Rangers legend Goram loses his final battle

SIMON MULLOCK

BY

FOOTBALL is mourning the death of Andy Goram, the former Scotland goalkeeper who passed away yesterday at the age of 58 after a battle with cancer.

Goram (right), born in Bury, won 43 caps for his country and was part of Scotland’s squad for two

World Cups and two European

Championships after originally being selected for England Under-21s when starting his career with Oldham Athletic.

But it was at Rangers that he established himself as one of

Britain’s top keepers, winning five SPL titles, three Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups during seven gloryladen seasons at Ibrox.

He was a key part of the team that won ninein-a-row titles under Walter Smith and fans later voted him the club’s greatest-ever No 1.

Some nicknamed him ‘The Goalie.’ Others called him ‘The Flying Pig’ due to a physique that often seemed at odds with his spectacular agility.

Goram also remains the only man to represent Scotland at football and cricket after proving himself to be a useful middle-order batsman and medium-paced bowler playing in the local leagues around his hometown of Radcliffe, just outside Manchester. He played for 10 clubs during a 23-year career – including a brief spell at Manchester United in 2001 when Sir Alex Ferguson needed cover for first-choice keeper Fabian Barthez.

Goram led a sometimes chaotic private life, battling alcoholism – he was drinking buddy of Paul Gascoigne during his heyday at Rangers – as well as mental health problems.

There was a huge outpouring of sympathy when Goram revealed last month that he had just weeks to live after being diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus.

He is survived by his two sons, Danny and Lewis.