When Gazzamania came to Kettering

Thirty-nine days, eight matches, three wins, two draws and three defeats.

At Nottingham Forest, Ange Postecoglou lasted for exactly the same amount of time.

Yet that brief period of just over a month is still arguably the most significant in non-league Kettering Town’s 153-year history.

It was exactly 20 years ago on 27 October 2005 that then Poppies owner Imraan Ladak confirmed Paul Gascoigne, the star of England’s Italia 90 and Euro 96 campaigns, as the team’s new manager.

However, by the fifth day of December, Gascoigne and his assistant, former Arsenal midfielder Paul Davis, were no longer a memory in the Northamptonshire town, after an accusation and counterargument, their relationship had come to an end.

The man known as “Ganzza” in the football world has never led a team.

“It was sad really. The club was the UK’s buzzword. Ross Patrick, a former Kettering ball boy, programme editor, and current committee member, told BBC Sport, “I don’t believe we will ever get that kind of sustained publicity again.”

Big names were not new at Rockingham Road. In the early 1970s, Ron Atkinson joined Kettering and then moved on to clubs like West Brom, Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday, and Aston Villa.

Wolves and Northern Ireland forward Derek Dougan, whose team became the first to sport the sponsor’s name on their shirts, followed him as player-boss.

A decade later, Kettering had a side including former England centre-back Dave Watson and midfielder Steve Daley, whose £1.4m move from Wolves to Manchester City in 1979 was a then English transfer record.

Nothing, however, could match Gascoigne’s ferocious interest a few days before the announcement of his replacement, Kevin Wilson, could have been spotted.

Season-ticket holder Iain Holliday, who first watched a Kettering game in 1968, recalls that there were rumors about a consortium taking control of the club for a few weeks before Gazza and Jimmy “Five Bellies” [Gardner] as well as Imraan Ladak were present in the main stand.

“Not long after, a press conference was held at the ground and the takeover was confirmed. Although I had reservations about how long Paul Gascoigne would remain in charge when I was at work that day, I was relieved to see him as the new manager.

Not just one England player mentioned in the Poppies at the time was Gascoigne.

“We heard rumours that a guy called Imraan Ladak was coming in and about all these big players – Les Ferdinand, Steve McManaman, Darren Anderton”, former player Brett Solkhon told a recent edition of BBC Radio Northampton’s Non-League Scene.

How brilliant was Gazza then when I grew up watching him play in the FA Cup final between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham at the age of nine when he injured himself?

When first exposed as Kettering manager, Gascoigne “talked a good game.”

One of the main goals, he said, is to get this team into the Football League because they haven’t been in it in 133 years.

The Poppies made a winning start for their new boss, beating Droylsden 1-0 with a goal from Christian Moore.

I was a volunteer at the club at the time, selling programs and cleaning up, Patrick said.

I first met Gazza when he was appointed, Gazza said. Me and Dan Willis – now the kit man – skived off school to go to the club and we ended up in all the national newspapers, on the radio and even on the front cover of La Gazzetta! At the time, we were 14.

“Imraan invited me and Dan as his guests into the boardroom for their first game against Droylsden, where we also met Gazza, his father John, and his mate Jimmy “Five Bellies”” as well.” Gazza signed us a couple of shirts and was great with us”.

However, difficulties soon became apparent as Gascoigne and Davis attempted to combine a more direct passing style with the customary sixth-tier English game, which was the norm.

We entered the directors’ room to watch a video, and Paul Davis stuck with Germany versus Brazil at our first meeting. He said to us, ‘ This is how I want you to play ‘ and he started pointing at the full-backs”, recalled Solkhon.

“You have Ronaldinho in the middle, and it was Cafu and Roberto Carlos who were running down the wings.” We are like, “Have you not seen the pitch out there and the players we’re playing with? ” He said, “I don’t want the ball any more than knee height off the floor.”

Ladak became more and more concerned about Gascoigne as the situation escalated, with his claims that the boardroom interfered with signings and team selection becoming more and more complicated.

” I’d call it a circus – the press attention was immense, the team performances were poor, there were all sorts of antics going on at the club. “Holliday told BBC Sport from the beginning that Gazza was out of his depth as a manager.

The publicity that put the club on the map at the time was the only positive outcome of it. However, when he left it gave the club some adverse publicity, with the fall-out from the sacking and his rant]about it] on Sky Sports News. “

At the age of 43, Solkhon, who was able to observe him closely at close quarters, would never have the opportunity to play on the pitch while Gascoigne was in charge.

The unfortunate thing happened the week before Gazza became manager, when I played in a midweek FA Trophy game and injured myself.

” I was in the treatment room and as Gazza never really took any training, I got to spend more time with him. Gazza obviously had issues and illnesses, but as a man he would do anything for you.

After being defeated by Barrow 3-1, Gascoigne declared, “I will fight all the way.” I am now looking to buy the football club. “

It never occurred.

When Gascoigne was in charge, Kettering were two promotions away from reaching the English Football League.

George Akhtar, the current owner, made it clear when he took over in May 2024, but they are now a step further away.

With John Nash as chairman and their well-supported and well-financed, Holliday said, “I am surprised they never made it to the Football League in the 1970s.”

“However, in those days it was a voting system and the old pals ‘ act saw league clubs close ranks and vote for their own rather than an ambitious up-and-coming club from the outside.

In my lifetime, I don’t believe I’ll see us playing in the Football League. They have had a rollercoaster existence since I’ve been a part of them; like most clubs, they have had promotions and relegations, as well as administrative problems, and are almost gone from existence after Nene Park’s infamous move in 2012.

Recent Kettering managers have had a far lower profile than Gascoigne – but could the club ever be tempted to try something similar again? It’s doubtful, Patrick.

I don’t believe Harry Kane would drop as far as Gazza was willing to go in the pyramid, he said.

But perhaps the final word should go to the current Kettering owner.

For the first time since I was a young boy, I can recall England participating in a major tournament, Akhtar said. “Euro ’96 was an incredible time.

We all longed to be like Gazzamania, and he was everywhere. For me, he is in the top four greatest English and top 10 British players of all time.