Ray Houghton
Houghton (1995)
Raymond James Houghton ( born January 9, 1962 in Glasgow, Scotland ) is a former Irish football player and sports commentator.
The midfielder included the very successful team of FC Liverpool in the late 1980s and also played 73 times for the national team of Ireland. Houghton is less stocky stature and was particularly at Liverpool and the national team as a player who always gave everything, and was popular with the fans because of its high combat and willingness to run. Houghton pointed straight at important games by decisive assists and goals - so with a 1-0 victory goals in the games against England at Euro '88 and against Italy in the '94 World Cup - his best performance, but also tended to over-motivation and excessive force.
Career as a player
Houghton was committed as a 17 year old from London club West Ham United, but he only came to an insert in the then First Division (1982 ), before he was moved to the 1982/83 season in the Ascended second division Fulham FC. In 1985 he moved to then-First Division Oxford United. With Oxford in 1986, he could win his first title, the English League Cup Milk Cup then called. For 3-0 playoff victory against Queens Park Rangers Houghton contributed a goal.
A year later, in October 1987, he moved to Liverpool, he added quickly into the team and has been - behind the attack, consisting of Peter Beardsley, John Barnes and John Aldridge - key players on the team, with two English champions - and runner-up is one of the best teams in the Reds of all time in four years.
After five years with the Reds, he went to the then first division club Aston Villa. With this club he won again the English League Cup, before he went in the summer of 1995 on the relegation-threatened club Crystal Palace, where he remained even after walking down to the 1995/96 season two years faithful in being second class. Within the former second-class First Division in 1997 he moved to Reading FC, with whom he, however, the beginning of the 1998/99 season in the third-class Second Division relegation, he played a season for Reading in this league.
At the end of his career he played in the fall of 1999, still a few games for the fifth-tier Stevenage Borough FC before he ended his active career final.
National
Houghton could choose for his Irish father according to the rules between the British national teams and the selection of the Irish Republic as a native of Glasgow, he opted for the Irish. In March 1986, he came to the first international match against Wales in Dublin. He quickly became a regular player and until his resignation in 1997 was followed by 72 more A- international matches, including all games of Ireland at a European and two world championships.
In the 1988 European Championship in the first group match Houghton scored the goal in a 1-0 victory against the English national football team, which made him a hero in Ireland. In the '90 World Cup Houghton was a regular force of Irish selection that eliminated in the quarter -finals and just 0-1 against Italy. 1994 in the United States met both teams in the first game of the group stage together again, and now Houghton was able to achieve the only goal in a 1-0 victory over the selection of Italy, which ultimately enabled Ireland to participate in the second round.
After the active time
After his playing time Houghton was a sports commentator, currently mainly in the RTÉ television program. He also advises since 2002, the computer games company Sports Interactive in the development of football manager games. In 2002, he was briefly as a possible new Irish coach talking.
Achievements
- Club: English Championships (2): Liverpool FC 1987/88, 1989/90
- English runner-up (2): Liverpool FC 1988/89, 1990/91
- FA Cup Winners (2): Liverpool FC 1988/89, 1991/92
- Unsuccessful FA Cup finals (1): Liverpool FC 1987/88
- League Cup Winners (2): Oxford United 1985/86 Aston Villa 1992/93
- Quarter Final World Cup 1990
- Knockout round 1994 World Cup
- Preliminary EM 1988