GAZZA

refusetolose wrote: »

dem palestinians have it rough alright

Have you seen thier strip ?

Stan Collymore made a very good point once, about how he remains villified to this day for punching his girlfriend in 1998, but Gascoigne, who once threw his wife down a flight of stairs, is a figure who receives love, support and compassion despite his demons.

AllForIt wrote: »

I have never seen Gazza vilified in British media.

If we are to give ppl support and compassion despite their demons they why not do that for ever criminal. That would a be a huge shift in thinking in how we deal with and regard ppl who do bad things.

The Daily Mirror hacked his phone, he's an alcoholic who, when he's drinking, is photographed regularly, and is front page news. Alcoholics don't tend to be front page news more generally.

Alistair Campbell did an interesting piece on the phenomenon here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/687e2ed2-1337-457b-b332-f315c58759e1

AllForIt wrote: »

I have never seen Gazza vilified in British media.

I said Collymore said he was vilified by the media, not Gascoigne, which is the point.

AllForIt wrote: »

It always seem to be that if one is a famous footballer one can get away with anything.

Have you even a clue what you're talking about ?

Adam Johnson didn't 'get away with it'. Ched Evans certainly didn't. Tony Adams did time, as did Joey Barton, George Best, Jan Molby, Dennis Wise.

He has historically been reported to be involved in a abusive relationship and yet still to this day the UK media talk about him affectionately regardless of all the horrendous stuff he's involved in.

The 'UK media' are parasite scum, feeding off other people's misfortunes. For the benefit of dunderheads who actually buy their 'papers', and repeat their tittle-tattle here and elsewhere.

He is fondly remembered by much of the public for his football, not for the other stuff, but in spite of the other stuff.

No-one is holding him up as even an adequate human being, never mind as a role model.

completedit wrote: »

He was about 30 acting like a 9 year old, how is that a personality. Most of his antics are just retarded, funny stories but like funny in a 12 year old boy way. Lad is a clown.

To be honest, I think he's not all there. Diagnosed bi-polar anyway, chronic alcoholic...

Remember the belching on Italian tv ? The flute ? The post-match interview from FA Cup semi in '91 ?

Paul McGrath is one we can relate to. He gets tagged as a "gentleman" but can be a very nasty individual when things don't go his way. The Irish media tend to ignore his run in's

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Paul McGrath is one we can relate to. He gets tagged as a "gentleman" but can be a very nasty individual when things don't go his way. The Irish media tend to ignore his run in's

Same with Roy Keane. The story a few month's back calling Harry Arter a 'prick' and a 'wanker' was par for the course with Keane. A leopard never changes it's spots, he's always been a surly prick, a nasty piece of work but is regarded as a hero in spite of it all. There is a cognitive dissonance at play. He might be a dick but he was a helluva footballer.

Gascoigne is clearly not well mentally. I'd liken people's continual fondness for him to that of Alex Higgins and George Best.

I used to play football underage with a local guy who was your stereotypical mid-90's teenage scumbag. Into everything. Drugs, street violence, a general bully. He was a lunatic on the pitch as well but he did the job and nobody minded. After our playing days were over, one night towards the end of the 90's, he got his ass handed to him during a street fight in the city centre. I say his ass handed to him but more accurately it was that his face was slashed with a knife. He has borne the scar ever since.

Despite this guy being a pretty nasty individual my mother had a deep fondness for him. I was perplexed. Was she taking in the anecdotes about him? She was fond of him for one reason. She'd been carrying her shopping towards the bus stop but the bus was about to pull off. Seeing this he ran to the bus and 'held it' for her until she got on. To her mind, beyond his toxic exterior he still was a gentleman. I guess it's such cognitive dissonance that explains how the likes of Gazza et al despite the deeply flawed exterior get people focusing on some one thing which somewhat redeems them be it Gazza crying at Italia 90 knowing he would miss the final, Higgins crying in the Crucible with his baby and the trophy, Keane beating Juventus all by himself and Best dribbling past a litany of hard men defenders and walking the ball into the net.

No matter what Gazza did, no matter how criminal it may be, there will still be an element who disregard it to the bemusement of those with a more rational mindset.