Frank McAvennie

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Frank McAvennie bigraphy, stories - Scottish footballer

Frank McAvennie : biography

22 November 1959 –

Francis "Frank" McAvennie (born 22 November 1959) is a Scottish former football striker best known as a player with West Ham United and Celtic, having had two spells with both of these clubs. With Celtic he won the Scottish Football League Premier Division in 1987-88 and the Scottish Cup also in 1988. He was capped five times at senior level for Scotland during the 1980s, scoring one goal.

Lifestyle

During his playing career he reputedly enjoyed a playboy lifestyle involving drink, drugs and a good number of women. His lifestyle was the inspiration for characterisation played by Jonathan Watson on the Scottish comedy TV programme, Only an Excuse?.

On 12 January 2009, McAvennie received a four-month suspended sentence for affray following an incident in July 2008 in which he head-butted a man in Douglas on the Isle of Man.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 20 November 1985 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland AUS}} 0–2 2–0 Win 1986 World Cup qualifying play-off

Club career

Early career

McAvennie started his playing career in Scottish Junior League football. In 1979 during an amateur game with a local side, the 200 Club, in Kirkintilloch, McAvennie, playing well, came to the attention of local scouts. He was recommended to local junior side Johnstone Burgh signing for them for a £500 signing-on fee. He completed a trail for Partick Thistle playing in a single game where he was sent on as a substitute only to be substituted off in the same game and be told by manager Bertie Auld that he would never make a career in the game of football. Before turning professional, he had joined the Territorial Army and later had trials with the British Army but was not accepted for a role with them due to his inability to hit the target during shooting practices. Daily Record, 6 January 2010 He also had a spell working as a road sweeper. He did not move into professional football until he joined St Mirren in 1980, at the age of 20. His league debut came in the 1981-82 season in a 4-3 defeat of Airdrieonians. Playing as a midfielder, McAvennie scored two goals. In 1982 he was named Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year. He would make 135 league appearances for them over the next five years, scoring 48 goals.

West Ham United

His strong form in Scotland attracted attention from south of the border and McAvennie had talks with Luton Town and their manager, David Pleat. With talks progressing well McAvennie decided not to sign for Luton due to the attitude of their chairman, David Evans. With St Mirren then agreeing a fee with West Ham United, McAvennie met with their manager John Lyall and his staff and he signed for them in June 1985 for £340,000. He made his West Ham debut on 17 August 1985, the opening game of the season, in a 1-0 away defeat to Birmingham City with his first two goals coming in his second game, a 3-1 home defeat of Queens Park Rangers. Originally signed as an attacking midfielder he was played as an out-and-out striker after an injury to Paul Goddard in the opening game of the season.

He formed a formidable partnership with young English striker Tony Cottee with McAvennie scoring 26 league goals and Cottee 20. One additional goal both the League Cup and the FA Cup saw his tally rise to 28 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions. 

In his first season, he helped West Ham to their highest ever final position in English football when they came third. His 26 goals in the league was only bettered by Gary Lineker, who found the net 30 times for second-placed Everton.

At this time McAvennie’s success on the pitch came to the attention of TV producers. He appeared on the BBC’s Wogan show, hosted by Terry Wogan, an event which McAvennie claims changed his life and introduced him to a celebrity lifestyle. He is quoted as saying "Then I signed for West Ham and money and girls were thrown at me and, hey, who was I to say no? Then I went on Wogan and it really took off. I was never under any illusions why it was happening. It wisnae because of my looks, it was because I was a footballer."