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We’re all heartbroken at the news but hopefully you’ll indulge me in paying a personal tribute to The Goalie. Andy joined Rangers in the summer of 1991 and had some well publicised 2 or 3 dodgy games at the start of his Rangers career but then went on a run of games for years and seemed never seemed to make a mistake. I went to most matches home and away while he was at the club and I’d come home from another fabulous performance from the Goalie, switch on Match of the Day and see Peter Schmeichel, who many claimed was the best in the world, often make a mistake. At his peak, for a period of 3-4 years, I genuinely believe that Goram was best in the world. I wouldn’t have swapped him for any other keeper and he was, without doubt, world class. I got to know the Goalie slightly as he stayed with my friend Jim Fox down in Largs for a while when he was playing with us. I’ve a couple of stories about him that I may have told on this forum already but I’ll tell again. There was one Sunday when the front page of the Sunday Mail has his then wife, Miriam, slagging him off and highlighting all the bad things he was doing. I had lunch with him around a month later and asked him what that was about as I had thought him and Miriam had been getting on well. He said that they were and it was all made up. They had wanted to go on holiday together so they made up a story to get money from the Sunday Mail to pay for it! There was one Saturday night that me and a few friends were going out drinking with Andy. I told my wife that I was going out with the Goalie and she asked me to get his autograph. Midway through the night I remembered to ask him and he scribbled something on a bit of paper, folded I up and gave it back to me. I stuck it my pocket and forgot about it. When my wife asked me for it the next day I gave it to her. She unfolded it and it said “to Mrs BD, sorry he’s drunk, Andy Goram”. Andy had the deepest respect for all other footballers, even Celtic players. He would always defend players that were being slagged off in his company. There were a number of players that I felt he’d dislike but he would never say a bad word against them and would stick up for them. There are some who like to think of him as a bigot but that’s far from the Andy that I knew. I didn’t know the Goalie that well but he took the time to send me a facebook friend request even though I hadn’t seen him for a few years and also took the trouble to wish me a happy birthday, which meant the world to me. The Goalie was quite simply the best keeper I’ve ever seen. He is a true legend and will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, my friend.

Gio must go....

I’m not sure we’d have won 9IAR without Andy Goram. There’s no doubt towards the end Celtic we’re close on our heels and it took some exceptional performances from Andy(particularly at Celtic Park) to get us there. I always think of Andy Goram when our 9IAR is mentioned

Ah, light at the end of the tunnel. Jolly good.

Well, it seems that AG is the only one to have played "First Class" matches for Scotland: https://www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-history-news-and-blog/cricket-and-football-double-internationals 23/06/2012 It is something of an achievement to play for Scotland - but only rare talents are given the honour in two sports. I was checking recently for double internationals at football and cricket, and there are a few anomalies because of the sometimes dubious status of the Scotland cricket team. Scot Symon won one cap for the football team, against Hungary in 1938, and famously took 5 wickets for 33 runs while bowling against the Australians earlier that year. That match against Australia was at Dundee's Forthill ground on 4-5 August, and he also played in a one-day match at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow on 6 August, taking 3 for 44. In an earlier era, John Macdonald (Edinburgh University and Queen's Park) won one cap at football against England in 1886, having already played cricket for Scotland against the Australians in September 1880; he also represented his country against the Gentlemen of Philadelphia in 1884. Moving to the modern era, Hearts striker Donald Ford played three times for Scotland in 1973-74, twice coming on as a sub for Denis Law and finally making a start against Wales. He was a member of our World Cup squad in West Germany but didn't get a game. A talented cricketer with West Lothian, his only appearance with a Scotland XI was a 40-overs trial match against Worcestershire in 1980, and although he was a member of our B&H Cup squad that year he didn't play. The trouble with all the above cricket matches is that none of them is formally considered a 'first class' match. Which brings us to the only football international to have played for Scotland in a first class cricket match. Andy Goram won 43 caps in goal for Scotland between 1985 and 1998, when he famously walked out just before the World Cup. He played five times for Scotland at cricket from 1989 to 1991, and two of those games are considered first class: they were both against Ireland, on 8-10 July 1989 and 22-24 July 1991. By then, he had signed for Rangers and Walter Smith made it clear that he had to hang up his bat and focus on the footie. He was rumoured to be contemplating a comeback with Uddingston CC this summer at the age of 48, so there is life left in the Goalie yet.

But we can only sell if we receive bids for our players. Who is going to offer big fees for players entering the final year of their contract? Aribo has a £10M clause in his contract, so that's as much as we'll get for him. Alfie is recovering from a serious injury so that will affect any fee we get for him and Kent cost £7.5M so we will struggle to make much profit there. If we don't sell those 3 this season they walk for nothing - it's as close to a shambles as you can get.

Well we must be in deeper shit than we imagine. Record season ticket sales, merch, EL money (ticket sales, hospitality, TV, UEFA money etc), money from Patterson sale, compensation for SG and his team. Are you suggesting that if we hadn't gotten to EL Final we'd be turning off the lights? Worrying if true....

I’d suggest our current finances mean we can’t buy before selling

The squad is weaker than it was when the season finished, our only signing is injured. We have no wide right attacking players / options. Going into CL Qualifiers and the league campaign with no quality additions is a recipe for disaster. 3 of our most attack minded players are entering the last year of their contracts and we've no idea of they will extend or if they they'll leave. If Kent, Aribo and Morelos leave, I'll guess it'll be late in the transfer window and we'll be left scrambling around trying to replace our front-line at the last minute. Huge couple of weeks ahead and it appears we are not buying before selling - another huge gamble.

I don’t accept we’re weaker but as yet we haven’t strengthened as we might have hoped.

We need to remember we’ve got a new Rangers manager who inherited almost all of this squad. there will be players he’s inherited he might not want & we may see them moving. And there still almost 2 months to go til the window shuts so a lot can still happen The biggest issue at the moment for me is still Aribo, Kent & Morelos. All have just one year left on their current deals. If they’re not extending then they need to be moved on & replaced at the earliest

It's ok it's 4th official who just makes up shit.

I think Sands is a bit of a utility player - can play RB, CD and DM. Very handy to have around.

A poor score line must do better.

Filling the net full of young talent and hoping for another Calvin Bassey amongst them. Suggests a possible change in how we recruit and possibly future attitudes to the preverbial pathway and giving opportunities to a hopefully better quality youngster coming through. Finances and new regulations surrounding them may eventually leave us with little choice.

Bull’s eye. buster’s rapid fire on target again.

Forgot about this thread!!!!😁

Lovely words BD. The last time I saw Andy Goram in person was in Glasgow Airport, we were both catching the same early morning flight to Belfast City. I was working but his trip looked more social in nature as he was with an accordion band. He was retired from playing by this point but he looked unchanged age-wise from his playing days. It was probably about 10 years ago. I wish I'd said something to him now, but he was with people and I didn't want to bother him. We never have as long as we think.

It was an opinion. I am aware that football matches/seasons can go very differently to how you think it will go. That said, I'm convinced (you don't have to agree) that is what would happen (as things stand). In reallity, as things stand....are going to change. We really need to recruit well this summer but we won't really fully know how good or bad the recruitment has been until further down the line. Nor is it simply about how big the budget is (although it tends to be very important). As for the '2 games would have meant 56',.....If my auntie had baws comes to mind. We had a soft centre that meant we couldn't put together a long enough run of wins to win the league. This is still mostly Gerrards team and IIRC in 3 of the last 4 seasons, they have effectively handed the title to Celtic, post winter break. With regards to continental success. That same team built by Gerrard have done fantastically well on a consistent basis. I think the Europa League is somewhere that suits us wrt being competitive (and it has motivated players to greater heights). Unfortunately, finance means so much in the modern game. Now that mostly OUR exploits have earned the SPFL winners direct access to CLGS, that means an opportunity for us or them to take a significant step to opening up a financial gulf if one team were to get the CL money 2 or 3 seasons on the spin. Not only that but direct access to the CL means summer transfer business can be more proactive. I think Malmo/Gerrard reaction can be used as an example of what can happen when things are up in the air. In the fairly recent past Celtic have lost numerous CL qualifiers with players who were on the cusp of a move and harmoney was in short supply. Throwing toys out of pram/forcing move...Boyata one year, Dembelee another and then there was Lennon with his qualifier exit "some players don't want to be here"......shows what can happen when squad renovation isn't done in a timely manner (and you employ a waster as manager). Reaching a European Final and the associated income was very welcome but it is not something that will happen every season. Bottomline,...these next two months are huge for us recruitment wise (and outgoing/player trading model) and obviously, on the pitch with FOCUS on the CL qualifiers.

I suspect I have arrived at that stage? Recently, the likes of Alan Anderson, Davie Wilson and now, Drew Busby have all passed. I remember Drew Busby at Third Lanark, he scored their last ever goal. He reappeared at Airdrie and became a strong running centre with a regular goal touch. He played in a Diamonds team that finished sixth in the old First Division. A lot of folks of my generation will remember that Airdrie side - Black, Cowan, Whiteford, Busby, Jarvie, Wilson, Jonquin, ....... etc. In 1972, Rangers won the ECWC and Airdrie contested the texaco Cup final against Brian Clough's Derby County, losing 2-1 in a two legged final. Airdrie defeated Man City in the semi-final, Busby scoring home and away. It is strange. Hearts would have been a big step up for Busby in professional terms. Jambos have fond memories of Drew but, I remember Busby as an Airdrie player.

I think he will definitely be an upgrade, and on the loan thing it’s probably sensible. Really we have a big squad so unless we sell other than a RW or a box to box midfielder to partner lundstram we are well stocked. Would rather play Lowry than a loanee like McAtee if he is a number 10 type. I hope we can get Colak in quickly question marks over buffalos fitness and Roofe just can’t be relied on. Qualifiers in a few weeks.