Our man on why the Ibrox icon deserves a place among legends

WHAT do you think when you hear the name Paul Gascoigne?

To a generation of England fans, he is the midfielder who cried in Italy and put Scotland to the sword at Wembley. To Rangers supporters, he is the maestro who won eight-in-arow at Ibrox and helped Walter Smith’s side clinch nine.

For those who had no club or international affiliation, he was the man who created as many front-page headlines as back and terrorised teammates as often as defences.

Unfortunately, too many will now know him as a wife-beater or racist, as the fallen star who suffers with alcohol and drug addiction and, on more than one occasion, has appeared to be alarmingly and tragically close to death.

That is the picture of Gazza that is now portrayed increasingly often and it is sad that his achievements and his ability on the park are too readily overlooked. When there was a chance to remember and to celebrate, it was disgracefully snatched away. The Scottish Football Hall of Fame commemorates and honours those who, as their own website states, ‘have reached the pinnacle of their profession and have made a significant contribution to Scotland’s football reputation through their skill, spirit and determination.’

Paul Gascoigne’s name was due to be there, it should be there. Now, though, it won’t after the committee withdrew his nomination to be inducted at a dinner next weekend.

It was a shocking and embarrassing U-turn and a decision that has rightly come under fire from Gascoigne’s friends and former team-mates, both here and south of the border, as fears over his reaction and state of mind been worryingly raised.

In the parochial place that is Scottish football and the cesspit that is the online world, the news of Gazza’s induction created the inevitable outcry as his misdemeanours were thrown around in a game of petty point scoring.

The outrage even reached the corridors of power at the Scottish FA and board members seemingly threatened to boycott the event if the former Rangers midfielder was included in proceedings. It was petty, but not unexpected.

A statement on Thursday evening cited ‘concerns over the state of Paul’s health’ as a reason for withdrawing the invitation. Those fears are well founded but they were known long before his nomination was made public, so why the sudden reversal?

And why was it deemed acceptable to use his issues with addiction and his mental problems as a reason for the change of heart, especially in the knowledge of the fall-out that would follow? It was the easy way out, a shameful route to reverse down.

The demons that Gascoigne is battling should not prevent him being honoured, and nor should the other problems that he has faced over the years.

Gazza’s list of transgressions is lengthy and his actions, from

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the physical abuse towards then wife Sheryl in 1996 to the racial abuse of a security guard two years ago, cannot be condoned. On those counts, you can’t have sympathy with or compassion towards him.

Dealt with by the law of the land, he is still being judged by the court of public opinion. In that regard, Gascoigne is serving a life sentence.

He is a flawed genius. Naturally gifted and as quick with his mouth as his feet, he is amongst the finest players ever to grace a Scottish park.

If inductions are made on ability, impact and success, then Gazza simply has to be there and this was the chance to remember the player rather than debate and subsequently deride the person.

He is a tormented and fragile individual, not a role model. He can’t be forgiven but he can be pitied and should be comforted rather than condemned.

As a man, Paul Gascoigne certainly isn’t perfect. As a footballer, he was mercurial, magical, and it is those memories that should have been the most important ones at Hampden.