Front pages and back as The Goalie hit headlines

Andy Goram was never far from the headlines during and even after his playing career – but not always for the right reasons.

In 2012, he confessed he was an alcoholic after his drinking started to spin out of control. At the time, he said: “I’d had enough. I’d been drinking for 32 years, since I was 15. I’ve had a good kick at it.”

He finally stopped drinking after his then-partner Elaine Mitchell ordered him out of the home they shared in Lanarkshire. He attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after his heavy alcohol consumption also destroyed some of his closest friendships.

In later years, he said he was proud of his strong links with Rangers fans in Northern Ireland and dismissed claims of sectarianism as “nonsense”.

Goram regularly visited more than 100 Rangers supporters’ clubs in Northern Ireland including some on Belfast’s Shankill Road – a Protestant and Unionist stronghold.

He added: “I’ve never condoned sectarianism. Just because I have close links with Northern Ireland and been to the Shankill Road doesn’t mean I support bigotry or terrorism. I’ve loved going to Belfast, where the punters have treated me tremendously. Why should I be ashamed of that?”

Goram had pointed out that his close friendship with former Celtic star Frank McAvennie was evidence he wasn’t a bigot.

He also said he wouldn’t have married second wife Tracey, whom he met when he signed for Hibs in 1987, if he held sectarian beliefs.

Goram said: “People have tried to say I’m a bigot. It’s nonsense. I’ve got Catholic mates. Macca is one of my closest pals – my second wife, Tracey, was a Catholic.”