Gascoigne Page #6

---

to Disney World. Things I'd only dreamed of.

But sometimes it was, like, 7:00 at night,

I'm sitting outside in the summer

having a beer or whatever

and there are old ladies coming up

and prodding us on the chest,

"What are you doing'?

"Go home. It's 7:00 at night, it's bedtime."

Yeah, so I couldn't do anything.

I couldn't move anywhere.

It was just becoming daft.

How could I handle it?

I couldn't really handle it.

I was living on my own in London.

Love you, Gazza!

- Love you, Gazza!

- All right.

I'm sure!

Look, I was gonna say to you.

You're in a position that most young men

would say is a dream.

Erm, but from my perspective,

having experienced a tiny piece

of the kind of attention you're getting,

it could turn out to be a nightmare,

you know?

Could be, but I'm trying my best

not to let it turn out that way.

The same newspapers

that are building you to the skies,

and hyping you up

are also trying to give you advice.

Say things, "Will this young man

be able to handle all that attention?"

Yeah, they're building me right up.

It's unbelievable

and I can't believe what's happening.

Like I say, they're at the end of my road,

they're outside my house

with cameras, and everything.

It's really... It's frightening, really,

because all I wanna do

is just live my own life.

It's when I found out how bad

the press can be.

Once you're famous, people think it's great.

It's not.

There's only one way to go then

and it's down,

and the press try their hardest

to put you down.

They were writing anything. Just anything

they could, and most of it was lies.

I started drinking,

which was the easy way out of it.

It's just, you know, how can you...

You know, it's just one of them...

Well, how can you adjust to that?

I did a piece in the News of the World

saying it was okay for people with asthma

to do sports,

and it was a big spread

in the News of the World,

as long as you used this asthma thing.

My cousin, my dads brother's son,

he was only 12 or something like that.

I remember him ringing us up and saying,

"Uncle Paul, this thing I've just read

in the News of the World.

"I've got asthma,

is it okay if I go play football?"

And I went, "Yeah, as long

as you use it properly.

And he went out and I got a call

20 minutes later, he died.

That was really hard to take.

And then I found out

he went and played football

but he didn't take his asthma thing.

It didn't make things any better.

But I think if I hadn't have done

that piece in the News of the World

and he hadn't seen it, maybe,

I think, he'd have been all right, you know?

And then I was having sleepless nights again.

A couple of ticks come back.

That's the only time I started realising that

the 90 minutes on the football field was me.

I was alone and in the zone,

and no one could touch us.

If I had problems, then I went on the pitch

for 90 minutes and they went.

But after the game finished, then they come.

Never be left alone with your own thoughts.

That can be dangerous.

The Spurs and England footballer

Paul Gascoigne

is reported to be on the verge

of joining the Italian club Lazio.

Talks are taking place in Rome

between representatives of the two clubs

and if the deal goes through,

Gascoigne's expected to become

the richest player in the world.

I always knew in the bottom of my heart

I always wanted to play in an FA Cup final.

All I ever wanted to do

was walk up them stairs being a winner.

Yeah, I really wanted to do that, you know?

We managed to

get through the FA Cup,

mainly because of Gazza,

to be perfectly honest.

He almost single-handedly, sort of,

thrust us through to the semi-final.

I mean, there are various derbies

around the world.

They're all hugely significant

and mean so much

to the supporters of those clubs.

It's the game that really counts,

and in North London, it's no different

Arsenal were unbelievably strong

at that stage.

They were running away with the league,

everyone thought they were

gonna do the double

and we went into that game

as huge underdogs.

Paul Gascoigne,

out of the keys for Tottenham

and he's really up for it.

Back to Gascoigne.

One way, and then the other.

Neatly done.

And a late challenge brings a free kick.

When you're actually

lining up for a free kick like that,

I'm thinking what to do with it

when all of a sudden, Gary Lineker,

he comes up and he just said, "Have a go."

I went, "Okay," and he ran past.

Is Gascoigne going

to have a crack? He is, you know.

What a goal! Brilliant!

The FA Cup springs mad, magical moments.

I think that's what makes it so special.

To get it over the wall and into

the top comer from so far out is...

It's nearly impossible, really.

You've probably practised that,

that week, 30, 40 times,

and maybe score one

from the same situation.

But it's when it happens in a game,

it's just pure excitement.

It's an unbelievable goal

and still probably one of the best

FA Cup goals to this day.

It's Tottenham Hotspur's day,

to the delight of Gary Mabbutt,

and what an inspiration

this man has been to them

with that wonderful free kick.

They'll be back for the final.

I'm now away to get my suit measured. Yes!

What about

your start to the game?

It wasn't bad, was it?

I must go.

I think all young lads from England

will dream about winning the FA Cup.

It's something which I still dream of,

to be honest, I've never won the FA Cup

and it's such a historic trophy.

Really, it was my first final.

Missed, obviously, the World Cup final.

In the times at Newcastle, I never got

to any final So, this was my first final.

You try and take in as much as you can

because you never know when

you'll play in another one.

We all lining up and we're seeing

Lady Diana come on the pitch

and she came up to us and I went,

"Can I have a kiss, please?"

And she put her hand out, she got

a bit embarrassed, and I kissed her hand.

And a couple of the lads were laughing.

It was the first time I played a match

with a hard-on. It was unbelievable.

Forest,

attacking down the left.

Gascoigne tries to turn...

That's an awful challenge.

The tackle, I've come, I've went through

the ball and I've lifted my leg high.

He didn't even book us, the ref,

Really sometimes in hindsight

I wish I'd have been sent off for that.

Forest coming forward

again, trying to find a bit of space.

Gascoigne coming across...

That's a dreadful challenge!

And he looks to be in agony.

I'm off balance and I've just tried

to put a massive tackle in.

That was it, knee just went

and I just went down and I knew I was out.

Terry Venables,

understandably concerned.

And Gascoigne is carried off.

His Cup final is over.

John Sheridan come into the physio bit

at Wembley.

He had tears in his eyes

and when you see somebody

that cares for you so much and seeing

tears in his eyes, it was like, "Sh*t."

"So how long am I going to be out for?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes