Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder has admitted that he spoke with Manchester United over a potential transfer, and although a move would have been of interest, he is happy to have remained in Italy.
The Premier League champions were thought to be in the market for an attacking midfielder following the retirement of Paul Scholes at the end of last season, and the Netherlands international was linked with a move to Old Trafford in a protracted summer transfer saga.
In the end the 29-year-old has stayed at the Giuseppe Meazza, but has stated that he spoke with the English side.
“I felt that it was close, yes. We had several talks, the situation was such that Inter had to sell a player, Eto’o or me, and indeed there was interest. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world, so it did not seem like a bad thing – but at the same time I do not want to leave Inter,” the former Real Madrid man told AD.
Reports had indicated that the move did not happen due to the Dutchman’s wage demands, but Sneijder does not agree with this.
“Italy is great for me, and I cannot exclude that United got that feeling, for me a move was not an absolute must and there were a few things which meant it did not happen.”
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“For me it was not so much a financial issue, my feeling was that I was simply feeling very good at Inter, I love the club but also the Italian culture and the people, it fits me,” he concluded.
The name Wesley Sneijder has become almost as synonymous with Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson or #19 of late. It seems during the Summer you couldn’t read an news article, tweet, blog or post with seeing some reference to the imminent arrival of the Dutch midfielder.
The Mail spent an entire month telling the world how Sneijder was set to sign any moment, before suddenly informing us he was actually staying at Inter- as the transfer window had closed- before realising sales were down again and there was space on the website for things other than pictures of Natasha Giggs, so he was obviously joining in January.
The Mail wasn’t the only publication that went Sneijder-crazy, almost every newspaper in Britain was awash with speculation of how Inter’s prized asset was on his way to the Theatre of Dreams. With the January transfer window less than two months away, we’re now being treated to more Sneijder rumours, which seem to have increased since the derby day defeat, somehow evidence that United ‘desperately need a new midfielder’ although how Sneijder would have prevented that drubbing is quite frankly beyond me.
Signing Sneijder may be an attractive propostion for many Reds, but I’m going to stick my neck out and state it simply isn’t going to happen. The reason? Well, here’s ten I can think of…
1. Tom Cleverley. Do we really need Sneijder if Cleverley’s fit? Probably not. Could Cleverley and Senijder play together? Of course they could but which one of them would be doing defensive duties and if the answer is neither then that means we’d need a five man midfield as there”s simply no way on God’s earth I can envision Cleverley being dropped in favour of Sneijder or anyone else. The problem with a five man midfield leads me to my next point…
2. Danny Welbeck . If Sneijder arrives then Welbeck would almost certainly see his chances of first team action all but disappear as it’s highly likely Rooney would be deployed as a lone striker to accomodate the Dutchman in midfield alongside two others. Welbeck is an outstanding striker who deserves the chance at Old Trafford he’s been given this season.
3, Chicharito. See reason number 2.
4. Can Wayne Rooney not do a similar and some would argue better job playing in the Sneijder role, just behind Welbeck or Chicharito? Against the likes of Chelsea last season he showed that he’s more than capable of operating in a ‘False 10′ type role that Sneijder also revels in.
5. At 28 Sneijder has practically zero re-sale value, plus is a massive step away from the transfer policy that Sir Alex has pursued these past few years- in fact you could argue that he’s pursued that policy since the Abramovich takeover of Chelsea.
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6. Buying a player inelligible for the Champions League only three months after he could have been bought while he was still elligible, for practically the same price, would be like Sir Alex Ferguson holding up his hands and admitting he made a mistake in the Summer. Somehow I just can’t see it.
7. Sir Alex has been stung once before buying a superstar midfielder from Italy who could supposedly elevate the team to new heights and it’s doubtful that the United boss would want to risk breaking the club’s transfer record on a player unproven in the Premier League.
8. Only last week David Gill spoke of the importance to Ferguson of leaving the next United manager with a young, talented squad. Buying players in their late twenties is hardly going to help any new Red boss.
9. DM not AM should be the priority for midfield. If United are to strengthen the midfield department, then the fact we seem to be struggling to offer proper protection to the back four needs to be adressed.
10. Paul Pogba , Ryan Tunnicliffe and even Ravel Morrison are young midfield players who can have an impact on the first team over the next few years. do we really need to spend a fortune on a player who may scupper their first team chances over the next three years? I’d argue we don’t.
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Article courtesy of Justin Mottershead at the excellent Red Flag Flying High
QPR have come back from two goals down against Liverpool to win 3-2 at Loftus Road on Wednesday night.
After a goalless first half, Sebastian Coates and Dirk Kuyt gave the Reds a 2-0 advantage, and what looked like all three points.
However, Mark Hughes’ men fought back admirably, levelling things up through Shaun Derry and Djibril Cisse, before Jamie Mackie grabbed the winner in injury time.
Kenny Dalglish was left shell-shocked by the defeat, but gave QPR credit for their comeback.
“I think for us, we were a little mindful of opinions about how we would play after getting into the semi-finals [of the FA Cup] but I think they started fantastically well,” he told Sky Sports.
“For most of the game they controlled it, they passed it, they moved it. They scored two goals and could have been four or five up by half-time and they weren’t.
“They came out for the second half and started quite brightly again, and they went on and got two goals and out of nowhere they have got three.
“For us, we don’t really have an explanation other than to say they deserve a bit of credit for what they did.
“We should have been out of sight before it even got to that stage. It’s a difficult one to take because there was so much that was very positive about the game,” the Scot concluded.
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Liverpool remain in seventh place, whilst QPR move out of the relegation spots and up to 17th position.
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has admitted that the Serie A giants are in no rush to sign Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez, and will take until the end of the January transfer window if necessary.
Tevez’s time in England is set to be ended in the new year, as Roberto Mancini’s men look to offload the temperamental striker following numerous disciplinary issues.
The Scudetto holders had a loan bid for the Argentina international rejected as City would prefer to sell Tevez, whilst Paris Saint Germain and former clubs Corinthians and Boca Juniors are also thought to be in the hunt for the South American’s signature.
Despite this, Galliani has stated that the San Siro outfit were in no rush to bring Tevez to Italy.
“Tevez is our first choice,” he told www.milannews.it.
“We know we have the player’s agreement, but we hope he will not agree with other clubs.
“There is a deadline of 18:59 on January 31 to complete his transfer.
“Everyone knows what Milan’s position is and he will arrive only due to (Antonio) Cassano’s problem,” he stated.
Rumblings in the Italian press had stipulated that Milan were set to offer Alexandre Pato as a makeweight in a potential swap deal, but Galliani rubbished this as mere speculation.
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“I reiterate that Pato and Robinho will not leave the club,” he concluded.
Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has stated that he is ready for the derby fixture against Manchester United, and admits that his side are lucky to have the chance to get back in the title race.
With Roberto Mancini’s men trailing the champions by three points, the sides meet at the Etihad Stadium on Monday in a crunch clash.
The Argentina international has admitted that his side are looking forward to the game, and must go into the fixture without fear.
“To be honest, after the Arsenal defeat I thought our chance was probably gone,” he told The Sun.
“We’ve been five points clear before so we know how it feels.
“But United losing against Wigan and dropping points against Everton shows that in football you have to believe because you never know.
“If we have another chance for the title it is because we deserve it. We kept going and we will continue to do that and see what happens.
“We know how important this game is. United are the team we want to beat — especially because it gives us a chance to go back to the top of the table.
“For the race for the title, it’s very important. That’s why it is probably one of the biggest derbies ever.
“We need to be strong mentally, focus on what we do and give it our all. We’ve got the talent and the quality — we’ve got everything.
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“But the mentality and the attitude for that game has to be more then 100 per cent. If we put everything into it, with the quality we have got it can make a difference,” he concludes.
Last Saturday I watched in disbelief as Argyle scored twice in the last five minutes to gain a dramatic point against promotion chasing Southend United.
The Green’s had trudged off at half time looking disheartened and even the most optimistic of Argyle fans would have struggled to predict that they would snatch a point from the game. But something almost magical happened in the second half. Argyle’s performance was much improved and resilient. Indeed they had the better of the second half yet the Southend defence was proving tough to break down. Finally in the 86th minute a snapshot by Nick Chadwick pulled a one back for Argyle and from then on the Southend defence was quaking, the fierce Home Park crowd roared the Pilgrims on and two minutes later they had rescued a point.
This is not the first time in recent weeks that Argyle have pulled off such a recovery however. Against Burton Albion they kept going and Simon Walton scored a dramatic 89th minute winner. The following week Argyle faced more tough opposition in Crawley and trailed from the stroke of half time. Argyle rarely threatened one of the fiercest defences in the league but in the 90th minute Frenchman Maxime Blanchard equalised emphatically with an overhead kick.
Despite their lowly league position, it is obvious that team spirit in the Argyle camp is sky high, and Carl Fletcher has installed the kind of mentality that saw Norwich gain so many late points last season in the Championship – it’s not over until the final whistle.
Although these late points don’t do much at a glance for Argyle’s survival hopes, you have to look at the bigger picture. These late comebacks have been against some of the divisions promotion hopefuls, who Argyle were expected to lose heavily too. If our relegation rivals fail to take anything from their games against these sides then it is immediately a point gained on them. The other thing is that these results will be keeping the squad’s morale high, and going into some crucial games we have coming up in the next few weeks, high morale will hopefully lead the way to some more positive results.
In the coming weeks, weather permitting, Argyle face Macclesfield, Barnet, Accrington and then the most crucial game of them all, Dagenham at home. Three of those games are highly winnable for the greens. Macclesfield are in terrible form and are dropping down the league table like a stone. Barnet and Dagenham & Redbridge are two of Argyle’s relegation rivals and they will look to take three points from both games anyway, but with the Green’s playing at home I am very confident of victories over these sides.
Since Fletcher took over the managerial reigns Home Park has become a bit of a fortress and Argyle have only lost twice on their own patch since Fletcher became manager. Fletcher himself has even credited the point taken against Southend to the Home Park crowd who kept the noise levels up despite being 2-0 down for most of the game.
It won’t be until we get a lot closer to the end of the season that we start to see the impact of those points that Argyle have gained. But I am sure that come the end, those points could be the difference between survival and relegation for Argyle this season.
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By Plymouth blogger Sam Barker. Check out his blog at: http://samtbarker.wordpress.com/
Everybody loves a cheeky backheel and the finest examples stay long in the memory. There was Zola’s magical flick against Norwich in 2002 and Kanu’s delightful finish against Middlesboro in 1999. Now Daniel Sturridge’s gem of a backheel against Sunderland on Saturday has joined these classics.
There are a surprising variety of ways to score a backheel as this top 10 shows, none more unique than Laurent Robert’s effort for Newcastle, but despite this variety, all the goals are united by a deftness of touch and speed of thought.
While 9 times out of 10 a player is likely to get a rollicking from his manager for “Mickey Mouse football”, the moments when it comes off are priceless.
Now, the general standard of backheeled goals is pretty darn high so selecting a top ten is inevitably going result in a few classics going unheralded. The most notable absentees are Lee Sharpe’s flick against Barcelona in 1995 and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s finish against Italy in Euro 2004. But hopefully the final 10 will blow your socks off. Enjoy.
10. Thierry Henry (Arsenal Vs Charlton)
Standing with his back to goal and a man up his backside, Henry stabs it with the heel straight into the bottom corner. As with most of these efforts the keeper has absolutely no chance.
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9. Gianfranco Zola (Chelsea vs Norwich)
One of the finest imports of continental flair, Zola showed everyone what the phrase really meant with this delightful finish at the near post. Also some classic congratulatory player bum slapping in the video too.
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8. Kanu (Arsenal Vs Middlesboro)
Nwankwo Kanu has always had good feet for a big man, never better than this stunning finish against Boro. This is the most classic type of backheeled goal which in no way detracts from how difficult it is to get right.
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7. Coridon (PSG Vs Porto)
In at number 7 because it’s slightly untidy, this acrobatic effort really is perfectly executed playground stuff that shouldn’t really be attempted in the Champions League, still I’m sure he was glad he went for it.
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6. Roberto Mancini (Lazio Vs Parma)
Before the Man City manager became a huge scarf he did actually play football. Here he does everything exactly right, catching the ball perfectly and sending it straight into the top corner.(Very disappointing effort from the man on the front post though).
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5. Rafael Van der Vaart (Ajax Vs Feyenoord)
This is a stunning way to react when the ball’s played in behind you, the automatic reaction to throw yourself headlong past the ball and catch it with your feet isn’t particularly logical but it sure is effective.
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4. Daniel Sturridge (Sunderland Vs Chelsea)
This certainly didn’t seem like the easiest way to get the ball in the net but it was definitely original and has the ever enjoyable bonus of the defender ending up in the net. A fantastically deft finish.
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3. Amantino (Roma Vs Lazio)
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This video has everything, fantastic goal in the local derby, classic dance anthem soundtrack and commentators going crazy, what could be better?
[youtube shoM-n4ec5o]
2. Laurent Robert (Newcastle Vs Fulham)
It’s hard to explain what the hell Laurent Robert is doing when he attempts this as there is no way this is the easiest way to hit the ball. Nonetheless he manages to put it away in breathtaking fashion. Not one to try in the playground.
[youtube sOiubzg_2_s]
1. Matty Burrows (Glentoran Vs Portadown)
Definitely from the Mickey Mouse school of finishing Burrows seriously risked looking like a prat with this effort but it came off and 5 million views later it’s still wowing people. Entirely intentional and inch perfect, it’s your textbook backheel lob. Very special.
The Rangers Charity Foundation have once again joined forces with Football Aid, allowing football fans the opportunity to play on the hallowed turf at Ibrox in 2012, while raising vital funds for charity at the same time.
Football Aid offers fans the opportunity to Live the Dream of an authentic match day experience; to gain exclusive access to the pitch and tunnel areas, pull on their own personalised shirt in the official changing rooms, walk down the tunnel to the sound of a cheering crowd and ultimately to step out onto their Field of Dreams and represent their club in a never to be forgotten 90 minute match.
The matches have also been supported by a host of Gers legends down the years, with the likes of Ally McCoist, Trevor Steven, Derek McInnes, Billy Dodds and Gordon Durie all lending their valuable experience, by acting as Manager or playing alongside supporters in the hugely enjoyable match at Ibrox.
Booking your position couldn’t be easier, just visit www.footballaid.com and choose your club, then you’ll have two ways to secure your Fixed Price position: Option 1: ‘Buy Now’ – Our quickest and most popular option, or Option 2: ‘Sponsored to Play’ – Pay a non-refundable £100 deposit to secure your position and then simply pay off the remaining balance anytime before 13th December.
So if you’re keen to secure your place on your Field of Dreams early this season, why not visit www.footballaid.com today to make sure you’re ahead of the crowd! Alternatively if you’d like any additional information, you can call Football Aid on 0131 220 5999 or email [email protected].
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Football Aid celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2010 and have allowed over 12,225 football fans the chance to Live the Dream in more than 460 matches. They are a groundbreaking organisation which generates funds annually by hosting charity football matches at iconic stadiums all over the UK. The unique concept was the brainchild of businessman and Football Aid Chairman Craig Paterson and funds raised from the event will benefit the work of a charitable project nominated by the club, as well as projects nominated by Football Aid’s parent charity Field of Dreams.
Although they are not fully introduced until next season, Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules have already changed the financial outlook for Premier League clubs. They are no longer taking their situation for granted and are instead trying to securing their long term future at the top of the English game.
Alarmed with the massive amounts of debt carried by Europe’s leading clubs, and the fact that only 20% of them turn a profit, Uefa President, Michel Platini has introduced the FFP rules to encourage a more sustainable business model. The rules, designed to ensure clubs live within their means over a rolling three-year period, prohibit clubs sustaining losses of more than £40 million during this period.
Football has become more of a business than ever before and as a result the recession and economic downturn are really starting to have an affect with most clubs experiencing a decline in revenue with ticket and merchandise sales falling. The consequence is that these clubs are looking at new ways to keep their costs down while still maximising their revenues.
While millions more was spent during this year’s summer transfer window than in the last, it still feels like the wind is changing in Premier League with a widespread policy of buying now as an investment for the future.
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This can been seen with the fact that more money was spent on English players that ever before and a higher percentage of transfer fees went to clubs based in England with an increasingly trend to buy young English players. Manchester United’s Phil Jones, Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sunderland’s Connor Wickham were just some of the young English talent purchased in the summer by top clubs in the country. As they fit into the new home grown rule and also have a higher resale value in the future, these signings make perfect sense. I think we have now seen the end of big wages and relatively high fees for footballers in their late 20s and early 30s especially at the top clubs in Premier League, minus the odd exception.
Despite the £485 million lavished by Premier League clubs during this summer’s transfer window, there was still an increased financial restraint on managers with numerous clubs attempting to reduce their wage bill by clearing out surplus players on loans and free transfers in an attempt to cut their overinflated squads. Loans moves like Adebayor’s and Benayoun’s were rarely seen previously and are yet another example of club directors trying to balance the books.
Not only are clubs cutting down their wage bills but they are also signing players on reduced contracts. Mikel Arteta took a pay cut when agreeing his ‘dream move’ to Arsenal but in return he got stability with a long term contract and this sort of deal is the future of the Premier League. No longer can clubs pay ridiculous wages to average players and instead a balancing act must take place which will help stabilise the game.
Cost cutting measures have already been introduced in the Premier League and the FA are now looking at ways to bring in appropriate cost cutting measures which will introduce more prudence into the division. UEFA’s rules have changed the business of football in the Premier League and we can expect a different landscape, where clubs only spend when they earn, to emerge in the next few years.
Let me know you what think below and follow me on twitter @aidanmccartney for more thoughts about the beautiful game.
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There are many players who never reach their full potential for various reasons. In this list I have focused on those within the Premier League years and those who never reached the heights their early years suggested they would.
10) Mark Kennedy – Kennedy was a regular at Millwall by 16 and his pacy wing-play had a number of top clubs courting him. He had the priceless commodity of a decent left foot and further enhanced his reputation with an exhilarating solo goal at Highbury to knock Arsenal out of the ‘95 FA Cup. His big move soon came but came too soon. A switch to Liverpool for a sum of around £2m made Kennedy the most expensive teenage footballer in British history but he came nowhere near repaying the fee and faith. 18 goalless appearances at Anfield later and Kennedy was carted off to Wimbledon in a move that began a nomadic career whereby he never did anything to justify the hype which accompanied a great goal and a few good performances as a kid.
9) Jermaine Pennant – Pennant epitomises the many players of supreme talent who’s main failings in the game were not combining their ability with the attitude it required to flourish. Arsenal made Pennant the most expensive trainee in history when they paid Notts County £2m for the 15-year-old in 1999, but a move to the big smoke was not necessarily the best thing a troubled kid from a crime-ridden area of Nottingham could have done. Pennant simply never grew into anything other than a super-skilled teen and thus never showed the maturity or application to succeed at Arsenal. A series of loan moves proved Pennant was infuriatingly inconsistent and when a second chance of the big time with Liverpool came in 2006, he never lived up to his billing their either. There have been plenty worse players than Pennant and still performing admirably for Stoke suggests his inclusion is harsh, but no England caps and no silverware shows the lost promise.
8. Matthew Etherington – Pennant’s partner in crime at Stoke has also gone on to find redemption in the Potteries but like his mate patrolling the other flank, he too must wonder what could have been. The lesser spotted English left-footed winger, Etherington’s performances as a kid brought him a trial at Manchester United and a move to Tottenham but again the expectations never materialised and after four fruitless seasons at White Hart Lane, Etherington was sold to West Ham. Throughout his stint in the capital, Etherington’s subdued on-field form was precursored with an off-field gambling addiction which led to a stint in Tony Adams’s Sporting Chance clinic. Etherington has since gone on to enjoy a decade of relatively continuous football in the top-flight without ever coming close to being one of it’s top performers.
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7) Nigel Clough – It takes some doing to step out of the shadow of a figure like Brian Clough but in his own unflappable manner, Clough Jr looked like he was going to manage it as he became one of the most prominent strikers in English football towards the end of the 80’s. Short of inches and shorn of weight, Clough’s intelligent understanding and appreciation of the game was light years away from many other domestic players of his generation and saw him become the unwitting jewell in the crown of his Dad’s Forest team. Nigel played in two successive League Cup wins in ‘89 and ‘90 – scoring two against Luton in the first – and was also on the losing side in the ’91 FA and ’92 League Cup finals. But once his club were relegated from the inaugural Premiership, Clough left as the clubs second highest goalscorer of all time and a move to Liverpool awaited. Anfield was in revolution under Graeme Souness and in three years on Merseyside, Clough never adapted to being away from home and his stock slumped dramatically to the point he was playing in the Southern Football League Premier Division by the time he was 32.
6) Richard Wright – Unfortunately Richard Wright carries the can for a whole host of suspects who were supposed to be the great white light of English goalkeeping. Wright played over 200 times for Ipswich after coming through the ranks at Portman Road and his all-round assured keeping had him earmarked as the long term successor to David Seaman for both Arsenal and England. Alarm bells should have rung when he gave two penalties away on his international debut against Malta but nevertheless Arsene Wenger shelled out £8m for him to be the Highbury number one, but Wright departed after a single season, 22 appearances and numerous gaffes later. Now just 34 – a age many keepers consider their prime – Wright is hanging about in the Ipswich reserves to complete a hugely disappointing circumnavigation.
5) Joe Cole – Misunderstood genius or impractical luxury? The fact nobody has ever fully found a solution overwhelmingly suggests the former. Cole was instantly cast into the public eye after a sensational FA Youth Cup final performance for West Ham against Coventry in ‘99 and he was quickly inducted into the Hammers set-up at 17 and club captain by 21. His illuminating feet and dazzling array of flicks, tricks and showboats were eagerly lapped up by the nation and from a tender age Cole was expected to be the answer to a national flair drought. A move to Chelsea was supposed to conduit substance to style but his game was never fully embraced by the pragmatism of Jose Mourinho and nor did Cole make himself indispensable during a seven year stay at Stamford Bridge in which he scored just 40 goals. Now aged 30, the waiting has seemingly gone on for ever as Cole failed to establish himself as one thing or another during a career where he had the world at his feet.
4) Robbie Fowler – They dubbed him ‘God’ on the Kop but had Robbie Fowler been to confessional a few more times he may never have petered out by the time he should have been in his pomp. After starring in England u-18’s European Championship win in 1993, Fowler was quickly promoted to the Liverpool first team and marked his debut at Fulham in the League Cup with a goal, followed by all five in the return leg still just 17. The Toxteth terrier scored his first league hat-trick in only his fifth appearance for the Reds and had hit the back of the net almost 80 times by the time he was out of his teens. Injuries eventually took their toll and despite a brief flurry with Leeds, he never managed to recapture the lethal penalty box prowess which made him so dangerous in his youth. Fowler remains the fourth highest scorer in Premier League history with 162 goals but the fact that 120 of those came before he left Liverpool at 25 illustrates just what could have been.
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3) Paul Merson – Merson made his reputation as the artist amongst George Graham’s artisans at Arsenal with his trickery and exuberance on the wing endearing him to the Highbury faithful. At 21, Merson was crowned PFA Young Player of the Year and earned his first league title courtesy of Michael Thomas’s last gasp winner at Anfield. Merson soon followed that up with another league title in ’91, an FA and League Cup double in ’93 and the Cup Winners Cup in ’94. However, his celebrations after defeating Parma in Copenhagen hinted at demons, with Merse joyously mimicking glugging down booze with a manic glaze in his eye. In November ’94 Merson admitted alcohol and cocaine addiction and underwent a three month rehabilitation which never completely put the Harlesden born winger on the straight an narra’, blighting a unique talent throughout the rest of his playing days at Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Walsall and Tamworth.
2) Stan Collymore – Tall and lean, quick and mobile and two footed, like many enigmas Collymore doubled up breathtaking forward play with the sort of mental issues which deprive players of ever delivering their true potential. A British record move to Liverpool’s ‘spice boys’ was perhaps not the best fit for someone with such hedonistic tendencies and even a move to boyhood heroes Aston Villa could not calm Collymore down. Demons eventually all got the better of the man who’s career dwindled out by the age of 30 after enduring further problems at Fulham, Leicester, Bradford and Real Oviedo. Three England caps was scant return for a striker who could genuinely have gone on to become one of the continents best had his mind not dictated otherwise.
1) Paul Gascoigne – They say there’s a fine line between a mad-man and a genius and in British footballing terms nobody echoes those sentiments more than Paul Gascoigne. Gazza was the raw talent who single handedly lifted English football from its post-Heysel doldrums, but who privately – and too frequently publicly – drove himself to despair. It was hard not to sympathise with the lovable rogue because everything he brilliantly did on his haven of the pitch, was spectacularly negated in some way. Few players light up whole World Cups like Gazza did at Italia ’90 and few, if any, English players have had such an impact on Serie A. But ultimately, Gazza did not have the mental capacity to cope as a world-class player and through drink, drugs and gambling, Gascoigne’s physical and mental state deteriorated as did his career. The true tragedy of Gascoigne’s demise is that every time you hear his name on the news now, you expect tragedy.
Follow John Baines on twitter @bainesyDiego10
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