Being Gazza

Author: Paul Gascoigne
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780755315611
Category : Soccer players
Languages : en
Pages : 286

Book Description
The nation has commented on and devoured Paul Gascoigne for years. They read his story. But not until now has anyone ever known what it is really like to wake every morning and be Gazza. What lies behind the cheeky grin, jokes and tears? Here Gascoigne, in the company of his therapist, confronts his demons and takes the reader into the recesses of his mind. The triggers that created explosive genius on the pitch, outrageous antics off it and at times plunged Gascoigne into dark despair are revealed together with the critical moments that influenced his alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, gambling, eating disorders and compulsive behaviour. This is more than the story of one man. It applies to people who face turmoil every day. Recognising a problem and seeking help is the hardest step. Through self-assessment forms and expert advice, any reader who sees a mirror of themselves will be offered help and a way forward. There has never been a book like this. Because there has never been a man like Paul Gascoigne.

Gazza: My Story

Author: Paul Gascoigne
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 1472220633
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
Almost as soon as Gazza burst on to the scene at Newcastle United, the young Geordie was the centre of attention: Vinnie Jones's notorious ball-handling showed the lengths people would go to try to stop him. Then, with England on the verge of possibly reaching the World Cup final in 1990, came Gazza's tears - the moment that brought a whole new audience to the sport and helped set the football boom of the 1990s on its way. But then came a career-threatening injury, mental health problems, self-confessed alcoholism and family disputes, as life in the full glare of the media spotlight became too much. Now, at the end of his top-flight playing career, Gazza is ready to confront his demons. The result is quite simply the most remarkable footballing story you'll ever read: what it's like being Paul Gascoigne, in his own words.

39 Days of Gazza - When Paul Gascoigne arrived to manage Kettering Town, people lined the streets to greet him. Just 39 days later, Gazza was gone and the club was on it's knees...

Author: Steve Pitts
Publisher: Kings Road Publishing
ISBN: 1782193669
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Book Description
As the first-time manager of a provinical non-League football team, former England star Paul Gascoigne promised to fulfil their dreams. Then, in the space of just 39 days, both manager and team saw a dramatic reversal of fortune... Gazza was the English football icon of the 1990s. His magnificent midfield play provided some of England's most memorable moments, and he enjoyed a headline-grabbing career with Newcastle United, Tottenham, Lazio, Glasgow Rangers, Middlesborough and Everton. Then it all went terribly wrong. He still made the headlines, but for all the wrong reasons - alcoholism, drugs, wife-beating, personality disorder, run-ins with the law, nervous breakdown. Like his great hero George Best, Gascoigne seemed to have passed a personal point of no return. Then in the autumn of 2005, he was given a chance to rebuild his career with his first job as a football manager. As part of a consortium which bought Kettering Town, Gazza reinvented himself. Appearing to have his personal problems under control, he took charge - full of big ideas about steering the club into the Football League and towards the big time. The people of Kettering were star-struck by the celebrity among them. And yet, within just a few short weeks after Gascoigne was appointed manager, he would be sacked amidst an increasingly bizarre series of allegations, leaving a once hopeful club on its knees. In39 Days of Gazza, author Steve Pitts tells the story of how the disintegration of Gascoigne's managerial role impacted on so many people's lives - not least his own. This is a tragicomedy of English football, on a par with the fictionalised appraoch of The Damned United. Told by a writer who was close enough to factually observe the events, it features revealing contributions from many who were present at the time.

Gazza Agonistes

Author: Ian Hamilton
Publisher: Faber & Faber
ISBN: 057128020X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
'This is a fan's eye-view of Paul Gascoigne - and fans, as we know, are expert at reassembling dashed hopes...' In 1987 Ian Hamilton - acclaimed poet, biographer and Tottenham fan - was smitten from afar by the impish skills of Newcastle United's Paul Gascoigne. When 'Gazza' duly signed for Spurs, Hamilton was sure that he and English football had found their new hero. But Gascoigne was destined to be brought low by tragic flaws, and Hamilton was ideally positioned to tell the tale in this, a peerless piece of football literature. 'By the final whistle Hamilton has sketched a compelling figure: reckless, cocky, twitchy, hyperactive and half bonkers... but with flashes of implausible grace that connect with the dreams of his audience.' Independent

The Death of You

Author: Luke Sutton
Publisher: White Owl
ISBN: 1399086065
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 166

Book Description
Arguably the greatest Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, with twenty-eight Olympic medals to his name, was asked if he would like his children to follow in his footsteps. His answer, 'Honestly, in a perfect world, Id say no. Just because I dont want them to live in my footsteps. And I also know everything about it I know the ins and the outs, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, you know, as a parent, it just it frightens me. The truth is that the vast majority of the public dont understand this alarming answer from Phelps. The question as to why so many elite sportspeople fall off the edge of a cliff in life when they retire is often answered in either a too complicated or too simplistic way to give people a meaningful answer. This book changes that. Using brutally honest interviews with sport stars Matthew Hoggard, Paul Walsh, Gail Emms, Tom May, Johnny Nelson and Clare Shine, Luke Sutton breaks down why this happens for a reader in a way that hasnt been done yet. Anyone fascinated by sport or elite performance in general will be enthralled by this book. There is so much to take from it.

Glorious

Author: Paul Gascoigne
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
ISBN: 9780857204486
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Even people who don't know football know who 'Gazza' is. The man born as Paul John Gascoigne to a working-class family in the North-East has found headlines on the front pages almost as often as the back pages throughout his life, thanks in great part to his more than colourful lifestyle. But it is for his time as a footballer of the very highest order that Gazza's name will forever live in sporting history. During a career that spanned more than ten different clubs, among them Newcastle United, Tottenham, Lazio and Rangers, and which included countless unforgettable England performances, Gazza established himself as one of the sport's all-time greats: a master of skill, flair and invention like none that his country had produced before nor perhaps ever will again. Told in Gazza's own unique voice and fully illustrated with hundreds of photos from the moments that he feels defined his career,Glorious: My World, Football and Meis a celebration, offering an unrivalled insight into the mind of this greatest of footballers.

Behind Closed Doors

Author: Gary Lineker
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473572770
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 275

Book Description
***Includes a new foreword by Gary Lineker about football in lockdown*** Shortlisted for The Telegraph Sports Book Awards 'Lineker is nearly as good a presenter as I was a footballer' DIEGO MARADONA 'Hilarious, almost as funny as me' ALAN SHEARER 'This is Lineker unleashed. As a non-football nut I didn't expect to enjoy it, but between laddish anecdotes are passages of sudden tenderness. . . Lineker opens up, dislodging memories and reflections, not just about football but his whole life.' THE TIMES _______________________________________________________________ 'Football is a simple game. 22 players chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end the Germans always win.' This book is inspired by the stories Danny and I have shared with each other about what life in football is really like: in the dressing room, in the commentary box, on the pitch and - with the appropriate pixellation - in the showers afterwards. What's it really like to play with Messi? I wouldn't know, but I have starred alongside him in an advert for Walkers crisps. And, well, his performance was world-class. And what is a life in football really like? You won't learn much from the dull-as-dishwater post-match interviews - it's a world of secrets, superstitions, laughs and personalities, and let me tell you, half of it you won't believe. I've looked back at my playing days, from England to Leicester, Everton to Barcelona, Tottenham to, er, Nagoya Grampus Eight, and shared the chaotic behind-the-scenes secrets of Match of the Day - and Danny has chipped in with stories from a lifetime following the game as a fan. From Italia '90 to Leicester's Premier League fairytale, from yellow cards to World Cup trophies (I've never been awarded either), from Gascoigne to Maradona, you'll find it all here - everything you always wanted to know about football, but didn't realise that you did. Inspired by the No.1 podcast Behind Closed Doors

Shirts, Shorts and Spurs

Author: Roy Reyland
Publisher: Kings Road Publishing
ISBN: 1843584123
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Book Description
This insightful and often hilarious romp charts the dramatic ups and downs of Tottenham Hotspur, as seen through the eyes of one of its most unlikely heroes: Roy Reyland, the local kit man who served the club for almost 30 years. From inside the dressing room and on the bench, Roy has witnessed the agony and the ecstasy of three decades of seasons at Tottenham Hotspur. He looked after Spurs' famous lilywhite shirts for an incredible 1,397 matches, home and away, including 12 dramatic cup finals. Working under 17 managers--from Keith Burkinshaw to Martin Jol--he visited Wembley more times than many of the brightest stars of the Premiership. And, of course, he worked closely with some of White Hart Lane's greatest ever players--from Ardiles and Gazza to Klinsmann and Ginola. As the club's unofficial agony aunt, Roy has seen the tears and the triumphs, the dressing-room pranks, and has a unique insight into the inner workings of the legendary Premiership side. He has seen it all, and his story is one of total devotion to the club.

Gazza in Italy

Author: Daniel Storey
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0008300879
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
A brilliant, funny and insightful analysis of Paul Gascoigne’s crazy up and downs during his three years at Lazio – a period which shows his entire career in microcosm.

Back from the Edge

Author: Luke Sutton
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1526767554
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 125

Book Description
“One of the most open and honest and thought-provoking books on the effect addiction and alcohol can have on the career and life of a county cricketer.” —Deep Extra Cover The truth is that professional sports are a breeding ground for addictive behavior. Luke Sutton is a business owner and successful agent to sporting stars such as James Taylor, Nile Wilson and Sam Quek, but his life didn’t always look so positive. Back from the Edge reveals the huge ups and major downs that a professional career in sports can bring—and the mental health difficulties that can plague a sportsperson along the way. Luke knows this more than most. Brutally, but refreshingly honest, this no-frills autobiography of the former professional cricketer describes in detail the moment he hit rock bottom, how he got there, his roller coaster journey through rehab, and the important lessons he’s learned since. Throughout the book, Luke remains candid and reveals how his addictions affected his personal life, from his friends to family to his children. Back from the Edge is heart-wrenching. It’s also thoroughly genuine, funny and utterly inspirational, and has allowed the former cricketer to speak about his mental health and to raise awareness of addiction in sports. Now a sports agent, he is perfectly placed to spot the warning signs in young stars, and to support them before they spiral into the same type of experiences he faced. “A raw account of his alcoholism and the process of rebuilding his life.” —The Telegraph “One of the most honest cricket books ever written.” —ESPNcricinfo