Paul Gascoigne

Not just life choices though. In 1973 as a 14 year old schoolboy one of our teachers brought a newspaper into our French Studies class, it was at the height of the Yom Kippur war between Israel and Egypt and Syria, backed by the USA and The Soviet Union respectively. The USA had moved to Defcon 3 due to tensions over the war and the newspaper headline was “world on the brink”. Our Teacher who was an absolute bastard told us to prepare to be killed in an imminent nuclear conflict, he also said if we survived this one the odds were we’d all die in a future nuclear war. He was about 50 years old at the time, telling kids of 14/15 they had no future.

That 10/15 minutes had a devastating effect on me, I lost my ambitions, I couldn’t sleep at night and my schooling went down the drain, my dear mum was so worried about me I was asked to see a counsellor at School. I couldn’t bring myself to say why my personality had changed and I eventually left school at 16 with very poor grades after being one of the top academic pupils in my class, (maths being my favourite subject).

Cue four years later, I’m working as a trainee Cost Accountant after joining a company as a Junior Wages Clerk, I’m still haunted every night when I go to bed about being nuked, I’m not particularly religious but I said a prayer every night asking for it not to happen. I then start having a pint or four at a Club run by my mate’s mum and dad, hey presto, I get to sleep a lot better due to the booze. This carried on and I drank more and more, it was a miracle cure, a real crutch.

I’m now 66 and still drink but nothing like I did in my younger days, I still have anxiety over world events especially like we currently have and I stay away from the news to avoid worry. However there was a possibility I could have destroyed myself with the drink many years ago, I managed to curtail my input but I’d say it was touch and go at one stage. I fully understand why people use booze/drugs (never used the latter) to get through life, one of my close friends has Ascitis through drinking excessively and personal issues has caused him real problems that’s led him to his life shortening situation.

So, sorry for the long post but we’re all different and addiction is not a simple issue, there’s all kinds of factors that contribute and some are susceptible whilst others aren’t.

The teacher was Mr Williamson at Hartshead School, he’ll be dead now and I hope he rots in hell.

Most teachers I knew were really good but some were utter cunts, if a teacher takes his/her politics to work they should be tarred and fucking feathered.
 
Most teachers I knew were really good but some were utter cunts, if a teacher takes his/her politics to work they should be tarred and fucking feathered.
Three brilliant teachers at my school, all involved in PE plus academic subjects as was the case back in the day. I looked up to those three, they were the best and treated young adolescents like the young adults we actually were, it was only sport that got me through the latter years at school when I was suffering mentally.
 
Gascoigne wagged most of his schooling.
Do the school kids these days still use the word “wagged”?

The day after the Miners Strike finished me and my Blue mate (still friends 53 years on) wagged school to go and watch City v West Brom which was a 3pm kick off on a Wednesday due to restrictions on using floodlights. I got home and my Dad had been watching the local news, they’d shown the crowd arriving at Maine Road for the unusual midweek kick off time, numbers were well down. Me and my mate were on TV and my Dad had seen us, “good day at school?” Can’t remember too much more of the conversation but I got away with it.

Our school had been closed for nearly six weeks due to the strike and we’d only gone back that week, loads of kids didn’t turn up claiming they thought the school was still closed so it wasn’t an issue, happy days.
 
I think Gascoigne would have been ok if he'd played a decade or two later, when there was less of a drinking culture in teams, and players got lots of individual support.
I'm sure part of his demons and addictions had something to do with his best mate getting killed right in front of him when they was 10 years old.
Not saying that is what caused his spiral into his drink and drug taking but it's something that has obviously stuck with him all his life.
 
Not just life choices though. In 1973 as a 14 year old schoolboy one of our teachers brought a newspaper into our French Studies class, it was at the height of the Yom Kippur war between Israel and Egypt and Syria, backed by the USA and The Soviet Union respectively. The USA had moved to Defcon 3 due to tensions over the war and the newspaper headline was “world on the brink”. Our Teacher who was an absolute bastard told us to prepare to be killed in an imminent nuclear conflict, he also said if we survived this one the odds were we’d all die in a future nuclear war. He was about 50 years old at the time, telling kids of 14/15 they had no future.

That 10/15 minutes had a devastating effect on me, I lost my ambitions, I couldn’t sleep at night and my schooling went down the drain, my dear mum was so worried about me I was asked to see a counsellor at School. I couldn’t bring myself to say why my personality had changed and I eventually left school at 16 with very poor grades after being one of the top academic pupils in my class, (maths being my favourite subject).

Cue four years later, I’m working as a trainee Cost Accountant after joining a company as a Junior Wages Clerk, I’m still haunted every night when I go to bed about being nuked, I’m not particularly religious but I said a prayer every night asking for it not to happen. I then start having a pint or four at a Club run by my mate’s mum and dad, hey presto, I get to sleep a lot better due to the booze. This carried on and I drank more and more, it was a miracle cure, a real crutch.

I’m now 66 and still drink but nothing like I did in my younger days, I still have anxiety over world events especially like we currently have and I stay away from the news to avoid worry. However there was a possibility I could have destroyed myself with the drink many years ago, I managed to curtail my input but I’d say it was touch and go at one stage. I fully understand why people use booze/drugs (never used the latter) to get through life, one of my close friends has Ascitis through drinking excessively and personal issues has caused him real problems that’s led him to his life shortening situation.

So, sorry for the long post but we’re all different and addiction is not a simple issue, there’s all kinds of factors that contribute and some are susceptible whilst others aren’t.

The teacher was Mr Williamson at Hartshead School, he’ll be dead now and I hope he rots in hell.
I remember Williamson, he called all of the pretty girls by the first names and everyone else by surname. An absolute nonce if one ever walked the earth. I was a couple of years behind you and I think the music teacher got replaced with a female one when I started there, the previous incumbent was male and even at that age we heard all the rumours for why he left. Hartshead is not somewhere I think back on fondly.
 
I remember Williamson, he called all of the pretty girls by the first names and everyone else by surname. An absolute nonce if one ever walked the earth. I was a couple of years behind you and I think the music teacher got replaced with a female one when I started there, the previous incumbent was male and even at that age we heard all the rumours for why he left. Hartshead is not somewhere I think back on fondly.
You’re absolutely spot on, the Music teacher was Turner, a subsequently convicted paedophile who was known as “bummer Turner” by pupils and unbelievably teachers as well. He used to take under privileged kids back to his house, feed them, give them money and abuse them, even at a young age I kept my distance from him.

The teachers I held in high regard were Mr Stanley (Maurice), Mr Cousil (John) and Mr Parker. I used to see Maurice walking round Ashton Reservoir whilst playing golf but I believe he’s not in great health, he looked about 40 when he was in his 70’s, great fella.

Happiest day of my life when I left Hartshead, remember it like it was yesterday.
 
Do the school kids these days still use the word “wagged”?

The day after the Miners Strike finished me and my Blue mate (still friends 53 years on) wagged school to go and watch City v West Brom which was a 3pm kick off on a Wednesday due to restrictions on using floodlights. I got home and my Dad had been watching the local news, they’d shown the crowd arriving at Maine Road for the unusual midweek kick off time, numbers were well down. Me and my mate were on TV and my Dad had seen us, “good day at school?” Can’t remember too much more of the conversation but I got away with it.

Our school had been closed for nearly six weeks due to the strike and we’d only gone back that week, loads of kids didn’t turn up claiming they thought the school was still closed so it wasn’t an issue, happy days.
That’s a great story.
 
See he's out and about touting his latest book offering, including one anecdote of having 9 brandies at half time in one game and going out and scoring two goals in the 2nd half.

Still comes across as a complete mess of an individual.
 
Wife beating scumbag of the highest order, fucking wanker.
 
Never liked the Gobshite,he was an absolute fuckin idiot,remember him taking the piss out of Lakey years ago,he got lucky with that knee injury,when he went all out to hurt Gary Charles,lakey well everyone knew what happened there
 


This fucking nonsense about footballers being better or more exciting in the 90s is pure gaslighting. It was route 1, lumped up with the aim of less than 3 passes.

How many times the 2nd touch was a tackle. I also saw him go missing in games, seasons.
 
See he's out and about touting his latest book offering, including one anecdote of having 9 brandies at half time in one game and going out and scoring two goals in the 2nd half.

Still comes across as a complete mess of an individual.
Funny you should mention that
I can remember being away with City at WHL on the 1st day of The season,first match after Italia 90 World cup..

Spurs scored 1st ,we equalized,playing some glorious football with Paul Lake captain
Kendall was manager . We held them to 1-1 at half time ..

2nd half Gazza just ripped us to shreds ....unplayable 2nd half ....That might have been the game he refuelled at half time ! Spurs won 3-1 ..
 

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