Andy Goram - a personal tribute

[Bluedell 5,627]

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.
 

[JohnMc 2,766]

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. 

[RANGERRAB 3,680]

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