Paul Gascoigne Interview: “Tight” Alan Shearer Or Gareth Southgate Should Be New MOTD Host

In an exclusive interview with SportsCasting UK, England legend Paul Gascoigne said that Alan Shearer or Gareth Southgate should replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day at the end of the season. 

Q: Who should replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day at the end of the season?

Paul Gascoigne: “With Lineker quitting Match of the Day, I wonder if Shearer is going to take over, or Southgate because he’s been doing a little bit of commentary. I reckon Shearer will take over because he loves a bit of money. He’s so tight he only cries from one eye! So for me it’s between Shearer and Southgate.”

Q: Would you like to see Manchester City deducted points?

Paul Gascoigne: “No, I wouldn’t like to see that. Obviously they’ve done something wrong, but it’s not nice when you take points off someone. But then the other thing is like, I remember when [Luis] Suarez bit someone (Branislav Ivanovic) and all of a sudden, they fined him a week’s wages. He’s not going to be bothered with losing half a million quid. He’s got another 1.5 million coming in the next three weeks. But deducting points, I think it’s a bit unfair. Everton keep getting stung. Taking points away, it’s not going to make any difference because these blokes have got so much money.”

Q: Arsenal vs Manchester City is developing into a real rivalry. Can Arsenal finally win the Premier League this season?

Paul Gascoigne: “I watched the highlights. God almighty, they just rattle each other. That was funny when he (Erling Haaland) threw the ball at the guy’s (Gabriel) head. You can see the rivalry already. What they’ve (Arsenal) not got to do is focus on Man City and vice versa. They can’t just focus on them because there’s some other good teams, you know? Brentford can all of a sudden just turn up and start playing unbelievable football. You’ve got these teams that haven’t got great, world class players, but they seem to be doing the business. I’d like to say, if Man United had lost that cup final, what would have happened to Ten Hag? I think it’s about time the club gave him a bit of respect.”

Do you think Arsenal can do it this season? “They’ve got every chance. He’s amazed me, [Mikel] Arteta. I’m so proud of him. I remember playing against him. It’s like with Pep Guardiola, I played against him, one minute I’m in f***ing rehab and he’s managing Barcelona and s**t, what have I done to myself? He’s (Arteta) had the opportunity, he’s got the players and the money. At Everton, the directors have got loads of money, but they won’t put any money into the club. I spoke to one, he said, ‘Gazza, I’ve got more money than all of these put together.’ I said, ‘so why don’t you put some money into the club?’ because I was sitting next to him watching a game once. He went, ‘no, I’m just happy being a director and having my name there’ and I thought, ‘that’s out of order.’ Bill Kenwright loves the club.”

 Q: What do you make of the news that Newcastle United could spend £1bn on expanding the capacity at St. James’ Park and then another £2bn or £3bn building a new stadium in the future?

Paul Gascoigne: “It’s an unbelievable stadium but I do feel sorry for the away fans. They’ve travelled so far and they come and spend a lot of money and then the next minute they’re like right up in the corner. I remember I played there once for Everton and I did a backheel to Kevin Campbell and he scored. God bless him, he’s not with us anymore. And then you’re thinking where are our fans to celebrate with? And then all of a sudden you see them up in the top corner up in the Gods. I remember when I left Newcastle there were about 20 or 30,000 people waiting on the waiting list for a season ticket. It would be a shame if they built a new stadium outside the city, that would be stupid. You can’t move from the place it is. Keep it in the city centre.”

Q: Trent Alexander-Arnold looks likely to do a Steve McManaman and leave on a free to join Real Madrid. Liverpool fans are furious. Can you understand why?

Paul Gascoigne: “It’s really scary, you know. That’s what I mean in regards to respect, but when Steve went there I didn’t even know, I was just watching Real Madrid and Steve’s there. It’s like player power now. There was a time when there weren’t many English players playing abroad. When I went to Lazio, it was only me. Liam Brady went, and that was it really. [David] Platt went to Bari, [Paul] Ince went to Inter Milan. But, you know, you’ve got to be, you’ve got to be unbelievably talented to play when you go there.”

Q: Do you think Trent Alexander-Arnold could be a good fit at Real Madrid if he went there? 

Paul Gascoigne: “Yeah, definitely. I mean, look at what [Jude] Bellingham’s done at Real Madrid. You see him play for England, I watched him and people were raving about him. He scored in the first game of the Euros and after that he’s non-existent. And then I saw him playing for Real Madrid and he was outstanding. I suppose when you put talented players around you like that… I mean, my favourite team, I just loved watching them every week, was the Barcelona side when they had [Lionel] Messi, Neymar and Suarez, the MSN. They were scary, that team. Crazy team. You just couldn’t get the ball off them. Even before that, Ronaldinho as well, when Messi was coming through. The team was just scary.”

Q: Anthony Gordon had the balls to take a penalty against Everton for Newcastle but it was saved by Jordan Pickford. How much will that miss be eating away at him during the international break?

Paul Gascoigne: “Yeah, it definitely will be. I always tell people, the clubs they play for, say Aston Villa or Everton and they look brilliant there and then a manager will think, ‘right then, I’m going to sign him’ and then all of a sudden you go from that to the atmosphere at Newcastle, it’s completely different. Some of the players’ arses go and you think, God almighty. So for a lot of them, it’s too much for their nerves, you know, a hell of a lot – because when you’re playing in front of like the Gallowgate End, the noise they’re making is completely different because they’re just fanatical, like Rangers fans are fanatical. Man United’s are fanatical, Liverpool, so when you go to stadiums like that, or playing for teams like that, it does pick up the nerves and you think, God, I’ve got to impress them.”

Q: Who should replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day if he leaves at the end of the season?

Paul Gascoigne: “With Lineker quitting Match of the Day, I wonder if Shearer is going to take over, or Southgate because he’s been doing a little bit of commentary. I reckon Shearer will take over because he loves a bit of money. He’s so tight he only cries from one eye! So for me it’s between Shearer and Southgate”

Q: Also, last time you mentioned Jack Grealish needs to knuckle down and stop the partying to get his place back in the Manchester City side. He’s just welcomed his first baby, will being a new dad settle him down? Give him some focus?

Paul Gascoigne: “Jack didn’t go to the Euros but he looked like he did some work on his own before the pre-season started. And the last couple of games I’ve seen, the last one he was outstanding, he looked really fit as well. Sometimes he’d lose the ball and he’d jog back. This time I was watching him, every time he lost the ball, he was sprinting back. So, it looks like he’s in good shape and he’s a great player. He’s really talented. He could pick any club, Jack, I really like him.”

Q: Spurs are playing Rangers soon at Ibrox in the Europa League. Do you give Rangers a chance?

Paul Gascoigne: “If they’re at home, definitely. It’s difficult, that one. I was so close to Rangers. At Rangers, I’m welcomed in every way and at Tottenham, I asked for a couple of tickets and they said ‘that’ll be 400 pounds each.’ I was like, wow, with all I did for that club, you know? When I left Tottenham I got them a lot of money when I signed for Lazio and I put in my contract when I went to Lazio that Tottenham had the first option to sign me back and they didn’t so I was a bit upset at that, considering the teams I could’ve went to. I made the right choice in going to Rangers, the fans were fantastic, they love me up there. I didn’t like doing venues up there because I speak for an hour and they start singing for 55 minutes. The last time I went, ‘can I please talk?’ I said, ‘let me say something.’ They’re singing ‘The Bluebells Are Blue’ and then all the Gazza songs. Let me get my money’s worth at least! When they play Spurs, I think I’ll be a Rangers fan.”

Q: Do you think Harry Kane will finally win a trophy before he retires? 

Paul Gascoigne: “Well, it’s funny because Bayern Munich used to win every season.”

Do you think it’s the Harry Kane jinx? “Yeah, probably and he seemed to be having rows with a couple of players that don’t seem happy with him. That’s Germans for you, you know.”

Q: Harry Kane, Phil Foden & Jude Bellingham are up for the Ballon d’Or trophy this month, who’s your favourite to win it?

Paul Gascoigne: “Someone was telling me I’d come fourth in the Ballon d’Or once. I didn’t know that. I was gutted! But yeah, those three, Foden, they’re all up for it. They’ve all got a chance. But you know, they are missing [Cristiano] Ronaldo, that Ronaldo is not normal, him. He’s scored again. It’s just incredible you know, but they’re playing abroad now and he’s not really playing as much. So they’ve got every opportunity but they were all raving about Bellingham. I’d probably give it to Foden because that guy is unbelievable. The way sometimes he can just turn it on is incredible. He glides past players. He’s really got that drop of the shoulder.”

Q: Alan Shearer or Harry Kane? 

Paul Gascoigne: “Shearer, without a shadow of a doubt. Shearer gave back as good as he took it. He was a hard case. When I first played against him at Southampton, he was 17 or 18. I was like a year older, a couple of years older. I put my arm around him walking off the pitch and said you could be a decent player and he chased me round the pitch.”

Q: Ally McCoist or Henrik Larsson? 

Paul Gascoigne: “Henrik Larsson was a great player, but Ally, the amount of goals he scored and he just seemed to have a knack for it. He was unbelievable at putting it in the top corner. I said, ‘how do you do that?’ He went, ‘Gazza, honestly, I’m crap at scoring goals,’ but outside the box, he said, ‘what I do is, if I aim for the top corner, it’s going into the stands. What I do is, I aim for the keeper, because every time I aim for the keeper, it goes top corner!'”

Q: Matt Le Tissier or Eric Cantona? 

Paul Gascoigne: “I played in a testimonial with Eric Cantona, he was a great player. Matt, I remember scored some great goals and he was a great player but Eric Cantona was outstanding as an all around player – whereas Matt was more of an individual player. I’ll go for Eric Cantona, but I would say brilliant players, both of them.”

Q: Paul Merson or David Ginola?

Paul Gascoigne: “Ginola! I played against him for England under-21s in France. He was outstanding! Then I had the opportunity to play with him at Tottenham [Hotspur]. He was unbelievable. He would have a massage before training, massages after training. God bless him, he’s still with us after his heart attack but what an unbelievable player.”

Q: Mo Salah or Eden Hazard?

Paul Gascoigne: “Hazard, he’s outstanding. I love Hazard. What a player. But Salah, I don’t know what’s happening with him this season, he just seems off the boil.”

His contract’s up at the end of the season. “Is that what it is? Yeah, that’s what happens with a lot of players. I remember 10 games into the season, I’d got a phone call from Kenny Dalglish at the end of the season saying, ‘I’m going to sign you.’ So you know they’re trying not to get injured. You get a lot of players who don’t want to get involved too much because they’ll be getting injuries. Look at me, in two days I’m going to Lazio and half an hour later I’m in the hospital with a ligament injury. He (Salah) seems to be off the boil. Hazard, great, quality player, he’s got quick feet and with the ball, shifting it from left to right. It’s incredible. I love Hazard.”

Q: Can you see Erik Ten Hag surviving until Christmas at Manchester United?

Paul Gascoigne: “It’s like me as a player, I knew I was good. And it doesn’t matter who I was up against, or replacing, for instance, no problem. To follow Alex Ferguson, a few of them, even Jose Mourinho didn’t last long, David Moyes not for long. Ten Hag, I feel sorry for him a bit. I’d love Ferguson to take over just for one season and just see what he could do with those players because I think some of them take the piss out of him (Ten Hag). You’ve got to give the man a bit of respect and it’s such a massive club, I don’t think some of the players realise who they’re playing for.”

Q: Manchester United fans reckon Rashford said, ‘he’s gone mad’ about Ten Hag after he was subbed vs Aston Villa. Do you think he wants out of the club? If you were him would you want to leave?

Paul Gascoigne: “Yeah, definitely, I think so. I love Rashford, I think he’s an unbelievable player but he just doesn’t seem to care. Even when he scores, he doesn’t seem happy about it so there’s something going on there. If that’s the case just move on. You get a couple of players that move on and then they find something different.”

Where do you think he should go? Stay in the Premier League or go abroad? “For Rashford, he doesn’t seem happy playing in England anyway. And some good clubs will come in for him. Go to Italy, that’ll shake him up. It shook me up a bit. I remember when I signed for Lazio, it was funny. I said to my Dad, ‘we’ll go and watch them for a week first.’ I watched the warm up and I went, ‘wow, that’s some training session.’ And the coach went, ‘that’s a warm up.’ And I started crying a bit. I went, ‘Dad, there’s no way I can do that. F***ing no way.  Like 20 odd laps, just on a warm up. And then half an hour doing different stretches.’ My Dad went, ‘well, you better f***ing get used to it because I’ve found a villa already and I’m moving in there.’ That’ll shake him (Rashford) up a bit, going abroad. I remember when I signed for Lazio, we used to get our wage slips off the secretary and all the players used to try and look at mine and say, ‘how much are you on? And I would say, f***ing more than you.’ Within three seasons I went from 25 quid a week to like 100 grand a month. The sign-on fee was alright, that was about 2 million or something. And then I got divorced and the tax man hit me.”