Surviving Gazza

I recently watched the documentary "Surviving Gazza", and it struck me how different the image in this documentary was to the one I'd grown up with of him.

In the papers we often read artcles either saying Paul Gascoigne is on the mend or he has hit another terrible time of depression. For instance today, The Sun has an article in titled "Gazza "Im back and I'm on the mend" which has again kept this story alive. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe all of the televison and newspaper coverage will inspire him to re-build his life? Or maybe it helps to remind him of what he was, a football icon, and can never get back?

In the documentary you see the struggles of his family, desperate to save him, which was the origonal title of the programme, "Surviving Gazza". I think the change in the title makes a lot of sence becasue you begin watching with more understanding fthe Gascoigne famiy, who are in such great pain. Gazza has been an idol to many for so many years, it is hard with only the newspaper tales to really understand how far he has fallen.

The previous image I had of him was a World class footballer, who liked to have a good night out and had a bit of a problem. I now think of him as a man who has lost what he believe was his purpose in life, football, to drink.

The documentary is a heartfelt last attempt from his ex-wife and three children to sort his life out, for not only ther sakes, but also his. I thought it was fantastically honest, never showing the Gascoigne family as any thing other than a normal family fighting a big problem.