Andy Goram

Andrew Lewis Goram (13 April 1964 – 2 July 2022) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Bury, Lancashire, England, 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 nickname "The Goalie". In a 2001 poll of Rangers fans, Goram was voted Rangers' greatest-ever goalkeeper.

Goram appeared in 43 international matches for Scotland and was selected for their squads at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, UEFA Euro 1992 and UEFA Euro 1996.

After his time with Rangers, Goram played for many clubs, most notably at Motherwell and a brief loan spell at Manchester United. He also represented Scotland at cricket, and was the only man to play internationally for Scotland in both football and cricket.

After retirement from playing, he went on to become a goalkeeping coach at numerous Scottish clubs.

Club career

Early career

Goram began his career at West Bromwich Albion but was released as a teenager. He then joined Oldham Athletic in 1981 and spent nearly seven years with the club, making 195 Football League appearances. His performances saw him voted into the PFA Team of the Year for the English Second Division in 1986–87.

Hibernian

In 1987, he returned to Scotland, joining Hibernian for a fee of £325,000. His father had also briefly been a goalkeeper with the Edinburgh club. He made his debut for Hibs on 10 October 1987, keeping a clean sheet in a 4–0 win over Dunfermline Athletic. He served as club captain for the majority of his stay in the capital, and in 1988 achieved the unusual feat of scoring a goal in a Premier Division match, against Morton, with a long kick. He also scored again in a penalty shoot-out after a goalless draw against Clydebank in a League Cup tie in August 1989, Hibs winning 5–3. A save he made in a European tie against RFC Liège was described by Lou Macari as having "defied logic". Goram twisted in mid air to touch a header from Angelo Nijskens away for a corner kick.

In a BBC podcast, "Remembering Andy Goram", he said of his time at Hibs, "Everybody associates me with Rangers because of my time there, but I had four fantastic years with Hibs. My Dad played for Hibs and I've a great affinity for them."

Rangers

In the summer of 1991, Goram signed for Rangers in a £1 million transfer deal. He made his debut in a 6–0 win over St Johnstone on the opening day of the season. Having replaced Chris Woods, Goram found himself under scrutiny in his first few months, and was criticised for goals conceded against Hearts and Sparta Prague which some regarded as being "soft".

Goram soon settled at Ibrox and established himself by playing in all 55 of Rangers competitive games and keeping 26 clean sheets during his first season there. He helped Rangers win the 1991–92 Scottish Premier Division title. He also helped them win the Scottish Cup for the first time in several years, defeating Airdrie 2–1 in the final to clinch a league and cup double.

The following season, 1992–93, saw Rangers take part in the newly revamped UEFA Champions League. Goram played in all ten of their European fixtures that season, conceding seven goals. These games included home-and-away wins over Leeds United and an unbeaten run that saw the club narrowly miss out on a place in the final. Rangers swept to a domestic treble that season, winning their fifth-consecutive league title and defeating Aberdeen in both the League Cup and Scottish Cup finals. Goram won both the Scottish Football Writers and Scottish Professional Footballers Association player of the year awards.

Goram underwent knee surgery in the summer of 1993 and missed most of the following season whilst recovering, making ten appearances. He was placed on the transfer list by manager Walter Smith in the summer of 1994; however, he was allowed to remain at Rangers when he proved his fitness and commitment during pre-season training, and he returned as first-choice goalkeeper for season 1994–95. He continued to excel in goal for Rangers, with Celtic manager Tommy Burns lamenting in January 1996, "If anyone gets round to doing my tombstone, it will have to read: ''Andy Goram Broke My Heart.''" Goram went on to win a further three league titles, a Scottish Cup and a Scottish League Cup in his time at Rangers.

After it was reported in the press that Goram had a mild form of schizophrenia, he was greeted with the chant 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 left Rangers at the end of season 1997–98.

Later career

Goram had brief spells at Notts County and Sheffield United before signing for Motherwell in January 1999. In 2000, he helped Motherwell to fourth place in the league.

He 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.

In July 2002, Goram signed for Queen of the South, with whom he won the Scottish Challenge Cup