A clip went viral earlier this week of a Celtic fan watching last weekend’s league match against St Mirren and loudly complaining that a booking was long overdue for visiting defender Alex Gogic.
Within that foul-mouthed rant, however, was buried a back-handed compliment. ‘Would he be in my team? F****** right he would.’
That disgruntled Celtic backer will not be the only rival to look at the way the shaven-headed Cypriot goes about his business in a black-and-white jersey and wished they had someone doing likewise in their own team’s colours.
Hero worship in football tends traditionally to be the preserve of prolific goalscorers or silky playmakers but Gogic has earned cult hero status at St Mirren thanks to his boundless energy, wholehearted commitment and an unquenchable will to win.
Not the tallest defender at just over 6ft, Gogic seems to treat every encounter with a centre-forward like a personal affront to his authority. It is a battle he rarely loses.
The son of Sinisa, a Serbian-born, Cyprus-adopted international striker, Gogic first arrived in Scottish football almost a decade ago when Hamilton brought him north from the youth ranks of Swansea City. A cruciate injury kept him out for the best part of a year but his steely, driven performances, initially as a defensive midfielder, soon brought him to the attention of others.
Alex Gogic celebrates a goal against Aberdeen this month, a trademark towering header
Hibernian won that race, signing Gogic in the summer of 2020 where he would become a regular under Jack Ross as Hibs finished third, earning Gogic a Cyprus call-up along the way.
Football changes fast, however, and after Ross was sacked in December 2021, Gogic’s face didn’t fit under new Easter Road boss Shaun Maloney. The current Celtic assistant manager lasted just four months in charge but, by the time he was dismissed, Gogic had already left for St Mirren, initially on loan before signing a permanent deal that summer.
Four years later and Gogic is still providing a formidable presence at the heart of their three-man defence, where he has settled again after another stint in midfield. He has been remarkably consistent too, barely missing a match on his way to racking up almost 180 sweat and blood-soaked appearances.
When St Mirren’s aspirations moved up a notch or two under former manager Stephen Robinson, Gogic became the poster boy of that ascent. Robinson compiled a squad shorn of superstars, instead placing his trust in a group of players who learned to work and fight for each other to achieve greatness.
Three top-six finishes, a return to European competition and December’s Premier Sports Cup triumph — when Gogic provided an assist for Jonah Ayunga’s first goal with an outside-of-the-boot cross — all serve as testimony to that masterplan.
Few have embodied that spirit more than Gogic, who will be key again this weekend as St Mirren look to get the better of Celtic at Hampden for a second time this season and reach the Scottish Cup final.
Gogic’s no-nonsense style makes him both a popular and unpopular figure with supporters
‘The connection between Goga and the fans is brilliant,’ said former team-mate Ryan Flynn, now playing his part in Arbroath’s promotion push.
‘They took to him right from his loan spell when he first came in from Hibs. They see that he wears his heart on his sleeve and is as hard as nails when it comes to a tackle. He gives his all.
‘I don’t think he’s ever malicious. I’d say he’s full-blooded but fair and he’s like that in training too. He’s also a lot quicker than you might think.
‘When he plays in the back three, he’s so mobile and can cover so much ground. He must be a manager’s dream.’
Even his own team-mates aren’t always safe from his zealous approach, as Jayden Richardson found out to his cost recently when the wing-back came off worse from a clash of heads.
Gogic, meanwhile, had a few stitches quickly inserted, slapped some Vaseline over the wound and carried on. You have to salute his indefatigability.
‘I remember one time we were playing Dundee and one of their players (Tyler French) went into a tackle with him,’ recalled Flynn. ‘And the way Goga plays with his little shinpads and the socks down, it looked like it was going to be a leg-breaker for him. But it ended up the other guy who got the broken leg.
‘So, when I say he’s hard as nails, he’s like cement. Even when you’re tussling with him in training and you bounce into him, everything feels like it’s solid bone.’
An image of Gogic roaring ‘Idemo!’ — a Serbian rallying cry meaning ‘come on!’ — with his bald bonce bandaged up unsurprisingly became a best-selling T-shirt among supporters who have grown to love a player who never gives anything less than 100 per cent.
The veteran holds aloft the Premier Sports Cup after St Mirren’s Hampden win over Celtic
‘Gogic is the guy who can do everything,’ said Mark Jardine, a regular on the Misery Hunters podcast and part of the St Mirren TV commentary team.
‘He’s as fast as anyone else, does the mad stuff, gees up the crowd, heads in winning goals, slaps a bandage on a head wound and just gets on with it. He’s exactly the kind of player that becomes a cult hero in a one-club town.’
Like Jim Goodwin and Scott Brown before him, the shaved head certainly helps give Gogic a menacing air but, while he may seem hard as nails on the pitch, the father of two is a big softy and a gentleman off it.
‘Goga played in the game when I did my cruciate ligament against Hamilton and by the time I came back he was with Hibs when we played them,’ recalled Flynn.
‘I didn’t know him at all at that point. But he shook my hand after the match and said, “Great to see you back after your injury”. I’ve always remembered that.
Gogic is no stranger to Scottish officials but he is far from just a hatchet man
‘As a professional, that was proper respect. It probably sums him up. For 90 minutes, it’s blood and thunder. He’ll fight for everything, give his all. When the game’s done, he’s back to simply being Goga. That’s just the good guy he is.’
It is perhaps a bit of a surprise that Gogic has stayed put for as long as he has given the growing number of admiring glances that have come his way.
He marked collecting St Mirren’s Player of the Year award in 2024 by signing a three-year contract extension, one of the best bits of business achieved by the club in recent years.
Speculation that he could yet move on continues to bubble under — Rangers’ name cropped up a few times in January — but, having turned 32 this week, only age might count against him opening a new chapter in his career.
St Mirren supporters certainly won’t be complaining were Gogic to pen one final deal to see out his playing days there.
‘He’s a guy who’s almost certainly going to be added to the club’s Hall of Fame at some point,’ added Jardine. ‘His legacy is already assured. It’s just about what he can add to it now. And he’s still got plenty to offer.’
