Paul Gascoigne's journey through football--indeed life--has been at best tumultuous and during the trip he has exasperated and thrilled his followers. Hamilton--poet, biographer and Tottenham fan--was hooked from the first time he saw the player in a Newcastle shirt and has provided a stylishly written personal account of a chaotic career. The author captures the mood of fans who have lived in (generally forlorn) hope that Gascoigne would weave his magic. At times faith was rewarded, such as in the Czechoslovakia game before selection for Italia 90, his subsequent emergence that summer on the world scene, brilliant displays in Spurs' 1991 Cup run, the odd gem for Lazio and that goal against Scotland that illuminated Euro 96. Yet his disturbing off-field antics as well as the destruction of his talent by self-inflicted injuries have prompted the author to suggest that Gazza never really understood the nature of his genius and was unable to protect it from the "excesses to which his personality is irreversibly inclined". As The Sun newspaper famously put it: "The devil has hijacked the talents made in heaven". The postscript to the 1994 publication covers Gazza's time at Rangers and the infamous World Cup exclusion. Nevertheless Hamilton still manages an upbeat conclusion that mentions Gazza and Euro 2000 in the same sentence--but then that's a fan for you. --Jamie Foulerton
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