Born: Glasgow, 9 January 1982
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Republic of Ireland
International caps: 73
International goals: 6
Signed: 1 June 1982 from West Ham United (free transfer)
Fulham debut: Fulham 1-1 Rotherham United, 28 August 1982
Fulham appearances: 145
Fulham goals: 21
Sold: 1 September 1985 to Oxford United (£147,000)
Magnificent midfielder Ray Houghton has to be Fulham’s finest ever free transfer signing. Having made just one appearance for West Ham having come through the Hammers’ youth set-up, Houghton moved to Fulham and immediately impressed as the creative hub of Malcolm Macdonald’s midfield. With his eye for a pass, terrific dribbling skills and terrific long-range shooting ability, Houghton soon hit the headlines scoring a magnificent 25-yarder at St. James’ Park in a famous 4-1 victory over Newcastle United.
Houghton scored eleven goals in the 1984-85 campaign including a memorable last-minute winner over Manchester City but he was sold to Oxford United in September 1985 to balance Fulham’s books for the incredibly cheap fee of £147,000. He won the League Cup with Oxford, scoring in the 3-0 win over Queen’s Park Rangers at Wembley in 1986, before moving to Anfield where he won two league titles and an FA Cup. He made 73 senior appearances for Ireland, helping Jack Charlton’s side to the quarter finals of the 1990 World Cup, and then famously scoring in a 1-0 win over Italy in New York in the 1994 tournament.
An incisive and popular pundit, Houghton now appears regular as an analyst on RTE and Talksport.
