I agree this has much to do with the unnecessary adulation of the media. The Roberto Carlos freekick in some meaningless tournament comes to mind. The way the media overplayed and overhyped the genius of that fluke was ridiculous. But that kick probably secured Carlos a £20k/week increase. Nevermind that his hit rate on freekicks was probably 1 in 30 or probably worse.
But this is a British malaise, one good result and you're genius, one bad and you're useless. This same attitude permeates all the culture from school through work...

NK776, London,

What a load of sour, patronizing tosh.

Gazza was a rare talent. He could dictate a game, find anyone with a pass and possessed a whole repertoire of astonishing skills.

Ask anyone who knows the game and they'll agree. Ask Franz Beckenbauer and he'll agree. You must have been watching Millwall too long.

And if Jackie Sinclair finds anything noble in not making money from his talents, he's a bigger fool than you.

Patoba Ipririm, London, UK

I'm not sure I totally agree with all the points made in your article, but I do get where you are coming from. I suspect it's not only a reflection of Gascoigne's inability to handle the undue adulation, but also a function of today's society to heap said adulation on the decidedly average and totally undeserving.
With a bit of savvy I have no doubt that a lot of the points made could be used to his advantage, a bad example, I know, as he drank himself to death, but I can't stop thinking of the immortal comment made to George Best "When did it all start going wrong for you"
Having been in the stands at the Italia 90 Semi and the Germany 06 Quarters, I will never forget the heart and soul with which Gascoigne and the entire team played in Italy, and I thank them for that. If only our prima donna's in 06 had shown 10% of that.

Robert, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

we all know gazza for his talent, so leave him alone with his personal problems. would you have repeated your comments right after the Holland game in euro 96? dont hate him for his good fortune then or be glad for the bad now

njau, kandara, kenya

I think absolutely the worst, most inaccurate part of this article is "Even a well-balanced individual would find themselves on the first train to the booby hatch after all that". Because of course everyone knows that all former professional footballers who have received the acclaim that Paul Gascoigne did are insane. Oh yes, old loopy Roberto Baggio holed up in the asylum with Zinedine Zidane, Eric Cantona and Pele.

Or, perhaps, Paul Gascoigne has some serious psychological problems that it is both insensitive and pointless to try to bend to fit a smug little article about how modern footballers are treated too well and aren't very good anyway so ner.

Laurence Davison, Sydney, Australia

I think Rod has got this one quite badly wrong. Yes, 'sentient' is used to define forms of life that can feel. But what Rod, over-reaching for the fancy adjective as many journalists do, wrote was 'sentient thought'. A thought is not a life-form. What Rod meant, presumably, was 'an intelligent thought' or 'a sensible thought'. But that, alas, was not what Rod wrote.

Martin, Barbon , Lancs

maybe he has not said anything prolific however which footballer has ? Please do not assume he is a "thick Geordie", judge him by the football talent and contribution he has given over the years.

helen lincoln, sunderland, england

No, Garret, I didn't mean "sensible". If I'd meant "sensible" I'd have written "sensible". I meant sentient, as in a defining characteristic of intelligent lifeforms.

rod liddle, marlborough, wilts

As a nutter myself I object to people like Steve Mobbs who find the phrase 'booby hatch' - used by Rod Little - 'unhelpful'. 'Booby hatch' says what it does on the tin, so does 'Loony Bin' and 'Funny Farm'. We do a disservice to those off their trolly by using gentle euphemisms. The 'mentally unbalanced', to use a careful phrase, have a sense of realism and humour.

Nicky Bird, Ealing, London

NICKY BIRD, LONDON,

From the Concise Oxford English Dictionary:

sentient
n adjective able to perceive or feel things.

DERIVATIVES
sentience noun
sentiently adverb

ORIGIN
C17: from Latin sentient-, sentire 'to feel'.

Perhaps Mr Liddle means 'sensible'?

Garret Smyth, Sarf London,

Rather unfair to say he is "thick", he just never had the chance of education.

dean, Hants,

Whilst I agree with the main thrust of this article, I feel that I have to point out that it is unhelpful to refer to a psychiatric hospital as a "booby hatch." I'm sure that was meant to be amusing, but while we continue to use language like that to describe our mental institutions, we do nothing to remove the stigma that has been attached to mental illness for the past few centuries.

Steve Mobbs, Ovingham, Northumberland

Ken - you'll be the Ken Hensley of Uriah Heep, then - to which much respect and thanks: I bought Salisbury when I was 12 and loved it to bits. And thanks to all for the comments........

rod liddle, marlborough, wilts

A very perceptive and human article.

CHARLIE, LONDON, UK

Uriah Heep ? Relevant ? Dream on, Ken

David, Auckland, NZ

Right on the money Rod!!
For me the key to your article was the (almost) passing reference to the sudden impact of reality into the so-called "celebrity" life.
As a former "global rock star" I had to deal with this and it wasn't easy. It was, in fact, the most difficult personal, emotional, psychological and spiritual challenge of my life so far! How could I have been so "relevant" in the 70s and now...nothing?
I don't know how my wife found the strength to deal with me during this process but she did and she steadfastly made me face it, rather than allowing me to whine, snort or drink my way further into it! For that, for the introspective songs I wrote throughout this and for my faith, I will be eternally grateful but this whole issue merits closer examination, especially by a media that seems to enjoy piling further abuse onto abusers!
It's a deep deal and I hope Mr. Gascoigne finds the strength to survive and emerge as a normal, balanced human being again. Thanks.

Ken Hensley, Agost, Spain

"Gazza", was a great footballer, and it is a shame that he is, where he is now. And everyone is having their say.
Let's face it, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he needs help, and a little guidance. I'm not quite sure of his qualifications, but can't the FA organize some way of him getting coaching, or management badges. It would be therapeutic and maybe it would work with other players who have fallen by the wayside, so to speak. Or, is this already going on?? Just a thought.

Geoff Stringer, Southend-on-Sea Essex , ENGLAND

Just because Gazza played practical jokes doesn't make him stupid. In interviews Gazza comes across as having average intelligence. When you say he's thick you're saying so is the average person. I agree it has something to do with celebrity though

Colin55, Stoke, UK

I totally agree with the article written about Gascoine a very much overated footballer in my view his behaviour of the field was just not funny.

Ian Brooks, Priego de Cordoba, Spain