• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

Gazza

I'm late to seeing the doc directed by Jane Preston released in 2015, but it's so revealing about the trauma Gazza suffered as a kid. Given what he went through at such a young age it's a wonder he ever made it like he did and no surprise all the struggles he's had. I'm so happy he told Fergie to go on holiday and sign for us (and thankful that Venners made sure the club bought his mum a house, his dad a car and his sister a sunbed).
 
I think he'd be in a different place now had Sir Alex gotten hold of him rather than El Tel.

(Not a knock against Venables, just that Fergie was great at protecting his players)
 
Baleforce said:
I think he'd be in a different place now had Sir Alex gotten hold of him rather than El Tel.

(Not a knock against Venables, just that Fergie was great at protecting his players)
Click to expand...
I'm not so sure. Fergie couldn't get rid of Paul McGrath fast enough because of his issues with drink, not sure he would've had much patience for Gazza.
 
Last edited:
DubSpur said:
I'm not so sure. Fergie couldn't get rid of Paul McGrath because of his issues with drink, not sure he would've had much patience for Gazza.
Click to expand...

Maybe, he’d have been signing Gazza though, when he was a kid, McGrath was arguably too far gone.

I’m pretty sure there is an interview with SAF where he said that moving out McGrath Strachan and Whiteside was needed to change the attitude of the squad.
 
Baleforce said:
Maybe, he’d have been signing Gazza though, when he was a kid, McGrath was arguably too far gone.

I’m pretty sure there is an interview with SAF where he said that moving out McGrath Strachan and Whiteside was needed to change the attitude of the squad.
Click to expand...
Yup, the three of them were a big part of the drinking culture at Utd that SAF was trying to get rid of.
 
DubSpur said:
I don't recall Cantona having the baggage that Gazza or McGrath had and Cantona was well on the way to being a world class player at Leeds
Click to expand...

I suppose it depends on what you call baggage, he got himself in a few scrapes at Leeds and was one of the reasons he was allowed to leave. He was also let go by a few French clubs for fighting with team mates and refs before moving to Leeds.
 
parklane1 said:
i agree, he would have been better handled.
Click to expand...
You think Fergie would have been able to heal the trauma of Gazza's best mate's brother dying in his arms at the age of 10? Or his young relative dying of an asthma attack after Gazza had said he could play football if he'd taken his meds when he was in his early 20's? Wow, you give Fergie some extraordinary psychological healing powers.
 
90291Spur said:
You think Fergie would have been able to heal the trauma of Gazza's best mate's brother dying in his arms at the age of 10? Or his young relative dying of an asthma attack after Gazza had said he could play football if he'd taken his meds when he was in his early 20's? Wow, you give Fergie some extraordinary psychological healing powers.
Click to expand...

h
He would not have been out drinking every night down at El Tels bar for sure. Fergie was dead set about his players tinkling it up all the time that is why he got rid of Whiteside etc.
 
parklane1 said:
h
He would not have been out drinking every night down at El Tels bar for sure. Fergie was dead set about his players tinkling it up all the time that is why he got rid of Whiteside etc.
Click to expand...
OK. But if you understand anything about early childhood trauma, you would know that being 10 and having your mate's brother die in your arms and thinking it was your fault can (and usually does) lead to huge problems in life. Even sober. Recovering from that - and the later death of his relative which it seems he also thinks he is partially responsible for - requires huge amounts of complex therapy. So sure, Fergie might have TRIED to keep him off the sauce (he didn't seem to make Ravel Morrison a model citizen and binned him off), but as I mentioned before, I doubt that one of Fergie's supreme skills was in healing deep trauma suffered at a young age. It's a wonder to me, given what he experienced, that Gazza achieved what he did.
 
Last edited:
parklane1 said:
I suppose it depends on what you call baggage, he got himself in a few scrapes at Leeds and was one of the reasons he was allowed to leave. He was also let go by a few French clubs for fighting with team mates and refs before moving to Leeds.
Click to expand...
Both had baggage from childhood that was probably a big contributor to their drinking issues. Cantona's issue at Leeds was more down to loving not fighting ;)

parklane1 said:
h
He would not have been out drinking every night down at El Tels bar for sure. Fergie was dead set about his players tinkling it up all the time that is why he got rid of Whiteside etc.
Click to expand...
What makes you think that Fergie could stop Gazza's drinking put not McGrath, Whiteside etc?
 
parklane1 said:
h
He would not have been out drinking every night down at El Tels bar for sure. Fergie was dead set about his players tinkling it up all the time that is why he got rid of Whiteside etc.
Click to expand...

Maybe not, and that might well have helped him. But if he had a disposition towards alcoholism, whether due to the trauma that @90291Spur points out (I too was shocked when I heard Gazza relate those experiences in the film) or for other reasons, then it most likely would not have made any difference in the long run, except that his problems with alcohol may have been less visible for a bit longer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back