'FLAWED GENIUS'
Emotional Ally McCoist on fears for Rangers pal Paul Gascoigne, saying ‘we don’t think the problem is going to go away’
Gazza has spoken about his 'bad days'
ALLY McCoist has told of his fears for former Rangers team-mate Paul Gascoigne as he continues to battle alcohol addiction.
The Ibrox legend showed his support for Gazza after the former England midfielder revealed he is back attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and is now effectively homeless.
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In a podcast interview earlier this week, Gascoigne said he is sleeping in the spare bedroom of his agent Katie Davies.
McCoist, 61, became good friends with Gascoigne during his three-year spell at Rangers in the 1990s.
The football pundit told how he worries that his pal will never fully win his battle with the bottle.
He said: "The minute he stopped playing and stopped training that became a big problem for him.
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"Sadly we are not surprised when we pick up the paper and we see something because we know he's got a problem.
"I think one of the things we worry about is we aware of the problem but we don't ever think the problem is totally going to go away for Paul."
McCoist said Gascoigne had struggled after retiring from football but insisted he never allowed alcohol to affect his performances during his career.
He said the 56-year-old former Tottenham and Newcastle star was one of the most dedicated professionals he has come across and would often train on his days off.
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Speaking on Talksport, he added: "Everybody sees the talent and the funny side of him but I don't think I've met or played with a harder working trainer.
"We had a break in Portugal and I was going for a game of golf at 6 o'clock in the morning and I remember seeing him out running.
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"He had the week off and the first morning he was out running. I'm thinking to myself 'That is unbelievable'.
"He's clearly a flawed genius in many ways, of that there is absolutely no doubt, but he had an incredible appetite to work."
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Gascoigne said he has "bad days" when he turns to alcohol.
He said: "I used to be a happy drunk, I ain't anymore. I'm a sad drunk. I don't go out and drink, I drink indoors.
"If I want to make it a bad day, I go down the pub. If I want it to be a good day, I get my flying rod out and go fishing."
He added: "I try not to get down because the world's already down enough and when I'm really down, that's when I pick up a drink to cheer myself up.
"I don't think I let any managers down, or the players or the fans, you know. If there was anyone I let down, it was myself. But more the drinking side of it, when I finished playing."
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Gascoigne signed for Rangers in 1995 and quickly became a fans' favourite as he helped them win a record-equalling nine in a row league titles.
In his debut season, he was voted Scottish player of the year and also had memorable moments playing for England, including a goal against Scotland.
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