxing Day 2004, but had to pull out of the programme after injuring his back during training.[60] Despite struggling with his OCD, he had been controlling his mental issues well until being hospitalized with the injury.[61] However after he was released he began to form a dependence on morphine-based painkillers, his OCD became worse, he returned to drink (after two years of sobriety), and he also began drinking 15 cans of Red Bull a day - which helped to trigger a bipolar episode.[62] The next month he was hospitalised with pneumonia.[63] He then managed to reign in his drinking, before suffering a relapse in Portugal in 2005 which resulted in him getting into a scuffle with two police officers at Gatwick Airport.[30] He refused to abstain from alcohol and consistently gave in to "a couple of glasses of wine", though refused to seek help following his dismissal from Kettering Town as he felt that by seeking rehabilitation he would prove the allegations of the press and his former chairman to be true; he eventually relented and once again sought out help.[64]
In May 2007, it was reported that he underwent emergency surgery on a perforated stomach ulcer, after falling ill celebrating his 40th birthday.[65] He had his right hip replaced in December 2007.[66] In February 2008 he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after an incident at the Malmaison Hotel in Newcastle. He was taken into protective custody to prevent any self-harm.[67] Gascoigne says that he almost died during his time in a rehabilitation programme in 2008 and that he was revived three times after his heart had stopped.[68] In January 2009, video clips of Gascoigne appeared in Surviving Gazza, a documentary on Channel 4, which showed family efforts to help him the previous year. The programme implied that their efforts had failed, and Gascoigne's alcoholism had continued.[69]
In April 2009, Gascoigne made two media appearances, appearing to be in recovery, on the UK mid-day programme Loose Women[70] and on the BBC football program Match of the Day 2. He claimed that his stint at the Tony Adams "Sporting Chance" rehabilitation centre[71] had finally allowed him to mature and that he was no longer a slave to addictions.
In 2010, Gascoigne suffered legal problems and media scrutiny and ridicule. On 8 February, he was arrested and charged with drink driving.[72] On 9 July, he appeared at the scene of the tense stand-off between the police and Raoul Moat and claimed to be a friend of the fugitive, stating that he had brought him "a can of lager, some chicken, fishing rod, a Newcastle shirt and a dressing gown". He was denied access to Moat.[73] Gascoigne sued The Sun in August 2011, claiming its coverage of him during the Raoul Moat incident interrupted his treatment for alcoholism.[74] On 8 October, Gascoigne was again arrested for drink driving. He admitted being more than four times over the limit at Newcastle Magistrates Court on 20 October, and faced a possible prison sentence.[75] On 21 October, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, after friends telephoned the police fearing that he had overdosed.[76]
[edit]Career statistics
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