Former Hammers Legend Arrested Over Bar Brawl

Former West Ham United legend Frank McAvennie missed a charity football match - because he was banged up after a bust-up in a bar, according to reports today. The ex-St Mirren, Celtic and Irons striker was in the Isle of Man for a Manchester United versus Liverpool Legends match and was due to be a guest striker. He did not take part after being arrested in the early hours of Saturday.

Manx police said a 48-year-old man who lives in Newcastle was arrested but would not confirm the defendant's name. A force spokesman said the man had been charged with affray and disorderly conduct and released on bail to appear at Douglas Courthouse in August. A 23-year-old local man, arrested in connection with the same incident, has been charged with affray. Ex-Rangers and Man United goalkeeper Andy Goram, who was said to have witnessed the row, did play in the match.

A source said: "McAvennie and Goram went out for the night on Friday and they were happily playing pool and signing autographs for fans. But there was a local guy with them and no one seemed to know what he was doing there. Frankly, he looked to be a hanger-on and both Macca and Goram were getting agitated by some of this guy's antics. At some point, an argument began and things turned sour. They had visited several pubs and it is possible they had asked the guy to leave but he refused. There was an incident in the toilet of a pub, followed by another when Macca was the victim of an alleged assault as he tried to get into a taxi."

It is understood the 23-year-old man who has been charged is local man Ian Moffat. It is believed both Macca and Moffat were held in police cells overnight.

The game at the Bowl in Douglas, the capital, was billed as the biggest sporting event on the island "without an engine" - in reference to the TT race.

Last night, Lee Watson, of Isle of Man company Extreme Art & Gadgets, who staged the event, said: "This is very unfortunate. Both Andy Goram and Frank McAvennie were perfect gentlemen in the way they agreed to take part. They are top guys. The problem was a local man wanted to get involved with these two football legends. He probably thought that because he is a customer of ours, that gave him licence to do as he pleased. At first, both ex-players were happy to talk to him and sign autographs but as the night wore on, he was getting louder and louder and basically overstayed his welcome. Yes, there were a couple of incidents that led to police action. But this whole thing was down to the behaviour of one man, and that man was not Frank McAvennie or Andy Goram."

Goram, 44, made no comment when he arrived back at Glasgow airport yesterday.