gazza - end of the road and what could have been.

Morning all,

By now most have you have probably heard that there are reports doing the rounds thst gazza is intensive care fighting for his life after his body reacted badly to NOT having alcohol in the system. As much as its been self inflicted alcoholism is a disease and its not nice seeing it happen to anyone. I hope he pulls through but at the same time I think hes probably better off if he goes as hes clearly not been well for some time and has looked dreadful for years.

One thing that always niggles me and its not just with gazza but I often feel that a life can swing on one mpment. With gazza I always have that what could have been feeling. With him its if he had been an inch taller that day at wembley.

When he reached for that ball that came over in injury time in the semi final of the euros against germany. The ball appeared to somehow go through his foot. Now I know we are going in to the world of the imaginary but im guessing its one thing that has always haunted gazza since . His chance to have carved his name in to england folk lore. What if gazza had been an inch taller? What if as a result we went through and beat the czech republic?

Would it have been a turning point in gazzas career? Would he have sat down after the euros amd gone 'Poopie this is what we can do. The world cup is only two years away'. I feel at this stage the battle of alcholism was still winnable.

Would this have inspired the national team. Would that inferiority complex england have had for decades have gone. Would england have taken that on to the world cup and really acheived something. I still feel 98 was our best chance. Even with ten men against argentina we played brilliant.

Could gazza have turned the corner and enjoyed the latter end of his career and avoided spirilling out of control.

Take care gazza whatever happens. England had some fun times.

What if..........

I think a bigger "what if' with Gazza's career would not have been in 96, it would have been at Wembley though, what if he didn't foolishly lunge into that challenge that wrecked his knee, for me that was the major moment that led him down the path of self destruction

Off topic but I see a lot of a young Gazza in Jack Wilshire

The wembley 'challenge' is a good shout. I feel its important we find trigger points in things like alcoholism to help prevent it happening to others

Also, if he went to Manchester United instead of Spurs I'd be fully condifent that Alex Ferguson would have sorted him out long before he got out of control, he made the decision he made though for the right reasons, he was promised a house for his family, that summed the guy up, he made decisions with his heart never his head

These points have been made while I was writing this but I'm not just going to delete it.

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I'm not sure spencer, perhaps he was already on a path that he couldn't turn off.

As Wayne Rooney said, if Gazza had gone to Manchester United instead of Tottenham at a young age it could all have been different.

Ferguson keeping him in check, no serious knee injury sustained against Forest, more success on the pitch if he'd have stuck around for long enough. Perhaps choosing Spurs over United was a bigger moment in his life than that chance against Germany.

All conjecture though and it's entirely possible that the demons were always going to come out whatever he did.

Kay Fabe wrote:Also, if he went to Manchester United instead of Spurs I'd be fully condifent that Alex Ferguson would have sorted him out long before he got out of control, he made the decision he made though for the right reasons, he was promised a house for his family, that summed the guy up, he made decisions with his heart never his head

I fully agree with this. Ferguson would have been the perfect man to put him on the straight and narrow. What might have been I guess.

The tackle on Gary Charles at Wembley...wreckless and i believe cost his career going the full height that it could have.

Marrying Sheryl who simply bled him dry...twice

I think are the two critical moments for me.

Oh and being a daft Dunstan lad...

The Gary Charles challenge was the defining point in what could have been a fine career. He still showed moments of magic, like when he done Hendry at Euro 96 but that bit of pace had gone.

If he was an inch taller, wouldn't his head just have been an inch further from the ball?

In the FA cup, shouldn't he have already been sent off before the fateful Charles challenge?

What might have been eh?

Roller_Coaster wrote:If he was an inch taller, wouldn't his head just have been an inch further from the ball?

In the FA cup, shouldn't he have already been sent off before the fateful Charles challenge?

What might have been eh?

It was his leg that was an inch away, if we are talking Euro 96? Yes, could have been red carded before that. Would have been now.

Roller_Coaster wrote:If he was an inch taller, wouldn't his head just have been an inch further from the ball?

In the FA cup, shouldn't he have already been sent off before the fateful Charles challenge?

What might have been eh?

Yep a chest high studs up challenge which pole axed Garry Parker and didn't even receive a yellow card. Spurs shouldn't have been allowed a substitute and should have gone on to lose the match. Forest would have ended up in Europe making enough money to enable them to buy better players and not be relegated. Brian Clough wouldn't have been forced to retire in unpleasant cicumstances and Forest would not be in the predicament they are now.

Me a bitter Forest fan? Karma's a bitch eh Gazza you degenerate thug.

Fantastic footballer mind you.