Gazza - Middlesbrough

I don’t think selling Gazza affected the outcome, he was on a steep downward trajectory and it was good business to move him on.

That season was a combination of bad luck, poor judgment and lack of professionalism.
 
Seemed to go tits up after he was sent off at the piggery in the game that Stubbs scored in the last minute.

Actually, it might be the mists of time but I can’t actually remember him doing anything after that that season. That said I was still gutted at the time as I loved Gazza but the facts laid out in this thread show it absolutely the right move for Rangers.
I've echoed your point a number of times over the years. Following the red card he went off the rails, I'm sure it was around this time we saw the antics in New York. The bottom line is when the suspension was up he was unfit to retake his place in the team. Such was both us and the mentally challengeds form after the New Year, [ no one won 3 consecutive games] that it always irks me that a mere handful of Gazza performances would have seen us over the line. Aunties baws and all that I suppose.
 
He must have been the most frustrating guy to manage. You know there's brilliance in there, real genius. But off the field its a ticking time bomb.

Must actually be how Gerrard feels about Morelos to a lesser extent
Cracking article in The Athletic about his time at Everton, with Walter in charge. Was too young to see him play for us but my heart goes out to the guy, nobody has a bad word to say about him. Need a Gazza in the middle of the park next season!
 
Both teams had seven games left when Gazza was sold. We actually won more points after selling Gazza than Celtic did.

Rangers 15/21
Celtic 12/21

We also scudded Celtic twice inside a week without him.
interesting stats mate. always blamed the club for costing us the tiar by flogging him mid season but clearly not the case .
 
interesting stats mate. always blamed the club for costing us the tiar by flogging him mid season but clearly not the case .

We won 5 of our 7 games, Celtic only won 3. The difference was they only lost to us whereas we lost to Aberdeen and Killie.
 
Don't remember hearing about these rumours before, can you elaborate?

Two different sources told me that Murray, Smith, and a number of first-team members regularly went for a swim and sauna. On one of the visits Gascoigne allegedly hid Murray’s prosthetic legs. A considerable time elapsed before retrieval, with Murray apoplectic. Hence departure.

I cannot vouch for the veracity of this, but the blokes who told me are not bullshitters.
 
Two different sources told me that Murray, Smith, and a number of first-team members regularly went for a swim and sauna. On one of the visits Gascoigne allegedly hid Murray’s prosthetic legs. A considerable time elapsed before retrieval, with Murray apoplectic. Hence departure.

I cannot vouch for the veracity of this, but the blokes who told me are not bullshitters.
Brilliant. I hope it’s true
 
Rumours of off-field incident with Murray.

Apparently he forced him out.
Did Gazza not say Murray called him when he was on the way to Middlesbrough and asked him to stay? I'm sure I read that and he said he couldnt as he had already promised Bryan Robson he would sign
 
Middlesbrough was the worst club he could have been sold to at the time, I'm from teesside and at that time it was well known that the club had a huge drinking culture going on and from what I remember Robson was known to be one of the biggest drinkers at the club. Gazza had no chance in that environment!
 
And also said on his DVD that he stopped his car several times on the way to Middlesbrough wanting to turn back to Glasgow.
Didn't he stop on the drive to Middlesborough to call Murray to say that he had changed his mind? Only for Murray to say that he hadn't and to keep going.
 
I love Gazza but he was a mess that season, only scored 3 goals and had lost that burst of pace he had in 95/96. Was still gutted that he left but I suppose it was good business.
 
I’ve never understood why Laudrup gets real criticism for that season and seems to take a lot of blame for the failure to get 10 yet Gazza seems to get a free pass.

One was struggling with injuries and paying a physio out his own pocket to try and get fit, the other was overweight, unfocused and too busy going on boozing seasons, yet the former gets the flak. There’s no question a fit and focussed Gazza would have ensured we got over the line to clinch 10.

A lot of revisionism in this thread though, when he was playing that season he was poor, and someone said “he could still score screamers against the filth”. Eh? His previous goal against them was in 96 and I wouldn’t call either of his OF goals screamers in fairness. He was done by that point and we beat Celtic twice in a week without him when Albertz grabbed the bull by the horns.
 
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