A week after being involved in a car crash in Newcastle and suffering some injuries, Paul Gascoigne seems to be recovering well from those injuries.
Paul Gascoigne – leaving his house this morning in Newcastle
The former Newcastle, Tottenham, Glasgow Rangers and England top player seemed to be in good health, as he was leaving his house this morning, and was holding a Newcastle United carrier bag and had the Newcastle crest on his shorts.
43-year-old Gazza was rushed to hospital on June 15th after a car, with three passengers, smashed into a wall in Newcastle, and a 36-year-old woman was arrested on a drunk driving charge and was later given bail.
Paul is believed to have a punctured lung and also suffered some severe facial injuries, but the good news is that he was discharged last Friday from the Newcastle General Hospital.
Gazza has battled many demons since he retired from his great football career, including drink and drug addiction as well as continually fighting against severe depression.
We have called on the Newcastle club before to try to help out one of the best Newcastle-born players ever to play the game, and it may give him something to concentrate on, and get his life back together.
The youngsters at the Newcastle club would just love to be coached by Paul Gascoigne – let’s face it.
Paul has gone through the mill these last several years with severe pneumonia and had emergency surgery for a perforated stomach ulcer back in 2007, and then in May 2008, he was admitted to the Priory to be treated for alcoholism and manic depression, after attempting suicide.
The good news is that Paul looks so much better these days, whereas a couple of years ago he looked absolutely terrible in the face, so we are hoping he is making some kind of positive recovery.
A family friend was quoted today as saying:
“He knows just how lucky he’s been. He reckons he’s on his ninth life.”
“That means he’s run out of lucky breaks so he’s got to start taking care of himself.”
“We hope this is the wake-up call he needs to turn his life around.”
We expect the Newcastle club to take care of their past players if at all possible, and yes we know Paul doesn’t do too much to help himself, but depression is a terrible thing to try to overcome – for anybody.
There’s still time to save this lad, and being a coach at Newcastle United for the youngsters would give him something big and worthwhile to live for.
Comments welcome.
15 comments so far
Ericles
Jun 22, 2010 at 11:52 AM
Comment #1Worth a go. May be what he needs. May be what we need!
JSYproject
Jun 22, 2010 at 12:21 PM
Comment #2i wouldnt want our youngsters seein him rollin up to work every day full of drink nippin to the toilets for lines every 5 minutes. were trying to save money at the club, putting someone on the wage bill who not only is a health risk but also PR nightmare has got to be a bad move surely. The money we would pay him would only be contributing to his death ultimately. no winners if he comes here at any role imo
del
Jun 22, 2010 at 12:25 PM
Comment #3Yeah it would be a PR disaster. He would turn up to training half cut etc…
Rotonda heights
Jun 22, 2010 at 12:35 PM
Comment #4I think it’s fairly obvious why not Ed
Chris F
Jun 22, 2010 at 1:14 PM
Comment #5much as i love Gazza, i want him nowhere near our youth or coaching system.
the only benefit i could possibly see, would be that he’d act as a deterrent to the kids, as an example of what happens when you go off the rails and waste your talent, but that wouldn’t be fair on him at all.
sadly Gazza is his generation’s george best – full of talent but flawed to the core with a self-destructive streak.
scrotty
Jun 22, 2010 at 1:28 PM
Comment #6Because it would make the club a joke again.
You can’t sack Shearer and Keegan then take Gazza on it would be a media nightmare. Has nothing to bring to Newcastle.
He’s a bloody grown man not a charity why worry about him.
If NUFC want to help someone they shoud build wells for the millions of people who have no water or help the families of our soldiers who have been killed.
jamie
Jun 22, 2010 at 1:36 PM
Comment #7I dont think its a bad idea, get somebody who knows what they are doing beside him to guide him, with youth development and him to do the football side.
Ps one of the great footballing legends gerd muller turned into a serious alco after he finished football and now he is a very successful coach with bayern so it wont be the first time this has happened and it wont even be hte first time it will have worked. I think it would be a good P.R. idea, and could draw some good youth that might not have come before.
whats the worst that could happen? if it doesnt work get rid of him!
AngerOfTheNorth
Jun 22, 2010 at 1:42 PM
Comment #8He needs to prove that he has the ability to be a coach. NUFC isn’t a charity. Besides, what makes Gazza more deserving than any other person with depression? He should be supported, as should anyone with mental health problems, but not simply because we enjoyed watching him as a footballer.
bowburnmag
Jun 22, 2010 at 2:14 PM
Comment #9Because he’s a self-indulgent, narcissistic drunk. He has no qualifications nor does he demonstrate any natural qualities of a coach. Even his motivational abilities are in question given the state of him. I couldn’t think of a more ridiculous appointment. Howay man Ed, you know all of this.
Seabass
Jun 22, 2010 at 2:14 PM
Comment #10I think its a good idea and the club shouldnt think too much about what the press is saying. Look at Bayern Munich, they always take care of their past stars and help them out of trouble -Gerd Muller was an alcoholic and the club helped him get his life back. I think this would be good in the long run. Sends out a good signals to players at the club. Gazza is the most extreme example there is though…
Chris F
Jun 22, 2010 at 2:15 PM
Comment #11problem with gazza is he’s an addict – no matter how many times he says he’s packed in the booze, you know he’s just one pub crawl away from the front pages again.
giving him a sizeable wage packet for working for NUFC would, sadly, just fuel his addiction even further.
all i can say is, in his life he’s had some proper shit mates who have done nowt but sponge off his fame and money and done the poor sod nowt but harm.
Thump
Jun 22, 2010 at 4:06 PM
Comment #12I was going to say more or less the exact same thing, Chris.
Gary
Jun 22, 2010 at 4:52 PM
Comment #13Wouldn’t waste any time on such a useless trouble maker.
G
Jun 23, 2010 at 7:14 AM
Comment #14I do feel sorry for Gazza, mental illness is a tough thing for anybody to deal with, but having to deal with it whilst the press are following you round waiting for your next mistake has been the most damaging aspect for him. I would love the club to give him some role, but I don’t want him with the players. AC and JB especially.
AngerOfTheNorth
Jun 23, 2010 at 10:51 AM
Comment #15Let’s not be too rough on the guy here – he’s mentally ill, it’s little different to having a physical illness like cancer. Chris is also right – his mates are a terrible influence.
He needs to get himself straightened out first before he can look at coaching etc. And he’ll only do that when he wants to do it. Until then he’ll just keep sliding downhill sadly.