Gascoigne Page #4

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He looks like the kind of footballer

who plays for the local Sunday pub team

until you see him play, that is.

The reason the supporters really

love Gazza is he's one of them,

T-shirt, anorak and jeans

and a diet of Mars bars and brown ale.

You won't find it in the coaching manuals,

but when you can score goals

like he scores, who cares?

The first time I heard the name

Paul Gascoigne,

was when he was in

his early days at Newcastle.

People in the game started talking

about this young man

that had something a little bit special.

He was a precocious young talent.

A kid that would do things,

that would take people on,

that would beat people,

and had an unbelievable natural talent.

I think it's about 35 years since

I seen a kid as good as what this lad is.

And I just cannot believe the skills

of him, he's got everything.

Everything. Sticks out a mile.

And he'll tell you so as well, you know.

- He's a class... Confident.

- He's a confident lad.

There's no holding him,

he's the best in the world.

Honestly. The best in the world.

The manager would say, "Right, then,

"you're lining up against John Fashanu,

big, strong in the air

"and tough, and all that.

"Peter Beardsley, you're up against,

you know, this...

"Andy Thorn, tough guy,

good in the air, boom-boom."

And he just went, "Gazza, good luck."

That was all he said.

I was, "What do you mean, 'Good luck?

He went, "You're playing against a guy,

that... He's quite hard. Vinnie Jones."

Coming out of the tunnel,

he just f***ing looked at us.

He strains his neck like that,

and he went, Me and you, fat boy."

I went, Sh*t,"

you know, and we're walking through

the tunnel and I just looked at him again

and he went, "What are you f***ing

looking at? Just me and you, fat boy!"

He says, "I cannot play football

and neither are you today."

They could say that

Vinnie Jones is marking Gascoigne.

And he followed us,

everywhere. This guy was, just, like, solid.

It wasn't like he... He was just solid.

And he wouldn't leave us.

An amazing dribble.

Goodness, me... Whoa!

As the game went on,

I just felt a bit more, like,

confident and that, and I went,

"I f***ing didn't bother with this guy."

And he started backing up on us

and so I, sort of like, gave him a push

and that's when he squeezed me,

squeezed me balls.

He really squeezed them so hard.

and I was like...

Honestly, I thought I'd lost

my family allowance.

We're going in the dressing room

and some girls sent us some roses

and I went,

That's nice, I'll give them to Vinnie."

So I went and I says, "Can you give them

to Vinnie Jones, please, from me?"

I went back to the dressing room

and then the guy came back, a young kid,

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