Andy Goram
Encyclopedia
Andrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international
association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian
, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers
during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie". In a 2001 poll of Rangers fans, Goram was voted Rangers' greatest ever goalkeeper.
After his time with Rangers, he played for many clubs, most notably at Motherwell
and a brief loan spell at Manchester United
. Goram also represented Scotland
at cricket
.
, who had played professionally in the 1940s and 1950s for Leith Athletic
, Hibernian
, Third Lanark
and Bury
, Goram was born and raised in England, although he was brought up self-identifying as Scottish
.
325,000. He was a great success at Hibs and achieved the remarkable feat of scoring a goal in a Premier Division
match, against Morton
.
He was sold to Rangers in 1991 for £1 million and went on to help the club to win six of their nine Scottish League
titles in a row between 1989 and 1997. He was also involved in Rangers' notable run in the European Cup in 1992-93
, as they came within one point of reaching the final.
During a 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park
in January 1998, Goram wore a black armband in tribute to Billy 'King Rat' Wright
, leader of the LVF
who had been killed by the INLA
five days earlier. Goram had been questioned by police after his previous meetings with Wright, but he later suggested that the armband had in fact been a tribute to an aunt who died four months previously. In February 1999 Goram, then at Motherwell
, withdrew from a match against Celtic
at Fir Park
after significant publicity alleging his links to the UVF.
Goram was also an important player for the Scotland national team
, winning 43 caps. He had a long-running rivalry with Jim Leighton
for the goalkeeping position in the Scotland team. Craig Brown controversially selected Goram ahead of Leighton for Scotland's matches in Euro 96, despite the fact that Leighton had played in most of the qualifiers. Brown then selected Leighton for France 98
, which prompted Goram to walk out of the squad completely, 15 days before Scotland were scheduled to play Brazil
in the opening game of the World Cup.
After it was reported in the press that Goram had a mild form of schizophrenia
, fans responded with a chorus of "Two Andy Gorams, there's only two Andy Gorams". This chant quickly gained popularity, and became the title of a book documenting humorous football chants. Goram had a loan spell with Manchester United
during their 2000-01
title run-in, playing in two games. In the summer of 2001 he had a spell on trial with Hamilton Academical
then signed for Coventry City
and made seven appearances.
While playing for Dumfries
club Queen of the South
in 2002, he won the Scottish Challenge Cup. This made Goram the first player to collect a full set of winners medals from the four senior Scottish football competitions. A four-game return to Oldham Athletic followed, and he finally retired at the end of the 2003-04 season
after a season-long spell at Elgin City
, where he played just five league games.
Goram is now an after-dinner speaker and regularly attends Rangers' fan gatherings. While opening a pub in 2008, Goram told a cheering group of Rangers
fans about racist and sectarian abuse he had directed at Pierre van Hooijdonk
during a match in November 1996. Goram has also worked as a goalkeeping coach, joining Airdrie United in March 2006 and then Clyde
in February 2008. Goram left Clyde in September 2008 due to personal and business reasons.
er, Goram represented the Scottish cricket team
four times: twice (1989 and 1991) in the annual first-class
game against Ireland
and twice (again in 1989 and 1991) in the NatWest Trophy. A left-handed batsman and right-arm medium-pace bowler, he never achieved any great success, his most significant act was probably to bowl England
Test
player Richard Blakey
in a NatWest Trophy game against Yorkshire
in 1989.
He was also a league cricketer, appearing as a wicket-keeper and batsman for various Oldham
clubs in the Saddleworth
League including Delph & Dobcross, Moorside and also East Lancashire Paper Mill in Radcliffe
, Bury
. Goram played for Penicuik Cricket Club, Kelso Cricket Club, West Lothian County and Uddingston CC in Scottish cricket leagues. Goram made a cricketing comeback after ending his football career, finally playing for Freuchie Cricket Club
in their centenary week matches versus Cricket Scotland President's XI, Falkland Cricket Club and Sussex Ladies.
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie". In a 2001 poll of Rangers fans, Goram was voted Rangers' greatest ever goalkeeper.
After his time with Rangers, he played for many clubs, most notably at Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
and a brief loan spell at Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. Goram also represented Scotland
Scottish cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
at cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
Early life
The son of Edinburgh-born Lewis GoramLewis Goram
Lewis Albert Goram was a Scottish professional association football goalkeeper. He played in the Scottish Football League for Leith Athletic and Third Lanark and in the English Football League for Bury....
, who had played professionally in the 1940s and 1950s for Leith Athletic
Leith Athletic F.C.
Leith Athletic Football Club is a football club based in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a member of the East of Scotland Football League. It plays most of its home games at Leith Links. The club was originally formed in 1887 and played in the Scottish Football League in four different...
, Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
, Third Lanark
Third Lanark A.C.
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a football club that originally existed between 1872 and 1967, 95 years in existence, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Third Lanark were known as Thirds, the Warriors, the Redcoats and the Hi Hi's...
and Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, Goram was born and raised in England, although he was brought up self-identifying as Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
.
Football
Goram joined Oldham Athletic as a teenager and spent seven years with the English club, winning his first Scotland caps and selection for the 1986 World Cup. In 1987, he moved to Hibernian, where his father had also been a goalkeeper, for a fee of £Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
325,000. He was a great success at Hibs and achieved the remarkable feat of scoring a goal in a Premier Division
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
match, against Morton
Greenock Morton F.C.
Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs....
.
He was sold to Rangers in 1991 for £1 million and went on to help the club to win six of their nine Scottish League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
titles in a row between 1989 and 1997. He was also involved in Rangers' notable run in the European Cup in 1992-93
UEFA Champions League 1992-93
The 1992–93 UEFA Champions League was the 38th European Cup, the premier European club football tournament, and the first season under the current UEFA Champions League format ....
, as they came within one point of reaching the final.
During a 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
in January 1998, Goram wore a black armband in tribute to Billy 'King Rat' Wright
Billy Wright (loyalist)
William Stephen "Billy" Wright was a prominent Ulster loyalist during the period of violent religious/political conflict known as "The Troubles". He joined the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1975 and became commander of its Mid-Ulster Brigade in the early 1990s...
, leader of the LVF
Loyalist Volunteer Force
The Loyalist Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed by Billy Wright in 1996 when he and the Portadown unit of the Ulster Volunteer Force's Mid-Ulster Brigade was stood down by the UVF leadership. He had been the commander of the Mid-Ulster Brigade. The...
who had been killed by the INLA
Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish National Liberation Army or INLA is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group that was formed on 8 December 1974. Its goal is to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist united Ireland....
five days earlier. Goram had been questioned by police after his previous meetings with Wright, but he later suggested that the armband had in fact been a tribute to an aunt who died four months previously. In February 1999 Goram, then at Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
, withdrew from a match against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
at Fir Park
Fir Park
Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.- History :...
after significant publicity alleging his links to the UVF.
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, winning 43 caps. He had a long-running rivalry with Jim Leighton
Jim Leighton
James "Jim" Leighton MBE is a Scottish former football goalkeeper. Among the clubs he played for are Aberdeen , Manchester United, Arsenal, Dundee and Hibernian.-Club:...
for the goalkeeping position in the Scotland team. Craig Brown controversially selected Goram ahead of Leighton for Scotland's matches in Euro 96, despite the fact that Leighton had played in most of the qualifiers. Brown then selected Leighton for France 98
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, which prompted Goram to walk out of the squad completely, 15 days before Scotland were scheduled to play Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
in the opening game of the World Cup.
After it was reported in the press that Goram had a mild form of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, fans responded with a chorus of "Two Andy Gorams, there's only two Andy Gorams". This chant quickly gained popularity, and became the title of a book documenting humorous football chants. Goram had a loan spell with Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
during their 2000-01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
title run-in, playing in two games. In the summer of 2001 he had a spell on trial with Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
then signed for Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
and made seven appearances.
While playing for Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
club Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
in 2002, he won the Scottish Challenge Cup. This made Goram the first player to collect a full set of winners medals from the four senior Scottish football competitions. A four-game return to Oldham Athletic followed, and he finally retired at the end of the 2003-04 season
2003-04 in Scottish football
The 2003–04 season was the 107th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2003–04 Scottish Premier League season was won by Celtic with 98 points, 17 points ahead of closest challengers Rangers. Both Rangers and Celtic therefore gained the two UEFA...
after a season-long spell at Elgin City
Elgin City F.C.
Elgin City Football Club are a semi-professional football team based in Elgin, Moray. They currently compete in the Scottish Third Division....
, where he played just five league games.
Goram is now an after-dinner speaker and regularly attends Rangers' fan gatherings. While opening a pub in 2008, Goram told a cheering group of Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
fans about racist and sectarian abuse he had directed at Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Petrus Ferdinandus Johannes "Pierre" van Hooijdonk is a retired Dutch football player who played as a striker. His last spell was at Feyenoord Rotterdam. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch national team, scoring 21 goals, and played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004...
during a match in November 1996. Goram has also worked as a goalkeeping coach, joining Airdrie United in March 2006 and then Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
in February 2008. Goram left Clyde in September 2008 due to personal and business reasons.
Cricket
Also a cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er, Goram represented the Scottish cricket team
Scottish cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
four times: twice (1989 and 1991) in the annual first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
game against Ireland
Irish cricket team
The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union was not elected to the International Cricket Council until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the...
and twice (again in 1989 and 1991) in the NatWest Trophy. A left-handed batsman and right-arm medium-pace bowler, he never achieved any great success, his most significant act was probably to bowl England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
player Richard Blakey
Richard Blakey
Richard John Blakey is a former English cricketer who played in two Tests and three ODIs from 1992 to 1993.-Life and career:...
in a NatWest Trophy game against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
in 1989.
He was also a league cricketer, appearing as a wicket-keeper and batsman for various Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
clubs in the Saddleworth
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Delph, Diggle and others...
League including Delph & Dobcross, Moorside and also East Lancashire Paper Mill in Radcliffe
Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
Radcliffe is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, south-west of Bury and north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the...
, Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
. Goram played for Penicuik Cricket Club, Kelso Cricket Club, West Lothian County and Uddingston CC in Scottish cricket leagues. Goram made a cricketing comeback after ending his football career, finally playing for Freuchie Cricket Club
Freuchie Cricket Club
-Brief History:Situated in the Fife village of Freuchie , Scotland, the Club was formed in 1908, and with some disruption in the war years, has been going strong ever since...
in their centenary week matches versus Cricket Scotland President's XI, Falkland Cricket Club and Sussex Ladies.