Ian Redford: A tragic end to a tragic life for the Scottish footballer only weeks after telling his harrowing story
Ian Herbert wrote a moving column in The Independent the other day reflecting on the life and premature death of the footballer Ian Redford, who played for six clubs in Scotland and, in England, for Ipswich Town. He made more than 200 appearances for Rangers and scored the winning goal for Dundee United against Borussia Monchengladbach in the semi final of the Uefa Cup semi final in 1987. Redford, who struggled with depression after the end of his playing career, was found dead in a woodland area near his home in Irvine, Ayrshire, in January this year. He was 53. Last autumn, his autobiography, entitled Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, was published by Black and White Publishing , a Scottish publisher specialising in books about Scotland or Scottish people. He had written every word himself. The first draft, he recalled in his introduction, ran to more than 200,000 words, such was his drive to set down every detail. It was, he said, an enormously cathartic ...