Paul Gascoigne

Paul Gascoigne
Personal information
Full name	Paul John Gascoigne
Date of birth	27 May 1967 (1967-05-27) (age 42)
Place of birth	Dunston, Gateshead, England
Height	5 ft 9 1⁄2 in (1.77 m)
Playing position	Midfielder (retired)
Youth clubs
1980–1985	Newcastle United
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1985–1988 1988–1992 1992–1995 1995–1998 1998–2000 2000–2002 2002 2003 2004	Newcastle United Tottenham Hotspur Lazio Rangers Middlesbrough Everton Burnley Gansu Tianma Boston United Total	092 (21) 092 (19) 043 0(6) 074 (30) 041 0(4) 032 0(1) 006 0(0) 004 0(2) 005 0(0) 389 (83)
National team
1987–1988 1989 1988–1998	England U21 England B England	013 0(5) 004 0(1) 057 (10)
Teams managed
2005	Kettering Town
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Paul John Gascoigne (born 27 May 1967 in Dunston, Gateshead, England^[1]), often referred to as Gazza, is a retired English football player who is widely regarded as one of the most gifted footballers of his generation.^[2] He has also had spells as a manager and coach. Playing in the position of midfield, his career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough, Everton, Lazio and Rangers; and he was also capped 57 times for England. He was involved in many off-field incidents, and is perceived to have never fulfilled his potential as a player.^[3][4] Since his career finished he has suffered pneumonia, alcoholism and personal legal problems.

Early life

Gascoigne was born in the Dunston area of Gateshead, the second of four children of John Gascoigne (a hod carrier) and his wife Carol. Initially the family lived in a single upstairs room in a council house with a shared bathroom, and moved several times during Gascoigne's early life.^[5] At the age of ten his father moved away to Germany to find work, and Paul suffered a personal tragedy when he witnessed the death of Steven Spraggon, the younger brother of a friend, who was knocked down by a car outside a sweet shop. He suffered further trauma soon after when his father suffered a brain hemorrhage and was in hospital for eight months.

Gascoigne started playing football at the age of four, playing almost non-stop in the street and nearby park. He played for his school (Brighton Avenue Primary School) team from the age of eight, and later played for the local Redheugh Boys' Club despite being under the minimum age. He attended Breckenbeds Junior High School (next door to the East Coast Main Line and closed in September 1996) on Saltwell Road South in Low Fell, then the Heathfield Senior High School (also closed in September 1996) on Durham Road (A167). Other pupils of this school included Steve Stone, John Wilson and Tracey Whitwell (actress).

He caught the attention of the football scouts while playing for Gateshead Boys, and was given a trial at Ipswich Town although he failed to impress. Further trials at Middlesbrough and Southampton also proved unsuccessful, before Newcastle United signed him as a schoolboy in 1980. At school he was once caught practising his autograph during a geography lesson, his reason being that he was "going to be a famous footballer". His teacher, Mr Hepworth, was not impressed, telling the young Gascoigne that "only one in a million becomes a professional footballer". Nevertheless he was signed on as an apprentice at Newcastle in 1983, initially playing for the youth team under Colin Suggett. It was at this time that his nickname of Gazza was first coined.

Club career

Newcastle United

Paul captained Newcastle's youth team in the 1984-85 season, winning the FA Youth Cup where he scored twice in the second leg of the final against Watford. Manager Jack Charlton picked him 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 home to 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 Paul his first start in the black and white shirt, 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 at St James' Park, with a further eight following in the 1985-86 campaign. Newcastle finished 11th in the First Division that season and, at the end of it, Paul was featured on the front cover of the Rothmans Football Yearbook.

In his autobiography, Gazza: My Story, Gascoigne wrote of traits which would become a feature of his career - weight gain while depressed (usually when injured and unable to play football) and getting into trouble. Death also featured in Gazza's life again, at the age of seventeen he convinced his friend Steven Wilson to quit Middlesbrough and sign forms with Newcastle. While waiting for an opening at Newcastle, Wilson went to work with his father in the building trade and was the victim of a fatal accident.

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. At the end of the 1987-88 season, he was named as the Barclays Young Player of the Year and had courted the attention of both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Gascoigne's 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 only to find out that Gascoigne had signed for Spurs, who paid Newcastle a fee of £2.3 million which was then a British transfer record. In his 1999 autobiography, Ferguson claims that Gascoigne was wooed into signing for Tottenham after they bought a house for his impoverished family.^[6]

Tottenham Hotspur

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 tenacious, 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. In the 1990-91 season Tottenham reached the FA Cup Final after failing to get past the Third Round for the previous two seasons. Gascoigne scored six goals on the road to the final, including a spectacular free-kick against Arsenal in the semi-final at Wembley.

However the final, against Nottingham Forest, turned out to be disastrous for Gascoigne as he sustained a serious injury. Going into the final he had already agreed terms to join Italian club Lazio in an £8.5 million deal and wanted to leave Spurs on a high to show the world how good he was. Just minutes into the game he committed a foul on Gary Charles but ruptured the cruciate ligaments in his right knee in the process. 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, which Gascoigne witnessed from his hospital bed. As a consequence he missed the entire 1991-92 season while he recovered, suffering a further knee injury in Autumn 1991, when an accident at a nightclub on Tyneside ruled him out for even longer.

Lazio

He finally 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. In his first season at the Stadio Olimpico, his form was inconsistent but he scored his first goal in the 89^th minute to equalise during the Rome derby against AS Roma. However, he failed to fully settle in Italy and was beset by media interest and injury, notably breaking his cheekbone in April 1993 and his leg a year later; the latter injury keeping him out for the majority of the 1994-95 season. In all competitions he made 47 appearances for Lazio, scoring six goals.

Rangers

Gascoigne signed for Rangers of the Scottish Premier League in July 1995, for a fee of £4.3 million. The move was unexpected. He made a great impact at Rangers however, running almost the length of the pitch to score in the Old Firm match at Celtic Park, the fifth league game of the season. On 30 December 1995, in a match against Hibs, Gascoigne 'booked' referee Dougie Smith. Smith had dropped his yellow card and Gascoigne picked it up and showed it to the official, before returning it. Smith was not amused and booked Gascoigne. Rangers went on to win the league, clinching the title in the penultimate game of the season against Aberdeen. After Rangers went 1-0 down in the early stages Gascoigne went on to score a hat-trick despite, in his own words, being tired and running on pure adrenaline. Along with the equaliser he scored in the Rome derby for Lazio, Gascoigne identifies this hat-trick as one of his best footballing moments. Rangers subsequently won the Scottish Cup, and Gascoigne picked up both the Players' Player of the Year and Football Writers' Player of the Year awards. Rangers won the league title again in 1996-97, their ninth in succession, and also the League Cup where Gascoigne scored twice in the Final.

In January 1998 Paul Gascoigne found his life being threatened by the IRA after he mimicked playing a flute (symbolic of the flute-playing of Orange Order marchers, offensive to Roman Catholics) during an Old Firm match at Celtic Park, which was televised live on Sky Sports. He had previously done the same after scoring against Steaua Bucharest in a 1995 pre-season friendly which had gone largely unnoticed. The gesture infuriated Celtic fans and Gascoigne was fined £20,000 by Rangers and was subjected to IRA death threats for around six months after the incident.^[7]

Later career

In March 1998 he left Scotland and joined Middlesbrough for £3.4 million. His first match was the League Cup final against Chelsea in which he came on as a substitute. He played seven games in Division One, helping Boro into the Premiership as runners-up to Nottingham Forest. Personal problems limited his subsequent appearances for Boro and he joined Everton (managed by former Rangers boss Walter Smith) on 17 July 2000, and finished the 2001-02 season with the final few games of the Division One season with Burnley, who missed out on the playoffs (and the chance of Premier League football) by finishing in seventh place with an inferior goal difference compared to sixth-placed Norwich City.

In 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 contact 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 only further 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 their 2003-04 Premier League campaign.

In 2005, Gascoigne was signed by then League 2 side Boston United, however only making 5 appearance and scored 0 goals but he was a strong favourite at the York Street due to his England Career and other prior experiences.

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 of matches in the run in to the 1990 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 at World Cup held in Italy in 1990 as England topped their group, providing the assist for Mark Wright's winner against Egypt. In the first knockout game against Belgium he notched another assist. With the score at 0-0 towards the end of extra time. Gascoigne got the ball in the middle of the pitch and attacked, winning a free kick. He chipped the ball into the penalty area and David Platt volleyed the ball into net to send England into the quarter-finals where they played Cameroon. Gascoigne was at the centre of the action again when he gave away a penalty which Cameroon scored from. England were 2-1 down in the last ten minutes of the match. In extra time he found Gary Lineker with a perfectly-weighted 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. After going 1-0 down early in the second half, Gascoigne's Spurs team-mate Gary Lineker equalised for England with ten minutes remaining to force extra time. Gascoigne, having already received a yellow card during England's 1-0 victory over Belgium in the second round, showed his tenacity again as he fouled Thomas Berthold^[1] and was booked, which meant that he would be suspended for the World Cup Final if England won the match. Television showed that had tears in his eyes following the yellow card. ^[8] The match culminated in a penalty shoot-out with Gascoigne originally intended to take the third kick, which was scored by Platt, but the Germans eventually won and England failed to reach the final. He was named in the tournament All-Star team for his performances and returned to England to a frenzy that became known as Gazzamania. Five years later, a TV advert for Walkers Crisps (also featuring Gary Lineker) referenced to Gascoigne's tearful appearance in the semi-final. ^[9]

By the time of his serious injury in the 1991 FA Cup Final, he had earned twenty England caps. After his recovery he was usually picked by Graham Taylor for England matches until the broken leg sustained at Lazio ruled him out for a whole year. He became a key part of Terry Venables' team in the run-in to Euro '96. In the first game against Switzerland he was substituted but scored in the second game against Scotland. A minute after David Seaman had saved a penalty, Gascoigne received the ball from Darren Anderton on the left outside the Scotland penalty area. He 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 wrongfooted and, as the ball dropped, Gascoigne volleyed it first time with his right foot past Andy Goram. The goal was followed by the famous "Dentist's chair" celebration referring to an incident before the Euro 1996, where England team players were photographed on a drunken night with Gascoigne and Teddy Sheringham shown drinking in a dentist's chair. 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.^[10]

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. England lost to Germany on the resulting penalty shoot-out, and once again, Gascoigne shed tears. He was named to the tournament All-Star squad along with Shearer and Steve McManaman.^[11]

Under Glenn Hoddle, Gascoigne was picked regularly over the next year and a half helping England qualify for the 1998 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.^[12] On being told he was out of the squad, Gascoigne wrecked Hoddle's room in a rage before being restrained. Five other players were also left out the squad, including Phil Neville, who was later consoled by Gascoigne.^[13]Hoddle later hit back at Gascoigne, declaring publicly that it was the latter's own fault that he was not included in the squad. But while Neville went on to win many more caps, Gascoigne was never to play for his country again, having won 57 caps and scored 10 goals.

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!^[14]) on 5 October 2004, to begin a football coaching course. He made a total of five appearances for the club but scored no goals. In the summer of 2005 he spent two months as player-coach at the recently founded Portuguese team Algarve United, but a proposed contract never materialised^[15] and he returned to England. He then became manager of Kettering Town on 27 October 2005. His tenure at Kettering lasted just 39 days, and he was dismissed by the club's board on 5 December 2005, along with assistant manager Paul Davis, by the club owner who blamed Gascoigne's alcohol problems, stating that he drank almost every day he worked. ^[16]

Outside football

Gascoigne has been featured in the tabloid media countless times since he first came to prominence after Italia '90. Many stories have been published over the years detailing the various antics and pranks he has perpetrated and been involved in, as well as his battles with alcoholism and domestic abuse.

His personality equalled his football at times, a happy character always full of mischief. On a trip to London he jumped out of his car to demand "a go" on a workman's pneumatic drill. After getting the go-ahead, happily pounded the pavement to the amusement of shoppers.

On first meeting with Lazio's president to discuss his big-money move to the Italian club, he was quick to tell the esteemed gentleman that he reminded him of Russ Abbot. He astounded commuters in London by jumping on a double-decker in London's Piccadilly Circus and asking if he could have a drive. The bus driver said yes, and the passengers thoroughly enjoyed Gazza's impromptu performance. On meeting the president of Denmark's FA, he pretended he could speak Danish. When invited to demonstrate, imitated The Muppet Show's Swedish Chef. He paid £320 for a Mars Bar in a newsagents in his home town of Gateshead, then told the shop owner to spend the change on sweets for local kids.

He married Sheryl Failes in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in 1996, only to divorce in 1998. They have a son, Regan Paul Gascoigne (born Hatfield, 1996). He adopted Sheryl's two children from her first marriage. Paul's stepdaughter Bianca Gascoigne appeared on reality TV show Love Island. Gascoigne no longer acknowledges her, or her brother Mason, as his children.^[17][18]

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 promoted two videogames: Gazza's Superstar Soccer and Gazza II. In the early 1990s Gascoigne featured in an advertising campaign to promote the Fabergé brand Brut.

Recent activities

• He worked as a pundit on ITV's World Cup team in 2002.
• In 2004 he stated that he wished to be referred to as G8, combining his initial and his playing number.^[19]
• Also in 2004 he published his autobiography Gazza: My Story, written with Hunter Davies. He published a follow-up book Being Gazza: Tackling My Demons in 2006. In it, he detailed undergoing therapy for bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and alcoholism. ^[20]
• In 2005, he made an emotional TV appearance on a BBC One programme about ex-footballers. Speaking to Scottish ex-footballer Alan Hansen, he talked about his problems and how he had had to cope with not being the player he used to be. He also mentioned he was determined to get back into the game by obtaining the proper coaching badges needed to manage a team.
• On 5 December 2005, the day of his firing from Kettering Town after a little over one month in charge, he was arrested after an alleged assault on a press photographer outside a hotel in Liverpool. ^[21] The photographer later dropped these charges, but the same charge was again brought against Gascoigne in November 2006 over an alleged incident in a London nightclub.^[22]
• In August 2006, he visited Botswana on behalf of the FA's international outreach week and played football with the children from the SOS Children's village there.^[23]
• In May 2007, he underwent emergency surgery on a perforated stomach ulcer, after falling ill celebrating his 40th birthday.^[24]
• He will be appearing in the science fiction film Final Run which is scheduled for release in 2008.^[25]
• On 21 February 2008 he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after an incident at the Malmaison Hotel in Newcastle. He reportedly threatened to harm himself, and so was taken into protective custody as a precaution.^[26] He has been sectioned and released again several times since then.
• On 18 September 2008 he was arrested by police in Gateshead for criminal damage whilst trying to enter a closed pub, reportedly with his own set of keys.^[27][28]
• On 24 September 2008 wildly circulating rumours of Gascoigne's death were quashed by Northumbria Police.^[29]
• Gascoigne also helped with fundraising activities for Megan Armstrong, a young girl who had been diagnosed with cancer.

Honours

Country

• FIFA World Cup 1990, Fourth place
• UEFA European Championships 1996, Semi Finalist

Club

• FA Cup, 1991
• Scottish League Championship, 1996 and 1997
• Scottish Cup, 1996
• Scottish League Cup, 1997

Individual

• PFA Young Player of the Year, 1988
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year, 1990
• Scottish Players' Player of the Year, 1996
• Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year, 1996
• Inducted into English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 ^[30]

Career statistics

References

• Paul Gascoigne; Hunter Davies (2004). Gazza: My Story. London: Headline Publishing. ISBN 0-7472-7118-6. 
• Paul Gascoigne; John McKeown and Hunter Davies (2006). Being Gazza: Tackling My Demons. London: Headline Publishing. ISBN 0-7553-1543-7. 

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Paul Gascoigne FIFA competition record
• Photos, biographies & stats at sporting-heroes.net
• Paul Gascoigne career stats at Soccerbase
• English Football Hall of Fame Profile

England squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup Fourth Place 1 Shilton • 2 Stevens • 3 Pearce • 4 Webb • 5 Walker • 6 Butcher • 7 Bryan Robson • 8 Waddle • 9 Beardsley • 10 Lineker • 11 Barnes • 12 Parker • 13 Woods • 14 Wright • 15 Dorigo • 16 McMahon • 17 Platt • 18 Hodge • 19 Gascoigne • 20 Steven • 21 Bull • 22 Beasant • Coach: Bobby Robson

England squad – UEFA Euro 1996 semi-finalists 1 Seaman • 2 G. Neville • 3 Pearce • 4 Ince • 5 Adams • 6 Southgate • 7 Platt • 8 Gascoigne • 9 Shearer • 10 Sheringham • 11 Anderton • 12 Howey • 13 Flowers • 14 Barmby • 15 Redknapp • 16 Campbell • 17 McManaman • 18 Ferdinand • 19 P. Neville • 20 Stone • 21 Fowler • 22 Walker • Coach: Venables