Gary Naysmith recalls Gazza superglue prank and heartwarming gesture

The former midfielder spent almost two years at Goodison Park

Gary Naysmith recalls Paul Gascoigne superglue prank and his heartwarming gestures at Everton

Two former Everton stars have opened up on their experiences with Paul Gascoigne during his time at the club.

The midfielder signed a two-year contract at Goodison Park in July 2000 to join up with Walter Smith, but couldn't produce consistent performances as he was coming towards the back end of his career.

Gascoigne left Everton to join Burnley in 2002, but his lively personality certainly had a lasting effect on the dressing room and his teammates.

Speaking to the club's official podcast, former Blues defender Gary Naysmith opened up on his experiences with the midfielder - including how Gascoigne used to joke with his father before matches.

He said: "He played one game at Blackburn and he was unbelievable, and I remember thinking to myself, 'How good must he have been when he was at the peak of his career'?

"It was laugh-a-minute with him, I loved it! My dad would come down to the games, and before them Gazza would get him and take him to the boardroom for a drink.

"My dad had a big, thick moustache - and Gazza would get some superglue and some of the grass from the pitch and stick it above his top lip so he had one like my dad!

"You've got to remember this is Paul Gascoigne, he's taking the time to have a laugh and a joke with my dad.

"I just wish I could have played with him for another year or two, because that one game that was one of the best individual performances of a teammate I've actually played alongside."

David Weir was also at Everton when Gascoigne joined the club, and agreed that the midfielder could show flashes of genius at times.

In particular that game at Blackburn, which eventually ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Blues, typified the kind of display the former England international could produce.

Weir added: "He loved training and he loved getting out there and playing football.

"He probably wasn't at the best of times in his by the time he came to Everton but he still showed flashes.

"I remember the game Gary is talking about at Blackburn and he was unbelievable, it was genuinely as good a performance as you've ever seen. That gave you an idea of what he was capable of.

"Gazza was an icon in football in terms of what he did. I played against him up in Scotland and been on the pitch when he's won games on his own.

"I played in a cup final for Hearts against Rangers and the game was 2-2 at half time or something like that, and Gazza came out for the second half and something had changed - he just went nuts for 15-20 minutes, scored two goals and it was 4-2.

"A game that was in the balance and we thought we had a chance, all of a sudden he decided to go and win the cup on his own basically.

"Unfortunately at Everton he couldn't do that consistently, his body probably didn't let him, but he was still the same guy."

Gascoigne's off-field character is often spoken about, with teammates all being able to tell their own entertaining stories.

That's no different for Weir, but something else about the former midfielder really sticks in his mind.

"Day-to-day it was like having a kid in the dressing room, you had to be aware at all times! There were things going missing, balls flying past you...it was laugh-a-minute," Weir continued.

"There was a story every day, it was something out of this world that people wouldn't believe was going on! But it was all in the right spirit, done for a laugh.

"He was very good to the staff around Bellefield, he was very generous with his time and he was also very generous in terms of looking after people.

"That's my memory of Gazza, laughing with him but also what he did for a lot of people in terms of looking after them and being good for them."