Eddie Howe says that mental health care at Newcastle United is an area that the club must continue to improve.
Plenty has changed since Paul Gascoigne was a young player that was left fully exposed to the media in the last 1980s with the talented Geordie even allowed to pose with a Mars Bar and bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale for a TV interview at one stage. Gazza's life and times have been looked at up close in what Howe felt was a "fascinating" documentary on BBC simply called "Gazza".
Such support networks that are available now for the pastoral care of players and staff simply were not in place when Gascoigne broke into the team. But the midfielder's mother confessed that Paul had mental health issues detected from a young age but seemed to be alright when he started life as a professional.
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It wasn't too long ago that the United Academy was in the headlines for a bullying probe which eventually led to Peter Beardsley being charged and banned by the FA. Beardsley always maintained he was innocent but left his role as Under-23 manager in 2019.
As Newcastle look to improve themselves as a club in "every department", something Howe stated recently, the subject of player care has been in the public domain recently. When asked if getting those foundations right at Newcastle, from the minute a player enters the Academy building until the moment they leave, Howe told Chronicle Live: "Brilliant question. And I have seen the documentary because of Gazza and his history here.
"I thought it would be a really good thing for me to see. I thought it was fascinating and I think you're absolutely right, the care we give our players regardless of age is hugely important.
"Especially on the mental health. You've got to remember we have to look after these players and treat them all with respect."
Newcastle do have player liaison officers with new appointments in that department as recently as last month. At rival Premier League club Southampton they have a Player Care Manager on full-time duty. Howe underlined the importance of getting facts right about players' lives and hopes the club continue to make big strides ahead.
Howe added: "You never quite know what is going on with people behind the scenes. So you have to be very careful before making big judgements on people. So hopefully we can continue to grow and improve. As a club we need to improve and help our players of all ages."
Like fans, Howe will be keen to ensure that the next budding Gascoigne to breakthrough at the Academy has the support from day one of life at Newcastle.
