Andy Morrison
Encyclopedia
Andrew Charles "Andy" Morrison (born 30 July 1970) is a Scottish
ex-football player who played at centre half
. He is currently Assistant Manager at Northwich Victoria
.
though a native of Kinlochbervie
, Morrison began his career at Plymouth Argyle
. He made his Football League debut as a substitute in a 5-2 defeat at Aston Villa in 1987, but did not establish himself in the Argyle first team until the 1989-90 season. An uncompromising centre-half with a broad Plymothian accent, Morrison scored his first senior goal in a 1-0 win at home to Ipswich in March 1990.
Morrison was a regular fixture in the Plymouth side under manager Dave Kemp, but the arrival of Peter Shilton as player-manager in February 1991 marked the beginning of the end of his time at Plymouth. Morrison took exception to Shilton's managerial style, while Shilton, for his part, was keen to cash in on one of his most saleable assets to bring in signings of his own. Morrison spent one final season at Home Park following the club's relegation from the second tier in 1992, before Shilton accepted a £500,000 offer from Blackburn Rovers
, then managed by Kenny Dalglish
.
Morrison was unable to break into what was then a successful Rovers side on a regular basis, and in December 1994 he was sold to fellow Lancastrians Blackpool
, for a Blackpool club-record ₤245,000. He made his debut for the Tangerines on 10 December, in a 3–1 victory over A.F.C. Bournemouth
. He was suspended for the next two games, however, after picking up a booking during the match and, thus, hitting the relevant number of disciplinary points.
After two years each with Blackpool and Huddersfield Town
, Morrison became a Manchester City
player in 1999. After becoming captain, he led City to victory over Gillingham
in the Division Two
play-off final at Wembley.
, Morrison was famously sent off for sticking out his tongue at Stan Collymore
in a draw with Fulham
. His performances endeared him to then Scotland
manager Craig Brown and there was talk of his being called up to the international team to play in a crucial Euro 2000 qualifying match against England
. However, twelve games into the season, Morrison picked up an injury which meant he would miss the rest of the season, which ultimately saw City promoted to the Premier League. He spent fourteen months attempting to return to the Manchester City team, even requesting that then-City manager Joe Royle
loan him out to his former club Blackpool and also to Crystal Palace
to improve his match fitness. His absence had prompted Royle to sign Spencer Prior
to help the team earn promotion, and subsequently Steve Howey
and Richard Dunne
to help the team stay in the top flight.
game against Ipswich
in December 2000 in which he was man of the match. However, due to the number of yellow cards he had picked up in reserve-team games he could not play Premier League football until New Year's Day
2001, when he was man of the match in a 1–1 draw with Coventry City
. In his next outing, an FA Cup
game against Birmingham City
, he scored with a bullet header in a 3–2 victory.
In another FA Cup game, against Liverpool
, Morrison was cautioned by a police officer after squirting the Liverpool fans when he had been substituted. He only played a few more games for City before being loaned out to Sheffield United
, where he picked up the injury that ended his career. Morrison had been loaned out to try and improve his fitness. City were subsequently relegated to Division One once more and Kevin Keegan
became manager at Maine Road
. Keegan brought in players such as Stuart Pearce
and Eyal Berkovic
, and it was speculated that Morrison's time at the club was over. Nevertheless, Keegan praised the Scot for his hard work in training, and with City's defence leaking goals, fans hoped Morrison would be given his chance. However, he failed to recover from the injury he sustained while he was at Sheffield United and he was released at the end of the season. This was not before he was given his chance to say farewell to the Manchester City fans in a match against Crystal Palace. Keegan said of Morrison: "Andy received cult status when the club gained promotion. He is a first-class professional and deserves a chance to further his career."
In late 2002, Morrison was given a trial at Bury
. He played 45 minutes for Bury's reserve team, but his injury prevented him taking any further part.
and Tony Book
were deemed to be better captains than him. The magazine also listed Morrison second in a list of hard men, behind Mike Doyle but above the likes of Stuart Pearce and Gerry Gow
. Some feel that it was Morrison's leadership skills and ability to get the players around him to raise their game that enabled Manchester City to return to the Premier League after their fall into Division Two. In an interview with the BBC
on 23 September 2005, Joe Royle spoke of his sympathy for Nottingham Forest
, a club which, like Manchester City, had fallen two divisions. He said, "Big clubs in that division are a scalp and everyone wants to beat them. We had that at City and it was hard for us, but we got the hang of it. The catalyst for us was signing Andy Morrison. He was the man for the job and the man for the division. He dragged us up kicking and screaming. He is the kind of player that Forest need – if they can find somebody like him. We only got him because of his injury record, and because he had had a major fall-out with the manager at Huddersfield. He was as strong as they come and feared nobody – he played a big part in turning things round for us."
in April 2006. Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Morrison is in the 1990s.
at Worcester City
.
During a pre-season friendly match against Kidderminster Harriers
on 5 August 2006, an incident in the changing-room area caused the game to be abandoned after 71 minutes. Harriers' manager Mark Yates called the referee over to him and said he was going to take his team off due to an off-the-field incident involving Morrison. On 17 August, Worcester City announced the results of an internal enquiry into the incident. The club fined Morrison the maximum allowed under FA
guidelines, suspended him for three games, and warned him of his future conduct. The Football Association itself fined Morrison £750 and also gave him a six-match touchline ban.
Morrison resigned in April 2007.
and Vale Royal
Borough Council in Cheshire that he had £58,000 in his bank account while he was still claiming benefits. He defrauded the authorities out of more than £6,500 and was ordered to pay £95 court costs and carry out a fifty-hour community punishment order. In mitigation it was said that he "was dissipating the capital very quickly, spending his own money on operations. He blames no-one apart from himself. He is not financially-astute at all. He is very naive when it comes to finance. He has little or no knowledge of the financial world".
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
ex-football player who played at centre half
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. He is currently Assistant Manager at Northwich Victoria
Northwich Victoria F.C.
Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
.
Early career
Born in InvernessInverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
though a native of Kinlochbervie
Kinlochbervie
Kinlochbervie is a harbour village in the north west of Sutherland, in the Highland region of Scotland. In 2001 the population was 480.The majority of local industry is based upon the fishing industry...
, Morrison began his career at Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
. He made his Football League debut as a substitute in a 5-2 defeat at Aston Villa in 1987, but did not establish himself in the Argyle first team until the 1989-90 season. An uncompromising centre-half with a broad Plymothian accent, Morrison scored his first senior goal in a 1-0 win at home to Ipswich in March 1990.
Morrison was a regular fixture in the Plymouth side under manager Dave Kemp, but the arrival of Peter Shilton as player-manager in February 1991 marked the beginning of the end of his time at Plymouth. Morrison took exception to Shilton's managerial style, while Shilton, for his part, was keen to cash in on one of his most saleable assets to bring in signings of his own. Morrison spent one final season at Home Park following the club's relegation from the second tier in 1992, before Shilton accepted a £500,000 offer from Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, then managed by Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
.
Morrison was unable to break into what was then a successful Rovers side on a regular basis, and in December 1994 he was sold to fellow Lancastrians Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, for a Blackpool club-record ₤245,000. He made his debut for the Tangerines on 10 December, in a 3–1 victory over A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
. He was suspended for the next two games, however, after picking up a booking during the match and, thus, hitting the relevant number of disciplinary points.
After two years each with Blackpool and Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, Morrison became a Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
player in 1999. After becoming captain, he led City to victory over Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
in the Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
play-off final at Wembley.
Injury woes
In the Division OneFootball League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, Morrison was famously sent off for sticking out his tongue at Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore
Stanley Victor "Stan" Collymore is an English football pundit and former footballer, who played from 1990 until 2001. He held the British transfer record when he moved from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5 million in 1995 and was capped three times at senior level by the England...
in a draw with Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. His performances endeared him to then Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
manager Craig Brown and there was talk of his being called up to the international team to play in a crucial Euro 2000 qualifying match against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. However, twelve games into the season, Morrison picked up an injury which meant he would miss the rest of the season, which ultimately saw City promoted to the Premier League. He spent fourteen months attempting to return to the Manchester City team, even requesting that then-City manager Joe Royle
Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
loan him out to his former club Blackpool and also to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
to improve his match fitness. His absence had prompted Royle to sign Spencer Prior
Spencer Prior
Spencer Justin Prior is an English former footballer. He was a central defender who retired at the end of the 2006-07 season, finishing his career with hometown club Southend United, where he began his career...
to help the team earn promotion, and subsequently Steve Howey
Steve Howey (footballer)
Stephen Norman "Steve" Howey is a former footballer who played for the England national team. At club level, he made more than 300 appearances in the Football League and the Premier League, playing for Newcastle United, Manchester City, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and Hartlepool United...
and Richard Dunne
Richard Dunne
Richard Patrick Dunne is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he was a member of the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012.Dunne began his professional career at Everton...
to help the team stay in the top flight.
Return to action
Morrison returned in a League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
game against Ipswich
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
in December 2000 in which he was man of the match. However, due to the number of yellow cards he had picked up in reserve-team games he could not play Premier League football until New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
2001, when he was man of the match in a 1–1 draw with Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. In his next outing, an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
game against Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, he scored with a bullet header in a 3–2 victory.
In another FA Cup game, against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Morrison was cautioned by a police officer after squirting the Liverpool fans when he had been substituted. He only played a few more games for City before being loaned out to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, where he picked up the injury that ended his career. Morrison had been loaned out to try and improve his fitness. City were subsequently relegated to Division One once more and Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
became manager at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
. Keegan brought in players such as Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
and Eyal Berkovic
Eyal Berkovic
Eyal Berkovic is an Israeli former footballer. He played as a midfielder.He is known in Israel by the nickname Ha-Kosem ....
, and it was speculated that Morrison's time at the club was over. Nevertheless, Keegan praised the Scot for his hard work in training, and with City's defence leaking goals, fans hoped Morrison would be given his chance. However, he failed to recover from the injury he sustained while he was at Sheffield United and he was released at the end of the season. This was not before he was given his chance to say farewell to the Manchester City fans in a match against Crystal Palace. Keegan said of Morrison: "Andy received cult status when the club gained promotion. He is a first-class professional and deserves a chance to further his career."
In late 2002, Morrison was given a trial at Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
. He played 45 minutes for Bury's reserve team, but his injury prevented him taking any further part.
Playing legacy
Morrison is remembered by Manchester City fans as one of their best-ever captains, and was voted so in the club's official magazine. Only Roy PaulRoy Paul
Roy Paul was a footballer who played as a half-back for Swansea Town and Manchester City...
and Tony Book
Tony Book
Anthony Keith Book is a retired English footballer and manager who was born in Bath, 4 September 1934. Book spent a large part of his career in Non-League football with his home town club Bath City, before entering league football with Plymouth Argyle. At the age of 31, he joined First Division...
were deemed to be better captains than him. The magazine also listed Morrison second in a list of hard men, behind Mike Doyle but above the likes of Stuart Pearce and Gerry Gow
Gerry Gow
Gerry Gow is a former footballer who played for Bristol City in the 1970s, making 375 appearances for them in The Football League....
. Some feel that it was Morrison's leadership skills and ability to get the players around him to raise their game that enabled Manchester City to return to the Premier League after their fall into Division Two. In an interview with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on 23 September 2005, Joe Royle spoke of his sympathy for Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, a club which, like Manchester City, had fallen two divisions. He said, "Big clubs in that division are a scalp and everyone wants to beat them. We had that at City and it was hard for us, but we got the hang of it. The catalyst for us was signing Andy Morrison. He was the man for the job and the man for the division. He dragged us up kicking and screaming. He is the kind of player that Forest need – if they can find somebody like him. We only got him because of his injury record, and because he had had a major fall-out with the manager at Huddersfield. He was as strong as they come and feared nobody – he played a big part in turning things round for us."
Blackpool F.C. Hall of Fame
Morrison was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Bloomfield Road when it was officially opened by former Blackpool player Jimmy ArmfieldJimmy Armfield
James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back...
in April 2006. Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Morrison is in the 1990s.
Post-retirement
After Morrison's departure from Bury, he decided to retire from the playing side of the game. He became assistant manager to Andy PreeceAndy Preece
Andrew Preece is a part-time English footballer and manager. He is currently the player-manager at Northwich Victoria.-Career:...
at Worcester City
Worcester City F.C.
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at St George's Lane.-History:...
.
During a pre-season friendly match against Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
on 5 August 2006, an incident in the changing-room area caused the game to be abandoned after 71 minutes. Harriers' manager Mark Yates called the referee over to him and said he was going to take his team off due to an off-the-field incident involving Morrison. On 17 August, Worcester City announced the results of an internal enquiry into the incident. The club fined Morrison the maximum allowed under FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
guidelines, suspended him for three games, and warned him of his future conduct. The Football Association itself fined Morrison £750 and also gave him a six-match touchline ban.
Morrison resigned in April 2007.
Personal life
In August 2006, Morrison pleaded guilty to four charges of fraud concerning income support, jobseeker's allowance, and council tax benefits, dating from August 2003 to July 2005. He failed to inform the Department for Work and PensionsDepartment for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
and Vale Royal
Vale Royal
Vale Royal was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It contained the towns of Northwich, Winsford and Frodsham.-Creation:...
Borough Council in Cheshire that he had £58,000 in his bank account while he was still claiming benefits. He defrauded the authorities out of more than £6,500 and was ordered to pay £95 court costs and carry out a fifty-hour community punishment order. In mitigation it was said that he "was dissipating the capital very quickly, spending his own money on operations. He blames no-one apart from himself. He is not financially-astute at all. He is very naive when it comes to finance. He has little or no knowledge of the financial world".
Honours
Manchester City- Division TwoFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
play-off final winner: 1998–99 - Division OneFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
runners-up (promoted): 1999–2000