| Monday 01 June 1998 |
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HODDLE SAYS 'END OF THE WORLD' FOR DEVASTATED GASCOIGNE
For once the word "sensation" is the only one that will do. Paul Gascoigne, for so long England's totem and best hope, has been omitted from England's World Cup squad. That was the most seismic of a series of shocks in Glenn Hoddle's announcement of his 22, brought forward a full day for fear of details leaking out.
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Afraid that the names of those who had been left out of the squad were about to be revealed by the travel agents responsible for the return of the disappointed players, Hoddle called the press together at six o'clock in the evening at the luxury golf and leisure club at La Manga, Spain and told them that the players not going to France were Ian Walker, Andy Hinchcliffe, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Dion Dublin and, to gasps of astonishment, Paul Gascoigne.
Although the squad contains several other shocks (including the inclusion of Rio Ferdinand, Robert Lee, Les Ferdinand and Paul Merson, and the lack of any obvious cover for Graham Le Saux at left back/wing back) only the apparent end of the international career of one of England's greatest players of recent years made the slightest immediate impact. In the orgy of speculation about the squad that had filled the pages of Britain's Sunday newspapers, not one voice could be found that felt that Gascoigne would be among those disappointed by the manager. Indeed, many people felt that highly-placed journalists had been leaked the names who were to be left out; All the major tabloids ran stories indicating that Les Ferdinand would be the major casualty of Hoddle's axe. The papers had either over-read the manager's comments about Dion Dublin, or they had simply been mislead. Whatever the truth, Hoddle, having watched Gascoigne's ineffectual displays in the last week, has clearly decided not to gamble on the player's fitness. He was deeply angry at the photographs of Gazza eating junk food late at night in London two weeks ago, and publicly questioned the 31-year-old star's friends and lifestyle. But still the decision to leave out the player that most football professionals believed (at least up to the laboured displays against Morocco and Belgium) was England's best hope of unlocking international defences must have cost him more than an hour or two of sleep. The axeing of Gascoigne, allied to his public unveiling of faith healer Eileen Drewery means that England must now make at least the semi-finals… or Hoddle will be branded a lunatic. Stop Press: At around midnight last night (Sunday), Paul Gascoigne, and the other England discards, flew, despite a Spanish air traffic controllers dispute, back to London. Gascoigne was then taken to his wife Sheryl's home in Hertfordshire. Inside: The England squad in full, player by player, Five questions that Hoddle has to answer, and the ups and downs of Paul Gascoigne's life. So. Is Glenn Hoddle right? Is Gazza past it? Or has the England manager lost his marbles? Let us know what by emailing poll@football365.co.uk. |
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