The Paul Gascoigne Shenanigans Thread

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Hey, this Gascoigne guy should be forced to file for bankruptcy!"

"What? Ket me check this over.....No, he's fine.....Now Mr. Gascoigne here's another £825 for you to pay back."

[Lineker]

Paul Gascoigne's agent says the former England footballer's life is in danger after he started drinking again.

The 45-year-old was shaking and slurred his words on stage at a charity event in Northampton on Thursday.

Gascoigne, who openly admits to having problems with alcoholism, has spent time in rehab and was sectioned twice in 2008 under the Mental Health Act.

His agent Terry Baker told BBC Radio 5 live: "He won't thank me for saying it but he immediately needs to get help."

Baker added: "Whatever's happened to him in the five or six weeks since I saw him before Christmas, he is not as well as he has been.

"His life is always in danger because he is an alcoholic. Maybe no one can save him - I don't know. I really don't know."

Gascoigne's former Tottenham and England team-mate and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker tweeted: "Lots of you asking for my thoughts on Gazza's plight. I can only hope he finds peace somehow, but fear those hopes may be forlorn."

The Professional Footballers' Association say they will continue to support Gascoigne, as they have in the past.

A statement on their website reads: "The PFA continues to be concerned about Paul Gascoigne's welfare.

"The Union has provided assistance financially and medically, supporting the provision of rehabilitation and treatments received both in the UK and abroad.

"The PFA recently arranged a detoxification for Paul through the Sporting Chance Clinic. Regrettably Paul checked himself out and chose not to complete the programme.

"We would like to stress that the support of the PFA and the Tony Adams Sporting Chance Clinic remain available both to Paul and any other members in a similar need or circumstance."

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor fears that Gascoigne could end up like former Manchester United winger George Best.

The Northern Irishman died in 2005 aged just 59 after a long struggle with alcoholism.

"We are in regular touch with him and have been again. We go one step forward and two back at times and this is just the situation," Taylor said.

"If we are not careful, it is going to be akin to George Best. It is unfortunate, but we try to keep going."

Gascoigne's drinking problems started during his playing days. In 1998, shortly after his divorce from wife Sheryl, he was admitted to the The Priory Hospital in Marchwood, near Southampton, to receive treatment for stress and drink problems.

In 2001, whilst playing at Everton, Gascoigne admitted himself to an alcohol rehabilitation clinic in Arizona on the insistence of his then manager Walter Smith.

Four years after retiring, in 2008, he was arrested in Newcastle and detained under the Mental Health Act and was later sectioned following reports that he was acting strangely in Hemel Hempstead.

More recently he has been treated at The Priory again and the Providence Projects treatment centre in Bournemouth.

The former Newcastle, Tottenham and Lazio player was appearing in "An Evening with Paul Gascoigne" at the Park Inn in Northampton on Thursday and Baker says that he tried to cancel the show after he saw that Gascoigne was drinking.

He said: "He wasn't in the condition he'd been in for the last two years. He was slurring a bit.

"I phoned the organisation and said it was possibly best we didn't put him on but he was insistent he had some new jokes and he was going to be in tip-top form. He was fairly upset but insisted he wanted to go on.

"When he came on the stage, we sat him down and he just started shaking. He's always a bit nervous on the stage, but he just started shaking uncontrollably."

When asked why Gazza was upset, Baker explained that a friend had recently died in a medical facility - whilst holding his hand - and that it was "haunting him".

Baker says he spoke to Gascoigne again on Saturday and that he was "fairly incoherent".

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has called on the PFA to do more to help Gascoigne.

After a video of the event in Northampton was put on The Sun's website, Schmeichel wrote on Twitter : "This is not fun watching. Gazza needs help. Come on PFA and (PFA chief executive) Gordon Taylor, time to step up.

"We are all responsible for how we live our lives. But that doesn't mean we can't step in and help.

"There is always a 'right' time to start doing something, with what we've seen from Gazza, time has come for football."

Baker said he hadn't witnessed the former footballer drink alcohol in two years.

He said: "I swear to you I have never seen Paul drink in all the time I've known him, until very, very recently.

"He has definitely been clean for most of the last two years, absolutely for definite. He has made huge massive efforts to get his life on track and it's just gone a bit wrong at the moment."

Paul Gascoigne needs almost 24-hour supervision after he started drinking again, PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor has warned.

Gascoigne's agent Terry Baker said at the weekend that the former England footballer's life was in danger.

Taylor, who has been in touch with Gascoigne, said the PFA had tried repeatedly to help the 45-year-old.

"He sounds as if he needs almost a 24-hour watching brief at the moment," Taylor told BBC Radio 5 live.

"It seems as if he needs somebody with him all the time just to make sure that he's looked after and is not going to do anything silly."

Gascoigne was shaking and slurring his words on stage at a charity event in Northampton on Thursday.

He has openly admitted to having problems with alcoholism, has spent time in rehab and was sectioned twice in 2008 under the Mental Health Act.

Taylor said that the PFA paid for a detoxification programme for the former Tottenham and Lazio midfielder through the Sporting Chance Clinic a few weeks ago, but that he had checked himself out.

The PFA chief executive has expressed fears that that Gascoigne could end up like former Manchester United winger George Best, who died aged 59 in 2005 after a long struggle with alcoholism.

"It's a case of one step forward and two back," Taylor said.

"I've spoken to Paul over the weekend, and he's said it's just a blip. But it really is down to him. We just don't want this to be another George Best tragedy.

"He does need a big support system, and he's got it from lots of friends. But there is a frustration that when things look to be improving, it all goes off wire."

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has called on the PFA and Taylor to do more to help Gascoigne.

After a video of the event in Northampton appeared on The Sun's website, Schmeichel wrote on Twitter: "This is not fun watching. Gazza needs help. Come on PFA and Gordon Taylor, time to step up."

But Taylor said: "Peter doesn't know what we've done for Paul.

"There isn't a player we've done more for over my time at the PFA.

"In fact, we've been criticised for doing as much as we have, because he has not made the improvements that some of our other members have."

Excerpt of the full interview.

[Summers]

You can't help someone who won't help themselves. He has people falling over each other to help in every way but he needs to accept that help.

[TCO]

That video is so painful to watch.

[Colly]

He's supposedly being admitted to a clinic in Arizona, though I pray he hasn't chosen there just in the hope of seeing where Jimmy Nail rebuilt the Transporter bridge.

[Lineker]

It's been organised and paid for by Gary Lineker, Ronnie Irani, Chris Evans and Piers Morgan, apparently.

[Crybaby Bunting]

I'm just curious as to why his agent made that announcement, surely it is HIS job to book Gazza into these kinds of rehab clinics.

Gazza clearly doesn't have enough money to get into rehab... so what's he doing with an agent?

[Lineker]

In that long radio interview I posted his ahent basically said that Gazza would not like him going public with this but he is doing so fot his own good. Or something along those lines.

[Lineker]

He's been arrested again . Alleged drunken assault.

[Ant]

His body won't be able to take much more of this. Incredibly sad.

[brenchill]

FOG ON THE TYNE IS ALL MINE ALL MINE

So drunk he has developed a robotic, purple leg.

[Nerf]

[9 to 5]

Turns out I only just missed being there when Gazza kicked off. :/

[MDK]

Oh, Gazza

[Adam]

I am surprised by how much more depressing it can still get when it comes to Gazza.

[Crybaby Bunting]

It could get worse still, he hasn't been seen by anyone since being discharged from hospital three days ago.

[Skummy]

Jesus that is depressing. I do not like this thread being bumped

[Lineker]

This is tragically awful.

[Lineker]

Paul Gascoigne has been charged with being drunk and disorderly at a railway station. The 46-year-old, who left rehab in the USA earlier this year, was arrested following an alleged incident this month in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Mr Gascoigne, of Gateshead, was also charged with two counts of common assault by British Transport Police. The former Newcastle, Tottenham and Rangers player will appear before magistrates in Stevenage on 5 August.

I'm not saddened by this - prison is probably the best place for him

[METALMAN]

To be fair, anything he's done since playing for rangers has been an improvement.