To me he stood out a mile

To me, he stood out a mile.”Fair enough, but what of Robson as a manager? After all, it is no secret that he enjoys the occasional alcoholic beverage. Might Gascoigne not have been better off at a club run by a hardline teetotaller? A hardening of those blue eyes indicates that he does not appreciate the question.”Have you ever seen Robbo getting pissed with his players? He’s a good professional. He must be to have got so many England caps, to have taken Boro from being dead and buried to where they are now. Like any other manager you’ve got to be fair with him, otherwise he’ll fine you Walter’s the same It was fantastic working with him at Rangers.

I won five medals there and people say it’s easy with Rangers because they win everything, but the training sessions were so hard it was unbelievable. It was like training for a cup final every day because, believe me, it’s tough when people expect you to be three up by half-time in everysingle game.”But you can still have a beer at the right time with Walter, although actually I don’t touch beer I enjoy a glass of wine but I’m not a great drinker I can’t handle my drink brilliantly, that’s all And I’m not interested in clubbing anymore. I went clubbing once at Rangers and twice at Lazio, that’s all A few times at Tottenham, yeah But I won’t be going clubbing here, that’s for sure You can write that. I’ve had my daft times, but I’ve got a challenge on my hands here and I’ve got to be careful.”Indeed. Smith has reportedly warned him that his two-year contract will be shredded if he steps out of line, on the pitch or off, and it is hardly as though he can expect to transgress off the pitch without word reaching the manager. The hated press will make sure of that.Gascoigne gives very few interviews these days. He is almost neurotically wary of journalists and understandably so.

I know for a fact that after first joining Middlesbrough, a tabloid newspaper paid for a reporter and photographer to stay in the same hotel for as long as it took to dish the dirt on Gazza. The reporter was male, the photographer female, so that they might pass as an ordinary couple. And the photographer was armed only with a humble Canon Sureshot. That way, when she photographed Gazza in a compromising situation, preferably legless in a bar, she could pretend to be a fan taking an innocent snap Except there were no compromising situations Gascoigne trained hard, stayed sober and went to bed alone. The pair stayed in Middlesbrough for three weeks before finally admitting defeat.All of which explains and excuses the following rant, which puts me in mind of the old one-liner that just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you: “Even when I don’t go out the papers will say I’ve been out. If have a glass of orange it’s gin and orange, a glass of Coke and it’s Bacardi and Coke I get followed by the news guys more than any other player. The other lads are free to enjoy themselves, but I’m worrying all the time about what’s going to be in the papers the next day And if the team gets beat it’s my fault.

I’ve had to carry that around for years.”Sometimes it’s depressing, knowing that you can’t sit and relax It’s ridiculous Like when I went out before the [1998] World Cup There were lots of players out that night. I was out until 11.30, had a kebab, and some guy took a photo with a camera that must have cost him £1.99. The papers got me thrown out of the World Cup more than anything.”Glenn Hoddle had a hand in it, too, though, then told us in his ill-judged diaries that Gazza took the news of his omission from the final 22 somewhat intemperately, let’s say. I do not expect him to shed much more light on that episode, not when an autobiography is in the pipeline, but you can’t blame a chap for trying “You’ll have to get my book for that,” he says. “But I won’t slaughter Glenn Hoddle, I’ll just tell the truth.”What did he think of England in Euro 2000? “I didn’t watch it. I saw about half an hour of one of the games, because I knew if I watched it I’d feel like I’d never got a break from football.

I felt sorry for Keegan that they didn’t gel as a team, but he took the blame himself and that took some courage A lot of managers would blame the players. It took a hell of a lot of guts for him to take the blame, especially the way our fans and our media are. And if anyone can make England bounce back, Keegan can.”Can anyone make Gazza bounce back, though? A couple of hours after our chat he trots out at Prenton Park in a friendly game against Tranmere Rovers, and there follows almost a parody of a Gazza performance, complete with sublime touches, rash challenges, two stitches in the head and a hasty substitution.The Everton fans chant “There’s only one Paul Gascoigne” as though he has illuminated their midfield for years. The Tranmere fans, celebrating a 2-0 lead, sing “Gazza, Gazza, what’s the score?” Afterwards, I grab five more minutes with him I switch on my tape-recorder He passes wind, loudly A huge grin lights up his face. I ask what he will do when all this is over.”Maybe management. I’ll talk to people like Walter Smith, Arthur Cox, Brian Clough, Terry Venables, and see how they got started Maybe I’ll go and play a bit in America There are some business-type ideas, too Them Lineker’s Bars have been successful Maybe I’ll start some Gazza’s Bars. Or maybe I’ll go and work with [theatrical impresario] Bill Kenwright Get an Oscar with Bill Kenwright That would be nice.”.