If you've got a couple of hours to kill and have Sky, it's worth watching a bio on the career of Gazza. The film is simply called " Gascoigne" and features some of his finest goals as well as comments from the likes of Lineker, Rooney, Venables, Bobby Robson etc. Gazza goes into some detail over the animosity he received from Man Utd when he backtracked on an agreement to sign for Fergie. He promised the latter that he would sign once Fergie had returned from holiday. Whilst he was away, Spurs bid £2.2 million and as a sweetener offered to buy Gazzas parents a new house. Tongue in cheek Gazzas Dad said to also ask for a new car and Spurs owner agreed. When she found out about it, Gazzas sister asked for a sunbed and to everyone's surprise, Spurs also agreed to that. Shortly after Gazza went to Spurs and made an enemy of the United boss that lasted a few years. Well worth a viewing.
Good viewing on the whole; couple of close deaths when he was younger had massive effect. Poor guy had a lot of pressure to deal with, but you can't help thinking how much different it would have been if he had worked under Ferguson. A London club and a Rome club probably weren't good fits for a tortured genius from the North-East. Thought Gary Lineker did his best to make it all about him.
For 2 years, in the seasons before and after the 1990 World Cup, he was one of the finest footballers in the game, truly magical to watch at times. Pretty much pressed self-destruct with those two tackles early on in the 1991 FA Cup Final. Even during Euro 96, as well as he played, he wasn't the player he previously was and just a shame to see his decline. Flawed genius? Poor choices? Friends who used him? Probably a combination of many things, but he was one of the few truly world class footballers we've produced in the last 40 years. Italia 90 was better for him being there. Memories eh?
