Farewell to The Goalie ...glorious, gallus legend who put preening stars of today in the shade
HE was known simply as The Goalie after an illustrious career in football which saw him capped 43 times for Scotland.
But yesterday, just months after revealing he was suffering from terminal cancer, Andy Goram lost his fight with the disease.
His death at 58 marks the end of a turbulent life in the fast lane, which puts many of today’s players in the shade, on and off the pitch.
Goram’s prowess saw him lauded as one of the best goalkeepers of his era. But he fought demons in his personal life which would often see him on the front pages of newspapers rather than the back, particularly after his playing career ended.
Married and divorced three times and having a well-documented battle with alcohol, he played at various times for Manchester United, Oldham Athletic, Hibernian and Motherwell. But it was his seven-year association with Rangers in the 1990s that brought him success and endeared him to fans, helping them to win five Scottish Premier League titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups during his 260 appearances for the club. However, he was also a talented
‘I said from the start I’ll fight until D-Day’
cricketer and is still the only person to play at the top level in both sports for Scotland after being capped four times for the national cricket side.
Last night, tributes poured in from football clubs, players and fans around the UK following the news of his death.
Rangers FC said: ‘We are deeply saddened to announce the death of our legendary goalkeeper, Andy Goram, following a short battle with cancer.
‘He is a member of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame and was named both the Scottish PFA and Football Writers’ Player of the Year in 1992-93 – arguably the strongest campaign in Rangers’ history.
‘He also won international caps for Scotland as a cricketer and remains the only person to have played a first-class international match at cricket as well as a major international football match for Scotland.
‘The thoughts of the directors, management, players and staff are today with Andy’s family.’
Born in Bury, Lancashire, Goram identified as Scottish thanks to his father, who was from Edinburgh.
Survived by sons Danny, from his first marriage, and Lewis, from his second, he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer earlier this year. He initially mistook his illness for indigestion but after losing
‘four stones in four weeks’, a scan showed the disease was already at stage four and inoperable.
Oesophageal cancer is most common among people in their 60s and
70s and affects more men than women. Signs include difficulty in swallowing, persistent indigestion or heartburn, loss of appetite, weight loss, and pain in the torso, chest or back. Six in ten patients die within a year of being diagnosed, according to Cancer Research UK.
Goram opted not to have chemotherapy because it would have extended his life by just 12 weeks.
Last month, however, he told how an initial life expectancy of six months had been reduced to ‘a few weeks’ after it was found the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. Without any trace of self-pity, he said: ‘It’s all been very overwhelming but the people around me have been great. I’ve said from the start I’ll fight on until D-Day. But the cancer has spread a lot quicker than everyone thought.’ Goram’s career began when he signed for Oldham Athletic, then in England’s Second Division, after his release from West Bromwich Albion’s youth set-up. He would make 195 appearances before moving to Hibs in 1987. He captained the Edinburgh side for many of his 138 appearances before being sold to Rangers for £1 million four years later.
He was part of the Scotland squad that played at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, as well as Euro 92 and 96, but he walked out on the squad before the 1998 World Cup finals because of head coach Craig Brown’s preference for rival Jim Leighton.
After Rangers, he spent three seasons with Motherwell and a brief period on loan at Manchester United in the run-up to their English Premier League title in 2000-01.
His personal life, however, was much less straightforward. His first wife, Jackie Taylor, decided not to join him in Scotland after he signed for Hibs without discussing his move. He had an acrimonious split from his second wife, casino croupier Tracey Fitzpatrick, after joining Rangers, and was divorced from pub manager Miriam Wyllie towards the end of his career.
Another long-term relationship ended after reports of womanising, gambling and drink problems.
Goram also sparked controversy over visits to Northern Ireland. He was quizzed by police following a conversation on a plane with Loyalist terror leader Billy Wright and then wore a black armband at Celtic Park days after his murder. He insisted the gesture was for an aunt who had died months earlier.
A photograph of Goram holding an Ulster Volunteer Force banner emerged during his Motherwell days. He insisted he was no bigot and felt more welcome in Belfast than he did in Glasgow.
After retiring, he took up posts as a goalkeeping coach with several smaller clubs and was most recently at West of Scotland League club Cambuslang Rangers.
A spokesman for the Scottish Football Association said: ‘We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of legendary Scotland goalkeeper Andy Goram.’ First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also paid tribute: ‘This is such dreadfully sad news. Andy was one of Scotland’s all-time football greats. Gone far too soon.’
Best-selling author and Hibs fan Irvine Welsh wrote on Twitter: ‘RIP the best goalkeeper I’ve seen.’
‘It’s such dreadfully sad news. Gone far too soon’