By Myles Palmer
On Friday Everton signed David Ginola from Aston Villa on a free transfer till the end of the season.
Ginola is unfit, so he will not start against Arsenal, although Lee Carsley,Everton’s other new player, might.
Ginola’s battles with Lee Dixon began in 1994 when Arsenal played Paris St Germain.
Darling David scored a good goal with a header at the near post.
It’s the latest episide at the end of a strange, sad few years for the gifted French giant.
Reminds me of an odd little episode I have never written about.
I watched Ginola a lot at Spurs, never rated him, thought he hit far too many shots over the bar.
Astounded when he was voted Footballer of the Year.
Five people in the Arsenal team deserved it more and so did seven or eight in the Man United team. I found that choice really, really bizarre.
I said as much to fellow reporters, including Brian Woolnough, who voted for him.
When Ginola’s autobiography was published Mark Jacob, with whom I co-authored a book about Spurs, blagged me into going to the launch.
It’s hard to remember all the details now – this seems about three years ago – but it was in a posh hotel in Knightsbridge. The event was sponsored by L-Oreal.
Ginola came in late, in a fabulous grey suit, looking impossibly handsome, like a supersupersuperstar.
He got onstage, the publishing MD said a few words, the usual stuff, and DG answered questions.
Then, at the back of the large room,Ginola answered more questions with a group of hacks.
Then more questions with another group of hacks.
I was eating – the food was good- and drinking soft drinks, maybe white wine, and talking, quite bored.
I did not want to be there.
But I wandered over to listen for five minutes and something amazing happened.
The star was asked : “You’ve been at Spurs, you’ve been substituted all the time by George Graham. Now you’ve gone to Aston Villa and you’re still being taken off again and again. How do you feel?”
And Ginola said, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
It was incredible. He sat there and said, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
We were looking at a broken man! Ginola was admitting he was washed up!He was finished!He had stopped caring!
On a day his book was launched the superstar had just said, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
What a story!
But that remark was never reported.
That remark did not suit the narrow format of the newspapers. It was outside the brief reporters had been given.
I thought about that moment occasionally but never wrote about it.
I didn’t know Ginola, although I did a phoner with him once for Time Out.
He was charming, articulate, helpful, quotable. He was fine, although he did ask, “How did you get this number?”
I was talking to him on his mobile as he drove to training, sonmething I use to do all the time with players. It’s a good time to catch them.
Ginola’s feelings this weekend?
He is still rich, still famous,still intelligent, still a star who wants to be loved.
But is he still a footballer?
I don’t know – and neither does Walter Smith.
Vieira is fit and plays. That we do know.
Gazza versus Patrick? No contest !
Like guest previewers Charles Sultan and Alan Seifert, I think Arsenal will beat Everton.
Great that Jeffers is fit at last. I thought he would have scored about 15 goals by now.
Wrote an avalanche of over-excited pieces here when he was signed last summer.
Jeffers is my kind of striker – instinctive, spiky – and I haven’t given up on him yet.
Players can recover from injuries. They do it all the time.
Liverpool won 6-0 at Ipswich today and went top.
Leeds only drew at Middlesbrough, but Newcastle won 3-1, and Man United will beat Charlton comfortably at 2pm on Sunday.
So Arsenal must win that 4pm Sky game.
February 9th 2002.
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