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Paul Gascoigne once got out of a rollicking from the late Tottenham Hotspur boss Terry Venables after leaving his former boss gobsmacked at the sight of an ostrich in a Spurs shirt.
Gazza often landed himself in hot water with his old Spurs boss Venables, who has passed away at the age of 80. The England maverick and El Tel were incredibly close during both their time in North London and with England.
Venables signed Gascoigne in 1988 from Newcastle United and managed him throughout his time at Spurs until he was sacked in 1993. The relationship between the pair couldn’t have been summed up better than the time that Gazza got himself off the hook with a hilarious prank involving a feathered friend he apparently borrowed from Broxbourne Zoo.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend named Terry Venables his best manager ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson
READ MORE: Terry Venables dead at 80 as tributes paid to ex-England manager loved by fans
Former Spurs team-mate of Gazza’s, Paul Stewart, recalled the story after Spurs signed Steve Sedgley, who was nicknamed ‘long neck’ for obvious reasons, in an extract with The Chronicle, he revealed: “One day, whilst Venners was taking training, all the players were on the pitch in a circle around the halfway line. Gazza was late.
“As always, the boss was asking me where he was, like I was his minder. Just as I was about to make an excuse, Gazza turned up with someone alongside him, carrying a brown sack. The sack was moving as if something was in it.
What’s your favourite Gazza prank? Let us know in the comments section.
“And just as Venners was about to rollick Gazza for being late, the bag opened and an ostrich ran out wearing a Spurs shirt. There was a number seven and Sedgley written on the back. The lads just fell about laughing.
“Everyone, the kids, the training staff, the apprentices, stood open-mouthed or in hysterics. Venables’ face was a picture. The bird went running off in a panic and he had some job getting it back.
“I am not too sure what the animal rights people would say if they knew that Gazza had a bird from the local zoo dressed in a Spurs shirt loose on the training ground. He claimed that he had ‘borrowed; it from Broxbourne Zoo. We were never able to verify if that was the case.”
- Paul Gascoigne
- Tottenham Hotspur FC
- Premier League
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