Frank McAvennie

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Frank McAvennie (born 25 November 1959 in Lanark, to Benny McAvenie), is a former Scottish football striker. He grew up in Milton and went to St.Augustines secondary. During his playing career he reputedly enjoyed a playboy lifestyle involving drink, drugs and women.

McAvennie started his playing career in Scottish Junior League football. His first senior football club was St Mirren.

Good form saw him sign for West Ham United F.C. in 1985 and McAvennie enjoyed a largely proflic season where he scored 26 goals, one fewer than Gary Lineker, in the English Football League.

McAvennie was called into the Scotland national team in December 1985 for the World Cup qualifying play-off with Australia. McAvennie scored on his debut when he came on as a second half substitute, lobbing the ball from 30 yards, with the goalkeeper stranded, in a 2-0 win. He was subsequently called up to the Scotland national team for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, under Alex Ferguson. In October 1987, he moved back to Scotland with Celtic F.C., for £750,000, helping them win the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup double. The Cup Final was particularly memorable for McAvennie as he scored two late goals to beat Dundee United 2-1.

McAvennie returned to West Ham United the following season in a £1.2m deal. 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 fee.

In any event this second spell in London was not as successful as his previous one. After turning down the chance to join the champions that season Arsenal instead joining West Ham who were relegated the same season. In 1992, he moved to Aston Villa F.C. for a short stay before moving back to Celtic. He had a loan spell at Swindon Town F.C. before retiring.

More recently, he has been parodied regularly on the BBC's football comedy programme Only An Excuse with such catchphrases as "where's the burds?" - the character became so popular that there was a short lived spin-off entitled I, Macca.

Frank also has a place on the Saturday morning football show, Soccer AM - where the car park is named after him. This was as a result of him hitting the Russian substitue warming up in the face on a volley. Since that day, it has been known as the Frank McAvennie Car Park.

Preceded by Charlie Nicholas

Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 1982

Succeeded by Paul McStay

	Scotland squad - 1986 FIFA World Cup
1 Leighton | 2 Gough | 3 Malpas | 4 Souness | 5 McLeish | 6 Miller | 7 Strachan | 8 Aitken | 9 Bannon | 10 Bett | 11 McStay | 12 Goram | 13 Nicol | 14 Narey | 15 Albiston | 16 McAvennie | 17 Archibald | 18 Sharp | 19 Nicholas | 20 Sturrock | 21 Cooper | 22 Rough | Coach: Ferguson