Andy Gray (footballer, born 1955)

Gray ( 2004)

Andrew Mullen Gray ( born November 30, 1955 in Glasgow ) is a former Scottish football player and current commentator for the British pay-TV channel Sky Sports and ESPN, an American sports broadcaster.

Club career

The striker began his career in 1973 at Dundee United, where he scored 46 goals in two seasons and reached inter alia the Scottish FA Cup final against Celtic, but were subject to "The Terroers " 0:3.

For the season 1975/1976 Gray moved to Birmingham at Aston Villa, where he was top scorer in his second season with 25 hits. A year later, he scored even 29 goals and was elected in England Rookie of the Year and his colleagues Footballer of the Year.

In 1979, Gray for then British record transfer fee of £ 1.5 million to the Wolverhampton Wanderers and remained there despite a between -term decline in the second division and immediate resurgence four years, where he with his winning goal in the League Cup final in 1980 the " Wolves " at least still a title secured.

Then Gray played two years at Everton, with whom he won the FA Cup, the League and the European Cup Winners' Cup.

For £ 150,000 Gray then went for two years back to Aston Villa and was then allowed his career with one season at West Bromwich Albion, Rangers and Cheltenham Town finish.

Scottish national

Overall, Gray played 20 games for Scotland, scoring seven goals. He made his debut on 17 December 1975 against Romania and scored his third international match in a 6-0 win against Finland equal to his first two goals for the Bravehearts. His last international assignment, he played on May 28, 1985 against Iceland.

Although Gray came to Scotland every now and then to use, he was never nominated for a World Cup.

After the active career

After his involvement with Cheltenham Gray was an assistant coach at Aston Villa, however, began in 1990 at the same time even his television career with Sky Sports, which at that time was still under construction and today is one of the largest pay - TV channels in the world. For his work he was awarded in 1996 with the Presenter of the Year Award. Gray is best known for his lively comments and popular and has next to the television and the radio ( BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT ) and in the film industry ( A Shot at Glory, Scottish football movie, 2001) worked. And he has the comments for the English versions of the virtual football games FIFA 98, 02, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 and 11 contributed. For ESPN Gray has commented a few games at the 2008 European Championship in the United States.

Personal

Gray has five children with four different women with whom he was either married or romantically involved longer, which has earned him a reputation as a womanizer. It was not until he was married to Vanessa Taylor and Jacqueline Cherry, had two more children with Sara Matthews and Janet Trigg and then fell in 1999 to the former gymnast Suzanne Dando when she worked in television with him. Meanwhile, he is friends with the ex-model Rachel Lewis, the ex-wife of his adviser.