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Motherwell FC News
| March 2001 |
| Thursday, March 22 |
Update: 12.20pm
Andy Goram has completed his loan move from Motherwell to Manchester United. He has joined United on loan until the end of the season and was signed just hours before the English transfer deadline. United will pay us £100,000 for the loan. At the end of the season, The Goalie will revert to being registered with Motherwell for one day before his contract at Fir Park expires. He will then be a free agent
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said today:
"People had speculated about a hundred names of goalkeepers I would be
going for. But Andy Goram was the first one in my mind. I needed someone
with the temperament and the character for the big stage, and Andy“s the best
for that. Some people would be daunted by the prospect of playing matches
as big as the ones against Bayern Munich. But Andy is the exact opposite.
This is a great opportunity for him, and I could tell he realised this when the
news was broken to him. He told me he couldn't wait to be here and the he wouldn't
let anybody down. I am sure he won't. He will love the idea of being involved at
that level. Andy has been in great form for Motherwell and has been
proving his fitness every week. There is no one better in a big-game
situation. We are delighted to have him until the end of the season."
Read what Andy Goram had to say about his move to Old Trafford on the Official Man Utd website.
Pat Nevin has defended the sale of Andy Goram, saying:
"We had to think long and hard about losing Andy for three months,
because he is important to us, but in our position, if we get some money on
board then we have to take that offer seriously. I know this will feel a bit
painful to the supporters right now, but we will be bringing other people in.
The club has plans to go forward. The supporters might have felt bad when we
lost Ged Brannan last month, who was our captain, but we brought in Said Chiba
who is a quality player and we will replace Andy."
"It is a shrewd bit of business by United. They are short-handed and need a quality keeper who is not spooked by big games - Andy fulfils that criteria. He is looking good at the moment. He has shed a few pounds and physically feels good, and has been performing superbly in training. I'm convinced Andy won't let Manchester United down."
Meanwhile, Don Goodman has completed his move to Walsall. The 34-year-old has signed for the English second division side on a free transfer until the end of the season.
Stevie Hammell has been forced to withdraw from the Scotland Under-21 squad to face Belgium tomorrow night after picking up a virus that also saw him miss the Rangers game last Saturday.
9.30am
Andy Goram will undergo a medical at Old Trafford this morning
before signing a £100,000 loan deal until the end of the season. He will
return to Fir Park at the end of his loan spell for one day before becoming a
free agent. Speaking last night, Goram said:
"I've been in the game over 20 years and then something like this
happens - it's just unbelievable. I will meet Alex Ferguson in the morning
and hopefully I will sign before he goes off on holiday. At the moment
everything has been agreed between the two clubs including a fee. I don't
want to say too much before everything is finalised but the possibility of
playing for Man United in the Champions League would be amazing."
Today's Sun reports that we are trying to sign Dundee's Jamie Langfield to replace Goram. The Scotland Under-21 goalkeeper is out of favour at Dens Park and an enquiry has already been made about him, although Pat Nevin warns that Dundee will be looking for a hefty transfer fee.
Stuart Elliott is in the Northern Ireland squad to face the Czech Republic at the weekend. However, the Northern Ireland FA want Motherwell to pay for Elliott's insurance! Pat Nevin will contact them in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
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