Gazza

[AlexLaw76]

Have watched the 2 episodes on iPlayer.

what a total car crash, on so many levels. So sad. He was brilliant, but destroyed by himself and many others.

The state of the media back then was a disgrace. 

[Tamesaint]

Fully agree. A compelling watch. Highly recommended.

 

 

[Lighthouse]

For a while now he’s looked a good 10-15 years older than he really is. Such a shame.

[egg]

2 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Have watched the 2 episodes on iPlayer.

what a total car crash, on so many levels. So sad. He was brilliant, but destroyed by himself and many others.

The state of the media back then was a disgrace. 

I'm not sure how much was truly self inflicted, or at least, self inflicted by choice. The guy was plainly unwell for so long, carried baggage from his mates death in his arms, and was given a huge amount too soon but without the ability to cope. Before too long he became addicted to booze, and drank because of his addiction, thus not a free choice.

What's inexcusable though is some of his behaviour towards Sheryl and others.

What's especially sad is the part the press played. They helped destroy him by creating anxiety to add to the anxiety that he already had. The result has been catastrophic. 

It was a tough watch and I can only hope he reaches a point before its too late and gets the help he needs loads of ex players have done it. Look at people like Tony Adams and Paul Walsh, they've been down there and are now living good lives. Gazza could have the same. 

 

[ecuk268]

Pity he didn't go to Man U. Maybe Fergie would have kept in on the straight and narrow.

Bit of a parallel with George Best. Very talented and likeable but defeated by the money and booze.

[Lighthouse]

38 minutes ago, ecuk268 said:

Bit of a parallel with George Best. Very talented and likeable but defeated by the money and booze

I get the impression they were completely different personally. Best was your typical playboy, living the life of booze, women and gambling, because he was rich and famous. Gazza is a person with mental health and alcohol problems who happened to play football.

[egg]

1 hour ago, Lighthouse said:

I get the impression they were completely different personally. Best was your typical playboy, living the life of booze, women and gambling, because he was rich and famous. Gazza is a person with mental health and alcohol problems who happened to play football.

Huge similarities imo. Two talented footballers with alcoholism. One died from it, the other is sadly going the same way if he doesn't take the help available to him. 

[sadoldgit]

2 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

I get the impression they were completely different personally. Best was your typical playboy, living the life of booze, women and gambling, because he was rich and famous. Gazza is a person with mental health and alcohol problems who happened to play football.

They may have different personalities, but both are/were alcoholics. Best to the extent that he carried on drinking after having a liver transplant.  If Gazza doesn’t stop it will kill him too.

[Lord Duckhunter]

My brother in law lived in the same small block of luxury flats as him. The PFA paid for him to have a lovely flat just up from Ashley Cross between Poole & Dorset. He used to call my brother in law “grandad” (he’s in his 70’s) and was amusing at first. He soon became a complete and utter pain the arse and the residents got him chucked out. Parties night after night, chucking beer cans off his balcony and constantly shouting and locking himself out. A lot of the problem was blokes thinking it was funny to buy him drinks and party with him. My brother in law regularly saw him staggering around at 10am pissed up already. 
 

[Lighthouse]

12 hours ago, egg said:

Huge similarities imo. Two talented footballers with alcoholism

But that’s literally it, they have two things in common. They were driven by completely different issues, Gazza has very bad OCD, bipolar disorder and unresolved childhood trauma. Best was a party animal and drank to excess, Gazza uses it as a coping mechanism.

[egg]

21 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

But that’s literally it, they have two things in common. They were driven by completely different issues, Gazza has very bad OCD, bipolar disorder and unresolved childhood trauma. Best was a party animal and drank to excess, Gazza uses it as a coping mechanism.

You misunderstand. They both suffered / suffer with the same thing, alcoholism. Their respective life journeys are different, the same can be said of every alcoholic, but the common thing is the illness of alcoholism. That is the single illness that drives alcoholic drinking.