Andy Gray (footballer, born 1955)

Andrew Mullen Gray (born 30 November 1955) is a Scottish retired footballer who played for several clubs in Scotland and England, while also representing his country. He was the lead football pundit for Sky Sports until his dismissal in January 2011, following multiple allegations of sexism. Gray, along with former Sky Sports anchor Richard Keys, then signed for talkSPORT in February 2011. They now both work for beIN Sports in Doha, Qatar.

Andrew Gray
Personal information
Full name Andrew Mullen Gray[1]
Date of birth (1955-11-30) 30 November 1955[1]
Place of birth Glasgow,[1] Scotland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Playing position(s) Striker
Youth career
1970–1973 Clydebank Strollers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1973–1975 Dundee United 62 (36)
1975–1979 Aston Villa 113 (54)
1979–1983 Wolverhampton Wanderers 133 (38)
1983–1985 Everton 49 (14)
1985–1987 Aston Villa 54 (5)
1987 → Notts County (loan) 4 (0)
1987–1988 West Bromwich Albion 35 (10)
1988–1989 Rangers 14 (5)
1989–1990 Cheltenham Town 20 (7)
Total 513 (185)
National team
1975–1985 Scotland[3] 20 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Born in Glasgow and with a mother from the Isle of Lewis,[4] Gray started his professional career as a player with Dundee United, where he scored 46 goals in 62 appearances.

In October 1975, at the age of 19, he moved south to Aston Villa (newly promoted to the First Division) for £110,000 and was joint winner of England's golden boot with Arsenal's Malcolm Macdonald in 1976–77. His 29 goals helped Villa to a fourth-place finish and victory in the League Cup, and earned him the PFA Young Player of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year awards, a double matched by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 and Gareth Bale in 2013. At the time he was the youngest player to earn the Players' Player of the Year award, and the first player to win more than one of the official three player of the year awards in the same season.[5]

Gray moved to Villa's local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 1979, for an English record transfer fee of £1.49m. After scoring the winning goal for Wolves in the 1980 League Cup final, he remained with the club through their relegation in 1982 (despite interest from Manchester United) and promotion a year later.

Gray moved to Everton in November 1983 for £250,000. He spent two seasons with the Merseyside club, winning the FA Cup in May 1984. Gray scored in the final against Watford in controversial fashion by heading the ball out of the Watford's goalkeeper's hands.[6] A year later, he won the League Championship and European Cup Winners' Cup, also scoring in the final of the latter. He also reached another FA Cup final, but this time he was on the losing side as Everton were defeated by Manchester United. Then came the arrival of England striker Gary Lineker from Leicester City in the 1985 close season.[7] Despite angry petitions from Everton fans wanting to keep Gray at Goodison Park, he left the club on 10 July 1985, returning to Aston Villa in a £150,000 deal.[8]

Despite starting the decade on a high as league champions in 1981 and European Cup winners in 1982, Villa had now declined to mid table mediocrity and the return of Gray was unable to turn things around as his arrival at Everton had done. He scored five goals from 35 league games in 1985–86 as Villa narrowly avoided relegation to the Second Division, and the following season he failed to score a single goal from 19 league games as Villa fell into the Second Division. He began the 1987–88 season still with Villa, but was transferred to their local rivals West Bromwich Albion in September 1987 having not featured in a first team game for Villa that season. His spell at Albion lasted less than a year, and was uneventful as they narrowly avoided relegation from the Second Division.[9]

In mid-1988, he joined Rangers. He spent one season at Ibrox, helping them win the Scottish Premier Division title – the first of nine successive titles they would win.[10] He dropped into non-league football with Football Conference club Cheltenham Town in summer 1989, and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 home win over Chorley on 21 October 1989, before retiring in 1990.[11]

International career

Gray's Player of the Year accolades in England were not enough to convince Scotland manager Ally MacLeod to select him for the 1978 World Cup squad. Gray won 20 caps for Scotland, scoring 7 goals for his country. He also won four caps at Under-23 level and played at schoolboy level. His full international debut came on 17 December 1975 in a 1–1 draw with Romania. He was not selected for any of Scotland's World Cup squads during his playing days. His final senior appearance for Scotland came on 28 May 1985 in a 1–0 win over Iceland in a 1986 World Cup qualifier. This had been his first cap for two years, despite him scoring twice in his penultimate appearance for the national side on 19 June 1983 in a 2–0 friendly win over Canada, and him excelling on the club level for Everton after his transfer to the Merseyside club later in 1983.[12]

Coaching

After retiring as a player, Gray entered coaching as an assistant to Ron Atkinson at Aston Villa[13] before focusing full-time on his television work.

Commentary career

After leaving coaching, Gray became a football commentator, pundit, and analyst on Sky Sports, serving as a Scottish facet of its Premier League coverage since its inception in 1992, most notably alongside studio anchor Richard Keys and lead match commentators Martin Tyler and Ian Darke. In addition, he reported for Sky from Euro 2004 in Portugal, although Sky did not have broadcast rights for the games. He commentated for BBC Radio 5 Live in the 2002 World Cup and for ESPN in Euro 2008. Gray also provides betting tips for Betfair,[14] and also provided commentary for the EA Sports FIFA series of video games along with Clive Tyldesley from FIFA 06 to FIFA 11, until being replaced in FIFA 12 by Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith.[15]

In January 2011, Gray was forced to apologise for comments he made about a female assistant referee, Sian Massey, in a Premier League match. Believing that his microphone was switched off, Gray commented to co-host Richard Keys, "Can you believe that? A female linesman. Women don't know the offside rule." Keys replied "Course they don't." The comments were criticised by Sky Sports, football fans and the Football Association.[16] On 24 January it was announced that both Gray and Keys would be banned for one game.[17] On 25 January 2011, it was announced his contract was being terminated for unacceptable behaviour.[18] Barney Francis, Sky Sports' managing director, said Gray was dismissed "in response to new evidence of unacceptable and offensive behaviour in an off-air incident that took place in December 2010". The Daily Telegraph suggested that the Sky statement refers directly to a clip of Gray and Charlotte Jackson in rehearsals for the Sky Sports Christmas Special. While Jackson is attaching a microphone pack, Gray lifts his belt and says: "Charlotte, can you tuck this down here for me?"[19][20]

In late 2011 Keys and Gray appeared in Smash It!, a show designed for the corporate hospitality circuit. The title of the show came from sexual remarks that Keys had made to Jamie Redknapp.[21] An earlier theatre tour in 2011 had to be cancelled due to poor ticket sales.[22] He currently presents a Friday evening Talk Sport show with sidekick Richard Keys. His TV career is continuing alongside Richard Keys as a presenter on beIN Sports.

Gray's former teammate at Everton, Peter Reid, suggested that Gray's dismissal may have been connected to a legal battle between Gray and the former title News of the World (both it and Sky are owned by News Corporation) over phone-tapping.[23]

On 25 January 2014, Gray returned to commentating on British television on BT Sport for an FA Cup match between Stevenage and Everton. His appearance occurred three years to the day since his dismissal by Sky. He then commentated alongside Darren Fletcher for the Arsenal v Liverpool match in the next round.[24]

Personal life

Gray has been married to Rachel Lewis, a former model who was previously married to his long-time friend and agent Michael Lewis, since 10 February 2012.[25][26] Gray has fathered five children with four women; his two ex-wives, Vanessa Taylor and Jacqueline Cherry, and two former girlfriends, Sara Matthews and Janet Trigg.[27]

Gray is a supporter of Rangers.[28]

Career statistics

International appearances
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Scotland[29] 197510
197632
1977—
197821
1979—
198041
198140
1982—
198353
1984—
198510
Total207

International goals

(NB scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first)

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
18 September 1976Hampden Park, Glasgow Finland4–06–0Friendly
26–0
320 September 1978Praterstadion, Vienna Austria2–32–3ECQG2
426 March 1980Hampden Park, Glasgow Portugal2–04–1ECQG2
528 May 1983Ninian Park, Cardiff Wales1–02–0BHC
619 June 1983Varsity Stadium, Toronto Canada1–02–0Friendly
72–0

Honours

Aston Villa

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Everton

Rangers

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References
  1. "Andy Gray". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  2. Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  3. Andy Gray at National-Football-Teams.com
  4. The Coodnaes, Scots Football Worldwide
  5. Bishop, Rob (30 November 2018). "St Andy's Day". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  6. Shaw, Phil (11 November 1997). "Football: Sherwood still haunted by Gray day at Wembley". The Independent. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  7. "ToffeeWeb's Everton Hall of Fame: Gray, Andy". Toffeeweb.com. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  8. "Football photographic encyclopedia, footballer, world cup, champions league, football championship, olympic games & hero images by". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  9. "Football photographic encyclopedia, footballer, world cup, champions league, football championship, olympic games & hero images by". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  10. http://www.championsukplc.co.uk/after-dinner-speaking/speaker_details.cfm?speakerID=590. Retrieved 20 December 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. Chorley v. Cheltenham Town match programme, 18 November 1989
  12. "gray, Andy M. – Scottish Caps 1975–85 – Scotland". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  13. Kendrick, Mat (11 October 2018). "This is our favourite Ron Atkinson story about Sir Doug Ellis". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  16. "Sky Sports pair criticised over female referee comments". BBC News. 23 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  17. Norrish, Mike (24 January 2011). "Andy Gray and Richard Keys suspended by Sky Sports over sexist comments". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  18. "Sky Sports sack football pundit Andy Gray for his sexist comments". BBC News. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  19. "Andy Gray sacked by Sky Sports following 'unacceptable behaviour' towards Charlotte Jackson". Daily Telegraph. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  20. Attenborough, Frederick (2014). "Jokes, pranks, blondes and banter: recontextualising sexism in the British print press". Journal of Gender Studies. Taylor & Francis. 23 (2): 137–154. doi:10.1080/09589236.2013.774269.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) Pdf.
  21. Hyde, Marina (15 December 2011). "Smash it! The reinvention of Andy Gray and Richard Keys". Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  22. Bill, Joe (26 October 2011). "Richard Keys and Andy Gray cancel Kent gig". Kent News. London. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  23. "Andy Gray sacked by Sky for offensive behaviour". BBC News. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  24. Rumsby, Ben (24 January 2014). "Andy Gray to return as commentator with BT Sport". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  25. Gregory, Andrew (13 February 2012). "Match of the Gray: Shamed football pundit gets hitched for third time – to ex-wife of former best pal". The Daily Mirror.
  26. The Life Ring stars at a glittering celebrity golf day Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine The Life Ring, August 2006; accessed 4 October 2006
  27. Exclusive: Randy Andy Rat It Again.. With Best Mate's Wife Archived 29 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine The People, 2 April 2006; accessed 4 October 2006
  28. "Villan on the Spot: Andy Gray Q&A". Aston Villa. 24 June 2015.
  29. Andy Gray at the Scottish Football Association
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