THE SUGARMAN SAYS

In the wake of Wayne Rooney's alleged £700,000 gambling debt ‘scandal’, The Sugarman takes a twice-weekly look back through history at some of the planets most notorious gamblers. From the gargantuan sized melons of Kerry Packer, to the pea-sized brain of 'Bookies favourite' Paul Merson, this series will cover them all. 

Starting today with County Antrim’s favourite son, and hopeless mug punter, Keith Gillespie. 

Born February 18th 1975 Keith Gillespie initially lived the boy hood dream. Scouted by Manchester United in his early teens he made the short trip across the water and battled his way through the United ranks. 

Unfortunately for the young man from Larne, a final hurdle stood in his way when attempting to claim a first team shirt, one Ryan Joseph Giggs. With Giggs already an established first team player, Gillespie's opportunities were limited at United. In total he managed 17 games for the reds scoring 5 goals. 

However, it was while still at Manchester United that Keith Gillespie's first flirtation with the 'dark art' of sports gambling began. 

Gillespie became well known in Manchester betting circles as "runner" to none other than the Govan Godfather himself, 'Sir' Alex Ferguson. The young winger would be given instructions by the manger, to go and put on bets for him and other senior Old Trafford figures after morning training. 

One assumes Gillespie liked what he saw. Presumably he witnessed at a young age sums of money changing hands the like of which he could only dream about growing up in Larne. 

Maybe it all looked too easy? Maybe (given his contacts with the horse racing fraternity) Ferguson won and won big regularly? Whatever the situation, this was it, the pivotal point in Gillespie's 'gambling education', the die had been cast, there was no turning back.

In 1995 Keith Gillespie was transferred to Newcastle as part of the deal, which took Andy Cole to Old Trafford. Kevin Keegan, himself no stranger in a bookmakers, hailed Gillespie's arrival on Tyneside as a 'bright new dawn', insisting that the 'Cole deal' would never have gone ahead without the Irishman included in the package. 

It was while in the North East that Gillespie cemented his place amongst the gambling legends for all the wrong reasons. Bored in a Tyneside hotel he ran up debts of £62,000, including a horrific spell 'chasing loses' in which he lost £47,000 in a single day. 

62k may not SOUND a lot in relation to the reported £700,000 owed by Wayne Rooney, but let the Sugarman put this in perspective. This was (just) before the bumper contracts inflated by Sky TV. The days of the £100,000 a week footballer, with million pound endorsements was still a long way off.