Most cancers-hit Andy Goram has instructed how Rangers teammate John Brown stopped him ingesting himself to dying.
The Ibrox hero hit all-time low after getting so blitzed he couldn’t bear in mind something a couple of weekend he’d spent in Scotland’s most northerly city.
The Goalie had drunk with punters in Thurso bars for 3 days earlier than sobering up with no recollection of what had occurred.
Goram – thought-about by many followers to be Rangers’ best goalkeeper – then made a determined telephone name to Brown and begged for his assist.
Inside hours Brown – nicknamed Bomber – was driving Goram to his first Alcoholics Nameless assembly at Wishaw Normal in Lanarkshire.
Former defender Brown – who give up booze nearly 30 years in the past – then made positive his pal received to greater than 20 AA conferences in below a month.
Brown performed on the coronary heart of the Rangers defence with Richard Gough throughout Goram’s glittering seven-year spell at Ibrox.
Goram, who was final month identified with terminal most cancers, added: “It was round 10 years in the past. I used to be in Thurso from Friday to Monday, got here again down the street and I couldn’t bear in mind a factor concerning the weekend.
“So I rang John Brown and mentioned, ‘Bomber it's essential to give me a hand right here, I want your assist’.
“The very subsequent day he took me to Wishaw Normal for an AA assembly.
“He took me to twenty conferences in 28 days. Bomber saved my life, there’s little doubt about that.”
Goram’s ingesting habits pressured him to give up his job as goalkeeping coach at Clyde in 2008.
Brown was supervisor on the time and had employed his shut pal just a few months earlier.
It brought about a rift between the pair they usually didn’t communicate for nearly a yr however patched up their friendship earlier than Brown’s life-saving intervention in 2012.
Nonetheless Goram – who docs have instructed has round six months to dwell – revealed how tragic ex-Rangers captain Fernando Ricksen satisfied him he ought to get “a glass of wine and revel in it”.
Ricksen had been identified with motor neurone illness when he gave him a dramatic pep discuss.
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Goram, who has oesophageal most cancers, mentioned: “Fernando was actually struggling however nonetheless capable of talk.
“He requested if I used to be nonetheless off the booze and I mentioned I used to be.
“I had been for about two-and-a-half years.
“He then requested if I missed my purple wine.
“I instructed him I did however couldn’t face taking place the trail I’d been earlier than.
“Fernando then mentioned, ‘It's best to get a glass of wine and revel in it. What’s occurred to me might occur to you tomorrow.
“‘Have a glass of wine and simply be sure you don’t go down that loopy street once more.”
Ricksen had come via his personal alcohol-related issues earlier than being identified with MND. He misplaced his battle with the sickness in 2019.
Goram, who has refused chemotherapy, added: “Fernando was proper.
“However I can barely drink now with all of the drugs I have to take.”
Former teammate Brian Laudrup found how a lot Goram liked purple wine after inviting The Goalie to his dwelling in Denmark.
The previous hellraiser discovered the wine cellar and polished off six bottles value round £800 every after being left alone in the home whereas everybody was at Legoland.
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The Gentle Blues legend mentioned alcoholism “caught up” with him.
He mentioned: “My mum and pa ran golf equipment and pubs for years and I used to be at all times round that atmosphere. I used to be introduced up in it.
“Ingesting builds up over a time period.
“It received to the purpose the place I’d sit in a bar and somebody would put a glass of purple wine in entrance of me and say, ‘that’s for you, thanks’.
“I simply stored saying thanks again, I by no means mentioned, ‘no thanks’.”
Walter Smith signed Goram for Rangers in 1991 for £1 million from Hibs. He went on to win six league titles and 5 cups.
He left in 1998 when Dick Advocaat took over and determined to rebuild the squad.
9-in-a-row heroes together with Goram, Brown and Ally McCoist all left the membership on the identical time.
Goram continued to play for 5 extra years and had spells at Motherwell and Manchester United.
He finally retired aged 39 however admits he wasn’t mentally ready to hold up his gloves. Goram additionally mentioned that by that point, he was already ingesting an excessive amount of.
He went on: “After I completed enjoying I suppose I wasn’t prepared for it.
“The ingesting was most likely the identical however there was no coaching to get the booze out of my system and that’s the downward spiral beginning.
“I don’t assume I used to be the one participant who suffered this.”
Goram grew to become a daily after-dinner speaker and would additionally host Q&A nights with followers. He mentioned he would flip up hours early and begin ingesting earlier than happening stage.
The goalkeeper, who has 43 caps for his nation, mentioned: “I used to be by no means an unbiased drinker. I wouldn’t get up and have a drink within the morning.
“However when it was lunchtime, I’d wish to exit and meet folks. I used to be a grasping b****** although.
“If I had a gig and was on at 7pm, I’d arrive at 4pm and go to the bar. I favored speaking to punters, people with regular jobs who liked
soccer.
“I loved telling them tales and listening to what they needed to say.”
Goram mentioned he had deliberate on visiting golf equipment to share his way of life issues with different gamers.
He added: “I used to be interested by going round Scotland and doing periods with guys about to complete their profession and possibly assist.
“I’d do the identical with youthful gamers to assist present them what occurs while you take the flawed path.
“I’m the right instance.”
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