Ontmasker de charlatan met Sam Trouvé (166) - Nieuw debacle voor getroubleerde Gazza

De fles en de charlatan : deel 3. Paul Gascoigne, aka Gazza, enfant terrible van het Engels voetbal, werd maandag ontslagen bij Kettering, een amateurclub uit de Engelse vijfde klasse.

Gascoigne was nog maar een maand, sinds 27 oktober, als manager aan de slag bij Kettering.

De voorzitter van de club, ene Imraan Ladak, heeft omtrent het ontslag van Gascoigne volgend statement gepubliceerd.

Following discussions this weekend, it has been decided that Paul Gascoigne is unable to carry out his duties as Manager of Kettering Town Football Club. With Paul's status within the football world, it it impossible to expect anything but intense media speculation surrounding his departure. However the priority for Kettering Town is the stability of the team and so my immediate priority is to appoint a new manager, rather than discuss the reasons for Paul's departure.

Naast dit officieel communiqué heeft Ladak ook een commentaar gepubliceerd bij het statement. Dat luidt als volgt.

"Last night I spoke to Paul Gascoigne who told me "I will save you the pleasure of sacking me. I will walk away. I quit". Last nights conversation was a result of thirty seven seperate incidents I have had to deal with since the appointment of Paul Gascoigne as Manager.

Unfortunately Paul Gascoigne has been under the influence of alcohol before, during and after several first team games and training sessions. This has been noticeable to the board of Directors, players, coaching staff and sections of the media. A referee and fourth official have also filed a report with the FA. I have tried to help Paul through this difficult period but gave an undertaking to the board prior to my takeover that if Paul hit the bottle I would remove him as manager. Paul has not reacted well to the news and has made numerous threats that if I do not sell him the club he will use his name and the media to turn the players and supporters against me. This has already begun with Paul calling a number of the first team last night, under the influence of alcohol. Paul even told players not to report for training at MK Dons where they were due to commence full-time training.

I also made clear that I felt Paul had turned a winning team into a confused and unsettled one by playing players out of position and being drunk on the team bus and in the dressing room for his team talks. Paul has made a number of allegations which are unfounded and libellous but all I want is for Paul to seek professional medical assistance for his addictions and to stop taking his frustration out by trying to unsettle this club further. I would like to pay tribute to the players of Kettering Town who have continued to show the utmost professionalism during the last six weeks and hope they can continue to maintain this over what is clearly going to be a difficult period for this club. I can also confirm that I have turned down Paul's offer to purchase the club.

Once the media hype dies down we will be left with the same supporters and manager which were here before myself and Paul arrived, with a similar playing squad and exactly the same ambitions as stated two months ago. Paul was my childhood idol and when sober is a wonderful person. Last night was genuinely the most difficult decision I have had to make, but my head won the battle with my heart. I am shocked and bitterly disappointed by Paul's reaction. However my responsibility is foremost to Kettering Town Football Club and not Paul Gascoigne.

De carrière van Paul Gascoigne is een trieste kopie van die van George Best. Enkele briljante jaren, nadien steeds verder afglijden in een poel van overmatig gebruik van alcohol en drugs. Hij eindigde in een ontwenningskliniek, en zonk weg in de ene depressie na de andere.

Na zijn spelerscarrière bij Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio Roma, Glasgow Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton en Burnley, stapelde Gazza de Benoit Van Cleemputiaanse debacles op bij de Engelse derdeklasser Boston United, bij het Portugese amateurteam Algarve United, bij de Chinese tweedeklasser Gansu Tianma en nu dus bij Kettering.