Stuart Pearce says former England manager Terry Venables used to treat Paul Gascoigne like a ‘naughty schoolboy’ at times.
The 78-year-old led the Three Lions to a famous semi-final run at Euro ’96 with Gascoigne playing a starring role.
Getty Images - Getty
And former England left-back Stuart Pearce has praised the way Venables’ dealt with Gazza, who will always be known as one of football’s biggest mavericks.
Pearce told talkSPORT: “Terry Venables was an acute manager. He knew exactly how to handle Gazza.
“With the likes of Gazza, he almost treated him like a naughty schoolboy at times.
“There was one incident where Gazza had stepped over the mark and Terry, in front of the group, gave him a bit of verbal, so Gazza pulled his neck in a little bit.
“Just as Terry turned away, Gazza winked at the rest of the group – it’s alright, he’s been told, but I still love him – that type of thing.
Getty
“We knew how important Gazza was to us as a team.”
Gascoigne, who won 57 caps for England, never received any special treatment from his international teammates.
Pearce explained: “I wouldn’t say we treated him differently, but he was the best player I ever played with.
“He’s the reason why England got to two semi-finals. I’m just lucky that I was around at the same as Paul in our careers.
“I played the vast majority of my England matches alongside one of the best talents this country has ever had.”
from Football - news, transfers, fixtures, scores, pictures https://ift.tt/3wWQCRY
via IFTTT
No Comment