Frank McAvennie

Frank McAvennie

Personal information
Full name	Francis McAvennie
Date of birth	(1959-11-22) 22 November 1959
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
	Drumchapel Amateurs
	Johnstone Burgh
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1980–1985	St. Mirren	135	(48)
1985–1987	West Ham United	85	(33)
1987–1989	Celtic	55	(27)
1989–1992	West Ham United	68	(16)
1992	Aston Villa	3	(0)
1992	Cliftonville	0	(0)
1992	South China	?	(?)
1992–1994	Celtic	30	(10)
1994	→ Swindon Town (loan)	7	(0)
1994	Airdrieonians	0	(0)
1994	Falkirk	3	(2)
1994–1995	St. Mirren	7	(0)
Total		393+	(136+)
International career
1985–1988	Scotland	5	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francis "Frank" McAvennie (born 22 November 1959 in Glasgow) is a former Scottish football striker best known as a player with West Ham United and Celtic, having had two spells with both of these clubs. He was capped five times at senior level for his country during the 1980s and scored one goal.

Early life

McAvennie grew up in Milton and attended St. Ambrose Primary and St. Augustine's Secondary.

Club career

Early career

McAvennie started his playing career in Scottish Junior League football. He did not move into professional football until he joined St Mirren in 1980, at the age of 20. He would make 135 league appearances for them over the next five years, scoring 48 goals.

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. He also had a spell working as a road sweeper.

West Ham United

His strong form in Scotland attracted attention from south of the border, and John Lyall signed him for West Ham United in June 1985 for £340,000 and he formed a formidable partnership with young English striker Tony Cottee. He was originally signed as an attacking midfielder, but was played as an out-and-out striker after an injury to Paul Goddard in the opening game of the season.

In his first season, he helped West Ham to their highest ever final position in English football when they came third. He scored 26 goals in the league; only Gary Lineker, who found the net 30 times for second-placed Everton, scored more goals in the First Division that season.

McAvennie and his team-mates were denied UEFA Cup action for the following season due to the ban on English clubs in European competitions, which had started a year earlier due to the Heysel disaster.

However, they were less successful the following season, finishing 15th, as McAvennie scored just seven goals from 36 games.

Celtic

McAvennie played eight games for the Hammers at the start of 1987–88, failing to score, before he moved to Celtic for £750,000 on 2 October 1987. He made his debut for Celtic the following day in a 1-1 draw at home against Hibernian.

McAvennie made a slow start at Celtic and matters weren't helped when he got involved in an on-field fracas with Chris Woods, Terry Butcher and Graham Roberts in an Old Firm game in November 1987. McAvennie and Woods were sent off in the initial incident, whilst Butcher was red carded later in the game. All four were later reported to the Procurator Fiscal and appeared in Court on disorder charges relating to their conduct in that game. McAvennie was found Not Guilty, Roberts Not Proven, whilst Butcher and Woods were both convicted of Breach of the Peace.

McAvennie eventually found his form at Parkhead, and his 15 goals in 1987–88 helped Celtic to a Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup double. That season (the clubs's Centenary Season), he was part of a formidable front trio for Celtic comprising himself, Andy Walker and Joe Miller. One of the high-points during the season for McAvennie were his two goals in Celtic's 2-0 win over Rangers in January 1988. The Cup Final in May was particularly memorable for McAvennie as he scored two late goals to beat Dundee United 2–1, the winning goal coming in the final minute.

The following season, 1988–89, was not a happy one for Celtic and the team finished in third place in the league behind winners Rangers and second-placed Aberdeen. McAvennie, however, was one of Celtic's few form players that season and he'd scored 11 goals by Christmas time. However, a broken arm sustained in the New Year game at Ibrox against Rangers curtailed his goalscoring. McAvennie also wished to return to London to enable him to spend more time with then girlfriend, glamour model Jenny Blyth. After a public row with manager Billy McNeill over being dropped for a league match at Tynecastle in March 1989 against Hearts, Celtic relented to McAvennie's repeated requests for a transfer and sold him back to West Ham.

Back to West Ham

McAvennie returned to West Ham United in March 1989 in a £1.2million deal, making him their record signing. According to then Celtic manager Billy McNeill's autobiography, McAvennie wanted to return to London and his model girlfriend Jenny Blyth. McAvennie claims in his autobiography that Celtic were refusing to pay him a signing-on fee. Just before his return to Boleyn Ground, Celtic had accepted an offer from title chasing Arsenal, whose manager George Graham was looking for a proven goalscorer to partner Alan Smith. However, McAvennie turned down the chance to join Arsenal and happily accepted John Lyall's offer shortly afterwards. While Arsenal cruised to the First Division title, West Ham were relegated to the Second Division and McAvennie failed to score a single goal in the remaining nine games of the season.

His second spell in London was not as successful as his previous one. Things got worse for McAvennie and West Ham when the striker suffered a broken leg on 19 August 1989, following a challenge by Stoke City's Chris Kamara, which put him out until March 1990 and ruled him out for many crucial games as the Hammers ultimately missed out on the playoffs, although they did reach the Football League Cup semi-finals.

In the aftermath of his injury, McAvennie had threatened to sue Kamara, but this ultimately never happened.

McAvennie recovered for the 1990–91 season, as West Ham won promotion and reached the FA Cup semi-finals. He played 34 league games and scored 10 goals, now partnering Trevor Morley up front (his previous West Ham strike partner Tony Cottee had departed to Everton in August 1988).

In 1992, he signed off in style at West Ham, scoring a hat-trick in his final match against Nottingham Forest, but West Ham had already been relegated. His tally for that frustrating season was just six goals from 20 league games.

Aston Villa

McAvennie then accepted an offer from Ron Atkinson to sign for Aston Villa, but played just three games in the new Premier League alongside Dalian Atkinson before Villa signed Dean Saunders and he lost his place in the team, lingering in the squad until January 1993 as Villa were challenging for the Premier League title (they finally finished runners-up to Manchester United. McAvennie did not score for Villa.

Back to Celtic

McAvennie returned to Celtic, managed by Liam Brady, in January 1993. He scored nine goals in 19 league games that season, though Celtic could only manage a third place finish as Rangers secured their fifth successive title.

In 1993–94, McAvennie managed just 11 league appearances, scoring once, as he lost his place in the team following Liam Brady's departure and the appointment of Lou Macari as manager. In February 1994, Macari loaned McAvennie to English Premier League strugglers Swindon Town, and he made just seven league appearances and failed to score as the Robins were relegated in bottom place at the end of a season in which they managed a mere five wins and conceded 100 goals. About the only bright spot of his spell at the County Ground came in March when he helped the Robins hold league leaders (and eventual double winners) Manchester United to a 2–2 draw.

Falkirk and St Mirren

He also had a short spell at Falkirk, newly promoted to the Scottish Premier Division for 1994–95, and scoring twice in three games before dropping down a division and returning to St Mirren on a free transfer on 14 October 1994. He played seven games for St Mirren that season, failing to score, before retiring as a player at the age of 35. In a professional career which had stretched for 15 years, he managed a total of 136 goals in the English and Scottish leagues, combined with many more in the cups and also in Europe for Celtic.

International career

McAvennie was called into the Scotland national team late 1985 for the World Cup qualifying play-off with Australia at Hampden Park on 20 November. McAvennie scored on his debut in a 2–0 win.

He was subsequently called up to the Scotland national team for the 1986 World Cup, under interim national coach Alex Ferguson following the death of Jock Stein on 10 September 1985. In total he won five caps for Scotland, the last against Saudi Arabia in February 1988 in a 2-2 draw in Riyadh.

Lifestyle

During his playing career he reputedly enjoyed a playboy lifestyle involving drink, drugs and a good number of women. He is now openly gay.

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