Pop Buzz UK

Oh God, here we go again, the Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne story has gone public again, this time with the former England footballer being sectioned under the mental health act, after being arrested at a hotel in Gateshead.

It seems not a few months can go by without some story or event happening in the life of Gazza, and drag his name, kicking and screaming, back in to the media.

For those that are too young to remember, Paul Gascoigne was one of the most talented soccer players England has ever known, and when he was on form, for both his various clubs, and country, he was up there with the best in the world.

Unfortunately, he was also very highly strung, and didn’t seem to be able to switch off between games. When he was injured just after signing for Lazio in a career making move to Italy, he descended in to a downward spiral of boozing which meant the second half of his career never matched up to the first. Basically, he had a touch of the George Bests.

This latest twist to the saga that is his life, started after he stayed at a hotel near his home town of Newcastle to recuperate from a hip operation.

The Hilton hotel told The Times in a statement:

“While there was no disturbance caused, we did receive a phone call from the police later that day,”

“Since then we can confirm that he was escorted calmly from the hotel and we are continuing to cooperate with the police.”

It seems Gascoigne was staying at the Malmaison hotel, where everything was fine for twelve days. Then he was aggressive toward a night porter when a fire alarm went off, and was taken away from the hotel by his sister. He then moved to the Hilton, where for some reason he was arrested and detained.

His former colleagues are now rallying around him, with his former team-mate and current Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan offering his personal and his club’s support, telling Sky Sports News:

“We as a club will do everything we can to help. His family know that - we’ve talked to them - and we can help a lot.

“It’s sad, but maybe what’s happened now will be a turning point for him. Instead of looking at as something really bad, this might be the best thing.”

I wish Paul Gascoigne all the best, as he’s a man who deserves a happy retirement. Although I had little sympathy for his alcoholism, this seems to be something different altogether, and he needs to now get the help he has probably needed for a while.